Iguazú Falls - Both Sides!

Well, it was supposed to be a 22-hour bus journey from Rio, but it turned out to be 25!!! It was a very comfortable bus though, with plenty of stops, so it wasn't unpleasant, just really boring by the end of it! Of course, the air conditioning was on full blast throughout the entire trip, and although I had a jumper with me, I was still in beach mode and hadn't wrapped up well enough! I had to resort to extracting my Bolivian cardie and Peruvian legwarmers out of my daysack, which had been parcelled up since May!

Once I arrived in Foz do Iguaçú, the town on the Brazilian side of the falls, I was given a flyer for Hostel Bambu (Brazil). I didn't have any better plans, so i thought I would check it out, especially as I could take a local bus right there from the terminal. I wasn't disappointed as the staff were friendly and it was nice and clean! That evening, I had just enough energy for a McDonalds (I know, but sometimes it's the only thing that will do!) and to chat to the girls in my dorm, Laura and Claire (UK). I had a dilemma about what order to do things in, i.e. Brazil side, Paraguay, Argentinian side, or Paraguay last? Everyone was telling me not to bother with Paraguay, but you know me: another flag, another set of passport stamps, another boxed ticked!!! Of course, it all depended on the weather as well. When I arrived on Thursday afternoon, it looked like the week's rain was finally ending and the sun came out. I crossed my fingers and hoped that the forecast of two days of sun was right...

On Friday morning, I got up early and the sun was indeed out! I had a great breakfast at the hostel, procrastinated a bit more witrh Laura and Claire, then got a wind of inspiration and checked out! Soon, I was off on a bus to the falls, bought my entrance ticket and took the park bus to the start of the walking trail. Most of the cataracts are on the Argentinian side of Iguazú Falls, as are most of the attractions, but by visiting the Brazilian side, you get the best panaoramic views of the whole area. After a few moments of walking, I got my first glimpse of the famous falls. No prizes for guessing what happened next...

Yes, of course, Emma cried again!!! I swear, it is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen and it was truly spectacular, and I was so glad I was lucky enough to see it in the sunshine, especially in the morning when the sun was shining in the right direction for my photos as well! The walk took an hour or so and ended right next to the main falls on the Brazilian side, and of course I got quite wet from all the spray! I had come prepared though with only shorts and flip flops (to minimise wet clothing) and my rain mac! By the time I got back to the hostel around lunchtime, I was practically dry again!

It was then all systems go as I went into auto-pilot: instead of over-thinking my next moves as per usual, I collected my bags from the hostel and jumped on the next bus to the Argentinian border, to make the most of the good weather! It was really easy to get stamped out of Brazil and all I had to do then was wait for the next bus across the bridge into Puerto Iguazú. The sun was shining, and I was in a great mood... even when the next bus came and then promptly drove passed! Yikes, stranded in No Man's Land!!! I think the driver thought I was getting into a taxi with two other ladies that were there, but in the end it didn't matter as my ticket to continue over the border was valid for a different company! 20 minutes later, the next bus came and took me over to Argentinian immigration. Another easy process, another stamp in the passport, and I was back on the bus again, off to Hostel Bambu (Argentina).

Once I had settled in and found a cash machine that actually accepted my card, I walked along the river to Tres Fronteras, an area where you can see across the water to both Brazil and Paraguay. I'd had a great day, but I think all the travelling and excitement had taken it out of me, so after I'd made a bit of pasta, I headed to bed with my book for an early night! Good job, as I was up bright and early on Saturday morning, showered and breakfasted and at the Argentinian side by 9am!!! There was much more to see on this side, and my goodness, did I cram it all in:

- Took train then walked to Garganta del Diablo, poncho required!
- Took train then walked around the Upper Circuit
- Walked around the Lower Circuit and decided to take the boat ride then rather than return later
- Wore rain mac AND poncho but still got absolutely soaked through in the boat!
- Had packed lunch whilst trying to avoid being mobbed by coatis and bees!
- Took train to park entrance then walked along the Macuco Trail
- Walked 3 kms in 30 mins, saw Salto Arrecha and then paced it back again!
- Took train back to Garganta del Diablo again to take more pics now that the sun had moved
- Ran back to train station to catch next train back to the park entrance
- After a full 8 hours, took bus back to the hostel!

Admittedly, I didn't cry on this side of the falls, but I think that was because I had already seen them the day before, but it was still amazing to see them up close. I certainly had an emotional day though, as I laughed so loud and heartily on the boat trip - when we sailed close to some of the cataracts, I couldn't even see them as the spray was so dense and I couldn't keep my eyes open!!! Even though I was swathed in plastic, I got so wet that I was only dry again after I had completed the Macuco Trail! Luckily enough though, my top half stayed reasonably dry, so it wasn't too uncomfortable!

Yesterday morning, I was not sure what my next moves would be. I was desperately trying to find out how to buy a ticket for the World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil, to be played on September 5th in Rosario. Now, I don't really like football, but before the start of this trip, I said to myself that it would be great to see either the Brazilian or Argentinian national team play. When I found out that they would be playing each other, and while I am in South America, I knew this would be an opportunity not to be missed! However, the tickets don't go on slae until 3 days before the match and then I would need to queue for HOURS at the stadium, with no guarantee that I would even get a ticket. The alternative is to book through an agency, but then the price increases tenfold...

Anyway, after trying to find this information online, with little success, the I decided to make a move towards Paraguay and the girl at the hostel told me the next bus to Posadas, by the the border, left in 20 minutes time. So, I grabbed all my bags and dashed to the bus terminal, and bought a ticket with minutes to spare! 6 hours later, I arrived in Posadas, found a hotel and crashed for the night! This morning, I got up early to find a travel agency to ask about buying a football ticket. At last, they were ble to give me the information about the on-sale date, but if I bought a ticket through them, they couldn't confirm (at that stage) where I would be able to collect the ticket - Buenos Aires or Rosario! At least I knew that nobody had a ticket as yet and in theory, any agency would be able to get on for me, so maybe it would be best to head to BA or Rosario first and make enquiries there.

Anyway, I'm now all checked out of my hotel and ready to take the local bus over the Paraguayan border to Encarnación... another country, another set of stamps for my passport!

I ♥ Rio

Oh my goodness, what a city! I went for a few days and stayed for over two weeks! When you last heard from me, I was still recovering from the Cartagena incident and all the travelling required to make it over to Rio, and I was due for a rest... so that's exactly what I did!

The Rio city was tour was great and took in all the main sights. In the morning, we walked up Morro da Urca, the smaller mountain adjacent to Sugar Loaf. Luckily, it wasn't too long a walk as it was quite steep in parts and most of the group didn't have much energy for it! Once at the top, we then toke the cable car across to the main attraction and it didn't disappoint - the views from the summit over Rio were amazing! It was then time to head to Lapa to visit Escadaria Selarón, the famous tiled steps created by a Chilean artist, before stopping at a restaurant for lunch.

As always on tours like this, it was over-priced (for my budget anyway) and we spent way too long there, but eventually, it was time to head through Santa Teresa to Corcovado, the highest peak in rio and home of Cristo Redentor! We arrived in time for sunset and of course it was incredibly busy! The views, this time looking towards Sugar Loaf, were again amazing, and a girl form the tour very patiently took a photo of me with the statue in the background... without other random people in it! It took quite a while and a few attempts, but we got there in the end! The bus then took us back to our hostels and I just had enough time to run up the hill to Casa Carioka (ouch!), change my clothes and run back down the hill (ouch!) to take another tour to the Maracaná!!!

The game was great fun - even though the stadium was mostly empty, the Fluminense fans more than made up for it with flag waving, arm swaying and chanting... for the entire 90 minutes! At half time, it became very quiet and then we noticed that all th home fans had got up and moved seats to the other side of the stadium, so they could sit behind their own goal again, so of course, we followed them! Luck was on my side again, as it often is with football matches, and Fluminense won 5-1, including two penalties! I certainly got my money's worth! Back at the hostel it was gone midnight and so I flopped straight into bed after a really crammed day in Rio!

The following day was a complete write-off as the weather wasn't too great, and I needed to veg out as I was so tired! However, I made up for my laziness the next day as I went hang-gliding!!! The weather conditions were perfect and it was great fun - I went with Roberto and he ran through the proceedures with me - basically, don't jump off the pier and don't stop at the end as that's how accidents happen! Yikes! So, when it was time to go, I looked out to the horizon... and RAN! It was amazing fun and the scenery was spectacular, it was just a shame that we touched down onto the beach after just a few minutes! That afternoon, I headed down to the beach for the first time and what better way to end the day than to soak up the sun with the locals on Copacabana! I had a great afternoon with Kars (Netherlands), Silke (Germany) and Laura and Jamie (UK), being buried in the sand, dodging Atlantic waves and buying cheap and delicious ice cream for a vendor on the beach!

That evening, we headed out for caipirinhas, as I had been wanting to try one since making my own at home a year ago! They are really strong and from experience, I knew that I would have to buy a Sprite to mix it with. OK, that's not very authentic, but they are much nicer as a long drink! Well, the beach kiosk didn't sell Sprite, neither did any of the others nearby and it was too dark to go wandering around for a supermarket... so while the others ordered another round, I took about 2 hours to finish mine, tiny sip by sip! The next day, Sunday, was again glorious, so this time we headed to Ipanema and then to the hippie market as the sun began to set.

On Monday, Laura, Jamie and I went on a tour to Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio. We took motorbikes up to the top (which was hilarious fun for a veteran like me, but hair-raising for the girls as they had never been on motorbikes before!) Daniella, our guide, gave us loads of info about life in the favela and it was really interesting and informative. That afternoon, we headed back to Ipanema to meet Jasmine (UK) and Cristina (Spain) from the hostel, for more sun and people watching. We decided to head back to the hostl as the sun started to dip and no sooner than we stood up, a huge wind materialised from nowhere and parasols started flying along the beach! It was of biblical proportions and the entire beach emptied in a mass exodus! A storm was obviously on the way!

Indeed it was, Tuesday was another write-off and Laura and I spent most of the day moping in the hostel! Eventually, we ventured out to the shops and I bought another pair of Havaianas - £4 a pair, it would be rude not to stock up for future holidays!!! However, from Wednesday onwards, the sun came out in the afternoon and so began a week of serious sunbathing! I won't document it all but here's a run-down of the rest of my time in Rio:

Wednesday 12th August

Day on beach, got chatted up by a Brazilian guy for 2 hours who said that he would like to compliment my parents for creating me and that he really wanted to kiss me. No chance pal! Said guy came up to my hostel that evening, but I told the staff to tell him I was out!

Thursday 13th August

Stressed about leaving Rio - wanted to meet Anh in Iguazu the following weekend but weather forecast for Rio amazing, rainy at the falls. Sun out again, full day on beach! Went to Flamengo and Botafogo on the Metro with Laura in the evening, bought 2 more pairs of flip flops (so that makes 4!!!) Cooked big patch of pasta and sauce for the week!

Friday 14th August

Sun still out - another day on Copacabana with Laura, Jim (US), Guilhermo & Mayra (Sao Paulo) and Vikram (Canada). Tan coming along very nicely!

Saturday 15th August

Another full day on Copacabana, amazing weather and in their winter as well!!! After searching for Ice Cream Man for entire week, he finally returned, which I announced to the entire beach with shouts of "LAURA!!! ICE CREAM MAN!!!" Went to Sao Cristovoa market with Laura and Crystal (US). Bit worried about being in a really dodgy area at night with no idea where the bus stopped, but made it home again in one piece. Helped Karina (Australia) plan her art exhibition at the hostel.

Sunday 16th August

Back to the hippie market in Ipanema with Crystal and Laura. Wanted to buy a Brazil bikini, but lady wouldn't barter! Bought one on the Ipanema beach instead, for a higher price but at least that guy bargained with me! Decided that I prefered my regular patch on Copacabana, so headed back there for the afternoon, with a double order from Ice Cream Man, of course!

Monday 17th August

Copacabana again with Crystal and Jim. Had a buffet lunch by weight at 686 including sushi! Found delicious cake shop in the evening, 2 weeks too late!!!

Tuesday 18th August

Copacabana AGAIN with Rafael (Mexico). The weather turned overcast that afternoon and I knew things were changing!

Throughout all this time, I was so happy to just relax on the beach. I had said to myself before I arrived in Brazil that I had seen enough beautiful beaches on my trip so far and that it wasn't that important to see any more. However, Copacabana is just amazing - it's not a pretty little cove that you want to have all to yourself - it's a vibrant swathe of sand, full of people, but people of all walks of life, some tiny, some in tiny bikinis, some not so tiny, some not so tiny but still in tiny bikinis... I just loved the atmosphere and the feeling that it is a placed to be enjoyed by everyone. It also didn't hurt that the Brazilian Marines train there some mornings and I really enjoyed watching them jog past in their little white vests and tiny black shorts...

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, the sunny spell had ended. I had felt like I wanted to spend forever in Rio, but today , I had my first urge to leave. I checked the forecast for the next few days and it was rain, rain, rain. I checked Iguazu and there were two days of sun predicted for Friday and Saturday! That, coupled with the fact that there were two other girls from the hostel taking the overnight bus to Foz do Iguaçu this afternoon, prompted me into action! I rushed off to buy a bus ticket, packed my bags, said goodbye to all the great people I had met in the hostel - Laura, Karina, Rafael, and Alegra (Australia), who had made me feel so welcome in her hostel that she said I was now part of it - and am now waiting for a taxi to the rodoviária. Only 22 hours on th road... YIKES!!!

Bom Dia Brazil!

I very nearly named this post "What Doesn't Kill Us, Only Makes Us Stronger... Part III" - but on reflection, that would have been a little too harsh. But not much! Indeed, I predicted that my journey to Rio from Cartagena would be quite a tough one, and I wasn't wrong, but it would have been much better had I been on top form, not recovering from you-know-what all day Saturday! Off I went on Sunday afternoon to find my one and only geocache. I really needed it to be there, so imagine my annoyance, after a 30 minute walk in the baking heat, I arrived at the port and my GPS pointed 100m inside the compound! I figured that I had better not go snooping around too much in such an area, so I just went straight up to the guard and tried to explain what I was try to do... in Spanish!

Anyway, I managed to get my point across, but it soon became clear that there was no way I would be allowed into the compound! What a stupid place to put a geocache, obviously left there by some idiot who had just got off a cruise ship and not thought it through properly! I was so drained by that point, that I ended up chatting to a local guy for a while, again in Spanish, who was absolutely stunned that I wasn't married with children. This is starting to wear a bit thin now, someone needs to explain to South Americans that it's just not that weird to be single, childless and homeless at 28 (in England anyway!) After a while, I knew that I had better make a start on the walk back to the hostel, but I was really feeling extremely weak at this point and very desperately found a store to buy some water. As I exited, a bus stopped behind me, and gratefully I jumped on.

I spent my last hour in Cartagena trying not to throw up, hoping that I hadn't now given myself heatstroke as well! Soon, it was time to jump into a taxi to the airport. Once there, I had to queue before I even got to check-in, for what I don't know, where I was given a stamp in my passport and told I would need to pay some taxes at the check-in desk. Drat, I was hoping that I'd already paid for them in my ticket! Anyway, so cut a really long story short, LAN told me that no, I hadn't paid the taxes and that I owed them $109. yes, you read that correctly, ONE HUNDRED AND NINE DOLLARS!!!!! I nearly died! I was expecting about half that and I didn have enough cash! They couldn't accept cards either, so the girl told me I would have to go to the ATM, then return, luckily straight to the desk (so at least I didn't have to queue again!)

I was so incredulous about it all, that I went to the LAN office to query it. It took nearly 2 hours to sort it all out, but I basically wanted them to explain why I had to pay so much, all the other airport taxes had been included in my ticket. I didn't really get any straight answers, but all I could think of was that when I changed my route, that Qantas hadn't included the new taxes. Fair enough, but then I wanted to know if they had refunded me the taxes that I had paid on the flights I didn't take. LAN couldn't tell me this, despite being part of the One World Alliance. I was fuming, but I kept my calm, and in fairness, the woman did her best to help me, eventually, and even let me check in first so that I wasn't late for the flight. In the end, I had to go to the ATM to pay for the departure tax, tourist tax AND some stamp tax - 62,000 pesos for a bloody bit of ink! I've seriously gone off Colombia quite a bit now, and it really needs tourists as well.

After all that rigmarole, at least I didn't have a long wait in the departure lounge as it was nearly time to board. The flight to Lima was fine, though not as good as those LAN flights that I took across the Pacific as I didn't have my own TV screen. I also had a toddler sat behind me who spent the entire time kicking my chair. Not good. I did witness my first ever thunderstorm from the air though, somewhere over Bogotá I think, which was pretty damn spectacular. I was glad to get off at Lima and change planes, on which I had exactly the same meal as the first flight - good job it was decent! I wisely slept for the most of it, although by the time I reached Sao Paulo on Monday morning, I felt pretty grim.

Once I collected my bag (which thank goodness had indeed been correctly transfered at Lima!), I then spent an hour wandering around Arrivals, looking for a LAN office and someone who could tell me if I was owed tax or not! "No, we don't know, you have to ask Qantas" came the reply. Cheers. Then the spending continued - 30 reais on a shuttle to the bus terminal, 62.50 reais on a bus to Rio de Janeiro - I'd been warned that Brazil is expensive, and it wasn't a lie! When I finally arrived in Rio at 4.30 that afternoon, I was ready to collapse but I still had to make it across the city to my hostel. By this point, it was obvious to me that I'd struggle a bit with no Portuguese, but I managed to make it onto the correct city bus and even asked the conductor to tell me where to get off. She seemed to take pity on me, especially as the city buses here have a turnstile on them, which of course I couldn't get through with all my bags. Bet the locals thought it was hilarious as I threw most of my belongings over it, then hoisted my backpack over the top.

When I finally reached my hostel, Piratas de Ipanema, at around 6pm, I had been travelling for 24 solid hours! This place had been recommended to me by a guy in Taganga who raved about how great it was, especially how friendly and helpful the staff were. Indeed, they were very helpful and helped me settle right in. When I booked it online, I stupidly hadn't read the reviews of the hostel, and it was only after I had committed myself that I found out that is was supposed to be filthy! On inspection, it wasn't the best place, but it was cheap and all I needed was a place to get a good night's sleep... oh dear... Monday night was quite noisy, especially as my dorm was right next to the TV room, but eventually, I dropped off and slept for a few hours.

Yesterday, I took it easy as I had a bit of a relapse, but I did manage a walk along the famous Ipanema beach. The weather was overcast anyway, so I didn't feel too bad about returning to the hostel early that afternoon, to simply relax with my book. It was still pretty noisy in the hostel after 11pm, and I was hoping it would abate soon, or at least for me to be able to sleep through it. I did indeed drop off, only to be awoken by some IDIOT swearing his head off right outside the dorm. What stunned me the most was that nobody anywhere seemed to be making any effort to go about anything quietly. As I groggily came around, I realised that the TV was still blaring and music was still being played... AND all this was at 4 am!!! That was the point at which I snapped and resolved that, no matter how cheap it was, I could not spent another night in that place! In 16 countries and 10 months of travelling, I can honestly say that I have never stayed in such a bad place, even the one with the insect infestation in Nha Trang was a million times better!

So, this morning, as soon as I woke up, I went online to look for a new hostel. I then walked a fair way to find one, for more than double the price AND at the top of a really steep hill, but it was clean, friendly and quiet! So then I had to walk back to Piratas to collect my things and check out and trek back again up the hill, in packhorse mode. I should have taken a taxi, of course, but in my stubborness to save money, I thought I'd wear myself out just a little bit more! So, all I've done today it change accommodation and buy a pair of Havaianas, which were actually a bargain and look very Brazilian in bright yellow and blue! I have also booked myself two tours for tomorrow, one of the city including Cristo Redentor and Sugar Loaf mountain, and then I am going to watch Fluminense play Sport Recife at the Maracaná Stadium! More money gone but what the hell... when in Rio!!!

Ciao Ciao Cartagena!

Ahhh, my last few days in Colombia, so I had to make the most of them! I did a little bit of exploring on Friday afternoon, but headed back to the hostel after just a couple of hours as this city is so hot and humid! "Not to worry", I thought, "I still have two days left" and so I booked a trip to Volcán del Totumo, to bathe in the mud there, for Saturday. Unfortunately, I woke up yesterday morning with a peculiar feeling in my stomach, and without going into too much detail, I swear I must have been in the hostel's bathroom at least 15 times! So, Saturday was a complete write-off and I thought I'd be better off NOT going to the volcano under the circumstances.

The episode has left me so drained that I haven't gone today either as I need to conserve as much strength as possible for a 3½ hour flight to Lima, an hour wait, a 5 hour flight to Sao Paulo, a trek across on of the largest cities in the world to find the bus terminal, then a 5 hour bus ride to Rio de Janeiro!!! I am so glad that I have a fairly decent grasp of basic Spanish, as I was able to go to the pharmacy, buy some Loperamide and ask what foods I should eat. I was pretty proud of myself, under the circumstances!

So, today, I now have several hours to kill before I go to the airport - which, might I add, is going to charge me a whopping $64 in departure tax! They had better accept MasterCard, or they ain't getting it, I can tell you. Daylight robbery, it is the most expensive airport in Colombia! I have also erred on the side of caution and I have a few extra pesos than normal just before leaving a country. I am hoping there is a Crepes and Waffles at the airport, so I can use up my cash on ice-cream (I am sure the pharmacist would approve!)

I'm hoping to wander out to look for a geocache at the port in a bit. I hope it is there otherwise I won't have any from Colombia, and it will be a waste of a 4-mile roud trip in the heat! Then I'll be reading until I need to go to the airport. Yikes, it is going to be a long day, night and day, assuming I make it to Rio in one piece as my new Spanish skills won't help me there! Oh well, all in a day's work for intrepid adventurer Indiemma Jones!

Colombia - Week Three!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am now a fully qualified Rescue Diver and Emergency First Responder! Indeed, last Saturday was a challenging day, but of course I got through it with no problems! Matt and Andres weren't lying when the warned me that the last part of the Rescue practical would be hard work. I had several scenarios to complete, most of which ended with me hauling Matt out of the sea onto the beach. It was extremely difficult, especially as Matt is taller than me, but I didn't give up. In fact, I impressed Andres with the amount of manly grunting and wailing I made in any attempt to get Matt clear of the water! The final scenario was a real challenge as Matt pretended to be a panicked diver, under the water, with no air left. First I had to give him my alternate air source so he could continue to breathe, all the time keeping a hold on him but away from his grasp, as a panicked diver can pull at your equipment (which Andres very kindly demonstrated as I practised the skill, by pulling off my mask!) Of course, as a confident diver, I very calmly remembered how to clear it of water, from my Open Water course!

Then, Matt had to pretend to knock himself unconscious and I then had to get him safely to the surface, to check for breathing (which in this case, he wasn't) and then begin rescue breaths, all the time whilst swimming to the shore! I had to give two breaths, using my pocket mask and keeping his face out of the water, and then I had five seconds in which to start removing or loosening our equipment. After every 5 seconds, I had to keep up with the rescue breaths and eventually, we made it to the beach. Equipment ditched, I then had to drag Matt clear of the waves and by this point, I was completely drained. Bless him, he was a very good victim, even though I grabbed and dragged him in any way I could. I was slipping in the gravel, and despite my very best efforts, I just couldn't get him completely away from the sea. However, I realised that it was most important to begin CPR (as in this case, he also had no heartbeat). Keeping an eye on the incoming waves, I began CPR and continued with rescue breaths until, after what seemed like an age, Andres signalled that I had successfully completed the scenario!

I collapsed onto the beach, amidst a huge round of applause from all the new Open Water divers that had watched the whole thing from the boat! After resting for a few moments, I was then able to go for a fun dive, having completed all the skills in good time! After a few hours of revision, I headed back to the dive centre that afternoon to complete my tests. I had to wait for a little bit for the results, and Andres thought it would be hilarious to make me think that I had failed part of it, but I scored 94% for Rescue Diver and 90% and 80% for Primary and Secondary care respectively, so way above the pass rates. I was in the mood to party that evening, but with two more fun dives ahead of me the next day (plus I was absolutely shattered) I headed straight to bed!

On Sunday, I spent a lazy morning on the beach, the first chance I had had since I arrived, and then had two fun dives in the afternoon. Once back on the beach that evening, I met up with Faye and Rory again, and we decided to party, but only a little bit as I had booked another 2 fun dives for Monday afternoon. We shared a couple of bottles of Aguardiente and Sprite on the beach, before heading to a hotel where ladies drank for free. To cut a long story short, after a few free rum shots, I vaguely remember telling Faye that I was going for a walk and would be back soon. I got back to my hostel room, made myself sick... and then woke up on the bathroom floor at 6am the next morning! DAMN IT, I had done it again, and this is why I rarely drink these days as I am always passing out!

I then felt rather rough and hoped that I would be back on form by 1pm, in order to go diving, but it wasn't to be. I was so annoyed with myself, as I have never missed a dive before (apart from on the Great Barrier Reef when I couldn't equalise). I really think I should become completely tee-total! So, that wrote Monday off, although I did feel much better by late afternoon, so I watched another sunset on the beach with F&R. On Tuesday, I took a boat to Parque Tayrona. My list of places to visit in Colombia was originally quite extensive, but because I had skipped so many of them, I felt I would really regret it if I didn't make it to this beautiful national park. Usually, as you will know dear reader, I always take the cheap option, but it was just easier to take the boat for an hour, than several buses and a long walk through the jungle for 3-4 hours, just to save a few pounds. Now that the end of my trip is in sight and I know I won't run out of money, I've started to treat myself a bit more!

Unfortunately, despite the convenience of the boat, it was a rough journey and I got completely soaked through! Once at El Cabo de San Juan, I hung my clothes out to dry, found myself a hammock for the night and spent the rest of the day lying on the beach and dipping into the sea to cool off at regular intervals. The beach was much nicer than the one at Taganga, it was just a shame that Rory and Faye couldn't join me as we would have had great fun! That night, I put my lilo inside my hammock and got a fairly decent night's sleep, despite everything being damp from the sea or the air - I was pleased that I didn't wake up with a cold on Wednesday!

Before leaving Tayrona, I started to walk into the jungle at sunrise in search of wildlife. After just a few minutes, I was surrounded by mosquitoes and so I abandoned the idea - I still have scars from Asian and Australian bites and now a new set of South American ones! I spent a few more hours on the beach before taking the boat back to Taganga. This time, I was better prepared as I wore only my bikini and wrapped my bag in plastic, so my clothes and belongings wouldn't get soaked. That turned out to be the least of my worries as I took the worst boat journey of my entire life. The waves were really high and the captain never slowed down, so at one point, we rose up so high that I had enough time to realise that it would be a long way down again, and we may all go flying out of the boat! The smack back down onto the water was massive, and one guy slipped off his seat onto the floor. I was then terrified and was genuinely worried that I may need to practice my rescue skills for real. In the end, I decide to squat onto the floor of the boat and another passenger very kindly let me hang onto his legs for support. I have never before been so glad to disembark a boat in my life!

So, after all that "excitement", I spent the rest of Wednesday chilling out in Taganga with Faye and Rory again, drinking yet more banana and mango milkshakes that had become my staple of the week! Yesterday morning, I got up early and headed straight to Santa Marta, where I boarded a bus to Cartagena. The first minibus shuttle to Santa Marta wouldn't let me on with all my bags, and the second one nearly didn't either until I offered to pay twice (which was still considerably cheaper than a taxi). It was easy to buy a ticket to Cartagena and soon I was off on a more comfortable bus. I napped for the first half, until the driver put a DVD of Apocalypto on - a really violent movie about Mayans capturing and sacrificing each other - on a Thursday lunchtime with toddlers on board!!! I was glad to get off, especially as the little boy sat next to me started screaming blue murder, fortunately just as we pulled into the terminal, and not before!

I then immediately boarded a local bus to the centre on Cartagena, again considerably cheaper than a taxi, but quite time consuming. It said in the Lonely Planet that it would be about 40 minutes to El Centro, but I was prepared for a long wait as I seemed to have selected a bus with a maximum speed of 10 mph! However, a very long time seemed to have elapsed with no obvious signs of the city centre and then I spotted the airport runway, which I knew was several kilometres north of the centre. Drat it, for the first time in 45 weeks, I had missed my bus stop! My sixth sense of direction had failed me! When I was the last passenger on board, the driver looked at me pitifully through his rear view mirror! He very kindly let me stay on as he reached the end of the route and then turned around to head back into town!

However, the bus got much more crowded on the return, and I eventually had to stand up with all my bags on, to let other people sit down. Luckily, I was right by the rear door, and when some local guys told me where I should get off, I could hop off without too much ado! I asked a girl where I was and I whipped out my map and worked out where I needed to go to find a hostel. My sixth sense returned and soon I was at Casa Viena! I checked in, caught my breath and headed out for a quick stroll around the area. After dinner, I was so tired that I headed straight back to the hostel and now it's time for an early night! It is incredibly hot and humid here in Cartagena, and I need to conserve my strength as I have only two more full days here before I fly off to Brazil on Sunday evening. Crikey, only seven weeks left... and hopefully another four more countries!!!

Colombia - Week Two!

Well, I said it would be difficult to leave Bogotá and it was! Ana and her family made me feel so welcome, that it was a wrench to finally say goodbye! Last Saturday, Ana's father, Ernesto, returned from working in Cartagena and was due to be back in Bogotá by the early afternoon. Ana and I were having yet another lazy morning in the house again, when she received a phone call. It was all systems go after that as Ernesto had organised a surprise birthday party for Nelly (Ana's mother). So, the plan was for me and Ana to go around to Marie-Clara's house to meet up with everyone there, under the pretext of us all going ten-pin bowling, while Nelly and Ernesto would drive to an uncle's house. Off we waved them, only to leave the apartment just moments later, to drive to the party ahead of them!

Once at Ana's uncle's apartment, I was then introduced to yet more of her family and the wait began for Nelly and Ernesto to arrive. There was one false alarm as another of Ana's uncles arrived (and unfortunately, I can't remember all their names). Soon though, silence fell as the birthday girl arrived and, much to her great surprise, we all sang Happy Birthday! It was great fun and out came the guitars for much singing and merriment. Nelly took centre stage and then began an afternoon and evening of music and singing. Soon, a tamborine appeared from somewhere, then some maracas and by the end of the evening, there were at least 8 different instruments all around the room. Ana kept apologising to me, saying that it must be so boring for me to be there, but on the contrary, it was absolutely fantastic to watch such a great group of family and friends singing traditional songs, and a few contemporary numbers as well. At one point, Yellow Submarine struck up, which I think was for my benefit! One of the uncles told me that he was really pleased and honoured that I was enjoying myself so much and that it meant a lot to him. It was such a great evening, and to my great regret, I had forgotten to take my camera!

On Sunday, myself and the family visited the Salt Cathedral, just a short drive north of the city. It has been created deep inside old salt mines and was quite impressive. The guide had recommended that we save taking pictures until the end of the tour, as the salt can make camera batteries run dead very quickly. Of course, no one tells me when to take pictures and I thought it best to take them as I went along, whenever there was a chance, as the mine was so busy; there may not have been good opportunities later on. Strangely, I became very tired in the mines and all my energy felt drained away. Just as we made it to the centre of the cathedral, (which is only a church really as it has no bishop), my camera displayed "Change the battery pack" - damn it, the guide was right and I didn't get any pictures of the main altar. Ana was quite upset for me, but I reassured her that it was OK as it was difficult to get good photos in the darkness anyway.

Once out of the mines again, I felt much better - we didn't bother to watch the info video down there, as I just had to get out. The salt seemed to wipe my energy, just like my battery (which back at the surface was working again!) As we waited for Marie-Clara and Alfonso to return, Ernesto treated us to a Coke and some empanadas, which were the best ones I have had so far. They are different in every South American country, and in Colombia, they are made from corn. Then it was time for lunch and Ernesto took us all to a really nice restaurant, I felt so lucky! I had a delicious steak, followed by an arequipe and pastry dessert that was just divine. After yet more delicious food, I just had to rest for the remainder of the day back at the house!

On Monday, it was Colombian Independence Day, and much to my huge disappointment, the grand parade was NOT held in Bogotá... for the first time in 199 years! I swear, someone must have informed the president about my visit and they promptly moved it, just to spite me! We did watch it on the television though, and Ana explained all the different groups. We had arepas for breakfast with melted cheese on top. Arepas are kind of like potato cakes, but made with corn instead and I love them! I just wish I had discovered them on my first day in Colombia! As it was a national holiday, Nelly and Ernesto invited the family around for lunch, and yet again, I was truly looked after in the food department. Nelly had prepared pasta, which I love, but unfortunately with a tuna, mushroom and cream sauce - three things that I just don't like! Not to worry, there were two steaks left over from the restaurant the day before and I was more than happy with leftovers! Then followed a delicious ice-cream cake for dessert, that Ana and Alfonso couldn't finish, so I had 3 portions! Whoops!

That evening, I was a little bit sad I as knew that I needed to get moving if I was to have enough time on the Caribbean coast. Nelly and Ernesto told me that I was now part of the family and I was welcome to return there at any time - "You must bring your husband and children here!" he told me! I wasn't ready to go, but I knew that if I left on Tuesday, I would only arrive in Santa Marta on Wednesday, after a 20 hour bus ride! By that point, as I had spent longer than planned in Bogotá, I had already decided to miss out the Coffee Zone, Medellin and Villa de Leyva... but not to worry, as I will definitely be back in Colombia in the future to stay with my new family again! Anyway, Ana received a call later that evening and it was Jose. He too needed to get to Santa Marta this week and he had found some really cheap flights online. We then looked into it, and sure enough, it was 10,000 pesos cheaper to fly than take the bus I had planned! Excellent, I could save money and time AND have an extra day with the family, without arriving in Santa Marta any later!

Ana had to return to university on Tuesday, so I spent the day with Jose. We had to go to the travel agency as soon as it opened to pay for our flights, but once that was done, we had the rest of the day to chill out, so we had breakfast and then returned to the house. We spent most of the day chatting in Spanish, and at one point, I tried to explain the difference between second cousins, and first cousins once removed, which isn't a particularly straightforward concept even in English! I got there in the end though, with the aid of a few diagrams! I bought a few bits and pieces in the afternoon, and then spent the evening packing my bag whilst chatting to Ana and listening to Colombian music.

On Wednesday, I had to get up at 5.30am, so Jose and I could get to the airport on time for our flight. Check-in was easy and the flight left right on time. It was really funny as Jose tried to clip his seatbeat on with the buckle pointing backwards and then insisted on reclining his chair before take-off, which of course is not permitted. I had insisted on the window seat, as always, and Jose seemed to want to swap with me, even though he had turned down the offer to have one for himself on a different row. It then dawned on me - he had never flown before, which explained why he had muttered "Sh*t!" under his breath as we boarded the plane! Now, I would like it to be duly noted that I very magnanimously gave my precious window seat to Jose, for the entire flight. I would also like it to be noted that it was an exceptional circumstance and not something I am intending to repeat in the future!

The flight was great and although it was a small plane, the seats were very comfortable and I swear the windows were 20% bigger than normal. Once in Santa Marta, we were met by Jose's father and we took a taxi to his uncle's house. From there, Jose and his cousin helped me to take a taxi straight to Taganga, so that I could organise a diving course as soon as possible. Once I was checked in to a hostel on the beach, I said goodbye to the boys and went out to check out the diving schools. After a while, I had decided on one and was on my way to book a Rescue Diver course when I bumped into Craig and Megan from my Galápagos trip! They had just completed their Open Water and Advanced diving courses with Octopus Dive Center, and highly recommended them. I hadn't visited them, so I decided I would check them out first. As it turned out, the owners, Andres and Natalia, were absolutely lovely AND the course was significantly cheaper, so I immediately signed on the dotted line! Once that was organised, I then chilled out on the beach for the rest of the afternoon, and met up with Craig, Megan, Florean (France) and Rory & Faye (UK) for drinks in the evening.

Yesterday, it was back to class for me again, as I had a lot of work ahead of me - an Emergency First Response video at 9am, one for Rescue Diver at 1pm, and then back to the dive centre at 8pm to do my first aid practical test. Andres was impressed with my first aid skills, so I mentioned that I had taken a first aid course just last April. It then turned out that I didn't need to take EFR after all, and I could save money - all I would need to do is send a scanned copy of my certificate to PADI. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember where my certificate was and my mum couldn't find it, and I had a feeling that PADI wouldn't have accepted it anyway: even though it was a legitimate St John's Ambulance course that covered all aspects of first aid, from what I remember, the name of the course made it look like it was only for children, which wouldn't have been acceptable. Oh well!

Today, I began the practical part of the Rescue course and was out in the sea with Andres and Matt, and Dive Master trainee from Dublin, who would be the victim I would have to rescue, and could translate for me. Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned that although Andres spoke a little English, I actually did a lot of the tasks today in Spanish, something that worried me a lot at first, but I actually had no problems with. I learned how to deal with tired and panicked divers at the surface, how to tow them to safety and how to rescue people with a rope (although it took about 7 attempts for me to throw it in the right place)! Anyway, Andres was really impressed with my progress, although he did warn me that tomorrow will be much more challenging!

So, I'm now back at the hostel with a lot of work ahead of me! All being well, I will be a qualified Rescue Diver by tomorrow evening, but first I have to complete all my PADI knowledge reviews in my book this afternoon, then finish my EFR practical test this evening. Tomorrow, I will be back in the sea to complete the Rescue skills and scenarios and then take both exams in the afternoon! Phew! I don't quite know how I get myself into situations like this, where I am studying and revising on a Caribbean beach, but there you go... it will be worth it and once it's all complete, a week of relaxing lies ahead!

Colombia - Week One!

Well, there's no rest for the wicked! After the long wait in Lago Agrio, I eventually boarded the night bus to Tulcán. It was a fairly decent journey, except that I had to travel back across the mountains and so it was a bit bumpy. We also stopped for what seemed like an hour, while the driver hammered away at something under the bus. I have no idea why, but of course, I was then concerned that something was wrong. I kept looking out of the window and at one point saw us drive through a river; great, I was then worried about my backpack being soaked!

Once I arrived at Tulcán, it was a little before 7am and thankfully my backpack was absolutely fine! It had been a long 24 hours, and so I decided to make things easier for myself for a change and I took a taxi to the border. There I had to queue on the Ecuadorian side to gain an exit stamp. The Lonely Planet advises you to be prepared for thorough searches on both sides of this border crossing, but I was swiftly stamped out. I then had to walk over to the Colombian side and I realised that this was the first time that I have been across a land frontier completely on my own, i.e. without being on a tour or with other tourists. I felt rather damn cool walking over to Colombia, although if they decided not to let me in for some reason, I would be stranded in the middle!

I was stamped out of Ecuador at 7.45am. I was stamped into Colombia at 9.15. Now, "What was the delay?" I hear you ask. I would love to be able to give you an intriguing tale of searches and interrogations, but alas, no. There was simply no one behind the desks at immigration and everyone had to wait ages for an offical to appear. Once someone came, I was stamped in with no problems at all, no questions and no search! Easy peasy! I then took another taxi to the bus terminal in Ipiales, where I could take an onward connection to Popayán. The agreed fare was $3.50 and I asked if it would be possible to go via an ATM for the same price. Yes, no problem. It took a little while to actually find one that worked, and so I thought I should probably give the driver a little extra. However, he decided that he would personally accompany me into the terminal and help me buy a bus ticket. How helpful, and only for $5 (like I had a choice!) So, after all the travelling from Cuyabeno, I was then in a minibus for another 7 hours!!!

The ride to Popayán was great. The guy sat next to me broke his seat and then had to move, so for most of the journey I had more space. The scenery was stunning as we wound our way through the mountains. Once in Popayán, I took yet another taxi to my hostel and then set off in search of an internet café. It is a beautiful town, but every street looks the same, so it is really easy to get lost. Also, in Colombia, streets are numbered rather than named, so although that seems very logical, it is actually more difficult to remember where you should be going! I looked into taking a trip to San Agustin, but I found out that it would be yet another 8 hour journey to get there! I don't have much time in Colombia, and so at that point, I decided to abandon that idea. However, when I couldn't even find anywhere open for breakfast on Sunday morning, on the spur of the moment I got my things together and checked out of my hostel to accompany my new roommate, Vashek, to Tierradentro, another significant archaeological site.

So, I spent the majority of Sunday sat on a bus again! We arrived in the village of San Andres de Pisimbala in the afternoon, and our bags were pale beige from a thick coating of dust! We found a guesthouse, dropped off our belongings and headed out in search of food. After a cheap meal in a lovely little restaurant, the owner leonardo drew us a map of the Tierradentro area and recommended the route we should walk the next day, in order to see all the main sites. Afterwards, we walked around San Andres and saw a beautiful sunset in the valley.

On Monday, off we set to Tierradentro, about 20 minutes walk down the road. We first visited the on-site museums, before heading up the hill to the tombs. The culture that made these tombs is completely unique to Colombia and is only found in this area. It was a beautiful day, but I became tired very quickly. Well, it was hot, hilly, at high altitude... and I had travelled a hell of a lot over the past few days. Plus there were my moments of fraility in the jungle, so I think I had a good excuse! The tombs were interesting, but I must admit, once I had seen one, I felt like I had seen them all! In the end, I did visit most of the sites, but not the one highest up the hill - it seemed like a hell of a walk and I had a feeling that I'd not see anything different there. As it turns out I was right, as confirmed by Vashek who trekked all the way there!

Tomb of Tierradentro

Tombs visited, I was ready to leave San Andres as soon as possible and keep moving north. I hadn't planned on going to Bogotá so early in my visit, but after consulting my map, it made more sense to head there before the Zona Cafétera. I had been in touch with Ana (whose sister, Juliana, I had met on New Year's Eve in Sydney) and she had invited me to stay with her in Bogotá. Unfortunately, there was no internet connection in San Andres and so I couldn't let her know that I would be arriving early! Anyway, I got up while it was still dark on Tuesday morning to travel to La Plata, the nearest main town, where I could board a bus to the capital. At 5.30, a pickup truck arrived and my bag was strapped to the roof. I had to sit in the back, sheltered only from the elements by a tarpaulin. It was one of the most arduous journeys of my trip so far - 2½ hours of bumpy mountain roads at an obscenely early hour, hanging on to the metal bars of the truck, trying not to vomit. I also ended up covered in dust, just like my backpack and I have never seen a comb get so dirty as it did when I brushed my hair later that day!

Once in La Plata, a bus to Bogotá was due to leave within 15 minutes and so I did not hesitate to buy a ticket. The bus was exceptionally good and so I spent the next 8 hours (I KNOW, AGAIN!!!) in comfort. Once in the capital, a helpful girl in the tourist information office advised me how to get to a hostel that is recommended in the Lonely Planet - I thought it best to take a shower and give Ana some advance warbing of my arrival before meeting her for the first time! I then hopped on the minibus into the city centre that the girl had told me about, and then spent the journey trying to see where I was going on a map an fretting about how I would then disembark - the minibus soon became packed full and I had no idea how I would extract myself from it with all my bags!

After a while, I thought that I was roughly in the right area of the city and so I tried to get off. My goodness, it was interesting, I just had to shove my way out, all the while saying "¡Disculpe! ¡Permiso! ¡Lo siento!" It worked, even though I then got a bit jammed in the doorway! While I was then struggling with my map, trying to work out where I was, a helpful guy approached me and offered to show me to the hostel. My first thoughts were "Oh dear, is this a scam?" but I needn't have worried as it turned out that Jorge actually worked at the hostel! They had a bed available and I had a base for my first night! I was about to email Ana on Facebook, to let her know that I had arrived, when she popped up online. Ideal, as we were then able to chat and make arrangements to meet the following day.

On Wednesday morning, I got up early and headed to the Museo del Historia Policia where the really helpful police there gave me a free guided tour and explained all the exhibits. I then had time to visit an exhibition of Andy Warhol's works, again for free! That afternoon, I met Ana, and her friend Laura, and off we went to her house, where I was introduced to her lovely mother. It was great to be in a civilised environment again, and as I put my belongings into Juliana's old room, I felt really happy that I would have a few home comforts again, after all the time I have spent on buses and in hostels! That evening, we went to see the latest Harry Potter film, released that day that Ana and her family already had tickets for (YES!!) and it was a great end to a great day!

View of Bogotá

Yesterday, Ana & I went to Monserrate with her brother-in-law´s cousin, Jose. The view from the mountain over Bogotá was amazing, despite the rain that is so common in that part of the city. Then it was time to visit the Museo del Oro, which is extremely impressive, before a lovely dinner in Crepes & Waffles, with Laura and her friend Juliana (another one!) I am making a hell of a lot of new Colombian friends! Afterwards, we all headed to Marie Clara's apartment (that's Ana's oldest sister) for a game of Uno Spin, which I managed to join in despite all the instructions being in Spanish! Luckily for me, everyone speaks good English, so I've had no problems at all.

The gang now call me "Abuela" though, which means "Grandma", as I fell asleep mid-game and went to bed while the others partied on aguardiente all night... I had the last laugh though this morning, when I was as bright as a daisy and they all had hangovers! As a result, today has been a lazy day of relaxing, eating and photo-uploading! We did visit a mall earlier and I very naughtily ate three doughnuts, followed by two scoops of ice-cream! Whoops! It is going to be difficult to leave Bogotá as I have made some really good friends here and have been made to feel so welcome... but time is ticking and there are only 9 weeks of my great adventure left!!!

In The Jungle...

As if I hadn't travelled enough last week, I thought I'd cram it all in again this week! The bus ride to Lago Agrio last Sunday night was relatively straightforward, although it has been a while since I have been on a road quite that bumpy! I managed to get a bit of sleep, in between remembering about a bus crash in Ecuador on the news last year and wondering which road in particular it involved... Sorry Mum! We arrived a little before 7am and it was absolutely heaving it down! I was well prepared though, and I immediately put on my Vietnamese poncho to protect me and my bags as I walked to the tour meeting point. Believe me, it did in fact feel as if I was back in Hanoi last November again!!!

At the hotel, I met Doris (Switzerland) and Connor & Al (USA) and we chatted to pass the time until someone came to meet us. None of us knew at what time that would be, but we agreed that it would most likely be at least an hour after that, even if we did know! Luckily, the rain had eased off and the sun had come out by the time the bus arrived. It took a few hours to then make it to El Puente, at the Cuyabeno Reserve entrance. There are extensive road constructions in progress all the way there, so it was another bumpy ride! We paid our park entry fees, gratefully utilised the bathrooms, had a boxed lunch and loaded ourselves and our bags onto motor canoes. We were given large ponchos at that point, but the rubber boots would come later on, so I made sure I was armed with polyethene bags to cover my shoes if necessary. Well, they are my only pair and they have to last another couple of months yet!

It was a pleasant journey downstream, which I spent chatting with Connor, and we were lucky to only get rained on for the last stretch! The poncho was appreciated, but not entirely efficient, so I ended up with a wet backside, but it could have been worse. I then caused great amusement amongst my companions when I swathed my feet in plastic! Erika had told me that there would be a fair walk from the canoe to the lodge, and that sandals would be inadequate - as it turned out, the jetty was part of the lodge itself and everything was connected by boardwalks, but I was determined to use the bags after all the effort I had gone to to obtain them!!!

It was mid-afternoon by that point and we had free time to settle into to our huts. Just before sunset, we boarded the canoes again (which was to become a very regular part of our routine for the week) and headed to Laguna Grande. There we saw river dolphins and Hiram, one of the lodge's guides, enticed a large caiman close to the other canoe with so meat! Because we were going to swim in the lake afterwards, I didn't bother to take my camera, much to my annoyance as there was a spectacular sunset on one side of the sky, with an amazing rainbow on the other! So amazing, that there were 3 rainbows visible, something that I have never seen before! it was rather chilly by that point, so I wans't going to bother to swim after all, but once everyone else from the canoe had jumped in and assured my that the water was lovely and warm, I caved! Wel, how often do you get to swim in a black lake, complete with caimans and piranhas, in the Amazon rainforest!!! It was still quite cold, so I didn't last long, and then the heavens opened again, so I threw the poncho over my bikini and shivered all the way back to the lodge before towelling off!

At dinner, we met our guide, Lenny, for the first time as he had been out all day with the group we would join for the rest of the tour. Connor and Al were also booked in for five days, so we would spend the rest of the week together and we also met Javier (USA), whose travel plans that day hadn't gone quite a smoothly! The food was good and it was a really enjoyable meal... until I looked up! Right above where I was sitting was a large tarantula on the ceiling! Trust me to find one on the very first day! Luckily, it didn't move, but I was certainly ready to make a hasty exit if necessary!

Damn Big Caterpillar!!!

On Tuesday, we covered ourselves in mosquito repellent and walked through the forest for a few hours. Lenny was a great guide and we spotted night monkeys, howler monkeys and a sloth! Admittedly, the sloth looked like a nest, then (with binoculars) a huge ball of wet fur, but it was great to see one in the wild! I also saw a toucan, just seconds before it flew away over the trees. That afternoon, we took to the water again for a spot of piranha fishing! I had several bites, but each time, my line came up empty, so at first, we were simply feeding them! However, I eventually felt a huge tug and I began to haul in something rather heavy! We were all stunned when I finally pulled it above the water level - I didn't realise piranhas grew that big, although we only had enough time to say "Wow!" as it then wriggled free! It was probably a good 30cm in length. Our luck soon changed and we all eventually managed to catch at least one or two, taking several photos before putting them back into the river. As you would expect, they have a lot of teeth, but several sets which go all the way down their throats. Don't put your finger down there is all I can say! It was then time for another sunset (with camera, but not as impressive) before heading back.

On Wednesday, we had a full day ahead of us, visiting a local community. The weather was glorious as we set off downstream in the canoe and we had been extremely lucky so far. It had rained on and off but never when we were in the middle of an activity, and we had got back from our walk on Tuesday mere minutes before it really poured down. Hiram's group weren't so lucky... As we made a pit stop en route to the village, I unfortunately felt quite weak. A nasty headache had settled in and my muscles felt trembly. I didn't really want to admit it to myself, but it felt like the start of a fever, and of course, my first thoughts were about Dengue! Of course, what a story that would make for the grandkids, but really not something I wanted to go down with! I kept my fingers crossed and tried to make the most of the day.

Once at the village, we just had enough time to put on our ponchos and make it to shelter before another huge deluge. It was clear to see why it is called rainforest! Once it had eased off, we watched a village girl (whose name I have forgotten) uproot a manioc tree and harvest the tubers. Back in her hut, she then showed us how it is then prepared to make cassava, a kind of flatbread that is an important staple of indigenious Amazonian communities. It was fascinating, although by this point, my head was exploding and the smoke from the fire was making it worse. Please, please, don't be ill in the middle of the jungle!!!

Making Manioc Bread

That afternoon, Lenny guided us through a different part of the forest where we saw different plants and some more animals. we also saw a lot of mud - thank goodness for the wellies - and becuase I was getting rather weak by that point, my co-ordination had gone and so I walked right into an overhanging branch, Of course, my instant reaction was to grab the branch to protect my head, shame it was covered in 3 inch thorns! Ouch! I was glad to make it to the end of the walk where we visited a local shaman. He explained how he became a shaman and demonstrated a ritual for identifying illnesses, for which I volunteered. I'm not sure if he picked up on my banging headache or not! Luckily, we didn't have to take the same path back through the mud to the canoe, as we were now further upstream and the boat was waiting for us. Back at the lodge, I knew that things were bad as I had very little appetite and struggled to finish dinner. I went to bed early and then awoke a few hours later with a burning temperature... please, don't be Dengue fever!

On Thursday morning, I was till feeling quite rough, the headache was still hanging around but I managed to eat breakfast. Thankfully, our day was to be quite leisurely. We tok the motor canoe back to the lake, where we switched to dug-out canoes and then paddled around for a few hours. It was very peaceful and Lenny spotted more sloths and birdlife. I felt much better by that point and that evening, we watched sunset again before searching for caimans after dark. We were all armed with torches and we soon spotted pairs of red eyes moving towards the boat. After a few minutes, a rather large caiman surfaced next to my seat, less than a metre away!

White Caiman, Laguna Grande

Today has been a long day! I woke up at 2.30am with a strange feeling and I couldn't decide whether I needed to vomit, or, well... the other end! Our room in the lodge had a private bathroom, but being a simple hut, it was barely partioned off. Also, all the rooms in our hut were separated only by thin wooden panels that didn't reach the ceiling, so I was practically in a room with at least 8 other people. Not convenient. Not wanting to cause any noise in the hut (and not wanting to be overheard either), I armed myself with a toilet roll, put on my wellies and crept out into the jungle... like a bear in the woods! That wasn't a success and so I just had to return to the bathroom. It was about 4am by this point and I needed to sleep, but I couldn't get my wellies out, not without making a lot of noise as they had suctioned themselves onto my feet! I therefore couldn't get back into bed (which was a good job really, as I had noticed a cockroach crawling in earlier on), so I got into the hammock hanging in the porch.

I'd barely managed to get to sleep when I was awakened at 5.30 to go birdwatching! Drat it! Off we set at sunrise to the lake for the last time, before returning for breakfast. As I was packing, I then managed to bang my head on the bunk above my bed FIVE times, at which point the jungle air turned blue! I also managed to obtain some Imodium from another family as I was not looking forward to the journey ahead: 1½ hours in the motor canoe, 2½ in a bus back over the bumpy roads to Lago Agrio and then an overnight journey to Quito before then taking yet another bus to Tulcán at the Colombian border!

Anyway, the day hasn't been too bad, just a little arduous and no accidents thus far! The tour driver dropped us off at the bus terminal, where I was pleased to find that there was a direct service to Tulcán, saving me a fair bit of time and money! Unfortunately, I now have to wait 7 hours before it departs! So, I have managed to find an internet cafe and the owner has very kindly let me leave my bags here while I wait. Good job really as I have heard that Lago Agrio is Ecuador's second most dangerous town and I didn't fancy a trip to the cash machine loaded p with all my bags! He closes at 7pm though, so I will still have a fair wait, but the bus company's office is next door, so I can wait there. I now just have to survive the overnight ride to the border... and then make it across in one piece!

Baños & Otavalo (and a little more Quito!)

My trip to Baños was relatively brief, but I managed to pack most of the main sights in! After tucking into a lovely breakfast of pancakes for the second time this week, I met Batia (Israel) in my dorm. She said that she knew me from somewhere, but I was certain I'd never seen her before! "Are you sure it was me, I was a brunette a few days ago?!" I asked! It turns out that we'd been at the same hostel in Cuenca, and although the rest of the gang had met up with her, I only knew of her as "The Israeli Girl!" After finally becoming properly acquainted, we met up with Nick (USA) and Eeva (Finland) and hired mountain bikes. It took a while to get organised, but eventually we were off on the road towards Puno. This road winds down through the mountains past several waterfalls - many people bike most or all of the way, then come back on a bus with the bike strapped to the roof! I wasn't convinced I'd make it all that far, especially as it was gone noon before we set off, but I was certainly up for the ride!

The scenery was beautiful, although there were more uphill sections than we had anticipated! I was surprised by how far we'd gone in an hour, and I decided to continue on to the main waterfall ahead of the others, while they took a cable car across the valley. I made it to Rio Verde just as it started to rain, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to stop for a cheese toastie, and with my new-found Spanish skills, I managed to ask if it was possible to have some tomato on it as well! After lunch, despite being right at the start of the path to the waterfall, I decided I couldn't be bothered with it after all and so I took a truck back to Baños! Well, I'd had a nice ride and got some fresh air, what more did I need? Besides, I'll be at Iguazu Falls soon enough, and that'll certainly tick the waterfall box!

Baños

That evening, I met Dena and Lorna (USA) and we all headed out for dinner. It turned out to be one of those typical travelling moments when the group is bigger than 3 - no one can agree on where to eat, so way too much time is wasted wandering around aimlessly! Eventually, we found a hole-in-the-wall that served tacos and burritos. After my splurging in Cuenca, it was good to find a cheap place for dinner, but I enjoyed my beef taco so much, I ordered a chicken burrito as well! Good job they didn't sell desserts!

On Thursday, I went to the hot springs with Dena and Lorna, a must-do for any trip to Baños! It wasn't particularly scenic as I had expected, but the water is pumped in directly from the volcanoes nearby and is naturally hot (and yellowish-green from all the minerals!) We spent some time in the hot and warm pools, taking a freezing cold shower in between each. Well, I certainly went right in under the cold water, but the others kind of tickled their arms a bit under it! I even managed four laps in the the coldest pool, which made my neck ache a bit! It was good to jump back into the warm one again! After a hour or so, we were nicely relaxed and headed back to the hostel. We passed a massage place on the way, and agreed to come back later for a bit of pampering!

That afternoon, I tried to organise a white-water rafting day-trip, but I had no luck! This was something that I really wanted to do in Baños as Anh had done it here and had a great time! Plus, if I could raft here, I meant that I could skip Tena and get to Colombia sooner! Unfortunately, since Anh had been here, the water level in the river was too high and that section was now closed! That meant I could only take a half-day trip and at a maximum of Grade III. Now, I tried Grade III in New Zealand and it was way too boring, I NEED adrenalin these days! In fairness, in NZ the water level was extremely low, so hopefully it would be more exciting in Baños during the rainy season.

Now that I knew that the full-day option was out of the question, it meant that I could go that afternoon and leave for Quito on Friday morning! But there weren't enough people around to warrant a trip. Eventually, I managed to find some people who were interested but they chickened out when they realised there would only be three of us, plus the guide, in the raft. Wimps, they thought it would be too much hard work with just 4 people! So, I could only go on Friday morning - damn it, had I have known, I would have gone that morning instead. The pressure to move fast again has been mounting as I want to have as much time in Colombia as possible. Plus, once in Quito, I would need time to visit tour operators to organise a trip into the jungle, and then set off as soon as possible. I want to go deep into the jungle and that always requires a minimum of four days. Of course, the easy option would have been to take a trip from Puyo, but that would be into secondary forest only - I had decided that, as I have seen rainforest before in Thailand and Australia, that if I was going to do it over here, I should do it properly!

Anyway, I spent the rest of Thursday afternoon hanging around in the hostel and wandering around the town. That evening, we did go out for a massage; eventually, once the girls had got back from their canyoning trip and the pizza that was supposed to take 15 minutes (but took 30!) finally arrived! It was very enjoyable, although I was a little concerned by their choice of relaxing music. At first, I thought that I could hear roadworks, until it became clear it was on a CD! It did change into birdsong (crows???) and then more soothing rainfall. Shame it reverted back to farmyard animals by the end!

On Friday, I had another lovely breakfast, checked out and took all my belongings to Geotours. Once we had been given our equipment, off we piled into a pick-up truck, with me in the front squashed between the driver and guide, trying to avoid the gearstick at all costs! Ah, the joys of backpacking! It took quite a while to get to the river, and it was gone 11am before we actually made it into the water, but it was clear from the speed of the river that it wouldn't be boring! In fact, I was glad at that point that I hadn't been able to go higher than Grade III! It was good fun and the scenery was great, but I was disappointed to be finished after only 50 minutes! Once on terra firma, I decided that it was still too tame after all, and now I will not raft agin until I can do at least Grade IV!!!

I made it back to Baños just after 2pm. The next bus to Quito was at 2.30, the next one at 3.50. Of course, I'd spent most of the return journey clockwatching, in the hope I'd be able to get the earlier one. After stopping for one of the group to jump off a bridge, my hopes faded! Imagine my glee, when after getting changed at Geotours and collecting my bags, I had ten minutes to make it to the bus station round the corner! I arrived there and was immediately greeted by touts for the Quito bus. I made it onto the 2.30 service with no problems, and despite being warned that that company takes 5 hours to Quito, I was there in 3½ as promised! Then, it was easy to take the Ecovia service to my hostel, guided by GPS as I had forgotten the name of the stop I needed to get off at!

Once I'd checked in again at the Blue House, I dropped off my stuff and headed straight to Gullivers Expeditions! They had been good for my Galápagos trip, so I hoped that they also organised jungle tours! Indeed they did and I found out that the soonest that I would be able to go would be Monday morning, and that applied to all the operators. Phew! I hadn't missed out by spending that extra morning in Baños! I took a leaflet to browse and asked for directions to Otavalo for the next day! That had also been something that was playing on my mind. I wanted to go there to see the famous Saturday market, but that would mean only getting to Colombia next weekend on Sunday. Then I had a brainwave - rather than stay there next week en route to the border, I could just go for the day as it is only a few hours away by bus! Brilliant, more time saved!

So, I got up early yesterday morning, walked to the Trole line, got lost as I was improvising without a map again, found the Trole stop, got to the terminal and was on my way by ten past seven! I arrived in Otavalo by 9.45, and although I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere, rather than at the bus terminal, the driver pointed me in the right direction! Soon, I was at the market but really needed to eat and use the bathroom by this point! Me being me, I didn't ask for help, but wandered around like an idiot for over an hour, finding neither a restaurant or a bathroom! Where are the humitos street-vendors when you need them??? I eventually bought some bread rolls, and as I sat eating them, a lady started to chat to me. I managed a decent conversation with her with my new Spanish skills and asked her where I could go to the toilet. She also warned me that there were many thieves in the market and to take care. I assured her that I always did, and in fact, I had my camera down my jumper, tucked under my arm.

Otavalo Market

At last, with directions, I could relieve myself and then start to really enjoy the market! It was hot and sunny by now, so I had tied my jacket around my waist. As I walked along, I got a strange feeling. It was like when your blood runs cold, but I was hot instead. There was a girl next to me who seemed to be too close, and so I instinctively held on to my coat pocket. She then seemed to be on my other side, so I grabbed that pocket to and promptly crossed the road away from her. I was probably imagining it, but I decided to wear my coat again, depsite the heat.

Once relieved (in a typically dirty South American public toilets, but of a standard I had not seen since Bolivia!), it was time to enjoy the market properly! I wandered around the stalls of fruit, vegetables, chickens, dreamcatchers, friendship bands, jewellery, baggy trousers, tablecloths, pan pipes, tapestries... so many colours!!! I spent way too much time procrastinating over some pan pipes, but I decided that the cheap ones were too tacky, and the professional ones were too expensive, especially as they would never be played but probably hung on a wall at best!

I didn't bother buying them in the end, and when the rain started just before 1pm, it was time for me to head back to Quito, with only photos as souveniers. Or so I thought... on the bus, I noticed a rip in my jacket. I thought that I had caught it on the luggage shelf, but then I realised... the girl in the market had slashed my pocket with a knife! She hadn't got through the lining and therefore hadn't been able to swipe my GPS, but I was so annoyed! I was lucky, but she'd ruined my raincoat from New Zealand and now I would have to buy some heavy duct tape to repair it!

Back in Quito, I headed into Gullivers again to book the jungle trip and to see Erika (as she wasn't there the day before). She nearly didn't recognise me with blonde hair! She was again very helpful, and when I found out that I would be back in Quito late at night after the trip, but could then take a night bus directly to the Colombian border, I booked a full 5 day tour, which includes a visit to a shaman, deep in the forest! I then needed to buy tape to fix my coat, batteries for my torch and plastic bags to put all my stuff into (and to wear over my shoes before I get given a pair of rubber boots!) Of course, by this time on a Saturday afternoon, everything was shut, so I had to take the Ecovia line to the other end of Quito to a big shopping mall, an hour before it closed! Luckily enough, I found the right batteries and bought some bin bags and ziplock bags to hopefully keep everything dry in the jungle!

Today has been one of those hanging-around days! I've managed to kill most of the time before I catch the night bus to Lago Agrio, where my tour starts tomorrow, by spending over an hour reorganising my bags, and then another 5-6 hours online getting all my computing up to date before I am without technology for another week! Next time I am online, I hope I will be in Colombia, although I am not 100% what the bus situation will be in Quito on Friday night. In Tuesday, two new modern bus terminals will open, but no one can tell me which one I will arrive at once I am back from Lago Agrio, nor which one the bus to the border will operate from. That could pose a major problem as it is a long way between the two, and if the inter-terminal shuttle is not yet operational, it could be $20 in a taxi! Forget that! Anyway, I'll be deep in the Amazon from Monday afternoon until Friday afternoon, and then hopefully in Colombia by Saturday at the latest!

Watch this space - the next blog entry is likely to be quite interesting...

On The Move Again!!!

After a restless night of worrying about what time to get up and which bus to catch, I cracked at 5.50am, crept out of the dorm, collected my belongings from outside the door and got dressed in the bathroom! I grabbed a taxi outside and was in the bus station by 6.13am! As luck would have it, the next bus to Guayaquil was at half past and so I was soon on board and on my way! I was hoping to make it to there before noon, in order to then get to Puerto Lopez as early as possible, but I wasn't holding my breath... the supposed "4 hour" journey to Cuenca lasted for 5½, so imagine my surprise and delight when we reached Guayaquil on time! Then like clockwork, I was able to board a direct bus to Puerto Lopez leaving within half an hour, I couldn't have planned it any better (so once again, all that stress for nothing!) Look, I've said many times that I have changed on this trip... but I haven't had a personality transplant!!!

The next bus to Puerto Lopez was fine and by 3.30, I'd arrived, found a hostel and was off on the search for a whale-watching tour for Tuesday. The timings were perfect - the boat would leave at 10am and be back by 2pm - meaning that I could then take a bus back to Guayaquil that same day, and then overnight it to Baños! No need to stop in expensive Guaya again... and maybe I would have time to stop off at the cinema and catch Transformers 2!!! So, one I'd booked a tour, I wandered along the beach for a while, bought in some proviosns (i.e. a loaf and Coke, as per usual!) and returned to the hostel to chill out and watch a bit of Family Guy in Spanish... weird!

At the recommendation of the Lonely Planet, I had breakfast on Tuesday at The Whale Cafe in order to sample their apple and cinnamon pancakes! At last, an LP tip that didn't disappoint! After wolfing down both of them (well, I thought that a half-portion of one alone wouldn't be enough but I was wrong), smothered in real maple syrup and butter, washed down with passion fruit juice, I was pretty much set up for the day! I checked out of my hostel, put my bags into storage, ran around the town looking for someone to change a $10 note... seriously, Ecuador really needs to sort out its change issues! Fausto at the tour office kindly let me hop online to chek cinema times in Guayaquil. There was an 8.20 showing and and if I couldn't make it back for then, one at 10pm, so at least I'd get to see the movie, and then take a later bus to Baños. Excellent!

Once everyone had arrived at the office, we headed down to the beach to catch the boat. I wasn't quite sure what was taking so long though, as it wasn't there when we arrived and we seemed to wait for ages before we could then board. I was starting to worry - it was around 11am before we actually left the bay, the guide only spoke Spanish and then we seemed to be heading in the opposite direction to where I was expecting... oh no, not another tour that was going to be a let-down! We did seem to be making an effort to find some whales at least and of course I knew that with wild animas, there are no guarantees. Eventually, we saw our first whale, far off in the distance! I was pleased but secretly hoping that we'd get a closer look at some point, although from then one, every time we spotted one, but the time we'd turned the baot around and headed that way, it had disappeared from sight.

We then headed north toward the area I was expecting we'd visit but time was ticking and I had a terrible feeling that I'd not get a good look at these amazing creatures. Thank goodness our luck changed as we sighted one much closer to the boat and out it jumped of the water, just like on documentaries! From then on, we were much more successful and I spent a good hour videoing them - well, it was nearly impossible to photograph them as I needed to be zoomed in as far as possible and there was no way of knowing where they would surface. Besides, a photo cannot to justice to the way they move, it was incredible. Before it was time to head back, we were lucky enough to see a pair surface close to the boat and I managed to catch it on video. Yes, you guessed it... I got a bit choked up again and had to really concentrate on keeping my camera still! I was so pleased that the trip had been worth it.

Once back at the beach just after 2pm, I raced back to the hostel to collect my bags and then off to the bus terminal to catch the next bus back to Guayaquil. I had originally planned to take the next direct bus, but on reflection, it seemed better to take the first one to Jipijapa and change there as the buses to Guaya are so frequent, that would be the quicker option in the end. Imagine my annoyance when, after choosing not to take the 3.30 direct bus, the 2.45 to Jipijapa, that I had boarded, was still in Puerto Lopez at 3.20! Damn it, only 10 minutes ahead! However, I still had luck on my side as once I got to the terminal, there was fast bus to Guaya about to leave and off I went again! It was a really nice bus too, they even gave me a tag for my bag for the first time in Ecuador! As it made no stops or pick-ups along the way, I reached Guaya just after 7pm. Perfect, enough time to store my bags, find out about night buses to Baños and take a taxi to Cinemark!

Things then started to unravel slightly at that point - Guayaquil bus terminal has no left luggage facilites, so I would habe to take my backpack to the cinema! There were overnight services however, but the last one was at 11.30pm. Not ideal, as I would have little leeway with the film finishing and making it back again, but then I found one company that had a 1am service - a backup plan!!! The information kiosk had told me that a taxi to the cinema shoud be about $2, so off I went to flag one down and was quoted $4!!! No chance! As I started to walk away, he dropped to $3, but no lower, and despite being in a bit of a rush, I wasn't having any of it! So once again, I found myself wandering down Avendida de las Americas loaded up with all my belongings! However, once away from the terminal, I flagged down a taxi for $2 and was at the cinema in no time!

Imagine my horror, when at 7.40pm, I arrived at the box office to find that the showings in English that night were at 7.10 (not 8!!!) and 10.10! Damn, I had checked the times just that morning... but then I realised they were for the cinema at Mall del Sur, not Mall del Sol. Just 2 letters out! The 10.10 showing was due to finish at 12.45, giving me just 15 minutes to leave the cinema (with all my bags, assuming that I would even be allowed in with them), get back to the terminal, buy my ticket and board! Phew! It was a dilemma, as I didn't fancy the prospect of being stuck in the terminal overnight, but then again, I'd come all that way especially to watch Transformers. I threw caution to the wind and bought a ticket depsite having to then wait for 2½ hours and maybe having to spend $15 on a hostel in Guayaquil, should I get stranded!

The wait wasn't all that bad. Pizza Hut kindly spent over 30 minutes preparing my order that should have taken 5, so that was some time killed, and then I spent the next 2 hours writing my diary, that has been neglected for way too long! Unfortunately, in that time I also found that my Panama hat doesn'tkeep its shaped after being rolled up after all, and the huge queue that had formed behind me outside the cinema was for Transformers. I was so engrossed in my diary writing that, despite being at the cinema 150 minutes early, I was now at the back of the line, loaded up with my bags, hoping that I would be admitted and then be able to find a decent seat!

Thankfully, the queue was fast-moving, the ticket attendant didn't bat an eyelid at all my luggage, and I found a seat in the middle that was next to an area where I could put my bags and no-one would trip over them in the dark! All I had to do now was watch the film, not the clock, and make it back to the terminal by 1am! Fingers crossed! Now, I had been waiting for 2 years to see this film, ever since I saw the first one and loved it, but someone on Facebook very kindly told me it was rubbish. Not a good move as I am unfortunately influenced by bad reviews and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would in the end. I don't know if that is becuase I was expecting it to be poor, or if it genuinely was, but I will be haunting that guy from Facebook for spoiling it for me!

I usually watch the credits of films, but in this case, once the director's name appeared, I was loaded up and out of the theatre in seconds, throught the mall at full pelt and in a taxi within minutes! At that hour, there was little traffic and I actually made it back to the terminal with 15 minutes to spare! Success, I wouldn't be stuck in Guayaquil any longer! Then it turns out that the bus would be leaving at 1.15 after all and there had never been any need to rush! Furthermore, the other it never occurred to me that although the last night buses from the other companies departed at 11.30 that there would then be morning buses starting after midnight, so I was never going to be without options!

Oh well, after running up to the second floor of the terminal (as the escalators AND lifts were no longer operating), my bag was soon loaded under the bus and I was ready to board! Thankfully, a kind guy pointed out that I had put it onto the wrong one - even though it was the right company, the right bay and the right destination, there were two services operating at 1.15 and I was supposed to be on the second one! Anyway, it all worked out in the end, the ride to Ambato was fine and I managed to sleep for most of it! There I had to change buses and take a local service to Baños, but I got here just after 9am this morning, found the hostel I wanted and they had dorms available! Yippee! Unfortunately, the dorm now STINKS as somehow, overnight, my backpack got soaked in fish juice again! What are these people transporting? Some things may always remain a mystery...