Nazca

As with most things, the Nazca wasn't exactly as I imagined...Some people said it wasn't to be missed and it was a very mystical, spiritual place and others said that it wasn't worth the money....so I had to see for myself.

I had met a pilot in the jungle who had a friend who was a pilot there so he said the cost was $75 US so that's what I paid....This is the route they take and the pilot makes sure you see the lines, irrespective of what side you are on....so they bank in one direction then the other......some have been known to get sick but we had no wind the day we went so only the person right in the back felt ill .....and luckily it wasn't me ;-)

Now....we flew 500metres above the lines and here are my photos (cropped to see them properly).  What was interesting was that unless you were directly above them, you wouldn't see them and although in most photos you see them very brightly - they aren't at all...but their story is amazing and why they made them is really unknown but religious in origin - some think that "The geometric ones could indicate the flow of water or be connected to rituals to summon water. The spiders, birds, and plants could be fertility symbols. Other possible explanations include: irrigation schemes or giant astronomical calendars." (Wikipaedia)

Colca Canyon and the Condors

When you see condors for the first time you can't help but be in awe of them - so graceful, gliding so gracefully, hardly moving their expansive wings...........some are 3 metres in length.  I did see them in Patagonia when we hiked in the Torres del Paine National Park but there were just a few and quite far away...

But today...."to sum it up, I overheard one girl say that it was so amazing she felt like crying" - I also felt like crying - I couldn't believe how many there were, how many came our way and some just looked at us as they glided past...Camera don't do them justice and trying to take a bird in flight is difficult as well but I did take a few shots but my reflexes weren't so great as they came towards us and the photos just don't do them justice.....

The actual Colca valley is beautiful - the Colca Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the world - so the backdrop for the condor flight was amazing as well.

This is the Colca Valley - it was so beautiful......but the condors were the highlight.

Galapagos Islands Adventure

A dream of many years....and I wasn't disappointed.  Although it wasn't as I expected and in many ways that was good - only a few of the islands are touristy and that is a great part of the charm of them...The wildlife doesn't disappoint but the camera sometimes doesn't do it justice....

OK - This is the Galapagos - there are a myriad of islands but many are easy to get to and others more difficult and others rarely visited.  I started in San Cristobal - the island on the east (much larger than I expected) and had 4 days there - easy to do as it isn't too touristy and there are plenty of things to see - heaps of Sea Lions (Lobos) lolling about everywhere - on benches, in boats, on the shore, in the shade of trees on the Malecon etc, Giant turtles and Tortoises, Marine Iguanas, Frigate birds (some males with the large red mating display under their chins (or maybe it is their chins), petrels, pajaro tropicals with the long wavy tails, ,many canaries and more....You can swim with the sea lions and turtles and so many colourful fish in La Loberia that it is like an swimming in an aquarium...so beautiful - but best at low tide.

Standing on Charles Darwin's toes (or between his legs). After visiting  here he  wrote his theory of Natural Selection

 Sea Lions on the Beach in San Cristobal

and on the stairs...

Blue Footed Boobie - everywhere there are T-shirts with "I love Boobies" on them - so funny and the feet look painted.

 This is KickerRock or Lion Dormido (Sleeping Lion) - here we snorkelled and saw sharks and manta rays below us....fantastic and heaps of tropical fish on the side of the rock face which descended miles below.

I was looking at doing a cruise but then spoke to different people who said it was easy to organise last minute cruises....or do it yourself for less.  That is true and not so true.....cruises can go to islands that the average boats from the islands don't go to eg Espanola but doing it yourself allows you more time to explore each island in more detail....so there's good and bad in both.  Also if you are on a smaller ship with say 16 passengers (which I would have preferred) then the boat is more prone to rocking than a larger ship with say 99 passengers....it is a matter of what's important to you.

So...I decided to do it myself armed with the knowledge that fellow travellers had given to me and I met friends along the way who I could do it with as well.

From San Cristobal I took the ferry to Santa Cruz staying at Hostal Gardiner (not bad) with a roodtop terrace $15 per night...from here visited Tortuga Bay and Playa Brava (a must - heaps of marine iguanas and just a beautiful white sandy beach) then we took a boat taxi to Las Grieatas - quite a walk but well worth it - it is a water 'fault' with 2 volcanic cliffs with an open space of the clearest water - beautiful to snorkel in - well worth the walk....The next day a taxi ride across a bit of the island to Rancho Primicias - a privately run place with giant tortoises in the wild and near there a Lava Tunnel that goes 400m underground - so interesting to see...

Playa Brava at Tortuga Bay

A handsome Marine Iguana

Blue Footed Boobie

They do look like they have just painted them

Las Grietas

Only tree-growing cactus in the world

Then to Isabella....the largest of the islands of the group .... less visited but so lovely because of it's lack of tourism.....streets are sandy rather than paved and the Church newly being built has animals of coloured glass as the windows rather than saintly pictures and a statue of St Francis of Assisi - famous for his love of animals....so lovely...with its volcanoes - the one we went to had an eruption in 2005 with 100 buses a day visiting - when I saw the film footage here, I could understand why - amazing to see.
Also Flamingoes, heaps of marine iguanas and turtles and birds and the most colourful crabs.

This the hand washing system - so efficient - water in the middle and an even cement surface for really easy scrubbing with a brush - think I will put one in myself at my next place.