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South American Adventure
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
Oct 2024 – May 2025

South American Adventure

This epic eight-month overlanding trip through South America has been a long time in the planning! We will be visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Exciting times! 😊 Read more
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  • South American Adventure

    A relaxing day in Archidona

    November 9, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I woke up a bit later this morning, but I still managed to get a swim in before breakfast.  After we'd eaten, Solenne, Gill, and I went for a walk.  We were interested to see some caves and a petroglyph which were signposted just up the road from the hotel.  Unfortunately, we didn’t find any trace of them.  When we asked a local family, they said they don’t exist!  They had no idea why the sign was there!

    Back at the hotel, we chatted to the others.  Some of them had a swim while the power was off.  When it came back on at 2pm, I did some work - not nearly as much as I should have, though!

    Mark went to the shop to buy more ham, so we could have another picnic dinner.  When he got back, we had another spectacular storm!  Ritchie was changing the wheels over in the truck, but he had to take cover!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Banos

    November 10, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We had a leisurely breakfast this morning.  It was cloudy and cool after last nights storm, so I decided not to swim.  We packed our bags and sat around chatting while we waited for those in the jungle group who weren't rafting to come back to the hotel.  This was Kim, Trudy, and Nikki.  They got dropped off at about 11.30, along with the bags belonging to the 10 people who were rafting.  We loaded these onto the truck.  

    Our instruction was to organise our lunch and be ready to leave by 12.15pm.  So, Mark went to the bakery for rolls to make up some tuna sandwiches.  We left on time and were at the meeting point to pick the others up at 1pm as arranged.  They were due to arrive after a 27km raft down the River Napa.  Unfortunately, they were two hours later than we'd been told!  Then they had to have lunch!  So, we didn’t set off to drive to Banos until 3.30pm.  It felt like a wasted day for us, but it's one of those things.

    It rained a lot during our journey, and darkness came quite quickly, so we couldn’t see much of the scenery.  It is probably a good thing, though, because the road is notorious for landslides!

    We arrived in Banos at around 7.30pm.  We didn’t venture out again as we had nuts and things to snack on.

    Baños, also known as Baños de Agua Santa, is the second largest and most populated city in the Tungurahua Province of Ecuador. It is located on the external flanks of the eastern mountain range of the Andes, between the Pastaza River, the Bascún River, and the slopes of the active Tungurahua Volcano, which last erupted in 2006. Banos sits at an altitude of 1820 meters above sea level and has a tropical rainy climate with an average temperature of 19°C.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Waterfalls route by chiva

    November 11, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The power was off again last night and this morning, but the hostel still managed to produce a decent breakfast.

    At 10am, a large group of us gathered in reception for a trip to see seven waterfalls. Our transport was a chiva - a brightly coloured local bus. Ours was a double-decker with an open top rather than the usual single-decker. So, we all opted to go upstairs. The three-hour trip cost us the princely sum of $3 each, with optional extras along the way.

    We drove out of town and crossed Rio Bascun with great views down into the canyon below. We then doubled back on ourselves and followed the waterfall route. New tunnels have been blasted through the rocks, but we took the old road, which skirts the edge of the Rio Blanco canyon. This road is now only open to tourist vehicles. It was quite hair-raising in places where we came within touching distance of the rocks. We also got soaked when we drove under a waterfall! There was a stomach churning moment when we hurtled down through a tunnel! One of our group said that that alone was worth the $3!!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Waterfalls galore!

    November 11, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We stopped at the Rio Blanco Mega Park where there were optional activities like bungee jumping and zip lining.  Most of our group skipped these as they were too tame compared to what they have already booked for tomorrow.  Denise and Susan paid $7 each to walk across the crystal bridge.

    Our next stop was at Cascada Puerta del Cielo, where the majority of us paid $2 to take a cable car in the shape if a truck to get a closer look at the waterfall!  Back on solid ground, we had an impromptu performance of YMCA and a group photo with a crowd from another chiva!!    Read more

  • South American Adventure
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    Cascada Pallon del Diablo

    November 11, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Our final stop of the trip was at Cascada Pallon del Diablo on the Rio Verde. This waterfall drops 80 metres into the river. We were dropped off at the top of the falls and had 40 minutes to walk down the hill and cross two swing bridges to have a closer look. Mark was in a lot of pain by this point, so he stayed at the top whilst I paid the $3 entrance fee. It was well worth it! Despite the current drought in Ecuador, the falls were spectacular. However, by the time they entered the river at the bottom, the water barely covered the river bed.Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Return to Banos

    November 11, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After this stop, we returned to Banos.  We dropped some of our stuff at the hostel and went out for a wander.  We had intended to find a supermarket and buy ingredients to cook for ourselves, but we ended up in the market with Denise and Derk.  There, we had delicious street food that filled us up for the rest of the day for just a few dollars.  I had a chicken soup, and Mark had chorizo and eggs with potato cakes and different salads.

    Later, we visited the city’s church with its glorious altar piece.  This Basilica is dedicated to the Virgin of the Holy Water, who is credited with several local miracles. Inside, there are several artworks by Father Enrique Mideros depicting the miracles, and there is a museum in his name attached to the church.  This was closed when we were there, so we will probably try again tomorrow.

    We had ice-cream before returning to the hostel.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Another day in Banos

    November 12, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Breakfast was exceptional this morning and included delicious crispy croissants filled with tangy salty cheese.  After eating, many of the group went off to do different activities.  We decided to take advantage of the power being on and the wifi working to catch up on some admin and work stuff.

    When the power went off at 1pm, this was our cue to go out.  We had a wander around town and found a supermarket.  Tomorrow will be a long driving day, so we wanted to buy food for the journey.  We also bought salad, eggs, cheese, and ham to have back at the hostel today.  I was pleased to find a health food shop where I was able to find chia seeds for the first time on this trip.  This is despite the fact that this is where they are grown.

    At the hostel, I went up on the roof to take some photos of the town.

    This evening, Nikki sent us the detailed itinerary for the next couple of weeks, and also the cook groups and rota as we start camping when we cross to Peru in a couple of days.  As expected, Mark and I are in different groups.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Cuenca

    November 13, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    It was an early start this morning.  Breakfast was at 7am ready for a 7.30am departure for Cuenca.

    The scenery was stunning as we climbed through the mountains, especially when we passed the spectacular Tungurahua Volcano.   Unfortunately, it was too hazy to get decent photos.  The land all around is obviously very fertile - every square metre was given over to growing something.  There were also lots of milk and egg production facilities.

    After a couple of hours, we stopped for toilets.  Soon afterwards, we got stuck at a police check for over an hour.  We've no idea what it was for!

    We drove through rural areas where many people were wearing traditional dress.  We also saw lots of guinea pigs on rotisseries.  Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of them. 

    After a lunch stop, we drove on through a very bare, dry landscape.  The mountain sides were completely devoid of trees.  Deforestation is a huge problem in Ecuador, with the main drivers being shifting agriculture, oil industry expansion, and mining. Since the 1970s, the oil industry has cleared over 1.6 million acres of rainforest for roads, infrastructure, and colonisation. The loss of forests significantly impacts the environment, including causing soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and water scarcity. It also affects the livelihoods of local communities that depend on forests for their survival, including indigenous peoples.

    It was a very long, slow driving day, particularly after the sun went down.  We finally arrived at our hotel (Hotel las Americas) at 8pm.  Some of the group were going out for dinner, but we got settled in and had an early night.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Walking tour of Cuenca

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I didn’t sleep very well - there was so much noise in the hotel and coming from the banana packing facility next door!

    My blood sugar was high again this morning, so I skipped most of the breakfast and just had black coffee and some scrambled eggs.

    We had booked a walking tour, so we left the hotel at around 8.30am to make our way to the meeting point. Outside the hotel, there were lots of ladies in traditional dress selling fruit and vegetables on the pavement. It was a very colourful scene, but I refrained from taking photos as it seemed too intrusive.

    First impressions of Cuenca were that it is a wealthy city with lots of attractive old buildings, many of them French in style. There was also a huge police presence with armed officers and soldiers all over the place. When we met our guide, Thomas, he told us that there is a convention taking place in the city attended by the leaders of many central and southern American nations, plus the Portuguese president, a delegation from Andorra, and the King of Spain. Because of this, many buildings in the city were closed.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    The walk continues

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This was the case with our first stop, the Court of Justice. We could peer through the gates, but we couldn’t go in. Thomas showed us photos of the beautiful interior and explained that the building was formerly the University of Cuenca.

    We walked through the craft and flower markets close to the new cathedral and then went to the old cathedral across the square. This is now a religious museum. We didn't go in, but we stood outside while Thomas explained to us all about the history of the city.

    From there, we visited the former home of Hortensia Mata, a formidable woman who married José Miguel Ordóñez Lazo, had 16 children with him, and when he died, married his brother in order to secure the property for herself and her children. The house was completely restored in 2000 at a cost of $5 million and is now home to several small independent food businesses including a chic French café, a French patisserie, and an artisan cheese shop. This Ecuadorian business makes many different flavours of a Gouda-style cheese using techniques the owner learned in the Netherlands. We tried several varieties. They were all delicious. It was good to eat cheese that had a strong flavour. Most of the cheese we have had so far in South America has been very bland. We bought a piece each of garlic and portobello mushroom to have on the journey across the border tomorrow.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    The new cathedral

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Our next stop was in Plaza Calderon, named after Abdón Calderón Garaycoa, a hero of the Ecuadorian War of Independence who died as a result of wounds suffered in the Battle of Pichincha.  His statue in the centre of the square is surrounded by eight trees, one for each of his children.  Some of these trees were set alight during protests.  They have been cut to encourage regrowth. 

    Thomas explained to us about the importance of Cuenca to Ecuador as a whole, and the pride the city feels in being given World Heritage status in 2000.  It is called "Athens of Ecuador" for its architecture, its cultural diversity, its contribution to the Ecuadorian arts, sciences and letters, and for being the birthplace of many illustrious figures of Ecuadorian society.

    We then went for a delicious espresso and a chicken empanada before returning to the square to visit the new cathedral.  The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was designed by Juan Bautista Stiehle (1829-1899), a German-born friar who arrived in Cuenca from Alsace in 1873.  The cathedral took over the function of the nearby Old Cathedral that had become too small.  Construction works started in 1885 and lasted for almost a century.  The building combines many architecture styles, but Romanesque Revival is predominant.  The cathedral is surmounted by three giant domes covered in striking blue and white glazed tiles from Czechoslovakia.  Its stained glass windows were created by Spanish artist Guillermo Larrazábal.

    Its towers are truncated due to a calculation error by the architect.  If they had been raised to their planned height, the foundations of this church would not have been able to bear the weight.  In spite of the architect's mistake, the cathedral's domes have become a symbol for the city.  Its facade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor is covered with pink marble brought from Carrara, Italy. When the cathedral was first constructed, 9,000 out of Cuenca's 10,000 inhabitants could fit in the building.  Unfortunately, damage caused by recent earthquakes is clear to see.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Cathedral views

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Having explored the cavernous interior of this magnificent church, we walked down Calle Sainte Ana, the oldest street in Cuenca, to reach the squares of the city's former seminary.  Now, one of these squares is a beautiful garden and the other is home to a number of upmarket restaurants.  Both afford amazing views of the back of the cathedral and its domes.Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Casa del Coco

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We then walked through Cuenca's French district to visit La Casa del Coco. Many French scholars and scientists came to Cuenca following the Spanish conquest, drawn here by the desire to measure the length of one degree of longitude at the Earth's equator in order to experimentally determine the shape of the globe. They left a lasting legacy in the city in terms of the number of buildings constructed in the French style.

    La Casa del Coco is the former family home of Florencia Astudillo Valdivieso, one of the wealthiest women in the region at the end of the 19th century. This house is one of the best fusion examples between the colonial style and French decoration.

    Part of the house is now used by Paccari chocolate. Founded in 2001, Paccari is a fair trade company that has won multiple awards for its products. It ranked number one in a study of the most ethical chocolate producers in the world (Cadbury came bottom!)

    Upstairs in the building is an incredible room which is now used for tastings. It is decorated in the French style. At first glance, it appears to be adorned with fabric and ceramic, but it is actually done in aluminium. It's incredible! We have certainly never seen anything like it before.

    We tasted several different types of chocolate and bought some chocolate coated coffee beans.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Panama hats in Cuenca

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Our next stop was at the hat museum and production facility.  Contrary to popular belief, Panama hats have nothing to do with Panama!  They originated in Quenca.  The story goes that when US President Roosevelt attended the opening of the Panama Canal, he was wearing one of the hats.  From then on, they became known as Panama hats!

    At the museum, Thomas explained to us how the hats were traditionally made and how they are finished by machine now.  It was fascinating.  Prices range from $50 to $7000, totally understandable when you consider the skill and time taken to create each one.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Lunch at a French bistro

    November 14, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our last stop of the day was at a craft shop and micro brewery where Mark tried four different beers and then had a glass of the one he liked best which happened to be the one flavoured with coca leaves! We sat chatting to Thomas for an hour or two - he didn't seem in a rush to go. He was a very good guide, and we had thoroughly enjoyed our day with him.

    After saying our goodbyes, we made our way back to the seminary square and enjoyed a late lunch at a French bistro. I know it's not Ecuadorian, but it was just what we needed - comfort food at its best. Mark had boeuf bourgignon and I had hachis parmentier (French cottage pie!).

    We then returned to the hotel and sorted a bag out for the next couple of days. We are camping for the first time on this trip!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Peru

    November 15, 2024 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    It was a very early start for the 200km drive to the border with Peru.  Everyone was a bit subdued.  Some of the girls were sick overnight - they put it down to dodgy milk in a coffee shop yesterday.  Most of the rest of us hadn't slept well due to a really rowdy group staying in the hotel.  Britt and Greg rejoined us after their successful sojourn in the Galapagos, so we were back up to 23 on the truck.

    Nikki had bought breakfast for us as we were too early for breakfast in the hotel.  They did send us on our way with a takeaway coffee, though, so that was a bonus.  To eat, we had yoghurt, fruit, and a cream cheese roll. 

    We drove out of the city and up into the mountains.  After a toilet stop, the landscape became rocky and barren, but then, just as quickly, we found ourselves driving through lush green scenery once more.

    As we dropped to sea level, we drove through mile after mile of banana plantations. 

    We reached the border with Peru at around 1pm.  First impressions were promising.  We got the truck out of Ecuador without any problems.  Then, we all had to get off and join the queue to exit Ecuador and enter Peru.  We didn’t move at all for over an hour!  Eventually, we were stamped out of Ecuador and joined another queue to enter Peru.  The two desks were next to each other in the same office!  Once we were all successfully stamped into Peru, we thought we were home and dry.  Unfortunately, we were mistaken!  We still had to get the truck through!  Ritchie had to queue for a long time while we all waited patiently in the shade.  When, he got the truck stamped in, the authorities instructed him to drive around the block without us, approach immigration again, and get us to take our bags off and put them through a scanner.  Most of us were allowed through without question, but Mark got pulled aside and had his bag opened and searched.  They were querying the amount of drugs he had in there.  Fortunately, he was able to show his prescription and tell them about the length of our trip.  We still weren't in the clear, though!  Immigration officers boarded the truck and took off all of our day packs to be scanned!  Still not satisfied, they then sent on sniffer dogs!  Finding nothing amiss, finally, after four hours at the border, they sent us on our way!

    Sadly, the delay meant that we didn’t get to our camp for the night until just after the sun had gone down.  On the way there, we passed lots of large, flat fields of crops until we turned off and followed the coast road. 

    Unfortunately, our first impression of Peru was of the enormous amount of rubbish everywhere 😕.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Arriving at Waltako Beach Culture

    November 15, 2024 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Our destination, though, turned out to be a delight!  We parked up the truck and left Nikki to prepare dinner for us all.  She had offered because it is our first night camping on the trip.  The rest of us went to sort out our accommodation for the next couple of nights.  A few of the group opted to upgrade to beach bungalows, but most of us chose to pitch our tents.  Our 'campsite' was directly on the beach!

    Our pop-up tent proved to be just as easy to erect as it was when we tried it out at York House.  We got ourselves organised and then went to join the others for a drink in the bar.  Dinner was ready at 8 - pasta with chicken and vegetables.  It was very good - a great introduction to camp cooking for those who are new to overlanding. 

    Afterwards, we had a fire on the beach.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Breakfast and beach shenanigans

    November 16, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We were up and about by 6.30am after a half decent night listening to the sound of the South Pacific waves crashing onto the sand. We got our first views of our surroundings in daylight. They were all good! We had a little wander before breakfast at 8.30am.

    Ritchie had bought and set up an oven, which we are all going to contribute $5 towards. He made egg muffins for us. There was also muesli, watermelon, apples, bread, and fresh coffee. I had a couple of muffins and a piece of watermelon. My blood sugar was back to 5.1 this morning, the lowest it's been in a long time. I think it's something to do with being back at sea level. I better make the most of it as we are only at sea level for three days before we go back to altitude where we will remain for several weeks!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A walk along the beach

    November 16, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After breakfast, some of the group went swimming with green turtles. We went for a walk along the beach. It was surprisingly clean (after what we'd seen on the way here) and full of sealife, especially bright red crabs.Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A lazy afternoon

    November 16, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We spent the rest of the day chilling on the beach, doing posts, listening to podcasts, and reading.  There are worse ways to spend your time!

    We had lunch in the bar.  Mark had ceviche, and I had a burger.  During the afternoon, we spotted a large turtle that appeared to be in difficulty between the rocks.  Sam rushed in to see if he could help the animal, but, unfortunately, it was dead, apparently poisoned by a treated hook that local fishermen use.  It was very sad.  Rodrigo, who owns the place, pushed the turtle back out to sea to be eaten, most likely by the turkey vultures that were already circling. 

    Sunset was a little disappointing as there was too much hazy cloud on the horizon.

    The cook group tonight prepared fish and vegetable curry with rice.  The rice was very claggy (Sam said this was deliberate 😀), but the curry was tasty.  I didn’t have much as it was a bit late for me to be eating.  We went to bed straight after as we have a very early start tomorrow.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A 600km drive to Huanchaco

    November 17, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I had set the alarm for 5am so that we could get the tent down and packed away ready for 5.45am breakfast and 6.30am departure.  I needn't have worried!  Our neighbour, Theresa, was up and about at 3.40am!  I was wide awake then!  I laid there for a while longer, but we were both up at 4.20am.

    Breakfast was fried eggs, bread, cereal, fruit, and coffee.  It got light just as we were leaving, and our hosts came out to wave us off.  We knew we had a very long driving day ahead of us, but we were remaining at sea level (no mountains to climb), and Ritchie told us the roads were generally good all along our route.

    Shortly after setting off, we were stopped at a routine police checkpoint.  We had been warned that we might be asked for our passports.  As Ritchie presented the paperwork for the truck, it was a nervous moment.  We could clearly see a Dragoman truck impounded by the authorities at the same checkpoint a few years ago!  Fortunately, on this occasion, they let us through!

    Back on our way, most of the group, including Mark, were soon asleep.  I suffer from chronic FOMO, so I can never sleep on the truck!  We did briefly climb some hills before descending again and driving through acres of lush green paddy fields.  Later in the morning, we drove through mile after mile of desert-like scenery.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    The Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum

    November 17, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We had an unexpected stop at the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum in Lambayeque.  We had a truck lunch of salads, wraps, and leftovers in the car park and then those of us who wanted to, had 30 minutes to look around the museum.  It contains most of the important artefacts (ceremonial vessels, necklaces, and jewellery) found at Huaca Rajada (Sipan) by archeologist Walter Alva in 1987, including the tombs of the Lord of Sipán and his entourage. 

    The city of Sipán existed from 50–700 AD, the same time as the Moche Period.  The museum was inaugurated in 2002.  It was designed to resemble the ancient Moche tombs.

    Sipán is considered to be a very important archaeological discovery.  Many of the tombs had been looted, but the artefacts that remained play an important role in understanding the Moche rulers and traditions. The tombs are of adobe construction and pyramid-shaped.  Their discovery allowed archaeologists and anthropologists to get a better understanding of the Sacrifice Ceremony of the Sipán rulers that had been illustrated on murals, ceramics, and other decorative goods. The artefacts uncovered included adornments and a headdress that matched illustrations of the ceremony along with large knives and tools that would have been used for bloodletting and decapitation.

    During the excavations from 1987 to 1990, a spectacular treasure of gold and silver ornamental and ceremonial items was found, all of them dating from AD 50–300.  These objects demonstrate the outstanding craftsmanship of the Moche metalsmiths through their use of elaborate and advanced metalworking techniques.

    Examples of metalwork found in Sipán include head-shaped beads, peanut-shaped beads, coffin straps, fan handles, spearheads, a copper-plated banner, ceremonial knives, golden headdresses, silver and gold nose and ear ornaments, a gold necklace made of 10 spiderweb beads (spider bodies with human faces sitting on golden wires), and a gilded copper animal (possibly fox or dog).  The vast majority of these works were placed in richly decorated tombs, indicating both their high value to the Sipán leadership and the frequent need for artisans to continue to make new artefacts as old ones were buried.

    The displays in the museum warranted a much longer visit than the 30 minutes we had.  I was particularly fascinated to see the textiles and the perfectly preserved exquisite beadwork collars and breastplates.    Read more

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