I arrived in Lima after 10.30pm and cleared customs pretty quickly. As you come out of the airport there are taxi hawkers... 150sol, 120 sol.... no gracias, es caro (is expensive) and so walked outside to taxi rank and got a cab for 55 sol... It was late and I crashed when I checked in.
Lima is in the desert and it never rains... that is why some old pyramids in the centre of town are in such good condition and being made of adobe, are being restored... it is constantly under cloud and the 2 days i have been here I have not seen the sun or sky at all. Maybe it is sea mist as near the coast in Miraflores, the posh end of town with antique shops, loads of craft markets, and Maccas, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, Donut King, Starbucks and all the comforts of home...what a pity! The food is good here even with that lot to contend with.
Went for a quick tour of the old town and it has a mix of Spanish colonial architecture and Moorish influences and a real mix of styles. They are proud of their history and there are monuments and squares built in honour of their independence. The churches are beautiful and we went to St Francis of Assisi Church and went to the catacombes where there are bones of 25000 folk buried under the church, arranged in patterns after they were discovered, and metres deep. The foundations are so strong and built in a such a way that it is the safest place in Lima if there is an earthquake... they sure knew how to build em in those days.
Saw some amazing gold trinkets, ceremonial masks and lovely pottery pre Inca, at the central museum which used to be a bank. They had a lot of civilizations before the Incas, some lasting much longer and with amazing pyramid building skills and communication methods, but all information is lost and it is all a bit of a mystery for historians and archeologists.
Today I walked at least 6 hours in preparation for my big hike and after our meeting with the tour guide Bruno who scared us all by giving us the lowdown on how not to get mugged or kidnapped and how to keep our belongings safe on the trip especially in Bolivia where even he got his ipod stolen as he walked. Apparently there are several tricks to distracting tourists and making off with their stuff. Lucky I am the only non blond on this tour and many have commented I look like a local, even the locals... until I open my mouth that is... or look bewildered when someone speaks to me in Spanish.
After that heavy stuff, I got a cab into town for dinner to a big foody festival on for 4 days, "Mistura", and it was so yummy, lots of stalls with local produce and a huge variety of food sold by the plate, cakes, ice creams, juices, kebabs, tamales, empanadas, cerviches, breads, chips, cheeses, preserves, fruit and veg, etc... I tasted as many freebies i could get my hands on and then had some kebabs of which i do not know what meat it was... unlike anything i have had, and my first red meat of the trip. It was yummy tho, maybe it was guinea pig, alpaca or llama, who knows? Everything is served with potatoes and a hot or tasty sauce. Then i got my icecream fix, strawberry and mango gelati, and a free pkt of chips called Andinas, made from these potatoes with a white outside and red centre... hmmmmm. Chippies!
Now to bed to get ready to leave tomorrow at 7.20am for the jungle lodge with no electricity, no hot water and a mozzie net... we get to canoe along the Amazon River to get to it... cool hey? until next time, over and out.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
last days in Ecuador
Am at the airport wasting time til my flight to Lima, peru. Had a not so good return to Quito, picked up a stomach infection which made life miserable, no food, cramps, and the rest.... Went to celebrate a friends birthday and could not keep my chicken soup down and had to leave a nice resturant with folk music and dance and lovely food.
The next day went to the centre of the earth, the Mitad del Mundo and caught local buses crammed with people. My friend Emma was the tour guide as I was in no state to navigate out of my hotel let alone the centre of the earth.. We walked the equatorial line twice, first the wrong one which is a few degrees off and the new one caluclated by GPS and only a few hundred metres away from the original. It was weird, if you closed your eyes you could feel the magnetic forces pulling you north and south. The water thing is real, on the equatorial line water goes straight down, a few metres to the south it goes anti clockwise and to the north, clockwise, or is that vice verca? Then I balanced an egg on a nail and got a certificate... woo hoo! At least I am well balanced! We went to a mexican restaurant for dinner and met Sergio who had the walls and menus plastered with magazine covers of him with big 70s hair and moustache, apparently a big soap star in ol Mehico. He talked to us soooo much we were ready to tear him apart for FOOD! We heard his life story and finally got our food and the heater turned on after several requests, which was good coz the nights get cold, even on the equator. I had a plain tortilla with chicken which was all I could stomach. Emma did not like her dish as she described it as sponge cake with cheese, so he did not charge her, also forgot to charge for my bottle of water, so don't know how he makes any profit at all... too busy reliving his past!!!!
The next day feeling worse, I met my guide to Cotopaxi volcano, and after taking one look at me suggested we went for a drive instead of climbing the volcano. I was so looking forward to this hike. However, I knew i would not make it and so we drove for seven hours along backroads, into valleys and saw indiginous people farming, animals like the protected vicunas, a brown llamaish animal with shorter hair, llamas and alpacas. I saw the highest volcano Chimborazo in the clouds, peaking at 5300m. I was sick twice, and my poor tour guide Freddy looked after me so well. The locals farm on such steep, high hills and hike up and down with tools, must be so fit and at such altitudes. We hit 4200m at one point on the road before heading to Riobamba, 3rd largest city in the country, to my hotel for the night. Such excitement, I slept from 4pm til the next morning when I got a wake up call at the ungodly hour of 5am.
I caught the train (or more like a bus on wheels to my disappointment) to Aluisi, where Freddy met me and checked up on me, then i went to the Devil's nose, a bloody steep rail journey zig zagging down a mountain, then up again! Such views, all of Ecuador has the best views, the land of volcanoes. Oh and also the land of ice cream, pity i was sick, there is icecream everywhere and people buy it off the street vendors with dry ice buckets and in shops all day and night, we even drove thru a town known as the ice cream town which was cool.... yummy!
Today took it easy and went up a chairlift to see Quito from the air, the Teleferico. Then my first meal at Hussans back in the new town, and he was quite famous in the US with all the newspaper clippings and awards up on the wall, but I ate lentil soup and falafel and it stayed down. Best meal ever... after 4 days of bread, dry bikkies, tea and soup.
My flight departs for Lima soon and I arrive around 10.45pm, so that is all for this report... the next adventure starts Sunday, Amazon, the Inca trail and more. Stay tuned... over and out...
The next day went to the centre of the earth, the Mitad del Mundo and caught local buses crammed with people. My friend Emma was the tour guide as I was in no state to navigate out of my hotel let alone the centre of the earth.. We walked the equatorial line twice, first the wrong one which is a few degrees off and the new one caluclated by GPS and only a few hundred metres away from the original. It was weird, if you closed your eyes you could feel the magnetic forces pulling you north and south. The water thing is real, on the equatorial line water goes straight down, a few metres to the south it goes anti clockwise and to the north, clockwise, or is that vice verca? Then I balanced an egg on a nail and got a certificate... woo hoo! At least I am well balanced! We went to a mexican restaurant for dinner and met Sergio who had the walls and menus plastered with magazine covers of him with big 70s hair and moustache, apparently a big soap star in ol Mehico. He talked to us soooo much we were ready to tear him apart for FOOD! We heard his life story and finally got our food and the heater turned on after several requests, which was good coz the nights get cold, even on the equator. I had a plain tortilla with chicken which was all I could stomach. Emma did not like her dish as she described it as sponge cake with cheese, so he did not charge her, also forgot to charge for my bottle of water, so don't know how he makes any profit at all... too busy reliving his past!!!!
The next day feeling worse, I met my guide to Cotopaxi volcano, and after taking one look at me suggested we went for a drive instead of climbing the volcano. I was so looking forward to this hike. However, I knew i would not make it and so we drove for seven hours along backroads, into valleys and saw indiginous people farming, animals like the protected vicunas, a brown llamaish animal with shorter hair, llamas and alpacas. I saw the highest volcano Chimborazo in the clouds, peaking at 5300m. I was sick twice, and my poor tour guide Freddy looked after me so well. The locals farm on such steep, high hills and hike up and down with tools, must be so fit and at such altitudes. We hit 4200m at one point on the road before heading to Riobamba, 3rd largest city in the country, to my hotel for the night. Such excitement, I slept from 4pm til the next morning when I got a wake up call at the ungodly hour of 5am.
I caught the train (or more like a bus on wheels to my disappointment) to Aluisi, where Freddy met me and checked up on me, then i went to the Devil's nose, a bloody steep rail journey zig zagging down a mountain, then up again! Such views, all of Ecuador has the best views, the land of volcanoes. Oh and also the land of ice cream, pity i was sick, there is icecream everywhere and people buy it off the street vendors with dry ice buckets and in shops all day and night, we even drove thru a town known as the ice cream town which was cool.... yummy!
Today took it easy and went up a chairlift to see Quito from the air, the Teleferico. Then my first meal at Hussans back in the new town, and he was quite famous in the US with all the newspaper clippings and awards up on the wall, but I ate lentil soup and falafel and it stayed down. Best meal ever... after 4 days of bread, dry bikkies, tea and soup.
My flight departs for Lima soon and I arrive around 10.45pm, so that is all for this report... the next adventure starts Sunday, Amazon, the Inca trail and more. Stay tuned... over and out...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
galapagos 2
Well, every day outdid the previous day if that were at all possible. We are all back in Quito now but have wonderful memories of our special time in Galapagos.
On our final days, we hiked 18 km to the culdara of a volcano which recently erupted in 2005 and walked over arid, lifeless red and black lava fields, the views were spectacular from the top and we could see other peaks and islands. The following day we were taken to see some sleeping reef sharks in an enclosed chasm where they actually sleep, still, they do not have to keep moving like other sharks. Then we saw the marine iguana breeding grounds, a carpet of iguanas... but after that we snorkled a similar 1m wide chasm which was about 4 meters deep in single file in the hope to see sharks and we were not allowed to use flippers.... boy did we see sharks, there were at least 20 of them about 1.5m long all under us, sleeping and swimming, sometimes in groups of 3. They got so close i could have touched them but was holding my breath as was just so scared and fascinated. The water was a bit churned up so hard to see and a sea lion kept swimming under us. We got to the end of the chasm and Tim our guide said, Shit... that was bloody scary... he had done that swim dozens of times and cannot recall such a close encounter with so many sharks... we all got a buzz out of that and snorkeld away. Then we went into open sea and swam with a large sea turtle for a while while he was feeding and he let us come real close and hover above him. The wildlife has no fear of us humans.
The next day we went to the Charles Darwin research centre where they breed tortoises from all the islands and went to the national park to see some big ones roaming in the wild. Then we ventured into a large lava tunnel where the lava cools from the outside and the magma flows out to sea. It was like a caving adventure. After that we walked to an amazing lagoon and kyaked and swam and spotted more reef sharks and turtles and some more rays swimming in a group. Our final dinner was great, I chose tuna steak but there was a choice of prawns, lobster and beef. All served on a sizzling lava rock. that was fantastic. The group of people all got on really well. I just came back from a dinner for my friend Annas birthday but now i am sick again, this time tummy trouble so they are kicking on while I go to bed - lucky ol me.
All in all an amazing experience. We were so sad to leave and our guides got such a big hug from us all, they were unbelievable and we were so lucky to see so many aspects of these magical islands. I feel priviledged... until next time... c yas all.
On our final days, we hiked 18 km to the culdara of a volcano which recently erupted in 2005 and walked over arid, lifeless red and black lava fields, the views were spectacular from the top and we could see other peaks and islands. The following day we were taken to see some sleeping reef sharks in an enclosed chasm where they actually sleep, still, they do not have to keep moving like other sharks. Then we saw the marine iguana breeding grounds, a carpet of iguanas... but after that we snorkled a similar 1m wide chasm which was about 4 meters deep in single file in the hope to see sharks and we were not allowed to use flippers.... boy did we see sharks, there were at least 20 of them about 1.5m long all under us, sleeping and swimming, sometimes in groups of 3. They got so close i could have touched them but was holding my breath as was just so scared and fascinated. The water was a bit churned up so hard to see and a sea lion kept swimming under us. We got to the end of the chasm and Tim our guide said, Shit... that was bloody scary... he had done that swim dozens of times and cannot recall such a close encounter with so many sharks... we all got a buzz out of that and snorkeld away. Then we went into open sea and swam with a large sea turtle for a while while he was feeding and he let us come real close and hover above him. The wildlife has no fear of us humans.
The next day we went to the Charles Darwin research centre where they breed tortoises from all the islands and went to the national park to see some big ones roaming in the wild. Then we ventured into a large lava tunnel where the lava cools from the outside and the magma flows out to sea. It was like a caving adventure. After that we walked to an amazing lagoon and kyaked and swam and spotted more reef sharks and turtles and some more rays swimming in a group. Our final dinner was great, I chose tuna steak but there was a choice of prawns, lobster and beef. All served on a sizzling lava rock. that was fantastic. The group of people all got on really well. I just came back from a dinner for my friend Annas birthday but now i am sick again, this time tummy trouble so they are kicking on while I go to bed - lucky ol me.
All in all an amazing experience. We were so sad to leave and our guides got such a big hug from us all, they were unbelievable and we were so lucky to see so many aspects of these magical islands. I feel priviledged... until next time... c yas all.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Galapagos
Me again, and this time on top of the world at sea level... no altitude sickness and appitite back with a vengence. Words cannot describe being on these amazing islands and I keep expecting David Attenborough to pop out of a bush and narrate what is going on before our very eyes. We first arrived on Isla St Christobal by plane from Quito, settled into our simple hotel, and were driven up to the highlands with mountain bikes and we rode down precarious slopes on gravel and lumpy bitumen and roadworks until we hit the sealed road into town. The tropical vegetation varies from endemic to introduced plants and agriculture, more like permaculture with avacados, bananas, paw paws, sugarcane, oranges, coffee beans, pineapples etc all growing at random. It is lush. On our first day we saw sea lions, crabs, pelicans and sea iguanas. Then the following day we hit the water and did 3 different snorkelling trips around the main island and a big rock called Kicker Rock. Man, we saw so many fish, sea iguanas eating algae off the rocks underwater, sea lions playing around us, sting rays, sea turtles swimming happly along with a group of 17 following, and to top it all off, a hammerhead shark about 2 metres long swam under me from behind.... what a buzz that was... it all felt so surreal. We ate lunch on deserted beaches with pristine golden sand and turquoise water, crystal clear with small fish darting in and around our legs. My camera battery failed before we saw the sea iguanas and hammerhead so I have since learnt to pack my spare but will get pix off the others. Also in between snorkles we saw a humpback whale and calf and then a huge manta ray, about 3m wide flipping around us. We also saw blue footed boobies, albatross, pelicans and frigate birds which puff up their red chests to attract females. Totally overwhelming for one day!
They feed us well here. We get most of our meals supplied but occasionally get to go and search for our own cuisine which is the same really as what we get in the group. The food is not too exciting here, but fresh fruit, juices, soups with popcorn... yummy, plenty of fish and chicken, rice and potatoes and some vegie or salad is the norm.The following day after breakfast and after I realised my towel had blown off the balcony during the night, and had to buy a new one... we left in morning drizzle to Isla Florianna which was 3 hours away. I was warned by Tim our Kiwi tour leader to take drugs and I had intended to anyway. It was the longest 3 hours of the boat crashing through the big waves with me hanging off the side looking to the horizon hoping my stomach would behave getting sprayed with sea water and totally saturated. The whole of the group was silently getting through the ordeal with ipods or just sitting still as the boat rocked to our destination. We finally pulled up at one of many big rocks to snorkle but were moved on by the water authorities, so we found a more sheltered spot and I decided to join in no matter how I felt as I do not want to miss out on anything. We had more seals, penguins, turtles and a giant sting ray as well as schools of fish swimming with us. We have a National park guide, Zambo our resident naturalist who is a sweetie and so full of information about all the flora and fauna of each island, he is a national treasure. He is just gorgeous and speaks such good english. All the girls want to take him home... but somehow I don't think he would ever leave his Galapagos, and I don't blame him. What a job!
We then motored to our new home for the night on Floriana is which is full of mystery, lore and wildlife. The fascinating history includes whalers, pirate caves, and bizarre love rhombus, well if 3 is a triangle, what is 4... A baroness lived here with her 3 lovers and liked to parade around topless which infuriated the locals, there was death, murders and mysterious disappearances, disillusioned europeans who were made to believe they were coming to a paradise island only to find real hardship. We then were taken to see giant tortoise /Galapagos / after which the islands are named, which were just totally awesome. These keyboards are weird and I cannot find the punctuation keys as the shift does not work... sorry. They are so beautiful and the thing about Galapagos wildlife is their tolerance for us humans who are a bit shutter crazy as camers go off every time Zambo points something out to us... it is hard not to get excited and shoot everything we are shown. Then there is the vegetation and micro climates on each island which just seem to start and end... bizarre.
Then a quiet night after dinner with wine overlooking the small black sandy beach just on our doorsteps... the waves lapping on the beach filled with hermit crabs, sea lions and marine iguanas... all a part of the scenery. The following morning was an hour walk b4 brekky and another boat trip of 2 hours to Isabella Is, the most volcanic island with a giant turtle breeding program, a wall of tears, a brick wall built by convicts transported from the mainland last century who were treated very cruelly to the point of death, carrying volcanic rocks to wall in an area. The beaches are lush, and go on forever and tomorrow and there are pink flamingos. Tomorrow we go trekking to a volcano which last erupted not so long ago and walk around the culdara. Every volcano has a different subspecies of giant tortoise... I will post photos next time I hope if I can transfer them as I cannot find a usb port on any of these computers in the cafes. These islands are magic and totally worth the trip.
They feed us well here. We get most of our meals supplied but occasionally get to go and search for our own cuisine which is the same really as what we get in the group. The food is not too exciting here, but fresh fruit, juices, soups with popcorn... yummy, plenty of fish and chicken, rice and potatoes and some vegie or salad is the norm.The following day after breakfast and after I realised my towel had blown off the balcony during the night, and had to buy a new one... we left in morning drizzle to Isla Florianna which was 3 hours away. I was warned by Tim our Kiwi tour leader to take drugs and I had intended to anyway. It was the longest 3 hours of the boat crashing through the big waves with me hanging off the side looking to the horizon hoping my stomach would behave getting sprayed with sea water and totally saturated. The whole of the group was silently getting through the ordeal with ipods or just sitting still as the boat rocked to our destination. We finally pulled up at one of many big rocks to snorkle but were moved on by the water authorities, so we found a more sheltered spot and I decided to join in no matter how I felt as I do not want to miss out on anything. We had more seals, penguins, turtles and a giant sting ray as well as schools of fish swimming with us. We have a National park guide, Zambo our resident naturalist who is a sweetie and so full of information about all the flora and fauna of each island, he is a national treasure. He is just gorgeous and speaks such good english. All the girls want to take him home... but somehow I don't think he would ever leave his Galapagos, and I don't blame him. What a job!
We then motored to our new home for the night on Floriana is which is full of mystery, lore and wildlife. The fascinating history includes whalers, pirate caves, and bizarre love rhombus, well if 3 is a triangle, what is 4... A baroness lived here with her 3 lovers and liked to parade around topless which infuriated the locals, there was death, murders and mysterious disappearances, disillusioned europeans who were made to believe they were coming to a paradise island only to find real hardship. We then were taken to see giant tortoise /Galapagos / after which the islands are named, which were just totally awesome. These keyboards are weird and I cannot find the punctuation keys as the shift does not work... sorry. They are so beautiful and the thing about Galapagos wildlife is their tolerance for us humans who are a bit shutter crazy as camers go off every time Zambo points something out to us... it is hard not to get excited and shoot everything we are shown. Then there is the vegetation and micro climates on each island which just seem to start and end... bizarre.
Then a quiet night after dinner with wine overlooking the small black sandy beach just on our doorsteps... the waves lapping on the beach filled with hermit crabs, sea lions and marine iguanas... all a part of the scenery. The following morning was an hour walk b4 brekky and another boat trip of 2 hours to Isabella Is, the most volcanic island with a giant turtle breeding program, a wall of tears, a brick wall built by convicts transported from the mainland last century who were treated very cruelly to the point of death, carrying volcanic rocks to wall in an area. The beaches are lush, and go on forever and tomorrow and there are pink flamingos. Tomorrow we go trekking to a volcano which last erupted not so long ago and walk around the culdara. Every volcano has a different subspecies of giant tortoise... I will post photos next time I hope if I can transfer them as I cannot find a usb port on any of these computers in the cafes. These islands are magic and totally worth the trip.
Friday, September 11, 2009
hi from 2850m
Hi gang, sorry but have been quite ill with altitude sickness following the travel sickness from being on planes and airports for over 36 hours. U know me... great traveller. I have not eaten for 3 days starting on the plane so have lost a kg I reckon. Just the thought or smell of food has been making my stomach turn, i felt dizzy walking around the old town yesterday and thought I would faint, but sat in the bascillica for an hour til i recovered a little and took a cab back to the hostel. I am sleeping a lot too, day and night. What a waste, but I am here again after the Galapagos. Hopefully by then I will feel normal and get on with it.
Quito is nestled in a ring of mountains and has undulating hills with lovely colourful painted buildings with geraniums in tubs on the balconies. People do not speak English and I am having difficulty communicating as my limited Spanish is of no help at all. Vendors sell everything walking the streets chanting prices from biros to watermelon, ice cream to cd holders. It is a very colourful culture and really diverse. It can be modern and traditional at the same time. Food is the main commodity and there are tiny shops selling local specialities, mostly fried or pastries. I cannot download pics on this slow computer at the hostel but when I take some more will try in a few days. Today I will try to get some vego food so I can get some goodness into me. Everyone tells me to not be on my own after dark, so that is a pain. Wish me luck.
Quito is nestled in a ring of mountains and has undulating hills with lovely colourful painted buildings with geraniums in tubs on the balconies. People do not speak English and I am having difficulty communicating as my limited Spanish is of no help at all. Vendors sell everything walking the streets chanting prices from biros to watermelon, ice cream to cd holders. It is a very colourful culture and really diverse. It can be modern and traditional at the same time. Food is the main commodity and there are tiny shops selling local specialities, mostly fried or pastries. I cannot download pics on this slow computer at the hostel but when I take some more will try in a few days. Today I will try to get some vego food so I can get some goodness into me. Everyone tells me to not be on my own after dark, so that is a pain. Wish me luck.
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