Out of this world

Writing today from my boat which is currently moored off Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos. 

Internet slow and expensive so will have to keep short out of necessity - a real shame as I have a lot to say!

Soon after landing at Baltra airport I knew this was going to be pretty special. Just waiting for the dinghies to take us out to our boat, I saw several sea lions, a marine iguana and a grey heron. Not bad for starters!

Having settled in on board, we then went out for a trip on to the dry land and have seen some pretty astonishing stuff. I kinda wish I'd taken Tania's advice and bought the expensive camera but instead I am looking at everything through my binoculars and trying really hard to take excellent mental photographs! Unfortunately they will be harder to share with the rest of you...

The first thing we saw were some more majestic marine iguanas just wandering around and basking in the sun. They are huge and very dark (camouflaging against the lava) and have to sunbathe in order to bring their body temperatures back up after swimming in the sea. The males are slightly larger and apparently they have seven females on the go at the same time!

The Sally Lightfoot crabs on the other hand stand out strongly against the rocks. They are a bright orangey red and I can't get over how many of them there are.

The land iguanas were harder to spot hiding in the undergrowth but we still managed to find three including a fully-grown male catching the last rays before bedtime.

But my favourite spot so far is a pair of flamingos just feeding in a salt water pond. Our naturalist says we were very lucky to see them and I couldn't get over how startling pink they are! Of course, you'll have to take my word for that as they will be tiny specks in the distance in my photos!

We also saw lots of other bird life including Darwin's finches and some Galapagos Mockingbirds. The unique thing about these Mockingbirds is that they don't mock. Having migrated here around 3.5 million years ago there wasn't really anything for them to mimic so the gene needed for that particular skill has slowly disappeared from the species.

Tomorrow morning is snorkeling so I'm looking forward to seeing some aquatic wonders! Hopefully update you later in the day.

Missing Jon but lots of nice people  on the boat so will hopefully make some friends!

Back in Guayaquil

Just a very quick blog tonight as it's already 10pm and we have to eat and get a reasonable night's sleep before Jon's 7am class and my 8am pick up for the airport.

This morning, my run of good luck when it comes to modes of transport continued when the taxi we had hailed to take us up to a tree house in the mountains started overheating half way up the hill with steam coming through the dashboard. However, we were soon on our way again in a different car.

Another day, another spectacular view. This time of Tunguruhua spurting out volcanic ash clouds. And we got to witness it from a beautiful little tree house nestled in the mountainside and from a rather perilous looking swing which takes you right out over the edge. I've noticed that Ecuadorians aren't that big on health and safety...!

The rest of the day has pretty much been spent on the bus back to Guayaquil. Seven and a half hours in the end but lots to see out of the window when it was light and Scrabble to play when it wasn´t!

Off to the Galapagos tomorrow. Can´t wait!

How to start a New Year

Last night/this morning seems a very long time ago now but it was certainly a LOT of fun!

We got in at around 4am after a New Year's party unlike any other I've ever been to. So many great moments to share but a particular favourite of mine was zooming up to the volcano viewing platform on what Jon and I christened the party bus dancing in our seats to the Macarena. That tells you all you need to know really!

Everyone was out on the streets having a great time and midnight was spent watching our favourite effigy go up in a ball of flames before searching out a recommended bar and dancing the night away. You'll be relieved to hear that the music did improve a little!

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking on my return.

After a brief but good sleep we were up again this morning to explore the scenery around Banos.

Jon and I share a New Year's resolution: do more stuff. So, that's exactly what we did!

In fact I did the scariest thing I've ever done for starters... I watched Jon jump off a bridge into a ravine! I genuinely think I was more terrified than him! I also discovered how easy it is to bond with other women regardless of language barriers - just watch men do stupid things together!

Before that I had already done the second scariest thing ever. I sped across a different ravine on a zip wire with nothing but a little harness to stop me from plunging into the depths below! Totally exhilarating!

After all the daredevil antics we spent the rest of the day serenely marvelling at the waterfalls in the area and getting very wet as a result. The natural beauty of this country is astounding and some of the butterflies I've seen today are too beautiful to describe.

Having successfully 'done stuff' we're now back at the hostel for some hammock time before heading out again for dinner and the thermal spa. Not a bad way to end another exceptional day.

Sending you all lots of New Year wishes from South America's best kept secret!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Banos, Ecuador

Arrival in Paradise

I am writing this from my hammock at La Casa Verde in beautiful Banos.

All I can hear is the rush of the river and the wind blowing gently in the trees. It doesn't get much better than this. Although, having said that, two hammocks would be better as I can see Jon and I having to put together a hammock rota in order to avoid a falling out!

Today has been another special day, which I wasn't necessarily expecting given that most of it had been spent on buses.

I've seen pretty much the full spectrum of Ecuadorian everyday life outside the bus window plus some extra surprises due to the New Year celebrations.

The main tradition appears to be to create life-size effigies of people you don't like and then burn these at midnight to symbolise a new start without all the bad things in your life. We've seen literally hundreds today - apparently politicians, footballers and feuding neighbours are popular choices!

The children dress up too and set up road blocks where you have to throw them a few cents in order to pass. This may have slowed us down a bit but made the journey a lot more fun.

And the weather has really come good today. The sun has burnt off the clouds from the peaks of the volcanoes and we've had spectacular views of both Chimborazo and Tungarahua volcanoes. Be warned, I have a lot of bus window photos to bore you all with!

Banos is on the slopes of Tungarahua, one of Ecuador's active volcanoes which last erupted back in May. It's strange to see notices about evacuation procedures everywhere but the main instruction appears to be to run fast!

We've been told that at night you can often see sparks coming from the cone so we hope we're going to be lucky... but not too lucky!

This hostel is just wonderful too. Jon is exceptionally excited about the fact you can flush toilet paper. I'm loving the decor, hot shower and fully-stocked fridge... and the hammock of course!

Well, I think it's Jon's turn so I will close by wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 2011 is going to be amazing - I know it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:La Casa Verde, Banos

On top of the world... almost!

I think someone, somewhere heard that I was writing a blog and decided I ought to have a story or two to tell in it!

We woke this morning full of trepidation about our climb ahead. This wasn't helped by the guide, Pedro, then deciding that due to the amount of ice on the volcano at this time of year that we should all be fitted for crampons and hard hats! Finally, after a lot of procrastination, we were on our way in our 4x4...

... which it turns out ought to have gone to scrapheap heaven a long time ago. I accept that the road was in absolutely dire condition but at about 7.30 this morning we found ourselves thrown out of the 4x4 (which it actually turns out didn't have functioning four-wheel drive at all!) in order to try and dig ourselves out of a rather muddy ditch!

Well, to cut a very, very long story short, having involved half of Ecuador (I have video footage) and carried a lot of rocks down to the truck, the driver was able to back down the hill. At 11am.

Then it was decision time. Obviously we were over 3 hours late starting by this point and the other four people we were with decided to call it quits and try again tomorrow. Jon and I didn't have that luxury due to our timetable, so chose to press on instead with our new target being the refuge rather than the summit. Disappointed, we got on our way again and after some pretty hair-raising driving (and remember, I've been driven in Mumbai and Cairo!), we made it to the starting point.

And, oh my goodness, it was tough. I like to think that I've had some practice walking in the past year but this is like nothing else. The walk is advertised as a 'moderate hike'. I thought parts of the St. Oswald´s Way or the South Downs were 'moderate hikes' but I'm having to completely reframe my experience!

I just can't breathe here! When the guide heard how long I'd been at altitude (1.5 days), he laughed - apparently he would recommend 1-2 weeks with several other climbs in the preceding days but we were only following the description on the website which said 2 days acclimatisation (which I would have had if my flight hadn't been delayed!)

Anyhow, we pressed on as well as we could but it probably counts as the hardest physical thing I've ever done. When the snow started to come down thick and fast about 3 hours in, we had to make another disappointing but inevitable call to cut our losses and start our descent.

Seb Coe will be pleased to hear what happened next as he now has another serious gold medal contender in the 2012 Olympics! Jon says my front somersault down the mountain was practically flawless. I landed on my knees, winded but I figure I've still got some time to work on that before the London Games. Please don't worry though, I was soon back on my feet. The bad thing about being hypermobile is that you have a propensity to fall over; the good thing about being hypermobile is that you have a tendency to bounce!

After a perilous descent and another bone-rattling drive, we were very pleased to make it back to the hostel, where we both climbed straight into bed for a well-earned siesta.

I would like to point out four things:

1. We didn't make it to the top. We didn't even make it to the refuge but we are still immensely proud of ourselves.
2. It is stunning up there. When the clouds parted and we could see the summit of the mountain and the surrounding scenery, it was truly awe-inspiring and like nothing else I've ever seen.
3. It's made me more determined to do more of this sort of thing
4. A half-marathon is going to be child's play now!

Right, that's all for now folks. I wish you all a very Happy New Year's Eve!

Breathtaking... in more ways than one!

It didn't seem to be long enough after our night wander around beautiful Quito last night when the alarm went off at 5am this morning! Still, the early start was more than worth the trouble.

Our guide, Santiago, met us and drove us in his 4x4 the 3.5 hours up to the top of Quilitoa in the midst of Ecuador's highlands. I learnt so much from Santiago during the drive about Ecuador's geography, history and people and then what we saw when we reach our destination totally blew our minds...!

The Quilitoa laguna is a immense crater lake in the middle of a volcano that has been dormant since 1812. It changes colour from dark blue, to deep turquoise to emerald green in a matter of moments reflecting the changes in the weather and is absolutely spectacular.

We began our descent to the lake's edge after a cup of tea with a local indigenous family.

After our struggle with the altitude yesterday, Jon and I were very conscious from the outset of the fact that what goes down must come up and were very sceptical of  Santiago's claims that it would take us half an hour to get down and only an hour to get back up. Still, we decided to trust him and wended our way downwards with frequent stops for photos.

On reaching the bottom, we savoured the beauty of the lake but then turned around to view the full extent of what now awaited us. A climb back up from 3,550 metres to 4,000 metres... in an hour.

In the end, we did it in 1hr 3mins and I'm very proud of myself. Santiago taught me a new approach which seems to work well for me. Walk very, very, very slowly (like pigeon steps) but NEVER stop. It's a tactic I guess the TGB Trailwalkers are very familiar with (!) and it worked wonders for me. The breathing was hard work but I never felt like I'd run out of air completely and the headache, although there, is easier than yesterday.

This is a good job as we're walking for around 6 hours tomorrow to over 5,000 metres - yikes! Still, no vomiting yet!

We then had a yummy lunch and both bought alpaca scarves from some of the local craftspeople. Jon has spotted that I'm already surgically attached to mine so expect to see it in all photos from now on!

We're now at the Papagayo Hosteria and enjoying a well earned rest in front of the log fire before our challenge tomorrow.

I'll be in touch asap to let you know how we get on (and to hopefully post a few photos). Missing you!

Ecuador: I'm glad to see you!

(Written at 11.30pm on Tuesday 28th December)

It's amazing how quickly being able to lie horizontal and eat using real cutlery can (almost) erase the memory of literally bgging the same airline to let you board a plane you can still see on the tarmac the night before.

Yes, I got an upgrade and the world was suddenly a much brighter place! Business class has to feature in my top 10 greatest inventions ever!

I'm so happy to be here in Ecuador. It was wonderful fighting my way through the hoards at Guayaquil airport (with luggage!) to find Jon there waiting for me.

That's not to say that I didn't have fun in Madrid in the end. Valia and I certainly made the best of our unanticipated day and were really lucky to be stuck there on a crisp bu sunny public holiday. Spanish families were out in force enjoying time together and I have to admit to liking the place.

...But not as much as I like Quito. After a cuppa, a shower and a few errands, Jon and I were back at the airport late morning for our short flight to Ecuador's capital city to practice living at altitude before our volcano climb on Thursday.

And practice we did! We got the Teleferico (cable car) from Quioto up to 4,100 metres and set off uphill at a pace... for about 10 metres beffore we both wheezed to a grinding halt!

However, adopting a more sensible pace and stopping every few minutes we managed to go a lot further than we thought possible. We're both quite stubborn so kept challenging each other to reach another milestone!

You kinda get used to the sound of your heart pounding in your ears and the inability to totally focus your gaze on anything. The headache is a bit harder to ignore but nothing a couple of Nurofen and a lot of water can't fix.

And the views! Well, they make it all worthwhile. Totally hypnotic. Coming down just as the sun was starting to set was sunning. I only wish the photos would do it justice.

Right, I must get some kip. Early start tomorrow for the Quilotoa loop. Not sure when I´ll get to post this but hopefully soon.

Buenos Noches!