Hello,
I can´t believe it, I am back in afew days! I have so much to tell everyone but I dont really want to write it all here so I will have to catch up with everything when I get home. I have been living in Chirikayen, an indigenous community in the Gran Sabana of Venezuela for a month now and I have absolutely loved it. I am devestated to leave the fantastic family I have been staying with but hopefully one day I will see them again.
For now this is the end of my travels, thanks for putting up with the huge blogs! I hope you won´t all be bored by all the rest of my stories when I get home....! Can´t wait to see everyone! I am back on Tuesday so hopefully see you all very soon xxxxxxxx
Friday, 28 August 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
Ciao Colombia...
Hello,
This week has gone so fast and I have done so much! We went to Playa Blanca on Tuesday which is a paradise beach with lots of Colombian tourists. Luckily the tourists leave at about 4pm though and then we literally had the beach to ourselves (4 of us!). We slept in hammocks and swam in the boiling hot Caribean at moonlight! It was so beautiul and so relaxing. The next day we woke up early to go snorkelling which was fantastic. Loads of fish and beautiful coral just off the beach (unfortunately I really sunburnt my back but it was worth it!).
We travelled by boat back to Cartagena then onwards to Santa Marta where we found a really cheap hostel on the beach. There was a huge party going on the whole time we were there because it was the towns aniversary so there was masses of music and dancing all the time! So great! We met some amazing salsa dancers so have been perfecting our technique! There aren´t that many tourists in Santa Marta so although I tried hard to fit in as a local I was an obvious outsider!
My friend Adeline and I decided to do our PADI diving course because it was only three days and was pretty cheap. So we had to wake up at 7am every morning which was tough seeing as we couldn´t escape the fiesta! We did 6 dives overall which were fantastic. We went to Rodadero, Parque Tayrona and Taganga all of which have fantastic reefs with loads of fish, eels, sea snakes, crabs, lobsters and beautiful coral. I got used to the feeling of diving pretty quickly and absolutely love it. It is so peaceful to be under the sea observing everything. We did quite a bit of theory and finished with an exam which we both passed so are now qualified open water divers.
I arrived in Caracas (Venezuela) today after a nightmare journey in dodgy taxis and buses . One bus (which should have taken 8 hours but took15!) had no air con and played a sweedish film really loudly on loop! The corrupt police stopped us about 5 times and we all had to get out and show our passports and as soon as they see that I am foreign they ask me to show them my bags too! And for some reason my debit card wouldn´t work so I had no money so didnt eat or drink all day! Luckily I met a really nice guy who helped me and now I have money which is lucky because I am so hungry! Nightmare but I made it! I am so much more relaxed and patient having had all these crazy experiences!
Tomorrow I head down south to Santa Elena where I will be living with the Pemon People for a month. I doubt they have internet (!!) so this will be my last post for a while. I am back on Spetember 1st and want to see everyone before I go off to uni in October to catch up with everyones news so keep in touch.
Take care everyone and see you very soon xxxxxxxx
This week has gone so fast and I have done so much! We went to Playa Blanca on Tuesday which is a paradise beach with lots of Colombian tourists. Luckily the tourists leave at about 4pm though and then we literally had the beach to ourselves (4 of us!). We slept in hammocks and swam in the boiling hot Caribean at moonlight! It was so beautiul and so relaxing. The next day we woke up early to go snorkelling which was fantastic. Loads of fish and beautiful coral just off the beach (unfortunately I really sunburnt my back but it was worth it!).
We travelled by boat back to Cartagena then onwards to Santa Marta where we found a really cheap hostel on the beach. There was a huge party going on the whole time we were there because it was the towns aniversary so there was masses of music and dancing all the time! So great! We met some amazing salsa dancers so have been perfecting our technique! There aren´t that many tourists in Santa Marta so although I tried hard to fit in as a local I was an obvious outsider!
My friend Adeline and I decided to do our PADI diving course because it was only three days and was pretty cheap. So we had to wake up at 7am every morning which was tough seeing as we couldn´t escape the fiesta! We did 6 dives overall which were fantastic. We went to Rodadero, Parque Tayrona and Taganga all of which have fantastic reefs with loads of fish, eels, sea snakes, crabs, lobsters and beautiful coral. I got used to the feeling of diving pretty quickly and absolutely love it. It is so peaceful to be under the sea observing everything. We did quite a bit of theory and finished with an exam which we both passed so are now qualified open water divers.
I arrived in Caracas (Venezuela) today after a nightmare journey in dodgy taxis and buses . One bus (which should have taken 8 hours but took15!) had no air con and played a sweedish film really loudly on loop! The corrupt police stopped us about 5 times and we all had to get out and show our passports and as soon as they see that I am foreign they ask me to show them my bags too! And for some reason my debit card wouldn´t work so I had no money so didnt eat or drink all day! Luckily I met a really nice guy who helped me and now I have money which is lucky because I am so hungry! Nightmare but I made it! I am so much more relaxed and patient having had all these crazy experiences!
Tomorrow I head down south to Santa Elena where I will be living with the Pemon People for a month. I doubt they have internet (!!) so this will be my last post for a while. I am back on Spetember 1st and want to see everyone before I go off to uni in October to catch up with everyones news so keep in touch.
Take care everyone and see you very soon xxxxxxxx
Sunday, 26 July 2009
LOVING Colombia!
Hello all,
The over 25 hour bus journey to Bogota from Quito was not actually too bad! The border crossings were easy (despite so many people telling me I would be kidnapped by drug lords!) then I sat next to a really nice Colombian boy for 20 hours or so, so got to practice my Spanish!
Bogota is such a great city, I loved it and will definitely be back. The historical centre is so colourful and has so much charm. It is really arty with loads of great museums and things to see. Colombia has such a rich culture which the inhabitants are so proud of and more than happy to share with the travellers. I just wish it had a better reputation globally because the backpackers love it but before I came it was the place people at home were most nervous about me visiting yet I´ve felt safe the whole time. My bus friend showed me around which was great and I stayed in a hostel that a friend I travelled with about 4 months ago is working at which was really good fun. I met loads of great people and had so much fun exploring and salsa dancing (my new favourite thing, will have to bring it to Bristol!).
I then travelled up to Cartagena on the Carribean coast with a girl I met in Bogota called Adaline (from Australia). Another 22 hours on a bus but it was fine, the countryside we drove through is absolutely beautiful and I slept quite a bit recovering from Bogota! Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It is so colourful, clean and has such a relaxed atmosphere. There are constantly people dancing salsa on the streets or relaxing in one of the may stunning plazas. We went on a Chiva last night which is an open sided bus with a band in it filled with people drinking rum and coke! It stops at various places where we all got out and danced (either on the street or in a club!), it was so much fun as you can imagine!
Today we went to a volcano about an hour away from the city which is a natural mud bath. So surreal as the mud is over 2km deep but you can stand up and not sink at all! There are lots of people giving you massages and taking your photo, really strange but good fun. You then walk down the volcano to the lagoon to wash off (assisted by pushy women tipping buckets of water over your head and trying to strip off your bikinis! Of course all wanting tips at the end!). We then went to a beautiful beach for lunch and my first swim in the Carribean sea! So warm - makes a change from St Mawes!
I am absolutely loving Colombia and we are off to Playa Blanca on Tuesday to sleep under the stars in hammocks then further up the coast. I have been here for nearly 6 months now, I can´t believe it but I still have so much to look forward to that home seems a long way away. Hope you´re not all getting bored of reading this now, it´s been going on a while!
Take care everyone and let me know what you´re doing xxxxxx (Oooh and hi to everyone on Mencap, hope its going well, sorry I cant be there)
The over 25 hour bus journey to Bogota from Quito was not actually too bad! The border crossings were easy (despite so many people telling me I would be kidnapped by drug lords!) then I sat next to a really nice Colombian boy for 20 hours or so, so got to practice my Spanish!
Bogota is such a great city, I loved it and will definitely be back. The historical centre is so colourful and has so much charm. It is really arty with loads of great museums and things to see. Colombia has such a rich culture which the inhabitants are so proud of and more than happy to share with the travellers. I just wish it had a better reputation globally because the backpackers love it but before I came it was the place people at home were most nervous about me visiting yet I´ve felt safe the whole time. My bus friend showed me around which was great and I stayed in a hostel that a friend I travelled with about 4 months ago is working at which was really good fun. I met loads of great people and had so much fun exploring and salsa dancing (my new favourite thing, will have to bring it to Bristol!).
I then travelled up to Cartagena on the Carribean coast with a girl I met in Bogota called Adaline (from Australia). Another 22 hours on a bus but it was fine, the countryside we drove through is absolutely beautiful and I slept quite a bit recovering from Bogota! Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It is so colourful, clean and has such a relaxed atmosphere. There are constantly people dancing salsa on the streets or relaxing in one of the may stunning plazas. We went on a Chiva last night which is an open sided bus with a band in it filled with people drinking rum and coke! It stops at various places where we all got out and danced (either on the street or in a club!), it was so much fun as you can imagine!
Today we went to a volcano about an hour away from the city which is a natural mud bath. So surreal as the mud is over 2km deep but you can stand up and not sink at all! There are lots of people giving you massages and taking your photo, really strange but good fun. You then walk down the volcano to the lagoon to wash off (assisted by pushy women tipping buckets of water over your head and trying to strip off your bikinis! Of course all wanting tips at the end!). We then went to a beautiful beach for lunch and my first swim in the Carribean sea! So warm - makes a change from St Mawes!
I am absolutely loving Colombia and we are off to Playa Blanca on Tuesday to sleep under the stars in hammocks then further up the coast. I have been here for nearly 6 months now, I can´t believe it but I still have so much to look forward to that home seems a long way away. Hope you´re not all getting bored of reading this now, it´s been going on a while!
Take care everyone and let me know what you´re doing xxxxxx (Oooh and hi to everyone on Mencap, hope its going well, sorry I cant be there)
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Final days in Ecuador
Hello,
I can´t believe how fast the time has flow! I was in the jungle for 6 weeks and am now in Quito for the night preparing for my bus journey of over 24 hours tomorrow to Bogota in Colombia!
Last week we did Magic week at summer school (inspired by Harry Potter!) so we made hats, wands, spiders webs and fortune tellers and played lots of magic related games! It was really good fun. So sad to say goodbye to the children but I tried not to make a big deal out of it because I didn´t want to upset them. And its strange to think that the project will just continue without me as I felt like such a big part of it but I guess its the same with everything.
On Wednesday night I went for dinner to one of the local family´s houses which was great. They cooked crb, platano and stir fried rice with chicken which was absolutely delicious! In Ecuador they eat eveything with spoons or fingers and having never eaten an entire crab before I was a bit of a ammature but they soon had me ripping it appart and sucking out the meat like a true ecuadorian! It was so nice to spend some time in their house with the whole family. It is so surreal, they live in a little wooden house with no windows or doors in the middle of the jungle but still mnage to have a TV and DVD player! Very strange! Another family organised a party to say goodbye on Thursday night which was so much fun. I provided the chilckens (live!) and the family cooked a delicious meal. We also had to drink this stuff called Chicha which is made by chewing and spitting out uka! Pretty disgusting as it is just warn spit but it is a delicasy so it would have been rude to decline it! We danced under the stars in the middle of the jungle in out wellies all night! So much fun! (Although I drank this juice which made me very sick the following day so the family are mortified that they poisoned me!)
Overall I absolutely loved my time in the jungle and I would love to go back some day (as I say about every place I´ve been!). I know I must seem rediculously over enthusiastic about everywhere I go and what I´ve been up to but I promise you I am not over exaggerating, you all have to come here to see what I mean!
Anyway, 6 weeks left then home! xxxxxxx
I can´t believe how fast the time has flow! I was in the jungle for 6 weeks and am now in Quito for the night preparing for my bus journey of over 24 hours tomorrow to Bogota in Colombia!
Last week we did Magic week at summer school (inspired by Harry Potter!) so we made hats, wands, spiders webs and fortune tellers and played lots of magic related games! It was really good fun. So sad to say goodbye to the children but I tried not to make a big deal out of it because I didn´t want to upset them. And its strange to think that the project will just continue without me as I felt like such a big part of it but I guess its the same with everything.
On Wednesday night I went for dinner to one of the local family´s houses which was great. They cooked crb, platano and stir fried rice with chicken which was absolutely delicious! In Ecuador they eat eveything with spoons or fingers and having never eaten an entire crab before I was a bit of a ammature but they soon had me ripping it appart and sucking out the meat like a true ecuadorian! It was so nice to spend some time in their house with the whole family. It is so surreal, they live in a little wooden house with no windows or doors in the middle of the jungle but still mnage to have a TV and DVD player! Very strange! Another family organised a party to say goodbye on Thursday night which was so much fun. I provided the chilckens (live!) and the family cooked a delicious meal. We also had to drink this stuff called Chicha which is made by chewing and spitting out uka! Pretty disgusting as it is just warn spit but it is a delicasy so it would have been rude to decline it! We danced under the stars in the middle of the jungle in out wellies all night! So much fun! (Although I drank this juice which made me very sick the following day so the family are mortified that they poisoned me!)
Overall I absolutely loved my time in the jungle and I would love to go back some day (as I say about every place I´ve been!). I know I must seem rediculously over enthusiastic about everywhere I go and what I´ve been up to but I promise you I am not over exaggerating, you all have to come here to see what I mean!
Anyway, 6 weeks left then home! xxxxxxx
Sunday, 12 July 2009
More news from the jungle....
Hey there,
Sorry its been a while...so much to fill you in on! soooo since last time I wrote school term has finished. We gave the kids an exam and I felt so awful but they get examined in every other subject so we had to do the same and they did alright! They spell things as they sound though so one is juan and three is zri! But they did alright and it was really encouraging to see how much of what we taught them they remembered.
Our project runs a summer school at each of the three schools where we organise loads of activities from 8.30am until 12.30pm to give the children something to do as otherwise they literally do nothing for their 2 months of holiday. Last week we made papier mache pigs, maracas out of plastic bottles, played endless running around games, tug of war, limbo etc. As a result I have completely lost my voice! Too much shouting in Spanish! The other volunteers are so nice but none of them speak much spanish so it is up to me to explain things - good for my spanish, not so good for my voice! It is pretty difficult to plan activities for the children of all ages factoring in the crazy weather as it could be beautifully sunny one minute and pouring with rain the next. I always find myself explaining "in England it rains loads, well not as much as here, and it gets quite hot, but not as hot as here!" We did an England day last weeks which was so much fun and pretty sureal seeing the children walking home through the jungle holding Union Jacks!
Last week I went with one of the local families to help pick fruit from their land in the jungle (kind of like an alotment, each family has some land where they can grow crops). It was such a gret day despite the torential rain! We climbed down into the jungle and picked two huge bags of corn which we lugged through the mud to their little house to feed the chickens. I couldn´t believe how much effort it was just to feed their chickens, it really gets you thinking about how lucky we are. We then went deeper into the jungle with their horse to pick papayas, bananas and cocoa which the poor horse had to carry all the way back up the hill. I went home for lunch then returned to their house to make Colado out of the corn which is a sweet drink with cinamon - really nice! As we were making it three tiny squirell monkeys were sitting on the roof so we fes them which was amazing! They are so sweet!
The other day one of my friends was in the shower and she suddenly screamed and ran out. We went to see what she was making so much fuss about and there was a HUGE tarantula on the ceiling! So scary and so funny because there were 5 of us girls screaming and running around the house whilst poor Nick (the guy who set up the project) tries to calm us down and get rid of the tarantula! Luckily he managed to but all the new volunteers are paranoid now!
This weekend I have stayed in (right now in Puyo, the town about an hour and a half away) and helped Nick with some things around the house. I finished painting the big dorm room and helped make some more cupboards. Yesterday morning I went on a walk into the jungle with the dogs and it was such a clear day that there was the most incredible view of these two volcanos over the rainforest which you hardly ever see because they are usually covered by clouds. I walked down with one of the families who were off to their land to pick fruit. I arrived at the amazing river where I swam and read for a bit - such paradise!
So all is going well, I only have another week here which is so sad and I will miss the children so much. I am absolutely loving here and will definitely be back one day...Off to Colombia next, to Bogota then up to the coast to do some diving. Every place I go to I don´t want to leave, I think that says alot for this incredible continent!
I really can´t wait to tell you all so much more about everything and show you photos! Hope you´re not getting too bored of these updates! In 2 months time I will be home! Time flies!
I miss you all and hope everyone is well and happy. If any of you bump into my Mum or Dad please give them a big hug from me.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sorry its been a while...so much to fill you in on! soooo since last time I wrote school term has finished. We gave the kids an exam and I felt so awful but they get examined in every other subject so we had to do the same and they did alright! They spell things as they sound though so one is juan and three is zri! But they did alright and it was really encouraging to see how much of what we taught them they remembered.
Our project runs a summer school at each of the three schools where we organise loads of activities from 8.30am until 12.30pm to give the children something to do as otherwise they literally do nothing for their 2 months of holiday. Last week we made papier mache pigs, maracas out of plastic bottles, played endless running around games, tug of war, limbo etc. As a result I have completely lost my voice! Too much shouting in Spanish! The other volunteers are so nice but none of them speak much spanish so it is up to me to explain things - good for my spanish, not so good for my voice! It is pretty difficult to plan activities for the children of all ages factoring in the crazy weather as it could be beautifully sunny one minute and pouring with rain the next. I always find myself explaining "in England it rains loads, well not as much as here, and it gets quite hot, but not as hot as here!" We did an England day last weeks which was so much fun and pretty sureal seeing the children walking home through the jungle holding Union Jacks!
Last week I went with one of the local families to help pick fruit from their land in the jungle (kind of like an alotment, each family has some land where they can grow crops). It was such a gret day despite the torential rain! We climbed down into the jungle and picked two huge bags of corn which we lugged through the mud to their little house to feed the chickens. I couldn´t believe how much effort it was just to feed their chickens, it really gets you thinking about how lucky we are. We then went deeper into the jungle with their horse to pick papayas, bananas and cocoa which the poor horse had to carry all the way back up the hill. I went home for lunch then returned to their house to make Colado out of the corn which is a sweet drink with cinamon - really nice! As we were making it three tiny squirell monkeys were sitting on the roof so we fes them which was amazing! They are so sweet!
The other day one of my friends was in the shower and she suddenly screamed and ran out. We went to see what she was making so much fuss about and there was a HUGE tarantula on the ceiling! So scary and so funny because there were 5 of us girls screaming and running around the house whilst poor Nick (the guy who set up the project) tries to calm us down and get rid of the tarantula! Luckily he managed to but all the new volunteers are paranoid now!
This weekend I have stayed in (right now in Puyo, the town about an hour and a half away) and helped Nick with some things around the house. I finished painting the big dorm room and helped make some more cupboards. Yesterday morning I went on a walk into the jungle with the dogs and it was such a clear day that there was the most incredible view of these two volcanos over the rainforest which you hardly ever see because they are usually covered by clouds. I walked down with one of the families who were off to their land to pick fruit. I arrived at the amazing river where I swam and read for a bit - such paradise!
So all is going well, I only have another week here which is so sad and I will miss the children so much. I am absolutely loving here and will definitely be back one day...Off to Colombia next, to Bogota then up to the coast to do some diving. Every place I go to I don´t want to leave, I think that says alot for this incredible continent!
I really can´t wait to tell you all so much more about everything and show you photos! Hope you´re not getting too bored of these updates! In 2 months time I will be home! Time flies!
I miss you all and hope everyone is well and happy. If any of you bump into my Mum or Dad please give them a big hug from me.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Woops...still in the jungle!
Hello!
I am still loving jungle life! Since my last blog I have been to Banos which is a really beautiful little town about 3 hours from us which was great. We had a big night out which was so nice after 2 weeks in the jungle! It was great to see another area and nice to relax in the hot springs. This week of teaching has been great. I love teaching the children, they are so enthusiastic! Although it can be a little frustrating as they tend to forget alot! But it is great trying to find ways to get them to learn and enjoy English. They had an exam this week which seemed a little harsh seeing as they are only little but they get examined in every subject so we had to do the same. They did alright although there is definitely room for improvement! They have a week left of school and we are taking both schools on a school trip which should be fun then they are free for the summer. We run a summer school at three of the schools to give the kids something to do otherwise they have 2 months of doing nothing. We are trying to come up with as many games and activities as we can for the summer school which should be so much fun.
We painted our rooms this week which was fun and I did some jugle plumbing! Had to climb up water falls and through pipes with a new water pipe for our new shower which was exciting! It was pouring with rain so it felt like an adventure! We found an amazing river right near our house in the jungle so we went swimming which was amazing. The jungle is so beautiful, I love being here!
So all is well, I will update this when I can. Take care everyone! xxxx
I am still loving jungle life! Since my last blog I have been to Banos which is a really beautiful little town about 3 hours from us which was great. We had a big night out which was so nice after 2 weeks in the jungle! It was great to see another area and nice to relax in the hot springs. This week of teaching has been great. I love teaching the children, they are so enthusiastic! Although it can be a little frustrating as they tend to forget alot! But it is great trying to find ways to get them to learn and enjoy English. They had an exam this week which seemed a little harsh seeing as they are only little but they get examined in every subject so we had to do the same. They did alright although there is definitely room for improvement! They have a week left of school and we are taking both schools on a school trip which should be fun then they are free for the summer. We run a summer school at three of the schools to give the kids something to do otherwise they have 2 months of doing nothing. We are trying to come up with as many games and activities as we can for the summer school which should be so much fun.
We painted our rooms this week which was fun and I did some jugle plumbing! Had to climb up water falls and through pipes with a new water pipe for our new shower which was exciting! It was pouring with rain so it felt like an adventure! We found an amazing river right near our house in the jungle so we went swimming which was amazing. The jungle is so beautiful, I love being here!
So all is well, I will update this when I can. Take care everyone! xxxx
Monday, 15 June 2009
In the jungle...
Hello!
As I write this I am in the closest town (Puyo) from where we live in the middle of the jungle which is an hour and a half along the worst road in the world! I am absolutely loving it here. I live in a house in the middle of the jungle with three other volunteers who are so nice! We teach English at three little schools along the Arajuno road which we get to by hiking through the jungle then hitching a lift or catching a dodgy bus! We teach in the mornings and the children range from 4 to 14. In the afternoon we write lesson plans for the next days and chill out in the jungle! I am eternally greatful to Dave (my Godfather) who bought me such great waterproofs as it rains constantly here! (I should have guessed given that we are in the rainforest!) However, when it isn´t raining the views are absolutely incredible across the jungle, apparently when it is really clear you can see Peru! We have hammocks in the house so we lie in them writing diaries and reading in the middle of the amazon...very sureal!
This weekend my friend and I went on a trek into the jungle with one of the local families. We walked all day in the rain then camped in the jungle eating food cooked in leaves on an open fire and maggots which apparently are a delicasy! We then hiked back up through river and waterfalls to our house for a well deserved shower - we have hot water which is such a luxury!
It is amazing living here and becoming part of the jungle comunity. Everyone is so friendly and greatful that we are teaching their children skills which hopefully thery will have for life. We try to intergrate as much as we can into the community with football matches, meals together and just sitting chatting and playing the guitar! My Spanish is improving masses which is great and means that I can communicate alot more confidently. The teaching is great but a little frustrating as the children are so enthusiastic but not alot seems to sink in so it is a challenge to think of interesting ways to teach and get them to not only learn English but understand it too.
This bit of my trip feels totally different to everything else I have done which is great and I love it. I have been away for 19 weeks now, such a long time but the time has flown and I am still loving every second. (have another 11 weeks to go!)
I hope everyone is ok at home, I am thinking of you all and can´t wait to see you soon
xxxxxxxxx
As I write this I am in the closest town (Puyo) from where we live in the middle of the jungle which is an hour and a half along the worst road in the world! I am absolutely loving it here. I live in a house in the middle of the jungle with three other volunteers who are so nice! We teach English at three little schools along the Arajuno road which we get to by hiking through the jungle then hitching a lift or catching a dodgy bus! We teach in the mornings and the children range from 4 to 14. In the afternoon we write lesson plans for the next days and chill out in the jungle! I am eternally greatful to Dave (my Godfather) who bought me such great waterproofs as it rains constantly here! (I should have guessed given that we are in the rainforest!) However, when it isn´t raining the views are absolutely incredible across the jungle, apparently when it is really clear you can see Peru! We have hammocks in the house so we lie in them writing diaries and reading in the middle of the amazon...very sureal!
This weekend my friend and I went on a trek into the jungle with one of the local families. We walked all day in the rain then camped in the jungle eating food cooked in leaves on an open fire and maggots which apparently are a delicasy! We then hiked back up through river and waterfalls to our house for a well deserved shower - we have hot water which is such a luxury!
It is amazing living here and becoming part of the jungle comunity. Everyone is so friendly and greatful that we are teaching their children skills which hopefully thery will have for life. We try to intergrate as much as we can into the community with football matches, meals together and just sitting chatting and playing the guitar! My Spanish is improving masses which is great and means that I can communicate alot more confidently. The teaching is great but a little frustrating as the children are so enthusiastic but not alot seems to sink in so it is a challenge to think of interesting ways to teach and get them to not only learn English but understand it too.
This bit of my trip feels totally different to everything else I have done which is great and I love it. I have been away for 19 weeks now, such a long time but the time has flown and I am still loving every second. (have another 11 weeks to go!)
I hope everyone is ok at home, I am thinking of you all and can´t wait to see you soon
xxxxxxxxx
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Ecuador!
Hola!
After Trujillo where I spent two days on the beach and visiting ruins of ancient cities made out of sand, I went up to Mancora which is a major backpacker destination with literally one high street as the town and a huge white sand beach. I stayed in a fantastic hostel with a couple of friends which was like a beach resort at hostel prices with its own pool and hammocks right on the beach. I spent 3 days lying on the beach, swimming in the sea, eating alot of sea food and relaxing! Paradise! Quite afew of my friends from various other places were there which was great.
I then got the bus from Mancora straight to Quito which surprisingly was only 12 hours as Ecuador is so small. The bus wasn´t great as I sunburnt my back so couldn´t get comfy! Anyway, Quito is a great city. It is huge and is built in the middle of the mountains (just like Cusco and La Paz) so the scenery is beautiful. The old town is so interesting and really beautiful with colonial architecture and lots going on. Ecuador seems great of what I have seen so far and I am looking forward to getting to know it better (their accent is a bit difficult to understand but I´m trying!).
Tomorrow I am off into the jungle to start my next project where I am teaching in a little school along the Arajuno Road. Basically this road was built right through indigenous populations who were brought rapidly to modernisation so they can use all the help they can get. I will be teaching, helping with lesson plans and pretty much doing as much as I can. I have the weekends free to explore the jungle which should be great. I have no idea when I will next get internet access so this might be my last blog for a while...I will be in the jungle for 6 weeks overall.
Time is still flying and I am loving every minute. Still a while to go and I can´t wait for all the adventures I have ahead of me!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After Trujillo where I spent two days on the beach and visiting ruins of ancient cities made out of sand, I went up to Mancora which is a major backpacker destination with literally one high street as the town and a huge white sand beach. I stayed in a fantastic hostel with a couple of friends which was like a beach resort at hostel prices with its own pool and hammocks right on the beach. I spent 3 days lying on the beach, swimming in the sea, eating alot of sea food and relaxing! Paradise! Quite afew of my friends from various other places were there which was great.
I then got the bus from Mancora straight to Quito which surprisingly was only 12 hours as Ecuador is so small. The bus wasn´t great as I sunburnt my back so couldn´t get comfy! Anyway, Quito is a great city. It is huge and is built in the middle of the mountains (just like Cusco and La Paz) so the scenery is beautiful. The old town is so interesting and really beautiful with colonial architecture and lots going on. Ecuador seems great of what I have seen so far and I am looking forward to getting to know it better (their accent is a bit difficult to understand but I´m trying!).
Tomorrow I am off into the jungle to start my next project where I am teaching in a little school along the Arajuno Road. Basically this road was built right through indigenous populations who were brought rapidly to modernisation so they can use all the help they can get. I will be teaching, helping with lesson plans and pretty much doing as much as I can. I have the weekends free to explore the jungle which should be great. I have no idea when I will next get internet access so this might be my last blog for a while...I will be in the jungle for 6 weeks overall.
Time is still flying and I am loving every minute. Still a while to go and I can´t wait for all the adventures I have ahead of me!
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Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Up the Peruvian coast
Hi everyone
Sorry I have been so rubbish...I will try to update my blog more!! Anyway I had a great final few weeks in Cusco. I loved the city and it felt like home by the end. Working in the hospital was fantastic and I love Psicomotricity. It was so interesting to help out and see how the therapy worked. The therapists and nurses had a little party for me on the day I left which was really nice. Again it was so sad to leave the children who I had become so attatched to. Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with the clinic and find out how they are all doing. I cannot believe how fast the time went in Cusco and I know the time will just keep on flying. It was sad to say goodbye to my friends in Cusco too but I know that there is more to see and more people to meet and I´m sure I will love the rest of my trip as much as I have loved it so far.
I got a flight from Cusco to Lima as it was included in the cost of my volunteer project which was great as apparently the bus journey is hell! I stayed in Lima for afew days and met some very nice people! Lima is a pretty nice city but so un-peruvian, it felt like America with Burger King, McDonalds, Dunkin Doughnuts and Pizza Hut on our street! I then got the bus up to Trujillo on the coast of Peru which has fantastic ruins of an ancient city (chan chan) made of sand which I visited yesterday. It also has greta beaches. Tonight I am off up to Mancora which is a huge backpacker destination on the beach which should be good fun. Then I will cross the boarder to be in Quito for my next project on Sunday 7th. I can´t believe its June!
Anyway hope evryone is enjoying the heat wave in England! Very jealous that I might a real English summer! Ah well, South America is not a bad place to be! xxxxxx
Sorry I have been so rubbish...I will try to update my blog more!! Anyway I had a great final few weeks in Cusco. I loved the city and it felt like home by the end. Working in the hospital was fantastic and I love Psicomotricity. It was so interesting to help out and see how the therapy worked. The therapists and nurses had a little party for me on the day I left which was really nice. Again it was so sad to leave the children who I had become so attatched to. Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with the clinic and find out how they are all doing. I cannot believe how fast the time went in Cusco and I know the time will just keep on flying. It was sad to say goodbye to my friends in Cusco too but I know that there is more to see and more people to meet and I´m sure I will love the rest of my trip as much as I have loved it so far.
I got a flight from Cusco to Lima as it was included in the cost of my volunteer project which was great as apparently the bus journey is hell! I stayed in Lima for afew days and met some very nice people! Lima is a pretty nice city but so un-peruvian, it felt like America with Burger King, McDonalds, Dunkin Doughnuts and Pizza Hut on our street! I then got the bus up to Trujillo on the coast of Peru which has fantastic ruins of an ancient city (chan chan) made of sand which I visited yesterday. It also has greta beaches. Tonight I am off up to Mancora which is a huge backpacker destination on the beach which should be good fun. Then I will cross the boarder to be in Quito for my next project on Sunday 7th. I can´t believe its June!
Anyway hope evryone is enjoying the heat wave in England! Very jealous that I might a real English summer! Ah well, South America is not a bad place to be! xxxxxx
Thursday, 21 May 2009
MACHU PICCHU!!!
So much to tell!
So...I trekked an alternative route to Machu Picchu called the Inka Jungle Trail which was fantastic. We left last Friday and started with a day of mountain biking! We reached 4300m and cycled down hill for about 5 hours through the jungle which was beautiful and so much fun. We reached our first stop, Santa Maria where we had dinner and stayed the night. I was with a great group of people including 2 english boys who spoke no spanish and 2 chilean people who spoke no english so it was great for my Spanish as I ended up translating alot! The next day we began the trekking which started up a mountain which was exhausting as the jungle is really humid and the mountain was pretty steep! We joined onto an orignal Inca trail and snaked around mountains in the most beautiful valley. After walking for several hours we reached natural hot baths which were very much appreciated! So warm and in such an incredible place in the middle of the jungle covered mountains. We continued to Santa Theresa where we had dinner then went to a Salsa club which was more tiring than the walking! so much fun thoug! The next day we walked for a while along the river with fantastic views of Machu Picchu itself which looked scarily high up....We arrived in Agua Calientes and prepared ourself for waking up at 4am the next day! We began our climb at 4.30am up Incan stairs for an hour and half which was pretty tricky but totally worth it!
We arrived at the runis themselves at about 6am to see the ancient city covered in mist (as romantic as it sounds the unbelievable amount of tourists did take away from the magic a bit! especially as they had all just come up in the bus and in my opinion did not deserve to be there!). The mist cleared as the morning went to to reveal the incredible city buit ontop of a mountain! We had a tour around the runis which was fascinating then climbed the uneven steps up to Huaynu Picchu (the mountain at the back of the classic view of Machu Picchu) which again was pretty tiring but so worth it as the views from the top were incrdible! We then had time to explore Machu Picchu alone which was great. The ruins are so sureal and in just the most incredible setting surrounded by mountains. I absolutely loved it and cant believe that after thinking about going for so long I finally made it!
Unfortunately it took forever to get back because our guide told us the wrong time for our train so we missed it and had to get one at 12.30 at night and because of various strikes we got home at 5am!
Since then I have been working in the hospital which has been fantastic. I am now working with the Servicio Psicomotricidad...dont know what it is in English but it is really interesting. The children are so sweet, I will really miss them when I leave. Still loving life in Cusco, lots of my friends are here so it is really good fun. I got to work behind the bar at a club where I know some of the people who work there the other day which was fun! Lots of free drinks!
Everything is great and I am gutted that I only have another week here. I will definitely be back! Ah well, more places to go and people to see! xxxxxx
So...I trekked an alternative route to Machu Picchu called the Inka Jungle Trail which was fantastic. We left last Friday and started with a day of mountain biking! We reached 4300m and cycled down hill for about 5 hours through the jungle which was beautiful and so much fun. We reached our first stop, Santa Maria where we had dinner and stayed the night. I was with a great group of people including 2 english boys who spoke no spanish and 2 chilean people who spoke no english so it was great for my Spanish as I ended up translating alot! The next day we began the trekking which started up a mountain which was exhausting as the jungle is really humid and the mountain was pretty steep! We joined onto an orignal Inca trail and snaked around mountains in the most beautiful valley. After walking for several hours we reached natural hot baths which were very much appreciated! So warm and in such an incredible place in the middle of the jungle covered mountains. We continued to Santa Theresa where we had dinner then went to a Salsa club which was more tiring than the walking! so much fun thoug! The next day we walked for a while along the river with fantastic views of Machu Picchu itself which looked scarily high up....We arrived in Agua Calientes and prepared ourself for waking up at 4am the next day! We began our climb at 4.30am up Incan stairs for an hour and half which was pretty tricky but totally worth it!
We arrived at the runis themselves at about 6am to see the ancient city covered in mist (as romantic as it sounds the unbelievable amount of tourists did take away from the magic a bit! especially as they had all just come up in the bus and in my opinion did not deserve to be there!). The mist cleared as the morning went to to reveal the incredible city buit ontop of a mountain! We had a tour around the runis which was fascinating then climbed the uneven steps up to Huaynu Picchu (the mountain at the back of the classic view of Machu Picchu) which again was pretty tiring but so worth it as the views from the top were incrdible! We then had time to explore Machu Picchu alone which was great. The ruins are so sureal and in just the most incredible setting surrounded by mountains. I absolutely loved it and cant believe that after thinking about going for so long I finally made it!
Unfortunately it took forever to get back because our guide told us the wrong time for our train so we missed it and had to get one at 12.30 at night and because of various strikes we got home at 5am!
Since then I have been working in the hospital which has been fantastic. I am now working with the Servicio Psicomotricidad...dont know what it is in English but it is really interesting. The children are so sweet, I will really miss them when I leave. Still loving life in Cusco, lots of my friends are here so it is really good fun. I got to work behind the bar at a club where I know some of the people who work there the other day which was fun! Lots of free drinks!
Everything is great and I am gutted that I only have another week here. I will definitely be back! Ah well, more places to go and people to see! xxxxxx
Sunday, 10 May 2009
CUSCO!!
Hi everyone,
I have been in Cusco for a week already and time is flying by as always! I have my own little flat next door to the student residence which is really nice (sadly I think I have to move out and into the residence soon because I didn´t pay for the private room and someone else wants it!). We are about a 15 min walk from the centre and about a 10 min walk from my project.
I am working in a clinic for disabled children which is fantastic. This past week I have been a personal assitant to a language therapist so I find the children, bring them to therapy and help with the therapy itself which I absolutely love and is making me think about different career options....! I will be helping out in physical therapy either this week or next. I then play with the children whilst getting them ready for lunch. I feel like I´m really helping because there are so few nurses that the children really don´t get any attention so I love playing with them and showing them the affection that they really need. I help with lunch which is always tricky as over half of the children need to be fed and aren´t always willing to eat! We then wash the children and they have a nap for the afternoon. There are 50 children living in the clinic and there is a school attatched which I get to go and help in too. The children come from all over Peru as this is a really great clinic and one of the only good ones in Peru. I head home at about 1.30ish which is great.
Cusco is incredible! So much to see and do and for some reason alot of the friends I met backpacking are here too so I know lots of people. The city itself is full of Inca stone work and beautiful colonial churches and buildings. Today we went off to Pisac in the Sacred Valley which has incredible Incan and pre-Incan ruins. There are also so many amazing markets with Peruvian clothes and souvenirs which I can´t get enough of! The night life isn´t quite up to Buenos Aires standards but its not bad! It is perfect as I work in the mornings then have the afternoons to explore. I am planning on going up to Machu Picchu this Friday which I can´t wait for.
Overall absolutely loving Cusco. Yet another place that you all have to see! You would love it!
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I have been in Cusco for a week already and time is flying by as always! I have my own little flat next door to the student residence which is really nice (sadly I think I have to move out and into the residence soon because I didn´t pay for the private room and someone else wants it!). We are about a 15 min walk from the centre and about a 10 min walk from my project.
I am working in a clinic for disabled children which is fantastic. This past week I have been a personal assitant to a language therapist so I find the children, bring them to therapy and help with the therapy itself which I absolutely love and is making me think about different career options....! I will be helping out in physical therapy either this week or next. I then play with the children whilst getting them ready for lunch. I feel like I´m really helping because there are so few nurses that the children really don´t get any attention so I love playing with them and showing them the affection that they really need. I help with lunch which is always tricky as over half of the children need to be fed and aren´t always willing to eat! We then wash the children and they have a nap for the afternoon. There are 50 children living in the clinic and there is a school attatched which I get to go and help in too. The children come from all over Peru as this is a really great clinic and one of the only good ones in Peru. I head home at about 1.30ish which is great.
Cusco is incredible! So much to see and do and for some reason alot of the friends I met backpacking are here too so I know lots of people. The city itself is full of Inca stone work and beautiful colonial churches and buildings. Today we went off to Pisac in the Sacred Valley which has incredible Incan and pre-Incan ruins. There are also so many amazing markets with Peruvian clothes and souvenirs which I can´t get enough of! The night life isn´t quite up to Buenos Aires standards but its not bad! It is perfect as I work in the mornings then have the afternoons to explore. I am planning on going up to Machu Picchu this Friday which I can´t wait for.
Overall absolutely loving Cusco. Yet another place that you all have to see! You would love it!
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Saturday, 2 May 2009
New chapter....
Hi there....
I had a fantastic weekend with my friend Rachel in La Paz, so much fun and such a great city. From there I went with a group of 6 or us to Copacobana (by Lake Titicaca, not the one in Brazil!). The bus journey was incredible if not a little precarious when we got a ferry across the lake and the bus was rowed across in a gondola! Beautiful views though of the incredibly blue lake and the snow capped mountains behind it. We stayed the night in the small town of Copacobana and headed to the Isal del Sol (island of the sun) early in the morning. We trekked from one side of the island to the other stopping at incan ruins and the sacred rock where the incan sun god was said to have appeared. Stunning panoramic views the entire way made up for the steep climbs made more tricky by the altitude and my chest infection (nothing to worry about by the way, just a bit of a cough!). Such a great group of people so we had so much fun. We stayed the night on the island in a hotel with the most incredible view of the mountains for sunrise for a mere 1 pound 50 per night! The sun set was incredible and we star gazed until it was too cold to sit outside! I decided to stay on the island another night because the others were heading back to La Paz. I explored a bit more and relaxed on the most tranquil and peaceful island in the world!
I then headed to Puno which is not a very attractive or exciting town but is on the edge of lake titicaca and provides tour to los Uros, the floating islands which were amazing. People literally live on reeds anchored to the bed of the lake! Very touristy but understandabe as they have no other income. I spent today sorting myself out with a peruvian phone and doing my washing before starting my nest project tomorrow in Cusco. I can´t believe how fast time is going and I am sad to have finished backpacking for the time being but so excited about starting my project with disabled children in Cusco. It should be great!
Love to everyone and I will keep you posted. By the way I have lost my camera lead so no photos for the moment! sorry!
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I had a fantastic weekend with my friend Rachel in La Paz, so much fun and such a great city. From there I went with a group of 6 or us to Copacobana (by Lake Titicaca, not the one in Brazil!). The bus journey was incredible if not a little precarious when we got a ferry across the lake and the bus was rowed across in a gondola! Beautiful views though of the incredibly blue lake and the snow capped mountains behind it. We stayed the night in the small town of Copacobana and headed to the Isal del Sol (island of the sun) early in the morning. We trekked from one side of the island to the other stopping at incan ruins and the sacred rock where the incan sun god was said to have appeared. Stunning panoramic views the entire way made up for the steep climbs made more tricky by the altitude and my chest infection (nothing to worry about by the way, just a bit of a cough!). Such a great group of people so we had so much fun. We stayed the night on the island in a hotel with the most incredible view of the mountains for sunrise for a mere 1 pound 50 per night! The sun set was incredible and we star gazed until it was too cold to sit outside! I decided to stay on the island another night because the others were heading back to La Paz. I explored a bit more and relaxed on the most tranquil and peaceful island in the world!
I then headed to Puno which is not a very attractive or exciting town but is on the edge of lake titicaca and provides tour to los Uros, the floating islands which were amazing. People literally live on reeds anchored to the bed of the lake! Very touristy but understandabe as they have no other income. I spent today sorting myself out with a peruvian phone and doing my washing before starting my nest project tomorrow in Cusco. I can´t believe how fast time is going and I am sad to have finished backpacking for the time being but so excited about starting my project with disabled children in Cusco. It should be great!
Love to everyone and I will keep you posted. By the way I have lost my camera lead so no photos for the moment! sorry!
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Sunday, 26 April 2009
Blown away by Bolivia
Hello everyone!
I went from Salta into Bolivia about a week ago. I thought I would be by myself but there were two boys from my last hostel on the bus so I wasn´t even alone for the bus journey! We crossed the border from Argentina into Bolivia in the morning and got the train up to Uyuni in the afternoon. Bolivia is absolutely incredible. The culture is so rich and the scenery is breath taking. We arrived at midnight and stayed the night in a hotel before starting the most incredible tour in the morning. There were 6 of us in a 4x4 Jeep along with our driver and cook! We drove through the salt flats which were absolutely fantastic. It is so sureal driving through thousands of miles of salt surrounded by beautiful mountains and bright blue sky. We spent a while taking perspective photos and exploring the island full of cacti in the middle of the evapourated lake. We kept driving through dessert and beautiful scenery. I can´t begin to describe it, you will all have to come out here and see it for yourselves to truely appreciate it! The altitude took me a bit by surprise...our guide thought it would be funny to make us walk up a hill which we were all dead at the top of! I am always short of breath, it´s really strange and it gets very cold at night. Luckily I have bought alot of Bolivian clothes (llama jumpers etc!) so I am very warm but look like a bit of an idiot!
We stayed in a tiny village in the mountains with more llamas than people! The stars are huge in Bolivia and absolutely stunning so we star gazed for a while. In the morning we began bright and early and set off to see coloured lakes full of flamencos, strange rock formations in the mddle of the dessert, multi-coloured mountains, active volcanoes and more! I have never seen such an incredible variety of scenery and nature in such a small amount of time. Completely breath taking! The next morning we woke up really early (4 am) to see the geizers which were bizzare and pretty cold and smelly! But all was worth it as we swam in the natural thermal baths at sunrise! Such an incredible experience and such great people to share it with! We then drove back through more unbelievable scenery, to the border of Chile then back to Uyuni.
I got the bus to Sucre by myself getting a seat for the small price of holding a Bolivian baby the whole way! I did offer the mum a seat but I think she was more excited that a white ginger person was holding her baby! I arrived in Sucre and spent a really great three days in the beautiful Colonial town. I have been a bit ill so it was nice to relax and spend some time by myself (the first of my trip!). Sucre is really beautiful and further increased my love of Bolivia.
I spent the weekend in La Paz with my friend Rachel who I met in the airport of Buenos Aires which has been fantastic. Such a crazy city with so much culture and herritage, so interesting. We spent today at a pre-inca sight Tiwanacu which was incredible. Bolivia is so great, I can´t rave about it enough! It is the real south america and I absolutely love it!
Off to Lake Titicaca tomorrow to make you all jealous! Then up to Cuzco this time in a week for my next project which I can´t wait for! I love it here (as you can probably tell!)
Love to everyone xxxxxx
I went from Salta into Bolivia about a week ago. I thought I would be by myself but there were two boys from my last hostel on the bus so I wasn´t even alone for the bus journey! We crossed the border from Argentina into Bolivia in the morning and got the train up to Uyuni in the afternoon. Bolivia is absolutely incredible. The culture is so rich and the scenery is breath taking. We arrived at midnight and stayed the night in a hotel before starting the most incredible tour in the morning. There were 6 of us in a 4x4 Jeep along with our driver and cook! We drove through the salt flats which were absolutely fantastic. It is so sureal driving through thousands of miles of salt surrounded by beautiful mountains and bright blue sky. We spent a while taking perspective photos and exploring the island full of cacti in the middle of the evapourated lake. We kept driving through dessert and beautiful scenery. I can´t begin to describe it, you will all have to come out here and see it for yourselves to truely appreciate it! The altitude took me a bit by surprise...our guide thought it would be funny to make us walk up a hill which we were all dead at the top of! I am always short of breath, it´s really strange and it gets very cold at night. Luckily I have bought alot of Bolivian clothes (llama jumpers etc!) so I am very warm but look like a bit of an idiot!
We stayed in a tiny village in the mountains with more llamas than people! The stars are huge in Bolivia and absolutely stunning so we star gazed for a while. In the morning we began bright and early and set off to see coloured lakes full of flamencos, strange rock formations in the mddle of the dessert, multi-coloured mountains, active volcanoes and more! I have never seen such an incredible variety of scenery and nature in such a small amount of time. Completely breath taking! The next morning we woke up really early (4 am) to see the geizers which were bizzare and pretty cold and smelly! But all was worth it as we swam in the natural thermal baths at sunrise! Such an incredible experience and such great people to share it with! We then drove back through more unbelievable scenery, to the border of Chile then back to Uyuni.
I got the bus to Sucre by myself getting a seat for the small price of holding a Bolivian baby the whole way! I did offer the mum a seat but I think she was more excited that a white ginger person was holding her baby! I arrived in Sucre and spent a really great three days in the beautiful Colonial town. I have been a bit ill so it was nice to relax and spend some time by myself (the first of my trip!). Sucre is really beautiful and further increased my love of Bolivia.
I spent the weekend in La Paz with my friend Rachel who I met in the airport of Buenos Aires which has been fantastic. Such a crazy city with so much culture and herritage, so interesting. We spent today at a pre-inca sight Tiwanacu which was incredible. Bolivia is so great, I can´t rave about it enough! It is the real south america and I absolutely love it!
Off to Lake Titicaca tomorrow to make you all jealous! Then up to Cuzco this time in a week for my next project which I can´t wait for! I love it here (as you can probably tell!)
Love to everyone xxxxxx
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Post-Birthday update
These are just afew photos of the beautiful scenery (one from the bus and the other the waterfall that we swam in after our trek). These are my travelling friends, Will, Emily and Kerri.
Since last writing I have had a very busy few days! We went on a huge bus journey up to Tucuman from Valparais which was great as we got a "full cama" bus which means you get a proper bed and nice food so we slept well and arrived refreshed in Tucuman (northern Argentina). We went white water rafting and on a trek up a mountain in the forest to a secluded and beautiful waterfall where we swam and relaxed which was very much needed after the extremely sweaty and difficult trek (which our guide did in flipflops!). We explored Tucuman and took a tour around the Yungas which are the surrounding mountains. The scenery is aboslutely breath taking in northern Argentina, I can´t even begin to explain how beautiful it is up here.
We arrived in Salta on the 13th and my friends bought champagne which we drank at midnight and the whole hostel sang happy birthday (in several languages!) . On my actual birthday we had a picnic in the park and relaxed because my friends paid for this incredible tour as a present the next day which left at 7am! We had birthday cake though which was great and meant the whole hostel sang happy birthday again! The tour was incredible. We followed
the route of the train to the clouds, up mountains to 4100 metres, through dessert, across salt flats, into beautiful old villages, through gorges....litterally unbelievable! Again I don´t really know how to describe it, it is just something you have to see. Our tour guide made us promise to tell our friends and family to come and visit his country so there you go!
I am off to Bolivia by myslef tomorrow which should be great if it all works out!! I can´t wait to see a new place athough I feel pretty exhausted by the pace at which we are seeing everything. I only have afew weeks until my next project though so I am trying to see as much as possible.
Take care everyone, xxxxx
Thursday, 9 April 2009
more backpacking tales....
Sorry for the lack of photos, it is pretty tricky to find a place to upload them. Anyways...We went to Santiago for a few days after Mendoza which was great. The 6 hour bus drive through the Andes was incredible and I was glued to the window the entire time taking photos! In Santiago we met up with Will´s sister who is living there and had a fiesta at her house and met some locals which was great. We explored for the next few days. Santiago is a really cool place surrounded by mountains. We got a cable car to a mountain in the middle of the city which gave us amazing views over everything. The Chilean accent is pretty different to the Argentinian one though so my Spanish is not great at the mo...but I´m trying to meet local people and practice, they´re all very patient! We then went to to Valparaiso, a really quirky and eccentric town built up the hills surrounding a port. It was great to explore this crazy place but unfortuneately the weather wasn´t great (for the first time on my trip!) so we couldn´t go to the beach. We are now off on a big bus trip up to Tucuman (northen argentina) and into Salta for my birthday! Can´t really complain! I am loving the spontaneity of backpacking and now knowing where to go next. Carrying everything in my backpack is so much fun, if not a little heavy! The four of us are getting on so well and it will be sad when Emilie and Will have to go (they are meeting Emilie´s parents down south) but I am sure I will meet lots more people.
Overall having a fantastic time and couldn´t ask for anything more! Hope everyone is well at home, I think about you all lots and wish you were here to see all the incredible things that I am seeing! Can´t wait to tell you all about it when I come home.
Happy Easter!! xxxxxxx
Overall having a fantastic time and couldn´t ask for anything more! Hope everyone is well at home, I think about you all lots and wish you were here to see all the incredible things that I am seeing! Can´t wait to tell you all about it when I come home.
Happy Easter!! xxxxxxx
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Travels....
I LOVE TRAVELLING!!! Kerri (and english friend from BA) and I left BA on Saturday morning after a crazy last night! We arrived in Rosario (a town 4 hours northwest) and went to an awesome hostel where we met really nice people and chilled out away from BA. We went to a great beach on an island opposite the city and chilled out there for the day, watched the sunset over the city and went home. The next day we explored Rosario and left to Mendoza on Monday night. We had a 12 hour bus trip which was actually really good because the buses here are like buisness class in planes! We arrived in Mendoza on Tuesday morning and met Emily,Will and Cheyne. We are staying in an amzing hostel wth a pool, hamocks and its own wine cellar! Mendoza is beautiful; vineyards and olive groves with the back drop of the andes! On our first day we explored the city and parks then had a wine and empanada night at the hostel so met lots of nice travellers and drank lots of Malbec...the next day we went wine tasting which was great and had a huge meal. We have just come back from a trek in the Andes which was fantastic. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and it was so refreshing to be surrounded by such amazing nature. We climbed a peak called Andesito (we should have done more but a really unfit Australian girl couldnt make it so we had to do a smaller one!). I am off to Chile on Saturday with Kerri to Santiago and Valparisio then off upwards....
I am loving it here and just enjoying myself so much. I love meeting all these new people and seeing such amazing things every day. I feel so lucky to be here and I really am loving every minute!!
I hope all is well in sunny England!
lots of love to everyone xxxxx (ps. photos to come)
I am loving it here and just enjoying myself so much. I love meeting all these new people and seeing such amazing things every day. I feel so lucky to be here and I really am loving every minute!!
I hope all is well in sunny England!
lots of love to everyone xxxxx (ps. photos to come)
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Painting!!
(left) The group of girls who helped me paint. (right)This is Lucas, he is deaf, dumb and has HIV but he is the sweetest little boy and he loved painting with us! behing is the flower mural we painted today.
I'll start with the bad news....I have an eye infection! It's not the end of the world but it is pretty uncomfortable and it is red and puffy so I don't look very attractive! I managed to get some drops though so it should be gone soon. I had an amazing weekend though; I organised a group of 10 of us to paint the orphanage which I work in. It took a while to negotiate the paint colours and prices but we finally manage to stagger to the orphanage with 15 litres of paint. When we arrived the children got very over excited and it was a miracle that paint didn't end up everywhere! All the kids wanted to join in so it was pretty chaotic but we managed to paint a huge map of the world on one wall in the entrance and a couple of other walls outside and inside which makes such a huge difference because the place was so dirty and dull and now it looks so much more fun and alive. My friend Daisy and I went back today (Sunday) to clean up and ended up painting another 5 or 6 walls with the left over paint! We painted the outside of the house green and painted another mural with big flowers on it. It was tiring work but so worth it! The orphanage looks so much better and the children had such a great time painting! Tomorrow I am going to get the children to draw flags from each country to stick on the map.
I can't believe I only have a week left here, the time has flown by. It is really exciting planning the next part of my trip though. I am travelling with a girl called Emily from Holand and a boy called Will from England which I am so excited about. We are going to Mendoza on Monday then we will make our way North to Salta, Tucuman and Jujuy. That's the plan! I will try and update this as much as I can when I'm travelling depending on how much access to the internet I have.
Hope you are all well, lots of love to everyone!
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Hola again!!
Sooooo....I am still loving working at the orphanage and last week I felt like I was able to do alot more and the kids are getting to know me now so I really love it! I have been making endless paper planes and blowing countless bubbles as well as taking the kids to the park and generally showing them attention and love which they otherwise don´t get. There are lots of new people in my residence so lots of new friends! Night life in BA is still amazing although I have a bit of a cold so might tone it down a bit! I am still finding new areas of the city that I love which is amazing and I only have a week and a half left here! can´t believe how quickly time is going.
Mum and Dad arrived on Friday and are leaving tomorrow morning. It has been really nice having them here as I was able to show them the sights and in return they bought me some pretty nice meals which as a backpacker I am not quite able to afford! On Saturday I gave them the grand tour of the city and on Sunday we popped across the River Plate to Uruguay for the day. We went to a little town called Colonia which is very pretty but as Dad summed it up, two days in colonia would be a day and a half too long! So we explored the historic town, had some lunch and headed home. On Monday we went up to Iguazu falls which is a 2 hour flight away. We went straight to the Brazillian side to get a phenomenal over view of the falls which completely blew me away. Today we went to the Argentinian side and went on a boat which took us under one of the falls where we got absolutely drenched but soon dried off in the 37 degree heat! The falls are absolutely incredible and it was great to be able to see them with Mum and Dad. I think they had a great time over here and were chuffed with 3 countries in 5 days!
I am really looking forward to properly traveling now but I am going to try and do as much as I can for the orphanage in the next week and half. Planning on painting the house with a group of friends but I have to get that organised! Spanish still going well, I enjoyed translating for Mum and Dad and felt pretty smug saying they were tourists but I live in the city!
Hope everyone is well, xxxxxxxxxxxx
Monday, 9 March 2009
Hola!!
I've had another fantastic week, I love being at this new residence as there are always people around and things to do. I started my project on Wednesday which is in a town called Beccar just outside of BA which is a great break from the city. I go in the afternoons by train and stay until early evening. The two orphanages I am working at are completely different. One has 15 little children from a 1 year old baby to a 10 year old (both girls and boys) and the other has 7 teenage girls. I just organise games and actvities to do with the kids and I help the older ones with their english and homework. It is amazing to see how happy these kids are with the really tiny amount that they have. Its great to be able to help out and its perfect for my spanish!
Other than that I have still been exploring the city and meeting lots more people which has been great. On sunday a friend and I went to San Antonio de Areco which is a sleepy cowboy town with ranches and a huge lake a 2 hour bus journey from BA. It was so nice to escape the city for the day and great to drive through the vast Pampas region. The gaucho culture is amazing and it is refreshing to see how simply they live.
I hope everyone is having a great time wherever they are in the world
xxxxxxx
I've had another fantastic week, I love being at this new residence as there are always people around and things to do. I started my project on Wednesday which is in a town called Beccar just outside of BA which is a great break from the city. I go in the afternoons by train and stay until early evening. The two orphanages I am working at are completely different. One has 15 little children from a 1 year old baby to a 10 year old (both girls and boys) and the other has 7 teenage girls. I just organise games and actvities to do with the kids and I help the older ones with their english and homework. It is amazing to see how happy these kids are with the really tiny amount that they have. Its great to be able to help out and its perfect for my spanish!
Other than that I have still been exploring the city and meeting lots more people which has been great. On sunday a friend and I went to San Antonio de Areco which is a sleepy cowboy town with ranches and a huge lake a 2 hour bus journey from BA. It was so nice to escape the city for the day and great to drive through the vast Pampas region. The gaucho culture is amazing and it is refreshing to see how simply they live.
I hope everyone is having a great time wherever they are in the world
xxxxxxx
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Oh my god I have been here a month! Cant believe it! This week has been amaying! I had my first salsa club experience which I absolutely loved! Still perserveering with the tango but finding it a bit tricky! I have moved in to a new residence as I have finished my sapnish course. The spanish is going ok but it is difficult to practice as most of my friends here are from all over the world so we dont speak in spanish to each other. I am starting my project with the HIV orphanage tomorrow which I am really excited about. My new residence is in Congresso which is right in the centre of the city. This morning I was woken up by huge protests and parades outside as the president was giving a speach. I got to see and shake hands with the president which was pretty cool! It is amazing how politically active everyone is here, makes a change from england! I feel like I live in Buenos Aires now which is great as I can really get into the culture and life here.
Still loving every minute here and cant believe I still have 6 months to go! amazing!
Hope everyone is well, keep in touch xxxxxxxxxxx
Still loving every minute here and cant believe I still have 6 months to go! amazing!
Hope everyone is well, keep in touch xxxxxxxxxxx
Sunday, 22 February 2009
3 weeks down and time is still flying by! I only have one more week of spanish lessons which is scary but I have moved into a better class so hopefully I will pick it up quicker this week! I had two tango lessons this week which were so much fun but quite difficult. I went to a Milonga on Wednesday which is a tango club with an incredible band and amazing dancers. My friend and I had a go but were pretty rubish! I found this great group called Spanglish which is where english people who want to learn spanish and argentinians who want to learn english meet up and it is a bit like speed dating! You get put on tables with one spanish person and one english person and speak for 5 mins in each language then switch around. It is so much fun and I have met lots of really nice people through it. There is still masses more to see here and I am constantly seeing new museums and areas which I love. It is such an interesting place.
I have been to the little school we help out in a couple of times this week which has been good. I start my project with HIV orphans next week which I am really looking forward to because I much as I am loving the constant parties and meeting people I can´t wait to see more than just the cosmopolitan city.
We have just got back from Tigre which is a small town just outside BA where four of us went to stay with a man who invited us over for the weekend as an escape from the city. It was really nice to get away and relax although the weather this weekend has been horrible! xxxxx
I have been to the little school we help out in a couple of times this week which has been good. I start my project with HIV orphans next week which I am really looking forward to because I much as I am loving the constant parties and meeting people I can´t wait to see more than just the cosmopolitan city.
We have just got back from Tigre which is a small town just outside BA where four of us went to stay with a man who invited us over for the weekend as an escape from the city. It was really nice to get away and relax although the weather this weekend has been horrible! xxxxx
Sunday, 15 February 2009
2 weeks in
This week has flown by! I have still been doing my spanish lesson which are going well and my spanish is getting there slowly but surely! I have been going to the little creche round the corner from where I live with my friend Michaela for an hour or so after school which has been really fun and good for my spanish as no one speaks english. Yesterday I went to a Boca match which was awesome, sadly we lost 2,0 but the atmosphere was still amazing; constant singing and dancing! It is very hot at the moment, about 35 degrees so I am trying to stay in the shade! I met some tree-huggers the other day doing some sort of protest so I´m going to see where they live today which should be fun! I´m loving Buenos Aires and I´m having such a great time!
Hope everyone is alright xxxx
Hope everyone is alright xxxx
Friday, 6 February 2009
some more info...
Hello!!
I am a week into my spanish school and I think I´m improving! I´m having such a good time being able to freely explore the city which is so interesting. I have mets so many other travellers and there are always people to go out with or to explore with which is so much fun. I am speaking lots of different languages as there are people from all over the world here. Here is a photo of the language school...the outside is quite alot nicer than the inside!
Hope everyone reading this is well and happy! xxxxx
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
I made it!!
Hi everyone!!
Im here in Buenos Aires and everything has worked out which I cant quite believe! I got picked up from the airport and taken to my host family where 4 of us are staying. A really nice Danish girl who is doing my course and two older women. The flat is really sweet and excentric but a perfect place to stay with an amazing shower!
Yesterday Michaela and I went exploring which is great and just wandered around the city trying to get our bearings. We has supper for about 3quid with wine and everything in a little restaurant. This morning we started the spanish school which is really central. I amin a beginners class with a couple of english boys and some sweedish girls.
I cant wait to get to know the city properly and explore around it....there is so much to see and do and I cant wait to start!
I hope everything is well with you and that there is not too much snow in england! Im sunburt already, its soooo hot here!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Im here in Buenos Aires and everything has worked out which I cant quite believe! I got picked up from the airport and taken to my host family where 4 of us are staying. A really nice Danish girl who is doing my course and two older women. The flat is really sweet and excentric but a perfect place to stay with an amazing shower!
Yesterday Michaela and I went exploring which is great and just wandered around the city trying to get our bearings. We has supper for about 3quid with wine and everything in a little restaurant. This morning we started the spanish school which is really central. I amin a beginners class with a couple of english boys and some sweedish girls.
I cant wait to get to know the city properly and explore around it....there is so much to see and do and I cant wait to start!
I hope everything is well with you and that there is not too much snow in england! Im sunburt already, its soooo hot here!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Monday, 26 January 2009
Welcome!
Hi everyone...
I will try to update this blog as often as possible to let you all know what I'm up to in South Ameica and to show you photos and stuff.
I hope you are all well
lots of love
Hannah xxx
I will try to update this blog as often as possible to let you all know what I'm up to in South Ameica and to show you photos and stuff.
I hope you are all well
lots of love
Hannah xxx
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