Ecuador
Merazonia – living in the jungle with monkeys
For a month we lived at Merazonia, a rescue centre for trafficked and abused Amazonian animals, located on 250 acres of rainforest, in Mera, Ecuador
October 15, 2011
Ecuador
Tena – white water rafting
Tena is a small, quiet town in the Amazon rainforest worth visiting if only for the trip on the bus. The views are stunning. We are only here for two days, a chance for us to break up the trip en route to our volunteering and also to try a bit of white water rafting!
October 3, 2011
Ecuador
Quito – exploring the city at last
Back in Quito after our many excursions, we decided to spend a couple of days soaking up the city and exploring the old town. First stop on the list was the teleferico, which the guidebook described as a sky tram but was actually a cable car.
September 28, 2011
Ecuador
Mindo – Cloud forest and evil spiders
Just a two hour local bus from Quito through stunning mountains and we are deposited into a tiny town deep within Ecuadorian cloud forest. I think we will come to prefer the cloud forest to the jungle, it’s essentially a tropical jungle with persistent cloud cover, making the place rather wet yet very green.
September 26, 2011
Ecuador
The equator, middle earth, no Hobbits.
You really can’t come to Ecuador without including a short visit to the actual equator, our next day trip out of Quito. It’s about a two hour trip to the San Antonio parish north of Quito on some great local buses.
September 25, 2011
Ecuador
Otavalo – shopping at the Sunday market
After an eight hour bus journey from Guayaquil, we arrived at the bus terminal in Quito and hopped in a
September 24, 2011
Ecuador
Montanita – gringo surf central
Whilst Puerto Lopez remains remarkably underdeveloped, Montanita has quickly grown into a gringo-infested surfer town. The streets are lined with
September 21, 2011
Ecuador
Puerto Lopez – whale watching out of season
We are making our way to Puerto Lopez on a wing and a prayer. It is known for being one of the best placed on the planet to see humpback whales doing humpback whale stuff.
September 19, 2011
Ecuador
Guayaquil – Richard gets mugged by group of girls
Four hours from Cuenca (man I am loving these short bus journeys) is Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. Whilst
September 17, 2011
Ecuador
Cuenca – hello Ecuador!
Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas, and as we drive past the enormous farms, we even recognise some of the brands from back home in Sainsbury’s
September 15, 2011
Peru
Mancora – sunburn
On our travels, Mancora has frequently been recommended. Stories of a so-laid back it’s horizontal atmosphere, year round sun and surf made this our choice to say farewell to Peru.
September 13, 2011
Peru
Trujillo – first taste of the Pacific
Our time in Peru is almost up and Trujillo is our first visit to the Pacific coast. Hours spent with my face glued to a bus window watching local village life fly past have become my favourite pastime.
September 9, 2011