the final bits

i landed in quito and opted to take the shuttle bus part way into town and then a taxi the rest of the way as i had nothing planned for the rest of the afternoon, it was raining and i didn't have much actual cash left...  i arrived at the bus station and a taxi driver wanted $10 USD for the trip, i offered $6 USD which is the going rate and before he even had a chance to respond, someone else said "let's go" and we were off :) 

i'm staying in a different part of quito this time around and it's much more lively in the evening (there's at least 3 night clubs on every street for about 5 blocks). my hostel is very cute and quiet too. i can't say i did much after i arrived except eat and then go to bed early; cruising is exhausting :) 

on my last day, i was approached by these lovely ecuadorians who were studying english.  they needed to ask a "gringo" some questions for school so we ended up practicing and then videoing me having conversations with each of them individually. it was adorable and something you only get to experience when you're traveling on your own (in my experience :) 

i caught my flight to panama and then onto santiago, spent the night at the airport in santiago and then flew from there to melbourne. hubby was out when i got home but the fur ball was over the moon ecstatic to see me!  he was attached to me for the next couple of days! 

side story - i accidentally left my kobo in the pocket on the flight to panama on my way to ecuador. by the time i realised, it was too late to get it before my next flight but i was advised it had been found and would be available when i returned.  i was angry with myself and worried it wouldn't really be there when i came back. as soon as i got off the plane, i asked at the counter in spanish and the woman at the desk advised it wasn't there. not to be deterred, i thought i'd try another counter and this person spoke english. she called and advised it wasn't there either but when i told her i'd been told it was, she tried again. it turns out the airline had coded it as an agenda and not an e-reader or tablet which is why the first person said it wasn't there. the attendant organised for lost and found to deliver it to my gate and she said that if they were late, she would put it on the next flight to santiago so i could collect it before i left the next morning. it arrived before i got on the flight - i was so pleased to have my kobo back that i nearly hugged the lady from lost and found! :)  i've sent a note to copa airlines to recognise the people who helped me out!        

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The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 3)

after our visit, we headed to devil's crown to snorkel - this was definitely my favourite snorkeling spot!  we saw the usual suspects (turtles, sharks, etc..) and i had a sea lion swim right next to me for a couple of meters which was awesome but for me, the clincher was the quantity and range of fish and coral!  the crown is made from a volcano which eroded over a multitude of years, leaving a circle of rocks and coral which make a great home for fish and other sea creatures. it was shallow in some spots and deep in others with a little cave to see the fish through, adding to the interest and the variety of fish to view.  truly, it was an amazing snorkeling spot! 

after snorkeling, we heading to cormorant point on floreana as well to see the flamingo lagoon. on our way over in the dinghy, we found some flamingos bobbing in the open water which is very unusual! we landed on the island and right away, we got to see some blue-footed boobies which i'd really wanted to see!  in fact, because it was spring, we also got to see some juveniles who haven't yet gotten their blue feet or blue beak which was also awesome to see.  we continued wandering around the island and saw some nazcar boobies nesting with their eggs which was awesome - i was within 2-3m of these birds and they were completely unfazed! 

we motored to isla santa cruz and anchored at puerto ayora which is where we'll spend the night.  we have shore leave this evening and it's amazing how excited we all are to leave the boat - it made me appreciate how hard life must be for the crew as they do 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off! 

our last day in the galapagos involved heading to the galapagos tortoise conservation area to learn about the tortoises and see them in captivity.  the conservation team is breeding them in captivity and then they'll be released into the wild when they're old enough to survive on their own. there were so many tortoises and the ones from the different islands have adapted to their own habitats as postulated by darwin so many years ago. 

after the centre, we caught a taxi to the ferry and then waited for an airport shuttle in the heat with everyone else before i finally boarded my plane to quito. the whole experience was a bit jarring after having spent a couple of days on a small ship, surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery.     

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The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 2)

today we're visiting isla espanola at two different locations plus we're going snorkeling. each day has a similar structure while we were on the cruise - it was such a relaxing time away :) 

on espanola, we got to see some albatross, both some fluffy juveniles and some adults too!  we were just in time to see them as the families would shortly be heading off as the babies were nearly old enough to fly long distances.  we watched the little ones waddling around and got to see a couple of adults perform the albatross mating dance which was a fabulous experience.  we also saw some nazcar boobies, more sea lions and marine iguanas :) 

we snorkeled directly off espanola and got to see a number of sea turtles, sharks and a handful of manta rays. the most exciting things to see were the starfish - so many different shapes, sizes and colours on this excursion.  i'm wishing i'd brought or bought an underwater camera to capture as the water's so clear!

many of us took seasickness pills tonight so we were in better shape than the night before!  i went to the upper deck and stargazed with a couple of other guests and some of the crew before heading to bed early.  lucky for all of us, the ocean wasn't as rough as last night :)

the next morning, we visited isla floreana which doesn't have anywhere near the amount of wildlife as the other islands as it was previously inhabited by humans.  we stopped here to see post office bay which has been used since early in the 1800s as a postal location.  whalers, explorers and pirates would leave or collect post when they visited the island (they would also poach live tortoises to eat aboard their ships which explains why there are only a few left).  we looked through all the mail as you're supposed to collect anything near you and hand deliver it.  amazingly, there wasn't anything for melbourne or regional victoria so i didn't bring anything back...       

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The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 1)

i started this morning with a business class flight to the galapagos (as i'd had to change my flights last minute when my original cruise got cancelled) which i can assure you, is not a bad way to start the day :) 

i met our guide and a couple of fellow passengers at the airport and we made our way to the dock area and then onto the yacht, The Darwin. the rest of the passengers are on a later flight. i have a small cabin on the main level of the ship which i'm sharing with a german woman named ellen who speaks limited english.

our first hike was that afternoon on isla mosquera which is a tiny island near isla baltra. we landed on the island and everyone was a bit awestruck at the number of sea lions, their proximity and their lack of fear/interest in us. we wandered on the trek and saw more sea lions, some yellow iguanas which are endemic and a couple of yellow finches. i took so many pictures today - i can just imagine how many i'll have after this 5 day cruise is finished :)

we motored a bit in the night which meant i didn't sleep fabulously but it's hard not to be happy when the views are as awesome as they are :)  today we had two walks at different locations on isla sante fe. highlights include heaps more sea lions, some new bird types and black land iguanas.  in between our hikes, we went snorkeling. the ocean is pretty chilly but the underwater is well worth it!  we saw a couple of sharks, a sea turtle, a couple of manta rays and a variety of fish.  our snorkeling guide is an ex-fisherman who now works in tourism so unsurprising, he knows there to find all the fish :) 

tonight we motored in more open water and i started to feel a bit seasick (and i innocently didn't bring any seasickness tablets). about 20 minutes into the trip, i was outside, feeding the fish my dinner!  the majority of the passengers were sick at some point in the night as it was a bit rough.  i didn't trust myself to go to bed and so i spend some time sitting outside at the stern of the ship, trying to calm my stomach.  i was joined by one of the crew who chatted with me until about 1am when we both decided it was time for bed. the funniest part of our conversation was about "brunch" - he was quite perplexed by the concept and i spent a lot of time trying to explain it to him.  it was quite cute :)  

    

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Quayquil... i'm not sure if i liked it or not :)

i arrived at the bus terminal in quayquil and decided to get to my hotel using public transport as it didn't seem too far away. i found the local bus station with the help of a bystander but before being able to take the bus, i had to get a local bus card (including image). this accomplished, i waited in a massive queue to get on the next bus with all my stuff! i secured a seat (by a bit of magic) and was on my way!  all was going fabulously until it was time to get off - the bus was jam packed and it was near impossible to get to the door with everything but i managed just in time :) 

i spent most of my time in quayquil near the water, trying to avoid some of the intense heat that radiated intensely here. i wandered the fairly newly developed malecon - a waterfront boardwalk area with a children's play area and shopping, visited las penas - a historic neighbourhood with a lighthouse and pirate museum and visited a museum detailing the settlement of quayquil.  

it was a reasonable day, particularly considering the only reason i'm here is because it's where i'm flying to the galapagos from...

ciao,

sarah     

 

   

baños, not baño (toilet) in spanish :)

the bus trip from quito to baños was uneventful except for the revolving vendors on the bus...  within the first hour, there was someone selling kids clothes, electronic goods and selfie sticks and a myriad of food vendors!

baños is a cute town nestled between a number of mountains/volcanoes, making it quite picturesque as well as popular spot with tourists because of the range of activities available. i opted to go whitewater rafting down the rio negro which was awesome fun! the river was quite big & pushy with class III and IV rapids - it made me regret not having been whitewater kayaking in ~10 years as i think i would've really enjoyed running that river!  after rafting, i figured i'd pamper myself with a full body massage and facial - absolutely wonderful! 

the next day i had a very quick visit to la selva, a jungle near baños. we learned a bit about local indigenous customs and food, got our faces painted and then headed to lunch via canoe. after lunch, we headed to the national park for a hike with a naturalist guide to a waterfall for a swim. 

my final day in baños, i rented a bike and rode along "ruta de cascades", stopping every kilometer or so to see a different waterfall. the grand finale was about 16kms from baños and is called "pailon de diable" or the devil's cauldron. it was a breathtaking waterfall with tons of water flowing through it! i lazily took a mini bus back to town as my butt was sore (the bike wasn't super comfy). 

i decided to pop into the bus station before dinner to get an idea of the bus frequency for the morning and it was lucky i did. there were only 2 buses a day to quayaquil - 6am or 1:30pm. considering it's a 7 hour ride, my preference is definitely to take the earlier bus! 

hasta luego!

sarah          

   

time to explore ecuador... :)

i'm heading to ecuador today and humourously, i'm flying from santiago de chile, up to panama city and then back down to quito, ecuador. i booked this crazy flight plan as a direct flight (only ~4 hours) was triple the price!!  since i was arriving around 9pm into an unknown city, i asked the hostel to organise a taxi to collect me. there's something a little bit fancy about seeing your name on a sign when you arrive somewhere :)

it was close to an hour from the airport to the hostel in the old town. i checked in, found my pjs and fell into bed as it was effectively midnight based on my body clock and flying always seem to tire me out which is funny considering you do absolutely nothing :)

the following morning, i did a walking tour around the old town, checking out some basilicas, markets and government buildings. it was a nice introduction to quito and i'd planned on passing the afternoon revisiting some of the buildings except before i did that, i wanted to explore the fabric shops! (i'd saw about 10 of them on my way to the start of the walk and i was keen to find some fabric to make a dress or skirt.) by the time i'd found my fabric and a bookstore with english books, i was worn out and not overly keen to explore the rest of quito.

the next two days were spent exploring areas outside of quito. the first day, i headed to an active volcano called cotapaxi for a hike up to the refuge (it shouldn't have been hard hike but the altitude made it a bit more challenging!) and then passed the refuge, to the glacier. i got a couple of good shots but the weather wasn't fantastic on the way up and it started to hail/snow/rain in the way down, reducing the visibility substantially!  we were supposed to mountain bike down the side of the volcano but there were limited volunteers for the activity given the weather!

the following day, i headed off to quilotoa which is a volcano-crater with a beautiful green lake in the middle of it. quilotoa is about a 2hrs drive passed about 10 volcanoes and mountains with breathtaking views before you arrive at your destination.  en route we stopped at a local market where they sold everything from livestock (including guinea pigs) to bed frames and everything in between :)  it was a pretty location and the hike out of the crater was definitely challenging, particularly in the altitude!       

i'm heading to banos tomorrow!

ciao,

sarah

p.s.  husband had a giggle when i told him i was going to banos as the word "bano" in spanish means "toilet" :)  i'm sure the city i'm visiting will be nicer than a toilet!          

San Pedro de Atacama - into the desert!

We started our trip to San Pedro in Valparaiso, taking 2 buses, a plane and a mini bus before we arrived at our hostel. It's a bit out of town due to budget constraints but otherwise seemed okay until we got into bed and discovered they were silk sheets in the middle of the dessert which meant tons of electric shocks!!

We've booked 5 tours so we'll see much of the surrounding area. Our first full day trip included a stop at a lake to see some pink flamingos before we headed off to Piedras Rojas to see some red rocks juxtaposition against a pretty green lake and then finally to a couple of other pretty lakes and scenery before stopping for lunch at 3pm. It was a lovely day however we both felt rushed from place to place which was particularly annoying considering the agency had been over an hour late collecting us! 

The following day we headed to see El Tatio geyser which is the second largest geyser in the world. We had an early start (5am) and hubby took tons of pictures from the bus on the way up of the sunrise over the mountains and volcanoes while I tried to snooze. The geysers weren't what I remembered them to be from years ago - I'm not sure if they've changed or my recollection of them is false :)  We subsequently visited Valle del la Luna (Moon Valley) and the national park nearby which was absolutely outstanding! Gorgeous sand dunes and vistas and then the Valle looked fabulous at dusk. Impressively, we also got to see the full moon rising over a nearby volcano, so clear in the night sky, which kind of made up for the lack of star gazing we were able to do due to the full moon.

The day after, we headed to Valle del Arco-iris (Rainbow Valley) which was formed by a collapsed volcano years ago. The valley has a variety of different rocks and minerals as a result of the volcano erupting and then collapsing into itself which is where its namesake is from. It was really nice, particularly as we were pretty much the only tour group in the valley. Our final tour was a swim in a nearby salt lake however we had laundry that needed doing and the entrance fee was $17 each for a swim which seemed a bit rich, even for Aussie standards so we passed, deciding to have a nice dinner and some cocktails instead :)     

Our last half day was spent relaxing, packing and shopping for some souvenirs as we hadn't really found any so far along the journey. We were late coming back as Shannon hadn't finished packing when the bus pulled up so I tried to stall the driver for a bit! 

We arrived at our hotel in Santiago around 9pm and we'd both had in mind a nice dinner and maybe some dancing to celebrate our last night however most restaurants were closed and we were both exhausted from the crappy sleep we'd be having in San Pedro so we decided to enjoy our fabulous hotel room - the best one during the entire trip!   

We're parting ways tomorrow - Shannon's heading back to Melbourne and I'm going to Ecuador for the next part of my adventure! 

Until next time,

Sarah

P.S. I have an airline named after me - LAW - Latin American Wings!  Too bad we've booked all our flights already as otherwise I would've wanted to give it a try :) 

Valparaiso - the city of hills

We checked into our hotel at 9am the following morning and we were both a bit shocked at the quality and size (or lack thereof) of the room in comparison to the beautiful place we'd be staying in Pucon. That said, the owner was lovely and made up for it! 

Bags stowed, we went off in search of a second breakfast and then the walking tour which started at 10am. We had a great tour guide who took us around to some of the sights and talked a bit about the history.  Tour finished, we somehow stumbled into a bus show/competition - imagine buses parked everywhere, bus paraphernalia like horns and mud flaps for sales, tours on the buses and EVERYONE showing off their bus' horn! It was quite a sight & sound :)  We stopped at a cafe that made over 80 different types of empanadas to order before exploring the city streets, graffiti and murals around Cerro Conception and Cerro Alegre. It was a lovely day, the only downside of Valparaiso is that they're repairing most of the ascensors so we were only able to ride one of them.... 

We also visited neighbouring towns of Vina del Mar for a lovely walk along the beach and ocean-front as well as some delicious food and great people watching. The following day, we visited Concon as they have some impressive sand dunes which Shannon was keen to try and slide down. Unfortunately, there was no one to rent us toboggans but we hiked up and tried to slide down on a cardboard box which we found - it didn't work at all!! 

After dinner, we had a stroll through town and checked out the decorations and costumes and it's Halloween and the streets were fairly alive with kids trick-or-treating! 

Ciao,

Sarah

P.S.  Shannon found a PS3 on the street in Vina del Mar and has been in contact with the owner.  They live in Santiago so we'll return it to them when we're next in town.    

          

The Lake District

After crossing the border, we had to spend a bit of time heading back south to the airport - we'd looked into flights to Puerto Montt from El Calafate but they were pricey and slow as they went to Buenos Aires or Santiago with bad connections before heading where we wanted to go so we opted for the much cheaper option - the bus! 

We arrived in Puerto Varas to clouds, drizzle and cold!  We'd planned to go zip-lining however it wasn't conducive with the weather so we explored a nearby town. The whole area was colonised by the Germans so there's a lot of German architecture, street names and beer around the place which is kinda funny. 

We then headed up to Pucon, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of Chile for some adrenaline filled activities. Shannon was still keen to do some zip-lining however we struggled to find a tour operator who was running any trips while we were there :( Instead we ended up at some hot springs (17 thermal pools with temperatures ranging from 35 to 45 degrees Celsius). It was a lovely way to pass the afternoon/evening, particularly as there was some fabulous people watching :) 

The following day, we took a bus to Parque Nacional Huerqueque for a 16km hike to see some beautiful lakes & cascades. It was a gorgeous hike though no one mentioned that we'd be climbing above the snowline into very muddy and rather mucky terrain. We got some great pics and giggled on the way down at some of the footwear people had on for the hike - they were also unaware of the conditions :) 

It poured on our last day in Pucon so we spent the day hanging out at the hostel, enjoying the unlimited wifi and warm fire before we caught our night but to Valparaiso. We'd bought "living room" seats for the journey - they were huge seats which pretty much reclined fully, blankets, pillows and breakfast in the morning. It was pretty fancy and I think I even slept a bit! 

Take care!

Sarah

We're in Argentina for Perito Moreno!

While we're supposed to be exploring Chile however neither of us could miss out on the opportunity to head over to El Calafate, Argentina to see Parque Nacional Perito Moreno - the most accessible glacier in Patagonia and I can assure you, it didn't disappoint! 

Perito Moreno is the third largest glacier in the world and is about the same size as Buenos Aires city. Impressively, the facade is approximately 70m in the centre - the height of a typical apartment or office building. We had 2 hours to explore the different balconies and vistas that have been constructed for viewing purposes however we generally stayed in one area as we were both waiting for a big section of ice to fall into the water (which it didn't :(. We then rushed to the end of the walkway for 1:30pm so we could head off on the second part of our adventure - walking on this mammoth glacier. 

We took a catamaran to the other side of the lake, donned crampons and headed off onto the glacier. It was gorgeous, particularly as we got some afternoon light however I don't believe the photos are going to be as remarkable as the ones from Franz Joseph in NZ. Fingers crossed I'm wrong!  I know I got a couple of impressive ones on the phone based on the reactions from Facebook :)

Crossing back into Chile was a bit of an event.  I'd thrown out some forms they gave us when we landed (which we were supposed to keep).  The immigration person who proceeded me arriving back into Chile gave me a stern talking to about the importance of not losing the document this time!  Oops :)

Hope you're well!

Sarah  

Torres del Paine National Park

We travelled from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales by bus and collected our rental car as soon as we'd arrived so we could get on the road to Parque Torres del Paine as it's a bit of a distance from Puerto Natales. There were spectacular views and vistas along the drive and we stopped here and there along the way for photos. 

It was a dirt road for about a third of the drive with some pretty major potholes along the way. We arrived at Lago Grey hotel where they run the ferry out to the glacier how the last boat had already left for the day. Luckily we stopped here for a quick pit stop as it turns out, we'd punctured the back left tire and damaged the rim of the front right. Shannon put on the spare and while he went to the loo to clean up,  some men asked about the tires as I was checking them all. It turns out the hotel had its own garage and so we were suddenly getting their on site mechanic to patch the original tire and change it back again - all for $10 AUD - such great service!!  We walked around Lago Grey, saw Grey Glacier from a distance before starting to head back to town for the night. 

The following morning we were on the road after getting the wheel wells cleaned by the rental agency (the car was fabulous as it gave us freedom to go as we pleased but it did come at a bit of a price :) We stopped at the park office and I was approached by a Spanish woman, asking if they could ride with us for the day - Shannon & I can officially say we've picked up hitch-hikers though it definitely wasn't your standard way of getting some! 

We stopped multiple times along the way to admire the vistas and take pictures before we arrived at Salto Grande where there's a gorgeous waterfall and views of the towers before starting the hike to Cuernos lookout, at the foot of Torres del Paine. It was an amazing hike and we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the towers with pretty clouds at the end - I hope the pics look as good as it did in real life!  After a quick lunch, we hiked up to a condor lookout however unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the condors. No matter, we'd seen many already on our travels at a reasonable distance.

We then rushed back to Puerto Natales to ensure we returned the car in time, followed by food and then getting organised for our early morning bus to El Calafate. 

Happy travels!

Sarah 

We're going to Chile!! :)

Our flight to Santiago was as expected, long and uneventful however niggling in the back of my mind the entire flight was the fact that we'd realised the night before we left that Shannon's passport had less than 6 months left on it which means they might not let him in the country...  Happily, we passed through immigration without a hiccup and took the bus and train into the city centre. 

We found our hotel and settled in, a bit jetlagged but happy with how central the location was and how good the internet was :)  We had a crappy dinner and then wandered through the streets and nearby parks which were alive with people and  their pets.  The following day, we took the train to Sky Costanera for some views of the city and surrounding hillsides.  It was a bit overcast but relaxing all the same.  We returned to the hotel and did the thing we should have done before we left - we planned the trip!

We leave tomorrow for Punta Arenas and Patagonia in the morning.

Take care,
Sarah   

new zealand, north island

we brought in the new year on a plane to new zealand's north island.  shannon and i had planned an action-packed trip for the kids and us.  we landed in auckland, collected the car and we were off, despite the jetlag and lack of sleep, on our adventures :) 

first stop was cathedral cove which was a gorgeous, picturesque spot for a swim and a picnic, followed by hot water beach where you could dig to get to warmer water under the sand. we spent the night in coromandel and were all sound asleep before 8pm!  the next day, we headed down to matamata to see hobbiton, the exterior set for the lord of the rings movies. this was isaac's highlight for the entire trip and was pretty cool to see. 

we headed over to rotorua where we visited the geothermal park, went jet boating and visited some waterfalls before heading onwards to taupo to see the worm caves, play in some snow at the top of mt tongariro and get some much needed laundry done before heading to the northern end of the island. we stopped off at goat island and took the kids snorkeling for the first time which they both enjoyed and then we headed up to bay of islands for kayaking and waterfall seeking adventures. finally, we headed to auckland to see the museum and watch hannah do her first bungee jump off the auckland harbour bridge - she was a pro!

since returning from nz, i've been super busy putting the finishing touches on a new rewards credit card product i've been developing for the last 12+ months. for me, it's been a pretty exciting moment in my career and it's great to see it live in the public domain. 

i hope everyone's enjoyed the first month in 2017!

hugs,

s  

p.s.  i finished sewing my first dress before we headed off to nz and i've worn it a couple of times and have gotten compliments on it every time. it's not 100% perfect but i think it turned out pretty well for my first go and the compliments are inspiring me to make more which is good as i've gone a small fabric/pattern buying spree! :)  

Coromandel Cove

The family

Geothermal park

Jet-boating goodness!!

Rolling down the snow - Such fun!

Snorkeling