Oats and mash

Welcome to the final blog of the year. But not the final blog. However time is ticking. Tic Toc Doc.

Brett’s back all healed, we set off for a quick jaunt down the Pan Americano, following a one block ride in the taxi from the bus station to the accommodation (thanks for the heads up lonely planet, one - nil to the taxi driver) we arrived in Caldera/Bahia Inglesa.

Caldera/Bahia Inglesa have been conglomerated as the one place. This is as each day consisted of a trip to the market for a fruit filled breakfast, the odd coffee and kuchen (German cake), a packed lunch consisting of fresh baked bread, avocado and tomato followed by a 12km (we just signed up for the Oxfam 100km walk in Melbourne, so the training had to begin) return walk to Bahia Inglesa from Caldera. Bahia Inglesa is a cheeky little secret paradisiacal beach on the north coast of Chile with no tourists. Don’t tell anyone. Hence we would lie on the beach till sunset, make the return walk and eat fresh fish and salad. Repeat X3 days.

Next was La Serena, not much to report, beautiful city, went for a run and we made a serious failure of a savoury pancake for dinner (note to everyone, lactose and fat free milk is bad for cooking, really bad).

The unfortunate news of the passing of Ellie, Giselle’s dog was received whilst in La Serena. RIP. May you and Manoochy play together in the sky! Love you lots.

Our next destination proved to be another little highlight to add to the collection. We found ourselves staying in a house to ourselves for the price of a hostel room in Pisco Elqui in the Elqui Valley. This valley is home to the Pisco grape and naturally many Pisco distilleries. Not just Pisco distilleries but gourmet everything, jams, cheeses, bread, chocolate, ice cream and best of all (in Brett’s opinion as Gis obviously hated the ice cream!) was the fruit. Fruit trees were everywhere. You could pick apricots off the trees that grew in the streets. This mix meant we feasted like ancient Romans, Giselle dropping grapes in Brett’s mouth as he sat on his thrown. In his dreams. The micro climate created in this valley which allowed such delights also provides clear skies and sun almost all year (which of course prompted a quick 18km walk in the sunshine just to further add to the training). This allows an appropriate place for star gazing and big sky observatories. A fun filled tour to the Mamalluca Observatory near Vicuña (another little village in the valley) allowed a gaze through multi million dollar telescopes to see the Moon, Jupiter and its moons, Mars and other constellations with excellent clarity. All in all a very successful venture.

Santiago was to follow. A trip through the metro with all our bags on in rush hour and then a good 1 hour wait after Giselle mistakenly told Barbara (our Chilean sister) the wrong street name we met up with our lovely Barbarita (baby in the tummy and all). Barbara is a friend that Brett and his family made while in Indonesia last year and who subsequently stayed with us is Melbourne when she was having her sabbatical year off. Barbara and her fiancé Daslav were extremely accommodating hosts allowing a week of normality for a backpacker with home cooked dinner, a comfy bed, healthy breakfast and a space to chill out in without other backpackers! The week entailed a great tour to a Santiago winery called Undurraga, picnics at local parks, a Chilean barbecue lunch, a night on the town, a walk to a view of all of Santiago and lots of tender loving care! A fantastic week was had and we thank our lovely hosts 1000 times for it! Oh and we forgot to mention the rule of the week....No English to be spoken until after 9pm! What a way to learn and further improve our Spanish, and hey we think it worked!

We bid farewell to our Santiagoan (think ´Anchorman´ we dare you) friends and settled into our ¨comfy¨ bus seats for the next 16 hours to a small island just off Chile called Chiloe. We arrived full of excitement to get the tent wet and bust out the trekking boots again. After a quick food stop over in the quaint and bustling town of Castro, we local bused out to a small fishing village called Cucao. Cucao did not disappoint and provided a daily downpour of rain, but alas this did not deter us! We set of nice and early and entered Parque Nacional Chiloe for a quick 25kms to our camping destination. For our first ¨carry everything on your back like a turtle¨ adventure it was good fun. What commenced as a breezy stroll along the beach, quickly increased to a steep and muddy climb up to a field in the middle of nowhere with not a sole in sight. We arrived at the open field and were at a loss as to where the path continued and so bush bashed our way down to the bottom of a hill where a deserted beach lay which would be our home for the night. Don’t worry guys we later found the path back up which was ridiculously clear from below just not so clear from above, riddle me that! We broke open the camping cooker and made our first delicious camp meal, consisting of quick rice and tea. A meal fit for kings we assure you! We managed to find our way to the only drinkable water source inside an old refugio (kind of like a refuge lodge but totally deserted) and post refilling drink bottles with the idea of returning later to gather more water, Giselle felt the door swing swiftly shut behind her. Great right? So yes, we were in a pickle! Luckily a few hours later two German tourists arrived asking for where the water source was, and upon explaining our misfortune with said door, they assisted us to break in through one of the windows. Thanks Germany. After a seriously satisfying night of rain thrashing at the tent we awoke to sunshine, made our oats and continued the quick 25km walk back to town.

So for those of you who are thinking, why Brett and Giselle, it sounds as though everything is going along swimmingly, you will thoroughly enjoy the next passage about our following misfortune. 

All sorted back in town we bused to the small port town on the island called Quellon in order to catch an overnight ferry back into Chile. As the sun set and things started getting dark we approached the Ferry company’s office only to find a small typed message in the window which translated basically said ¨Ferry suspended until further notice¨ thanks Naviera Austral, no explanation necessary or anything. We made our way to the Coast guards office and were told the ferry had crashed with something earlier on in the day and would not be going for up to 2 weeks. Ok, that’s a pain in the ass we thought but such is life at times...then the coast guard said ¨you might want to find yourselves a hotel sometime soon, this place would have to the most dangerous place in Chile after dark¨, Righto, thanks Mr. Coast Guard, we shall be getting the hell outta this place we think! 

Plan B was devised and set in motion. A quick bus up to Puerto Montt, some more on the spot planning and we landed on a bus headed for Bariloche, Argentina. Chao Chile! 

So in reflection the ferry mishap was kind of a blessing in disguise as it resulted in us arriving in the beautiful surrounding of Bariloche. While the town itself is not so geared to the backpacker budget, it allowed us passage the nearby National Park of Nahuel Huapi for our next trekking adventure.      

Refugio Frey on Villa Catedral was the first of our potential 2 night hike through the national park. A long, windy gradual ascent through forest, past gorgeous cascades took us to the final hour of steep, rocky trail and bleating sun before we arrived at the dreamy destination of Refugio Frey. An old wooden lodge built for hikers and climbers sits at the base of jagged snow capped mountain peaks, a peaceful glacial lagoon and a majestic view over the valley from which we just climbed. A very pleasing end to a reasonably tough day with our packs on our backs! Everything was just a little too comfortable! Instant mash potatoes cooked with a delicious packet pasta soup was a success (really, it actually was delicious!), amazing sunset witnessed and cheers to a successful day trekking, we hit the hay. Cue gale force winds all night causing our tent to shake, rattle and roll all night allowing for a very loud, head whacking sleep! Being warned off the second destination due to falling rock and snowy passes we made the executive decision to call it a trek and head back to Bariloche. All in all it was a good start to the Lakes District and Patagonian experience.

El Bolson was next on the agenda. Being the hippy region of Argentina, with a big artisanal market held three times a week. Basically it is hippies selling delicious home made treats such as whole-meal empanadas, whole-meal pizzas and whole-meal everything, oh and chocolate. Luckily for us we arrived on a market day and although there was some light drizzle and not all the hippies made it to the market from their gourmet farms there was enough for us to sample and subsequently purchase and naturally eat!

El Bolson is also famous for trekking. Cajon Del Azul (Blue box) is a famous one and so we decided to do it. This time just planning an out and back trek. Dressed for awful weather but being blessed with blue skies and sun we quickly stripped off and began our trek. First of the challenges were two suspension bridges which seemed as though they were built in the 1800´s. Each step which we both thought would be our last on to the wooden palings which were loosely nailed in, not nailed in or had completely fallen through were eventually passed and we could begin the ascent next to the glorious Rio Azul which had water flowing down from the mountains that was so pure and so blue that you could have sworn it was a movie set. A quick weather change (which has become a recurrent theme in this part of the continent) forced an even quicker change back to our foul weather gear. We decided that the rain added to the charm of the forest and after rocky passes, boulder climbs (with ladders, we aren’t that badass!) and another bridge crossing we made it to Refugio Cajon Del Azul. Welcomed with a hot mug of tea and the smell of freshly baked bread we were very happy campers. Campers we were so we left the warm surrounds of the inside of the refugio and set up camp outside! As we can’t get enough of walking we went for another 2 hour adventure through the woods and past the Nascimiento del Cajon which is where there is a short but powerful waterfall that pours in to the Cajon (rock wall like structures that give the place its name).

Persuaded by some other campers at the refugio to continue our trek onward to Hielo Azul we changed plans and added a second night to the itinerary! A better night of sleep this time and trusty old oats for breakfast, we bought a fresh loaf of bread (as we hadn’t planned proper lunch for a second day!) and set off on the next phase of what became a wonderful circuit. We were met with an exhausting 3 hour uphill climb (literally we were climbing at points with all four extremities!) being hugely encouraged by outrageous views of the mountain range in the distance and breaks for chocolate we made it to the top with a few losses of the trail. You have to keep an eye out for red and yellow markers on the trees and on occasion the trail is obscured by fallen trees and you are forced in to using hawk like vision to refind the trail. Luckily we are awesome so we got to a different refugio called Natacion close to our final destination. A quick lunch break with homemade cherry jam, a quick peak of waterfalls falling from a glacier to the back of the camp and a quick hour trekking downhill, and we arrived at refugio Hielo Azul. Welcomed again with a warm fire burning in the refugio, warm people and not so warm hands and toes we set up camp in a grassy spot by a pretty creek. We enthusiastically set out on yet another rocky scramble up to a mountain peak and a small glacier behind said peak, and after an hour of ghastly winds, steep and crumbly rocks we made it to the final section of the ascent. As we peered over the tops of the rocks we were saddened to find a huge dump of snow sitting comfortably across the next section of the trek. After a quick analysis we realized we were not adequately prepared and hung our heads in dismay as we began the descent back to camp. Tucked away in our tent for the night we were again kept in our place by continual rain all night, but alas managed to survive. We were fortunate enough that the final day was all downhill as if in reward for the previous days efforts and we easily made good time down to the end of the trek. We followed a sign leading back into town, (a short 7km walk) only to have passers by tell us we were headed the wrong direction. Doh! The friendly passers by gave us our first hitchhiking experience for 15mins up the road and we then managed the hail another car en route into town. We hopped onto the next bus out of town and arrived in nearby Esquel.

Not all that much needs to be said of Esquel, it was a quaint little town and involved a 3 hour day trek up for panoramic views of the close by mountain range, and a trip to Trevelin. Trevelin is a town about 30 mins away by bus and is an old Welsh settlement, which consequently has super suave tea houses. Needless to say we had the high tea. Four pieces of cake, sandwiches, scones, jams and bottomless tea and coffee later we left as happy campers in need of a good afternoon siesta!

Finishing our stint around the Bariloche area we boarded a bus that would be our home for the next 25 hours while we followed the Ruta 40 (notoriously unpaved and notoriously BORING!) down to El Chalten. With our butts resembling the shape of the seats we gladly checked into Hostel La Comarca in the tiny and beautiful town of 3000 people that is also tucked in nicely amongst the Fitz Roy Ranges.

A few days relaxing and then we set out for our biggest trek thus far to Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. This beautiful area is all the more special as all treks are accessible by walking straight out of town, are relatively flat and short (roughly 3 hours between each camp) and allow views of the jagged snowcapped mountain peaks of the Fitz Roy Ranges as well.

We began by heading to Mount Fitzroy first, and set up camp at the base of the famous mountain. A little concerned by the dark and thick cloud coming over from the left we made the steep climb (noticing a theme here at all?) up to the Laguna de Los Tres, a beautiful glacier lagoon surrounded by Mount Fitzroy. We had roughly 10 minutes for a few happy snaps before the snow storm we had seen coming earlier forced us away from the crystal lagoon and back down to camp. We huddled with our new South African friends and played cards and finally lay our heads down to sleep in the minus 3 degree temperature.

The snow settled thankfully by the morning and we made our way to another glacier and lagoon nearby our camp. The final 20 minutes of this walk was of course ¨a rocky scramble!¨ but well worth every climb given the proximity we achieved to the glacier and lagoon. Absolutely mesmerizing.

Next stop Campemento De Agostini, a pleasant 3 hour trek from our first campsite, situated next to the beautiful flowing river and a hop skip and a jump away from an even bigger glacier and lagoon. Yes, we are well aware of how spoilt we are sounding. We made camp and did a quick check of the lagoon only to find views restricted by mist and cloud. Dinner of instant mash potatoes again and we gladly slid into our sleeping bags for a well earned nights sleep.

With legs full of excitement we trekked along a ridge that runs alongside the lagoon and reached a spot with giant views of the glacier and a peek at Cerro Torre. Sadly the clouds were not in position for us that morning and we got sneaky views of the mountain peaks and not much more.

We arrived back in town in record time as the final day trekking was more or less flat and with satisfied hearts returned back to our humble hostel. (Luckily we did a day trek a few days after to an amazing viewpoint and you’ll all be pleased to know we got panoramic views of the entire mountain range including the dear Cerro Torre).

Of course Christmas was to follow and with a little planning we had a rather special day in Southern Patagonia. The Fitzroy Ranges chose to put on a good show and gave us the clearest views we had had all week. What better way to spend Christmas than eat all day right? So we started with homemade blueberry pancakes, a cheese and salami platter for afternoon tea and then roast chicken, chips and salad. Given the gorgeous sunshine we placed a table out on the side of the road and watched the afternoon pass by with a bottle of wine to ease the pain of being away from family. It worked.

So next on the agenda was El Calafate and the GIANT Perito Moreno Glacier (please please Google it, the pictures will explain it much better than we can!). Basically it is a huge glacier that is considered ´stable´ due to the fact that it is advancing at the same rate that it is decreasing. Also due to this, it means at times huge pieces of ice break off and come crashing down into the water, creating not only a visual splendour but also thrilling to the ears as well. We treated ourselves to a full day trip which involved getting up close and personal with the glacier. Crampons and all we strolled on the glacial ice, viewing crevasses, small lakes where the ice has melted, a deep sink hole and just general amazingness. We finished the tour with a ¨whiskey on the glacial rocks¨ and went home happy with the day.

An exciting side note was a moment of ¨small worldliness¨ as we met Brett’s cousin Ash and her husband Leighton for dinner one night in El Calafate. Luckily the two of them just so happened to be in the same town in the same country on the same night we were. Thanks for dinner guys!

And so we are off to Chilean Patagonia, Puerto Natales for the W TREK!!!! Feliz año nuevo!!

Brett and his harem

Dearest fans,

Finally we have our next instalment of this riveting blog (according to us).

This chapter of the trip involved the introduction of Kassie ¨the chunderer from down under¨ Alford and (Mum) Michelle ¨the GPS¨ Herskope.

After another decent bout of food poisining for Brett after a fun 16 hour bus ride from Nasca-Cusco (sensing a little theme going on here?) Gis and Brett were ready for the arrival of their guests.

As all the locals do waiting for the guests at the airport Giselle devised a sign with the name of our first guest to hold above her head. This was to help Kass distinguish her from the other dark hair, skin and eyed Peruvian taxi drivers. Kass struggled to see Gis´ blonde hair but did see her sign ¨Ms Señorita Alford¨ and after a quick emotional embrace was welcomed to Cusco! A set meal, coca tea and altitude head-ache later our next arrival was imminent and a similar gag was elicited at the airport.

Brett hence had assembled his harem of women and we were ready to begin trekking to Macchu Pichu via the famous Salkantay trek!

A bit of fun was to be had in the days before the trek to give Brett´s new harem some time to acclimatise and we completed a Peruvian cooking course making delicious Aji de Gallina and Pisco Sour (which Mum then developed an addiction to). A chocolate making course was next on the proverbial ¨menu¨ which entailed creating chocolate from the cacao bean all the way through to the real deal. Of course Brett´s harem thoroughly enjoyed the tasty delights and although Brett pretends not to love treats he was spotted hoeing in to his freshly made choccy.

Enter the Salkantay trek. A ¨gruelling¨ 5 day trek to Macchu Pichu. Guide, horseman and chef assembled, we started off with a nice 4.30am wake up and a mini van ride where sleep was planned and not achieved to Mollepampa. From here we were notified that there has been a land slide on part of the trek so we would need to ride in the back of a truck ¨much like cattle¨ to another starting point. Encountering more difficulties was a brilliant introduction to South America for Mum and Kass as we had to evacuate the truck as it slipped and slid across a dodgy pass and reversed down a hill to let another bigger (and hence assuming right of way down the single lane dirt road) truck.

Finally to begin the trek, wait, first we rushed to spray on repellent as attack of the sand flies was commencing. Ok. Listo (ready in spanish) which then became Kassie Listo (as 'casi listo' means almost ready which was the story of the trek!). As we were engulfed by nature everybody warmed to what would be a beautiful trek. Valley views, lush foliage and fresh mountainous air was being absorbed and was only a taste test for what would become a truly scenic experience.

Campsite 1: With an amazing view of snow-capped Humantay and Salkantay mountains we were spoilt to a 3 course lunch, tea, treats and an under cover campsite (really tough camping!) We then trekked up a steep hill to the base of Humantay and were treated to a gorgeous turqouise glacial lagoon where like 2 peas from the same pod Brett and Michelle could not help themselves and had to have a dip in to the freezing water.

Day two was a spectactular but also spectacularly difficult climb up to the Salkantay pass, the highest point of the trek at 4640m. Michelle ¨the GPS¨ as always had her Garmin watch on and corrected this to a height 4629m. It is very important to be accurate and be able to graph it on her computer! Celebratory high fives and photos were had as we then carried on with the descent onwards. Straight away the scenery changed and things became much greener, the temperature increased and snow capped mountains became a distant memory. Another 4 course lunch was had in our lunch tent (really roughing it) and we then entered a newer phase of the trek. Jungle, which meant heat,  stripping off, sweating but still loving life we arrived at our next camp site just as dusk was falling. Perfect timing.

Day three held a new challenge for one of Brett´s harem, the chunderer from down under attained her nickname and spent the whole day chundering and marking her territory. With a brave face and a top attitude she valiantly strode on and almost as if sympathetically Giselle joined her, at least in her marking of territory. Luckily symptoms wore off and all were able to enjoy the brilliant hot springs in Santa Teresa that evening. At least the sickness was had beneath tumbling water falls, rushing rivers and sensational weather. Tragedy did strike however as Mum´s GPS ran out of battery and she couldn´t track 5km, no was it 6km, (oh so hard to know without the watch) of the trek.

Day four was the longest day, however was the most rewarding as we would arrive in Aguas Calientes (the village beneath Macchu Pichu) to a hotel and not a tent! Again the scenery changed vastly and we were witness to rolling green mountains, banana trees and beautifully coloured flora as we traversed next to the train tracks from the hydro-electric plant to a hot shower in the hotel. A little tease for the following days show piece was had as we trekked passed the back side of Macchu Pichu and saw some of the famous ruins in the distance.

Day five saw a 5.15am bus up to Macchu Pichu, excitement was building, a lovely sun had rised (earlier than the GPS had promised) and we stepped in to the show piece of Peru. Macchu Pichu. Getting there within the first few buses ensured an amazing half an hour of the incan ruins to ourselves. Postcard photos were taken, big smiles on all faces as we were guided around the ruins in awe of the sheer size and beauty of them. After we farewelled our guide we made the pilgrimage to the top of Huayna Pichu. A difficult one hour climb to the mountain at the back of the ruins which afforded marvellous views of Macchu Pichu and its surrounds. Without giving to much away, territory was marked on Huayna Pichu. A very funny event.

A train ride back to Cusco wasn´t without hilarity as Mum fell asleep and the bouncing of the train ensured that her cup of tea, unfinished, ended up all over her.

No rest for the wicked as we were up early the next morning to head to Puno on Lake Titicaca.

Puno, Peru doesnt really require much of a mention so we shall press on...

Our little putt-putt tour boat took us from the shores of Puno into the great lake that is Titi"HAHA" thankyou very much (not to be said TitiCACA cause that`s just plain incorrect!). First stop was the touristy and reedy Isla Flotantes. The island made solely out of layers and layers of think grass reeds did not fall short in amazing us and we were quickly met by the friendly locals for a cheeky taste of grass reed (not the type of grass you might be thinking, we mean the legitimate reeds!). From there we putt-putted over to our place of residence for the night, Isla Amantani. Treated to our own special homestay with Peruvian mother (so, this should freak out Luis, Tim and Base - it was the SAME FAMILY from the last time Brett was in South America, whaaaaat!), we were spoilt with a 3 course lunch on arrival. A quick steep trek up to the peak of the island afforded us wonderous views of Lake Titicaca, including shiny waters all the way to Bolivia. A second 3 course meal but this time for dinner, and then it was time to get suited up local-style! Now we know youve seen the photos on facebook with us girls in our pretty skirts and blouses, matched perfectly with our jeans and runners peaking out the bottom. Lets just get something clear...it was really freaking cold at night. Brett in his manly Peruvian poncho and his harem ready to take on the locals, we set off to a local dance. Lots of holding hands and dancing around in a circle with the local band and old ladies was a total treat.

Following our night in Isla Amantani we again putt-putted our way to nearby Isla Taquile for a quick peak at how the locals did things there and then were again on our putt-putty way back to Puno. Needless to say in true South American style the boat broke down. More than once.

We farewelled Puno and in turn said goodbye to Peru as we bussed our little hinies into La Paz, Bolivia. As if by initiation into the joy and chaos that is Bolivia the bus was not only late to pick us up in the morning, but also took almost 3 hours longer than supposed to. It was important for Kass and Michelle to fully understand these sorts of days. There were highs and lows, there were `delicious` plain crackers and probably a few empanadas.

La Paz showed us a good time with our first full day there being spent completing the WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS BIKE RIDE a few hours outside of the city. For those of you unaware of what this road is, we suggest you google "Worlds most dangerous bike ride" and then you will understand how bad ass it is! 64km (ok, incorrect according the "the GPS" however it was the number of km`s quoted on all the tour agency posters, we wonder who is more accurate?) of downhill road on bmx bikes, fully kitted out with fluro vests and all we hooned (ok, Giselle didnt necessarily hoon but it was really scary alright!) our way down to the finish line. Picture gravel road, as narrow as 3 metres in some points, SHEER SHEER cliff fall to one side and crumbly mountain to the other, waterfalls flowing freely into any oncomers face, heavy rain downpour followed by burn-your-face-off sun, crazy fellow cyclists NOT using the courteous "passing on your right" comment, and pebbles as big as your face...and that about sums up the journey down. We were gratefully spoilt with hot showers and all-you-can-eat lunch at our end point, a lovely animal sanctuary equipped with monkeys and all.

We managed to squeeze in a `rest day` full of shopping and leather jacket buying ($60.00 for custom made, yep it was that cheap!) before jumping on Kass and Michelle`s first "overnight bus" experience of splendor and comfort to Uyuni (the great home of the Salt Flats). Given we spent the night bouncing around head butting each other and attempting to sleep at the same time we were feeling a little less than well rested, you could say. A quick one-two-throw-up-on-your-shoes and the "Chunderer" was back on the tummy-bug band wagon. Luckily it was an isolated event this time and our dear Kass again soldiered on through the day. We piled into our 4WD and began making our way into the mysterious and magnificant Salar de Uyuni. First stop an old train graveyard, showcasing a series of old trains dumped in the middle of the desert. For those of you who are Nick Cage fans, think the deserty airport in "Con Air" - "I told you to put the bunny back in the box!". Onwards to the only Salt Hotel found in the actual salt flats and we respecting resisted the urge to lick the walls. And table. And window sills. And chairs. Seriously they were all made of salt.

Our next stop was the middle of friggin nowhere for the famous "Perspective shots". You`ll just have to come over and visit us when we return to see how hilarious and clever we are. We moved onto another area in the middle of friggin nowhere which was actually a cactus island in the middle of friggin nowhere. This was of course followed by the most ridiculously spectacular sunset we`d ever seen.

Our second day in this other worldy experience, included places like, a dead lake, fields of petrified coral rocks, huge lava-tube rocks, a lake with an outrageous number of flamengoes, and to end the day - the strange and cool red lake, also equipped with an outrageous number of flamengoes. Needless to say when we lay our heads down to sleep that night, we were all left wondering "where the bloody hell are we!".

The final day provided us with again magnificent views of a different lake, this one famously green normally, just not when we were there unfortunately. A quick six hour drive back to town and our tour was finished. Phew, it certainly was a place to be remembered!

We tentatively boarded the small plane which appeared slightly questionable, which turned out to actually be super safe and fine and quickly found ourselves back in the `normality` of La Paz. It was but a quick turnover as we squeezed into a local colectivo bus (furthering Michelle and Kass`s authentic experience in South America) and bounced our way to the pretty and quaint Coroico.

A few days in what seemed a 4 star resort (for next to nothing in cost $15 a night) to recharge the batteries and poor Michelle was finally able to put up her feet after a mad 3 weeks scouring the moutains in Peru and Bolivia.

Sunday the 4th of November we devastatingly bid farewell to our dear Michelle as she boarded a plane back to good old Oz. It was a sad day to say the least, but we certainly have some crazy, funny and joyous memories, so a huge thanks to "The GPS" for joining us on this spectacular adventure. We miss you!

As if in sympathy, we decided our next stop would be the beautiful beaches on north coast of CHILE.

We arrived in Arica with altitude ready lungs and the higher concentration of oxygen was easily recognisable as simple sets of stairs no longer took our breath away! Lying on the beach next to the desert was the order of the day. As was Chilean wine and getting a crook guts again. This time Brett and Gis. So while we hung out and waited for the next bug to pass Kass went to a surfing lesson. This surfing lesson was with a man named YoYo. A very credible surf teachers name. He began with presurf yoga, an aloe vera face massage and some outlandish stories about surf rescues and the like. Lunch involved YoYo alone getting stoned, post lunch yoga and some more ripping surf. Kass managed to ride 2 waves with Kelly Slater like style and speed. Rumour is she got barreled and pulled some wicked top turns.

The next incident started out of thin air. All of a sudden Brett complained of a sore back. Pretty standard that Brett has a niggling injury so neither he nor the remainder of his harem took much notice.

Cue horrific bus ride. Brett´s back pain continued to advance and a 4hr bus ride to our next destination Iquique. This included Brett passing in and out of pain induced consciousness as Gis and Kass sipped on complimentary coca cola poured in plastic cups by the ticket inspector. Very odd, but refreshing.

Iquique consisted of much of the same. Beach, coffee, good food and even better vibes. Except for Brett who was slowly leaving the earth in pain. Until Brett couldn´t stand up without needing to lie down or he would faint did we decide to go hospital (and on the advice of the worriers back in Melbourne).A diagnosis of a long standing intestinal infection led to heavy pain killers, heavier antibiotics and Giselle playing physio/nurse/girlfriend/personal carer/masseuse etc etc did Brett slowly but recover from his altered consciousness and become human again! He had serious man flu.

A final coffee and beach session (a Kass specialty) saw us see her off in style and she departed back to Australia leaving Brett´s harem in complete tatters. We miss you too Kass!

Status quo has been regained. Brett and Gis are back on the road! Next stop Caldera.

Peace and Love!

 Just a couple of sea lions pashing

 The cheeky Kicker Rock that Giselle got into a head on with

 Battle scars

 Good old sea lions lounging around in San Cristobal

 Strike a pose you sexy iguana, work it!

 I always wanted to have red shoes but I'm stuck with these blue booties

 Brett having a "good face" day

 Just the first of many summits we shall conquer

 Wowsa, we promise it's not photoshopped!

 Brett enjoying Giselle's "crappy" misfortune (Day 3 Santa Cruz trek)

 Brett in the glacial lagoon after a surge of testosterone

Just another terrible view

Blue footed boobies and all

If we recall correctly we left u a hop skip and a jump ago somewhere in the middle of Colombia. Since then geez we guess you could say a lot has happened (as per usual though right?)

So after the charming tale of Brett versus dog in Capurgana and a few days spent waiting for rabies injections in Medellin (just to be sure Brett didn't turn into a Werewolf), we made our way to the
Melbourne-esque Bogota. Filled with trendy cafes, alternative city folk and some tasty delights we slipped right into the Bogota way of life. We managed to find ourselves in town while a world cup qualifier
between Colombia and Uruguay was playing. With the city streaked with the red blue and yellow Colombian colours and some diehard soccer fans, we joined in the festivities in a local pub and we're quickly accepted as some of Colombia's own. Of course it being such a small world and all we stumbled into our new Texan friends we met in the Northeast coast of Colombia, random!

Later in the evening we wormed our way into an exclusive rooftop pre-party for German DJs Tiefschwartz who were later playing in a nearby club. A few friendly drinks later we cruised into Salon Continetal (nightclub) somewhere after midnight and upon entry asked a local when Tiefschwartz was to come on, to which he replied "they're on now, this is some serious german techa". We were certain the skinny girl behind the decks at that time was NOT 2 manly German dj's, but how would we know?

Post Bogota we scooted on down to Cali and paid a visit to our special Colombian mother (Luis' mum) and were spoilt rotten with tasty dinner, good company and great spanish practice! We were of course sad to leave but alas the Galapagos Islands were awaiting!!

So after realising our budget was going swimmingly we decided to dip our feet in the cool waters of the Galapagos Islands. And what better way to spend a few extra pennies than being surrounded for a week by the largest abundance of wildlife one could imagine! We landed in San Cristobal and in our first afternoon found ourselves overwhelmed with hundreds of sea lions and marine iguanas of every size! Our second day  involved a day trip to a few places nearby which included, swimming with sea lions (kinda looks like a shark when it comes at you all of a sudden!! Ok, I'm exaggerating but it is kinda frightening at first), searching for reef sharks, and giant tortoise spotting. Crazy currents and huge above and underwater volcanic rock (named Kicker Rock) and Giselle decided to take the situation head on...literally. While
snorkelling and attempting to make space for the other people in the water and trying to avoid being carried out to sea by the current, Giselle decided she would show Kicker Rock a taste of its own medicine
and gave it a good old headbutt (it was some serious WWF moves believe us). A few squirts of iodine to the skull and shoulder and she was back in the water again chasing the fish and showing them whose boss!

The following day a little drizzle couldn't hold us back as we hired bikes to ride to the middle of the island where stunning lagoon views and giant land tortoises were the objective of the day. Of course it was Brett and Giselle on bicycles and we all know what that means by now right? Shocking brakes and gears, relentless rain and HILL after HILL for 25 odd kilometres (Giselle is seriously starting to notice a pattern here, Brett should just tell her if he thinks she needs the exercise!). On the up side we managed to check out some awesome wildlife and the return journey home was all downhill, phew! After a few days checking out the scenery on San Cristobal we fast-boated over to Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz did not disappoint and included trekking through lava tunnels (they're like, huge!) much more wildlife (including the token blue footed boobies), reef sharks by the pier, a day trip to nearby Island Floreana and bumping into our Texan friends again! Brett managed to squeeze in 2 dives (this time minus a dog bite) and scored himself upclose views of a hammerhead shark, rays, and thousands of barracuda. To say he was thrilled would be an understatement!

We were fortunate enough to experience all this without being on a tour and in turn also saved a few more pennies than we were expecting. Doing the islands independently seems to be on the rise and there was
certainly enough to keep us entertained for the week we were there.

We sadly departed the islands and bussed into the quaint and chilled out town of Cuenca, Ecuador. Set up nicely staying in the home of a lovely Ecuadorian lady, we began another week of spanish classes.
Mornings spent grilling ourselves in class (but enjoying it immensely) and afternoons eating tasty local delicacies at the many markets and we were pretty content. Getting to practice our spanish in the
evenings meant a lot of mental exhaustion but also some satisfying improvements with our knowledge and ability to converse in Spanish!

At the end of the week we bid farewell to our Ecuadorian mother and hoofed it by bus alllllllll the way to Huaraz, Peru. (And we mean hooooofed it! 40 hours straight, 3 different buses makes Brett and
Giselle rather wacky we've since discovered.) Of course we cannot omit the joys of border crossing between Ecuador and Peru. Our lowsy bus dropped us in the middle of a town called Huaquillas Ecuador, and left us to fend for ourselves to get across the border (despite being promised by that same bus company to be dropped off and picked up again at immigration). We managed to get ourselves to immigration however were then greeted by a 5 hour wait for the next bus that would take us into Peru. (This all being at about 10pm at night mind you, great times!) Nevertheless we arrived in the wee hours of the morning in Huaraz and passed out quickly in a comfy bed in an attempt to recover from the lack of sleep.

We were kindly rewarded for our long transit with ridiculous views of snow capped mountains from our rooftop terrace, being able to basque in the morning sun with free breakfast at our hostel, and for the
first time in months - HOT SHOWERS! Never underestimate the power of a hot shower. We took a day or 2 to acclimatise to the 3000m height of Huaraz and organised a 4 day trek to Santa Cruz in the nearby
Cordillera Blanca mountain ranges.

Full of excitement and optimism we began our hike with 6 others and little by little covered 50kms including a pass of 4750m. We were spoilt rotten with 360 degree views of snow capped mountains, jaggered mountain sides, many many glaciers, silly lamas just being funny in general, picture perfect natural waterways, tiny rural towns with friendly locals, truly diverse landscapes every hour and crazy torquoise lagoons in the middle of the mountains. Despite all this Giselle thought it necessary to give herself the ultimate test and see if she could trek for 21kms (roughly 8 hrs) with a friendly case of food poisoning on the third day. She would be lying if she said she was chipper and in good spirits for the whole of that day but can honestly say there was a smile and a laugh for the majority of the day. And hey, she was just leaving her mark and getting back to nature and all that jazz right?

We returned to Huaraz feeling humbled and relaxed (ok and keen for a shower) and chilled out for a few days before embarking on the next set of mammoth transits.

2 buses and around 16 hours later we scrambled into our hotel room in Nazca, Peru - home of the famous Incan Nazca Lines. Fortunately there were no major hiccups and we boarded the small 6 seater plane the following day and viewed those outrageous and mysterious lines that are on most peoples South American agendas. The lines did not disappoint and after a quick 30minutes in the air the fun was over,
and we returned to our hotel to wait out the 10 hours until our next 15 hour transit-from-hell. Once on the bus, unluckily for Brett his body decided he was only allowed a few hours sleep and Giselle's body decided she fancied motion sickness which all together made for a fun journey! (Not!)

Finally we arrived in Cusco which will be our home for the next few days while we excitedly await Brett's mum Michelle and Giselle's friend Kassie's arrivals. Brett being image conscious felt that a burst of food poisoning might help his figure before his mum arrives. Luckily he managed to chuck up in a plastic bag this time -much to Giselle's disappointment of not getting to clean up vomit from the floor again!

Highlights:
1) Returning to our hostel each evening in San Cristobal, Galapagos only to find sea lions had taken over the town. They were found lounging on the steps, along the boulevard in hoardes and seated on the park benches, there were honestly more sean lions than people!

2) Waking up to gorgeous mountains views, sounds of nature and coca tea while trekking near Huaraz, a truly magnificent part of the world.

3) Brett (on the Huaraz trek) deciding that just admiring the glacial lagoons from the edge was simply not enough and having a quick dip in the icy water(approx 7 degrees in the water)!

R.I.P Demons shorts (Caribbean cost of Colombia)

Thanks for joining again, particularly our little fan club from Russia.

The final beach chapter (for a little while) has just been completed. After a month in the Amazon we were keen to get to the Carribean coast of Colombia.

We arrived in Cartagena, a beautiful colonial town, this quick visit consisted of a long walk sampling tropical fruit, tropical ice cream and tropical juice. Brett also went for an amazing sunset run on and around the city walls and got his Parkour on. This was followed by self catering a real Michelle Herskope style chicken salad with kiwi fruit. Nothing like some home cooked comfort food once in awhile!

Next destination was back to school, in Taganga. Here we spent a week learning Spanish in the mornings, followed by beaching, and eating freshly grilled fish in the afternoons. Aside from the threats from the local fisherman of flesh eating sharks patrolling the waters Brett would swim the 1km back from the quieter beach to Taganga main beach in the late afternoon. Of course Giselle the Watchman, would scour the cliffs alongside the water making sure Brett wasn't hit by the much more threatening speed boats. There were no sharks. The fisherman just didn't like Brett 'Trespassing' in their fishing spots. An ominous signal for the future perhaps? Or definitely? Yep, definitely. But hold on to your horses, we shall return to that later.

The following destination was a definite highlight...La Guajira.
Ah, this magical peninsula is situated at the northern most point of the continent. An area in which indigenous Colombians called 'Wayyu Indians' still reign supreme. They were the only Indians who won the battle against the Spanish and were left alone. A fiercely proud people in a fierce rugged desert flanked by turquoise Caribbean waters. We slept in hammocks under a tin roof right on the beach, ate fish cooked by the local family and walked along beaches. In utter isolation from the world. It was quite a strange feeling to know we were so isolated that the world could end and we wouldn't know. We were hundreds of kilometres out in the desert in the middle of nowhere. It was absolutely fantastic. There were more goats, grass hopper type insects that were as big as your forearm!! and snakes than people in the area and then us swinging in our hammocks by the sea.

The journey to this region was made even better when over 400 4x4 bikes and 4WDs arrived in town for a "Rally Raid". Before we knew it we found ourselves on the back of 2 bikes of our new made friends Diego and his son Juan Diego (no seriously that was their names) hooning around the desert. Diego and his friends had no hesitations in sharing their 'Ron' (which is rum, not Giselle's dad) and whisky as we watched the sun set on a deserted beach.

We followed this spectacular part of our trip with the beautiful Parque Tayrona. Finally after Brett carrying the tent for 3.5 months we broke it out of its plastic! Parque Tayrona is an amazing national park, just imagine boulder strewn picture perfect Caribbean beaches with dense tropical rainforest as a back drop. An exciting find in the middle of the park was a bakery with fresh out of the oven Pan au Chocolate (which Parisian bakeries could only dream of making). This and a nudist beach, Brett took full advantage of, of course.

After a bone rattling 12 hour bus ride we arrived in the aptly named Turbo (you just want to get the hell out of there!). A transit hub where we caught the boat on route to Capurgana/Sapzurro which lie in the Darien Gap on the border with Panama.

These two places still have little kids fishing, old women selling coconut icecream, and older men walking aimlessly at a snails pace or sitting around playing checkers. Jungle walks to rickety lookout points, sitting by the shore watching turtles, walking across the border to Panama to swim in even more isolated beaches and a couple of scuba dives were the order of the day.

Or was it. No. There was more. Sapzurro had the most action it had had in years. Whilst walking from Sapzurro to Capurgana Brett missed the trail. As there were no fences, ('Trespassing' is not really a thing that exists in places like that) Brett decided to walk past a house toward the track. Boom, out of nowhere a huge dog came barging down the stairs, barking its head off, furiously chasing Brett. Unable to out it, it leapt at Brett and chomped down on his thigh. Meanwhile the owner came screaming and sent the dog elsewhere. In an ill attempt to protect himself, Brett threw a water bottle at the dog. And missed. Didn't really deter it. Luckily Brett had had his pre rabies vaccinations. Supposedly the dog didn't have rabies, however what it did do was tear Brett's demons shorts into tatters. For those of you who are not acquainted with these shorts, they have accompanied him on every overseas journey and had represented 'good luck'. RIP. So it was big news, in an attempt to justify the guard dogs behaviour, the owner claimed Brett was 'trespassing', only for the whole army (which patrols Sapzurro as it is a border town with Panama) to basically tell her where to go shove it. Turns out Brett was the 4th victim of Valenton, the dogs name, which roughly translates to 'Brave'. A tetanus jab in the bum and some post bite injections later the wounds are healing up! Luckily, this ordeal didn't sour the memory of another place off the Gringo trail which truly delivered the goods.

Brett's highlight: Nudie swimming in the cool turqoise Carribean waters of Parque Tayrona.

Giselle's highlight: Being able to half string together a sentence in Spanish.

George, George, George of the Jungle!

Thanks for joining.

This is Brett and Gisy reporting for the final time from Brasil.

So last time we left you was ages ago in Sao Luis.

What a journey since.

We arrived in Belem at the mouth of the Amazon full of anticipation.

Belem, Para - is the culinary heart of North Brasil and did not fail to disappoint. Home to the most famous food market in Brasil and arguably in South America called the Mercado-Ver-o-Peso. We indulged in freshly cooked Amazonian fish, drank unusual but delicious Amazonian fruit juice, snacked on freshly cracked Brasil Nuts, even sampled Amazonian herbal medicines and last of all sat and had a beer as the sun set over the mighty river.

Ilha de Marajo, Para - 3hrs by ferry to an island the size of Switzerland sitting inside the mouth of the Amazon was our next destination. We stayed in a little village called 'Joanes' which was the smallest of 3 villages on the Southeast of the island with a beautiful Amazon beach. We decided to hire bikes and ride 13km's to the next village, as we have figured out Brasilians have no concept of time and distance and a friendly girl told us it would take 7hrs. Well it didn't. As expected it took just about an hour. As always when we hire bikes it decided to rain, we also got chased by dogs and the bikes tires were pretty much flat. Nothing too out of the ordinary really.

So we arrived in Salvaterra (after an hour) and this Brasilian man at the cafe took a liking to us and wouldn't settle until we went to his house so he could give us presents. Better judgement told us that this was a bit odd but he was friendly enough and we made sure we had an escape route the whole time. Turns out he just wanted to give us (rather force us to take) 2 mugs and 2 glasses with the emblem of the football team he supports printed in them. This followed by hugs, kisses on the cheek and thanking god we made the hour cycle back to Joanes. Again in the rain!

Ilha de Marajo is also home to countless buffalo and is famous for its buffalo cheese. We discovered banana and buffalo cheese in a french style roll. Delicious.

Algadoal, Para - so we got a bus out of Belem out of the Amazon to a town called Maruda and then caught a small boat to Algadoal. An absolutely beautiful island off the north coast of Brasil. The only way to get around is by horse, boat or foot. With sand streets, sweeping views and huge expanses of sand the key to a week there was sun, sand, sea and Acai! The only stressful decision you have to make in Algadoal is what time do you want to go to/from the beach and what do you want to eat? Tough life.

Ok so you're probably wondering when we go to the Amazon proper. Well. Now.

The only mode of transport up river in to the jungle, its towns and villages is by plane ($$$) or by boat. So we decided boat. This involves stringing your hammock up next to 7 million other Brasilians with absolutely no personal space and spending 2-14 days on the river depending on your destination. However, the scenery, the sun setting over the river while river dolphins play and the friendly waves of people living in the middle of nowhere on the side of the river made this trip truly unique.

We were breaking up a 5 day boat trip to Manaus in Monte Alegre followed by Alter do Chao.

Monte Alegre, Para - of the few tourists on the boat we were the only ones to get off here. Much to the surprise of the locals getting off as well. Ominous? Regardless we had our reasons. Monte Alegre is the only piece of high land in the Amazon region. With spectacular views over the river and jungle as well as recently discovered indigenous art on rocky out crops in the forest Monte Alegre was an amazing day trip.

Except that that night Brett was a bit ill and decided to not make it to the bathroom and projectile vomit all over the floor and the bed. Poor Giselle was on her hands and knees cleaning it up as Brett was laying there like a helpless animal. Good times.

Alter do Chao, Para - a morning boat took us to Santarem, which we swiftly exited to Alter do Chao. A piece of the Caribbean in the Amazon.

After settling into to a brand new pousada in town we made friends with the owners and began our quest for the perfect jungle experience. We waited in anticipation with a pair of charming french men to chat to a local guide from one of the nearby rural villages. The man known as "Bata" approached wearing a crocodile dundee hat and animal tooth hanging from his neck, with his only advertising material being a laminated photo of himself holding a cayman and we were instantly hooked!

Bata, the 51 year old local, lives in a small village (of about 103 people) called Jamaraqua in amongst the primary protected rain forest "Floresta de Tapajos" or FLONA, 3 hrs along the river from Alter do Chao, with his wife and family of 14 children! (Ages from 1 year old to 30 years old). His resume includes 6 years spent living alone in the heart of the jungle when he was 20 years old and hence a ridiculous knowledge of the forest that is literally his backyard.

So, clearly we were going to go with this guy, right? Uh-huh!
We embarked upon a 6 day adventure into the jungle proper, complete with: sleeping under an open air thatched roof in hammocks, eating home cooked food, canoeing through and swimming in a 'flooded forest', nighttime cayman hunting, Sumauma searching (like a really really massive tree native to the Amazon - you know the big one from Avatar?), tarantula/monkey/sloth/cobra watching, and jungle trekking.
And that was just the first three days.
The second 3 days included:
Bush bashing without a track to locate our own camp spot, gathering large ferns and creating our own shelter, swimming in a natural igarape (small creek), slinging our hammocks up between the trees (while praying it doesn't rain which would mean a sleepless night huddled under the shelter with our 5 other friends on the trip), making a fire to cook our freshly hunted agouti (large "rodent" from the guinea pig family, sounds small but it fed 7, brains and all. Nothing goes to waste in the Amazon), boiled bark from a local tree to make tea (tasted a lot like clove, yum!), observed our dear Bata while he skinned, gutted, salted and smoked our dinner, and really the list goes on...including waking up to the growl of a jaguar which was only a stones throw away. Quite a unique alarm. Brett turned 25 somewhere in the middle of that and was still spoilt with a surprise party, cake and was sung happy birthday in 3 different languages.

Post our jungle fix we went back to Alter do Chao and recharged the batteries on the river beach town before the next 2.5 days of boat travel to Manaus. Was a repeat of the first boat. Many Brasilians in many hammocks and many wonderful riverscapes.

Manaus, Amazonas - apart from being the largest city in the Amazon region and therefore a huge transport hub, Manaus provided us with more culinary delights (Acai, Bolo de Leite, Caldeirada de Peixe and more Tapioca with ) and we completed our Brasilian chapter with an all-you-can-eat meat fest for the crazy price of AU$17(a very Brasilian dinner)! A few days chilled out eating and watching the Olympics and we departed Brasil! Sort of........we flew from Manaus to Tabatinga which is on the triple frontier of Brasil, Colombia and Peru. So we walked from Brasil in to Colombia and arrived in to an area isolated from everywhere.

Leticia, Colombia. As soon as you walk the border there is an extremely sudden change in everything. Language, food, people, music etc etc. There is no such thing as a fusion of culture. We were in Colombia. Salsa music, old men sitting in old cafe's sipping tintos (short blacks) and typical Colombian patriotism. Everything is painted blue, yellow and red!

Our Amazon experience was wrapping up but not quite.

We spent a day swinging from 35m trees in the jungle. And then Giselle spent a night with the toilet bowl (But Brett remains in the lead on the food poisoning talley surprisingly). This was followed by a 60km trip up river to an isolated town called Puerto Narino.

There we stayed with a family, marvelled at the infamous Pink Dolphins of the Amazon, went Piranha fishing (successfully, and followed by eating our catch. Who eats who now Piranhas?), trekked to a local community and generally lazed around with the locals and the brightly coloured Macaws and Parrots. We should mention that while we did successfully catch our own fish, one fish did actually jump on to our boat itself. No rod required sometimes.

Brett's highlight: having a spike in testosterone and wading in to the Amazonian lake in the dark with Bata to hunt for Caymans. Neck deep in the dark in a lake full of Alligators the adrenaline wore thinner and I started to shit myself! Luckily I was with the jungle guru Bata who told me I was the first tourist (idiot) to go in with him.

Giselle's highlight: obviously there were many the past few weeks, one of the most recent was catching a piranha, getting so excited that I ripped the rod out of the water, only to have the piranha let go of the bait, go flying into the air, over the top of the boat and back into the water on the other side of the boat, doh!

Next stop North Colombia.

Hit My Bull

We are now entering the final phase of our Brazilliant adventure. The Amazon.

Here is a quick run down of where, what, who and why we have been.

Jericoacoara, Ceara: Set in almost complete isolation. Jeri has sand streets, beach surrounded by awe inspiring sand dunes and a multi cultural cuisine. We easily lost a week there not doing much. One highlight was Giselle standing up surfing on her 2nd wave ever. This was quickly followed by a low light as Brett was holding the camera to get sick shots of Giselle getting barreled, the camera cord got caught on the leg rope.

The camera cord snapped and the camera dropped to the bottom of the ocean. This was followed by Brett frantically searching for the camera underwater, while Giselle stood still like an idiot to mark the spot, and as if it was fate, it got dark and stormed hard for 15 minutes pending the camera to infinite doom.

We did have the genius idea of waking up at 12.55am to go search for it on the low tide with flashlights. As you could imagine. Negative findings.

Jeri was however brilliant.

Jeri-Camocim-Parnaiba-Tutoia-Paulino Neves-Barrerinhas.

This was the route that was required to get to our next destination of Barrerinhas.

Most of the time we just go to the rodoviaria (bus station) pay for a bus and go. As Jeri is the definition of isolated, we had to share a jeep with an elderly Brazilian couple who took a liking to Bretch (as Brett is pronounced in Portuguese) and Giselle (Giselle).

This jeep had to make water crossings, drive along the beach and use the road. Nothing like some scenic off road driving until the Paulino Neves-Barrerinhas leg. Signs were ominous as our driver let the tyres down to handle the terrain. 40km in 3hrs we were told. That's quite slow we both thought. HMMM.......

If you have ever been on the ride at a carnival called the zipper then you will know what we went through for the next not 3 but 4 hours. For those of you who don't know the zipper, try diving down a set of steps for fun!

Again, the scenery was out of this world and the 'trail' shall we call it, which we passed, including, dense forest, rolling sand dunes and remote villages was really special.

Barrerinhas, Maranhao: Picturesquely set on the bend of a river, Barrerinhas was the perfect place to visit Nacional Parque Lencois Maranhenses. This was another fantastic part of Brazil. The park is set in a desert with massive sand dunes and natural lagoons forming rivers and lakes between the sand dunes. Giselle thought she was in Aladdin. Clearly Brett was Aladdin and Giselle was Jasmine and we rode a carpet (a truck) out to the dunes and swam in one of the lakes, followed by an outrageous sunset. Very special (thanks Bruce, as Giselle called Bretch as that was the only adjective he had in his vocabulary that afternoon).

Sao Luis, Maranhao: We were fortunate enough to time our expedition up the north coast of Brazil to see a truly unique festival. A smaller version of Carnaval celebrating the rebirth of a bull called 'Bumba Meu Boi'. This translates to hit my bull. We weren't sure what that had to with anything though. For the last couple of weeks of June there are huge street parties with various stages displaying 'bois' which are big groups who dance and sing. They wear extravagant traditional costumes all celebrating the rebirth of the bull. Lots of drinking, dancing and eating was had as we slowly but surely are learning to move our hips like true latin americans.

Now we are in Belem, Para: At the mouth of the Amazon.

Ready for a month stint cruising up the river and visiting small towns and remote communities. Giselle has been training hard in case of a run in with an anaconda or two.

Brett's highlight: Bumping in to the old couple from the jeep a few days later after hearing Antonia (the lovely old lady) shout "BRETTTCCCHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" from across the street. Also working out in a very very local gym (called Xclusive) in Barrerinhas with substitute Luis's.

Giselle's highlight: Standing up while surfing on her second wave ever! She is definitely a bit of a Layne Beachely in the making. Without the bogan accent.

VW GOLFINHOS

We left you last time with stories from Salvador. Since then we haven´t had the need to blog as we have pretty much been lying on the beach drinking freshly squeezed juices (of fruits we had never heard of), eating Açai and working on our tans. (You should see "chocolate" Giselle).

Here is a quick summary of where and what!

Aracaju, Sergipe: Picture a kilometre of sand before you can even see the water, lots of surfers, coconut sellers and teenage girls taking self portraits which we assume were heading straight to facebook....... That was Aracaju.

Oh also, the day before we left whilst commenting on how safe and clean the city felt we picked up the newspaper and read "316 murders in the last 5 months in Sergipe" - Time to go !

Maceio, Alagoas: A bit of a city, however the main charm was turquoise waters in which you sail out to natural rock pools 2km´s out to sea on a picturesque (jangada) mini sailboat. We were fortunate enough to be on board with 3 pastors from Nth Brasil and a toothless captain. Upon exchanging names the pastors exclaimed  "ahhhh Giselle Bitch" we assumed Giselle Bundchen?
We also saw Men in Black 3.

Jacuma, Paraiba: Managed to score ourselves a condo type room right on the beach. It included sunbeds, an exquisite breakfast and 4 days of crook guts for Brett. Lots of book reading and trips to the toilet. Found ourselves in the middle of a local community party which closely resembled a Bar Mitzvah. There was even a lady who sang the local song while we all line danced. If you are lucky one day Brett will give you his rendition of the song!

Praia Da Pipa, Rio Grande Do Norte: To sum Pipa up if you walk 10 minutes away from the main beach you get to a pristine beach equipped with noone else around, clear water, arid red cliffs and.....................

DOLPHINS !! ("Golfinhos" in portuguese) No futher than 10 metres out from shore, at hip depth, along side us as we swam. This happened multiple times on 3 different days. Jealous? They were close enough to hear the water being blown out of their blow hole. Giselle was pretty much Ariel and Brett was clearly Eric.

Did we mention there were dolphins?

Fortaleza, Ceara: What to do with one day in Fortaleza? Go the equivalent of "wet and wild". That was all.

The highlights this time are a little treat for you.

Ignore all the ads, scroll half way down the page and then hit download to the right and above the thumbnail of Brett with the play sign on his face.
http://videobam.com/PbQTy

Rocinha Favela in Rio

We´re only half way on the crazy bike ride in Arraial

And this is actually a good part of the "road"

Adam "I´ll have a 100 hotdogs" Littlehales

Something silly

Something sexxxxxy

The Stumblers

This our second blog has been aptly named The Stumblers. Despite our somewhat purposeful strides we have recently found ourselves stumbling into many situations, including the good, bad and downright hilarious. So enough suspense (which we're sure is causing some of you nameless dread)...

Arraial D'Ajuda Giselle's Birthday

We awoke to find it was raining gatos y perros. Not wanting to have an uneventful day we decided to hire "mountain bikes", which turned out to be a "fixy" and a "self gear changey" (yeah look that up) and ride to a nearby (ha!) beachy town Trancoso. Brett assured Giselle it was a short trip, as it was meant to be 13km along the beach, so the road shouldn't take too long. Unrelenting rain, a wrong turn leading to a mud, pothole and steep 35km ride on the "old road" and we finally skidded into Trancoso. We breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering the actual road back to Arraial was sealed and what seemed like bike friendly conditions. 15 minutes down the road, we were heartbroken to find we had a further 32km to go. After Tour de France like hills, ongoing sheets of downpour and trucks hooning pasts spraying us with mud on the fixy and self gear changey we finally made it home unscathed.
Brett did end up spoiling Giselle with a well earned massage (from a professional), followed by dinner and drinks to celebrate what was actually a muito bom day!

Itacare

After arriving at dusk and trekking around town for an hour looking for accomm we stumbled across the best deal in Itacare. For cheaper than a shitty hostel we found a 2 story loft with a balcony over looking town.

Driven by the need/desire to exercise and perfect weather we stumbled upon the beginning of a hike which promised a delicious beach at the end. A few steep climbs, a river crossing, Giselle saving Brett who was doing his best to fall down a waterfall, we arrived at deserted Praia do Prainha. The beach was basically the beach from "The Beach". Di Caprio was nowhere to be seen.

Salvador do Bahia

Coincedentally turning up on Tuesday which is the biggest night in Salvador we found ourselves in the middle of a street party. With a further strike of luck we stumbled upon a famous street drumming ensemble with a swarm of sweaty dancers on their trail. The drumming was extremely powerful, & the dancers ba-donk-a-donks were pulsating. It was carnavalesque type atmosphere. We learnt later that the drumming group (Olodum) had performed with Michael Jackson and we had got to see them for free.
After the high of the drumming the street party continued and we quickly found the freaks of Salvador. A few particular delights included a trannie with his/her chest out in the open, a beggar (lady) trying to steal Giselle's donut and Brett receiving a strike on the arm from the beggar as he dutifully blocked her advance at the donut!

Again the need/desire for fitness led us to stumble in to yet another "interesting" situation. What had commenced as a pleasant trot quickly turned foul as we started to pass piles of human excrement. Initially unaware of what this signified we pushed on in to what became a favela. We made a quick U turn and although returned to safety, the feeling of nausea took some time to diminish!

Joint highlights: Bale Folklore de Bahia show (traditional Afro-Brazilian dance), being part of a Brazilian TV commercial whilst sunbaking at the beach because we are so sexy.

Giselle's highlight: watching Brett eat chocolate, pizza, icecream and a Big Mais (huge unhealthy cheeseburger with 2 patties, bacon and ham), ok ok it was over the course of a few weeks but still, when has anyone seen him eat that stuff?
Also I've liked the travel type stuff too

Brett's highlight/s: Moqueca. Google it. Also finding the hot dog stand where 4 years earlier at Carnaval Ads was going to buy 100 hot dogs.

Least best highlight: Gearing up all day for an all you can eat Bahian feast only to turn up and the restaurant was closed. Tragic.

Giselle is still Phil Stubbins not so much Carrie Bradshaw or Mrs Mapp anymore but she does have 2 new theme songs.

Run vs DMC - It's Slippy (as she has a serious tendency to slip over)

Justin Timberlake - Sweaty Back (cos she's bringing sweaty back YEAH)

semana um, muito bom!!!!

At last the much awaited first blog entry arrives. We are sure that all of you have been waiting nervously by the computer to read all about our South American adventures, and here it is.

Brasil has thus far treated us to many weathery splendors including pouring rain as we arrived in Rio (obvious karma for bragging to all of you on our departure about the sun we´d be getting), followed by some awesome days of sun and beaching... Been trying to get Giselle to buy some Brazilian bikini´s.

Rio put on a good show for our first week away and included culinary delights such as Acai  (some weird south american berry that takes kind of like grape hubba bubba on first bite), salgados (ham and cheese rolls that crap all over Bakers Delight), Churrasceria´s where they carve meat on to your plate which was delicioso, Tapioca lightly cooked with carne and queijao (meat and cheese) and lots of beans,meat and rice which we ate ate the local boteiqos while watching football with the locals and drinking beer (brett) and caipirinhas (giselle).

Went out to a live samba band with some local brazilians which was a laugh riot followed by a dj that was spinning treats such as fat man scoop, snoop dog, Fitty cent and other gems that would get a workout at Saloon in Traralgon.

Headed to a football game, Botafogo vs Sau Paulo. Game wasn´t at the Maracana due to works for the world cup so we adventured out to the bronx deep in Rio to the Engenhao, the old olympic stadium where there was no tourists to be seen for miles and watched a 4-2 victory to fogao. Highlights included lots of brazilian flair, drumming for the full 90 minutes with some excellent banter between rival fans and a brilliant sunset outside the ground which we could see from the stands setting over the favelas.

We are now in Arraial Da Ajuda. A Byron Bay type vibe equipped with tropical weather where we will be for Giselle´s birthday. Onwards and northwards from here.

Giselle has 3 new nicknames.
Carrie Bradshaw - She carries everything
Phil Stubbins (aussie soccer coach) - Stubs her toe a bit
Mrs Mapp (brett´s grade 5 teacher) - Loves a bit of map use

Our best moment - view from cristo redentor over all of rio
Bretts best - working out at the free workout stations along copacabana with a luis substitute, some massive brazilian dude.
Gis´s´best - favela tour
Least best moment - 3am wake ups due to ridiculous jet lag for 4 days, due to 13hr time difference and a 30 hour transit