Travel Blog

DISCLAIMER, please read:
I wish to apologies for a sentence in my last posting that has caused some confusion. Due to poor proof reading, it was implied that Fi ended a night in Cusco dancing topless in a bar. This is in fact untrue and it was an Irish guy we were out with that was doing the topless dancing. I wish to apologise to Fi and will be more careful in future about what I write.

Sometime soon after my last post I must have eaten something dodgy as that night my stomach was not happy with me. I´ve narrowed it down to two contenders: a kebab from a dodgy Asian place or the chicken from Chicky Pollo (Bolivia´s answer to KFC). Still before my stomach got bad I managed to make it to Valle De Luna (Moon Valley) which is 10km outside of Bolivia. It is a valley where the rocks have eroded in a strange way to create a bizarre landscape not unlike that of the moon. There was a 45 minute trek around the valley which I took on my own since Fi was off cheating death on death road. After that I headed down the road to the local zoo. Was pretty cool but was so massive it took a lot of wandering around before I could actually find any animals. Arriving back at the hostel that evening the first signs of my stomach problems showed themselves. I decided to boycott food religiously and watched a couple of dvds with the girls from the hostel. That night was spent with frequent trips to and from the auld Baño.

Didn´t get up to much the next day. Spent most of it in bed still not eating food. Finally at tea time I allowed myself a half pack of cream crackers and some flat 7up. Nina, one of the girls in the hostel, wasn´t feeling great either so we suffered together with a few more dvds. The next morning, the change was incredible. I felt a million times better and decided to get up and see as much of La Paz as I could since we were getting a night bus to Sucre that evening. A bunch of very nice people we met in the hostel (consisting of an Irish guy, 2 English blokes, a Canadian couple and an American) were heading to Sucre and some of the places we´re going to after and so we all teamed up and headed to Sucre together. The bus ride was uncomfortable as we were sitting just before the stairwell resulting in reduced leg space which for me is a commodity in itself. Made it to Sucre for about 8am having only gotten maximum an hour´s sleep. However after a bit of freshening up and some breakfast I wasn´t feeling too bad so joined the others for a wander round the square. Similar to Cuenca, almost everywhere in the entire city was closed up on a Sunday. Despite our best efforts to find some cultural stuff to do, we still found ourselves having the chat in a Dutch bar for the day. A really enjoyable afternoon just having the craic. Back at the hostel that evening we met some of the other people who were staying there and stayed out chatting on the patio till all hours. Brian (the other Irish guy) also very kindly gave us renditions of such patriotic Irish songs as The Fields of Athenry and Come on Ye Black ´n´Tans!

This morning we took the "Dinotruck" (A truck with some dinosaurs painted on the side) to a quarry where some dinosaur footprints were found in the rock. We took a tour of the outdoor museum there which contained many lifesize models of dinosaurs. The dinotruck took us back to Sucre after where we enjoyed a ludicrously cheap lunch in probably the poshest restaurant in Sucre. Still less than €3 for a meal and a beer. The others have gone off to see examples of indiginous art which really isn´t my cup of tea however they are probably back now so I´m off to see what the plan for the evening is. Adios!

I don´t know if it is customary to go out with your Inca Trail group the night after you get back but we did. And man do I feel sorry for anyone in Cusco who came across us that night! The night started in Paddy Flahertys, the highest Irish owned pub on the planet (apparently). After a few cans of guinness (which were surprisingly good) and a hefty meal we continued on to an Aussie bar. After a few shots of tequila and some Peruvian spirit which was quite reminiscent of absynthe we were off to the first club of the night – Mythology. Thankfully the DJ layed off on the evil reggaeton for the most part and we danced and drank and chatted for hours. All of a sudden the power cut off and the whole place was plunged into darkness. We stood around for a while but the power didn´t come back so we left. Fortunately a place nearby – Mama Africa´s – had some kind of a generator and so we continued the party there. Things got ridiculous and ended with Fi and a topless Irish guy dnacing on the bar. Time to go home I thought!

The next day I felt every one of the tequila slammers I had. We were in no state to do much else than bum around the hostel for the day. We watched a couple of films in the hostel´s tv room. Actually while we were watching the films, a massive hail storm set in. Completely bizzare since that morning it had been scorching hot. To say the hailstones were the size of golfballs would be exaggerating but they were certainly the biggest I had ever seen. That night we took an overnight bus to Copacabana (Bolivia, not Brazil) via Puno. Despite horror stories we had heard from other backpackers, the border crossing into Bolivia was exceptionally smooth. Just a stamp in the passport and away you go! No Spanish inquisition. We arrived in Copacabana to beautiful weather. We enjoyed our first trout there in a restaurant garden overlooking lake Titicaca. Trout seems to be the only thing you can eat in Copacabana since the lake is full of them. Fortunately for me I loved trout and had I think 5 trout in 3 days. After chilling on the beach for a while we rented peddle boats and peddled around in circles on the lake for half an hour. That night we took it easy as Fi wasn´t feeling the Mae West and I was pretty tired from the overnight bus.

The next day Fi stayed in bed to try and get rid of her cold and I climbed up some kind of nearby religious hill. It reminded me of Bray Head but thanks to the high altitude I had to stop every 5 mins to catch my breath. There were about 10 crosses at regular intervals on the way up and as it was a Sunday morning, all the locals were climbing up and stopping at each cross to say a prayer. The top gave a beautiful view of the lake but seeing a massive black cloud moving in I decided to get back down asap. Again due to Fi´s general sickness we just took it easy and watched Superman returns in a net cafe. After yet another trout dinner we headed for another early night. The next morning we awoke early and hopped on a boat bound for Isla Del Sol in the lake. We got the boat to the northside of the island and spent the day hiking to the south side where we had booked a hostel. The walk was beautiful with spectacular view over the lake. The sun was out in full force and the terrain was bare and barren. Devoid of any vegetation which made us feel like we were hiking through a desert.

We were a bit dubious as to how nice our accommodation would be as we had booked it through a tour operator without seeing it first but we were pleasantly surprised. It was a cosy little room with an incredible view of the lake from the window. We had dinner while chatting to an English couple and when we left the restaurant it was dark. The night sky was clear and we spent a while gazing at the 10 billion stars that were visible. We went for another early night as Fi was still under the weather but just then a big storm set in. Massive lightening and thunder and so I stood on the balcony for a while observing the full force of Mother Nature. The next morning we caught a bus back to Copacabana and had lunch with an American called Bill. The plan was to catch a bus to La Paz at 3pm to arrive in La Paz in the early evening. The bus left on time and after an hour we had to catch a ferry across the lake. This involved the people on the bus getting small speedboats across while the bus was taken across on a rather unsturdy wooden ferry. We arrived on the other side of the lake but looking back across the bus didn´t seem to be following suit. We were slightly nervous about being on the other side of the lake as our bags and using my trusty binoculars we could make out some kind of commotion going on around the bus. About an hour later the bus finally made it across the lake although the engine was leaking water big time. We couldn´t believe that the same thing was happening that hindered our trip to Mitad Del Mundo back in Quito.

The driver tinkered around for an hour with his toolbox while a few of the locals looked on unhelpfully and we got back on the bus. We made it a few minutes down the road when the bus broke down again. Just then a smaller kind of minibus passed, bound for La Paz. We were all bundled on with our bags tied to the roof and at one stage there was 19 of us in this tiny little minibus. Thankfully it was only 2 hours to La Paz and we enjoyed spectacular lightening on the journey. The hostel we had booked in La Paz is over a brewery and everyone who stays there gets a free beer every night. So we headed up to the bar and enjoyed 8% ale for a while with some Candians and Aussies. The next day we walked around the city with some of the others in the hostel. Januray 24th is a big day in Bolivia where people buy miniature houses, cars, bank notes etc and get them blessed the idea being that in the coming year you will get a new house, car money etc. The city was completely packed with people selling miniature everything. I kept a keen eye out for a miniature rugby world cup but couldn´t find one. After walking around for a while we went to an English bar for lunch. We enjoyed fish and chips with Tottenham V Arsenal playing in the background. After lunch, the North Americans went for a nap (they were shagged out after drinking a whole pint of beer the poor things) but Fi and myself stayed drinking with an Irish guy and an English guy.

About 7 hours later we stumbled out of the pub not quite sure where the time had gone. Our hostel was holding a party for January 24th and so we headed there and made merry till about midnight. Fi went to bed as she had to be up early to cycle down death road however headed out with some of the peeps from the hostel. At about 3.30 am, 14 hours of boozing had taken it´s toll and I gratefully hit the sack.

Our one night in Lima last Friday night was interesting. As we had to awake at 2.30am the next morning for a flight to Cusco we decided not to go out on the batter. However we did stay in the hostel and enjoy a few beers in the bar there. We met up with a bunch of lads from all corners of the globe with various instruments such as guitars, a melodica, a xaphoon and a kind of Peruvian recorder. After jamming for a few hours and having a spaghetti bolegnase and some beers, the bar closed. Still there was one Peruvian guy who seemed to live in the hostel and he insisted that we go back to his room and continue the party there. Incidentally, this guy looked like a Peruvian Peter Stringer. We were a bit dubious as to whether we were allowed continue the party in one of the rooms but one of the guys who worked at the hostel verified that this was ok and so we headed for Peter Stringer´s room. We reckoned it would be a private room away from the main section of the hostel however when we got there it was a 10 bed dorm with about 5 people asleep in it! “Peter Stringer” beckoned us out to the balcony where we presumed we could be loud without disturbing the 5 people asleep in the adjacent room. No! There was a guy asleep on the balcony in a sleeping bag! Weird. But still we drank and were merry until Fi and I decided that we should get at least 2 hours kip before our flight to Cusco. We bid everyone Buenos Noches and went to bed.

2 hours later we were on our way to Lima airport. The flight was at 6am but lonely planet had advised us to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours early to confirm a space on the filght as over booking of flights was common. As it turns out the check in didn´t open until 4.40am! Grrr… The first time we were let down by “The book”. After checking in we headed for the security checkpoint where the lady there found 2 brand spanking new swiss army knives in my carry on luggage. Oops! I reckoned that was the end of them but the girl was very nice and allowed me to go back out to the check in and check them in. This involved a very nice lady called Devora calling the baggage handling guys on the radio and bringing my rucksack back so I could put the knives in it. Things went smoothly and soon we were bound for Cusco where we would spend a few days acclimatizing before embarking on the famous Inca Trail. Arriving into Cusco at about 8am we were shattered from the general lack of sleep. Fortunately the hostel we were booked into had the most comfiest beds of all time and we slept till lunchtime.

We bummed around the town for a bit and got to know the other people in our dorm. That night we went out with some French guys and a pair of Argentinian girls. The clubs/bars in Cusco are cool except for their fecking addiction to the poisonous “music” that is reggaeton – a mix between reggae and English hip hop. Both Fi and I detest the genre with all our mights but unfortunately it is unavoidable in Cusco, and all of South America for that matter. Still we made the best of the night and made it into bed for about 4.30. This was a good idea as the next day was the day before the Inca Trail. As we had to get up at 5.30 am on Sunday for the Inca Trail, it was a good idea to be shattered the night before. The beds in Loki (our hostel) were so comfortable that we spent the day in bed just chatting to the people in our dorm. That evening we went for an orientation meeting for the Inca Trail and to meet our group. The meeting filled us with a mixture of apprehension and excitement about the 4 days which were to come. The 8 other people who we were to spend the next 4 days with seemed really nice too.

At roughly 6am on the Day1 of the Inca Trail we were picked up by the SAS truck from our hostel. From there we made our way to a little village for breakfast where we bought walking sticks and high calorie snacks for the journey. Then it was on to 82km where we began the journey. The first half of the day was great. Easy going, nice weather and some beautiful ruins. We stopped about midday for our first Inca Trail meal. What a surprise! Personally I had been expecting sandwiches or something similarly easy to make. The genius porters had whipped up an array of extravagant dishes involving many ingredients using only a tent and a gas cooker! I can´t remember specifically what the meal was that day but over the next four days we were to enjoy things such as avocados sliced with diced cheese, stuffed bell peppers, rolled chicken with ham and veg inside, cheese covered aubergines, deep fried cauliflower (I´ve no idea how) etc… The second half of day one was tougher with a fairly steep uphill climb. We arrived at our first campsite at about 4.30pm and after dinner at 7 I went straight to bed!

Day 2 was by far the hardest. We climbed “Dead Woman´s Pass” to an altitude of over 4000m only to descend down a steep and slippery terrain for a few hours. Then we had lunch! It was difficult to eat lunch knowing that we had another peak to tackle after lunch albeit not as tough as Dead Woman´s Pass. By the time we reached our campsite on the 2nd day we were well and truly jacked. Still we had finished the hardest part of the inca trail and the majority of it. Some groups only did one peak on the 2nd day leaving them with another tough day on day 3. That evening I had a cold shower and played a few rounds of Shithead and Asshole before hitting the sack. We were allowed a lie in on the morning of day 3. We didn´t have to get up until 7am! Day 3 was easy however with only a mild peak to climb and a beautiful trek through the cloud forest. We arrived at the campsite for day 3 at lunchtime giving us a whole half day to relax. Unfortunately there was a café/restaurant at the campsite with a bar. This was a bad idea considering there were 4 Irish on the trek. We hit the bar at about 3pm and enjoyed beer and shithead until we were kicked out at 10.30pm. Possible a bad idea since our wake up on day 4 was at 4am.

Despite being tired and slightly fragile from the previous night´s beers, we were all so excited to be so close to arriving at Machu Picchu that we got ourselves to breakfast by 4.30am no problem on Day 4. We set off as quickly as possible in order to be the first ones to Machu Picchu. Arriving at the checkpoint gate at 5am, we were the 2nd group there. When the gate opened at 5.30 am we all rushed through, eager to get to the Sun Gate where the first view of Machu Picchu is. There was a steep climb immediately before the Sun Gate but none of us cared and we raced up it with only one thing in our minds. Alas we were sourly disappointed! The weather had dealt us an unfair hand and there was nothing to be seen except a thick white mist. We waited a while but the best view we got was the outline of some of the buildings. So we trudged on down another 40 minutes to a ridge just above the city where the classic postcard view of Machu Picchu can be seen. Although there was a better view from here, the mist was still thick so we headed down to the city itself. Machu Picchu was awesome and our guide gave us a tour of the city which lasted a good hour. After this we relaxed in the café waiting for the first bus to Aqua Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. While waiting here we observed the bus loads of American tourists arriving from Aguas Calientes and thanked our lucky stars we had arrived at Machu Picchu before them!

Half of us arrived in Agua Calientes with only one thing in mind – the natural thermal springs! What better way to rest your weary body after the 4 day inca trail than in a hot pool of natural water. It was perfect and we would have stayed there getting wrinkly all day if we didn´t have our last lunch together at 2pm. At lunch we said goodbye to our guides and to some of our group who were staying in Aguas Calientes for the night. We then went for the 4 hour train back to Cusco. The train was the most useless train of all time. It crawled along at a snails pace, all the time squeaking and groaning. We finally made it to Cusco in quite an irritable state with only dinner and bed on my mind. Fi in fairness to her went for a few with the other Irish lads from the group however I was in no state to join in. Asleep by 10pm, I enjoyed a 10.5 hour sleep which has left me in my current giddy state and raring to go.

Right. So clearly 6th January isn´t a big deal in Cuenca. In fact, nothing´s a big deal there. Which is strange because the book lists Cuenca as one of the best places to go in Ecuador but in my opinion, anywhere you have to search high and low for a bar in on a Saturday night is never the best place to go. We eventually found a bar that was open but we reckon it had only just finished being built as it smelt of new paint and there was still a ladder in the main part. Also the beer was warm so we they obviously hadn´t installed the fridge yet. We were both hungry and thirsty now and we stumbled upon a place called Monday Blue (or something to that effect) which seemed to be the only semi-hapenning place in town. Got some nice grub there but then decided to head back to the hostel and get out of Cuenca as fast as we could!

Sunday 7th January

But yet we didn´t leave today. For some reason we hung around. If we thought Cuenca was dead on a Saturday night, Sunday afternoon is completely lifeless. Nothing is open. We first tried to find somewhere to eat. We eventually found somewhere that looked relatively ok that had a set menu for $2. Unfortunately it turned out to be egg and chip soup, beef with not-quite-thawed frozen veggies and tinned raspberries for desert. Interesting! As expected I forwent the egg and chip soup, forced back the beef and veg and poked at the raspberries. After that we chilled on the banks of the river in the sun reading, playing DS and drinking coke. We were joined after a while by Jonty and Angie – An isle of Manian and an Aussie who were sharing our dorm. We went to dinner with them in Monday Blue again and then back to the hostel to stay in and drink beer which was pretty much the only option available. When they left around 9m to get an overnight bus to Baños (lucky suckers!) we had a quick game of chess before bed. We intended to get up early tomorrow to make our way to the beaches of Northern Peru.

Monday 8th January

Today I had my first swim in the Pacific Ocean! But first a quick resume of how that came about. It initially seemed that getting to Mancora in North Peru would go something like this : Bus from Cuenca to Machala, bus from Machala to Huaquillas, taxi over the border into Peru, bus to Tumbes and a final bus on to Mancora. But once we arrived Machala, we overheard a bus operator shouting MANCORA! MANCORA! We glanced briefly in his direction and before we knew it we were being bundled onto a bus direct to Mancora. We were slightly concerned as to whether the bus would wait for us to get out passports stamped at the border because the lonely planet told us most buses don´t wait and we didn´t want them speeding off to Mancora with our luggage and us left standing at the Ecuador/Peru border like a pair of feckin Paddy eejits. But they just kept repeating Si! Si! Si! So we shrugged and jumped on the bus.

The bus itself was pretty comfortable and the trip went without incident until we arrived at the border. The bus guy beckoned us off to get our passports stamped and once again we tried to ascertain whether the bus would wait for us or not. But it was as frivalous as the first time and to our horror, the second we jumped off the bus, it sped off down the road ! We were slightly worried except that the bus guy was still with us. While we still had him, there was still a chance to get our bags back. He took us into the immigration office where two guys took our passports. They began copying details from our passports onto a pair of forms. We weren´t quite sure what was going on so we kept a close eye on them. Then they ushured us to the front of the significantly long queue where our passports were stamped. The other people in the queue weren´t happy with us skipping to the front but the immigration officials didn´t seem to mind so we carried on. It was then we realised that the cost of having the two guys fill out our forms and hurry us to the top of the queue was $10 each ! So we just threw them $3 between us and legged it across the road where the bus guy was standing.

At this stage we figured the bus with our bags on it had just done a turn round the block and was coming back to pick us up. But the next bus we got on wasn´t the same bus ! Slightly freaked at this stage we again tried to enquire as to the whereabouts of our bags but to no further avail. Finally we jumped off our current bus in Tumbes and back onto the original waiting bus. After checking that our bags were in fact on board we slid relieved into a pair of seats for the final leg to Mancora. The instant we arrived in Mancora we knew it was worth all the hassle. It was late evening and the sun was at a perfect temperature. Palm trees surrounded us and the sea was sparkling. A little moto took us to a hostel/resort type place called Sol Y Mar where we had decided to stay. We were slightly miffed at the massive 20 second trek to the beach every time we wanted to go for a swim but we put up with it. It was then that my long overdue first swim in the Pacific Ocean occurred. Let it be the first of many !

That night we went for dinner. In Mancora, if you don´t like fish, you´re pretty screwed. I was a bit worried about this since fish isn´t my favourite meal of all time but I decided on the tuna steak which was completely like nothing else I´d ever tasted. Delish. Of course after this we headed out along the bar street and about 10 mojitos and a chat with a Welsh woman, English woman and Kiwi guy later, we headed for another bar. A bit of chat with the bar girl later and I was off discoing with her for the rest of the night (Fi had already gone off with her own bunch of Peruvian male friends). Unfortunately the numerous mojitos were beginning to take their toll and at this point my memory becomes quite sketchy. Needless to say I arrived back at the resort at some mad hour with the vague memory that I was supposed to meet the bar girl somewhere tomorrow at 12. Oh dear ! Still it didn´t stop me having a final beer with Fi and her Peruvian boys at the resort bar (which serves around the clock) before bed.

Tuesday 9th January

As you can imagine the Chuchaqui today was overwhelming. Luckily I didn´t have a lot else to do except lie on the beach and recover ! We spent the day sleeping, bodyboarding, eating and drinking. Unfortunately despite my best efforts to retain my pasty white colouring, I ended up getting a bit of a burn on my shoulders and forehead. As expected plans to meet the Peruvian bar girl didn´t come through and we couldn´t resist going to the tuna steak place for dinner again. We decided to go back to the bar from the previous night and sure enough my girl was there. After a bit of banter and a beer, the dreaded chuchaqui caught up with us and we were forced to retire early. Although this time I remembered the time and venue of where to meet Sofia the next day !

Wednesday 10th January

Did much of the same as yesterday on the beach today. Except that the burn was pretty bad and we were forced to sit in the shade and apply copious amounts of after sun and sun block. Yesterday we booked a 16 hour overnight bus to Lima and it was kind of a thing hanging in the air that we had only a few hours left in sunny Mancora. Still we met up with Sofia and had lunch etc… We arrived at the bus station on time only to find out the bus was delayed by an hour. When the bus arrived, it was the most comfortable bus I´ve ever seen. Fully reclining seats and tv screens. The only problem was the heat. For some of the journey, the window in the roof was opened but most of the journey was spent sweating. After 2 and a half dodgy Disney movies I fell asleep.

Thursday 11th January

Woke up this morning on a bus a few hours outside Lima with the desert on my right and the sea on my left and a beautiful sin rising over the former. We arrived in Lima not a minute to soon but not after another dodgy Disney classic ! We checked into the hostel for well needed shower and headed out to explore Lima. We knocked on to an interesting vegetarian restaurant for lunch. Monte bean soup with Rice of the garden ! Yum. Currently killing time in Lima before our 6am flight for Cuzco tomorrow morning.

Well after my entry last night I decided to head for bed as I wasn´t really feeling it. Unfortunately 4 Danes got in the way of that and I found myself yet again drinking on our balcony but this time with 4 Danes and without Fi since she was on her hot Ecuadorian date. It wasn´t long before Paul (The hostel owner) came up to give out about the noise and I felt terrible since I´d only apologised to him earlier about the previous night´s festivities and assured him it wouldn´t happen again. At that point we headed out and came across a bar with a pool table and shortle Obidio turned up too. Cervezas and pool were enjoyed till the wee hours (As were 2 of the better looking Danes!) and I couldn´t for the life of me tell you what time I got to bed at.

Saturday 6 January

Rudely awoken by Fi´s eardrum shattering phone at some ridiculous hour. My first instinct was to find some way of staying in Baños yet another night and thus being able to sleep off the Chuchaqui. But that would have been silly and I forced myself out of bed and legged it to the bus station for the 9am bus to Rio Bamba. The road was blocked by an accident and we were sitting still for 30 mins while it was cleared. It wouldn´t have been too bad except the bus was full, I was standing and the roof was far too low for someone of 6´5.5"! Still we got to Rio Bamba eventually and only had to wait an hour for our connecting bus to Cuenca. This 6 hour bus ride was infinitely better than that to Rio Bamba and I was able to catch up on some lost sleep. Just arrived in Cuenca about an hour ago and after a shower and some food we plan to head out and enjoy the festivities of 6th January which for some reason is a big thing over here.

Ok so the plan has changed! Baños was clearly too beautiful and fun to leave and we are still here 2 days later than intended. But first a resume of what occurred since my last entry. On Thursday afternoon after the horse riding I decided to climb one of the big feckin mountains that surrounds us. Fi cleverly stayed at the hostel but I made it about two thirds of the way to the top. No mean feat if you saw the size of it! Once I arrived back we decided to hit the natural hot spring baths again. There´s just something amazing about them. After that we cooked up a kind of veggie pasta dish before heading out on the lash. The night was mental. Suffice to say we found ourselves on out balcony at 5am listening to my iPod and drinking Tequila and orange with Jose (Canadian), Sixto (an Ecuadorian) and some other random indigenous guy from the jungle who probably had never drunk before in his life. Just as the sun began to rise, Fi headed to bed but I was still thinking of the natural hot baths and so Jose, the jungle guy and me were off for a drunken dip despite written rules outside that state that intoxicated persons are not allowed enter. I finally crawled into bed at 8.30 am.

Friday 5th January
Fell out of bed at 2.30pm and we decided to climb up the same mountain I climbed yesterday but this time with bikes to cycle back down on. It was great! The hill was extremely steep and we were out of control for most of it. A fantastic experience but a bit annoying that it takes about 90 mins to get to the top and less than 10 mins to cruise to the bottom! After that we were back to the hostel where we learned from an English couple staying there that the owner was a bit miffed at us for being loud on the balcony last night. Oops! We apoligsed though and all seems to be good. Of course we can´t go more than 12 hours without a visit to the natural baths and so we went there AGAIN. After that we headed for Casa Hood, a real backpacker´s restaurant where you can get Mexican beans, brown rice, tomato and an avocado for less than $3. Extremely healthy and very financially viable. And man does it fill you up! While there we watched a movie (they have a movie on every night at 8pm) which was Spanish with English subtitles. It was completely bizzare about forbidden love between a man and the family cook. All sorts of morally wrong relationships and actions ensue and it ends with the man randomly dying in the middle of an orgy and the girl taking her life Romeo and Juliet style. After that we were out on the tear again but not so mad as last night as we really have to start making our way south towards Cuzco in Peru tomorrow. Buenos Noches!

Well after my last entry we were due to get stuck into a bit of bar hopping. But in true Irish style we hopped to one bar and stayed there playing pool and table football with locals and Americans. We hadn´t planned on drinking too much as we had a 60km cycle coming up the next day however that never works and we came home later and drunker than intended.






Wednesday 3rd January

Up at the crack of dawn, made a bit of a picnic and went to the bike rental place. We were given a bike each, a map, a pump, a spare tyre and a lock. So off we set on our 60km cycle to Puyo. You might think we were crazy attempting a 60km cycle but we were mislead into thinking that the entire trip was downhill. We started off and hit a few small hills early on. We figured that of course there would be a few hills and that soon it would be all downhill. Soon enough we entered a tunnel and instantly regretted it. Although we could see the exit dead ahead, it was pitch black in the tunnel and we couldn´t see a thing. Completely freaky. And the torch that I was so proud about remembering to bring didn´t help us one bit. Finally we made it out the other side and we were grateful to still be alive! About 20km into the cycle, we came to a waterfall whose name escapes me right now. We parked up our bikes and began the 1km hike down to the waterfall. It was very steep and meant that the 1km hike back up was a killer. The waterfall itself was impressive. Very powerful and noisy. It was also set in kind of jungle terrain that made you feel like you were deep in the amazon. After finally making it back up to the road we continued on our way but a good bit more tired. Soon, the upward hills began to get steeper and more frequent. We couldn´t understand what was happening as the lonely planet guide said it was all downhill. At one point along the trail, it began lashing and I mean LASHING rain. We were completely drenched all the way through. Nonetheless we finally made it to Mera about 45km along the route and decided that we could give up now and still be proud of the cycle. A bus came and we jumped on with out bikes on the roof. Safe on the bus, we decided to read the Lonely Planet more closely. As it turns out, the book told of a descent to Puyo as Banos is at 1800m and Puyo at 800m. We had taken that to mean downhill. So we had learned our lesson and made a pretty good stab at it considering. In any case, it was great training for the Inca Trail next week. That night we cooked up some pasta and veg bought from the local Mercado. About 9pm, we made our way to the natural hot springs which lie under a waterfall. After our mega cycle, it was pure bliss to relax in a bath of hot water looking up at a waterfall crashing down beside you. By the time we finished the baths, our muscles were so relaxed it was definitely time for bed.

Thursday 4th January

Got up early again today and this time rented horses for a 4 hour trek around the volcano. The trek was fun and after a while I got used to being on a horse and wasn´t in so much pain. Unfortunately due to our lack of experience and generally being cappers, we had to go really slow. We made it to the top where there was an excellent view of Banos and we were actually in the clouds. As you may expect it started to rain so for the second day in a row we got soaked. Coming down the side of the volcano was interesting. While the road up was paved, the road down was just a narrow dirt track and very steep. So it was quite painful for a couple of inexperienced riders. We made it back to Banos just after lunch and eagerly tucked into tuna and tomato rolls. As we are leaving Banos tomorrow, the plan for tonight is to go on the complete lash and work off our Chuchaqi tomorrow with an 8 hour bus ride to Cuenca. Adios!

Friday 29th December 2006

Wow! Where do I start?! After an unusually pleasant flight to Quito, we arrived having no idea what Rudolf looked like. Rudolf was the brother of a friend of a friend who was apparently picking us up from Quito airport and bringing us to the guesthouse his mother runs. Sure enough, we didn´t find him coming out of the plane and so we resorted to writing a little sign with his name on it. This still didn´t help and we were close to giving up hope and making our way to the city ourselves when we were approached by an old(ish) woman. She apparently was Rudolf´s mother and a young man with her was Antonio, a family friend. As it happens, she spent many years in Germany and so we were able to communicate with her and her family quite effectively in German. So we were on our way to a random guesthouse with a random family which, as it turns out, was feckin beautiful! We were definitely in the richer area of Quito albeit fairly far from the city. Although we were fairly tired due to lack of sleep and the time difference, we felt it was necessary to go for some food and a cerveza or two. Antonio and the woman took us to a nearby restaurant type place where we enjoyed a delicious burger and 2 local beers (Pilsener).We decided to hit the sack after that and begin our holidays properly tomorrow.

Saturday 30th December 2006

Today Antonio brought us into Quito to show us around. We first walked around the old city and looked at some of the architecture and stuff. We stopped for a round of smoothies. Antonio had papaya, Fi had Mango and I had Taxo. The price? 50c for the three of them! Still have to get used to the general cheapness here. So then we headed for El Panecillo which is a hill in the middle of the city. At the top there are spectacular views all around of Quito. It was at this point Antonio informed us that he had a family BBQ to go to and asked did we want to join him. We initially thought no but then decided it could be some random fun. So off we went to meet his extended family for a BBQ. At first it was a bit awkward since we didn´t speak Spanish and they only had a few words of English. However after a few Cervezas and the BBQ, we all loosened up! Soon after the BBQ, 3 of the lads whipped out classical guitars and cracked into a few traditional Ecuadorian songs. The played for about 45 mins and were unbelievable. At point they were lashing out three part harmonies and everyone in the room was singing along and tapping their legs, tables and beer bottles in rhythm. As soon as this was over, the living room floor was cleared of tables, chairs and rugs and someone shlapped on the salsa music. So there we were on our first night in Quito getting Salsa lessons from local Ecuadorians! We danced and danced and danced. All through this we had been forced to prove that the Irish were great drinkers by accepting multiple shots of a coconut liquer called Zhumil. Suffice to say we proved our Irishness but the Chuchaqi (hangover) the next day reminded us of it! Finally at about 2.30 am, Antonio (who conveniently didn´t drink) brought us home after 11-12 hours of boozing. What a night!

Sunday 31st December 2006

Today our plan was to head to Mitad Del Mundo (Middle of the world) aka the Equator. Rudolf had kindly agreed to drive us up and things were going well until about 30 mins in there was a hiss and lots of steam and water coming out of the engine. We pulled over and while Rudolf investigated, Fi and I sat on the side of th

e road enjoying fresh Guavas and mangos from a nearby fruit cart. Conveniently, a guy who worked at the fruit cart was some kind of genius mechanic and about 45 mins later had the car fixed. But 15 mins later we pulled into a petrol station to fill up and the engine was leaking like my forehead on a hot summers day again. So Rudolf called a mechanic and he said he couldn´t make it for around an hour. So naturally the only course of action was to sit on the grass soaking up the baking hot equatorial sun with a few cervezas. The mechanic finally arri

ved and after taking one look at the car, told us that it needed to be towed. The tow guy couldn´t make it for another 90 mins so we made the best of it and kept on boozing and soaking up the sun. Only we had already drunk the petrol station dry and were forced to buy bottles of pina colada instead of beer. By the time the mechanic turned up (who´s truck informed us his name was Winchas David!!!) we were slightly tipsy and we jumped into the car as it was being towed back to Quito. Back in Quito, Rudolf took us to meet his friend Julio who worked in McDonald´s. As Julio was just finishing work, we went to a nearby petrol station and got stuck into another few cervezas. Only this time it was almost dark and it had started lashing rain. And I mean torrential rain! We took shelter under a covered walkway and got through 2 6-packs before heading back to the gaff.

Then the new years eve celebrations began. New years here is a big family thing so we had dinner with the family of the house we were staying in. There were a million different dishes including Turkey, German sausage (the family were half German), potato salad, pate and crackers, salad and rum & coke. Delish. At midnight we cracked open the champers and proceeded to the balcony which looked down over Quito where people all over the city were letting off fireworks. After we had let off our own box of fireworks, we headed to Antonio´s who brought us to his friend´s place. We stood on the street outside his friend´s place boozing for a while before going on to Blues nightclub where Rudolf had made reservations for us – The price was normally $40 in! Unfortunately the previous couple of days activities were catching up on me. That coupled with my general distaste of nightclubs meant I was ready to go. However we did manage till about 4.30am which isn´t that good considering it was open till 7am! Antonio came through for us again and brought us home for a well needed sleep.

Monday 1st January 2007

Today we tried to get to Mitad Del Mundo again. Second time lucky! We made it ok although it required taking 4 buses. Talk about tack central! We did the obligatory stuff like standing with one leg in each hemisphere and experiencing the different winds. The best thing about it was the view. High mountains all around with clouds covering the tops. After we did all the touristy stuff, Rudolf brought us for some traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. We decided against ordering the Guinea Pig and I settled for a dish that consisted of Monte beans, some kind of pork, popcorn(?!!?), unpopped popcorn, half an avocado and some salad. Oh and a fried banana! Sounds random but it really worked. Delicious. After that we trekked the 4 buses back to Quito. At this stage we were ready for some chill out time and spent the rest of the evening in our room reading, chatting and playing Nintendo.

Tuesday 2nd January 2007

Today we got up early and hopped on a bus bound for Banos. The bus system here is really crazy. Because the bus companies are private, everyone wants you to get on their bus. There don´t seem to be any bus stops – buses just stop for you anywhere if you put your hand out. Similarly, you can get off anywhere by shouting Gracias! at the driver. You have to be careful though because the bus never stops to let you on or off. You have to jump on and off while it´s still speeding down the road! After arriving in Banos we checked out activities to do for the following few days and went on a short walk around the river. Like Quito, the views here are incredible. Apparently Banos is somewhere you can “bar-hop your brains out” which is something we plan to do once I get off this computer. So far the trip has been a success. Bis spater!