Ray around the World

The Lowdown On The Photos

2007-04-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

Before you all get upset, I must apologise about the lack of photos. Being in rural India, it has been difficult to find internet connections that can cope with uploading photos.

To reassure you, we have some lovely pics and I promise I'll put them up as soon as I can. As it happens, the connection here is fine, but there's no disc drive in the computer - if isn't one thing, it's another!

Rebuilding An Empire

2007-04-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hampi is a national treasure. The ruins really are quite amazing – it’s the sheer scale and extent of them. The Indian government are currently doing lots of archaelogical digs around the area in an attempt to uncover more of the ruins. Slowly they are rebuilding more and more of the temples, bazaars and palaces. Unfortunately, much of the city is now under banana plantations, so some of it will never be uncovered. The rebuild has only been going on since the 1980’s, before then Hampi was deserted, but now it’s a thriving little village again. I can’t imagine how amazing this place will be in another 20 years.

For the locals, the main source of income is the tourists, so there’s lots of begging too, especially in the low season. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “do you want a rickshaw madam?”, “like to buy some stickers?” and “hello, bananas?”. They certainly try hard!

A Temple Blessing

2007-04-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

The following morning we went to the Hindu Temple at the end of the bazaar. It’s one of the few working temples in Hampi and one of the largest. On entering the temple we took the services of a guide, who showed us into all the nooks and crannies and gave us a thorough explanation of each section of the working temple. In and around us, the locals bustled, giving their offerings to their gods and receiving blessings from the priest in return. Stuart and I both got blessings from one of the priests and wore our bindis with pride for the next few hours.

As we entered the courtyard, Lakshmi, the temple elephant came out. The beautifully painted elephant gave a bow at the front of the temple and then made her way to the entrance. She gives blessings to people who give her a coin. The blessings are given by patting you on the head with her trunk and then she rings the bell around her neck. A perfect way to end our temple tour.

The End Of An Empire

2007-04-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Hampi was once the capital of one of the largest Hindu empires which reined about 500 years ago. Originally it had 500,000 residents, spread out over a huge area and it controlled the spice trade between Europe to the West and China to the East. Originally there were 3,000 temples within the area, but Muslims came in the 14th century and distroyed most of them, leaving only a few and destroying the empire in the same swift sweep.

A fascinating place with numerous ruined temples, rock carvings and statues. It takes about 3 days to fully see all the sites and we needed a moped and a guide to get between the sites. The area is really quite incredible and you really get a sense of the glory days of one of India’s strongest empires.

The Hindu Ruins Of Hampi

2007-04-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

After a day’s train ride we arrived at Hospet, the nearest town with a station to Hampi. We had met a guy on the train, so the three of us and our big backpacks hopped in a rickshaw. I sat next to the driver, clinging on for dear life so I didn’t fall out! Lucky for me, he was a fairly calm driver, so the ride was painless (beside the ache in my arm from holding myself inside the rickshaw).

As we drove into the small village of Hampi we passed several old ruins. The sun was going down and casting a beautiful orangy light over the granite boulders and ruined temples. As we swung round the corner into the main bazaar, the village came alive with people and cows everywhere. At the top of the bazaar the main temple stood proud in the air. A few Hindu priests loitered outside in their robes and the sacred bull ambled past the grand entrance to the temple. The aromas, sights and sounds created a magical scene – and a typical India that I had imagined.

That evening we went for dinner and had the compulsory thali - a special India ‘dish of the day’. You get a selection of little curries, a soup, rice, pickle, chapathis and a popadom. Quick, easy and it always delivers! It’s been our stable lunch time food since we got here.

From Munnar To Fort Cochin

2007-04-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

After a relaxing Munnar we went on to Fort Cochin. Our relaxed bodies soon gave way to tense muscles after a bus ride from a driver with 'special Keralan training'. We made it to Fort Cochin in 4 hours, well under the allotted 6.5 hours of the state run bus! We found our preferred guest house Elite Hotel, which was a major disappointment. It was obvious that a mention in the Lonely Planet had made the owner complacent and the hotel was now in a dingy state. We decided to stay one night, whilst we found somewhere else. We ended up in a guesthouse only 50 meters away - Princess Inn, which was clean, friendly and cheaper.

That night we had a wander around the historic town and discovered the Chinese fishing nets - large, cantilevered nets that are down by the port. They've been there hundreds of years and were bought over during the reign of Kublai Khan. They're still used today by the fishermen who scratch a measly living from them. We discovered these just as the sun was going down and the tide was high, so the fishermen were using them in the low light of evening sun. Quite magical.

The rest of time in Fort Cochin was spent wondering around the colonial streets and drinking tea in a charming little teashop called Teapot. Their selection of tea was second to none, with a variety of different grades from the plantations as well as fruit and herb teas. All of which could be accompanied by cake. How colonial we felt! On one visit we had 'silver tips' tea, made from the young unfolded leaves of the tea plant. They create a fragrant, delicate flavour which we both adored. Unfortunately, this tea was 50 Rupees a cup as compared to 15 Rupees of standard tea. A rather expensive cuppa, but really good!

More Culinary Delights - South Indian Recipes

2007-04-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

Having enjoyed our last cooking course so much, we decided to do another. This time our chef was a local woman (receommened by the tourist booth in Fort Cochin). Again, we had a feast and thoroughly enjoyed the lessons we learnt. Here are the recipes:

Keralan Fish Curry
White fish, such as mullet
2" ginger shredded
handful of garlic (about 15 small cloves) shredded
10 shallots shredded
15-20 curry leaves
3-4 tbsp coconut oil or veg oil (not olive oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder (roast seeds and crush into powder)
3 tsp chili powder (not hot chili powder)
3 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil and add mustard seeds to pop. Add garlic, shallots, 10 of the curry leaves and ginger. Cook until shallots soft. Place turmeric, chili, and fenugreek in a pot and mix with a little water to make a paste. Add paste to the pan and mix well. Once the oil starts to come out of the mixture, then the masala is ready. Add some water to make sauce - the sauce can be as watery or thick as you like. Bring the sauce to the boil, when it's simmering, add the fish. Add a bit more water to the level of the fish. Give the pan a swirl/shake - don't stir it. Add the rest of the curry leaves and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until fish is cooked.

Fish Fry
2" ginger
5 cloves garlic crushed
Pepper powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
Salt

Make the above into a thick paste with a little vinegar. Score fish and rub paste onto fish. Marinade for a couple of hours, then fry or grill.

Okra with Masala (can also use beans, peas, aubergine or cauliflower instead of okra)
250g okra chopped (do not wash once the okra is chopped)
2 small onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic
1-2 green chilies, roughly sliced
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 cup of coconut milk

Fry onion, garlic, chili in coconut oil for about 5 minutes. Add okra and cook for 1 minute. Add garam masala, turmeric and a dash more oil. Add coriander powder. Add water to the level of the okra and salt to taste. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Add coconut milk (and a bit of corn flour if it ends up being watery).

Vegetable Stew (can also add cashews - just soak the nuts overnight)
1/2 cauliflower chopped
2 medium potatoes chopped
3 carrots chopped
Handful of peas
10 small cloves of garlic sliced
2 green chilies sliced long ways
2 small onions sliced
1-2 cinnamon sticks
5 cardamons
10 peppercorns
10 cloves
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup coconut milk
Enough corn flour to thicken (follow instructions on packet)

Heat oil. Add garlic, chili and onion and cook for 5 - 10 minutes. Add veg and mix well. Add cardamons and other spices, stir well. Cover with water and add salt to taste. Cook until the carrot is soft. Take the pan off the heat and add coconut milk and corn flour. Bring to the boil and then take off the heat.

Cabbage Thora (can be used with any vegetable)
1 small cabbage shredded
1 onion chopped
1" ginger chopped (only use ginger for cabbage recipe)
2 chilies chopped
1.5 handfuls of coconut (use desiccated soaked in water if no fresh coconut available)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand. Add a bit of water and mix well. Add to frying pan and cover to steam vegetables until cooked (about 10 minutes). Then garnish.

Garnish (for 1 dish)
5 shallots sliced
10 curry leaves
2-3 tbsps coconut oil or veg oil
1 tsp mustard seeds

Heat oil and add mustard seeds until they pop. Add shallots and curry leaves. Fry until light brown and then add to the top of the dish.

Later that evening we took a night train to Goa, where we would make a connection to get to Hospet and on to the ruins of Hampi.

Ayurvedic Massage

2007-04-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

As part of our list of things to do, we had to make sure we had an Ayurvedic massage. There are different types of massage from full body to just a head massage, all of which use extensive oils. Stu and I decided that we’d give this a go in Fort Cochin. From the pictures, we decided to have a full body massage, which is given by two people in synchronisation and lasts about 45 minutes.

We arrived at the Ayurvedic centre and I was taken upstairs to the ladies’ rooms and Stu was led away to the men’s rooms. Once upstairs and I was instructed to strip – all off! I certainly wasn’t expecting that. Then I sat down on a mat and was massaged from head-to-toe by two ladies. The massage was vigorous in places and very relaxing in others. I just shut my eyes, relaxed and let them get on with it. The ladies weren’t shy and the massage went over every inch of my body – all I could think of was a naked Stu sat downstairs having the same treatment (which made me giggle).

At the end of it, I was covered in oil – literally dripping! I was given a bar of soap and towel and shown the way to the shower. It took me about 10 minutes to scrub the oil off me, but I emerged a glowing, relaxed, new Nicky.

I met Stu downstairs, who seemed a little stunned by the nakedness of it all. We weren’t expecting to be naked – all the pictures of the massage were of people with their pants on! It is probably something that we would do again though.

On To The Hillstations Of Munnar

2007-04-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

The next day we jumped on a bus for our journey to Munnar - a small town in the cooler hills surrounded by tea plantations. Since we had seen a tea plantation in Kumily we weren't expecting much from Munnar. The touristy nature of Kumily with touts galore had left a sour taste in our mouths and so we were expecting another small, dirty town in the middle of Kerala. We were completely wrong. The scenery was stunning. After travelling through endless cardamon and banana plantations, we came into rolling hills which stretched for miles and miles. Somewhere in the middle of them was Munnar.

Munnar is nothing more than a village with active bazaar and enough rickshaw drivers for a reasonable sized town. We found a small home stay called Westend Cottage and our friendly host gave us maps of the village and surrounding area, details of a tea museum and some decent walks around the plantations. He was cleverly giving us things to do in order to lengthen our stay... and his pineapple pancakes in the morning were enough reason to stay!

Our one night stay, turned into three nights as we spent the time ambling around the tea plantations and saying 'hi' to the smiling faces in the local villages. It was bliss and a welcome break from the touts of the more touristy spots. The weather was also much cooler then Kumily and the other places we’d been – we even needed blankets at night.

We also managed to find a lovely little restaurant and with every meal, the food just got better. For anyone going to Munnar - try the Bamboo Hut, behind the bazaar. Fab.

An Evening Of Kathakali

2007-04-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

In the evening we went to a performance of Kathakali - a traditional dance, usually danced by boys around 16-18 years old in the Hindu temples. They train for six years to perform in these performances which take place during celebrations and festivals. They dramatise old stories with eye movements, facial expressions, foot movements and a special language made up of twenty something hand movements. When combined, these movements tell the story whilst loud banging and singing play in the background.

The performance we saw was only 45 minutes with an hour of preparation beforehand, where the actors would put on their makeup and costumes on the stage. Then they do a demonstration and explanation of the intricate hand/foot/eye movements before starting the performance properly.

The evening was incredible. The actors dance around the stage with such passion and dramatic expression, that by the end of just one hour their eyes are red and streaming with tears. Usually the performances go on all night. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Our Trek Into The Wildlife Park

2007-04-06T00:54:00.000-07:00

The following day we did a one day trek into the tiger reserve. Luckily it was just Stu and I on the trek with the company of two local guides - one to lead the way and the other to go at the rear - for safety. We went in with the full expectation of not seeing any wildlife - much like our jungle trek in Bolivia. The animals are all far too clever to allow some clumsy, noisy humans to stumble across them. Anyway, we'd seen plenty of wildlife outside the park during our stay to satisfy our need to see exotic animals. Also our guides warned us that it was very unlikely that we would see any animals, only insects and birds would grace us with their presence.

Immediately as we started our trek, it was clear that elephants frequented this place regularly as there was heaps and heaps of dried elephant dung. Ten minutes later, we came across more fresh dung and our guides informed us that the dung was from last night, and so one could be close by. Literally, a few minutes later we were blessed with an elephant sighting. He was in the distance, alone and chewing on some bamboo in a really thick part of the jungle. He was very difficult to see, and we could only really make out the flapping of his ears and the odd movement from his trunk. Not good for photos, but it was great to see him, even if just a glimpse.

After 30 minutes we stopped for breakfast and tea, before making the climb in the sultry heat up a steep hill to the top of the escarpment. Here, we were blessed with great views of the reserve, although we couldn't see to the other end of the park - a mere 750km away!

We walked down into a clearing, where the smell of rotting flesh began to fill the air. Just over the other side of a small stream, the carcass of a bison lay rotting. The animal had clearly been the dinner of the tigers and our guide advised us that the carcass was 20 days old and that this was a usual spot for the tigers to feed. I was hoping that was as close as we were going to get to see the tigers and I certainly didn't fancy being their next meal!

After an hour or two, we came once again to a clearing and as we walked through the bushes, we came across a family of elephants happily feeding at the bottom of the hill. There were 9 elephants in total, two of which were babies. We crouched down and watched in awe as the realisation hit us we were watching wild elephants, in their natural habitat. It was really special.

We moved across the clearing and settled down for lunch, away from the elephants. Stu and I watched the midday heat rising from the dried out lake as we let our lunch go down. A few minutes later, one of the guides came rushing to us and called us over. We followed him to view the elephants again by the little water left in the lake. They had just had a bath and were cooling off with mud on their backs. This time we were much closer and got some much better shots. We were quite in awe.

The rest of the afternoon, we wandered back through the thick woods to the tribal village and then onto Kumily. We thanked our guides for being so great and set off home, exhausted and exhilarated.

Lions, Tigers and Bears

2007-04-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

Our first two days at Kumily we came across wildlife heaven. From the crazy family of monkeys on the road into town in the mornings (they even read the morning paper!) to the roaming street cows chewing on the rubbish on the way home, we were blessed with sightings of wildlife.

Our first full day in Kumily and we had seen monkeys, wild cows, lizards (large and small), a chained elephant (not very nice), squirrels, crazy green frogs, a preying mantis and a snake. Even in our cottage we managed to dance around the room a couple of times, between the resident scorpion and rogue rat! We were doing well on our hunt for wildlife!

Cardamon, Pepper and Tea

2007-04-02T00:47:00.000-07:00

We ventured inland towards Kumily to sample the spice gardens and tea plantations of Kerala. After a treacherous 4 hour bus ride, squashed in-between Stu and two other Indian ladies on a seat made for three tiny Indians, we arrived at our destination. At least this time, I had Stu with me!

Kumily is a small town where the tourists are shipped in for only two reasons: spices and tigers. The region is home to the cardamon and pepper plantations of India as well as Periyar Tiger Reserve. Our first stop was the spice gardens. Unfortunately we had picked a rather poor guide, but he did have two thumbs on each hand which made for a welcome distraction when he couldn't answer our questions. We still managed to come out of our tour a little more knowledgeable about how spices are grown and harvested.

Some interesting things that we discovered:
Cloves - actually a flower stamen, which when in its raw form is actually a natural anesthetic. Our tongues went numb from only a small drop. These are very good for the teeth and gums.
Cardamons - grow at the bottom of a large plant that look like bull rushes. The cardamons are dried for cooking, but the fresh seeds can be eaten raw for a really intense flavour.
Pepper - grows as a vine up a supporting tree. The different types of coloured pepper actually come from the same plant, they're just harvested at different times and treated in different ways.
Cinnamon - chew on some bark for some really lovely flavours. It's also really good for your teeth and gums.

The same morning, we went to a tea plantation and factory. It was quite a whistle-stop tour, but it was interesting to see how the tea was made. The particular plant we went to used a wood burner to roast leaves. The leaves were then made into smaller leaves or powder and graded as to it's strength and flavour. Quite fascinating, but with all the talk and smell of tea, we really wanted a cup. Unfortunately no tea tasting and no tea shop - the communist Keralans are missing a trick there!

The Backwaters Of Kerala

2007-03-31T00:44:00.000-07:00

The following morning we took a trip on a houseboat around the backwaters of Alleppey. The backwaters consist of a large lake with much of the surrounding land being reclaimed. The reclaimed land creates intricate alleyways of canals between which lie paddy fields, banana and coconut plantations as well as villagers who work the land.

Our overnight journey was a small piece of heaven as we drifted in and out of waterways, catching a glimpse of village life on the backwaters. It was a scene that Kerala is famous for and incredibly serene.

Our captain proved to be a fountain of knowledge on Indian politics and so we spent the day picking his brains and learning about the communist life that the people of Kerala lead. He lived locally in one of the villages and that evening, he took us into his village and invited us into his home. At the back of his house we watched his family coming in from his paddy field with bundles of harvested rice. I managed to upset an ants nest and landed myself with around 8 itchy ant bites. We then picked a papaya from a tree in his back garden, which was to be our dessert later. He then fed us the most delicious mangoes, fresh from his tree.

We were fed a fabulous evening meal and watched the fireflies lighting up the coconut palms above our heads. We went to bed shortly after sunset and got up shortly after sunrise to finish our mini-cruise back in Alleppey.

Fun And Games On The Trains

2007-03-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

We left our beach resort and headed to the train station for some fun and games on a local train. We had a bit of trouble working out which carriage we were supposed to be in and had to run down the platform with our backpacks in tow. We were almost at our carriage (with all the other Indians) as the train started to move. Ever resourceful I jumped on the train and pulled my heavy pack up only to turn around to find that Stuart wasn't there. I looked out the train and found Stuart looking dazed and confused walking up the platform.

I had a moment of panic as I stood all alone on a train, without my ticket. The only positive thing was that I had landed myself in an air conditioned carriage which allowed me to compose myself and meet some other travellers, who had also jumped on the wrong carriage in a hurry.

As we came to the next stop, the train master said that me and my new friends had to go our carriage - the hot, smelly one crammed with all the locals. We jumped off the train, I had a quick scan for Stu, but no sign of him so we ran very quickly to the next carriage, forcing ourselves on with our elbows. I suddenly realised why Stu had missed the train as the carriage was brimming with people and there simply wasn't any room (this was after 30 or so Indians had piled out). We stood for the next couple of stops, moving out the way as local vendors sold chai and other wares between the stops.

A couple of hours later we came to our destination - Alleppey. I left my new friends and went to the guesthouse that we had booked earlier that day. Luckily I had made the reservation that morning, so I knew where to go (normally Stu does it). I sat and waited for Stu, whilst the young Indian men running the hostel doted on my every need.

An hour later, a worried Stu arrived at the guesthouse. A rickshaw journey, bumpy bus ride and another rickshaw later, we were reunited and he tucked into my leftover biryani.

Cooking in Kerala

2007-03-28T02:37:00.001-07:00

Stu and I have just been on a 2 hour cooking course where we made our dinner. The food was scrummy and all were local dishes from Kerala. We had Vegetable Masala, Navaratna Kuruma (vegetables in a coconut sauce), Vegetable Biriyani, Fish Moilee (coconut sauce) and Chapatis. The food was so good, I thought I'd share it with you, so here are the recipes - they're all very easy as long as you have the ingredients. All dishes serve two people. So get cooking!

Vegetable Masala (serve with rice or bread)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
3/4 onion, finely chopped
1" cube of ginger, finely chopped
1 small carrot
1 fresh tomato chopped
some veggies, but only about 1 tablespoon of each, we used beans, cauliflower & cabbage
2 tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp white flour
1 tbsp coriander
water to cover ingredients
2-3 tbsp of milk
salt to taste

Fry ginger, garlic and onion for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add tomato, stir and cook for a minute. Add veg and stir well. Add spices and mix well, cook for a couple of minutes. Cover with water, mix well and leave to cook for 5-6 minutes. At the end add milk and salt to taste. Easy.

Navaratna Kuruma (serve with rice or bread)
2" cube of ginger chopped
1/2 onion chopped finely
4 beans chopped small
1/2 medium potato chopped
small piece of cabbage chopped (2 tbs)
1/2 carrot chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 sweet banana chopped
1 tbsp pineapple chopped
1/2 small eating apple
1 tbsp fresh coriander

Sauce:
1 cup of coconut milk
1 handful of chopped cashews
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Fry onion in oil with ginger and mustard seeds for 1 minute. Throw in all veg (not fruit) and fry for a couple of minutes. Cover with water and cook for 5 minutes. Put all the sauce ingredients into blender and cover with water. Whizz up contents of blender (should be quite thick). Add to the veg and cook for 2 minutes. Throw in fruit and fresh coriander. Mix well. Take off heat.

Vegetable Biriyani (serve with rice or bread)
1 cup of rice
1/2 carrot fine slices
1/4 onion fine slices
handful of whole cashews
1 tbsp raisins
small piece of cinnamon
5 cloves
1/4 tsp aniseed
3-4 cardamons
1 tbsp mint and coriander combined
2 tbsp ghee (or butter melted with residue removed)
1 pinch of turmeric, salt and sugar
Few drops of essence of pineapple (optional)

Put rice onto cook as packet instructions. Remember to wash rice well before cooking. When rice is cooked, drain and leave to one side. Fry onion and carrot until brown. Add cashews, cinnamon and raisins and cook for 2 minutes. Turn heat off and add sugar, salt and turmeric. Mix well. Add pineapple, mint and coriander, and cashew nuts. Mix. Add rice and fry for 1 minute. Add essence of pineapple at the end - this is just to add to the smell.

Fish Moilee (serve with rice or bread)
1 clove garlic shredded
1" garlic shredded
1 hot green chili - split down the middle - don't chop
1/2 onion sliced thinly
10 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp chili
1/2 tbsp flour
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp creamed tamarind
1 tomato sliced
salt to taste
1 x small fillet of white fish

Fry mustard seeds in coconut oil. Add garlic, ginger, whole chili, onion and curry leaves. Brown off these items a little (2-3 minutes). Turn off heat. Add in turmeric, coriander, chili, tamarind, flour and fry for 1/2 minute. Add coconut milk and heat again. Add fish and tomato slices and cook for 5-10 minutes until fish is cooked. Add salt to taste.

Chapatis (flat bread) - makes 4 chapatis

4 tbsp water
8 tbsp plain flour
salt to taste
Little bit of oil

Mix the water, flour and salt together to make a smooth dough. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Roll into a sausage and then divide into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece so that it is quite thin. It should be about 10" in diametre. Cook in a hot fry pan like a pancake. Use very little oil, sprinkle the oil over the bread just so it doesn't stick - the less oil the better. Flip it when you start to see bubbles form underneath. They just need to be lightly cooked, around 3-5 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Enjoy your feast - this will easily serve 2-3 people. And a feast it was!

Kerala Bamboo House - Bliss in a Beach Hut

2007-03-28T02:03:00.000-07:00

Another taxi ride later we arrived at our beach hut paradise. A little peace of heaven on a cliff top looking out at the Arabian Sea. Once again, we were in a place with amazing sunsets, friendly local people and waterfront restaurants. A perfect reminder of my favourite place in Bolivia - Lake Titicaca. I don't want to leave.

We're filling our days with yoga in the mornings (which we're not very good at, but you have to start somewhere), breakfast looking over the sea, an hour on the beach, a dip in the wonderful warm waters of the Arabian Sea and then pottering about on the internet a bit in the afternoon. Dinner is again looking over the sea at a hazy sunset and sharing some Kerala fish curry with Stu.

It's low season here as they come into the monsoon season at the end of the next month. It's very hot and humid. I'm loving the heat (around 30-35 degrees), but not enjoying going through two to three tops everyday with the sweating. The only thing bothering us are pesky little ants that like to nip you. No mozzies (yet).

There's not very many tourists or travellers here and the locals are shutting up their shops, preparing for the monsoon. It's great for us as the beach isn't very full and you're not sitting on top of people in the cliff top cafes and restaurants. Bliss.

We've been here two nights and we're going to leave tomorrow or the next day. Whenever we feel like it really. Off further north to sample more of the delights of Kerala.

Welcome To India

2007-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

We made our way from Trivandrum airport right in the tip of Kerala up to Varkala, a small town 60km away. We decided it was best to get a train, even though we were offered the pleasure of a road trip with a crazy taxi driver the 1 journey. We were hoping we would get used to Indian style train travel in preparation for our many journeys to come. We felt we had the energy.

To get to the train station from the airport you drive through the arse end of town, then I realised, it wasn't the arse end of town, it was actually what the town was like. A visual feast of people washing; carrying large items on their head; taxis and mopeds fighting it out on the roads; and everyone just everywhere. Hundreds of people - all wafting their sarongs to cool down from the humid heat.

As we arrived at the train station, we were greeted by about 20 men in red nappies (shortened sarongs - but look very nappy like), all wanting to carry our luggage. Unfortunately for them, we surrended to none and carried our own luggage into the ticket office where we tried to work out which train we needed.

We queued in line and discovered that sharp elbows and a wide stance were needed to prevent the locals pushing in - a standard custom, only allowed by women, who get priviledges over men. Unfortunately, if you're not clearly stood right behind the person in front, it is assumed you're not queuing at all. There goes personal space for the rest of our trip.

The train to Varkala was a standard passenger train. Wooden seats with all the locals and with stops at every stops. Ideally we would have gone tourist class, but there's nothing like getting stuck into travelling with the locals. The 1.5 hour trip was painless. The only difficulty was knowing where we were and when to get off. It nice to say, we didn't really care. What if we missed the stop? No problem, we'd just jump in a taxi and pay about 15 pence to get back to our destination. It's good we both have this attitude - it allows you to deal with everything India has to throw at you.

End Of Part Two

2007-03-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

After the wedding, we quickly put the guest book together and then had our last meal with the left over guests. The next morning we hurried off to the airport for the final leg of our trip - India.

When we arrived, we were stunned by the calm that surrounded the aiport. We thought that it would much more hectic. When jumped in a cab and found our way to a local hotel, we discovered that much of the area around the airport is a collection of shanti towns. Between each lay 4 and 5 star hotels, crazy roads and lots and lots of people. Our hotel was a little 3 star number with helpful staff, although a little too attentive at 6.30am when asking for the drinks bill from the previous night.

We arranged flights south to Kerala and without hassle and pain, made it very easily to the airport and down to our destination.

The Wedding Of The Season

2007-03-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well the wedding went really well and Debs was beautiful. There was of course the obligatory little hiccup, which didn't set the day too well - the make-up lady didn't turn up at the hair salon. Luckily the manager of the salon was very professional and took Debs round the Mac shop on Oxford Street (Sydney), where they kindly saved the day. Naughty make-up lady. Debs emerged stunning with a few little extras (little false eyelashes) which made her very coquettish. All was quickly forgotten as we washed away a couple of glasses of champers before the photographer arrived and the formalities started.

As far as I believe, not all was running so smoothly at the groom's camp. Besides frequent toilet trips, nervous sweating and very fiddly ties, they managed to turn up at the church on time. By the time we got there, there were still guests arriving (due to Sydney's inefficient taxi service) and the groom and his groomsmen seemed to be dashing in and out of the loo. Whilst all this was going on, we kept hidden behind some trees and out of the sweltering sun.

The service was good and all was fine. There were a few moments of tears, from the bride, groom and mother of the bride, but still everyone managed through and an ecstatic Mr and Mrs Woodford emerged from the church.

On to the reception and again, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves drinking champers and Pimms on the lawn. Very civilised. Stu and I ran round taking Polaroid snaps of all the guests so we could compile the guest book while the rest of the guests nibbled on some scrumptious canapes. (We missed out as carrying drinks, camera, postcards, pens, film and organising guests didn't leave a free hand for canapes. Damn - they looked good!)

The meal was lovely. Probably the best wedding food I've ever had (besides the food at our own wedding, of course). In true Ozzy style, half the guests had fish and the rest beef. Perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. If you didn't like what you were given, you simply swapped with your neighbour. The catering company did a fab job.

The speeches broke up the servings of food and once again there were a few tears, lots of laughs and one or two boos - poor best man! Never mind. All was quickly forgiven and the guests were left with a lovely memory of the groom from his stag do. Ouch - that looks painful!

We danced well until 11am, the bouquet was thrown and then stumbled down to the taxis and on to a nightclub for some; bed for the rest of us.

A lovely day.

An Australian Rugby Match

2007-03-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to a rugby match at Centennial Stadium. It had been lashing with rain all day and the weather didn't let up for the game either. We arrived in good time and settled in our seats, but were blown all over the place by a wind created by the stadium - it seemed to be sucked down into the grounds like a vortex. Luckily we had lots of layers to keep warm, even though it was 18 degrees outside the stadium.

The game was set off with a fanfare and fireworks as the Warratahs came out to play against the Stormers. The play was poor and both teams struggled to score a try, in particular the home side - the Warratahs. The end result was 18-10 to the Stormers. A dispointing game, but the event was good. We had a few beers and thoroughly enjoyed having a gang of us at the game.

Filling Our Time

2007-03-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, whilst in Australia we haven't been doing very much. Helping out with wedding tasks, meeting up with the relatives and pottering about. Very busy doing nothing. All good fun - but nothing to report.

Rock & Roll On A Harley Davidson

2007-03-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

It's mum's 60th birthday in May and so for her birthday present we got her a tour of northern Syndey on the back of a Harley Davidson. Cool. She squealed at the sight of the bikes and thoroughly enjoyed herself - alongside dad.

All good stuff.

Wedding Preparation

2007-03-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well we've been busy with the wedding preparation and it's now only a few days away. Everything is set and luckily for me the bridesmaids dress fits (after a few alterations). The family have arrived and we've had lots of family dinners and a few ladies only lunches. It's been lovely catching up with them all again. We've even managed a few days sitting on the beach and Stu's been doing some surfing at last!

Moving On - Australia Here I Come!

2007-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I left Stuart in Auckland seeing his friend Tammy. We had a minor panic attack as we realised that Stuart didn't have a visa for New Zealand just as the plane was landing in Auckland. Oops. Luckily for us he didn't need one and so I was allowed my mini-holiday away from him for a week. Hoorah! - only kidding Stu ;o)

Now I'm with with my lovely sister in Sydney and we're going to be pottering about and doing last minute planning and preparation in the run to her wedding on the 23rd March. I'm very excited, as is she! Plus, I get to see my parents in a week or so. Lovely!

End Of Part One

2007-03-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we've left South America and I suppose that's the end of part one of our journey. We've spent more or less, six months travelling around Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina and we've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now we're on to part two - the wedding of my sister in Australia. Should be fun...

To end this part, here's a synopsis of our thoughts of the parts of South America we visited:

Favourite country: Bolivia
Simply because the life there is so different and there's very little western influence. It's not changed in years and the majority of people there are the indigenous people. The black market is strong so there's a certain way of doing things and nothing quite works. It has spectular scenery, beautiful jungle, strange, out the way villages and very few proper roads. The people are lovely too.

Favourite city: It has to be Buenos Aires
Cosmopolitian, beautiful architechure, tango, tango, tango

Favourite place: Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca in Bolivia
Simply amazing and idyllic. Another world.

Favourite restaurante: The Alvear Hotel, Buenos Aires
Amazing value for their lunch menu. It is rated the best restaurant in BsAs by the people of BsAs. I'd have to agree.

Favourite experience: The Seeds of Hope children in Peru
We both gained so much out of working with the children at Seeds of Hope. They won't be forgotten and the charity will be in our lives for a long time.

Biggest disappointment: Chile
Expensive, a little lacking in culture (in comparison to the other countries we visited) and the people weren't the friendliest.

We've had a fabulous time in South America and will certainly be going back! (But not for a while).

Leaving Good Friends

2007-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

On our last night in Buenos Aires we went around to our Spanish teacher's house for dinner. Mariano, our teacher is hilarious and we've thoroughly enjoyed our classes with him.

Mariano is an interesting chap and as we've had our many hours of Spanish conversation with him over the last two months, we've become very fond of him and discovered a lot about this his life. He's a great teacher, mainly because he tells us a lot about his life too, breaking down the usual teacher-student barrier. It's been great, as we've been able to see a real snapshot of Argentine beliefs.

Mariano, 39 is married to a very beautiful, young 24 year old Equadorian girl. They've been married 6 years and she's now 3 months pregnant. From their own admission they fell in love at first sight as Mariano was a good friend of her father. As her father was dying, she used to type out all of his emails for his friends. Mariano was one of these people and she loved his witty, dark humour. Then, when she saw him, she actually fell in love with him as well, without knowing that he was her father's witty friend. After her father died, they got married to her mother's disgust, under a tree on a hill in Equador. A very simple affair.

He's got the same sense of humour as Stuart and a love for travel as well. I think we'll be seeing him again. As you can see from our last dinner, we managed to polish off a few bottles of wine. We left his house at 4am in the morning in the lashing rain. We were soaked! When we woke up the next day, our clothes were still wet!

Last Tango In Buenos Aires

2007-03-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

We've been to some great milongas over the last two weeks. Some of our favourites include Nino Bien, a milonga only 3 blocks from our flat (pictured here). It's a grand, traditional hall that gets very busy. The space available for each couple is very small, so you have to take very small steps. It's also quite dangerous and I walked away from the dancefloor bleeding. I've now come to learn this is an occupational hazard with the popular milongas!

Another favourite is Bien Pulenta. A hall that is used for one of the tango spectulars. It's a little gem in the middle of Once - an area quite rough around the edges. Both these milongas offered up live orchestras to dance to. Truly beautiful.

El Beso (The Kiss) is a very small milonga, with a tiny dancefloor. A large pillar obstructs the flow of the dancing a little, but isn't too imposing. The photo's of dancers here are taken in El Beso. This was the favourite club of Belen, our landlady - she goes about 2-3 times a week until the early hours of the morning. It's difficult to get a good seat here. The regulars reserve the best tables round the edge of the dancefloor and because the venue isn't big, foreigners tend to get tucked away in a corner or at the back, making it difficult to get eye contact for dances.

My favourite milonga was a social club in Flores, a residential area a little out of the centre. Here, families come together to eat, chat, catch up and dance, so it's got a much more relaxed atmosphere. We went with Aurora, our dance teacher. She has a regular table reserved for her. We were blessed that night with a lovely show from a couple of German tango teachers living in Buenos Aires. They were lovely dancers.

Belen's Crazy Cats

2007-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

Our land lady Belen lives on the floor above us and she's got these two crazy cats, Juanita and Carlito. They're brother and sister and are long haired ginger cats with a really cheeky personality. The funny thing is though is that Belen has long curly hair and has a cheeky personality too. You know what they say, pets look like their owners.

Unfortunately, its very difficult to get a cat to stand still, let alone two, so the photo isn't great.

Our Last Week

2007-03-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

Its now our last week in Buenos Aires and we're doing lots of tango classes. We've really made an improvement and now thoroughly enjoying the milongas - which we've been frequenting late into the night.

We've been busy buying presents for our teachers and going out to dinner with friends. Its been really nice and everyone has been lovely to us. Hopefully we've got some lifelong friends. :o)

Chinese Giant

2007-02-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Strange, but true and we thought this was worth a mention. In our local laundry shop, there is a Chinese giant. She's well over six foot and has fangs. I think she has a bit of a thing for Stuart as she's always smiling at him. The funny thing is, she keep on shrinking Stu's t-shirts on the boil wash!

Damn and Blast!

2007-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've had my bag stolen, right from under my desk! Tapping away at the computer the light fingered thieves took my bag. The most annoying thing was that I had two pairs of beautiful dance shoes in it! So now I have no shoes to dance in! Damn!

Two good things though. First, I'm not hurt and didn't even notice it (rather that than be attacked) and second, I get to buy some more shoes!

Other than that we're well.

Back To The Grind

2007-02-20T04:32:00.000-08:00

Now that Stu's family have gone, we're back to the endless tango and Spanish lessons. You could say it's not really a grind as we thoroughly enjoy it, although, most days the tango lessons are really hard, both mentally and physically.

In between, we're playing around with the internet. In particular I've been building a site about cheap weddings and reminiscing about my wedding last year. Arh. Stu's just surfing at the moment, until inspiration strikes.

Wandering Around Buenos Aires

2007-02-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here´s some photos from our walks around Buenos Aires.

Recoleta Cemetery

2007-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

One sunny afternoon we went to Recoleta Cemetery. We had been doing a city tour and this was where the tour ended. The cemetery itself is very small, but the headstones and crypts are huge, with each competing against the next to be the most grandiose, most sculpted, have the most adornments or simply, just be the biggest.

This graveyard is home to past generations of rich and famous Argentinians. From generals, actors, presidents to the elite - they're all here with their families.

Some of the crypts are huge with up to 50 people buried beneath the ground. It's strange, because from street level all you see is the doorway and a small stairwell going down, covered in cobwebs and dust.

Those that don't have the chambers beneath, often have the coffins clearly on display with photographs, flowers and gifts littered around the small chamber. Iron bars protect the dead behind the glass doors, often stained or decorated glass, while stray cats lie out front to guard the dead.

The most famous person buried here has to be Eva Peron - Evita. Her body was moved from pillar to post before coming to rest in this cemetery and ironically, she is buried alongside the very people she fought against whilst living - the rich elite. The crypt she lies in is quite modest in comparison to most and doesn't bear her family name. A small plaque showing her name denotes her location and that's all.

Los Reyes Del Tango

2007-02-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

One night we decided to take our visitors to experience a real milonga. We were very lucky to come across an advert for Los Reyes del Tango - a tradition tango band with four bandeleons and about 6 other members. They're renown for their energy and it's often quite difficult to see them.

They were on at the Confiteria Ideal, a famous dance hall in the centre of Buenos Aires. It's in a beautiful building that gives you a sense of the what a tango hall would have been like in its hayday. Now though, the hall needs some attention to the floors and ceilings. Regardless, it's still full every night with dancers, while tourists sit at the edge watching the dancers take to the floor.

Colonia del Sacramento

2007-02-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

One of trips took us across the Rio de la Plata to the pretty colonial town of Colonia de Sacramento in Uraguay. Colonia was used as a battleground between the Portuguese and the Spanish for years, eventually ending up as a Spanish colony. Regardless of the fighting, the small port has kept many of its colonial buildings in tact and now exhibits a pretty charm that sends you back to days gone by.

We spent the night in Colonia on the advice that the town had a different feel at night and looked particularly pretty lit up by the traditional street lamps. The advice was right and we thoroughtly enjoyed ourselves in this pretty little town.

There are plenty of quality artisan shops with sculpture, art, jewellery and woodwork. The quality a step higher than much of the touristy tat seen in many of the South American cities. There is definitely an arty sense in the air and many of the restaurants take on this charm too. One little corner bistro bar called El Drugstore had kitch art inside and black, antique cars outside. One car was used as a plant pot, the other had it´s inside converted into a dining table and chairs - definitely one for the car lovers.

The port is also famed for it's beautiful sunsets and we were blessed with one as we whiled away the afternoon on the decking of a bar. Picture perfect and no wonder the town is a UNESCO site.

Tired and exhausted, we slept on the boat trip back to Buenos Aires.

Señor Tango!

2007-02-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

In the evening of Stuart's birthday we went to the most glitzy, showy, extravagant tango show in Buenos Aires - Señor Tango! We were picked up from a hotel in town and then bused out to the theatre in La Boca (a little too unsafe for walking about). As we arrived we were shown to our seats - a private booth and then seats over the balcony for a birds eye view of the stage.

Some guests had been there all evening and were finishing off their dinner when we arrived at 9.30pm. By 10pm everything was cleared away, the dry ice was filling the air and the orchestra were setting up. The lights went down and then the stage in the centre of the room was filled with Indians on (real) horseback, fighting against the Spanish invaders. This was the start of the show - certainly setting the tone for the rest of the spectacular we were about to enjoy.

The show had a similar feel to Moulin Rouge, especially as they had one of the main dancers come down from the ceiling a la Nicole Kidman for a rendition of 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend', this was later added to by the Rozanne Tango, again danced in a similar way to the Moulin Rouge. The show was just as spectacular and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The show ended with a glass of champagne and a toast to Argentina as the cast sang 'Don't Cry For Me' and flags and glitter fell from the rafters. A little much for me, but the locals loved it!

Stuart´s 30th Birthday

2007-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

The poor fella turns 30 today. Bless. No longer a wipper snapper, but now a man looking forward to middle-aged spread and nights in. So, to celebrate we went out in style by stuffing ourselves silly with steak (well, pasta for me the vegetarian) and then the mother of all tango shows in the evening - Senor Tango.

Lunch was great (for the meat eaters). Steaks all round at La Cabrera, a restaurant that is one of Palmero's best guarded secrets. This time the steaks were different. Instead of the usual mannar of simply grilling the steaks on the parilla, they came with different flavours. Cooked with thyme, crushed black pepper or a variety of other subtle flavours really enhanced the meat. Then the waiter just kept on coming with the accompaniments, dips and relishes. 24 in all. 6 each for each meat dish. Some where repeated, but in total there were 17 different condiments or relishes on the table. Lush.

Since the pasta was really bad (not suprising since this is a parilla) I happily nibbled on the accompaniments, salad and bread. We washed down the meal with a lovely Malbec and thoroughly enjoyed the ambience. An hour or two later, we agreed that that was probably on the best restaurants we've been too so far. I would certainly go back and happily nibble on accompaniments to the boys steaks. Yum.

La Boca

2007-02-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

On our return to Buenos Aires we did a tour of La Boca, an area of Buenos Aires Capital which is notorious for football, tango, coloured corrogated iron houses and street crime!

Firstly, La Boca is home to the Boca Juniors, the team made famous by Diego Maradona as it was where he played. The stadium is a few blocks into the neighborhood and is not the most pleasant of walks. They say it´s perfectly safe, but some of the looks from the locals and the lack of other tourists around the stadium made me feel quite unsafe. We spent a quick five minutes around the outside of the stadium (to satisfy the boys) and quickly returned to the busy touristy streets of the main drag.

La Boca is also famous for the painted corrogated iron houses that line the streets. La Boca is a very poor area, inhabited by the first imigrants to the city. They found a lively hood working in the docks and with the left over paint from the ships they painted their houses. Hence the coloured houses that line the streets. Now the two main streets near the docks are filled with tourists every day and the locals, dressed up as tango dancers, tout to have their picture taken for small change.

The real Boca lies beyond the stadium and closer into the center and is certainly not a place for tourists.

A Brazilian Side To The Falls

2007-02-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

On the second day, I awoke feeling much better and Keith was up and eating breakfast too. So we set off to the Brazilian side to see what was on offer from a different point of view. We also got another stamp in the passport, which we were all pleased with.

As to be expected, we were blessed with even more spectacular views of the falls, and since Keith and I hadn´t seen the Argentinian panoramic views, we were blown away. After walking along the walkway to settle in the restaurant (where you view the water just going over the edge) we all agreed that the Brazilian side was better.

The two sides were both fantastic with different experiences to be had. But the Brazilian side allowed you to see the full 2.7km width of the falls allowing you to appreciate the magnificence of them.

The Brazilian side packed a punch and were done with the Falls fairly early that morning. Across from the park in which the falls lie, there is a bird park, so we went around and viewed all the birds. Most are in aviaries, which you can actually walk through, so it´s possible to get really close to the birds as well. There was also a butterfly house which you could also walk through. This also housed humming birds which were truly beautiful.

Since Iguazu is in the rain forest, the number of butterflies is immense. The lick the salts off your skins, which means at times you could easily have several beautiful butterflies on you. Quite a treat.

The following day we flew back to Buenos Aires and back to our rigorous itinerary.

The Largest Dam In The World

2007-02-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

One of the clever things the Brazilians have done is harness the power from all the water available around this area. In conjunction with Paraquay, they've created a hydro-electric plant which provides 20% of Brazil's energy needs and 90% of neighboroughing Paraquay's energy needs. It's the largest dam and hydro-electric energy plant in the world and it's pretty impressive.

Stu being an engineer thoroughly enjoyed the free tour, taking notes and lots of pictures. There are 18 turbines in total and the lake that sits on the other side of the dam is 8km long. The place is massive and geographically sits on the border between Paraquay and Brazil, so without knowing we visited another country - no stamp this time.

The Argentinian Side Of Iguazu Falls

2007-02-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

We decided to fly to Iguazu Falls rather then take the 18 hour bus journey. When we arrived in Iguazu we were greeted with a wave of humid heat that hit us hard. This was broken by a thunder storm overhead. As we sipped our coffee in a small cafe in the town, the storm thundered around us. A bolt of lightening hit a pylon nearby sending an array of sparks into the sky whilst surging the electricity of the town and sending us back to a time of warm beer and no air conditioning. The lights were out for the next few hours, so we spent the time writing postcards and catching up with tails from home. Luckily we had nothing planned for our first afternoon in Iguazu, as it was literally a wash out.

By early evening the electricity was back on and we headed out for dinner to a lovely looking restaurant called AVQA (a little too similar in name and logo to my previous employer). We all had local fish with different sauces and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The following morning we met for breakfast in the hotel. Keith (Stuart´s father) had been ill all night and I wasn´t feeling too great either. Keith ended up staying in bed all day (and spent the next few days trying to build up his energy levels and recover) whilst the rest of us headed off to the Argentinian side of the falls.

Our first stop was to be the Devil´s Throat. A walkway meanders across the river for about one kilometre and you end up right at the top of the falls - literally looking down at the gushing water below and being soaked by the mist and spray being sent far into the sky. The sight was fairly amazing, but you only really got to see the top of the falls, and to be honest the movement of water was making me feel quite queasy. The best was yet to come with the panoramic views from below.

As we walked back along the walkway, my queasiness didn´t subside and by the time we reached the riverbank and I was straight to the loo. It seemed I had the same fate as Keith and I took myself back to the hotel and to bed for the rest of the day. The others went off to view the falls from below, take a boat trip into the gushing falls and generally be amazed by the awesome sight.

To give you an idea of the scale, the falls are split into two main sections. The first makes up the area of the Devil´s Throat and the second the rest of the falls. They´re 2.7km wide, which makes the panoramic views simply amazing. In places the falls are small, with a small trickle over the edge and others the water pounds down, creating a fine mist that soaks you to the sink. In certain sections again, the falls are stepped, so you get differing lengths of tumbling water. A real visual spectacular.

The River Delta of Tigre

2007-02-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

One of the first trips out of Buenos Aires we did was to visit Tigre, a town about an hour out of the city. The town sits on a river delta with lots of small winding canals and riverways. You can catch a boat that will drop you off on many of the small islands littered with holiday homes and restaurants.

We only took a day trip up here to see a different side of life. As soon as we got of the train, the direty heat of BsAs had subsided and fresher air surrounded us. The pace of the people around us had also slowed down and you could feel that this was a place to relax.

The river waters are rich with sediment from the jungle creating a rich coffee coloured water. There are hundreds of barges and catamarans waiting to take tourists off to explore the waterways. They´re literally buses, which can be flagged down by passing residents and tourists to get back to the main town.

Each little island has it´s own petrol station (a waterside version for filling boats, not cars) and a few restaurants. The locals hang about lounging on the piers to their weekend houses, some with a fishing rod, hoping to catch to some dinner, others simply catching some rays.

We wandered about a little and then settled on a restaurant to eat some lunch. Lomo (tenderloin steak) for the boys and some salads for the girls. A very leisurely day.

Meet The Parents

2007-02-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

Stuart´s parents and brother arrive later today and we´re both excited. We´ve been saving most of the touristy stuff in and around Buenos Aires to do with them over the next two weeks. We´ve got a packed itinerary of trips and restaurants to get through. Off to the airport to pick them up.

Antique Heaven

2007-01-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

The cobbled streets of San Telmo are filled with hundreds of antiques stalls selling all kinds of memorbilia from gramaphones to postcards. The selection and quality is incredible, but of course, there´s always the tat as well. I suppose though, one man´s tat is another man´s treasure! Here´s a selection of some of the stalls.

A Sunday Stroll through San Telmo

2007-01-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went for a stroll through the cobbled streets and market vendors of San Telmo. The area is now famous for it´s antique market and tango dancers on this street. At every corner you turn, you´re confronted by tango bands, dancers, models dressed in tango regalia or street artists all vying for your attention. Mixed in with this is are old relics left over from the golden years of 30´s and 40´s that fill the antiques stalls and shops. It´s a real feast for the senses, the visual appeal of the stalls, dancers and colonial architecture, the sound of the music filling the air, the heat from the sun and the smell from the antiques on the stalls. It all combines together to creates a great vibe, that is special to this area.

If you take away the performers and the vendors, San Telmo is stripped back to reveal the grandiose, colonial buildings with intricate ironwork and pretty facades. Coupled with the cobbled streets and old tram lines, you get a glimpse of the what the grand Buenos Aires was like. Now though, that grandeur has gone, only to leave crumbling paint. The only new paint in this area is now graffiti.

I do like San Telmo. It offers a most pleasurable way to spend a Sunday. I think we´ll end up there a few more times before leave.

Perfect Pastries

2007-01-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

We pop into our local panaderia, Confeteria La Campana, every day, whether for a small little sweet snack, a tarte for lunch or some bread rolls. I´m sure they think we´re mad as we´re always popping in. They´re really friendly and very chatty. It turns out that they make everything on the premises, including the chocolates, pastries and tartes - all of which are delicious.

The Women and Food in Buenos Aires

2007-01-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

I have been in awe at the women here in BsAs. They are so thin and toned. Not only are they thin, but they´re generally very petite. After seeing what they eat I´m not surprised. Steak and salad. So without knowing it they´re all on Atkins! Even with this slim build, they´re looking after themselves as well. There are lots of toned women of all ages around - it´s such a contrast to the ever increasing waistline of Britain.

The women in the milongas are especially thin, mainly because they dance tango all night and don´t drink alcohol. The simple reason is that it´s almost impossible to dance after couple of drinks, so if you want to dance, you avoid the drinks and sip soft drinks or coffee.

The Argentines don´t just eat steak and salad. There´s lots of lovely pasta from the Italian heritage and they also do fabulous pastries and biscuits. The panaderies (bread shops) stock hundreds of different kinds of petit fours, tarts and cakes and they really are fabulous. But because they´re all so small, you can easily taste just one, without having to buy a dozen and then eat them all in one go! Alternatively, you can go for a coffee where they will provide a small glass of water and a couple of the petit fours as an accompaniment.

A couple of things they don´t do very well is fish and cheese. Firstly, fish. Because meat is such high quality and so cheap, fish doesn´t really get in a look in. And if you find fish on the menu, the restaurant often won´t have it in. If they do, then they don´t cook it very well or the quality isn´t great. This is true even on the coast. In Argentina meat rules. Secondly, cheese. They´ve got all these cows and then the European influence from Spain, Germany and Italy, but still the cheese isn´t that great. Their cheese shops double as delicatessens and these are often overrun with hundreds of varieties of sausages. Damn! Not that great for a fish eating vegetarian.

Moved into our Apartment

2007-01-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

We´ve moved into our little apartment in San Cristobel, an area between Once and San Telmo. Once is great for local milongas and San Telmo is perfect for living and breathing tango (for tourists). It´s also only a few stops to the centre of town, so a perfect location all in all. It´s nice to have our own space, own kitchen and own sofa to chill out. We´ve found a language school a few blocks away, a great coffee shop, a fast, cheap internet shop and generally a lovely, little neighborhood. As you walk down the street, you can hear teh old classic tango songs coming from porteño´s radio. The locals sit on their door steps and watch the world go by as the smell of coffee shops and parillas (Argentine BBQ) fill the air.

It´s quite different to the UK. The set up is quite traditional with small shop keepers providing different services - from laundry shops, greengrocer, small supermarket and panaderia (special bread shop). Since they´re all close by, we´ve been shopping as we need it. We go into the same shops every day and so we´re building relationships with the owners. People smile, talk and have a conversation with us. It´s quite a leap from the unfriendly areas of London where the large supermarkets dominate in a huge cold and clinical warehouse (not a big fan of this - bring back local services!).

Our First Taste of a Milonga

2007-01-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

In the evening of New Year´s Day we met with our soon-to-be landlord and Bridget and Leo, our tango teachers from London, in a lovely, traditional ´salon de tango´ in Once. Once is an area of Buenos Aires close to the centre. It´s a bit rough around the edges, but there are lots of milongas (tango nights) held around here. (Photo here by Carlos Alkim).

The tango salon was a traditional old tango hall with a four large marble columns supporting the ceiling which also marked out the edge of the dancefloor. Tables and chairs were laid out around the edge of the dancefloor and a waitress provided a slow, Argie style table service. The club was frequented by porteños (the term used for people who live in BsAs) and not for foreigners. As we arrived at the door, the organiser checked us out and offered us a table in the worst spot - at the back, against the wall and close to the door, so we would have been distracted and annoyed by the comings and goings of the club. As it happened, our porteños had reserved a table, on which we were included, so we informed the organiser and he allowed us to wander freely to find them. Throughout the night, he asked us three times if we found our friends, with a slight feeling of mistrust I think!

Our porteños had a great spot, right on the edge of the dancefloor and close to the bar. After greeting our friends we put on our shoes and took the dancefloor, whilst it was still not too busy. The music was all the old tango classics that we´re familiar with. After four songs, there is an intercession of 50´s rock and roll to denote the end of the session and to change partners.

By 1am, we´d had enough (New Year´s Eve catching up with us) so we headed back to our hostel and went to bed.

Stuart Little

2007-01-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

The South Americans really seem to struggle with our names. For ease I call myself Nicole (Nicola is actually a man´s name over here - which is nice) and Stuart, well everyone knows his name. The other day, I had nipped off to get something and met Stuart in a clothes shop. He was in the changing room and so I asked the shop assistant if he was still here. He asked for his name and so I said "Stuart" and he replied, "Ah, Stuart Little". The children at Seeds of Hope all called him "Stuart Little" as well. So there, I´m married to a small hairy mouse - I never realised how popular that movie was!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Well, we were at a bit of a loss about what to do for New Year´s Eve. Thinking Buenos Aires was one of the party capitals of South America, it seems that NYE is family time and believe it or not, the bars close! Yes, you read that right. There are only two nights of the year that bars and many bistro type bars are closed - NYE and Christmas Eve. The Argies celebrate by eating late (as usual) with the family and then maybe wandering to a bar on the way home or perhaps a club - but the bars and clubs don´t open until 2am.

So where does that leave all the tourists? Mainly, stuck! You can´t get into a restaurant for love nor money, so a group of us from the hostel ended up down in the port on the waterfront. There was a small kiosk, which sold crappy wine and beer, so we chilled out and watched some fireworks. By 1.30am, we decided to go a club nearby - Opera Bay - which, I have to say is one of the coolest clubs I´ve ever been in. It´s kind of like a squashed Sydney Opera House and it looks over the port. There are five large rooms, stylish water features, a decked area outside and fabulous views over Puerto Madero. Great for summer, but I imagine it to be a little chilly in the winter!

Stu and I crawled home at about 5am - quite a strange night. Here´s us at the end of the night...

New Year´s Day

2007-01-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year´s Day chilling out in the hostel as virtually all of BsAs was closed, except for a street called Lavalle where all the tourists eat, drink and generally hang out. It´s a bit like Soho, with naff, overpriced restaurants that aren´t very good. We managed to get some lunch in one of these restaurants with two of our other hosteleers. Stu was his usual monkey-self as he had hangover and managed to break a glass in the restaurant as we chatted with our companions about the explosion of the internet. One of the guys with us headed up a sales team at Google, so the conversation was fascinating.

Arriving in Buenos Aires

2006-12-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

Having left the south earlier then expected as there wasn´t much in Puerto San Julian, we arrived in Buenos Aires (BsAs) about a week early. As we stepped off the bus, we were hit with an enormous wave of hot, humid air and a smile certainly came to my face! Warmth at last!

We found our hostel in the centre and chilled out for the rest of the day. We spent the next few days buying summer clothes and trying desperately to work out what to do for New Years Eve to ensure it wasn´t the wash out Christmas was.

Our hostel was V&S Hostel Club. It´s a lovely hostel in a town house in central BsAs, located close to the main shopping strip and with good access to all the touristy stuff. The rooms are clean and airy, the bathrooms nice and the place generally ok. However, the price is different to the website, you have to pay additionally for the air conditioning and the staff are a bit disorganised (although I hear, they´re the most organised in BsAs). The most frustrating thing was that you couldn't bring in your own drinks, so you had to buy their beer (only one option). This makes it quite hard to socialise in the hostel and meet new people. We still met some cool characters though.

Christmas in Puerto San Julian

2006-12-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

We moved on from El Calafate as we wanted to spend Christmas up the coast in the hope of seeing some wildlife and warmer temperatures. We decided to go to Puerto San Julian and arrived on Christmas Eve, only to find everything closed. Luckily we found a hotel, but literally everything else was closed, and would be for the next few days.

After further investigation, we found a small corner shop and an internet shop, but as it happens were open for much of the time. The owner of the shop was a Bolivan - and so works all hours God sends to scratch a living. The shop never seemed to close and so we manage to buy enough food for our Christmas dinner. This consisted of cheese sarnies, some fruit and some lovely red wine.

Strangely enough, it was similar to most Christmases - sitting around watching naff films on cable TV and eating junk. The only thing missing was friends and family!

As Boxing Day arrived, the town livened up again and we managed to get a bus out that night - straight to Buenos Aires.

No photos as there really was nothing to take pictures of.

Crashing Icebergs and Huge Glaciers

2006-12-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

From El Calafate, there are lots of excursions as you´ve probably guessed. Our final ´must do´ tour was to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciers National Park. The glacier is part of the southern Patagonia ice field which is where we´ve seen all the various glaciers, however this glacier is different. It´s the largest, most active and most impressive glacier in the ice field and the good thing is you can get right up close, allowing you to see how truely awesome a glacier is.

I´m hoping you´ve read Stu´s glacier facts from his ice-climbing trip, so you´ll know a little about them. Well, this glacier is stories high and as I said, this one is active, which means huge chunks fall off and drop into the lake frequently. You can hear the glacier groaning and cracking as it´s slowly moving, and then when a section splits off, the sound is like thunder. Unfortunately, by the time you´ve heard it, the section of ice is already in the water creating a small tidal wave across the lake!

It´s possible to take a boat trip near the glacier, but you don´t actually get that close, mainly because it´s so dangerous! To give you some scale, here´s a picture of the glacier with a boat. You can just about see the boat - it´s the little black dot on the right!

We spent around two hours here, simply gazing in awe at the mass of ice, waiting for the next chunk of ice to drop off. Quite incredible.

Searching for the Towers at the Torres del Paine

2006-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

After ice climbing and generally freezing our arses off down in El Chalten and Fitz Roy, we returned to El Calafate to sort out the next big tour - Torres del Paine. This is another incredible national park with stunning mountain ranges, except this time just over the border in Chile. It´s possible to do an 8 day trek around the mountain range, but we opted for the slightly easier 4 day ´W´ trek (as it resembles the letter W). We also decided to take our time and do it in 5 days, particularly since we were camping and it was likely that our sleep would be disrupted by the gale force winds, with which we became very familar!

The walk itself is stunning. On the first day we saw glacial lakes and stayed in a campsite at the foot of a glacier. We spent the evening staring out of the refugio window as icebergs floated by and sipping cheap red wine. The second we returned to our starting point and that evening we stared out of another refugio window at an incredible mountain. Again we sipped cheap red wine and chatted the night away. The third day we crossed moors and marshes to reach a valley between the mountains and a fabulous look out point. Unfortunately at this point the weather turned a bit nasty and snow and ice-rain whipped our faces - so no great views today. The fourth day we walked to our final campsite and settled in as tomorrow we were to climb to a high look out point for a close up view of the Towers. In the morning, Stu went alone to the look out as one of my tendons had been acting up and so I rested. It had been cloudy and the Towers hadn´t been visible for a day or so, but Stu was blessed that morning. Just as he reached the look out, the clouds parted and rewarded him with perfect views.

We were quite surprised how easily we found it. The walks are easy to moderate, but there are some steep hills and hard climbs, particularly when you´ve been walking for a few days. At first I was surprised how many people had walking poles, but by the third day I was so envious - I really could have done with some!

The views are stunning to say the least and we were blessed with good weather (well, good for Torres del Paine), so most of our views were clear. Camping was hard. It was cold and very windy, but spending the evenings in the refugios was great. Warmth and red wine - what more can a girl ask for!

On our return to Puerto Natales, we made a beeline for El Living , a small cafe with fabulous food, so we could stock up on fruit and veg after camping for 5 days. The food was delicious, my favourite so far. Yum.

In Search of Accommodation in Puerto Natales

2006-12-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note here about Puerto Natales, Chile. It is a very stange place, but the point to reach the Torres del Paine. The houses are all very ramshackled and the town is terribly poor, so the budget accommodation is particularly bad. We stayed in a couple of hostels. The first was filthy and awful so when we returned from our trek, we went out on the search for an alternative.

We were recommended a little hostel called Casa Teresa which we found easily as it was a two floored, bright pink house made from corrogated iron. We thought we´d also check out a few other places, but we found much the same - filthy, strange houses run by people that were straight out of the League of Gentlemen. Our little hostel was spotlessly clean, the owner incredibly helpful, the bed was heaven and the breakfast was lovely (far better then the usual bread and jam).

Ice Climbing and Clambering on a Glacier

2006-12-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

We set off at 7.00am in the morning to make it to the base camp of the glacier by 9.00am. We made a quick stop at the base camp to collect our equipment and have some tea and biscuits before the final part of our trek to the glacier. The second section held the treat of crossing the river using a fixed rope, so we had to drag ourselves across.

After a further climb over a woodland pass we decended onto the glacier. Our guide gave us a demostration of how to use the crampons and a few pointers about how to walk safely. The basics of which are - don´t step on anyones feet, don´t kick anyone and walk like a duck which felt a bit quackers! Luckily Nicky had to decided to stay at the hostel otherwise I would have had a few spikes up my jacksee. The crampons are excellent they allow you to walk on icey surfaces that are at extreme angles!

A few glacial facts:
• Glaciers are formed by large amounts of snow falling, melting and compressing into ice.
• There is no air in the ice when the glacier is formed in this way, so the glacier looks blue instead of white.
• When a body of ice is formed and is greater than 20 tonnes it can be classed as a glacier.
• The weight of the ice and snow high up the glacier causes the glacier to move slowly down the mountin valley. As the glacial moves, rocks and debris under the glacier are crushed into small pieces which form a lubricanting layer allowing the glacier to continue moving. As the glacier shifts down the valley the ice breaks and cracks creating large in the glacier.
• At the end of the glacier there is usually a lake and river formed from the glacial melt. The lake takes on a bluish turquoise colour from the small particles of debris.
• Where the glacier meets the lake, this section is called the tongue of the glacier. High up in the mountains small glaciers form called hanging glaciers, which I have renamed the `ears of the glacier´!
• 5,000 years ago the glacial tongue which I walked on was 200km longer than it is today. Since the last ice age, the earth has slowly warmed and the tongue has retracted.

We also has a chance to try ice climbing on a small wall in the glacier, this was excellent, if not a little slippy. Wacking ice axes into the wall was harder than it looked and the once grippy crampons suddenly were not much help with a very hard compacted vertical wall of ice.

In all I spent about 3 hours walking and climbing on the glacier, it was really excellent. The 4 hour trek to the glacier and 4 hour return was definately worth it, even if I had to walk like a duck the next day because my legs were so stiff!

On the way back we were lucky enough to see a skunk carrying its little baby in it´s mouth. It was very cute until she got a bit perturbed by us and chased us away, there we were 4 grown males running away from a tiny fluffy animal, felt like something from the Monty Pythons Holy Grail! Better that, then stinking for a week!

Down in the Deep South

2006-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Over the last week we´ve been down in the deepest depths of Argentian Patagonia in the freezing cold. We took our tent and sleeping bags and headed off toward the small town of El Chalten to see Fitz Roy - a huge mountain whose summit stands out about 1,000m above all the others around, so it´s fairly impressive to say the least. We were blessed for our arrival by a clear day and the prominent mountain, clearly in view. Fitz Roy is strange, as it nearly always has a bed of cloud behind it and as it reaches the summit, this cloud slowly rises creating the look of a smoking volcano. Strange, but very intriguing. It´s so impressive, it´s very hard to take your eyes off it.

El Chalten, the town at the foot of Fitz Roy is a strange place. It was only built in 1985 to support the increasing tourism in the region and only has about 2,000 inhabitants during the summer and about 200 in winter. Not suprising really, given the weather conditions, which are harsh to say the least. It´s mid summer and the days hardly reach 16 degrees. With the wind chill, you can take this down a few more! The region is known for strong westerly winds, but we underestimated these quite significantly.

We set off on a cool, clear day with the intention to camp in the national park for a few days. This would allow us to take in the frosty blue glaciers, turquoise lakes and aweinspiring mountains. As we set off Fitz Roy was straight ahead in our view (very lucky as it had only been visible for a few hours in the last 8 days) and the fierce wind blowing dust in our faces. Unfortunately it began to cloud over and lashing rain started soon after. Luckily we reached the campsite quickly and set up the tent. The rain didn´t stop until the next morning and so we cut our camping trip short and headed back to the town, all soggy and wet. It didn´t stop raining all the next day either, so we made a good move, particularly since our tent was begining to let water in!

I´ve not been feeling too well, so I spent yesterday chilling out in the hostel while Stu went ice climbing, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Walking in the Lake District

2006-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Throughout the Lake District in Argentina, there are chocolate box towns, many of which have an architectural style similar to Switzerland. This style is a little exaggerated, which certainly annoyed some of our Swiss friends! Of course, being a Lake District, there were plenty of stunning lakes and walks. The thing that amazed me the most was the amount of wild flowers, in particular lupins, which lined vertually all the streets and lanes of the countryside. It was particularly nice to see hundreds of wild strawberries, in typical alpine style.

Gaucho Friends

2006-12-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

Whilst in Bariloche, we decided to go pony trekking across the Patagonian landscape in true guacho style! We had two lovely horses and Stu was very brave, especially since he´s not really ridden a horse before. We were guided by two guachos, one guacha girl and a crazy guacho - he spent most of the time hunting hares with his two greyhounds (who were very hungry as they hadn´t eaten for days). Two hours into the ride his dogs had caught two hares, which were skinned and hung up to dry during lunch.

For lunch we found a clearing, with a bit of shelter from the fierce Patagonian westery winds. We tied the horses to some scrubs and searched for firewood to build an open fire, which would later be used as our parilla (or BBQ). Whilst the wood burned, we ate nibbles of cheese and salami with crackers. Once the charcoal was warm enough, the guacha pulled out four massive hunks of steak and eight fat sausages (and some lovely empandadas for me). We watched the world go by, washing down our parilla with cheap red wine.

After lunch, it was back on the horses and back to the ranch. We would definitely to that again - it was a real treat to see the Patagonian countryside by horseback. We used Carol Jones, who was lovely. Food was good and the cake was great!

Working Our Way Down South

2006-12-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

Well, we left Huaraz with a great send off by all the other volunteers, which was lovely. Since then, we´ve more or less been sat on a bus. We gone from Huaraz to Lima (8 hours), then jumped straight on a bus to Tacna (18 hours), then taken a cab to Arica in Chile (1 hour) where we stayed overnight (phew). The next day we took a very posh bus with a flat bed - the height of luxury, to Santiago (29 hours), where we stayed overnight again. The following night we took the bus to Osorno (16 hours) and then in the morning took another bus to Bariloche in Argentina (6 hours). So we´ve literally been on a bus for the last 4 days to get right down to the Argentinian Lake District approximately 3,500 KM below Huaraz! It´s absolutely beautiful here. There are plenty of crystal blue lakes sitting at the foot of the lovely alpine mountains of the lower Andes and lots of chocolate shops. We plan to savour both later! One thing though, it´s very chilly down here and the wind is bitter! Ouch! We´re here for a couple of days and then off further south for more cool, crisp days and amazing glaciers.

Time to Go

2006-12-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately it´s our last day with the children today, so we´re watching films in the house and having cake. Yesterday, the children in the afternoon made us leaving cards. The cards are all really lovely and there´s some really sweet messages. Stuart spent the afternoon spinning the children around until they felt sick, which was hilarious.

We´ve really had a great time here and thoroughly enjoyed working with the team at Seeds and of course, the children. We´ve also spent a lot of time working with Yuri on communications for the charity, including writing emails, the website structure and copy, taking endless photos for the website and advising on the charity as a business, in particular how to get donations and volunteers. It´s been really great fun and we´re sad to go.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2006-11-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

We´ve been here a month, and we´ve experienced some kick arse rain! Every afternoon it rains like mad, except during a full moon, when for some reason the sun shines all day, and the mountains in the background are clearly visible. When there is a downpour, the water simply runs down the street and walking anywhere is a hazard! And it´s not even the rainy season. In January and February it rains all day! The photo here is near where the children live and is a typical street. Not much fun, but the kids all still have smiles on their faces!

Working Kids

2006-11-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

In the evenings and at weekends we´ve often bumped into the kids on the street working. All of them have jobs outside of school and Seeds. We´ve seen them shining shoes, selling oranges, selling sweets and selling hard boiled eggs. They have to do this to supplement the family income. They seem to have fun, but in reality they should be having fun in the playground and not on the dirty streets.

Yesterday, we went to the houses of a couple of kids and this really hit home how poor some them are. You don´t really realise at the school, as they´re always really happy and smiley. It´s only when you look closely at the children and their faces and hands are filthy, they have holes in their clothes and their shoes are falling apart. The picture here is the house of David´s family. There is no running water in the house, no bathroom or toilet and no electricity. There are 9 people living in this house - a mixture of cousins, brothers, sisters and parents. Three of the children living here attend Seeds of Hope and are really lovely kids, but they are incredibly poor, even though their parents work all hours. Many of the homes of the kids are the same and the families similar too - mud huts and large families. Seeds of Hope gives them a few hours of contact with adults who have the time to spend with them, help them with their studies, provide a place to get clean and give any help and support to them and their families (should they need it). Seeds of Hope means so much to these kids and it´s great to be part it.

And Some Girls Too...

2006-11-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Some More Monkies

2006-11-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

Monkey on my Back

2006-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

The kids have a naughty tendency to jump on you, particularly your back. They´ve frightened the life out of me several times and I´ve nearly fallen over. The other day, Stuart swept the two classrooms with Edino on his back. It took him 15 minutes and it was quite hilarious!

The Three R´s

2006-11-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

Stuart and I are really enjoying working with the kids. They´re challenging, but its very rewarding. We´ve both had to brush up on our long multiplication, long division (I had forgotten how hard that is, and avoid the kids who have it for homework) and all sorts of other complex maths stuff, which I never use now. Stu is in his element though and has been having great fun doing maths and making stuff with the kids.

My favourite part is reading with the kids. It´s something they really enjoy as well as it´s 10 minutes one-to-one and am opportunity for them to really show us what they can do. It´s obvious that they don´t get this time at home with their parents, who are probably busy at work or looking after the rest of the family. Afterwards the kids look really pleased with themselves and quite proud. I underestimated how much one-to-one time makes a difference to a childs confidence and self-esteem. I suppose it´s something that we took for granted growing up.

Flea Ridden Fun

2006-11-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

It feels a little while since we´ve posted any new articles, so firstly, I must apologise. Anyway, enough of that, here´s what we´ve been up to.

We´re still in Huaraz and still working with the kids. The little monkeys have fleas and I have been inflicted with dozens of flea bites over the last two weeks. I have learnt though, that Vicks Vapour Rub is very good at easing the itching and so I have been applying this with gusto! I´ve had to treat our bed clothes twice and have now taken to wearing deet to class. Unfortunately you can´t stop kids clambering all over you and certainly can´t say ´do you mind not touching me or coming near me?´. Anyway, it´s only for a short period of time, so I can put up with a bit of itching for the sake of the smiles on their faces when I give them a big hug. Strangely, Stuart doesn´t not have one single bite and that´s just not fair. Nevermind.

Walking at the Weekend

2006-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Yuri took us walking at the weekend again, but this time we tried to hard to avoid the rain, but didn´t have much success. Instead we went to the local villages by collectivo (overcrowded bus) or taxi. It was good fun and we got to see a bit of the countryside. We had lunch in a local restaurant near to Caraz with a beautiful garden - Yuri´s favourite restaurant. Stu was treated to Chicharron (greasy, fried pork) - he seemed to like it, but it looked pretty minging! We finished off the day with an icecream in Caraz, before catching another collectivo back to Huaraz.

Little Devils

2006-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

In the mornings, we´ve been mainly helping two little boys, both in the second grade at primary school. They´re nine and can´t read or write yet. They both keep us on our toes and need our constant attention.

One child is really good at colouring in, he keeps in the lines and is extremely neat in his work, but he only wants to colour in pictures and he won´t do any of the copying or drawing exercises that will help him learn to write. He needs the constant attention to help him with his exercises. He seems to have quite a few problems with concentration and it´s his way or the highway (Lindsay - any tips would be great, as I imagine Stuart was a little like that!). From talking to the other teachers, he was left by his parents and now lives with his grandparents, but they work all hours, so he is often left to his own devices.

The other little devil has four other brothers and sisters in the Seeds scheme. For the last few days, I have mainly been helping him and with constant guidence and attention he can do his exercises, but he really needs one-to-one supervision. Even after 90 minutes, you can see the improvement, but this is needed every day to ensure that there is constant improvement. He´s also filthy and the other day a little beasty jumped off his jumper onto the desk. After hopping around a bit the beasty jumped back onto the little boy and snuggled into the warmth!

I think over the next few weeks we´ll spend more time in the mornings with these two little devils, and hopefully we´ll see even more improvements.

Back to School

2006-11-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

On Monday we went back to school and we definitely felt like the new kids! The kids were as welcoming as ever and greeted us with the obligatory kiss and hug. In the morning there were 15 kids and the afternoon 24. Seeds of Hope can only take a maximum of 25 kids, mainly due to the space available, but also because of the amount of materials used by each child - there simply isn´t enough money to go round.

In the morning Stuart worked with a small group of 4 children on their Spanish homework, which was pretty testing and I had maths. I never thought I´d say I´d be glad to be doing maths! It was about all I could do, simply because maths is pretty much a universal language. The morning session ends with a cup of sweet porridge and a bread roll, which is devoured with glee by the kids. We then disappear off for our lunch, kindly cooked by Yuri´s aunt and to date has been fabulous. After lunch we go back for a new group of kids, and more punishment!

This has generally been the course of events for the last few days, except today we had a washing session. We´ve been using a new venue for the school and there´s been no water because the council have been doing work on the road outside all week, however today was the first day with water, so the kids had a bit of a wash. Definitely a good thing, as some of them are a bit stinky! Hands, face and some of the boys hair was washed. Unfortunately, one of the girls didn´t want to wash as the water was really cold. I think we may try again tomorrow, when we watch a film in the Seeds of Hope house and where there is an electric shower with a small dribble of hot water. Fingers crossed.

Seeds of Hope

2006-11-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Seeds of Hope has been going about six months and has been set up by four people who used to work in a similar charity. The purpose of the charity is help the poorest children in Peru´s society by providing them with support in various ways, including
- Providing educational support in the form of a school structure for those children who can not afford to go to school, to a place to study and supply of school materials such as pens, pencils, paper, text books and professional teacher support
- Providing emotional support in that the teachers and directors of the charity are permanent members of the team and are a prominent feature in the children´s childhood, including working with the parents and helping them to learn vocational skills if necessary
- Teaching social skills and the fundamentals to play an active and successful part in society
- Providing clothes, shoes and balanced diet
- Teaching personal hygiene
- Providing medical assistence, health and growth check-ups
- Providing support to the families, legal assistence and working for the rights of the children

The main activity Seeds provide is education and although education is ´free´ in Peru, some families can not afford to send their kids to school. It costs approximately $25 per month, per child to pay for the books, materials and food to send a child to school and many families have large families, so simply can´t afford it, or the child is needed at home to help with the family, the farm or simply work to contribute to the family income. Seeds tries to take this burden off some of the poorest families and so gives hope and opportunity to those that need it most.

At the moment Seeds is only in Huaraz and limited to a maximum of 25 children due to the cost and the amount of space they have available - they simply can´t fit any more kids in! For more information, visit Seeds here. The site is being worked on at the moment, but it will give you a better idea of the charity.

I´ll also post some more photos of the kids and their work over the next few days (Friday is film day, so you´ll have to wait until next week, when the kids are back in the school).

Walking at the Weekend

2006-11-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well the weekend came quickly and Friday night we went out for some beers and bonding. On Saturday morning we went for a walk or an 'itchi-trek' with our housemates through the beautiful countryside nearby. The view of the mountains from the surrounding hills of Huaraz is spectacular. On one side of the valley is the Cordillera Blanca (snowcapped mountains of the Andes) and on the other is the Cordillera Negro (black mountains of the Andes), which make up the lovely views all around. We ended the walk at the Aguas Terminales in Monterrey, where we had a bath in the very dirty, but very naturally very hot water. Stu and I weren´t keen to have a bath, but were glad as it was the most hot water we've seen in a long time, and the 20 minute soak in the tub was well worth it. Unfortunately, we ran out of juice in the camera and so we don´t have many pics. Those we do are here though.

Another Chilled Afternoon

2006-11-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

On Friday the kids had a special day at church due to the school´s anniversary and so we had the morning off. We haven´t done that much with them yet, but I imagine next week will get back to normal and we´ll be busy. In the afternoon the kids popped round to the house and we all sat around, had a mango and chatted about their morning. They only stayed for a short while and then went home.

A Procession of Lanterns

2006-11-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well we´ve moved in with the teachers and yesterday was our first day with the kids. In the morning they had a sports lesson and so we went to meet them at the sports ground - a concrete basketball court that doubles as a volleyball court and football pitch. The kids belonging to Seeds of Hope came bounding up to Yuri, one of the Directors and gave him a big hug and kiss, followed by a kiss and a hug for all of his companions, including us. He´s obviously very popular and as his teaching assistants, we are too. We watched the end of the football match and then watched a volleyball game, during which the kids generally climbed all over us and wanted lots of cuddles. They´re really cute and all very well behaved. In the afternoon, they made lanterns which would be used in the early evening to parade through the town in celebration of their school´s anniversary.

We met them later, we met them again as they began their walk through the town. The lanterns were great. They were really well made, with lots of different designs from aeroplanes to rabbits. They all had a candle in the middle and so the lanterns glowed in the dark. There must have been about 70 kids, which made a great procession through the town. Again, the kids were really happy to see us all, especially since we had a camera - which they went mad for!

The next day was a school holiday as it was the national celebration for the Day of the Dead. On this day, the Peruvians take presents and food to their loved ones in the cemetary and have a little party. A little strange for me, but they all certainly seemed to enjoy it!

Starting Voluntary Work

2006-10-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

We´ve finally managed to sort out our voluntary work in Huaraz, which we start on Wednesday at a new charity called Seeds of Hope. We´re going to be hanging out in a classroom and generally annoying some teachers. Actually we´re going to be helping out the kids with their homework and general life skills, so we´ll keep you up to date on all that. It was actually really sweet when we went to look round the school, one of the little boys came running up to me to give me a big hug and I even managed to give him a hug back, even with his snotty nose! They´ll be about 15 kids in total, so we should have great fun and lots of stories to tell over the next month with them. We´ll be living with two of the teachers, who seem quite cool and are kindly going to give us Spanish classes in the evenings as well. We´re both looking forward to that.

This is a picture of our little house.

Hanging out in Huaraz

2006-10-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

It feels like we´ve been here ages, but in fact it´s only been a couple days. We´ve been pottering about this little town which is quite quirky. We´ve found ourselves staying in a hostel that is normally frequented by Israelis, however there are none staying at the moment because it´s low season. Strange, because I thought all the notices and posters on the walls were in Quechuan (the local Peruvian language), when in fact they were in Hewbrew! The lady who owns the hostel said that she started it 24 years ago and one of the first people that stayed was an Israeli, and since then, most of her guests have been Israelis. Nothing like word-of-mouth recommendation! We even looked in her guest book and on every other page there´s a European couple, other than that, they´re all Israeli. We´re with a Swiss couple and French girl, all of whom are really fun to be around.

Huaraz is on a fault line and has been hit with many natural disasters in the last 100 years. The two main types of disaster are earthquakes, and the second are aluviones which are when high glacial lakes burst their banks causing a wall of water to wipe out whole towns in the area. Huaraz has been rebuilt at least three times and so is not the most beautiful city, but Mother Nature certainly keeps you on your toes.

The surrounding countryside is high glacial mountains and is impressive because of the number of peaks over 6,000m. It´s really quite beautiful and yesterday, we went on a tour to visit one of the glaciers, where we were allowed to clamber all over it. It was melting at an incredible rate and at the base of the ice was a small cavern which allowed you to see under the glacier. There was lots of water and a beautiful bluish hue from the centre - very pretty. We climbed almost to the top of the glacier, which was a breathless 5,200m and very tough. Getting down was much more fun, especially as we were sitting on our plastic bags. Unfortunately, I span out of control and bashed my head on some ice, just before being saved by Stu. Nothing worse then falling over on the ski slope though, and no lasting damamamage.

As part of our tour (more like package tour), we also visited a few local touristic sites, which were a touch amusing. The first stop was a pond of effervescent water - all naturally carbonated! The little pond was surrounded by a couple of traditionally dressed women with llamas wearing sunglasses and wigs. There were also the obligatory small child with a lamb wanting you to take their photo. The lamb was called Picachu and very cute, but not worthy of a photo. The 15 Peruvian teenagers on a school trip from Lima seemed tolike this though and enjoyed both the llamas in fancy dress and the carbonated water. The next stop was the ´lake of many colours´, which was in fact a small pond, no bigger than my front room and generally a dirty brown colour, rather then the well publicised seven colours. We then saw plants that only flower every one hundred years, and unfortunately they weren´t flowering! Anyway, it was still a fun trip and we enjoyed our time on the glacier.

Long Bus Rides North

2006-10-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

After Machu Picchu, we stayed in Cusco for a couple more days to enjoy the night life. We had a few drinks, met some really annoying people and promptly left the next day to go to Huaraz, eight hours north of Lima. Our journey to Lima was 18 hours on a very special bus. As we set off from Cusco we were given a magic show from a teenager, then at the next stop, only 15 minutes out of town, we were treated to 30 minutes of singing by a tone deaf, local boy. This was coupled with hundreds of different people jumping on the bus to sell all kinds of food from cheese to sweetcorn - at least you never went hungry!

The bus had a DVD player, but unfortunately we had no sound. It would have been difficult enough in Spanish, but with no sound at all, the films were useless! There was a toilet as well, but they kept it locked as the door didn´t shut properly and with the winding lanes around the Andes, the door would have banged all night. Unfortunately, 18 hours on a bus didn´t work too well without a toilet, so a couple of stops were made for two minute toilet breaks. All good and well if you´re male, but there were just as many women on the bus and we simply had to forget our modesty and pee with the men on the road side.

We arrived in Lima and wanted to get straight on a bus to Huaraz, but unfortunately we they didn´t go until late at night, so we set off in search of some accommodation. We found a cute little hostal in Milaflores, the posh part of town and chilled out to a naff American movie and a bottle of wine. The following day, we tried to do some tourist stuff, but failed terribly as they were on lunch, or the museum was really far out of the centre. We only managed to get to one museum, which was all about the Inquisition. That was pretty interesting as the building of the museum used to be where they tortured people and you could still see the cells and artifacts from the time. Very interesting, it gave me lots of ideas for when I need to get something out of Stu. Later that night we set off for Huaraz and another night bus. An uncomfortable ride, eight hours later and not much sleep, we arrived in Huaraz.

Interesting Entertainment on Public Transport?

2006-10-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting journey on the way back from Machu Picchu. We were on the Vistadome train, which has extra windows enabling you to see more of the beautiful landscape. This train also has special entertainment, where one of the train guards dresses up in a strange costume and gives a traditional dance. However, before that, he came round with a stuffed toy llama, which we all had to stroke. Very strange. After that, we were given a fashion show on the train by the other two attendents, one male, one female. They were showcasing the latest Peruvian alpaca fashion and it was really quite embarrassing, but some of the older, retired crowd seemed to like it, especially the older men.

The trains and buses at Machu Picchu are run by the Orient Express and cost an arm and a leg to get anywhere on them - they´ve certainly got that corner of the market nailed. It´s obvious that they´re appealing to an older demographic and one that likes the finer things in life!

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

2006-10-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

We started the trail at KM102, which meant we had only one full day´s walking on the trail before reaching the Sun Gate in the late afternoon. The trail started in the high jungle with the sun beating down on us as we set off uphill, little did we know that the trek would be all uphill. We passed beautiful orchids, fuscias, cows lying in the path, amazing rainbows and pretty waterfalls. The flowers were really beautiful and I was suprised at how many there were given that the trail is used so much. We also visited Inca ruins on the way and were treated to a full history lesson by our guide.

The Inca empire as we know it, really only lasted for 100 years before being conquered by the Spanish. The reason they´re so well known, is for what they achieved in that time. The empire began in Peru in a small area within in the Sacred Valley, but then extended throughout much of South America (Columbia to Central Chile). The Incas were only conquered by the Spanish because the people who had been conquered by them saw the Spanish as the lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, as the Spanish conquered, they destroyed much of the Incan architecture and stole virtually all the gold, melting down for their own purposes. As such, little remains of the Incan empire, except a few ruins, mainly in the Sacred Valley. Machu Picchu was never found by the Spanish and so never destroyed. The only wear and tear on the ruins at Machu Picchu was from the jungle which grew over it and only destroyed sections. Even today, they´re still discovering more ruins in and around the site.

We arrived at the Sun Gate, pretty exhausted, but were treated to spectacular aerial views of Machu Picchu, which sat about 600m below. As it was late afternoon, most of the tourists had left and the clouds had lifted, so our views were as the site was meant to be seen. It was truely awesome and not what we had expected at all. The Sun Gate is special because on the Summer solstice the sun shines through the gate and into a window in the temple in the centre of the complex below. There is a second gate on another mountain which does the same on the Winter solstice, but through another window of the temple. They used these two points as sundial in the temple, which is pretty clever given the distance of the gates from the temple. Machu Picchu itself was much bigger then we expected and in much better condition. With only nature taking it´s toll on the buildings, there was much left in tact.

In the morning our guide took us round and told us more about the history of the Incas and the use of Machu Picchu. The morning was cloudy and pouring with rain, but we still managed to enjoy the tour. The nice thing about the rain was that you could see how the water systems and fountains work. The place was absolutely fascinating. In the afternoon we were left to do what we chose and we decided to climb the mountain behind the city called Wayna Picchu. This was a really tough climb, mainly scrambling up a cliff face of rickety steps - they´d never have let you do that in the UK due to health and safety! By the time we got to the top we were exhausted and very sweaty, but rewarded with superb aerial views of Machu Picchu, which from this view looks like a condor (I think you need your imagination for this). Getting down the mountain was harder at the end of the day was hard, but we were relieved, in awe and absolutely knacked.

We used SAS Travel, based in Cusco. They were really great. The tour was good, the guide helpful and knowledgable and the accommodation lovely - with a fabulous hot shower! Highly recommended.

Yuvari, There She Blows!

2006-10-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Whilst in Puno we visited one of the oldest steam ships in the world, which is moored just outside Puno. The boat was commissioned by the Peruvian government as a vessel for Lake Titicaca and was built in Britain, then shipped in pieces to Arica in northern Chile, then transported by mule, over the Andes to Lake Titicaca. Each piece of the ship had to be made into small pieces not over 400lbs as they needed to be carried by the mules. They built the ship in four months, cut into over 2,700 pieces and then transported. It took six years in total to get all the pieces to Lake Titicaca! The ship was found in the 1980´s and restored to it´s formed glory and is now a working ship and museum on the lake.

The engine was pretty cool and Stu loved it. The fixtures and fittings are, where possible, the original features and it is loved today by a very passionate crew.

The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca

2006-10-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

After we left the Isla del Sol, we went to the Peruvian side of the lake. We stayed in the town of Puno, which sits just on the lake side protected by two penisulas about 20kms apart. This allows the lake to be perfectly still and allows lots of reeds to grow. From these, the indigineous people have made reed islands which float on the lake. Originally these people built the islands to flee the Incas, and have remained there ever since. There are a number of islands with different communities and families, and the Uros Islands, which we visited had a total of 4,000 people living on these islands. Each island has about four houses on it which seem to support one extended family. The houses have wooden frames with reeds that form the outer cover. The floor is reeds, the furniture is reeds, the transport is reeds and well, pretty much everything is made from reeds. These days the islanders have solar panels and watch all the Latin America soap operas, only coming outside to greet the tourists and try and sell their wares, which range from postcards to stuffed birds and fish (umm, interesting).

We were a little disappointed with these islands as they seemed very fake, only there to exploit the tourists, or perhaps that´s the other way round. Regardless, it wasn´t the best morning we had. Shame. The town of Puno wasn´t that great either. They had really commercialised the lakeside in a bad way and unfortunately, weren´t putting much money to cleaning the lake and surrounding area. The lake was full of green algae and plastic bottles and the edge of the lake was being used a site for ´spoil´, a term for surplus rubble and soil from building sites, which they seems to laying at the edge of the lake. Unfortunately, this was attracting rubbish from the local people who also seemed to have a total disregard for the potential beauty of the lake. It was a stark contrast to the Bolvian side.

Funnily enough, we met plenty of people who said don´t bother with the Peruvian side of the lake as its not as nice as the Bolivian side, but we still felt we had to go to Puno and the Islands and see for ourselves. There are some islands further out which aren´t quite so commerical and where you can stay with the islanders for overnight or for a couple of days, but we simply didn´t have the time.

We quickly left Puno the following day for Cuzco and the Sacred Valley.

Suprising thoughts about Bolivia

2006-10-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

After leaving Bolivia and feeling a little sad to leave such a lovely country, here are some thoughts that suprised us about a country which we´d had such bad reports about:

1. Everybody said that the toilets would be awful and they weren´t. Lots of loo roll, clean and plenty of them - although you had to pay to use them, they were much better then the public loos in the UK.
2. Everyone we met said that Bolivia was really dangerous with frequent robberies, especially bag slashing. We actually felt really safe in Bolivia. The people were quite timid, but always really lovely. The only scam we came across was gringo prices and the odd short-change tactic by street vendors.
3. There is more black market activity then official business in Bolivia. The street kiosks, market stalls and street vendors all make up this section of the economy. They´re everywhere, they don´t pay tax and we were told they make more money then middle class professionals who tend to have high rents and taxes for their businesses. Recently, the Bolivians elected their first indigenous president, who previous to this role, had worked in the black market.
4. The diversity of landscapes in Bolivia is amazing. From volcanos to salt plains and cities at high altitudes to steamy jungle towns and villages - there are so many different landscapes, each incredible.
5. Almost all the women in Bolivia dress in the traditional dress with knee length skirts and hundreds of petticoats, shawls to keep warm and bowler hats. It´s hard to find a woman in non-traditional dress.
6. Finally, high altitude seems to affect the liquidity of deodorant making it difficult for the liquid to come out. That is, if the rollerball hasn´t already popped out!

Isla del Sol - the Prettiest Place on Earth

2006-10-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

We arrived at on Saturday at Copacabana, a small town on the edge of Lake Titicaca and promptly left for the nearby island of Isla del Sol, the place where the Inca empire was borne and a very scared place for Incas. After a ropey hour and a half on a small boat we arrived at the Island. I wasn´t feeling too great and really wanted to stay in Copacabana after hearing good reports of the town, but Stu was keen to get straight to the island - I have to say this was the best move yet. As you arrive at the island you first see a gentle waterfall down a steep hill - this is the natural spring trickling down the hillside that has been cultivated into pretty garden terraces. Next to the stream is a stone staircase and the only route up to the village at the south side of the island. The trickling water simply complements the tranquility you feel when you first arrive - it really is lovely. There are no cars and no roads on this island and all the inhabitants live a very traditional lifestyle mainly farming or looking after the tourists.

We were greeted by a handful of touts all demanding our attention and trying to sell the rooms in their hostals. We seemed to get attached to one young man, who we followed up the stairwell. Halfway up, we needed a rest - we were at 3,500m, the staircase was extremely steep (and about 50 steep steps), we were carrying our huge, heavy backpacks and our lungs just couldn´t cope. The lovely young lad, kindly offered to take my backpack and I gladly gave it to him, thinking the hostel was at the top of the stairs. Twenty five minutes later, we were still going up the hill and we didn´t seem to be near the hostel. The young lad kept saying "arriba, arriba", roughly translated "to the top" and soon after we were found the hostel, absolutely exhausted and a little guilty after he carried my rucksack virtually all the way - there was no way we couldn´t stay at this hostal now! We were glad to have finally made it and were rewarded with a really pretty house and the most amazing views across Lake Titicaca. It was mid afternoon, so we sat down on the terrace, literally overhanging the steep hill, and enjoyed a cold beer as the sun set over the hills in the distance and an eerie mist set in (see photo above).

This really is the best place we´ve been so far. The views from the hills are truely magnificent and the village is somewhat unspoilt by commercialism driven by tourism. There are plenty of hostels and restaurants, but there is little or no sales pressure and the place was generally quiet. This seems the Bolivian way, but we were also blessed with being here before the high-season. That night we went to a restaurant across the road and the owner had to keep nipping out to buy the various elements he had promised to cook us. We all tucked into trout from the lake, washed down with a few more beers.

The next day we walked to the other north side of island to the Titicaca Rock and a special site of Inca ruins. This was a reasonably tough 3 hours with a few hills to challenge you at altitude, but since the trail is at the top of the hill, incredible views are provided either side. These are either across the lake to Peru and Bolivia (depending what side you´re looking at) or down into small coves with clearest, blue water lapping white sandy shores. The local people are dotted around the cultivated hillsides looking after their small flocks of sheep and few donkeys. There are plenty of eucalyptus trees and the landscape kind of reminded me of Mediterranean island, although Isla del Sol is a touch more special due to the mysticism from the Inca ruins.

After walking round the ruins and understanding most of what the guide was saying (our Spanish is improving), we walked the 40 minutes to the northern village, had some lunch and caught the boat back to the south side, and again, sat on our terrace in awe of the view in front of us.

Surviving the World´s Most Dangerous Road

2006-10-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have just completed the ´Calle del Muerte´ or ´Road of Death´ which is the world´s most dangerous road and the route is from La Paz to Brazil. More people die on this road than any other in the world, it´s worth noting that the second most dangerous is the road into Bagdad, so we are off to Iraq next to try that! The deaths are mainly caused by drunk drivers, tired drivers (they work 48 hour shifts) or passenger buses crashing into other vehicles on the blind bends on the single, dirt track, then going over the 500m sheer drop at the edge of the barrier-less road. That´s why we decided to go down on mountain bikes! It was a great 67km down a 3,000m desent on dangerous dirt road. We paid a high price to go with the best company and had great bikes, cool guides, a t-shirt and lots of safety talks on the way down. The only downer was that we had to come back to La Paz on the bus, up the same road - which was more terrorising then the bike ride down!

The road is the most dangerous simply from the number of deaths per year and some people have lost relatives or entire families. At one time a bus went over and an entire community were lost. Now, those who have lost loved ones stand as ´human traffic lights´on the corners where the accidents have happened. The show red or green flags to indicate if traffic is coming and truely they´re a godsend, however they´re not on all the bends and don´t man the roads during the night, so you´re reliant on sounding your horn and praying that nothing is coming! There really were some sad stories of accidents, most easily avoidable as there is a new road that has been built, but it´s not open yet. Its taken 12 years to build to date and so far is not finished, mainly due to corruption - that´s Bolivia!

The highlight of the trip was Stu being attacked by a cute, little spider monkey who jumped on his head when we were chilling out after the trip with beer. Unfortunately I was a bit slow with the camera and didn´t catch the cheeky, little, blighter trying to bite Stu´s ear lobes off. He was cute mind… at least he didn’t have claws.

Pesky Bolivans

2006-10-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

La Paz is beinging to really grow on us now we´re used to the crazy people, mad driving and general way of life. Almost 90% (not sure if that´s accurate, but it´s a pretty high number) of the inhabitants of La Paz are indigenous and the women all wear the traditional dress , which is at least five underskirts and loads of jumpers and shawls. This makes even the skiniest old lady look like really quite fat, or like ´pequeña gorditas´ (little fatties), but in reality it´s an absolute godsend for them as the weather is so cold and most of them sit around all day manning kiosks or selling goods off the pavements. These innocent looking ladies are also well shifty and will short change you at blink of an eye. Any chance to overcharge and they will, pesky buggers!

The streets are bustling with vendors selling everything from bread to batteries and socks to clocks. You really can get anything on the street without even going into a shop. There are so many stalls, street sellers and kiosks now that the government it trying to regulate them, and of course this is causing uproar. The people of La Paz get up in arms about anything and regularly protest and cause road blockades where the transport system (minibuses and taxis) block the major routes in and out of the city and this can happen for days on end. They literally just park up in the middle of the street, bumper to bumper and then leave their cars or vans until late in the evening. Added to this are marches, where the protesters set off fireworks, mainly bangers, which sound too much like gun fire for my liking, but I´m assured they´re only fireworks. Tomorrow it should all be back to normal and by the end of week we should be able to make it out of the city.

It´s spring now and the weather is pretty cold. It doesn´t get that warm in La Paz at all, mainly due to the high altitude. You´re reminded of just how high you are everyday as the La Paz sits in a steep valley between a range of mountains topped with snow all year round. The streets climb the steep sides of the valley and many of houses literally sit into the cliff face.

Stu and I are really feeling the cold. Our hosts, and probably most of the inhabitants in La Paz don´t have any heating (and we´re staying with a well off family, the man of the house is an accoutant), which explains the many layers of clothing worn by the locals and our hosts. The shower is also frequently cold, so itt´s certainly different after Rurre where we welcomed the cold showers!

Living, Breathing Spanish

2006-10-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Safely back in crazy La Paz now and we´re living with the family of our Spanish teacher. We´re putting in loads of hours and spending more the day either doing homework or in lessons. It´s pretty tiring, but hopefully it will pay off. Isabel is a great teacher and the best thing about it is that she feeds us at the end of the lesson!

Getting back to La Paz

2006-10-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, this was quite a challenge. On our last night in Rurre it absolutely poured it down and unfortunately the grass runway at the airport just couldn´t cope and so we just had to wait for the grass to dry and for our turn to come round to fly out. So we settled into a local bar for some more mojitos and watched the beautiful sunset over the River Beni. We finally managed to get to La Paz the following evening.

Raft Making Antics

2006-10-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

In the afternoon of our second day in the jungle we had to make a raft. Well, Stu and Action Man made a raft and I supervised. Chopping down trees and making rope is man's work (it's actually very hard and I was pretty useless). I thought the raft was for a bit of fun on the river, but then as Mario got quite serious and pensive about the type of wood that was being used and where the wood was being placed, Stuart realised that this was no 'bit of boy fun' but actually our means out of the jungle. By late afternoon it was taking shape and as the heavens gave way to some proper jungle rain, we took it on a trial run on the river and floated back to camp. Mario was quite funny and happy to whip off his shorts to reveal his little, tight, semi see-through, white pants at any given moment to go into the river. I didn't know where to look! That evening we did some fishing and watched the tropical storms over the mountainous jungle in the distance.

When Mario came to his tent that night, he had encountered a monkey in the camp. We heard a bit of scuffle through the trees and Mario had said that we had to get out of the tent. 'Peligroso! Peligroso!' he shouted, which to means 'Danger!'. I panicked once again and was ready to run for my life in my nightdress, but the excitement was soon over. He kindly informed us that monkeys can be very dangerous in the jungle, but a rare sight. Unfortunately it was pitch black and we didn't manage to see him.

The next morning we were a hive of activity. The boys went off to finish the raft and I washed up. A lot of work went into that raft and in the end it was really impressive. It had to be finished by 9.30am so we had enough time to get to the meeting point. All the camping equipment had to fit on the raft and be kept dry along with all three of us. The raft finally took shape and looked great with a shelf for all the equipment and a little place for us to sit down. We wrapped all the luggage and camping gear up in a plastic sheet and fastened it tight to the shelf. Mario seated his passengers and we set sail. Three hours of sailing, a bit of fishing off the raft and some crazy rapids later we reached the little beach where we were being met, safe and completely dry. Our only tale to tell was sunburnt feet and knees!

Sailing down a river in the Amazon Jungle on a raft that you've made is pretty cool thing! It will be one we'll remember. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of our little journey as the camera may have got wet, but the photo above is of the half made raft.

Me Tarzan, You Jane

2006-10-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

When we got back to Rurre, we settled in for a bit of luxury (bed, cocktail, table, you know, the normal stuff) as we were about to venture up river into the Bolivan jungle. This trip was more about the sights, sounds, plants and trees, rather than animals. In the jungle the animals are lot more savvy and so tend to hide away from pesky humans!

We travelled in a fast river boat up the Beni river for three hours until we reached our camp - a very basic home for the next three days. There was only Stuart, myself and Mario our guide, AKA Action Man. He was pretty hardcore! We were sleeping in tents and the only luxury we had was a gas burner for cooking. There was no cover from the rain, no seats and going to the toilet was going to be ´au naturale´ for the next few days!

The first thing that struck me was the noise of the bugs. All shapes and sizes, and all sounds - car alarms, ambulances, whizzing, wurring, buzzing and so on. It was really incredible and the evening was to be even noisier as more bugs come to life.

On the first day we went for a short 2 hour trek through the jungle. I don´t think we went far, but when you´re hacking through plants and trees, it´s pretty hard going. The vegetation is amazing. You really can swing from the vines ala Tarzan as they are filled with water and so have quite a fair amount of flexibility. They´re a good source of water if you can´t find any, and some can contain up to 4 litres in the length of one metre. Beautiful flowers, trees and palms litter the ground and it´s truely a feast for the eyes. It´s pretty amazing, although I spent more time worrying where I put my hands as it was essential to hang onto things for balance whilst avoiding the millions of bugs! This worry soon passed away, when I realised that we were going to be here for the next few days! At one point Mario left us to try and find the way back to camp. He was gone for about 30 minutes and this became particularly eery with the hum of the bugs and distance growls of Howler Monkeys. I almost began to panic thinking that he wasn't going to return. Fortunately we began to hear him chopping through the plants and we were on our way. My imagination at that point had been running wild though - leaving two tourists for dead! When we got back to camp, there was no rest for the wicked and we were set straight to work by fishing for our dinner. Unfortunately we didn´t get anything. I was useless at casting out the line and Stu and Mario kept getting their lines crossed. Luckily the guys on the boat caught a fish at lunch, so we had that.

The next morning we went for another trek through the jungle and as we climbed the steep hill it interesting to see how the vegetation changed from thick plants and vines to more trees. The trees were very strange with ones that look they have legs (Walking Palms) to ones that phallic roots that sprout out half way up the trunk - that certainly got a giggle from us! There are also trees that have garlic smelling bark, rubber trees and menthol vines used for medicinal purposes. We had a couple of goes swinging from vines again and eventually made it back to camp after sweating about 3 litres water each!

Playing in the Pampas

2006-10-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

After checking into our hotel with our new friend Heidi (she was also stuck in La Paz waiting to get to Rurre), we rushed straight out to book a tour for the next few days. We settled on a company called Indians Travels for three days in the Pampas and three days in the Jungle. So we celebrated with a mohito or two and settled down for a good dinner because early in the morning we were to set off to the Pampas.

The Pampas is an area surrounding the the jungle that is lush, tall, grassland and home to lots of animals including capybaras, caimans, monkeys, anacondas, piranas and lots of crazy bugs. It´s almost like a savannah. Our journey to the camp was three hours by jeep along dirt tracks, with nine of us squished into a Land Cruiser, and then three further hours by dug-out canoe. The canoe trip was our first opportunity to see the wild animals, which was really cool. We stopped at a wider section where we could swim with Pink Dolphins - they protect you from the aligators and caimans. I sat in the canoe like a chicken whilst Stu braved the murky waters. It´s funny, the animals aren´t really phased by the canoes and humans. It seems they understand that in a canoe, we´re pretty harmless. Out of the canoe is a different matter and they all stay pretty clear, which is a relief in some cases. The highlight of the first day was two capybara having sex! These are the largest rodents in the world and are about the size of a Labrador. In the evening we went to our look out, where Billy gave us cool beers and we watched the sun go down over the grasslands.

The second day we were woken by Howler Monkeys in the trees behind the camp. This was the strangest sound and so loud it can carry for miles and miles, and they´re only little. In the morning we did a long trek (in the boiling hot sun) in search of anacondas. Unfortunately, Stu had a little too much to drink the previous night and so wasn´t feeling so good. This coupled with walking in 35 degree heat in wellies with no socks wasn´t the best idea from him. He eventually threw up and then felt much better. He blamed it on the anti-malaria tablets, but I think we all know the truth! The snakes weren´t coming out to play that day, so the two guides, Reynaldo and Action Man left the group under a tree whilst they went in search at a nearby lagoon. Their advice to us was to climb the tree if we saw a snake. Unfortunately, the little tree we were sat under wasn´t going to support 11 of us! We all sat there waiting for them to return, with our fingers crossed that the snakes didn´t find us first! After about 40 minutes, they returned with another guide and 2.5m anaconda, which luckily had recently fed. This was obvious from the big bulge halfway down its body.

It was good to get out of the camp and see more of the grasslands on foot, rather than in the canoe. Unfortunately, the land owner is burning much of it down to make way for cattle, much to the detriment of the local flauna and wildlife. I think this was probably one of the reasons it was difficult to find the snakes. I was quite glad to get back to the camp as the trek was a really hard slog in the humid heat of the Pampas.

That evening we went piraña fishing. They´re fast little buggers, ripping the meat of the hooks within seconds. They even jump out of the water for the meat! Unfortunately, we didn´t catch any, but I did manage a cat fish, dog fish and a sardine. Not quite enough for dinner.

The final day, we got a little closer to the wildlife. We watched the monkeys have breakfast which was a real treat. They´re so cute! A little later we were going to get even closer to some wildlife - aligators! Stu gave one a little stroke on the head!

The Pampas was really great - a real treat for wildlife lovers. I have to say, that the heat was immense and I was pretty glad to get back to Rurre and some well deserved Mojitos!

18 Seats and 2 Small Propellers

2006-10-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

After spending two days trying to get to Rurrenabaque, we finally made it! It was a short flight, only 40 minutes (the alternative is an 18 hour bus ride) and the scenary is amazing. As you get closer to Rurre, the landscape changes to jungle covered mountains with steep sides and a dirty river in the valley. It looked just as I imagined the Amazon Basin would.

The airport at Rurre was a mere shack with a large grass landing strip. Since it was grass, it has to be dry in order to land, hence all the delays at the airport back in La Paz. It was a strange landing as you could see right in the cockpit and through the window to the landing strip. Interesting. I wasn´t entirely happy about that, but it seemed to get us to the jungle!

Photos are now online!

2006-09-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

We´ve finally managed to find somewhere to download the photos to disc and a fast enough connection to upload the photos. Anyway, the photos are linked from each entry, so scroll down and just click on the link. The username and password will be required.

Just so you´re up to date as well, here´s the latest update on where we are. Click on the map and it will enlarge.

Crazy La Paz

2006-09-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

After spending 12 hours rattling all the way to La Paz on a ´luxury´Bolivian coach we arrived at La Paz - a crazy, bustling town with hundreds of people milling around. As you first reach the edges of La Paz, you come across a huge area where most of the poor live. It´s not quite a shanti town, but still fairly rough around the edges. This stops at the edge of a huge cliff that looks down into a valley where the main city sits. The buildings are clambering up the edges of this cliff as the city seems to burst out of the valley in which it sits. Quite a site first thing in the morning.

As we made our way to the hostel, there were young boys everywhere - sitting begging for you to get your shoes cleaned or hanging out of minibus windows shouting the destination of the bus, just in case you can´t you read the signs on the front of the windscreen. That was half said with sarcasm, then I realised that 80% of La Paz´s population live below the poverty line, so it´s probably a credible job the boys do.

We´re not staying long as we get a plane to the jungle in a couple of hours. This part of the trip is going to be one of my key highlights and thankfully it will be warm. (It´s been freezing as we´ve been at altitude for so long - so it will be nice to have some hot sun).

The Incredible Salar de Uyuni

2006-09-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

We got up at 5am to see the sun rise over the salt plain and it was an incredible site. The lake is pure white from start to finish with islands dotted inbetween. Right in the centre is an island with hundreds of cactus´ on it, each growing only 1 cm per year. Some of these cactus´ were massive - well over 5 metres and so had been there over 500 years.

This is the biggest salt lake in Bolivia (possibly South America). It´s around 12,000m squared in size and over 200m deep. Stu worked out how much salt that was, and it was a least 240m cubed for each person on the planet! In places the salt gives way to small "eyes" which allow you to see down into an underground river that flows beneath the salt. The water in these little holes is really sulphuric from all the volcanic action at the edges of the lake. Further to the edge of the lake are small geysers where oxygen bubbles to the top and again sulphur causes deposits of an orangey brown residue around the edge of the geyser. The site is so strange, that it looks like something from another planet.

The entire day was spent driving through this incredible expanse of salt, until we came to edge where local Bolivians dig up salt for a living. They earn so little for such hard work in extremely unhospitable weather. The temperatures are freezing and the sun is so strong. They wear balaclava´s and sunglasses to protect their skin from the strong UV reflection from the salt.

Volcanic Rocks

2006-09-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

The second day of the tour was spent traveling further into the Bolivian countryside. Our first stop was a field of rocks known as the Salvador Dali rocks, so named for obvious reasons. Our second stop was more strange rock formations, these were weathered volcanic rocks shaped from the wind and rain. Most of the rest of day was spent travelling closer to the Salar de Uyuni and admiring the landscape along the way. By dusk we had reached our destination - the Hotel de Sal at the edge of the salt lake. This was a hotel completely made from blocks of salt. Quite incredible, even the floor was covered in rock salt! We watched the sun go down with a beer and gazed in awe at the vast white space in front us which we were going to explore the following day.