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South & Central America
  • Ruth Snow
May – Nov 2015

South & Central America

A 198-day adventure by Ruth Read more
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  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Guayaquil (pronounced waakeel)

    July 29, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    This morning we walked the whole length of the 2.5km boardwalk along the river to Santa Ana - a hill full of colourful shanty houses.

    There are 444 numbered steps to the top and then a small lighthouse to climb. It was much hotter today so we were toasty by the time we reached the top. There were policemen round every corner who would discreetly keep track of all the tourists via walkie talkies to make sure none of us went missing! We were closely monitored and weren't allowed to veer off down any side streets.

    On the way back down we were hoping to stop at the pirate ship bar for a cool drink but it was closed :(

    We walked back to 9 Octobre street in search of a camera as there are actual proper shops here! There wasn't a great deal of choice and they are all expensive as imported goods are heavily taxed. However, Anna was desperate to have a proper camera for the Galapagos so we got a waterproof fujifilm XP50 ($295) - however I shan't let her touch it as she'll break it.

    Having had a not so healthy cheese toasted flat bread and donut for lunch at Dunkin Donuts, I had a strange craving for McDonald's for dinner (I usually avoid fast food like the plague) and had my first cheeseburger in over ten years. It was actually quite good. There are a lot of fast food joints but few actual restaurants and after a day of sweating we appreciated a good dose of unhealthy salt!

    To make up for it we picked up an apple and banana each on our way home - my first full banana ever. Anna is making me try new things - a sip of coffee today and swordfish in Mancora! We were both shattered after doing so much walking the last couple of days compared to our lazy existence in Mancora, combined with sleeping poorly the last couple of nights, we just about stumbled back to the hotel.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Montanita

    July 30, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Breakfast had improved to a cheese toasty yesterday and today was a cheese croissant - I think the breakfast lady likes us! We are easy customers turning down the ubiquitous eggs which South Americans seem to think constitute an American breakfast.

    We checked out and grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal with a crazy man - once he discovered we could speak some Spanish he didn't shut up, giving us a tour of the city, gesturing wildly and turning round frequently to chat to us. Luckily we arrived in one piece despite a narrow miss with a car swerving across 4 lanes right in front of us to make a slip road.

    We took the 1pm bus (CLP, $6) which took 3 hours to get to Montanita, a small surfy town up the coast. We checked into Hostal Galeria Hurvinek ($38) and then went for a wander to see if there was somewhere nicer that wasn't listed on bookings.com. After checking out several options we decided on one that had a sea view and put down a deposit for the next day. To try and make up for Guayaquil's unhealthy eating we had a huge fruit smoothie to inject some vitamins into us ($2 each).

    As we wandered out to dinner, a ton of motorbikes and then cars came shooting into town, some were types of floats on the back of pick-ups. A Columbian man came over to tell us they go up and down the coast every 2 weeks but he has no idea why.

    Dinner was at Tiki Limbo ($22), a very popular place with an extensive menu. The place was packed with Americans, mainly young girls who made us feel drab in our backpacking rags. I chose falafel and Anna had sesame shrimp, which she made me try - both were huge and delicious.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Rain and dolphin spotting

    July 31, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    The night was noisy and chilly - no blankets on the beds, only a thin sheet, and its surprisingly cool here. Glad we are moving!

    After a good buffet breakfast of fruits and croissants we moved to Hotel Tabuba ($40) which is a far nicer room and has a sea view. The roar of the waves crashing against the sea wall below the window is awesome!

    It has been drizzling ever since we arrived and we're not used to this wet stuff! It cleared up slightly at lunch and we went out for pizza bread ($5) and frozen yogurt, then walked along the beach to the northern end. We watched the surfers for a while - it seems a much better surf spot than Mancora which was concentrated in one place so got crowded, whereas the break here extends all the way along the long beach.

    I spent the afternoon sat by our hotel room window, which opens fully, reading, watching the surfers and looking for whales with Anna's cheap binoculars. No luck with the whales but we did see a pod of dolphins swim in front of us very close to the shore who did some leaps and surfed the waves a little.

    I was too full for dinner but Anna went out to get a huge takeaway burger from last night's place and I stole most of her chips. We had a night of English tv on the huge screen in our room.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    The sun comes out and Anna goes pink

    August 1, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The day started out gloomy and we were starting to wonder if Montanita ever saw any sun! We rejoiced when it started to brighten up at midday and went out for a walk. We wandered south along the beach, a beautiful, virtually deserted stretch of sand. There were little red crabs which would scurry back to their holes as we approached, tiny snails in the wet sand and tons of pelicans flying overhead practising their V-formations.

    By the time we got back to town, the place was rammed (it's Saturday) with beachgoers, by far the busiest place we've been to.

    After slapping on some sunscreen we headed down the beach. Anna had some cerviche, which was $6!! About 3 times as much as Mancora. We later asked another street food vendor and he quoted the same price saying national park restrictions taxed fishing, however most of the food here is 2-3 times what we're used to so I think they are just extorting the large number of tourists here.

    We lay in the sun and played in the powerful surf - my first time in the sea for over 2 weeks :) Some hippy backpackers - who roam the beach with baked goods to support their travels - gave me a small falafel wrap for $1.5 (far better price!). We grabbed a coconut on the way back ($2) which again was more expensive but it was the biggest and sweetest we've had so far, plus the guy chopped it open for us after and took out all the fat for Anna! I also picked up a mixed pot of caramelised nuts / sesame seed balls / other unidentified things which were lovely for a dollar.

    We had dinner at Tiki Limbo again - I had falafel again and Anna had tuna steak in a coconut sauce that she wasn't overly impressed by, and bought some magnums for dessert.

    Back in the hotel, Anna discovered she had turned a luminous shade of pink on her back from walking in just her bikini top earlier. I've tried training her but it doesn't seem to work - I think a full length burka might be needed in future!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Sugar cravings

    August 2, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The morning was murky again. After breakfast (fruit, juice and nice buttered rolls) we chilled in our room - the rest is doing me good. I am still yet to see any whales from the window - there are splashes on the horizon which are most likely breaches but they don't seem to come too close to shore.

    We went for a long walk down the beach again, this time even further and our feet were aching by the time we got back - not used to exercise at the moment! It brightened up on our walk but was cloudy again by the time we got back.

    We found a street food seller that did Mexican and shared some amazing nachos ($2.25), then shared some frozen yogurt.

    We spent most of the afternoon in our room chilling / trying to sleep (I'm still having trouble sleeping; Anna is sleeping like a log!). Due to lack of sleep I craved sugar and went out in search of sustenance! For a dollar, I came back with a small ice cream in the shape of a donut for each of us. This only satisfied us temporarily and Anna later spotted a hippy selling donuts from the window so raced after them and got us more sugary happiness for a dollar.

    We had planned to go out for dinner but I switched on the tv and there was an E! night on Caitlyn Jenner that we'd both wanted to see in the UK. Anna ran out and loaded us up with crisps, chocolate and chips and we were set for our trashy night in! Then we watched Botched - plastic surgery gone wrong - featuring a lady who went to Mexico to have a tummy tuck and they didn't use any anaesthesia, just 2 big blocks of ice!! I'm glad my experience in Peru wasn't like that!!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Full moon party

    August 3, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another murky day - apparently it's normal for a couple of months around now. We had a lazy day then headed out for a short walk along the beach before having nachos and frozen yogurt again for lunch - no sharing this time though!

    We then booked a whale watching tour for tomorrow not realising it was a full moon party tonight so not too late a night for us oldies!

    Anna went surfing, moving down from the huge beginner boards she tried in Mancora to the smaller mini mal type. The waves weren't the best but she managed to get a few waves despite finding it a bit wobbly. I went in to try out the new waterproof camera, which seems fine, but failed to get any decent action shots.

    For dinner we found a deal for a big pizza and 2 big beers for $10...since I don't drink beer, Anna lucked out! We then watched a really good fire poi / juggling etc show in the street to start off the full moon party festivities. Not much seemed to be happening so we retired to our room and I fell asleep.

    Anna woke me up just before midnight and we went down to the beach to watch them light the full moon sign, another fire show and some fireworks. There was a nice vibe but not many people and not much to see so we went to bed shortly after.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Whale watching

    August 5, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    The day has come to see my beloved humpies again!! :)

    Breakfast wasn't available in time so we schnaffled the chocolate croissants we had bought the night before - amazing, mainly because they had a bucket load of chocolate in each!

    At 8:30am we went to the meeting point for our tour ($30) and were put on a bus and driven north for an hour to Puerto Lopez.

    After a bit of a wait we got on a boat with about 15 other people and headed out to sea. Barely 5 minutes later I noticed a footprint and we had found our first whales very close to shore: a mum-calf pair. We scampered along the very slippery sides to sit on the front of the boat and had some good sightings. Another boat joined us after five minutes so we went back into the main part of the boat and headed out to sea.

    The sea was choppy making it bumpy and hard to spot the whales. However unlike murky Montanita, it was gloriously sunny here. After about half an hour we came across a group of at least 7 whales, possibly a competitive group but not really fast enough. There was head raising, grunting and a fair bit of jostling. We stayed with them for quite a while and they didn't seem bothered to have us right up beside them.

    I think the driver then got confused as we headed towards a pod of 4 and stopped as they were heading right for us! Cue some fin waving and slapping before they dove beneath us and headed on their way. They split into two pairs and we followed one before then racing back to the larger group which was a very wet and bouncy ride on the front! Sadly we then had to head back. We made a short stop at a wavy beach near the port, supposedly for snorkelling. It didn't look very likely to have much to see, but we dove in along with a few others. Visibility was nil so we quickly got out as everybody else onboard was enjoying watermelon and banana cake!

    We then headed back to port and after a bit of a wait got the bus about 3pm back to Montanita to some loud reggaeton tunes - overtaking anything in sight but stopping briefly to let a huge tarantula cross the road!

    After a quick shower we joined a fellow Brit, Andrea, from the tour for a drink then had some street Mexican for dinner. Anna went out for some drinks to celebrate Andrea's 50th birthday but I stayed in the hotel - I was shattered and my bum needed some rest after all the boat bouncing! She stumbled in, hardly drunk after 1am, and apparently there isn't as much of a party scene as we'd been led to believe. She forgot to put on bug lotion and woke up with 24 huge bites on her right leg (and only a couple on her left!).

    Whilst the boat driving wasn't as good as I'm used to in terms of tracking the whales, I was pleased that we were the only boat with the whales and the crew acted considerately. In such conditions and after reading several blogs I had very low expectations of seeing much so we were very lucky to have spent so much time with so many whales - amazing day!!!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Back to Guayaquil

    August 6, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Our last couple of days in Montanita were fairly non-descript. It was murky so we didn't do much except go for walks along the beach and eat lots. Anna got new flip-flops ($10) as hers were worn through. We also found our first cockroach of our trip in our hotel room.

    Despite having bucket loads of time and numerous reminders, Anna decided half an hour before check out (having not yet packed) to get a hair cut. Luckily the hairdresser's husband spoke great English and she was quick so all went well and she did a good job for $10.

    We got the 1pm bus back to Guayaquil and tried to walk to our hostel but the roads weren't signed and it was mighty confusing. So we got a cab but knowledge of roads doesn't seem to be a prerequisite in South America and it took a dozen stops to find DC Suites which was a lovely room, very modern with the comfiest bed / sheets / pillows in the world! There was also a roof-top gym which was essentially mats and free weights which Anna had a go at.

    We walked to the nearby mall, had a look at the shops, which were standard, and searched for dinner. Anna ended up with Burger King while I had Pizza Hut which took forever. We had Baskin Robins ice creams for dessert then went to the huge supermarket to get a few toiletries and a few snacks for the Galapagos.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Sea lions in San Cristobal

    August 7, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The hostel owner drove us to the airport at 8:45am, which was literally across the main road and possibly quicker to walk than go the long way round in a car.

    After a lot of searching and asking numerous people we finally found the place to pay our $20 tax and special luggage scan that's required for the Galapagos. Then we checked in and waited in the fairly small airport.

    Our flight left just before 11am and arrived at 11:40am - Galapagos is an hour behind. After paying the $100 conservation tax and being checked for food etc we jumped in a white pick-up taxi and were driven the 5 mins to town ($2). We accepted the first place we tried, Hotel Albatross ($30), which was on the seafront and run by a crazy lady with a mad cackle.

    We went to explore in the hope of seeing a sea lion or two, our main reason for coming a day early before the cruise... by the end of the day we'd seen hundreds!!!

    We walked along the seafront and saw them on the beaches, in the sea, on rocks beside bright red crabs, on the sidewalk, on benches and under boats. We headed to Playa Mann, the closest beach for tourists (the ones by the town are fenced off for the sea lions). There were only a few people there and most of the sea lions were on the rocks or up under the shade of the trees. A few were swimming so Anna went snorkelling but soon came out cold as it had temporarily clouded over. Some bugs starting biting Anna so she ran away and we wandered along a lava trail through some cactus and arrived at a beautiful beach (La Loberia), also with only a handful of people. There were black marine iguanas and sea lions all along the thick line of black lava rocks between the sand and sea. We walked to the end where I was bitten by something which really hurt and made the whole area swell up.

    After some sunbathing we wandered back to the first beach which was now full of people and the sea lions were far more active due to it being cooler. Many had wandered up the beach and flopped down next to people. Two in particular were laid very close to a sleeping man...we happened to see him wake up and his face was a picture! Many more sea lions were in the sea and we went back in and got some great pics. The younger pups especially like to just lie and be rolled by the waves.

    Anna's rumbly tummy forced us to return back to the hotel. The sunset wasn't all that so we searched for food - not too many choices, especially if you don't eat seafood but we settled on one by the waterfront called Calypso and had pizza and burger ($25).

    Then we headed for a short night time wander and easily counted over 200 sea lions who were strewn all over the beaches and being very vocal - they sound either like they are vomiting or a strangled goat! We also walked down the jetty which was lit up and saw a group of 10 rays and more sea lions playing gracefully in the sea.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Galapagos cruise

    August 8, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Turns out our cheap hostel was cheap for a reason...free wildlife!! First I saw a mouse (which had munched on our crackers), then we had little ants in our beds and then we turned out the lights and were besieged by cockroaches! Anna was reading and felt what she thought was an ant near her shoulder, turned the kindle light on it and saw something huge as it scuttled away. She screamed, leapt out of bed and found another in the sink and another by the loo. After spraying both our beds and the door to the bathroom with deet, we slept with the lights on - both dreaming of bugs!!!

    After a slightly restless night (I woke up with a sore throat) we went for breakfast (not included in hotel de bug) and then had our last walk around the beach front. At 11am we grabbed our bags and got in a taxi with a lady, Tamara, who turned out to be our boat guide - $1 at locals rate.

    We met up with the rest of our group at the airport and then were driven in 2 little pangas (inflatable dinghies) to our boat, Daphne. Daphne is a superior tourist class of boat, 1 up from economy, 1 down from first class - good enough for us! Our cabin was small with bunk beds, the bottom bunk (mine) being almost a double. Our ensuite was nicer than many hostels we've stayed in.

    Our group of 16 consisted of fellow Brits Jo and Brian, Germans Stefan & Carolyn and Maya & Sabine, Aussie Emma and Americans Koyla & Lisbeth and John, Suzanne & Teresa and George & Mel (Armenians). The male crew consisted of the captain, 2 boatmen, 2 cooks and a server / housekeeper.

    There were 8 cabins, a large lounge with TV, a dining area with 2 tables and a bar, plus a sun deck on top - complete with washing / dryer machine.

    A sea lion climbed into one of the boats over lunch and fell asleep and had to be shooed out with a lifejacket. After lunch we had a welcome / safety speech and then went to the Interpretation Centre to learn about the history of the islands. Tamara gave a guide spiel but I preferred to read the displays which were interesting.

    We then walked about 15 mins to Tijeratas and some of us went snorkelling. I was the only one who'd grabbed a wetsuit before we left so everyone else was freezing. There were small fish, lots of sea urchins and we saw 2 huge turtles. As I was getting out a baby sea lion came and wanted to play with the lady in fronts flippers which scared her. It then hauled itself out of the water and lay on the steps so I had to clamber carefully over it.

    We went back to the boat and had popcorn and juice, then showered in our surprisingly spacious shower and went to the top deck to watch a stunning sunset.

    We had a briefing talk with caipirinas for the following day's activities and then dinner at 7pm. Food so far has been lovely. Everyone was shattered and in bed by 9:30pm. I passed out and was awoken when we set sail at 3am but then the gentle rocking lulled me back to sleep. I woke briefly when the anchor was dropped at 6am but then fell asleep again. Lots of people couldn't sleep through the rocking boat and thought it was crazy rough. Anna and I seem to be the only ones not on sea sickness tablets and enjoying the waves.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Santa Fe and Plazas Islands

    August 9, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We were up for a 7am breakfast of fruit, granola, yoghurt, bread and cheese. Then we were dropped at Santa Fe island on a sandy beach full of sea lions. We went for a short walk up a rocky path full of giant black lava boulders and saw about 6 light brown land iguanas and lots of prickly pear cactus which has thick tree-like trunks (only island in the world you can see these species).

    After a quick revival of juice and biscuits we went snorkelling. I saw lots of cool fish including one with luminescent blue spots and there were apparently turtles around but Anna and I spent the entire time with the sea lions. There were at least 20 juveniles who just wanted to play with us - the most amazing experience!!! They would swim straight at you, then whoosh around at the last second, never bumping into you. They loved it if you dove down and blew bubbles or swam upside down / in circles. They also liked biting the ends of our flippers...one lady even had her ponytail grabbed!

    Once we were dragged away from the sea lions (I'm not sure who was more sad, them or us), we set sail for the 2.5 hour journey to the Plazas Islands. Most of us fell asleep on the top deck whilst frigate birds (who puff up their red chests for mating) flew above us and landed on the boat.

    After lunch we went ashore for a 2 hour walk along the trail seeing more cactus, different land iguanas (black that become more yellow as they get older), more lava lizards and lots of birds. We also saw a few sea lion pup skeletons and a couple of dead marine iguanas. One looked really odd - it was almost fully formed apart from it's head and it's tail were rigid in the air from dying from the heat and the muscles constricting. Sea lions were sat on the concrete jetty blocking our path and both times we had to clap loudly to get them to move.

    Back on board (BOB) at 4pm, we were greeted with more food! Delicious cheese empanadas. We then watched a short clip of a crab shedding it's exoskeleton as we'd found a carapace ashore earlier. Next we watched David Attenborough's Galapagos programme. I could barely keep my eyes open and went for a lie down when the second episode came on.

    After a lovely dinner all but four of us went to bed as soon as we set sail at 9pm. We went up to the top deck to see the stars which were truly amazing - the only equivalent I've seen is in the outback in Oz. We were accompanied by the world's only nocturnal gull which swooped gracefully around our boat. We went to bed about 11pm and slept pretty well considering we were rocking about a lot for the seven hour journey. Only Anna and I managed to sleep properly.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Genovesa Island

    August 10, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a 7am breakfast we landed on Genovesa Island and wandered (extremely slowly!) around the trail. We saw red footed boobies, nazca boobies, different types of finches and tons of white fluffy chicks, plus a few small stingrays.

    Then some of us snorkelled from the beach which was pretty wavy and there wasn't much to see apart from the odd fish. I did see a reef shark for a short time but it was rubbish viz. We saw a frigate bird with his red pouch puffed out flying around.

    Most of us passed out asleep on the top deck in the sun, then had lunch.

    Then we went snorkelling in a different spot around the edge of the old volcano crater which the boat is moored in. It was a wall dive but the viz was terrible more than a few metres from the cliff. I saw some large parrot fish and a fair few other fish plus a seal / sea lion that swam away, but it was disappointing. We were looking for hammerheads and reef sharks...near the end of the dive Anna free dived down and came face to face with a hammerhead and came up shrieking in shock. John also saw it from further away but the rest of us missed it :(

    After a quick shower we were back on the boats and had a wet trip against the waves back to the cliffs and saw fur seals and birds (and a turtle on the way). We walked up Prince Phillip's steps up the cliff side and then followed the lava rock path through a forest of what looked like dead trees but were actually alive. We saw more of the same birds, which didn't really interest me. We were also looking for a special owl but never found it. I was cold, tired, bored of walking so slowly and fighting the snuffles of a cold so I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Emma later agreed she wasn't impressed by this day either.

    We were BOB by 6:30pm and had our briefing for the next day before dinner. We set sail at 8pm and most of us headed up to the top deck to look at the stars. I saw another shooting star and the gulls were back. It was more choppy than last night and the guys lying in the deck chairs went sliding across the deck very fast several times. After a while the captain said we had to come down as we were making the boat top heavy so after a swaying shower we went to bed early.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Santiago and Rabida Islands

    August 12, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After a really early breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup at 6:45am we headed to the shore of Santiago island. As we landed we saw a couple of blue footed boobies and 2 tiny Galapagos penguins (duck size), which are fairly rare on this island so we were very happy. We walked onto the island which is a barren area of lava flows which occurred only 110 years ago so there is very little life - only tiny lava lizards, grasshoppers, and the first colonising plants are just getting a grip on the place. A completely awesome and surreal place - there are giant fissures everywhere and it really looks like fresh lava.

    Then we hurried back to don our snorkel gear before the penguins disappeared. We needn't have worried, there were about 10 that stuck around a while, swimming like torpedos around us trying to catch fish - very cute! It was great visibility and I spotted a white tip reef shark that I followed for a while (other people saw him around later too), hundreds of fish, a cushion starfish, sea cucumber, flatfish, parrotfish and one that looked like a triggerfish. Towards the end, I went deeper to look for sharks and spotted a turtle. I called over Anna and Lisbeth followed (everybody else had got out) and we watched the turtle swimming along, eating and coming up for air for ages - absolutely beautiful!!! I got some great photos and emerged very happy - yesterday was supposed to be the best day according to our guide but the birds bored me after a while. I could never get tired of looking at marine animals!

    We sunbathed on the top deck as we sailed for two hours to Rabida island.

    After lunch we went ashore, past 'lake malaria' per George and found the Galapagos hawk. The red sand contrasted beautifully with the cactus (soft spined due to no predators) and turquoise sea - again reminding me of Monkey Mia in Oz.

    We put on our snorkelling gear and were dropped by the boats round the corner and swam back to the shore. It was wavy and poor viz but we did manage to see a Galapagos shark (relative of tiger shark), a sea lion that didn't stop to play, lots of fish and tons of starfish. Emma had a close encounter with a manta ray which freaked her out but nobody else saw it. Reboarding the boats on the wavy shore resulted in a lot of laughs and bruises.

    I lay on deck as we sailed the 3 hours to Baltra but it was windy so I went to bed for a nap. Some of the others saw dolphins. After dinner I went to bed early as I was feeling rough from my cold.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    The big booby finale

    August 12, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We were up at 5:40am for our last excursion. Many of us non-twitchers considered not bothering as it was a dinghy ride to see some birds but in the end everyone except George and Koyla made it - they missed out big time!!

    As the sun was rising we went to Black Turtle Cove on northern Santa Cruz amongst the red mangroves. We saw a few pelicans and blue footed boobies and then a tree covered in hundreds of white dots which turned out to be boobies.

    We hovered in the shallows and saw a big marble stingray, turtles and white tip reef sharks swimming back and forth. This was awesome enough but then we heard a commotion and all the birds in the tree had woken up and it was breakfast time! Hundreds of blue footed boobies swarmed as one and then divebombed into the water for sardines / anchovies. Then flew up and did it again...and again, repeatedly. Seeing that many birds flying just above us and then splashing into the water one after another was one of the most amazing things I've seen! We followed for at least 20 minutes and they were still going strong when we left. Tamara said it wasn't a common occurrence so we felt very lucky.

    The boat moved briefly to Baltra, we had breakfast and left the boat at 8:20am. We were taken to the airport, said our goodbyes to those leaving and got the free bus to the narrow boat crossing and got the $1 boat to Santa Cruz. Maya negotiated a taxi to take us plus Emma and Sabine on a highlands tour on the way to town for $10 each. Only 4 are allowed in a taxi so Maya had to get out at the checkpoints and walk across. We stopped first at Los Gemelos to see 2 huge sink hole craters on either side of the road which were full of trees in a wet, mossy forest.

    We then went to El Charo Reserve ($3; free banana!) and wandered around seeing giant tortoises (Galapagos means tortoise in Spanish) in their natural habitat. We were given wellies and definitely needed them for the muddy trails. One tortoise seemed scared and hissed as we walked past but the rest couldn't care less. We saw 2 that reared their heads and then bumped their shells together really loudly in a possible territory dispute. Anna and I climbed in old, giant shells, which are really heavy - no wonder they move so slow!!

    We then walked through a 400m lava tunnel, formed as the edges cool but the hot lava inside flows through, leaving them empty. There are loads of these throughout the island. It was mostly lit and we had to scramble over rocks and under a narrow gap at one point.

    We were then driven the rest of the 42km to Puerto Ayora and checked in to Emma's hostel: Los Amigos ($25; shared bathroom - some deranged man knocked the door down and walked in on Anna naked putting her off shared bathrooms!!). Maya and Sabine took the boat to Isabella.

    We chilled for an hour then went to Galapagos Deli for huge ice creams for $3.25 each. Then we went back to get Emma, booked our boat tickets for the next day and wandered to the Darwin Research Centre to see giant tortoises of all sizes as it's a breeding centre - sex depends on temperature that egg is incubated at!

    We had a thorough search for a cheap restaurant which wasn't just seafood. We finally found one but turns out they had no vegetables for anything I tried to order so I ended up with pasta (Tamara had told us getting supplies is a real struggle here for businesses). We were all shattered and had an early night.

    Notes on cruise:

    Itineraries are set for each boat with exact landing time allocations for each island. For the first couple of days we didn't see any other boats which was amazing. We saw other boats for the second half of the cruise but they managed it so we never walked to the same areas together so it was always just our group. There are clear trails on the island and you can't wander off. You are supposed to keep 2m from the animals but in reality they often approach you - they are completely unfazed by humans as they have no predators.

    We couldn't have asked for a nicer group to share our tour with. We had feared yuppies or kids but instead got an enthusiastic, friendly and considerate bunch who we had a great time with. Ages ranged from early twenties to sixties but the majority were our age.

    Rumours that the Galapagos will be closed to visitors in the near future are apparently untrue. On the contrary, the current president doesn't care about the impact of tourism but rather wants to exploit it. He has done great things on the mainland in improving roads, education and free healthcare however this has led to a lot of debt which he hopes to eradicate through tourism. He has recently approved plans for large-scale hotels to be built in the Galapagos which the locals are trying hard to fight.

    Another problem they face is litter coming over from the mainland in the sea as Ecuadorians (and South Americans in general from what we've seen) aren't environmentally aware.

    Favourite quotes from Tamara: I can't save you from a dominant sea lion. Sally Lightfoot crabs pronounced as cellulite craps.

    Total cost for cruise including flights = $3,632.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Isabela island

    August 13, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Continuing our streak of early rising, we were at the dock by 6:30am for our 2 hour boat ride to Isabela ($30 one-way; plus $1.50 in water taxi fees either side). The inter-island trips are notoriously bad and Kolya flew to Isabela after the cruise as his first experience had been so bad. I was therefore a little apprehensive as I'd been up all night with a dodgy tummy and my cold was in the blocked throat stage but I needn't have worried, my sea legs did me proud. About a third of the passengers weren't so lucky and sick bags were being passed around everywhere while we bumped across the high seas.

    After paying the $5 dock tax we joined a tortoise scientist in a taxi for the short ride to town. The driver recommended the Hotel Volcano for us ($40) which had a double sea view due to an empty plot of land in front of the hotel. The room was ok but could do with a spring clean, the wifi was pretty much non-existent and the shower was either boiling or freezing and cut out completely at times.

    After a bit of downtime we went for a wander around Villamil, the main town of Isabela, the biggest but least inhabited / developed of the 3 main islands - the 'boardwalk' is a 20m wooden bridge over nothing! Apart from the beautiful wavy beach which stretches for miles, there was very little to see, a lot of places seemed to be closed and there were few tourists around. We did see a solitary flamingo on the stinky lake behind our hotel.

    We went back to rest some more and then went out for dinner on the main 'strip' of restaurants. Just after we had ordered a pizza to share, Maya and Sabine turned up! And then Kolya and Lisbeth. We hadn't been able to check our emails due to no wifi but had struck lucky. We had a lovely dinner and then sat on the beach and drank coconuts spiked with Kolya's rum. Lovely to have friends for company for the evening for once.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Scary snorkelling

    August 14, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Our first potential lie-in for a week and I was awake by 6am! Still I refused to get up and we had a lazy morning, fetching some granola and yoghurt from the supermarket for a cheap breakfast, plus finding Anna some non-instant coffee and me a huge glass of oj. Lisbet had given me a couple of vitamin sachets so I was hoping to put the cold to rest.

    We met Maya and Sabine at midday and walked the sandy path to Los Humedales, which Tamara had the recommended as a great snorkelling site - either we didn't find it or our tips weren't good enough and she was trying to kill us!

    At the first tiny beach which was covered with snorting iguanas, Anna and Maya went into the wavy water. I held back to see what is was like as I was feeling rough and didn't have any snorkelling gear. Within minutes I decided it was a bad spot but by this time the girls had swum quite far out and couldn't hear us. They struggled to get back to the shore amongst the pounding waves and rocks. Thankfully they kept calm (ish) and made it back safe and sound but were both very shaken and said it was terrifying.

    Not to be deterred we went to the next beach, Playa Amor, just around the corner, but the tide was high and it looked equally lethal so we just sat and watched the waves a while.

    After checking out another lava tunnel (was flooded by tide so couldn't enter) we headed back for ice creams. We headed to the local beach but the sun had gone in and it was getting chilly. I had a shower and went to bed and didn't get up for the rest of the night. Anna went out for dinner with M & S (C & L had gone back) and had drinks on the beach watching a band which I could hear from our hotel.

    A lot of people love Isabela but it was our least favourite island. It wasn't helped by the mainly murky weather, however the snorkelling really disappointed us. We wish we hadn't listened to Tamara's suggestion and gone on the cheap boat ride I had originally planned on. K & L had a fantastic snorkelling day trip to Los Tuneles but it had cost them $90 each which we couldn't justify after the cruise.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Tortuga Bay

    August 15, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We wearily got up at 5am to no electricity or running water. In the dark we made our way onto the unlit street in the hopes there'd be a taxi. One showed up booked for someone else but he let us squish in too, then 4 other gringos climbed in the back of the pick-up.

    Our boat left promptly at 6am. There was a scramble for the back seats which have fresh air resulting in a few confrontations as late people tried to squeeze in. Luckily we'd been one of the first on board so we had bagged some early. The ride was extremely bumpy and after every big wave I'd be covered in drips from above. Anna on the other hand had it running down the seat so her shorts were drenched! Strangely we didn't notice anybody being sick - perhaps the power of suggestion of giving out sick bags on the way wasn't a good idea, or perhaps people had invested in pills.

    Upon landing I went in search of a hotel and found Sir Francis Drake ($40) and we had wonderfully hot and powerful showers then rested for a while.

    Eventually I dragged Anna away from her guitar and we headed along the 2.5km red paved road through a cactus forest towards Tortuga Bay. The beach was absolutely stunning with white sand and turquoise water worthy of any Pirates of the Caribbean movie - apart from a disgusting brown, frothy patch in the middle which I presume to be due to an algal bloom (hopefully not sewage!). There were also loads of tiny jellyfish with long blue tentacles which looked like a smaller version of the very painful blue bottle ones you see on Bondi Rescue. We kept our flip flops on just in case.

    The sea was very wavy with strong currents. There were surfers but no swimmers so we headed along the beach and around the corner and reached Turtle Cove, a beautiful, calm lagoon surrounded by mangroves. It was full of locals enjoying their weekend.

    We both went snorkelling individually while the other guarded our stuff, but the viz was poor and we both chickened out as nobody else was out there and we were worried about crashing into a shark. Still we played in the shallows - it was so salty you could just lie there without sinking - and lay in the sun.

    It was a beautiful afternoon until a ranger with a whistle started clearing the beach at 4:30pm (it shut at 6pm so even with the walk back we're not sure why it was quite so early). We stopped to get a video of the piles of spitting iguanas and got severely whistled at!!

    We had Chinese style noodles in an outdoor street food area with seating. It was lovely to have a load of vegetables after a bit of a drought the last couple of days.

    We went to the dock which is lit up at night and saw a tiny shark and an eagle ray however the water wasn't that clear. We posed with some pelicans and there were also the obligatory sleepy sea lions.

    We went T-shirt shopping then headed to bed. On our way to the shops Anna tripped over something and we noticed that a noise had stopped. We quickly realised it was the power cable to some bouncy castle slides, which instantly started to deflate on top of the poor children inside. A man ran over and plugged it back in and Anna tried to apologise but neither of us could stop laughing!!!

    A lovely last day to our Galapagos experience which has been like a mini (albeit pricey) vacation. The Galapagos truly live up to their name of the enchanted islands...the scenery is so varied and stunning, the animals are so unafraid and ubiquitous, and the people we met were absolutely wonderful.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Quito

    August 16, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Another early start :( We got up at 6am, took a cab to the bus station 2km north of town, took the $2 bus 45 mins to the top of Santa Cruz and got the boat across the narrow channel - not the easiest airport to get to! The free bus arrived and people started jumping onto it before it had even stopped. There was a mass bundle and people piled on until it was completely rammed. We decided to wait and it drove off with people hanging out the doors. It returned after 15 mins and this time was far more orderly since it was mainly westerners waiting.

    Our plane took off at 10am, stopped in Guayaquil, then arrived in Quito at 2:30pm. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is at 2,800m and the landing path is through the middle of the mountains which is very scenic if slightly scary.

    The airport toilets were rather fancy with tvs on the sinks and you could put toilet paper in toilet for once.

    The taxi man quoted us $26 and said there was no bus but I didn't believe him so I went to investigate. Turns out it is the standard price but there is a much cheaper way...we hopped on a green public bus right outside the terminal which took 45 mins to reach Rio Coca, then paid 25c to enter the local buses terminal which have their own lanes and tram-like stops so are very easy to navigate. Bargain.

    We got off the second bus and were walking up the road when we heard K & L shouting our names! What are the chances in a huge city?! Our hostel was 100m away from theirs. We had a quick catch up and then said goodbye to Lisbeth who is flying back to Portland tonight - we hope to visit her one day (hoping to catch up with Kolya in Columbia). Kolya used his iphone and sent us in the wrong direction but after a bit of puffing and panting we found La Rosario ($28), a beautiful hotel with an amazing shower and friendly staff.

    After a bit of wifi action - it's finally decent - we got the 25c bus back to the Mariscol area (new town) in search of falafel but both places were closed. Instead we ended up in the central square which is very modern with many restaurants around the edges. We went to a witches-themed restaurant ($33) and Anna had humongous ribs and enchanted potatoes whilst I had witches' nachos and an amazing dessert called Hansel and Gretel's temptation which was layers of crepe with nutella, dark chocolate, marshmallow and oreos in between, shaped as a slice of cake, served with ice cream and passionfruit coulis - absolute heaven!!! I also had frozen iced tea with spearmint which was really good.

    It was 9:40pm by the time we left and the next bus was an hours wait so we got a taxi ($3). It is walkable but Quito doesn't have the best reputation and Anna has sore feet from her new flip flops which are falling apart already!

    We have heard a few tales of pickpocketing of phones plus Sabine had her new 60th birthday necklace ripped from her neck on her first day in Quito! Anna called it a voucher for a ride on the back of a police motorbike. We are being extra vigilant and are hoping we look far too grungy to be worth their while.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Ambulance adventure

    August 17, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We woke early and I took advantage of the good wifi to add some photos to my blog. I went out to get breakfast supplies and fetch the addict some coffee from a really busy, large locals place where people were having ice cream for breakfast - my kind of place!

    We headed out with the aim of going to the middle of the world and exploring the old town before heading to Columbia tomorrow. Sadly we didn't get too far...less than 100m in fact.

    Just around the corner from our hostel, Anna tripped over the uneven pavement and felt her ankle go pop. Her screams attracted some kind people who phoned for an ambulance.

    A red cross Jeep turned up, put her leg in a brace and loaded her onto a stretcher and put her in the ambulance. Then we waited for quite a while as they were on the phone to see where to take her. Eventually we headed to a hospital in the historic centre. It took 3 trips round the hectic one-way system before they worked out how to get there! Nice to have a free tour of the sights!

    Once there, a lady came out to examine it and said they have no x-ray so sent us to another hospital where they took Anna's details and sent us to the x-ray room. We knocked on the door but nobody answered - turns out he was on holiday! The red cross guys were muttering about public hospitals being underfunded.

    So we went to another hospital where it was x-rayed and luckily there was no fracture. Then we returned to the second hospital and the red cross guys said goodbye - they were fantastic, despite the younger one whacking Anna's ankle as he tried to open the door and then again with his clipboard!!

    A very lovely, touchy-feely doctor examined it, gave her a pain injection and bandaged her leg with a plaster-cast type thing on the back of the leg only, for support. Then we got a taxi back to the hostel ($5) and Anna managed to hop up the 2 flights of stairs.

    I went to Cafe San Blas to pick up a couple of pizzas for $3 each plus a bar of chocolate as medicine for the patient!

    We were extremely impressed by the medical service - apart from the farcical lost driving, multiple hospitals and ankle whacking!! We didn't pay a penny and everyone was absolutely lovely despite obviously being overworked - the hospitals were rammed with people. The whole experience took about 5 hours - you can obviously pay for private treatment and get quicker service but it wasn't serious and the insurance company is already dragging its heels over my costs.

    We had hoped to be in and out of Quito quickly but looks like we are hanging around a bit longer. I shouldn't have said to Anna the other day: 'we're leaving Ecuador soon so if you want any medical treatment now is the time'.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Volcano alert

    August 20, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Cotopaxi, a big volcano just south of Quito started spewing small amounts of lava leading the president to put Quito on evacuation alert. Anna was worried how she'd escape in the event of an eruption as she can't walk. I however was more worried about Miss Hopalot erupting from cabin fever!

    The first day of bed rest I went on a failed search for crutches. I did find some hiking poles ($50) which the patient initially turned her nose up but then conceded they were helpful. I also stocked up at the big supermarket for breakfast, pasta for dinner and nibbles to keep the beast at bay. The bus back was absolutely rammed and I had to wait for the fifth one before I could squeeze on - luckily they are frequent.

    The wifi was strong enough for Anna to sign up to the local Netflix to keep her entertained. We binge-watched season 3 of Orange is the New Black - awesome!

    On the second day, the beast did erupt because the coffee I brought her the previous day wasn't good enough - and she claims she's not an addict!

    I escaped to wander around the historic town. Quito is an absolutely beautiful city - a mass of colourful houses, ornate buildings and churches and cobbled streets surrounded by giant green mountains. There were hundreds (over 500 I'd guess) of police with riot shields everywhere but I never felt unsafe. We later found out there were protests going on and heard lots of sirens and helicopters in the evening.

    On my way back I walked up the hill to the huge cathedral and climbed up the tower (via a rocky walkway above the roof of the hall and some very steep ladders) and then up the bell tower which gave amazing views of the city. And gave my legs a great workout!

    On day three the beast (and the volcano) had calmed and we got a taxi to the Mariscol area where Anna had a proper coffee at the coffee / chocolate bean shop. At $9 for a bar of chocolate we didn't buy any, however I made sure to take full advantage of the samples on offer. - didn't taste that special to me.

    We got talking to Anastasia, a Canadian yoga teacher / life coach for ages and then hobbled slowly to Baalbek, a Lebanese restaurant and shared lentil soup, falafel, pitta, taboule and some aubergine dish, plus passion fruit juices ($23). Small portions, but very tasty. The taxi back, an official one, was a dollar cheaper than the others we've taken - you can't tell until you look inside.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Middle of the world

    August 21, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Despite there being many places you can cross the equator, Ecuador have made a huge thing out of it. We had already crossed it twice during our Galapagos trip but Anna was extremely excited to visit the Middle of the World. I was less enthused - the main attraction for me is you weigh 0.5% less there than at the poles! Good excuse for an ice cream.

    Three buses, a lot of tortoise-speed shuffling and over two hours later we had arrived (all for less than a dollar). A site has been created around what is essentially a tall monument with a line through it surrounded by a ton of shops and cafes. Inside the monument are multiple floors showing various science demonstrations of things like the Coriolis effect, indigenous tribe displays and a viewing platform at the top.

    We took the obligatory photos with one foot either side of the line. However this isn't the actual equator line! The site was built before GPS determined the actual line was about 200m away. Oops. (Ecuador understandably tries to keep this quiet). We had wanted to visit this too as there are some cool sciency / gimmicky experiments that are done there but it was getting late and Anna was flumped. The equatorial line shifts so that's not exact either. To give themselves leeway they refer to it as a 5km wide line.

    Anna didn't fancy the buses back so we bargained a taxi down to $15 and got to see the volcano in the distance on the way back. We couldn't see any smoke but the driver said they were still on yellow alert.

    We were hoping to leave Quito tomorrow but the flights for Sunday took over 16 hours compared to 4 on Monday due to fewer stops and better connections. So we will stay here another day, which is probably good for Anna's ankle.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Last day in Quito

    August 22, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Our last day in Quito was spent taking advantage of the good wifi to make a vague plan for the next few weeks as we are a bit behind schedule and have to meet my sister Hannah in Honduras at the end of Sept.

    We got the bus to the Mariscal area in the afternoon and were accosted by a couple who needed to do a video interview with a tourist for their English university assignment. We'd done one the day before at the Mitad del Mundo however that was a quick one. These guys offered to buy us drinks in return. At first we thought it was a scam but they were lovely, we had a good chat as the guy's English was very good and Anna got a free latte. We were then approached by more students but couldn't be bothered to do more. We stopped off at a street stall selling Pacari chocolate and brought a few bars after many, many samples.

    We went for dinner at Baalbek again for more lovely falafel and then took full advantage of Netflix as I doubt the wifi will be strong enough in Columbia.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Columbia: Ipiales

    August 23, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    5,000 COP = £1

    We got up at 8am and jumped in a taxi to Terminal Carcelen ($10). On Sundays they close a 15km strip of the main roads for cyclists and runners - awesome!

    I brought us some bus tickets ($6) but we missed the first bus as we were sat in the wrong place. We just assumed it went early and bought another set of tickets as the first company didn't have any more buses that morning, only to miss that one too! D'oh. We bought and ate some cheese croissants and apples for breakfast.

    Eventually we made the 11am bus - one of the least comfy buses and the driver seemed to think he was in a race and overtook anyone he could. Meanwhile his assistant hung out the door half the time and anybody getting on during the trip had to run and jump as the driver didn't like to stop for long.

    Five hours of windy mountain roads later and we arrived in Tulcan. We took a taxi to the border ($3.5), got an exit stamp, walked across the bridge (me lugging my nice light bag plus Anna's bag which weighs a ton!) and got an entry stamp - no queues, easy border crossing.

    Now in Columbia we took a taxi for $5 to Ipiales and asked for a hotel near the bus station. We checked into Hotel Metropol (50,000P).

    I had a quick wander around but couldn't see anywhere for dinner. We asked the guy at reception who said we could get a taxi to centro to find a restaurant, however just as we were going out the door he tells us everything is closed on Sundays!! We asked where we could get some food and he frowned, then went to the other side of the room where the lights were off, turned them on and there was a small cafe attached.

    The guy in the cafe kindly gave us the set menu of potato and pasta soup for starters; rice, beans, chicken, salad, fried plantain and chips for main and a pink drink. All for $3 each. As with most South American food it was quite plain but filled us up nicely...we couldn't finish it.

    We then retired to our room which was cold, freezing actually - seems we are still up in the mountains. Bring on the Caribbean!!!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Four taxis, two planes and a bus

    August 24, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We were up earlyish and got a taxi (10,000P, though 8,000P on way back) via the bank to the stunning Las Lajas Sanctuary, a church built on a bridge spanning a gorge.

    The setting is absolutely beautiful with a river running underneath and a couple of waterfalls to the sides. The actual church, for me, isn't the nicest - it is a dark grey with white outlining making it look a bit tacky up close.

    We didn't have time to stay too long and after grabbing a few things from the bakery we got bus tickets to Pasto (8,000P) leaving just before midday. Some of the bus journey was the most hair raising yet - it was windy, mountainous roads with a very, very sheer drop just by the side of the road and the driver seemed to like hurtling down the hills and swinging the little bus round the corners. I tried to focus on the movie but we were both gripping the arm rests with sweaty palms at several points!

    Thankfully we made it to Pasto in one piece a couple of hours later. We got a taxi to the airport (40,000P) not realising quite how far away it was...it took about an hour of windy roads with our lovely driver shouting questions at us. A lady threw in some oxygen at a set of traffic lights - apparently a legal requirement for taxis.

    We got to the tiny airport with just 50 mins before take-off and found a long, slow-moving queue for check-in. I went to the lady in baggage drop and she kindly checked us in - phew! They all asked us about Anna's leg...luckily she'd taken off the half-cast but we had to assure them it wasn't broken.

    We had an hours flight to Bogota, a 'proper', big airport with 2 terminals, had some dinner and then took another hours flight to Cartagena.

    A lovely wave of heat hit us as we stepped off the plane - however I'm sure we'll be moaning it's too hot tomorrow. We picked up a taxi voucher (great system, avoids being ripped off) and were dropped off at Hotel Stil (86,400P) about 9:30pm.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Cartagena: Bocagrande

    August 25, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We enjoyed our first included breakfast in a while (buffet of cereals, juice, fruit, fried things, bread) and then headed off to Cartagena's beach: Bocagrande.

    On the way we had a quick stop at the entrance to the historic town which is beautiful, full of colourful, colonial buildings we are looking forward to exploring.

    The beach stretches for miles but it's not quite what you'd expect from a Caribbean beach - the sand is a dark colour and almost black in places and the sea is a bit murky. We were a bit disappointed with it and the continuous pestering by hawkers (one piggy masseuse lady wanted to steal my lemon crisps!). However a dip in the warm water and a lie down on the beach soon cheered us up.

    I left Anna to go for a wander through the high-rise hotels and Americanised fast food joints and shops. I'm glad we're staying in the La Matuna area with the locals as Bocagrande felt a bit bland. I'm not really sure who it's target market is as there are far nicer beaches and it's a fair walk to the historic area of town.

    We walked part of the way back but Anna's ankle was hurting and it's a fair trek (not the 5 min walk bookings.com claims, more like half an hour!) though she managed without her sticks today. We got a taxi the rest of the way for 7,000P however he didn't drop us back at the hotel for some reason and had to walk us through a shopping mall to get there.

    It was overcast so we managed okay with the heat but it was fairly muggy so we were both glad of the cold shower when we got back (apparently hot water is a rarity here). Our room had been cleaned and rather bizarrely our mattress had been changed from a rock hard one to a super soft one.

    We went for dinner at I Balconi, an Italian restaurant in Getsemani, set on the second floor of a mansion-esque building (50,000P). We were sat on one of the individual balconies overlooking the street which was lovely. LP recommends the pizza as the best in Cartagena if not Columbia...well I'd hate to taste the worst!! Undercooked and tasteless with a soggy bottom. On the positive side it had lots of veggies on it. (Not sure why it looks green in the photo...it wasn't that bad). We shared it plus some ravioli, which was really good though a stingy portion. We also had some slush puppy type lemon drinks which were amazing.    Read more

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