Buenos Aires

In true Emma style, I did indeed meet Anh last Thursday for lunch AND bid on the patches on eBay, but I had to rush off before my sandwich had even arrived to find an Internet cafe to do so, leaving Anh abandoned in the plaza! Anyway, I am now the proud owner of one Fiji patch and one Paraguay patch, both purchased from a guy in Stoke... UK! 3 days later, I of course found a Paraguay one in a shop here. Well, the one off eBay is better, so there!

When I finally ran back to Anh, my sandwich (that I had gone to great lengths to order hot) was cold, but luckily still pretty delicious! It was beautifully sunny afternoon, and she was soon swept up from the table by a gentleman, with whom she impressively danced a little tango with. It was so romantic, until he came round to our table moments later with an upturned hat for tips! Oh well! That evening, we met up with Jess & Lizzie (UK) who Anh had met in Bolivia, and some other guys who they had met also along the way, in typical backpacker style! It soon became clear that BA is a city that never sleeps and that most things start later, and finish much, much later! We went out for dinner at an All-You-Can-Eat buffet, my first one ever, as I have always been a bit skeptical of them. Yes, I know you can eat all you want, but I've always thought that they cost more than I would usually spend on a meal, regardless that I could fill my face unendlessly! I was pleased to find that it was a very reasonable £3.50 - and that was including dessert as well!

After steak, veg, rice, salad, stir fry, bananas, peaches, bananas, peaches, creme caramel, we chatted away for a good while without being shuffled out of the restaurant and then when it was sufficiently late enough, we took a taxi to a milonga (tango dancehall) that Anh had recommended to her. We all thought it was hilarious when, as there were no free seats left around the edges of the hall), we were escorted to a table on the stage at the end of the room, metres above the dancers and everyone else! We didn't realise we would be starring in our own "Spot The Gringo" show!!! I thought that I should see some tango whilst in BA, even though I am not a huge fan of formal dancing, but I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed watching the dancers. The bottle of bubbly that I shared with Jess & Lizzie went down a treat too! I think I eventually went to bed around 3am - way, way, WAY past my usual bedtime!

Friday was a lazy day, the weather was still great, so I strolled along the waterside at Puerto Madero and later people-watched in Plaza de Mayo, near the palace where Eva Perón made her famous address to the public. The late night (coupled with the long bus ride from Paraguay) had taken its toll and a good nap was required that afternoon! Later on, I went out with Anh to watch the Tango World Cup, but unfortunately, we didn't arrive early enough and after standing in the queue for 2 hours, we abandoned our chances of actually getting in and went for pizza instead!

On Saturday, I knew I had to actually be constructive and make an effort to buy a football ticket for ARG vs BRA. I went to Tangol, the main tour agency in BA who are recommended in most guide books. I wasn't quite prepared to be turned away immediately with "We have sold all our tickets, sorry." I was stunned, I had convinced myself that as they weren't even on sale yet, that such a big agency would simply be able to get hold of any number they required. That really put me in a quandary as I was annoyed at myself for being too laid back about it all! Drat, drat, drat! The rest of the day then involved me stressing about leaving it too late, then finding out that Claire & Laura were in a hostel around the corner for me and had bought tickets through them at a great price, then trying to zoom over to meet them to get one for me, then arranging to meet Anh & the gang there in a while so that we could all head into La Boca together!

It didn't quite go that smoothly: I went to the girls' hostel and asked about the tickets. I was wary of such a good price, but they 100% guaranteed that the football agency they used would definitely get tickets and if there were any problems whatsoever, (which there wouldn't be, of course) I would get a full refund. Phew! So I handed over the cash and then headed back to my hostel to meet Anh, Jess & Lizzie. Turns out I had missed them by 5 mins and they had gone straight int La Boca. We had got our wires crossed - I had said that if I wasn't there when I arrived, that I would be at the other hostel, meaning "Wait for me until I get back" not "If I am not there, then I've gone somewhere else!!" Anyway, I went back to yet another hostel round the corner, where I had just helped Paige (Australia) who'd I'd met at lunch, to move her bags across the city!

We decided to take a bus ourselves into La Boca, but we wandered the wrong way out of the hostel, in the opposite direction to the bus stop! Then, because I was chatting so much, I wasn't paying attention to the map and kept missing the turns into the area. By the time we made it to the start of La Boca, it was dusk and we were headed down a dead-end behind the football stadium. Not a clever place to be in Buenos Aires. I didn't feel threatened at all, but I thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea I had ever had and to go home, rather than put myself in a risky situation. We managed to find the bus stop home but then of course there was trouble as we didn't have the exact change and the bus driver just ranted on and on at us in fast Argentinian Spanish, that neither of us fully understood.

Finally, a local girl helped us ans we managed to put the right coins into the ticket machine. That really annoyed me - my first impressions of BA hadn't been so great up to that point as I felt that most people were much less friendly than everywhere else in South America, it is a city coated in dog poo and burst refuse sacks on every street corner... and I find it impossible to under the Spanish here. Anyway, I agreed to meet Paige later for dinner. Ideally, I just wanted a light snack as I felt bad about eating every meal since I had arrived in a restaurant. I should have just been more direct about it, but in the end I went to an open air restaurant, where I ordered the cheapest set meal that was the worse thing I have eaten in South America - bolognese sauce that had no meat and was creamy and/or cheesy instead of tomatoey, finished off with the worst creme caramel ever - plastic with burnt sauce. Really, I need to be more direct and not settle for things because I don't have the nerve to complain. That night, when I went to bed at gone 1am, I felt like there was molten lead at the pit of my stomach.

Sunday was a much better day! I went to see River Plate versus Chacarita and the weather was unbelievable, so hot and sunny that we really couldn't have asked for anything better, except we were all a bit too warmly dressed and had no shade! The match was a cracker, River Plate were up in the first half, although Chacarita equalized! In the second half, River seemed to be faffing around a bit and not making enough of an effort, but luckily once Chacarita took the lead, it seemed to prompt them into action, resulting in a nail-biting equalizer and then an amazing winning goal, so there cheers and screams all round from Gringo Corner!!!

Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse on today - it was really cold and it heaved it down for most of the day. As a result, my planned trip to the cemetery in Recoleta was shelved and the gang agreed to hit the shopping malls and the cinema instead! In the morning, I looked at the cost of flights down to El Calafate in Patagonia and found them to be pretty damn reasonable - then when I found out that Anh would also be there at the time I planned to go, my decision to book was sealed! It was an easy online process, but I had to pay in person at a branch of Aerolineas Argentina. So, what should have been an easy trip to the mall ensued as follows:

- Take subway to airline office, arrange to meet girls in the mall at 12.30pm
- Arrive at office, had to queue to ask where to pay
- Told to take ticket and queue AGAIN (luckily, I'd picked up a ticket when I went in!)
- Getting short on time, but luckily got to front of queue, got the information so I could return with the money tomorrow.
- Back to subway station, right on schedule to meet the girls.
- Drat it! The service was interrupted! Texted Anh to warn her I would be late.
- Subway started, only 10 mins late but just missed Anh - she'd taken a taxi to buy (more) tango shoes!
- Went to Internet cafe to kill time until 2pm when everyone would be back at the mall!
- Finally met Anh, went to the cinema but we got the times wrong, so abandoned the plan and had lunch instead!!!

It is so difficult to co-ordinate when there are more than 2 people, and because there were 5 of us, we all ended up spread over Buenos Aires! However, I did make it back to Anh's hostel in time to meet Jessie and Lizzie, so we could head out to La Bomba del Tiempo in the evening! It is a Latin American drum show that is performed every Monday night, and it had been recommended to me by Rachel from The Galápagos, but I couldn't find the venue online. When Jess mentioned it that morning, I was committed, even though it meant turning down a free ticket to the Tango World Cup Finals!!! I made the right choice though, as it was absolutely amazing, 3 solid hours of beats, including a guy (like a cross between Freddie Mercury, Derren Brown and Orlando Bloom) who was so into the music that he was fascinating to watch! Even after an encore, I managed to make the last subway home! So, I back in the hostel feeling pretty great and enjoying Buenos Aires - but tomorrow is September, and the Month of Return will arrive... not long to go now!

My Last Overnight Bus (I Hope!)

After you last heard from me on Tuesday afternoon, I finally took it easy for my last few hours in Encarnación. I enjoyed some delicious barbecued chicken at Daniel's house and then we went to a little ice-cream parlour for dessert. It was amazing, basically a self-serve ice-cream buffet by weight!!! Daniel handed me a generously sized tub and I was free to fill it with vanilla, dulce de leche, chocolate, white chocolate and rum 'n' raisin! I can't describe the joy of using a proper metal scoop to cram the icy spheres into the tub, and so cheap as well - I was gutted that I didn't know about this place on my first day in Paraguay... but then again, I would have needed to go to the casa de cambio even more times!!!

After a spot of people-watching in the plaza, we collected my bags and headed to the bus terminal. The bus arrived pretty much on time and I was soon on board and off back towards the border. Now, I was originally going to go back to Posadas by myself that morning, but decided against it due to the ticket being cheaper to Buenos Aires from Encarnción. Now, that saved me £12 or so, but Daniel warned me that it would take a couple of hours to clear immigration this way. He wasn't wrong!!! Admittedly, it wasn't a difficult proceedure, but there was a lot of waiting around. At the Paraguay side, a guy from the bus company took all the ID cards from the other passengers, and my passport (the only one!) and disappeared off into immigration. What seemed like an age later, he returned them all to us, much to my great relief - I knew that my passport wouldn't get lost, but I always feel better when I have it on my person and am dealing with it directly! We then crossed the bridge to Argentina. This time, we had to disembark and hand over our documents in person.

Now, this is the 3rd time I have crossed into Argentina, and with all the other stamps from this trip, there's not actually much room left in my passport! With another 7 years before it expires, I'd rather not have to buy another one before then because it is completely full. Imagine my annoyance when the official's first attempt at a stamp was too faint to read, so rather than stamp a clearer one OVER it, he stamped one NEXT to it, using up even more space!!! He then said something to me in Spanish which I didn't understand, so another lady had to explain that they would return my passport to me later and I had to follow the rest of the queue.

Once I was x-rayed, I then had to wait for ages more for everyone to clear immigration and for the bus to collect us. At this point, I still hadn't had my passport returned to me, so I was still on edge. As people started to re-board the bus, I decided to go back into the office to ask where my passport was. I think they said I would get it back on the bus... but I wasn't sure, so I asked the conductor... To my relief, we were all given our documents back as we set off again, at last making some progress towards our final destination! That was until we made a rest stop just a few minutes later!

I really needed the loo by this point, so my first priority was to locate the bathroom. I asked the conductor (again) how much time we would be spending there, as every bus journey differs. He said something like "go and eat" so I just blankly stared back... He signalled for me to follow the others, and after quickly nipping to the bathroom, I followed the entire busload into a restaurant, where we were all seated at tables and served with a hot meal of chicken with rice, bread rolls and dessert, plus Coke, Sprite, wine and beer! This was the first time this had happened in my entire trip, so of course I was scared that there would be some charge, but is seemed that everybody else on the bus was doing the same. I just went along with it, smiling to myself how funny my experiences in South America have been!

Once fed and watered, and 3 hours after I had boarded the bus, we finally set off properly into Argentina. I had been told the journey would take 12 hours, and I now realised that it would, from this point onwards, so really it was 15 hours from door-to-door!!! Oh well, I would still reach BA at a reasonable time in the morning. After a short time, we made a stop for the local police to come and inspect the bus. I'd forgotten just how routine this is in Argentina, but of course, I was relaxed about it as it is all part of the process here. Until... the conductor came upstairs and gestured for me to get off the bus. I swear my blood ran cold for a few seconds. "Me?" I inquired sheepishly, while he continued to babble on in Spanish that I couldn't make head nor tail of! I grabbed my daysack and headed outside, where I saw a police guard inside the bus's hold, with my backpack. Both he and the conductor asked me questions, to which I could only tell them that I didn't speak much Spanish and I didn't understand!

How did he know that was my backpack? What was the problem? Were they going to search it and empty out all the contents, meaning that the bus would have to be delayed by an hour while I reassembled it??? Crikey, only 3 weeks to go, please don't all go horribly wrong now!!! Anyway, another guard appeared, they all looked at each other then let me reboard. "¿Esta bien?" I asked, stunned that everything seemed to be in order anyway and still wondering what on Earth they had taken me off the bus for! I spent a good few minutes quietly quaking in my seat as we drove away, hoping to goodness everything was indeed OK and realising that I would never have any idea as to what had just happened! I can only surmise that they could see from the bus's manifesto that I was the only non-Paraguayan/Argentinian on the bus and they wanted to give me a once over! Thank goodness I managed to get a fair amount of sleep!

That was until this morning when at something past 6am, the guy opposite me thought it would be acceptable to play awful music on his mobile phone, but not without using headphones like any normal human being! After 10 minutes, he seemed to get bored and turned it off, allowing me to drop off again... until the driver then put a video of cowboys or gauchos or somebody bucking around on broncos and bulls, all to horrendous mariachi music! All this and the sun was barely up! All I could do was bear it as we made the slow crawl through the traffic into the centre of Buenos Aires! I finally arrived into Retiro terminal at 9.45am and headed off to find tourist information to ask which bus I would need to take to my hostel. Unfortunately, there was no one in the office, so after standing around for too long looking like a lost tourist, I headed out to the local bus depot, asked a guy in a uniform for assistance and was guided in the right direction.

It was easier for me to ask to go to Plaza de Mayo, rather than my hostel directly, and luckily, because the traffic was slow, I was able to follow the route on my map. Once at the plaza, I had my exact bearings, but I then needed to walk for another ¾km on foot through the city to the hostel. Through traffic lights, parades, road-works and protests, I thought to myself just how much I enjoy travelling, but just how much I am in need of a good rest! Only in South America! Welcome to Buenos Aires! Anyway, I checked in and asked if which room my friend Anh was in. The receptionist just gave me the key to my room, so I dropped off my bags and went back to ask her where Anh might be. "She's in your room!" Oh I see, she'd put me in the same dorm, but there was no-one in there! I headed down to the computers to write Anh an email, when I heard a familiar voice behind me - it was her and so there were joyous shrieks all round! Turns out she was taking a nap in the dorm, I had walked in and put my bags on the bunk directly above her before walking out again! She came looking for me as she thought "That backpack looks familiar!" Anyway, she's now nipped out for a tango lesson, but we are meeting for lucnh in a few minutes! It will be great to catch up properly, but we have to eat quickly, as I need to be back online at 3pm to bid on eBay...

...for a Paraguay patch of course, I will have to order it from England as I sure as hell can't find one in South America!

Popping Into Paraguay

Off I set early on Monday morning from Posadas, on my way to Country Number Seventeen - PARAGUAY! The bus stop for the Posadas - Encarnación bus was really close to my hotel, so I didn't have far to walk with all my luggage! Luckily enough, when the bus arrived, it wasn't very full and there was no difficult turnstile, like in Brazil, to negociate! Soon though, the bus became full and when we reached the border to get our Argentinian exit stamps, I have never seen such a chaotic disembarking before! Everybody zoomed of the bus, pushing each other out of the way so that they could be stamped out and then re-board the same bus! Bedlam! I found it really amusing until we all tried to re-embark: it just so happened that I was stood right next to the bus door when it pulled up along side us, but everyone pushed me out of the way, even though it was clearly difficult for me to manoeuvre with all my belongings! I got on in the end, but was stunned that the people simply didn't let me board and thus be out of their way!

The same thing occurred at Paraguayian immigration, but I decided to let the hoards pass, I had gained hour by crossing the border, so there was no rush! I had to queue for a while to see an official, who then made me wait longer after looking at my passport. I was calm, as border crossings are now second nature to me, but I did have a tiny feeling of apprehension - I was 99.9% sure that I didn't require a visa as a British citizen, but I was relieved when a different offical took my passport, typed something into her computer then returned it to me, complete with a new stamp! Woohoo! As it happened, the next bus arrived just moments later and there was no mad rush to reboard! Once in the centre of Encarnación, I found a hotel, changed my remaining Brazilian money into Guaraníes and headed off in search of a Paraguayan flag patch for my collection.

Yikes, I thought this would be a difficult task, and I wasn't wrong! I tried a few different stores to no avail, and and then thought that maybe a sports shop could help. There, I met Daniel, a local who spoke some English and so could translate to the store owner for me. No luck again, but Daniel then very kindly offered to help my with my search! Off we went in his pick-up truck to haberdashers and many other shops, but no one could help. He took me back to my hotel, where, as it happened, he was friends with the guy on reception and then he tried to help make suggestions about where I could find a patch! By that point, I needed to rest, so I arranged to meet Daniel again later that evening, so he could show my some more of the town. However, me being me, I couldn't settle so I set off again on foot to trawl the market on my quest!

Once again, not a single soul could help - luckily, by now, my Spanish is just about good enough to get my point across and then politely decline when I am offered a huge flag or a metre of ribbon in the Paraguayan colours! No, it isn't good enough mçfor me to cut it to size, it's ribbon, not a patch! I then ended up walking a really long way past my hotel, but my excellent sense of direction enabled me to eventually make it back there! I met Daniel again and we had a look around the town. I was interested in buying another memory card or flash drive as electronics are cheap here, plus I don't have enough space for the remaining few weeks of the trip! I could buy a 4Gb pern drive for 70,000 guaranís, about £9. Hmmm, I would need to think about it and get out some more cash anyway. I planned to visit the nearby Jesuit ruins at Trindad and Jesús the next day, and Daniel seemed to want to accompany me. However, I had no idea what time I would be setting off in the morning, so I didn't want to commit to a time. He bid me goodnight and wished me well.

Yesterday morning, as usual, I was awake early, so I showered and headed off towards the bus terminal. However, Daniel was waiting outside for me! I would have been wuite happy to go by myself, but he was quite keen to come too! Oh well, at least it would be easier to go by car! However, I soon realised that he was going to take the bus as well! I said that it would be better by car and that I thought that was what he wanted to do anyway. So, the rest of the day progressed as follows:

- Collected his truck from outside his friend's store.
- Stopped by his mother's shop.
- Find out that he can't drive the truck outside of the city as it is not registered in his name.
- Re-park truck outside his friend's store!
- Walk back to terminal and board next bus to Trinidad.
- Have found the world's slowest bus EVER and wonder how many hours it will take to cover 30km!
- Make it to the ruins at Trinidad, take photos and wait for bus to Jesús.
- Take bus to next ruins, take photos and catch return to Trindad within an hour.
- Arrive in Trindad and immediately re-board bus to Encarnación.

By the time I arrived back at my hostel at 3.30pm, I was shattered, but I still needed to decide what to do about the memory card/flas drive situation. So, I found a shop nearby that sold a 4Gb SD card 75,000. Not bad. OK, I had 10,000 guaranís left which was enough for food and internet, but I would need an ATM to get money for my hotel and the SD card. So...

- Walked to supermarket, got bread and cheese.
- Found ATM but it wanted to charge me 25,000 in fees (over £3!) NO CHANCE!
- Found another ATM but it wanted to charge me 25,000 in fees. SERIOUSLY, NO WAY!
- Returned to hotel to raid emergency stash of US dollars.
- Found a different shop where a 4Gb pen drive was only 50,000 guaranís! Bonus!
- Changed USD $25 and just 5 Argentinian pesos so O had the exact money for the hotel and pen drive.
- Bought pen drive, made sandwiches.
- Tested pen drive in an internet café, but it didn´t work (of course, because I had bought it from a cheapy-cheapy shop!)
- Ran back to shop to get a refund, but shop closed!
- Stressed about what to do as had to check out by 10am the next morning, get a refund and hang around until the evening for my bus to Buenos Aires, with nothing to do in Encarnación!

I tell you, it is a good job that I will home in 22 days (YIKES!) so that I can stop running around foreign towns like a headless chicken on my stupid schemes! After barely getting a wink of sleep last night, compounded by a dripping cistern, I decided to get up early and somehow contact Daniel in order to ask him to help me sort out the refund! The usual guy on reception wasn't there, so he couldn't call him for me. I didn't have enough money left for the internet to send him a message either, so I set off on auto-pilot hoping that I would somehow find his mother's shop again! By some miracle, even though I had a rough idea where it was, i found it, managed to ask her to call Daniel and he came along a few minutes later! Phew!

So, this morning, I have, with Daniel's help:

- Taken the dodgy pen drive back to the dodgy store run by dodgy Moroccans
- Insisted on a full refund, which was granted, albeit begrudgingly.
- Changed $5 more at the casa de cambio (they must think I am an idiot!)
- Bought genuine Panasonic CD memory card and it works!
- Bought a bus ticket to Buenos Aires direct from Encarnacíon, which works out £12 cheaper than if I crossed the border myself and caught it in Posadas!
- Checked out of the hotel and dropped off my bags at Daniel's house.
- Got just enough money left to exactly pay for the time it has taken me to write this blog entry!

So, for the rest of the afternoon I am going to hang out with Daniel until I am due at the terminal at 5.30pm. It is supposed to be a 12 hour journey to BA from Posadas once border formalities are completed, so I hope to arrive some time before nightfall on Thursday!!! I decided to go directly to BA now, as I thought it would be easier to organise a football ticket there, plus Anh, Laura, Claire and Fiona (who I started travelling with) will all be there this week! That will give me exactly 3 weeks to see the match, explore BA and pop into Uruguay as well. Well, 18 is a much nicer number than 17!!!

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!!!