Wow...we've been back in Canada for ages, it seems. We are currently in the middle of winter and remembering fondly this time last year when we were planning our trip.
It's funny how it seems all at once that we've been home for ages, and just arrived as well. It's been lots of fun catching up with everyone that we missed...and getting ready for our new adventure! Not nearly as exciting as the last, this one will see us moving from Victoria to Vancouver next week. It's old hat for Steve, from Toronto, to live in a city...but I'm a small town-Island dwelling girl so it's a bit more exciting for me!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Our home away from home!
We're back on Utila for the last leg of our trip. We've been relaxing, getting some sun, and hanging out with some great new friends! I decided to conquer my fear, anxiety, neurosis (not sure which one fits the best)...and learn how to scuba dive while we are here. I was lucky enough to get the greatest instructor EVER...a girl from Comox (it's a small world, after all...), named Vanessa to teach me. She is super awesome and made it all seem so easy. Steve was thrilled that I had finally learned to dive...and even more excited when I went on and finished my Advanced Certification! So, yeah, now I'm a scuba diver...and I'm wondering what took me so long. I've seen some truly amazing things in my limited time in the water (14 whole dives now).
I'm still hanging onto the hope that I'll see a Sea Turtle, and a shark before I leave here...which is on Monday...so let's cross our fingers!
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| Me & Vanessa. |
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| Flounder. |
Honduras - Pico Bonito!
After an amazing time in South America, we're back in Honduras for the last 4 weeks of our trip. Our first stop was on the mainland, at a lodge on the edge of the rainforest of Pico Bonito National Park, just outside of the town of La Ceiba. It was a beautiful retreat in the jungle! We enjoyed some time hiking, swimming, and doing yoga. We ate waaayyyy too much delicious food, and got to know some really great people. All in all, it was a fantastic week!
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| Our little cabin. |
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| Oh...and they had a serpentarium, which I loved :o) |
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| Baby plantains. |
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| A huge crocodile! |
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| Hanging out by the river, with automatic weapons...only in Central America! |
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Amazon!!
Our final destination in Peru was the Amazon! We had an awesome time - mosquito bites aside. At the very top of the list of critters to see was an anaconda...no luck. I can't explain my recent interest in snakes, but I just love them (much to my mother's dismay). We did see loads of other amazing animals, including caimans, three-toed sloths, fer-de-lances (most toxic snake in Latin America!), many different species of monkey and, thankfully just one tarantula.
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| Pirhana for dinner! |
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| A cute little monkey frog. |
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| A very personable wooly monkey. |
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| Pygmy marmoset |
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| A fer-de-lance exiting the water. |
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| My first time holding a caiman! |
More Peru - Nazca and Lima
After our long and worthwhile trek to Easter Island, we came back to Peru to continue exploring and eating the amazing food. We couldn't get enough of the ceviche, and ended up buying a Peruvian cookbook!
We spent a few days shopping, eating, and sightseeing in Lima and spent some time sitting at the beach watching the surfers. However, the thing that stands out most is the food...did I mention the ceviche?!
Quite a few people we came across said that Lima was crummy, dirty, just another big city, etc, but we really enjoyed it! Aside from the traffic, it had some amazing architecture, it's on the ocean, and had a neat vibe about it. And the restaurants...the food!
We took a side trip from Lima towards Nazca, but first we stopped at the coastal town of Paracas, and took a boat trip out to Isla Ballestas which is a nature and marine reserve about a 45 min ride. It's home to hundreds of thousands of birds (including penguins and Peruvian boobies), plus sea lions!
After the boat trip, we continued on towards Nazca, and I went on a scenic flight over the famous Nazca Lines (unfortunately, Caroline wasn't feeling well and didn't want to be in a tiny plane). The lines were incredible, many of the figures about 60 meters in length, and some up to 200 meters in length! All of the figures were dug about 30cm into the ground by the Nazca people about 500 AD. It is believed that they figures were used for both appeasing the gods, as well as astronomical purposes. Of course, theories abound that they were made by (and for) aliens.
Regardless of the purpose and construction crew, they were amazing to see!
We spent a few days shopping, eating, and sightseeing in Lima and spent some time sitting at the beach watching the surfers. However, the thing that stands out most is the food...did I mention the ceviche?!
Quite a few people we came across said that Lima was crummy, dirty, just another big city, etc, but we really enjoyed it! Aside from the traffic, it had some amazing architecture, it's on the ocean, and had a neat vibe about it. And the restaurants...the food!
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| Incan death mask, made of gold |
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| Incan ceremonial knife...more gold! |
| Add caption |
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| The main square in Lima. |
We took a side trip from Lima towards Nazca, but first we stopped at the coastal town of Paracas, and took a boat trip out to Isla Ballestas which is a nature and marine reserve about a 45 min ride. It's home to hundreds of thousands of birds (including penguins and Peruvian boobies), plus sea lions!
After the boat trip, we continued on towards Nazca, and I went on a scenic flight over the famous Nazca Lines (unfortunately, Caroline wasn't feeling well and didn't want to be in a tiny plane). The lines were incredible, many of the figures about 60 meters in length, and some up to 200 meters in length! All of the figures were dug about 30cm into the ground by the Nazca people about 500 AD. It is believed that they figures were used for both appeasing the gods, as well as astronomical purposes. Of course, theories abound that they were made by (and for) aliens.
Regardless of the purpose and construction crew, they were amazing to see!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Rapa Nui - Easter Island
After some consultation with fellow travellers and some back-and-forth, we decided that we should back-track to Chile to visit Easter Island. So leaving after leaving from Cusco, sleeping in the Santiago airport and travelling almost 7,000 kms one way, we arrived in Hanga Roa, the only town on this 164 sqkm island 3,700kms from the South American coast. Wow...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Ollantayntambo
On the way to and from Machu Picchu we spent a few days in a town called Ollantayntabmo. It is a very quiant, charmimg little town. It was originally an Incan settlement, and all the original buildings, roads and irrigation systems are still in use today.
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| The red flag ousides means they have homebrewed corn liquor, called Chicha for sale inside. Of course we tried some, in case you were wondering! It's...ummmmm...an acquired taste. |
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| We stopped to take a photo of this roof, covered in corn being dried in the sun. We were very soon invited inside the yard for a closer look...and even sooner invited by the little girl to pay 'one Sole' for the service. She has even been trained to ask for the payment in English! |
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| We decided to unleash our inner rednecks and go ripping around the hills on quads! It was a little easier for one of us to get in touch with this side of their personality...I'll let you guess who's who! |
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| Post-quading I was left with a dirt uni-brow, cow poo on my shoe, and a big damn smile! |
Peru's Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
With much anticipation, we embarked on our adventure to the heart and soul of the Incan Empire, and the pride of their construction abilities - towards Machu Picchu. On the way, we stopped at several towns and sights of other ruins.
This church on the edge of Chinchero, north of Cusco, was built on the foundations of an Incan settlement in the 1600s. It is very simple compared to many other colonial churches - no guilding or fancy tapestries or scultptures - very plain, but one of the most beautiful we've seen on the trip. The very simple colours, the mosaic ceiling, the rural location all made for a beautiful and peaceful setting.
Just outside the church, the misty morning made for a mystical Sacred Valley view.
This unique structure at Moray was an Incan farming laboratory where they experimented with different crops on different terraces and altitudes. It was quite large, and quite a uniqe place.
Just outside of Urubamba, a small spring flows from the side of a mountain. This spring is full of salts and minerals, and the Incas created the terraces below to farm the salt by creating hundreds of little waterways to fill the plots, and then divert the water elsewhere until the salt could be harvested before refilling the plots - incredible...
We reached Machu Picchu in the afternoon, andeven after all of the build up from everyone saying how incredible it is, we were struck by the magnitude of the place. The stone work, the terraces, the scenery - all just amazing. It was just incredible that they built this massive city on such a precarious perch, but the view explains all the hard work that went into it - just amazing.
Around the corner, about a 1km walk from the main structure is this Inca Bridge, which was part of the Inca Trail in the old days. Many beautiful flowers and views of the Urubamba River kept our attention as we meandered to this wooden bridge that was one of the few safeguards of the site.
Back at the main site, the Temple of the Sun - where most of the worship and sacrifices took place, was a unique structure where the priests ruled.
This church on the edge of Chinchero, north of Cusco, was built on the foundations of an Incan settlement in the 1600s. It is very simple compared to many other colonial churches - no guilding or fancy tapestries or scultptures - very plain, but one of the most beautiful we've seen on the trip. The very simple colours, the mosaic ceiling, the rural location all made for a beautiful and peaceful setting.
Just outside the church, the misty morning made for a mystical Sacred Valley view.
This unique structure at Moray was an Incan farming laboratory where they experimented with different crops on different terraces and altitudes. It was quite large, and quite a uniqe place.
Just outside of Urubamba, a small spring flows from the side of a mountain. This spring is full of salts and minerals, and the Incas created the terraces below to farm the salt by creating hundreds of little waterways to fill the plots, and then divert the water elsewhere until the salt could be harvested before refilling the plots - incredible...
We reached Machu Picchu in the afternoon, andeven after all of the build up from everyone saying how incredible it is, we were struck by the magnitude of the place. The stone work, the terraces, the scenery - all just amazing. It was just incredible that they built this massive city on such a precarious perch, but the view explains all the hard work that went into it - just amazing.
Around the corner, about a 1km walk from the main structure is this Inca Bridge, which was part of the Inca Trail in the old days. Many beautiful flowers and views of the Urubamba River kept our attention as we meandered to this wooden bridge that was one of the few safeguards of the site.
Back at the main site, the Temple of the Sun - where most of the worship and sacrifices took place, was a unique structure where the priests ruled.
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