Hiya!

It´s been so long and lots to tell everyone!

17/12 - Cartegena, Columbia. Visited the El Totumo Mud Volcano where you climb up this volcano that looks like a termite hill and bathe in it. Absolutely gorgeous but by swim suit fell off coming out of it - so embarrasing!

In the evening I went on a Chiva ride with free vodka (40%) provided, needless to say when I got in and practically fell through the door and scared my room mate! The Chiva ride was great though we stopped at one of the fort points and these men with pet sloths and snakes joined us!

18/12 - Leave Columbia for Ecuador, flight and then bus - takes the WHOLE DAY.

19/12 , Leave Quito for Otavalo. Listen to local music in the town, visit one of the famous waterfalls there and go for cocktails in a local bar.

20/12, Otavalo, Ecuador. Spend the whole day around the largest market in Ecuador. As its a Saturday the place is heaving with people. I spend far too much money but I do loads of negotiating! The market has many sections, an animal market complete with guinea pigs being placed n bags, sheep carried about and loads of pigs! Other sections of the market include artwork, textiles, jewellery, fruit and vegetables and wooden carvings. In the evening I head off to Cayambe by bus.

21/12 Cayambe, Ecuador. Vsit the Equator line and do the traditional touristy thing of havng a photo taking in both hemìspheres! Walk up this local hill which takes 2 hours. Its amazng though as up the top is a little village- I think noone visits them as the cows and dogs before halfway down the hll scared off some people I was walking with!

22/12 Leave Cayambe for Papallacta. Arrive at town fairly early. The Hostel looks very similar to a Star Wars films in wird shapes and colurs. Have a quick dip in the natural springs (turns into 3 hours and I fall asleep in there with someone having to wake me).

23/12 Papallacta - explore countryside for a bit before settng off to Quito. Arrive to Quito and head to Old Town where I visit the Iglesia de La Concepcion, it´s absolutely beautiful with the inside made mostly from gold. After that I head back to my hostel to say farewell to the group I had been travelling with, we ht a Mongolian Restuarnt where you can eat and drnk as much as you like for 12 dollars. I make use of the unlimited cocktails which are really strong, so strong I can only manage 5!

24/12 Chritmas Eve in Quito. You name it and I visited it this day! I saw most of the big churches, the markets and one Palaces. My favourite sights though were visiting the EL Panecillo a beautiful Virgin Mary Statue on top of a strange looking hill which the locals call a sugar loaf. I also loved going up the Telefrico, in 15 minutes was at an altitude of over 400 metres and the volcanoes and town views were beautiful.

25/12 Christmas day in Quito and I have to say I missed the commercial aspect of a Western Christmas! I attended a portion of mass and saw a procession of dancers, apart from that it was just sight seeing as usual and too quiet for me.

26/12-29/12 I travel with a new group and head to Coca Jungle in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. I stay in this jungle lodge on the mddle of a lagoon called Laguna de Garzacocha. This has to be one of my trip highlghts so far as it felt like such an adventur even getting ther i.e. a plane ride for 30 minutes, a bus for 15 minutes, a bat ride for 3 hours and then a 20 minute journey in a dug out canoe. During my stay there I did some jungle trks, visited a local family, did a nighttrek, swam in a piranha infested and caman infested pool and went piranha fishing (although only tagged sardines!!). I also do a night trail where I see tree spiders and one massivetoad (I mean freaky massive).

The 29/12 we leave the jungle and travel to Banos.

30/12 Banos, Ecuador. Horse riding up an active volcano you can her rumbling, canyoning down waterfalls the highest was about 30 metres (yes it was hilarous watching me attempt to cling to the instructor as he pushed me off the cliff face!) and a waterfall cable car journey that stopped workng - thankfully the cable car was close to the look out pont so locals got a ladder fopr us to crawl onto!In the evening I do a Chiva ride up to Las Antennas, a look out point for the Tungurahua volcano - se lava trickling down it which is pretty cool I have to say.

31/12 Cuenca, Ecuador. Travel to Cuenca starting at 9am we arrive at 6pm and I.m knackered! have a rest before heading out for dinner and seeing the NY in. Again I miss the Western NY celebrations as the fireworks are very miimal here. Mainly there are mini bonfores in the streets and children playng with firecrackers. I see one bar open in the whole town so most people (not many though) are very conservatively dancing in the street (they dont move there upper body at all!). I see the NY in but leave at about 1240 as it appears to be dying down and besides the music is staring to get sound like it is being repeated!

01/12. Cuenca , Ecuador. I spend the whole day sightseeing.Visit Churches, and animal market and plazas. I sit and listen to a NY mass in this massive church which is stunning. Surprising though that they seem to celebrate NY here in the Churchesmore than Christmas as the churches are packed out today.