Where your (YELLOW) PANTS at !!!

Where your (YELLOW) PANTS at !!!

Odd statement I know but with happy New Year greetings currently occurring around the world. I have to ask… are you all donning your YELLOW and it appears RED in Bolivia underwear. The Tradition is Latin America wide and has boosted sales in pants this time of year. (Maybe this could be the next stimulus package for the WORLD ECONOMY)

The YELLOW pants are supposed to ward away evil spirits, offer luck for the year ahead and possibly the night. As well as allow you to ensure that you are part of the party crowd if or when the New Year Moonies are required to test your luckiness for the forthcoming year ahead. Remember the New Year sales begin soon and I urge you to grab these pants while you can!

Home of the Inca´s

Home of the Inca´s

Well sometimes you are treated and you seem to forget about it, the Inca Trail and Cusco is one of those travel treats that makes other locations seem tiny in comparison. This is how I think we both felt about lake Titicaca. As you can see by the vivid picture this is a beautiful lake and if considered in its perspective as the home of the Inca´s until they went walk about you can see that it sustained life very early in history.

Still for the travellers out there you can also see why the people were motivated to travel throughout unknown lands to pave a way for their planned civilisation. This paid handsome dividends for the culture, but one must wonder how claiming to be the son of the SUN GOD can really be pulled off on an entire civilisation. Call me sceptic but I do believe David Ike attempted a similar feat on Wogan a couple of decades ago and at least he had the credentials of both being a pretty goo goalkeeper and a strong like for maroon track suits. These are obviously key traits to be held by any Son of God.

Xmas day in Cusco

After 4 days of walking in a combination of both sunny and as you can see by the pictures, rainy weather we finally managed to make it back at 23.45 on Christmas eve. Coming through the mountains into Cusco really does take some serious time. However as Claire stated, having lived with British Rail and its derivatives we are trained for pretty much anything.

Anyway arriving into Cusco at this time is an amazing experience, both for seeing all the last minute purchasing occurring not to mention the spectacular 12 – 1.30 am firework display. We had arranged back in our pad in the mountain to witness this and it was nothing short of a government coup.

As for xmas as you can see we managed to meet up with some friends and have a traditional lunch. Certainly beat my McDonalds lunch in Xmas 1997.

In Search of Paddington Bear

Having been in darkest Peru for over a week now, I had hoped to see at least one of Paddington´s relatives, but have so far been disappointed. I have seen copious pots of ´mermelade´(jam to you and me), but not seen anyone make a sandwich of it and hide it under their hat. Nevermind - the end of 2008 brings a close to the 50th anniversary of the creation of Michael Bond´s famous character... check out http://www.paddingtonbear.com/ to see the celebrations that took place and an alternative board-game to the Credit Crunch Christmas (you will require a wellington boot, two slices of bread and a jar of marmalade)!

When not searching for bears, I have had the pleasure of meeting various local peruvians of human-form through the latest volunteering this week. I have helped classes of varying ages (17-29) practise their English at the Inca Educa school (and have fielded various questions in Spanish regarding Harry Potter and Hogwarts, the local passion). Unfortunately they were also slightly disappointed to discover that I don´t know David Beckham.

In addition I spent some time in the Plaza de Armas helping a local called Freddy to practise his English so that he can fulfill his dream of moving to the USA and setting up his own business. Whiling away a few hours in the park together was a really interesting way to get to know each other, our different experiences and aspirations, and of course we both welcomed the chance to practise our language skills together.

Now all that remains to do is eat our last supper before we head off at 5am tomorrow morning to hike the Sacred Valley. Following this morning´s briefing with our guide José, we´re all set to put our best feet forward and wend our way through the mountains, arriving Machu Picchu on Christmas Eve.

So until Santa has been, it´s over and out for us... have a very Feliz Navidad everyone! (And Happy Birthday Paddington!)

Playing Games @ Xmas

Well Christmas is a coming and the goose is getting fat, whilst guess what? Rob is messing around to find a game that will keep people occupied during Christmas SCRAN (Sultanas, Currants Raisin and Nuts) or for that matter Scoff.

Yes the worlds finest Newspaper Periodical has not let us down this year. Despite not being personably able to get hold of a copy of the world in 2009 to review what the futurists say will occur in the financially bankrupt west in the next 12 months. I have by the power of Adode and of course the Net been able to secure the modern equivalent of Monopoly produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

If you are interested in recreating the same (some may say AGONY) for your family or dinner guests this Christmas, then click on http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12798307 and get downloading Credit Crunch the game where you to have the ability to recreate the excess of the credit boom whilst chomping on your turkey. Enjoy and seasons regards.

Journey to the heart of the Ancient Inca Empire…

Journey to the heart of the Ancient Inca Empire…

Yes that’s right whilst many of you are concerning yourself with Christmas parties and work nights out, not forgetting of course the obligatory stuffy head the morning after. Somewhere in a place far, far away, Claire and I are preparing for a trip to the very heart of the ancient Inca Empire. Located thousands of feet into heavens is the picturesque city of Cuzco, with the magical city of Machu pichu being just a 4 day trek away.

Yes although we do not set off until next Saturday, we are already conducting our acclimatisation training with either early morning runs or for that matter long walks to where we are either studying or working. Although I feel in great shape the altitude certainly takes its toll so we are waiting to see how tough the trip will be.

So spare a thought for crazy fools as you are getting stuck into your works Christmas dinner, for the fools on the hill, who will be tucking into as much pasta as there is going…

Finally if I don’t get a chance to say so before the Christmas period, Merry Christmas and have a great New Year….

"The feelings of men have founded cities..."

"It was grand and stately, and must have been founded by a people of great intelligence. It has fine streets, except that they are narrow, and the houses are built of solid stones, beautifully joined..." said one lady who saw Cusco (acording to Victor W. Von Hagen anyway), and I can´t say I disagree with her. Cusco is a beautiful city, with many of the colonial buildings we see today having been built on impressive original Inca stonework (as in the picture above).

The Inkas set up an extremely well organised Empire c1500, with the temples and palaces of Cusco allegedly being plated with gold in their glory days (until they were looted by the spanish conquistadors). Today most of the original buildings have gone but the steep narrow streets, pretty plazas and great views remain. I certainly have to catch my breath at the top of the hill where we´re staying at the moment anyway (okay, that´s mainly to do with the altitude and my lack of fitness but the view is pretty stunning too!).

Since arriving in Cusco we have been spending our time soaking up the atmosphere and reading up on the legendary empire, whilst of course making our preparations for Christmas! This week will see Rob continuing his Spanish classes and I will be volunteering to help teenagers and adults to practise their English (see http://www.inca-educa.org/en/index.htm for the project´s website).

So, with 11 days to go until Santa´s work is over for another year, we hope everyone back home is enjoying their Christmas parties!

The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round...

...Round and round, round and round...!

The past week has seen us put in a lot of miles on buses (at least 800 miles, probably more) as well as time (8 hours from the Ecuadorian rainforest to Guyaquil, then 25 hours over the border to Peruvian capital Lima, then another 20 hours to Cusco)! That has given us the chance to see very varied landscapes up close, which air travel doesn´t permit. The most noticeable difference was in travelling from central Ecuador down to Lima... the lush rainforests changed to barren desert country. Although we were following a coastal road for much of that journey, there was virtually no vegetation or habitation. Other than some messages written on the slopes in stones, there was little respite from the moon-like landscape of sand and rock. It was therefore a welcome relief to travel back to higher altitudes on the way to Cusco, seeing local inhabitants and being surrounded by red-tiled roofs, green tree-covered slopes and white snow-capped peaks.

We are now settled in the ancient capital of the Inca Empire for the next week, using the time for more spanish study, volunteering and adjustment to the altitude (3310m), before our trip to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu!

Back to Basics!

Digging grey water systems, building an animals´food-house, making furniture: all in a week´s work!

This week we have worked hard helping to advance the construction of the

Merazonia animal rescue project. Our main tasks have been centred around the animals´food-house (where fruit will be stored and prepared to feed to the birds,

monkeys and other animals that are eventually rescued and rehabilitated here). Whilst Rob helped Frank to dig a deep hole (no easy task in rock-filled ground with the sun beating down), I helped Jennifer to heave rocks up from the river with which to fill the hole. The purpose of this (grey water system) is to filter the water that is drained from the food-house (e.g. cleaning water) before it reaches the river, thereby avoiding pollution of what is currently pure clean spring water straight from the mountains. In addition to that, we worked with Ecuadorian employee Guido to mix concrete and make columns which will hold the food-house walls. When the rain started falling (it is a rainforest after all!) we headed to the toolshed and helped make additional furniture for the volunteers´living quarters. Phew!

In the evenings we took our turn at cooking... using candles and torches to see by, and thankfully a gas oven (which must have been hard work to transport there!) rather than a camp fire we managed to knock up some hearty food.

All in all, a good week´s work!

Journeying above the clouds and through the jungle...

Riding through the Andes looking down on clouds and cascading waterfalls, sleeping in a tree house, cooking by candlelight... such are the things we have enjoyed in the past week on our rainforest volunteering experience!

The journey to the Merazonia project didn´t end when we disembarked from the fantastically beautiful bus ride through the mountains... instead we climbed into a 4x4 vehicle to go into the rainforest and when that could go no further, we donned our backpacks to begin a one kilometre trek. Following the narrow track as it weaved up and downhill through the trees, we clambered over boulders, clomped through bogs and waded through streams (thankfully we´d been supplied with wellington boots!) until we arrived hot and sticky at our destination!

After dumping our rucksacks in our penthouse apartment (our room was the second floor of a large pentagon-shaped wooden hut, with large triangular windows open to the air - shown in the photo above) we were treated to a cup of fresh coffee and a tour of the site. There is no electricity there (although the owners are hoping to solve that problem by harnessing the hydro-power of the river that forms one of the borders to their land), and so due to that and various other issues it has taken 4 years to build the volunteer house, owners cabin, toilet / shower block (no flushing systems here - deposits are given a sprinking of sawdust and then burnt so as not to pollute the river), kitchen and one large aviary. More sites have been identified around the many acres of land owned by the project on which to build further enclosures.

After an afternoon of hard work in the partially built animals´food-house, project owners Frank (a journalist from Holland) and Jennifer (a psychologist from the USA) cooked us up a candle-lit vegetable curry. Then it was time to take our torches, climb the little ladder to our rooftop room and fall fast asleep to the sound of the rushing river and countless buzzing insects!

Time to roll our sleeves up...

Well our time in Quito has now come to an end, as we have headed down from the Andes to the Ecuadorian rainforest. After a one-night stop in Baños, we´ll be heading to the small town of Mera tomorrow and from there to an animal rescue centre where we´ll be doing our next stint of volunteering.

The project is called Merazonia (http://www.merazonia.org/). We´ll be helping with tasks such as building trails, constructing animal cages and tending to the organic garden. Our accomodation will be at the centre itself, in the middle of the rainforest, which will be quite a change from being in the middle of a capital city - our wake up call will change from the sound of revving vehicles to the calls of monkeys!

After having much enjoyed our time in Quito, we are now looking forward to a different challenge, ready to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in with some hard work!

Chiva Chiva Chiva + Viva QUITO!!

Chiva Chiva Chiva + Viva QUITO!!

Yes the once in a lifetime CHIVA bus experience is very different to the UK. Racing around QUITO city clinging to the top of a bus whilst dodging neck high power cables and branches may sound like a health and safety exec’s nightmare. However throw into the mix a band, whistle, a flag of Quito and obviously copious amounts of the local pop and you soon discover how fun a lack of nanny state rules can be. Yes we have just experienced our 1st Chiva journey and have survived albeit with a chochuci to tell the tale!

Yes it is the beginning of fiesta season here in Quito with the once a year fiesta de Torros coming to town. This has kicked off well with a party which will see us say goodbye for now to the Explorers club and our language institute and send us off to the rain forest for our conservation experience. The fun in Quito never seems to stop and it has been a great place full of great people. Still time is pressing and there is more to be done. Looking further to the future though and the accommodation for the RIO CARNIVAL is now confirmed and I guess some preparation is required. VIVA QUITO!

Chilin in the Parque!

Chilin in the Parque!

What is it that a local parque can offer? Well in the case of Quito the atmosphere and attractiveness of the parque can change quite distinctly over 24 hrs. During the night it’s a great place to mug people, during the day its s great place to soak up the rays, but most interestingly immediately after work it’s the place in Quito to head to and chill out.

It appears that after work the people of Quito come here in their droves to gamble over the volleyball competition or card games that can become really quite heated, whilst simultaneously consuming some comida and an optional beverage. Having visited the parque several times now it really is where the real action is in Quito directly after work. Yep we are now accepted as the local gringos and are able to enjoy this same spectacular social gathering, watching the dollars change hands for the victorious volleyball champions or the arguments over cards that have fallen from the deck. As things heat up we tend to sneek away avoiding the highest of the tensions. So if you are looking for a dose of emotional Quito reality where the fall of a card or pelota beyond the line can turn into a 20 minute argument then head to the parque, what ever time of day it is!

“Mas Vueltas!”

However people in the UK are suffering right now as a result of the global economic crisis, it’s nothing compared to how the poorer people of Ecuador live. Children at the Bruce Ecuador project live in single rooms with their whole family, rather than in houses or apartments (which even then is luxurious compared to the hole-riddled dilapidated shacks we saw in Nicaragua, which were cobbled together from any bits of wood and metal people could find). While some of the children are clearly well loved and cared for, it is evident that others have a very tough time at home. All of them love hugs, but the type of hugs they give can vary enormously. Little Esteban’s hugs are joyful and playful (and usually accompanied by a shout of “Mas Vueltas!”, meaning ‘Spin me round again!”), whereas some of the little girls’ hugs can be incredibly quiet and sad. The Bruce Ecuador centre therefore is much more than just a place of education; it is somewhere that the children know they can go to every day and feel safe and loved.

Having said that, the educational progress they have made since the centre opened just two months ago is fantastic – most of the children couldn’t write any numbers or letters when they arrived but now many of them can write whole sentences. They are now also all well drilled in aspects of hygiene, and don’t need to be told to wash their hands after going to the toilet or to brush their teeth after breakfast. This is all thanks not only to the class teacher but to the dedication of unpaid helpers such as Alex (an Austrian volunteer), who have been there from the start and whose hard work, energy and patience have given the children a belief in themselves.

That’s not to say that the centre can cure all the children’s ills. Bruce Ecuador is struggling with various financial and organisational problems, and it is somewhat unclear where exactly the money from volunteers’ fees goes to (if organising a placement with them from abroad, volunteers are asked to pay $500 per month for board and lodging). This may be in part due to their somewhat strained relationship with their sister project Bruce Peru. Anybody considering volunteering with Bruce Ecuador can be assured that their help would be greatly appreciated by the children but that they would be best advised to approach the organisation directly when in Quito. This negates the need for any financial transaction (I have been able to rent accommodation and buy food for much less than $500 per month), and should volunteers want to make a donation it would probably be better to donate materials such as colouring pencils or help buying the bread for breakfast or help with the fundraising events they organise (pub quizzes etc).

As for Esteban, as long as volunteers are happy to continually provide “Mas Vueltas!”, they’re okay by him!

Another “one punch knock out” by Alexis Argüello

Another “one punch knock out” by Alexis Argüello (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIUQ1mcZ_U) and Daniel Ortega’s Sadinistas party in Nicaragua (http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12607338)

After my previous blog entry of “IT COMES IN 3’s” It would appear that not only do those with the biggest bangs finally make it into power, but also those who manage to pack the biggest punch legally or not at key moments in time. Similar to many of the fights in Alexis Arguello’s long and distinguished boxing career, this celebrity politician appears to have pulled a low blow that has not been recognised by an independent referee.

With the Sadinistas now claiming political victory in Nicaragua, the result in Managua and Leon has been called into question by the opposition. An independent Nicaraguan group, Ethics and Transparency organised tens of thousands of observers. When they were refused accreditation, they had to watch from outside polling stations. But the group estimates that irregularities occurred at a third of polling places.

It has been said that unless there is a proper recount, an ugly precident will have been set for the whole of Latin America. So alas although the fiestas are better and the bangs a whole lot louder than back home, the president elect isn’t always as officially recognised as Gordon Brown (or are they?).

Spanish Multiplication

All things seem to be multiplying at the moment in the world of Bruce Ecuador volunteering: the number of passengers crammed onto the buses on the journey across the city (good thing I got a padlock for my daysack otherwise it might not be safe in such close crowds); the number of parents wanting their children to join the class (two unfortunately had to be turned away yesterday as there simply isn´t any more room in the classroom); the number of children wanting to play the ´swing me round and round´game at break time... and that´s not to mention the actual multiplication sums I was helping the older children with today!

After class yesterday I caught the bus to Mitad del Mundo to see the monument on the equator line, fifteen miles north of Quito. A strange visitor centre / fake village has been built around it, with a museum inside the monument that doesn´t mention the equator or Charles-Marie de la Condamine (the frenchman who originally determined where the equator line lies, accurate towithin 150 metres of modern GPS measurements) once!

Other than that, Rob is hard at work multiplying the number of Spanish words in his repetoire,the number of cafes we know that do tasty almuerzos (set 3 course lunches in local cafés costing only $1.50) grows daily, and the number of options for onward travel following Ecuador continues to expand!

G'day Bruce!

Rise and shine! School starts early in Quito – 7.30am to be precise.

My first day of volunteering saw me getting up at 5.15am this morning to catch the first of three buses that would get me across the city to the Bruce Ecuador centre in the northern part of Quito. On arrival, the first job of the day was to dish out bread and fruit juice to the children for breakfast and then it was time for teeth-brushing... then we we setttled down to some learning!

The children range in ages from about 5 years old to 11, and their abilities vary greatly. I sat with the small ones, helping them to practise writing numbers and getting them used to what those numbers meant by drawing groups of objects (4 houses, 5 people etc). They welcomed me with open arms (literally – hugs all round!) and made me feel part of their class straight away.

As well as picking up some more Spanish vocabulary, I also learnt something else today: it is not possible to just pick one child up once and swing him / her around – once you start you have to do the same for all 20 children… at least twice!!

Viva la Revolución!

Ecuadorians of all ages united in Quito yesterday to campaign for a revolution in education: Dia Nacional de la Educación.

With live music, dancers and clowns, the event felt like a celebration but the impassioned speeches of the numerous children, young people and teachers representing their schools / colleges ensured that their message demanding better quality education came through loud and clear. The President of Ecuador was so impressed that he came out onto the balcony of the Palacio del Gobierno (Ecuador’s version of the White House) to wave to the crowds!

Continuing with the educational theme, Rob has studiously started Spanish classes again and I’ll be starting my volunteering at a school run by the Bruce Ecuador project on Monday. Bruce Ecuador was set up to provide an educational outreach service to impoverished children, helping them to reach a standard at which they can join mainstream schools (see

www.bruceecuador.org

). As the children at la Dia de la Educación rightly pointed out, they are the future of Ecuador, so hopefully I will be able to play a small part in helping to improve that.

So, let the revolution and the volunteering commence!

“Yo quito se dablo enchalada porquesa in quinto minuto! But I don't speak spanish.”

“Yo quito se dablo enchalada porquesa in quinto minuto! But I don't speak spanish.”

Well we are here, South America. The trek through the Americas has allowed us to catch election fever in the US capital Washington and the historically predictive state of Missouri, then moving through bandit country in Central America… and elections in Nicaragua (won by Daniel Ortega's leftist Sandinistas), before arriving here in the land of the south to continue our Americas experience.

Yes we are in Quito a city which as far as I am aware is the 2nd highest capital in the world. The temperature is similar to that of Spring in the UK with sunshine days and cool nights. Slightly odd if you think that we are just 35km from the equator!

As for our plans now, well after joining the South American Explorers club in its headquarters in Quito http://www.saexplorer.org/, and have been gathering information for the remainder of the trip. As far as accommodation goes we are also now in a family stay with a Ecuadorian apartment that overlooks the city and the volcano. All very pleasant and very good for Spanish practice.

it comes in 3’s

Starting the great VW Camper van debate a vote for change you can believe in vote @ http://www.latinamerica-conquistadors.blogspot.com/

Well can you believe it… they say it comes in 3’s don’t they, but as luck may have it there are not 1, not 2, but 3 significant votes occurring this week. I obviously refer to the vote for the perceived most important person on the planet (USA if nobody mentioned it); Number 2, the Nicaraguan elections where you are urged to vote for none of the above and of course the countdown to the great VW campervan

..................................................................................debate .....................................................vote now!.

Closest to our hearts and ears right now are the Nicaraguan elections. This is due to the revolutionary cries, fiestas and of course the 1,000+ bangs caused by fire crackers which have been promoting the elections all this week. Similarities with other elections spring immediately to mind. Still never having witnessed the kind of top of mind awareness grabbing marketing techniques that quite literarily grip your mind from day break right through to night fall, then I have become transfixed with the political race. Here’s an example…

06:30 music for the revolution repeated for between 3 – 4 hours
….On the hour ..explosions
…………On the half hour ..explosions
……………..Quarter past the hour ..explosions
Quarter to the hour…… HUGE EXPLOSIONS to remind you to VOTE!
15:00 revolutionary music played for between 3- 4 hrs

Finally let’s not forget the vehicle precession around town… This essentially consists of 10’s of vehicles bikes and trucks… Each truck consists of 5-10 massive speakers… blasting out more tunes with a whirlwind of supports dancing away to the tunes with colours and flags waving everywhere….

This technique is pretty much repeated for every political party including the banned ones (vote for none of the above). I therefore conclude from watching in avid awe throughout this week, that voters must flip flop to various political parties from day to day to ensure they always receive an invite to the biggest fiesta… I know I would.

Finally what can international politics learn from all this…

1) The UK needs to buck its ideas up with more fiestas at election time
2) The more explosives your party has the better chance of victory; and,
3) Don’t forget to vote for change you can believe in VW Camper van

the great VW Camper van debate

The great VW Camper van debate vote for change you can believe in @ http://www.latinamerica-conquistadors.blogspot.com/

It’s almost time to leave Central America and head on to phase 2 of the trip in South America where we will begin volunteering with our new found Spanish language skills. The travelling has been great but now its time to put our skills to the real test with some voluntary work in SPANGLISH.

In the meantime and after much deliberation we are after feedback from you all on the geat VW CAMPERVAN debate?

Yes its your chance to vote for change that you can believe in! After spending some time whilst we have been here learning to surf the waves of the Nicaraguan coastline, we are slowly beginning to think that it might be fun to take this sport up in the UK. To do this there is only one way to be a proper surfer and that’s with a bay window VW Camper van (if you can’t surf at least look like you can).

To this end then we have added a voting box to the right hand side of the blog for you to cast your vote on the plan… That is should we really go for the camper van plan?

Simply tick the appropriate answer and cast your vote… or if you have an opinion add your comment to the blog.

Finally thanks for following our progress.

Surf’s Up!

Embracing the local lifestyle in San Juan Del Sur doesn’t mean climbing volcanoes or chewing the fat with a bunch of gauchos… it means riding the waves! So that’s exactly what we did. Or tried to do anyway.

Surf lesson number one resulted in countless bruises for Claire and a damaged adam’s apple for Rob (those pesky boards can get quite vicious!), but comparing techniques and wave time over ice cold toñas (the local beer) afterwards was a very satisfying way to end the day. We may not be quite ready to enter professional competitions yet, but thanks to a great coach (a Peruvian guy called Fred who looked like Willy Wonka from the original film) we both progressed enough during our time in the water to decide to take the plunge for a second time the following day. All that sunshine and physical exertion made Claire a tired girl, and I drifted off to sleep early that night, with Fred's words of "I like this wave for you, Claire" ringing in my ears...

Hawaii watch out!

Corn Islands say NO!

Yes after an epic journey across the country to Nicaraguan / Jamaican coastline we ran into the age old issue when attempting to navigate to an island, THE COMPLETE LACK OF A BOAT! To this end a new plan had to be made and a new destination required hatching. The new plan was to head to a SPECTRE volcano island and also home of Dr Evil and his twin mini-mi.

After a 20 hour travel extravaganza we found ourselves on the double volcano island of Ometepe. Home of the largest lake in the world which hosts a double volcano, whose last known eruption was around the 1950’s, obviously since then this location has been host to a lot of Evil plots to take over the world. We intend to simply practise some Spanish and enjoy some time in the lake.

What a difference 24 hrs and a bit of water makes

What a difference 24 hrs and a bit of water makes… we may still be in Nicuragua, but a combination of both bus and inter coastal waterway boat, are now located in the EAST of the country in a region which has more resemblance to Jamaica than Central or even Latino America.

As I write this we are in Bluefields an interesting town in many ways and very colourful as you would expect for a heavily influenced Jamaican community. We are currently waiting for the night boat to the Corn Islands, with the plan to stay on this Caribbean island for a couple of days. With the hope that the sensational weather that we had at the lake pops its head from behind the tropical storm.

As for the area we are now in, the heavy Jamaican population dominance here must be attributed to colonial times when the slave trade was rife and workers were needed in this outcrop in Nicaragua. However to still have such a heavy concentration must surely have to be down to the very fact that the town is surrounded by waterways. If you want to head west you need to take a 2 hour boat ride to the nearest road.

The picture on this entry was taken upon our initial mooring in to the town.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Sitting in the old colonial town of Granada (Nicaragua) last week, watching the rain pour down non-stop for two days running, the idea of sunshine seemed like a far-off dream. Dismayed by the pessimistic weather forecasts for the whole of Central America (and reports of severe flooding in various places), we reluctantly changed our plan of travelling across to the Caribbean Corn Islands and decided instead to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm in Granada.

But as the song says, what a difference a day makes! The weekend brought with it glorious sunshine, and with it our optimism. On Monday we headed off to Largo de Apoyo, a beautiful secluded lake formed from a volcano crater. There we spent two days swimming in warm, clear blue water and lying in hammocks watching butterflies of various sizes and colours flitting in and out of pretty flowers. Exploring the lake in a kayak, accompanied only by exotic birds gliding past is certainly a very peaceful experience.

Whilst there, we decided that it would be a great shame not to make the trip to the Corn Islands after al, both for the destination and the journey itself. Eastern Nicaragua is reportedly very different to the West, with travel often only possible by river rather than road. Calculating the time we would need to get out into the Caribbean and back, bearing in mind changing boat schedules both inland and at sea, we concluded that we have enough time to spend a few days on the islands and still make it to Costa Rica with time to spare before our flight departs for Ecuador on 8th November.

So, let Operation Corn Islands commence!

Goodbye Guatemala, Hello Honduras!

Well our time in Guatemala ended at the weekend, with mixed feelings. It was a shame to leave behind the family we were just getting to know and the Spanish lessons (difficult though they seemed at the time!), but it was good to get on the road and start seeing a few new places.

Saturday was quite a long day, travelling across the country to a little town called Copan, just over the Honduran border. The bus journey was interesting though, with various gouchos, complete with cowboy hats, joining the passengers along the way. The Mayan ruins at Copan were superb, with intricate sculptures of their rulers (pictures to follow shortly). Even better: the sun shone... ALL DAY! From there we headed to the capital, Tegucigalpa, where unfortunately the main museum we were interested in was closed. Undeterred, we spent time soaking up the atmosphere in the busy streets, and listening to the passionate preachers in the main square.

Next stop: Nicaragua!

Los Patajos

Well, today is party time for our host family (it's Jasmine's eleventh birthday... they're not celebrating just because they'll be rid of us tomorrow)! We have dished out cards and presents (for the birthday and to say thanks for a great stay), and are now planning the route through Honduras.

Before leaving our first Latin American destination, we did ensure we found out a little bit about the local volunteering situation in Guatemala. On Tuesday night we attended a presentation by Los Patojos, which is a locally founded organisation run by volunteers for deprived children and families in the area. Many of these families suffer from economic problems, and the women are also often subject to domestic abuse. The children lack the opportunity for creative expression and so this organisation offers them the chance to grow mentally (and physically - they are fed for free) at in the safe environment of an after-school club. The women are also offered confidence building sessions, and families can attend sessions together to build parenting skills. For more information, check out their website: http://www.lospatojos.org/

ese iss no un gallo que es un pollo

That’s not a rooster it’s a chicken - ese iss no un gallo que es un pollo

After asking my God daughter what her favourite animal was, I received the unusual reply of not an elephant or a dolphin or tiger, but instead she said a ROOSTER. Well on that knowledge whilst we visited the Murphy family in the USA we decided to visit a farm and attempt to find one… why do I mention it now? Well with the ever growing Spanish skills of Claire’s and a little of my own we finally discovered the translation of the phrase. Motivated to discover what the name for rooster was that wakes us for class every morning at 06.00, we finally put the puzzle together last night after a day of study we were lucky enough to spend time listening to great music at a open microphone night and studying the finer points of Rooster Ceveza.

All this fun soon ends though as this weekend we move from studying in the classroom and move the studies to the road as we head further south and onto the original BANANA REPUBLIC Honduras. I think that we are now keen to get moving and using our Spanish skills in a real travel environment. The joys of living with a local Guatemalan family have been great and we have the opportunity to experience a true local birthday celebration on Friday. Lets just hope we can get moving early Saturday morning. Chat more when we get access.

Ohh yeah and for prosperity that’s not a ROOSTER that’s a Chicken

"Mi nombre es Clara..."

Yes, that is the Spanish version of Claire, so this blog is actually the story of the travels of Roberto y Clara!



This morning saw us trek across town on a local bus with our classmates and spanish teachers to a museum of Mayan clothes and music, combined with a coffee farm. Thankfully the guides were clearly accustomed to showing novices like ourselves around, and slowed their speech right down so that we actually stood a chance of following what they were talking about. Next time I drink a cup of coffee (which I do two or three times a day here, believe it or not!) I'll remember that one coffee plant only produces enough fruit to make 40 cups per year... so perhaps I'd better go back to tea before I use up the world's supply of nescafe!

Zero-Fluent in Two Weeks??

Well as the female of the species I do somewhat lag behind Rob with the technological aspects of this trip but I have finally got round to adding something to this blog. From here on my entries will be in this lovely colour, in order to differentiate my ramblings from the male variety!

So, the story of Antigua so far... in between the hot sunshine (mornings) and cool rain (afternoons & evenings), we’re managing to get going on becoming Spanish linguists now. Well, almost. Classes (and homework) have commenced anyway, and we’ve been doing our best at having conversations with Olgy, the mother of the family we’re staying with.

One-to-one tuition should hopefully mean that we get to a decent level of Spanish speaking anyway. We’ve got two weeks of lessons booked, and the first one consisted not only of grammar but also discussions on a scary variety of subjects, including comparing volunteering in the UK / Guatemala and the two countries' national health services! It’s hard work that's for sure – no time for gazing out of the window at the local volcanoes or wondering what we’ll be getting fed for lunch! Speaking of which, the food so far has gone down well... Olgy serves up a great chicken and rice stew, washed down with mugs of hot coffee.

In between learning, eating and dodging the afternoon rain, we've been checking out the various highlights around the town. This has included trying to memorise a schedule of the various establishments' happy hours (vital for conserving those quetzals) and wandering around the local market (which seems to be a cross between the tardis and the world's most confusing maze... at one point there were serious doubts over whether we'd ever see the outside world again).

Hastua luego! Claire

Primero dia de estudiente:

Primero dia de estudiente:

Well the 1st day of school has come and past and homework is a plenty… After waking this morning to the stunning view of the volcano smoke smouldering out over the surrounding still live volcanic mountain, we made our way to Sabado-school. Such a treat would be considered a punishment to many others, but for us the delights of knowledge awaited us.

Yes having moved in with the family home stay we are now into the swing of things. Breakfast is first thing, after which we get ready for four hours of Spanish schooling. This we are currently completing in the morning and Claire is leading the charge with being dedicated to her studies in the afternoon.

Plan Americas

Guatemala here we are and Plan Americas is now underway… The plan to meet a suspicious individual at Guatemala airport paid off as very rusty Spanish managed to get us to a drop off point in a classic VW camper in Guatemala cidudad.

Yes we are now a go and have managed to book ourselves into both a language school and a family home stay on the side of a volcano on the side of the rustic town of Antigua. Yes the colour and vibe is something similar to Cuba with the odd VW Camper Van cruising the cobbled roads and pavements of the town.

The plan right now is to bring both our Spanish to a high enough level to not only navigate through the highs and lows of the colourful streets of central America, but also to live a breath the same lifestyle of the locals. At worst we hope that the Spanish skills will offer us prior warning of any eruption of the volcano that we are currently living on by our host family.

Washington Obama-mania Vs the Palin KID

What’s HOT and What’s NOT in the DC…

Welcome to the DC, after watching an episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart with the main man Blair in the house on the comedy central website http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=185182
(no longer available in the UK, unless you hide your browser home location), we made our way to the white house to see if Bush was in… After noting a number of personnel who where obviously secret (because they had Secret written on their clothes we gave up on any such intellectual conversation with George W Bush.

Instead we headed off to Georgetown University to pick up the Spanish books that we will need for our trip. The main highlight for today being the cool globes exhibition located immediately outside congress… I am not sure when this is due to arrive in the UK, but some fantastically cool globes on display here and each one with its own unique environmental message. I captured a few of them on camera, but to see more about the cool globe exhibition visit http://www.coolglobes.com/gallery.php

Murpy's USA citizenship PARTY

USA 1 GBR -1

Blog off and running… the tour has now begun and with a short 24hour trip we get to St Louis to see my god daughter Lilly Murphy, oh and my mate from the UK who has just gained his citizenship in the USA as well as staring in POLICE ACADAMY 4.0 officer Murphy on patrol.

A fast a furious 3 day tour of the land that AB comes from, with some great people that made us feel so at home it was hard to leave. Catching up with Dan, Donald, Brian and Jack after so many years away was great and I have to admit if there is a place that appears to recreate the wonder years than this must be it.

The move continues though with our trip to DC (Washington). This is our final luxurious stop before getting real, staying at the cool and eclectic Tabard inn. This should allow us time for admin and actually get a feel for the direction of world politics for the next 4 years.

Paris and away

Well we are on our way… after being rudely awoken by the TAXI we raced out of the apartment in minutes few and stormed off to the aircraft at Birmingham international with destination FRANCE stop off #1 on our 24 hour travel epic towards the Americas.

Yes this part of the blog is coming direct from Paris Charles de Gaulle transit lounge. Despite rumours of it falling apart a few years ago, its actually visually stunning and no matter how hard we jump up and down it does not feel as if it is going to collapse.

Anyway as wi-fi is banned by the French authorities and mobile charges are exorbitant I’ll post this once we reach the worlds political capital Washington DC. Who knows we may even knock into a Pig while we are in transit over there, all this before we shoot off to catch up with Murphy in St Louis. Come on the trip!

Its 2008 and both Claire and Rob are awaiting the 19th of September for the 1st flight of several which will kick off their Central and South America volunteering adventure.

The plan is to travel independently through both Central and South America voluteering our range of skills to the Latin American community.

WHY? I hear you ask....

Well the world is definately a global village and a village that is getting smaller and smaller. We all have a responsibility to contribute to a happier world.

This blog will keep you posted on the events of what we are up to and an opportunity for you to leave your thoughts.