Um... Still in Rio... :o)

Well, was thinking of leaving last Wednesday, then that changed to thinking of leaving Saturday, then to Monday... But well, I'm still here :) I've booked my bus ticket though & leave for Foz do Igazu tomorrow. The weathers turned to crap so it makes it easier to leave.

Why have I stayed so long you ask? Yes, 11 nights in one place is a pretty long time considering about 3 nights has been my record in the last month or so. I've met some awesome people & have just had so much fun hanging out here with Louise. Plus I've actually got a tan!!!! Very exciting! I must admit that drinking Capri-vodka's on the beach at 11.30 in the morning is something that you could very easily get used to :o)

Think I last updated Thursday... Its now Monday so that leaves the weekend to update on...

Thursday night (27/05) - Actually had a quite night in... As always memory isn't functioning too well...

Friday (28/05) - Spent most of the day at the beach. I brought a brazil soccer shirt. Think it was a kids one but it looks good. Was only R$20. It sucked though. When we were talking to the sales guy Louise had her purse stolen. You have to be so careful here & even then things still happen. I had 2 capri-vodka's with Kiwi fruit - YUM! Should have only had one but they are so good! It never ceases to amaze me how much vodka they put in them. Its pretty much full vodka with the fruit, sugar & ice - no mixer, but they taste soooo GOOD! Needless to say that I slept most of the afternoon :o)
I cant remember what we did for dinner, but Hika & Lina came over to the hostel & a group of us went to Lapa. It was amazing, so many people, I love the vibe there. It wasn't so good for the other girls though. Both Louise & Hika are quite tall, blond & very beautiful so the guys could see them coming form quite a way away & they got their hair touched & were been groped form all directions so them & Lina left after 10 minutes or so. Jen & I stuck around & went to a really good hip hop club. I spose it does have some advantages been short, I get no where much as attention :) It wasn't really a late one, we got back to the hostel about 4am. And that was after trying to explain to the taxi driver that we wanted to stop off for some food, neither Jen or I speak Portuguese so we tried in Spanish which he didn't understand, it took quite a bit of explaining but we got their eventually. At the fast food place this guy started speaking to me in broken English for like 2 minutes, which was cool, then he goes: kiss? & I'm like: Um, No. Then he said good bye & went like he was going to kiss me on the cheek but tried for the lips anyway. It was all harmless but I must admit these Brazilian boys love to kiss - its like Hello then they try to plant one on you :o) Lots of fun if their good looking...

Saturday (29/05) - Think we (Louise & I) spent the morning at the beach. Then at 2pm we got picked up at the hostel & went to a soccer game. Going to a soccer match in Brazil! How cool is that! Their wasn't a huge crowd but it was awesome. The drums were out & the vibe was so cool. I had such a good time. It cost R$45 for the transfer & ticket but I got to take my camera with me & Lewis (the guide) promised it wouldn't get stolen so I got some good photos. After the game we were pretty tired so stayed at the hostel, I cooked a awesome steak, mashed potatoes & broccoli. First time I've had broccoli in ages, it tasted sooo good!

Sunday (30/05) - Another beach day... :) The weather yesterday was sooo good, really hot. As per usual had to have a capri-vodka, Louise is a bad influence on me ;) Then we met Hika & Lina who had arranged with a taxi driver to take us to the Christ statue & sugar loaf for R$90 which is pretty good. Id all ready been to see the Christ statue but thought it'd be good to see it again. Problem was when we got up there there was so much fog we could only see the bottom of the statue, no big deal. After that we went to Sugar Loaf which is one of the mountains that looks over Rio & it has a cable car which goes to the top. The cable car cost R$30 ($15au). It was the best view. We stayed up there till it started to get dark & watching Rio light up was really beautiful.

Today (31/05) I've booked my bus ticked & we went to the police station to pick up the police report for insurance for Louise re her having her purse stolen. I leave at 1.30pm tomorrow. Its a 21hour bust trip so that should be fun ;) It cost R$139 ($70au) which isn´t to bad plus I save on a nights accommodation. Speaking of accommodation I asked this morning how much my bill was up too & he's like oh, if you stay 10 nights you get 1 night free. Bonus! Today its raining, I'm going to get my nails done & look for a massage :)

Well should get going. Miss you guys! Email me & let me know what's happening in your lives, ok?!?!?! I love checking my emails & actually hearing from you.

xoxox

Rio - Brazil, Monday, 31st May 2004, 1,15pm

Emails

Hey guys,

Please don't send large joke / attachment emails to me.

unfortunately half the time I don't get to read them anyway cause they take to long to open & my email account got maxed out today...

Don't get me wrong, I still love hearing form you!!!!!!!

xoxox

This is the life!

Really. This is what I'm doing at the moment - nothing. And I'm loving it!!! Well apart form beating myself up for 2 days because I haven't done nothing in a while. Its strange not to be rushing form place to place trying to fit god knows what into a unrealistic amount of time... I still haven't decided when I'm going to leave Rio yet either. I was going to leave yesterday with a Swedish guy to a Island 2 hours south of Rio but decided not to :) So I'm still here. I spose I have done a few things of note... That I should write down but I left my pocket diary at the hostel so don't know how to spell any of the places that I've been too :)

Monday (23/05) - Actually got off my rear end & did a day tour of Rio. It started at 9.30am & finished at about 5pm so it was quite a full day. We started off by going to the national park that is pretty much bang smack in the middle of Rio & hiked up one of the mountains for about 40min & had a great view form the top. It was really pretty. Then we went to another park & looked at a waterfall that was about 40meters high. I think it supplies some of the drinking water for Rio. I cant wait to see Igazu falls. Then we made our way up to the statue of Christ. The view of Rio up there is truly amazing. I got some fantastic photos. After that we went to one of the oldest suburbs in Rio Santa Teresa & had lunch then went on a tram ride into centro. After the tram ride we went & saw the steps of Lapa which are pretty cool. This Chilean guy basically got tiles form all over the world & tiled the steps, it looks really good. I think that was about it for the tour. Trying to remember Monday night... Oh we were tired so ended up eating at a restaurant where you pay by the kilo. Nick & I ate there on Sunday too. The food was really good. Then we played cards with the English girls & a aussie boy called Jason. Then a few of us sat out in the court yard & tried our best at the Brazilian fighting / dance thing...

Tuesday (24/05) - Honestly don't remember today... Ok, its coming back to me :) well bits of it anyway... Spent the afternoon wondering around centro with Nick, Jen & a Swedish boy. Centro didn't really appeal to me. We did walk through some cool markets & sat in the park & ate lunch. Although security did make us move to a different area cause the one we were in wasn't safe. I saw the weridest animals too. They kinda look like squirrels but with no tail & walk on all 4s - very strange! Tuesday night I met some very cool Scandinavian girls. Louisa form Denmark who I get along with fantasticly! & Lina & Hega from Norway, they are all so much fun! Nick, Jen the girls & I all went out for dinner & a few drinks. It was a pretty early night.

Wednesday (25/05) - the weather wasn't the greatest, I had planned on spending time on the beach but that wasn't going to happen so instead Louise, Jen & I went for a walk along Impanina beach & Copocabana beach then stopped in at the Copocabana Grand Palace Hotel for refreshments. Must have looked quite funny really these 3 backpackers in this flash hotel but it was really nice to go in and have a look. It cost me R$13 for a Caprivodka (usually between R$3-7 depending on where you go) but it was the best one I've ever tasted!!! I had it made with fresh pineapple, its a lovely drink, not bad at 12.30 in the afternoon :) I also ordered some chips & it was so cool, they brought them out on a silver tray with one of the silver domes over top - SO FLASH! I basically spent the rest of the afternoon at the hostel reading a magazines. IN ENGLISH!!! I was so excited, Marie Claire in English! It was really nice just to sit & chil. Then Louise & I decided to cook dinner for the 5 of us girls so we went & did some shopping. We made a excellent stirfry & our own caprivodkas with fresh pineapple. It was really good & it only cost R$9 each (including the vodka). I've been spending about R$15-20 on dinner not including drinks so I think Ill be making more food at the hostel. I cooked fried rice for lunch today which was really really nice.
We were supposed to go to Lapa last night but decided to leave it for another night & went to a local Irish pub instead.

Thursday (26/05) - I had the best sleep ever! The last 2 nights I haven't slept that well cause 2 other girls in the room insisted on having the fan on, they left yesterday :) I woke up very refreshed this morning. Wed arranged to met Lina & Hega at the beach at 11am but they weren't there so Louisa & I went to area 9 on the beach (where all the hot bodies hang out). Louisa went to met Jen at 12pm & found the other 2 too. Its true when they say people form Rio are beautiful. They really take care of their bodies so its very pleasant to lie on the beach & people watch :)
I spent about 3 hours at the beach before it started to get cold, then called in to the supermarket & went back to the hostel to cook lunch. I think were going to head up to sugar loaf (mountain) soon its supposed to be some of the best views of Rio. I'm such a sheep at the moment & I've very much enjoying just going with the flow & if I feel like doing what the others are doing Ill go along with it, if not I just chil out. This really is the life! Ill probably end up leaving on Sunday... And go to this place called Paraty that looks good then on to Iguza falls then to Argentina... I need to make some decisions but Ill just wait & see what happens :)

The hostel is R$40 (approx $20au) a night so its not to bad. If I eat at the hostel its pretty cheap too. Plus its just so nice to relax :)

Rio - Brazil, Thursday, 26th May 2004

Late nights & the beach go so well together!

Spent most of today sleeping on the beach. Rio is FANTASTIC! I'm having such a good time.

I didn't get to sleep this morning till just after 6am & managed to watch the beginning of the sun rise over the bay. It looked pretty amazing.

Last night we went to a place called Lapa. It was awesome! Kinda like a big street party with clubs (rooms) that play different music. They sell alcohol on the street & its a pretty amazing vibe. Everyone is so chilled out & its a hell of a lot of fun. I was so happy to actually hear good music, I don't think I've been to a good club since I left Cusco...

This morning I got up about 11am & headed down to the beach & basically just lay there for most of the day. Someone was doing temp tattoos so I thought Id get a couple. One on either side of my real one cause I wanted to test out how they look before I do 2 more for real. But the guy did them way to big & I don't think it looks that great... Oh well, it was only R$30 ($15au) for 2... Ill take a photo of them. I got him to do trust & love in Chinese (with mine in the middle, happiness). Will think a bit more before I get 2 more done & look for some better symbol's.

I've just been to the markets but didn't buy much, just a toe ring :) We sat & watched the Brazilian dance / fidgeting thing. Not sure what its called but it looked cool.

Have to decide what I'm doing. Not sure how long I´m going to stay here. Need to figure it out, want to spend at least a week in BA, Argentina, with my friend Mora.. Need to do some reading. I fly out form BA on the 24th of June.

Well I´m gonna go have a shower now & head out :) Rio is soooo COOL!

Rio - Brazil, Sunday 22nd May 2004, 6.05pm

Todo Bein...

Its all good...

I arrived in Rio last night & I must admit that I feel like a pretty seasoned traveler now. I haven't really been phased by anything yet & are pretty much taking it all in my stride.

Was a little curious about the whole not speaking the language thing but thus far haven't had any problems but Ill keep you updated on that one :)

Remainder of Thursday 20/05 after I last updated. I went back to the hostel & met up with Nick who'd arrived form Mendoza & we chilled for a while then decided that it would be very cool to go to the supermarket (A REAL SUPER MARKET!!!) & buy some food to cook in the kitchen (A REAL KITCHEN!!! I know it seems lame but these 2 things are very, very exciting!). We spent about $3000 ($7au) & brought potatoes & steak & I had some salad stuff left over form lunch & we cooked the best meal! I had the most mashed potato I've had in so long, it was sooo good & it was actually really cool to be able to cook! After dinner we saw a rather rowdy group playing drinking games & thought it'd be fun to join in. It ended up been quite a big night, I met quite a few cool people & ended up getting to sleep at about 5am. We went to a club with live rega music which was interesting as it was all in Spanish then went back to the hostel & chilled out. I'm meeting quite a few aussies & its interesting how easy they are to hang out with. It was actually a really cheap night, I offered to contribute for the alcohol when we were drinking at the hostel & they were like don't worry so I think I only had to pay entry for the club.

Friday (21/05) - Needless to say I had to haul my ass out of bed because I had a plane to catch so I think I had the grand total of 4 hours sleep. Id thought my plane was due to leave at 15.30... umm but I was wrong, it left at 15.00. No big deal I just turned up 1.5hours before my plane was due to leave instead of the normal 2 required... it was actually good cause I didn't have to wait around quite so long.

I caught a taxi form the hostel to the airport bus then the bus to the airport. Nothing to exciting to report on there. The plane trip was ok, it took about 5hours or so. I didn't sit next to anyone so no one to talk to. I had thought that I would probably sleep but I wasn't tired, luckily the movie was decent & passed some of the time. Its funny, here I cant be bothered reading, kinda seems like a waste of time - even on the plane. At the Rio airport, it was very easy. I thought they'd check all the places Id been & make sure Id had my yellow fever shot but they didn't seem to care. As you'd think all the signs were in Portuguese... a little different but the English underneath helped, hehe. I walked into arrivals to the touts trying to get me to take a taxi & I was like no, no, no. I had read my lonely planet & had planned on taking a bus to the hostel (even though it was 9.30pm the LP said taxis were about $20us - way to much!). Anyway one guy was very persistent & spoke some English & was like R$60 for a taxi ($30au) me been the tight ass I am was like nope too much, I don't have much money. He dropped it to R$50, me, again been a tight ass, was like nope - to much. He asked me how much & I said R$30 & he accepted it! Not bad me thinks, $15au for 30min cab ride is pretty good. The bus was going to take about 1.5hr. I was talking to some girls & they were saying that it costs R$35 when you order it over the phone so thats pretty good :)

I managed to have a conversation with the Taxi driver too. I spoke in Spanish which he could understand & I could understand bits of what he was saying. Not easy but doable. He was saying that its possible to rent apartments for R$80per night for like 4 people, so I might have a chat to Nick & see if he wants to do that. I'd be nice to have some where to chil for a few days with out a million other people around. That way if Jen comes too it'd be cheaper & we might be able to talk some one else it to it from the hostel as well. Don't know how long I'm going to spend here... Spose I should figure that out first...

I got to the hostel about 10pm & everyone was getting ready to go out, so of course been in Rio I was a bit excited & decided to test out the night life :) We were been picked up at 10.30pm so I quickly checked in, did the tour of the hostel, chucked on some make-up & did my hair & we were off. We got taken up to this place that was on the top of one of the hills with live music & heaps of people. It was pretty cool. Such a relaxed feel! It seemed more like a house party than a club. I started to get tired about 1am but managed to last till 3.30am & we made it back to the hostel about 4am. Needless to say I slept till about 12pm today :) All I can say is thank god for ear plugs! Dorms aren't made for total rest & relaxation so ear plugs really are a god send.

I'm just relaxing this afternoon. Think Nick will get here soo I've been for a bit of a walk & gotten some money out, although it wouldn't give me as much as I wanted, tried to check out net banking & its not available which sucks! The beach is only a few blocks form the hostel so I went for a bit of a walk down there too. Will be here for a few days so no rush which is really nice :)

Rio - Brazil, Saturday 22nd May 2004.

Are my posts super boring?

Just wondering if its a tad boring to read all of the crap that I'm writing. Hope not but I'm not keeping a travel diary so this is pretty much my record (in saying that there are so many holes but what can ya do!)... Is there anything else that I should be including here to make it a tad more interesting? Let me know.

(Fri 20/05) HAPPY BIRTHDAY J xoxoxox Hope you got my txt. Love ya lots & I owe you a kick ass bday pressie.

Now... I'm in Santiago, Chile, & I really should be sight seeing but in all honestly I cant be bothered.

I think its just started to rain. Its the first rain that I've seen in a while actually, since I was first in Cusco I think. Interesting. Considering I didn't bring my rain coat not such a good thing... But such is life :)

I'm actually tired today, no reason. I was in bed by about 12pm last night & didn't get up till after 8am. I cant forget to mention that I had the best shower that I think I've ever had this morning. That's probably not true but the water was hot, I mean really HOT! & there was water pressure & everything, I thought I was in heaven, well for a little while anyway :)

This morning I walked around the city, changed money & went to a SUPERMARKET, yes a real supermarket (did I mention that when I was in Puno, or Cusco, that I started dreaming of supermarkets - they're pretty much non existent in Peru & Bolivia). I probably spent close to 45min just walking up & down the isles... Funny what makes me happy huh :) Santiago. Well from what I've seen its really nice & modern. I walked through the shops & to Plaza de Armas & to a few of the smaller squares & watched what seemed to be similar to the changing of the guards... Not 100% sure what it was but it was pretty cool.

I'm never going to get the money here. It has so many zeros on it. For example my accommodation costs $4500 per night ($10ish au). My brain just doesn't deal well with the zeros. I think I changed to much money, spose Ill just have to change it when I get to Brazil & lose out a little on the conversion.

The hostel that I'm staying in is pretty cool. La Casa Roja (the red house). Its a old mansion that's been converted. Its currently undergoing renovation but is pretty good in that it has chill out areas & a fantastic kitchen. Today I had a proper lunch, that I made! First time since I've been away. I had chicken & salad. I haven't been trusting the salads here so my intake of fresh veggies hasn't been that great. I had lettuce, cucumber & bean sprouts - YUM. Amazing how much I've missed that "green" taste.

Think I've had to many hours on the bus... Hence why my brain doesn't want to work. Think Ill go back to the hostel & zone out to watching TV.... But first Ill make a effort to update a little more.

Yesterday (Wed 19/5) Nick & I went for a huge walk to this park in Mendoza, it was really beautiful. Getting to Mendoza was the first real sign that its actually autumn. Everywhere has been cold but just to see the trees bare & that wonderful amber colour of the leaves was really cool. We walked around the park for a bit then took in a museum & had lunch, which I rushed out of, & left Nick alone, cause I had to catch my bus & was short on time. The bus trip took 7 hours. Its funny, all the other really long busses I've caught haven't showed movies but this one did, really good movies too, bummer was though that the scenery was so amazing crossing the Andes that you didn't need it, so I was torn between looking out the window & looking at the TV screen!

Met a few cool people on the bus. Victor, from Santiago, who I met just before I got on the bus. He's a tour guide here & speaks really good English & Hernan (don't know if I spelt that right...), form Argentina, who I met at customs. He didn't speak much English but I ended up going & sitting next to him & we made do. It always suprises me that when I have proper (complex - to me anyway) conversations how much easier the simple ones with the likes of taxi drivers are. Victor offered to take me sight seeing to the beach today (so did Hernan as well actually) but I decided to do the chill out thing. I'm actually really glad with that decision. Victor seemed a bit pissed off when we arrived at Santiago that Id gone & sat next to Hernan & made some excuse about been busy today anyway... Hernan & I grabbed some food at the bus station (which he paid for, I felt slack but he wouldn't take my money). When I caught the taxi to the hostel it was really cool, Hernan told the taxi driver where I needed to go. So arriving in Santiago was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Here's hoping that Rio will be just as easy tomorrow. I keep hearing scary things about Rio but I'm sure it'll be fine :)

Nick should arrive here this afternoon & he gets to Rio the day after me & I think Jen gets there around the same time so it'll be nice to meet up with them.

Not to sure what I've missed... Hope I've made sense....

Going to blob in front of the TV now... Looks like its raining really hard outside :( think I'm going to get wet.

Love to you all xoxox


Santiago - Chile, Thursday, 20th May 2004

Ultra quick update :)

I'm now in Mendoza Argentina. Yesterday I was in Salta, Argentina & the day before that I was in San Pedro, Chile :) Tomorrow I´ll be in Santiago, Chile... That's quite a few hours on the bus!!! Then Friday Ill be flying to Rio :)

The trip to Salta took about 12 hours... Wasn't to bad. The trip here, to Mendoza, took over 20 hours, lucky I can sleep on the bus :) & tomorrows bus ride will take about 7 hours.

Salta was great. We were like little kids when we arrived, it was so much more western than where any of us had been in the last few months. We were sitting in the taxi when we arrived on the way to the hostel going "look at that", "look at that!!!" It was very very exciting! There were a lot of colonial buildings too which were awesome, both Jen & Nick thought it had quite a European feel to it. Did a city tour yesterday which was good.

Think that's all I´ve got time for... Will update in Santiago if I have time, if not will have to wait till I get to Brazil!

Must go & find food, I´ve heard that the steak in Atgentina is excellent!

Was good to hear form you Karl! Try not to work to hard & HAPPY BIRTHDAY for last week!!! xoxoxo Will see you in October :)

Mendoza - Argentina, Tuesday 18th May 2004, 7.10pm

I love San Pedro!

If for no other reason but that I no longer have to wear a thermal singlet under my t-shirts & that I can wear my jandals (sorry, thongs / flipflops) around town. The days are lovely & warm & hanging out in the hammock in the court yard of the hostel chatting is awesome!!!

When I got here I was like, oh... Ok..., there's nothing to it... The town is tiny & has dusty streets, quaint little shops & are cute little church which I have to take photos of this afternoon.

Yesterday I stayed in bed till after 11.30. It was cool Jen & I had had the room to ourselves so we just lay there with the door open looking out into the court yard & talking to who ever happened to pass by. I loved the whole there was no rush to get anywhere, because were in the middle of the desert & have already done the salt flats there's not a whole lot to see (except valley of the moon). Daniel walked passed (he was on the tour of Uyuni with me) & I yelled out to him so he decided to stay at our hostel so that took our room total to 3 then Jack (a aussie who also lives in Sydney) had to change rooms so now we have 4 people which is cool.

It turns out that Nick has to be in Santiago the same sort of time as me so he's going to come with Jen & to Salta, 12 hours form here, then were going to go on to Mendoza, 18 hours from Salta... Not sure how long its going to take form Mendoza to Santiago though. We went & booked out bus ticket to Salta yesterday to leave tomorrow (Sunday) & it cost $15000pesos, $34au!!!!!!!!! Oh, my goodness!!!! That is the most I've paid for transport (sin tours) since I've been in south America! But I spose we get lunch & dinner included... & there will be a toilet & comfortable seats :) Every report I've heard form travelers is that the coast of Chile doesn't have much to offer & most people just catch a 24 hour bus form San Pedro to Santiago. I've heard such cool things about Mendoza & this side of Argentina plus Jen was going so I thought I might as well check it out (even if most of it will be form a bus window). I'm actually really happy that Ill have someone to travel with too :) I fly out of Santiago on Friday the 21st but I'm pretty sure its doable... Giving me 1 or 2 days in Santiago... Well see :)

Chris & Nick went & booked a tour of the valley of the moon for us for yesterday afternoon for $3000pesos, just under $7au, which is really good. It was a awesome tour & I'm really glad that I did it. We went to a few different places, but I don't remember all there names cause most of it was in Spanish. The landscapes were awesome, sand, huge rock formations & a really really blue sky. Sunset at valley of the Moon was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Basically you walk up a really really steep sand dune(we are in the desert)& watch the sky change colours over this awesome landscape. Its such a shame that the photos wont do it justice.

We got back to the hotel just before 7pm & went straight to the bottle shop so we could have a few cheap drinks before heading out. 1 bottle of vodka was only $3000pesos! That's how much ONE drink costs at a bar.

We then tried to find a cheap happening restaurant but the best we could do was $5000pesos ($11au) for a set menu. I had some sort of corn thing for my starter which was really nice then just grilled chicken & chips followed by a desert that I couldn't eat (wheat). Think I'm going to have to go back to the place we ate at the other night, that steak was just unbelievable!

We left the restaurant in search of somewhere a little more pumping but in the end it turned out the restaurant we were at was the most happening place in town so we should have just stayed there...

I wasn't quite so bad this morning. I was out of bed by about 10am & hang out in the sun for a while before going & picking up my laundry ($2500pesos) which wasn't ready when they said it would be. I hate it when that happens, you always think the worst, that they've lost your laundry or given it to someone else. In Lapaz they tried to give me someone else's laundry... Doesn't really give you much confidence, but then, its nice to have clean clothes & not to have to wash them yourself.

Well I've been typing away for awhile & I wanted to go & edit yesterdays post cause there was heaps I missed out but not sure if Ill have the time now.

All in all its really good to just relax & chill out. Oh & plus the bed at the hostel is sooooo great its not funny, its the best bed I've slept in since I've been in South America! Plus they have a kitchen you can use which most of the hostels don't. Its called La Florida Residencial, on Antofagasta y Tocopilla for $4000peso a night. I had a cold shower this morning though cause I didn't wake up before 10am... & they make you pay up front which is also a fist but still, its a nice place & I've met heaps of cool people.

Ok must go now, no reason except its going to cost me heaps cause I've been on line over a hour. Don't you just love internet banking! It makes life so much easier when you're in a different country :)

San Pedro - Chile, Saturday 15th May, 2.05pm

F**ken Frio!!!

Excuse the language but this has been the phrase of the last few days so I thought it appropriate for the title of this post :) Frio (if I've spelt it correctly) means Cold.

Once again I don't have a lot of time,& this internet connection is also competing for one of the slowest I've used thus far, so Ill do a quick over view & expand on it if I can. The last 5 days have been pretty full on & I've had such a good time.

Monday (10/05) = Lapaz to Oruro to Uyuni. Left Lapaz at 8am made it to Uyuni at 11ish.
I woke up rather early (how sad is this but I have to check my pocket diary to make sure I've got the days right!) & went to the bus station in Lapaz at about 6.50am to try & catch a 7am bus to Oruro in order to catch the train to Uyuni. I ended up on a 8am bus & got to Oruro train station just after 12pm. I was like cool heaps of time to buy a train ticket, everything´s great, no problems... Except - Rachel forgot that here everything closes for about 2.5 hours over lunch time... Including the train station. It shut at 11.30 & reopened at 2pm. All I could do was sit and wait. I was rather happy it was a sunny day. I had no problem buying a ticket when it opened & met some cool people that I've spent the last 3 or so days with. We went & had lunch in Oruro then jumped on the train & all stayed in the same hostel in Uyuni & went with the same tour company.

EDIT mon: It was so hard to find a taxi in the morning to get to the bus station. I was very much used to taxis been everywhere in Cusco. I had to walk up a huge hill with my pack on which wasn't to bad & finally found a taxi. The bus was only Bls.10.00 & had been recommended by the agency that I booked the salt pan tour with. I think I was the only gringo on the bus & had a lady sit next to me that has a thousand skirts on so at times was a little squished but considering it was only Bls.10 ($1.50au) for a 4hour trip I cant complain. We headed out of LaPaz & were off to a good start but at the top of the hill they stopped for what seemed like forever for a whole heap of other people to get on. It was a pretty good bus trip though. The train trip was so good, just over 7 hours, but the people I met were really good value so time flew. Daniel, form the states, Martin, form England, Elisa (hope I spelt that right) form Argentina & Dicla, from Israel. Everyone was pretty much traveling by themselves & Daniel, Martin & Dicla met in Lapaz & Elisa & I met them at the train station while buying our tickets. We all stayed at Hotel Avenida in Uyuni which was quite good.

Tuesday (11/05) = Left Uyuni at 11am(ish) with Colque tours. Went to salt pan which was cool then fish island then accommodation for the night.

EDIT Tue: They guys all booked with Colque tours too. Martin & I were supposed to be in the same jeep & the others in a different one. We tried to get in the same group and at one stage she said that would be fine then that changed & I ended up been by myself with a Italian couple & a French Canadian couple, none of them spoke much English. Needless to say I wasn't that happy but such is life, what can you do :) We all stayed the first night at the same place & Elisa was only doing a 1 day tour so the second day of the trip I swapped cars & was back with Dan, Marty & Dicla which was really cool, We had a heap of fun :) My wrists hurt form typing so don't think Ill write any more about the salt flats.

Wednesday (12/05) = Left accommodation bout 7.30am changed groups to be with friends & drove most of the day. Saw some cool mountain formations & awesome lakes & a lot of desert. Oh & was rather cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stayed in very basic accommodation & slept in my thermals (long johns included) as well as hat, gloves & socks.

Thursday (13/05) = Woke up at 5.45am was sooooooo cold. Didn't bother taking thermals off just put on clothes over top & was still a little cold. Oh plus had 2 pairs of socks on. Drove for a bit & saw the geysers (don't think I cant spell), I got out of the 4WD once for a photo but just couldn't make myself for the next lot that were supposed to be good... We've got them in NZ so its all good :) We drove some more & it warmed up a little (meaning it wasn't -0 something degrees. Got to some hot springs. Was so strange the lake was just ice then there were the hot springs... Had to go for a dip & was cursing myself that I only have a bikini but managed to change & get in the water with no great effort - getting changed back was a little different :) but I survived.
More driving then about 9.30 we reached the pick up point for the bus to chili & waited round there then about 11am headed form Bolivia to Chile.

Made it to San Pedro just after 1pm ish I think. The trips not that long but for the first time immigration actually looked through my bag (& everyone else's). The nice sealed road & road signs, oh, plus the lines on the road made me think that Chile might be a bit more organized in this respect.
wasn't sure what hostel I was going to stay at but of course there was a tout to meet the bus so I went with the easy option. It costs 4000 pesos a night (just under $10au so really expensive) but its one of the cheapest & nicer ones in town. Its going to take me a while to get used to paying more here... At the hostel I've met 2 English guys & a English girl & we went for dinner & a drink last night. 4900pesos for a steak... & 3700 pesos for a vodka & pina! Going to have to watch my money.

K, need to go now so much more to say but have to try & book a bus... Was going to just go straight to Santiago (24hr bus trip) but Jen, the English girl I met yesterday, is going to Salta in Argentina on Sunday so I might go there then to Mendoza then to Santiago... Have to figure out if I can do it... Will try to write more tomorrow...

San Pedro - Chile, Friday 14th May, 1.05pm

A few new photos have been posted...

Will up date tomorrow :) Need to find food, r hungry.

San Pedro - Chile, think its Thursday or Friday, don´t know... 3.10pm

So annoyed...

Spent all that time uploading 13 photos now the stupid thing wont give me the link so you can go & check them out!

Have to go, will try to do it tonight...

Slowest internet connection known to man!

Its Sunday here & I swear all the fast internet cafes are closed... I wanted to upload my photos just in case the CD gets misplaced or stolen whilst I'm traveling but it'd take 4 hours to do here so I'm only uploading about 10 or so. Hopefully the fast cafe will be open tonight & Ill get to do all of them.

I didn't get to finish updating yesterday... Think I got to Friday.

Friday (7/05) - The bus to LaPaz & crossing the Bolivian border... When I got on the bus they gave me a Bolivian immigration form to fill in which was cool then after a few hours the bus stopped at the border & said that this was the place to change money. So I changed over some money then went to get back on the bus & was told to walk... Very interesting I thought... Someone pointed out the Peru immigration office so I stepped over the chain that blocked off the road so the bus couldn't go through & went & got my passport stamped - my passport is looking pretty cool & is getting lots of stamps :) After that we had to walk about 100m or so (cant quite remember) then que for the Bolivian immigration office & get our passports stamped & our entry visas. After everyone had that done we got back on the bus & made our way for Copacabana which is a lovely little lake side town. We got to stop here for just over a hour which was cool. I walked around the town a bit & had some lunch. I wasn't sure of the exchange rate but think I did ok. For soup & a bottle of water & it cost about Bls.9.

What I didn't realize was that in Copacabana we had to change busses. What sucked was that this one had no toilet & was a bit smaller. Here was me thinking it would be fine to drink a whole bottle of water cause there was a toilet... Needless to say I spent the last 2 hours of the bus trip hanging out for a bathroom. Anyway the trip through Bolivia was just a beautiful as the Peru part. Looking out over the lake with the ice capped mountains in the background & the bright blue was really nice. At one stage of the bus trip we all had to get off the bus & go across to the other side of a narrow part of the lake by boat, the bus went by barge. It was really nice, not to mention pretty :) I met 2 Aussie girls on the bus along with a girl form Holland, Kitti, who sat next to me. We got to Lapaz about 5ish I think, cant remember. Kitti & I decided to stay at one of the cheap hostels together, so made our way there with a couple of other girls Id met on the island tour.

Its Catcus hostel & cost Bls.23per night I think. Something like less than $4au per night. The bed I had was really bad & so lumpy so Id planned on changing hostels yesterday but Kitti offered to swap beds so I slept really well last night :)

Saturday (8/05) - Kitti & I slept in then spent the day wondering around the city & sitting in a few of the plazas people watching. It was really nice just to be able to sit there & not have some one approach you wanting you to buy something. In Cusco it was really bad & in Puno when we ate dinner they waited out side the restaurant so they could try to sell us something when we came out.

Its funny, everyone warned me about LaPaz but I actually really like it! Its strange, I never thought I was really a city person but its reminded me how much I actually missed been in a city. We ate lunch at a local restaurant - Laza for Bls.5 ($.90au) for the standard 3 courses. The restaurant was full of locals so was a bit of a experience. The food was good but the floor was filthy. After lunch we walked around again then went back to the hostel & chilled out a bit.

For dinner we went to another restaurant & paid Bls.18 for a really really nice meal. Once again 3 courses. I cant finish it all so I don't even bother trying. Still think I'm loosing weight which is a bit annoying cause my pants don't fit right... I spose Ill live :)

Today Kittis gone to the local markets about 15min out of the city & I went and had a great breakfast where I ran in to one of the people on the bus so we sat & ate together which was nice. I had fruit salad, banana juice, scrambled eggs & Coca tea, a very nice breakfast for Bls.15. This morning I also brought a really nice poncho, supposedly alpaca, for Bls40.

I haven't taken my camera out with me here though. To many people telling me to be careful. I've decided I want some photos so are going to do the real tourist thing & get on a red double decker bus this afternoon & do a tour, $6us/Bls.48.

I've booked my tour of the salt pan desert for Tuesday so I'm going to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow & catch a bus to Oruro then hopefully get a train ticket for the 3.30pm train to Uyuni. It takes about 3.5hours to get to Oruro form LaPaz then the train leaves at 3.30 & gets to Uyuni about 9pm I've been told. I like catching the bus (train) during the day that way I actually get to see a bit of the country. I haven't booked the bus ticket to Oruro either, the agent I booked the salt pan tour with said its easy enough to get form the bus terminal. So cross your fingers for me that I make it to Uyuni tomorrow night...

Oh, It also sucks here that I have no mobile phone coverage. First in Puno I couldn't find a power point & now no coverage... Oh well such is life :)

Probably wont have access to the internet for the next 4 or 5 days either, so mum don't worry about me, Ill be fine. There are so many other travelers here its not even funny.

I think that pretty much gets me upto date. I better go other wise Ill be late for my tour.

Oh & a huge HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to mum & both my Nanas. Id hoped to send a e-card but this internet connection is just so dam slow! Love you heaps!

LaPaz - Bolivia, Sunday 9th May, 1.40pm

I´m in LaPaz!

Mum said yesterday that I'm not updating enough... Opps... Sorry... Here I was thinking I was boring everyone to death with my long long posts of what I'm up to!

Well as the title says I'm now in Bolivia. I didn't realize but its been about 5 days since my last post... Time really does fly!

Tuesday (4/05) - I'm sitting here trying to remember what I did... I've had to read my last update to figure out where I'm at. Tuesday morning I actually slept in then went for a wonder around the pedestrian mall in Puno to try & find a good deal on the Floating Island & over night trip to Amantani tour thing. All of them were pretty much the same as the tout form the bus terminal had offered me so I thought it fair that he get the business so gave him a call to book it. I also booked a tour of the Inca & pre Inca fuernal towers for the afternoon. Figured I couldn't spend the whole day been lazy! The island tour cost me Sl.40 & the fuernal tower Sl.15 which is pretty good (I'm now trying to think in bolivianos so wont even attempt to do the exchange to $au, Sl.10 is $3.48au). The girl I ended up staying on the island with paid $30us!!! They rip you off as much as they can. Oh & I also took my washing to get done, Sl.5 or Sl.6 per kilo... Cant remember what it cost me but I had to take all these little staple things out of my clothes when they came back. So anyway after figuring out the tours I thought I should eat. I went in to a local restaurant & paid Sl.4 (have to do the exchange rate here, its only about $1.50au!) for a 3 course meal. Potato, meat & lettuce to start, full on veggie soup for second & chicken & rice as the third. Not to mention, juice, shot of some alcohol that's supposed to help with digestion & bread as well. So cheap. Its even cheaper here in Bolivia but Ill get into that later. I got picked up at 2.30 for the afternoon tour. The fuernal towers were interesting to see but something that could probably be missed. Its interesting how they were designed & they looked pretty impressive against the bleak landscape. Got back form the tour about 6ish I think... Cant quite remember. Didn't really meet anyone on the tour so went and ate dinner by myself in a restaurant. Have to remember to take a book or something to read with me. I attempted to read a political mag that was in Spanish... Umm, yeah, very interesting ;) Had a early night. Oh, brought a wool hat, scarf & gloves cause its bloody freezing!!!!

Wednesday (5/05) - Got picked up just after 8am form the hotel & we made our way down to the jetty where the boats leave for the islands. There was about 20 of us I think & we got off to a good start with the boat engine dying when we were about 5 min out on the lake. After a little fuss we were on our way again. It took us about 30 or 40min to get out to the first floating island of Uros. The floating islands are cool, a little different than I expected, when you walk its spongy. The ones we stopped at are, of course, very much aimed at tourists with lots of little craft stalls selling handicrafts. I'm been so good and haven't brought anything I haven't needed.

After stopping at a couple of islands we made our way to Amantani, which is the large island where we stayed, it took us about 3.5 hours to get there & I still wasn't feeling 100% so I pretty much slept most of the way. When we got there we had to walk up a really, really, really steep hill to get to the family home. It just about killed me. The island is about 4140m about sea level!!! There were 2 of us staying with the one family. Claudia from Switzerland & me. We got to the house about 2.30 & had they served us lunch about 3.30. The house was very basic but really clean. The doorway into our room was really low (even I had to duck to get in). There were normal beds, blankets a table & chair in our room. I think only 2 rooms of the house had windows & doors & the little I saw of kitchen was pretty much basic mud brick with a oven/fire & basic table with a dirt floor. There was a outside (non flush) toilet, which I didn't expect. It'd obviously been put in for the tourists & after you went you needed to put a bucket of water in the bowl.

After lunch we walked to the top of the island. This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. At the top there was a preinca temple & a beautiful sunset. When we got back to the house we had a rest then were served dinner then they dressed us up in the traditional island dress for the party. I looked like a little fat dumpling. I'm very much tempted to delete the photos so you cant see but you might as well get a laugh out of it :) We had a traditional band play & danced for a while but it'd been a big day so we were in bed by 10.30pm. When we walked back to the house we had the most amazing view of the lake with a full moon & the stars were absolutely amazing! Its one of the things that I don't think Ill forget, it was so beautiful.

Thursday (6/05) - Wake up call at 7am then breakfast & the walk down to the boat. It took about 40min to get to the next island... I don't know how to spell it... Tranquile, I think... Anyway we walked about 1hour to the main plaza on the island looked at the handi crafts then walked another 20min up to restaurant and had lunch, Sl.8 for 3 courses. The island was really beautiful, the sea & sky were so blue. After lunch we walked 540 steps down to the boat & made our way back to Puno - another 3 or 4 hours. Oh I need to mention that the toilet on the boat was BAD! I had to use it the first day wasn't planning on using it again! I brought a snickers bar on this island to Sl.4 not as bad as MP :)

Thursday night met up with Claudia for dinner then went for a drink & had another early night cause my transfer for the bus to Lapaz was picking me up at 7am in the morning.

Friday (7/05) - Taxi picked me up & we went to where the bus was departing form. I was really happy with the bus, it had a toilet & I got 2 seats to myself which was cool. I really enjoyed watching the scenery go by, Peru really is beautiful. I´m still kicking myself for sleeping all the way form Cusco to Puno.

I've been typing for ages & are going to have to finish this tomorrow. Will try & upload more photos tomorrow too....

Lapaz - Bolivia, Saturday 8th May, 6.53pm

Photos have been posted!

Click on the link on the right hand side that says "Lima & Couso Photos".

Wow... The last few days have been amazing!

Since I last wrote I've done the 2 day Inca trail & seen Machu Picchu. It was fantastic! I was really lucky & had a really good group for the Inca trail. We had so much fun. We were a group of 5, 2 girls form Isreal, Itilia & I cant remember the other name, & a Orri form Israel & David form the States (plus me). It was strange David & I were sitting on the train last night & its hard to believe that I've only known him for 2 days. The others decided to stay in Agua Geallieanties (yes we know I cant spell) for the night.

Ok. I met the group at the train station about 5.45am on Saturday, meaning I got up just after 4am. The starting point for us was Km104 of the Inca trail, the 4 day starts at km82. The train took about 3.5hours to get there & it was really cool to watch the scenery go by, everyone else pretty much slept. We ate lunch about 10.20 then started the trek. We stoped at some runs & I found it really interesting the different styles of articture that the Incas used. I think I expected everything to be in the imperial style but that's only used for important buildings & Temples, otherwise its just rocks & a clay mortar for the villages etc which is still pretty cool. The first day of the treck didn't kill me & we took it quite slow so it wasn't to bad but some of the steep inclines made it a little difficult for me to breath but I wasn't the only one finding it hard work. It was such a hot day everyone was finding it hard. I didn't need the oxygen tho so that's a good thing :o)

I think we got to the second lot of ruins about 3ish, cant quite remember. I cant remember what they're called either... At the moment my memory is shot but more about that later. These ruins were set over a multiple of different levels & were quite large (not to mention step & the amounts of steps that we had to clime). We got to hang out here for a while cause the hostel was only about a 15min walk away. It was really cool cause the Israelis had a little camp stove with them & they boiled some water & we had a cup of tea. Sitting there on what seems like the top of the world drinking tea & chatting was really amazing. Its like you're up there with the clouds & just looking out at the land scape that the Incas would have looked at every day, it was awesome.

We got to the hostel about 4.30pm & chilled out for a while. There were so many people there, as that's where the 4 day treckers spent there last night too (all be it in tents as opposed to the hostel tho). I was quite surprised by the hostel or restaurant part, there was alcohol & music it was pretty much was like a discotech. I think Id imagined something slightly different & a little more quite. Don't get me wrong it was still cool though.

Dinner was good & I got to bed about 9.30pm, having to get up at 4.20am the next morning wasn't to appealing but doable. The beds sagged quite noticeably in the middle but I still had a good sleep. The bunks stacked up a but 3 high & there would have been at least 30 people in the mixed dorm. Our guide knocked on the door at the said hour & no one else happened to hear him so I had to get up form the second bunk (furtherest away form the door) & open it for him. It was quite a interesting thing to do in the dark :o)

We got ready in 20min then went down for breakfast. Breakfast here consists of pan (bread) so I had yoghurt, a apple & a snickers bar, very healthy me thinks!

Our guide then informed us that he wouldn't be taking us to Machu Picchu & that another guide would meet us there. Hmmm, ok not a prob, we tacked on to another group with 3 English guys in it, Sam, Rob (or bob...) & Johnny. The guys are at the end of 6 months traveling so it was cool to hear about where they'd been.

We made it to the sun gates about 7am (I think...) it was so full of cloud we couldn't see anything :( Walking to the sun gates was cool, it really felt like I was on top of the world or in some fairytail with the clouds beneath me with the mountain peaks so ruggered & jarged. Its truly a site to see! The other cool thing about the walk is that you can do it at your own pace so at times Id drop back & it was cool just to be there by myself appreciating the view.

Anyway, form the sun gates we proceeded down to where all the post cards shots are taken of Machu Picchu. Most of it was still under cloud but still looked amazing. From there we contained down to where we were supposed to meet our new guide. After waiting over a hour & me getting very hungry & buying a snickers bar - get this - for sl.7!!! Its said $2 on it & I was like cool but that's $2us... Very expensive! The guide finally turns up & says he has to wait another hour for some other people, needless to say we were a little pissed off so ended up tagging along with the group we were with in the morning. The rest of the people in my original group speak really good Spanish so went with the Spanish speaking guide & I stuck round with the English lads. It was really cool to hear about the history of Machu Picchu & just the vibe there is amazing! I hadn't realized that MP was actually abandoned as its believed that the Incas thought the Spanish would come to conquer the city as one only a 3 day walk away had been conqured. There's so much more but my brains just not up to it at the moment...

The boys & I walked back down to Agua Geallieanties & my knees really felt it after! 1hour of down hill steps! We had lunch at a local restaurant then went to the hot springs.

Caught the train back to cusco at 4pm & made it back about 8.30pm. Met a cool couple form Argentina with David. David´s lived in Ecuador for the last year & a half & his Spanish is fantastic so it was cool listening to them talk & actually understanding what they were saying! Even thought Id been up since 4.20am I wasn't tired. I still felt like I was on top of the world, & it almost felt like my chest wanted to explode - not the easiest thing to try & describe with out sounding like a idiot... Just the energy form MP was amazing...

Anyway, been travelers, everyone loves to have a few drinks... I met the English lads, David & Liz at Paddys about 10pm where we proceeded to drink, then head to mamma africas. I got home just after 2.30am & figured Id been awake just over 22hours. Needless to say I'm kinda tired today. Not to mention that I had think I'm allergic to Rum. I knew I had to get up early today so only had one drink when I got to the pub... Normal vodka & orange. But later I had a few sips of the boys rum & cokes. At 5am this morning I was throwing up... Doesn't quit make sense - have however concluded never to drink rum again. A similar thing happen last Monday but I managed not to throw up. Had never been that hung over before & now I can put it down to the rum cause I didn't even drink that much... Enough about that.

Set my alarm for 6 this morning - who needs more than 3.5hours sleep! But couldn't drag myself out of bed till after 7am. My bus was due to leave at 9.30am & I still hadn't packed. Of course cause I was feeling like crap I couldn't fit everything in my pack... Think I have to send some things home. I caught the bus with no prob, my host mum took me to the terminal which was great!

I had a conversation in Spanish with the lady that sat next to me on the bus about all sorts of stuff & was able to hold my own which was cool. Then I promptly fell asleep & missed all the wonderful scenery Peru has to offer... It was a bout a 7 hour bus trip. Got here about 4.30pm. Actually I still haven't eaten, maybe that'd help me to feel better... Id looked in the lonely planet & say the Nesther hostel so thought Id just grab a cab to Plaza de Arms then make my way there as things usually have a way of working out. I walked out of the bus terminal & there was a tout offering taxis who asked if I had a hostel I said no & he offered Nesther. Love it when things fall in to place. The hostals Sl.25per night ($9au approx) with a private bathroom & hot water from 6am - 8am which is cool.

Need to go find food & toilet paper. Can I just say guys, never take toilet paper for granted. Its not supplied in very many places here (Peru) which kinda sucks.

Looking into doing a over night trip to the floating islands, not tomorrow but the next day. Think tomorrow will be a day of rest & trying to get a fantastic price on the tour. The tout offered it to me for Sl.40 ($15au approx) & that includes the 2 days plus all food & the nights accommodation. How bad is that its only $15 but I want to get it cheaper... Will go to travel agents in the morning.

Well I know I've written heaps & I don't know how cause my brain isn't really functioning. Hope it makes sense & Ill try to down load photos soon. I took over 100 at MP!!

Puno, Monday 3rd May, 5.57pm

No more school!!!!

Wow, its hard to believe that I've been here 4 weeks! Its gone so bloody quickly. This last week has flown by too. Way to much partying, too many late nights, then having to be alert for class in the morning. Not a good combination!

Ok. What have I been up too... Good question...

Friday afternoon (23/4) - I did the ruins above cusco that represent the head of the Puma with Deb, a girl I met from Perth. Tradition has it that Cusco city is the shape of a Puma. The name is pretty much pronounced Sexy Woman, cant remember the correct spelling. We bargained with a local to give us a bit of a tour of the site, for Sl10, the tour was pretty good so we gave him Sl15. At one stage he went to take us through this cave / it was pitch black. I didn't want to go through, very unlike me, we turned back. Don't think I trusted him... Friday night was a party night, met quite a few Aussies... Don't think I've met any Kiwis yet.

Saturday (25/04) Liz & Annilei were pretty tired but I really wanted to do the Pisac ruins so they came with me. We caught a local bus for Sl2 & it took about a hour to get there, it was a pretty decent ride. We ate at a local restaurant in Pisac then caught a taxi up to the ruins. The ruins are pretty cool. It was awesome to walk through & imagine that people used to live there & look out at that vista, its pretty dam amazing. It took us about 4 hours to walk through, around & down the mountain. Its quite a way up & it was interesting to walk back down. At one stage we took the wrong path & ended up almost sliding down the bank on our asses to get back to the path. Another thing that surprised me that I didn't like, was a few times on the way down the path got quite narrow with a sheer drop on one side, it freaked me a little... I'm getting soft in my old age!!! Saturday night... More going out :)

Sunday (26/04) Don't have a good recollection of Sunday... Think I got home about 4am so I pretty much slept in & had a lazy morning oh then Sunday afternoon my host family took me to a restaurant that looks over cusco for lunch. It was really cool. Tried something called Tamar that's made out of corn, its soooo nice! Have to try & get it again. Sunday night... Not sure what I did. Probably went to the student residenance & hung out...

The rest of this week, I really don't think I've accomplished much... I booked the 2 day Inca trail & I do that tomorrow. I don't have much faith in the people I've booked with, basically cause they don't speak much English & I don't speak much Spanish, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I have to meet them at the train station at 5.30am tomorrow so no going out for me tonight.

I booked my bus to Puno, for sl30, I leave Monday at 9.30am so I should get there about 4pm. So I should have enough time to find a hostel before dark. Its the local bus so it should be interesting...

I've been catching the bus to school by myself this week. Beginning to feel like a bit more of a local (not that I look it!!). I'm not noticing the differences here so much anymore. I think its good that I've spend so long here, if anything just to get used to it. My Spanish has improved & I'm talking a lot more & my homestay mum understands me & we have conversations. I didn't think Id picked up that much but to day we revised quite a bit & I was like - dam, I understand this!!!! HOW EXCITING. Its hard when people speak to you though, they speak so fast. I can read & understand & speak & be understood but I need to get used to people talking to me... I spose only time will tell :)

Oh, last night we decided to get dressed up & the girls convinced me to wear my heels. Ok word of warning, heels in cusco are not a good idea! Getting stuck in cobble stones & sliding everywhere is not a good look. Tempted to send the heels home, should have listened to you all when you told me not to bring them :)

um, what else.... I'm addicted to snickers bars! They cost sl3 each, just to give you a idea, I ate at a local restaurant on Wednesday night & had a whole meal of fried pork, pappas frittas & ensalada and it cost me sl3. Oh well what do you do! Don't really think I have that much else to report on... Well not that I can remember at the moment anyway...

Oh, my new bank card arrived on Wednesday & I was so pissed off cause I thought it didn't work. Looks like they've just put the account in the wrong place. If I select cheque instead of savings its fine! Go figure.

Ian - Thanks for letting me know what's happening there, its great to hear form you! I miss you all heaps & I can only imagine how quiet it is there! Shame you don't get to keep your office!

Love to all of you! Keep in touch, Rach.

Cusco, 30th April 2004, 3.46pm