• Hannah Maguire
  • Salvatore Wedde
Attuale
  • Hannah Maguire
  • Salvatore Wedde

US & South America

Un’avventura di 109 giorni di Hannah & Salvatore Leggi altro
  • 28/7 Quito y TeleferiQo

    28 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We got woken up early this morning with police knocking on the door for a security check of the hostel (very chaotic start to the morning and an effective alarm clock). Thankfully they were satisfied we were visiting for tourism when we showed them our PowerPoint.

    We spent the morning wandering around Quito and doing some shopping. Hannah bought a hat and I (Sal) bought gloves and a harmonica. In the afternoon we took a ride on the TeleferiQo gondola up Pichincha Volcano, which provided great views of Quito and even Cotopaxi off in the distance. Then back to Negra Mala for another fantastic dinner made by Victoria.
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  • 27/7 De Quilotoa a Quito

    27 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Woke up to a little more sunshine but a lot more wind today 💨 Said a quick goodbye to Quilotoa crater lake and set off towards Latacunga to get the bus back to Quito. On the way our driver kindly stopped at Toachi River Canyon for us to have a look and take some photos, such a cool spot! At Latacunga we caught a bus to Terminal Quitumbe and then a short ride on the metro to the historic centre of Quito. This afternoon we had an interesting dining experience at Casa Los Geranios 🥣Leggi altro

  • 26/7 Quilotoa

    26 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    What was meant to be a rest day turned into a 5:30am wake up for sunrise (or lack there of - bloody clouds!) and a hike down to the Quilotoa Crater Lake. It was very cloudy all morning but the crater and lake were still beautiful, the hike down was quick except for all our stops at different lookout points. We enjoyed some fresh empanadas at the bottom, I (Han) got in trouble off Sal for feeding the stray dogs, and then we set off on the hike back up. We struggled up the steep, dusty path as we were passed by donkeys and horses taking other visitors back up to the top. But we were rewarded with sunshine! Once the sun hit the beautiful turquoise colour of the water revealed itself, and boy was it beautiful. Had a nice nap back at the hostel followed by a delicious dinner, then back to our warm hotel room ready to head back to Quito tomorrow.Leggi altro

  • 25/7 Cotopaxi

    25 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    For our final day in Cotopaxi we were treated to a delicious pancake breakfast before heading off on the Pasochoa Summit Hike. Pasochoa is another extinct volcano near the Secret Garden hostel, reaching 4,200m in elevation. We had a great group for this hike, mostly those who arrived on the same day which was nice. We also had 3 of the resident dogs join us and make us feel incredibly unfit by running circles around us 😅 We were lucky enough to spot 2 more Andean Condors towards the peak which was very exciting! We headed back down and enjoyed our final lunch together, admired Cotopaxi which had finally decided to make an appearance after 2 days of almost complete cloud cover, and headed off to our next stop - Quilotoa. We arrived at our hostel, Hosteria Chukirawa, just before sundown and enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the comfort of our fireplace-heated room.Leggi altro

  • 24/7 Cotopaxi

    24 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

    For our second day in Secret Garden Cotopaxi we had a very early start (3:30am wake up for a 4am set off) to try and summit Sincholagua, an inactive volcano and the 12th highest peak in the country at 4,899m. Our guides drove the five of us to the start of the trail at about 3,900m and reached our first rest point at sunrise, we were treated to a stunning inversion over a nearby city. After a while we had to put on our helmets ready for a difficult scramble over snow-covered rocks. We reached 4,800m and sadly the guides told us the conditions were too dangerous for us to continue to the summit, however we were still very proud of our efforts!! Hiking at such high altitude is muy difícil 😮‍💨 On the way back down while we were trying not to be blown away by the wind we saw 2 Andean Condors, apparently quite rare in the area. Back at Secret Garden we treated ourselves to a dip in the jacuzzi before enjoying some bird watching - so many beautiful hummingbirds! After dinner the boys put in a huge effort to light us a campfire and we had a few singalongs before bed.Leggi altro

  • 23/7 Secret Garden Cotopaxi

    23 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    On our first day in Cotopaxi, we arrived at Secret Garden and were greeted with a delicious lunch. We then headed straight out on a short hike to a waterfall near the hostel. Wearing gumboots, we hiked alongside and through the creek towards the waterfall, with some rope-assisted scrambling along the way. At the falls, we cooled off with a refreshing and icy dip. On the way back, we fed banana peels to the resident llamas, then spent the afternoon admiring the incredible views of Cotopaxi.Leggi altro

  • 22/7 Quito

    22 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Explored the Historic Centre of Quito today. Started with brekky in the Plaza Grande before checking out the presidential palace and Monument of Independence. Along the walk to one of the churches we had read about we wandered into a beautiful cultural museum with stunning views of the surrounding city. We also found another stunning church which we had a look in, called the Catedral Metropolitana. Then we checked out the Museo de la Moneda, which used to be the original headquarters of the Central Bank of Ecuador but now acts as a museum. After that we walked up a very steep hill 😮‍💨 to the Basilica del Voto Nacional. The basilica’s origins date back to 1883, and to this day its construction remains incomplete. Local legend says that once its construction concludes, so too will the world. Even if it isn’t technically complete, we were still amazed by how beautiful it was. We climbed over 200 steps to the top of one of the towers and enjoyed a cup of tea and empanadas overlooking the city. For dinner we found a lovely restaurant on La Ronda, a family run restaurant where a kind lady named Victoria cooked us two delicious meals.Leggi altro

  • 21/7 Quito

    21 luglio, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Arrived safely in Quito this morning, headed straight to our hotel to catch up on some much needed rest. We were very surprised to find out Uber Eats operates here, and even more surprised by the range of options!! Enjoyed some delicious Ecuadorian dishes (with a vegetarian twist) and had a big nap. Excited to explore Quito tomorrow 😍Leggi altro

  • 20/7 Los Angeles

    20 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Our final day with the gang 😢 Headed off nice and early towards Los Angeles, stopped in at a diner for an authentic American brekky before dropping our vans off and heading our separate ways. Found out the place we went to, Pann’s Diner, was used in a Little Miss Sunshine scene! Filled ourselves up on waffles, pancakes, omelettes and hash browns and enjoyed unlimited coffee refills. Enjoyed an afternoon chilling by the pool at the Hyatt courtesy of Mads’ research skills - the perfect way to end the US portion of our trip. Onto Ecuador! 🇪🇨Leggi altro

  • 18/7 - 19/7 Malibu

    17 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Spending our last couple of nights at Malibu RV Park, set up right on the beach. Ducked over to Santa Monica to watch Spain kick Argentina’s butt, then watched the boys and Laney tackled some insane swell.Leggi altro

  • 15/7 Day trip to San Simeon

    15 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Walked over to check out the otters again (how could we not?) and heard there was a sea lion on the beach. Admired it for a little while, watching it move up the beach as the tide came in to rest on the sand. Soon after marine rescue came and took it away, unsure why but hopefully it’s okay! Then we drove 30 min up the coast to check out the Elephant Seals of San Simeon - there were so many!! Of course we had to stop in town on the way through to watch Argentina vs England. When we reached the coast we saw so many seals huddled up to keep themselves warm in the wind, very cool to see just how big they are! Stopped at Moonstone Beach on the way back to camp, as you can see we collected lots of pretty rocks 😅 Then finished off the day at a batting cage and then burgers by the campfire.Leggi altro

  • 14/7 Morro Bay

    14 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Woke up early to see if we could find the famous locals of Morro Bay - sea otters! They were very hard to spot at first, with their lack of movement while fast asleep making them look just like the floating sea kelp they rolled around themselves. On the walk around the base of the rock I also spotted some dolphins, sea birds nesting on the rock, and some sea lions resting on a pontoon far away. Went to Harbor Hut to watch Spain vs France and went back to watch the sunset nearby our campground.Leggi altro

  • 12/7 Yosemite -> Chowchilla

    12 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Our final day in Yosemite 😢 Explored the Sequoia Groves in the Northern part of Yosemite Valley. There are 2 dozen mature sequoias along the Tuolumne Grove trail. Seeing them next to the huge pine trees really gave us an appreciation of the size of them. These trees can live for 2,000 years and their trunks can reach over 25 feet thick. The grove also features a dead tree that had a tunnel dug through the base of its trunk in the early 19th century in order to attract tourists. Once used by horse-drawn carriages and cars, this tree is now only reached by foot. Off to Chowchilla for the night as we head to the west coast.Leggi altro

  • 10/7 Yosemite day 3

    10 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We applied for Half Dome permits the day we arrived in Yosemite, an iconic but challenging hike. An 1868 Yosemite guidebook declared “the summit of Half Dome will never be trodden by human foot” - proved them wrong! We began the trail just after 5:30am and made it back down at about 7pm (we spent about an hour swimming in Emerald Pool and spent a little while at the top so that definitely would have added to our time). We enjoyed a very well-earned meal at the bottom before heading back to camp.
    Sal made the tough decision to pass on Half Dome due to his ankle injury, however the rest of the group hiked to the top of Nevada Falls and back.
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  • 9/7 Yosemite day 2

    9 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Slower start this morning, checked out the shops and sat in the shade while we waited for Luke and Laney. Went for a nice swim in the Merced River and admired the view of Cathedral Rocks on one side and El Capitan on the other. Sadly no one was climbing the Dawn Wall but it was very cool comparing the picture of the route, could almost picture Alex Honald free solo-ing it 😵 Played some games and enjoyed some music courtesy of the Wedde boys, then went for a walk to the base of El Capitan, very cool looking up the sheer granite face. Had a little climb on the first couple of holds of one of the routes, now we can officially say we have climbed on El Capitan 😉Leggi altro

  • 8/7 Yosemite NP pt 2

    8 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Caught the shuttle to El Capitan picnic grounds, got roped into an absolute scramble to the base of the Dawn Wall by a misleading Google Review. Poor sal twisted his ankle bouldering along the way so resting easy tonight and hoping for a quick recovery 🤞🏼Leggi altro

  • 6/7 South Lake Tahoe continued

    6 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Morning chills, lake meditation and swims, horse riding and finally campfire hangs. Spotted two more bears roaming the campsite: a golden bear named Tanner and a big black bear we don’t know the name of.Leggi altro

  • 5/7 South Lake Tahoe

    5 luglio, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Thrift shop outfit exchanges followed by frisbee golf. Spotted a mumma bear with 2 cubs across the field full of wildflowers - mum climbed a fence to suss out someone’s backyard while the cubs played nearby. Went to a local pub later for Mexico vs England and made lots of friends, turns out Americans love Australians in embarrassing outfits 😅 Found out our campground has lots of local bears - including one the rangers have named ‘Troublemaker’Leggi altro