So to start, it was another magnificent summer at good old AV! To all the staff who may read this blog, I miss you all and thanks again for an incredible summer! The staff banquet was nothing short of pure banter and messiness :), (from what I remember at least).
From there a number of the AV crew had a epic trip to Six Flags and a great few nights at the abodes of Miss Leigh Dale and Miss Laura Ruiz / Sir Enrique Ruiz (thanks again guys).
And then onto the traveling itself, first stop Las Vegas...and what a stop it was. A mass of bright lights through some very blurry vision where some money was won and lost (I'll leave it up to you the reader to guess where my luck fell!). From there myself and Andy bid adieu to Siobhan and Laura and headed through the desert and over the Rockies to L.A.
Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed with LA overall, it was too big (with useless public transport) although Venice Beach was pretty stunning with a beachwalk that reminded me oddly of Camden Markets! That being said we still managed to have a number of very messy nights...(anyone who wants to know more details on this I'll direct you to Andrew Mackintosh ;) ).
I then said goodbye to the US and said 'Ola' to South America where I met Charlotte in Lima. A city which reminded me of home with its grey and drizzly skies, it's locals were on the whole friendly with a couple of really nice areas in Barranco and Miraflores and some pretty colourful markets to wonder through at your leisure.
After 4 or 5 days there, we headed up the coast to Trujillo, a pretty and unassuming beach town which had a picturesque main square where you could soak up some sun and people watch for hours over a coffee.
Then we crossed the border in a long 32 hour jaunt up to Quito, Ecuador which is sat plum centre in the Andean Mountains giving it a stunning backdrop. The city itself doesn't let itself down either, the 'new town' providing awesome nightlife (I may need to invest in some salsa lessons at some point!), and the 'old town' supplying a number of beautiful cathedrals which you find by winding your way through a number of old cobbled streets.
I realize this is a seriously long post so stay with me, not long to go now! After Quito we headed into the Amazon rainforest on a 5 day trek which was nothing short of amazing. From seeing Pink Dolphins on the first day (which almost caused Charlotte to pass out with excitement), to doing a night hike and discovering numerous spiders that held more poison than I would care to think about, the whole trip was non-stop and something I'd recommend to anyone. As well as Piranha fishing and Caiman Hunting, we also spent every sunset swimming in a relatively safe lagoon which had to be the highlight of my trip. What I didn't quite enjoy so much was packing my socks on the last morning.
Why you ask?
Well, as I was packing said socks, I suddenly something pretty large and hairy on my hand...and to my sheer terror I looked down to see a tarantula casually sitting in the palm of my hand!
Obviously I laughed, gave it a stroke and put it down in the grass outside......what, you don't believe me? Well you're right, I screamed like a little girl, lobbed the spider against the nearest wall and followed up by lobbing my socks and boots at it. Now animal lovers, don't look too badly on me, this was a pure adrenaline reaction remember!
After returning to Quito we have now made our way down to the hills if South Ecuador, to place called Vilcabamba. Apparently the locals are known for not 'kicking the bucket' as it were, and I don't blame them, this place is pure peace and tranquility. Find attached the view I'm looking at whilst I write this blog (if I can upload it). As well as recharging our batteries, Charlotte and I did a day's horse-back trekking through the mountains yesterday, which although hairy at times due to the sheer drops a foot either side of the paths, was another awesome experience. Unfortunately I can now barely move and my buttocks desperately need to be put in an ice bucket...apparently I didn't quit realize how painful horse riding is! At the end of the day we rode back into town, cowboy hats and all, like some cliched western. Sadly it was probably more along the lines of 'brokeback mountain' than 'the good, the bad and the ugly' but I'll skip quickly past that.
And so I sit here now sore but very happy looking forward to heading down south and tackling the rest of the west coast of South America!
Until the next time I blog (which will be sooner this time I promise), adios amigos and hasta luego!
Ginge xXx
I am soo glad you are enjoying it and living it up! Count the days because Colombia is coming up!! I cant wait!! And you will definitely learn salsa =) miss you very much and keep up the travels <3
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