World Trip

Cass and Mike's Year Long Adventure Read more

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Trip start
February 17, 2023
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Day 1
Friday, February 17, 2023
☁️ 24 °C
Altitude: 28 m
New Zealand University of Auckland -36.852089, 174.7631836°51’8” S 174°45’47” E
Auckland
February 17, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Departed Auckland for our big adventure - first stop, Costa Rica!
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Day 1
Friday, February 17, 2023
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 1,155 m
Costa Rica Hospital 9.927895, -84.0907739°55’40” N 84°5’27” W
San Jose
February 17, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Landed in San Jose after 22+ long hours of flying and a stopover in Dallas.
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Day 2
Saturday, February 18, 2023
☁️ 26 °C
Altitude: 239 m
Costa Rica Quebrada Cristalina 10.471917, -84.64490210°28’19” N 84°38’42” W
La Fortuna
February 18, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
We travelled by public bus from San Jose to La Fortuna - just trying to get a bus ticket was an adventure in itself. We stayed in a hostel with great galle pinto and hiked in Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal.Read more
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Day 5
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 1,335 m
Costa Rica Santa Elena 10.317237, -84.82480110°19’2” N 84°49’29” W
Monteverde
February 21, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We travelled by bus/boat/bus to Monteverde. We spent a day hiking through Monteverde Cloud Forest and then joined a night walk to spot some sleeping animals.
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Day 8
Friday, February 24, 2023
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 20 m
Costa Rica Boca Vieja Creek 9.436503, -84.1636999°26’11” N 84°9’49” W
Quepos
February 24, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Took a private shuttle to Quepos, which annoyingly left us on the side of the road instead of dropping us at our accommodation. We spent a day hiking through Manuel Antonio National Park where we saw sloths, snakes, frogs, monkeys and lots of birds. We spent the rest of our time here taking it slow by sleeping in, reading and swimming.Read more
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Day 13
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: 1,175 m
Costa Rica Parque Central de San José 9.932549, -84.0795789°55’57” N 84°4’46” W
Back to San Jose *
March 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
We bussed back to San Jose for just a night before we fly out. We enjoyed one last casado at the same place we ate at on our first night in Costa Rica - we have come full circle!
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Day 14
Thursday, March 2, 2023
🌬 31 °C
Altitude: 15 m
Colombia Plaza Santo Domingo 10.425602, -75.54975510°25’32” N 75°32’59” W
Cartagena
March 2, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌬 31 °C
We have arrived in Cartagena! Getting here was an unwanted adventure which involved us sprinting through Panama Airport (thankfully we had running shoes on and backpacks only so we clocked 5min/kms). We spent our time here exploring the pretty streets of the Old City and Getsemani, the fortress and different coffee shops.Read more
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Day 20
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Altitude: 1,554 m
Colombia Parque Lleras 6.209631, -75.5681056°12’35” N 75°34’5” W
Medellin
March 8, 2023 in Colombia
Took an overnight bus from Cartagena to Medellin (was meant to be 13.5hrs, ended up being 17hrs!). We arrived very tired and hungry, but very excited to explore this city! We stayed at a hostel in Poblado, right next to all the clubs and restaurants (big mistake, way too loud). Spent a few days exploring Communa 13 and learning about the history of Medellin. The locals are very proud of their metro system (which works really well) and don't like talking about Pablo Escobar (so as not to give him more fame than he deserves).

We were offered cocaine and weed by every street vendor selling lollies (lol no thank you), sadly saw a lot of poverty and homelessness (particularly young indigenous girls) on the door steps of extreme wealth and saw more prostitutes than I have ever seen in my life.

We also went to a soccer game (Atletico Nacionale (Medellin) vs Millionarios (Bogota)). The crowd was wild and super passionate and it was pretty overwhelming!Read more
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Day 26
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
🌧 15 °C
Altitude: 2,566 m
Colombia Valle del Cocora 4.637097, -75.4783214°38’14” N 75°28’42” W
Salento and Valle de Cocora
March 14, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
After a 5 hour delay due to bad weather, we flew from Medellin to Armenia. We caught 2 public buses to make it to our destination in Salento - it was a lot easier and cheaper than trying to take a taxi. I'm starting to feel like we're getting the hang of this travelling thing! We spent our first afternoon here wandering the town and Mirador, before having dinner and playing some tejo.

The next day, we woke up early to hike in Valle de Cocora with a German couple (Svenja and Heiko) that we'd met on our bus from Cartagena to Medellin and who happened to be staying at the same guesthouse. The day started off dry, but the rain set in around lunchtime, right before we arrived at the iconic wax palms, and we were absolutely drenched by the time we finished the hike. We returned to Salento hoping for a hot shower, only to be told there was no running water in the whole town because of the rain (which was ironic, really).Read more
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Day 27
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
☁️ 18 °C
Altitude: 2,578 m
Colombia Parque de la 93 4.679862, -74.0482954°40’48” N 74°2’54” W
Bogota*
March 15, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We left Salento for our final destination in Colombia - the capital city of Bogota. We arrived in Bogota after a very long and bumpy bus ride (was meant to be 6.5hrs and was 9hrs). I think the lesson learnt is that you always need to add at least 2hrs to the advertised length of the bus journey in South America. We're pretty exhausted from a few full days of travel and sightseeing in Medellin and Salento, so will take the next few days to slow down before the busy couple of weeks we have ahead of us in Ecuador.Read more
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Day 29
Friday, March 17, 2023
🌧 17 °C
Altitude: 2,628 m
Colombia Plaza de Bolivar 4.598333, -74.0766674°35’54” N 74°4’36” W
Bogota
March 17, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
After a much needed rest day yesterday (had a throbbing headache and fatigue I couldn't get rid of - I put it down to the altitude), we finally left our hostel to explore Bogota. We wandered around La Candelaria, where we got a bit lost, had a look at some markets and the Museo de Botero. We later joined a food walking tour where we tried: empanadas (still not a huge fan), fresh sugar cane juice, capybara (not bad) and obleas caseritas.

Tomorrow we fly to Quito before we head to the Galapagos!Read more
What?! You ate capybara? Aren't they like your favorite animal? [Nathan]
3/29/23Reply
TravelerWe tried capybara and still my favourite! 😂
3/30/23Reply
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Day 30
Saturday, March 18, 2023
🌧 15 °C
Altitude: 2,818 m
Ecuador Quebrada de la Cantera -0.220157, -78.5123270°13’13” S 78°30’44” W
Quito*
March 18, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Flew to Quito for a night before we head to the Galapagos Islands.
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Day 38
Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 12:18 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Ecuador Puerto Ayora -0.746295, -90.313550°44’47” S 90°18’49” W
Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands
March 26, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We just finished a week of sailing around the Galapagos Islands! We started in San Cristobal, and sailed to Espanola, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Santiago and Genovesa Island, before finishing on Baltra, where we disembarked this morning.

Each day on the cruise was jam packed with activities and felt like you lived multiple days within a single day - we often started with a 6am walk or snorkel, followed by breakfast, a mid-morning activity (walk or snorkel), lunch and siesta, and then afternoon activities (again, usually a walk and snorkel/water sports).

Highlights of the trip include:
- 3 three course meals a day and snacks after every excursion
- Spotting flamingos and being super close to them (less than 2m!)
- Swimming with sea lions, turtles, eagle rays, penguins, galapagos sharks and hammerhead sharks
- Making a quick escape from the water when one of the sailors on our boat saw a bull shark (bigger than our dinghy) in the same area we were snorkelling in
- Watching galapagos sharks hunting fish right off our boat
- Visiting the giant tortoises
- Watching the courtship of frigate birds (the ones with the big red pouch)
- Being chased by sea lions (an alpha male was chasing two males from his beach, those two males ran after us)

We're now in Puerto Ayora (the biggest town in the Galapagos) where we will relax for a few days before we fly back to the mainland.Read more
TravelerSounds like you had a great time on the cruise around Galapagos.
3/26/23Reply
TravelerWe had the best time! So cool seeing so many animals
3/27/23Reply
TravelerProbably the most jealousy inducing part of your trip for me... 🫤 You've had your fun guys, time to come back
3/29/23Reply
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Day 40
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Ecuador Puerto Ayora -0.761103, -90.3331810°45’40” S 90°19’59” W
Tortuga Bay, Galapagos Islands*
March 28, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Started our last day in the Galapagos with an early morning jog to Tortuga Bay. Saw marine iguanas and sea turtle nests.
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Day 42
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 12:09 PM
Altitude: 2,851 m
Ecuador Ichimbia -0.215, -78.5083330°12’54” S 78°30’30” W
Quito
March 30, 2023 in Ecuador
We flew into Quito from the Galapagos yesterday and instantly felt the altitude (we went from sea level to 2,800m in about 2 hours). We spent the day slowly exploring Quito's Historic Centre.
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Day 43
Friday, March 31, 2023
🌧 12 °C
Altitude: 3,429 m
Ecuador Río Pugchi -0.503456, -78.4709410°30’12” S 78°28’15” W
Secret Garden Cotopaxi*
March 31, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
We spent a couple of nights at Secret Garden Cotopaxi, near Cotopaxi National Park, where we fully unplugged (there is no wifi or signal out there). On our first day, we did a short waterfall hike which mainly involved walking through rivers.

Our second day was spent hiking to the summit of Pasochoa Volcano. We started at an elevation of 3600m and would increase to 4200m at the summit. I found breathing at the high altitude, the lack of breaks and pace of the hike really difficult and turned around early - this was the first hike ever that I haven't finished. Mike kept going and made it to the summit, but agreed that it was a challenging hike.Read more
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Day 48
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 10:59 AM
🌩️ 7 °C
Altitude: 3,724 m
Ecuador Quilotoa -0.863076, -78.9161650°51’47” S 78°54’58” W
Quilotoa Loop
April 5, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌩️ 7 °C
We just finished up the 3 day 38km hike from Quilotoa to Sigchos called the Quilotoa Loop. We started at Quilotoa and were lucky enough to have the Quilotoa Crater to ourselves before we started the 3 day hike through the Ecuadorian Andes.

Each day, we passed through amazing landscapes of rural farms and villages on the hillsides of the Andes and ascended and descended up and down to the Sigui/Toachi Canyon. The steep climb in/out of the canyon, combined with the 3500m+ altitude, made this one of the hardest hikes we've completed. Despite the difficulty, we saw beautiful scenery, lucked out with clear weather (considering it's currently the wet season) and had a great time exploring the Andean hills.Read more
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Day 50
Friday, April 7, 2023
Altitude: 2,842 m
Ecuador Quebrada del Tejar -0.221114, -78.5149750°13’16” S 78°30’54” W
Good Friday in Quito
April 7, 2023 in Ecuador
We spent Good Friday in Quito watching the Procession of Jesus of Great Power in the Historic Centre. This involves men and women dressing in purple gowns and walking for 3 hours to repent for their sins. We were told that their sins could be anything from swearing or stealing, to more serious crimes like murder. There were thousands of people taking part in the procession which was crazy to witness.

In the afternoon, we went to the Middle of the Earth Monument (which actually isn't the true middle of the earth but they didn't realize until after they built the monument).Read more
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Day 55
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
☁️ 32 °C
Altitude: 91 m
Peru Iquitos -3.742109, -73.2523163°44’32” S 73°15’8” W
Iquitos
April 12, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
We spent a day in Iquitos en route to the Amazon Rainforest in Peru. Iquitos is the biggest city in the world which is inaccessible by car (i.e you can only get there by plane or boat). Iquitos looks and feels a lot like like a city in South East Asia rather than South America because of all the motorbikes and tuktuks that fill the streets.

We explored Plaza de Armas and Belen Markets and went to Ikiitu for dinner, which is where Zac Efron went to when he went to Iquitos, to try some traditional Amazonian food.Read more
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Day 58
Saturday, April 15, 2023
☁️ 29 °C
Altitude: 103 m
Peru Saquena -4.531192, -73.4548634°31’52” S 73°27’18” W
Libertad Jungle Lodge, Ucayali
April 15, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
We spent 4 days in the Amazon Rainforest at Libertad Jungle Lodge. The lodge is a community project which is owned and run by the Libertad Village, where all profits go back to improving the living standards of families in Libertad Village.

We visited during the wet season, which meant river levels were really high (and continually rising) and we had to visit most places by boat. We spent our days searching for monkeys, sloths and dolphins, fishing for piranha and exploring the floating forest. At night, we found baby caimans, tarantulas and capybaras.Read more
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Day 61
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 4:11 PM
Altitude: 171 m
Peru Catedral de Lima -12.046667, -77.0312°2’48” S 77°1’48” W
Lima
April 18, 2023 in Peru
Spent a few days in Lima trying out food that we'd seen on the Lima episode of Street Food Latin America (Picarones Mary and Al Toke Pez - both amazing), wandering around Miraflores and the Historic Centre and getting Mike's shoes cleaned.Read more
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Day 62
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Peru Laguna Paracas -13.83778, -76.25390213°50’16” S 76°15’14” W
Paracas
April 19, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Stayed in Paracas for a night and visited Paracas National Park, which is known as where the desert meets the sea. We loved exploring the surreal desert landscapes which we don't have back home.
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Day 63
Thursday, April 20, 2023
☁️ 30 °C
Altitude: 400 m
Peru Laguna Huacachina -14.08895, -75.76391514°5’20” S 75°45’50” W
Huacachina
April 20, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
Spent a night in Huacachina - Peru's oasis in the desert. We had a fun evening of dune buggying, sandboarding and watching the sunset.
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Day 65
Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 1:34 PM
☀️ 20 °C
Altitude: 2,344 m
Peru Mercado San Camilo -16.403333, -71.53516°24’12” S 71°32’6” W
Arequipa
April 22, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
From Huacachina, we travelled by bus (via Nazca) to Peru's 2nd largest city - Arequipa! Arequipa is known as "The White City" or "The Rome of Peru" because of its beautiful architecture and buildings constructed of sillar (while volcanic stone). Arequipa wasn't originally on our travel plans, but made its way onto our itinerary after it was recommended by a British guy we met in Medellin and after finding that we need somewhere to slow down and catch our breath for a while. We're glad we've made our way to Arequipa which has a mild climate, pretty streets and an abundance of coffee shops - all of which is perfect for us to slow down and recharge.Read more
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Day 69
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
☀️ 7 °C
Altitude: 4,757 m
Peru Chiguata -16.395355, -71.23337616°23’43” S 71°14’0” W
Pichu Pichu
April 26, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
Mike found an opportunity to do some mountain biking in the Pichu Pichu Mountains just outside Arequipa. After an hour drive up into the mountains, the tour itself included a stop by a few viewpoints to snag a shot of the Misty mountain and a massive salt lake sitting at 4,500m altitude. The salt lake had a flock of flamingos about 100 in number and a wild herd of Acuña alpacas skirting the edges. It also stopped by a few thermal springs at 5,000m altitude in a small local community, warm enough to go for a swim which one of our guides stripped naked to do! The mountain bike trail led back down the mountain descending 1,700m over slippery volcanic rock and sand but was otherwise not too technical, although Mike did came back with a grazed arm and 2 hours later than he said the tour ended, what happens on tour stays on tour I guess.Read more
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