It's almost a year on since the tsunami and for many the 26th December is going to be a very tough day. The village I worked in has some lovely plans for the day to remember all those that were lost. For them it will be a day of mourning but also a day to start looking ahead.
There is still a huge amount to be done there, and they still need donations to help them rebuild their lives. FINALLY they have a very simple online payment system up and running. If you'd like to give a little to help them move on just press the 'Donate Now' button on the home page of the website, it only takes a couple of minutes.
www.unconditionalcompassion.com.
I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to those of you that have donated this year, whatever the amount - a little goes a long way there. Keep looking at the website to see how your money is being spent. Recent donations have continued to help the villagers in Seenigama, and on top of this the charity has started to spread its aid to those in the neighbouring villages. Currently the website cover story is all about the sports project I set up, and Steve Waugh / Kapil Dev's visit to launch it last week.
Below is a recent update that's been sent to the press about the damage caused last year and how the Foundation of Goodness is helping the villagers to move on. This is where your money has gone and will continue to go, contributing to the amazing work that Kushil and his charity have accomplished this year.
I guess it's the season to take stock, appreciate what you have and help those who have nothing.
I hope you all have a good Christmas.
Press update
The village of Seenigama is near Hikkaduwa, 96km south of Colombo and just north of Galle. Seenigama sits in one of the worst tsunami affected areas in Sri Lanka, and is 500m along the train tracks from the tsunami train in neighbouring village Pereliya. With coverage of the tsunami anniversary being current we wanted to make you aware of an incredible Sri Lankan run charity set up by Kushil Gunasekera who was born in Seenigama. Kushil has a successful sugar business in Colombo and is the manager of famous Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, but has dedicated this last year to Seenigama and has donated his house there to the village.
The charity is called the Foundation of Goodness and is unique in the area as it has rebuilt in ways villages in other areas of Sri Lanka are still unable to. This is due to the drive of Kushil and also to the lack of dependence on aid from the government or NGOs. The Foundation of Goodness works through individual and group donations so they are able to move quickly without the frustrating bureaucracy of the NGOs. The Foundation was set up 6 years ago to help the poorer people of Seenigama, but since the tsunami it has increased its work to help the village and surrounding areas (such as Pereliya) to recover from the terrible devastations last year. The Foundation is staffed by local villagers.
The tsunami damage was immense:-
§ the waves came inland an astonishing 2km
§ 10% of the villagers were killed, sadly a lot of children and elderly people who could not swim or fight against the forces of the wave
§ the houses in the 100m zone were destroyed and hundreds of others were badly damaged
§ 1500+ people were killed on the tsunami train, many from Seenigama as after the first wave they ran to the train for safety but tragically the second wave tossed the train into the jungle and many perished
The rebuilding work has been incredible, particularly as so many other Sri Lankans still live in camps or temporary houses. There has also been a lot of work to provide new livelihoods and employment opportunities. Previously 90% of the villagers practiced illegal coral mining (this has been going on for 100 years), which was one of the reasons the wave had such an impact as there was no reef protection:-
· 226 houses have been completely rebuilt with electricity, 200 partly damaged houses have been rebuilt, 65 houses are under construction, and 209 more houses are in the planning (all in Seenigama and surrounding villages)
· over 400 people have been provided with new livelihoods (i.e. new 3-wheelers, new fishing equipment, new sewing machines, coir yarn spinning equipment, shops rebuilt, and many more)
· new industries have been set up - a cement block factory, a brush block factory, and coir yarn business, and handicrafts centre, with more ideas on the way such as a garment factory.
On a less immediate level other projects are underway to try to help the lives of the villagers particularly the young people. The Foundation runs computer, English, and handicrafts classes plus has a children's library, a paediatric clinic, a maternity clinic, and a medical clinic. They run play sessions for kids with drama and art therapy to help them move on from the tsunami as many of them lost siblings and best friends as well as parents, grandparents and other family members. They also run bigger projects to encourage participation in village life such as Seenigama Sports:-
§ a project run by the Foundation with funding from Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
§ 8 sports are played within this project which involves over 1500 young people locally, offering them hope and rebuilding their confidence
§ each month 3 sports competitions are organised for 7 of the local villages and schools in the Seeenigama area
§ last week cricketers Steve Waugh and Kapil Dev visited Seenigama to officially launch Seenigama Sports
§ the project was pioneered by Ian Botham who will be visiting again in the new year
These are just some of the highlights of the Foundation of Goodness's work. For further information please check out the website:
www.unconditionalcompassion.com.
Tsunami: One Year On
Post Tsunami Sri Lanka - article
The Vibrant Village of Seenigama and the Foundation of Goodness
It’s almost a year on since last year’s devastating tsunami and questions continue to be asked. If you have ever wondered what happened to the money you donated after the tsunami, a large majority of Sri Lankans are wondering the same thing. Many of the villages devastated by last December’s disaster are still waiting to be noticed by the big NGOs, and do not believe there will ever be any financial aid from their government. So much is being done here but there is still so much to be done, and stories of villages not yet reached can be disturbing. Many villagers are still living in camps with no temporary, let alone permanent housing. This is all too evident once you leave behind you the hustle and bustle of Colombo. Travelling south down the main Galle Road you pass from city suburbs to rural landscapes - the beautiful rivers and beaches of the South West coast, but also through the tsunami zone.
Bits of boats on beaches, abandoned collapsed houses, alleys of temporary wooden housing, vats of drinking water, and building work everywhere. You can only wonder at how the Sri Lankan people are dealing with the aftermath of the devastations last December.
However, something positive can be seen when you come across the village of Seenigama, 96km south of Colombo - here you realise there is tremendous hope. As you drive down the small road leading to Seenigama’s temple you see the permanent new houses either side of the road, permanent houses, painted different colours revealing the vibrancy of a village being re-built. At the core of the village is a locally set up organisation called the Foundation of Goodness, literally founded on the goodness of human kindness and that is what has helped this village and its surrounding area to rebuild both physically and spiritually.
Foundation of Goodness
Set up six years ago the Foundation of Goodness is a small charitable organisation aiming to assist the less fortunate people of Seenigama. Its commitment was, and is, to improve the lives of people in desperate circumstances and empower the rural community by enhancing its facilities. The organisation was based in the holiday bungalow of its founder – Kushil Gunasekera, with 3 permanent members of staff employed from the village to run its ‘Lahiru Community Centre’. The Centre has always been financed through individual, group and corporate donations – over 15 million Rupees spent on the village before the tsunami, with administration costs paid for by Kushil. In a way it is no surprise that the Foundation has gone from strength to strength since last Boxing Day. Kushil’s bungalow and the Lahiru Centre, along with so many houses and livelihoods in Seenigama, were totally devastated by the tsunami. The waves travelled in land as far as 2 km causing chaos in their wake. But rather than letting this be a setback, the positive action by the Foundation has been overwhelming. Kushil felt unable to keep his holiday bungalow and donated it to the village, what remains of the bungalow has become a Relief Centre Secretariat and will eventually be a Centre of Excellence for the village, particularly aimed at the young people living here. The secretariat has become a core hub of the village employing approximately 20 members of staff locally.
Although the Centre of Excellence will take time to build physically that has not stopped activities getting underway. Classes and activities that were run before the tsunami continue – English classes, computer classes, donations of needy school items for kids, upgrades of village dwellings, modernisation of schools, community welfare programmes, self-employment opportunities, sports activities, health care and nutrition awareness raising, and voluntary opportunities for local young people. On top of that the Centre is continually growing – there is a paediatric clinic, maternity clinic, children’s library, water purification plant, handicrafts centre and each day more ideas are being realised.
It takes a special person to give up their house to the local people, and Kushil is very special to all the people in Seenigama and an incredible role model to anyone really wanting to help. His complete belief in humanity and unconditional compassion is reflected throughout the Foundation and all those he and it touches. The Foundation’s immediate response to the tsunami was astonishing – from setting up a tsunami camp, to distributing emergency food packs, to purchasing land for new houses, to starting new industries for the villagers, helping them to recover from the tsunami. The Foundation acted quickly to distribute aid sent, and has continued to put to use the overwhelming amount of financial donations from around the world to remarkable affect.
New Livelihoods
To add to the culture of learning and rebuilding there is also a lot of encouragement for the villagers to get involved in new enterprises. This is not only to help them rebuild their livelihoods but also to offer them a legitimate alternative to the dangerous and now illegal coral mining practices of the past, which is how 90% of the villagers used to earn their keep. The first industry to be set up was a cement block factory - immediately after the tsunami Kushil and the Foundation helped to train local villagers to make cement blocks for rebuilding houses. Once trained they were able to buy equipment with the money they earned and they now make approximately 2,500 bricks a day. Several villagers own one machine, working as a co-operative, and they earn new livelihoods from it. The village as a result has moved quickly to rebuild. Other industries set up include a brush handle factory manufacturing handles using rubber timber, and a coir yarn business where fibre is spun into rope and sold to make mats. These three new industries employ over 50 men and women locally. The Foundation has also set up a handicrafts centre where the local men and women can display and sell their crafts such as wood carvings, woven baskets, batiks, and hand painted cards. There are many more ideas in the pipeline including a garment factory, all set up to give the villagers something they can take on, have ownership of and earn money from.
Every day villagers come to the Foundation with different requests – sports kits for kids, financial aid for 3-wheelers or fishing boats, sponsorship for their child’s education, help with medical costs, to name a few. All requests are listed and put up on the Foundation’s website: www.unconditionalcompassion.com. Each day you see these requests becoming reality.
Projects here are inspiring, motivating and most importantly, ongoing. Despite the poverty and the added devastations of the tsunami, the village is vibrant and the people here are rebuilding their future. Kushil’s dream is that this becomes a model for other villages to follow and has already extended the Foundation’s help to the villages surrounding Seenigama. What is being achieved here is incredible and if villages across Sri Lanka can even begin to rebuild on similar levels then hope will have spread a little further.
Volunteering and Donating
There are many volunteers who come and go from the Foundation each contributing in their own unique way, and it is through individuals and their compassion that this Foundation has always functioned. If you are interested in working as a volunteer you need to be flexible and creative, coming up with your own ideas of how to help the people. Don’t expect to have everything done for you – but they will help you in every way they can in looking for accommodation, supporting your ideas and making them happen. Every little bit helps and you will be wholeheartedly welcomed, which in itself is quite humbling.
Donations are also key to rebuilding the village – this way you can see directly where your money is being donated. The website lists the villagers’ requests which your money will go towards, or you can sponsor a child to help with their education - for as little as 11 pounds a month you can make a huge difference. There’s an easy form which enables you to donate online, avoiding any bank transfers or hidden fees – just click the ‘Donate Now’ button on the home page.
Go to the website, see what they are doing, and help in any way you can:
www.unconditionalcompassion.com.
Written by Faye Ruck-Nightingale who was a volunteer at the Foundation of Goodness from August to December this year working on a variety of projects.
Seenigama, Sports and the Foundation of Goodness
Like so many others I was drawn to Seenigama following the terrible tsunami disaster on 26 December 2004. By then I had already booked myself a ticket to travel around the world for 8 months taking a career break from my job in
On arrival in Seenigama you are automatically aware that it is an exceptional place and I was lucky enough to spend three unforgettable months volunteering there. When I arrived at the Foundation I felt a warmth I’ve not come across before. I was struck by the fact that these people had been through horrors I couldn’t begin to imagine yet they smiled, they laughed, they had an incredible harmony and an aura of hope. This was a sense of community that my home in the
As a volunteer you are really welcomed into the community, and your time is totally appreciated whether it’s for a couple of weeks or a few months. However, as Nick mentioned, you can't expect things to be handed to you on a plate and it can take a couple of weeks to work out how you are going to fit in and be useful. My roles were varied at first and one thing I was to learn is that no day is ever the same in
In Colombo I helped Kushil with the multitude of thank you letters that are sent out to our donors, although not the most exciting of tasks this was actually really interesting - until then I hadn’t realised just how much we were getting from donors or how. There were some incredibly humbling stories about how people donated – Duncan and Jody from the UK who asked people to donate rather than give them engagement presents; David in Australia who has found every which way to fund raise on a continuing basis; school kids in London who raised money through a sponsored spelling test; individuals and organisations from all over the world who had given as much as they could in order to help those worse off than themselves. As well as having contact with donors I enjoyed writing the website cover story every week. Though no IT expert I do enjoy writing and it was wonderful to be able to find new stories each week to put on the website, there were many to choose from and it was often a tough task to prioritise the main story each week, though I sometimes cheated and wrote two in one. Working in the
Sports
Just after I arrived at the Foundation in August we had been awarded funding from Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to run a year-long sports project within Seenigama and 6 of its surrounding villages. This was to be the main project for me whilst I was in the village working with 2 incredibly talented and dedicated guys from Seenigama – Asanka and Thushara, both wonderful people and excellent sportsmen. Every week I took the bus from
I had no idea how good these guys were at sports until I started this project. Sitting in our new ‘sports office’ (the old medicine store at the Foundation) I’d watch them all play volleyball out of the window while I worked away on my laptop. There are some incredibly talented players in Seenigama and the surrounding villages, and let’s not forget the girls – their volleyball teams played some very competitive and outstanding matches. There’s also some amazing talent on the cricket pitch and the athletics field, plus excellent swimmers, and some up and coming sports men and women in badminton and netball.
With all this local talent and enthusiasm for sport, Asanka, Thushara and I knew that we had to provide a great sports programme for the year to build on the current talent and to entice new players into the games. To plan the project we had to look at the budget first - factoring in costs of uniforms, equipment, pitch upgrades, hire, referee costs, coach costs, and numbers of participants for each sport. Asanka and Thushara went to all the local schools and village sports clubs to gather info on players and what sports people were interested in playing. We narrowed it down to an initial 8 sports – volleyball, beach volleyball, softball cricket, athletics, sea and pool swimming, badminton and netball. Once we had discussed all the details I got to work putting it into a year plan to work from and got to grips with how our budget would spread over the year. The boys got to work by spreading the word amongst the local village sports clubs and schools and gathering info on teams, convenient days to play competitions, etc.. ‘Seenigama Sports’ was up and running by mid-September and started off with volleyball competitions which seemed to happen on an almost daily basis to fit in all the teams (and still do!). The following month we had more competitions – in addition to volleyball, a 5 mile x-country race and a 100m sea-swimming race. ….and the sports continue every month with new sports such as badminton, softball cricket and beach volleyball being played on a regular basis.
You may be wondering how this project has helped a tsunami affected village in a disadvantaged rural community? The project had an impact that even I couldn’t believe – the young people in the villages from all ages were motivated and invigorated by participating in the various sports. Taking part helped to build their confidence and improve their team building skills and gave them more of an opportunity to meet up with their friends. Not only has Seenigama Sports had a huge impact on the kids it has also benefited the communities as a whole getting people actively participating in their community again and interacting with folk from other villages. One volleyball match we held at night had 2 villages supporting their teams, with fathers, mothers, grandparents, babies, brothers and sisters all cheering on their players – 2 rows deep around the pitch. It was an electric atmosphere and an event I was very proud to be part of.
The proof in the pudding, or the ball in the back of the net, came when I was able to see the reaction of our funders as they visited the project in early December. Laureus Sport for Good Foundation brought 2 of their Academy Members – the famous cricketers Steve Waugh and Kapil Dev – for a visit with 2-day packed itinerary to see Seenigama Sports in action and how it was impacting the villages. Sadly our main ambassador from Laureus – Ian Botham – couldn’t make it for personal reasons but we were assured he was keen to return in the new year. I came back from the
If you want to volunteer be prepared for hard work, long hours, long weeks, unpredictability and working within the frustrations of “
FOG volunteer August – November 2005
I'm Back!
I’m writing this at
Being back is definitely a culture (and temperature) shock. Also, sadly my grandmother died on Sunday so my first week back has started off with sorting out funeral arrangements, clearing her things and more importantly supporting my mum which my brother has been doing so brilliantly in my absence. For those of you in
Below are a few trip highlights. Thanks for listening these last 9 months and hope to see some of you very soon.
Highlights after 9 months travelling to 14 countries with 39 flights! My top 3’s…
Top Spots:
1)
2) Ningaloo Reef
3)
Worst spots:
1) the toilets on
2)
3) the outskirts of
Regrets:
1) not having a digital camera
2) not making it to
3) not backpacking it
Non-regrets:
1) not backpacking it (creature comforts do have their advantages!)
2) travelling independently in
3) going to
Highlights:
1)
2)
3)
Memorable people I visited:
1) Asanka in
2) My aunt Sue in
3) Piti on
Best sporting moments:
1) watching the Boca Juniors play at home in
2) watching my lads in
3) meeting loads of famous cricketers
Things I missed:
1) not being home for the Ashes or Live 8
2) my family and friends (especially my little nephew Oscar who is nearly 2)
Senses, Spices and Smiles
First of all, for those of you in the
Seenigama (the village I’m volunteering in) is on the SW coast close to
Yes, I have got used to eating with my fingers, much to the amusement of the locals as I’m not that good at it. In general great food is had for about 30p – lunches wrapped in banana leaves. I’ve also discovered a fab little wooden veranda café run by the local matriarchs – fresh juice; avocado, egg and bacon hoppers to die for; huge fruit platters for a quid; and the best ginger cake ever. No, I’m not thin any more!
Originally arriving here was tough – this place was totally devastated by the tsunami, the water came inland 2km, reached the ceiling in some houses and destroyed many. In our village 200 people out of 1500 were killed, hard to comprehend. A lot of this was due to the fact they have been illegally coral mining for 100 years so there was less reef protection here and the sea was able to come in further. This was also the area that the train was hit by the tsunami, 2000 people died in those carriages many of them locals who got on to escape the smaller first wave. When I initially arrived the kids were saying to me ‘come to tsunami training’ or ‘my mother tsunami training’ which of course I thought was some kind of educational training scheme! It took a little while for the cogs to start moving and for me to realise they meant come to see the train that so many people were killed in. They are very forgiving here! Death is also different in this culture as they are a Buddhist village so move on in ways we don’t know how to.
Being back at work has of course been a bit of a shocker! When I got here I felt a little lost and wasn’t really sure how to help, then things roller coastered and I am now working between the
Driving here is
Wildlife is a bit hit and miss in that I haven’t seen much here yet, the odd parrot and a dead whale on the beach! Other than that crabs everywhere! In the guesthouse I stay in by the beach there was one crawling on the inside of my mosy net the other night. You also encounter them in the shower and see hermit crabs crawling across the restaurant floors as if attempting some amazing new disguise – it really doesn’t work.
Not in the right part of SL for wild elephants but have seen a few in the Perahera religious festival here. Considering that the Seenigama Perahera was totally scaled down due to the tsunami it was still quite something to experience. 3 days of street parades with elephants, floats and all the village kids and lads n lasses that I know dressed up and dancing. Each day got better and the last night was spent in the tent with the high priest, watching the Kandian dancers do their devil dance (warning off the devil in case you’re wondering!) and then at 5am watching some of my friends fire walking – a crazy and trance-like experience. They also have Poya day every month (full moon) which means a public holiday, supposedly time off.
There is a lot of celebrating here, two of the volunteers that were here for a long time have left since I’ve worked here – one got a send off on the back of a bull cart behind a village procession of dancers and kids, the other got paraded through the village on an elephant with the dancers and villagers ahead. The village processions were followed by amazing parties, one of them would have topped an exclusive LA club any day, and shocked some Drs from New York who had recently arrived as they realised their city wasn’t necessarily the best party place in the world! All an incredible experience.
Have been working hard so not travelling but actually did have one fantastic w/e off. A treat for us hard working volunteers to a boutique villa the other side of
A Charitable Plea!
Please take a little time to read this one - it’s far more important than my rambling travelogues.
Have you ever wondered where the money you donated for the tsunami went to? Well, the Sri Lankans are wondering the same thing. The NGOs have done some basic work but I think the bureaucracy and the sheer amount of money they are dealing with is slowing them down so nothing seems to be getting through. The Sri Lankan government is a bug bear to EVERYONE I come across – they seem to be giving their people no money although there is plenty sitting there to be spent. It seems to be up to the people to get on with their lives as best they can.
The charity I am working for is purely Sri Lankan led. The guy who founded it had his beautiful house completed devastated by the tsunami but his village was totally wiped out so he has decided that he will not rebuild his house but will turn it into a centre of excellence for the young people in the village. I have never come across someone so motivated and someone who has touched so many people’s lives. Kushil has already done an amazing job at rebuilding his village without government help but with hard work, generous sponsors and a good heart.
..and it shows in the people. Today I was chatting to 10 year old Samanmali who lost 4 members of her family last December, but she was smiling and happy and wanting to play games. The older kids are finding it harder – Dilan who lost his brother finds it hard to talk about but they are starting to open up and they need help to get their lives together again.
If you would like to help and see exactly where your money is being spent, this is a great place to donate to. The best thing you could do is sponsor a child so that they get a chance of an education and maybe some kind of a life. Check out the website if you would like to help, and let me know if you do as they usually send photos, updates, etc and I can take photos of any kids sponsored too. Go to www.unconditionalcompassion.com, click on ‘how you can help’ and scroll down to ‘children’s needs’. (in monetary terms 1000 Rupees is 5.5 pounds, 1500 Rs is 8.25 pounds and 2000 Rs is 11 pounds)
If you can’t afford to donate but can send some stuff to me here that would be helpful too. We are organising a competition for Universal Children’s Day on 1st October and will be giving prizes out, so anything branded that they will recognise could be fun to give to them – BBC pens, etc., etc.. If you can send anything let me know and I’ll send an address to send things to.
Thanks for listening.
Part Two: Rivers and Seas
A cruise down the Yangze' sounds quite luxurious doesn't it? A trip down river to see the beautiful landscape before the controversial 3 Gorges Dam floods it all out. However, the reality was a little different although still a great experience. We may have made a slight mistake in opting for the Chinese tourist boat rather than one full of Westerners. Surely that would be a more genuine way of seeing a bit of China about to become history? I guess it was, but a boat of 250 Chinese tourists was an experience we probably wouldn't repeat!
Also on board were a great couple from Cornwall - really interesting folk who'd spent a year in South America and 6 months in India with their kids (before they grew up)... and a couple of brothers from Norway - nice genuine lads. So the 6 of us put up a united front and mucked in with the Chinese tourists trying to ignore the retching and spitting, pushing and shoving. We even joined in the nightly Karaoke ritual after a beer or two. It's quite comical to look back on, particularly the boat itself. Each morning a loud Chinese voice would bawl out of our air con system at 5am, 4am and 3am respectively! There was no switch to get rid of it and it started to feel like a Chinese prison camp, but after half an hour of pointing and acting out 'speaker' scenarios I managed to find someone to switch it off. The early wake ups were pointless too, it seems the Chinese need to wake up about 3 hours before we actually were due anywhere. Despite the early alarm calls, the total lack of English and the filthy Yangze river it was actually an interesting trip. We cruised through stunning scenery one minute and big industrial towns the next. The 3 little gorges and 3 big gorges had some breathtaking moments - all to disappear in 2009. They are predicting the project to be a disaster with the Yangze becoming one big waste dump as the river flow slows down when it's all flooded. What we saw of the dam was impressive though, and we dropped an incredible 70m down river through vast imposing locks. We arrived in Yichang 3 days later feeling battered and bruised and in need of some TLC.
Next stop was Guilin - a brief couple of days in a beautiful city and another river cruise! 4 hours up the Li River, very different to the Yangze. Stunning rural scenery - farms, workers, water buffalo, quaint villages all lining its banks. What's more, there was finally a little English spoken and Mum and I spent a pleasant couple of hours chatting to a student whose parents were local farmers. It gave us a view of the new generation of China which was very interesting.
After our whistle-stop tour of China we decided we needed a little luxury starting with a fantastic vodka cocktail at the top of the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and moving onto a very luxurious couple of days at the Shangri-La in Bangkok. Bliss...
So finally I get to Thailand after years of avoiding it due to my prejudice about noise, hassle and backpackers! I'd pictured streets full of constant hassle but China seemed to be the place for that more than Thailand. There we got endless shouts from stalls and shops of, "just looking.. looking.. looking", and here we just get the odd "madam" but with no aggression or pestering so Bangkok seemed much more civilised than I'd imagined. I enjoyed my brief few days in Bangkok topped with a tour of the canal streets there with rickety houses on stilts and the hustle and bustle of life within them. After that, a sleeper train up to Chiang Mai - a rackety, rolling ride which left us feeling quite dizzy when we arrived. Lovely scenery though and Chiang Mai is a great place to spend some time. We stayed in a beautiful hotel on the river - very homely with gorgeous gardens and delicious breakfast! Chiang Mai is full of goodies - silk, silver, cotton, teak, umbrellas, massages, food, massages, food, massages... a good introduction to Thailand, its life and people. A day of Thai cooking was the icing on the cake (or should I say the lemongrass in the stir fry?) - so be prepared for some Thai curries, stir fries and salads when I return!
After the goodies of Chiang Mai it was time to leave the rivers behind and head for the sea. Mum had wanted to return to Koh Samui after some 12 or 13 years, however since then it has become a bit of a tourist hell. After initial disappointment and spoilt daughter foot stamping we found a really nice place to stay on a quiet end of the beach and we actually had a lovely relaxing week swimming, reading and eating. It all went too quickly and after 5 weeks coping with me it was time for Mum to head home and for me to move on. So a sad goodbye and then I moved on... to the next island, not exactly far compared to Mum's trip to London!
I've given in to the back packer life for a few days. Staying on Thong Nai Pan Yai on Koh Phangan - it's a beautiful setting. As I write I'm swinging in my hammock outside my cosy bungalow overlooking the sea. Somehow I managed to get one of the best spots on the beach and I'm taking full advantage of it at 5 quid a night! It's a wonderful tranquil beach by day and party place by night. There really is no choice here but to join the madness of it all. After a fairly quiet 6 months my body has had to deal with the odd 4.30 and 6.30am mornings as I wander back from the bar, along the beach, to the bungalow.
The partying was fun but it's once again time to move on. Today I head to Sri Lanka where I will be volunteering for 6 weeks in a village called Seenigama, running a youth activity programme. The village was completely devastated by the tsunami and the charity is doing some fantastic work to rebuild the village both physically and in spirit. (Check out 'www.unconditionalcompassion.com' for more info on it). I'll be in touch from there...
Part One: From Whale Sharks to Shark Fin Soup
When I last wrote I was challenging Ningaloo Reef, on the West coast of Australia, to beat the Great Barrier Reef in terms of its marine life. It’s one:nil to Ningaloo! I’ve snorkelled in some great spots around the world but never somewhere with so many fish – it was like being on the set of Finding Nemo. As the week went on the bigger the fish got. Parrot fish, cat fish, angel fish, laser fish, box fish, comedy cod, little sting rays, white and black tipped reef sharks, turtles …and that was just day one - snorkelling right off the beach in beautifully warm sea and a stunning setting. The highlight was at the end of the week when I went on a Whale Shark trip.
You may remember them from wildlife documentaries – big spotted fish with huge wide open mouths eating up the plankton in the water. They dozily swim along with little fish eating at their mouths, and bigger fish swimming under them catching the dregs and seemingly sheltering. Whale Sharks can be up to 18m long, though the biggest I swam with was a mere 8m long. There were 4 of them the day I went, and it was exhausting jumping in and out of the boat to swim alongside them, probably equally weird for them with all these odd humans gawping at them with snorkels and masks and big wide eyes - the experience really was awesome. Almost as spectacular were the Manta Rays swimming up to you out of the depths with their big wings like angels in the sea. To top that, at lunch time Hump Back whales were swimming alongside the boat flipping their huge tails out of the water. Wow!
After all that marine excitement I spent a wonderfully chilled week in Perth with friends (huge thanks to Ads and Kiera) and then a lovely w/e back in Sydney. A fantastic goodbye to Oz was had by a day out on a boat in the harbour with luxuries like prawns, champagne, BBQ fish and great weather (big thanks to Jen and Tracy). Then time for a culture change as I headed to Hong Kong and China.
Mum had bravely decided to do this part of the trip with me and it was great to meet her in Hong Kong and spend a solid amount of time with her. However, no matter how hard one tries not to, when you travel with a parent somehow you tend to regress into spoilt child mode, so poor Mum had to cope with some of that! On the other hand you have a bit of role reversal in that you become the organiser and to an extent the protector – so whilst stamping my foot and wanting my own way, I also felt a kind of parental responsibility for us both. Interesting.
Anyway, back to the travels… Landing in Hong Kong in the day time is a little like landing in Lego land with all its tall skyscrapers, I’d only seen it at night before which is always spectacular. It was the start of my Chinese food diet here. So many people had warned me of the terrible Chinese food saying that I’d come out a stick insect. This I was quite looking forward to after the amount of weight I've stacked on travelling. However, they were all wrong! The Chinese tend to pride themselves on their cuisine. Yes, they did have some dodgy stuff on the menu such as turtle, snake, pig intestines, star fish and shark fin soup, but aside from those their food was delicious and very, very cheap. From night markets, to streets lined with food stalls, to restaurants – it was all fantastic stuff.
Aside from our introduction to Chinese cuisine Hong Kong was really just a meeting point and after a couple of days we flew into China proper starting in Beijing. Beijing was a good introduction to China as barely anyone spoke English there and only a few signs were in Roman script whereas outside of the city no-one spoke or understood English and all signs were in Chinese writing! Somehow we managed to get by. Most hotels, hostels, and tourist places were very surprised and a little inconvenienced by the fact we were independent travellers and not part of a tour group. Our first challenge was to book all our internal flights around China (of which there were many) – after being served by about 6 people we got there, it took all morning! Public buses were a bit of an issue too but thanks to our Lonely Planet bible we either had a bus number or bus stop location to help us get the right one. Cities with metros were a blessing and easier to navigate. They also had air con, unlike the hot sticky tube back home, which was much needed as China in summer time is incredibly hot. It’s also their rainy season – so you see why people thought Mum slightly mad to join me on this bit of my trip! However, despite severe floods over the whole of China while we were there, somehow we missed them. We had lovely sunny days with only one morning of rain. It was 38 – 40 degrees though which I don’t mind but there were times when I thought Mum would melt away! We spent a good amount of time walking through hot city streets avoiding a mass of brollys – the Chinese have umbrellas to keep the sun off them, it’s a status thing – the whiter you are the wealthier you must be. Umbrellas were prodding people out of the way on the pavements, umbrellas on bikes, umbrellas, and indeed whole families, on mopeds!
Back to Beijing… a huge flat city stretching about 165k from North to South and quite ugly except the historical Hutong areas. Old community alleyways with houses, food stalls and little shops, which they are now knocking down and replacing with new monstrosities. We were lucky to stay in a hostel in the Hutongs – a little bit of history soon to disappear no doubt. There’s a lot to see in and around Beijing – The Forbidden City, lovely old Chinese architecture still in amazing condition probably due to the fact that it was closed to the public for 500 years. The Summer Palace outside the city with its quaint canal street, big lake, temples and peaceful gardens. Tiananmen Square where all we could think about were tanks and people being shot. Then 2 hours out of Beijing the spectacular Great Wall of China. We went to a quiet spot on the Great Wall and had it almost to ourselves for a few hours. It really is a stunning sight to see stretching 100s of miles across ragged mountains, very steep in places, an amazing construction and almost impossible to describe – go there!
We seemed to bounce from site to site – next stop the city of Xi’an and the Terracotta Army. The Chinese call it the 8th wonder of the world and it is a truly spectacular sight to see and still being excavated. There are 3 different sites all enclosed and near each other with different army formations. The terracotta figures are a little bigger than life size with incredible detail – they believe that the craftsmen used their own images on the soldiers so they are all individual and quite different. Rows of soldiers, horses and some chariots - quite breathtaking at first view. Part of me was amazed and part of me thought it all too perfect to be true. So I’ve come to the conclusion that it could be a fake, which would be a bit of a scandal! It makes some sense though – the Chinese think status and wealth more important than anything so I reckon they built the terracotta army ‘unearthing’ it in the early 70s claiming it to be a historical wonder and therefore getting world status. It would explain why the excavations don’t seem to be progressing too readily as there would obviously be nothing to excavate! Yes, maybe my brain got a little frazzled in the heat…
Another place we visited near Xi’an was the Huashan Mountain. This captures all the beautiful pictures you see of rocky, sheer, ragged mountain ranges in China. Another stunning spot. It was hard work though, climbing steep rocky steps in 40 degree heat was difficult enough but added to that was the challenge of negotiating thousands of Chinese tourists like ants crawling up the mountain with their brollys! Also hard to endure were the men with their awful habit of rolling their shirts up above their nipples and walking, nay strutting, around like that all day. They do have large egos and think they are god’s gift – but it’s the women that seem to get on with it and do all the work. Everywhere we went men just ignored our pointing and bartering and it was always the women that would (begrudgingly) help.
After the heat and the pushing and shoving in crowds it was time to head to the Yangze River. More in part 2 …
Farewell South America
Last time I was in touch I was heading off on my tod to Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. I flew into the Brazilian side, stayed on the Argentinean side, and yoyo’d between the two for a couple of days confusing the officers at the border controls! The Falls themselves are worth a photo from the Brazilian side and a good day of scampering about through the various levels of the Falls on the Argentinean side. They really were stunning and it was a tropical paradise with humming birds, swarms of butterflies, monkeys and tourists!
After a few days it was back to Brazil and to Salvador to hook up with the girls. It was great to meet up with old friends and do a bit of holidaying with them for a couple of weeks. Salvador’s Pelourhino district was architecturally beautiful with its lovely Spanish buildings and little cobbled streets – sites of South America I was growing to love.
Watching someone’s wallet getting nicked though wasn’t such a good experience and a reminder of the poverty of Brazil and the easy pickings they can get from unwary tourists. After a night there we spent over a week on a paradise island called Morro de Sao Paulo. It had no transport at all and the taxis were local lads with wheelbarrows taking us through the narrow sandy street to our accommodation. Great food and good to be by the sea again. The island was quiet, with beautiful beaches and blue sea and the only wildlife seemed to be the locals – strange compared to all the marine wildlife I’d seen in the Galapagos. After a chilled time it was back to city life and Rio – great beaches, a surprisingly beautiful city with good restaurants and people watching, though not as busy as I’d pictured it to be. A big thank you to the girls for letting me join them and putting up with my pauper’s budget and my paranoia about safety – I owe you a drink or two for your patience!
A transport saga was had by all as we headed to the airport and nearly missed our flights. However, in laid-back South America checking into an international flight half an hour before take off thankfully didn’t appear to be an issue! So they trooped back to London and I headed off on my multi-stop-off journey to Sydney starting with Santiago for one night, then a couple of days on Easter Island. A strange place, extremely remote. The famous headed statues (Moais) didn’t disappoint – they stare down at you towering into the blue sky. They are not as mysterious as I’d imagined and the construction of them pretty much crippled the island of any resources it had as they cut down all the trees to use as rollers ruining the land and any wildlife/food that it produced. What I hadn’t been prepared for was to see such a stunning island – rugged, volcanic rock and endless blue sea.
Took a horse for the day to see it properly. Piti, my guide, was much taken with me, I think due to the fact that I was a tourist who actually could ride a horse (the fact that I couldn’t speak Spanish, an issue with most people, didn’t seem to matter!). So I got a good tour of the island including riding into the surf on a beautiful pink beach, narrowly missing a snake bite (horse noticed it and bolted), eating wild guava from the trees, and being honoured guest at Piti’s family BBQ on another beach. Fish fresh from the sea that morning, slabs of tender meat, beers, an inquisitive and interesting group of people and great hosts. I felt quite privileged. I pretty much galloped my way out of Easter Island having spent too long at the BBQ, I needed to be at the other end of the island by 7pm for my flight later that evening. So I left behind a sad-faced Piti who thought I’d be much better off staying on the island with him rather than joining my husband in Sydney (well I had to tell him something to prevent his advances!).
It was sad to leave South America after nearly 3 months, I enjoyed it there and it was good to me. I had brief stop off at Tahiti next which I didn’t like – a rich person's paradise, no character. I again had a transport nightmare and nearly missed the ferry back to the main island to catch my flight. A desperate plea to the ladies in the deluxe Sheraton (which I fortunately stumbled upon) saved the day. So after 20 flights and 8 countries I finally got to Australia and friends and family. I had a lovely week in Sydney catching up with them all and seeing the familiar sites of the lovely beaches, the Harbour and good bars and restaurants. Then it was off to my Aunt’s in Adelaide which as many of you know is like a second home to me. I was thoroughly spoiled for 2 weeks and have to say struggled to get back into travel mode afterwards. Went to theatre, cinema, concerts and visited old friends. Had a fantastic w/e wine tasting in the beautiful Clare Valley with its autumn colours looking stunning – golden leaved vines. Loved my long beach walks in the mornings and the dolphins really put on some great entertainment this time with an almost daily display as they leapt in the air chasing fish and playing in the sea. Thanks Sue for a wonderful fortnight.
So back on the road again. Next stop Australia’s ‘top end’, the north. I didn’t think much of Darwin, too flat and characterless and was glad to be heading out in my 4WD Campervan to see some of the outback up there. Sounds deluxe? Nope! Great for 4WD’ing but small to sleep in, cook in, live in. For those of you who aren’t familiar with dirt roads it’s a little like driving on marbles, or over a corrugated iron roof – not much control, a bit slidey, but quite good fun. There’s barely another car on the road and your focus is on avoiding ruts, rocks and roos rather than other drivers. Tackled the area often called Australia’s ‘last frontier’, though I think it’s called that to entice the tourists as it’s not as remote as I’d imagined. It’s a trip I’ve always wanted to do travelling over 2000km from Darwin to Broome through the Kimberley range (though having done it I still think South Australia has the best to offer). Saw some beautiful spots such as the Bungle Bungles, 360 million year old rock formations that look like giant beehives. Empty remote gorges, eerily silent except the birds and the beating of my heart in anticipation of crocodiles! There are 2 types – those that eat you and those that don’t! The freshwater ones don’t and I was assured that the gorge I canoed in was only inhabited by that type. I must confess to becoming a bit of a twitcher – birds here are so much more colourful than at home though I have a lot to learn. I still think the common parrots here are great to watch, and what I thought to be a rare specimen due to it’s incredible rainbow colouring turned out to be the very common Rainbow Bee-Eater which I consequently saw everywhere! A highlight for me was the Boab Tree – full of character lining the rivers and roads. It’s a tree that can reach well over 2000 years old and is shaped like something out of a children’s storybook – Google it and you’ll see what I mean. The Aborigines say that it was punished by god for being too vain so he turned it upside down with its roots growing skywards.
The final outback stop-off was on a beautiful homestead where they are trying to restore the land with natural trees and grasses, as well as promote local Aboriginal artists and teach locals how to ride horses. So I decided to treat myself to an early morning ride but my 5 year old mare decided it was too early for her and she succeeded in bucking me off. Nothing was hurt except my pride – my Easter Island admirer would not have been impressed!
After a few days in boring Broome (a beautiful beach but nothing else to offer) it was time to move on again. Now half way through my trip I have just arrived in Exmouth for some big fish activity on the Ningaloo Reef here which apparently puts the Great Barrier Reef to shame. We shall see….
Part 2: Buenos Aires
A great city. Lots to do, loads to see and plenty to come back to. Despite the madness of the city – pollution, smelly speedy buses, curb crawling cabs and 12-lane roads, I really liked Buenos Aires. It had a good feel to it.
The buildings are incredible – European style turrets, New York style art deco and some huge Victorian style tiled buildings often taking up a whole block. Full of detail and character, though sadly becoming a little dilapidated. The economy here is still dire and tourism seems to keep a lot of places going. The gap between rich and poor is shocking - some very affluent people here and desperate poverty. On the whole I feel safe here, different to Ecuador etc, more European than native Indian. Though like the rest of South America they do like their marches and demos.
Our first day in BA was the Thursday before Easter – there was a HUGE demonstration against the government. The protest was against the present government for doing nothing to punish those involved in the ‘dirty war’ of the 70s. This was when the military were in charge (again) and a lot of people ‘disappeared’, they were tortured and murdered, bodies discarded in the local river all for disagreeing with those in charge. As with all South American countries this is just as politically corrupt and unstable, and yes, I read up on my history including the unbelievably corrupt dictatorship of Evita and Peron. The other march we saw here was much more peaceful and pleasant! Again it seemed as though the whole of BA had taken to the streets but this time on the eve of Good Friday when the church service was led through the city streets. Thousands of people chanting and praying all with lit candles. Quite humbling.
Aside from Catholicism the other religion here is football – they are mad for it. They actually believe Maradona was sent by God to play football for them. Footy fans amongst you will of course know the Argentinean team he played for – Boca Juniors. To see this religion in action we went to a Boca Juniors game at their stadium and the fans put our fans to shame. All age groups actually jump up and down, chant and cheer throughout the whole game – a good way to keep fit, and god knows how the stadium stands it! When Maradona arrived to watch the game from his box the whole stadium went wild, including the opposition. All the photographers were facing him with their backs to the players coming out onto the pitch! No wonder he went slightly crazy. It was a great experience. It’s also fun watching the England games on TV, the commentators are barking, making up songs about the players and giving them nick-names. For example, ‘El Baby Rooney’, ‘Spice Boy’ (Beckham), and ‘Boy Wonder’ (Owen).
Other than sport I have taken in a bit of culture too. I was lucky enough to be in BA for the Independent Film Festival and saw a not-so-good Hal Hartley film and a couple of good Canadian films including ‘The Corporation’ – a must see in my view. To top that I went to my first opera, Verdi’s ‘Lombards in the First Crusade’ at Teatro Colon. It’s supposed to be one of the best opera houses in the world and I have to agree from my limited knowledge – a vast space, beautifully decorated, everyone really dressed up. Best of all was it’s accessibility – it was only 20 quid for a ticket which in London would have cost over 120. …the opera itself was great too.
That’s almost up to date from me! The other bit of news is that Ben and I have decided to go our separate ways which is difficult and sad, but it obviously wasn’t meant to be. I’m doing OK though. Arrived in Iguazu Falls for some time to myself then off to Brazil on Saturday to meet the girls!
Part 1: Don't Cry for Me…
Yes, that’s right, it’s the Argentinean leg of the trip. Though 6 weeks have passed it hadn’t felt like we’d done or seen much until it was time to jot things down! Here’s part 1…
Left the bowler-hatted ladies in La Paz and had a daytime flight to Santiago in Chile. Crossed amazing desert land with endless views and yet more distant snow-capped volcanoes. Santiago was a fantastic city – a real buzz to it and so nice to be drinking wine again. Anyone that wants to escape life in old blighty would do well to consider here though getting a grasp of Spanish may be a consideration!
Chile to Argentina was my first taste of how people get around and travel the long distances here – mostly by bus. There are semi-cama (slight incline) or cama (almost flat) seats, though you do end up feeling as though the person in front of you is lying in your lap. The other option is a suite bus which is like having your own bed and own space in the bus – luxury and definitely recommended! We did that once travelling to Buenos Aires and the rest of the time got savvy to taking the seats at the front of the top deck of the bus. In Argentina there are also trains – interesting when night-time falls sitting in a pitch black old train feeling like you’ve been beamed into 1940s Argentina.
Anyway, after a 16 hour over night bus journey from Santiago (Chile) to Patagonia (Argentina) we arrived in a town called Bariloche and wondered where we went wrong! It was like a German or Swiss mountain town resort but with fake-looking wood cabins and buildings. Very touristy and catering to the wealthy Argentinean 'portenos'. How could Patagonia be like this?! After initial disappointment we hired a car for a day to see the lakes and mountains away from the town – really amazing scenery, big lakes with jagged mountain peaks towering over them. Saw the most breath-taking sunset ever – pinks, blues, purples and greys above and below saucer shaped clouds. Didn’t take a photo believing all Patagonian sunsets would be like that – wrong unfortunately, so it lives in memory instead. Another plus side to Bariloche is that it’s the chocolate capital of Argentina. My expectation of the country had been wine, horses and steaks, but in reality it seemed to be chocolate, siestas and cakes. They siesta from 12.30 to 4.30 here!
The food in Argentina is very meat orientated and they really don’t understand vegetables – I am crying for greens. They have huge steaks, chicken and pork and haven’t a clue how to cook fish. They have a delicious thing called ‘dulce de leche’ – remember heating up condensed milk so it becomes toffee? Yum. Ordering has been interesting with my limited Spanish. On first arriving I ordered croissants and the waiter looked at me quizzically, not knowing what I was talking about. It turns out they call them ‘media lunas’ (half moons). Food is cheap though, 5 quid meals and 75p bottles of perfectly drinkable red.
We decided Patagonia was too expensive to do on a budget, I’d love to have headed south to see glaciers but essential flights and car hire were too costly. So we headed north to Mendoza, wine country. Though unbelievably for me we didn’t do any wine tasting! Rented an apartment for a week and just enjoyed cooking and not being in a hotel so didn’t do much except chill. Quite a nice town with some great art-deco buildings. Without doing tours outside Mendoza there wasn’t much else to do so we put travels further north on hold for a few weeks and went south again to the Pampas.
Found a lovely country town called Balcarce. It’s central plaza was lined with orange and lime trees, yes that’s oranges and limes on the same tree – oranges above, limes below, quite bizarre! It was also the home town of the famous racing driver Fangio and had a fantastic museum full of old F1 and racing cars from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s – mercs, Ferraris, etc.. After a couple of days in the town we spent a couple by a local lake and started to enjoy tranquility. Saw some amazing bird-life and I haven’t a clue of most of the names but a lot of birds of prey, parrots and a humming bird – beautiful green and white colours moving at terrific speed.
Another long bus journey took us to the biggest mountain range of the Pampas (which are flat so the mountains are not exactly Everest). We went to a place called Sierra de la Ventana, had to bust the budget and hire a car but well worth it. Ventana means ‘window’ and the reason this mountain range is named such is from one of the highest mountains where the rock at the peak has formed a natural window. We climbed this scrambling over rock boulders, not easy and v windy at the top but the huge views were worth the effort. Small birds nesting at the top had a great game where they flew towards the window, then folded in their wings, curled into a ball and let the wind hurl them through the window – bird bombs! Amazing. We also climbed the highest mountain (1230m from memory) called ‘Tres Picos’ (3 peaks). An 8-hour walk but much more satisfying than Ventana - up steep rocky path initially then out onto beautiful meadows slowly winding up to the summit which was again another steep rocky climb. This mountain was on a private estancia (farm) so we had to get permission to climb. Great to see a working farm with gauchos on horseback driving huge herds of cattle. The views here were vast – you could see a town 100km away. Another breath taking view to put to memory, although we did manage photos this time.
It was sad to leave such stunning countryside and friendly locals. Next stop – return to Buenos Aires, the federal capital. In email 2!
Ecuador, Peru and briefly Bolivia!
Here's the first update from our travels. Thanks for the newsy emails from some of you - sorry it's taken a while to send my news. Will try to send regular updates, let me know if you don't want to be on the list! Can't believe it's been over 3 weeks since we left the UK - and no, I've still not relaxed properly yet!
Spent our first 4 days in Quito in the old city - comfortably away from the tourist area which was a wise choice as half an hour there (to buy plane tickets) was enough for us! The old city is busy, full of locals in hectic little cobbled streets which get steeper and steeper and eventually lead up to the tops of volcanic mountains - really felt like a city on top of the world.
Took a while to get used to the altitude so wandered around taking in a few sites like the old Spanish baroque churches with 7 tons of gold in them - built to try to impress the Inca Indians at the time that their Catholic god was the best. The Spanish really were outrageous vandals - they got rid of some amazing Inca architecture and replaced it with their own. We spent a fair bit of time relaxing in a little coffee shop run by women about 4 foot tall in little uniforms, all giggly and smiley at us 'gringos', the only tourists in that part of town. We did take heed of all the advice in the travel books though and cowardly spent the evenings in our hotel so as not to get mugged! One day there was a huge demonstration against the corrupt president (who makes Blair look like a saint, yes the politics here really are dire!) so we dipped in and out of the march until we felt it was getting too dangerous and retreated to our hotel to watch the proceedings from the safety above.
Decided that we really should visit the Galapagos so got our flight tickets and headed off to the Pacific - lovely hot weather after cold and wet Quito and much safer! Wonderful bird life and marine life. Went to a little island called Isabela with a long, long white sandy beach and little mangrove coves for snorkelling. Saw pink flamingos, grey pelicans, beach birds I don't know the names of, marine iguanas (big fat ugly lizards that not only terrify you on the beach, they can swim too!), penguins, plenty of colourful fish, little red beach crabs who busy themselves scuttling along the beach all day ducking into their holes as you approach, and really friendly sea lions who were a somewhat big surprise when they suddenly swam up to you! Also had a treat of a display of a mum sea lion with her 3 pups swimming under us as we stood on a tiny wooden bridge - once mum realised we were no danger she plonked herself on a nearby fishing boat and let them show off to us until we got bored. One thing we didn't manage to do, which we'd planned, was take a boat trip for 3 days to properly take in the marine life but Ben got really bad food poisoning so we couldn't go - think we probably saw as much from our little island anyway. ..and Ben's recovered which is a relief!
Next stop - Peru. One night near Lima airport was enough to make me never want to return, customs were worse than anything I've encountered in the US (and I've had to wait hours there before). Happily flew out to Cusco the next day. Cusco nothing like Quito which was a busy city with locals getting on with their lives. Cusco was a real tourist town where you want to punch them and tell them to leave you alone, but aside from that the town itself is amazing. Old Inca walls all slotted together in such a masterful way that no cement (or mud) was needed to keep them together. Again the Spaniards built over most of the Inca stuff with some of their own amazing buildings, and again more vulgar churches full of gold and silver nicked from the local Indians and built on top of Inca palaces.
After that, 3 days at Macchu Picchu - this really was a treat and the highlight of the trip so far. We bravely walked the path up to the ruins - 50 minutes up very steep rocky steps, those of you that have been will know what I mean unless you wimped out and got the bus?! (And we climbed the steps up two days running!) When we got into the ruins Ben made me either close my eyes or look down to the ground so that I could only feel big spaces around me and people making sounds of awe but could see nothing. It must have looked like I was some naughty school kid with my head down! Anyway, after climbing up endless steps and going away from the top of the ruins we turned around, retraced our steps and I got to see the old Inca city from the best view point - really stunning, and impossible to describe. Enjoyed spending a few days there because it meant we could properly explore the ruins without rushing, but still missed out loads that I'd love to go back and do. The best was yesterday morning, in the Inca city at 6.30am, almost empty of tourists, with absolutely stunning views of snow clad mountain tops, and jagged mountain peaks surrounding the whole of Macchu Picchu - this really was a city in the sky and not for those that are scared of heights!
Now in La Paz in Bolivia on the way to Argentina. Full of tiny little indian women wearing ill-fitting bowler hats, a mad city with locals selling their fruit, drinks, trinkets, witch's ingredients, etc. on the streets - not touristy, and stunning. It's the highest city in the world - snowy mountain peaks everywhere. Off to Santiago tomorrow and then heading to Argentina for 2 months to spend a decent amount of time in one country. I'm looking forward to the wine, steaks, safer environment and horse riding. Need exercise and have missed drinking the odd wine or two!
Hope you're all well in freezing UK/US or the warmer Hawaii/Oz. Keep in touch with any news. Off to watch the Chelsea game (yes we actually have TV in this hotel!).
