• Melissa Lewis
  • Melissa Lewis

South America

April - August 2019 Lue lisää
  • Huanchaco

    6. kesäkuuta 2019, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I arrived in Huanchaco after leaving Lima at 9.45pm last night. On the way to the bus terminal in the Uber, a guy tried to open the back doors or the car and my driver had to speed off from a red light - he said he probably saw my phone and was trying to get it. I was very on edge about the bus and getting the taxi from Trujillo to Huanchaco. I slept through the night on the bus and the taxi ride went smoothly. My driver, Javier, was lovely, he chatted to me very slowly in Spanish and was patient when I didn't understand.

    First impressions of the hostel is it seems very chill and basic - exactly what I'm after. I'm sitting on the top deck waiting for reception to open and am overlooking the ocean (although covered in cloud) and a soccer game on the field opposite.

    I headed to Manuel's language school to discuss options for lessons and walked away with a 9pm booking to teach an English class.

    I wandered down to the beach watching the waves with Cypa and Jay at around 1.30pm until Cypa and I decided to hire a couple of boards and give it a go. The rocks underfoot were way too vicious for my liking and I came out with a couple of cuts on my feet and ultimately breaking a fin on my board and paying 20 soles to replace it.

    I enjoyed a vegan curry for dinner with Cypa before heading to teaching English. I actually really enjoyed the class of four (ranging from 17 to 31). I asked them a bunch of questions and helped them to answer them - at the end they told Manuel that they liked me as their teacher and he asked me to come back at 10am the next day 😊 I'm already looking forward to it! They gave me a lift home in their taxi too - which needed a jump start!
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  • Galapagos Day 2 - Santa Cruz

    28. kesäkuuta 2019, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I started the day with a waffle and an iced latte before heading down to Laguna Ninfa. It was a little eerie at first because I was the only one there and it felt isolated through the mangroves. The Laguna was beautiful, I'm sure it'd be even more spectacular in the sunshine too. I saw so many fish - tiny and huge - swimming, a kingfisher, a turtle under the water and seals.id heard the seals for a while in the distance and assumed they were birds, although now it seems obvious that they were seals. I was standing on the boardwalk watching the fish when they unexpectedly leapt from the water. They played for several minutes in the Laguna before disappearing downstream. It was a beautiful moment, I could help but smiling to myself for several minutes.

    I had another moment of being unable to stop myself smiling when I was wandering through the main Street after dinner, just trying to find somewhere to meet some people (unsuccessfully). I had just seen a seal sleeping on a seat near a parade and everything felt warm and welcoming and I had an overwhelming appreciation for where I am, what I'm seeing and how exquisitely lucky and happy I am - it was one of those moments you wish you could capture and bottle just to hold it forever.
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  • Isabela - Galápagos

    30. kesäkuuta 2019, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I arrived by ferry on the 30th and stayed until the 4th
    . The Los Tuneles snorkelling tour was beyond incredible - sharks, rays, sea turtles, fish, blue footed boobies, penguin.
    The 16km Sierra Negra Volcano hike was amazing, the landscape felt out of this world (like most of the Galapagos!)Lue lisää

  • Back to Santa Cruz

    4. heinäkuuta 2019, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I got on the 6am ferry to go back to Santa Cruz for my connection to San Cristobal. On the two and a half hour ferry, we passed a giant pillar sticking up from the sea with an angled ledge with a seal perched upon it. Although it was some distance away, I could see the seal moving its head up and down as if ready to dive into the sea from the 3-4m ledge. It was another of those moments when I felt the need to capture how lucky I am to be doing this trip and also marvel at how spectacular our earth is - the rough, treacherous sea swilling around the (probably) sharp rocks and a seal managed to find its way up to have a safe rest. It was a beautiful sight, although there was nothing particularly special about it.Lue lisää

  • Baños

    8. heinäkuuta 2019, Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We arrived at 2am in the pouring rain, unable to find he doorbell for 10 minutes, standing on the deserted street. It was 20 minutes before we managed to work the doorbell and get inside. It rained the whole next day so we wandered around and got lattes and a banana choc chip (warmed) muffin instead of checking out the waterfalls and the swing (haha).Lue lisää