Well I´ve finally found the internet! Thanks to all for your well wishes, everything is going well so far! My journey here was fine, was in Quito for a few days and saw some sights, though am still finding getting to grips with the Spanish quite hard!
Met everyone off the trip on Sat 28th, there are only 7 of us at the mo (one couple Carly and Mark from Yorks/Australia, two girls who are friends from London Lisa and Emma, J who is 74(!!) from Canada and another Lisa from Australia who is my room/tentmate) but more are joining us in Lima in about 10 days. The truck vehicle we are on is massive (not got any pics yet but imagine a cross between a lorry and a coach, which from afar looks like a bright yellow prison vehicle (with no bars of course!)). Another Mark is our trip leader and Scott is our driver, both have done a few trips before so I think we are in good hands!
Bit of a view of Quito (but not actually a very good one, best I´ve got!)
Silly hats at Otavalo market (was tempted by the tiger one for you know who!)
I´m writing this from Baños which is famous for it´s outdoor activities-canyoning, rafting etc, its hot springs (doing that later I think!), massages and chewy ´taffy´ (toffee) which they make from sugar cane and pull it from wooden hooks in the taffy shops as you walk by (needless to say, I had to buy some to try it!!)
Before Baños we had 3 nights in the Amazon jungle staying at a lovely lodge over looking Rio Napo, we went for a few jungle walks where we ate some of the cocao (choccy) plant in its raw state (bit weird!), ate lemon ants (yes ants!), tasted their version of rhubarb (calm yourself Dad!) and got told about the medicinal/useful properties of plants that the local people and tribes use.
Aussie Lisa and I on the Amazon boat to the lodge. Yes, I have no makeup on :@
Eating raw cocao!
Our lodge. L-R: Emma, London Lisa & Aussie Lisa
View from our lodge. That´s the river we tubed down.Yes really!
Obligatory cat pic. This kitten thought it´s mother was this chicken - v cute!
On our last full day we ´tubed´down the river (basicially sat in rubber rings and got taken downstream by the current), at first a scary thought but once you were on them it ws very relaxing - one of the Lisa´s took some pics so I´ll have to get them off her! It was pretty steamy in the jungle, but not unbearable, we slept in rooms that were screened at the windows and under mosquito nets, I got a few bites but tried to wear long sleeves and trews to minimise them, everyone else got a lot more! We got all our food cooked for us which was pretty good, but it got quite difficult as soon as it got dark as the generator was broken, so we had to struggle with candlelight and torches to get around and go to the loo, you were never quite sure what bugs you were going to encounter!! Oh, a word on bugs; they really weren´t that bad - lots of different ants, kamikaze moths at night and the odd weird beetle/cockroachlike thing, but they didn´t really seem to bother us. We did meet a big spider on one of the walks though....
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| Big spider we all nearly walked into! |
Our jungle makeup! Apparently this is the local tribe women´s party makeup. I was just happy to have some makeup back on! L-R: Emma, London Lisa, Carly, me, Aussie Lisa
Preserved poisonous snakes in the Museo Sacha Samay. Eek!
Me attempting to use a blow pipe. I failed, of course ;(
I´ve not taken many pics in Baños so will update them when I can, prob in Cuenca our next stop in a couple of days.
My phone is being crap BTW so sorry if I´ve not replied to texts etc, hopf I´ll have reception in Cuenca. Keep me updated with all your news and pics remember, esp of various weddings!! Adios for now! H x x
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