Puerto Varas

Just arrived in Puerto Varas, which is on the way back to Santiago (where I will meet Toria when she flys back from the UK)

Really nice here, its an old german colony sited on a beautiful lake. I just arranged a kayaking tour and white water rafting tour !

Torres del Paines

I went on a day trip to Torres del Paines, a really scenic national park in Chile, with glaciers and some jagged peaks ("paines"). Here are some pictures. Would have loved to do some trekking if I had the time:



Guanacos !


The Peaks


Waterfall


Glaciers

Onwards to Chile

Leaving the Amazon jungle wasn't quite as easy as getting in. They overbooked the 12-seater plane (!!) and there was only 1 space for 2 of us. So Toria got on ... she is actually flying home for a week to do a PhD funding interview (which she got !! ... she's now a Fellow of the Royal Exhibition 1851 ... very plush). So I ended up having to get a river boat and do a night drive through the jungle (this ranks as one of the most dangerous things I have ever done ... won't be repeating it in a hurry)

Anyway, I made it back to Cuzco & made my morning flight to Chile.

I flew straight onwards South to Punta Arenas, right in the South of Chilean Patagonia. Not so far from Cape Horn, but that's only possible to get to by boat.

Quite a temperature change ... from Jungle humidity to biting Patagonia winds in less than 2 days ... its only 18 degC around here.

Into the Amazon Jungle

We sorted out a trip into the Amazon jungle in Cuzco. We planned a 4 night trip, staying in Jungle lodges and campsites.

We headed out on a 12 seater plane ... that it turned out we had all to ourselves as the rest of the group we were going with decided to take the bus/river boat instead. Our own private jet !! It was quite a bumpy journey as the plane was so small ... even had to put on oxygen masks at one stage ... but apparently that happens all the time ...!?!



The accomdation was pretty basic, but it was a great tour ... saw lots of monkeys, mackaws, parrots, tapir ... alot of insects ... there was a Tarantula on the wall of the lodge on the last night ... nice ... probably time to leave at point !

We also met some of the indigenous tribes ... which was amazing. They are still hunter/gathering people living in the jungle. They are quite afraid of some of the white people since they were enslaved by Fitzcarldo during the rubber boom. But some of them sell handicrafts, which we bought.

Here are some pictures from the week


Macaws


Me & a local tribal boy



Liking the jungle food



Tarantula

Lima - Cuzco & Machu Pichu

After a short stay in Lima, we hopped on a plane to Cuzco ... the ancient captial of the Inca empire. Cuzco is really beautiful. Lots of old colonial spanish buildings.

After a day in Cuzco, we headed for Machu Pichu, the lost city of the Incas! It was quite a journey to get there, but it was worth it. Its a huge site, really well preserved. Although I did manage to get bitten to death by sandflies.

Lima, Peru

Just arrived in Lima ... got a 26 hour bus journey from Guayquil in Ecuador (we flew back from the Galapagos to there). 26 hours on a bus was a trial ... but at least it was comfortable & served us meals & even had a waiter !

Staying in a nice hotel in Lima ... in Miraflores. Actually very nice here, even though we heard some bad reports. Some nice old spanish architecture on the main squares and the tourist area of town is very clean and quite scenic

Going to fly inland tommorrow to Cuzco to head for Machu Pichu and a trip into the Amazon for a few days to see some wildlife!

Galapagos Islands

Just back from the week on the Galapagos Islands. it was awesome ... the wildlife there is very unique as all the animals evolved in isolation. They even have penuigns ... on the equator!

Our boat was nice, although the sea was quite rough ... and we both suffered a bit with sea sickness, but it got better towards the end of the week.

Below are some pictures from the week


Me & A Giant Tortise ... the almost the only place in the world they are found in the wild


Blue Footed Boobie Birds


Giant Turtles ... got to snorkel with these guys as well as some Sting Rays and Reef Sharks ... I wasn't making any sudden movements !


On one of the Galapagos's many beaches



Sending a postcard to Granny ... I sent it from a old seafarer's post office box ... you have to rely on another sea farer (or tourist) coming, checking the post box & bringing it back to Ireland to send it ... it may take a while


Some furry seals ... there were thousands of these. Got to snorkel with them as well!

The Queen of the Galapagos

Here is a link to a video of the boat we're going on to the Galapagos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAHaT8qSJHM#

Very Exciting !

Quito

Quito is a great city ... its actually at 2800m not 4000m like I thought - still quite high. We are staying in a hotel a little outside of town - its an old converted house, with a beautiful reception and sweeping staircase.

We spent a day and a half going around travel agents and boat operators looking for a last minute Galapagos trip. Finally we got a great deal and are getting 40% the price of an 8 day tour on this boat:

http://www.galasam.com/cruises-queenofgalapagos


Its a great deal and we get to see the Galapagos in style ! We leave next Monday (15th October).

Other than negotiating prices, we've been looking around the old town of Quito which is really scenic and has the Andes as a backdrop.

We've also travelled out of Quito to the exact Equator line. There was a experiment there demonstrating how the water drains in different directions either side of the equator line ... I'm suspicious of this - as the drains were only 5m apart. The tour also included some descriptions of native Ecuadorian practices .. including how to shrink the head of your enemy (or nearest and dearest if you wish !).

I went for a run this morning - 30 minutes @ almost 3000m ... pretty tiring ! The receptionist was laughing when she let me out of the hotel, saying that she hoped I had a strong heart !

Touch Down in Quito, Ecuador

We just landed in Quito Ecuador. It was just over a 2 hour flight from San Jose. We checked into a reasonably hotel, however its a little cold. The elevation here is over 4000m & its noticeably cold compared to San Jose - 20degC here right now, and I am sure it will get colder at night. Toria has gone to bed with a relapse of the cold that she picked up in Cuba ... yuck. We might have to move to a warmer hotel if her cold doesn't clear up, as they do not have any heating here.

Quito looks like an interesting place. Going to take it easy for a day or 2 and try and book the Galapagos Islands trip and maybe a tour down the Amazon.

Costa Rican Coffee Tour

For our last day in San Jose, we decide to visit a coffee plantation - which is Costa Rica's number one export. We take a bus for a hour and arrive at Cafe Britt.

We get shown around by a very entertaining set of guides and see the process of Coffee from Plant (coffee grows as a red berry - didn't know that!) to cup! We splash out on the deluxe tour, which includes 4 course lunch and coffee tasting session. Drank alot of coffee!

Here is a picture of the coffee berries and then Toria drinking the end product !






We arrive back to the Hostel at 16:00. It is raining heavily, as it has done every afternoon since we arrived in Costa Rica - its the rainy season here!

Map to date

Here is a map of our progress to date:

San Jose

We take it easy for 2 days in San Jose, we tour around the market, shops and museums & also avail of the free wireless internet in the hostel (its not all bad there!) to check email etc ... which was almost completely absent in Cuba.

San Jose is a nice town, with excellent, Mexican style food, but less spicy and very tasty.

Here is a bus we saw:

We're on the way to San Jose

We take a afternoon flight to San Jose Costa Rica and arrive there at 17:00 and share a taxi into town with a friendly Canadian. We drop him off at the Holiday Inn and head on to the luxury of "Costa Rica Backpacker's Hostel". At $10 each per night, its cheap - but basic. Toria says the room is like a jail! ... but less hygienic.

Just from the drive in from the airport, San Jose looks alot cleaner and more prosperous than Cuba. Also quite Americanized.

Life's a beach at Maria La Gorda

We head further west and spend 3 days and 2 nights at Maria La Gorda on the extreme west of Cuba. I come down with a heavy cold also - so we are laid low for much of the time which is not great. However, by the last day I felt well enough to try diving, which is the main activity at the resort. The dive is amazing, with loads of tropical fish and a huge vertical drop from 18m to 50+m ... although I don't go past 18m !

Here is a picture from the beach in Maria La Gorda



We leave in the afternoon of the 2nd to Pinar del Rio for an overnight stay before catching a morning bus directly to Havana airport and onwards to Costa Rica.

All in all, Cuba was interesting - but we are glad to leave. Much of the country is quite run down. It is like somebody pressed pause in the 1960's and much of the buildings and cars have deteriorated in condition since then. The road pollution in Havana was very bad. Although the countryside was beautiful.

Horse Riding in Venales

We take a morning horse riding trip in Venales. The guide wants to take us on a 5 hour tour of the mountains. However, after 2 hours, we are red, dehydrated and getting pains in our behinds ! We convince him to start back to town earlier.

Here is a picture of me on my horse - my ass is very sore after 3 hours of this



Toria is feeling ill, so decide to take it easy for the afternoon - she seems to have caught a heavy cold - not alot of fun.

On the road to Vienales

Talked to some Swedish guys staying at the same house as us. They said it is possible to buy local pesos at the bus station. We went straight to a pizzeria and bought our first local meal for $1 – which paid for 2 pizzas and a plate of spaghetti. However its unlikely we will be able to use local currency in most places.

We take a bus west to the country town of Vienales. We are met at the bus and stay in a "home stay" - which is basically somebody's spare room that they rent out - the cheapest form of accomodation for tourists. It lacks a little privacy though. Our hosts are Roberto and Lola - who are very friendly and eager for us to try cigars and the local drink - "mohito". I reluctantly oblige !

Havana - Day 2

Toria arrived yesterday, so we hit the Havana Old Town and did some sightseeing. The main squares are very nice - lots of Spanish colonial architecture, but as soon as you leave the designated 'tourist' area the place becomes really run down. They also have 2 currencies - the national peso and the tourist peso. We are obliged to use the tourist peso, which basically means we get charged 25 times as much as the locals for the same thing, which sucks. Here is a picture of Toria and a lovely car!:

Havana - Day 1

Just had a lovely breakfast of fruit and eggs served by the hostess Tamara. She speaks no English, so had my first chance to practice Spanish – seems to have gone OK.

The Cuban guidebook and map will come in very handy – thanks Auntie Patricia!

Havana here I come

Arrived in airport in Dublin, 6:00. Flight to Paris is slightly delayed, but no worries as I had a long connection in Paris

Get upgraded to business class for the flight from Paris-Cuba! Turns out to be a good thing as the flight is much longer than I thought – 9 hours. But the time passes quickly with the luxury of having a whole row of business class seats to myself. I could get used to that!

Arrive in Havana at 17:30 local time. Get a taxi to Casa Tamara – greeted by a very Contemplate going out, but decide on a quick nap and end friendly Cuban couple. Staying in a basic, but nice room. Sleep until morning – the effects of jet lag I guess.