Too much Pisco

So within less than 24 hours of climbing the glacier, I was back in the desert, in a small oasis called Huacachina. It is a small resort that surrounds a lagoon in the middle of the vast huge sand dunes. It was unbelievable! It was so nice and hot, and I even relaxed a bit! I went on the sand buggy tour, where they drive like maniacs through the sand dunes, and literally you are going so fast and vertical down the dunes that your stomache flips! We stopped about 5 times to sand board....It is not as easy as you might think! But a tonne of fun anyway!
I also drank way too much pisco...the peruvians drink this like water....it is a type of alcohol that is made from grapes but it actually tastes a bit like tequilla...The favorite drink down here is the ´pisco sour´. I also managed to find a chocolate factory named after me!!! So of course I HAD to buy some chocolate from the ´helena´chocolate factory, and I also got some chocolate pisco...we´ll see how that tastes!
I headed to lima from Huacachina and am waiting a flight to cusco...

My first Glacier

I went to the nearby glacier today called Pastururi. I took a tour, but unfortunately the guide spoke only spanish....well I still got to see a lot of the mountain range in the national park and climb my first glacier. I also tried coco leaves for the first time. They really dont taste as good as you may think. We ate lemon candies along with the leaves..bit better! Also stopped to take pictures of the El pacha (?spelling) and of course was charges one sole...about 30 cents! But I made up about half the glacier with my friend Lloyd, who is a expert mountaineer and guide...lucky for me! I got a bit scared because my feet kept slipping on the ice, and it was a long way down...with only rock to brake the fall. It was actually an amazing hike, and my first time up to 5200 meters! Very slow walking!

Hope all is well at home!

Pictures Chiclayo to trujillo

Above pictures:

1. Huanchaco beach, the reed fishing boats

2. My two irish freinds and I at laguna llanganuco

3. The dessert at the Sipan tomb sites, just outside of Chiclayo

4. A very small portion of Chan Chan ruins, just outside of Trujillo

from mountains to desert

Well, I made it across the border and am in Peru now! It was quite a transition to wake up to sandy dunes rather tham snow capped mountains! The border crossing was a bit odd, thank goodness for my peruvian friend, whom I met on the bus. He helped to ensure my bag got onto the bus for safety, helped me cross the border and get all the right stamps, and help me get to the bus in Piura! I made it to Chiclayo after spending about 15 hours on the bus....Chiclayo has this very neat witchcraft market where you can buy potions, good luck charms, plants, candles, shells, etc. I also visited the nearby ruin sites on a tour. I than spent 3 nights in Trujillo, one day on the beach and other day seeing all the ruins. They were amazing and only a portion has been excavated. I spent the next day on a very long bus ride through the Corderilla Blanca canyons, driving on what should be described as a path, not a road. The cliffs were high and very close to the bus. The tunnels seemed as though someone had just thrown a stick of dynamite on the mountain and created a hole. The `path` was only the width of one vehicle, however, of course traffic goes both ways. The ride was actually amazing, despite the very hung over man next me, because of the veiws. Sorry no pictures...will send in the next update.
Hope all is well at home.

I love Cuenca

So I made it to Cuenca and have been here for three days now. This city is amazing! It is very clean and quite safe. The narrow streets are made of cobblestone and the buildings are beautiful. I have been very busy since arriving here. I took a day trip out to the Ingapirca site, which is the first Inca ruins I have seen. Picture above. We walked throught the whole place and tried to read the spanish signs, hahah.
I went on a day trip yesturday to a National Park, Cajas. We did a few hikes here, the first was along the contintental plate, which divides the lakes...on the left they run to the Atlantic and on the Right they run to the pacific. It was freakin cold up there! The vien was amazing. The second hike was through the Wet Mountain Forest and through a paper tree forest. It felt as though we were walking on wet sponges and the forest was pretty neat because the trees and the branches grow everywhere. Picture above.
Today, I hit three little cities which each had different markets.
Tommarow I am off to Peru....hopefully!

Riobamba and the Devils nose

I spent 3 days in the city of Riobamba, which is famous for the Devils nose train ride. It is supposed to be a scary ride because of the multiple swithbacks and because of the cliff that the train runs along. Well, it was scary only because the train felt as though it would derail for most of the ride. I guess this does happen often. The train rides through the Andes and provides very nice views of the mountains and the little villages. The above picture on the right is of the Andes, taken from the train. The picture to the left is the train. And yes, you can ride on the top to get the fully effect! Yes I did it!
The people in ecuador are very friendly and nice. Most are very patient with my broken attempts at spanish.
The buses: I can tell you about this now because I have spent more than 20 hours riding them. They are surprisingly ok. They are cheap, easy to figure out and comfortable. They do however get uncomfortable at times, for example, when they are driving remarkably fast down hills that have very steep slopes, when there are no speed limit signs in sight, when guardrails are nonexistent, and when there are so many people on the bus that no one can move! But, their cheap...

Thank God for gravol!

Well, I am now back from the amazing Galapogos islands, and yes I still feel like I am on a boat, despite being off of it for much more than 12 hours.
We arrived to this quaint little yacht that would hold 16 passengers and 7 crew members on a warm day at Baltra Island. About 4 hours later I hit the loo, vomitting. yep, I get seasick. Thank god for gravol. It did wonders for the rest of the trip. The trip was amazing despite the vomitting on the first day. We visited about 6 islands and snorkeled everyday in different terrain. We got to see a lot of wildlife and plant life. The islands themselves are amazing because tehy are all so different. Anyway, not to bore you with too many details, we saw: many birds, including the boobie (above picture) and darwins finches, many fish, sharks, rays, seaturtles and penguins, sealions and fur seals, land and marine iguanas, and many giant tortoises in captivity and in the wild. I have some amazinng pictures from teh trip. We had a wonderful crew and a great guide, who took at the passengers out drinking on our last night, to a salsa club in Puerto Ayora, which is in the main inhabited city in the islands. We had a great time dancing and drinking very cheap beer. After all the very early morning wakeups I am exhausted and am going to spent all of tommarow doing nothing, and enjoying the benefits of the hotel before I have to go back to backpacker life...
The plan: hit otavallo on a day trip to check out the market and the festival, than head to Riobamba for the Devils nose train ride...supposed to be amazing.

I've made it and I am still alive!

well I made it to Quito and I am still alive, and I have not yet been robbed! The first three days here were a whirlwind. I explored the city and saw some churches and markets, figured out the bus system...On my second day I visited the equator..The fake one and the real one (picture at the bottom). We also went up to the puluhua crater and ran into some type of festival, where there were bands playing and people dancing (picture to the right). On the third day i hike up a volcanoe...not intentionally. I met up with some germans, so I started to walk up with them...than I met an american and went to the top with him(picture to the left). We had to stop about every 10 or so steps because of altitide. The climb started at 4100 meters and ended at about 4700 meters. It was unreal at the top, I could see the entire city of Quito and all the surrounding volcanoes.

The city of Quito is amazing. It so unbelievably cheap! The trolle across town costs 25 cents, and beers are about 75 cents ina store, for a BIG one. Meals are cheap and delicious. The people are amazing, barely anyone speaks english but they are very willing to help and laugh at you. nicely though! The markets are amazing..the goods they have for so cheap....Anyway, it has been a great few days so far...off to the Galapogos now!