November 2010
12 posts
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Pictures Of Me Holding Dangerous Creatures
As the title may suggest, the following are pics of me holding various dangerous creatures that we found in the Amazon jungle during a four day tour with Gary The Jungle Boy.
Iguana
Tarantula
Caiman
Piraña
Sloth
As cute as he may be, this little sloth has killer claws that can rip apart other animals if they get too mad.
Termites
Ok, not all that dangerous, but they are still a...
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Yurimaguas > Iquitos, or, Oh God Will This Journey...
My third morning on the boat was more pleasant than the previous ones as I was roused by warm sunlight filtering through the other hammocks and the soft, sweet smell of cows and hay wafting around. Opening my eyes and peering past the edges of my hammock I saw bright, lush rain-forest that speaks of abundant water and hot, humid days. The children weren’t fully awake yet so it was a chance...
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Yurimaguas > Iquitos, or, Oh God Will This Journey...
I like to consider myself a pretty good traveller, mainly because I very rarely hold expectations beyond “I want to have a good time”. Expectations only leave room for disappointment & frustration, especially when you are backpacking on the cheap throughout South America. I let things be what they will be and accept them for what they are and as a result almost always have a...
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Meat My Maker: Cuy
We’re generally very removed from where our meat comes from in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, so it can be a bit of a shock to see entire pigs spit roasted by the side of the road, their heads poking out of large stewing pots or freshly slaughtered chickens in a market. And then there are cuy. Oh sweet little guinea pigs that my friends used to keep as pets, why do you taste...
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Vilcabamba: Filled With Lots Of Crazies & Some...
The water that flows through Vilcabamba supposedly blesses the local people with extraordinary health and longevity.
Of course some deluded American hippies decided to jump on the bandwagon and there is now a ‘healthy’ local population of absolutely batshit crazy people who genuinely think that the world will end in 2012 in accordance with the Mayan Calendar, but maybe they will be...
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Quirky Cuenca
I’m always interested in slightly bizarre places and museums and was able to satisfy my craving for something a little darker when I arrived in Cuenca.
The Prohibido Centro Cultural is basically one guy’s personal art/exhibition/performance space that is filled with all sorts of dark, gothic-esque art and sculpture as well as jewellery, CDs and a bit of Camden-reminiscent clothing...
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Ecuador > Peru or, Rookie Errors & The Importance...
Arising this morning bright and early at 5.40am I wandered down to the road to begin my journey from Vilcabamba, Ecuador into Peru. At 6.30am the bus rolled past which eventually dumped me in Zumba at midday. I don’t recommend spending any longer than necessary in Zumba. I was the only gringo in town which incurred me lots of weird looks and kids pointing at me and staring (literally). ...
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Yo Puedo Hablar Español y Bailar Salsa Ahora!
I’ve been picking up my spanish on the road with the help of a dictionary and a little grammar book, but it was about time for some formal lessons I figured. Baños sounded like a pleasant, quiet town to do that and I liked the idea of being surrounded by more mountainous scenery and having the opportunity to bathe in the thermal baths that Baños is famous for.
Last week became “Self...
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El Dia De Los Muertos y Las Fiestas de la Virgen
Baños was pretty crazy between October 30th - November 2nd as the national celebrations of El Dia De Los Muertos were underway along with the traditional local celebrations of Las Fiestas de la Virgen that occur each October in Baños. Every day the different barrios have their turn to parade La Virgen De La Santa Agua around the street, play music and set off deafeningly loud firecrackers that...
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The Quilotoa Loop
In between scrambling up mountains in Cotopaxi and relaxing in thermal baths in Banos, I took a few days to travel what is known as the Quilotoa Loop in the central Ecuadorian Andes.
The ‘Loop’ is basically a long, dusty, windy road that connects several small Andean villages with the main town of Latacunga. The villages offer a view of remote, indigenous Ecuador and some...
