GIRLS ON TOUR 2006

GIRLS ON TOUR

So Danielle and Luan decide it would be a good idea to pack their lives into rather outsized bags, put them on their backs and go see the world for a year. Here´s what happened when the Porthleven girls left the village........ (and you thought Danielle couldn´t live without her hairdryer, straighteners, heels, fancy shampoos eh??!!)

By the way Dee´s writing in white and Lee in blue..................

IN THE BEGINNING...............

   Girls do a bit of bonding at V August 2005.....

So after spending all our school lives ignoring each other Lee and I end up as travel buddies for a year!  I had thought about going away for a long time but had never done anything about it.  Eventually I went to Thailand in the hope that if I did that my wonderlust would be satisfied - little did I know!!  I came home to find that I hadn´t been successful in a couple of job interviews so a change of career wasn´t on the horizon.  Men were off the agenda and so taking a year off became more inviting.  I spoke to Lee about it but her plans were to buy a horse with her savings so I didn´t have anyone to go with.  Some weeks later Sam said she thought Lee would go so we spoke again and before I knew it on a June afternoon in the beer garden we were plotting our escape! 

  Me and Sheila, Flora Day 2005

Hen nights and weddings took over as Sheila´s big day loomed on 6th August which was a truly special time. 

  Sheila´s Hen Night Edinburgh, June 2005

Once Sheila had become Mrs Kent it was time to seriously start planning the tour.  The world is a big place and I wanted to see it all but eventually we narrowed it down to: South America, New Zealand and Thailand.  South America hadn´t been somewhere I had considered but Lee wanted to go to the Galapogos Islands which sounded perfect and the more we researched the more amazing SA looked.

Then I was thrown into a whole new world of mirco this and micro that.....  Everything needed to be small and essential if it could go into my ruck sack.  Walking boots were brought, coats, sleeping bags, mosquito nets - the list was huge and I spent a lot of time aimlessly wondering around hiking and camping shops wondering if this walking sandal was better than that!!  Not for me any more the shiny and pretty packages on the Dior and Gucci cosmetics counters!  Not a stilletto in sight in my bag although you were right Sam 5 bars of soap was excessive and yes I can buy it quite easily in SA :-)

A big moment came in September when our tickets were brought - now this was for real.  We added Australia and Singapore as stopovers and for 2,220 pounds we had brought our passage to a very different year in 2006.  We told our bosses of our plans and suddenly the wheels were very much in motion.

We decided to take our Teaching English as a Forgein Language course as a stand by while we were away so the next few weeks saw us with our heads in books studying grammar and trying to work out what the hell gerrunds were all about! 

December came we finished work and became offically unemployed, a first for me in 15 years!  We said our goodbyes, made our way to London and spent a surreal Christmas trying to get our heads around the journey we were about to make.

RIO, RIO, RIO!!

   Christ the Redeemer, Rio January 2006

After leaving a cold London we are so happy to be in the Brazilian sunshine and on our first day we head straight to the beach at Ipanema to work on our tans.  Wow - the beach babes are incredible - fit, bronzed and gorgeous.  There is wall to wall eye candy and pert butts as far as the eye can see - we are two very happy chicas indeed!  The beach itself is also stunning, a back drop of skyscrapers overlook golden sands, with Sugar Loaf mountain in the distance.  The sea is rough and not ideal for swimming although we do a bit of body surfing and nearly loose our bikinis!

We spend a lot of time exploring the city mainly using the crazy buses which drive bumper to bumper all over the city.  Sometimes we even inadvertantly get free city tours!!  We explore Botofogo, visit the incredible statue of Christ, spend a lovely afternoon in the Botanical gardens and get quickly accustomed to not having to be anywhere at any time.  The freedom is wonderful.

NEW YEARS EVE

So the end of 2005 is finally upon us, out with the old and in with the new and all that!  After riots in Paris last year with Christina I needed to find something that wouldn´t be an anticlimax - Rio should be just the ticket then!  We go out for dinner and get the picture - Brazilians don´t do food...  We order Coal Chicken, harmless enough we think but it turns out to be chicken hearts complete with aeortas, yummy :-)

Down on the beach 2.5 million people gather and the amosphere is electric.  Samba pumps out from massive stages all along Copacabana and people wear the traditional white clothes.  As midnight approaches there is a real buzz and a feeling of anticipation..... then a huge cheer travels across the beach and everyone is dancing, hugging and wishing each other happy new year.  Out at sea there are 7 or 8 massive tankers and all at once they begin to let off their fireworks display - incredible.  For about 30 minutes we are truely mesmorised by the scene out at sea, it seems neverending.  Afterwards the heavens open everyone dances together in the streets. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

IGUAZU FALLS

The amazing falls at Iguazu, January 2006

All I want to say is that this was a truly spectacular experience.  They say life is not measured by the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away - The Devil´s Throat was one of those moments.

Ok so I can´t leave this page without mentioning bumping into Scott and John again at the Hostal here in Iguazu (we had gone out with them and some others for that memorable NYE meal!), getting rat arsed at the BBQ and vomming by the pool.  I know, I know very bad behaviour.  Trouble was I hadn´t realised I had chucked up on my shoulder til I saw my t-shirt at breakfast the next day - not a good look Dee!!

Beer goggles                    The pose!                        Scott and Dee                Messy!

PIRANHAS, ALLIGATORS AND MOZZIES

24 hours from Rio by bus, 4 hours to the Pantanal gateway by minibus and a 6 hour jeep ride across fields, savannahs and dirt tracks and you get the picture this place is remote, very remote indeed.  We see jacare, water pigs, otters, emus, cows (thousands of them) as well as macaws, beautiful paraqueets and many other types of birds on our journey into the wilderness.  We arrive at our camp after dark, having seen the most moving sunset, the horizon here goes on and on forever. 

  Pantanal sunset, January 2005

The Pantanal at night is amazing.  Fireflies light up the sky, the full moon shines so brightly in a jet black sky and the stars sparkle down on us.  On our first night I gently swing in my hammock overlooking the moonlit lake, I listen to the frogs calling to each other and I feel truly contented.

We spend our days horseriding, pirahna fishing (the German guy nearly lost his toe, v. funny!)and hiking.  Nic our guide for tells us to wear our sandals when we go for a walk as we might get a little wet...... what an understatment wading waist deep through alligator infested waters.  All that time spent choosing my sandals wasted in one walk!!!

  I wasn´t kidding!

Our evenings are spent covering my mosquito eaten body in some smelly local remedy, drinking beer round the camp fire and singing Oasis loadly and badly the more we drank!  It´s here Lee falls for her man, I´ll let her tell that story!..........  (especially interested in hammock manouveres hun!)

LOVE AND STUFF

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and it was only supposed to be a fling!................  That was January and now it`s the end of March and I`m planning to meet up with Nick again at the end of April. 

I met Nick whilst Danielle and I were at the Pantanel in early January and he was our guide.  Tried to be discreet, only eyeing him when I thought he wasn´t looking.  Obviously didn´t do a very good job as on the second day I was told by his boss he couldn´t keep his eyes off one of us.  Luckily for me it was me he had his eye on.  From then on you could say it was history.

When Danielle and I finish in Equador Danielle will fly off to New Zealand and I go back to Brazil to be with Nick and to do some more exploring with a local.  Watch this space............

 Love's young dream - ahhhhh xxx

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

BONITO

  Captain Nemo!

The clearest, purest water I have even swum in was here in the river at Bonito.  The limestone here produces clacium carbonate which absorbs all the impurities and makes these waters so cyrstaline and sparkly - what a treat to float down this very special river.

HOT IN THE CITY

Back in Rio and the temperatures soar to 43 degrees, blooming hot.  We go to a Samba club in Lapa and get chatted up by a couple of Brazillians in the queue.  Crumbs these boys are fast movers!  By the time I reach the bar one of them is trying to plant a snog on me.  When I politly decline he says "is it because I´m ugly?"  Poor chap, he was incredibly handsome but moving that fast just ain`t my style!

We also get to see the other side of the night life with prostitutes on every corner after dark.  Some of them are a little suspect as they are over 6 foot tall with definate adam´s apples!

SPANISH IN SANTIAGO

Day 2 in Santiago and we get mugged - what a bummer.  Camera and money get taken from both of us which is really disappointing and creates loads of follow up work weeks and weeks later. 

Our hostal is a lot of fun and we meet some cool people - and some nutty ones too especially the Welsh (hi Huw and Owen!!).  BBQ´s, bring your own party and rounds on the pool table make this an enjoyable stay.  Spanish lessons however are less fun, Lee looks like she would rather go for a daily smear test that learn the difference between ser and estar!

MENDOZA

Cool white water rafting and horse riding high in the Andes is just the ticket after lots of time spent in cities.

BEAUTIFUL BUENOS AIRES

FLORIA WHAT?.................

Lee and I go our separate ways for the first time and life gives me beautiful Barbie to share my travels with - hi honey!!!  Chilling on the beach on Ilha Catarina it´s a bit like Blackpool for Brazilians but no matter.  We dance the night away in a club, Barbara finds a nice chap to spend the night kissing, the Argentineans teach me to dance and I practice my Spanish!  I find myself wondering the beach at 7.00am having had a lot of fun.  Good memories....

IT´S ONLY BLOOMING CARNAVAL!!

We weren´t supposed to be here.  Our plans were to have been in Bolivia.  However little old me put a small spanner in those well discussed plans...... I met a young Brazilain man.  Well if I was going to go back and visit him at the Pantanel Dee and I might just as well go back to Rio for Carniavl don´t you think.  And thats just what we did.  Well after we rearranged our flights and tickets (which took - well over an hour!!!)  More like 2 hrs I think hun!

They say things are supposed to happen for a reason don´t they....well I glad we did - Carnival in Rio was FANTASTIC.  I speak for both of us when I say we were definately glad we made the change in our plans.  The atmosphere that was generated around and on Carniaval in Rio was contagious and full of energy not to be matched anywhere else, despite Carnival being celabrated throughout South America to some extent.   

CHILLING IN PARADISE

After the excesses of Carnival it looks like a lot of travellers are heading to relax at Ilha Grande.  Lee goes back to the Pantanal to do her bit for Anglo Brazillian relations and I catch the bus (by the skin of our teeth!) with Owen and Emma. 

Would you believe it at Angra we met a guy from Tasmania who had eaten mussels in the Smoke House in Porthleven (my tiny little village at home!) - hi Todd and Matt!!  I ended up sharing a house with them and five other people which was cool.  Only snag was the water situation - the loos didn´t flush and the showers didn´t work, yet we had what sounded like a waterfall in our room as the tank teased us by filling continuously with water!  Oh how I miss that sound at night now....

The island itself was gorgeous.  We chilled on the beaches, went swimming, ate lazy lunches and drank beers by the beach.  One day we chartered a boat and went out exploring.  We found hidden lagoons, went hiking in search of waterfalls and snorkeled in turquoise waters - what a perfect day.

Unfortunately one night I had a little too much vodka and decided to have a little sing song on the balcony and watch the stars (I know my mother´s daughter!!).  I fell asleep and the mozzies took full advantage of any exposed skin and feasted to their heart´s content!  Not a pretty sight the next day.

THRILLS, SPILLS AND BUS JOURNEYS FROM HELL!

So after telling young Matthew that South American bus travel was fine and dandy we end up having the bus journey from hell from Lima to Cusco.  It was like riding the waltzers for 24 hours and I spent the whole night trying not to be sick (I knew how gross the toilet was!)  By morning I was a strange shade of green and just as I was about to chuck up in Lee`s lap the stewardess moved me up front with the driver for some fresh air.  Not sure if this was better or worse, I had a bird`s eye view of what was causing the fairground ride.  The driver was negotiating one hairpin bend after another, whilst dodging landslides, floods,  oncoming lorries, horses, cows, doddery old chaps who had lost the will to live and chickens who genuinely do play chicken!!  All this and the poor guy had driven the entire journey alone, without stopping - 24 hours without even a toilet stop, overnight on some incredibly dangerous roads, do you get the picture?..............

Needless to say we are choosing a different route back to Lima - we value our lives!!........

COOL CUSCO

 "I give you special price for Baby Alpaca!"

Cusco nestles at the foot of the mountains with it`s narrow cobbled streets, beautiful plazas and locals in  brightly coloured Peruvian dress.  Quaint and charming it really appeals to me here.  The cold however was a shock to our system after the Brazilian heat, we wore every item of clothing we could and still had feet that wouldn`t defrost!  St Pat`s was a top night although we had a little too much vodka before we went out.  Alcohol and altitude don`t mix as we later found out - hangovers from hell the next day!!

Table dancing                  Lee gets in the spirit       Happy St Pats                 Take her home...

AND THEY SAID DANIELLE WOULDN`T DO IT.............

The Inca Trail, February 2006

Definately no straighteners or Gucci creams out on the Inca Trail.  We were allowed to take 5kg including our sleeping bag which the Sherpas carried for us.  These guys were inspirational, running the trail with all our food, tents, cooking equipment for the four day trek (each sherpa with 20 + kg) on their backs.  Day one was a breeze with stunning views and interesting Inca sites on the way.  The weather was the only challenge as up in the mountains it was very changeable.  Day two was the day we climbed "Dead Woman's Pass" - the name tells it's own story.....  Taking us to more than 4,000 metres above sea level in very wet conditions we huffed and puffed our way slowly up this huge mountain.  The pride at the top was enormous and we were able to smile in spite of the thin air and biting wind.  Running down the other side of the mountain with excitment left me with a knee that couldn't bear any weight which was rubbish on day three.  A full day of mostly down hill steps was very painful for me and I was slow, slow, slow.  After dark the Sherpas came out to find us and offered to carry me - which I declined.  Finally back at base camp we were rewarded my a breathtaking night sky which we seemed so close to.  Day four was a 4.00am start as we grew ever closer to Machu Picchu.  Our final challenge was a set of vertical steps at the sun gate and eventually when the mists cleared we were rewarded with our first breathtaking view of this magnificent Inca site.  The beauty of it really was amazing.  Once there I felt a great sense of peace and chose to sit back and let it fill me up inside.  A true priviledge for me to have been able to have experienced this in my life time.

YOU KNOW YOU`RE IN PERU WHEN.......

YOU KNOW YOU`RE IN PERU WHEN...........

• The woman cooking your dinner blows her nose on her skirt
• You take your life in your hands every time you cross the road
• Guinea pig is the local speciality
• Bonfires are the norm outside petrol stations
• Every other vehicle on the road is either a rickshaw or Daewoo matchbox taxi
• You`re eating in a restaurant and a cat does it`s business under the table next to you
• It takes 3 people to do 1 person`s job - 1 to help you choose the item, another to take your money and another to give the item to you!
• Taking a bus involves picking up a busker or vendor every 15 minutes.  The singing is enough to burst your ear drums and the orange drink in plastic bags looks like urine - nice.....  If you`re really lucky you can buy a stuffed bird for the mantlepiece!!
• Pig`s heads, chicken`s feet, unrefrigerated fish and meat covered in flies - another day at the local market then!

FLOATING ISLANDS AND PERUVIAN FAMILIES

Lake Titicaca, February 2006

The water of Lake Titicaca is exceptionally blue and looks as if it is an ocean rather than a lake.  The floating islands were made by the locals whose entire lives were entwined in these reeds.  Layers and layers of reeds are regularly added to the islands to ensure they don't become too waterlogged although when we weren't paying attention it was easy to get a wet foot on the outskirts of the island!  The islanders homes are also made from reeds and so are their boats - incredible skill and resourcefulness.

We stayed the night with a Peruvian family and got a taste of how basic their lives were.  We couldn't turn down a night at the local rave in full traditional dress, I was hoping to sneak mine home in my case for Friday's down at Trelawneys!!!!!!!