For those of you who haven't found time to read the blog.
I've attached the kodakgallery links to all our photos thus far.
(No login required, just click on the links)
Colombia - Carribean Coast
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.2dipn6ml&x=0&y=8uvzop&localeid=en_US
Colombia - Coffee Region
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.5ihoo3o5&x=0&y=-c373dn&localeid=en_US
Ecuador
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.9r3n0plh&x=0&y=-5zrxna&localeid=en_US
Peru
Not yet, still more to come!
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Monday, 21 September 2009
Mancora es de puta madre
Mancora is an ugly little shanty town on the far North coast of Peru, not much itself but it does boost some of the nicest sandy beaches in Peru (and good surf, in summer). We arrived early on Wednesday morning, after our unusual border crossing (see previous blog). So, we got into one of the hundreds of tuk tuks already romming the streets and headed for the beach. We stayed at "The Point" hostel, which was right on the beach front about 1km down from the town centre. A welcomed retreat from the chaos of the town centre. We managed to book a private bungaloo about 100m from the sea, waking and falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean, something neither of us had enjoyed for quite some time.
On the first afternoon we meet up with the guys we partied with in Quito, James and Alan, and an English couple we met in Baños, Sam and Lisa. They were all staying at "The Loki", widely recognised as the "party hostel" in Mancora, which was good news for us. We could come and go as we pleased, party at the Loki and then escape for a good night sleep, which we only did a few times.
Now, spending a week on the beach doesn't really make for entertaining reading, most days consisted of "waking up, breakfast, beach time, lunch, pool time, beers, dinner, beers, sleep". So, i've offered up a few highlights from the week.
1. The infamous "Cinco alley", as we called it, was a dirt road running from the beach to the main street with about 6 restaurants each offering a "5 soles almuerzo" (or US$1.66 set lunch). The 'cinco' meal deal included a local dish called 'cevicha' (raw fish with lime juice and onion) to starter, followed by a main dish of either beef, chicken, fish or prawns with rice or fries. Top quality stuff. I must admit a few of the guys had a couple of difficult bathroom sessions but it was still great value.
2. Getting back on the wagon - One morning I got up early, left Victoria in bed, walked down the beach and rented a surfboard for a couple of hours. To quote the great George Costanza "the sea was angry that day my friends". The surf was at best 3 foot, nothing special, but great to get back in the water after 5 years away from a surf board. My performance was mixed, I caught (and rode) about 5 waves all the way in, not too bad. After about 11am the surf is gone, blown out by the onshore winds which are typical for this time of year.
3. The desserts - We found a little shop on the main street which made some awesome desserts, as quoted in the guide book. Well, we hit the place twice (i went 3 times...). The house speciality was the "Tres Leches" or 3 milks, you'd never think they could make a dessert from fresh milk, UHT milk and cream, amazing!
Anyway, that was Mancora, just a fun week at the beach. And for those wondering, yes, i'm still sporting the sluggos on the beach (and around the pool area).
p.s. "es de puta madre" is spanish slang for "awesome" but if literately translated it's rather offensive. It's just one of the many crap tshirts being sold in every shop in town.
The main street in Mancora
The pool at our hostel
In front our bungaloo
Sunset from our veranda
Serious dessert action (That's the Tres Leches in front of me)
On the first afternoon we meet up with the guys we partied with in Quito, James and Alan, and an English couple we met in Baños, Sam and Lisa. They were all staying at "The Loki", widely recognised as the "party hostel" in Mancora, which was good news for us. We could come and go as we pleased, party at the Loki and then escape for a good night sleep, which we only did a few times.
Now, spending a week on the beach doesn't really make for entertaining reading, most days consisted of "waking up, breakfast, beach time, lunch, pool time, beers, dinner, beers, sleep". So, i've offered up a few highlights from the week.
1. The infamous "Cinco alley", as we called it, was a dirt road running from the beach to the main street with about 6 restaurants each offering a "5 soles almuerzo" (or US$1.66 set lunch). The 'cinco' meal deal included a local dish called 'cevicha' (raw fish with lime juice and onion) to starter, followed by a main dish of either beef, chicken, fish or prawns with rice or fries. Top quality stuff. I must admit a few of the guys had a couple of difficult bathroom sessions but it was still great value.
2. Getting back on the wagon - One morning I got up early, left Victoria in bed, walked down the beach and rented a surfboard for a couple of hours. To quote the great George Costanza "the sea was angry that day my friends". The surf was at best 3 foot, nothing special, but great to get back in the water after 5 years away from a surf board. My performance was mixed, I caught (and rode) about 5 waves all the way in, not too bad. After about 11am the surf is gone, blown out by the onshore winds which are typical for this time of year.
3. The desserts - We found a little shop on the main street which made some awesome desserts, as quoted in the guide book. Well, we hit the place twice (i went 3 times...). The house speciality was the "Tres Leches" or 3 milks, you'd never think they could make a dessert from fresh milk, UHT milk and cream, amazing!
Anyway, that was Mancora, just a fun week at the beach. And for those wondering, yes, i'm still sporting the sluggos on the beach (and around the pool area).
p.s. "es de puta madre" is spanish slang for "awesome" but if literately translated it's rather offensive. It's just one of the many crap tshirts being sold in every shop in town.
The main street in Mancora
The pool at our hostel
In front our bungaloo
Sunset from our veranda
Serious dessert action (That's the Tres Leches in front of me)
From Quito to the coast
So whilst Justin was battling the elements I was relaxing at a nearby mountain lodge, enjoying some ME time! It was a gorgeous old farmhouse with beautiful surroundings of mountains and volcancos, so plenty of reason to relax.
I went for a morning of horseriding with a couple I met from the Netherlands, Mike and Pauline. Before setting off we had some bonding time with our horses in the cow paddock (with the cow) for about 15 minutes. We initally followed a dirt road which was fine until a tractor came past us with a piece of white plastic which was flapping in the wind. Well, my horse 'Rudillo' didn't like it very much and started freaking out. He managed to back himself into the tractor, I think in an attempt to turned around and bolt, but there was not enough room, so instead he got his leg caught between the tractor body and the wheel. He tried to buck me off several times but I managed to hold on, before jumping off as the guide came over to help me. Thank goodness the horse was not injured so after some deep breaths and a prayer I was able to get back on and keep riding. Not such a good experience for the nerves especially when I hadn't horseridden for as long as I can remember. Anyway the rest of the ride was uneventfulbut it was great to go horseriding again, forgot how much fun it can be when you are not just following the leader!
With Justin back safely, after a successful summit of Cotopaxi, it was time to get on a bus and head to Banos. Before moving on, I have to say to Justin what a great achievement, as I have met a lot of people who didn't make it, turning back because of altitude sickness or tiredness.
On route to Banos we had another pretty interesting bus ride to Banos (as usual), with some local guy trying to rob us on the bus, he kept moving and sitting behind us, but we knew what he was up to, so we walked away unscathed.
Banos is a pretty town, set in a valley surrounded by mountains and volcanos. (Note: baños means "toilets" in spanish, it was a little confusing). The hightlight in Banos was our day mountain biking, we visited the local waterfalls of which there were quite a few. You really couldn´t call it mountain biking though as we were riding on a sealed road most of the time, but the waterfalls were amazing. Walked under a waterfall that was falling from about 100m´s above and got absolutely saturated at the same time. We also saw a condor, which was pretty exciting. And that is about it for Banos.
Next stop Cuenca, a small colonial town close to the Ecuador/Peru border, actually one of the nicest towns we visited in Ecuador. We went for a run one morning and couldn´t understand why it was so hard to run, until some one told us we were at 2800m above sea level. We had a couple of great dinners with Mike and Pauline who we had met in Cotopaxi. We also visited a museum which had a number of ´shruken heads´ on display, an indigenous ritual performed on ones enemies (after they've been killed). They cut the head off, take out all the brains & bones, boil the head in a concoction of herbs so it shrinks, sow the lips together to prevent the soul escaping and then they wear it around their neck for a year before putting it on display for all to see. Fortunately they don´t practice this on human's anymore, although they still do it to animals, so they don´t lose the skill.....
Next stop, Mancora in Peru! And crossing the border was going to be quite an experience. Knowing this we checked all the bus companies and timetables the day before we set off. Now, when we arrived at the bus terminal the following day, the company that ran the "border crossing" buses we wanted was closed, and their last bus had left at 9pm, not at 11pm as we'd been told. So, we found another company that would take us to the border town of Huaquillas, getting there at 4.30am, not ideal but we decided to go anyway as there was 3 of us, so it was safety in numbers. After what felt like only a few hours the bus stopped, it was 3.30am, I got off to use the facilities. I wasn't sure where we were but when i crossed the road I saw a sign saying "Officina Migration", which looked like a truck stop but it was the Ecuadorian border. No one from the bus had bothered to tell us, so who knows what would have happened if I hadn't worken up, we'd probably be back in Cuenca. Anyway, we all got off ther bus and luckily there was another bus company there which was going to Mancora, so we got our exit stamp for Ecuador, jumped on the new bus to the Peru Immigration office, a further 7km's down the road, we got our entry stamp and then back on the bus. This all happened in the wee hours of the morning, we got to Mancora at about 7am....
JD looking sharp in a horseriding helmet
Under the 'Pailon del Diablo'
The 'New Cathedral' in Cuenca (another church but still pretty impressive)
I went for a morning of horseriding with a couple I met from the Netherlands, Mike and Pauline. Before setting off we had some bonding time with our horses in the cow paddock (with the cow) for about 15 minutes. We initally followed a dirt road which was fine until a tractor came past us with a piece of white plastic which was flapping in the wind. Well, my horse 'Rudillo' didn't like it very much and started freaking out. He managed to back himself into the tractor, I think in an attempt to turned around and bolt, but there was not enough room, so instead he got his leg caught between the tractor body and the wheel. He tried to buck me off several times but I managed to hold on, before jumping off as the guide came over to help me. Thank goodness the horse was not injured so after some deep breaths and a prayer I was able to get back on and keep riding. Not such a good experience for the nerves especially when I hadn't horseridden for as long as I can remember. Anyway the rest of the ride was uneventfulbut it was great to go horseriding again, forgot how much fun it can be when you are not just following the leader!
With Justin back safely, after a successful summit of Cotopaxi, it was time to get on a bus and head to Banos. Before moving on, I have to say to Justin what a great achievement, as I have met a lot of people who didn't make it, turning back because of altitude sickness or tiredness.
On route to Banos we had another pretty interesting bus ride to Banos (as usual), with some local guy trying to rob us on the bus, he kept moving and sitting behind us, but we knew what he was up to, so we walked away unscathed.
Banos is a pretty town, set in a valley surrounded by mountains and volcanos. (Note: baños means "toilets" in spanish, it was a little confusing). The hightlight in Banos was our day mountain biking, we visited the local waterfalls of which there were quite a few. You really couldn´t call it mountain biking though as we were riding on a sealed road most of the time, but the waterfalls were amazing. Walked under a waterfall that was falling from about 100m´s above and got absolutely saturated at the same time. We also saw a condor, which was pretty exciting. And that is about it for Banos.
Next stop Cuenca, a small colonial town close to the Ecuador/Peru border, actually one of the nicest towns we visited in Ecuador. We went for a run one morning and couldn´t understand why it was so hard to run, until some one told us we were at 2800m above sea level. We had a couple of great dinners with Mike and Pauline who we had met in Cotopaxi. We also visited a museum which had a number of ´shruken heads´ on display, an indigenous ritual performed on ones enemies (after they've been killed). They cut the head off, take out all the brains & bones, boil the head in a concoction of herbs so it shrinks, sow the lips together to prevent the soul escaping and then they wear it around their neck for a year before putting it on display for all to see. Fortunately they don´t practice this on human's anymore, although they still do it to animals, so they don´t lose the skill.....
Next stop, Mancora in Peru! And crossing the border was going to be quite an experience. Knowing this we checked all the bus companies and timetables the day before we set off. Now, when we arrived at the bus terminal the following day, the company that ran the "border crossing" buses we wanted was closed, and their last bus had left at 9pm, not at 11pm as we'd been told. So, we found another company that would take us to the border town of Huaquillas, getting there at 4.30am, not ideal but we decided to go anyway as there was 3 of us, so it was safety in numbers. After what felt like only a few hours the bus stopped, it was 3.30am, I got off to use the facilities. I wasn't sure where we were but when i crossed the road I saw a sign saying "Officina Migration", which looked like a truck stop but it was the Ecuadorian border. No one from the bus had bothered to tell us, so who knows what would have happened if I hadn't worken up, we'd probably be back in Cuenca. Anyway, we all got off ther bus and luckily there was another bus company there which was going to Mancora, so we got our exit stamp for Ecuador, jumped on the new bus to the Peru Immigration office, a further 7km's down the road, we got our entry stamp and then back on the bus. This all happened in the wee hours of the morning, we got to Mancora at about 7am....
JD looking sharp in a horseriding helmet
Under the 'Pailon del Diablo'
The 'New Cathedral' in Cuenca (another church but still pretty impressive)
Sunday, 20 September 2009
I´m 31 now, arghhhhh
Just a quick thank you for all the happy birthday wishes.
I`m now established in the 30`s with not much to show for it but good times (and a gorgeous wife). So, It`s all good!
I`m now established in the 30`s with not much to show for it but good times (and a gorgeous wife). So, It`s all good!
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Cotopaxi Volcano - 5897m
It's Wednesday 3rd September, after a nervous night sleep and a rather difficult breakfast to stomach, it was time for the challenge to begin. My mountain guide, Romal, arrived at Papagayo Lodge (located just outside the Cotopaxi National park, at 2800m), we went thru all the gear I would need for the summit climb; ice axe, crampons, harness, carabiners, helmet, head torch, gloves, and more. At this point I started to realise this climb could be a little tougher than i'd first anticpated.
We set off at 11am, by jeep, to "the parking lot" at 4500m inside the National park. From here we hiked up to the Refuge at 4800m, it took less than an hour, arriving with all our gear around 2pm. After some lunch, Romal took me up to the glacier at 5000m to practice moving across the ice. I was pleasently surprised how easy it was to get around with the crampons and ice axe, i was feeling much more at ease. After an hour on the ice, it was back to the refuge for some dinner and we were tucked up in our sleeping bags at 6pm. The alarm was set for Midnight, arghhh.
After a virtually sleepless night, it was midnight before i knew it, it was go time! Gearing up took me longer than usually, it was farken cold and i was still half asleep. Romal prepared us some soup, bread and coca tea. It was now 1am, time to go. For the first hour we ziz-zagged up the loose volcanic rock below the snow line. It was a beautiful night, the moon was near full (so no need for the head torches). I was feeling strong. We arrived at the snowline, attached our crampons and fixed up the rope lines, and headed up the glacier. It was pretty tough going from the start, walking straight up to avoid the risk of avalanche. We reached our first crevice after the first 30mins, it was about 40m deep and a half a metre wide, we jumped over it, fark, this is getting serious now! (It was the first of 4 crevices)
We stopped for break after the second hour, at about 5200m, we were making good time and I was still feeling pretty good. We moved forward, although during the next hour the weather started to turn, the wind was picking up. Looking back down I could see all of Quito lit up in the distance, it was pretty spectacular. The break after the 3rd hour was much needed, i was starting to feel the burn but still plenty left in the tank. Only 2 more hours i kept telling myself. During the fourth hour the clouds came in, the wind was howling, i was starting to wonder "what the fark am i doing up here". We stopped again after four hours, i pumped down the water and some Ecuadorian style wine gums (note: if you leave them in your pocket they will freeze, as had the wine gums....).
It was the last hour now, it's now snowing and i keep telling myself to "just keep pushing". It gets quite boring putting one foot in front of the other for over 4 hours, plenty of time for thinking, i covered lots of topics; where we might live in Sydney (North vs East), what car I'm going to buy next, the potential outcomes for Formula1 next year, the wallabies world cup strategy, the list goes on. Anyway, Romal notice I was starting to feel the pinch, he keep me updated with our progress, "only 600m to go"..."only 200m now". We reached the summit at 6:05am, after five hours of climbing. The sun was up but we could not see much thru the blizzard. I was broken but i still had to get down. It took us 3 hours to decent to the refuge. About half way down we came out of the clouds, it was a beautiful day (just not on the top, arghhhhh). An amazing experience!
check out a few pics at the link below (no login required)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=109281&id=500060686&l=f4426eb79d
Cotopaxi Volcano (the day before)
The Refuge at 4800m (background is the start of the glacier at 5000m)
....... and at the top!
Monday, 14 September 2009
"Quito, Quito, Quitoooooo"
We arrived in Quito, the capital, on Saturday afternoon. After 3 hours of listen to the bus assistant shout "Quito, Quito, Quitoooo" at just about every person standing on the road between Otavalo and Quito, we'd had enough of public transport for one day. We jumped a taxi to the "new town", found our hostel, checked in, dropped our bags and headed straight to the bar. It was "beer o'clock".
We hooked up with two guys we'd met on the bus from Popayan, Woodsy (Brit) and Ian (Ozzie). We headed out in the "new town", which was packed with Quitorians, all dressed up and looking sharp (and there was us in our jeans and hiking shoes). We checked out a few of the local discotheques, Bunglow6, Dobre Bar and Blue Bar. Needless to say, Saturday night turned into quite a large night. Nothing was acheived on Sunday.
Monday we woke up fresh and ready to tick a few sights off the list. After a heathly breakfast we headed for the Teleferico. It's a 2.5km chairlift that takes you up to 4100m above Quito (which is around 2800m), offering amazing views over the city. From there, we walked along the ridge line of the Pichincha Volcano to 4600m, not quite the top, with clouds preventing us from summitting (again....), but it was good training nevertheless. After the climb we found a little almuerzo (lunch in spanish) place in the "old town", the lunch is pretty standard, it's a soup, then chicken with rice and a juice, all for a couple of dollars. We had a walk thru the old town, with some grand colonial buildings and plenty of churchs (also, pretty standard). Dinner at the Hostel and into bed early.
On Tuesday morning, we dropped into one of the mountain tour guides and I booked my 2 day Cotopaxi summit climb for Wednesday/Thursday. The rest of the day was filled with nervous anticipation. Mid morning we jumped on a collectivo bus and headed for the Mitad del Mundo - the Equator. (FYI - Ecuador is spanish for Equator, an interesting fact I thought). Now, the official Mitad del Mundo site is in fact not on the real Equator (which is classic south american stuff....). So, there's another Equator site about 200m further down the road, at the actual GPS 00'00'00" location. The locals have built this quirky outdoor museum on the site with heaps of facts and tricks of the Equator (I balanced an Egg on a nail, and got a certificate!), which was much more interesting than the crappy touristo park built on the wrong site.
After all the fun at the equator, we grabbed our gear from the hostel and headed for Cotopaxi national park. And yes, there's another bus story, which included a 1.5hr cross town metro bus to the "south terminal", then we got sold a ticket for a bus that didn't exist, after plenty of shouting, we got it sorted. Then the bus ride was more stops, more chickens and more chaos but we got there. Classic stuff.
We hooked up with two guys we'd met on the bus from Popayan, Woodsy (Brit) and Ian (Ozzie). We headed out in the "new town", which was packed with Quitorians, all dressed up and looking sharp (and there was us in our jeans and hiking shoes). We checked out a few of the local discotheques, Bunglow6, Dobre Bar and Blue Bar. Needless to say, Saturday night turned into quite a large night. Nothing was acheived on Sunday.
Monday we woke up fresh and ready to tick a few sights off the list. After a heathly breakfast we headed for the Teleferico. It's a 2.5km chairlift that takes you up to 4100m above Quito (which is around 2800m), offering amazing views over the city. From there, we walked along the ridge line of the Pichincha Volcano to 4600m, not quite the top, with clouds preventing us from summitting (again....), but it was good training nevertheless. After the climb we found a little almuerzo (lunch in spanish) place in the "old town", the lunch is pretty standard, it's a soup, then chicken with rice and a juice, all for a couple of dollars. We had a walk thru the old town, with some grand colonial buildings and plenty of churchs (also, pretty standard). Dinner at the Hostel and into bed early.
On Tuesday morning, we dropped into one of the mountain tour guides and I booked my 2 day Cotopaxi summit climb for Wednesday/Thursday. The rest of the day was filled with nervous anticipation. Mid morning we jumped on a collectivo bus and headed for the Mitad del Mundo - the Equator. (FYI - Ecuador is spanish for Equator, an interesting fact I thought). Now, the official Mitad del Mundo site is in fact not on the real Equator (which is classic south american stuff....). So, there's another Equator site about 200m further down the road, at the actual GPS 00'00'00" location. The locals have built this quirky outdoor museum on the site with heaps of facts and tricks of the Equator (I balanced an Egg on a nail, and got a certificate!), which was much more interesting than the crappy touristo park built on the wrong site.
After all the fun at the equator, we grabbed our gear from the hostel and headed for Cotopaxi national park. And yes, there's another bus story, which included a 1.5hr cross town metro bus to the "south terminal", then we got sold a ticket for a bus that didn't exist, after plenty of shouting, we got it sorted. Then the bus ride was more stops, more chickens and more chaos but we got there. Classic stuff.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Otavalo markets, Ecuador
Our first stop in Ecuador was the famous Saturday markets at Otavalo, rumoured to be the largest craft market in South America (not confirmed as yet). We experienced all the sights and sounds of a bustling market place with hand made crafts in every direction, herb and spice sellers, vegetable stands, food stalls, etc. The indigenous people come from all over the region, some travelling for hours to get to the markets, all wearing the traditional dress.
On walking thru the maze of craft stalls, with well over 50 stalls selling the exact same stuff (some crap), including alpaca rugs, larma jumpers and socks, woven bags, wallets and just about everything else. We decided an alpaca rug was required. We must have looked at every rug, in every colour, before deciding on our target item. Now, given the overwelming supply of craft, the bidding began, we managed to pick up the rug for 50% less than the asking price.
So, quite please after our little purchase (which i'm now carrying around), we headed for the food stalls. We picked out the lady who had a full roasted pig, she prepared a nice little plate of meat, crackling, rice and beans. Now, we we're a little concerned because this was our first experience of "street meat" but I can report a clean bill of health.
After spending a number of hours exploring, it was time to head off, next stop Quito. And our first bus experience in Ecuador was an interesting one (they always are). After loading our backpacks into the under carriage, we boarded the bus, sitting on the right side of the bus to keep an eye on the bags. As we're about to depart, Victoria said "Is that my bag on the ground over there?". ARGHHHH, some little local had dragged her bag off the bus. BOOM, i'm off the bus, shouting "Hey, Amigo, Hey Amigo, what the f*#k are you doing", my spanish was lacking at a critical moment. Anyway, I grabbed the bag, put it back on the bus, and off we went. A close call.
And to top it all off, the "direct" bus to Quito must have stopped about 50 times in 3 hours for every Juan, Pablo and Eduardo to get on and off the bus with all their chickens and potatos, classic. So, an interesting finish to a great day.
On walking thru the maze of craft stalls, with well over 50 stalls selling the exact same stuff (some crap), including alpaca rugs, larma jumpers and socks, woven bags, wallets and just about everything else. We decided an alpaca rug was required. We must have looked at every rug, in every colour, before deciding on our target item. Now, given the overwelming supply of craft, the bidding began, we managed to pick up the rug for 50% less than the asking price.
So, quite please after our little purchase (which i'm now carrying around), we headed for the food stalls. We picked out the lady who had a full roasted pig, she prepared a nice little plate of meat, crackling, rice and beans. Now, we we're a little concerned because this was our first experience of "street meat" but I can report a clean bill of health.
After spending a number of hours exploring, it was time to head off, next stop Quito. And our first bus experience in Ecuador was an interesting one (they always are). After loading our backpacks into the under carriage, we boarded the bus, sitting on the right side of the bus to keep an eye on the bags. As we're about to depart, Victoria said "Is that my bag on the ground over there?". ARGHHHH, some little local had dragged her bag off the bus. BOOM, i'm off the bus, shouting "Hey, Amigo, Hey Amigo, what the f*#k are you doing", my spanish was lacking at a critical moment. Anyway, I grabbed the bag, put it back on the bus, and off we went. A close call.
And to top it all off, the "direct" bus to Quito must have stopped about 50 times in 3 hours for every Juan, Pablo and Eduardo to get on and off the bus with all their chickens and potatos, classic. So, an interesting finish to a great day.
Heading for Ecuador
After an amazing time around the coffee region, it was time to head south, into Ecuador.
On route, we stopped for a couple of days in Popayan, a well preserved colonial town in Colombia with traditional white washed walls and grand court yards. On the first night we were directed to the local steak house called "la vina", amazing food (and cheap). The following day we walked the streets, soaking up the sights, which included the usual dose of neo-classical catholic churches.
During our exploring we stumped on a beautiful courtyard which turn out to be part of the local english school (with around 700 students). We met one of the teachers who invited us back that afternoon to join her class and help the kids with their english. What an amazing experience, it was great fun. The kids asked us questions about everything, our family, our jobs, our travels, about Australia, you name it. At the end of the class, we reversed the order, with the kids asking us questions in Spanish. It got pretty ugly, with Victoria and I stumbling around on the simpliest questions, the kids thought it was very funny (and they all wondered how we could travel around colombia with no spanish). After spending over an hour with the class we departed, offering them our facebook details, we alread have a few "new friends".
The next morning we woke at 4am and headed for the bus terminal. Our journey to the border was tough, taking us on 8 seperate trips of different transport, including taxis, minibuses, collectivos and coaches. Our trip to the border took us past the "Santuario de las Lajas", a neo-gothic church built in 1926 to commerate the appearance of the Virgin mary herself. The church is built in a deep valley, with the alter set around the actual rock where the vision was seen. It was a pretty amazing sight.
The border crossing was relatively stress free (the guy with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle, hehe). On arriving in Ecuador we headed straight to Otavalo, a market town 3 hrs south from the border. So, after 15hours of travelling we finally arrived.
The main square in Popayan
Our kids from the english school
Santuario de las Lajas
The alter at the site of the vision
Arriving in Ecuador
On route, we stopped for a couple of days in Popayan, a well preserved colonial town in Colombia with traditional white washed walls and grand court yards. On the first night we were directed to the local steak house called "la vina", amazing food (and cheap). The following day we walked the streets, soaking up the sights, which included the usual dose of neo-classical catholic churches.
During our exploring we stumped on a beautiful courtyard which turn out to be part of the local english school (with around 700 students). We met one of the teachers who invited us back that afternoon to join her class and help the kids with their english. What an amazing experience, it was great fun. The kids asked us questions about everything, our family, our jobs, our travels, about Australia, you name it. At the end of the class, we reversed the order, with the kids asking us questions in Spanish. It got pretty ugly, with Victoria and I stumbling around on the simpliest questions, the kids thought it was very funny (and they all wondered how we could travel around colombia with no spanish). After spending over an hour with the class we departed, offering them our facebook details, we alread have a few "new friends".
The next morning we woke at 4am and headed for the bus terminal. Our journey to the border was tough, taking us on 8 seperate trips of different transport, including taxis, minibuses, collectivos and coaches. Our trip to the border took us past the "Santuario de las Lajas", a neo-gothic church built in 1926 to commerate the appearance of the Virgin mary herself. The church is built in a deep valley, with the alter set around the actual rock where the vision was seen. It was a pretty amazing sight.
The border crossing was relatively stress free (the guy with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle, hehe). On arriving in Ecuador we headed straight to Otavalo, a market town 3 hrs south from the border. So, after 15hours of travelling we finally arrived.
The main square in Popayan
Our kids from the english school
Santuario de las Lajas
The alter at the site of the vision
Arriving in Ecuador
Thursday, 3 September 2009
The Zona Cafeteria
First stop Solento, a 6 hour bus ride south of Medellin. At the start of the bus trip we were handed little black plastic bags which we thought were for rubbish, but soon to find out they were vomit bags, as the road from Medellin wound up through the mountains rather quickly. Quite a few people on our bus were sick.
We made it to Solento, a small and picturesque village surrounded by coffee plantations. We stayed at a place called Plantation House which is a hostel on an actual plantation. The place is run by an English guy Tim who fell in love with Columbia many years ago. He was a source of knowledge on the local area which made our few days in Solento very enjoyable.
Our first evening we went to a local bar called 'Tejos', which was described by Tim as 'beers & gunpowder’. When we arrived we discovered the game of Tejo (a Colombian national sport). The game is a little like boules only you throw a metal disc about 20 metres at a target filled with gun powder set in clay. When you get a direct hit everyone knows about it. Only in Colombia!!
The next day we walked the Valle de Cocora, meaning 'Valley of Clouds', it took us 5 hours, we went with some people that we had met in the hostel. The walk took us through jungle and farmland and there was an amazing amount of Wax Palms which are 60 foot high. One of the stops on the walk was a nature reserve with 6 types of hummingbirds, fascinating and fast little creatures. We climbed to the top of the mountain and the clouds were kind enough to clear so we could see down the valley.
Our stay in Solento also included a visit to a working coffee farm and roasting factory. We drank some great coffee, majority of which is exported, most places in Colombia serve instant coffee..... and we ate some of the local delicacy 'Trucha' (Trout), in most places that is all that is on the menu.
After 3 great days in Solento it was time for a challenge, so we headed to Manizales with the plan to hike Colombia's highest volcano, the Los Nevado del Ruiz, 5300m. Our day started at 5.30am, we made our way to the town square and were picked up by a mini bus, there were 7 of us in total. The drive up was pretty amazing, different landscapes from lush green to volcanic rock. We stopped along the way to drink Cocoa tea (it helps with the altitude). We drove up to 4800m and we walked to the snow line, at 5125m. It was pretty tough going, not only where we at altitude but it was also snowing. We arrived at the top and could only see about 2 metres in front of us. Still a big achievement, our first time above 5000m. After descending the volcano our next stop was the thermal hot springs. The water temperature at the spring was about 60 degrees, the baths were chilled to about 50, so very soothing after our adventure up the volcano. On the return to town everyone fell asleep!
check out the photos (no sign in required)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.5ihoo3o5&x=0&y=-c373dn&localeid=en_US
We made it to Solento, a small and picturesque village surrounded by coffee plantations. We stayed at a place called Plantation House which is a hostel on an actual plantation. The place is run by an English guy Tim who fell in love with Columbia many years ago. He was a source of knowledge on the local area which made our few days in Solento very enjoyable.
Our first evening we went to a local bar called 'Tejos', which was described by Tim as 'beers & gunpowder’. When we arrived we discovered the game of Tejo (a Colombian national sport). The game is a little like boules only you throw a metal disc about 20 metres at a target filled with gun powder set in clay. When you get a direct hit everyone knows about it. Only in Colombia!!
The next day we walked the Valle de Cocora, meaning 'Valley of Clouds', it took us 5 hours, we went with some people that we had met in the hostel. The walk took us through jungle and farmland and there was an amazing amount of Wax Palms which are 60 foot high. One of the stops on the walk was a nature reserve with 6 types of hummingbirds, fascinating and fast little creatures. We climbed to the top of the mountain and the clouds were kind enough to clear so we could see down the valley.
Our stay in Solento also included a visit to a working coffee farm and roasting factory. We drank some great coffee, majority of which is exported, most places in Colombia serve instant coffee..... and we ate some of the local delicacy 'Trucha' (Trout), in most places that is all that is on the menu.
After 3 great days in Solento it was time for a challenge, so we headed to Manizales with the plan to hike Colombia's highest volcano, the Los Nevado del Ruiz, 5300m. Our day started at 5.30am, we made our way to the town square and were picked up by a mini bus, there were 7 of us in total. The drive up was pretty amazing, different landscapes from lush green to volcanic rock. We stopped along the way to drink Cocoa tea (it helps with the altitude). We drove up to 4800m and we walked to the snow line, at 5125m. It was pretty tough going, not only where we at altitude but it was also snowing. We arrived at the top and could only see about 2 metres in front of us. Still a big achievement, our first time above 5000m. After descending the volcano our next stop was the thermal hot springs. The water temperature at the spring was about 60 degrees, the baths were chilled to about 50, so very soothing after our adventure up the volcano. On the return to town everyone fell asleep!
check out the photos (no sign in required)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.5ihoo3o5&x=0&y=-c373dn&localeid=en_US
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
The road south
After spending a week at the beach, it was time to experience a little more of Colombia. So, after our 10th hour of Spanish lessons, we jumped in a direct mini bus to Cartagena.
The trip it's self wasn't without adventure! Apart from stopping just about everywhere (not so 'direct' as promised, which we have since discovered is pretty standard), the driver was overtaking trucks on blind corners (also, the norm for south america), the air conditioning was so cold your breath had mist and we drove thru a tropical storm which left a foot of water on the road.
After a grulling 5 hours trip, we arrived in the beautiful fortified city of Cartagena. Our hostel was within walking distance of the walled city, giving us easy (and cheap) access to the town centre. We only spent a night in Cartagena, given we covered most of the sightseeing in an afternoon and it was f#&king hot (39 degrees).
Now the real travelling begins. Our next stop was Medellin, a 14 hour overnight bus trip, departing Cartagena at 8pm. Again, it was an experience. Our bus driver appeared to be trying for a land speed record, with the cabin wildly swing around on the windy roads. Needless to say niether of us got much sleep. We arrived in Medellin at 10am, very weiry.
Medellin is another sprawling city surrounded by mountains. It's appears more cosmopolitan than Bogota but for us it was just another big city. Once you've seen all big churches, the Simon Bolivar Plaza (every town has one) and walked the shopping strip you've pretty much seen everything. Now, If you want to party, then the city's are great. We only spent one night in Medellin, deciding to head south to the Zona Cafeteria (Coffee region).
We finally downloaded our first round of photos from Colombia,
follow the link (no login required).
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.2dipn6ml&x=0&y=8uvzop&localeid=en_US
The trip it's self wasn't without adventure! Apart from stopping just about everywhere (not so 'direct' as promised, which we have since discovered is pretty standard), the driver was overtaking trucks on blind corners (also, the norm for south america), the air conditioning was so cold your breath had mist and we drove thru a tropical storm which left a foot of water on the road.
After a grulling 5 hours trip, we arrived in the beautiful fortified city of Cartagena. Our hostel was within walking distance of the walled city, giving us easy (and cheap) access to the town centre. We only spent a night in Cartagena, given we covered most of the sightseeing in an afternoon and it was f#&king hot (39 degrees).
Now the real travelling begins. Our next stop was Medellin, a 14 hour overnight bus trip, departing Cartagena at 8pm. Again, it was an experience. Our bus driver appeared to be trying for a land speed record, with the cabin wildly swing around on the windy roads. Needless to say niether of us got much sleep. We arrived in Medellin at 10am, very weiry.
Medellin is another sprawling city surrounded by mountains. It's appears more cosmopolitan than Bogota but for us it was just another big city. Once you've seen all big churches, the Simon Bolivar Plaza (every town has one) and walked the shopping strip you've pretty much seen everything. Now, If you want to party, then the city's are great. We only spent one night in Medellin, deciding to head south to the Zona Cafeteria (Coffee region).
We finally downloaded our first round of photos from Colombia,
follow the link (no login required).
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=18yfen8h.2dipn6ml&x=0&y=8uvzop&localeid=en_US
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