Auckland

On Saturday I decided to walk around the city to get my barings and explore a bit. I was quite impressed with the city - first I headed down to the harbour and Princes Wharf there was lots of boats out on the water and some very expensive looking yachts. I then walked over to a place called Ponsonby which is a trendy area of bars and cafes (I just like the sound of the name). From Ponsonby I headed back to the city centre (or CBD as it's known). I moved on to the Sky Tower which dominates the Auckland Skyline and had a look around the casino. It was strange for me to be back in a big city where everyone was speaking English although sometimes you think your somewhere in Asia with all of the Thai, Japanese and Chinese people and restaurants.

That night I headed out to check out the Auckland nightlife with some of my room mates. We had a few drinks in the hostal bar and Sports bar next door before heading down to the harbour and Princes Wharf. We thought the harbour would be very expensive, but it wasn't too bad. We went to a bar called Lenins which is right next to a bar called Minus 5 where everything is made of ice - even your seat and glass - you also have to wear special warm clothing and can only stay in there for half an hour. We ended the night in an Irish bar called Danny Doolans which had a live band.

Next day we went up the Sky Tower - I though it was best to go up at around 4pm so that we got to see the city by day and night. The tower is 328m tall and used to be the biggest tower in the Southern Hemisphere before they built the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. There are two viewing levels - we paid the extra three dollars to go up to the "ultimate" viewing level. I remembered my Camera but had forgotten I'd taken the memory card out to transfer photos - doh! Part of the floor is made of glass on the main viewing level and you get a great view down to the street below.

(Thanks to Kerry for the photo)

We also saw someone fly past the window - it wasn't a suicide jumper, just someone doing the Sky Jump a 192m descent by wire! We had a few drinks in the sky lounge and waited for it to get dark - as it did they dimmed the lights and we got a great view of the city by night.

On Monday I did a free city tour with the Kiwi Experience company. I was interested to see what they were like as they were one of my choices to use to travel around. They picked me up from the hostal and we headed out of the CBD over the harbour bridge. It was a nice sunny day although a bit chilly and we stopped at two beaches with views out towards Rangitoto and Motutapu islands.

We then headed for Devonport where we visited North Head a historic reserve with fortifications and old tunnels built at the end of the 19th Century in response to fears of a Russian invasion!! The tunnels were also enlarged and used during WWI and WWII and some of the old guns are still there. We stopped for lunch in Devonport and visited a chocolate factory before heading over to the last stop Mt Victoria where we could get some great views of the Auckland Skyline.

On Tuesday I felt like a bit of culture so checked out some Art Galleries - there were Old and New galleries. I quite liked this picture in the old gallery called the Phantom Canoe. The New gallery was a bit like the Tate Modern or Baltic gallery. One of the exhibts was called the drunken chimp and was basically a chimp dressed in a suit lying face down on the floor holding a TV screen showing last nights antics of how he got so drunk - quality (who pays for these things?).

Wednesday was Australian Visa day. The application process was much easier than I expected as they did it all over the counter and the building was just around the corner from the hostal. I needed a 6 month Visa to avoid having to leave Oz at Christmas time when I figured all the flights would be full or expensive - plus I quite like the idea of New Year in Sydney. I also found Warehouse a store that sells everything at discounted prices including books and clothes - figured I'd be back later in the week for some more warm clothes!

On Thursday I headed over to the Auckland Museum. This is a great place and would recommend a visit. To get there I walked through the Auckland Domain, a park that leads up hill past some duck ponds to the museum.

On the ground floor of the museum there were objects from all over the Pacific Islands (even a statue from Easter Island) and a huge display of Maori treasures including a spectacular meeting house, known as Hotonui, and the last great war canoe or waka carved from a single giant totara tree and launched in battle in 1836.

After looking around the first floor I'd bought my ticket for the Manaia Maori Cultural Performance. The performers met us in the lobby and sounded a conch shell before taking us through to the performance area. It was a good show but I wish I'd brought my Camera - it included a welcome dance, poi dance, stick game, weaponry display and a haka. The All Blacks do a haka before each match but it was scary watching the women doing it as well as they made their eyes buldge (nightmares).

When the performance ended I looked around the rest of the museum. The first floor was all about natural History - there was a big section on Volcanoes as Auckland was formed by volcanic erruptions and is built on an area of volcanic activity. There was a mock-up of a living room where you could sit and watch what would happen if there was a real eruption. The room had patio doors with a view of the bay and as the news reports came in on the TV the view changed and you saw the eruption and the water and smoke heading towards you from the bay as the floor shook and the lights went out!! There were a few live creatures on display including spiders, cockroaches and lobsters - there was even one bit where you go into a cave and see these nasty looking insects called cave weta.

The top floor was all about New Zealand at war. Two aircraft are on display - a restored Zero and Spitfire (would love to know how they got them up there!). The museum is really well thought out as you step through each war the New Zealanders have been involved in from 1840 to the present day. There is also rememberance areas (Sanctuary and Hall of Memories) for all the New Zealanders who died in the conflicts.

My favourite bit of the museum was Auckland 1866 - a replica of a street from 1866/67 with real businesses (including a hotel bar) which you can walk into and look around.

On Friday I visited the dentist and changed my plane tickets. Follow the link to my revised itinerary.

I used the weekend to get the blog up to date and chill out so not much to report.

Today (Monday 31st July) I booked my bus travel around New Zealand. I opted to use Magic Travel as they seemed to be best value, they are also supposed to be the most popular so it's most likely that I'll meet some new people.

I set off up to Paihia on the North Coast of the North Island on Wednesday.

New Zealand

Somewhere between Santiago and Auckland I managed to loose a day. I left Santiago at 11pm on Wednesday for a 13 hour flight to Auckland - I landed at Auckland at 4am on Friday morning - weird - people tell me I crossed the International Date Line - anyway just hope I get that day back when I fly the other way!!!

I was glad I was not in a hurry when I arrived at the customs and immigration - I think the fact I was coming from South America set alarm bells ringing. I had a full search (not cavity!) and the customs agent emptied all of my bag while he was chatting away and cracking really bad jokes which he found hillarious. He then took a swab of my backback and submitted it for an exposure to drugs test. What was not so hillarious was when I had to put everything back in the bag.

I caught the airport bus to the hostal - Base Backpackers, just off Queenstreet in the Auckland CBD. It was much nicer than I was expecting and had a cafe, bar, internet, full kitchen facilities, a sun terrace and even a spa and sauna.

I was surprised at how cold it was and was begining to regret sending my fleece and sleeping bag back with Jen.

I decided to spend a week in Auckland while I worked out how I was going to travel around the North and South Islands and catch up with this Blog. The blog is now finally back up to date and I'll be trying to do more regular posts!

Adios Chile

We landed back in Chile and went back to our hostal in the centre of Santaigo taking the bus and metro - avoiding the lying taxi drivers - one of which informed us that the metros weren't running because of a student protest.

For dinner we ended up back in the restaurant that we'd been in on the very first night. Between our last visit and this one they had mysteriously lost their alcohol license and after being handed the wine list were confused by a waiter who told us we couldn't order wine. After some more questioning and a chat with the owner it turned out we could order wine but had to drink it from tea cups in case the police came to check up - strangely we were allowed to keep the bottle on the table. After our meal we headed to our favourite bar, Bar Berri, for the last time and our final bottle of Chilean wine.

On the way back to the hostal we stopped at a bar around the corner where we met another drunken local - he was pouring his beer into a small bottle of wine as he had decided that it tasted better - he talked to us for ages before we finished our beer and made our way (also very drunkenly) home.

Next morning, departure day, we both had bad hangovers. We managed to grab some lunch, do some last minute shopping and I booked my accomodation in New Zealand. I also managed to off load all my guide books, photo cds, sleeping bag and clothes I'd not really worn into Jens backpack.

We caught a taxi to the airport still feeling ropey. Jens flight left first but unfortunately at check-in her pack was now over the weight allowance and we had to pay an additional charge. It was then time to say our goodbyes as Jen headed home and I set off to New Zealand.

Easter Island Trip - Part 3

Day 6

The day of the tour. Typically it was raining, but we headed out determined not to let the weather ruin the day.

We had arranged to meet Bill and the rest of the group at the church. The Catholic Church is famous for its choir and when we arrived at 9.30 people were queuing out of the door. After hearing a bit of the music and singing the mini-bus arrived.

There was only six of us in the group which was great as we could hear what Bill was saying and move around the sites easily. As well as telling us about the history Bill also gave us an insight into island life and stories he'd heard from his wife's family.

My favourite was about his father-in-law who as a young man had built a boat to escape the islands with some friends. The raft got into difficulties after some days and they ran out of food and supplies - they were forced to eat the cow hide that they had used to line the boat. After many more days drifting it was clear they were going to die. In desperation they decided to draw lots to decide which one of the party they would kill and eat. The lots were drawn and the unlucky one was chosen and they went to sleep knowing what they had to do next morning. Well next morning they awoke to the captain and crew of a ship peering into the boat at what they presumed to be dead bodies - amazingly they were all rescued. It is strange to think what would have happened if the ship had not been there to save their skin (literally in one case!) Bill said that his father-in-Law twice saw the face of Jesus on that journey and he became a devout Catholic on his return to the island.

We headed along the south coast and made a number of stops:

- Ahu Vaihu a large platform with several statues and topknots (Moai hats) made of red soria.

- Aka Hanga an archaeological site composed of several platforms.

- Moai Ahu Hanga Tetenga the biggest Moai ever moved from the quarry. The moai still lay toppled.

We also saw a cave which some theorists say was fortified during the clan wars and the remains of stone chicken houses - houses built to keep chickens over night so that they weren't stolen.

We then moved onto Rano Raraku the quarry itself from which all the moai originate. It is sometimes called the Moai Garden as there are still 400 statues scattered around the place showing the different carving steps. If a moai was damaged during initial carving then it was just left there. Almost all the carving was done before the statue was moved - it was thought that if the statue broke en-route then it was not worthy to be placed on a ahu and there are many other abandoned Moai on the two roads which were used to transport the Moai all around the island.

At the site we saw the most photographed moai which people used to believe were just heads until an archeologist dug one up. They were re-burried for preservation.

We also saw a unique kneeling moai.

As it was a wet day we couldn't climb to the top of the quarry so headed down to an area where there were craft stalls for a look around.

Next we headed to Ahu Tongariki - the largest shrine on the island - 15 huge stone statues restored by a Japanese company in 1993.

Although the moai had been pulled down the site suffered a further disaster when a tidal wave hit the island washing the broken parts around. The restoration team had done a good job and this is the site you often see in photos of the island. At certain times of the year the sun rises behind this ahu.

Next to Ahu Tongariki is the Papa Tataku Poki rock art site with many motifs carved into the rock - this was one of the main areas I thought should be protected as you could walk over the rocks and it was clear that the weather was eroding the designs too.

From there we moved on to the islands only accesible white sand beach at Anakena. This was said to be the site of the landing of King Hoto Matua. On the beach there is another restored ahu - Ahu Nau Nau. Close by there is a smooth round stone with seats around it - Te Pito o Te Henua (the navel of the World) the name given by the first settlers who saw the island as a place of rebirth where they were starting a new life in a new place.

When the weather is good they have bbqs on the beach but it was pretty quiet when we were there, except for the horses running wild.

Our last stop of the tour was Huri Irenga - the unique four handed Moai. We were going to see this on the day we walked to Vina Pu but didn't have time.

We arrived back in town after a great tour.

Day 7

We had a nice lunch of beef stew at the cafe in town. We decided to go back to the quarry by taxi for a better look around as the weather was a bit nicer. The taxi was expensive but the driver was cool and wouldn't take any payment until he came back for us.

We were able to climb right up to the top of the quarry and look over the otherside. There was a lake and lots more moai that had been abandoned.

We then walk to Ahu Tongariki where we met the taxi.

We had a quiet last night on the island at a restaurant near the bay.

Day 8

It was time to say goodbye to the island and off we went to the airport. Raul had made some shell neclaces for us as a send off. Because the airport was so small we could stand outside almost on the runway and watch the plane land.

Easter Island Trip - Part 2

Day 4

We headed to the museum - it was pretty interesting but we did not have a chance to look around properly before it closed.

We then decided to go on quite a hike along the coast of the island.

We found a strange cave, with the help of a local fisherman called the Cave of the Two Windows. The entrance was a bit dark and dank but once you got further in the cave opened out and was lit by two openings in the rock looking out to sea.

From there we walked to see the caves at Ana Te Pahu. There were fruit trees at the entrance of the caves. Although I'd brought a torch it was difficult to see much inside as the batteries were starting to fade. I was amazed by Jen's white t-shirt and trainers she had worn for the caves!!

We walked on to see the moai at Ahu Akivi.

We then set out for a (long) walk back to the village.

That night we were determined to find some local nightlife so we decided not to venture out until much later. We made some makeshift wine glasses out of old pop bottles as there were no glasses in the room and had a bottle of wine we'd brought from the main land. After the wine we headed to our favourite restaurant Te Moana where they had a live band - the place was absolutely heaving and we stuck around for more drinks afterwards. When the band stopped we headed to the bar next door which had always been empty but now at this time was full of people - we ordered a beer and later saw another live band. Jen wanted to dance but I didn't know any Rapa Nui moves!

Day 5

We both got up with hangovers the next day and headed for the closest thing Easter Island has to take away food - the Empanada (meat pastie).

We decided to walk towards two of the sites marked on our map and opted to head to a place called Vina Pu. Well after quite a hike and some directions we found the site -not much to see really, just a few ruined stone walls. I did notice that the design of the wall was very different from the rest of the stuff we'd seen so far on the island as the stones were very precisely cut and fitted together - it reminded me of the Inca walls I'd seen in Peru.

I later learned that Vina Pu was used to support a theory by Thor Heyerdahl (author of the Kon Tiki Expedition - very good book I'm reading at the moment) that early island settlers had navigated by raft from Peru.

We headed back to town and went out late again. We found another good restaurant with a band (which had about ten members) and had a fantastic steak with bourginon sauce.

Easter Island Trip - Part 1

Day 1

The flight time from Santiago was about 5 and a half hours. The flight was delayed but I was not bothered as I got to play on my new PSP although I think Jen was bored. The flight was great and with a built in enternainment centre in each seat the time flew by. I watched Mean Machine - staring Vinnie Jones as a fallen English International footballer sent to Prison - In a violent prison he trains a bunch of psychopathic prisoners to take on the prison guard team. I also watched Ice Age 2 which was very similar!

We got off the plane and were pleased to note the increase in temperature. The island airport building was tiny and we were met by a local band. The taxi was waiting to take us to our hotel and the driver presented us with flower garland neclaces which were a nice touch!

At the hotel, Hotel Orongo we met the owner, Raul, who was quite a character. He showed us to our rooms and we walked through a nice garden to get there. After settling in Raul asked us to meet him for a chat and a welcome drink.

We met him in the small restaurant and we were asked to sit it chairs miles away from where he was sitting which was a bit strange. He chatted to us about where we were from and where we had travelled. It was quite funny as he announced everything before it happened:

"And now drinks!" and he offered us a drink of Pisco Sour.
"And now music!" before playing us a CD of island music.

He also gave us a map of the island and talked to us about renting a car. We decided not too as we'd heard the roads were poor on the island and it was not possible to get insurance.

Map in hand we went off for a walk around the main (and only) town Hanga Roa. We saw our first Moai down by the sea - Ahu Tautira. We walked along the coast and sat down in a cafe with an ocean view for a beer. The beer was only available in cans and we quickly noticed that things were typically twice the price than on the mainland.

We had a great meal at what turned out to be our favourite restaurant - Te Moana, before picking up some beers from the supermarket as we couldn't find a bar that was open.

Day 2
We woke up to rain which never stopped all day and put me in a really bad mood!

We decided to walk out anyway and saw more Moai at Ahu Riata near Hanga Roa bay. This shrine was restored in the 1990s and represents the newest restoration work. Today people and companies are looking for new restoration projects, but must work in conjunction with the Chilean government and a special panel of local Rapa Nui experts.

We ended up getting soaked and headed back to the hotel to dry out. We ventured out again for tea and found a pub - The Banana Pub - it wasn't officially open but the owner let us go in anyway and play pool for free - the beers were some of the cheapest we found on the island.

Day 3

The weather had cleared, and so had my bad mood. We headed over to the museum (which was closed) but we did pick up a guided trail that took us right along the coast and up to the village of Orongo.

The trail took us to Tahai an archeological complex with three restored temples. At one site there was a moai with eyes which makes it look quite different from the others.

We headed back down passed Ahu Tautira and Ahu Riata and stopped for lunch. After lunch we headed off to climb up the Rano Kau crater to the Orongo ceremonial village. We managed to loose the trail somewhere at the base of the volcano and ended following the road up (definately the long way!!) The views from the top were spectacular and we could see for miles out to sea as well as accross the island. The crater itself was pretty spectacular as there is a thin ridge right around it and one of the sides has been battered by the weather and the sea.

From the crater we headed into the village. Strangely the ranger station is the only place on the island where you have to pay to get into any of the sites - the ticket is supposed to cover you for all the parks and Moai - however sometimes the ranger is not at the station and not everyone heads up there.

The village of Orongo was amazing - there were lots of archaeological remains of houses from the time of the "Bird Man Cult" (see previous blog entry for more details) as well as rock art and the Orongo script. The Orongo script is a form of writing unique to the island and was once featured on lots of stone tablets, however these were destroyed by misionaries. As yet no-one has been able to translate the script.

In one of the houses a Moai statue (Hoa Haka Nana La) was descovered. It is 2.5m in height, made of basalt and adorned with petroglyphs related to the birdman ritual. This moai was taken to England in 1968 and today it is exhibited in the British Museam.

We also visited an area in the village called Mata Ngarahy on the very edge of the cliff where only 5 people were allowed to stand at once. Hundreds of petroglyphs of Tangata-Manu, Make-Make god and Komari were carved on the stones at this place and it is thought that the priests stayed here waiting to see the results of the competition.

After visiting the village we managed to pick up the footpath we were meant to have come up back to town - it was a bit overgrown but we managed. At the bottom of the path we found some caves (Ana Kai Tangata) by the seashore which had cave paintings in them.

We headed (worn out) back to town where we decided to book a full tour of the island for later in the week. We went in to an agency near the hotel and met an Australian guy called Bill. he had married a Rapa Nui lady and they had set up a hotel and tour business on the Island. Prior to this Bill had worked in the film industry as a chief set designer. He made his tour sound really interesting and told us about a film about the island he had worked on - the directors were Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds - he thought it might be showing on the island. We signed up for the tour on Sunday.

That night after dinner we walked past the hotel showing the film and had timed it perfectly to catch the start. The film, Rapa Nui, was proceeded by a documentary about the island and the annual festival they hold there in February. The film itself was not very good as a film in its own right. It is a love story which tries to cram all the history of the island into a short space of time. We enjoyed it though as the majority was filmed on the island and it was good to see the locations we had seen that day and would go on to visit. Bill himself said that they were not pleased with the film at the end as they blew the budget and could not make the film the directors wanted in the time frame.

Easter Island - History and Background

Introduction

This was the one place on my trip I was most looking forward to. I think this was for a couple of reasons. Firstly it's off the beaten track - It is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth - 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54!) about 1,400 miles away. And secondly the more I read about the island history the more more I want to find out.

Geography

A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific, it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. Easter Island is only 64 square miles with volcanic cones at each point of the island - the largest, Rano Kau is easily visible from space and the highest is Terevaka, which rises to 11674 feet above sea level. There are over 70 eruptive centers on the island but none has known activity since the island was colonized 1300 years ago.

The First Settlers

The legends say that King Hoto Matua (of Polynesian descent) landed his double hulled canoe, thus beginning the occupation of Easter Island in 400 AD. The voyagers started constructing villages and houses made in an unusual elliptical shape. It has been speculated that this style of construction started when the new arrivals turned their boats upside down for quick housing. The first islanders found a lush island, filled with giant palms which they used to build boats and housing. The plants they brought with them did well in the rich volcanic soil and by AD 1550 population on the island hit a high of between 7000 and 9000.

The Moai

Distinct clans formed as the population increased and various population centres grew up in different areas of the island and for decades the competition to build the biggest and best moai went on. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. Many of the moai were positioned on altars or platforms called Ahus. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs although their exact purpose has not been verified as little of the culture that created the moai remains.

Fall of a Nation

Between 1600 and 1722, the island's population decreased dramatically. Evidence suggests that deforestation and soil depletion lead to food shortages, causing the population decrease. The deforestation has been linked to the large amounts of wood and resources needed to carve and move the statues. The crops also began to fail and the clans turned on one another in a battle for the scarce resources. During these clan wars it is thought that the moai, which had been symbols of the islanders power and success were toppled and damaged.

As the violence grew it is said that the victors in the clan wars would eat their dead enemies to gain strength. Bones have been found on the island which showevidence of this cannibalism, however it may have been a question of hunger as well as being ceremonial.

After the clan wars the population was close to extinction with the villages and crops destroyed - the islanders would have been unable to construct rafts or boats to escape due to the lack of wood, and fishing would have proved difficult. It is estimated that at this time the snumber of survivors would have been as low as 750.

The Cult of the Birdman

At around this time another interesting aspect of Easter Island history began - The Birdman Cult. Although the cult may have been followed during the time of the moai it would become the main religion on the island and was still in practice up until 1866-67.

The ceremonial village of Orongo was built right up on the crater of Rano Kau to worship the god of fertility, Makemake. This site became the location for the grueling Birdman competition.

It was an annual ceremony in which the chiefs from different tribes or lineages or their represenatives (hopu) competed to obtain the first egg of the sooty tern or Manutara. This migratory bird nests on the islet Motu Nui out in the sea at the base of the cliffs at Orongo. When the competition started competitors would scale down the vertical cliff face and swim out using rafts to the islet through shark-infested waters to attempt to bring back the first unbroken egg. The competitors may have been required to stay on the islet for days or weeks before the birds started to lay.

The first man back to Orongo was considered the winner and he or his elected representative would be crowned Birdman for that year and bestowed with special honors and privileges.


European Discovery

On Easter Sunday 1722, Easter Island's 1400 years of isolation ended when three ships under the command of Jacob Roggeveen sighted a low flat island. The next morning they saw smoke rising from various locations on the island but remained at sea due to bad weather. The following day a naked, bearded islander came out to one of the ships in a canoe and was enthralled by the construction of the Dutch ship. Finally the Dutch made it ashore and were amazed by the large statues which they thought were made of clay. The equally amazed Rapa Nui brought them some bananas and chickens, following an unfortunate slaughter of some 9 or 10 islanders who were shot by nervous Dutch sailors.

It is now clear that the first Europeans to arrive to Rapa Nui found the society in crisis although they did not recognise it as such. They assumed that the statues must have been constructed and moved by an early race of people - not the impoverished islanders that they met.

This first contact and others by Don Felipe Gonzalez de Haedo (Spanish), Cook, J.F.G. de la Pérouse (French) all before 1800, put Rapa Nui on the map. However discovery by the western world was to have even more catastrophic and disastrous effects leading into the next century than the deforestation and the clan wars put together.

The island population were stricken with Western diseases and became a prime target for slave traders.

In the 1860s the Peruvian slave raids began and in December 1862 eight Peruvian ships captured some 1000 Easter Islanders, including the king, his son, and the ritual priests. It has been estimated that a total of 2000 Easter Islanders were captured over a period of years. Those who survived to arrive in Peru were poorly treated, overworked, and exposed to diseases. Ninety percent of the Rapa Nui died within one or two years of capture.

Eventually the Bishop of Tahiti caused a public outcry and an embarrassed Peru rounded up the few survivors to return them. A shipload headed to Easter Island, but smallpox broke out en route and only 15 arrived to the island. They were put ashore. The resulting smallpox epidemic nearly wiped out the remaining population.

The island was annexed by Chile in 1888 and the population today has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America.

Conclusion

Perhaps as interesting as what is known about the island are the questions that have not been answered (although there are many theories):

Who were the first settlers?

Some say that it is clear that the islanders descended from one race of Polynesians with no other contact with outsiders. However Jacob Roggeveen's crew described a mixed race island with both dark and light skinned living together. Some were even described as having red hair (gingers!)and being sun-burnt.

Why were the statues built and what were their purpose?

Were they worshipped and did their unique characteristics resemble specific individuals?

How were the statues moved?

Many theories exist as to how the statues were moved from the quarry to the various points around the island.

Why were the statues pulled down?

Why would a people put so much effort and resource into building something then pull down and destroy every last statue?

If you want to find more these are the sites I used to help write this piece:

Easter Island - MysteriousPlaces.com
http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island © 1995-2005 All Rights Reserved.

Easter Iskand Homepage
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island

Valparaiso and the Big 30

Day 6

Our introduction to Valparaiso was not as smooth as we'd been hoping for. We arrived in the rain and headed to look for the best hotel in the Footprints guide. It turned out that the hotel had been incorrectly marked on the map - I had left Jen standing in the rain with all the bags while I raced up and down the street looking for it. I found a payphone but the guide book was getting soaked so we decided to look for a taxi - lots of the taxis passing by seemed only to go to specific locations marked on their roof. We finally found a taxi that recognised the hotel name and agreed to take us.

When we arrived at the hotel on the other side of the city - it turned out that it was fully booked - typical. The receptionist recommended another hotel close by - I went off to check it out while Jen watched the bags in reception. I was back and forward down the street she had given me before I finally spotted the place down a side street - it was all locked up with no sign of life. Just as Jen was about to send out a search party I re-appeared - this time the receptionist gave us another recommendation and called ahead to reserve a room which I thought was good of her.

The hotel, Hotel Brighton was a good choice - it was right up on the cliffs and you could get to it from town by steep stairs, an old lift system or taxi. We arrived by taxi and decided we would stay for a couple of nights - Our room was right at the top of the hotel and had spectacular views out to sea .

Just when I thought our bad luck was coming to an end, we had to go down to the restaurant down some stairs at the side of the hotel to check in properly. Well when I got to the bottom of the stairs I slipped on the wet floor and fell like a sack of spuds - my knee was killing but I figured nothing was broken.

After some lunch we took (limped down) the staircase down the cliffs for a better look around town. Later we found an Irish bar and had a few beers before finding a little Italian restaurant - everywhere was quiet like Vina del Mar was and we were the only customers. We finished the night in a bar called Cinzano. This bar was top entertainment as there was a performance by a bunch of old crooners - although I didn't recognise any of the songs, I definately think they were being sung in the club style.

Day 7

My Birthday - 30 years young. I managed to resist the present opening until after breakfast (paying special attention to the slippery floor on the way). Well I was amazed by all the cards and presents I'd got so thanks to all of you reading this who sent stuff out through Jen, or who texted and E-mailed.

I got some great presents including a Sony Playstation Portable with games (which will let me watch films and games while I'm travelling), an England Shirt, t-shirts and socks.

We decided to do a walking tour which took us all over the city. The city streets are like a rabbit warren and are all connected by stairways and these really old lifts that look like they should have been decomissioned years ago.

It was really nice exploring - we stopped at a coffee shop and at one point realised we were right next to our hotel.

That night we went for a nice meal - another Italian, with some good wine before hitting the town for a few beers.

Day 8

We had to check out of our hotel as it was fully booked for the weekend, however there were now rooms available in our original first choice Hotel Alcala.

Well it was laundry day and we walked through town (further than we thought!) to the bus station to confirm our tickets back to Santiago.

That night we found a fantastic restaurant up on the cliffs - El Gato Tuerto (the one eyed cat) - the food was gorgeous and we both had Thai Chicken Soup and Lamb Rogan Josh. Even better the wine was buy one bottle get the second free so as a treat we got a bottle of Concha y Toro Trio. We had a great view looking right over the city and out to sea.

Day 9

We caught the coach back to Santiago. We had down graded from hotel to hostal but the hostal wasn't bad - it was just around the corner from where we'd stayed in a really nice old area of the city.

We arrived just in time for the World Cup final and everyone was in the TV room so there was a bit of atmosphere.

We headed over to Bellavista but I made the wrong choice for dinner as both the food and wine weren't very nice. Any way we decided to have a few drinks at one of the cheaper bars with tables on the street. There were all sorts of street performers to keep us entertained including a young lad who was a one man band and an older bloke who had a cat puppet and kept meowing at passers by (Jen's particular favourite).

On the way back to the hostal we called in to another bar - two really drunk locals decided to join us but they turned out to be OK and were just being friendly.

Day 10

Hangovers all around again. We had a late start but lots to do as we needed to sort some accomodation for Easter Island the next day. After firing off some mails we did head out to look around a craft market and exhibition. The exhibition was in the central library which was a massive old building. We also grabbed a coffee and pizza before heading back to the hotel for our early morning flight out to Easter Island next day. We checked our mails on the way back and luckily one of the hotels we liked the sound of had responded and they had rooms available.

Vina Del Mar

Day 5

We caught the coach from Santiago to Vina del Mar on the coast. We didn't bother reserving anywhere as we figured it was definately low season. I think we both wish we'd caught a taxi from the bus station as the place we picked was on the otherside of town and we were both worn out when we arrived.

The guesthouse was very strange - it was made up of about 3 identical dining rooms - our room was right at the back and you had to walk right through the house to get there - the room itself wasn't too bad.

We fancied a bite to eat and as everyone in Santiago had been eating hotdogs we decided to give one ago. The hotdog came with tomato and guacamole (all together called a completo) but it tasted a bit odd as the hotdog is warm but the other stuff isn't, however we tucked in.

The city is divided into two sectors: downtown and the beachfront. As we were there off season it was hard to believe it is one of Chile's most popular resorts. It felt like a bit of a ghost town as although there were loads of highrise buildings around there was nowhere near as many people as you'd expect - apparently it's a different story from December to February.

We spent the rest of the day walking around city. There was a huge casino and a strange Castle (Castillo Wulff) which had been turned into an art gallery. We climbed up a tower next to the castle to get some sea views, in the castle itself was a glass floor and you could look right down at the sea. We walked along a strip of beach to a pier with a big crane that was supposed to be a bar but I think the guide book was way out of date. We headed back into the centre and found a buffet before going back to the guesthouse with a bottle of wine.

Next day we decided to move to Valparaíso which we knew we could get to on the metro.

Santiago de Chile

Day 1

Although we were both very tired we decided we'd like to see the England v Portugal game so headed off to find a bar with a big screen TV. Well easier said than done. First we were stopped by some friendly students asking for money to fund their University courses. Then we found the bar we'd been heading for only to find that it was closed. As the game had already kicked off we dived in the first place we could find, which happened to be a very strange locals bar. The TV had no sound and really bad reception - but as it turned out the highlight of the game was the beer we were drinking (Escudo). Towards the end of the penalties some bloke was nearly wearing his dinner as he was cheering for Portugal because he knew we were English. Any way after a power nap we headed out to a nice restaurant and our first glass (first of many) of Chilean Red. We then headed back to the bar that had been closed, Bar Berri, which turned out to be one of our favourites. It was like stepping back in time with wooden floors and old photographs - there was even a really old cash register which they still used.

Day 2

We took the chance to look around the city. It was quite busy and there were one or two street markets to look around. We then decided to climb Cerro Santa Lucia which is a big hill. As you climb up you walk through parks and gardens with some fountains. The view from the top was great and it was nice to see the city framed by the snow covered mountains.

We headed down the hill and walked to Barrio Bellavista on the other side of the river. This was a pretty cool place with lots of restaurants and bars. We stopped for a drink in a nice courtyard where there was lots of bars, restaurants and shops. We then found a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet - "Como Agua Para Chocolate" the food was gorgeous and both our meals appeared like works of art.

(See how pleased Jen was with her meal!)

(Note Jen's expert photography as she gets both meal and Phil perfectly in shot!)

That night one of the local football teams Colo Colo had won the league so everyone was going nuts in the streets.

Day 3

Next day we headed up Cerro San Cristobal, the biggest hill with panaramic views of the city.

The first part of the ride is on a really old funnicular railway. There is also a huge statue of the Virgin Mary.

From this point you can travel on by cable car - there are two stations. The cable car seemed a bit unsafe expecially as the doors didn't close properly in our car. The cable descends into the Parque Forestal and there are two cable car stations. On the way back up we got off at one of the stations and had a look around a bit of the park. We then got back on the cable car and finally went down the funnicular to where we had started.

That night we headed over to a different area of the city Providencia - Jen got to try her first Empanada (meat pastie) on the way. We found a bar called the Phone Box Pub which was recommended, but it turned out to be very quiet so we headed back to Bar Berri.

Day 4

Both a little hung over we had made a booking for the Concha y Toro Vineyards. Unfortunately we had to get ourselves there - we'd got up late and although the Lonely Planet gave some directions there was no indication of how long it would take. We set out and had to catch two metros out of the city centre then a local bus. The local bus was shocking as it was stopping and starting every two minutes and kept speeding up and slowing down - not good for hungover passengers. We thought we were going to have to get off the bus early, but sat it out as we had no idea where we were. As it turns out the bus dropped us off at the gates of the vineyard about 5 minutes before the tour was about to start.

The vineyards were in a really picturesque setting and we learned that the house and grounds were built by Don Melchor Concha y Toro in 1875 .

We were shown around the vineyards and then got to try our first wine. The guide was good and showed us all the tasting steps - the first wine we tried was a Casillero del Diablo. i'm sure she made up some of the flavours and smells she said we should be able to pick up.

We were then shown down to where some of the wine barrels were kept before being shown down to the wine cellar - El Casillero del Diablo (The Devils Cellar). The cellar got it's name because in the olden days the vineyard workers kept stealing the owner Don Melchors best wines, so he built a secret elevator and entrance down from his house into the darkest part of the cellar. He started a rumour that the cellar was haunted and would come down to the cellar unseen by the workers where he would start shouting and screaming from the darkest shadows. The workers were terrified and from that day on the workers would not go into that part of the cellar so his wines were safe.

When we came out of the cellar we tried our second wine an expensive Don Melchor - this was one of the nicest wines I've tasted but had quite a steep price tag as I would have liked to buy a bottle. You could see the wine was a completely different colour from the younger first wine we had tried and there was also some sediment in the glass. The tour was concluded in the gift shop and wine bar. We were given our glasses to keep and headed home.

Next day we decided to leave Santiago and head for the coast and Vina del Mar.

San Jose, Miami, Bogata, Quito, Lima, Santiago..

So off I set to meet Jen in Santiago (a 3 day epic adventure in itself!). Looking at my flight tickets I really couldn't remember how I'd ended up with such an indirect route to Santiago, Chile.

That morning I flew up to Miami, because the flight times had changes I only had 50 minutes to clear immigration, collect my bags re-check them clear security and get to the gate. Well after 25 minutes in the imigration queue and only one person processed, it was clear I was going to have to jump the queue. I explained to the people infront of me in a mixture of Spanish and English about the flight I was trying to make and they lat me through to the front. The immigration officer assured me I had plenty of time - I cleared customs and waited some more time for my bags with about 10 minutes to boarding. I cleared customs and raced to the re-check point - the woman there was quite helpful as there were bags everywhere - she asked her collegue if the bags would make the flight, but she didn't answer and just started another phone call - she shouted over the top of her call and the woman on the phone told us that it should be OK. One of the bagage handlers showed us a bag that was going to Bogata and I dumped the bag and raced off to clear security and make the gate. Well the queues for security were as big as those at immigration, but again the staff were helpful and put me in the express lane - at the end of the lane I ducked under the barrier and was caught by one of the security officials - he was OK when I explained why I was hurrying and got me through. I then realised I'd cleared at the wrong security point and according to the signs there was a 20 minute walk to the gate I needed. Well I covered the distance in under 5 and arrived at the gate just as the standby passengers were boarding. I arrived at my seat a sweaty mess - just as I arrived another woman arrived with a boarding pass for the same number and I was asked to move - I was asked to move again from my new seat two minutes later but refused and explained what had happened. I was allowed to stay there and breathed a sigh of relief as the plane doors closed - the flight was completely full.

I was already a bit nervous about my hostal booking in Bogata as I had not been able to check if it had been confirmed. So the plane arrived in Bogata but there was no sign of my bags - fantastic, they couldn't tell me where they were so I figured they must have stayed in Miami. I changed some dollars for pesos - a lengthy process where they even take your finger prints and hopped in a taxi.

I arrived at the hostal but my bad luck continued - I was given the address of a place nearby but the taxi driver said it was to close and not worth his while to go there. So I was on the streets of Bogata in the middle of the night not sure where I was going. Eventually I asked someone and they directed me right to the hostal. The room was basic but I was glad to get my head down.

I was up early next morning for a shower with no soap or shampoo and rang the airline office - they said the plane from Miami would be in at about 2pm and there was a chance my bags might be on there - well I was hoping as was not convinced they'd find their way to Santiago.

That morning I went off exploring downtown Bogata. I looked around the central square then headed to the Gold Museum. The museum was pretty good expecially the last bit where you go into a dark room in small groups. The doors close behind you and as the music plays and the lights light different parts of the room you realise that you are surrounded by gold ornaments built into the walls from floor to ceiling - there is even gold in the floor.

I left the museum and as I was worrying about my bags so headed for the airport. There was some footie on TV while I waited for the flight to arrive and I tried some of the World famous Juan Valdez coffee which was very nice (well at least I got to try one of Columbias famous exports!).

I spoke to the girls at the American Airlines desk and one of them escorted me through to baggage claims. The plane arrived and I was delighted when my bag turned up on the conveyor. I still had a problem leaving though as they wanted a customs form which I had given them last night - after some explantion I was allowed through and went to wait patiently for my next flight.

Although the next flight stopped in Quito we didn't have to get off the plane and I had checked my bags through to Santiago. I was nervous when it appeared to be too windy to land at Quito and the pilot ended up circling for about half an hour but finally landed. We got to Lima with no problems and I went straight through the connecting flight lane to the departure lounge. After another wait we boarded the Santiago flight.

I finally arrived in Santiago and had a two hour wait for Jens flight from Madrid. I was a bit worried when I saw that one of the Madrid flights had been delayed by 3 hours fortunately it wasn't hers and I was pleased to see her come through the arrivals gate.

There are so many shady characters in the arrivals terminal - I'm surprised that the government or airport don't do something to clean the place up. It's full of taxi and hotel touts who just make things up to get you to go with them. One of the taxi guys even stepped out from behind an official information desk and pretended he worked at the airport. Luckily we weren't taken in and took the airbus and metro to our hotel with a bit of a struggle as both of the packs were very heavy.

We arrived at our hotel the Hotel Fundador (Hof - for short!) which was a fantastic hotel right in the centre of Santiago - Jen had managed to get the rooms for half the normal price which was another bonus.

San Jose and Goodbye Central America

So back in San Jose for the last time. There was time to check e-mails, make a few calls, look around the shops and do some packing ready for the next leg of the adventure.

That night we went out for our final group meal and a chance to say goodbye to everyone. We went to a great restaurant just around the corner from the hotel - it was built in a converted mansion and the food was spot on.

My final day in Central America drew to an end and it was time to look back over the trip. I'd had some great times, visited some fantastic destinations and made new friends. I was also looking forward to the next part of the trip and was wondering how I would cope without a daily agenda and route plan.

Cahuita

We arrived at the final National Park of the trip. A park with great beaches and an off-shore coral reef.

The hotel was nice and we had a pool and poolside bar. There was also an outdoor gym right out of the 1970s!

We headed (on a bit of a trek) into town for a look around and a bite to eat. The town was pretty small but has everything you might need, it even had internet laptops with a connection speed that wasn't too bad (although they looked well out of place).

We headed to a restaurant called Ediths a bit closer to the hotel and had some absolutely gorgeous Jerk Chicken and Garlic Potatoes. An older lady who we presumed to be Mama Edith came out to take our orders - it was quite funny as instead of walking around the tables she went through all the dishes asking for a show of hands - only when it was clear this method wasn't working did she try the more conventional approach of asking us one at a time. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and had a game of cards by the pool which was a good laugh.

The next day was a National Park day. Quite a lot of people went off snorkelling but when they came back said they had been a bit disapointed as the reef had been damaged by El Nino and had not recovered and was still smashed.

Entry to the park is by donation and once in there the beaches turn from black sand beaches into fantastic white sandy beaches. There are flags all the way along to show you where it's safe to swim. We decided to walk along the trail first to see what we could see - the answer was absolutely shed loads of monkeys. We got to one bit of headland and the monkeys were jumping around all over the place - they were great fun to watch.

(Awww cute sleeping monkey!!)

Next we headed back to the beach where we chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. On the way back to the hotel I purchased a fine pair of Haviana Flip Flops. The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool. While we were around the pool someone told us about the sloth they had seen earlier crossing the powerlines right by the 1970s gym so we went to check it out. It was still there fast asleep - absolutely oblivious of us taking photos.

That night we headed back to Ediths but were dissapointed by the service. We think it was because there was no Mama Edith and her family were very slow when not kept in check - I received my potatoes as a dessert!!

Some of the group were annoyed because we weren't following the agenda as we were supposed to spend a night in Puerto Viejo a bigger town just down from Cahuita. I think because it was so close to the end of the trip I didn't mind too much.

The next day the group split as some of them wanted to go to Puerto Viejo to check it out whilst a few of us were happy just to head back to San Jose. Again it turned out I made the right choice here as it turned out that the hotel wouldn't let the guys store there luggage so they ended up catching the next bus to San Jose as they couldn't cart their packs around.

Tortuguero

We arrived in Puerto Limon and were met by a driver who took us to meet our boat and guide. The guides name was Willis - he was quite a character, but was possibly the best guide we had all trip for spotting wildlife. He did have an annoying habit of whistling at us when it was time to go anywhere which got on some peoples nerves.

We found out that our packs were to be stored at Willis's house which did not fill us with much confidence however off we set on the motor boats along inland jungle canals into the national park towards our jungle lodge just outside of Tortuguero village. Tortuguero is unreachable by road and everything is brought in by boat.

Well the journey was sensational, the canals were literally teaming with wildlife. Although we were travelling at speed Willis kept pulling the boat back around towards points and stop by the bank where there would be a bird, Lizard or other creature he'd spotted.

We passed by the police checkpoint and were shown some drug runner boats with up to four high powered engines which the police had seized. We also pulled in for lunch on the way.

As well as all kinds of birds and lizards, we also spotted a Caiman (like a small crocodile) as well as a tree full of sleeping bats. We also drove passed a point where the jungle canals met with the sea which was pretty cool as the river waves were being hit by the flowing river.

We finally arrived at our lodge. The cabin accomodation was really nice and the lodge was on a thin strip of land between a river on one side and the Carribean on the other - Willis told us we couldn't swim in the sea as there were sharks or the river as there were crocodiles and pirahnas!! Later that afternoon we headed by boat into town where there was a visitors centre where we saw a video of the giant turtles that lay their eggs on the beach all along the strip of beach next to Tortuguero, and which we might see if we were lucky. It also told us about the conservation work going on to protect the turtles eggs from poachers.

After the visitors centre we walked through the village - for such a tiny place there were about 4 supermarkets which seemed strange.

After a quick look around we met up with Willis and the boat and headed back to the lodge for the evening meal. After the meal we had a limited time to head down to the beach to see if we could see some of the sea turtles laying their eggs. The beach is strictly controlled at night and we had to walk in pitch darkness in pairs - Willis had an infra red torch and would flash if there was something to avoid like a rock or tree stump. No lights or cameras are allowed as the flashing scares the turtles and stops them laying. It was the end of the laying season for one type of turtle and the start for another so in theory we had a good chance but although we spent ages walking up and down, the visitors video was as close as I was destined to get to these fellas.

We were up at the crack of dawn next morning for coffee and an early morning safari. The park is strictly controlled and even though we were travelling by boat there was a particular route we had to register for and follow.

There was so much to see again and we saw Toucans, Kingfishers, crocodiles (which got a little too close for comfort to my side of the boat), baby and adult caiman, river turtles (these were far more curious than I had expected and actually swam right up to the boat)and finally some otters. (I'd stopped counting the monkeys by this point).

We raced back to the lodge where Willis had mysteriously procured the smallest TV he could find so that we could watch England v Equador and have breakfast (seriously I never expected he could get us a TV and he did very well at such short notice).

After breakfast we were dropped back in the village where there is a section of the park you can do on foot. It was a good loop of a walk which took us along the river, to a beach, before coming back into the village.

That night we came back to the village where we went to a restaurant that belonged to Willis' sister. I played it safe and had the chicken - some of my collegues did not and were tempted by the prospect of fishey treats in the form of lobster. Unfortunately these turned out to be river lobster which were tiny and smelt of cooked mud - mmmm! We then got to check out the local bar which was playing reggae and even in this most remote of places we got offered drugs which amused me.

We set off from the lodge after breakfast and settling our bill - it was raining a bit so we didn't stop much except to see some otters which we got a much better view of than the previous day (but too quick for photos!). We then stopped en route at a bar on the river to watch Australia vs Italy. The bar was just at a point where the roads started again so our minbus drove up to meet us. After seeing Australias unlucky defeat we said goodbye to Willis and were re-united with our bags before heading off towards Cahuita.

There was a stop off en-route which seemed to take hours - the Toucan guide had to get money and a few people needed to change travels cheques. However we were eventually back on the road to Cahuita.

Of all the blog entries so far this has been the hardest to chose photos for as I took quite a lot so if anyone is interested in seeing more let me know.

Manuel Antonio

We had a mini bus drive from Santa Elena. The bus was driven by a bloke who looked like a garden gnome - all of our luggage was strapped onto the roof and we were convinced it wasn't going to stay there - we even stopped once as we were convinced something had fallen off - fortunately it proved to be a bit of old tyre not a bag lying on the road.

The roads were quite bad in places and some of the bridges we crossed were suicidal -there was a massive tail back over one of the bridges as they did some emergency repairs. On the way we also stopped at a river full of crocodiles - what amazed me was the fact that you could have quite easily gone swimming further up stream and just not known.

We arrived at Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most popular parks in the country. This celebrated park has lagoons, palm fringed beaches, a vast array of animals and lush green forests.

The hotel rooms were pretty strange as they had a bunk bed and a double bed, a full kitchen and a backyard complete with washing line. There was however a nice swimming pool.

We headed down to the beach but unfortuanately it started to rain so we took shelter in a beach bar - the bar didn't do food but went and got a menu from a neighbouring bar and had the food brought up which I thought was a nice touch. We stayed there for best part of the afternoon. When we tried to leave they tried to pull a fast one with the bill - they didn't put up an arguement at all when I quizzed them which was a bit dodgy.

Well the rain brought with it the sand flies and I got bitten to death. I should have known it was going to be a town of bad service after the last bar but at the restaurant we ordered food and drink and they came in the most random disorganised way - after about 30 minutes when I had neither food nor drink - I checked up and they asked what I ordered - about ten minutes later they came back and said they didn't have any - I just laughed - ordered a rum and coke and refused to pay the service charge - what amazed me was the waitress thought I was being unreasonable while the manager just nodded as he knew I had a point. We continued the drinks in a Raggae bar.

We were up early the next day to head into the park. The beaches certainly were impressive.

When we went in there was what seemed to be a small stream to cross with two guys sitting in their rowing boats - most people waded around the boats and we continued into the park. At the start of the trail there was (allegedly) a Sloth that I couldn't see. Myself Wayne and Caroline decided to do one of the bigger trails through the forest - it was pretty good trail with some excellent sea views - we saw some a strange rodent, multi-coloured crabs and more monkeys. The monkeys were not scared by us and came up really close.

The trail looped back to the beach - I got a surprise as I though we were deep in the jungle!! We then decided to have a look at the Sloth Trail. We cheated a bit as we just looked for the people crowding around particular trees, but we saw about 4 or 5 of the fellas which I think are now my second favourite animals (after the Weasel, of course).

When we came to leave the park after checking out the beach for a bit we got back to the entrance and noticed that what had been a stream when we came in had become a river and the boats were now ferrying people accross.

We grabbed some lunch at a tapas place although they were definately a Costa Rican version of tapas as the Spanish omletted was Scrambled egg with chips in! I then caught some footie before having a bit of a siesta (This is the life!)

Wayne had gone to supervise Dave and Silas surf lesson and was horrified. Their instructor was a complete stoner who didn't explain anything and Wayne said the boards were like sponges and should have been put in the bin - I was glad I hadn't paid for one as had been tempted after my first surfing attempts in Peru.

That night we went up to a bar / restaurant called El Avion (the plane), built around a Fairchild C-123 cargo plane. The story around the plane and how it was transported is pretty interesting and worth a read (just click on the link). The bar was right up on the cliffs and we had a good view of the sunset.

We then went back to the Reggae bar where it was ladies night and it took them forever to cotton on to the fact that the ladies were buying all the drinks!

Next day we had a lie in then caught the bus back to San Jose. I used the San Jose stop as a chance to catch up with phone calls and Internet.

We had to pack a much smaller back pack as the boats we were going to be travelling on could not support the full weight of our packs. Next morning we headed off to Port Limon on the Carribean coast.

Monte Verde / Santa Elena

One of the nicer journeys of the trip a minivan taxi took us to the shore of lake Arenal and we hopped on a boat. The lake crossing gave us some good views of the volcano and the surrounding landscape.

At the other side we hopped off into another taxi waiting to take us to the hotel.

With all the money Costa Rica makes from tourism I was surprised to see how bad the roads are away from the main routes to and from San Jose. They are just really dirt tracks covered in pot holes. Even the road through Monte Verde / Santa Elena was only paved in the very centre of town. the track was being dug up near our hotel and the water had been cut off.

When we arrived we knew Monteverde was the place for activities so we rushed out to get booked up.

That afternoon we did the Don Juan, Monteverde Coffee tour - it was pretty good as there were only three of us. I was pleased I did it as I realised how little I know about one of my favourite drinks. The tour took you around the plantation - I was amazed to see how small the machine was that converts all the beans for the whole plantation from the tree into beans for roasting.

The tour included a free sample of dark and light roast and a free hat. Fascinating - take a look - Coffee Tour

After the tour we raced off to do a night time nature walk. This was pretty good as we all got torches and the guides take you around the forest. All the guides are directing different groups in different areas but they use radio to tell each other what to look out for. We spotted quite a few animals and bugs including a porcupine sleeping up in a hollow tree (never knew they could climb), an Agouti and some racoons although my favourite were two tarantulas. The first one was in a log and never moved, but the second was by some rocks and was crawling around - I must admit it did make my skin crawl.

We headed back to town for Pizza and a beer.

That night the winds were strong and we woke up to wind and rain - the perfect weather for walking along suspension bridges and swinging along zip lines high up above the jungle! We considered backing out but knew there wouldn't be a chance to do it again.

The first part of the day we spent walking on a 2.5km trail over 6 suspension bridges and platforms built in and over the cloud forest. The views were good and the bridges were a bit scary as they moved quite a lot but I think that it would have been better to do it in nicer weather if we had time to wait and also I think we might have seen more with a guide assuming all the animals weren't sheltering from the rain!

Fortunately by the start of the next part of the day the rain had stopped although it was still windy. The next bit was the zip lining or Skytrek as they had branded it. Basically the course involved crossing a system of trails and zip lines over and in the cloud forest. There are 11 cables in total with the highest at 135m above ground and the longest spanning 750m. There was also suspension bridges and observation towers which you needed to climb. I absolutely loved the zip lining - great fun and sensational views of the forest for miles around - some of them were extremely fast and you had to rely on the guide to adjust the cable at the other end so that you slowed down enough. As it was so windy you had to go on some of the cables in pairs as we might have got stuck half way - now that would have been scary! I must admit I was a bit nervous climbing the observation tower as the whole tower was swaying in the wind.

Some people were absolutely terrified and Wayne was worried about why the cable looked so new between two of the platforms - my response that "It had just been changed and we were testing it!" didn't go down to well. You had to do 4 cables before you could back out however by the time the fourth one came around everyone decided to finish the course which was good.

After the cables in the afternoon we went up to the Monteverde National Park. We decided to do a guided walk as we figured we'd see more. Unfortunately our guide was a bit too interested in bird spotting (twitching) than in the animals. I suppose it was good to see some Quetzal birds (rare and endangered) and Woodpeckers as well as some rare Orchids - we did see monkeys again (Howler, Spider and White faced) but by now these were a familiar sight.

After the walk they showed us a slide show of some of the animals we could have seen which was a bit strange. They did have lots of humming bird feeders outside though and there were a lot of birds around them.

Later that afternoon we went to a Serpentarium. This was pretty good as we had a good guide who told us all about all the snakes, lizards, spiders and turtles. I also got to hold a baby Boa Constrictor. It was interesting to see the tarantulas there too as I had not realised that the males are much smaller and no where near as brightly coloured as the females.

To end what had been a really good day, that night we went out for a group meal as it was the last night for one of the group (Sue).

San Jose and La Fortuna

As the American lads were leaving we decided a night out was in order so after dinner headed out to El Pueblo. El Pueblo is a complex of more than 100 bars, clubs, restaurants, art galleries and shops. It was pretty quiet early on as it was a Thursday night but a couple of the clubs got busier later on and because we were a big mixed group one place let us in free - quality.

Got up next day with a bit of a fuzzy head and had a stinking bag of laundry to deal with (remember the Volcano walk from Phil versus the Volcano?) After attending to that I joined Liz and Caroline who were going to an out of town shopping centre. I left the girls to shop and just wandered around - it was pretty strange to be somewhere so Americanised and you could really see the gap between Costa Ricas rich and poor.

That day I met my new room mate - Wayne a lad from Australia (G'day if your reading this!). We went out for a few beers and a bite to eat and ended up in a strange restaurant.

Next day we set out bright and early for La Fortuna.

La Fortunas main attraction is the nearby active Volcano - Arenal, which has been constatntly erupting since 1968.

When we arrived we set straight out to the Hot Springs (Baldi Springs) which had loads of different pools some of which were so hot you couldn't even dip your toe in them. My favourite pool was one with built in loungers under the water. There was also a swim up bar which we figured it would be rude not to take advantage of...

After the springs we headed up to a viewing point overlooking the volcano - the volcano had been in cloud most of the afternoon so we didn't hold out much hope. As we could see nothing from the viewing point we decided to go and have some grub and see if the cloud would clear. We had seats outside and during the meal the clouds cleared and we had quite a good view although the volcano was quite a way off. The best way to describe it is like fireworks as it flares up and the molten lava crashes down the side of the volcano.

Ended the day with a few more beers in a bar accross from the hotel - the bar was actually up in the roof of a restaurant and we followed the music to find it. The roof stands out from any point in town as it looks well out of place - it was originally wood but they have covered it in reflective metal.

Next day, Fathers Day, watched some football Brasil v Austalia and took it easy. That night we decided to do a night time volcano walk to get a closer look. We had an American guide who knew his stuff (and he'd heard of Sunderland - it was his brother-in-laws surname) - on the way to the start of the walk we stopped to see some Howler Monkeys in the trees over the road. The guide told us lots about the plants and trees as well as the best way to spot the animals and birds. On the walk we saw a Toucan, more monkeys and a Two Toed Sloth - it was really hard to spot and although you could see it through the scope the pictures I got weren't too good. The walk ended at a viewing point overlooking the Volcano - it was much closer than where we had been the previous night - the view was spectacular and you could hear the volcanic rocks crackling and crashing down the side of the Volcano. The guide had brought a cooler and made us all a very alcholic volcanic cocktail which we sipped whilst watching the action.

The volcano was very hard to take pictures of with my camera because of the light and distance so if anyone got any good shots they want to share it would be nice to get some up on this blog.

We came down and met up with the rest of the group and headed out for food. After dinner some of us headed to the local pool hall - well at first it seemed to be strictly locals only, but they cleared a table for us. After a couple of games we cleared out back to the local bar which was the only place open - we could hear the terrible ear piercing Karaoke from down the street and it didn't get any better. An American lad (not with us) got up to do a Michael Jackson number but it was painful as he was the worst dancer but insisted on showing us his moves even though half the bar couldn't see him - sit down!

Ometepe - Phil versus the Volcano

An early start for most of the lads in the group as we had decided to get to Ometepe (the largest freshwater island in the World) to watch some World Cup footie.

We decided to pay a bit extra and cut some corners and avoid more chicken bus travel.

It was a bit of a squeeze with 5 of us in a taxi but the driver took us straight to the port. We had timed it just right to catch a ferry over lake Nicaragua to the island. We stopped briefly to look at a strange tree by the port where there were loads of chained up monkeys and wondered if these were monkey friends for sale before hoping on the ferry (equipped with a tiny portable TV complete with football).

We had expected to watch the footie at the port in Ometepe but the hotel driver was waiting for us and we managed to catch almost two full matches over lunch and a few beers.

The group turned up later in the day and it had taken them nearly twice as long to get there. When we were assigned a room I had to complain as we were given a room twice the size with air conditioning and TV just to leave our bags - my Spanish complaining paid off and we got an upgrade.

The hotel was right on the shores of the lake which despite looking like the chocolate lake in Charlie and the Chocolate factory and there being one too many dead fish on the beach the locals guaranteed it was not polluted and perfectly safe to drink.

That night everyone got hammered which as it turned out was a particularly stupid idea for me as I had signed up for a Volcano trek early the next morning.

Well the guide had said we needed to be fit and in good physical condition - so after the Inca trail I figured it should not be to difficult - wrong!!

The day started early with a nice leisurely breakfast at the base of the Maderas volcano (all OK at this point - a bit thirsty).

The attraction of this volcano was that there was a lot of wildlife to see on the climb and there was a crater lake which you could swim in on the top making it the only known lake on a lake in the World (wow!!)

As we started to climb I soon realised that this was going to be no walk in the park the weather was hot and humid and with my de-hydration from the drink I knew I was in for a painful trip. Well about a quarter of the way up (and about half way through my water rations) I was considering backing out as the sweat was pouring out of me - however I decided to keep going. The higher we got the harder the climb became and the thicker the mud - I was absolutely up to the eyes in mud - slipping and sliding everywhere - we stopped at a view point part way up and although the views were spectacular I was just enjoying the sit down. On the way up we did see lots of wildlife as promised with howler monkeys and white faced monkeys. Brent (one of the American lads)could do the howl perfectly, but needed a new pair of trousers when one crashed down on the path in front of him. Apparently howler monkeys urinate on you and throw there faeces at you if they find you a threat but look pretty scary anyway close up!!

Well on we climbed - I often fell quite far behind but the group were quite patient and waited for me - which psycologically is not the best because as you reach them they are ready to go again and you just want to sit down.

Eventually we made it to the top, but then had a steep climb down into the crater. At the base of the volcano was a lake but not the cool oasis we had hoped for as you had to wade out through the mud before you could swim.

Wow a lake on a lake!

We stopped for lunch but it was not long before we had to start the return journey back out of the crater and down to the base. I had thought this bit would be easier but because I was tired I kept losing my footing and ended up on my backside more than once. The water had run out too and the guide had sent ahead for more water. I had never been more pleased than when I made it to the viewpoint - just me and the guide by now as the rest of the group had made it well ahead of us. When we finally got to the base and met the driver - I swear I could have downed two litres in one go. Well full of aches, pains and scratches I cliimbed back onto the minibus - I was pleased that I had not quit but decided I would not be doing anymore volcano climbing in the future.

At the base of the volcano we all gazed up at the other twin volcano (Concepcion) which is suposedly even harder to climb and takes another 3 hours. Our guide informed us that he held the record for getting up there - I think we were all glad we hadn't attempted it.

(My boots would take about a week to get clean after this and I handed my clothes in at the laundrette with an extra warning!!)

Here's a picture of me at the bottom - (another terrible photo but my face amuses me!!)

That night no one ventured far and I crashed out watching the footie.

We had an early 5.45 start where we headed back to the ferry and then on to the border. The border crossing was slow and confusing - not simplicity itself as we had been promised by the guide. We got off the Nicaraguan bus at the border and had to walk accross to the Costa Rica side and after some form filling we watched Costa Rica getting hammered in the World Cup and hopped on another bus to the Costa Rican capital of San Jose.

Granada

The hotel was amazing - probably one of the nicest of the whole trip - when we walked in everyone was convinced we had the wrong hotel - they even brought us a free welcome drink. It had dining tables outside looking out to the main square, an indoor pool and an internet and call centre.

After all the travelling we decided to have a group night out in "El Club".

Next day we booked a guide to take us on a Volcano tour (Mombacho). When we got to the bottom of the volcano it started to rain. Fortunately we didn't have to climb the Volcano as there were special 4 wheel drive vehicles to get us to the top. The rain eased a bit and we did a walk around the volcano crater. The guide was a really nice Guatemalan lady - but she just would not stop talking. At first she was really interesting but then your brain just switched off.

The Volcanoe itself was OK - there was steam coming from holes in the ground but it was nowhere near as impressive as the one had been in Antigua.

We had hoped for spectacular views out over lake Nicaragua and the Isletas but the rain clouds put a stop to that, however there was a brief break in the clouds and we all started snapping away.

Although the guide had said she liked to sing we all got a shock when she jumped up on a bench and started singing at the top of her voice to us - we just smiled at the other visitors who got quite a fright!

Well after more history we caught the 4x4s partway back down the volcano. Some people were going to do the zip-lining (Sliding along steel cables between platforms up in the tree top canopy) - although I had been told it was better in Costa Rica I decided to give it a go. It was absolutely fantastic - we even stopped under a tree where there were Howler Monkeys. I got the chance to do one of the lines superman style with my legs out behind me and my arms out in front - quality.

We left the volcano and the guide took us up to a great view point to see a crater lake (Laguna de Apoyo). We then drove up and around the lake on the edge of the crater - the views and sunset were amazing. From the top you could see another volcano at Masaya and out over lake Nicaragua as the cloud had completely cleared, we could also see back to the Mombacho volcano we had just been up. Took loads of shots but here is a couple of my favs:

The guide took us back to Granada and after even more history - she left us with another song - this time the national anthem under the flag pole in the main square.

We didn't move far from the hotel that night and had dinner on the patio at the hotel overlooking the square.

We chatted with some of the American lads when we got back and found out that when they had been having breakfast they had started to talk to a good looking Nicaraguan girl and a bloke who they had presumed was her older boyfriend. As it turns out the older guy was a music video director and the girl was there to do a shoot - however the male lead had not turned up so they had asked one of the lads (Matt) if he wanted to step in. The boys had been off to various locations around the lake and had loads of photos and video to show of the shoot.

Next day was spent looking around the city a bit more and generally exploring - we went to see the oldest house in Granada which turned out to be an antique shop and Starbucks style coffee shop. Also got myself a haircut at a proper cut throat razor barbers which was dirt cheap. It was a nice town just to stroll around - such a contrast from most of our stops in Honduras.