The Galapagos Islands

At the eleventh hour we succumb to the overwhelming desire to visit the Galapagos Islands whilst in Ecaudor. We decided on a 5 day 4 night cruise which included visiting the Islands of Baltra, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Espanol and San Cristobal.
Baltra is an uninhabited island containing one of the three airports in the Galapagos and little else. It was used by the Americans in the second world war and today sees the arrival of most of the tourists to the Galapagos. From Baltra we took a small boat to Santa Cruz before being transported to our ship waiting in the harbour. Our first stop was to visit the Giant Land Toritoises located in the highlands. We were struck at this time by just how amazing the micro climates of this island are- on the coast it was 25 degrees with sunny blue skies, in the highlands approx 5 km inland it was slighly cooler but overcast and misty. The majestic Land Tortoises with their bulking frames were a site to behold, going about their daily consumption of grass at a steady pace. We returned to the boat and enjoyed a nice smorgasboard dinner.
Overnight we motored to our next destination Floreana, an island shrowded in mystery regarding a love triangle which to this day goes unsolved. The island is home to an array of brightly coloured crabs, sea lions, flamingos and numerous birds including the world famous blue footed booby, frigate and brown pelican. Following our island exploration we ventured into the waters to be completley overwhelmed by the marine life- swimming amongst sting ray, green turtles and various tropical fish was very surreal. The green sea turtles were particularly friendly and were not fazed with our presence. In the afternoon we explored lava tunnels, the famous galapagos post office, and ended with another snorkel this time having penguins, sea lions and more turtles to keep us company. To end the day we went for an afternoon zodiac ride viewing more blue footed boobies and frigates as well as black tip reef sharks.
Overnight we motored to Espanol Island which for me was the highlight. We had the beach to ourselves as well as 200 sea lions in the morning, swam with massive manta and eagle rays as well as white tipped reef sharks. After lunch we ventured to another spot where we encountered marine iguanas both in the water and on land, blue footed boobies, azteca boobies, a waved albatross colony complete with chicks and the infamous Galapagos hawk- one of the few predators of the island. The scenery was spectacular, the animals were so close and the experience unforgettbale. We ended the trip in San Cristobal, the most populated isand which despite the encroachment of human beings is just as alive with animals as the other islands- again we swam with sea lions and the like- overall a wonderful experience.

Photos

For more photos go to http://s912.photobucket.com/home/kenya2cusco/index

Cotopaxi- Smooth Neck of the Moon

Yesterday Morning at 1.30am my mission to climb Volcan Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world, commenced. Unfortunately my attempt unraveled at approx 5516m a mere 381m from the summit.
Having never attempted a glacial climb before I was still exceptionally happy with my attempt yet bitterly disappointed to have come so close but not reached the summit. The attempt was thwarted by a number of factors including, lack of appetite from the altitude which led to fatigue and a lack of experience in knowing what to expect. Communication difficulties with my guide who spoke only basic English also created problems. At 5516m I made the decision based on safety concerns that we should turn around. Despite everything it was a life changing experience, something I will never forget.
It all started on 2 June when I made the journey from Latacunga to Cotopaxi National Park- we parked the car at 4300m and made our way to base camp situated at 4800m. This required lugging all my gear including cold weather clothing, food and equipment such as crampons up a loose gravel route to the Base camp. The afternoon was spent acclimatising and doing some brief training in ice-snow climbing. This required a climb to 5000m where the ice and snow of Volcan Cotopaxi begins. Sahra was able to share this experience with me and was staying the night at base camp.
Despite trying to retire early to bed a dull persistent headache meant that I had little to no sleep before starting the ascent. At 1.30am we got underway but due to the altitude I found it difficult to take in food and water- at 5400m a moment of fatigue resulted in a trip which could have ended very badly. A short time later at 5516m I decided that in order to make it back safely I needed to turn around and start the 2 hour descent. I arrived back at base camp around 8.00am having missed the summit but avoided all the crevasses which are even more dangerous than they look- I hope the photos illustrate just how unforgiving the climb can be.

Horse Riding in Pululahua Crater

Two days after arriving in Ecuador and doing a bit of sight seeing in Quito, we headed north to the Pululahua National Reserve where we spent two days horse riding in an ancient volcanic crater.

On the first day we met our beautiful horses, Bria and Apache II. Bria was my horse and she was pregnant and didn't really like to move very much (unless she was heading towards food). I was a little bit nervous as we set off for our first day of riding, especially on the steep ascents and descents, so I was glad Bria didn't like moving too fast! Aidan was very relaxed and looked like he had been riding horses his whole life.

Riding in the Pululahua crater was a unique experience. It is the largest crater on the American continent and one of only two inhabited craters in the world. The constantly changing scenery was amazing and in the afternoon the clouds descended into the crater creating an eerie but majestic atmosphere. At the end of our first day of riding we were quite sore and retired to a little hacienda for a 3 course dinner, a jacuzzi and plenty of mojitos!

On our second day of riding I decided to upgrade my horse. This was a decision I came to regret later as my new horse, Tango, had a habit of charging full speed ahead and scaring the crap out of me whenever he felt like it. We rode for almost 3 hours until we came upon ancient pre-inca ruins. When we stopped to have lunch at the ruins a group of wild horses ...... scared our horses which got loose and one of them took off and headed straight back to the ranch. It took us a little while to catch and settle the other horses before we could head back to the ranch. The afternoon ride took us back past areas of traditional Andean agriculture to lush tropical vegetation, passing cloud forests, deep gorges and clear mountain streams.

The Samba Kings

Well after just under a week in Rio de Janiero we have farwelled the fine shores of Brasil. It is hard to sum up the hedonistic capital of the world in a just a few sentences but our time in Rio was perhaps some of the most amazing since we left Australia. On day 1 we walked the entire length of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches approx 11km in total- the beaches themselves are comparable with Bondi Beach- very chaotic and not the most asethetically beautiful, however, what they lack in beauty they more than make up for in atmosphere and character. The local life revolves around these beaches and the beaches are packed no matter what day of the week it is.
We hired bikes oneday and rode around the lake which was extremely pretty, this gave us our first real glimpses of sugar loaf mountain and christo redentor. As the afternoon set in we had a late lunch and went to a beutiful park which was at the base of christo redentor. We could have spent the whole day here but time didn't permit. In the evening we went to Lapa, a suburb of Rio, which was the location of a street party and a great samba club, Funidcao Progresso. The line up consisted of some well known samba groups that play new years and carnival each year. The atmosphere at the street party was sureal- very bohemian- you could literally find every interest group catered for. The samba groups didn't kick off to 12.00am so we had a late night getting in at 3.00am- Sahra represented when it came to the samba- me not so much.
On day 3 we did a tour of the city which involved visiting a national park, a beautiful waterfafall, christo redentor, Santa Teresa and Lapa- including the famous steps- as popularised by the snoop dog film clip- 'favourite girl'. Lunch was some salted meat from the north-east of Brasil.
Day 4 was the best sporting experience of my life- Brasil v Cot d'Ivore- on the big screen at Copacabana beach with 70,000 of my closest Brazillian friends- the atmosphere was insane- the goals were plentiful and the antarctic beers were cheap- the rest is a blur. Luis Fabiano's wonderful juggling act where he handballed twice in the one goal only served to increase the enjoyment of the day- 'Joga Bonito'.
Finally we ended our stay with the most informative and enjoyable cultural tour Brasil has to offer. There are over 920 favellas in Rio itself and we visited two of them including the biggest which is called Rochina. With a population of between 80,000 and 120,000 it is grand in scale and an impresive site. Despite the bad reputation favelas receive we felt completely comfortable and safe- even despite the fact we encountered civilians carrying uzis and assault rifles. Mick would be happy to know that one of the first songs I heard in Rochina was Charlie Brown Jr- tudo mudo.
Have arrived safely in Quito which is a wonderful city with an amazing outlook- and massive volcanoes- our trip to get here was a haul- Rio to Sao Paulo- Sao Paul to Caracas- Caracas to Bogota- Bogota to Quito. A measly 4 flights with 3 carriers- Our bags could only be checked in as far as Caracas and the longest lay over we had was 1hr- how we got here with our bags is anybodies guess.

Whats Three More Days

After arriving in Santiago and having a few days of sight seeing and rest, we started to get itchy feet and decided like forest to just keep on walking. Finistere (which means- end of the world) was only another 95km, or three days walking. We lightened our loads slighly and decided that day packs would be an easier option. The scenery was again stunning especially the last day as we finally glimpsed the coastline.

It was really nice to be walking again and to be away from the crowds. The last week before we arrived in Santiago things got quite busy. On the road to Finisterre we were lucky to see 4 other pilgrims a day. However, after our beautiful quiet hotel room it was very difficult to go back to the dorm with all the snoring, farting and sleep yelling! Communal bathrooms and bunk beds are things I will truly not miss and after our experiences I am much more appreciative of the fact that Aidan doesn't snore.

On our last day of walking we did an easy 34 kilometers. We arived in Finistere to streets laiden with flowers and we met up with a lovely English couple we had met previously and spent the afternoon looking at the sea drinking gin. Unfortunately the day had to be cut short as we had to get the bus back to Santiago to make our early morning bus the next day to Porto, Portugal.

Finishing the Camino

Finishing was quite a surreal experience, we got a little bit carried away on our second last day and instead of walking 23 kilometers we decided to just keep going. After walking 43 kilometers we could see the spire of the Cathedral! It was so exciting to arrive in Santiago but also a little bit sad as another chapter of our journey was ending.

I was very disappointed that there were no cheer squads as we entered the city, I was hoping for a street parade, maybe a marching band.... at least a line of people ready to hi-five us. But alas, we walked in, did a victory lap of the cathedral and took some photos, a bit of an anticlimax really. We were lucky however that a few Aussies we met along the way had arrived the previous day and were on hand to give us a slap on the back which was great.

I did get a little emotional, one- because I wasn't expecting to arrive the day we did and two- because it was finally over. We had been walking for 31 days and the whole time I was focused on getting to the end and when I finally arrived I was emotionally drained and physically exhaused.

We did go to the nearest pub and celebrate with the biggest beers we could find!! We found a great hotel which had opened only a few days earlier right next to the cathedral.

The Final Contdown

Not only is this a great song by jefferson starship but this is probably the best way to describe our feelings at this point in time. Everything we have been doing for the last 29 days will culminate in five days time.
Today we had a lovely walk and we find ourselves in a town somewhere in Spain, on someday of the month on someday of the week. You really feel like you have achieved youre goal when you seriously cannot answer the above questions. The beautiful undulating greenhills of Galicia, with roman walls dotting the countryside and celtic huts littered around the place continue to amaze. A little old lady walks out of a barn and offers you a crepe with sugar- the sweet smell of freshly cut grass in the early hours of the morning. A church bell dings in the distance as you wander through a herd of cattle, can the world be at any greater peace. Welcome to the world of the Camino.
After packing up our lives in Canberra I feel so removed from the previous 12 months of anxiety and stress- sadly I am already thinking about returning home! Happy to see family and friends but disappointed that Spain and Africa will be a memory- something to be treasured forever but non the less a memory.

Alas there is still much to see and do and Portugal and South America are on the horizon.

300, 400, 500 & 600

Well since we last posted a lot of milestones have been met and targets exceeded...... sounds alot like program management jargon right?
The weather has finally cleared, we are back in shorts and shirts and have seen some amazing country. Castilla and Leon was amazing with many beautiful old churches and castles dotting the countryside.
We recently completed three big climbs and decents- the first was at Cruz de Ferre which took us up to 1500m and amongst snow capped mountians- an unusual sight in Spain weeks before Summer. Today we summited O Cerebrio at 1270m followed by a decent to 1000m before another climb which took us to 1300m. Today we set a new record for distance covered in a day- 36km- not bad considering it including 17kms of climbs.
Today represented our entry into Galicia pronounced Galithia which means we have less than 130km to our final destination of Santiago de Compostella- in real terms this is less than 6 days of walking. As this is a holy year- we are looking forward to walking through the door of forgiveness which wipes the slate clean with the big fella upstairs. This only occurs in the holy year so for those of you out there who need forgiveness, start saving for 2021.
The niggling injuries such as blisters and tired muscles that plagued us at the start of the walk are a thing of the past- Sahra has been band aid and plaster free for almost 7 days and Ive taken her off the fibre cookies which caused a few problems along the way. I am almost injury free, have a blister which has cropped up for the second time, which I am paying close attention to. Had some shin splint problems but that has cleared up.
To reward our efforts we have decided to walk for an extra three days to Finisterre which is on the coast and will allow us bragging rights of having walked the entire width of Spain . We have also booked some accomodation in Porto after we finish for some well earned rest and relaxation.
Overall we have experienced some major highs and a few lows in the past 28 days of walking. I have to put my hand up and say I really underestimated the physical and mental challenges of this journey. Thus far we have overcome all the challenges thrown our way, we have learnt a lot about ourselves, as individuals and as a couple, which will serve us well in our life together. Overall it has strengthened our bond and helped us realise just how similar we both are and that we want the same things in life.
All in all a great expereince which we will never forget.
Will try and post some photos celebrating our milestones but until we reach Santiago- Peace