South America 2007

Jungle was great!!! Stayed with a river family a couple of nights and the kids were adorable, man they know how to fight, they move their hands so bloody quick! The 5 year old tried to beat me up when he first saw me - guess hes more used to jaguars than humans!

Got a boat from Iquitos that dropped us off in the middle of nowhere - had to literally get off the boat into the amazon river and walk in the pitch dark, with water up to my waist, while my guide was making strange monkey noises trying to get the attention of the river family to fetch a canoe!

It was a truely amazing experience. After staying with the family a couple of nights we headed further up the river in our canoe and found a good spot to camp. This was when the real adventure began. As pretty much everything in the amazon is nocturnal, and when night comes so does every creepy crawly you can imagine start surfacing from the ground - if I once had a fear of snakes and spiders - I dont now!

Camping outside on nothing but a bed of leaves it not the wisest move in the world. Basically got eaten alive by mosquitos and my whole body is covered in bites. One night even had a jaguar circling my bed, although luckily had a machete near by, which became my new best friend.

The scariest moment was the first time out on the canoe at night in search of alligators. I was ducking and diving under the trees as the guide was navigating the canoe through the dark when I felt something really heavy fall on me from one of the trees. I reached for my torch as it was pitch black (bad move!) I didnt know transulas were THAT big!!! I freaked out as it was slowly crawling up my chest towards my face, I jumped up in the canoe and it nearly capsized - dont think the amazon has ever heard such a scream! Shoutiung i'm a celebrity get me out of here doesn't quite work in this neck of the woods. My guide - who I nick-named Mogley was great though and thew it off into the river, phew!!!

Was sad to come back to the city although learned loads of useful jungle survival techniques as Mogley knew absolutely everything you could want to know about the jungle. Leaned how to navigate the canoe at night by following the shadows of the trees, how to get fresh water from under the ground and even how to signal if you are lost by banging a tree with the machete 3 times - it actually works! The jungle kids are taught this from a young age for if they get lost, if someone is out there they respond with 2 tree strikes and come to find you! How cool is that!

Saw loads of wild animals - monkeys, pink dolphins, tucans, condors, parots, snakes, spiders, toads, alligators. Also tried loads of strange fruits and learned about the different botanical medicines. On the last night even found the courage (and a mixture of necesity as I stank!) to take the canoe out into the amazon in the dark and shower myself with a bit of balancing and a bowl (decided to leave the tourch at camp this time though!)

For dinner we ate fried grubs, fried ants, tree bark and the fish that we caught. yum yum!

Amazing experience, cant wait to go back in, just have to wait for my bitten skin to calm down

So i´ve decided to go back into the Amazon via northern Paraguay or Bolivia in a couple of months time.

The last night in Cuzco was one of the guys birthdays so went to a restaurant and he treated himself to the local speciality of Guinea Pig, made me want to vomit seeing it stretched out on his plate with all its teeth still in tact.

Also managed to make it to the hospital in Cuzco to have ET examined - a complete waste of time! The Peruvian health system is not quite the same as UK! Hospital was filthy and the only other patient wating was a lady with one eye.

A lady in a dirty uniform took one look and a squeeze of my finger and told me the nail would fall off and it would be fine.

I´m now in Iquitos, the amazon basin. This jungle city is amazing, although crossing the road is a death trap and its scorching hot, the local people here are really friendly and helpful. Staying in a cool little hut and one of the staff even speak English.

Today is the second day here and I love it already. When I arrived by plane (as there are no road links to Iquitos) the tuk tuk driver greated me with ´welcome to the jungle!´ The tiny ´airport´ is outside and there are no walls or ceiling, the strangest airport i´ve ever seen, basically a few bits of bamboo and a luggage conveyabelt outside, of which more dogs and wild animals came off of than bagage!

I went to the pharmacy last night to get some malaria pills and decided to show the guy my finger as he was really friendly, he basically told me what I didn´t want to hear - that its infected. I´m now taking 10 pills a day; anti- malaria for the jungle, anti-inflamatory pills for the spider bite and anti-biotics for the finger!

Went out with Previn last night (the guy I met at Airport) for a farwell drink as he is not coming into the jungle with me and will be gone by the time I come out. We got blasted with a waterballoon on our way to a club and decided to go back to the hostel as things started looking abit gangsterish in the streets at night.

Today I explored the jungle town of Iquitos to find a guide to take me into the depths of the Amazon and decided to go with a guy called Neilton 260k in to the Amazon along the river narapa. Hope i´ve made the right choice as he doesn´t speak English and the last tourist review for the trek was in 2002!

Also met a couple of street kids to accompany me around town, the little one is really sweet and has managed to find me both days so far and just holds my hand all day.

Now feeling a mixture of nerves and excitment about venturing into the jungle as leave tonight at 5pm but need to prepare myself for the massive trip across the amazon from Peru to Brazil.

Wow! The Inca Trail was amazing and so was the Guide aptly named Angel. However, do not underestimate how difficult the trail is, I had some serious breathing problems because of the altitude. It took me 4 days of hardcore hiking to Machu Picchu to an altitude of 4200M at the highest point. My guide was great though and gave me some strange red liquid to cope with my altitude sickness and some coco leaves to chew along the way. He also had to drag me up a bit of the way as I physically couldnt make it.

The first night in the mountain range I had an early night as had to get up at 4am. Before bed though played with some of the local kids, unfortunately they don´t speak spanish but quechua, although had fun playing with their only toy - a balloon. First night was freezing and really uncomfortable as the tent was pitched on a slope and I ended up continuously slinding down the tent and eventually accepted that I would have to sleep all night crouched by the door in the feotus position.

The views were amazing though and I loved waking up in my tent to the beautiful mountain top views. Weather was not that great though, rained alot and Cuzco in general is freezing cold.

The second night I had a massive snake crawling under my sleeping bag. The guy I shared the tent with was a gentleman though and got out of the tent in the freezing cold to shake out my sleeping bag.

So far loving this trip and seeing Machu Picchu was definately worth the trek, even if it did mean 5 days without a shower! Met a great girl from New Zealand and we decided to take some ´natural´ photos on Machu Picchu (meaning old mountain in quechua) in where we thought was a discreet place. One of the security guards managed to see us and called the police, so even though it took 4 days to get there we had to vacate quick smart before they got to us!

The jungle vegetation along the Inca Trail and the spider bite on my leg has also given me a taster of what is to come - the Amazon!

¡Hi everyone!

Well alot has happened since leaving Lima. last night out in Lima was great, met loads of people and got challenged to a dance off with a local Peruvian girl - was hillarious!

Decided to head down the coast to Pisco, a small town south of Lima to visit the Islas de Ballestas and Peninsula de Paracas. Las islas de paracas are basically a group of small islands covered in white bird shat that form the most important bird and marine sancturary on the Peruvian coast, it stinks and there are literally thousands of birds that shit all over you from above, and i paid to have that experience? hmm! Although you can see large colonies of sealions, penguins and guano producing birds. Really good day out and at night time managed to find a peruvian rave in a dirty old warehouse!

From Pisco me and my new found groupy headed to Ica and on to Huacachina. I HAVE FINALLY FOUND MY PARADISE! I was supposed to be heading to Nazca to see the lines, but didn´t quite make it, couldn´t move on from huacachina, a tiny oasis in the middle of no-where. Its a tiny little town in the dessert with beautiful lagoon and again met some lovely people, including a couple of english doctors who examined my finger for me. The first 2 girls that i´ve met on my trip so was good to go out and have some girlie fun.

Huacachina is paradise, they bring out free weed with your breakfast, is that a set up or what man?

Went sandboarding, (Gemma - you can not believe the size of them, Fraser island sand dunes are for kids dude!) Didn´t break anything, although still having desserts coming out my ears.

Unfortunately had to say goodbye to Huacachina, Marvin the monkey with his killer shlong and Henry the tortoise, but not before one last night out Managed to spend a months peruvian wages on one round of drinks - ha ha! But great night, demonstrated my breakdancing - well, actually a fancy rolly polly in the middle of dance floor. Also taught some confused Peruvians how to headbang, wicked! Also found out that the guy who was teaching me how to dance salsa was actually French....and deaf, so couldnt understand me when chewing his ear off or hear the music!

So goodbye Huacachina (and thanks for only charging me 4 quid for my accomodation and massive bar tab, oh and the bong) and hello Cuzco, which is where I´ve managed to end up, after a 20 hour bus journey. The trolly dolly on our bus attacked Alex in the night by sitting on his lap and tried to rape him which freaked him right out!

Really sick at the moment unfortunately, suffering from altitude sickness as elevation in Cuzco is 3300M. Hoping to get well soon as can hardly breath and starting the inca trail tommorow which will take 4 days to walk there. Really excited about seeing Machu Picchu, my 3rd Man-made wonder of the world...

Helllloo!

First day here was great! Got up quite early, had breakie and headed into central lima with Alex, Chris and Previn. Lima is not as I imagined - its almost like any other european city, just dirt cheap! Looked around the city and had quite a chilled day.

Back at hostel met loads of cool people and all went out, which was brill. One of the guys dropped his pants on the dance floor in the first club and 2 meaty Peruvian guys nearly knocked him out, was so funny!

Latin rythms were pumping out and I got a bit carried away - met some cool Peruvian girls in the second club and danced the night away - lost pretty much everyone by end of night and the Peruvian girls took me under their wing. Managed to find the guys at end of the night and we headed back, had to do a bit of a runner tho as one of the Peruvian girls were trying it on with Previn so had to save him and do a quick get away.

Sat in the garden at mo, the computer is outside and sun is shinning! Having such a wicked time, heading to Pico down the coast tom to do some sand surfing. Catch you all later - just gonna jump back in my hammock and chill, hope you having fun at work!!!

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¡Hola amigos!

48 hours later i finally make it to lima! Whoo hoo!

My one-way ticket to Lima proved a problem on arrival in London as they said I would get deported at Peru Airport without an on-ward journey. Good old British Airways offered me a return for 1600 quid! Instead I suggested that I buy a ticket to brazil, which thankfully they agreed to and more to the point is refundable and a tad cheaper!

So why did it take me so long to get here??? I missed the connection from Madrid to Lima and insisted I was staying in Spain until I had my bag (after what happened in China I wasnt going anywhere until they found it) - which then took 7 hours trying to find in Madrid airport, nice one!

Fortunately managed to form a little groupy at the Iberia desk - a Japonese couple, a Polish girl and an English guy, so was wicked to have some company and trek aimlessly around the airport with as they were in same situation. The Japonese couple were hilarious - didnt speak much English but the guy was called Hero and the girl looked like she was pwermanently stoned as she laughed continuously at EVERYTHING!!!

After eventually finding our backpacks BA paid for us to stay in a lush hotel spa in Madrid which was amazing, my room was huge! We booked another flight from Madrid - Quitos - Lima and finally arrived early hours this morning. The English guy I met at airport, called Previn came with me to the hostel and we had a deserved smoke and drink on arrival. The staff here are really friendly and definately up for partying. Not sure what my fellow dorm travellers are going to think of me this morning as I had serious laughing fits when I got into bed, which was about 4am this morning!

I´m currently sat in the Garden of the point hostel, got up at 7am. Everyone else is in bed but cant sleep coz of jet lag.This place is great, little garden with hammocks, hot showeres and a wicked party bar, prob best hostel ive stayed in.´

Hope everyone is well back home - im just waiting to have breakfast then heading to the beach to catch some waves as they give out free surf boards here - wicked!

Oh and my E.T finger is OK I think, well it hasn´t fallen off yet. I went to A&E Monday night and had xray - its fractured and I have chipped the bone - they drained the blood from the nail and put my arm in a sling to keep my finger facing upwards - a sling is always great when backpacking! Need to go to hospital in Peru in a few days to make sure its not infected, hmmm....