TravelStream™ news feed for member binghams on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/binghams en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:09:18 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1187783040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1187783040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1187783040/tpod.html Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:09:18 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

London, United Kingdom

Having been away from home for 11 months and 1 week, we were really excited to be flying home to see friends and family. The flight home from Quito was marginally concerning as we had an unscheduled stopover in Caracas, Venezuela and we thought perhaps Mr Chavez may want some gringos to haggle over with the USA! We were lucky though and after a further brief stop in Madrid, we got back to Heathrow in time for 6pm rush hour!It was fabulous seeing family members at the exit awaiting us and you realise how much you miss the other people you love.On getting back to the UK, we only have 3 weeks before starting our new life in Brussels. House hunting will follow and job hunting for Charlie!We have really enjoyed writing this blog site and are so delighted that we received 6,600 hits during our year. Thanks to our fabulous friends and family for keeping in touch.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186615560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186615560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186615560/tpod.html Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:56:22 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

We took a day cruise to North Seymore, a small island off the north coast of Santa Cruz. We had heard that you could get pretty close to many of the nesting birds there, but nothing prepared us for how amazing it would be. From the minute you step onto shore, there are nesting birds everywhere, so close and not one bit disturbed by us being near by. It is the only island that is currently in mating season for the frigate bird and blue-footed boobies and we were treated to their courting displays. The frigate bird waves his wings and taps a beat with his beak on his massive, red inflated chest pouch. The female slowly comes closer for a better look and the poor guy is flapping away trying to keep her attention.... some women are hard to please! The blue-footed boobies seem to have a bit more fun and dance around kicking their bright blue feet for all to see. They also stop for a bit of a song and wing dance, the female coming over to join in to... they definitely have the salsa rhythm!It was great to see the babies around, all at different stages of developing their adult feathers. The frigate birds are unable to fish themselves as their feathers are not resistant to the salt water. Instead they wait for the boobies, no.1 dive-bombing experts, to do all the hard work and then steal the food either mid-air or by attacking the nest. It was sad to see 2 frigates stealing from a mother and baby, particularly when you see some babies that haven't survived... but this is nature in action and as Darwin said truly 'survival of the fittest'. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186678800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186678800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186678800/tpod.html Sat, 11 Aug 2007 17:50:02 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Not only is the Galapagos Archipelago a unique place on Earth, but the variety of wildlife on each of the individual islands is unbelievable. We had visited many of the areas accessible to visitors during our 3 weeks here and South Plazas was the last on our list. The journey to the island via luxury boat in the bright sunshine was a pleasure in itself, scouring the water for sealions, dolphins and the odd whale as we go and watching the syncronised dive-bombing display of the boobies. South Plaza is home to a whole bunch of cool land iguanas who live within the cactus forest. When they are not munching away on the cactus fruit, they are hanging out with the boys with the occassional face-off occuring within the gang. They live in harmony with the local sealions and we even saw a young sealion and iguana playing together... really good friends! We are also expert animal spotters now and discovered a small Santa Fe mouse hopping along the path. Our guide refused to believe us initially as no mice should live on this remote island unless introduced by a human (totally against the park rules). However, with 6 eyewitnesses, there was no doubt. Sadly, it looks like Minnie's days will be numbered with the total irradication of introduced species from the island... she probably wished she'd kept out of our way now! This island was undoubtedly a great way to end our trip to the Galapagos!  
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186155660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186155660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186155660/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:05:12 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos Islands and is effectively a formation of 5 volcanoes. There are only 12 Giant Tortoise species in the World and 5 of them are present on this island...one species resides on each volcanoe. On arrival, we visited the third Tortoise Breeding centre in the Galapagos Islands and it was the most organised and best kept in our opinion. Baby tortoises are reared here from their egg hatch to 5 years old before being released into the wild on the appropriate volcanoe!The island has a small human population of 2000 so its wildlife is very rich. We were treated to 5 of the pinkest flamingoes soon after arrival who did not seem to notice our incessant clicking! We travelled on horseback up the Sierra Negra volcanoe (the second largest crater diameter in the world) and we were treated to fantastic views both of the 6 mile wide diameter and of the whole island. The last eruption was only 2005 and there is plenty of blackened areas of dried lava and tell tale lava tunnels.The island also has an interesting man made element - The Wall of Tears. This 8 metre high stone wall was built in the 1940s by mainland convists, when the island was used as a colony. Every stone was carried by the men the 8 kms from the sea shore. The sad thing is the wall appears to serve no purpose now or then and simply seems a very harsh punishment!The island also boasts numerous Marine Iguanas and it was interesting to see how tactile they are, not what we were expecting! Snorkelling was good here and we did not run into any white tip reef sharks although we did see a number snoozing in a shallow lagoon...luckily we were on shore! Isabela is a very beautiful island with a quiet town but for our 3 days it was pure bliss to have so much wildlife, close at hand with so few other visitors.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1184240520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1184240520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1184240520/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:43:44 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The first week of our conservation work in the Galapagos Islands, we were based on a sustainable development farm in the Santa Rosa area of Santa Cruz. The purpose of the farm is to promote self-sustainability to the Islanders, utilising local produce and reducing the imports from the mainland. This is both to improve local enterprise but also decrease the number of introduced external plants and disease which are threating endemic flora and fauna.Our tasks included, on behalf of the Charles Darwin Foundation, the daily monitoring and measuring of the giant tortoises who migrate through the farm on their way from the coast to the highlands. Due to the general nature of the beasts, they were extremely compliant and we never had to chase them too far. The biggest male shell measured 1.60m - probably as big as they get! For the remainder of the day, we used our muscle power to build a greenhouse for growing endemic plants, replacing the many introduced species which they are trying to eradicate from the islands. Jose, our foreman, found the word 'peligro' (danger) very useful after letting Chas lose with the power tools!We also spent some time at the Charles Darwin Breeding Centre learning about giant tortoises and the threats that they face. Lonesome George is the last remaining Pinta tortoise in existance and the sub-species will soon become extinct. The rest of the species have died out due to goats that were introduced to the island in the 1950's as a local food source for passing sailors. Little did they realise at the time, but the 3 they introduced multiplied to 40,000 over a 50 year period, eating the cactus food source of the tortoises. With only George remaining, they are keen to protect the other 12 sub-species remaining on the islands and are eradicating the goats island by island (employing helicopers and New Zealand snipers to do the job). It has been great to live as part of the local community during this time and really develop an understanding of the many social issues that the Galapagians face. The nature of the islands really are one of the finest natural wonders of the world, but for many of the people here, it seems like the animals survival is more important than their own. The increased restrictions on fishing has brought many of the fishermen and communities out in violent protests against the government. Finding the right balance between protecting the wildlife, promoting eco-tourism and sustainable development for the communities will be the main challenges for the Islands in the next decade.   
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186003980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186003980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186003980/tpod.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:01:14 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The island of San Cristobel is the location for our second week of voluntary conservation work in the Galapagos Islands. As well as some tortoise duties at the breeding centre here, we are working for the Galapagos National Park and helping to remove introduced plants from the extensive park area. Many of these plants were introduced by settlers to make the place look more pretty, but the white and pink flowers are overpowering everything in sight - they have to go. This is a big job requiring lots of volunteers, hard work and some skill with the machete!After a hard days work, it is easy to find ways to wind down. You can wander down to the nearest bay for a swim with our new friends the sea-lions, go for a bird-awatching stroll in the highlands, or take a boat to Kicker Rock to snorkel with zillions of fish, sea turtles and magnificent spotted eagle rays. As if that wasn´t enough, four galapagos sharks swim silently by, out to see what they can have for dinner. The wildlife and nature here are just magical!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1185811080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1185811080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1185811080/tpod.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:48:46 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

After a hard week at work, we undertook 2 day trips from Santa Cruz. The first was to the island of Floreana, population of 68 and a rather sinister history of failed settlements and people going missing or being poisoned over the past 80 years!We snorkelled in 2 areas off the island and within minutes of entering the water we came face to face with a sea turtle, so graceful as it swam away with some friends after a careful inspection! In addition we swam with playful sea lions whose favourite manoeuvre is to do underwater somersaults. After lunch Chas swam one on one with a month old sea lion and it was a fantastic 5 minutes playing underwater with this very accomplished swimmer.Our final snorkel was in a lagoon with about 5 sea lions. After a few minutes we looked down and were shocked to see a huge bull giving us the eye! We were assured by the guide on the boat that we would be fine...still it was a little unnerving when he was much bigger than both of us. Sonia even mistook him for a whale!Our next day we did 2 scuba dives off the island of Bartolome and despite the cold water, it was great to be down again at 20 metres admiring the wildlife. The highlight was swimming alongside a hammerhead shark and we were lucky enough to see 4 sea turtles including 2 snoozing on a sea ledge and one floating on the currents being cleaned at a cleaning station, a marble ray and a white tipped reef shark. It was an amazingly vivid world and we had a great day. Coming back we were treated to the sight of a marble ray jumping out of the water about 3 foot into the air...it is their way of cleaning their skin but it was fantastic to see! It was a fitting end to two great days out from Santa Cruz.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186746180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186746180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1186746180/tpod.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:45:57 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Quito, Ecuador

Arriving in Quito was quite a contrast to the smaller cities in Ecuador. The city of 1.5 million people is large and very spread out, perched on a series of hills so fairly dramatic scenery. Visiting the Old Town, you can see why it became the first city in the world, along with Krakov, to be granted UNESCO world heritage status. Beautiful squares flanked by ornate churches and cobbled streets are the theme in the old part of the city and we enjoyed sipping coffee and watching the combination of tourists and locals go about their daily business. All the while watched over by the Virgin Mary statue that is Quitos equivalent of Rios Christ the Redeemer. We took the Telefornico cable car up 2.5 kms to sample the awesome views of the city and we were not disappointed.Only 2 hours away is the National Park of Cotopaxi named after the worlds highest active volcano there. We enjoyed climbing up the volcano to reach the glacier near the top albeit progress was slow...5,200 metres up really impacts your oxygen levels. Again we were rewarded by awesome views and then a great adrenalin rush as we sped down the mountain road on bikes. The following day we sampled the thermal baths at Papellacta and it was a more sedate, relaxed day for sure.The equator is a big feature for Ecuador and being only 22 kms from Quito we had to do the day trip! There was an interesting museum including amongst other things a shrunken head...something tribes of old used to do to defeated enemies and we also had a go at firing blow pipes! On the equater due to the magnetic forces, we were both able to balance an egg on a nail and it was great to see that water does not spiral either way on the equator line!We are now enjoying our last few days on the mainland practising our Spanish and brushing up on our nature, before we leave for our 3 weeks volunteering on the Galapagos Islands on Monday. We are both really excited and reading up on the islands, we realise this should be a fantastic highlight before we head home on the 12 August.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183739880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183739880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183739880/tpod.html Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:00:47 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cuenca, Ecuador

Our final stop in Peru on our overland journey to Ecuador, was the beach resort of Mancora. En route, we stopped at teh vast palace complex of Chan Chan. These ruins date back to pre Inca time and of the 9 palaces only one has been restored in this harsh desewrt like environment, thrashed constantly by sea winds and sand storms. We were impressed by the decoration and the attention to detail. It was great for us to see amazing architecture within Peru from an age other than Inca! Mancora is situated on an idyllic beach and it was here that we relaxed after all our bus journeys and travelling! Volley ball and beach side cocktails being the order of the day! We crossed the border into Ecuador saddened that it was our last of 19 border crosings but we do not think we will miss interacting with border guards and passport control!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183301220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183301220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/binghams/rtw06/1183301220/tpod.html Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:00:58 -0400 Charlie and Sonia's Round the World Trip!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Nazca, Peru

The Nazca lines, a striking network of over 800 lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal drawings are believed to have been were produced by the Nazca and Paracas cultures between 900BC and 600AD. They were only discovered in 1939, and nobody really knows why they were produced. You can only view them from the air and they were made long before planes were invented. Some say it is an astronomical calendar, others that they are ritual walkways connected to a water/fertility cult or even representation of shamans´dreams brought on by hallucinogenic drugs. We took to a very small 6-seater plane with the pilot´s only mission  is to get you the best view, banking the plane on it´s side at every opportunity whilst pointing out the drawings below. We soon learnt that it is best not to tell him you missed the photo otherwise he´ll go around for an even more daring second go!
]]>