I´ve visited Lima before - concrete, polluted, and a bad cold I remember well, so I resolved to get in and out quickly.  A mad 20 minute herbie taxi -dash between the spaces left by other cars ensured we caught up with a just-departed north-bound bus to Huaraz in the beautiful Cordillera Blanca, 8 hrs away. On arrival, it wasn´t straightforward to find somewhere to stay - in the dark, no street names as the city had been flattened by earthqu...

Charles Marie de la Condamine in the mid 1700s discerned the shape of the earth by measuring a degree of latitude on the equator just north of modern-day Quito. Hence Ecuador-equator. The first things that struck me was the liveliness of the place - more noise, music, colour; in the streets, on the buses, street vendors selling everything from soft drinks to miracle cures for every imaginable ailment, singing on the buses or recounting their personal tragedies ...

Flying east from New Zealand to Chile, one experiences the curious phenomenon of groundhog day, having in my case the chance to live two 28th of Junes, one in each continent.  Santiago was pleasantly warm after spending 5 weeks in the kiwi winter, but a layer of smog tends to hangs over the city most days.Heading down to the chilean lake district, I realised I hadn´t escaped winter after all.  Cool, wet and occasional snow...

From hospitable Brisbane in 80 degree heat with 80 year old relatives to 40 degrees and an English garden city of Christchurch - winter had arrived in the Southern Hemisphere. But what timing, Ryan Nelsen, the one and only captain of Blackburn Rovers and New Zealand, was speaking at the local casino on a charity bash that very night. I ironed and donned the blue n white halves and at the event received no little attention as the most dedicated long-distance...

From a Bangkok reunion with mum and dad, and visiting the more politically correct of the city's attractions, I flew to Sydney - Bondi, beach babes and bums, and of course the iconic Bridge and Opera House around Mrs Maquaries point. In my rush to post a few souvenirs back to the UK before the Post Office closed (last minute moi?), I returned the photo CD of the first half of my Oz experience before posting it on this website, so no pics of that bit I'm af...