Jo in South America!!

Spent my first day in Bogota wondering round looking at all the old buildings and making tuna sandwiches was very nice and felt quite safe which surprised me after all the horror stories id heard at home about colombia.
Sat around again in my hostel that evening drinking.
Monday morning got up earlyish and caught the cable car up onto a hill to get a good view of the city spent a while there taking photo then caught the car back down. Went to waffles and crepes for lunch had a choclate waffle was very tasty.
After that managed to convice everyone they wanted to go to the cinema so we went to see eeastern promise and borught lots of popcorn as its so cheap there.
Caught a night bus to san gil.
Arrived in San Gil around 7am and checked into my hostel which is run by the nicest man. Got myself a fruit salad for breakfast it was amasing cost my about a pound and was huge loads of fruit and covered in a sweet sauce very taty.
Then i went paragliding! My tandem paraglider though i think was a bit of a learner it took him aout 3 tries to get us into the air and when we finally did manage to leave the ground he couldnt keep us up so after about 3 minutes we crash lanaded in a field. I got the biggest splinter in my leg. So to make up for his uselessness one of the other guys took me up for a little while and then because that wasnt very long either i got taken up again by another guy. I think he just wanted an excuse to do some more paragliding though. Was very good fun though not as scary as id thought it be just very relaxing.
Then popped home where i had a very tasty set meal for dinner.
Got up around 10 am the next morning and caught the bus to a nearby village which is meant to be one of the prettiest vilages in colombia it was very pretty. From there we walked to the next villlage for a dinner of goat which was okay. Waited for the bus but it turned up very late so eventually got back to San Gil at 7:15 with only 15 minutes to grab our bags and catch the 7:30 bus to the coast.
We ran all the way to the hostel where the owner had already called the bus company and told them we were going to be late. After thanking him we grabbed out bags and made a mad dash to the bus terminal only to arrive there and realises wed left out passports in the safe at the hostel so rand the hostel and got them to send a mototaxi with our passports. Finally left at 8pm the bus company was not impressed.
For some reason Colombians like to put there air conditioning on as strong as posible in order to cause all passenegers on the bus to freeze to death so spent the entire bus journey shivering in my sleeping bag. Arrived in Cartegena in the early morning stepped of my freezing cold bus into carribiean heat and humidity instantly began to miss the bus.
Checked into my hostel then went for a wonder around the city was very pretty meant to be one of the most romantic cities in the world and i can see why the historic cente is full of gorgeous old buildings. But its far to hot to look around in the day so after about an hour i gave up and went and hid in my hostel.
Went out that night to a club called queens was air conditioned!!!
Spent saturday doing about the same wondering in short intervals then hiding for the heat.
Sunday was colombias independance day so braved the heat to watch the parade but it all got to much for me so had an ice cream then went to the beach. Spent the evening driking in the kitchen while watching a thunder storm and sweating.
On Monday tired to go to the mud volcano but I was the only one to wake up in time to catch the bus so went shopping instead. Tuesday tried to go to the mud volcano again managed to get everyone up in time for the bus but then discovered its pretty hard to get a bus to a volcano so ended up in the middle of nowhere seating gave up and went to the beach insead.
Decided to give the muc volcano a rest for a litle while and caught a bost to Playa Blance instead which is a small beach on an island i think with white sand.
Playa Blanca was gorgeous the and is perfectly white and the sea a gorgeous green. Stayed there for on eveing sleeping in a hammock and spent the day sunbathing snorkelling and eating octopus. Finally feels like im actually on a holiday.
When we got back from Playa Blanca decided to bit the bullet and get a tour to the mud volcano so after an hour on a very expensie bus reached the volcano. It a little volcano that shoots out mud instead of lava the muds about 10 metres dep and so thick that if you get in it and cross your legs it just holds you in the position its like being weightless. Though i kept worrying about being sucked into the volcano and being sufocated in mud. Was good fun though and supposidly good for your skin. Made me swimming costume a bit dirty though.
Left Cartegena on the saturday and caught a bus to Santa Marta where we stayed the night than got a taxi to taganaga. Taganga is a small fishing village with about a million dive schools. Booked myself onto a dive course. So spent the next week swimming in little coves sunbathing and diving. Did a deep dive where my brain got so slow i couldnt spell octopus backwards ,a navigation dive where i managed to navigate a square but gave it 5 corners got back to where i started though, a wreck dive that was exciting and a night dive where we scared a poor puffy fish to death and spent ages playing with plankton.
Then caught a boat to the national park of Tyrona. Got soaked to the skin on the boat but was worth it as the park is amasing its a beach which reaches back to the jungle and theres these huge rocks everywhere you keep waiting to bump into dinosaurs. Spent two nights there sleeping in hammocks and eating tuna. Then returend home to Taganga for the last time. Spent me last day drinking fruit shakes and feeling sad then as a final ending to the trip stayed up late watching planet earth we were all to tired to drink.
Caught a bus to caracas the next morning which typically was freezing cold. Got across the border fine though when the bus got checked by a security guard he checked through my book very thoroughly as if looking for something i dont know what he expected to find me hiding in a book then he gave me a horrid stare while holding my book i couldnt figure out what was wrong with him. But when we reached caracas i relised i couldnt find my book i bet he cursed me and my book so i wouldnt be able to find it.
So i now have 12 hours in a tiny airport with no book thinking of buying a spanish magazine and translating it word for word with my dictionary to pass the time.

So after spending a day in Lima and reliseing there was no way i could get a cheaper flight and that i couldnt get to huaraz becasue of blockades i decided to fly to Medellin Colombia.
So went to bed at 7 as i had to get up at 2am. Got up for my flight and reached the airport fine when i went to pay for my ticket though the lady took the money and vanished she took so long coming back that i thought shed done a runner with me money. Finally she returned though and i got my flight.
Landed in Medellin about 1 oclock and got a bus into town. Was really hot. Stayed in casa kiwi hostel which is a very nice hostel very relaxed and in a pretty part of town. Went for a wonder in the afternoon to a water garden thing and then brought myself lots of food and had an amasing dinner.
The next day went to an art museam to look at fat status was quite cool and then caught the subway to the cable car and went up to the "ghetto" area of town where i did a little bit of wondering but not to far from the cable car for safety.
Then came back to the hostel and relaxed went out that evening to a club called blue that was pretty cold for a club but fun came home late.
Got up for my bus with my new french friend. Got a bus to Manizales. You can barter bus tickets here and my french friend is very good at it got the bus for 5000 less.
Arrived in Manizales around 5 oclock so after checking into the hostel went for a wonder into town was very overcast and grey.
Came back and cooked ourselves a nice dinner then watched man in the iron mask.
Woken up early for a tour of the local national park took us forever to get there but was very pretty has two volcanoes though we didnt get to see the craters walked up to 5000metres though and saw a condor it was huge!
Decided to leave that evening and headed to the bu station at 11 to find i had missed the last bus by 10 minutes very annoyed got a taxi back to my hostel. Had to give the driver instructions on how to get there was quite entertaining as i only know the word for right but it sounds a lot like the word for straight ahead.
Got back at the hostel to find everyone had gone out so changed and then headed out myself. Reached the pubs and relised how much of a mission it was going to be to find them so started making my way round each pub looking for them. In the 3rd place i found them dancing to ymca. Stayed in that pub till it shut and discovered a new drink that taste like sambuca. After that we went to a club but after being in the club for only about 10 minutes one of the boys managed to swing on a mwter pipe only to have it snap on his head and cut his forehead open was funny till blood started running down his face. So we took him outside to clean him up. I went back in and stole a jug of water to help clean him up. Once wed got all the blood of two spanish girls took him to the hospital and the rest of us headed home.
Got up 4 hours later to catch a bus to Bogota. Reached Bogota at 9pm after a very long bus journey got a taxi to my hostel and stayed up listening to peoples funny stroies of their travels so far.

Arrived in Puno early and after a morning of wondering around the town went on a tour of the floating island. The floating islands are amasing made of reeds or something they squish really well when you walk on them and apparently float away if not anchored to the lake bottom but sadly there now a great big tourist trap and im pretty sure the people there dont really live on them anymore but just come to sell stuff to the tourists but was interesting anyway.
Got a late bus to cusco so arrived late a kind isreali guy offered to share a taxi with me and we ended up checking into the most disgusting hostel ive seen yet but it was 3am so i was far to tired to do anything but sleep. Got woken up at 8 by a load of screaming relised the hostel is above a school was not impressed nor was my new isreali friend. So we checked out and went to find a different hostel after finding a new place we wondered into the centre of town and spent the rest of the day watching parades. Cusco is a beautifal city all the buildings are white with dark wood balconys very colonial. And from the 20th to the 24th of june is the inka sun festival so all the locals go out and parade in their best clothing very entertaining to watch. After a day of parades my ireali friend went of to find his toher friend and i went to point hostel to meet so people from leeds. Ended up drinking a few to many buckets of red bull and vodka. Went to a club where you had to wear wings to get in was the crasiest club ive ever seen everyone had wings on and was dressed in the centre of the club was an angel statue and up on the balconys sat lots of silver fairys was very sureal. Also in the bar area they had baths filled with water which had fish in alive fish!! Danced the night away there. Woke up pretty late luckily Eres (isreali friend) had had an equally crasy night so he wasnt bothered by me having a lie in. To try and fix my stomach we went and had a posh breakfast which was amasing the yummest thing ive had in ages and the best chocalate milkshake of my life.
After that we walked up this great big hill to watch a renactment of a llama sacrifice though due to our late start ended up with pretty bed seats so the highlight of the show ended up being when a load of peruvians broke through the polics barrier and raced across the hill side to get a better view of the show was very funny to watch expecially as everyone on my side of the hill stood up to cheer.
Went out to a trance festival that night but it turned out to be awfull so came home early. Sadly Erez got bad news about a friend of his and so left to fly home to isreal.
Feeling lonely spent the day watching movies in my hostel with a nice couple from the uk went to bed early.
Up at 4am for the start of my trek to machu pichu. The first day consisted of walking up hill was sunny and the views were spectacular. Ended up camping at about 3800 metres up so frose to death in my sleeping bag.
Was woken up equally early the next day though this time our nice guide gave us all some coca tea to warm us up. Set of around 6 for a climb of 800 metres took us all morning though when we finally reached 4600metres the view was well worth the effort. Very strange to have been in rolling valleys the day before and now be staring at a snow covered moutain. Spent the rest of the day walking down hill in fog got very wet luckily the porters had the sense to put plastic coverings over our bags.
On the 3rd day we walked through jungle was very hot and quite an easy walk saw lots of pretty plants. Though one of the guys messed up his knee and so had to walk backwards the whole way which was about 12k he was very funny to watch expecially when he fell of the cliff luckily the other guys managed to get him back up. In the afternoon we all visted the hot springs and gave out tired legs a nice rest.
For the last day it was basicaly a walk along the train track all the way to agus calient which was fun as it was basicly flat and we kept getting glimpses of machu pichu on the mountain top above us. Also scared myself crossing a bridge by walking on the train track and having to strech from one plank of wood to the other. Was fine till about half way i looked down and relised if i fell between the slats it would be a few seconds before i hit the floor. Didnt help that at that point my guide ran past showing of the and the wooden plank in front wobbled in an alarming fashion but i survived it!
Got to agus caliente which means hot water to find that true to its name we had hot showers ive never enjoyed a shower so much went to bed very early and completely exhausted.
Got up the nest morning for the final 2 hours of walking to get to machu pichu left the hostel at 5am to be able to reach machu pichu for sunrise. But before getting to the top was had to walk up 1600 steps ive never sweat so much water was literally running of me was quite smelly when i finally reached the top also to add to the fun it was foggy at the top so we couldnt even see the stupid sunrise.
Though when the fog finally cleared the view made all the effort worth while. Machu pichu is definatly breath taking not just the city but the views from it i dont think ill ever understand what made the Inkas so determined to build a city on the top of a mountain but it really is amasing. Makes you wonder how many other hidden city are yet un found in the surrounding mountains. Stayed untill early afternoon wondering around machu pichu and also managed to summon the energy to walk up wayno pichu.
Got the train back to cusco and had a very early night. The next morning in cusco i had bean on toast for breakfast heinz baked eans! Spent the day shopping also got a hiar wrap in a little hippy shop where they gave me lots of chi and mandarins. Left cusco that night for Nazca.
Arrived in Nazca to find it was to cloudy for flights so got a bus to Ica which just outside of the city nestled in the sanddunes is a little oasis that you can stay in. Ended up spending the day lying on a sand dune and reading in the sun then went sandboarding was great fun expecailly being driven around in a buggy though i was completely useless and ened up going down on my bum.
Got a bus back to Nazca the next day and paid far to much to see the Nazca lines they were very interesting though.
Came back to Ica and the next morning went on a boat tour to the Paracas park where i saw penguins, dolphins and seals very cool.
Then got myself on a but to Lima.
Arrived in Lima around 6 oclock in the evening checked myself into Loki and got very drunk. The next day had my first ever doughnut from dunken doughnuts and did lots of need shopping i now have some more colgate toothpaste!
Got very drunk and stayed up very late laughing with my room mates. The next morning bumped into a friend from la paz and spent the day wondering around town with him went to bed early that night like a good girl which was luckily as everyone in my room the next morning decided to get up and nosily leave around 6am so after that slightly early waking up I spent the rest of the day researching flights and eating amasing pizza bread.

So spent a day in La Paz doing nothing.
Then bed early and up even earlier for a bus to the pampas got a taxu to the bus stop and ended up taking half an hour when i was planning on it taking about 10 minutes. So was very late for my bus and i hadnt booked a ticket so ran into the first agency and booked a ticket. He said he had the best seat for me with a panoramic view so I was feeling pretty pleased. Didnt last long though. The bus turned up 2 hours late and then my seat turned out to be a cushion on a step next to the driver which did have a panoramic view but my backrest was a wall and my leg room was taken up by the drivers freinds. So went and shouted at the man with my amasing spanish and got half my money back. Turned out to be the most fun bus journey Ive ever been on. Firstly the roads to the jungle are along the edge of a mountain most of the time theres only room for one vehicle and on one side you have mountain and the other a very big drop. So I got and amasing view of how far wed fall if we went of the road made me a little uneasy also the fact that the driver was swiging 95% alcohol didnt help. Secondly the drivers friends were very friendly and shared all there food and drink with me which was nice. Also I was always first off for the toilet. Got to Rurrenbaque at 6am so booked myself into a hostel and did a lot of sleeping. Then met up with some people for La Paz and booked ourselves a Pampas tour. Spent the rest of the day complaining about the heat.
Got up early for our tour and after a 4 hour very bumpy minibus ride reached the Pampas so with a very sore bum clambered into a boat for another hour sitting on a wooden slat. Watched the sun go down was very pretty. Saw some monkeys and aligators and dolphins and birds.
Got up and spent the morning snake hunting our guide caught and anaconda and a cobra. Ended up with swamp water up to my thigths but was well worth it.
Then after a very scrummy lunch went swimming with dolphins didnt see many dolphins but 2 of the guys in my group are super athletes and ran for the youth olympics they were quite pretty without their tops on. Watched another sunset than sat up drinking wine and listening to simon play the guitar.
Last morning got up super early to watch the sun rise. Then went pyranha fishing i sadly caught nothing but the others did quite well so we had pyranha for lunch then onto the boat and back to rurrenbaque.
Got an early bus the next morning back to La Pax and spent the day on the bus saw some good japanese films.
Arrived in La Paz at 5am luckily Simon spent his time in La Paz partying so he knew a cafe that would be open so we sat there drinking hot chocolate till a resonable hour.
Then I went off to the embassy to discover my card still hadnt arrived very angry decided to go to Peru anyway so went shopping to spend the remainders of my bolivianos.
Arrived in cocobana at about 7 and booked into a hostel that cost a pound with a private bathroom! Shared the room with a new zealand guy spent the evening eating a very yummy fish meal and trying to decipher what he was saying never heard somone use the word tripping so many times in a sentance.
Then went to bed early.
Got up at 7 to be ready to catch the boat to Isle del sol. Kiwi guy did not wake up from the alarm clock nor did he stir when i turned on the light or when i packed my bag loudly in the end had to resort to shaking him.
Just managed to catch the boat. Got to Isle del sol which was very mediterainen looking but freezing being at 3800 meters. Spent the day walking from one end of the island to the other was very pretty.
Had a load of bolivian money left so ate a massive meal and then booked myslef a double bed with tv and private bathroom and spent the evening watching smallville was lovely.
Got up just in time for the bus to peru.

Went for a bit of a salsa dance in Sucre. Managed to convince some bolivian boy to teach me to salsa but after 2 songs he got sick of my horrid sense of rhythum and the fact that i got all muddled up ever time he spun me round. But i learnt the basics kind of.
We got up early to get a bus to Potosi before the strikes started our bus was a bit useless though and a journey that should have taken 3 hours took about 5 because we kept having to stop so the driver could frown at the engine and shake his head.
Eventually he fixed the problem but then about 20 minutes from Potosi we hit a blockade. The south americans form of protesting tends to be blocking main roads so no one can get through. I was all prepared to sit and wait the protest out but the guys i was with have been travelling for a while and so they decided we should walk. So we got of the bus chucked our bags on and started to walk we got over the first blockade which was a giant pile of sand in the road and then got a minibus to the next blockade. The second blockade was more sand followed by trucks across the road we got round the trucks to find all the miners. Having built there blockade they were no playing footbal and drinking games. They were all quite friendly though and let us have a go at some of the drinking games. We then got a taxi into potosi. Potosi is clearly a city thats seen better days the buildings are gorgeous all different colours with decorated wooden balconys but the inhabitants are very poor i think they lost a lot of money. In potosi we went on a mine tour. It was so much fun an ex miner was our tour guide and he took us along the craziest route. At one point i had to slide down a slope onto a ladder and then climb down that ladder but the ladder wasnt long enough so I had to swing round onto a ledge without falling down the mine shaft then get on another ladder and climb down that then sort of lower myself down the last bit of the hole using a rope. And then I had to go back up the same way!
Also at one point he was explaining how they pump water out of the mine and i was standing under a mine shaft as our guide was talking I felt some small rocks hit my head but just thought a miner had walked in the mine shaft above me and so just ignored it. Then the next thing a whole load of rocks were falling on my head, so happy i was waering a helmet. I know have a very large bruise on my arm.
We had plan to leave that night but asking around found out Potosi was completely blocked with protests on all the roads and so no buses were running. Met some other travellers who had been stuck in potosi for days. So we all had a very drunken evening to cheers ourselves up was good fun.
In the morning me and some americans decided to go to the bus stop and get whatever bus we could. We found one bus leaving for oruro so decided to get on it. They told us we would have to walk a blockade but we decided to risk it. Was in the bus for a grande total of 10 mintues before we hit a blockade. So we got out and started to walk 45 minutes late and we hadnt reached the other side also wed only seen a few miners. Then we rounded a corner into a canyon and found where all the miners where. They were standing in a big group watching fellow miners throw dynamite onto the road in front of them. The miners were standing on the top of the canyon and throwing dynamite down onto the road. We walked up hoping to see a way through and were told by the miners to wait so we waited as 4 dynamites went of then all the miners started shouting at us to go so we ran across the road. Got to the other side to hear some more blasts behind us. But we still werent through on the other side of the miners facing them and looking very angry were a lot of people mainly lorry drivers i guess they wouldnt let us past them saying that we should stay and join in their protest against the miners protest. After about 15 minutes of trying to convice someone to let us past as we certainly werent going back towards the dynamite someone moved and made a gap so we ran through. After that it was only a 15 minute walk past lots of gridlocked traffic that was stuck in the middle of nowhere due to the blockade untill we reached out bus. Was very relived that there actually was a bus waiting for us.
Collapsed on the bus and spent the rest of the day driving to La Paz never thought id be so happy to be back in La Paz. Went out for a drink and watched fireworks nice ending to a long day.