Lima and the Nazca Lines

We have spent two days in Lima and took an early bus this morning to Nazca (6.5 hours further south).

After spending our first day touring the historic centre of Lima on our first day, we finished our day with an unusual dinner at L'Eau Vive, a restaurant run in a convent by a French order of nuns! At 9pm they stopped serving, turned on the record player and serenaded us all with a hymn, Ave Maria. It was the best meal we have had in a long time!

Our second day in Lima could not have been more contrasting to the first. We took a taxi 7km to the coastal suburb of Lima called Miraflores. It was Europe away from home. The area was very developed and wealthy, the streets lined with restaurants, first rate supermarkets, apartment blocks and shops. On the coast itself was a very Western looking shopping centre and food court overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After our basic travel it was really refreshing but it was a far cry from the real South America we have seen.... we could have been anywhere.

Early this morning we took a bus (5 star Cruz Del Sur again!) to Nazca to see the world famous lines. The 469km journey took us through huge expanses of desert, with the enormous sand dunes and rocky sand covered mountains. Dotted along the way were small shanty towns where some of the houses were no more than tin sheds.

The moment we stepped off the bus at Nazca we were mobbed by eager beaver tour touts and after a million 'no gracias' we pushed our way through to a taxi. We made our way to the tiny airport a few kilometres outside town to book our own flight direct. Within an hour of arriving in Nazca we were sat in a little 4 seater Cessna bumping our way down the runway for our 35 minute flight. The flight afforded great views over the desert and a bird's eye view of the lines.

It was a bumpy and choppy ride, and the pilot banked steeply left and right to give a good view over the 12 main Nazca drawings which included a whale, monkey, dog, flamingo and hummingbird. The shapes themselves are huge and can only be fully appreciated from the air, provided of course you can keep your head out of the sick-bag, which Bi just about managed! We were both a bit nauseous and wobbly when we got out, but the trip was well worth it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the town and have just been to a small planetarium to hear the theories behind how and why the Nazca lines exist and how they are thought to be aligned with the stars and solstice positions of the sun. We also had a look at Saturn through a good telescope and could see the rings quite clearly.

We are now just about to catch an overnight bus to the city of Arequipa in the South West of Peru. We will arrive there very early tomorrow morning.

Vilcabamba and the Journey South to Lima, Peru

We left Cuenca and headed another 8 hours south in Ecuador by bus to Vilcabamba, where we had a much a needed break. The drive itself was spectacular as we again twisted, bumped and wound our way through the mountains, although we still always had one eye on the scenery and one eye shut because of the huge drops off the sides of the road and the hairpin bends!

On arrival at Vilcabamba, a tiny town deemed the 'Valley of Longevity', we hopped in a taxi and took a 2km ride up into the hills to our accommodation, an eco-lodge called Izhcayluma. The lodge was magnificently set overlooking the valley and had a pool, a giant chess set (peices almost as big as Bi!), a treatment room and lovely bar with pool table, table tennis and hammocks for lazing around in. We stayed in our own private cabin that was situated in tropical gardens, with views over the mountains, our own balcony (complete with hammock for Ash!) and a large walk-in rustic stone shower. It was such a tranquil place and so we took the opportunity to completely unwind and spoiled ourselves with a 1.5 hour pampering session on our first day. Ash had a back massage, facial and a reiki healing while Bianca went for the facial, hair treatment (which she's still trying to wash out !) and a reiki. All for a tenner each! We spent almost all of our time at the lodge only cycling down to the town on bikes with dodgy brakes just the once! You really just come to this place to chill out and nothing else. We spent both our evenings eating in the lodge restaurant overlooking the valley, followed by cocktails, pool and darts and general laziness! Well, actually Ash did all the drinking as Bi is still on antibiotics, which may be the reason how Bi was able to whoop his ass at darts... it was almighty embarrassing nevertheless! On one evening there was a total power cut in the valley which was a bit creepy!

On our final day in Vilcabamba we went for a horse ride around the valley. It was quite an experience and not for the faint hearted! We were picked up at our lodge and taken into town. The usual blaze attitude ensued as there was no briefing, no waiver to sign, no helmet to wear... we were simply plonked on a horse and off we went almost into an immediate canter! We were both pretty nervous as we were straight into tricky territory, climbing up steep, narrow and muddy banks with trees and barbed wire either side! We spent two hours trotting, cantering and galloping around the valley with the most spectacular scenery around us. We crossed through two fairly deep rivers which gave Ash wet feet with his long legs! Along the way we had the opportunity to see people go about their daily life in the hills, such as the women doing their washing in the drains along the sides of the road! Not something you see back home!

Well, that was the last of our fun for 36 hours. On Wednesday afternoon we left Vilcabamba and took a 90 minute bus ride to a town called Loja. There's not much in Loja, just a town and a connection point from where we needed to catch our early morning bus across the border into Peru. Our hotel turned out to be the dingiest place with no hot water and see through curtains, but it was only four pounds each and was only for one night. The following morning we took an eight hour bus journey through the last of the mountains in Ecuador and across the border into Peru. To say our bus journey was dodgy is an understatement! Whilst the driving was actually fine this time, there seemed to be some very dodgy goings-on on the bus prior to and during the border crossings. We both thought it best to lay low and keep well out of it. We crossed the border without any problems and arrived safely in the Northern Peruvian town of Piura three hours later.

The town of Piura resembled the sort of towns we saw in Egypt.. eg. very basic and very chaotic shanty towns and it didn't feel particularly safe to us especially when laden with all our bags and worldly possessions. Piura is mainly a transport hub for travellers overlanding from Ecuador into Peru so we very quickly headed straight to the Cruz Del Sur bus terminal, a highly recommended and luxurious bus company in the hope of getting two seats to Lima. 90 minutes later we started a 14 hour overnight journey 1000km south along the PanAmerican Highway to Lima, the capital of Peru. The bus was a complete breath of fresh air, it was 5 star luxury with fully reclining seats with seatbelts, air conditioning, waitress service, movies, good security and a careful driver.....it was just what we needed after our earlier journey! The scenery in Peru is so different to Ecuador.... we have gone from so much green and mountaineous terrain to being near the coast and surrounded by desert and mountains made of sand and rock. The roads, in parts were lined with shanty towns which further reminded us of being in Egypt.

This morning as we approached the city of Lima, we drove through seemingly endless shanty towns which stretched for miles from the city out into the desert. Due to its geographical positioning, Lima also experiences 8 months of fog a year, and as we came into the city the fog hung over us giving everything a rather grey and dismal look. Our accommodation for two nights is a nice B&B in a quiet, safe and peaceful area called Santa Beatriz just on the edge of the City Centre. Having been travelling for 36 hours and feeling a bit sickly from living on just a packet of cookies and some crackers (in a bid not to get ill from local food) we dived on breakfast at the hotel! After freshening up.. and boy did we need it... we spent the afternoon wandering around the city centre. The centre itself is beautiful (another UNESCO spot) and full of colonial architecture and is a stark contrast to the areas that surround it which are choked with cars and completely chaotic. We will spend two nights in Lima before we take another bus, 7 hours south to see and hopefully take a flight over the famous Nazca lines.

The past couple of weeks of overlanding independently (and often alone as we have not seen any other tourists) through Ecuador and down to Lima have been challenging at times and we would be lying if we did not admit that we had suffered from a little culture shock and a few frazzled moments along the way! We realise that we are so protected in our western way of life and have been far out of our comfort zone at times during our journeys and in some of the towns we have visited. However, our travel is not only about the sights but also seeing how other people live and the experience, both good and bad, has been a rewarding one especially as we have done it all on our own. We have learned a lot.

Having said all that, we are quite relieved to have now made it, overland, to Lima and be firmly back on the busy 'gringo' trail which we will now largely follow for the remainder of our time in South America.

A Minor Hitch!!

Well, there has been a slight delay to the plans outlined in our last post... we are still in Cuenca, having been here since last Wednesday. Bianca's apparent virus turned out to be nothing less than acute gastroenteritis and our accommodation for the last 4 days has been a Cuenca private hospital, where by chance they have several gastroenteritis specialists. It has been a very unpleasant four days but thankfully we were lucky to be near a very good hospital. Bi has almost fully recovered now, evidenced by the fact that she steadily became a little bossy boots again from yesterday evening onwards!! Today we moved back to the hotel to take it easy for a day or two before we move south, as planned, to Vilcabamba. We have absolutely no idea how Bi became so ill as we have been so so careful with everything.... guess there is only so much you can do and also, that getting sick at some point is part and parcel of this kind of travel in these sorts of countries.



Anyway, we are armed with enough antibiotics to sink a battleship and so it is onwards and upwards from here!!

Alausi, The Devil's Nose train and Cuenca

The last few days we have been on the move in a big way, having covered a lot of distance over Ecuador. One of the activities we had researched before coming to South America and both said 'we gotta do that' was to take a train through the Andes from Riobamba to Sibambe, returning to Alausi via a stretch of track called El Nariz Del Diablo, or 'The Devil's Nose'.

Having been informed that the track was closed because of landslides between Riobamba and Alausi, we decided to skip Riobamba and head straight to Alausi to take the last stretch of the train to Sibambe and back. So we boarded another bus from Baños, both praying that this bus ride would be a more pleasant and all together safer experience than the last one. Fortunately it was, and it was much needed to calm our nerves! We arrived in Alausi in the middle of the afternoon, and we had more than enough time to see the whole town. It was a tiny little place and there was really very little there from a tourist's perspective but it was fascinating to witness the remoteness and simplicity of life. The indigenous people in the town wore the most amazingly colourful dress, mixing bright pinks, greens, blues and reds. So far the men have been very friendly, but the women seem a little suspicious of us and have not always been as friendly.

We found only one restaurant in the town, a Cantonese restaurant of all things! The other options were to eat in local eateries which are very basic, and generally a big room with someone cooking out of their kitchen, which we can't risk. With little else to do we had an early night. Our hotel was pretty dingy (although apparently the best in town), and our bed was saggy which didn't make for a good night's sleep. Adding to this, and to our surprise somoe sort of town concert started at about 9pm! Fireworks were set off, and there was a loud local band playing the same music over and over until 2am... it was a long night!

Somewhat bleary eyed we got up at 6.30pm and went down to the train station. We bought our tickets and got on board the train. Due to it being the wet season, it was just one carriage and we could only cover part of the journey due to landslides. However, we had the best seats in the house sitting on top of the train with our legs dangling over the side (although this didn't last as the conductor made us switch with those inside the train for the return journey). The weather was great and meant we had the most spectacular views as we rode along steep sided cliffs and down switchbacks. It really was beautiful and so similar to the scenery you would see in the Alps. Although the experience was a bit touristy and a little shorter than we had expected, the views made up for it.

On return to Alausi we jumped on a rather dirty, smelly and packed bus south to Cuenca, 4 hours away. Although the views were spectacular, crossing the Andes by bus can be a little tiresome and slow because the roads are largely unmade and are very prone to landslides which means they are frequently blocked. The bus bounced all over the place which was quite unnerving considering the very steep drops off the side of the road and the fact that we were driving through thick cloud at times. You have to put so much faith in the driver. We were also stopped for nearly an hour as a landslide had completely blocked the road in front of us, and we had to wait for it to be cleared. In total our journey of 169km took over 5 hours!

We got to Cuenca and headed to our accommodation, a lovely B&B in the Historic Centre of town. It's blissful and desperately needed after slumming it a little for the last few days, however it is a lot more expensive here! Armed with our Footprints Guide we found a great little place to eat and bumped into some Aussies we had taken the bus journey with. It was happy hour, so we downed Caipirinihas and Pisco Sours (Peruvian Brandy, Egg White and Lime) for 75p a pop! Today we have walked around the old historic centre, which like Quito is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic centre is beautiful with old colonial architecture which makes it feels quite European. Bi has caught a bit of a virus so has been resting and lapping up the fact we have cable tv in our room, a real luxury for us! Ash has been planning our route across the border over the next few weeks as we prepare to overland thousands of klometres through Peru.

Tomorrow we will take a bus 5.5 hours south to the small mountain spa town of Vilcabamba, in the South East of Ecuador. It is the last main stop on our trail before crossing into Peru. The town is famous for it's holistic lifestyle, clean water, and fresh air which is claimed leads to longevity due to the numer of residents who are over 100 years old! We are booked into an 'Eco-Lodge' set in the hills 2km outside the town, where we have a room with a balcony and hammock overlooking the mountains, and we can get plenty of massages, organic foods, reiki healings etc. We can't wait!

Baños

We left Latacunga on Sunday morning and continued to head south by two hours to the Spa town of Banos. The bus journey was not a pleasant one and we arrived in Banos with a sigh of relief but a bit shaken up. The driver of our bus was a maniac, made more daunting by the fact that there is no such thing as seatbelts here!! He drove the bus so fast, speeding up for the corners, constantly weaving in and out onto the wrong side of the road and overtaking cars and other buses on blind corners on the narrow mountain road. Most of the bus drivers here are a little crazy and a little fast but this one took the cake for prize maniac. We were not at all happy and Bi was close to tears for most of the journey having had no choice but to sit in the front seat of the bus. We have a massive overland journey ahead of us over the next week as we travel to Lima in Peru so if we ever get that again we are getting straight off the bus and use other means fo transport. It´s not worth the risk. Even the locals on the bus were getting concerned and one person was even sick... it must be bad when the locals start to complain because nothing ever seems to bother them.

Baños is a spa town which is at 1,800m and in a sub-tropical climate. There are mountains all around the town so it's in a beautiful setting. It lives in the shadow of Tungurahua (8km from the crater in fact), a very active volcano that last errupted only 2 years ago and which still blows hot ash and rock into the sky. It is very touristy here, a real hub for outdoor activities and for relaxing in the hot geothermal pools and there are decent restaurants and cafes everywhere... phew! After our awful bus journey we treated ourselves to a nice lunch (skipping the barbequed Guinea Pig!) followed by a Hot Stone Massage which was an hour of absolute bliss. Ash could hardly function afterwards he was so chilled out! Our hostel is nice and has a lovely roof terrace with views over Banos and the waterfall that is the symbol of the town. We scored well with our room as it has a balcony with the same lovely views so its been a nice place to relax for a few days.

Last night we we went 'Volcano Watching' to try and spot the smoking Tungurahua. We boarded a disco bus with music and flashing lights and sat on the roof as is wound its way up to the statue of the virgin which provides views over Banos and in clear weather, the smoking volcano. Unfortunately we had too much cloud but the view over the town was nice.

This morning, before breakfast, we had another pamper session. We went for a treatment in the steam baths at our hostel which are supposed to completely detox your body without losing any nutrients. We were each put into a wooden box, with our heads sticking out of the top, and hot steam was pumped in over some fragrant leaves/herbs. After 10 minutes we were doused with cold water and then the whole process was repeated four times before we were put into an icy bath to massage our bowel area.. nice!!!...The process was finished off with a hose down by a cold jet wash. It was a great and funny experience and we felt lovely and clean afterwards.

We spent most of the day today on board an open sided bus touring many of the waterfalls located in and around Baños. The scenery was spectacular, especially from the roof of the bus.

We are now ready to continue our journey south and tomorrow we take a bus to Alausi, via Riobamba, where we will take the famous Devil's Nose train journey, sitting on the roof.

The Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador

We left Quito on Thursday and jumped on a bus and headed south two hours to the small town of Latacunga, nestled neatly in the Andes. From here we decided to travel the Quilotoa loop, a 200km circuit that cuts through the Andes, past small indigenous villages and some of the most spectacular scenery Ecuador has to offer. Transportation on the loop is difficult due to its remoteness and requires a combination of buses that may or may not show, hitching and a lot of patience. After some debate we decided to take the trip with a local guide in a 4 wheel drive and avoid the hassle.

We set off early on Friday morning stopping at a small town called Pujilli before heading up and into the mountains along a narrow windy road. The sun was out and the scenery was breathtaking. Everywhere was so green. It looked a little like Snowdonia, only on a much grander scale. We could not believe this was Ecuador, it was not what we had expected at all. The mountains were all 4000m+ peaks, with farmland and fields steeply perched all over them which reminded us of a patchwork quilt. Dotted everywhere were tiny little huts with straw roofs in which the indigenous Quechan people live. They are incredibly small and basic but in the most amazing locations. We could not believe that whole families live in these tiny little dwellings.

We stopped frequently to take in the views (and some photos!) and on one occasion a whole family, a mother and her four small children came wandering over to our vehicle. They were in their traditional dress and looked quintessentially South American! It was like a picture from a guide book. After several hours we arrived at our destination for the day, the small village of Quilotoa. Quilotoa is next to one of Ecuador's most spectacular spots, the Quilotoa Crater, a huge dormant volcanic crater filled with an emerald lake. We checked into our acommodation, the Quilotoa Cabañas.... uummmh.. not as exotic as it sounds. Accommodation in Quilotoa is basic.. very basic. We had a rather damp room in a stone building with a stone floor. It contained a bed layered with 4 blankets and a small wood burning stove. We had a bathroom but there was no hot water and no toilet paper!

We spent the afternoon hiking around the rim of the crater (located at the top end of the village) which was tough at an altitude of over 4000 metres. About half way around the cloud came in and we decided to head back to the town to beat the rain... not so lucky...we arrive back at our accommodation and our freezing cold room absolutely soaking wet about 2 hours later!! In the village, there was a celebration going on and everyone seemed impervious to the rain and cold, dancing and drinking away to the same song over and over and over! Being the wimps that we are, we needed to get warm so we grabbed what wood we could and with the help of some boys at the hostel we got the little wood fire going in the bedroom. There we sat, huddled by the fire until dinner was served for us by the local family that own the hostel at 7.30pm. Unfortunately, that was to be the last of our fire and warmth... rain was running down our chimney and the rest of our wood got wet so it was a rather cold and sleepless night!

We woke early the following morning to find that our guides vehicle battery was flat so Ash spent the morning helping some locals push the 4*4 up and down the hilly road to try and jump start it... no luck! So we hitched a ride with the hostel owners into Zumbahua, the next town, to visit the local Saturday market. There were people and animals everywhere and in one area, sheep were being slaughtered and butchered to order... you can imagine Bi's disgust ha ha! After an hour wandering, we hitched a ride back to Quilotoa in the back of a local's Utility Truck. The locals approach you all the time to ask if you want ride so they can earn a few dollars. It was quite an experience, piling into the back of the utility truck with other locals, holding on for dear life and riding in the open air along a very bumpy dirt road!

Back at Quilotoa we met up with a local guide who led us along the next part of the loop... a 17km hike to Chugchilan. The weather was good which made for a spectacular views as we walked over hills and through villages. We even had to do a little climbing through a canyon, which was blocked with water. We were very glad to have a guide as the trail would have been quite difficult to follow on our own! After 4 hours we made it to Chugchilan and it was just in the nick of time. The weather changes so quickly in the mountains and the heavens suddenly opened. We made a quick dash into the Cloud Forest Hostel, our destination and were provided with a hearty lunch. Our poor guide had to make the 4 hour journey back to Quilotoa in a heavy thunderstorm so we tipped him well.

We were pleased to see that while on the walk, our guide had managed to get a new battery for his 4*4. We began the very wet and bumpy journey along the last part of the loop and back to Latacunga through the storm. The roads along the loop are completely unmade and full of pot holes and stones so we had to travel quite slowly. The mountainous roads here are also prone to landslides and there were many areas where we had to drive around debris which had slid down onto the road in the rain. We suddenly felt a little vulnerable. After about 3 hours of bumping our way along the windy road, some locals waved down our vehicle and shouted 'NO PASE!' A landslide had totally blocked the road ahead which if unpassable meant that we could not get back to Latacunga.

With fingers, legs and about everything else crossed we continued along the road in hope that we could pass the landslide in the 4*4. It was full of suspense!! After about 45 minutes we came to the landslide and it had indeed totally wiped out the road. However, a tractor and a small army of locals were there digging and pulling vehicles across the mud and debris. It was quite a sight! When it came to our turn, Guillermo, our guide, put the locks on the wheels and put his foot down so we could get over. We were the only ones to make it without help from the tractor, and we cheered our way across woohoooo! We were going to make it home for the night. We felt sorry for all of the buses and trucks that looked to be stuck on the road for the night, unable to pass the landslide and unable to turn around on the narrow road.

After another hour or so, and a brief stop in the small town of Sigchos for a drink, we continued our way back through light snow and finished the loop with great views of Cotopaxi volcano. We made it safely to our hostel in Latacunga at about 7pm, grabbed dinner and then fell exhausted into bed!

The Galapagos Islands

We have just returned from the most unbelievable experience in the Galapagos Islands and one that definitely rivalled our experience in Antarctica. It genuinely surpassed all of our expectations, and the guidebook is not wrong when it describes the islands as the 'Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth'. How sad it was to leave such a spectacular and special wilderness.

We arrived over a week ago on Baltra Island and after a connecting ferry and bus journey we arrived at the small port town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. From this point we boarded our small boat (fit for 16 people), the GAP III, which was to be our home for the next 8 days. We met our superb guide Luis, were introduced to the crew, welcomed with cocktails and set sail! We were again fortunate to have a really nice group, from many different countries and all different ages.


We usually followed the same itinerary each day, travelling overnight in between the islands. The first half of our trip took us to the southern Islands of Floreana and Espanola, and in the second half we visited Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Bartolome, North Seymour and Rabida. Each day we would have a morning land excursion, followed by an hour's snorkelling, and the same in the afternoon but in a different location on the island. Galapagos really is two worlds... the underwater and the land. Neither of us had expected to see so much in both, and we were like kids at Disneyland! We were also really fortunate with the weather... perfect blue skies but also very hot and humid. Only on the day of our arrival did we have a brief but torrential downpour. From our airport bus we spotted local kids lying in the flooded drains to cool off!!! However, the rain was very quickly forgotten when before setting sail, we were taken on a trip into the highlands to see the giant tortoises in the wild.



Galapagos really is unlike anywhere else on Earth that we have been to. The abundance and diversity of wildlife is staggering, and with no natural predators for the animals (while they are on land) they are totally unafraid of humans. This meant we were able to get right up close to everything. It was like our own private wildlife show.

There is so much to tell. We have gotten up close and personal with scores of land and marine creatures. On our landings, we had the privilege of lying on beaches littered with sealions and their cubs and walking amongst land Iguanas which was amazing! We have seen blue footed boobies diving all around us like torpedos into the water to pick out fish, we have sat with nesting gulls, we have watched male frigate birds putting on an amazing courtship performance as they desperately try to attract a female and we have had countless close encounters with pelicans and watched flamingos move gracefully across the saltflats.












We have taken zodiac boat trips through tropical mangrove and crystal clear waters watching eagle rays, golden rays, galapagos sharks and turtles swim below and around us. Each and every one of the Islands we visited was so very different which is amazing considering they are all subject to the same environmental conditions. The Islands had red beaches, white beaches, black beaches, green beaches. Some were completely volcanic with little vegetation except lava cactus while others were quite green.



Both during the day and in the evenings the seas are alive. On one longer crossing a large school of dolphins followed our boat, jumping clear of the water and bow riding with us. We have seen rays regularly jump 6 feet clear of the water, somersaulting back into the water. We would harbour up for 5 minutes and there would be sharks circling around the boat! We saw a hammerhead and several galapagos and white tip reef sharks. At night the skies were so clear, and with the total lack of light and air pollution the night sky was simply electric. From the galapagos we were treated to a crystal clear view of the Milky Way, the Southern cross, the Plough and Orions Belt... not something you can see unless you are on the equator which was a treat. We would often just lie back on deck in the evenings and stare up, spotting shooting stars as well.

For us, the underwater world of Galapagos was just amazing, perhaps the highlight of our trip. It was by far the best snorkelling we have ever done and that was not just for the fact that we would be roasting after our land excursions and dying to jump into the 30 degree water! Every day would present something different to see and Ash was so glad he brought his underwater camera case (thanks for that sis!).


Our first snorkel was with a whole colony of sealions. What an introduction... they are so much fun and we were both giggling through our snorkels at how they would swim around us, tug at our flippers and generally get up to mischief. The sea around Galapagos is absolutely full of fish of all sizes and colours... you get bored of swimming through schools of fish.. that's how spoilt we were! On two occasions we swam with penguins which was fabulous. They are proper little torpedos in the water, picking out fish left, right and centre! We also swam with sea turtles and marine iguanas which was a fantastic treat. Bi was always on shark watch however, and we swam with quite a few!! We were all absolutely beside ourselves with laughter when Luis, our guide, caught a yellow puffer fish and it puffed up to the size of a basketball. It looked so stupid... like a really fat Tweety Pie!



There are two other really memorable underwater experiences that were quite contrasting. On one occasion we swam with two manta rays. The larger of the two had a wingspan of 4 metres... it looked HUGE underwater and seemed to really enjoy swimming around us. They were just so graceful, swooping and slowly moving through the water. At one point Ash was in hot pursuit (camera at the ready) and the large ray accelerated really quickly and the force of the water was enough to knock Ash backwards!

The other memorable moment was one Bi was very glad to not be involved with. She had had a bit of a dodgy tum so decided to miss the snorkel and rest up.... boy was she glad she missed it! On the snorkel Ash stuck with the guide, Luis (a good plan as he spotted everything). Three of us had swum out quite deep and had gone past the edge of the reef. Suddenly Luis put his head up and shouted 'SHARK!'. I looked in the water and saw this big dark shadow disappear into the depths. Luis then shouted 'BULL SHARK! DANGEROUS!' and I put my head back under and the shark was approaching FAST. It was huge. 3 metres long, looked just like Jaws and it had it's mouth open and teeth bared. Not only that but both Luis and I were wearing dark clothes and somewhat resembled sealions, the bull sharks favourite food! It was coming in to attack! Luis shouted 'kick it!' and we kicked out with our flippers. I then turned and have never swam to the shallows so quickly in all my life... my heart was racing! I was glad to have our guide with us and was very glad to be back in the shallows. Phew! But what an experience, and apparently a rare one at that.


On our last day we ended the trip with a visit to the Charles Darwin research centre on Santa Cruz Island. While there we were introduced to 'Lonesome George', a 95 year old Giant Tortoise. He is named so because he is the very last of the Pinta Island tortoises and the last of his kind. The centre have not been able to get him to breed despite him living with 5 female tortoises!!! We are so lucky to have experienced another real trip of a lifetime whicih will sit there alongside our truly memorable trip to Antarctica.


We are now back in Quito and making the most of a night in the 5 star tour hotel which has cable tv and room service and a bath..... wooooah.. we are sooo happy!! This is the last we will be seeing of such luxury for the rest of the trip!