2taylors's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member 2taylors on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/2taylors en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 30 May 2008 19:03:34 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Quilatoa Crater Lake — Quilotoa, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211389080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211389080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211389080/tpod.html Fri, 30 May 2008 19:03:34 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Quilotoa, Ecuador

We stayed the night in andean town Latachunga before getting up early the next morning to catch a bus to the tiny village of Zumbahua. During the hour and half bus ride the already full bus stopped to pick up about thirty five indigenous folk complete with tribly hats and babies in blankets - we were sat at the front and had three lovely ladies crammed into the space in front of our feet. When we got to Zumbahua, we hired a truck with two other guys to take us up to the rim of the Quilatoa Crater lake. Our first glimpse of it was breathtaking, so beautiful we stood for ten minutes taking it in before making the descent to the lakeside. As we were making our way down the sun came out turning the lake a gorgeous emerald green colour.

We made it down just in time as just after we made it to the bottom the cloud started to descend on the lake making it look even more mystical. The side of the crater was steep and while the others were happy to make the hour climb back up Katie had a lazy moment and decided to rent a mule instead! As we were waiting for the mule to be sorted a five year old girl appeared hearding half a dozen llamas. They came down to the lake for a drink and were barging each other about when one of them fell in and there was a lot of commontion trying to get him out again. Katie decided llamas were extremely ugly when wet!

Once we had all made it to the top of the crater again, by foot or by mule, we had some soup and a beer in a local cafe and caught the truck back to Zumbahua along with half a dozen other tourists. The stuck stopped half a dozen more times on the way back down, cramming some indeginous folk in too for good measure. Then it was an hour long wait in Zumbahua with the locals while the truck driver tried to convince us to take the truck all the way to Latachunga. He started ot at 5 dollars per person and went down to 2 dollars and although the thought of standing up for two hours in the freezing cold sounded great we opted to wait while Neil played with stray dogs and pigs to fill in the time!
]]> Cotopaxi — Cotopaxi, Cotopaxi, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211388900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211388900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211388900/tpod.html Fri, 30 May 2008 18:41:35 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Cotopaxi, Cotopaxi, Ecuador

We booked a mountain biking trip to the Cotapaxi volcano national park with Aires biking in Quito and were surprised to discover it was a tour for two when we were picked up that morning. It took about an hour and a half to drive to the base of the highest active volcano in the world (4500 metres above sea level) where the guide stopped the truck and then informed us that we were expected to climb to the first climbers refuge - we hadn´t expected this and thought we were just biking. It was freezing, the weather which had been dismal to begin with got worse as we made the ascent, battling with the winds and snow as we made our way up the volcanic ash both of us wearing inappropriate footwear. Neils trainers were bound to his feat by a few loose threads and gaping holes let the snow in, Katie was in Adidas superstars as a miscommunication with the hostel in Quito about putting her damp hiking shoes in the tumble dryer had ended up with them being washed again and returned even more wet than they had been in the first place!

We finally make it to the climbers refuge certain our toes and fingers had frostbite, and were excited as the guide had promised there would be hot chocolate waiting for us at the top - we were not impressed to find all that was available was black tea but it was hot so we gulped it down! After ten minutes of staring out the window willing the snow clouds to clear so we could glimpse the summit we decided to give it up as a bad job and slid our way back down the volcano bringing half a ton of volcanic ash with us in our shoes.

We were spoilt by the Gravity double suspension bikes in Bolivia and were hoping more of the same but the front suspension bikes we were handed looked a little battered and as we began our descent down the volcano we sounded like a pair of demented guinea pigs the breaks were so squeaky. The fact they sounded so awful meant we didn´t quite trust them so were slamming the breaks on even more often. Luckily the national park is picuturesque so the guide didn´t think it too odd that we kept stopping ever ten minutes or so to take a picture (and check the brakes)! When we got to the base of the volcano, we looked back to see the midst clear and reveal the peak so we whipped the camera out quick before it disappeared again. Satisfied that we had seen at least some of the parks centrepiece we got on with the rest of the bike ride which was more enjoyable once the breaks had warmed up and stopped squeaking so much, stopping for lunch by the side of a lagoon. The rainy weather had made the path quite muddy and it was loads of fun crashing through the puddles getting splattered with mud!

A couple of hours later we were back at the start and asked the guide to leave us on the Panamerican highway instead of taking us back to Quito so we could catch a bus to Latacunga. This being Ecuador within a seconds of us stepping out of the van we stuck our thumb out, caught the bus and were on our way!
]]> Otavalo — Otavalo, Otavalo, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211045340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211045340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1211045340/tpod.html Thu, 29 May 2008 18:37:40 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Otavalo, Otavalo, Ecuador

When we arrived in Otavalo it was late at night and pouring with rain and took us about fifteen minutes to get a taxi but when we arrived at our hostel we were greeted by Roberto and the warmest welcome we´d encountered so far and he immediately put the smiles back on our faces.

The next day was the Saturday market which Otavalo is famous for so we went to bed early in preperation for a days shopping! In the morning it was raining again but armed with brollies and raincoats we hit the stalls and tried our best to resist buying unnessecery crap and failed miserably! Its a given that you have to haggle for what you buy but we couldn´t believe the disparity of prices between the stalls - sometimes it was as much as 10 dollars for something that cost 2! We stayed until 3pm and then wondered how we were going to repack our already busting at the seams bagss to accomodate the new purchases!
]]> Tena — Tena, Tena, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210821600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210821600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210821600/tpod.html Thu, 29 May 2008 18:25:15 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Tena, Tena, Ecuador

When we got off the bus in Tena it was absolutely chucking it down so we decided to get a taxi to our hostel. It took us ten minutes of standing around getting soaked unable to see any taxis before we realised that there was an abnormal amount of yellow pick up trucks and these were in fact Tenas taxis! Once we were checked in and dry we went about booking our jungle and rafting trips for the next few days and then went for dinner at a rather odd restaurant called the Marquis which was decked out like a jungle shack with plastic garden chairs and tables but then had a waiter dressed in a tux and our meals came out under silver platers. We both had steak again and it was so delicious we decided Ecuadorian steak is better than Argentinian, Argentinian is just bigger!

The next day the two of us were collected by a pick-up truck and driven out to the Shangrila jungle lodge where we would be spending the next two days. We were met by our guide who escorted us down through the forest towards the lodge, after our experience in Rurrenbaque we weren´t expecting much from the accomodation so couldn´t believe our eyes when we caught our first glimpse of the huge wooden structure through the trees. It was complete luxery, we had out own cabin with ensuite bathroom complete with our own private balcony and hammock. The lodge was situated on top of a cliff overlooking the river and had amazing panoramic views of the rainforest, it was beautiful. The lodge was big enough to house 70 people but as it was low season there was only a dozen other people there so it was really peaceful.

We had twenty minutes to settle in before we met up with our guide and an Ecuadorian/Norweigan couple for a four hour walk through some protected virgin rainforest. We descended down a bank deep into the rainforest until we were on the very bottom where it was quite dark and we were thankful for the wellies as we began to trudge through the muddy puddles on the rainforest floor. As we went the guide pointed out different trees and plants that are used by the indigenous jungle tribes for medicines, building, soaps etc. His explanations were in spanish and while we´ve got extremely good at asking for bus tickets, hotel rooms and menu items, medicinal plants is somewhat beyond our vocabulary - luckily the couple were with were happy to act as translators for us! During the walk we had the chance to sample some of the jungle fruit and also ate some live lemon ants that really did taste like lemon sherbet when you squashed them on your tongue.

On the rainforest floor there were huge splits in the ground that had created canyons that we had to spiderwalk though using both our hands and feet to press against the sides of the rock. The worst thing about the canyons was that while we were trying to concentrate very hard on putting our feet and hands in the correct positon, the bats who lived in the canyon and had previously been sleeping began flying at our heads and so Katie began screaming her head off, having distinctly hated every second of the bat cave at Chester zoo, this was definitely not what she´d bargained for!

After a while though we got used to the sensation of the air moving as the bat sailed past our heads and satisfied that they weren´t actually going to touch us we continued on our way until we bumped into the another group and felt quite smug when they said they were going back because they didn´t want to do anymore of the canyons and we were sure it was cause they were scared of the bats! When we rounded the corner it became clear that it wasn´t the fear of bats but the fear of falling! The next canyon required us to climb vertically up using just our bums and hands pressed against one wall, our feet against the opposite wall to support us as the drop beneath us increased! It was quite physically demanding and scary, especially as the rocks were wet but lots of fun and definitely more than we bargained for during our rainforest walk! Then it was back to the cabins for a quick shower and some lunch before heading out for an afternoons tubing.

After lunch we each carried a tube (big black inflatable tyre), bearfoot down to the river where the guides tied them together and off we went, sailing down the river, the sun was out and it was amazingly relaxing. The water was warm and the guides let us swim in the river, our lifejackets keeping us afloat. After a while the river joined with another river fed by the glaciers and so we hopped back onto the tubes as the water turned icy and the river more turbulent for another ten minutes or so until we came to the end we rode in the back of the pickup trucks that were waiting to take us back to the lodge.

That night during dinner a tranchula appeared on one of the dining tables and the guides asked if anyone would like to hold it. Neil volunteered first and not wishing to be miss out Katie volunteered too. While Katie was trying not to panic as the rather large, hairy spider made its way up her arm, the guides found another tranchula in the kitchen and egged on by Neil thought it would be a great idea to put the second spider on Katie too! Surprisinly Katie didn´t see the funny started and starting screaming "get it off me, get if off me" and it must have heard as it fell to the floor!

The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain and it didn´t stop all day. After breakfast we took a hollowed out canoe across the rapidly rising river and began a trek through the secondary rainforest on the other side. Stopping to collect our lunch along the way inlcuding something that looked like the witchery grub from "I´m a celebrity" and other plant-like delights. After about an hour we finally made it to the jungle village and quickly dived into the hut of the village chief to dry off by the fire in which we had placed our lunch wrapped in a banana leaf. While we were waiting for it to cook our guide demonstated how the locals make an alcoholic drink out of the yukka plant and then invited us to try some - it was pretty vinergary but Neil managed to polish off most of the bowl! Then it was time for us to tuck into our maggot which was surprisingly buttery and tasty!

The rain still hadn´t let up and the river had risen so much the guide thought it would be too dangerous for us to take the canoe back so called a taxi to deliver us to the lodge safe and warm. After a second more substantial lunch we hiked up to a lookout point which for stunning views over the rainforest and returned to the lodge for a couple of beers and chillout time in the hammocks. Then a farewell dinner with the other people staying there and it was time for us to leave.

The next morning we´d booked a rafting trip with the River People. As the rafting we´d done in Bariloche had been fairly tame we decided to move up a level to a class four river. To get down to the river we hand to walk down a canyon, the rain the previous day had turned the claylike soil to mud and we were up to our ankles in it, almost losing our shoes a couple of times. Then we caught our first glimpse of the river, Bariloche it was not, the river was twice as wide and a million times more ferocious. Tim, the guide explained that they had to cancel the rafting the day before because of the rain and the water level was high which meant we would be in for an exciting ride...Katie got her first inkling she may have bitten off more than she could chew!

After the safety talk detailing exactly what we should do in case the boat flipped we set off and it was brilliant fun, a rollercoaster ride with stunning jungle scenery, waterfalls and butterflies. Suddenly, the boat hit a hole in a wave and everyone, including the guide, flew out of the boat and right into the middle of a washing machine rapid which kept sucking us back under, we were stuggling for air, getting hit by waves right, left and centre. Katie thought she was going to drown, paniced and proceeded to do everything the guide had told us not to do if we should find ourselves in the river. Finally we were spat out into a pool but the current was so strong, Katie, still panicing and therefore hyperventilating, couldn´t swim to the bank and the next rapid was coming up quick! The guide told her she was going to have to go through it in just her lifejacket, despite her cries of "I don´t want to, I don´t want to" - there was no choice! The guide stayed with her and she coughed and spluttered her way through it, pleading to to him "I don´t like it, I don´t like it" as if he were able to turn the river off and make it stop. She suddently realised they´d made it to the other side alive and immediately felt extremely embarrassed and was glad to have five minutes at the side of the bank to to collect herself while the guide went to rescue the raft still stuck in the washing machine and reassure Neil his sister had not floated away downstream!

Katie managed to find the courage to get back in the raft, but fell out again ten minutes later although in a calmer strech of the river so it wasn´t quite as terrifying as before. Luckily there was a lunch break shorlty after with a small tressel table erected by the side of the river with salads, fresh pinapple and chocolate cake and everyone could take some time out to get over the excitment. There were a couple of other people in the raft who´d also got a bit freaked out and so when we got back on the river the guide did his best to avoid the big washing machine rapids that would flip us again, although Katie sat at the back of the raft and seemed to bounce out of it at every opportunity and had to be hauled back in by the guide each time!

The guide told us there was a rapid coming up called the Belgium Waffler that was 90% gurannteed to flip the boat and they pulled the raft to the side so they could take look at it before we went down to see if a sneak route was possible. On their return they said the sneak route was just about possible - this didnt fill Katie´with confidence but we went for it and everything seemed to happen all at once. We didnt quite make it far enough to the right side and were hit by a wave that knocked Katie and another girl out of the boat. The guide managed to hoist Katie back in but the other girl was still hanging over the side of the boat as we headed towards a rock, we all had to jump to her side of the rock and just manged to avoid getting flipped as the waves crashed around us. The guide explained that there were three lines we could have taken, the first line would have definitely flipped us but we managed to avoid it and we take the line we needed on the far right but that the girls had fallen into the middle line where there were rocks and washing machines and it all could have gone horribly wrong! He said it was the most exciting day he´d had rafting in a long time, Katie agreed that it had been an adventure but that it would also be the last day she´d have rafting in a long time!
]]> Banos — Banos, Banos, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210562040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210562040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210562040/tpod.html Wed, 21 May 2008 12:52:32 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Banos, Banos, Ecuador

We caught a bus from Guayaquil to Banos and experience our first ecuadorian bus ride! As soon as we were out of the city the bus driver stepped on the peddel and we were hurtling down the roads, trying to overtake on the wrongside of the road and then slamming on the brakes as a car came the other way. As we were hanging on for dear life in our seats the conductor was hanging out the open doors shouting out destinations and every ten minutes or so the bus would stop (although it was more like slow down) for passengers to jump (literally) on and the bus soon filled up and the isle was always crammed with snack sellers, half a dozen seeming to get on and off each time the bus slowed not to mention the Ecuadorian dell boys flogging dvds and chinese herbal medicianes! We were on the bus forever as it went via Riobamba to Ambata, as we neared Ambata we started to get confused as we passed a couple of Banos turnoffs and seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. We attempted to ask the bus conductor if we were going to Banos and he garbled something back in Spanish about an "otre bus" so we decided to sit tight until we realised we were the only people left on the bus. Seeing our nervous looks the bus conductor tried to reassure us by garbling something in Spanish at us while we replied we our stock response "no entiendo". The conductor then proceeded to jump off the bus and trying to flag down other buses and when this was unsucessful he montioned for us to grab our bags and follow him so we got off the bus and ran after him down the streets of Amabato until we arrived at some other bus station and he paid us onto a different bus which was absolutely crammed and half an hour later we were finally in Banos! We checked into the Hostel Carolina with bano privado and cable tea for $5 and then went to Casa Hood for the most amazing banana curry and happy hour cocktails!

The next morning we got up early and hired bikes with the intention of riding all the way to jungle town Puyo as suggested in the Lonely Planet to see the waterfalls on the way. Our early start advantage was quickly lost when half an hour out of town (downhill) we realised we´d forgotten our passports which we needed for a security checkpoint along the way. As it was uphill "we" made the decision it would be quicker if just Neil went back for them while Katie waited in the sunshine! When a slightly sweaty Neil returned we set off again and shortly after hit a tunnel, there was no way round so we had to cycle through in the pitch black with no bike lights - Katie screamed the whole way through!

Just before lunchtime we hit the Devils throat, which is the most spectacular of the waterfalls and ended up being directed by the locals down a path where we met a rather strange Canadian hippy who spent several minutes talking to us about what was in our hearts and heads, the evils and goodness in the world and something about the Queen and Tea - to be honest we only understood half of what he said even though he was speaking English. We paid the $1 he was charging for his garden and waterfall viewing plaforms and had a rather pleasant stroll around. He did offer to discount us the $1 entrance fee if I was a mother or if we couldn´t afford it but we said it wasn´t likely to break the bank!

We had lunch at a little cafe by the top of the waterfall and a beer with a couple we kept seeing on the way who had ordered iced tea but had a lost in translation moment and ended up with grande cervezas. Then set off again and riding through a few small villages before the rain came and along with the rain a number of uphill climbs. Katie´s legs began to turn to jelly and she got off and pushed it up one hill only to be met by the sight of an even bigger hill coming up next. It was half four when we finally rocked up to the village of Mera and decided to give up making it to Puyo (which was still a good 20k away) so we flagged down a bus, put the bikes on top and heading back to Banos for a well deserved steak supper.

That night we booked a tour to see the volcano which is still active and overshadows Banos. We were lured by photos of red lava spilling out the top and though we were warned they were taken a few years ago when it was far more active we didn´t have much to lose as the tour only cost $3 each. We got picked up by what can only be described as a brightly painting milk truck and were driven to the viewpoint where we got a nice view of Banos from above but couldnt see squat as far as the volcano was concerned. Although we could hear it rumbling away and we kept warm with a free hot tequila and a fire which one of the locals insisted on dousing with white spirits so we though we might lose our eyebrows so it wasn´t all bad.

The next day we got up early and had enormous fruit pancakes for breakfast before hitting the thermal baths which Banos is famous for and had a good long soak with a beautiful waterfall as a backdrop beofre catching our bus to Tena.
]]> Iguazu Falls — Puerto Iguazu, Argentina http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1203299820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1203299820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1203299820/tpod.html Tue, 20 May 2008 12:16:30 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

So we arrived sweaty and smelly in Foz du Iguazu on the Brazillian side and needing to get a bus to the Argentian side where we were staying, we got on the bus but it went down all these dirt track roads so given previous experience we assumed we got on the wrong one and so an hour later we ended back at the bus station where we started. We got another bus only to find it took us right back where we'd just been - we just hadn't got off in the right place. Once we made it over the boarding having acquired our exit and entry stamps in our passports we got a taxi to our hostel, which used to be an old casino and was more like a resort with a huge swimming pool outside. Later on we bumped into the guys from Leeds who we met at Rio Backpackers so we had a few beers and caprihini´s with them at the hostel.

The next day we went to the Argentinian side of the falls which were amazing. We got a train from inside the park and walked over the rivers on platforms until we reached the Devils throat, crazy amounts of water. We met up with a guy from our hostel and walked from the rest of the park with him it was beautiful, all butterflies and rainbows. We got absolutely drenched on a boat ride into the Devils' throat but it was wicked fun. That night they had an all you can eat barbeque at our hostel and a samba show.

Went to the Brazilian side of the falls the next day and decided to get a bus to save some money. Got confused at the border as Katie had read in Lonely Planet that you needed to get exit and entry stamps from the Brazilian side even for the day, but we didn´t get off the bus, Katie then started panicing about paying fines at the Bank of Brazil and it being a Sunday and missing the bus to Buenos Aires cause we wouldn´t be able to get over to the Argentinian side. Neil remained nonplussed. The bus dropped us off by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and said we needed to get another bus to the falls from the other side of the road. An elderly Israeli couple and a Argentinian family also got off the bus with us. The Israeli lady (Sabrina) calmed Katie down saying they also hadn´t got their stamps and spoke Portuguese and would ask for us at the falls. After 15 minutes of waiting in the sun we decided to get a Taxi. Sabrina went off to negotiate the taxi and came back saying that he would take all of us (including the Argentian family) to the falls, so there was nine of us in the taxi in all, the driver just chucked the Argentinian kids in the boot! Once at the falls the elderley Israeli couple continued to take us under their wing, when they realised there was a huge queue to get into the place they managed to get us straight to the front by pretending we were their kids, they were amazing.
]]> Guayaquil — Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210439880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210439880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210439880/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 13:25:16 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Guayaquil was our first taste of Ecuador and we hated it! The city centre was ugly, dirty, polluted and had a dangerous feel to it. We spent the day at the riverfront which has obviously had loads of money poured into it and was nice enough in a very modern sort of way but wherever you were there was always a policeman in sight, which makes you wonder about the reasons that necissitate that level of policing. We bumped into a guy that we´d met earlier on in our travels and made plans to go for dinner that night but trying to find a restaurant was an impossible task and we ended up having fastfood on the riverfront instead. Katie wanted out of there as soon as possible so we took an early morning bus to Banos the next day.
]]> Mancora — Mancora, Peru http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210388580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210388580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1210388580/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 13:17:48 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Mancora, Peru

We took a Cruz del Sur nightbus from Lima to Mancora, they´re one of the most expensive companies but Katie thought it would be worth it to have a decent nights sleep - unfortunately the recline mechanism on her seat was broken so everytime she put it down it would slowly push her back to the upright position - not happy but at least there was one English movie and bus bingo to pass the time!

We arrived in Mancora and were met by a Tuc Tuc who took us to a wooden hostel with reed roof a little way back from the beach run by a laid back surfer. Mancora was a lovely chilled out beach town with an odd mix of families, hippies and gringos. After a quick cold shower we met up with Taro who´d been in Mancora for a few days, had some breakfast and hit the beach for some suntime. Taro and Neil decided to hire a surf board and it all ended in disaster when Taro got dumped by his second wave on a rock and ended up with a hole in his hand that needed to be stitched up by the local doctor. Katie also managed to burn her back making it rather painful to carry her rucksack for the following few days.

Mancora was just a pitstop so we booked a nightbus heading into Ecuador the following night. The next day there was nothing to do but chill out on the beach again so we stayed there and watched the sunset over the ocean - beautiful!

]]> Ica and Huacachina — Huacachina, Huacachina, Peru http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956340/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 13:03:16 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Huacachina, Huacachina, Peru

We took a taxi from Paracas to the Panamerican highway and then hailed down a local bus which took us to Ica. A shortage of cash meant walking into the centre of Ica with our packs before we got a taxi, it was a pretty intimidating walk and we kept catching the word "gringos" and felt like we were being stared at so we ducked into a cafe and Chloe and Katie waited with the bags while Neil went to the bank.

Once the cash was in hand we hailed a cab to drive us out to Huacachina. Ten minutes later we´d arrived at the Oasis town centred around a lagoon and surrounded by towering lagoons. We checked into the hotel arena which was just like a holiday resort with pool side cocktail bar and beautiful girls in bikinis - Neil thought his birthday just kept getting better. There was just time for a quick dip in the swimming pool before our sand dune tour left.

At four oclock we boarded our six seater dune buggy, strapped ourselves in firmly and set off on an amazing rollercoaster ride over the sandunes. The drivers went at breakneck speed and the dunes they drove up were enormous and coming back down the otherside was practically a vertical drop, we were clinging on for dear life but it was thrilling all the way!! After a while the drivers parked up and let us take some snaps of the dessert while they waxed our sandboards. The dunes were so much bigger than in San Pedro and it was pretty scary standing on the top looking down so Katie decided to do the first one laying down on her tummy while Neil impressed everyone getting all the way to the bottom stood up and making it look easy! We sandboarded down about six dunes, each one bigger than the last - the final one was unbelievable and the people who went down on their stomachs were like rockets bombing it down.

The dune buggies picked us up at the bottom and the rollercoaster ride began again with a quick stop to watch the sunset over the sand dunes before returning to Huacachina to make at attempt at washing the sand out of our ears. The hostel had a BBQ that night with free pisco sours and when it was over we stayed around the poolside bar for hours having a few drinks with the bar staff while they tried to teach the girls to salsa! Wicked end to Neil´s birthday celebrations!
]]> Pisco and Paracas — Paracas, Peru http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/2taylors/1/1209956160/tpod.html Thu, 15 May 2008 20:36:36 -0400 Party of 2 Taylors for South America!
Paracas, Peru

In Arequipa we said a sad goodbye to Jess and Taro who were going straight to Lima and we took a bus to Pisco with Chloe. The bus was a nightmare stopping several times along the way, including once at a checkpoint where two national guard members boarded, ripped a bag from one of the Cholita women (who put up a struggle)and then left the bus with the bag, leaving the cholita on the bus. We looked at each other in astonishment but no one else on the bus seemed to bat an eyelid!

The bus didn´t take us directly to Pisco but left us on the side of the Panamerican highway where we were expected to take a taxi into the town. When we stated our destination the taxi driver tried to convince us to go to Paracas instead but we told him to head to Pisco anyway, when we got there it quickly became apparent why he´d said this. Pisco was hit by an earthquake it September and is still devestated by it, the hotel we had planned to stay in was full and when the taxi driver said that Pisco had become very dangerous for gringos at night we decided to take his advice and head to Paracas.

We were instantly glad we did, we managed to find a lovely hotel room with a breakfast terrace overlooking the beach and booked a tour to the Ballestas islands (dubbed the poor man´s galapogas) for the next morning. It was Neils birthday and he wanted to see the penguins. The two hour trip turned out to be better than expected and we also saw hundreds of birds and an enormous sealion colony. It was all over by eleven oclock and on the advice of some friends we bumped into in Paracas decided to do a Uturn and head towards Ica and Huacachina for some sandboarding birthday antics!
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