Pam and I enjoying a cocktail at W hotel

Times Square

Glittering lights, billboards, people, shops and more shops, yellow cabs and lots of atmosphere greeted us when we arrived at our hotel at the Hilton Times Square. Wow it’s an awesome hotel and to be close to the Times Square and the Broadway area is amazing.

New York is cold but it is bustling with colours, noise and people are everywhere. It takes us almost 30 minutes to walk down one block sometimes but advertisements are everyhwere – double decker buses also line the streets with tourists. Madame Tussaud’s and Ripley’s Believe or Not are next to our hotel and they attract massive crowds all the time.

After walking around for some time and grabbing lunch, Pam and I caught the subway to Greenwich Village, Chinatown and Little Italy. The subway is more complicated and harder to use I think than Atlanta. We also went through Soho and Noho areas and markets, restaurants and cafes fill the streets and add atmosphere to the area.

The next morning was my birthday and I woke up early to walk to Central Park but it started pouring down with rain and the windy was very gusty. I walked into a cafe to take shelter and I must have looked like a drowned rat because someone rushed to find my an umbrella and another person rushed to offer me a free cup of tea with lemon and honey. So how nice was that?

When the rain stopped I went walking down 5th Avenue (where all the shops are) and wow there are a lot -and some of them are very expensive. The off to Madisson Square Garden, Union Square (to see some amazing stalls that sells everything, from collection books to organic breads! Then off to the WholeFoods Markets where they sell the best fruit and veggies – of course all organice. Just my kind of thing

At night Paul and Pam took me to a vegan restaurant called Blossom- Very yummy and we all tried dessert like cheesecake (made of tofu), vanilla ice cream (out of soy) but Paul and Pam found some of the tastes to be quite funny. Off to drinks at the W (very fancy) next.

The next day continued with a trip to the Empire State Building and Rockfeller Centre. At night I was further treated to another birthday present – a trip to Broadway to see HairSpray the musical.

Then the next day I got really sick so Paul and I went on a top and open decker bus to see the uptown area of New York and also the downtown side. There’s so much to see here and the museums, galleries and shops are all pretty awesome.

Next stop: Vancouver!!

Relaxing by the fire at the Hilton Chicago

Well they don’t call Chicago the windy city for nothing. We arrived there and it was like a blast of ice after the warm bliss of Atlanta. The ride from the airport took us almost 2.5hrs to get to the Hilton Hotel and traffic was horrendous. The airport shuttle driver joked that if it doesn’t rain in Chicago there is always construction that hampers traffic.

The Hilton Hotel we stayed in was one of the oldest Hilton hotels and there is still the old grandeur evident from the floor tiles to the ceilings and rooms – it all has a very 1950s look. The movie Home Alone was actually shot in this hotel (despite the fact that Kevin was meant to have been in New York city).

The buildings in Chicago are beautiful. I walked around for most of the first day with Pam to look at the sights and then walk the Millenium Mile (which is a mix of old character buildings and the equivalent of 5th Avenue shopping in New York). Despite the cold weather, it is very beautiful.

The next morning I was out and about walking through the famous parks of Chicago – the park here has sections and attractions and tulips are their displays for this time of the year and they bloom everywhere and it is so beautiful. As you can see I took quite a few photos of the tulips. I then went to one of the old main streets for more sightseeing, window shopping and real shopping

It is certainly busier here than in Atlanta but apparently New York will even be worse!

We also managed to see some theatre and got tickets for half price when we went to the box office to ask for half price tickets. The good thing about Chicago and later New York is the amount of shows and musicals that are on. I can’t wait to see them in New York too.

We went to see Wicked – the story behind the Witch of Oz – it was brilliant!! All three of us totally loved it.

The next few days we did more sightseeing and shopping. Paul and I went to the top of the Sears Towers for a 360degrees look of the city from was used to be tallest building in the world and then to the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory (wow…it smells, tastes and breathes chocolates in there).

After 3 days in Chicago it was time to say bye to the windy city and we left on a good day because the rain poured unmercilessly as we left for the airport. So goodbye Chicago and hello New York!

Then off to the hotel where we checked in and then my sister took me around to introduce me to all the people she used to work with before moving to the Hilton Airport. There were fruit shakes and pasta and cakes being offered from all corners at the same time…hmmm…yum!! I can get used to this lifestyle

Atlanta is great – the weather is awesome and it is not so busy but still alive. I really enjoyed it. There are lot of nice restaurants and because of the Olympics, the train system is great and so easy to ride on and I went everywhere in it to visit the Martin Luther King Jnr memorials and museum, then the Margaret Mitchell Museum (who wrote Gone with the Wind) and then CNN Centre and Olympic/Centennial Park.

Atlanta has got that old souther charm houses and accent and I love it here. I really do and the shopping is great (obviously) and I did the silly thing of buying too much and now my suitcase is huge…there’s this shop in downtown area called Underground Atlanta where the mall is situated in the old undergroun station. There is a beautiful part of town called Midtown where Pam and I went for a very nice fancy dinner of fondue and then Buckhead where Paul and I stayed at the Intercontinental for the next few days because the Hilton was booked and it is lovely there.

A very bustling and wonderful city. I do love it heaps and hope to come back again soon to visit its old charms. I am really in love with the houses here!!

Anyways, photos to describe the experience.

Off to Chicago next.

Then I met up with my sister and she drove us to the hotel where we were staying. She sounds and looks American by now and she absolutely loves living in the states. We also met up with Paul at the hotel and then quickly made our way to Miami Beach where the sun was out and the temperature was beautiful. An early dinner and venture into the Venture Mall (huge!!) followed before settling in for the night.

The next morning we made our way to the beach again and spent the day sunbathing. The beach is awesome – the weather was warm and they have made the beach strips so fancy. All the big hotels have their pools backing out into the beach and it costs us US$200 to hire lounges and towels for the day!!

We finished at the beach just as it was about to pour with rain and we made it back to the hotel before stepping out for dinner at Coconut Grove – a beautiful shopping area with yummy cafes and restaurants! Lorraine, you would love the shoe store which sold all shoes for ntohing more than $9.99.

That’s the thing about the US so far – everything is much cheaper because of the good exchange rate with the Australian dollar and I am really looking forward to doing some shopping. The service tipping also threw me out a bit because I’m not used to that but having a sister who works in this field and lives in America certainly helps.

We did the beach and walk around the area again the next morning and then made our way to the airport to check in for our flight to Atlanta, where my sister lives and we are staying there for a week, before heading to Chicago and then New York! Can’t wait.

Miami wa certainly a lovely holiday spot a good spot to visit for fabolous beaches and a nice relaxing lazy holiday.

The fourth day in the Amazon Jungle, we woke up early and had breakfast of plante which is green banana which has been made into a patty. It was very yummy and perfect for fussy vegans like me

We then made our way into the front of the Shangrila lodge and got onto the back of pickup trucks…I love riding in the back of these trucks although the jolting as you sit on the metal steel of the truck is not always as pleasant but I am glad we have been able to so far experience roughing it out in terms of transportation.

The road to take us to the Amazon River was full of potholes and uneven ground and we all had a laugh as the drivers in Ecuador all seem to lvoe to drive in the middle of the road or on the wrong side until there are other cars!

But we got to the river safely where we then jumped into canoes and paddled our way to an island to visit the Indigenous Amazon museum. The canoe ride was interesting and we were scared we would topple over the fragile looking canoe at most times but we got to our first destination very well.

Our guide is also the owner of the lodge and when we got to the museum, he showed us the traditional traps that the Indigenous Amazonians used to capture fish, tigers, little birds and insects. They were all simple and handmade traps but obviously work very well.

Then we had a go at using the traditional weapon of hunting and I managed to use it and not hit anyone in the process with the arrow like weapon

We then made our way to the animal sanctuary on another island and was greeted by a little monkey who was playful and followed us as we walked through the sanctuary to see some of the animals local to the area. These animals have been mostly saved from traffickers, hunters and illegal pet owners and they are treated here before being let out into the wild. Some of the stories of animal abuse that has happened is very sad and depressing but it is amazing that such sanctuaries exist so that the animals can have a safe environment.

After the animal sanctuary we headed back to our port of departure and had lunch at the cabin where the port is situated. A fish dish for everyone and a beans and salad meal for me later we hopped back into the trucks to make our way back into the lodge.

There we had the option to go with another tour guide down into tje jungle to a lookout point. I opted to go and we set a cracking pace because we had to cover a 2 hour walk in 1 hour befre it gets too dark and we won;t be able  to make our way back. It was another amazing jungle walk. So still and quiet but full of spiders, poison ivy, mud, slippery rocks, and insects and fairly steep at most points but it was all worth it to get to the top of the lookout and see the Amazon from above.

Then we made our way back, had dinner and shower and spent our last night in the jungle and lodge at the bar where Blair and Doug played the guitar and the girls sang tunes that are completely off key but it was all in good fun.

Tomorrow we head off to Banos – a town of outdoor activities, markets and lots of churches of Spanish style.

Ciao!

A public bus took us down about 500metres above the sea level into the entrance of the Amazon Jungle and the first thing you notice will be the change in the temperature…

It is lovely and warm and very humid actually. We stopped in Tena which is the closest town to the entrance to the jungle to buy some supplies for a school in one of the Indigenous villages of the Amazon which GAP Adventures sponsors. We are buying them school books, pens and also any other school equipment. In Ecuador, due to corruption, schools are not allowed to be given monetary donation.

About 9 of us also signed up for Grade 4 river rafting into the Amazon river and of course after one try at the rafting in Cuzco I am game for a level 4 rafting and especially in the Amazon river.

Then we got onto another truck which took us deeper into the jungle into the house of Delfin and Estella – one of the 35 Indigenous communities and families living in the Amazon jungle. Their house didn´t have electricity, only cold showers and literally a step away from the waterfalls and the inside of the jungle.

We got there and into our cabin rooms which was covered in mosquito nets and reminded me of the need for repellent and lots and lots of repellent at this stage! Then we all went down to the main area where there is a pool from the waterfalls for a quick dip before lying around on the hammock before dinner.

The family made me a special vegan meal for the two days that I was here. Vegan meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner…it was so lovely of them! There is Delfin and his wife Estella and then their 6 kids, with Rolando the oldest boy helping on all the jungle tours and Narcissa cooking for us.

The family is a big family. Estella´s family has 11 kids altogether and her father has 54 grandchildren!! Wow…I want a family like that. Estella told us that every family gathering is huge.

After that first night we wall went to bed pretty quickly because there are no lights after 6pm. I didn´t get one mossie bite the whole night yeay! Even when I went to the toilet in the bush in the middle of the night!

The next morning after breakfast we all went on a hike off the 3 waterfalls surrounding the jungle near Delfin´s house. The first climb into the waterfalls was hard but the view was amazing and all worth it.

Then most of everyone decided to go home because they don´t want to climb the next 2 waterfalls but my very daring self decided to do it with a couple of the other guys and wow it was worth it.

Up and down slippery rocks, with a rope to climb small waterholes, through caves, up the jungle and at one point, up the waterfall itself to get to the third waterfall…that was very scary but it was amazing.

And I got to swim in pot holes of the waterfalls or stick my head under it. So great and out of this world. The pictures as you can see will speak for itself.

Then the way back was even more exciting because we took the same route and we abseil down this time around and I went through one waterfall cliff without a harness but came out with a few bruises but all worth it!

Then back home for lunch and a rest around the hammoacks, which is going to be a favourite past time for all of us. It´s really good to have these hammocks because it brings people together and we lay lazily and talk or read a book.

Then back into our wet clothes (nothing dries in the jungle) to go an a nature trip into the jungle with Delfin and his son Ronaldo to see some of the natural plants that grows there and is used for medicine and also utilities…there is the babaco plant which is where white chocolate comes from and then there´s the plant where rubber is made of, plants to cure bites, poison, relief period pains and colds, constipation etc.

Delfin certainly has a medicinal cabinet in his backyard. Very amazing and greta to see the root of where most things come from!

Then back to the hut for a farewell dinner where Delfin and his family showed us the myriad of activities that are traditional to the Indigenous Amazonians – from a shayman ritual to a wedding ritual where I had to be the bride (very embarassing) to be married to Lawrence (who is 17!!!) It was all a funny joke but we all laughed and had a good time.

Tomorrow some of us will go to the school where Estella teaches and make a presentation and some of us will go river rafting down the Amazon Jungle…I can´t wait!

Thanks to Delfin and Estella for a wonderful home stay that is truly unique, different and makes you appreciate the beauty and simplicity of nature and culture.

The day started off rainy and gloomy and we are all worried about the river rafting and the swelling of the Amazon River.

But we got up, had breakfast, said bye to Delfin and some of us trooped into the van that picked us up to go to the Amazon River to do the river rafting.

We got halfway into the area where the rafting will start and then had to walk because there is no path leading into the rafting area that is accesible by car or vehicle, except horses and on foot.

And oh my god, I tell you what…the walk was horrendous but what an experince. To get to the Amaon River you have to trudge through hip deep mud. I got given canvas shoes which sank into the mud pretty much when I started and had to throw it away.

There were times when I was stuck into the mud and continue to sink and the guides had to pull me up. We lost shoes and sandals and I decided at the end to do this muddy trek through the jungle barefoot and sank knee deep into the mud.

There was also the slides and falls as I went barefoot and I have a fair few bruises to prove it. Big ones that are looking uglier by the day.

When we finally got on the boat though it was all worth it. This river rafting is different from the one in Cuzco…the scenery as we travel through the jungle was beautiful. High cliffs, waterfalls, monkeys, tropical birds and even two cows greeted us as we rafted down the river.

The river was also pretty good to raft through. We had some scary moments of falling over and hitting rocks but we all got through it safely. I was determined not to fall in because the weather was really cold and it was slightly raining as we rafted down the river but the guide for our boat, Alex, kept pushing or pulling me into the river. Ten times later in the river I think I was numb to the bone.

We stopped for lunch at a tiny little inlet where the guides laid out an impressive vegan lunch (yeay) of guacamole, beans, tortilla wraps and pineapple. It was yummy and when we were all stuffed, we rafted down the Onjie River, which is part of the Amazon, for another 2 hours before we got to our stop point.

It was a good feeling to have been able to raft down the Amazon River so it was all worth the cold, rain and the ten times being pushed and pulled into the river!

We got back into the bus into Tena and then drove out to our next lodging which is the Shangrila Lodge. And for those who thinks that this is like the Shangrila of the  western world hotel chain…hmmm….not at all! Itś cabin lodges above the Amazon River. Absolutely amazing. The views we had as we ate our meals are of the river and jungle below us and for the first time in 3 days….we have running hot water!

Vanessa and I were in heaven after a freezing day out in the river. After a very yummy dinner we sat and chatted and tomorrow we are going to the Indigenous Amazon museum and animal sanctuary on a canoe. Should be heaps of fun. For now, buonas noches…good night!

I met all the tour people for this GAP tour last night and some this morning as well. They are an awesome group and I know I will have some fun time with them. There is Donna, Rebecca and Helena (all from England) and Lucy and Perry (husband and wife) and Blair (from Canada), Benda and Christian (Denmark) and then there are the Aussies who dominate and make up the numbers on this tour (Simone and Kitha from the previous tour and then there´s Laurence, Doug – father and son – and Vanessa, all from Sydney).

Our tour guide Cralos is all very good. He is very funny but extremely organised and takes care of us really well.

So we all woke up and straight away piled on the van to take us to the bus station. The first stop is Papallacta which is the Hot Springs Town in Ecuador. We got to the bus station and it is supremely busy and we got on the public bus which is an experience but we will be getting on all public buses except on the way to Cuenca. So off we got into the bus and then we head off for a 5 hours trip to Papallacta.

A bus with no toilets!! A lot of fun but thank goodness we stopped along the way at a service station for me to quickly (like 2 minutes otherwise I get left behind by thes bus) to use the bathrooms, which incidentally didn´t have dividing walls or doors between male and females toilets….very interesting.

The bus ride was also very interesting because we just heard on the news that 5 British tourists died on this bus ride as well the previous day! So when the brakes screeched and noises came off the engine every so often…hmmmm….all a bit of a worry but we got to Pappallacta safely.

When we arrived on the side of the road, two trucks were waiting for us to take us to the top of the hill where our hotel was and wow if they weren´t there we would have struggled with our luggage…so we all climbed into the back of truck or some hold on to the edge of the truck…it was a cool experience

And when we got to the hotel….wow, this is really something out of the picture books I think. The hotel was like a ski lodge and we had our own private thermal hot springs. The rooms were beautiful and the scenery even better.

We all of course piled into the springs (ranging from 30 degrees to 36 degrees) and spent the rest of the day there before dinner and then an early night.

It was an amazing day and the photos speak for themselves I think so hope you enjoy them! And come to Pappalacta…it is the most amazing remote hot springs town ever and you will absolutely love it!

We´re descending into the jungle for 4 days tomorrow and everything will be pretty simple so I am enjoying the luxury of the hot springs!

We got up early and had our last breakfast at the lodge before we made our way uphill into the entrance of the lodge. We had to pile our bags into the cable car and then pull the rope at the entrance of the lodge to bring our bags up to the main entrance and then run to the side of the road to catch the bus to Banos.

That was a feat and the bus came before all of us could get to the bus stop but we managed to get on safely

The bus ride was interesting. We had to wait to get seats and there was no toilet breaks in the 5 hours of the bus ride and I was seriously busting for the toilet but at the stop at the petrol station there was no time as the bus stopped for 30 seconds before leaving.

We joked that we had a Schumaccher driver who wated to get to Banos in no time at all and we did. We arrived in the town of Banos about 3pm and was starving. Vanessa, Doug and Lawrence wanted to eat guinea pig but aftr our experience in Peru with Will and his guinea pig, Simone, Kitha and I went in search of our own food.

After wandering around the town square we finally decided on mexican and I had a yummy salad and some warming tea before the rain started to pour. A quick stop into the markets to buy some fresh fruit then led us back t the hotel to pick up our laundry and handed in for washing. A kile of laundry costs 80 cents!! Wow…better make use of this before I get to the States and everything is triple the price.

Then I went around Banos by myself before dinner time and visited organic chocolate stores and the markets and also the Church which is beautiful. People go in every day to just pray and light candles and there are many statues and idols that they pray to.

Then back to the hotel for a quick shower after being drenched in the cold rain and out to dinner. We went to a lovely French restaurant (yeap in the middle of Ecuador) and then out for drinks. Banos is very quiet on Friday so we left at about midnight back to the hotel where Vanessa and I chatted for like 2 hours before collapsing into bed.

The next morning we all separated to do different activities. The morning was too cloudy and foggy to see the volcano which erupted about 4 years ago and killed the villagers who didn´t want to leave their homes near the volcano.

Vanessa, Helena and I then decided to climb to the top of one hill to see the cross of Banos, then continued a trek to the Swiss Chalet. Everything in Banos seems to be Swiss dominated. It is a beautiful chalet but like our guide said it certainly has Swiss prices too

Helena stopped to take photos of someone´s backyard in the hills which is filled with the most beautiful flowers. Ecuador is famous for growing roses and many different types of flowers. Roses here costs about 10 cents each and a dozen long stemmed roses in the shops costs about $1.25!! Amazing isn´t it?

But the guy who owned the house invited all of us in to take closer photos and explain his crops and he gave each of us a rose to take back to Banos, whcih Vanessa and I placed in our room by the window. People here are so lovely and friendly that it´s amazing and overwhelming. We were all touched with the nice gesture of the farmer.

Then we continued downhill and that was our morning gone. Vanessa and I had lunch and walked around and rested before going up to the top of the volcano with Simone, Kitha, Carlos, Doug and Lawrence. The guys decided to go downhill from the top with bikes whilst our girls decided to walk it.

But the fog and rain continued so we didn´t really see anything. Just fog and as we walked dwnhill we thought hmmmm….there´s nothing to see until we got to the town centre and rushed for hot showers after the rain and hail we experienced from coming downhill…

Dinner and an early night after watching a silly comedy put all of us to bed aftr a good 20 km hike today. My legs are feeling it pretty badly!

Tomorrow we get on a bus to Cuenca, which is a 7 hour ride but we stop in places along the way. I cannot believe how fast our trip in Ecuador have been. It´s been pretty amazing and uor guide Carlos is great and informative and the people are great to be with.

I arrived safely and the flight with LAN Peru was good although they again forgot my vegan meal so I had a big sandwich of ham and cheese sitting in front of me but knowing that LAN can be a bit funny I came prepared with a snack to eat on board!

Two hours later I am at the airport and waiting for my hotel transfer when I realised that it wasn´t coming and a quick phone call to the GAP office in Quito confirmed that my travel agent in Australia gave me the wrong date for my trip to Quito but it all soon got sorted and I booked into a very nice Swiss and German hostel in the middle of the new city called Casa Henblink.

Quito is an interesting city. It is divided into Old City which is UNESCO World Heritage Site because the buildings date back to the 1500s and Kitha and Simone and I visited the Old City and it was beautiful. It is also the poorer part of Quito.

We visited the cathedral and wanted to get into the President´s palace for a tour but didn´t have proper ID to get in. Security there obviously was very tight but it was beautiful grounds and the guards all had guns etc which made it a bit scary.

Then we got caught in the rain and we quickly went into a cafe to get out of the rain which is good. And we stayed as long as we can and all bought $3 umbrellas to continue walking around. We even walked back to our hotel (which is beautiful and luxurious in comparison to the Inca Trail hotels) and got soaked badly. But it was heaps of fun.

We met the other members of the GAP tour at night time and our guide Carlos before some of us headed to a funky and yummy restaurant called The Magic Bean and they had Chai tea, which of course I ordered with soy milk but I suspected came with normal milk which is why I am a little bit worse for wear this morning.

The other part of Quito is New City and it is a much more modern city and very Americanised. The streets are even named after Presidents like George Washington and Wilson. American dollars are used here in conjunction with Ecuadorian coins which is funny.

I went walking around this area as well which is lovely but certainly doesn´t compare to the old part of Quito with its beautiful architecture.

I also met some Ecuadorians and managed to have a converstaion with broken English and Spanish with my handy pocket dictionaty by my side (thanks heaps Shane!! It is a lifesaver).

Well…I am about to head off to the Amazon Jungle today. We start at Pallapacta to visit the hot springs then for a homestay with a Qucha family for 2 days to learn about Indigenous culture of the Amazon people before continuing to cities such as Banos.

Ciao!