Big Water

Dad and I met in the lobby of our rather cool hotel in San Telmo, Buenos Aires. Situated in the bohemian, arty district, there was a film school one block over and colourful, imposing graffiti on all available walls. One night, on the way home from dinner, we even came across a theatrical performance by a bored dame leaning on her balcony clutching her fan, and her adversary on the street below. It looked like they were getting good tips from passers-by!

We visited a small modern art gallery in La Boca on the day that we went to visit El Caminito – the set of colourful streets reminiscent of Camden town. Whilst we had a coffee, an old guy sang along to two guitarists and the tapping of a Tango couples shoes. They carried on tirelessly for ages, presumably aided by the copious amounts of mate they were drinking.

The amount of wildlife that Dad and I have seen has been amazing! It all started when we went on a bike ride around the park in Buenos Aires. It was National Flag Day and nice and sunny, so the rest of the city accompanied us. We saw parakeets nesting and cracking seeds in the trees above us, and wild dogs running around the paths.

Our second destination was Ibera, a swampy marshland in the north of Argentina. We stayed on a ranch for two days and went on a boat ride out into the local lake. We saw Caimans, Capybaras and thousands of different bird species. It was really impressive that such biodiversity can exist on these little islands in such close proximity – there were caimans sleeping on other caimans, and birds having a rest on the backs of Capybaras! From the ranch we also rode out around the Pampas on horses to check up on the 400 cows and lambs roaming about the estancia. Not to mention that in our lovely host’s back yard we also found monkeys living in his copse, glow worms and yet more Capybara.

A few bits of steak and some red wine later, we left for the tropical heat of Puerto Iguazu and to take our pool side seats in the hotel. We visited Iguazu falls on three consecutive days, first to the Argentinean side and on the last day to the Brazilian side. All spectacular! On the Argentinean side you can stand on the board walk and stare down into the spray-filled abyss, wondering about the non-stop pummeling of the rocks below and the hypnotic journey of the water from precipice to river. We hadn’t realized how far the falls stretched, around a mile of individual waterfalls, some completely engulfing and roaring, others a trickle in comparison and dotted with shrubs and grasses still managing to cling on.

We were able to walk around the reserve and see the falls from many different angles, this included a quick cool off in an Iguazu shower and a long trek that led to a secret fall and pool deeper in the jungle. Whilst I was a little disappointed not to see any Jaguars, we saw more monkeys(!), an agouti, what Dad thinks was a Tapir, wild Guinea pigs and the stars of the show – the resident Coatis stealing pick nicks, frightening children, and demolishing rubbish bins (all of which we can bear witness to). The butterfly population is simply stunning. On the Brazilian side we were treated to a more panoramic view of the falls, and the size of the river Iguazu, itself. I feel very lucky to have seen one of the natural wonders of the world, and very, very small in comparison.

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Breakfast is every morning at 8 30. We then work from 9 to 11 30, when we take a break, before continuing our activity until lunchtime: 1 30. After lunch, we are free to do as we please until yoga at 4 30, our snack at 6 and dinner at 8. This is my daily routine at the Hare Krishna ashram where I’m staying for two weeks – one more to go. The devotees actually start their day at 5 with chanting and meditation, but us voluntarios prefer to stay in bed where it’s warm and comfy. The monks and mothers that live at the farm are all friendly, caring and surprisingly young people, some of whom led very world-wind lives before they arrived here. I’m working on the organic farm. We change our tasks every day, for example I have helped to build a manure house (not a house for manure but a house made out of manure!), weeding, hoeing (I never knew how much the land in Argentina needed to be hoed! One day, I hoepe we will have hoed enough…), chopping and washing up. It’s all pretty hard work, actually, but it does keep us warm. As we are only eating vegan meals, there is a lot of grating, peeling and mashing to be done, and they make so much food. Every meal preparation feels like we’re about to feed five thousand people. Eating is considered a spiritual meditation and act of thanks to Krishna, so the meals are always arranged beautifully and no food is ever wasted. It’s a very efficient farm, whatever is left over is fed to the various animals that live along side us. Only two of the six dogs that live here were invited – the others just turned up – and neither of the two chickens nor the two cockerels. The dogs are all very sweet and a constant source of entertainment/warmth, the cockerels on the other hand have no concept of time and crow at midnight, or at three in the afternoon. Yoga classes are everyday and often quite hard work, but again they warm us up. After not really feeling like I can roll out a yoga mat in a ten-bed hostal dorm room for the past three months, I’m embarrassingly unflexible, but little and often every day is the best way to improve, they say! The mediation classes are really nice, sometimes the mother taking the class will sing or play an instrument, and sometimes we just lie in quiet. I’m loving this detox. No wine, meat or dairy products for two weeks is doing me good! The farm is in the Argentinian country side just outside of Buenos Aires. It’s as flat as a pancake in every direction, apart from the rows and rows of trees around each field. It’s a peaceful and tranquil place- you can see all the stars and every corner of the sky- and it's also horse country! I walked past a field of about thirty horses yesterday, and we forever see gauchos riding their steeds over to their friends’ house if they need to have a word about a dog. I originally planned to stay here for three weeks, but on account of the blistering cold I’m leaving early. Back to BA, back to pastries and coffee!

Back in Grey

I arrived in BA at half five in the morning. We drove along misty streets with bars still glowing on every corner, and Portenos casually having a beer, still deciding which club they should grace. It’s true that BA is a twenty four hour city! My classes start at nine and finish at twelve forty. Then, as in Quito, I can roam around the city in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it’s now winter here and rains quite a lot. On the other hand it’s pretty warm. This weather is pretty deceptive and I bought myself a lovely new winter coat which is slowly but surely cooking me!

As you would expect from a city which never sleeps, the nights out are lots of fun. The best club we’ve danced at is called ReggaeTron and has breakdancing competitions all evening. I like pretending I look like I’m part of the scene, but my Converse don’t really fit in with all the Nikes…otherwise the barrio Palermo is home to pretty bars playing music from Amelie Poulain, and there are restaurants literally everywhere selling literally the best steaks a girl can get.

The street style is awesome in BA. The Portenas are known for their confidence and fierce attitude (especially if they’re working in a shop when it seems most essential), and they all channel a rock chick look. Studded leather jackets, black wedge heels, long I-woke-up-with-perfectly-tangled locks and ‘save your time for someone who cares’ expressions. These people mostly live in the area that I’m living in- and where the school is, too. La Recoleta is the posh barrio where Americans and French have infiltrated, lined with gold and leopard print shops and tiny, little dogs. So. Many. Dogs. The dog walkers here are the highlight of my walk to school. I think I’ve worked out that they need at least ten pooches to make it worth the trip, and the more diverse the size, colour and age of the dogs the more impeccably they behave. If Poppy and Echo would join, there would be utter chaos! I’ve been really enjoying visiting the art galleries of Buenos Aires. At the MALBA, a little gallery of modern art, we saw some particularly disturbing exhibitions reminicent of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series. The Recoleta Cementario is almost like a sculpture exhibition, each grave is different and personal and deeply devotional. You can walk around for hours peering in through the windows of the mausoleums and deciding which of the many angels you would like to protect you one day. The botanical gardens have really pretty lilies and grecian statues, and on the first sunny day of my visit we could sit on a bench and eat some delicious ice cream. There are lots of Italian immigrants in BA, explaining the abundance of ice cream, coffee, pizza and pasta joints. One of my Italian flat mates at the residence works for an ice cream company and she visits the various factories to taste all of the flavours!

During my first week I stayed with a lovely grandmother to one, and BFF to all. She called me hermosa, amor, chickitika…and cooked wonderful mediterranean food. She hosted up to three students at any one time, and wanted to do all she could for each one. I felt very bad in that I hardly understood a word of her many rambling stories becuase she spoke so fast! She liked to Tango, and to get her nails and hair done every two weeks. Thank you, Alicia, for a wonderful stay!! And as my week is almost up, thank you to Buenos Aires for a lovely visit. I am definitely falling in love with this city! It reminds me of London with all the different areas, all of which have their own personality. There’s too little time to dance all the dances, try all la comida and see all the museums! BA was even named literary capital one year, I think. One of my favourite things to do is to find a cafe with waitors in bow ties and sit down with a cafe solo and my book, note book, or pile of postcards!

A word about my Spanish – it’s definitely improving, I’m currently working on the subjuctive, but I’m still met with confused expressions when I try and top up my phone or tell the taxi driver where I want to go. The classes are fun and the teachers are all dedicated. No problems waking up at seven forty five to get here!

Cold and Cool Quito

Polluted, busy, casi expensive, standing at an altitude of 2,800 metres (9,200 ft)… I absolutely love Quito! My school is in a pretty, colonial building on a quiet street with a ‘gourmet’ café just down the road. I have lessons from 8 30 to 1 Monday to Friday, and I have the afternoon free with the city as my playground. There are loads of museums, art galleries, coffee shops for people watching, parks and narrow streets with lime green, sunflower yellow and ruby red houses.

Being Lazy in Lima

So we’re now hiding out in Mierflores, Lima. It’s not really the ‘grungy’ side, as Anna from New Zealand suggested, as there’s a big café culture and a city beach just down the road…

It’s mid-twenties at midday (sorry to hear about the storms at home!), and the sea is providing pretty swell surf for Sophia to catch on her board. We decided to get to Lima early to chill out before Sophia goes home. We’re glad we did, it’s a good opportunity to detox from party-town Cusco what with all the healthy frozen yoghurt bars and enormous parks to laze in that we’ve found.

Yesterday, we actually ventured into the city to pick up some final souvenirs, and see the main square, but we couldn’t help but feel we wanted to make the most of the holiday aspect, as opposed to the cultural aspect, of this city. So, guiltily, we caught a taxi back and decided what to do next….um…beach??

At our lovely sociable hostel, they organized a Peruvian five course meal for us (yes- five!). Each round was basically a little morsel of potato carved into a different shape, and drowned in cream cheese sauce. Really good! Perhaps a little recklessly after a dodgy tummy, I tried the Ceviche (raw sea food, seasoned with lime) and the beef kebabs, hot off the barbie. I’m feeling fine today, happily, and it was interesting to see the contrast in the food to that of the highlands, such as tough Alpaca steaks and dry quinoa. So, I’m now off to recline in the palm-tree-park with a pot of Mango sorbet and my book before I begin school again in Quito, Ecuador. Even if Spanish isn’t my language, I think I’d be okay as a Frenchman…!

Machu Picchu

So I've just returned from my Inca Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu (pronounced pik-chew, like picture), the ancient city of the Inca and a select few of the 10 million race. It was a challenging route and included ridiculously early mornings, but the journey made our arrival to the citadel all the more impressive. A few buildings have been restored, but for the most part the structures are so strong and still standing it's easy to transport yourself back to the busy town. The tiered levels provided them with farm land for Quinoa, and there were other areas for a cemetary, sacrificial stone, courtyard, university and temple. Llamas were walking around the site, and pretty orchids and grey lizards made the place their home. But why did they choose to perch on this mountain? How long must it have taken them to bring the heavy stones from 11km away? There's so many unanswered questions about their life and culture, but our guide, Henry, believes that the last of the Incan Empire is living on in the jungle. If we ever find them (or the lost city of gold), maybe we'll one day find out...


We were a group of 8 people- three guys just graduated and very sporty, a couple who had quit their jobs and sold their homes to travel and do as many adventure sports as possible, and another young couple from Canada who loved the great outdoors. So they were quite a fit bunch, and on the treks I had to push myself to keep up with them following my month and a half of tame city strolls. We got on really well and found out so much about the history of Peru. Henry lived and breathed the culture. He had a head in his house that had been unearthed by a friend (it has a really tall skull because the children wore tight bands around their foreheads in order to make it grow up. This was a status symbol, much like, I guess, the bowler hats now) because it's thought that this head will watch over your house and prevent burglaries. It still has hair. The hair is still growing.


On the first day we mountain biked down a valley into the Cloud Forest. The clouds were hanging motionless in the air, and the road was really quiet. It was almost eerie until it started raining torrents and we had to force our eyes to stay open to see the road. At the bottom we visited our first ruins (ruined by nature, not the Spanish) - a sacred place where they would make sacrifices to Inti, the Sun God. There's little evidence to support the idea that they killed people, but enough skeletons to confirm that Llamas were the main victim. Llamas were bred for meat, fur, manure and to be sacred. Essential creatures!


On the second day we woke up very early and had insect repellent showers before hiking for a couple of hours up hill. It's lucky we started so early because as soon as the sun had risen for a few hours we were really hot! The first stop was to visit a monkey, who promptly grabbed Sophia's water bottle that I borrowed and took a swig! I've drank from it since, following some scrupulous cleaning and I seem to be okay (fingers crossed). He was so cute. We continued up to a hut where we tried on some traditional outfits, and tasted some fruits from the forest. All our tours have been so educational. To be a tour guide in Peru, you must go to university for five years to qualify. From the mirrador at the top, we started walking down the steep steps (much harder than going up!) to find a landslip blocking the road. Following the rainy season of Jan, Feb, March they are quite common. We had to walk an extra hour to our lodge. This was no problem, however, because upon arriving we could see it was totally worth the effort. Bowls of sweet bananas and creamy avocados were dotted around the wooden lodge. Our rooms were open air, such that there were no closed walls. We slept to the sound of the rushing river, and cowered in our nets from the pesky mosquitos. But before we could enjoy sleeping, we went zip wiring! Maximum line was 150m above a valley - terrifying but exhilarating!

On the third day we faced a hard walk up hill. It was really steep and a little higher which meant it was harder to breathe. Not to mention the guy holding us up by herding his lazy cows up this narrow path. At the top we saw another site and had a great view of Machu Picchu, our goal! We had a delicious lunch, followed by a nap in the shade and I saw a bottle green Humming Bird darting about. Again, the downhill made our legs shake but we arrived on time to our next hostal and our final meal together - Piscosours included!

On our final day we woke at 5am and took the bus up with the many other tourists to Machu Picchu. We had a long guide around the old buildings, after we raced to get our cheesy trophy photos before the throngs in the background were spoiling the post card shot. We said goodbye to our guide and climbed Wayna Picchu. After three long days, this was the hardest part. Slippery rocks and narrow staircases...I was a little scared. The view from above was great, though. And my Pig made it!

We decided not to go to the hot springs before our train back, because we had gone on the second day instead to rejuvinate ourselves for the rest of the trip. It was delicious. 28 Degrees Celcius, we got there at dusk and watched the outline of the mountains blend into the sky as the stars come out. If it wasn't for the walk in the dark back across the fresh landslide (literally fallen that morning) then I would have been completely relaxed!

I really enjoyed myself, and promptly sent Dad a gushing email about how it was 'so inspiring, dude'. It's clear why Machu Picchu is one of the beacons of South America. 2000 people visit it every day, 400 people clime Wayna Picchu, and this happens for 11months of the year! I've been there, done it, and I think I may have to get the T shirt!


I wish you could have all been with me, lots of Love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(I will add photos a later!)

La Paz

La Paz is the highest populated city in the world! It’s really polluted, built on a mountain and has a local witches market where you can buy Alpaca skeletons and dried frogs. I would love to bring one home (they have put sequins where the eyes are, and coated them in glitter spray!) but I don’t think I could get it through US customs…

Our favorite herbal concoction is the Coca Mate tea which tastes as though it has some Fennel, Green tea and Mint in. The coca leaves reduce altitude sickness, weariness, cold and pain. The Inca love goddess is depicted holding them aloof, and they used to be used in trading (weird having a currency you can actually eat). All the locals chew them (especially bus drivers), and we’ve been getting better and better at spotting those telling hamster cheeks! The British Queen was even given them when she visited South America.

Mate is the Argentinean drink which adds the Fennel flavor to the tea. The locals drink it from clay pots, using straws that have filters at the bottom of them (definitely bringing one for Sarah for drinking loose leaf Green tea! Such a clever idea! ). They carry them around EVERYWHERE, along with thermal flasks of hot water to keep it topped up. Mate had to be banned from public busses, because people would not stop drinking the brew for more than a minute to get their change out!


Yesterday was our first day in La Paz, but Sophia and I needed a day of recovery so didn’t explore much further than the local Moroccan restaurant for our first hummus in a whole month!

We were very sad to leave Sucre, it was a pretty, chilled town and we made lots of friends who accompanied us to the local Karaoke bar, and who we could feed the local PiscoSour to for the first time (reminiscent, I imagine, of watching babies drink something fizzy!).


We will be in La Paz for the next two days...lots of fun things planned!