Crossing the border into Peru

I left Cuenca with the resolution to make it all the way to Vilcabamba, a little village next to the border with Peru, where people (supposedly) live long happy lives. As it often happens, my plans changed as I arrived in Loja to change buses to go to my destination. My bus ride had been relatively unpleasant due to the stinky old man, which when combined with the little girl vomiting and the few chickens in the bus made the idea of another bus ride completely unappealing. As I got off the bus I met 3 polish travellers who mentionned that they were going to cross the border into Peru that night. Aaah...ooohh...well why not? I decided that I was well due to be in Peru and joined them on the night bus 8 hours later.


The border crossing was relatively uneventful although I am still wondering why bus drivers have this crazy idea that "lights off" also means "music on". Can someone please explain to me the logic of having reggaeton blarring out all night during a night journey?


We arrived in Piura, Peru at 8 am completely exhausted. We all checked into a hotel and slept for a good 5 hours. I had rather enjoyed the company of my new polish friends and decided to join one of them to Mancora for a few days of rest by the beach. But before that I got treated to a succulent meat feast as Bartek (one of the Poles) was celebrating his 30th (see below).

The next day we left for Mancora, Peru; a small isolated village two hours north of Piura. It is famous for its beach, its surfers and its laid back atmosphere. It was all that ...and more as we ended up staying during the Women´s World Surf Championships.

Quizz: Did you know that the best two female surfers are Peruvian? Well I didn´t know either but now we both do!

The ride there was also entertaining as we boarded an old beat up american car (1975) which boasted a driver that looked like an older version of Johnny Depp in his Druggie film in Las Vegas. See for yourself....

The next two days where spent lazying around the pool, reading in a hammoc listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach...and trying desperately to change my skin colour from white to pinky (painfully successful). I tasted my first ceviche (raw fish that is marinated into lime and then cooked by the marinate...friggin´ beautiful) and drank Inka Cola (the peruvian -and yellow- version of Coke..erhem...not as excited about that one!).

After two days of lazying around, I decided that if I stayed another day I would never leave. I took the brave decision to take a night bus down to Trujillo, a historic town full of ruins midway to Lima.

The day I ate cuyes ... (aka Guinea Pig!)

Last day in Ecuador.

I made my way down from Riobamba to Alausi via what is known as El Nariz Del Diablo (The Devil´s Nose). I woke up early (6.15 am) to make it to the train elated by the expectation of a fantastic train ride through the Andes. As I arrived to the train station my sense of elation was quickly reduced to zero as I looked in horror at the hord of middle aged german tourists trying to get the best seats on the train. I should have expected this as I knew that this was basically a "tourist ride" but still...german, sandals and socks...sigh!

Despite the lack of Indiana Jones look-alikes, the views over the Andes was spectacular. The actual train line was opened in 1908, climbs to 3200m and the best part is that it does a double zigzag and two switchbacks. Not bad for an ol´train! A friend from work who had taken the same ride a few years back had recommended sitting on the roof of the train as this was supposedly allowed. Unfortunately due to the fatal accident of two japanese tourists in February the President of Ecuador has personally forbidden access. Booh...

I then made my way south to Cuenca, a city founded in 1557 (another UNESCO World Heritage Site...I should keep count how many I have visited). There seems to be a theme to my random encounters as I started talking to a young french girl called Clara and a french physics teacher with rastas called Julien. We were all sharing the same dorm room (with a french canadian and an english guy) so they quicky became my Cuenca possee!

I enjoyed Cuenca a lot. The weather was pleasant, the city safe and the people very friendly. I usually try and have my breakfast (ie. a roll and choco milk) in the Central Parque of the place I happen to be in. This time, I sat down on a bench next to an old man who must have been very popular as everyone was saying hello to him and calling him "Colonel". I ended talking to him for some time, and he told me lots of stories of his time in the Ecuadorian Air Force.

Changing the subject, I tried the regional delicacy Cuyes (aka guinea pig). I have never really been a pet person, nor have I had any guinea pigs (or probably seen one either to be honest) but it was rather disturbing to see these guinea pigs being broched and BBQ-ed with their heads still on.


But I did it...and well it didn´t taste of much. I don´t want to say chicken (everything can taste like chicken) but maybe more like rabbit, small bones, very little meat and quite fatty. Needless to say I downed a can of Coke afterwards ... just in case!

Riobamba-ba-la-Bamba!

I was sad to leave my new found french friends but I can foresee this happening frequently in the future. I am like a rolling stone after all!!!

Next stop was a town called Riobamba, 3 hours south of Banos. The first scare happened a good 5 minutes after I had boarded a public bus when I overheard that the bus was going to Quito (ie. the opposite direction). I started to panique a little but was reassured when the ticket boy told me that by stopping in Ambato I could still make it. The direct road to Riobamba had been destroyed by the last volcanic eruption and this was the only way round.

Riobamba is a relatively large town with few touristy sites. It´s main attraction being that it is the starting point of El Nariz Del Diablo train ride. I arrived a day early only to discover that I was literally the only person staying in the hotel. It took me a while to get use to the solitude and the contrast with Banos could not have been stronger. I decided to venture out and wander the streets. My eyes were enthralled by the many indigenous people walking the streets all dressed in their typical hat and shawl, many carrying children on their backs.

Travelling solo can also be a huge advantage. I travelled to a small town called Guano today, famous for its weaving and leather. Unfortunately this being low season most of the shops were closed. I walked around for a while only to find people washing their clothes in a stream nearby. As I got closer a young 12 year old girl called Jimenez approached me and said "hello". I was surprised to hear her speak english as so few people speak english here. This was the begining of a two hour conversation. She was really chatty and I could sense that she really wanted to share her knowledge with me. I took as much as I could in, learning about her culture, her food and most importantly that she wanted to be a pop singer when she gew up. She also taught me my firs words in Quechua. In return I showed her the pictures of my family and of my home. This is the first time that I have experienced such genuine kindness during my trip. I will remember this day as the day I met Jimenez and her brother next to the stream in Guano.

Give me a little heat...in Banos, Ecuador

It didn´t take me too long to leave Quito behind. As far as cities go it was probably quite nice but I was still happy to leave for less polluted, friendlier pastures. Off I went to Banos, a few hours by bus south of Quito. Banos is supposedly THE holiday destination in Ecuador (for locals at least). I can see why. It is surrounded by jaw droping green mountains and lies at the base of Tungurahua Volcano. The big plus of this cute yet touristy little town are the natural hot springs, which i made a point to thoroughly investigate.


I stayed in an extremely friendly hostel called Plantos y Biancos, even splashed out and got a room for myself...$8 well spent i say! It took me a little over 3.5 minutes to get talking to a few people on the rooftop terrace and another 1.5 minutes to hear French being spoken in the corner. Ears alert, eye on the horizon I went in eyeing the prey and with my biggest smile blurted out"Haaaallloooo....you are french?"...and there you have it. I sat politely down at their table and started talking to Romain (half french-half dutch) , Cedric (100 % french) and we were later joined by Karine (100% french). I know, I know, i know... this trip is all about meeting other cultures but sometimes it´s just plain nice to be able to speak french and compare our Quechua tops!


I really enjoyed speaking to Cedric- he´s a 30 something Educateur Sportif who basically decided to jack everything in and set off to cycle across south america. He started a year ago from Buenos Aires, cycled down to Ushuaia and back up again. His initial plan had been to cycle all the way up to Mexico but he now feels drained , and has opted for a shorter journey to Quito flying home from there. Listening to his stories made me realise how little (compared to him!) I was actually going to see on my buses-to-hostel-to- whatever is interesting to do in the region- routine. Don´t get me wrong, I am not the kind of person that would find any type of enjoyment in doing what he is doing and I accept that. But it was fascinating to hear first hand all his crazy stories of theft, random encounters, sleeping in someone´s garden or sharing a meal of Cuyl (guinee pig) with farmers... i will keep reading his blog with interest.


The next day, I hired a quad (lazy i know!) and drove up an extremely steep country road to reach the top of the surrounding mountain. The views were spectacular and well worth the risk of failing brakes (the guy at the shop had warned me, that if the brakes heated up a little too much I should just stop and wait for 10 minutes or so!) QUE!!! All safe now.


In truly french student style we decided to cook some pasta in the hostel for diner. It felt incredibly natural to cook a meal with these "friends for a day". We meticulously cut the vegetables, chose the seasoning with care, layed the table and all sat down together. I could have been in a friend´s flat in France instead of a hostel in Banos, Ecuador. It felt nice to be at home for a night.


With our tummies full and content, we decided to hit the town which basically meant going downstairs to join the locals for their Fiesta. For the Fiesta of the City (which is happening now) a small orchestra plays deafening music everyday for a month and each day in a different barrio. Lucky us last night was around the corner from my room window. We joined the dancing whole-heartedly failing miserably to show any rythm or skill (I felt like I was in the ecuadorian version of the fatboy slim video). But it was fun for both us and the locals!

One final note. My one nice TShirt (ie. the cool blue Quicksilver one) was un-ceremoniously stollen by the laundry people. I confronted them but obviously what can you say? Nice, now i have nothing nice to wear at all.

Arriving in Quito

Finally getting closer to the southern hemisphere. The arrival in Quito was straighforward enough. I had pre-booked a hostel (woohoo me!), a place called Secret Garden. This was a great hostel, owned by an Aussie-Ecuadorian couple with a great terrace and a make-shift fireplace (ie. take a wheelbarel, add wood and there you have it!...highly recommended!). I opted for a dorm room again (clap clap) and ended up sharing with 3 other guys, all english...one lawyer, one MBA to be and a traveller bum. Interesting mix. The terrace was a great place to meet other travellers. In an effort to be sociable I even went out with everyone on Saturday night to "hit the town of GringoLandia" in Quito. Due to the fact that I had no idea where I was i thought it preferable to abstain from taking any alcoholic beverages, which expectedly made the evening a lot less fun. Ended up in the local meat market where gringos tried to get it on with the local gals!. Tiger Tiger Ecuadorian style....nice!

The next day I ventured out on public transport to La Mitad del Mundo ie. the equator. I felt very courageous for going solo. My spanish skills saving me more than once as i literally only had a few notes scribbled on a piece of paper to help me find my way. Yes, I straddled the equator!

The following day I wandered around the old town in Quito. Quito in itself is not a very nice city. I felt slightly unsafe most of the time and given the altitude (2850m) walking up a few steps left me panting like an overweight texan. So not a great combination. But the Old Town was nice, colonial (again!) and I was lucky enough to be there for the change of the guard. The ecuadorian change of the guard would put Buckingham Palace to shame. There is an orchestra, loads of colourful guards with spears, a speech about protecting the democtratically elected president and to finish it all a few "Viva Ecuador" emerging with pride from the congregation in the square.


Next stop: Banos for a few hot springs.

From San Jose to Panama City

From Monteverde we happily left the altitude, cold, and rain to more pleasant pastures in a place called La Fortuna. The main reason people go to La Fortuna is to check out the Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica! The last major eruption occured in 2000. One of the super highlights of our visit to the volcano involved sitting at the bottom of the volcano in the dark *and the rain*, munching on hot pizza, our eyes patiently focusing on the volcano, waiting to see an actual eruption *which we did!*. The volcano is constantly erupting and from where were were standing ie. quite far, we could still see lava rocks being thrown out of the volcano and rolling down the side. Not a bad way to have a pizza....

When leaving La Fortuna, we had two options to get down to San Jose. The easy option involving a bus ride or the more adventurous Plan Super B which would force us to white water raft a grade 4-5 river part of the way. And you thought I was a chicken! Haaa! Think again. The river was amazing. We slalomed through rocks and rapides and even nearly all fell in. But thanks to our cute captain on board * i am telling you these ticos are super cute* , we arrived safely.

Once in San Jose we checked in to our final hotel as a group. San Jose is a big capital city with no real appealing sightseeing opportunities. It's big, grey and polluted. I stayed an extra night in San Jose, in a hostel ... and let me tell you it was a rough awakening to the roughin' it part of my trip. I think i will have to splurge a few times on this trip to keep my sanity and respectability!
I spent the day with the coolest Danes ever. They even got me into a Museum *no easy feat!*

I then endured an 18 hour bus ride from San Jose to Panama City. My words are a bit harsh, it wasn't that bad. I was sat next to a 12 year old american boy called Jesse who's parents are evangelist missionaries in Panama. The border crossing was easy enough, although i did get a little nervous when they asked me for my plane ticket out of Panama and I realised that I only had my booking confirmation. No problemo!

Panama City is modern and very americanised. It kind of made me think of Singapore but in grottier and seedier. I think I was staying in an ok area but I can't be sure. I was discouraged by the hotel staff to leave the hotel at night. The Casco Viejo is the old district, colonial in style and completely dilapidated. A building had collapsed that day because of heavy rainfall. But despite this, it's charming *although slightly dangerous*.

I also took the time to see the Panama Canal. Very cool. The pictures don't really do it justice.
And sent a box home which in itself was a huge undertaking. First, finding the post office, then realising that they do not sell boxes in the post office, going to a chinese supermaket to get a skanky old box, arriving to the post office only to realise that i also needed wrapping paper. Bref, all this took the best part of 2 hours, cost a fortune and would not have been possible if an old Panamean lady had not taken pity on my and held my hand from the beg to the end * yes 2 hours!* In the end she put me in a taxi and i gave her a hug!

Time warp - fast forward 7 days! Granada (Nicaragua) to Monteverde (Costa Rica)

I can t believe my last entry was in Leon. This blog is long overdue an update. So after Leon we travelled down to Granada, a charming colonial city with yet another volcano to climb (this time we had to wear gas masks because of the sulfure!), we topped that with a visit to Lago Nicaragua and finished the day with a visit to Coyotepe prison, a gory Nicaraguan prison where the government would send anyone that disagreed with them (ie Sandinista rebels!). It was a packed day, made even harder by the fact that most of us were hangovered having played far too many drinking games in an american-owned dive which boasted a speaking mose. I did meet a cute american from Austin TX..Go Longhorns!!!

After Granada we moved on to Ometepe, the biggest fresh water island ever (supposedly). This place was remote with no internet access or laundry facilities. Thank God for the hammocs! We chilled, drank a little Flor de Cana, went horseback riding (yes I did get bruises in awkward places!) and enjoyed the fact that we had nothing to do for a few days.

We then entered Costa Rica. Bear in mind that this was done over a few days. For a few Facts Non Facts, Costa Ricains are called Ticos, their favourite expression is "Pura Vida!" and they are bloody cute (well especially our Adventurous guides!). The border crossing was hectic and I did wonder how on earth I would do it alone! We were hassled by a lot of touts, we endured long queues for basic administration (our stamp) and bag searches ... but we got through it ok (although I did see a cab driver with a revolver in his trousers!). So much for first impressions.

Costa Rica is probably the richest of the countries I ve been to so far - the biggest indicator being that the houses actually have lawns. We saw many americans travelling (think OAPs with an inclination for a bit of adrenaline) which has resulted in the country being very easy to travel and the people tourist friendly.

Our first stop was Monteverde, a small town nested high up in the rainforest. Supposedly they have consciously decided to leave all the roads up the mountain unpaved so as to limit the tourist flow and protect the ecosystem. How incredibly illogical. The result being a painful one hour ride on unpaved mountain roads. Once we got there, we braced ourselves for two days of cold rain (you know the one, a bit like in England, where you feel wet to the bone and can never get dry). But the flip side of the horrible weather is that the cloudforest was spectacular. Visibility was low due to the fog but it gave our expedition a very eerie feel. We missed out on most the animals but had loads of fun walking on "sky bridges" through lush, wet rainforest. This however was surpassed by our decision to give the zip lines a go. Zip lines are cables that run through the cloudforest. You climb up some massive tower (we started off at 40m) and zip down cables through fog and vegetation, attached by a harnest. I really felt like Taaaarzan ....or was it Cheetah?

Heaps of fun yet again. Shame John had to leave our group.

Leon, Nicaragua - " Volcano Boarding"

Arrived in Leon, Nicaragua after a very long bus journey from Utila. The journey was strenious to say the least. It involved a ferry, a few taxis and a bus across the border. The border crossing was quite eventful with money touts brandishing wads of cash and trying to jump on the bus to change our money.

We drove through the countryside once again, but this time I saw a lot more poverty. The roads were pot holes ridden and there were (too) many barefoot children running after our bus begging (I assume) for money. I definitely felt that the country had suffered a lot in its history and that it was still not out of the woods.

Leon is (i think) the second largest city in Nicaragua. It has a cool colonial feel to it, a bit like Antigua (Guatemala) but less touristy and with rougher edges. I also felt like the people were more aggressive, men staring and whistling frequently. But i guess that's part of the culture here.

Leon is surrounded by volcanoes and what better way to explore the region than by going Volcano Boarding on an active volcano called "Cerro Negro". We hiked up along the crater (yes it was exhausting), carrying our 'board' (it was like a luge) and bright orange suits complete with plastic goggles and gloves. We thought we looked so cool, but I think that the reality of it was that we looked like funky Bob the Builder wannabes on a volcano. Our aussie guide went through the safety procedures (very little!) and as he talked about the volcano and how to brake without breaking your neck, I thought to myself ..."why?". The end result was an exhilirating rush of adrenaline as we zoomed down a 400m black sand slope at a 40 degree angle. It was an amazing experience.

The next day we were off to Granada.

Apart from that, you will be happy to hear that my belly is fine, the chicken - rice and beans combination is not doing me any harm (as yet!).

Bay Islands (Utila), Honduras

I haven´t been able to get to a internet cafe recently and my trip to Utila is already a few days old.This is the problem with being on such a tight schedule. The opportunities to sit back and contemplate are few and far between.

Having endured a gruelling 10 hour travel day (our wake up calls vary between 5.30 and 6.30 - yes, loving it!), I was elated to finally reach the coast line. As the distance from Guatemala increased I couldn´t help but notice how people were losing their indigenous features; these being replaced by a blend of carribean, brown and white. The ferry from La Ceiba to Utila was a bumpy ride and I think if it wasn´t for my previous outings with my family our the boat in France, it would have definitely been a "head overboard" situation.

Utila is the third largest and less developped of the Bay Islands. As the boat approached the make-shift dock, I had a flashback of scenes from The Beach. Utila is the most backpacker friendly of the three islands. It has an amazing laid back feel to it, with many tanned bearded backpackers lazily kicking back with locals drinking papaya juices.

The Bay Islands have an interesting history, for nearly 200 years Spanish conquistadores and British pirates battled for control of these islands. The result is that still today people speak a mix of english and spanish.

Utila is also one of the cheapest diving spots in the world (approx 25 USD per dive!). I managed to get 3 dives under my belt. My apprehension of getting back under water quickly vanished thanks to Sean and Lynne, my dive instructor and trainee divemaster (respectively). Sean is a Reading Uni graduate who is looking to develop a diving academy in different locations around the world. It´s called Sunken Dreams. I had the opportunity to get to know them both and learn about his ideas for his business. It was like a breath of fresh air to see someone so dynamic and optimistic who really wants to make things happen. I was impressed by Sean´s professionalism and ability to connect with people. Both him and Lynne (and the cool diving) are what I will remember about Utila (oh without forgetting the cool fish, crabs and my first shipwreck!) So a big shout out to both of them for making the experience so cool..

Copan Ruins, Honduras

So I met my group yesterday. We're less than 15 people which is great and there's a good mix of nationalities, ages and sexes which is even better. I am flying my french flag proudly, surrounded by a few danes, a dutch, some Brits, an Aussie, a Kiwi, a German and some Americans.

We boarded our little bus this morning at 6 am to make our way to Copan, Honduras. The drive took approx 7 hours and went smoothly (i am probably saying that because it's my first one!). The scenary was spectacular, dense forest on lush mountains...all i saw was green!

We arrived in Copan this afternoon and went straight to the Copan Ruins - a famous and nicely kept set of maya ruins. I am not very good at looking at old stones especially as I hadn't really done my homework but there were some nice details of mayan characters and the pyramids were well preserved.

We are staying one night here and then we are off tomorrow to the coast to a place called Utila. Supposedly there is some great diving to be done there and i might be able to do what I have always dreamt of doing ever since i saw Flipper on TV...yes you guess it...swimming with dolphins!

As it's our first night in the group I definitely think a few bevvies will be in order tonight !