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Well it has been an incredibly long time since I last updated my blog so there is alot to match up on (please excuse any spelling errors- takes far too long to try and correct them all!) Last time I left off I had just got back from the coast with the boys and that was almost a month ago. Soon after that I went for my first swim in the Rio Upano which runs along side Macas. To cut things short I got eaten alive by sandflies and the current almost drowned me, hence I havnt done it since. I also went out several times to the local club which is always a good laugh. The first time I ended coming back in some guys car, which was pumping out house music and going far too fase. Needless to say the police stopped us but a healthy green dollar sent them on their way, no questions asked. I also ended up going to a wedding which is probable the last thing I expected to do out here in the Amazon, however it turned out to be fun as I was put on the bridesmaids table and enede up dancing with the mayor of Macas, in the middle of a bridesmaid formed circle (the things I get myself into!). The 5th of May produced one of the most exciting things I saw in that first week post coast. Tony and I were sitting in the Internet café when the electricity suddenly went. We thought nothing of it but people started to run outside. Naturally out we went, only to find a man being carried out of the building shaking incessantly. He had been painting outside his window, had fallen but had grabbed some electrical cables. The electricity blew him back inside the window and gave hime 90% burns- I relieve he has now died. He manager to short cicuit the whole block but this is very normal here as health and safety is completely non existent. However the excitement of the day did not end there! We went home to find that the house had been broken into and both my ipods and my phone were stolen….another trip to the police station for me! That evening we moved house to a tiny little flan on the other side of town (not because we got robbed). On the 7th of May, Tony and I went on another medical brigada to a community called Kusuim. This communtiy was pretty deep in the jungle but luckily we managed to drive a good way in. We managed to acquire a horse to carry the medical supplies (the poor thing could barely cope) through the path of mud which turned out to be 4 feet deep! As I had feared I ended up in that mud, with my face stuck in the rear end of a horse, trying to convinve it that it was a good idea to keep going. All my effors paid off though as we eventually arrived ontop of a hill which oponed out into one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life. You could see right across the Amazon all the way to the Peruvian Amazon. Photos dont do it justice. The actual medical brigade was fun, I taught Tony to do injections as I am a ´qualified doctor´, well at least according to some people over there! Another day in the rainforest eating fish, banana and chica. The day after I was in Quito to renew my VISA, took about 15 minutes so I can stay here until the 7th of August now if I wish. We went and saw Anna again and I stayed in the same crazy hostal as last time, which inevitably led to a very relaxed weekend, with a lot of going out and alot of rum and coke. As always, the group of people in the hostal are good fun so I met many a charácter. Of course one cannot forget that the most important day of that weekend was the 10th, Mums birthday! By Monday I was back in Macas sufficiently exhausted from going out and from pool tournaments. There was one pool tournament where a guy called Hugo and I beat the whole bar: 7 games we placed! The night of Wednesday 14th was the earthquake. I was sitting in bed readin away when the whole building started shaking back and forth. As we live above a bakery I thought the over had blown up, or that a lorry had driven into the side of the building. Turns out it was just a normal tremor, but it certainly shocked me! That Thursday envolved work which made me wonder what I am doing here…painting and glittering letters…oh yes. Friday 16th arrived in Guayaquil bus station after a 10 hour bus ride as it was time for the GALAPAGOS! I had been waiting for so long to go there and finally the day had dawned. It was just Tony and I so it was a boys trip and turned out to be really good fun! At the airport, again just as nice as the bus station (I love Guayaquil), we checked in and had our bags inspected (no organic material is allowed to cross over to the Galápagos). The man found some apples in my bag but as soon as he found out that we were from Macas it didnt matter. He told us that we could take whatever we like, so we did! We very nearly missed our flight as we were distracted by the incredible sight of 50 65yr olds doing streches and the splits in the airport (we became seriously concernid about how exciting out trip was going to be!). An tour and half later, we arrived on the barren, prehistoric looking desert that is Baltra, the airport island. We got off into the searing heat, picked up our bags, (the quickest bag collection ever) and went with a man called Juan to the bus. Within the first 15 minutes (which envolved a short channel crossing to Santa Cruz (the main island), we say several birds endemic to the galapagos). We then hopped into a taxi with a guy called Don Isidro and off we drove to the capital, Puerto Ayora. We had some really nice seafood lunch and then went and sat on the port waiting for our boat to Isabella (the largest island). At the port there were several crabs and marine iguanas lolling about in the sun. The boat ride took 2 and a half hours and was the bumpiest boat ride I have ever been on, so much so that Tony was sick. Eventually, thank god, we arrived in Puerto Vilamil on Isabella, and saw our first sealion! After dropping our bags at the hostal we went to see a giant tortoise breeding centre and went for walk along a really nice beach. There were some massive marine igunas there and we spent a good while sitting amongst them. The following day we went to the nearby volcano called Sierra Negra, which boasts the worlds second largest crater (6 miles across). Everyone bar Tony and I went on horses to the summit. I am unfortunately allregic to horses and to make matters worse onyl had flip flops. I was therefore, according to our guide, the first person ever to climb the volcano in flip flops! Incredibly we beat the horses to the top. At first the landscape is dense forest, although the trees are no more than 10 feet high, but is soon becomes more and more volcanic, opening up into huge lava fields. The crater was incredible, just black solidifed lava for as far as the high could see, with mist rollinf over it. From the summit you could see the other 4 major volcanos on Isabella, and notice the seahorse-esque shape of the island. From here we walked for an tour across lava fields to Volcano Chico. At first there were cacto and spiders but by the time we arrived there was nothing except yellow, red and brown rocks and lava. We had lunch on top of the active volcano befote returning. That afternoon we did, what for me was the highlight of the trip. We got a boat out to some tiny little islands, kitted with snorkelling gear, with the aim of seeing some wildife. I ended up spending almost an hour swimming with wild sealions and penguins. At one point I was playing with 5 sealions, they were so friendly! They often brushed past me and it was really really good fun. At first the little penguins were shy but after 15 minutes they got well within touching distance and would also float past you lesiurely. I even saw a stingray, which got far too close for my liking! We then walked across the island to see more selaions, marine iguanas and even a turtle. The next day we went and saw more tortoises and then went to see the Wall of Tears. It had been built by prisoners as a punishment, when the island used to be a penal colony. The wall was covered in little lizards but we didnt stay long as the sun was scorching. Also went to a great viewing point where one could see all around the island. We ended up going out that night which ended in swimming in the sea at 4 in the morning…we had to get the boat back to Santa Cruz at 6! Bacl on Santa Cruz we met up with Juan again and went for a long walk to a really nice beach reside some mangroves. We went snorkelling for an tour and saw one shark, a stingray and best of all I found a 10 dollar note! That afternon we went to find some wild giant tortoises and manged to find the largest reptiles I have even seen, I felt as though I was in Jurassic Park. One of them was 180 years old therefore was alive when Charles Darwin was on the island! We even found one mating, which apparently is quite rare to see. Our guide, being the relaxed and corrupt guide that the islands are full of, let us go right up to it…the tortoise didnt looked amused. We then went to some lava tunnels which you could walk through, and at one stage crawl through (we got very very muddy much to our guides amusement). The lava tunnels were incredible though. We also went to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see Lonesome George. Poor George is the last of his species so when he goes that is it for that species. They have tried to make him mate but he refuses. I feel sorry for the poor guy, he is surrounded my female tortoises but he just doesnt like any of them! That night we ended up going out again and this time didnt get to bed until 5 (I was very very tired to following week). Unfortunately we had to return home on the Tuesday but we did get to see two huge lava craters called The Twins. They are perfect holes about 300ft deep and the same across, formed when an eruption from the local volcano occurred. They were the magma chambers and were therefore emptied leaving just a thin layer which eventually collapsed leaving the holes.They were surounded by very dense vegetation and my leg got atatcked my fire ants (that was actually on Isabella). They really live up to their ñame. Well since then I had one more week in Macas, relaxing and greeting 3 new volunteers. I climbed up the local hill to get a great view of Macas and the rainforest on the other sie, I even saw Sangay Volcano erupting again. I have recently found out that it is the most active volcano in World (3 eruptions every minute) and is the most dangerous mountain to climb in all the Americas, and it is right on my doorstep! I left for Cuenca on Sunday 25th to stay with a girl I know there. I have spent the last two days looking around the beautiful colonial city, lots of cathedrals and art museums. I have even been to the zoo and a bird park, quite a civilised couple of days. There we go, all updated. There is probable a huge amount left out which I will remember in 5 minutes but that is a good ´´summary´´.
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