Apr 11 - Quito

Apr 11 Quito

As Steve was still suffering from the effects of altitude, we decided to explore Quito today 

We headed into the Old Town in Quito which is a UNESCO World Heritage site with some beautiful churches and white stucco colonial architecture, green squares and palm trees.

Cathedral in Plaza Grande

From there we headed to the Casa del Alabado pre- Columbian Museum which houses over 5000 pieces of art from this period. The museum itself is housed in a Spanish Colonial mansion and the layout is lovely with a  little courtyard café. The works were beautiful with some really compelling pieces. Amazing to think they have survived in such good condition. Favourites below !!

Off to the hat shops next to get a Fedora for Steve to add to his collection. We discovered he has a large head…………..no comments please

Back to La Mariscal area and on to the Artisan market which looked very much like the Cusco and Machu Picchu handicrafts with different place names on them !! 

Bought a postcard and then wandered round to the Hilton Colon to see if it brought back any memories from Janette’s last trip to Quito for the opening of the hotel ( approx 25 years ago?) which at the time was the first international chain to open here. it didn't..........

One for the Hilton Crew - Babs especially !!

At this point the weather broke, thunder & lighting started & the heavens opened. I was soaked in seconds..........

Back to the hotel to catch up with Paul and Mandy and pack up for us heading out on our across Ecuador train trip tomorrow.




Apr 11 - SHEENA and EILEEN - Last Day !!

Our last day in the jungle saw us frantically packing and squeezing damp clothes (nothing ever dries here) into already over-stuffed suitcases. Coming from Scotland we thought we knew about rain but last night and this morning has surpassed all expectations.  

Our final trip was to a butterfly house.  Apparently 1260 different species of butterflies have been found within 5.5 square km of the Tambopata national reserve.  Beautiful and unusual to our eyes but tricky to capture. 

Finally we said goodbye to the jungle and canoed back to Puerto Maldonado for our final flight to Lima which was surprisingly only 25 minutes late on take off this time.  

For our final day in Lima we might head back to Baranco for more last minute shopping - perhaps a bottle of Pisco which no doubt will taste different when we get home. 

Pisco purchased !!

Our trip has been a fantastic experience thanks to Paul at Journey Latin America who knew just how much we could fit in, in the time we had available. 

Happy Days

60 .........not so bad after all......

Best wishes to Janette, Steve, Mandy and Paul for the rest of their trip. 
Sheena and Eileen x

Apr 10 - Onwards to Ecuador

Apr 10 – Onwards to Ecuador

Early start today as we left at 7am for the airport. The reason we had to leave so early for a 10.30 flight we discovered was the Lima traffic !!  

7am - Solid traffic for miles..........fortunately the opposite direction to us !

Lima has no underground (apart from one small section) and so the 10 million people all commute into work using collective mini buses, taxis and car. It is a complete zoo !! There is no bus timetable so they never know when the next bus will come. There are queues of people at the roadside waiting to get on buses and when they come it is a complete rugby scrum to get on. No queuing here……….survival of the fittest.

How many people can you get in a minibus...........

The roads are completely solid with traffic heading into town, it make London rush hour look like a walk in the park………

This flight was with Avianca our first with them and Paul and Mandy discovered their Turkish Airline gold card would work here as it is part of Star Alliance !!  

Add caption

They signed their two poor economy muckers into the VIP lounge and we all sat drinking Inca Cola (which was a major discovery as it tastes like Irn Bru !!)  Very nice too……………thank you.

A good Irn Bru subsitiute !!

Steve is not looking forward to the next few days as we are heading back up 2800m.

We arrived in Quito in a massive thunder & lightning storm and the rain was bouncing off the streets. Having checked in to our hotel in La Mariscal, first priority was to track down a genuine Panama Hat for Steve. Ecuador (not Panama) is the home of the Panama Hat and where the finest ones are made. There is a city in the south Cuenca, where the main production is, but apart from that the best shops are in Quito.

Does my head look big in this ?

Steve had decided to use some of his 60^th birthday money on a genuine Panama Hat and the concierge at the hotel packed us off in the direction of a specialist shop. Having tried on hats of all qualities, he found the perfect one, chose the band colour and waited while it was stitched in place.

Happy hombre !!  



Apr 10 - SHEENA and EILEEN

A much more relaxing start to our third day in the rainforest with a visit to a farm first then on to a botanic garden. 
The farm is owned by a native family who mostly grow plantain and bananas  of different varieties although we also sampled  lemons, peppers, a papaya/ mango cross fruit to name a few.  Native people in this area continue to live by traditional means to some extent e.g. visiting a shaman for medicinal purposes or fortune telling is common practice. 

Using a machete to break open the brazil nut shell. Around 15-20 nuts in each shell

Our guide also referred to 'non contact' people who still live in the  jungle such as at the Manu Biosphere Reserve where there is an area of human settlement for controlled traditional use. An afternoon shared canoe trip on the lagoon saw Eileen and Sheena fishing for the first time and although we'd like to take  credit for catching  the baby piranha in this photo, we can't. 

Watch out for those teeth !!

If it wisnae for yer wellies.....

The good news is that it was released back into the river after its photo shoot!  In the evening we went on a guided torchlit walk and spotted owl monkeys, a tarantula, a poisonous snake (can't remember which type) and various insects. 
Sadly no photographs exist due to the darkness and distance. It is policy at the reserve that no tourist is allowed to walk unaccompanied and we both agree that it would be terrifying to be out without our expert guide.

Apr 09 – Lima and Peruvian Jungle

Apr 09th 2017 – Lima

Free day in Lima, so we set out on our separate ways to explore the city. Paul and Mandy found a local bus tour and did an hour round Miraflores before doubling back to forage in the artisan shops and antigue shops.

Janette and Steve headed down the main drag to watch the Limones (local name for Lima citizens) enjoying their Sunday by keep fit dancing in the main streets, rollerblading, street basketball and sunbathing in the many central parks before heading off to the artisan markets.

This part of Lima has a great relaxed feel and vibe despite it being a city of 10 million people (total Peru population of 30 million so a third of the population live here). Being on the sea with good weather must help, but we didn’t realise that it is cloudy here for 6 months of the year and only has 21mm rain a year. We had come at the right time.

It was just lovely to be in the warm sun with shorts and sandals instead of walking trousers and hiking boots so we made the best of it.  Steve now fully without altitude sickness had perked up no end.

We headed next to an archaeological site in the centre of town which they call Huayna Pucllyana. They call it pyramids but it is a mud brick step site which houses the remains of 3 early civilisations going back to 3000 BC, way before the Incas. 

The site was only discovered in the 1970’s, before that it was just a hill. The archaeologists are still working on the site (there are 3 other hills) and the money raised from the visitors and tours is used to fund the excavations.

They call this site the Pyramids but we feel thay are a bit confused although it is a very impressive village/town and possibly one of the best preservd in Peru

Drinks outside in the balmy evening air and another great dinner - Spanish Paella, we headed off to bed for our next early start tomorrow as we leave Peru for our next destination Ecuador coming to the tail end of our trip.


















Apr 09 - SHEENA and EILEEN - In the Peruvian jungle on Bolivian border ....somewhere !

Our wake-up  call was at 5am this morning.  We surfaced from our mosquito nets and headed off on a six hour trek through the muddy swamps of Tambopata National reserve to reach Lake Sandoval close to the border with Bolivia. 

We slipped and slided along 6km of muddy swamps avoiding trees crawling with fire ants or tree bark covered in spikes.  It was a relief at last to reach the lake and board a canoe for an hour or so, taking in the local wildlife including giant otters, long-nosed bats, agami heron and hoatzin - or stinky bird as it's known.  

Long Nose Bats

Giant Otters

Stinky Bird !!

Before long  we were  slipping and sliding back the way we came. After lunch we were off again on the canopy/anaconda walk. There was a 30m climb up to the treetops then seven rope bridges to cross - just like the ones on "I'm a celebrity" - giving great ariel views of the different forest layers before climbing back down to the forest floor. 

Sadly we didn't see any anacondas but apparently you can have a selfie taken with one as it sleeps on the ground for one to two weeks after a good feed and is only dangerous when in the water. 

Drat, we wanted our photo taken with an anaconda!

Apr 08 – The Parting of the Ways …….

Apr 08 – The Parting of the Ways …….

But before we start.....

STOP PRESS.......................................................
(Ref Blog date Feb 20th)   Ari Friedlaender's work with attaching camaras to humpback whales in Antartcia has just hit SKY NEWS.  Ari and his team were on our ship thoughout the entire voyage and allowed us to share the inside information about tagging and we watched and filmed from our ship. Now this footage is on SKY NEWS ONLINE so you can see the stunning underwater video. see it here HUMPBACK WHALES  You might also recognise some of the images !!
Its nice to be around for something groundbreaking.
.................................................................................

We all headed back by minibus to Cusco airport where we headed off in opposite directions.

Sheena and Eileen are off to the jungle on the border of  Peru and Bolivia and Janette, Steve, Mandy and Paul were heading for Lima.

We will continue to post pictures and text from Sheena and Eileen in the jungle as we receive them but be prepared for delays as they probably won’t have internet !!
See Sheena and Eileen Section in each days blog ..........first one below

Very sad to say goodbye, it’s been a blast being all together in Peru and what a great way to celebrate a 60^th birthday…….we’ll miss them !!

Our flight landed in Lima mid afternoon and Steve was just beside himself to be at a low altitude !!The altitude sickness that has dogged him for the last 3 weeks forgotten, his appetite came back and he could drink alcohol again………..party time !!

Lima is on the coast and our hotel in Miraflores was in a great location, 20 minutes walk from the sea and in an area with lots of nice shops and markets within walking distance.

Our travels in Bolivia and Peru so far have been a culinary desert and we were all desperate for a good meal and some seafood both of which Lima is famous for. We headed off to a recommended local restaurant which was not fancy but did the most fantastic ceviche and great seafood. We had a really good meal with drinks for not a lot of money. Just what we needed !

No images from us today, just travelling....


Apr 08 - SHEENA and EILEEN

The Peru two head to the jungle

This morning the six of us travelled to Cusco as a group for the last time and said farewell to Janette, Steve, Paul and Mandy before catching a flight  to the southern Peruvian  jungle. We've  had a lot of laughs along the way and there was yet more hugging and kissing as we went off in different directions. 

An hour after leaving a comfortable temperature of 14c, Sheena and Eileen  arrived in Puerto Maldonado to a stifling and humid 32c. Our transfer to  the lodges at Hacienda Conception was by  motorised canoe as there is no road access and after a quick turn around, we were off on our first  guided jungle walk -  already the mosquitoes are taking a shine to Eileen! 

We sampled  some living termites as eaten by the native community and tried cocoa fruit pulp regarded as sweets by local people. 

This  evening  we went on a  river cruise and spotted  several  white caiman (small crocodiles) lurking near the riverbank. The humidity is exhausting and after a some good food, we fell asleep to the unfamiliar sounds of the jungle.

Apr 07 – Urubamba and Ollyantambo

Apr 07 2017– Urubamba and Ollyantambo (The Sacred Valley)

Last day all together before Sheena and Eileen head off to the jungle. 

Mandy and Paul opted for a restful day (opportunities have been few and far between !), 

Sheena, Eileen, Steve and Janette headed for the local Friday market in Urubamba town which we had been told was an opportunity to see all the colourful local people from the villages in their traditional clothes when they come into town once a week to stock up on supplies.

Moto Taxis - Janette's new passion

Be afraid, be very afraid....!

In the main square in Urubamba, there was a great selection of whacky Moto taxis, all customised. Janette was collecting photos of the best ones for a collation of Moto taxi pictures. Batman was a good one with a Perspex bat logo in the back and the hot rod with the flames on the side was another favourite…..

Locals chewing the fat !

Sheena and Eileen before they were
taken off to the jungle

Moto taxi spotting finished, we headed into the market which was full of local colour, sights and smells !!  There were hundreds of types of potatoes of all colours, Peru has up to 350 different types of potato. 

We avoided the meat counters as the smell was pretty overpowering and wandered through the melee of local life.

The local bus service departs when its full
...and we mean full !

From there we decided to go on to Ollyantantambo which is about 20 minutes away by road from where we were staying. Taxi ?  No, we opted for the local collective minbus and as the last 4 on we were all jammed in the back row with no air and it was baking !! Cost us about 25p each.

Eileen decided that she would use her selfie stick to take a picture of us all on the bus but to get it extended she had to take out the locals in the seat in front. Much amusement as we tried to get a decent picture without success !!  The locals just sat and stared at us………..we were like the light entertainment for the trip.

In Ollyantantambo the mountain goat duo (Sheena and Eileen) headed for the archaeological site (which was as always up a very steep hill with big steps – shame they have to worship the sun…).

Very pretty  bars and shops around the square

Steve decided the altitude at lower level was enough so we wandered round the town which is entirely Inca stone buildings and streets which is still lived in by the locals. One of the few occupied Inca towns remaining in Peru.

The locals walk around trying to pan handle
tourists to take a picture of them for a few coins

The original Inca town was used as "foundations" for more recent development.
Its the only Inca town in existance with all the original walls in tact even down to the water distribution gulleys which still provide fresh mountain water to the residents.

Turns out that this is an extremely pretty town and a relaxed feel with cute restaurants and shops.

Bearing in mind that the Incas were only around for 90 years, they sure built a lot of stuff. (Smallpox was thought to have larked the end of this civilization)









We came across a pottery and as the local pottery is renowned, we went in to have a look. The pottery wasn’t of much interest apart from the good luck symbols they have on the roofs of the houses in Peru. This consists of a cross (Catholic influence), two bulls (Spanish influence) and a corn sheaf ( Inca sun god offering influence). 

Guinea pigs for eating...yum yum !!

We decided it was to much to try and get pottery home in one piece but on our way out we found two huge cages of Guinea pigs (Cuy) being bred to sell for meat. Poor little things……..

35 Peruvian Sol is about £9...chips extra !

The guinea pigs had so far been saved by Steve's altitude sickness which meant he had lost his appetite for almost a month otherwise we are sure he would have had one...












The four of us met up again in the square and decided to have an early dinner in Ollyantambo before going back to the school as we have an early start tomorrow. Bad move………it was Happy Hour, so Sheena and Eileen made full use of the two for one Pisco sours !!

The only option back to Urubamba was the collective bus again, so we hopped aboard. As it was market day and getting late, the bus was crammed with all sorts of local produce and the last two ladies got on board with sheafs of green reeds for animal feed which ended up across the knees of everyone in the front rows.  It dropped people off all along the way, and the ladies got off in the middle of nowhere with their heavy loads in the pitch dark. Who knows how far they were going to have to walk with all their goods for the week……..

In Urubamba we still needed to get a local taxi to get back to the school which was a little out of town. We walked for a while with no luck and by then we were all getting tired (the pisco sours were wearing off….). Janette spotted a taxi parked outside a local restaurant, so we trooped in, extracted the taxi driver from his dinner and talked him into taking us back……(we made it worth his while, honest !!)

As it was our last night together, we decided a finale was in order. Hosted at Sheena and Eileen’s room, Steve made up the fire, Eileen got out the booze and to the background of David Bowie music from Eileen’s Ipad, we had a little party.  Good way to end the day and a nice few days together