The Moped Diaries

If you think that “El Bus” in Quito is terrifying you should try “El Taxi” in Lima. This adventure entails cramming four passengers into an old, yellow VW Beetle and then hurtling through the traffic until you get a flat tyre on a three lane underpass. The real twist is when you have to assist with the changing of the tyre and realise that none of the tyres have any tread at all!

But the ultimate stomach turner is the flight in a light aircraft we took to see the amazing Nazca Lines. Such is the notoriety of this trip that you are given souvenir sick bags as you board the plane printed with a map of the desert so you can mark on where you were sick! Fortunately we managed to hold on to our breakfasts although the same could not be said for our fellow passengers. We didn´t see any UFOs either.

The mysterious humming bird…..

We have survived the Amazon jungle and it is the ecological experience you would expect complete with tarantulas, parrots and piranha fishing. I am, however, struggling to survive the malaria tablets which have blessed me with the unfortunate side effect of excessive wind. Those of you who have shared a confined space with me in the past may question whether it is possible to enhance my already substantial powers in this department but believe me, until I finish the pills I will be a danger to the ozone layer. Perhaps this is how the pills are supposed to work and the gas is meant to repel the mosquitoes? It certainly repels wives!

Here´s me holding a baby croc (or cayman to be technically correct!)

We have survived two nights under canvas so far and the one word which keeps screaming in my head is WHY??? Why would anyone want to sleep in what resembles a large, complicated plastic bag? We arrived at ... [Continue reading this entry]

We´ve now arrived at the town of Banos which is located somewhat foolishly on the slopes of a very active volcano. On the drive here I couldn´t help noticing the large plume of disturbing smoke emenating from the summit. ... [Continue reading this entry]

This is our last day in Quito as we start the big journey tomorrow and I don't know when we'll be near civilisation next so who knows when the next blog entry will appear. We'll be leaving the Cobo household which ... [Continue reading this entry]