Sacha Lodge Quito

... s amazing bartering techniques or whether because it was fairly quiet (the former I´m sure), but we managed to get some good bargains and I even was getting into the swing of bargaining in the end. It was great fun looking around and purchasing some goodies, we even had to buy a small bag to hold our things. The town itself is really pretty and the locals still dress in traditional clothes, the women in embrodied tops and long black skirts and men wear their ...

... this thing was a smaller version, although a winded affair when it comes to climbing it. A rickety cement staircase twists its way to the top. It was being repaired, which makes me think?....go quickly. From the top there´s an overpriced snack shop and trinkets just like any other tourist trap on this continent. The views up top were amazing, looking out over all the little inlets the lake created and seeing the boats and ...

... people always say don´t look down if you´re climbing at some treacherous height? Yea, that doesn´t quite work when looking straight ahead is the same damn thing as looking down. After four or so such terrifying ladders, we finally reached the top of the bell tower, where we seriously considered camping out for good to avoid having to climb down. The view was, to be fair, almost indescribably beautiful. From such a vantage point, we not ...

... if they are late bookings, but in any case we have definitely decided not to go to The Galapagos.

Tomorrow we go over 4000 metres, the highest we've ever been on the bikes, should be interesting as both of us are feeling a little chesty at the moment. Could be something to do with the horrible stuff we ingested yesterday on the way here (belching buses) or we may be getting colds, which wouldn't surprise me seeing as we've been up and down for the ...

... Presidential Palace, with guards in traditional uniforms guarding it. We saw small political groups gathered to listen to speakers. The trees were in flower and the area is well kept.

You cannot visit Quito without going to the Inti Nan Museum and the Middle of the World Monument. At the World Monument, you can straddle the Latitude 0.0.0 line with the monument behind you. This is the equator line determined by the French ...

... I have had in my time away, all in all, I´ve had a rather marvellous time. 6 weeks, 5 countries, 6 currencies, 3 tours, 9 aeroplanes, numerous buses, lots of friends made, hundreds of things seen, thousands of pounds spent. With risk of sounding a tad cliched, "the experience of a lifetime" you might say. Thank you for reading these blogs and following me through my travels. I have now "blooged" my last.

Until the next adventure....

Ciao Amigos
XX

... Op de evenaar wordt het ei-geel namelijk recht naar beneden getrokken en dus is het enigszins eenvoudiger. Na het musuem ben ik overigens weer terug gekeerd naar het zuidelijk halfrond. Nog een kleine twee weken en dan ben ik definitief terug op het noordelijk halfrond. Op zondag heb ik een dagtripje gedaan naar de Cotopaxi vulkaan. Met de bus naar 4500 meter gereden en daarna tot 5000 meter (sneeuwgrens) gehiked. Ik heb ...

... with onions and peppers and a side salad. Sometimes the almuerzo would also include dessert like ice cream with banana pieces. Local Quitenos are so friendly and welcoming that when they are finished with their meals and are about to leave - if I am sitting alone having my lunch - they would say "buen provecho" (which means 'bon appétit' in Spanish) to me in passing.

Later I went looking for a bank that did cash advances on credit cards. I ...