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Latin America Elly Blake
Copacabana & Isla del Sol
6 maja 2017, Boliwia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Our last stop in Bolivia brings us to the shores of Lake Titicaca, before we cross over into Peru.

After arriving in Copacabana, we found our hostel, Piedra Andina, which was so nice - like a little home away from home. The weather was glorious and we had a great view of the lake from our balcony. We then went out to explore the town. It's fairly small, you don't need that long to explore there.

We walked up to El Calvario which is 4,100m above sea level. It was a bit of a walk due to the altitude but the views from the top made it worth it. We also visited the Catderal which is a beautiful white building amidst the typical Bolivian half-built houses. We got our bus tickets for Cusco and then had some food and played draughts.

The next day, Dad and I got up early to go to Isla del Sol. We didn't realise that the boat takes one and a half hours to go a fairly short distance - the boat was painfully slow and we made the mistake of staying on the boat even longer to go to Isla de la Luna which there is virtually nothing there. We finally arrived at Isla Del Sol around 1pm (we had left at 8.30am) and had some lunch. After we explored a bit. Once you're away from people trying to sell you stuff the island is really idyllic and peaceful. On great form, the sun came out and we enjoyed a good view from the top of the island.

We left the island at 3pm and got back at 5. I had forgotten that the entries for the London Marathon closed the next day and we were getting a night bus to Cusco. In a frantic rush before our bus, I went to an Internet cafe to apply for the ballot. We then got our bus and crossed the border into Peru.

This marks the end of another country on my travels. I have really enjoyed Bolivia - it's a world away from Chile and Argentina. It's a lot rougher around the edges but there is so much beauty in the country and the people I found to be friendly. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Machu Picchu
10 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
We left Cusco early and headed towards Ollantaytambo to begin the Inca Jungle Trek. We had booked for 4 nights and 5 days to do a number of activities including mountain biking, white water rafting and zip lining before we went to Machu Picchu.

The first activity, mountain biking was probably my least favourite. We started off at 4,800 metres on a really windy road and at the top it was absolutely freezing. It started to rain heavily and we all got absolutely soaked - including our walking shoes. I did the first half of the biking but when we stopped for a break I started to feel light headed and so didn't continue any further.

After lunch we went to our hostel in Santa María and then went white water rafting. I've not done it before so it was really fun and the people who ran it made it even better by having a joke along the way.

The next day we did the jungle trek from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa where we were staying the second night. It was 21km up and down hills and through the jungle. We even trekked a bit of the original inca trail too which was stunning. The trail goes along cliff edges but the scenery is out of this world. We stopped off along the way at coffee plantations and local farmers shops which was nice. At one point we even got changed into traditional Peruvian clothes and our guide painted our faces. We finished off the day at the hot springs in Cocomayo and had a beer.

We did zip-lining the next day which was also really fun. At first I was a bit apprehensive because the lines were so high but once you got the first one out of the way it was really good. After we walked from Hydro-eléctrica to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) and got ready to wake up at 3.30am to climb the mountain up to Machu Picchu.

The walk up to Machu Picchu was really difficult (literally a vertical climb up stairs) but we managed to get up to the top in 50 minutes. We arrived just before 6am and we were one of the first groups to be let in. At first, it was really misty and you could barely see a thing. After a while, the mist cleared and for the first time we could see Machu Picchu. It was absolutely incredible. We had a guided tour around and then spent more time looking around ourselves. We climbed up to the sun gate for a really good view over the whole of the site. Overall we spent 7 hours there and then walked back down to Aguas Calientes which took another hour. Absolutely exhausted, we finally slept. Czytaj więcej
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Anne BlakeLove you Peruvian dress Elly xx
14.05.2017Odpowiedz
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Latin America Elly Blake
Cusco
12 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
After getting back from Machu Picchu we spent a few days in Cusco.

As it was Dad's last day, we went to San Pedro de Mercado on the hunt for some souvenirs. We also ate at the cevicheria (fish bar) where you can eat fresh fish for as little as £2! I also bought some tea bags (essential as I'm really starting to crave for tea) and black quinoa also for £2.

We also went to the Inka Museum which was interesting, as we had already seen Machu Picchu so we could contextualise it very easily.

After we went for massages which is supposed to be one of the top things to do in Cusco. The massage was very relaxing but we had an interesting time with the woman in terms of paying. After negotiating the price down to 25 soles she somehow managed to get us back up to 40. It didn't really matter though because £10 for a 50 minute full body massage is still extremely cheap. After we felt tired but went out for some drinks and then dinner.

Dinner was Peruvian steak in Uchu which was absolutely divine. It was such a nice way to mark the end of Dad's time out in South America with me. 2 weeks have gone so quickly but we had a great time and managed to fit in so much. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Arequipa
15 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
The hiking chronicles continue.

After accidentally booking 2 tickets to Arequipa, I recruited Charlie to join me. The bus cost us £8 but we ended up in cama. However, we did spent the first part of the bus ride worrying that they hadn't put our bags in the hold so that was interesting.

We arrived in Arequipa at 4am and slept until we went on the walking tour around the city. Known as 'the white city', Arequipa is really beautiful. In the same desert region as San Pedro in Chile, it was boiling hot which makes a nice change. We walked round the city centre and then went for some traditional Peruvian food at La Capitana. We got 4 dishes for £5 which were really nice - apart from the cows cheek which was disgusting.

After I went back to the hostel and organised myself for doing the Colca Canyon tour the next day. We went for drinks and an Indian - I haven't eaten curry since leaving the UK so this was a nice treat! We had some drinks but nothing too heavy because I had to get up at 3am the next morning.

After an early start and really uncomfortable bus ride, we arrived at the Condor viewpoint at around 8am. You could see about 4 or 5 condors flying overhead which was cool. We then started our trek of the Colca Canyon - the second deepest canyon in the world.

I liked my group because there were some girls I had met in La Paz on it so it was really fun. We trekked for about 2 hours downhill which was easy apart from that the track was so slippy as the rocks were basically dust. We had lunch and a quick nap and then continued to 'the oasis' which was our hostel for the night. The first day's trek was good but pretty exhausting and I was out like a light by 8pm.

The next day we had to get up at 4.30am to start the trek back up the canyon. The trek is about 1000 metres up and it ended up taking nearly two and a half tours. It was hard but it was really good to have done it.

We had breakfast and then went to the hot springs which was really good after having done all that walking. My muscles were achey but the hot springs relaxed them. We then got the bus back to Arequipa which took about 5 hours and arrived back in the city in time to have some food and then get the night bus to Ica. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Huacachina
17 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
After a series of 3am wake ups and serious walking, Huacachina was a dream - sunbathing by the pool and wine.

The town itself is a bit anti-climatic but we were staying in the most amazing hostel called Upcycled and yep - you guessed it - all the furniture was made from upcycled materials. It was really cool.

The first day we spent by the pool with a few bottles of wine. This carried on into the evening.

The next day was pretty much the same but we decided to do the sandboarding and also debate where we would go next - Paracas or Lima. After hearing Paracas described as 'not dreadful but not amazing' we decided Lima it was.

The sandboarding was really fun - at first you drive in huge buggys up the sand dunes but it's like being on a rollercoaster. We then did the actual boarding which was great until one of the girls in our group went down a huge sand dune and fell off really badly. She didn't move for a few minutes and we were all like 😱 and when she finally moved she thought she had broken her collarbone and went to hospital. Needless to say after this no one else really wanted to do anymore.

Our driver rushed her off to hospital and left the rest of the group stranded in the middle of the desert whilst he did that. After he came back we went to watch what was left of the sunset and came back to Huacachina for dinner.

Lots of people I've met in Peru are at the hostel so we spent the night drinking and playing cards. Although this place is pretty dreamy and it would be nice to stay another day, we are now off to Lima for the weekend before maybe heading further north to either Huaraz or Mancora. Czytaj więcej
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Jayme HolmanHi Elly! We are interested in using your GoPro Sandboarding video in an awesome TV episode. Please contact me asap at footage@citizenpictures.com .
30.05.2017Odpowiedz
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Latin America Elly Blake
Lima
24 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
I don't know why everyone slates Lima so much and tells you not to spend any time there. I had loads of fun and even ended up extending my stay.

The first night we arrived Meri, Charlie and I met up with Lucy and Andy for some food before their flight to Colombia. We went to a fairly decent Italian place and I of course had some pizza. Even though it was quick its always nice to see Andy and Lucy (if you're reading this - hey guys 🤗).

The next day Meri and I did the free walking tour in downtown Lima. There was a good group of us and I even bumped into one of the guys I met in Uyuni on the salt flats tour. The tour took you to the main places in downtown like the cathedral and presidential palace which was good to see. After we went to the China town and had some chifa - Chinese food. In the evening we drank in the hostel and ended up going out to a reggaeton club which was pretty funny. I was trying to practice my terribly pronounced Spanish which seems to get better when I'm drunk.

The next day we were fairly hungover but walked to Parque Reducto in Miraflores which had a really cute artisan/ eco fair. We made lunch and then set upon the great task of deciding where to eat for dinner. After not knowing whether to go to Huaraz or Mancora I finally decided to go to Huaraz instead and booked my bus and hostel.

I had to wait until 9.30pm for my night bus, so the next day Meri, Charlie and I went to look around Barranco which is supposedly the 'bohemian' neighbourhood of Lima. It wasn't very bohemian, not like San Telmo in BA anyway, but it was very nice. There was lots of cool street art there though and the buildings are very pretty. As this was the last day before we were all going our separate ways, we went for coffee and lunch. After Charlie left, Meri and I went to the Mate musuem which is dedicated to a famous Peruvian photographer who has taken photos of Princess Diana and Kate Moss. I really liked the museum.

After we came back to Miraflores to look for chocolate and coffee for Meri to take back to Finland as souvenirs for her family. Not long after she left for the airport and I was on my own waiting for my night bus. When they had both left I was pretty sad because I had a really good time travelling with them and we all got on so well.

Overall I've been pleasantly surprised by Lima. It's not the prettiest of places but there is more to do here than people make out. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Huaraz
24 maja 2017, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
I'd been planning on coming to Huaraz ever since my first few weeks of Brazil, when I was shown photos of it by a girl I met.

Huaraz is situated around the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, and is near the highest mountain in Peru. The city itself doesn't have much to do, but there is lots of trekking, outdoors activities and places of natural beauty nearby.

The first day I got here I decided to do absolutely nothing except catch up on sleep and spend the day watching Netflix and also on FaceTime with people from home. It was really relaxing.

The day after my friends from Lima arrived at the same hostel. I had signed up to do the rock climbing and they also signed up too. In the afternoon we got picked up by the instructor and taken to the rock climbing spot. This was a terrifying/ good/ never want to repeat experience. We thought we would be taken to a climbing wall but he just took us to this massive cliff edge and tied the ropes around the tree and we had to abseil down it and then climb back up.

It was really hard because there in some places was literally nothing to hang onto. The first one was tough, and the second one although harder was less scary because we knew what to expect. Although I'm glad I did it I don't think I'll be taking up rock climbing as a hobby anytime soon.

The place to go here is Laguna 69 in Huascaran National Park. An amazing, bluer than blue lagoon which is 4,600 metres above sea level. The next day I got up at 5am in order to go and do my final trek in South America! The trek was supposed to take six hours but we managed to do it in four. At first you have to climb up to the Laguna which takes about 2.15 hours. This wasn't too difficult but the altitude made it a lot worse.

Once we got to the Laguna we took some photos and then ate lunch but it was freezing up there and started hailing so we didn't stick around for as long as we could have. The way down was around another 2 hours and then we lay on the grass and slept until the rest of the group came down.

The bus back took ages because of road works but the evening was just spent eating dinner and socialising. Now I'm going back to Lima to catch my flight to Bogota! 🇨🇴 I've really enjoyed my time in Peru - three weeks has gone so fast because there's so much to do - but now I feel I'm ready to move on to the next leg of my journey. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Bogota
26 maja 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
The briefest stop in Bogota.
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Latin America Elly Blake
San Andres
28 maja 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
San Andres is a beautiful little Colombian island in the Caribbean, off the coast of Nicaragua. It was so perfect and I had the best person to share it with (Josh, obviously). Think - white sands, clear waters

When we arrived, we got picked up and taken to our cabana. We were staying in a posada run by a lovely lady named Gloria. It's so homely and has lots of wildlife around - hummingbirds, chicks, etc. As it was the evening when we arrived we went out for some dinner and a few drinks.

The next day the sun was shining and we got up to make breakfast. After that we walked around the town looking for somewhere to do my laundry (but I has forgotten it was Sunday and everywhere was closed) and we had a coffee and went to the beach in the main town Sprat Bight. The sea is clear blue - the bluest I've probably ever seen - and so warm. We laid on the beach and had some beers. Josh got a bit burnt and had to cover up.

Everyone drives round the island in beach or golf buggys so the next day we went to the car rental to rent one for the day. This was so fun because we were able to drive round and explore the whole island. It's only about 10-15km long so it's not huge and you could probably drive round it in less than an hour.

We spent the whole day driving round and stopping off at places on the way. We stopped off at Morgan's Cave which is where Captain Morgan's rum originates from. Although it was a bit touristy, the cave itself was actually really cool. I never knew that Captain Morgan was an English pirate who came to San Andres to hide his treasure!

After we continued to drive and stopped off at a few beaches on the way to Rocky Cay. Rocky Cay is a beautiful beach with white sands and clear blue seas. We spent the rest of the day there, and then eventually drove the buggy back to the town to give it back to the rental. This was made more difficult by the fact that half of the roads in the central were closed and the one-way system made it confusing.

On our last day, as Johnny Cay was closed, we decided to go back to Rocky Cay. We got the bus and then had some lunch - the most amazing (and huge) fresh red snapper fish with so much meat on it. We went and chilled on the beach until it started to torrential rain. We thought the rain would pass quickly but we had to wait for two hours and then get the bus back to the town. After we dried off we made some dinner and had some drinks before getting an early night for our flight the next day.

It's been so nice being in paradise. The people here are so friendly as well. It's felt more like a holiday than travelling with Josh. Everything is so easy and tranquilo here. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Cartagena
1 czerwca 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Stepping off the plane in Cartagena was like stepping into a sauna. It was 32 degrees but it felt like 40. So hot and humid.

The first day we explored Cartagena in the walled city. The buildings are very beautiful, with quaint little cobbled streets and lots of nice bars and restaurants. We also got our stuff ready for Casa en el Agua the next day.

We arrived at the port at 9am and got a two hour boat over to the San Bernardo Islands. The sea was choppy but it calmed into crystal clear waters when we got to Casa en el Agua. Being there was amazing, it looked even better than it had in the photos and there was such a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

The Casa is also near to Isolete which is the most densely populated island on earth with over 1,000 inhabitants.

We spent the day just sunbathing and in the sea, chatting with other people but it was incredible to be in such a beautiful setting. In the night we had dinner and played cards. When we slept there was a big storm and it woke us all up because the house is made of wood and you can hear everything.

The next day we were meant to leave at midday but we had to leave earlier because the boats from Cartagena were not coming due to the sea being too rough. Instead we got the boat to Rincón, a small little fisherman's village about two and a half hours south of Cartagena, and then had to get the bus back from the mainland. I didn't mind it so much because you got to see what the region around Cartagena was like, although I was pretty gutted to be leaving paradise so soon.

When we got back to Cartagena we walked round the walled city again and then in the evening met Andy and Lucy for some drinks! It was so nice having Josh meet them and we had a good night.

The next day we chilled until it was time to get the us to Santa Marta. Overall, we had a short but sweet time in Cartagena. Visiting Casa en el Agua has got to be a definite highlight of my trip - it was honestly one of the nicest/ coolest/ serenest places I've ever stayed in my whole entire life. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Santa Marta
3 czerwca 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C
After having such a great time in San Andres and Cartagena, I really didn't think things could get better. I hadn't heard amazing things about Santa Marta - and quite mixed reviews of Tayrona, so I guess my expectations were pretty low.

But boy were they exceeded!

The town of Santa Marta is probably best to avoid, but the area and region around the city is just beautiful. We spent the first night in the dreamer hostel - which tbf is okay - just around the pool.

The next day we'd heard about the tubing at El Rio hostel, and so got the bus to the little village of Buritaca which is on the way to Palomino. El Rio hostel is just amazing. Tucked away in the rainforest, it has its own little beach and river. The hostel is made of little huts and is so cool. We did the tubing which was really fun, apart from the barefoot hike to get far enough up the river. At times the river was really calm and I'd go really slowly, but at other times we would come into rapids and be thrown around.

We spent the rest of the day just chilling and drinking gin and tonics by the bar. The hostel was really social and so we met a lot of nice people there.

In the morning we got up and headed to Tayrona. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Tayrona actually, as I had heard some people saying it wasn't that great. We walked to Cabo San Juan which has one of the nicest beaches, which you can swim at, in the park. We rented hammocks for the night because it was way too hot for a tent. We met a really nice Colombian guy called Julian and we explored the other beaches - la piscina and playa nudista (although it was empty and clothes were kept firmly on) - with him.

There is lots of cool wildlife in the park. We saw wild monkeys in the trees, brightly coloured lizards and iguanas, snakes and even a cap aburra. In the night, if you go into the jungle just a tiny bit you can see hundreds of fireflies glowing which was pretty special.
I fell asleep pretty early but Josh and Julian saw a Cayman on the beach at night.

After what wasn't exactly the most comfortable sleep in the hammock, we woke up and had a nice morning cup of tea on the beach (cut me and I bleed English). We were leaving the park that day but decided to leave a different way so we could go to Pueblito which is the indigenous settlement in the park. The route to Pueblito was pretty hard because it was so humid and we had to climb up hill on rocks for about an hour and a half. When we got to Pueblito we saw the settlements which was cool and had lunch. Josh and I then set off to the road back to Santa Marta which took us probably another 2-3 hours. Pretty exhausted and sweaty from all the walking, we arrived back in Santa Marta and were so happy to have a shower!

The next day we had to wait around because our flight to Medellin was rescheduled from 4pm to 9pm. After all that trekking we didn't really fancy a big day out so we spent the day by the pool at the dreamer. The highlight was probably throwing away our disgusting leftovers from dinner the night before and instead having our amazing McDonalds (I have not had one since the terrible one I had at Santiago airport) which was so filling - we had 1.5 meals each.

All in all, we managed to fit a lot into Santa Marta and had a great time. Tayrona is so beautiful and El Rio was lots of fun! On to Medellin, the last leg of our trip because Josh heads back to England and I to Panama. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Medellin
9 czerwca 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
Medellin: the city of eternal spring. Warm weather all year round, the friendliest people I've ever met and lots of fun stuff to do.

The first day we went to do a walking tour around the downtown area. This was really good because you got to hear a lot about the history of the city and also Colombia as a whole. After Josh and I went to Comuna 13 which used to be one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Medellin, but has undergone a period of renovation and now it is a place of culture and street art.

In the evening we had a few drinks at our rooftop bar with a lovely Dutch couple and some others that we met.

The next day we took a bus to Guatape, which is in the countryside about two hours away from Medellin. We walked up the piedra (rock) to see the viewpoint of all the lakes in the area. Unfortunately I heard that these were man-made, but that didn't detract to the beauty of it. We then went to the town which is so colourful and pretty. We had coffee and then ice cream. We also went on a zip line across the lake and then got the bus back into Medellin and saw Lucy and Andy for the last time in the evening before they go back to the UK 😢 sad they are going home because they have been my travel bezzies since Iguazu in month 1!

The last day we went paragliding which was an amazing experience. I was a little bit nervous but it actually isn't scary at all. The wind just picks you up and you fly above the city of Medellin which was incredible. It can be a little bit wobbly when the wind knocks you but I'm so glad I did it. I'd definitely do it again in the future.

After we cooked and then got ready for our last flight to Bogota, before Josh heads back home. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Bogota
11 czerwca 2017, Kolumbia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We had 24 hours in Bogota before Josh flew back to the UK and I to Panama.

We went to visit one of the best flea markets in Bogota but it wasn't that great. We tried to walk to the presidential palace but it started torrentially raining for the next few hours so we took cover in McDonalds and then decided to get the bus back to our hotel and finish watching Narcos.

We went to the airport early for dinner and I nearly had a shock when they wouldn't let me on the flight without proof of how I was going to be leaving Panama. They made me book a reservation which was free in the end but still a bit stressful. We went through and Josh got some stuff from duty free and soon it was time to say goodbye 😭.

I had an amazing two weeks and I was upset to be going separate ways. This also marks the end of my trip in South America. I've had 4.5 of the most wonderful months, travelling all the way to the bottom of the continent and back up again. Meeting some great people on the way and learning (a bit) of Spanish. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Panama City
12 czerwca 2017, Panama ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Welcome to Miami. Panama City is a mini metropolis with a beautiful skyline, casinos, banks, American food chains - the works.

When I arrived I was waiting a few days before Izzy got there. Because I didn't want to do too much exploring without her, I decided to take a few days of Spanish lessons in Obarrio (the new town). This was cool as it was a good chance for me to consolidate what I've already learnt over the last few months and for me to learn a bit more basic Spanish to get by.

The day before Iz was meant to arrive I moved hostels to Casco Viejo which is the old town of Panama. It's really pretty and the hostel itself that I moved to was very social. I met some people and we played cards and then went out to the fish market where you can get ceviche for as little as $2. We drank in the hostel that night and I ended up missing my last Spanish leason but I went to bed at 3am.

The next day I didn't do much until it was time to go and get Izzy from the airport. It was so nice when she arrived, as I haven't seen her since before I left. We had loads to catch up on and lots of great stuff to look forward to.

On our first day together we went to the Amador Causeway, which takes you quite far out to be able to look back on the city and see the skyline. We walked along the causeway and then got a taxi to Ancon Hill where you are able to see the canal. In the afternoon we went for coffee in Casco Viejo and then went to Albrook mall to get some stuff before we went to the San Blas Islands the next day.

Although we had to get up at 5am, we didn't sleep very well because the hostel we were staying in had a bar underneath it and we could hear the bass from our room. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
San Blas Islands
16 czerwca 2017, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
The San Blas Islands, is an archipelago of over 365 islands located off the coast of Panama. The islands are owned by the indigenous Kuna people, who maintain autonomy over the islands.

We spent 4 days sailing through them and it was heaven on earth. It’s just as good as any postcard – turquoise clear blue waters, white sand and an abundance of marine wildlife. This place is a little piece of paradise.

We got there from Panama City and were picked up from our hostel at 5am in a 4×4. The drive took around 3 hours and went through the San Blas Hills which has beautiful views of the jungle but was like being on a rollercoaster and very bumpy.

Once we arrived at the port, we were transferred onto a motorboat and taken to the islands. There is not a whole lot to do on the islands, and at first this was a bit jarring because we aren’t used to doing absolutely nothing. After a day or two though, we started to appreciate the beauty in the island’s simplicity and enjoy the little things.

Every day was a mix of sunbathing, snorkelling and swimming, talking/ wondering about how the Kuna's live, and having barbecues on the beach with a beer or a rum.

We stayed for four days and weather wise we were blessed with a little bit of everything. Two days of beautiful, carribean sun, followed by overcast skies and rain.

It was without a doubt one of the highlights of my trip. I had such a good time with Izzy, and another guy we met Jethro. The San Blas ideas are literally heaven on earth - queue the Cher song. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Bocas del Toro
20 czerwca 2017, Panama ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
One 4x4 jeep, two taxis, two dominos, two buses and two boats later (and 12 hours) we finally arrived in Bocas Del Toro.

The first place we were staying was Bambuda Lodge on Isla Solarte which has a slide into the sea. It was a really cool place and we spent the first day just chilling by the pool.

The second and third day it rained for two days straight torrentially and we were stuck at the lodge (ironic because it was the hottest day of the year in London). We just played jenga and scrabble and drank. On the third day when it eventually stopped raining we moved over to Isla Colon which is the main island to Selina's. We went out for food and had the BEST tacos ever and a beer or two.

That night Iz and I made dinner and just had a few drinks but nothing big because it was filthy Fridays the next day (and also Izzy's last day in Panama 😭).

Filthy Fridays is a big bar crawl which basically every backpacker in Bocas goes to. You go to three bars which are on different islands. I won't go into too much detail but it was very messy. It was also really sad because half way through Iz and I had to say goodbye to each other because she had to go and get her flight to Panama City.

I had such a nice time travelling with her, we really did have the holiday of a lifetime in the San Blas islands, and loads of fun in Bocas even despite the weather.

The next day I was barely human so moved into a private room in an apartment on the other side of the island and watched Netflix and had no human interaction all day (much needed).

The day after I met Tom and we got the shuttle to across the border into Costa Rica. I did Panama pretty quickly (two weeks in total) but it was time to leave because I had spent a sickening amount of money in 14 days (especially seeing as we did barely anything for a lot of it).

I had an amazing time in Panama - especially in the San Blas which was a highlight of my life - but I'm going to have to be pretty frugal going forwards to try and balance myself out again financially. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Puerto Viejo
25 czerwca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
And so now I find myself in Costa Rica, having taken the most lax border crossing in the world. The border has local people riding bicycles up and down and families taking their children across. The only people who go into the immigration offices are the tourists.

But anyway, finding myself in Costa Rica is pretty good because I've always wanted to come here.

First stop on the map is Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast. The town has a Jamaican/ Caribbean vibe to it and is on the beach but also in the jungle. In a way it reminds me a lot of Thailand.

Tom and I arrived at around 3pm and had a total mind fuck seeing as we had gained another hour (now 7 hours behind the U.K.). We are staying at the Selina's here which I like a lot less than the one we stayed at in Bocas. We chilled for a bit and I got into a political debate with this American guy by the poor for about an hour or so. Them Tom and I walked into town and had a big faff over trying to get money out of the cash machine. We went to the supermarket and nearly had a heart attack when we spent $14 on literally not much food at all. CR is expensive!

I ended going to bed quite early because gaining the hour had really played with my body clock (so help me for when I come back to England). On a separate side note to all my loyal, avid readers - I've finally booked my flight back to London on 13th September from Varadero in Cuba. 🙌🏼

The next day we got up early for yoga which I really enjoyed. We then rented bikes with no brakes - to make them stop you had to cycle backwards which was not that fun to get used to. We cycled to Punta Uva which is one of the nicest beaches in the area. We sunbathed until it became overcast and then slept until it started to rain and then we had to cycle back to the hostel. It then continued to rain pretty much all afternoon and I had to walk 1km in the rain with my big backpack to my new hostel which I prefer a lot more. The rainy season here is pretty full on and stops everything!

In my new hostel I spent the next day just chilling until around midday when it was time to speak to Josh. We've barely spoken since he left Colombia just due to being busy and having no wifi in the San Blas.

In the afternoon I went on a run to Playa Cocles. I haven't put on a pair of running shoes in an embarrassingly long time (since March) but have thought it's time to have a bit of a detox and get back on the fitness wagon. I ran 8.45km and it was okay until it was time to turn back and then it was a bit of a struggle. I stopped along the way to get water and OJ and also to take some photos of the beaches - cus they were so pretty and the sun was shining.

When I finished I went and lay on the beach for a bit and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sun. I then went to the supermarket and got some food for dinner. I made a healthy dinner of quinoa and brown rice with parsley, pepper, onion, sweet corn and chickpeas which was really delicious. I had a pretty quiet evening because I've got to get up at around 6am tomorrow to get the bus to San José and then onto Manuel Antonio. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
San José
27 czerwca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
The briefest stop in San José.
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Latin America Elly Blake
Manuel Antonio
30 czerwca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Another day, another bus. Or two in fact. 10 hours of travelling later I arrived in Manuel Antonio which is on the Pacific coast, the other side of Costa Rica. It sure does rain a lot in CR and arriving in Manuel Antonio was no exception!

I was lucky to meet a nice English couple on my journey over, Georgia and Dan, and we got to Selina's hostel together. We had a 10 person room to ourselves which was luxury. The first night I think we all went to bed before 9 o'clock, just worn out from the day's travel.

The next day we went down to the beach in the morning because it was sunny. It didn't take too long for the overcast to come though, and after we headed back and chilled. I went on another run - this time shorter than the last but there were lots of hills and some very yappy dogs.

The day after we went to Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio which was the reason for coming all the way down here. We were so lucky as we saw lots of monkeys, some sloths, snakes, frogs, raccoons, humming birds and loads of other wildlife! On the way out we saw a giant sloth with its baby in a tree, really close up. It was a really hot day and finally - sun - so we went back to the pool and sunbathed. In the evening we had some drinks and played cards. I had a bit too much to drink and ended up puking on my bed (oops - but I blame the disgusting mixer we were drinking).

The next day I got up real early to be on the bus for San Jose. So excited to see my mum and sister and travel with them for two weeks! Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Tortuguero
3 lipca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We were picked up early at 6am to begin our two week tour of Costa Rica. Tortuguero, in the north on the Caribbean coast up first. This place is famous for green turtles nesting on the beach.

We were lucky one night to see them! Although it was the beginning of the season so we only saw one, we saw a massive turtle laying its eggs and then covering them up with the sand. I was surprised at how big and powerful the turtle was, as when we were standing behind it the turtle would hurl sand at you. It was a really cool experience though.

The place we were staying in was called Evergreen Lodge and was right in the middle of the rainforest. We had monkeys and other wildlife right on our doorstep and saw them up close. Mum and Rosy were freaking out because I saw a big frog in our room.

We went on a boat tour of the national park one day and were lucky to see all sorts of other wildlife including snakes, cayman, lizards (one known as the 'Jesus Christ' lizard because it can walk on water for about 6-7 metres), sloths, birds and loads more.

We also went on a kayak tour of the lake around our lodge which was fun but my arms started to hurt after a while and it was difficult to row completely straight! We had a few days of rain but also a good day of hot sun so chilled by the pool and read my book.

It's been a great start to the holiday, with lots of wildlife. Next stop is the Arenal Volcano in the middle of Costa Rica. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Arenal
7 lipca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Arenal (La Fortuna - but we were way out of town) was loads of fun. For starters we were staying in a spa hotel that was really nice.

The first day we went to see the hanging bridges in the rainforest. The suspension bridges themselves were cool (very high and moved around a lot) and the wildlife was more of the same we've seen elsewhere in CR - sloths, monkeys, snakes, etc which is always good to see!

We also did a walk around the volcano which was good. The first time it erupted was in 1968 and last time in 2010, making it pretty active! You aren't allowed to climb the volcano but you can walk around it.

After a lot of walking we then went to Tabacon hot springs which are the nicest hot springs I think I've ever been to. We also had a buffet dinner which was to die for, but I filled my plate to the brim and ended up having four different types of meat and lots of the little desserts. I went to bed at 8.30pm with the biggest food coma.

The next day we had a chilled day of no activities so spent the day by the pool and also at the gym. It was nice to have a day where we just enjoyed the hotel because it's so fancy and even has a pool bar where you can eat sushi in the swimming pool.

We're off on a boat to Monteverde tomorrow. Already halfway through Mum and Rosy's holiday, and two weeks into my time in Costa Rica - time goes way too quickly but it's been great so far and we've got more good stuff to look forward to including the cloud rainforest and five days on the beach in Guancaste. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Monteverde
8 lipca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Arriving in Monteverde via boat the first thing we wanted to do was the longest zip line in South/ Central America. At first I didn't think it was as good as the ziplining that I did in Peru, because there they let you go upside down and they wouldn't here, but actually after doing a few it was really cool! You zip line right over the canopy of the cloudforest and for much longer than in Peru. The views are amazing and totally worth it.

The next day we did two more walking tours of cloud forests and we saw more wildlife but it is starting to feel a bit samey and I'm getting to the end of them. We did however see a quetzal which is a rare bird and the symbol of Guatemala which was pretty cool! And lots of hummingbirds and an owl.

The hotel we were staying in was another really nice one, although once again a bit far out of town. They had the nicest food ever, amazing views over the Pacific and a jacuzzi!

Now we're off for five days at the beach on the Pacific coast in Guancaste. I'm really looking forward to it. It's cold and rainy in Monteverde and I'm starting to lose my tan. Next up is Potrero before heading crossing los frontieres en Nicaragua! Pura vida! Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Potrero
12 lipca 2017, Kostaryka ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
After a pounding ear infection, a flat tyre, an amazing chocolate chip muffin 🤤 and SIX hours of driving only 100km we f i n a l l y made it to Playa Potrero which is on the Pacific coast in Guancaste.

Guancaste is the province in the north at the border with Nicaragua and is known for having the best beaches in Costa Rica.

One of first our full day we walked to Playa Flamingo - called that because of the 'pink' sand on the beach. This was a huge anticlimax. The sand might have had a pink tinge to it but I'm not even sure if I really did or I was pretending it did to justify the 45min walk there. We ate at Coco Loco which is right on the beach and does amazing coconut cocktails. Gracias.

In the evening there was an amazing sunset on the beach with a glass of wine. The sky turned purple it was incredible.

The second day was a pool/ food/ watching orange is the new black in the room, waiting for the rain to pass day and then another sunset - which all in all was pretty nice. I'm enjoying the chilled vibe here.

We also did a catamaran sunset cruise where you could go snorkelling. The snorkelling wasn't amazing but we did see two turtles in the wild and we had a really nice day.

On the last day we went to Playa Conchal which was the nicest beach by far. It was our last day together and we had a nice lunch and afternoon on the beach. In the evening we watched the final sunset and then had dinner at the sailing club on the beach. It was a really nice way to end another amazing holiday.

We got up early the next day and I was dropped off in Liberia to catch the bus to the border town of Penas Blancas. It was really sad to say goodbye to mum and Rosy as we couldn't have had a better holiday in a nicer plan, but today essentially marks two months until I'm back in England so I've got to the make the most of my time left. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
San Juan Del Sur
17 lipca 2017, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
As I write this I am sitting on a wind-chilled boat across Lake Nicaragua - but that's for the next blog post.

So having crossed a fair few land borders now, I was naively underprepared for the shitstorm that they call the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border.

After taking a public bus to Penas Blancas (border town in Costa Rica) I got to the border and had to pay $8 for the privilege of leaving the country, waiting two hours in a queue just to get my passport stamped to leave 🙄, a 1km walk over the border in the midday heat, another $12 to enter Nicaragua and then the swarm of taxi drivers and most likely being completely ripped off. Anyways, I made it to San Juan in the end and I couldn't of been happier.

The hostel I was staying in (Surfing Donkey) was really social and I met some really cool people. That night we played beer pong and cards but it was relatively chilled because of the next day - Sunday fun day.

Like Filthy Fridays, Sunday fun day is a bar crawl/ pool party and it was a big one. Very hungover the next day which was just a big slob day of eating too much and watching Netflix.

The day after, my final day in San Juan, I went surfing with these two really lovely Dutch gals I met. I've never been surfing before and it was hard but SO much fun.

The waves were quite brutal but with some practice I improved over the 2-hour surf lesson. I managed to stand up a fair few times for more than a couple of seconds, so I was pretty proud of myself (although I did accidentally kick the instructor in the head which was sort of hilarious but FML at the same time) definitely do it again in Central America.

After we got some lunch and headed back to the town to catch a chicken bus (the first of many, I'm sure) to Rivas to get the ferry to Ometepe. Czytaj więcej
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Latin America Elly Blake
Isla de Ometepe
20 lipca 2017, Nikaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
So here I am, on a wind-swept boat heading across Lake Nicaragua towards two volcanoes. Bienvenidos a Isla de Ometepe.

Even though we left at around 3pm, it took us until probably around 9.30pm to reach our hostel - only a short distance away from San Juan del Sur. First lesson for Nicaraguan travel is that nothing moves fast here. Nada se mueve rápido aquí.

Sofie and I had some dinner and headed to Little Morgan's - a party hostel on the island. We fell asleep in the taxi and really weren't feeling it when we arrived but lots of familiar faces from Surfing Donkey were there to greet us. We had some drinks but weren't sleep for ages because our room was right above the bar and the music was very loud.

The next day after a bit of a lie-in (badly needed) we moved hostels to the Lazy Crab which is a lot more of a chilled out vibe.

In the day we rented a scooter and drove around the island. This was so cool! We went to a natural springs pool which was really relaxing, then went for lunch and got some food from the supermarket.

When we left the supermarket it started torrentially raining and we waited for ages for it to stop. When we thought it had stopped we got on the scooter to head back only for it to start raining again even harder which was an adventure. We were lucky enough though to see the top of Concepción (one of the two volcanoes) whilst driving past.

In the evening we played pool (we were both terrible but this made it funny) and made dinner. I didn't sleep very well because I kept getting bitten and also roosters woke me up really early. I had to get to León the next day but there had been a power cut and so my phone had no charge.

In the morning I got up early to catch a shuttle, boat, chicken bus, collectivo, and then tuk tuk to León. It took 7 hours but only cost £6.80 for the whole journey 😱 es muy muy muy barato.

I'm now heading on a 16-hour shuttle to Antigua in Guatemala so I can get to Flores in time for me mates to come out. I've yet to decide whether I'm going to come back to Nicaragua yet but I'll keep you posted 😉 🇳🇮 hasta la próxima! Czytaj więcej
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