Lonesome George

George strides with his 70 year old gait through his harem of females, some of whom he´d had his way with just this very morning. We know this because the act had been carefully logged by The Watcher. Georges´s craggy face and mournful eyes seem to convey the immense responsibility that goes with being the [...]

A Rough Guide to Pirahna Fishing

No expensive specialised equipment, nor fancy lures are required for Pirahna fishing. Patience isn´t required either, so no long hours sitting under the shade of a tree waiting for a bite.
The fishing pole I am given is a short length of bamboo with a fishing line tied on one end. A hook and small lead [...]

Pantanal Story

Some of our photos (well mainly Vicki´s) have been used in a story on the website Now Public, here´s the link:
http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/hearty-taste-cowboy-life-brazil

Delayed In Quito

Our flight to Costa Rica was delayed and then cancelled yesterday. After a long afternoon at the TACA office we rescheduled for today. After getting to the airport at 4am this morning we discovered our flight is delayed by 4 hours. Oh well the frustrations of travel.
I have been using the time unconstructively by web [...]

Yungay Express

The 4pm Yungay Express finally arrives at 5:30pm. Vicki and I have been waiting for a bus since 11 am. Neither the promised 1pm nor the 2pm bus appeared. The bus stop town of Vaqueria consists of a short dusty road and small huddle of buildings on the top of a hill, next to a [...]

Santa Cruz: Punta Union

 
 
The first day is a slow and gentle ascent – tiring due mainly to the altitude and weight on our backs. A constant irritation are the squadrons of biting flies – unlike the warning drone of mosquitoes, these tiny assassins are deadly silent and by the time you feel the bite it is already too [...]

Santa Cuz Trek : The Challenge

The very popular Santa Cruz trail, in the Huascarin National Park (Northern Peru), runs from the small town of Cashapampa (2900 metres), in the west, to the bus stop outpost of Vaqueria (3700 metres), in the east, climbing over the spectacular Punta Union pass at 4700 metres. Most trekkers sign up with one of the [...]

DON´T PANIC!!!

I have left out blogging most of Brazil, but don´t panic. Most of the posts are in draft form awiting some pics. I will post these out of sequence as soon as.
Meanwhile – hot off the press and fresh back from the mountains is the Santa Cruz Trek, in bit sized episodic form – below…

Santa Cruz Trek : Collectivo

The 15 seater minibus already has 17 people crammed in when we arrive. Our trekking lightened backpacks, all non essential camping equipment removed and stowed at the hostel, are secured on the roofracks and Vicki is directed to the backseat, next to an elderly campesino and his wife. I take the only other available seating [...]