IrelandLeinsterCo KildareKill53°14’55” N 6°35’26” W
September 4, 2015 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
TanzaniaZanzibar Urban/WestMwembetangaVugaVictoria Gardens6°10’0” S 39°10’60” E
September 8, 2015 in Tanzania ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
After spending the last three days here in paradise. Unbelievable beaches, blue seas and sunshine. What an amazing start to the trip. Swam with dolphins, snorked in the reef. Went to Prisoner Island and posed with giant tortoises. Had a Swahili/Irish rap off with the locals. We're going to do very well to beat these last few days. Heading onto Arusha next to see some animals.Read more
TanzaniaArushaLevolosiArusha3°22’40” S 36°41’39” E
September 18, 2015 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
So we survived our first 13 hour bus journey from Dar es Salaam to Arusha on the Kilimanjaro Express...well just about!...Nina and I were nearly left stranded after the bus drove off on us during a short toilet break. Luckily we used our athletic skills to race after it and continued on our journey to Arusha.
In Arusha we visited the local primary school next door to the Rena hostel, where we sat in the staff room, met the principal and learned the childrens' dance for their graduation next week.
We then went on safari to the Serengeti National Park, and what an experience it was!! Our 'Will I Am' look alike guide, Micheal drove us to the north western part of the Park where we managed to track down four of the 'Big Five' (lions, buffaloes, leopards and elephants). We also saw giraffes, warthogs, gazelles, ostriches, hippos, antelopes, hyrax and cheetahs, to name just a few, all in their natural habitat. One of the highlights was seeing the Migration of thousands of wildebeest in an orderly fashion towards the centre of the Park. I also had my first ever camping experience, where we shared the campsites with buffaloes and zebras.
We then went to the Ngorongoro Crater which combines the crevices and vast size of the Grand Canyon and the greenery and hilly scenery of the Lake District. Here, after many hours of searching, we finally found the last member of the 'Big Five' when we discovered one of only 17 rhinoceros in the whole crater, grazing happily in the grass. This completed an unbelievable experience on safari here. It was great to be able to get up close and personal with so many animals over the four days.
We then made our way back to Arusha where we went to see Mount Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately when we got there it was misty and overcast so we couldn't see much. But at least we got to pose for some photos at the bottom and we may go back to some day to climb to the summit!
We are now on a 20 hour bus journey to Mbeya in the south of the country as we head towards Malawi. I think there'll be plenty of numb bums at the end of this, but at least we have hundreds of photos to go through from the safari. That will surely pass the time a little! Tanzania has been an amazing first stop of the trip! The rest of the countries we are visiting have a lot to live up to, to compete with it!!Read more
MalawiCentral RegionLilongwe13°57’45” S 33°46’27” E
October 2, 2015 in Malawi ⋅ 🌬 15 °C
After various stop offs and the use of numerous modes of transport (taxis, 'dala dala' buses, motorbikes and coaches), we arrived at the Big Blue Backpackers hostel in Nkhata Bay, on the edge of Lake Malawi. We swam in the lake, caught up on the 'goings on' in the world, did some more planning of the trip and even got to catch some of the rugby World Cup in a local bar.
Next we travelled to Mangochi on the south edge of the lake, where we attended the Lake of Stars music festival. It was interesting to experience a musical festival based on the beach with not one drop of mud in sight! We saw various musical acts from Malawi and around Africa and Europe. We even saw the Malawian version of 'Vagina Monologues'. Some of us managed better in the sun than others (the 'Corrigan skin' is surviving quite well so far!) but it was still a very enjoyable festival and another good experience on this trip!
We then headed back north to Senga Bay, where we stayed for a couple of days in Mufrasa Lodge. Here we recovered after a busy weekend and we also did some kayaking on the lake. The local pool table maintenance man, from South Africa, drove us, free of charge, to the city of Lilongwe in the back of his 'pick up' truck. After a mix up in the bookings at Mabuya Camp, we were each given our own individual tents for free, as a way of compensation for not having any bedrooms for us. We did some shopping, stocked up on supplies and dipped our feet in the camp's swimming pool!
We are now out way to Zambia. The bus was two hours late this morning so God knows what time we'll arrive in Lusaka. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the last long journey to Mbeya, when we arrived at 3.30 am after 21 hours sitting on a hot bus. But I guess we've learned that time means nothing here in Africa. Getting things done quickly isn't an option!Read more
ZambiaSouthern ProvinceRiversideLivingstone Game Park17°51’7” S 25°49’43” E
October 11, 2015 in Zambia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
We arrived in Lusaka at about 22.00 after a relatively comfortable bus journey with Kob's buses, before checking into the lovely Lusaka Backpackers for a couple of days. It was a nice change to be in a more 'civilised' city like Lusaka with familiar foods and brands in the large shopping malls. Here we stocked up on pharmacy and food supplies, watched some of the Rugby World Cup and did more planning of the trip. We also introduced Roisin to her first game of pool (we'll make a champion of her yet!).
After this nice relaxing weekend, we made our way down south to Livingstone on the Mazhandu Family Bus. This was the most organised bus journey we've had since arriving in Africa, with printed tickets, name tags for our bags and working air condition! There was even a reading of the gospel as we left the bus station! We arrived in the mid afternoon sun at Jollyboys Backpackers, where we jumped straight into the pool to cool down before we got organised for our various activities over the next from few days in Livingstone.
Firstly we did the walking tour of the town as organised by the hostel and visited the David Livingstone museum, where we learned about the history of the town and the great explorer himself. Then we did a cruise along the Zambezi river where we had a barbecue and unlimited drinks while seeing hippos, elephants, sea eagles in the gorgeous African sunset. This was a lovely way to spend the first couple of days here before the adrenaline filled days that followed!!
Our first visit to the Victoria Falls Bridge, started with a zip line across the valley with amazing views of the bridge and the Zambezi river. Then Nina, Roisin and Edel took big leaps from the bridge in the form of bungee jumps and gorge swings. I'm definitely not as brave as these amazing ladies, so I just minded the bags (well someone had to! ☺).
Next up was Whitewater rafting in the Zambezi river. We were collected by our guide Potato (yes that was his name!), given a safety briefing, fitted for life jackets and helmets before we made our way down to the river to pose for photos under the waterfall. Little did we know that this was calm before the storm! We had no idea what the 24 rapids over the 34km course had in store for us. Being the crazy Irish ladies we are, we chose the most difficult route which guaranteed we flipped over on the Grade 5 rapids. We were rescued by various kayakers along the way who reunited us with our raft. Unfortunately we lost our safety guide Windass, along the way after suffering a concussion on the grade 6 rapid. Thankfully we got to avoid that rapid! Potato also had a trainee instructor Clement on board who was learning the ropes. We swam some of the easy rapids so he could learn about the flow of the currents. The amazing day was topped off with a picnic with fantastic views over looking the river. There were sunburn, bruises and DOMS galore afterwards but worth every bit of it!!
The following day we got a boat out to Livingstone Island where we swam in Devils Pool, while peering over the top of Victoria Falls. Then we were treated to a delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict and jam and scones, before being brought back to the main land. We took a golf buggy the Zambezi Sun where we chilled out and swam in pool with zebras and giraffes happily roaming around beside us. This was a lovely way to spend our last day in Zambia after a 'thrill-seeking' few days! Zambia has been fantastic! We really are being spoiled at everything we are getting to do here! This continent just keeps giving!!Read more
ZimbabweMatabeleland NorthHwange DistrictVictoria Falls17°55’55” S 25°49’32” E
October 14, 2015 in Zimbabwe ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Our short trip across the border landed us in Victoria Falls Backpackers where we availed of the swimming pool and cooking facilities with the sounds of the water of Victoria Falls in the background. On Sunday night, there were very different sounds to be heard around the hostel, as we watched the Ireland v France rugby world cup match. The screams and shouts coming from the four of us during the tense game, caused quiet a scene around the place. The owners probably regretted allowing us to take over the television!!
The next day we made our walked down to the Victoria Falls, where we posed for photos with amazing views in the background. We wandered around the National Park, taking in the beautiful sites and sounds of the Falls.
Next stop for us is a flight to Johannesburg in South Africa with Air Zimbabwe. After taking a trip to their offices in the town yesterday, to enquire about checking in our luggage, we were told that the flight had been changed to two hours earlier and with an added stopover in Bulawago. No emails had been sent to notify any of us of these changes. Hopefully there won't be other people who miss their flight due to this lack of communication! But as we keep saying, it's all part of the African experience!!Read more
South AfricaProvince of the Western CapeCape Town33°55’25” S 18°25’32” E
November 4, 2015 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Next stop on this amazing trip was South Africa. We flew from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg with the 'newly' scheduled stop off in Bulawayo. From here we travelled overnight to Port Elizabeth on the luxurious Intercape bus. This was one of the nicest buses I've ever been on. It had reclining seats, air condition and even a toilet on board. This stopped the unnecessary stops and scramble for the bathroom on previous buses we travelled on.
We arrived in Port Elizabeth in the lashing rain, but being Irish, this didn't phase us one bit! We headed straight to the beach for a walk and then played in the playground like the big kids we are! Next day in the sunshine, we did the self guided walking tour of the town, as organised by our hostel, Hippo Backpackers. We visited St. George's Park and the Pearson Conservatory, climbed the lighthouse and got an amazing view of the town and coastline. We also visited the Southend Apartheid museum, which gave us a really interesting insight into the history of the town.
We hired a car for our trip to Cape Town and stopped off in many lovely towns along the way. Our little Chevolee Sonic (nicknamed Doris) managed well with fitting all our rucksacks in and getting through the steep mountainous areas.
Our first stop along the beautiful Garden Route was Jeffreys Bay. We stayed in the lovely Ubuntu hostel where they organised surfing and sandboarding activities for us. One day, we went to visit the waterfall just outside the town. Unfortunately the car got stuck in the gravel on the side of a cliff and a kind local farmer had to pull it out with his tractor.
Next we drove to Kynsna, and based ourselves in the amazing Jembjo's lodge for the next few days. This felt like a home away from home with proper kitchen facilities, chilled out sitting room and a large garden out the back. We visited the beautiful harbour on Thesen Island in the town and I sampled the local catch 'yellowtail fish'. We watched the sunset at the Kynsna Heads one evening and met an amazing group of elderly people on tour from Holland, sipping on their gin and tonics with their zimmer frames and all!
We visited Plettenburg Bay where we walked the beautiful beach and wandered through the Gardens of Eden. We attended the Plett Puzzle Park where we got a chance to solve the fun puzzles and played giant Jenga and Connect 4.
Along the Garden Route, we did lots of different activities in the various towns. We went Kloofing in The Crags which consisted of abseiling, cliff jumping, ziplining. We did a Segway tour in the beautiful Wilderness National Park. We revisited our Junior Cert history in the Bartholiew Diaz museum and replica boat in Mossel Bay and refreshed our Geography lessons in the amazingly beautiful Cango Caves in Oudhstoorn. We had a fantastic ten days in the Garden Route, with amazing scenery and activities.
Our last stop before Cape Town was Hermanus where we walked the beautiful coastal walk and went whale watching. This was another amazing experience to add to the collection.
Reluctantly we had to return Doris when we arrived in Cape Town and stayed at Once in Cape Town hostel on Kloof Street. Our first port of call was to catch up with Margaux who was over from Singapore for the week and we did lots activities together. Roisin and Nina went on a wine tasting tour, where they visited four different wineries and sampled various wines, champagnes and cheeses. Edel, Margaux and I did the city 'hop on hop off' bus tour and learned lots about the history and the recent development of the city. Some of the stops included the Groot Constantia winery, Sea Point, the Clock Tower, W&A Waterfront and Table Mountain. We treated ourselves to afternoon tea in Camps Bay, with a beautiful view over looking the Ocean.
Next day we went to the Woodstock Food Market, where we were spoiled for choice on what to eat and drink and sampled some of the local delicacy, which is strips of dried, cured meat.
Halloween happened to fall while we were here. Living out of a rucksack limited our wardrobe options for fancy dress. Margaux came up with the genius idea of dressing up as an alternative version of Ninja warriors. We spent the afternoon doing arts and crafts, making our 'Ginja' costumes while watching the rugby world cup final. Wearing matching black outfits (secretly celebrating New Zealand's win) we headed out for the night and sampled the Cape Town nightlife.
Later in the week we decided to do another road trip around the Cape, so we hired another car for the day, this time a Hyundai i20. We drove to Hout Head to see some seals in the harbour. Then we stopped on Chapman's Peak for an amazing view of the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans officially meet. We visited Boulder Beach in Simon's Town where we saw African penguins. Next we entered the Cape Point National Park, where we saw the famous Cape of Good Hope and had a picnic overlooking the sea. Just as we were packing up to move on, a large baboon came across the car park and chased after my food packages. Luckily a ranger was close by to scare the baboon away from me, and I survived for another day!
That evening we decided to walk up Lion's Head peak to see the sunset across the city. It was a beautiful way to finish off another great day.
Having not had enough exercise, the following day we donned our hiking shoes (or 'business shoes' as Edel calls them) and climbed to the top of Table Mountain. The hike took about two and a half hours and was difficult at times, but it was worth every effort as we had an amazing view of the city and surrounding areas. I had a great feeling of achievement as we stood on the top of one of the 'new Wonders of Nature'. This was a great way to finish our time in Cape Town and it was great to catch up with friends while we were here.
The last eight and a half weeks in Africa have absolutely flown by. There were plenty of highs and some lows along the way but overall it's been an amazing experience. It has opened my eyes to many things and I will hopefully be back someday again. We are now moving onto South America, first stop, Colombia. I'm looking forward to many more new experiences and seeing some more beautiful places! And we get reunited with Ms Sparrow which is always a bonus!!Read more
ColombiaDepartamento de NariñoIpiales0°49’32” N 77°38’22” W November 23, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We were finally reunited with Ms Sparrow after gaining many air miles, flying to Bogota via Dubai and Orlando. The last leg of the journey, from Orlando to Bogota, turned out to be quite a treat, as our LAN flight attendant Jonathan secretly gave us extra snacks and drinks to make the journey a bit more bearable and offered us seats with extra leg room. I think he felt sorry for us, looking at the state of us after two days travelling!
On our way to our hostel Craggy Crock in Bogota, our taxi man Nicholas gave us a brief tour of the city, with Edel (being the only Spanish speaker in the group) translating for the rest of us in the back.
In order to get over our jet lag, we decided to do the free city walking tour with our guide Freddie from True Colombian Tours. In the welcomed rain with our rain jackets on, we visited various famous historic buildings, the Houses of Parliament, learned about the history of the city and how it got its freedom. We sampled some of the local delicacies including Chicha (a fermented drink, made from maize), Obleas (jam in a thin wafer style sandwich), chocolate con queso (hot chocolate with cheese pieces) and arepas con queso (pancake style flat bread filled with cheese). We finished off the tour with a game of Teja, which is a traditional Colombian game of throwing a metal disc onto a board with small gunpowder pods.
Next day we visited the Museo del Oro where we saw the history of making gold and numerous beautiful statues and figures made from gold. After this, Edel and I went to the Catedral de Sal in Zipaquira, a small town north of Bogota. Our guide Juan told how the cathedral was built in a salt mine in the Halite mountain. There were beautiful statues and crosses all made from salt and a shallow body of water with 30% salt forming a mirror effect from the roof above. An amazing light show on the roof of the cathedral, topped off an amazing tour.
Next day we flew north to Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. Here we did a tour of the small town Minca, where we visited a coffee plantation and factory. The guide was unable to speak any English so Edel did a fantastic job of translating for the rest of us.
We then got a shuttle bus to Palomino where we went tubing on the Palomino river. After a short motorbike ride to the bottom of the mountain with our large rubber rings and a 30 minute hike up to start point in the blistering heat, we peacefully floated down the river in about three hours, before reaching the warm Caribbean Sea.
Next stop was the extremely hot and humid Cartegena where there were celebrations for gaining independence from Spain in 1811. Walking around town we came across the Plaza La Trinidad where we saw the Reina De Cartegena, which is a beauty pageant for local teenagers with aspirations for becoming Miss Colombia in the future. This was a precedent for the main event for the adults, which would finish off the week of celebrations at the end of the weekend. We watched the La Batalio de las Flores, which is Cartegena's take on Carnival, with plenty of music and dancing ongoing while the beauty queens from various districts, paraded the streets in large colourful floats.
Then we went to El Totuno volcano, where we had the unusual experience of bathing in the dense, warm mud bath. We floated in the unsinkable mud before washing it off in the nearby lagoon.
Within the walls of the old town of Cartegena we visited various cathedrals, churches and museums including the Palacio de La Inquisicion. Here we learned more about the way the city gained it's independence, and how it has developed and expanded recently. Next we flew south to the city of Medillin, which is situated in the beautiful Aburra Valley in the Andes Mountain range. We got a cable car to Arvi National Park where we viewed the city from above. We also visited the Parque Berrio where we saw the numerous large bronze statues.
From here, we got a night bus with Coomotor to San Agustín, where we stayed in Casa del Nelly. The hostel organised various tours for us. Firstly we went horse riding and visited various monuments and stone statues built in 4000BC. Our guide Albero showed us how to extract the three colours of the Colombian flag (red, yellow and blue) from various trees. We viewed the beautiful Rio De Magdalena River (Colombia's longest river) in the valley, before finishing in the amazing Parque Arquelogico de San Agustín.
The next day we went on a jeep tour of the area where we saw more statues and tombs, visited the narrowest point of Rio De Magdalena and stopped at a sugar cane processing factory before finishing the tour at the tallest waterfall in San Agustín (Salto de Bordones).
The next city we visited was Popayan where we stayed at the Parklife hostel on Parque Caldas. This was an ideal location for exploring the lovely streets of the 'White City'. We visited the Puente Chiquito, which is one of the oldest bridges in Colombia. To finish off our time in Popayan, we treated ourselves to a trip to the cinema, to see the last of the Hunger Games films.
Our final stop in Colombia was the border town of Ipialas where we visited the amazingly beautiful El Santuario de Las Lajas. This was a church built in the gorge of the Guáitara River.
This was a lovely way to spend our final morning in Colombia before we head across the border to Ecuador.Read more
EcuadorProvincia del TungurahuaBaños de Agua Santa1°23’31” S 78°25’32” W
December 7, 2015 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After crossing the border to Ecuador, we took a short taxi ride to the town of Tulcan before our five hour bus to the capital Quito and stayed in the lovely BoutiQuito Design hostel. We visited some of the beautiful buildings of the city in the Parque Garcia Monero, La Basilica, Monasteries De San Francisco and the Plaza Grande. At one point I was asked by some local nursing students to help them with their college assignment, where they interviewed an English speaking person (absolutely mortified!).
Next day we headed to the Mitad del Mundo (Centre of the World) for an incredible day at the equator. We hopped on the local public transport, where the hour and half bus journey cost us a whooping $0.45 (nearly breaking the bank!). The lovely sunny day allowed us to explore the grounds of the site and pose for photos along the equator. Edel purchased an egg from the shop and we conquered the mind blowing experiment of balancing the egg on the head of a nail. Then we headed up the 30m high monument tower where we learned about the French exploration to discover the equator in 1736 and entered the museum with some experiments we could partake in. At the top of the tower, there was an amazing view of the snowcapped Cayambe mountain, (the only point on the equator that drops below zero degrees Celsius) and the Cotopaxi volcano (Ecuador's most active volcano). This was such an amazing day and a great start to our time in Ecuador.
Our next stop after Quito was the highly anticipated trip to the Amazon Rainforest. We took a eight hour night bus from Quito to Lago Agrio. We stopped here for two hours and slept in the hammocks before the confusion hit! The organisers didn't seem to know what was happening so it was 'bags on bags off', 'get on get off' various buses before we were finally ready for the two hour bus journey to edge of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. Here we had lunch and then embarked on our canoe ride down the Cuyabeno river to the ecofriendly Caiman Lodge. We saw various wildlife along the three hour journey, including flying monkeys, long nosed owls, spider monkeys, anacondas and herons. We arrived in where we snoozed before getting back on the canoe to go to the lagoon. That evening we swam in the water as we watched the beautiful sunset. Then torches at the ready, we scanned the waters edge for the reflection of the red eye of caiman. Before going back to the lodge for dinner.
Next day we visited the indigenous people of the Siona Community. Our guide Miguel showed us the large Cliba tree where the locals come to get phone signal. One of the Swedish girls on the our tour actually received some messages on her phone! Miguel then let us taste lemongrass, ginger and chilli which are all grown on the land. Next it was time to earn out keep. Nina and Edel harvested a large yuka from the ground. This is a root like vegetable which tastes like a turnip when raw. We pealed and washed the yuka before grating it and draining the liquid off using a wooden woven type hammock. The remaining powder like substance was sieved before cooked on a hot plate into a tasty pancake like flat bread (casave). We ate it for lunch with a rice salad and for dessert with jam. This was such as treat and it was so interesting to see the way they use all of the materials and leave nothing to waste.
After lunch we visited a Sharman in the Siona tribe. The leader told us about the history of the rituals of healing of locals from various illnesses and gave us an explanation of their dress. To finish off this wonderful day we swam in the lagoon to see another beautiful sunset before we went on a nighttime hike through the forest. Again with our torches in hand, we discovered various species of spiders, crickets, ants and boa constrictors. Then it was back to the lodge for dinner before hitting the hay for an early night as our alarms were set for 5.30 the next morning.
I awoke next morning to the rain hammering off the roof of the lodge, and as thought Miguel came to confirm that it was too wet and cloudy to watch the sunrise. Disappointed, we turned over and got a few more hours sleep.
After breakfast we donned our hiking shoes and ponchos for a daytime walk through the forest. This time we saw the forest differently and came across a wide variety of ants, bees, spiders and frogs. Miguel spotted the fresh droppings of a wild boar so we went on the lookout for it but we were unable to find it.
In the afternoon we went for a final swim in the lagoon and what a treat it was! About 10 metres away from us was a family of pink dolphins happily enjoying the warmth of the water. It was incredible to share the water with these amazing animals and it was a definite highlight of the trip.
After all this excitement we went back to the lodge where a group of monkeys were playing in the trees close by. Edel and I were given some bananas to feed them. The monkeys took a shining to Edel and happily took the bananas from her. As for me, they just ran away from me, probably thinking I was a bit dodgy looking up and rightly so!
That evening we got in a paddle boat and rowed to the Laguna Grande to see another beautiful sunset. We then went in search of more caiman and nocturnal birds. We spotted the red eye of a caiman and paddled up close to it. Just as we silently approached it, Edel accidently knocked over her oat and frightened us all and the caiman fled the scene. We headed home with a magical thunder and lightning storm ahead of us, with beautiful fork lightening illuminating the sky. However we still managed to get a little lost on our way home.
After dinner we were given a presentation about the Cuyabeno reserve and what type of flora and fauna you'd expect to see here at various times of the year. To finish off the night, we lined up before the local guides, who gave us natural henna tattoos from the actual seeds of the henna plant (don't worry Dad, they aren't real tattoos!).
The heavy rain returned the next morning so unfortunately we had another failed attempt to see the sunrise. After breakfast we donned the ponchos for one final time for our canoe ride back to the bus to Loja Agrio, where we got on an overnight bus to Banos.
We stayed in Hostel D'Mathias just around corner from the bus terminal and a perfect location for exploring the city. After catching up on some sleep, showers and laundry, we took an evening bus tour of Banos where we saw the sites of the city and the surrounding waterfalls. Our first stop was San Martin Parque Aventura, where we got a Tarabita (cable car) across the gorge and viewed the beautiful river and waterfalls below. Next we were brought to the most dangerous stretch of road in the area which is now closed for traffic due to the large number of vehicles skidding on the slippery road and falling over the cliff edge. On this same stretch of road there is a bit of road jutting out of the cliff, which looks like the face of Jesus. Visitors from all over the world come to visit on a pilgrimage to this part of the cliff.
Our final stop was the amazing Cascada Pailon del Diablo (Devils Couldron). In the dark we walked along the side of the river and across the free swinging bridge where we saw the water cascading down over the cliff into the invisible pool below.
To finish off the day we headed to the Termas De la Virgin hot springs. We had heard so much about the famous hot baths in Banos (where is gets its name) that we had to try them out. The water for the baths is heated by the local active volcano Tungurahua. Not really sure what we were meant to do, we headed straight for the hot bath. But a quick dip of the toe proved to be too much for us. The locals reacted to our screaming and shouting and directed us to the showers first to acclimatise ourselves, however the water was still roasting so we decided to bite the bullet and get in the hot pool. After about 5 minutes it was time to move to the cold bath, to cool down. We alternated between the two baths for a few cycles before we started to feel a little faint, and had to stop. It was a weird but wonderful experience and I think we provided a bit of entertainment for the locals.
The following day was another day of site seeing with the first stop being La Casa del Arbol (the swing to end of the world). The swing was situated 2600m above sea level over looking Banos, however on the day we went it was very overcast so we couldn't see anything beyond 100m in front of us. Better luck next time!
I also went to visit the cathedral in the city (Bascillica De Virgin De Agua Santa), which was completed in 1944 after 40 years of construction. It was a statue of the Virgin Mary which is to commerate the believed sighting of Mary and to where many ecuadorians also come to visit every year.
The following day we had better luck with the weather with not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining, which meant that it was paragliding day! Our guide Henry picked us up from the hostel and drove us to his office where we were given a short briefing and practised the take off and landing in the harness hanging from the roof. Once we had mastered this we got back in the car for our 45 minute drive up to mountain to our starting point. When we got there the wind was too strong for us to safely fly so we had to sit and wait for it to die down. To pass the time Henry showed us some acroyoga which he says he does to 'warm up'. After about an hour and a half the wind had calmed down to the safe mark of 30kph, so we were given the green light to go. We donned our space suits and we each got 15 minutes flying time with amazing views of volcano Tungurahua and the sun setting over the valley. It was an incredible experience despite the motion sickness but a super end to our time in Ecuador.
The next few days consisted of various bus journeys to the towns of Cuenca and Loja, before we headed to Peru for more exciting and interesting experiences.Read more
PeruCusco13°31’55” S 71°58’3” W
December 28, 2015 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Our first experience in Peru was an interesting one. We arrived in Piura on Loja International Bus where we were met by multiple taxi drivers looking to bring us to our hotel. After some discussion, one driver decided he would take all five of us together in his small car. We were very apprehensive that we would fit with our backpacks but before we knew it, he was loading the backpacks onto the roof, securing them with bungees and ropes. Surprisingly we made it to our hotel, Hotel del Norte, together with all our belongings.
Next day we flew to the capital Lima with Avianca. We felt like VIPs when we landed as we had a driver waiting for us in departures with Roisin's name on a sign. After the mandatory photographs with the driver and the sign, we loaded up the mini bus and drove to the Pariwana hostel. We stayed here for a few nights and did a bit of Christmas shopping in the Jockey Plaza shopping mall.
From Lima, we took a 17 hour bus journey south to Arequipa on the Cruz del Sur bus. This was one of the nicest and well organised buses we have been on, so far. We had to check in our bags at the counter before embarking the bus. On board we had individual TVs, 140 degree reclining seats, blankets, drinks and dinner included.
The first evening in Arequipa we walked up to the view point, Carmen del Alto, to watch the sunset over the city, before having dinner in the best Indian restaurant in town. On our way back to our hostel, Friendly AQP, we stumbled upon a wedding outside the Basilica at the Plaza de Armas. It was a beautiful setting with the Christmas tree lights in the background.
Next morning we had a 3am start for our five hour journey to the Colca Canyon. First stop was Condor Cross where we waited for about an hour before seeing two condors flying overhead. We also stopped at various view points along the Canyon including Maca village where we visited Iglesia Santa Ana church and the markets with the ladies in traditional dress with their pet llamas. Our final stop of the day was at the highest view point of the Arequipa region where we could see various volcanos including the tallest one Volcan Misti (5825m).
The following day we took the six hour Cruz del Sur bus to Puno where we stayed in the Cozy hostel for one night before our trip to Lake Titicaca, on the Peruvian/Bolivian border. After breakfast and gorging on some coca tea to help prevent the altitude sickness, we were picked up by our guide Ruben at 6.30am and brought to the port in Puno. We embarked the boat to the Uro floating island, where we got a presentation by the natives about the various traditions they have on the island. We also got to see some of the amazing craft work they do and entered their little houses to try on their clothes. Next we got on a balsa boat to another island where we got a Lake Titicaca stamp for our passports. Our final boat trip of the day was to the main island Amantani where we were greeted by the host families who speak Quechua. Due to being at high altitude (3950m), we walked slowly with Mama Rosa up to her house. We met the rest of the family and were shown to our rooms before our lovely home cooked lunch. In the evening we walked up to the Titimama mountain top to watch the beautiful sunset over Lake Titicaca.
After dinner it was time to experience the local dance in the dance hall. We were dressed up in the traditional dresses and headpieces by Mama Rosa before she brought to the hall where there was a traditional band playing on stage. Everyone was up dancing and enjoying themselves and we even managed to get a bit of the 'Walls of Limerick' in!
Next morning after breakfast, we said goodbye to Mama Rosa and the rest of the family before our boat ride to the next island, Taquille. There were strong winds that morning which made it a very turbulent trip so we had to stop at a nearer port. This left us with an hour hike up to the main square at the top of the island, where we had an amazing view of Lake Titicaca and had our first site of Bolivia. We then went to another family's house for lunch. We were given a presentation about the different types of clothing the locals wear and the colours depend on what area they live in. We were shown a sample of various colourful knitted hats and bags all handmade by the local people. After lunch we had a three hour boat journey back to Puno. At one point the driver put the boat on autopilot and went to the back of the boat for a few minutes. Seeing an opportunity, Edel hopped in the driver's seat and steered the boat home. This caused great excitement amongst all the passengers and topped off a great trip to Lake Titicaca.
In Puno we treated ourselves to take away pizza from Machu Pizza restaurant and watched some films in Cozy hostel before our night bus to Cusco.
We arrived in Cusco at 5.30am and checked into the Pariwana hostel on Plaza de San Francisco. After getting some sleep, we decided to do the walking tour as organised by the hostel. Just as we left the hostel, it started lashing rain and we ran for cover until it settled. We visited Plaza de Armas, Plaza de San Blas, Catedral de San Domingo and Museo Taller Hilaro Mendivil, which displayed statues with long necks representing lamas. We then climbed up to one of the highest viewing points of the city to watch the sun set behind the mountains around the city. We finished the tour back at the hostel, where we got to taste a Pisco Sour, which is a local cocktail made of egg white, lemon juice and pisco liquor. This set us up for our night of karaoke and we took over the music playlist, where 'Fairy Tale of New York' may have been played to help get us into the Christmas spirit!
Next was the highly anticipated Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu. We had a briefing the night before at the Loki hostel where we met the guides Rene and Jhon. We were then collected at 5.30am the following morning, where we got a minibus to Ollantaytambo for breakfast.
Next we drove up to Habra Malaya (4300m) which was our start point for the cycle. After getting fitted out with our full body armer, suits and bikes, we started our 53km cycle through the mountains with amazing views of the valley. We had great fun cycling through the waterfalls coming over the edge of the mountains and getting saturated! Just before the end at Huaman Marca, there was a big mudslide being cleared off the road, which just reminded us our dangerous it can be in this area during the rainy season.
Next we got back in the bus to Santa Maria where we stayed the night. While waiting for dinner we played a local game called Sapo, where the aim is to throw the coins into the holes of the box to score points. Roisin blew us out of the park with her throwing skills!
Next morning we were up at 7am for our buffet breakfast before our eight hour hike along through the jungle overlooking the Urubamba river. Along the way Jhon pointed out various coca and coffee plantations and mangos, pineapples and chillis growing alongside us. We stopped at The Monkey House where Jhon showed us more coffee and coco beans and potatoes that were all native to the area. Next we walked along the traditional Inca Trail to the highest point before stopping for lunch and a nap in the hammocks. We continued hiking in the heat and humidity alongside the river, over a suspension bridge and a cable car. We finished with a lovely treat of a dip in the hot springs in Cocalmayo before driving to Santa Teresa.
The next day started with some ziplining across the valley above the Urubamba river before walking across the terrifying suspension bridge. Then we hiked for three hours in the rain along the train tracks to Aqua Calientes where we stayed in the Moseq hostel and which was our starting point of our hike to Machu Picchu the next day.
After a 4am start we walked to the gates of Machu Picchu in the dark before the gates opened. We hiked up the 6km climb up the 1772 steep steps to the top of the mountain in the extremely humid weather. After a quick change, we met Jhon who gave us a tour of the park. We learned how Machu Picchu was only discovered 104 years ago by Halam Bingham, despite being built by the Incas in the 15th century. We visited various buildings, all the walls made from granite. The main building was the Tomb of the Sun, which is the equivalent of our Newgrange, where there is a window that lets the sunlight in during the South American winter solstice in June.
After saying goodbye to Jhon, we were allowed to walk around and take in the amazing views. As it was Christmas week, we donned our Santa hats and took lots of photos. However this may have caused a bit of a stir amongst the security guards as they had us on their radios watching us wherever we went. After spending a few hours taking in the incredible views we walked back down to Aqua Calientes where we got two hour train to Ollantaytambo and a bus back to Pariwana hostel in Cusco.
The next day it was time to get ready for Christmas. After buying some Alpaca jumpers at the markets, we headed to the supermarket to do our Christmas food shop. List in hand, we went from aisle to aisle getting all the ingredients for our dinner. Peru didn't seem to do the traditional Christmas dinner, so we had to compromise on some of the stuff, but we did manage to get a turkey. We stayed in a lovely cottage in Sacred Valley, Urubamba for the Christmas period where we ate and lots, watched multiple films and Graham Norton episodes and failed miserably at the 'Big Fat Quiz of the Year'. We were also treated to a firework display on Christmas Eve.
It was nice to be able to Skype family and friends at home, catch up on sleep and recharge the batteries, after an amazing but busy few weeks in Peru.Read more
Caroline Corrigan Group of Irish girls taking on the world, travelling through Africa, South America and Asia. There'll be plenty of banter, adventures, fun and a few stories to tell.