june donaldson

NEW BLOG

2010-01-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

June and Ed have a new project and are temporarily not travelling. We are building a hacienda on 10 acres of land near Sucre in Bolivia.
To read all about it go to www.skyhacienda.blogspot.com

CANOA

2009-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

What to do in Ecuador post Christmas? Having visited the jungle and the mountains, it was time to hit the beach.

Situated on the north coast of Ecuador, Canoa is a surfer's paradise and also home to local fishermen who brave the waves to keep the local restaurants stocked with fish.

We stayed in a hostal made entirely of bamboo and other exotic woods, with hammocks slung under palapas and tables cut from massive trees on which to place our cuba libres (rum and coke).

We chilled under canvas sunshades on the beach and then jumped in the warm water to get shaken up by the waves.

Sunsets were special!

CUENCA FIREWORKS

2009-01-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Cuenca's residents love a good firework display, but it's like nothing you would experience in the developed world.

First a tall bamboo and coloured paper structure loaded with connecting tubes of gunpower are placed as close as possible to a historic building.

Then the people surge forward as the tubes of gunpowder on the lower section of the structure are lit.

The structure shakes and whines with the strain of the energy being released as the gunpowder
tubes explore in an upward direction.

At the same time jets of fire shoot out from the sides, hurling bits of burning bamboo into the crowd who retreat screaming to a safer location.

By the time the structure is fully lit it is like being in the middle of a war zone, with rockets hurling into the sky and spraying burning debris on the ground below.

My thanks to Ed for braving the war zone to shoot the photos
and not hiding behind pillars like the rest of us.

CHRISTMAS EVE PARADE, CUENCA

2009-01-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

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Cuenca is famous for it's children's parade on Christmas Eve and we were thrilled to have a front row view as the parade passed through the street in front of our apartment. However, we were soon down on the street ourselves, taking photos, applauding the children and dancing to the bands as they passed.

The parade started at 10 am and it was already a scorching hot day. Every child in the city and from other parts of Ecuador were dressed up - there were vehicle after vehicle containing traditional nativity scenes, with Marys, Josephs, wise men, shepherds and the cutest angels.

There were indigenous groups dressed in their best traditional costumes, miniature spanish ladies in beautiful gowns mounted on horses.

The procession culminated in the cathedral in Parque Calderon some 6 hours later, with offerings of roasted pig, guinea pig and strangely dressed chickens decorated with fruits and vegetables that had been transported around the city on horses and vehicles.

Impossible to adequately describe in words, so enjoy the photos!

THE INCA RUINS OF INGAPIRCA

2009-01-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

Situated a couple of hours by bus north of Cuenca, the Inca ruins at Ingapirca (meaning Wall of the Inca) are the largest in Ecuador. The site was sacred to the Canari indigenous people who lived there for centuries before being conquered by the Incas. Rather gratifyingly, the descendents of the Canari people now operate the site, thus reclaiming their land.

The settlement was built late in the 15th century as the Inca empire expanded from Peru into Ecuador. Ingapirca was probably a stopping off point on the roay Inca route from Cuzco, Peru to Quito, Ecuador and features an eliptical platform known as the Temple of the Sun used for religious and ceremonial purposes as well as a possible solar observatory.

Unlike Machu Pichu in Peru, which was hidden from the world until its discovery, Ingapirca was exposed and therefore well known, resulting in the removal over centuries of many of the dressed stones that formed the walls of this settlement. But there are still some beautiful examples of this finely crafted stonework, as well as examples of trapezoidal archways and niches that are hallmarks of Inca construction.

CAJAS NATIONAL PARK

2009-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Cajas National Park is situated 30k from Cuenca and most of the 228 sq km of parkland is between an altitude of 4000 and 4500m. It never snows there, but it can be pretty cold and the bleak, moor-like landscape reflects the colder climate. There are more than 200 lakes in the park and it is a beautiful location for hiking, trout fishing and rough camping.

We visited for just a day to hike and take photos, and on our way back stopped at a trout farm where the adjacent restaurant owner kindly lit a fire whilst we waited for him to catch the fish for our supper.

A RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

2009-01-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

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Katy and I headed north east to Puyo by bus on a rocky dirt road that was cut out of
the jungle.
In Puyo we found a beautiful hostal with wooden cabins installed in the garden with hammocks for chilling in outside on the balcony.

We didn't have enough time to have a full jungle experience, so settled for a one day trip. Our guide Louis drove us to a spot where a local threw his net into a pond and caught our fish for lunch. We then headed alongside the river which was muddy and swollen from heavy rain the previous day and night to where a dug out canoe was waiting for us. These canoes are very unstable at the best of times, and we carefully got in and set off downstream, with our boatsman navigating the canoe from one side to another to slow down our speed in the fast moving river.

We got out further down the river and walked up a steep path to the top of a mountain where we were able to see a panoramic view of the jungle and the river. Katy also tried her hand at playing Jane on the rope swing.

After a tasty fish lunch we set off through the jungle alongside a stream toward a waterfall,
where Katy and I took the plunge and had the best power shower of our lives!

Our last visit was to a local indigenous community who were two days into a four day fiesta, celebrating nature and the end of a hunting trip. Huge quantities of chicha, a traditional drink made from maize and fermented by the women with spit had already been consumed when we arrived, and many of the inhabitants could barely stand up. It was considered impolite to refuse the chicha which was aggressively and constantly poured into the mouth by women, but luckily i was at the tail end of a month 'on the wagon' after a blood test had shown my liver was not as healthy as it could be. So I got our guide to explain that i couldn't drink the chicha for health reasons.

The chief of the village welcomed us with bowls of chicken and vegetable broth and when we had finished he invited me to dance. He was quite a sight, dressed in full camoflage with a colourful headdress, but I kept a straight face and did my best. We had walked a long way that day and I was quite relieved to sit down, only to be pulled onto my feet again to dance with the medicine man. After that there were a string of men who also insisted Katy and I danced with them, many of them covered in vomit from the vast amounts of chicha they had consumed.

Suddenly I realised that Louis, our guide, was beginning to look the worst for wear and gently guided him outside, reminding him that he had to drive us back to town!

We left the villagers to their continuing fiesta and returned carefully to Puyo.

KATY COMES TO VISIT IN ECUADOR

2009-01-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful surprise when my daughter Katy contacted me to say she was foregoing her usual Christmas skiing trip to visit me in Ecuador.

She flew out mid-December and after a couple of days in Cuenca exploring the city and recovering from the flight, the two of us set off for the jungle on the eastern side of the Andes that dissect Ecuador.

We returned to Cuenca, and explored the area around Cuenca with Ed, including Ingapirca, Cajas National Park and the market villages of Sigsig and Chordeleg.

Before we knew it, it was Christmas eve and we had a great day enjoying the traditional children's parade through the streets of Cuenca. Christmas Day was quite subdued after that, and we had a restful day before packing our bags and heading out the next morning for the northern coast of Ecuador.

We spent a few days in Canoa soaking up the sun and getting battered by the Pacific waves. Ed and Katy rented a couple of boards and hit the waves, although on many occasions the waves hit them!

Then it was time for mother and daughter to take the bus up and over the mountains to Quito for Katy's return flight. We arrived early New Year's Eve at a family run hotel i had stayed in before after running the gauntlet of the crowds already filling the streets.

It is the custom in Ecuador to make an effigy of a despised political figure and burn it at midnight and the family had made one of George W, with a note on in english thanking him for the war and the world economic collapse. Katy and I went off for a quick chinese meal (the only restaurants open in the city as everyone was partying) then back to the hotel for rum and Bush kicking as we waited for midnight. George W was soaked in petrol out on the street in front of the hotel and set on fire as we joined other hotel guests and the family in dancing, jumping over the burning body and drinking more rum.

The next day, Katy and I had a slap up steak lunch in an Argentinian style parilla and then made our way to the airport - katy to London and me to Cuenca. A great visit was had by all!

SPANISH SCHOOL IN CUENCA, ECUADOR

2009-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

We took one-on-one spanish class at Escuelar Simon Boliviar just a couple of blocks from our apartment in the historic district, for four hours a day for four weeks.

Ed landed the director of the school as his teacher, Fausto, a highly dedicated professional whilst i was fortunate to be given Teresa as my teacher, a gesthalt therapist and yoga teacher.

Four hours every morning of intensive one-on-one spanish wasn't easy, and there was plenty of homework in the afternoon, but there were also early evening activities of a more fun nature. We took salsa and merengue dance classes with , learned how to make empanadas (typical pies containing cheese, meat or chicken) and pretty potent fruit cocktails with Fausto's wife and fellow teacher Martha.

On another occasion Martha gave a demonstration of a shamanic cleansing using bunches of aromatic herbs, an egg which was rubbed over the body and then cracked into a glass of water to examine the energy that had been absorbed through the shell, and a spiced alchoholic liquid that was put into the shaman's mouth and then sprayed over the body of the person being cleansed. We saw a video of a more intensive cleansing using a live guinea pig that was rubbed over the body and then dissected to examine the organs that would show any health problems being experienced by the recipient of the cleansing.

ECUADOR MARKETS

2009-01-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

Ecuador markets are a riot of colour and variety and with supermarkets being so expensive are the regular locations for purchasing food and clothing.

In Cuenca, the most famous market is the flower market located at the side of the cathedral, where I would regularly buy a dozen roses for 25 cents a stem. Ecuador exports roses to Holland as their quality is superlative, thanks to the countries location on the ecuator giving overhead sun for many hours in the day.

We also took a bus ride out to the Sunday market towns of Sigsig and Chordeleg near Cuenca, Cuenca is famous for its production of the mis-named Panama hat, which is in fact properly named as a Montevideo, exported to Panama and around the world but always made in and around Cuenca. I found a bargain for $5 in Sigsig - in Cuenca you will likely pay around $15 for a trimmed version.

CUENCA FOLKLORE

2009-01-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

This cultural city has constant film, music and dance festivals and i was lucky enough to catch a local dance competition during our stay in Cuenca. The competing groups ranged from very slick professionals demonstrating their co-ordination to amateur groups from outlying villages showing scenes from daily life through costume and dance.

The professional group were highly entertaining and very energetic with the troupe dressed in beautiful costumes - some of the men wearing knitted masks and lama skins on their legs.

They finished their performance with an acrobatic human pyramid.

Personally i preferred the amateur village group, who wandered on to the performance area with sheep and a chicken. Their dance showed hunting scenes with some of the men dressed in deer skins whilst the women assembled a tripod and lit a fire underneath to prepare for 'cooking' the meat brought back by the hunters.

Rather worryingly, for me anyway, the chicken was placed on top of the tripod, and seemed unperturbed when the flames started climbing up the tripod, but the chicken was released before any major singing took place and ran for freedom.

THE DAY OF THE DEAD IN ECUADOR

2009-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

The day after we arrived in Quenca we visited the city cemetary to celebrate the Day of the Dead, a festival in central and south america where families visit the graves of their dead relatives to remember them by lighting candles and placing flowers and other objects on their graves. Some families brought a picnic and ate close to their departed loved ones.

Many of the graves were housed in cement structures with glass fronts which varied greatly in their decoration.

Some had simple names and a few lilies, others contained personal items such as barbie dolls.

Often battery operated lights were placed inside.

A grave in the ground consisted of a concrete stairway to heaven - a Led Zeppelin fan perhaps?

The cemetary contained a poignant glass memorial of etched figures of men, women and children, representing Ecuadorians who had died trying to immigrate by sea to the USA, a stark reminder of the desperation of many people who live in poverty in Ecuador.

ECUADORIAN FOOD

2009-01-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

Eating out is the norm in Ecuador - unless you cook solely with food from the many food markets it is actually more expensive to buy food from the supermarket and cook it yourself. The set 3 course lunches with fruit juice are the biggest bargain, ranging from $1 to $3. This is the main meal of the day for Ecuadorians

In Quito, there is a very strong Argentinean influence in many restaurants, with parillas (choice cuts of beef cooked over open charcoal fires) being the order of the day. In Cuenca, however, apart from one decent fish restaurant thanks to a chef brought in from Peru, the typical Ecuadorian menu is rather disappointing.

Locals always eat their meals with a rice accompaniment and as there are often potatoes and bread with the same dish, it can feel a bit carb loaded, with chicken, fish or meat almost a garnish, whilst there is no holding back on the corn. Mexican and Columbian restaurants give a bit of spice to the food, which is more than I can say for the Indian restaurant in Cuenca - a tasteless anticlimax after my initial euphoria at the prospect of regular Ruby Murrays. Of course, there is always pizza and, the more I travel the world, the more there is always pizza. Hum…..

Nevertheless, one of the cultural initiation ceremonies of our first week in Spanish school was to visit THE cuy restaurant of Cuenca for lunch - cuy to my non Spanish-speaking friends being Fluffy, or guinea pig. Cuy is a luxury food in restaurants, but from visits to local markets where skinned guinea pigs are on sale floating in water filled basins, I suspect that in rural areas they are as common as chickens.

DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IF YOU ARE OF A SQUEAMISH NATURE!!!!!!

……..AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO AVOID THE PHOTOS TOO!!!

We were first taken to the barbecue area, where the sight of skinned Fluffies being impaled onto the steel spits arse-hole first with the other end emerging from their mouths didn't exactly set the digestive juices flowing.

But those browning nicely on another barbecue looking a little more appetising, so we proceeded to our table and were served a portions of the little guy with potatoes. The little stumpy clawed limb was quite handy to hold onto whilst biting the skin (which was like port crackling only thinner and tougher) and but there was very little meat - quite tough and strongly flavoured. Give me a big fat pig any day, and in fact you can find these roasted whole and offered as food throughout Ecuador in the smaller towns.

People of all ages in Cuenca love their ‘dulces’ or sweet things. The city is littered with ice cream parlours and cake shops. Outside the cathedral and in Parque Calderon there are vendors selling toffee apples, marshmallow cones and candyfloss.

LIVING IN CUENCA, ECUADOR

2009-01-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

It’s difficult to find reasonably priced accommodation to rent in Cuenca, so we were pleasantly surprised to see a notice of studios for rent outside what appeared to be an office building half a block from Parque Calderon.

We were out of luck with studios, but the owner showed us a massive apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and fully equipped kitchen, washing machine, bed linen, towels and electricity all included for $400 per month. It had been converted from an office, complete with suspended ceilings, but - OH MY GOD - the view from the bedrooms was AWESOME. Yes, I know I’m shouting, but you will understand when you see the photo.

When the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built, the final stage was to be the mounting of the bell towers at the front of the building. But whilst estimating the weight of these towers for lifting into place it was discovered that they were so heavy that they would cause the supporting part of the building to collapse. So from the front, the cathedral looks somewhat unfinished, but from the side - the building occupies a whole block - one can see, or should I say we can see the magnificent domes in all their brick and blue glory.

CUENCA ARCHITECTURE, ECUADOR

2009-01-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Quenca is the cultural capital of Ecuador (Quito being the political capital and Guayaquil the economic capital) and is situated in the southern highlands at an elevation of 2530m.

In 1999 its centre, full of colonial splendour, was declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

Parque Calderon forms the hub of the historic district, dominated by the relatively new cathedral of the Immaculate Conception built in 1885.

The park is a popular chill-out space where Cuenca’s residents sit and read their newspapers, tilt their heads up to the sun and listen to classical music piped through speakers. In the evening the park becomes a venue for live music from various bands.

Go down any of the streets off the park and you will see beautiful examples of colonial houses with their balconies and ornate plasterwork facades.

There are also more modest single storey houses built for the poorer residents whose whole families and their animals would pack inside at night.

Interspersed are brutal 60’s cement buildings - apparently dating from the time emigrants left for the USA and returned to tear down their old fashioned colonial residences in favour of more modern architecture. And the 60’s is where architectural time froze - to this day buildings are still being erected in the same style.

Luckily there are also magnificent churches and museums on nearly every corner looking over many other fine plazas in the city.

Rio Tomebamba, where women still wash their clothes and spread them out on the grass to dry, separates the historic district from the modern sector where there are glitzy shopping malls, cinemas, sports centres and high rise condominiums.

BANOS TO CUENCA, ECUADOR

2008-11-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

We took a bus from Banos to Riobamba - a fairly large city famous only for its train station, from which we were going to take one of the few trains still running in Ecuador south to el Niaz del Diablo (the Devil's Nose) . Riobamba had a certain old Colonial charm and the hostal we stayed in the night before our train ride was great - our room was in the garden and, hoorah, it had wifi!

We got up early the next morning and took a taxi to the station with our prepaid tickets and our cushion reservations. Although there was the option of travelling inside - it was a rite of passage to ride on the roof, so after purchasing rather expensive (for Ecuador) plastic ponchos to protect ourselves from the morning drizzle, we clambered onto the roof. We parked our bums on our cushions on the cold wet roof of the train and introduced ourselves to our travelling companions. Stephanie from Virginia was heading for Cuenca too and hoping for a hotel room with TV and CNN in English from which to watch the US elections.

Our journey took a total of 7 hours through the Ecuadorian countryside with one stop for banos and real food (the vendors who accompanied us sold only lollies and dubious savory snacks). Surprisingly the ride was fairly comfortable and after a while the rain stopped and the sun dried our wet clothes. The highlight of the ride was at the end where we descended down into the valley by an ingenious system of rail changing, and after a half hour at the foot of el Niaz de Diablo doing nothing but admiring the mountain from which we had descended, we used the same system to climb back up.

At the station Ed, Stephanie and I took the bus on to Cuenca. The Day of the Dead celebrations and Independence Day fiesta-ing awaited, followed by the US elections. Ed and I had already decided to take Spanish classes there and stay for a month, so this was going to be a good chance to see what it would be like to live in a city in Ecuador.

EL NIAZ DE DIABLO

2008-11-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

Kitted out in waterproofs and plastic ponchos we sit on cushions in the rain on top of the train that will take us to el Niaz de Diablo (the nose of the devil).
Me on top of train with new friend Stephanie. Notice the local greeting of natives of Virginia!
A family out farming watched us as we passed.
The fresh fruit looked inviting, but given our cold empty bellies we plumped for hot banana fritters instead!
Vendors selling warm clothing in the hope that we tourists were ill-prepared for the train ride.
We bought lollies from vendors who travelled with us on the train and threw them down to a bunch of sweet girls at the side of the track.
....and cute muddy boys joined the line too.
.....but i couldn't resist testing the goods.
A possible fixer-upper for my hotel project? A little too remote, methinks!
Ed basks in the sunlight as the rain winds through the countryside.
...clinging to the roof as we drop down into the valley.
....more daring descents.

BANOS, ECUADOR

2008-11-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

We resisted the temptation to jump to Cuenca in one go, and were advised instead to visit Banos - an unfortunately named town (for those of you who lack Spànish it generally means toilet/WC/etc) - but which turned out to be rather pleasant. Surrounded by volcanos in various stages of activity - it was actually wiped out in the last century - it boasted hot spring that we weren't inclined to visit as they had been turned into rather unattractive and crowded hot swimming pools, and lots of opportunity for extreme sports.

Hiring a mountain bike and hurtling 16k downhill was as extreme as I was prepared to entertain. We passed waterfalls, dams that showered us with spray and even braved a ride in an ornate 'cradle' across a canyon and back. The best bit was at the end of the ride, where we pedalled into town, loaded our bikes in the back of a van and drove back to Banos!

BANOS, ECUADOR

2008-11-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Tropical Banos.
Ed took a liking to these art deco railings in one of the parks.
Milcocha (a kind of 'taffy') being made in one of the shops in the centre of town.
Landcrabs randomly being sold by a local entrepeneur on the streets of Banos.
Me in one of the most unflattering cycle helmets ever designed trying to look optimistic about my ability to handle the next 16k, luckily mostly downhill!
We took this wonderfully ornate cable car....
.....across this river!
Ed took this picture as we came into 'land' on the other side.

A view of the gorge at the end of our 16k bike ride.

QUITO, ECUADOR

2008-11-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

With the usual warnings of possible theft of backpack and other belongings from guide books and travel blogs I was a bit wary of my first stop in south america, but I was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, we had booked a hostal in the tourist district which was well policed, but even so I didn't have that feeling of watching my back every time I set foot outside. What was a bit bizzarre (yes, Philip, I know how much you like that word) was the daily queue of Ecuadorians lining up to get visas at the Spanish embassy in the same street. I could barely resist the temptation to say "Don't leave.......it's much worse in Spain....recession....property prices diving....few jobs....etc. etc.".......but it's the same dream as always - fortunes to be made in the western world!

One thing amused me more than others while i was waiting for Ed to arrive - the local habit of sending tourists in the wrong direction. e.g. Q - "Where is the nearest supermarket where I can buy fruit and veggies?" - R - "3 blocks this way". Q - "Can you help me, please. I was told there was a supermarket near here, but I can't find it". R - "Oh, it's 4 blocks back that way". This happened also when trying to find a money exchange and a bank......still, it stretched my legs after the endless hours in the plane!

Quito is a mix of old and new - part of it reminds me of Panama City - all tall office buildings and north american chain restaurants, but we took the trolley bus to the historic centre with enormous plazas, magnificent cathedrals and example after example of colonial splendour in the form of museums, government buildings and universities.

The owner of the hotel told us that the cable car ride was well worth it for the view above the city, so we jumped in a taxi and headed for the hills. Quito is already 2,800 m at its lowest and it was a good way to test our breathing ability before we started our travels through the Andes. No problems....but we stopped a lot to take photos. Hope you enjoy them!

QUITO, ECUADOR

2008-11-21T10:22:00.001-08:00

Colonial Quito.

Ed enjoys the sunshine in the historic centre of Quito.

View down to Quito from the cable car.

This is the way up - but are you up for it?

A view down to Quito as we climbed higher.

Ed was experimenting with his new camera, and I didn't do too badly with my first black and white attempt.

We reached a plateau where horses waited patiently for riders who had done enough walking.......but we were hard-core!

Blue skies and rain clouds above Quito.

Me in front of a mountain range surrounding Quito.

The long path up - nearly 4,000 m at the top.

Ed on top of the world (or so it seemed).

On the way down we couldn't resist taking a pik of this lone hiker who couldn't bear to leave his bears at home!

We stopped to buy lollies from a rather miserable woman braced for the approaching rain.

Back to beautiful Quito to prepare for our onward journey.

PICNIC PARTY - LAC DU JOUARRES, FRANCE

2008-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to all our friends who came to our picnic party late summer to send us on our way to South America. The weather was fab and it was so great to see so many familiar faces, although a bit sad that Tom was indisposed. I think it would be appropriate for you, Tom, to send your ´St Tom´picture to me so that i can paste it in, thus feeding the idea that you were there in spirit if not in body.

Ed went back to check out our boat in Panama and, sadly, to put his dog Thor to sleep as he had major cancer in his body. We have decided to give the boat to our dear friend David, aka Poppa Neutrino, so that at the ripe young age of 75 he can continue his dream to be the first person to sale around the world on a raft.

Next posting will be from South America - watch this space!

JUNE AND ED'S FAREWELL PICNIC PHOTOS

2008-11-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

HIGHLIGHTS OF SOUTH AMERICA

2008-04-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

PERU - best cerviche i've ever had; not dying on the road to Cusco;Machu Pichu at 6am; resisting eating guinea pig (national dish); discovering Pisco Sour (national drink); Lake Titicaca.
BOLIVIA - Isla del Sol (Lake Titicaca); Carnival in La Paz; saltenas (little meat and veg pies with quails eggs and gravy); fruit salads in the market in Sucre; the view from Cafe Mirador over the city; the Sunday market in Tarambuco.
ARGENTINA - singing and dancing at the penas; empanadas (meat pies); the Valley of the Moon.
CHILE - coming over the Andes from Argentina; exploring Valparaiso; our hostel in Santiago.

VALPARAISO, CHILE

2008-03-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Into Chile - where we had to get our heads around 435 pesos to the dollar which resulted in near heart attacks when the taxi meter read over 5,000. Chile was expensive, sophisticated and more like a European country that one of South America. We arrived at the bus station in Santiago and had to make a quick decision.......Vina del Mar or Valparaiso - which one to choose as our only stop in Chile and our last in South America? Vina del Mar had great beaches and shopping we were told, but what is the point of a beach when the sea is too cold for swimming and as for shopping...zzzzzzzzz. So we plumped for Valparaiso and were not disappointed.

Forming a huge horseshoe of a harbour with docks full of colourful containers and equally colourful houses clinging to the hills Valparaiso was full of character. We walked in the plazas where a dog cooled himself in the fountain but could have found shade under an enormous tree; gazed at Mercury about to topple off a building and giving the finger as he fell; visited a shrine to St. Bernadette, Pablo Neruda's house accessible via a ricketty funicular, an antique shop full of heavy carved furniture where we got covered in fleas from the resident cats; passed beautifully stone carved churches, a mozaic 'passageway of dreams', a board advertising herbal remedies for male impotence and frigid women, and a pristine street of colourful houses.

A couple of days later we were back in Santiago, but with little time to explore this wealthy city as we were flying out of South America from here - next time!!!

MENDOZA, ARGENTINA AND OVER THE ANDES INTO CHILE

2008-03-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Our last stop in Argentina was Mendoza, famous for its wineries. We intended to take tango classes in this city, but time was pressing and we were anxious to get to Chile, so i contented myself with a photo opportunity with one of Argentina's tango legends. We walked around the city admiring the architecture and the typical plazas, with some interesting murals on the walls outside a children's hospital.
Then it was on the bus and over the Andes into Santiago, Chile - a wonderful trip with snowcapped mountains and shimmering lakes along the way.

ISCHIGUALASTO, ARGENTINA - VALLE DE LA LUNA

2008-03-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was San Augustine, a small town from where we wanted to take a tour to Ischigualasto, more commonly know as Valle de la Luna. This natural park, which has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site, has an unwordly landscape - with very little vegitation but with strangely shaped rocks from rainfall, extreme temperatures ranging from -10 to + 45C and the wind that blows across the exposed terrain.
Dinosaur remains have been found there from the Late Triassic period (230 million years ago).
We were taken to various sites offering different experiences, ancient fossils, strange balls of compacted sand and bizzare rock formations. Ed took photos of me balancing one of the huge rocks on my head, which was a bit of a pain in the neck, but I humoured him nonetheless!

TUCUMAN ARGENTINA

2008-03-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Another place to break life on a bus, but hardly worth stopping for. Highlights included ‘half a house’ showing how the older houses had been destroyed in favour of 60s replacements and a quite nice statue. Nuff said!

CAFAYATE

2008-03-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Leaving the humid Salta with its dense sub-tropical vegitation for Cafayate was a complete contrast - a small dry and dusty town surrounded by mountains and vineyards.

Our first full day was a very full day, in the morning we hired pushbikes and cycled out of town up towards the mountain. The terrain was bizarre, parched fields that were too dry to grow vines and so were littered with enormous cacti were bordered by fast flowing streams bringing water down from the mountains. We finished the morning with a quick visit to a bodega (winery) before cycling back into town, passing a bizarre building that was actually a local ceramicists studio.

In the afternoon we took a tour to the Quebrada de las Conchas (gorge of shells) that we had seen from the bus the day before. The huge rocks coloured ochre, burgundy and terracotta were carved into the weirdest shapes by wind and rain. We were taken to different locations including El Anfiteatro - a huge natural amphitheatre where we enjoyed listening to a local musician as the sound reverberated around the cave-like location. We saw El Fraile along the way - a rock that looks like a praying friar.

We had an evening of relaxation sitting in the vine covered patio drinking a local beverage called Frenet cut with coca cola with a couple from Buenos Aires. We had a great conversation and the Frenet flowed freely. I had to go in search of alka seltzer the next day and our friends didn’t emerge from their room until the afternoon, looking very much the worst for wear.

In the afternoon we took another tour, this time to Quilmes to see the ruins of a pre-Incan city. Housing around 5000 people with a well-developed social structure the Quilmes clan cultivated the valley and lived in the defensive stronghold during times of attack from rival clans. The Incas first tried to dominate them in the late 15th century, but the Quilmes adapted and survived until the Spanish besieged them in the 17th century. They were made to walk to the outskirts of Buenos Aires where they settled, but the last decendent died in 1812.

We stayed in a small hostel run tyrannically by an ex teacher who had a big heart but who didn’t understand the concept of privacy. She would wait outside our room to ask us if our shower had been ok, if we had slept well and on our return to the hostel would insist on all the details of our day. Our room was scrubbed clean every day, even if we were dying to get inside to have a much needed siesta. We wouldn’t have dared use the lounge or kitchen - there were so many notices pinned to every available centimetre of wall that we were too fearful of breaking one of the numerous rules. When we left she hugged us close as if losing her own children, and clutching my hand begged me to give her hostal a good review.

SALTA ARGENTINA

2008-03-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ed and I shared a welcome beer at our hostel after yet another lucky escape on the road - the largest bottle of Stella I have ever seen. In the evening we walked to a nearby restaurant that had been recommended to us by fellow travellers in Tilcara - they said the steaks were unforgettable. In fact not only were they delicious but they matched the name of the restaurant (Monument)in size. Half of our order came back to the hostel with us for enormous steak sandwiches the following day.

Next morning we awoke to rain - Salta has a sub-tropical climate and was receiving more than its share during the rainy season. We paddled through the streets to buy some fruit and veggies in Salta Mercado and met the local feline population. Then up in a cable car to view Salta from on high - a huge urban sprawl but with a turn of the camera lush green mountains on the other side.
Down to the main plaza to visit the strawberry and vanilla coloured cathedral and then an equally bizarre blood red church with concrete curtain swags draping the doorway.

Later in the plaza we saw a poignant reminder of the repression suffered by Argentinians from 1976 during the reign of the military junta, when thousands of people were arrested and simply disappeared. Photos of loved ones were strung between the trees in the plaza as a reminder of what had happened during that terrible era.

We also visited a museum displaying Inca items found high up in the Andes some twenty years ago. Archeologists discovered three mummies of children who had been sacrificed to the gods - it was considered to be the highest honour to give up a child, and those chosen were usually from the nobility. The children were given a strong brew of chicha, or beer and placed in holes to sleep until death. The three mummies were perfectly preserved in the freezing temperatures, despite the hundreds of years they had been in the mountain and they looked as though they were still just asleep. Very moving!

We had been told that Salta was famous for its Penas, restaurants hosting traditional folklore music and dance. So we made our way to La Viaja Estacion, where we saw extremely handsome gauchos stamping their boots and whirling their girlies around whilst a group of male singers and guitar players gave passionate renditions of love songs. Audience participation was in order and we joined in the occasional chorus, clapped our hands in time to the music and watched as members of the audience tried their hands at dancing. Oh and the food and wine were great too!

TUPIZA BOLIVIA INTO TILCARA ARGENTINA

2008-03-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Tupiza, our last stop in Bolivia proved to be rather an anticlimax. More like a one-horse deep south Texas town, it was fitting that this was were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out until they were ambushed and killed - they would have felt like they never left the USA.
It was a town from which to take tours into the salt flats of Uyuni, but for us it was just a place to stop on our way to Argentina, to avoid sitting on buses for too long. In the event, the bus ride to the border was much more exciting. At the terminal we got an indication of road conditions ahead as our bus was fitted with thick 4 wheel-drive tyres. We headed south and for the most part our road was the river bed, mostly pretty dried up but in places we just ploughed through the water.

Leaving Bolivia, the poorest country in south America, I rather expected Argentina to be slick and efficient in comparison, but I was mistaken. With only one window open at Immigration, we queued in the blazing sun for 3 hours until one of the border police suddenly decided to speed things up and asked for our passports to get them stamped in the office for those leaving Argentina. He then disappeared with them, and we arrived at the window with no passports! We were herded into another queue for customs and very slowly and randomly the passports gradually appeared. We jumped in a cab and booked tickets at the bus terminal to Tilcara, which was situated halfway down the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a valley with stunningly beautifully coloured mountains. Then we were informed that Argentinian time was 2 hours ahead and that it was already 6 pm, but with at least 4 more hours of daylight and the bus trip lasting only 2 hours we figured we had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery in the daylight.

Wrong!!! Half an hour into our journey we were pulled up at the side of the road, along with several other coaches, for a contraband inspection by customs police. We sat in the coach for over an hour before it was our turn to collect all our belongings and line up in the long, slow queue. Once again Argentinian efficiency was in evidence, with one table and two officials painstakingly examining every item in every piece of luggage, whilst a dozen or so others stood by chewing gum. And there was different treatment for gringos - when I finally arrived at the table I was asked if I had bought anything in Bolivia. No I said and my backpack was opened and then shut with barely a glance at the contents and I was waved on through.

By now it was getting late and we drove down the valley in pitch darkness, arriving in Tilcara with no hostal reserved at midnight. We took a cab to our hostal of choice but it was locked up for the night, ditto our second choice. Luckily we found a hotel still open, so we had a bed for what was left of the night.

Tilcara had a good feel about it, very Mexican with lots of craft shops selling high quality carpets and wall-hangings - often being woven before your very eyes. We walked up in the scorching dry heat of the morning towards the Pucara, a restored hilltop fortress above the town, where we could see a snow covered mountain in the distance. But we were diverted by a Champions League football match being shown on tv in one of the bars and a large bottled of cold beer, and by the time we got to the Pucara it was closing for lunch. We were in siesta country, where everyone sensibly stops work at around 12.30 and often doesn’t emerge til 5 pm. Supper was not eaten until at least 10 pm and we had to start adapting to Argentinian timing.
We had better luck with the second half of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, enjoying spectacular scenery on our way to Salta. But the jinx on our bus trips struck again - we luckily escaped a landslide by a couple of minutes, but watched as huge bolders crashed down the mountainside ahead of us, blocking the road. Fortunately there was a digger truck levelling the road at the time and once the driver was assured that the rocks had stopped falling, he cleared the road sufficiently for us to bump our way through and head for our destination - Salta.

POTOSI, BOLIVIA

2008-03-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

POTOSI

Ed and I had seen a documentary of life working in the silver mines, entitled the Devil’s Miner, in Sucre. We were both touched by the terrible working conditions, particularly for the young boys whose fathers had died young from lung disease and who had been left to support their families.

Ed wanted to spend some time in Potosi, seeing conditions for himself and seeing if there was anything he could do to help the children. The owner of the hostel where he stayed helped him hiring a miner’s helmet and he took one of the dump trucks early in the morning with the other miners up the imposing …..mountain that towers over the city. He made arrangements to come back the next day to go into one of the mines with some of the workers. He walked through a vast maze of tunnels to the location where they were currently mining the silver, and spent an hour working with one miner, and then was shown around a small section of the mine. Included in the visit was a moment where he was introduced to Tio, the god of miners, who lives in the ’mountain that eats people’ as it is otherwise known. To appease him, he receives regular sacrifices of coca leaves, alchohol and tobacco, as well as doses of blood from llamas that are sacrificed at the entrance to the mines at various times of the year.

I joined Ed in Potosi, where he had had a great visit - wanting to return in a few months with the possibility of assisting the young miners. I was surprised at the beauty of the architecture and the majesty of the …… mountain, with its catholic church perched halfway up on the outside complementing the protection of Tio on the inside. With the help of strong cups of coca tea I managed to avoid problems with the altitude, and the next day we took the bus south and down the valley to Tupiza, our last stop in Bolivia.

TARABUCO

2008-02-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

Later in the week two further guests came to stay with the family, Robert and his wife Daisy from Ecuador - travel writers who were updating the latest edition of the Footprints guide to Bolivia. We took a bus together to the Sunday market in the neighbouring village of Tarabuco, where the indigenous people still come to market on their donkeys, and make weekly phone calls to their loved ones from the call shop. Tarabuco itself was pretty remote, with very limited facilities and one could only imagine how isolated their villages were. It was hard to take photos as the people are very shy, but I managed to bribe one of the women to pose for me. And, of course, the donkeys didn’t have a problem with my intruding camera. Daisy bought some lupin seeds that had been washed in a flowing stream for two days to get rid of their bitterness, and she made a delicious Equadorian cerviche back at the house for us to share (see food photo in Sucre post).

SUCRE, BOLIVIA

2008-02-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

SUCRE

After our experience on the bus from Lima to Cusco, we were a little nervous of taking another long bus ride from La Paz to Sucre. But we were advised on the most reputable company for booking our tickets and were even more reassured by the video that played over and over again once we were on board, boasting of the regular mechanical checks, the experience of the drivers (although film of them crossing themselves was slightly worrying) etc. etc. Sadly we were misled - the transmission played up throughout the long hours climbing up and down mountains, involving regular top-ups of oil. The Bolivian passengers regularly got off the bus to rant at the driver for taking such an un-roadworthy vehicle onto the road, but eventually we limped into Sucre. As we left the bus we noticed a pile of coca leaves around the driver’s seat - no co-drivers on long distance Bolivian buses, just plenty of coca to chew to stay awake!

Ed and I quickly fell in love with Sucre - the ‘white city’ and former capital of Bolivia. It was large enough to have plenty of life but small enough to be intimate and full of character. The market was amazing - full of every fruit on the planet, many of which we had never seen before and testament to Bolivia experiencing every possible climate in its various regions. We would go every day for a fruit shake or a bowl of fruit salad, neither costing more than 50c US. There were rows of cakes, sacks of potatoes, herbs and spices, meat, local cheeses to name but a few on the ground floor, upstairs were food stalls selling local dishes for next to nothing.

The main plaza was always filled with slices of life, the blind man who sat patiently until someone came and said a prayer for him or helped him to where he wanted to go; the shoe-shine boys, some as young as four, who all wanted to learn English so they could be tour guides when they grew up, lying through their teeth about the truth of their lives because all they knew was that lying got them what they wanted. They talked of living on a farm outside the city, although this was never the case and many of their parents were alcoholics or worse.

We stayed in a hostel in a colonial building with a wonderful sunny courtyard for two weeks, attending Spanish school every morning. The third week Ed wanted to move on to visit Potosi, the mining town that had produced so much silver from before the Spanish invasion hundreds of years ago. Standing 4,200 metres above sea level I was reluctant to repeat my experiences in Cuzco with altitude sickness, so I stayed on for an extra week of Spanish school, moving in with a Bolivian family. I had a great time with the family - Freddy Sr. - a gynaecologist, his wife Delfina - a former Dean of a university in Sucre, and their son Freddy Jr., a lawyer. Breakfasts were fruit feasts and the lunches were equally bountiful. Three blocks north of their house was a high plaza containing Café Mirador, with spectacular views over the city where I did my homework.

I had heard from other students that the Dinosaur Park just outside Sucre was worth a visit. Situated next to a cement quarry, dinosaur footprints were discovered by workers cleaning off moss before dynamiting the rock face. Sucre had originally been a lake, and the dinosaurs came to drink water, leaving their footprints in the mud. Seismic movement had forced the flat shores of the lake up to a vertical position, and it was quite impressive to see evidence of these ancient creatures.

It was time to join Ed in Potosi, so I said farewell to all the amazing people I had met in Sucre, and promised to return one day.

LA PAZ CARNIVAL

2008-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

The best experience of all in La Paz was that Carnaval was on while we were there and, what’s more, the hostel we had selected was smack bang on the main route for the processions that lasted all weekend. We hung out on the balcony, occasionally being the target of water bombs, but mostly soaking up the riotous music and incredible costumes below.

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

2008-02-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

I had deep reservations about going into Bolivia - the guide books talked of political unrest and random road blocks holding up buses for days on the often unmade roads. And La Paz, the capital, was initially uninspiring - modern skyscrapers towering above the polluted streets filled with mini-buses sucking in and disgorging passengers on every corner. But as we started to explore the city, we discovered many gems - our favourite café - Angelos Colonial - decorated as if it had been there for centuries rather than the four months it had been open; the Witches Market where herbal potions and dried llama foetuses were sold to sacrifice to Pachamama, the goddess of earth, but where photos were strictly off limits; the gaudy religious statues, including Jesus on the cross with a sequinned loincloth, in the cathedral of San Francisco. And the downside too - a man passed out on the pavement, testament to Bolivia’s thriving cocaine industry.

LAKE TITICACA

2008-02-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

LAKE TITICACA

Our last journey in Peru was to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. We took a tour boat to the floating islands where large numbers of indigenous people still live, with the help of grants to purchase solar panels to provide limited electricity and water purifiers to make the water safe for drinking. The islands are made from reeds, and it’s a very strange sensation walking on them. We took a short trip on a reed boat to another island where we saw a condor - the national bird of Peru. It was enormous, with a wing span of more than 7 ft. We then went to the island of Taquile where we walked into the sky to the top for a typical lunch then back down again to get the boat back to Puno.

The next day we crossed the border into Bolivia to Copacabana, again on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We took a ferry to Isla del Sol where all the hostels were perched on the top, involving a steep 45 minute climb. But the view was worth it. If it hadn’t been so cold we would have stayed longer - the days were hot and sunny but as night fell the temperature plummeted. The hostel had no heating, so we sought shelter in the local pizza restaurant, sitting as close as possible to the pizza oven. And then the rain came, regular as clockwork, lashing the window of our room until morning.

Ed decided that he wanted to sail on the lake, so with the help of the hostel owner he arranged to rent a traditional sailboat for a few hours. The local fisherman was a little sceptical of Ed’s sailing ability, but once Ed had figured out the wishbone sail system he was out on the lake and earned many complements from local fishermen on his return to shore.

MACHU PICCHU, PERU

2008-01-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

Ernesto led us up to the Gatekeepers Hut - famously linked to Che’s travels in ‘The Motorcycle Diaries‘. We looked down and saw the ancient ruins and our jaws just dropped. It was awesome!!! We sat and watched the clouds blanket the ruins then reveal them - and mists swirling across creating an eerie feeling of timelessness. The sunset we had hoped for was not to be but Ernesto, with 16 years of experience guiding in Mapi, said that it was much more evocative to see the mists at sunrise.

We were skilfully led through the ruins by Ernesto. He told us of the purpose of Mapi - an Inca centre for excellence spiritually, educationally, artistically, architecturally, astronomically and horticulturally. Only the Incas most competent in their field were allowed inside the city walls. The Incas triad for living was love, learning and work.

It was so hard to leave - we wanted to hide so that we could spend the night in this magical place, but we had a train to catch. We said goodbye to Ernesto, who after our thanks said that he appreciated our patience whilst listening to his explanations and our obvious joy to be in such a sacred place.

Back in Aguas Caliente we boarded the more expensive Vistadome train as we had booked too late to get a seat on the Backpackers’. Don’t take it unless you like to share your journey with travellers who don‘t go anywhere without a tour and a guide, cardboard lunch in a cardboard box and the staff modelling overpriced alpaca garments.

Our taxi driver met us at Ollantaytambo and drove us back to Cusco, stopping along the way for more photos of the amazing landscapes and colourful people. We had seen one of the greatest wonders of the world and would never forget our experiences in Machu Picchu.

THROUGH THE SACRED VALLEY TO AGUAS CALIENTES

2008-01-27T10:20:00.000-08:00

Naively we had hoped to be able to visit Machu Picchu independently but transport to this formerly forgotten city has been pretty much sewn up by tour operators. We were lucky that Lesley’s (la Gringa) son Simon had just started his own tour company - and he arranged for an personal trip for us to Mapi, as Machu Picchu is affectionately called.

Oscar drove us in his taxi toward the Sacred Valley - we passed patchwork fields and houses built out of mud bricks. We stopped to take photos and met two cute boys with a parrot who were selling the usual tourist stuff that we didn´t need, so we gave them money to pose for us. Then down and down the valley to Ollantaytambo where we boarded the Backpackers’ train to Machu Picchu Pueblo - otherwise known as Aguas Calientes. It has to be one of the most blatantly touristy towns in South America - practice saying ‘no gracias’ about a hundred times an hour to the restaurant and bar touts and handicraft sellers. We were stopping there overnight to get an early bus up to Mapi the following day and avoid the crowds coming in on the train at around 10am. We stayed sane by soaking in the hot pools and sitting watching the river that feeds into the Amazon pounding it’s way down through the town.

That evening we met our guide, Ernesto - quiet, dignified and very proud to be a native of the area. We were planning to take the bus at 5.30am up to Mapi so that we could be one of the first into the site at 6am when it opened. Ernesto said he would come with us on the early bus, even though he was due to meet us much later inside the site.

Up at 4.30am, a quick breakfast and a short walk to the bus stop. We were surprised to see so many people already at the bus stop purchasing bus tickets. Our bus climbed up and up into the early morning clouds and arrived at the entrance at 6am - perfect timing!

CHILLING IN CUSCO

2008-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

CUSCO

Cusco seemed like the usual central/south American rag-tag town as we drove in, but as we approached the centre we could see the character emerging. The hostel we had chosen was La Casa de la Gringa, in the San Blas area. A really ‘cool’ place - like stepping back into the 60’s.

We walked down the steep paved streets towards the central plaza and found a demonstration in progress. The government of Peru had proposed that Machupicchu and other historical sites should be privatised, and the local citizens were not happy. The foresaw multi-story hotels surrounding their sacred sites and were demonstrating their refusal to accept such a possibility. There were police standing by with riot gear but it was a peaceful protest.

I started to feel the effects of being 3,600 metres above sea-level, especially when climbing up the many steps, and was advised to drink mate (infusion) de coca, using leaves from the cocaine plant. The locals chew or drank coca not only to combat altitude sickness but to give energy and to suppress the appetite. I became strangely addicted to it, so let’s hope I don’t have to take a dope test in the foreseeable future!

We spent a couple of days trying out the bars and restaurants, talking to fellow travellers and exploring the one mighty home of the Inca kings before making arrangements to visit Machupicchu.

A CLOSE SHAVE ON THE ROAD TO CUSCO, PERU

2008-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

The 20 hour bus ride took us along the coast in brown desert terrain before we turned into the mountains. We climbed for hours on switchback bends before descending so steeply that it was hard to keep our backs in the seat. Three hours short of our destination - Cusco - our bus was in collision with a truck carrying fruit. We heard a loud bang, glass flew back and then the interior started filling up with some kind of gas. (We later discovered it was the fire extinguisher.)
At first we thought that we couldn’t get out of the one exit door as the front of the bus was pushed back. We lifted the roof hatch but it was much too far to jump down, the two emergency exit windows were broken but again it was a long drop down - this time onto broken glass.

Then someone shouted that the door had been freed up. We walked past the driver who was still in his seat with blood pouring from his head. I stepped on a large sheet of glass covered in blood. We had to climb out of the bus and were then grabbed by someone and helped up back onto the road as the bus was right on the edge of a steep drop. If the collision had happened a couple of metres earlier the bus would have fallen into the deep ravine. We and our fellow passengers obviously had some grace in our metaphysical bank account.

The bus driver was freed from his seat and didn’t treatment but his co-driver, who was lying down in the front seats, had hurt his leg when the impact hurled him forward and was taken to hospital.

We stood shivering in the drizzly rain for over two hours before the bus company sent a replacement bus to complete our journey to Cusco.

INCA RUINS IN LIMA

2008-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

We took in some Inca culture at the Huaca Pucllana ruins - literally meaning playground as, until it was revealed 14 years ago, that's exactly what it was used for. Our guide told us he used to ride his bike over the mud mound as a child, totally oblivious to what lay beneath - a huge Inka temple. They are still excavating and restoring, and only a week before two mummies were found. Our guide told us that the temple was twice as big as we could see, houses having been built on top of the ancient site.

We also met one of the bizzare hairless species of Peruvian dog - rather scary looking, but in fact very docile and affectionate

HAVING FUN IN LIMA

2008-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

We visited the Fountain Park our first evening in Lima on Christian's advice - a really cool family place with 25 fountains. They were controlled by computer for variation and colour and one of them showed a lazer and film show of the history of Peru. Some of them were interactive and the locals had great fun getting soaking wet.

OFF TO LIMA, PERU

2008-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

We chose Peru as our entry country into South America and flew into Lima.

Caught our first glimpse of the locals in the cab on our way to the Backpackers Family House - a hostel in the Miraflores district run by the super-helpful Christian and his friend Pedro.

VISITING OLD FRIENDS AND NEW IN PANAMA

2008-01-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

We also went to visit Ed's dog Thor who is now in retirement from his life on the water. He is being looked after by Ann and her daughter Sarah and has a new playmate, a monkey called Violetta. They love playing together.

BACK AT OUR CATAMARAN RAFT IN PANAMA

2008-01-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

We had still not decided how to jump to South America, so went back to our catamaran raft, the Absolute Absolution, for a few days. I did some boat cleaning - lots of barnacles and weird growths on the hulls and lines.

Ed finished off some repairs to keep the raft in good shape for the next voyage, and we also changed the lines to the anchors.

A FEW DAYS IN PANAMA

2008-01-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Arrived from London via New York in steaming hot Panama City 11.45 pm so straight to bed. Ed arrived the next day and we went to see the Panama Canal in action. We were surprised how narrow it was - not much room either side for the cruise ships going through. This cruise ship paid $180,000 US to transit the Canal.

NOT DONE ROAMING

2008-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

In January 2008 my friend Ed and I decided to travel in South America. In 3 months we visited Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

In October 2008 we returned to South America - to set up a non-profit project to create a technical school in Potosi, Bolivia for children currently working in the mines in the Cerro Rico mountain (www.givetakeshare.com). At the same time I am looking at possible locations for a small bar/restaurant, with rooms to let.

We began our journey to Boliva in Quito, Ecuador and are heading south.