4ontour

What can happen when you step off the hamster

wheel for twelve months.
2

Forward 3
Introduction
Who we are
Why the book?
How the trip came about.
4
Planning and Preparation
Choosing the route
Immunizations
Gear
Visas
Permission slips
9
The journey
Departure
South America
Central America
North America & Canada
New Zealand
Australia
Japan
China
Thailand
India
Egypt
Greece
Italy
Home
18
Appendices

Contents
3

Forward
Written by .
4

Who we are
So there we were, happily going about our daily lives. Mum and Dad running their own
business, and the girls preparing to move from Junior to Senior school, when all of a sudden we
decide to drop off the normal way of life and backpack around the world for twelve months.

So how did that decision come about? How did we prepare? Where did we go? What did we
see and do? And how has the trip changed our lives? Hopefully this book will go some way to
answering these and many other questions.

First, a little about us:
On a lava flow (thankfully cooled) on the
Pacaya Volcano, Antigua, Guatemala.





On our Jungle adventure on the
Amazon.






In an ice cave on the Franz Josef Glacier,
South Island, New Zealand
5

Our family
Mum (Lorraine)
On the Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, NZ,
(complete with crampons.)

Consultant/Coach/Trainer/Mentor and de-
voted mother. Loves the sun on her face,
and makes a fantastic curry.

Abbey
In heaven Puerto Vallarta beach, Mexico
Sun, Sand, Sea, Grilled Prawns and .. a
Margherita?

Social butterfly, actress, singer, model,
designer. Happy to spend endless hours in
the loo reading OK magazines and Country
Life.
Hannah
Ensuring she receives enlightenment in her
next reincarnation Todaiji Temple, Nara,
Japan.

Ambition to one day rule the world. Excels at
anything she puts her mind to. Curious,
open, intelligent, perfect. Its annoying really,
but there you go.


Dad (Graham)
Cooling my feet on our trek through Kings
Canyon, USA, wearing my Charlie One
Horse.

Keen cricketer, photographer and
occasional author.
6

Why write the book?

There are several reasons why I wanted to put pen to paper, or rather, finger to keyboard, not
least of which is that it will hopefully serve as a reminder for my family and subsequent genera-
tions to come that we did something remarkable. With over 18,000 edited photos, (we took well
over 50,000 on the trip) we have plenty of memories associated with them but there were many,
many times when the camera wasnt on or close to hand and something happened. Its those
times I hope to record on these pages.

I also hope that in some small way this book may act as an inspiration to other families, whatever
your situation, to dive into the goldfish bowl of our world and experience life as it is. I know this
type of journey isnt for everyone, indeed the wife of a friend of mine asked me why on earth I
wanted to leave the area where we lived before the trip. I could see her point. We loved the
area, people, facilities and for the most part, climate ok, maybe not the climate. But
having made the trip I can honestly say it was the best thing we have ever done as a family and I
feel so much more appreciative of my roots than I ever did before.

Good luck, and my best wishes to anyone who has the courage and openness to travel by sense
of direction.

Bon voyage

Graham











It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't
keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.

Bilbo Baggins
7

How the trip came about.

As I mentioned in the Introduction, the seed for the trip was sown one sunny, Saturday lunchtime
in July 2007, as we sat around our breakfast bar having lunch. One of Lorraines buttons is to
have meals as a family whenever possible and thankfully this was one of those times. Without
warning she casually asked,
How would we all feel about backpacking around the world for a while?
I can remember there was a pregnant pause as we all absorbed what she had asked. As a char-
acter Lorraine is a Steady-Eddie who keeps her, and our feet on the ground so this was one of
those Who are you, and what have you done with my wife, moments. I guess she picked up on
our uncertainty and repeated the question. The girls, realising they had heard correctly asked in
unison What about school? Abbey from a point of excitement and enthusiasm at the possibility
of bunking off for a while. Hannah from a point of concern about missing out on key studying
time.
You could do your school work as you go along. In fact youll probably get a better education by
being out there than you will in school. Lorraine replied.

By now my thoughts were already turning to Indiana Jones and how I would look in a Fedora.

Its fair to say that that time in our lives was both challenging and exciting, depending on wheth-
er your glass is half full or half empty. We were feeling the pinch financially, due in part to
launching a new business that hadnt taken off as well as we had hoped. The girls were nine and
ten years old and had been in private education since they were four. Hannah was due to
change from Junior to Senior school in the summer of 2008 and her next school was some way
away so we were already considering selling the house to move closer. But, all that aside, there
was one main reason why Lorraine had been mulling over the possibility of seeking out adven-
ture. It transpired that she had been reading Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson with
Hannah. For those who havent read the book I can highly recommend it. Set in Victorian times,
it is the story of Maia, an orphan, who leaves England to go and live with her nearest relatives
who live in Manaus, a town built in the Amazon jungle, accessible only by boat at that time. After
many adventures she returns with a heavy heart to her school in London and tries to satisfy the
curiosity of her fellow pupils.

So Maia gave up. She realized that adventures, once they were over, were things that had to
stay inside one that no one else could quite understand.

Apparently this paragraph had struck a chord with Lorraine and started her thinking about
experiencing some adventures of her own.
8

Up until this point wed had fairly standard holidays of mainly two weeks in the sun looking in from
the outside on life somewhere else. As we continued to discuss the prospect of making our own
journey across the river sea the thought of really experiencing life in other countries became more
and more appealing to Lorraine and I. The girls on the other hand, having realised that this was fast
becoming a possibility were more concerned about losing touch with their friends than seeking ad-
ventures in pastures new.

Over the next week we continued to explore the idea in more detail and I did some research on the
internet into families on extended trips. It was good timing as the Andrus family of six from the US
were coming to the end of their 11 month trip around the globe and had/have a fantastic blog site
that provided me with answers to many of the questions I had floating around my head. Their site is
still live and updated periodically so please take a look at www.sixintheworld.com . In addition to
them I also came across the Atkins family, who are also a family of six. For their trip they converted
an old bus/coach so they could live in it as they travelled around Europe. I found their site just as
they were making the finishing touches to their new home and plans, before leaving the UK on the
13
th
July 2007, which happened to be a Friday for those of you with a superstitious nature. Once
again, their site is still online at www.welcometotheworld.org.uk. Their road trip lasted 14 months
before they finally settled in France. There are details of other families who have taken a leap of
faith and danced with the travel gods on the Resources page at the back of this book.

Two weeks after our initial discussion the house was on the market and plans were being assembled
for us to leave in April of the following year. Our first thoughts were to fly to the States in the
Spring and do a road trip from East to West before making our way through Central America and on
into South America. We would aim to end up in Santiago, Chile and fly across to New Zealand.

Best laid plans and all that.

What actually happened was we received an offer for above the asking price within a couple of
weeks of it going on the market. (As it turned out we sold at the height of the property market, alt-
hough we had no idea at the time. If wed held out for further offers we probably wouldnt have
sold as the slump started soon after and you probably wouldnt be reading this book.) We accepted
the offer and the legal wheels were put in motion. On average it takes 6-8 weeks for the convey-
ance process to reach its conclusion, so in the middle of October we moved into a beautiful cottage
by a river not far from where we used to live. We rented it for 3 months as by then our revised
plans had much more meat on the bone and people had stopped saying Youre gonna do what!?!?!?

Our plan now was to fly at the end of January to Buenos Aires and take advantage of the end of
their summer before journeying through South, Central and North America.
9


Choosing the route
When it came to choosing the route we decided to chase the sun and travel around the world in an
East to West direction. Although she loves a lot about the UK, one of the things Lorraine hates with
a passion is our weather, and in particular grey skies which automatically leaves her in a grey mood.
With this in mind we decided to try and have as much sun fun as possible for the duration of the
trip. Cold was fine, as long as it was bright.

I wanted us all to be involved in choosing our path, although we all knew at an early stage that the
route would be loose to allow us the flexibility to deviate. We watched travel programmes on the
T.V. like Globe Trekker and I bought a load of books from Amazon, (spooky that Amazon became a
recurring theme), and we all set about applying our individual criteria to an A4 list of places to go. I
advised the girls to think about different aspects of destinations such as size i.e. a city, country, or
even a continent, as well as places, e.g. The Sistine Chapel, which would naturally lead us to Rome,
(ok its actually the Vatican City for those pedants out there). Abbeys list was the most adventurous
and she seemed to be inspired by extremes with destinations like the North Pole, and no, there was
no mention of Santa and his Elves, and the Cook Islands.

Once we all had a list we were happy with, we agreed to reconvene on the floor in the Play room
one evening with drinks and nibbles to go through the detail. Id placed a large map of the world on
the wall, and cut up loads of Yellow Stickies (Post-It Notes), and we went through each of our lists,
placing a note on each destination on the map. Aside from a few anomalies, our route took shape
naturally and was eventually laid out before us. Our starting point would be Buenos Aires,
Argentina. It made the trip become very real and the girls excitement grew and grew as they began
to anticipate what kinds of adventures we may have.
10


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11

I could now start to plan in terms of vaccinations and visas, and once again set about researching
what we would need. A good friend of ours is a nurse and she recommended a website run by
the Scottish National Health Service - www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk. From this I was able to as-
semble a list of jabs we may need for different countries. It had to be done on the basis that we
may need one or some of them, just in case we went to x, y, or z. There were other complica-
tions such as some jabs were only needed if you went to certain areas within an individual coun-
try i.e. areas where Malaria was a high risk or an area that had had an outbreak of Dengue fever
in the recent past. Some of the jabs were also time-bombed which meant that we may have to
have certain immunisations whilst on the trip because the effectiveness only lasts for a specific
period of time. Having spoken at length about our trip and the need for flexibility to our local
health centre we decided to do the only sensible thing and cover the main risks and take care of
the others on an as-and-when basis. Over the next few weeks we each ended up having thirteen
jabs as some of them come as courses of three, and Abbey had an extra one to complete her
MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) immunization. We also ordered a batch of anti-malarial tab-
lets; Malarone for the girls and Doxycycline for Lorraine and I. For the pleasure of all that, we
forked out just short of 1,000. Nice.

Heres the immunization list I put together:
(Unless youre a bat you may want to zoom in.)
Usually advised Sometimes advised
Countries Tetanus Poliomyelitis Hep A Typhoid Yellow Fever Diphtheria Typhoid Japanese B Encephalitis Tick-borne Encephalitis Cholera Hep A Hep B Meningititis Yellow Fever Diphtheria Rabies
Argentina x x x x x x x
Brazil x x x x x x x
Chi le x x x x x x
Boli via x x x x x x x
Paraguay x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
Ecuador x x x x x x x
Galapagos Islands x x x x x x x
Venezuala x x x x x x x
Costa Rica x x x x x x
Nicaragua x x x x x x
Honduras x x x x x x
Guatemala x x x x x x x
Mexi co x x x x x x
USA See Notes Column
Cuba x x x x x
Canada See Notes Column
Vanuatu x x x x x
Fi ji x x x x x
New Zealand See Notes Column x
Australi a See Notes Column
Japan x x
Chi na x x x x x x x x
Vietnam x x x x x x x
Laos x x x x x x x
Thai land x x x x x x x x
Cambodia x x x x x x x
Malaysia x x x x x x x
Indonesia x x x x x x x x
India x x x x x x x x x
Nepal x x x x x x x x
South Africa x x x x x x x x
Namibia x x x x x x x x
Tanzania x x x x x x x x x x
Kenya x x x x x x x x x x
Egypt x x x x x x x
Jordon x x x x x x
Cyprus See Notes Column x
Turkey x x x x x x
Greece See Notes Column
Russia x x x x x x x x x
Romani a x x x x x x x
Croatia x x x x x x
Sloveni a x x x x x x
Italy See Notes Column x x
Switzerland See Notes Column x
Germany See Notes Column x
France See Notes Column x
Spain See Notes Column x
Morocco x x x x x x x
Peru
12

Another major consideration was what to take with us on the trip and what to carry it in. Having
spent fourteen years in the army I had some experience of carrying weight on my back for pro-
longed periods, and the damage it can do if it isnt packed properly or carried correctly. It was
important that we all enjoyed the trip free from injury. We knew that it was likely to be challeng-
ing in ways we couldnt yet conceive, but we needed to enjoy the journey. Uncomfortable is fine,
painful is not. With the girls being young and their bodies still developing we had to keep their
burden to a minimum, at least until they became more accustomed to it. It was of paramount
importance that we got excellent rucksacks with support in all the right areas. Just as an aside,
why are rucksacks measured in litres and not cubic feet or centimetres. Answers on a postcard
.

The temptation was to buy roller bags but when you take into account they are likely to be
thrown, dropped, kicked, even drop-kicked, sat-on and crammed into small spaces, practicalities
outweighed comfort. You also have to be realistic about what you can physically carry. Although
we wanted to take the pressure off the girls there was no point in Lorraine or I becoming pack-
horses and damaging our own backs. We ended up choosing Macpacs for Lorraine (65L) and I
(75L), and after quite a bit of research we chose two 35L sacks from Deuter for the girls as they
provided full-frame support for people of their size as opposed to smaller sacks that were de-
signed for day trips.

When you think about two weeks in the sun it should be fairly easy to pack for. You know the
climate youre expecting; you know the types of activities youre likely to engage in; you know
what facilities should be provided. Packing for a trip we estimated would last approximately
twelve months was a whole different ball game.

Practicality far outweighs fashion statements so when it came to clothing it needed to be quick
drying and roll up small. It also needed to cover most areas not just to keep you warm but more
often to shield you from mosquitoes. Although we wanted it to be well made, we also recognized
that on a long trip things will wear out and will need replacing. One of the best investments we
made was getting Buffs for each of us which can be used as a bandana, scarf, neck-roll,
scrunchy, wind/sand protector and in various other ways. As they come in many different styles
it was one of the few items that we could chooses individually.

Another great purchase was our head torches. Its one of those things that you ask, how did we
ever manage without them?. With clothing, electronics, medical supplies, documentation, toilet-
ries etc etc to think about I was extremely thankful for the travellers who shared their own lists
on the internet that helped me put together the following one for us:
13

Item To buy? Carried by? Item To buy? Carried by?
Clothes Anthisan N G&L
Underwear x 3 Y All Piriton N G&L
Shorts x 1 Y All Documentation
T-Shirts x 2 Y All Passports N G&L
Shirt/Blouse x 1 Y All Travel tickets N G&L
All Terrain Sandals Y All Travellers cheques N G&L
Waterproof top Y All Insurance doc Y G&L
Belt (G) N G UK drivers licence N G&L
Swim Shorts/Costume N All International Driving
Permit
N G&L
Fleece Y All Immunisation records N G&L
Sun Hats Y All Copies of all of the above N G&L
Sarong N Girls List of emergency num-
bers
N G&L
Trousers Y G Guide book N G&L
Socks x 1 N All Timetables Y G&L
Bandana Y G,H,A Passport photos x 20
each
Y G&L
Dress x 1 N Girls Credit cards N G&L
Toiletries Glasses prescription N G&L
Ear Plugs Y G&L YHA & HI membership Y G&L
Tissues N G&L Bank statement
Shampoo N G&L Other
Conditioner N G&L Rucksacks x 4 Y All
Safety pins N G&L Pens/Pencils/ Paints N H&A
Tampons N G&L Glasses N L
Sanitary towels N G&L Sunglasses Y All
Flannels x 2 N G&L Money belts Y L&G
Shaving Equip N G&L Combi padlocks Y All
Wet wipes N G&L Adaptor plugs N L
Moisturiser N G&L Peg free washing line Y G
Sun Cream N G&L Sleeping bag x 4 Y All
Lip Balm N G&L Mossie nets x 4 Y G
Insect repellent N G&L Sewing kit N L
Hairbrush/Lice Comb N G&L Headlights x 2 Y L&G
Toothbrushes N G&L Knife Y G
Toothpaste N G&L Whistle Y G
Toilet paper N G&L Universal sink plug Y L
Floss N G&L Camera Y G
Travel wash Y G&L Lens Y G
Nail clippers N G&L Bag Y G
Pumice stone Y G&L Charger Y G
Nail file N G&L Battery Y G
Mirror Y G&L Memory cards Y G
Memory stick N G
Medical Kit Laptop Y L
Plasters N G&L Ipods x 3 Y (x1) L,H & A
Bandages N G&L Phone N G
Anti Malarial tabs Y G&L Charger N G
Spoon N G&L KFS x 4 Y All
Anti Diarrhoea tabs Y G&L Re-sealable bags N L
Motion sickness tabs Y G&L Quick drying towels Y All
Paracetamol N G&L Permanent marker N H&A
Ibuprofen N G&L Duct tape Y G
Savlon N G&L Lighter N G
Rehydrates Y G&L Water bottles x 4 N All
Throat lozenges N G&L Camcorder N G
Thermometer Y G&L Charger N G
Scissors N G&L Bag N G
Tweezers Y G&L Tapes N G
14

Having settled on our inventory the next question was where to get it. I made a few reccies to
outdoor suppliers and decided on Cotswold Outdoor, (www.cotswoldoutdoor.com). They not
only provided an excellent range of products, they also demonstrated excellent customer ser-
vice in the form of knowledge and advice. They were genuinely interested in our trip and ad-
vised us from a practical point of view, not a sales one.

Another item on the Things to do list was Visas. This was fairly straight forward as there is
plenty of information available on the web, and from a British perspective the FCO, (Foreign &
Commonwealth Office), (www.fco.gov.uk) is a one stop shop with advice not only on entry re-
quirements but also local laws and customs, political climate and health & safety. As we would
be making the trip up as we went along I compiled a spreadsheet with details for each country
we may want to visit.
15

As Lorraine and I were running our own business we didnt have a problem taking time off work
however the girls were a different matter. Around this time there had been a lot of publicity
about parents taking children out of school during term time to take advantage of significantly
cheaper holiday deals. An article in the Daily Mail in April 2007 stated that research suggested a
10% absence from school over an academic year cut the chance of achieving good academic
grades by as much as 50%. Councils up and down the country were implementing powers under
the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2004 to fine parents up to 100 and if they didnt pay they faced
prosecution.

Head teachers did have some discretionary powers and could allow pupils up to ten days absence
in any given year if there was a good enough reason. So the thought of approaching the local
authority and Head teachers to request between twelve and fifteen months away was risky
because if they said no we would have a dilemma.
Hi Mr Smith, how can I help you?
Well Id like to take our daughters out of school for twelve months to backpack around the world.
Would that be ok?
No.
Errrr
I decided to write a letter to the Local Education Authority (LEA); Hannah and Abbeys current
Headmaster; and Hannahs next Headmaster, promoting the benefits of such a trip and request-
ing a meeting to discuss the proposal in more detail. I received a phone call from the LEA and
explained what we hoped to achieve by going on the trip. To my relief they couldnt have been
more supportive and offered plenty of help and guidance about how to support the girls educa-
tion whilst we were away. I had similar responses back from both Headmasters and that was
that. We were going. The only minor complication was that Hannah would need to sit an en-
trance exam four days before we were due to fly out, and wouldnt receive the results for a fur-
ther three weeks. Now that we had clearance to go I went ahead and booked the flights to
Buenos Aires and our first two nights accommodation or so I thought. More on that later.
Our departure date was now set in stone for Saturday, 26
th
January 2008.

As the nights began to draw in and the temperature dropped our plans began to take shape and
our excitement and anticipation grew. There were still plenty of things to organize such as apply-
ing for an International Driving Licence, setting up a blog to record our adventures, contacting
friends around the world to let them know we may pop in at some stage and organizing a Going
Away party. We also found a home for Toffee, our Labrador. She would first be going to spend
a few months with her mother who she saw on a regular basis anyway as the owners were
friends and lived locally, and then shed be going to stay with other friends of ours who also lived
nearby and had a black Labrador who loved Toffee.
16

It was always going to be a wrench leaving her behind but at least we knew she would be well
looked after.

Around mid-November we faced our biggest dilemma, as Lorraines mother was rushed to hospi-
tal having suffered a heart attack. Fortunately she pulled through but worse news was to follow.
Having undergone a thorough examination and had numerous tests she was diagnosed with ad-
vanced cancer of the breast and needed urgent surgery. The complication was that in order to
survive the surgery for the cancer she would need to first undergo surgery for her heart. Lor-
raine made several trips up to North Wales to support her mum both practically and emotionally
at what was obviously an incredibly challenging time.

Having discussed the impact her mothers health might have on the trip, we decided to take it
one day at a time and see how things worked out.

Pretty soon Christmas and New Year were just around the corner. Due to the trip, we had decid-
ed to keep presents for each other to a minimum. By now we had virtually everything we were
going to take with us on the trip so consumables were the order of the day. You can never have
enough chocolate in your life.

Christmas came and went and we welcomed the New Year with one eye on the temperature in
Buenos Aires as it climbed into the late thirties, which was in total contrast to the weather at
home which was Lorraines worst nightmare. Heavy grey skies fed us with what appeared to be
continuous rain. The knock on effect was that we also had one eye on the rising water level of
the river just next to the house. A neighbour did little to alleviate our concerns when they de-
clared that it hadnt flooded here for a few years. Great! As it turned out the house was fine but
the garden at the back was submerged for a few days, much to the delight of the girls.






17

Our leaving party went ahead on the 5
th
January and was well attended with around one hundred
friends and family coming together to give us a fine send-off. The beer flowed, the tears flowed, the
band was loud and proud and everyone had a great time.










Once the dust had settled after the party we were counting down the days to departure. Last mi-
nute research meant that we joined the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) to take advantage of cheap
accommodation, and I came across fantastic sites like Seat 61 (www.seat61.com) which proved in-
valuable throughout the trip as it provides travellers with everything you need to know about train
journeys anywhere in the world, including fares and timetables. Another site we used extensively
whilst away was Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com). The site provides lists of different types of ac-
commodation for anywhere in the world, ranked by reviews of previous guests and provides indica-
tive costs to match your budget. One more site worth a mention is www.xe.com which provides live
currency rates and a free currency converter.

As our lease ended before our departure date we spent the last few days with one of Lorraines sis-
ters. I had arranged to rent a room in a storage warehouse for our possessions and with the help of
a friend said goodbye to nearly everything we owned. Its amazing how much stuff you can accu-
mulate without trying, and we vowed to streamline our possessions on our return.

For the last few days Lorraine found she was really busy with work, so much so that she was work-
ing in London all day on the eve of our departure so she wore a smart but inexpensive suit which
she duly threw away when she arrived at the hotel we had booked near to Heathrow
airport.

Hannah took her entrance exam as planned although the car accident on the way to the school was-
nt planned. Fortunately no-one was hurt but Hannah was clearly shaken up and was in tears as we
arrived. Thinking it was due to nerves the Headmaster offered her some chocolate which she grate-
fully accepted, and once she explained it was due to the crash the staff did their best to settle her
down before the exams started. The car was towed away and although we didnt know it at the
time the damage was sufficient to have the vehicle written-off and the insurance company sent
18

through a cheque. This saved us the hassle of having to sell it or store it. Maybe it was meant to
be. But no it wasnt planned.

So, in the early evening on Friday the 25
th
January 2008, the girls and I dressed in our new trav-
elling clothes, donned our rucksacks for the first time and were picked up by Richard, a mate of
mine who drove us to the hotel where we were to meet up with Lorraine. She duly arrived and
as we had an early start the next morning we settled down to sleep with nervous anticipation
about what tomorrow would bring.
19

The Journey
Day 1
Date 26
th
January 2008
Location London & Frankfurt
After a few hours sleep we left to catch the flight to Frankfurt where wed pick up our connecting
flight to Buenos Aires. Unfortunately the 6.30am was cancelled and we were booked on to the
7.10 which would still arrive in time. That was until we were informed that due to congestion at
Frankfurt airport we would be held in a stack until a landing slot became available. The upshot
was that we missed our flight and were left, along with many other travellers to negotiate a solu-
tion with the Lufthansa staff at Frankfurt. Although I was frustrated with the hassle of queuing, it
was an early opportunity to realise that unlike conventional holidays we had no agenda or specific
timeframe, and as such our first exploration would be Frankfurt, Germany and not Buenos Aires,
Argentina. While I sorted out the amended travel plans the girls amused themselves with beer-
mats. Im not sure what the world record is for a pyramid but I suspect they have a way to go
yet.

Hannahs pride and joy shortly before Abbey accidentally
knocked the table.




After a hectic few days leading up to the trip and
little rest in the previous 72 hours, Lorraine decided
to catch up on some sleep at the hotel Lufthansa
had put us up in, while Hannah, Abbey and I headed
out into the night. After a short bus and train journey we found ourselves in the central train
station with a welcoming committee of around a 100 police complete with riot gear and semi-
automatic weapons, and another 100 in and around the main square. Although nothing was visi-
bly happening the atmosphere was tense. It transpired that earlier that afternoon the university
students had protested through the city to complain about tuition fees. Im not sure why there
was such a strong police presence but the local football team was also playing at home so maybe
prevention was better than cure.

Having been advised by the Tourist Information office that the most interesting sights were to be
found in an area called Romer we decided to take the tram as it was only two stops away. About
15 stops later we realised something was amiss as we were heading out into the Frankfurt
suburbs with Romer nowhere in sight.
20

In my broken German I found out the tram had been re-routed to avoid potential trouble-spots in
the city-centre. Eventually we made it back with our sense of humour intact and walked through
Romer and back to the train station which took about 10 minutes on foot. Thankfully the journey
back to the hotel was uneventful and we all settled down to a good nights sleep with thoughts of
Buenos Aires and new adventures yet to arrive.

Lesson 1 When you travel, things change.

Day 2
Date 27
th
January 2008
Location Flight from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thankfully the following mornings activities went without complication and soon we found our-
selves safely aboard. Being a sixteen hour flight we knew the girls would need to keep them-
selves entertained but we quickly made friends with a German couple who had two daughters of
similar ages to Hannah and Abbey and they were soon paired up and sharing a variety of games







It always amazes me how verbal language rarely seems to be a barrier for children. Although our
two cant speak German and Luna and Annalina couldnt speak English they played together for
hours, sometimes as a four but mainly in pairs; swapping partners on occasion. I was pleased
that although both sets of children had Nintendos they didnt rely on them and taught each other
card games, hand clap routines and played paper, scissors, stone for long periods of time. At
times I watched as they jabbered on to each other in either German or English with no chance of
a literal interpretation but the intonation and occasional hand gesture was sufficient to get their
point over. Rarely was a parent called on to translate. Amazing to watch.

Eventually we landed in Buenos Aires and were met by a welcome blast of unfamiliar warm air as
we exited the plane. Our guide book, the Footprint South American Handbook 2007, now re-
ferred to as The Bible (no insult intended) advised caution about jumping into any old taxi at the
front of the airport so we elected for a Remise which is a pre-booked one through an office inside
the terminal. It duly dropped us off at our hotel where we were informed our room hadnt been
kept because of the 24 hour delay at Frankfurt. Nice one. After a bit of negotiation we secured a
room for one night and settled down to sleep off the flight.
21




First thing in the morning I went off to find
somewhere for us to stay while the girls
set about exploring. Having secured a roof
over our heads we headed out into the city
with the temperature and our expectations
rising.

Buenos Aires like many cities is laid out in a grid system which always makes me nervous as Ive got
lost in Milton Keynes on many occasions. However we quickly got our bearings and went for a wan-
der. One of the first things that struck me was how many contrasts there were even taking into ac-
count that its the capital city. A multitude of faces and races combined to give a true cosmopolitan
feel to its inhabitants. The architecture is just as varied with chic boulevards and plazas contrasted
against enormous structures that wouldnt look out of place next to the Palace of Versailles, or oth-
ers that could sit well on Wall St.


First day in Buenos Aires.

Let the games begin!
22

A few streets away from our hotel was the Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest avenues in the
world with 7 lanes of traffic on each side of the main carriageway and additional lanes running paral-
lel. Our eyes were naturally drawn to the Plaza de la Republica and its 67m obelisk commemorating
the 400
th
anniversary of the citys founding.

Off this is the Plaza de Mayo, often referred to as the
heart of the city with many of the citys most important
buildings including the Cathedral. Mass was being held
as we entered but we were still able to wander down
the sides and explore the various alcoves dedicated to a
number of religious and historic figures including Gen-
eral Jose de San Martin, known as The Liberator, whose
tomb is guarded by soldiers in impressive uniforms.

We continued beyond the Plaza de Mayo to Puerto
Madero, the dock area where the former warehouses
have now been turned into bars and restaurants com-
plimented by elegant walkways which attract many visi-
tors, particularly at night. Buenos Aires was originally
called Santa Maria del Buen Ayre in recognition of the
good winds that brought sailors across the ocean. First built in 1580 the city was always linked to
the port although 300 years would go by before a safe and modern harbour would be built. After
having been left fallow for 50 years, it was decided in 1989 that the 170 hectare space should be
recovered for public use by bringing the city closer to the river.

Having explored a number of areas we eventually made our way back to the hotel and settled down
for a couple of beers and a well earned rest, knowing that tomorrow would bring more of the same.

Our second day in Buenos Aires brought more exploration on foot with regular pit-stops for rest and
sustenance. The combination of increased heat and exercise meant we took it nice and slow and let
our bodies dictate the pace.

Hannah and I decided to visit the Cemetery of the Recoleta which holds an
amazing array of mausoleums and contains the tombs of a number of im-
portant Argentinean figures including Eva Peron, who lies with other mem-
bers of the Duarte family.

Hannah looking respectfully sombre at the Duarte tomb.
23

With the Tango so prevalent in the Argentinean and Buenos Aires culture we decided to take in one
of the many evening shows available and ventured off to the Confiteria Ideal,
(http://www.confiteriaideal.com/public/), a wonderful caf with 1930s interior and a Tango school
upstairs. We were treated to a great exhibition by a small number of dancers who, apart from one
couple had an average age of around 60. It was a great demonstration of the passionate, sexy na-
ture of Tango and we were all enthralled by
their skill and storytelling.
24

Another brilliant blue sky greeted us on our final day in B.A. and we made one final excursion into
the city, this time to Caminito, a street of brightly coloured wooden and tin houses in the district of
La Boca.

Lined with cafes and
bars we took in the
vibrant atmosphere of
musicians, artists and
the inevitable tango
dancers before heading
back into town to do
some last minute shop-
ping and ready our-
selves for our overnight
journey by coach to the
first must see on our lists Iguazu Falls.
There was still time to enjoy some great street Tango.
25

Having travelled very little by bus or coach in the past I was un-
sure what to expect from a coach journey of 16 hours from Bue-
nos Aires to Puerto Iguacu. We were due to leave at 8.45pm so
we bought some snacks to see us through a potentially restless
journey. Our coach duly arrived and our bags were checked on in
airport style with each piece being labelled and stowed carefully.
We had the front two seats on the top deck and the two behind.
In all there were about 12 seats on the lower deck and 14 on the
top, (the toilet was on the bottom). All the seats were armchairs
with head and foot rests, and plenty of legroom. We made our-
selves comfortable and tucked in to a sandwich and crisps
anticipating settling down for a rest as soon as possible.

About 30 minutes into the journey a steward came round with a tray of beef and salad, and a wide
choice of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Very nice we thought as it was all included in the
price of the ticket. 20 minutes after that he came back with a main meal of pasta and a top-up for
our drinks. Even better we thought. 20 minutes later, it was pudding time, and .. more drinks. By
now we were regretting our early snack but thoroughly enjoying the hospitality. With the lights of
B.A. behind us and the children engrossed in the movie playing on a number of screens I decided to
catch 40 winks, only to be offered champagne! Obviously it would be an insult to refuse so I gladly
accepted. Needless to say I cannot think of a better way to travel and would recommend the jour-
ney to any fellow travellers. They can be found at www.viabariloche.com.ar/home/.

With the movie over we set the recliners to maximum, pulled up the large blankets left on our seats
and drifted off to sleep.

Morning arrived at a gentle pace with blue sky and lush green forest, and breakfast. No alcohol this
time. We compared notes on how the night had been and in general all of us had got plenty of
sleep. I spent the rest of the morning gazing at the changing scenery and reading up on accommo-
dation as we had yet to secure a bed for the night








As usual, the girls quickly made a friend.
26

Four hours later we pulled into Puerto Iguacu. A city some eighteen kilometres from the falls, and I
ventured off to find a suitable hostel. Our criteria for the most part remained constant clean, local,
safe, within budget and if possible a pool. The Park Hostel met all of these so I collected the girls
and we spent the rest of the day by the pool planning the next couple of days at the falls.

The following morning we took the 20 minute bus ride to Iguazu Falls. Set amid National Parks in
Argentina and Brazil, the falls which are four times wider than Niagara derive their name from guazu
which is Guarani for big, and I, Guarani for water, and boy do they live up to its name many times
over.
There are four main trails
around the falls. We started
off by taking an open sided
train the short distance to the
Garganta del Diablo, or Devils
Throat, then a walk of a few
hundred metres over open wa-
ter to the viewing platform by
the semi-circular series of falls.
The combination of the sight and sound of the water as it rushes re-
lentlessly over the edge and crashes into the depths below, and the
smell and taste of the constant spray that fills the air, attacks the
senses simultaneously and left me breathless and in awe. I have
never been anywhere or seen any-
thing that demonstrates natures power so vividly.

Hannah also seemed to be impressed!









27

From here we ventured back on the train and began our jour-
ney of the Lower Trail on foot. This was no less impressive
as you get an entirely different perspective of the falls. Due
to the heat of the day we elected to cool off when we could.











As I mentioned before, the falls are in National Parks which means you can come across a wide vari-
ety of creatures at any time. Heres a selection of the ones we saw:



They even had a Crazy Frog







28

After a full day we enjoyed a leisurely meal before collapsing into bed. As we were in a hostel there
was a certain amount of partying into the night by some of the other guests. Lorraine said she was
on the verge of screaming out Silencio but thankfully the party ended and peace returned. Im not
sure whether she thought it was a direct translation into Spanish, or a spell she read in her Harry
Potter book of Magic. Either way it wasnt needed on this occasion.

The following day we returned to the Falls and took the Macuco Trail, a 3km jungle path leading to
a single waterfall and rock pool where you can take a needle shower and have a swim.

To finish our time at the park we took the Upper Trail which provided us with
more lasting memories and photos of what has to be the most amazing natural
wonder Ive ever seen.



















Our final day in Puerto Iguacu was spent lazing by the pool before boarding our bus for the 11 hour
journey to Curitiba in Brazil. We had originally planned to go straight to Rio however the carnival
was on and although it would have been great to experience it, it was apparent from our investiga-
tions on the internet that accommodation was as rare as chocolate fireguards and the cost increases
by around 4 to 5 times which put it way beyond our budget. So we decided to spend a few days on
a road trip to act as stepping stones to Rio.

29

Theres not much to say about our
time in Curitiba or Sao Paolo as
unknown to us, when the carnival
is on in Rio, many other areas
grind to a halt and tend to be
fechado (closed).

As we walked through the centre of Curitiba we noticed hundreds of chairs being laid out in the main
square. It transpired that a religious gathering was taking place later that day so we went for a walk
until the crowd had assembled and the music and preachers were in full flow. Although we had no
idea what was being said we still found ourselves caught up in the enthusiasm and were approached
by a lady who performed a laying on of hands on Lorraine and the girls. I wasnt invited and as-
sumed it was because Ive led a good life, and not because Im beyond redemption. Time will tell.






The highlight of our time in Curitiba was a visit to the Batel Grill restaurant, (www.batelgrill.com.br),
which had the most amazing array of authentic Brazilian food and was reassuringly full of locals,
(always a good sign). On each table was a small revolving sign that said Yes please or No thank
you. If you were on Yes please waiters would regularly visit the table with enormous skewers of
every meat imaginable and cut you off as much as you wanted. Being a committed carnivore I was
in heaven and had my fill many times over. Abbey was also delighted as there was a bar devoted
entirely to Sushi. Lorraine and the girls had their choice of salads, fish and pasta although Lorraine
did try a variety of meats. For a vegetarian she seemed to enjoy several types!?


Not only was the food great, we were looked after by a dedicated
waiter who took great pride in pouring our beers at a slant.



We moved on to Sao Paolo where the only thing I can say is that they seemed to undertake all the
road works at the same time and the laundry in the hotel was massively expensive. I didnt take any
photos in Sao Paolo which is an indication to me of how interesting I found it. I suspect Im being
harsh and its somewhere I will have to visit again.
30







Ubatuba on the other hand was great. A small resort on the Sao Paolo coast, blessed with over 80
beaches which is where we spent most of our three days and nights. We had intended to stay for
two but had to stay on for an additional night as Hannah had too much sun and her face looked like
shed gone five rounds with Mike Tyson in his hey-day.

On our first morning there we wandered down to the beach to find it was totally deserted. We were
just about to go for a dip when a local, realising what was about to happen came down and told us
the reason it was empty was because the water was contaminated with chemicals. He advised us to
catch a bus and go further down the coast where the water was safe.







With the carnival over and Hannah well on the way to recovery we eventually made the trip to Rio
with expectations and energy high.

Day 18
Date 12th February
Location Rio De Janeiro
We arrived in Rio by bus from Ubatuba, (please note bus, and not coach. In terms of comfort there
is a massive difference), and found out where to catch the local bus to Ipanema, which wed chosen
to stay in on the advice of our Guide book. Once again Lorraine and the girls stood guard over the
bags, this time in a MacDonalds, whilst I went off in search of a roof. In our book there were sever-
al entries for Hostels in the Barao de Torre which turned out to be a lovely alleyway off one of the
main roads, with hostels on either side. Although Carnival was over it was still pretty much booked
solid, however I spoke to Stephan, (nice chap) in Casa 6 who offered me a room with an enormous
bed which I duly accepted. Having collected the girls we settled down top-to-tail and got a pretty
good nights rest.

31

As our room was only available for one night I was up bright and early to find some longer term
accommodation. Although it was only 8am the heat was intense and I was quickly drenched with
sweat. I found a place that seemed reasonable, if a little pricey and agreed to bring Lorraine and
the girls to take a look. We set off on the 20 minute journey with our world on our backs. Im car-
rying about 35 kilos in total so it didnt take long for me to look like I either had an automatic shower
for my head or I was doing a pretty good impression of Iguacu Falls. Needless to say we took sever-
al breathers along the way and in hindsight a taxi would have been a better bet. Having walked
over half way there we were approached by Stella, a lively lady of maturing years who asked us if
we were arriving or leaving. Having confirmed the former she said she had an apartment to rent as
she was off to see her relatives for a week in Iguacu, (I know, what a coincidence), so the girls
stayed put and I went off to see it. Her apartment turned out to be just around the corner from
where we had come from and just what we needed! So, by 9am we had a nice apartment in a safe
area only two blocks from the beach. Result! The rest of the day was spent familiarizing ourselves
with Ipanema and generally unwinding.

After a couple of beach days playing in the sea, despite the current, and admiring the tanned bodies,
(ok, that was just me), we decided to take in some of the other sights and visited Corcovado, the
710 m peak surmounted by O Cristo Redentor, the 38m statue of Christ the Redeemer.











To reach the top you can either take a taxi, minibus or cog rail-
way. We decided to take the latter and set off on the 3.8 km jour-
ney to the top. To reach the statue itself you need to climb re-
markably few steps followed by a series of escalators which makes
it accessible for just about anyone. Aside from a couple of mo-
ments on the railway there was no sense of being near an edge
which enables anyone with a fear of heights to enjoy the experi-
ence as well.

32

To say the scenery is amazing is an understatement and as the weather was kind we were treated to
spectacular views of Rio and the surrounding area, as well as being able to appreciate the awesome
statue of Christ. Altogether a fabulous experience with a Wow factor of 9!

















The following day we visited one of the other well known symbols of Rio, Sugar Loaf Mountain or
Pao de Acucar, the 396 m granite cone that stands at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. To reach the
top you can either take the cable car to Morro da Urca, a separate peak halfway up, and another to
the top, or there are 35 routes for rock climbers. We chose the cable cars as Lorraine had forgotten
her crampons. To be honest it was touch and go if she would make the journey at
all as heights and Lorraine dont go together. But, fair play to her, she gritted her
teeth, held on tight and even kept her eyes open. Although we didnt know it at
the time we would all be tested to a much greater degree on a later adventure.










33

As it was another bright sunny day we had even more spectacular views of Rio including some eerie
views of Christ through the mist. Unlike the previous day there were plenty of sheer drops to enjoy,
endure or ignore.


Having had our fill of breathtaking scenery we all made it safely back to Ipanema and reflected on
our day over a few Caipirinhas.


Safety is an interesting subject for travellers, particularly for those like us with children. Whilst plan-
ning the trip we looked at reports provided by the Foreign Office website to get updates on safety in
certain countries and cities. Our handbook also provided safety advice for each location and both
the book and the websites advised travellers to be extremely careful and vigilant in Rio.

My own experience was that as long as you didnt stick out like a sore thumb with the trappings of
wealth on show, (not that we had any!) and attempt to integrate when possible with the locals you
should be ok. Obviously you need to keep an eye on your belongings and common sense should
prevail, but I wouldnt let general advice put you off enjoying Rios sights and sounds and engaging
with the locals. We were advised not to go to the seafront at night; well we were down on the
beach at gone 10pm and had a great time. I also spent a couple of magical hours on the rocks at
the end of Ipanema beach watching the sun go down along with many locals and tourists alike. In
all our time in Rio we didnt see or experience anything other than warm hospitality and Id
recommend the city to anyone.







34

The next leg of our journey took us by plane from the
raw heat of Rio to the humidity of Manaus, capital of
the Amazonas State and base for our jungle adven-
ture. For once we had reserved our accommodation
over the internet from Rio so we were picked up from
the airport and went straight to our hotel, located
near the opera house.

As I mentioned earlier in the book, one of the key
reasons we made the trip was down to the book
Journey To The River Sea that Lorraine and Hannah
had read which was centred around Manaus.
Although our visit was a bit of a pilgrimage to honour
the story it also turned out to be one of the highlights so far.

Manaus is a mix of traditional red tiled roofs and 20 storey tower blocks. Many of the larger, older
buildings have clearly been deteriorating for decades, although a restoration programme was initiat-
ed in 2001 and there is evidence that some of the historic buildings are being given new leases of
life. The Opera House, or Teatro Amazonas is a magnificent building and has been restored 4 times
since it was completed in 1896 during the great rubber boom. We took one of the daily tours of the
inside which showed it to be immaculately maintained and something the city is clearly proud of.










The Teatro Amazonas dominates one side of the
Praca Sao Sebastiao, a pleasant square with sever-
al bars and cafes and a place to relax on balmy
evenings. At night the Teatro is lit up and even
more impressive.



35

On another side of the Praca is the church, Igreja Sao Sebastiao with one impressive bell tower.
Apparantly there should have been two but the boat that was transporting it sunk and a lack of mon-
ey prevented it being re-ordered. Inside is one of the most amazing series of ceiling paintings Ive
ever seen and an alter made of ivory depicting two hands holding a water lily made of Brazil wood.


















Jungle adventure
Being so close to the jungle we decided to take a three day trip to a lodge about an hour and a half
away from the city. To get there we took a boat ride through the meeting of the waters where the
Rio Solimoes, (Amazon) and the Rio Negro converge. The waters are significantly different with the
Solimoes being a light brown and, as the name suggests the Negro being virtually black. The differ-
ence is caused by the rivers flowing at different speeds, having different temperatures and acidic
levels. They flow side by side without mixing for several kilometres.








Having crossed the rivers we took
36

a car ride for about 30 minutes to a smaller river and reached the jungle lodge some 40 minutes lat-
er by motorized canoe.

Our guide, Damian, (couldnt get the Only Fools and Horses sketch out of my head) was both
knowledgeable and fun, and an instant hit with the girls. Our first activity was a swim in the river to
cool off after our journey. We were in a group of seven; the four of us, Rebecca and Olivier from
France, and Maki, a young lady from Japan travelling alone.

After lunch we went on a canoe ride deeper into the jungle to see some wildlife. We had our own
canoe with Damian and the other three in another. For the first part of the journey we didnt see
anything which wasnt surprising as Lorraine and the girls had never canoed before and I hadnt
been in one for about 20 years. Needless to say we found it challenging to steer through the narrow
openings as Damian led us into the swamps of reeds and trees. The noise of our laughter and re-
peated impact against trees meant that any living thing within two miles would have been given an
early warning that amateurs were in the area. Eventually we got to grips with our navigation and by
the end of our trip we had seen several species of monkeys, birds and jumping spiders. It was also
great exercise so upon our return we all dived back into the river.

As night descended we ate a hearty evening meal
before getting back into a canoe, just the one this
time, and went hunting for Caiman. Damian was on
lookout at the front with a colleague controlling the
outboard engine. As we travelled close to the bank
you could see pairs of glittering pink eyes. As they
can grow to in excess of two metres it was testa-
ment to Damians skill that when he lunged forward
and grabbed one he chose one no more than a couple of feet in length. We returned to the lodge
with Caiman in hand to get a better look at it and learn more about them. Once the photo shoot
was over it was released gently back into the river.









37

I awoke early the next morning and ventured down the steps from our cabin to the jetty to watch
the sunrise and see the pink dolphins make their way up river. Not a bad way to start the day.

With breakfast over we went on a trek by foot into the heart of the jungle. With Damians assistance
we were able to get close to a number of creatures, and learnt an enormous amount about survival
in an unforgiving environment. He showed us how to smear ourselves with ants, (you let them crawl
over your arms then rub them into your skin) as a way of disguising your smell to enable you to get
up close to other animals. Needless to say we all enjoyed watching each other wriggle as they
crawled all over the place. Abbey said they reached her pants and did some great break dancing to
get them out. Top performance Abs.

(I am assuming that Damian was telling the truth.
He had a twinkle in his eye so I could imagine him
going down to his local bar making comments like
you should have seen what I had these Gringos
doing today with much laughter had by all. Nah,
that couldnt happen could it?).



We also drank fresh water from vines and ate grubs from inside nuts. Well Abbey and I did. Han-
nah got as far as putting the grub in her mouth but couldnt go through with the chewing bit. They
actually tasted of coconut!

Damian also teased a Tarantula out of its hiding
place for us to see. Judging by the amount of irritat-
ing powder it was puffing towards us it wasnt too
happy to be disturbed.

A few hours later we arrived back at the lodge, had
lunch, a swim and awaited our instructions for Pira-
nha fishing. We had anticipated another journey on
the river but Damian provided us with poles, lines and hooks and told us to sit on the jetty with bits
of chicken skin for bait. Whilst wed been taking our refreshing dips in the river, unbeknownst to us
the Piranha had been swimming underneath. Apparently they dont attack unless you make the
wrong sort of motion or smell like rotting meat. Forgot to tell us that didnt you Damian!


38

After a couple of hours we had all caught at least one and it was time to get back into the canoe for
our expedition into the jungle for our overnight adventure.

About an hour later we arrived at our camp for the night
under an open sided shelter. As the girls put up the ham-
mocks and mosquito nets, the boys went looking for fire-
wood. With the camp taking some sort of shape we took
the canoe back out into the middle of the river to cool off
after our labours. Back on land Olivier and I got the fire
going while the girls prepared a salad. Damian split a cou-
ple of sticks and wedged the two chickens we had brought,
expertly into place then stuck them into the ground so the chickens began to roast gently over the
fire.







After a fine meal, several beers and homemade Caiparinhas, and much storytelling it was time for
bed. We all settled down in our hammocks with our nets securely in place. The only trouble was I
needed the bathroom in the middle of the night. Having made my way out into the jungle and safe-
ly made it back to camp I inadvertently let a mossie in with me. In spite of much waving of hands
and quiet cursing, by morning it was apparent who had won. I counted 14 bites and one satisfied
mossie who was very much alive.

After breaking camp we returned to the lodge by way of a visit to a native family. We shared a
breakfast of fruit, eggs, bread and jam and something that we couldnt identify but it tasted ok.
Afterwards we had yet another swim in the river and learnt about their way of life. I spied a large
turtle shell and enquired what they used it for. It transpired that it had been last nights dinner and
the shell would now be used as a scoop. David and his sister.






39

The mother was preparing lunch and Lorraine asked what they would be having. Potentially a big
mistake as she was preparing a stew of giant rat and Brazil nut. Mum was grating the nuts into the
sauce with what transpired to be a fish tongue. Her husband chipped in that it was a great tool as
he also used it to get rid of the dry skin on his feet! Lorraine was invited to taste the stew which to
her credit she did, and commented that the sauce was really nice. (She did confess that she man-
aged to avoid taking any of the meat.)

We eventually made our way back to the lodge and packed ready for our journey back to Manaus.
As a final surprise we were able to hold a Sloth that had visited one of the local trees. A truly
magical moment. Although they arent vicious by nature we were advised to hold it facing away
from us so it couldnt inadvertently scratch us with its long claws.
















With the photo shoot over it was released back up into the trees and made its way gracefully to
safety.

Our journey back to Manaus was smooth and quiet as I think we were all reflecting on the past few
days. We arrived back at the hotel and started to make plans for the next part of our journey; a six
day boat ride up the Amazon from Manaus to Tabatinga on the borders of Brazil, Peru and
Columbia.





40

We had decided that our next destination would be Cusco in Peru, which acts as a launching pad for
Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. The only question was how to get there. If we flew wed need
to go from Manaus to Sao Paolo, Sao Paolo to Lima and finally Lima to Cusco. Potentially a very ex-
pensive trip. The alternative was a 6 or 7 day cruise up the Amazon to Leticia/Tabatinga on a
combined cargo/passenger vessel followed by a speedboat ride to Iquitos and a flight to Cusco, via
Lima. A much longer journey; possibly not that much cheaper but certainly much more of an
adventure, so thats what we elected to do.

The old adage of beware of Greeks bearing gifts (no offence to anyone from Greece who may read
this), was something I should have paid attention to when it came to purchasing the tickets for the
boat ride. Our hotel also housed a travel agency which we used to go into the jungle. As wed had
a great time on that trip I was happy to get a quote for the journey up the Amazon. To get a
comparison we ventured down to the docks in Manaus and ended up meeting with an agent who
introduced us to the Captain of the boat we would be travelling on, the Monteiro.
They showed us around and provided a quote which was
the same as the one wed received. The only difference
was that the hotel agent had said wed be in a Special
Suite with an additional bed as the Normal cabin only
had a double bed which would only be fine for Lorraine
and the girls. The Captain had suggested I bring a ham-
mock with me.

We booked with the hotel agent and the upshot was that we arrived on board to find just the dou-
ble bed and no sign of the agent. I guess the learning is, if you can get close to the actual supplier,
in this case the Captain, its probably worth doing business direct with them.

To say I wasnt best pleased would be an understatement particularly as I had just carried our entire
supply of water and beer through the sweltering streets of Manaus to the boat. We had been ad-
vised by Dino, a Canadian we met in the hotel lobby who had made this journey to bring our own
water for drinking and ablutions as its usual for the boat crew to use river water whenever possible.
So there I was carrying 18 two litre bottles of water with two cases of 20 cans of beer, (it was a
tough call as I nearly had to ditch the water). In hindsight Im not sure how I managed it but I was
41

ringing wet, once again, by the time I got on board.

Having freshened up with a quick shower, (water pumped from the river) I went in search of new
shipmates, which didnt take long as the cabin directly opposite us was occupied by Clare and Jason,
a couple from Bristol, England who were three months into a two year trip around the world. Each
of the cabins has a small balcony and I found Clare and Jason chatting to Ryan, a Canadian touring
around South America who introduced us all to The Wobble, (moving your head vigorously from
side to side while someone takes your photo. Great fun. This is us on the first night:

With the ice broken we spent the rest of the
night sharing beers and travellers stories and
the challenges of earlier on became a thing of
the past.

The Monteiro had three main decks. The bot-
tom deck had mainly goods on it which ranged
from motorcycles to melons, eggs to exercise
bikes, toilet roll to televisions and paint to pasta, and what appeared to be a never ending supply of
beer and sodas. The middle deck was the main accommodation deck with a number of cabins that
were actually used for storage, and the hammock area which housed around 250 300 of all shapes
and sizes. Ryan had arrived the night before our departure and secured prime position on one of
the ends farthest away from the toilet. Smart move. It also meant that it minimized the chance of
others putting their hammocks above and around his. The kitchen and dining room were also on the
middle deck so queuing up for meals was next to the hammocks and to be fair it always seemed to
be a calm and relaxed environment.

The upper deck had further cabins including ours; the
shop, that supplied most things you needed for the
journey, and plenty of open space for the adults to
relax and the children to run around. As Hannah and
Abbey were the only foreign children on board they
attracted quite a bit of attention from the others
particularly early on in the journey.

Our days tended to form pretty much a similar pattern. Wake up and check the colour sequence;
brown (river) green (jungle) blue (sky) for a nice day or brown - green grey for not so good.
We gave the ships breakfast a miss and settled for crackers, water or juice and melon which you
could buy on board. The rest of the day was usually spent wandering around exploring the ship or
42

watching the river bank for any signs of life. Most days we would make at least one stop at a village
or town to drop off passengers and cargo. In the evenings wed usually get together with C, J & R
to put the world to rights over a few beers whilst Hannah and Abbey played pontoon for money or
entertained the local children.








Unfortunately Lorraine and the girls went down with food poisoning for a few days and cared little
for anything other than sleep and water. It wasnt surprising as personal hygiene didnt appear to be
high on some of the crew or passengers lists. If you pee off the front and wash the dishes from
water collected from the back, what do you expect. Enough said.

The original estimate was 6 days to reach Tabatinga, but it turned out to be 7, which was pretty
much in keeping with the information I got from the crew. On our daily stops we usually got off to
stretch our legs, take some photos and explore the village or town. If we asked the crew how long
the stop would be the answer would usually turn out to be a quarter of the actual time, so we got
used to taking information with a pinch of salt.

Finally we arrived in Tabatinga, which wasnt at all
what I expected. Bearing in mind the Monteiro is
a reasonable size I had anticipated at least a dock
of some kind, but we actually pulled up by the
bank. A plank was pushed out and that was that.

Having literally walked the plank we all piled into
a truck and were driven to the border with Columbia. Tabatinga in Brazil and Leticia in Columbia is
actually one town with the border running through it. Providing you dont leave town you can pass
freely from one side to the other without showing your passport. With lots of guns on show from
the guards our driver was nervous about taking us across so we jumped out and walked the remain-
der of the journey into town. It didnt take long to find a decent hotel with a great pool and that
part of our river journey was put to bed.


43

As we had a laptop with us we logged on to any wireless network in range whenever we could. If
none was available there were usually plenty of Internet cafes in the towns and cities wed visited.
Naturally Lorraine had been thinking about her Mum since wed left so it was a relief to find out her
first operation had gone well and she was recovering in hospital. The girls kept in regular contact
with their mates back home through email and Facebook, and by now I began to get a real sense of
us moving from being tourists to travellers.

Leticia was always going to be a stepping stone on our journey to Cusco so plans were quickly put in
place to catch a ferry to Santa Rosa, a small island on the Peruvian side of the river, where wed
complete immigration into Peru and catch our boat to Iquitos. After a few days relaxing by the pool
and having a bimble around Leticia it was time to move on.







Ok, let me set the scene and our expectations. The arrangements were that wed catch a taxi from
the hotel to the dock in Leticia to arrive by 4.00am; catch the ferry to Santa Rosa to complete immi-
gration; board the speedboat at 5.00am and 9 to 10 hours later arrive in Iquitos. Fairly straightfor-
ward we thought? The reality was that we were greeted by torrential rain the following morning and
the taxi driver didnt turn up. With the streets deserted there was nothing else to do but make our
own way down to the dock. In spite of Goretex jackets we quickly reached that point when you just
cant get any wetter so when the ferry turned out to be an open canoe we just accepted it with a
wry smile.

Its easy for me to write that sentence but in hindsight we had two young ladies with us and their
fortitude and resilience on this trip constantly amazed me.

So the four of us and another couple piled our bags onto the canoe and in the pitch black started to
make our way towards the lights of Santa Rosa. About 5 or 6 minutes into the journey the chap
steering the boat said we were too heavy and in danger of sinking so he dropped me and the other
couple off at one of the floating houses we were passing and continued on with Lorraine, the girls
and the bags. There I was at just gone four in the morning, in the dark, stood next to people half
asleep who had no idea what the hell I was doing there, praying my family and our bags would
make it to the other end. At least we were temporarily out of the rain.

44

Eventually I heard the sound of a little 2-stroke engine heading our way. We were picked up and
made the 10 minute journey to Santa Rosa, completed the necessary forms and boarded our boat
believing the worst was now over.

We made good progress in the first few hours in spite of the boats roof leaking and people stringing
plastic bags above them to catch the drips. Unfortunately about two thirds of the way there it be-
came apparent that the crew of two were decidedly unhappy. There was much discussion about the
engine and much more tinkering which meant we made several stops at a variety of river houses to
pick up additional fuel and oil. At least the weather had picked up so when the engine finally gave
up we were able to step outside onto the 4ft by 4ft deck and enjoy the sunshine as we drifted out of
control the wrong way down the amazon. Fortunately the current usually pushed us into the bank
and the chaps set to work finding a temporary fix. So that became the pattern for the next few
hours; fix travel breakdown drift moor repeat.

Fourteen hours after we set off and with the lights of Iquitos about two miles in the distance the en-
gine decided to stop playing altogether. There was nothing for it but to radio for help and await res-
cue. A boat arrived some thirty minutes later and towed us towards port. The police however had
other ideas and we were quickly brought to a halt as we were boarded, searched and had our docu-
mentation checked. One of the passengers lost it big style and gave the police so much grief I
thought he and potentially us would be thrown into jail for the night. At least wed be warm, fed and
dry! With the police satisfied, we were allowed on our way and eventually towed into Iquitos.

We gathered our bags on the dock and were quickly surrounded by Moto-taxi drivers vying for our
business. As the town centre was only a few blocks away we elected to walk, however the drivers
had other ideas and two of them tried to take my rucksack. I didnt take kindly to this and shouted
oy! meaning oy, get your hands off my gear. It was only afterwards that I remembered that they
probably thought I was shouting Hoy! meaning today. In their world they were trying to offer assis-
tance and make an honest living, and had this crazy Gringo shouting Today! Today! at them. As-
suming me to be a lunatic they backed off and we were able to make the journey to the main square
despite repeated interference from half a dozen drivers who just wouldnt take no for an answer.

Having found a hotel and settled in, we reflected on the day. The general consensus was that we
had come on the trip to find adventure, but there is a limit!





45

Iquitos and the Yellow Rose of Texas

4
th
7
th
March

Iquitos, like Manaus made its wealth during the rubber boom of the late 19
th
and early 20
th
centu-
ries, and like Manaus there is much architectural evidence of its former grandeur. Many of the larger
buildings are still faced with azulejos, (glazed tiles) which the rubber barons would import from Por-
tugal and Italy.










The main square, the Plaza de Armas, is dominated by a Cathedral which unlike some of the other
older buildings had been well maintained.

Aside from the Amazon, Iquitos is completely surrounded by jungle
so the only means of transport in or out is by boat or plane. Wed
had enough of boats for a while so our next journey was a flight to
Cusco, and as this didnt leave for a couple of days we had a bit of
time to explore.

Before arriving in Iquitos Id made a mental note to visit the Yellow
Rose of Texas, which our guidebook described as a 24 hour restau-
rant run by the ex-director of the tourist office, Gerald W Mayeaux
with authentic Texan atmosphere and saddle seats. (It also had
Sky TV so I was hoping to catch up on the footy.)

We met Gerald who welcomed us with open arms and showed us around his establishment. The
food was great and we all had a lot of fun riding the saddles as we ate and drank. If you ever find
yourself in Iquitos make sure you pay a visit to Geralds home from home.


46

One of the other places we visited during our brief stay was the Museo Amazonica which housed the
Sons of our land exhibition by Felipe Lettersten, who spent time with many of the indigenous tribes
of the Amazon and who was able to create lifesize models of many of the people he met. These are
complimented by an impressive photo collection and the whole exhibition was well worth a visit.













As we had another early flight we were up in the wee small hours to catch our tuk-tuks to the air-
port, which despite the time of day was great fun. And so it was that we said goodbye to the
Amazon which had been a part of our lives for the past two weeks, and flew out of Iquitos for Cuzco,
Peru, by way of a brief stop to change planes in Lima, and one of my must see destinations, Machu
Picchu.
















47

There are places that weve visited on the trip that have really grabbed our attention, and left us
with a desire to come back someday to spend more time there. Cuzco firmly fits into this category
for me. My initial thoughts were that it would act as a launching pad for Machu Picchu, but the more
we learnt about the ancient Inca capital the more we found to occupy our minds and time.

Firstly we were in a great hotel, the Santa Catalina, just around the corner from the Plaza de Armas,
the main square. From our balcony we had a perfect vantage point to see all manner of celebrations
and processions. Some were undoubtedly for the benefit of tourists (and travellers) but it also
seemed like the locals just liked to party.










One evening we went down to the main square to find it packed with hundreds and hundreds of
people. There was a band, speeches, balloons, and a fireworks display, and all this was for the
launch of a fairly run-of-the-mill saloon car. It was fantastic!

We also stumbled upon a play being filmed for television on the
back streets of Cusco as we made our way to one of the great
museums on offer.





48

One thing we did notice soon after we landed in Cusco was the thin air and its effects. Cusco stands
at an altitude of 11,200ft (3,400m) and we soon found that wed become tired after just a few
minutes walking and had to rest, particularly as there are quite a few hills to negotiate. There was
plenty of advice in our Guide Book and from other travellers we spoke to about what to watch out
for and how to combat it. The advice was mainly to take it steady for a few days and let our bodies
adjust naturally. As one of the effects is a lack of appetite we needed to make sure that even if we
werent hungry we still drank plenty to avoid the additional effects of dehydration. Around two litres
per day was the recommended minimum. One of the remedies locals recommend is to drink Coca
tea or chew Coca leaves which is the plant Cocaine comes from. As well as fatigue we also suffered
from headaches, dizziness and a lack of sleep for the first couple of days. Thankfully our bodies ad-
justed and we were able to explore freely.

As I mentioned, Cusco was formerly the capital of the Inca Empire until 1533 when the Spanish ar-
rived. The Spanish destroyed many Inca palaces and temples and used the foundations and walls to
construct a new city, and this style of architecture is clearly visible everywhere you look. Cusco re-
mained an important city after the invasion and was the centre of Spanish colonization and the
spread of Christianity throughout the Andean world. Thankfully there is still plenty of evidence on
view of the immense skill and craftsmanship the Incas had when it came to constructing buildings
and walls.








Although we were being careful about buying souvenirs, the girls and I invested in one of the tradi-
tional hats made from Alpaca wool called a Chullo, and as the temperature could dip significantly
after the sun went down, they came in very handy indeed.

As well as exploring the wealth of places to visit in Cusco,
we also made plans for our trip to Machu Picchu, some
80km to the North West of Cusco and situated on a moun-
tain ridge. Surprisingly it is significantly lower in altitude
than Cusco, at 7,970ft (2,430m). Our plan was to take the
train through the Urubamba valley and stay overnight in
Aguas Calientes before making our early morning ascent.
49

The other choice would be to undertake the classic 4 day Inca
Trail trek which starts at km82, (so called because it is located
82km along the railway line between Cusco and Aguas Calien-
tes), and ends up at Machu Picchu. We decided to play it safe
on this occasion and leave that route for another time.

So we boarded a bus to take us from Cusco to Ollantaytambo,
where we catch the train to Aguas Calientes to spend the night before catching a very early morning
bus that would take us up to the entrance to Machu Picchu itself.

Having arrived at Ollantaytambo with time to spare, we set about exploring the town which lies in
the Sacred Valley of the Incas and has much to occupy the transit traveller. To get a better view,
we climbed the seventeen terraces that once led to The Temple Of The Sun, which has sadly been
totally destroyed. It would be easy to gloss ove a visit to Ollantaytambo because of its proximity to
the main destination of Machu Picchu but f you scratch beneath the surface of Ollantaytambos histo-
ry youll find that it played an important role in the defence of the Incan kingdom when they were
threatened by the Spanish invasion. It was here that the Manco Inca retreated to after his defeat in
Cusco in 1536, and repelled the initial surge of Spanish troops by raining down arrows, spears and
rocks onto the troops. As many of the Spanish were on horseback the Incas flooded much of the
plain below making it difficult for the soldiers to manoeuvre and eventually the Spanish retreated
back to Cusco. Obviously they returned in much greater numbers and kicked the Incas backsides
but Ollantaytambo is the only place where they could say Inca 1 Spanish 0.









Inca engineering:
To stop the water flowing from this
spring you simply run your finger
across the flow over the stone. To
start it flowing again, you just run
your finger across the stone again.
Amazing, (but true.)
50









We eventually boarded the train which wound its way through the sacred valley and arrived at Aguas
Calientes in what can only be described as a monsoon. Having checked in to our hotel we ventured
out in the evening to get a meal at (http://www.indiofeliz.com/en/indio-feliz.html), a restaurant that
had been recommended to us by the wife of the owner Lorraine was in conversation with on the
plane from Lima to Cusco. The meal was sensational so if you ever find yourself etc etc.

Day 46
Date 11th March
Location Machu Picchu, Peru
From what we had read and heard from others it was better to get to Machu Picchu as early as pos-
sible to avoid the crowds and inclement weather so we were up and out by 5.30am and made our
way down to the bus stop. The buses run as a shuttle service and as there were already quite a few
people queuing we were quickly making our way up the snaking road that hugs the side of the hill.
Soon we were outside the hotel and ticket office on a cool but thankfully clear day. Having pur-
chased our tickets we made our way towards the main attraction.

The first thing that struck me was the remoteness. Apparently Machu Picchu was built as an estate
for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, around 1450 but was abandoned about 100 years later due to the
Spanish invasion and possibly smallpox. The irony is that it is thought that the Spanish never found
the site so it was left largely undis-
covered and undisturbed until it
was brought to international atten-
tion by the American Historian, Hi-
ram Bingham in 1911.

In 1983 it was declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, and in 2007 it
was voted one of the New Seven
Wonders of the World in an internet
poll.
51

Although I was with Lorraine and the girls I felt a fantastic sense of isolation and just had to sit
down and take in what I was looking at and feeling. It may sound clich but I really got a sense
that there was very little between me and the Gods. Yes I knew that we were at a lower altitude
than Cusco, and yes I knew that it was in actual fact a relic of a time long ago, but .. There
was something truly magical about just being there. Nothing had to happen. There was no need for
talking. Just seeing and breathing and being a part of it was entirely sufficient. I had been looking
forward to this since we started planning the trip and the experience was everything I could have
wished for and more.

When we had been mulling over the pros and cons of the trip in relation to the girls education we
talked about experiential learning, and the one example I used was do you want to read about
Machu Picchu in a book, or do you want to be there, really be there, on the terraces in the clouds.
Well now we were and I could tell that the girls got it too judging by their expressions and silence.

We wandered around some of the one hundred and forty structures, stroking the polished dry stone
walls and watching the men and women who were renovating or rebuilding some of the buildings.
One of the great things about Machu Picchu is that there are so many unanswered questions as so
little is known about what life was like for the inhabitants. There is debate about whether the terrac-
es were there for farming, to provide food, or whether they were built to reinforce the estate from
earthquakes. If the site wasnt self sufficient then how did they get supplies to such a remote loca-
tion? How did they transport so many large pieces of stone over great dis-
tances, and how did they carve the stone to build the walls and buildings
with such precision that you cant get a knife blade between the blocks.

For me personally, I didnt need
to know the clinical detail. Hav-
ing the latitude to interpret and
conjure my own conclusions
made it more intriguing.
52

As you can see from many of the pictures of Machu Picchu, the estate is overshadowed by a moun-
tain called Wayna Picchu or Huayna picchu, which is Quechua for Young Peak. Only four hundred
visitors are allowed to climb the mountain each day and with the weather due to change later in the
day we made for its entrance. I think its important to mention now that Lorraine is a nervous
climber, and as I wrote in the Rio passage, she has a real fear of heights. We knew that there would
be fantastic views of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley from the top so onwards and upwards as
the saying goes.
Having crossed the ridgeline, also known as a knife
edge, between the two mountains we began our
ascent. We had heard that certain parts were steep
and others were exposed; just hopefully not steep
and exposed.

The initial rise was gradual and we made good pro-
gress. As the trail became steeper we used the ny-
lon ropes or steel cables provided. Then it became a little more interesting. I know for those of you
who have a head for heights or those that have climbed the peak it is probably not much of a chal-
lenge, but when you have two young ladies, who will ultimately determine which rest home I end up
in I have a vested interest in keeping them happy and safe. Add to this a wife who is now making
comments like, are you sure and oh my God, it can be distracting to say the least.

We carried on regardless and made our way up the staircases that were both steep and slippery. I
got a real sense of emptiness behind me at times as we had to lean against them to avoid over bal-
ancing. Id put the girls ahead of me in case they had a problem, but in all honesty if one of them
had slipped and fallen she probably would have taken me with her.

The main problem I faced was the depth of the steps which was little more than a few inches. I
take a size ten so my feet arent that big but most of the time a large portion of my foot was over-
hanging the step.

Eventually we made it to a plateau near the top and took stock of what wed achieved. Although it
wasnt that far to the peak, we unfortunately took a wrong turn and ended up going up the way
youre supposed to come down. We had to pass through an archway and turn immediately right
onto another steep staircase. There was a wall on one side and nothing, I mean nothing on the oth-
er. It was an abyss all the way down to the valley floor some 1,300ft below. I remember thinking
that going up wasnt actually that bad but it would be a different matter on the way down as you are
facing the descent and can see everything around you. The prospect didnt thrill me, but then again
neither did the weather which by now was starting to close in.
53

Pretty soon we reached the top and were rewarded for all our effort by a truly amazing view, not
only of Machu Picchu but also of the Sacred Valley and surrounding mountain ranges.




















Having taken in the views it was time to head down.
We shuffled down the staircase on our backsides,
keeping close to the wall and headed back through
the arch. From then on it was relatively easy going and we were soon back on the main estate
which by now was quite busy with pockets of tourists being shepherded here and there by their
guides as well as groups who had arrived on foot and were celebrating completing the Inca Trail.

We wandered around some of the areas we hadnt yet visited before making our way to the exit just
as it started to rain. I remember passing a large group of school children who were just entering
and hoped that the clouds and mist would clear so they could really appreciate the site in all its glo-
ry.

We had one last bit of excitement. The coach drivers clearly make the run up and down the moun-
tain several times a day. We didnt, so it came as a bit of a surprise to see just how close we got to
the edge on several occasion. That said, I wouldnt have missed it for the world.

This gives an indication of how steep
some parts of the ascent were.
54

We caught the train back to Ollantaytambo and a bus back to Cusco and took stock on an amazing
day. After a good nights rest we were back on our travels, this time making our way down to Puno
on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Our coach stopped several times along the way to take in the obliga-
tory markets and sites of historical significance, and the girls were thrilled to get up close and per-
sonal with a baby Alpaca.

Sometimes it doesnt matter
whether youre a tourist or a
traveller. Ultimately youre a
source of income.









We arrived in Puno late afternoon and found a suitable hotel without much effort. We also arranged
for a tour guide from one of the local firms to visit the hotel as we wanted to visit the Floating is-
lands wed read about, home to the Uros people. We actually ended up agreeing to visit two of the
land islands, including an overnight stop with a local family, and visit the Uros on the way back to
Puno. This worked out well as the next leg of our journey was a flight to Quito in Ecuador in two
days time.

The following morning we were picked up and taken to the harbour where we boarded the boat that
would take us, along with a group of about twenty others to Amantani Island. On arrival we were
greeted by a number of ladies who were clearly used to the process and quickly set about allocating
visitors with locals. We were teamed up with Julian and Lucia, an elderly couple who had lived on
the island all their lives and had built a sizeable house themselves which could accommodate us all.







55

We quickly made friends and presented some staples we had bought in Puno as a sign that we ap-
preciated their hospitality. We all pitched in to get a meal together and with lunch over I helped to
clear away by doing the washing up.
With the chores done we went for a walk with Julian
around his garden and although he didnt speak English,
and we sure as hell didnt speak Quechuan it was suffi-
cient just to spend time with a really lovely person.

Later we joined the other visitors, and representatives
from their families, and we all made our way up to the
top of one of the two mountain peaks that dominate the
island. Once a year on January 20th the islands population divides in two with each group making
their way to a respective peak where a representative is chosen. A race is held from the top of the
peaks to a point in between to determine if the harvest will be a good one or not, and as long as the
winner comes from the group at the top of Pachamama (Mother Earth) it will be. Not sure what
happens to the runner from Pachatata (Father Earth) if he or she wins. Taxi!!!

Having watched a glorious sunset, we wandered back down to get
ready for the nights festivities. By now one of Julians daughters
had arrived to help with our costumes.

The girls loved get-
ting dressed up in
traditional clothing
and looked sensa-
tional. With us all
looking the part we
made our way to the
local hall and danced
the night
away.
56

The following morning we said our goodbyes
and boarded the boat for our journey to Taquile
Island and then on to the floating islands and
the Uros.
As we pulled up to the first floating island we were
greeted by a welcoming party of ladies in brightly
coloured clothing who were singing Frere Jacques
and Twinkle Twinkle, (not at the same time).
We were given a lecture on how they make the
islands out of the Totora reeds that they harvest
from the lake. They also make their boats and
canoes out of them. The good thing is, if you
fall out with your neighbour you can just saw
your island in two and either you, or they can go
floating off into the sunset.
The reeds on the bottom of the islands rot away
fairly quickly so they have to keep adding new top
layers to avoid getting too low in the water. The
reeds are also used for food and medicine.

The children have their own island school but the older
ones attend school and University on the mainland in
Puno.
Although they are primarily self-sufficient, tourism
brings in much needed revenue for the Uros people,
however it is also a constant challenge to their tradi-
tional way of life.

After a brief stop at a
market island we headed
back to Puno to pack for
the next days flight to
Quito in Ecuador.
57

Our flight to Quito was by way of Lima, the capital of Peru, where we had to change planes. Unfor-
tunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it we had to collect our luggage in Lima and
check it back in for the flight to Quito. It was then that there was a piece missing. A very important
piece for me. I neglected to say earlier on that in addition to the packing list we were each allowed
to bring one luxury item with us. Lorraine chose to bring a mascara, Hannah a blanket that her
school mates had embroidered good will messages on and Abbey her Nintendo DS and some games.
Me, well I chose something that I thought would be unusual but a great reminder of the trip. I
chose my cricket bat. The plan was to ask people we met throughout the trip to sign it or add mes-
sages and graffiti to remember our time together. As it was classed as too big for the overhead
lockers it ended up going in the hold. Unfortunately it hadnt been taken off our flight and the
chances were it was now on its way back to Puno.

Lorraine wasnt impressed.

She didnt want it to come in the first place as she considered it too big and cumbersome, so her
initial reaction was, Well thats just the universe saying its time to let it go. Errr, hello? When I
said there was no way I was leaving it behind, and she realised I wasnt joking, we asked the airline
to book us onto a later flight and had no other choice but to wait for the shuttle to return.
Fortunately it wasnt that long, ok it was a few hours, before we were boarding our flight to Quito
and saying goodbye to Peru. We all agreed wed had a brilliant time and vowed to come back again
before too long.


Day 50
Date 15th March
Location Quito, Ecuador
Remember Lesson 1 from earlier? Quito was our next destina-
tion primarily because Lorraines must must see was The Galapa-
gos Islands and most of the trips there are organized from the
capital. We knew it would be an expensive trip and blow the
budget sky high, but we also knew it would be worth every pen-
ny, or cent to be precise as Ecuador adopted the US Dollar as its
official currency in 2000.

Before we took in the sights of Quito we thought wed get the
Galapagos trip organized first. It came as quite a shock when we
were told that the next available trip with spaces for four
passengers was in three weeks time. Three weeks!!!
58

Dilemma time. Do we:
A. Carry on with the trip and leave the Galapagos for another trip?
B. Carry on with the trip, but make our way back in time to go to the Galapagos
Or
C. Occupy our time until a trip becomes available.
We opted for C, and left our details with just about every Travel Agent we could find, telling them
we were available at a moments notice. With that done there was nothing else to do but see more
of Quito, and Ecuador.

Fortunately Ecuador is an amazing country with plenty on offer. Even if youre not going to the
Galapagos its still worth a visit. Like many of the countries on our itinerary I knew next to nothing
about Ecuador so everything was a surprise.

Having come recently from Cusco we were used to the thin air as Quito, or San Francisco de Quito to
give it its proper name is the second highest capital city in the world at 9,200ft (2,800m). The
highest is La Paz, Bolivia. Ecuador is Spanish for equator and the city extends to within 1km of the
equator. It has been built up on a plateau and is flanked by volcanoes, some of which are active.

For the first few days we bimbled around the city, which is loosely divided into two; the new, and
the old, the latter being dominated by Quitos cathedral, considered to be one of the oldest cathe-
drals in South America.

















59

On our second day in Quito we had real cause for celebration as it was Hannahs 11th birthday. In
the evening we put on our best khaki and went out for a slap-up meal at a fancy restaurant which
also provided a floor show. I discreetly let our waitress know of Hannahs celebration and she ar-
ranged a cake, complete with candles, and a band to play Feliz Cumpleanos (obviously Happy Birth-
day) for her. There was however a minor glitch in the plan. Hannah and Abbey disappeared off to
the toilet towards the end of the meal and the waitress had to go and drag them back with the band
poised, the candles burning and the other diners all warming up their tonsils. With the song sung
we were treated a great show and Hannah declared it had been a fantastic birthday.















As we had time to kill we caught up on all the mundane chores that had been accumulated over the
past few weeks such as laundry, communication with back home and blog updates. Ok, ok not the
blog updates. I had been really rubbish at updating the blog on a regular basis but wed been so
busy and were having so much fun.


With no prospect of a boat in the next few
days we ventured beyond Quito. One trip was
by bus to the thermal baths at Papallacta,
some 65km South East from Quito. Needless
to say the girls had a wonderful time and came
back with their skin rejuvenated, (even if they
did look like prunes as they spent so much
time in the water).

60

We also took a day trip out to Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world at 19,347ft
(5,897m). Its located 28kn south of Quito and is part of the chain of volcanoes known as the
Pacific Ring of Fire.

Unfortunately the cloud didnt lift all day so I
was unable to get a clear shot of the cone.





Our Guide drove us up to a height of 4,300m and from there we
walked up to the Jose Ribas mountain hut at 4,800m. Put like that
it doesnt sound like much but as its volcanic ash under foot its
extremely draining as you take one step forward and end up com-
ing back most of the way. Eventually we made it and were re-
warded with a warming mug of hot chocolate. Most climbers who
are attempting the summit make their way up to the hut during
the day before setting off on their ascent through the night so they
can see the sun rise from the top. Another one for the list of next time.







Fortunately we were contacted by one of the travel agents in Quito who said there was an opening
in a few days time on a four night cruise around the Galapagos islands. Our wait was over.

As I mentioned on P 58 Quito is extremely close to the equator so we took a trip out to the Mitad del
Mundo (Middle of the world), an area formerly
thought to cross the equator. In recognition of this a
30m tall monument was built between 1979-1982.
Unfortunately the technology used for GPS systems
and computer mapping has since shown that the
equator lies some 240m North of the marked line.

61

Soooooooooooooo . in light of this, some enterprising soul has opened up Inti Nan, a
surprisingly interesting attraction, five minutes walk from Mitad del Mundo, that was hardly
mentioned in our Guide book.

As well as having our picture taken with one
leg across each hemisphere we were taken to
see a burial tomb where it was explained that
when the male died he would be mummified
and placed in the tomb and be accompanied
by his first wife while she was still alive!
Hence Hannahs finger.


We also had a go at using a blow-pipe which fired a dart onto a cactus plant, and balancing an egg
on the head of a nail for which we each received a certificate. We were shown experiments such as
watching water go down a plug hole in different
directions as well as straight down.

The culmination of the tour was to walk down the
centre of the
world and pose
at the real
equator.

All in all it is well
worth a visit.





62

Our final excursion was to the Cloud Forest of Mindo located two hours drive North West of Quito.
The forest stretches over the slopes of the Pichincha volcano and is home to a myriad of flora and
fauna. We eventually found accommodation away from the village itself at Mindo Lago, which
comprised of a number of log cabins on the banks of a large pond.









The girls were in their element with a number of craft to choose from.
Mindo Lago is famous for the evening frog chorus as well as the abundance of Humming birds.







The following day we went zip lining on a local aerial runway. Lorraine
had elected to miss the fun and act as photographer for the day. She was
concerned about the girls safety but I was sure they would be accompa-
nied on the first run to get them used to it. Wrong. We were togged up
and given a safety presentation; taken up to the first run; hooked up and
whoosh off you go. It was great fun and judging by the girls screams of
delight they had a fantastic time.








63

We returned to Quito for the night before flying to Guayaquil on the Ecuadorian coast and then on to
the Galapagos Islands.
Day 65
Date 30th March
Location Galapagos islands, Ecuador
We landed on Baltra and were met by our
Guide. The first part of our journey involved a
short ferry ride from Baltra to Santa Cruz, fol-
lowed by a bus ride across the island to Puerto
Ayora. From here were taken to the Charles
Darwin Research Station, where we learnt
about issues concerning the islands, natural
history and took a look at the Tortoise breeding and rearing programme. Apparently this trip is
included in all cruises of the islands.

Following this we were taken to our boat, the Amigo 1, and away we went. Our trip was due to last
four nights with most of the sailing taking place through the night so we could visit a different island
each day.

One of my concerns for the girls on the trip was that they wouldnt
have enough contact with children their own age. So far it hadnt been
an issue and I could tell that they were becoming more and more ac-
complished at developing relationships with adults so when we found
there were sixteen of us on the Amigo 1, plus five crew, and Hannah and Abbey were the only chil-
dren, I wasnt too concerned. Throughout the trip wed found that once people found out about our
trip they usually had quite a few questions, which naturally acted as an ice breaker. So once the
word was out amongst the other twelve passengers, Hannah and Abbey quickly became the centre
of attention. By the end of our first evening we were already quite a tight group.

Fortunately we had a good mix of ages, nationalities and backgrounds which meant there was al-
ways plenty to talk about, aside from what were seeing and doing that day.







Map courtesy of www.galapagosislands.com
64

Over the next few days we visited a number of islands including Santa Fe, Floreana and Isabela.
Although we were in the warm season (January - May) when the climate is more tropical than the
dry season (June - December) we had no rain throughout the trip and were blessed with brilliant
blue skies each day. This meant that the daily treks onto the islands were more enjoyable and the
photographs more colourful.

One of the main reasons people visit the Galapagos is to view the wildlife up close and personal.
During the brief crossing from Baltra to Santa Cruz we saw a sea lion on a Buoy and nearly everyone
got their camera out and snapped away as if it was the last one alive. After a few minutes on our
first island we realised just how close we were able to get to all manner of creatures without causing
any sign of distress or discomfort.









As 97% of the Galapagos region is classed as national park and
is strictly protected by methods such as limiting the number of
boats and people that can visit the islands each day, it means
the animals that have inhabited the islands for centuries have
never been conditioned to fear man. As such you are able to
sit next to a basking iguana or walk alongside a giant tortoise.
We were reminded by our guide that being close is fine but
touching is a definite no-no. This is partly due to the climate,
because most visitors will probably have sunscreen or other
forms of chemicals on their hands which could prove danger-
ous, and in some cases fatal to the animals. Never was the
travelling maxim of Take only photos - Leave only footprints
more appropriate.

One of the reasons for moving from island to island is that many of the animals have specific breed-
ing patterns and only return to certain islands for their courtship rituals. Another reason is that there
are a number of endemic species on the islands, which is what originally compelled Charles Darwin
to study the them.
65

As well as seeing a wide array of birds and mammals on land we
also spent quite a bit of time snorkelling in the warm water. At
one stage our guide dove down to flush out a large shark that
swam around us before heading back to his (or her) cubby hole.
The great thing about the whole trip was you never knew what
would happen next, or what you would see next. Ive often
thought of our twelve month trip
in terms of going around the
bend, (good name for the book?).
On the Galapagos, it was taken to the extreme as you could find some-
thing interesting around every corner.

There was one day which couldnt have been scripted better if it had
been arranged as a theme park attraction. After a full days bimble
around an island with the usual array of wonderful creatures we
returned to the boat and set sail for a cove. On the way there we
were joined by a pod of about thirty dolphins who swam and leapt
alongside, and just in front of the boat. I know this is quite a common
occurrence at many places around the world, but Id never seen it so I
was even more thrilled than usual.

Once we were at the cove we went swimming with sea lions. I was a
bit nervous at first as they came so close to our masks but once we all
realised they just wanted to have fun, the games began and we were
swimming top-to-tail with them as they tried to pull on our fins. They
seemed really disappointed when we got back on the boat. We then
wandered around a large colony of beached Sea Lions. As I crouched
down to get a better look a young pup took advantage of the fact that
Id created a shadow, and shuffled along until it was in front of me
where it settled down. Magical.

Finally, to round off the day I went onto the top at the boat by
myself at sunset. Not only was it another spectacular picture but I
could see a small number of whales about one hundred metres
away from us heading in the same direction. Its hard to describe
just how peaceful those twenty minutes were before the whales
went beneath the surface and I was left alone with my thoughts.

66

A montage of memories.





















67

We left the Galapagos islands with so many great memories and headed back to Quito to arrange
the next leg of our journey. We had planned to take buses through Columbia and eventually into
Panama, but the political climate was uncertain in the region and there was tension between
Columbia and Venezuela so we decided to take a flight between Quito and San Jose, Costa Rica.

During our Galapagos trip wed spoken to Heather and Chris from Vancouver Island, about where
next. When we mentioned Costa Rica they told us about a lovely Canadian couple who ran, Las Al-
turas de Puriscal, a guest house and coffee plantation near Puriscal in Costa Rica. Once back at our
hotel in Quito we made contact with Bob & Patsy and booked to stay with them for a week.

Day 73
Date 7th April
Location Puriscal, Costa Rica
South America had been a fantastic experience and I cant think of an-
ywhere better to have started a trip like ours. Now we were not only
leaving a continent, we were also changing hemispheres. Aside from
the boat journeys we had primarily travelled by plane so far but we
knew that for the next few weeks all our journeys would be overland
as we made our way through Central America and up into North Ameri-
ca and Canada. It would also enable me to get back behind the wheel
as we had arranged a hire car at San Jose airport.
Although I hadnt driven for nearly four months I was excited about the
prospect of driving in unfamiliar conditions.

We left the airport and headed off onto the open roads. The journey
itself was only about 50km but it quickly became apparent that it was a job for two people; one as a
driver and one as an Observer, on the lookout for potholes. The Observer also doubled as the Navi-
gator so it was a high pressure position, particularly as the night was drawing in and the light was
fading fast. Although it was completely dark by the time we arrived at Las Alturas, we had made
reasonable time and for the most part were still speaking to each other. Bob and Patsy welcomed us
into their home and we soon relaxed and became part of the furniture.

Although there are rooms available in the main house we had elected to rent a cottage that stands in
the grounds of Las Alturas. I was surprised how little of it we actually used as wed conditioned our-
selves to only take out of our packs what we needed for the day. I did wonder at one point whether
the habit would last when we returned home and the girls had their own bedrooms again.

Fat chance!
68

The great thing about our journey was that we didnt have an agenda. Wed booked the cottage for
a week and were happy to take it easy and see what happened. As we had a car we went to the
coast for a day and found a lovely beach where the girls could let loose. But on other days we just
explored the estate, sometimes on foot and sometimes on horseback.

Bob grew, dried and ground his own coffee and showed us each step of the process using machines
he had built himself. There was a well developed ex-pat community of
Americans and Canadians in the area and we enjoyed their company at
some of the regular get-togethers.

Some days we just pointed the car to see
where it would lead us. I love that sense of
not knowing where youll end up.


On other days, Lorraine was happy just to relax and unwind by the pool.

Pretty soon it was time for us to move on and we
said our goodbyes before boarding the bus that
would take us on the 220mile journey from San Jose
to Granada in Nicaragua.
Another day - another country.

Having been treated to the Coach from Buenos Aires to
Iguau, this journey came as a big wake up call to life as a
traveller and not a tourist. Although wed seen footage of
coaches filled to capacity with locals, carrying everything
from chickens to children; pots and pans to bricks and mor-
tar, it was a magnificent surprise to experience it first
hand. Firstly we had to let go of our backpack world as
they needed to be strapped to the roof. Its a bit like hav-
ing an operation and putting your life in someone elses
hands. Thoughts of what would happen if they fell off, or
what if someone gets on top and rifles through them had
to be dismissed otherwise wed never end up going anywhere authentic. I found myself quickly re-
signed to the what will be, will be philosophy as there were other things to think about such as will
we get a seat or have to stand for the next fourteen hours.

69

As the locals knew the score, the bus had pretty much filled up by the time we boarded however this
was the first but by no means the last time we experienced acts of real kindness on the trip. We
were the only foreigners so despite having pretty good tans by now, we stuck out like sore thumbs.
As soon as it became apparent that there were very few seats left, and certainly no group of four,
random people sprang into action. Without any encouragement several people stood up and started
to marshal the passengers. With some calm shouting and organized arm waving, bundles of posses-
sions and a few individuals were rearranged so that before long a space had been created for us all
to sit down together. After several gracias, hand shaking and the occasional hug we all settled down
for the journey ahead.

As usual we attracted quite a bit of attention. I say we, but it was usually the girls and in particular
their blonde hair that drew the curiosity, especially as it had been bleached by so much sun and was
verging on platinum. They acted as great ice breakers, particularly with other parents travelling with
young children, who for the most part would just sit and stare. We usually found on these types of
journey that there was at least one person who could speak some English and would act as inter-
preter for those who wanted to know more about us and vice versa. Although our Spanish had
come on leaps and bounds it was often necessary to choose the path of least resistance.

Throughout the journey we made several pit-stops for the toilet and food and to let passengers off
and on. We were usually allowed off as well to stretch our legs and straighten our backs. When it
came to food we decided to play safe and stick to items wed brought with us as theres nothing
worse than having an upset stomach in a confined space with no hope of privacy or peace. The girls
got into the habit of rating the toilet facilities and cleanliness and became very adept at the hover.
Apparently its easier with two of you.

We found throughout the trip that buses that undertake long journeys tend to fall into one of two
categories. They either have no, or next to no suspension and it feels like youre on a horse for the
first time, or they have so much suspension that the carriage is always one step behind the axle and
the swaying motion feels more like being on a boat than a bus. On this occasion we had the former.
Now whereas Id been really careful about avoiding potholes in the hire car, it quickly became
apparent that our driver was much less concerned. At one point I thought of volunteering either
Hannah or Abbeys services as they had done such a good job as spotters. It was even more discon-
certing when we realised that the locals didnt seem to notice as we were all catapulted out of our
seats for the umpteenth time. They didnt even break conversation to replace the constantly falling
items from the overhead stowage. What chance did the backpacks have?

Soon after we passed through the checkpoint and entered Nicaragua, the seventh country on the trip
there was some commotion amongst the passengers and the bus came to an abrupt halt. Not
70

knowing what was going on it came as a bit of a shock when armed soldiers boarded the bus and
ordered everyone off. We werent allowed to take any belongings with us but had to make sure we
had all our documentation. It was a drugs check.

As we left the bus we were divided into two groups. One for the men and the other for the women
and children. This was when we realised the situation was not to be taken lightly. We were lined up
against the bus and ordered to produce our documentation as the women looked on. Although I
obviously had nothing to hide there was still that fear factor of being totally out of my comfort zone.

A few soldiers boarded the bus and began to choose packs and bags at random and empty out the
contents as an Officer walked down the line and examined everyones documents in detail. With the
internal inspection complete, the soldiers reported back to the officer and we were shepherded back
onto the bus much to everyones relief.

Day 81
Date 15th April
Location Granada, Nicaragua
We had chosen to visit Granada because it is steeped in Nicaraguan history. Sitting on the shores of
Lago de Nicaragua it was first built by the Spanish in 1524 and prospered when they realised there
was a route along the Rio San Juan to the sea. Although this was a blessing for traders it was also a
blessing for pirates and the city was attacked on numerous occasions. Undaunted, the city contin-
ued to grow and flourish to the extent that once the country was released from the Spanish shackles
and gained independence the city challenged the colonial capital, Leon for leadership. An all-out civil
war ensued and feeling threatened, Leon recruited the services of American mercenary William
Walker and his filibuster mob who attacked and captured Granada. However the governing council
of Leon got more than they bargained for as Walker then declared himself President of Nicaragua
and kept Granada as the capital city.

Fortunately for the Nicaraguans Walker had greater aspirations and left with his army to conquer the
rest of Central America. Having suffered a number of embarrassing defeats he was forced back and
headed North towards the Confederate States of America. Passing through his old capital he
ordered the city to be burnt to the ground, and left an infamous placard which declared Here was
Granada.

Thankfully much of the city survived and in more recent times it has been spared from the ravages
of the war between the Sandinista Government and the Contra rebels who eventually overthrew
Anastasio Somoza Debayles dictatorship in 1979.

71

Nicaragua was the first country on the trip where I felt we were pushing our travel boundaries. Each
of the preceding countries were tourist destinations in their own right. Nicaragua wasnt, and for
that I was extremely grateful. I found Granada to be a beautiful city, with more of a town feel about
it. The people were welcoming, helpful and mostly happy and I hope that never changes.

Its so exciting to go somewhere new that you know so little about, that turns out to be a real gem.








Granada boats exquisite examples of Spanish co-
lonial architecture. There is a genuine pride in
the appearance of the buildings and as tourism is
minimal its a credit to the Nicaraguans that they
do it for themselves and not for a quick buck.

Our hotel, the Alhambra was directly opposite the Parque Central where people could be found
relaxing and chatting at any hour of the day. It was indicative of the pace of life in Granada and we
were in no rush to do anything different. We had booked to stay for four nights and that was suffi-
cient for us to embrace the hospitality. Close to the park is a magnificent Cathedral which we were
keen to explore. On the way there we met John Oliver, a street poet, who was delightfully unassum-
ing and conjured up some words for us.

We also met Lawrence, a really lovely chap who was working at the Cathedral, partly as the bell
ringer but he was also studying to be an Ecclesiastical lawyer and helped out at the Cathedral when
he could. When we asked whether it would be possible to have a look around he volunteered to
take us on a guided tour. In most of the countries wed visited there was usually a constant stream
of people offering any kind of product or service, but
always at a price. I admit that I had already become
sceptical about anyone offering something but
Lawrence was a genuine soul and spent over an hour
taking us around and explaining the history beyond
each corner. We also joined him up in the bell tower as
he signalled the time to the people below.
72

Most of the hotels and hostels we had stayed in didnt have pools but the Alhambra did and the girls
made the most of it. Sometimes you just have to let your hair down.


We took a trip around Las Isletas, the islands on Lake Nicaragua
and were able to watch this
chap fishing. From the size of
his catch he was clearly quite
an expert.


The girls were each presented
with a local flower which our
boatman picked from a floating
pocket of reeds.

While we were in Granada we found out about Craters Edge, a
small hotel on the banks of the Laguna de Apoya, a volcanic
crater that imploded about 20,000 years ago and filled with water which was still fed by thermal
springs. Basically it was a warm bath about a mile wide and probably as deep. So we made contact
with Anne, the owner and booked to stay for three nights.

Anne was another of those people that you meet and in-
stantly become friends with. One morning we found out
that a baby Possum had fallen out of a nearby tree. Han-
nah quickly did some research on the internet to find out
what they ate and the between them they nursed the
animal back to health. We have stayed in contact with
Anne who let us know later in the trip that Captain Lenny Stout, (no idea where that came from),
was still going strong and had been released back into the wild but visited Anne most days.

The nurses hard
at work.

Lenny in his
temporary home.
One of Abbeys
socks.
73

Most of the day we were either in or on the water. There were a
number of Kayaks which we put to good use. Although the girls
had never used one before they quickly got the hang of it and
after a few runs up and down the shallows we headed out into
deeper water.

Having done a bit of Canoeing before I thought Id demonstrate the capsize drill and how to use an-
other Kayak to help keep yours steady so you could climb back on board. After numerous failed
attempts it became clear that I was very much out of practice and couldnt get back on as we were
all laughing so much. An object lesson in how not to do something.







There was also a pontoon
moored a little way off
the shore which
entertained the girls for
hours.

While we were at Craters Edge Anne recommended a trip out to the Masaya Volcano which was still
active. We joined an organised trip and were driven most of the way up to edge of the volcano. In
all there were at least five craters that made up the complex. Some were dormant and some still
active. We were issued with hard hats, torches and gas masks because of the noxious gases.










74

After the obligatory safety lecture we were given plenty of free time to wander around the site as we
wouldnt be visiting the main crater until after dark so we could see the lava bubbling way below.
When that time came we were driven close to the edge and brought out one party at a time. We
were then invited to don our gas masks, stand right on the lip, hold on to a concrete pole that was
embedded into the rim and lean over so we could get a better view of the activity below.

You want me to do what???????????

Needless to say, I held on to the girls waistbands as they marvelled at the vast orange glow way
below with the occasional blup blup sound. I couldnt stop wondering what the Health & Safety
Executive would make of it particularly because as recent as 2001 there was an eruption that sent
rocks up to 60cm in diameter flying 500m from the crater. Like us, there were people observing the
activity but thankfully although there were injuries there were no fatalities.

The following morning we left Craters Edge and made our way back to Granada in time to catch our
bus to Honduras. We were making for Copan Ruinas on the border with Guatemala but due to the
distance, we needed to make an overnight stop in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa.








Day 90
Date 24th April
Location Copan Ruinas, Honduras
We were now very much in Mayan country and as the towns name suggests, the majority of visitors
come to explore the preserved ruins of the ancient city of Copan which lies 1 mile out of town. Co-
pan Ruinas itself is a beautiful little town full of cobbled roads but thankfully not full of tourists. Well
it wasnt when we were there anyway.

On our first full day the weather was perfect with bright blue skies but a nice even temperature so
we wandered along the road to the entrance of the ruins. Once inside you are free to explore at
your leisure. Copan in its heyday was a powerful city, ruling a vast kingdom in the southern Mayan
area. Its often been referred to as the Paris of its day.

75

Although there are some original pieces, several of the buildings, alters and stelae (monuments) are
reproductions due to the climate. With drastic variations in temperature and humidity, often on the
same day the originals have been moved to a museum for protection and replaced with exact
replicas.





Above is the ball court where a game was played with a solid
rubber ball that was hit with a players hip or thigh. In some scenes of Maya art, the losers can be
seen being sacrificed although some Spanish accounts state the losers and their fans had to give up
jewellery and clothing.
A model of how the city is thought to have looked.


In addition to the artefacts outside there is also a great Sculpture Museum which is built around a
life-size reproduction of the Rosaslila Temple.
As we visited so many
museums on the trip it was important to retain a sense of
humour while we were learning.
The girls are standing next to a stone that
would have had a heart placed on it after a
sacrifice. The curved groove was carved to
allow the blood to drain away from the heart.
76

Back in the town, and on a lighter note we made friends with Tanya and her husband Garnel who
run Twisted Tanyas, (www.twistedtanyas.com/) bar and restaurant. As their daughter, Taleny was
about the same age as the girls they were soon off exploring on their own, leaving Lorraine and I to
enjoy a few beers and a gossip.

The following day we took Taleny and her friend, Arial, to the Aguas Calientes (hot springs); a forty
five minute drive away into the scenic mountains North of Copan. Thermal waters flow into beauti-
fully sculpted pools of varying temperatures along with waterfalls, fountains and showers. There are
also a number of secluded gazebos; perfect for a bit of yoga or contemplation. To cap it all, the
mud is rich in nutrients and supposed to be extremely good for your skin. Lorraine was in heaven.

In addition to the springs
there were also a number
of indigenous birds we
could observe.












A work in progress.
and the actress said to
the Bishop ...
77

After four nights it was time for us to leave Co-
pan, and Honduras as we made for Antigua in
Guatemala. Another 180 miles later by bus we
arrived none the worse for wear in another
town and country I knew nothing about.
Like Copan, Antigua, or La Antigua Guatemala is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with plenty to attract
tourists and travellers alike. Unlike Copan, Antigua can become busy with visitors due to its central
location as it is often used as a base from which to explore the country. Another reason for its pop-
ularity is the number of Spanish language schools in the area where students come to learn through
immersion.

Similarly to Granada, Antigua is overshadowed by volcanoes, and the Parque Central is at the heart
of the city with a splendid
Cathedral on one side. Antigua is
widely regarded as one of the best
preserved colonial cities in Spanish
America with its roots evident in the
architecture of churches, houses
and parks.











Although there were plenty of churches, museums and ruins to occupy our time, Antigua also had
plenty of shops to keep Lorraine and the girls happy. My apologies if that sounds sexist but its just
the way our family is. As opposed to wandering around churches, museums, historical sights etc,
which I can do for days, I view shopping more as an exercise in efficiency. Usually I know what I
want or need; where Im going to get it from and how much it should cost. Lorraine on the other
hand can shop for hours, if not days, thankfully without necessarily buying anything. I guess the
other reason I was nervous about shopping on the trip was that it was probably me who would end
up carrying whatever we bought. All together . Ahhhhhhhhhh.
78

Sometimes we went our separate ways and I found something else to do while the girls got their fix
but on this occasion I was pleased I tagged along as we met another lovely soul in the form of Star,
an American gentleman who owned and ran a shop
selling aromatherapy products and essential oils.
Not only was he a delight to talk to but I needed
some oil to massage into my heels which had be-
come deeply cracked from travelling wear and tear.
Once again all together now .

Lorraine ended up buying several products from Star
but thankfully posted the majority of them back home.

As we were surrounded by them it made sense to visit one of our volcanic neighbours so we booked
a trip out to Volcan de Fuego, (volcano of fire) which was constantly smoking and frequently
erupting, the last time being August 2007, eight months before our visit when it spewed lava, rock
and ash high up into the atmosphere.

Unlike the trip in Nicaragua, this one was on foot from the base of the mountain. We joined our
group and were taken to base camp where we rented four sturdy sticks and began our ascent. Once
again the girls amazed me with their stamina and endurance as we wound our way up the lower
levels towards a plane where we had been told we could observe the lava flow at close quarters.

The sticks served two purposes. Firstly as a support for the trek
up and down the mountain, and secondly they were to help us
determine whether the crust was solid or hollow as we would
need to cross an active flow to get to the point where it sur-
faced. The fact that I have one trouser leg rolled up in the
picture to the right might give you a clue about what happened.

After about an hour and a half we eventually
reached the base of the cone. From here we
needed to make our way across several hundred
metres of cooled lava commonly known as Extru-
sive Igneous Rock. Ok, I looked that up. Tapping
our sticks as we went along we arrived at the fis-
sures opening where the heat was breathtaking,
quite literally.

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Due to the heat and gases we were only able to stand
close to the lava for a few minutes but it was long
enough to be amazed by its raw power. Having seen
and smelt one at close hand I can understand how
volcanologists are fascinated by them in a similar way to
tornado chasers. There is something compelling about
getting that close to a natural phenomenon that could
take your life without batting a proverbial eyelash.

With our time up, we turned around and started to make our way back across the crust, tapping our
sticks as we went. About half way across the crust gave way and one on my legs went through to
the lower level. Im ashamed to say that in my panic I grabbed the nearest thing to me which
happened to be Abbey who weighed next to nothing at the time. Instead of acting as a support I
took her with me as my leg sank deeper. Fortunately I was able to regain my balance and wrenched
my leg back out from the hole I had created not knowing if it would be covered in orange sticky stuff
or not. By now Lorraine was comforting Abbey who was still in shock, and there were several inter-
ested onlookers who wanted to know the outcome.

Depending on how you look at it I was fortunate that my leg had entered a steam pocket and the
skin on my foot was already peeling back. In addition to this I had several cuts and grazes from
where I had withdrawn my foot at speed across the jagged lip of the crust. But in the immortal
words of Monty Python, it was just a flesh wound. Thankfully we made it across the remainder of
the crust without further incident and I was able to smother my foot in cold water to prevent any
more scalding.

Once back at the hotel Lorraine sorted me out with a footbath and a beer, (not necessarily in that
order) and I quickly recovered from my little adventure. That, as the saying goes, was enough
excitement for one day.










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Soon it was time to move on again. This time we
were heading for Mexico City by way of an over
night stop in Guatemala City.

Day 99
Date 3rd May
Location Mexico City, Mexico
We were now entering our third continent, although I had to check that, as I wasnt sure whether
Mexico was classed as part of Central or North America. Mexico City has often appeared high up on
the list of top ten most polluted cities in the world. This is partly because it sits in a valley and relies
heavily on cars and trucks to operate. As such the air quality is poor. That said, I didnt notice any
visible smog while we were there and we didnt suffer any ill effects, unlike when we visited some
cities in China, but well get to them in good time.

Mexico was originally built on an island on Lake Texcoco by
the Aztecs in 1325. Legend has it that the Mexica (no n)
people were led to the lake by their principle god who indi-
cated their new home with the sign of an eagle perched on
top of a Nopal Cactus with a snake in its beak. A symbol
easily recognizable on the national flag.

Due to expansion, the lake was drained starting in the 17th Century. Unfortunately the city has
grown to such a extent that the heavily saturated clay that used to form the base of the lake is now
eroding away at an alarming rate due to over extraction of ground water. Since the start of the 20th
Century some parts of the city have sunk as much as nine metres. As if that wasnt bad enough,
there are no natural drainage outlets for the waters that flow into the valley from the surrounding
mountains, and this coupled with problems managing run-off and waste water makes the city sus-
ceptible to flooding. Oh, and one more thing. There is regular seismic activity here. Happy days.

On our first morning we headed through Alameda Park towards the central area, passing the
Monument to Benito Juarez, a former President of Mexico who served five terms in office. We also
met a couple of friendly, if a little stern Police Officers who were happy to pose for the camera.






81

We were about to go into the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the most important Cultural Centre in Mexico
City, when we noticed a number of bands and dancers playing their way down the main avenue. So
we followed them through the city centre until everyone reached the main square and formed up in
ranks.
This was followed by a battle of the bands and a number of
demonstrations.

There are a number of Government buildings off the main square that are open to the public with
free entrance, and help to tell through Diego Rivera murals, the story of Mexicos turbulent past from
the Spanish invasion through to the Mexican Revolution.









We were on a relatively tight schedule as we had only booked three nights accommodation and one
of the days would be taken up with a visit to Teotihuacn, so eventually we headed back to the
Palacio de Bellas Artes as we knew from our new guidebook that it was well worth a visit. We had
left the previous guidebook in a hostel in Antigua as we only wanted to carry one at a time partly
because of their size, but also because there is a real traveller community that does this as a matter
of course. Invariably you can find one in a hostel that you can either borrow or take with you.

82

Known as The Cathedral of Art in Mexico the Palacio is primarily Art Nouveau on the outside, and
Art Deco on the inside. Although there are a number of pieces of art that are always on display,
including further murals by Rivera there is a full and varied programme of exhibitions and
Theatrical plays so its well worth checking whats on if you ever visit Mexico City.

By now we had got into the habit of
splitting into smaller groups when
visiting museums, churches, exhibitions
etc. The girls would often find Lorraine
and I to tell us about some not-to-miss
artefact or attraction. It really brought
home to me the value of experiencing.

Since the start of the trip we had been making our way through countries made famous by the
ingenuity, engineering and expertise of the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs. The day before our trip to
Teotihuacn we visited the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which contains significant archaeological
and anthropological artefacts and really set the scene for our visit to the pyramidal city.
Giant Olmec head.

Teotihuacn lies approximately 25 miles northeast of Mexico City and
there is a regular bus service throughout the day to and from the site.
The city is thought to have been established around 200BC and was, at its height the largest city in
the New World.
Aside from all the history, it
is well worth visiting just to
take in the enormity of it.

It is quite simply, amazing.

Pyramid of the Moon.
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Although the city is referred to as Teotihuacn,
this name was used for the first time by the Aztec
Nahuatl speakers several centuries after the citys
fall which is thought to have been about the sev-
enth century. The original name is, as yet, un-
known. To the Aztecs Teotihuacan was a holy
place and its name means The place where men
become Gods.

The Avenue of the Dead, seen in the photo on the
left, was the main street of the city and at one
time extended way beyond what can be seen today, to just short of the mountains in the distance.
A long channel ran under the length of the avenue
and drained rain water from the buildings into the
Rio San Juan.

After the citys demise it was left to the elements
and over time the pyramids were over grown with
grass, so they appeared to be little more than hills.
It wasnt until as late as the 19th century that proper excavation and restoration work began.
Although there has been significant reparation, for me it didnt detract from the authenticity of the
whole sight and it was quickly voted as one of the highlights of the trip by us all.

Unlike at other times on the trip, we were fairly clear about our route for the next couple of weeks.
Our plan was to head via Guadalajara to the Mexican coastal resort of Puerto Vallarta, which was a
lot less commercial than Acapulco further
to the South. Wed then take a bus up to
Los Moches to catch the world famous
Copper Canyon Railway for the journey to
Chihuahua. Finally wed catch a bus up to
the Mexican border with the United States
and make our way along the Southern
states to New Orleans.

So, first stop Guadalajara, and our first
brush with trouble.


View from the Pyramid of the Moon looking
down the Avenue of the Dead leading to the
Pyramid of the Sun.
84

Second only in size to Mexico City itself, Guadalajara is widely regarded as the cultural centre of
Mexico, and home to Mariachi music. Throughout the 19th century the city changed hands on sev-
eral occasions during the Mexican War of Independence between Mexican rebels and Spanish royal-
ist forces. In one battle, 6,000 well trained royalist soldiers marched on Guadlajara to oust Miguel
Hidalgo y Costilla, the rebel leader, and his army of 80,000 troops and 95 cannons. The royalist
soldiers won and Hidalgo fled to Aguascalientes. (Another one.)

If I had free reign to host a dinner party with any guest from history Hidalgo would definitely get an
invitation. He was a priest, but no ordinary one. He didnt believe in hell, he gambled, had children
out of wedlock and was leader of a rebel army with the vision and courage to seek independence
from foreign oppression. What more could you ask from a guest? Could you imagine saying, So
Miguel, what do you think about
This mural by Jose Clemente Orozco, is in The Palace of the State Gov-
ernment and depicts Hidalgo in full flow with his arm raised in anger
against the Government and the church. The maxim seems to be if
youre going to paint a mural, paint it big.

The Rotunda on the right is another well
known landmark and was built in 1952 to
honour ninety-eight distinguished men and
women from Jalisco, the state that Guada-
lajara is the capital of.


Although we primarily stopped off in Guadalajara to see
the Mariachi bands, it quickly became apparent that the
city had so much more to offer and has a wide variety of
cultural and artistic attractions such as the Jalisco
Regional Museum, which houses a complete skeleton of
a mammoth as one of its prize exhibits.



We also visited the Teatro
Degollado (Degollado Thea-
tre) located on the Palacio de
la Liberacion.

85

Shortly after this I had another one of those, Dont judge a book by its cover moments.
We went for a bite to eat next to the Theatre and were sat
outside enjoying the activity in the square. The girls were
playing hide and seek and generally messing around by the
columns when we noticed a scruffy young boy, probably
about ten years old watching them intently. Upon closer
inspection we realised he was a shoe shine boy waiting for
business, though not necessarily from us.

He just sat there watching the girls laughing and giggling, and Lorraine and I talked about how
different their lives were. How fortunate we all were for that matter. The young lad seemed happy
enough and enjoyed watching the girls playing until we called them back to finish their meal. As
they sat down, a paper napkin was taken by the breeze and flew off towards the pillars. Without
hesitation the young lad stood up, went over and picked it up and brought it back. The main thing
that struck me though was that he just smiled and turned around and went back to his patch. On so
many occasions throughout the trip we had had offers of help but nearly always with the expectation
that we would reward the helper in some way. Here was a lad who just wanted to offer assistance
because his integrity said it was the right thing to do. If you havent been pestered consistently by
people either less fortunate or less caring then it may be hard for you to understand how we felt, but
to us it was a small gesture that meant a great deal. Because of this we said thank you to the lad,
and once we were ready to move on left him with a few dollars.

Unfortunately just a few hours later we were to have entirely the opposite experience.

In the evening we headed to the Plaza de los Mariachis which is surrounded by restaurants and bars.
Although we quickly realised it wasnt in a particularly pleasant area of town we decided to stay for a
while and watch the bands as they congregated in the square. There was a growing audience made
up of foreigners and locals and soon the bands were in full flow. For a price. We were approached
and offered the chance to have a song played specifically for us, or to be precise, I was approached
and the girls used as emotional blackmail. It would cost me between ten and twenty dollars per
song. Per song!!! We politely declined and watched as the bands played anyway to demonstrate
their capabilities and compete with their neighbours.

Pretty soon we fancied a drink and something to nibble so we passed by the front of the restaurants
and enjoyed the banter of the hired help who did their best to convince us there was only one place
we should be. Eventually we were approached by a chap who said he was the owner of a restaurant
that offered entertainment as well as good food and drink so we agreed to accompany him inside.

86

To be honest the entertainment was pretty good with a demonstration of rodeo rope skills; the oblig-
atory Mariachi band and an attractive female singer. We had a drink and some nuts and as a matter
of habit I kept a mental note of how much the bill should be. When it came it, was vastly different
to the figure I had expected so I requested a chat with the Manager. He emerged from a dimly lit
corner and explained with a strained smile that there was a mandatory charge for the entertainment.
I asked where that was displayed and he pointed to the small print in Spanish on the menu. Feeling
hard done by I explained my position and agreed to pay what I thought the bill should be including
an amount for the show. With this my smiling assassin invited me to continue the discussion at his
desk back in the gloom. This was probably due to the fact that our discussion had now attracted the
attention of the audience and the atmosphere had changed somewhat.

With one eye on Lorraine and the girls I realised this had the potential to turn ugly so quickly negoti-
ated a compromise figure and was escorted back to my family just as a number of suited figures
appeared beside us to escort us from the premises. I handed the agreed figure over to one of the
suits who promptly handed back a note saying it was a 20 when it should have been a 200. Think-
ing Id made a mistake because of the poor light I swapped the note and we were led to the front
door. It was only later that Lorraine said she saw the sharp suit switch a 200 for a 20 and hand it
back to me.

When it comes down to it we are talking about less than ten pounds. But how much is the safety of
the girls worth? It still left a bad taste in my mouth and clouded the experience we had in Guadala-
jara. In the next few months whenever we were describing our trip it was always this incident that
came to mind when we talked about Guadalajara, and that was a real shame. It really brings home
the dangers of generalization. So many times we are tempted to judge a city, a country, a religion
or a gender based on an individual experience. On reflection we had a great time in Guadalajara
and it was only that chap, in that restaurant, on that particular evening that soured the day.

That, in the words of Forrest Gump, is all I have to say about that.



Day 104
Date 8th May
Location Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The following day we caught a bus to Puerto Vallarta on the coast, often shortened to Vallarta in
Spanish, and P.V. in English. Although we were happy to do our normal exploration we also wanted
to take advantage of the sun, sand, sea and cervezas.

87

Puerto Vallarta came to the publics attention, particularly in the US in the early 60s when John Hus-
ton, the American film director chose Mismaloya, a small village just south of P.V. as the location for
his film The Night of the Iguana, starring Elizabeth Taylor, who at the time was having an extramar-
ital affair with Richard Burton who starred alongside her. Puerto Vallarta was again exposed to the
worlds media in 1970, when Richard Nixon held treaty negotiations with Mexican President
Gustavo Diaz Ordaz. Reports highlighted the investment made in the airport and resort infrastruc-
ture and opened P.V. up to the world as a vacation destination.

I dont know what it is about being on a beach but I just need to dig holes or bury things, usually
people. Maybe I was a mole in a previous life, or a miner, or a dog, or a pirate. The girls seem to
have inherited the gene and could often be found burying some poor unsuspecting soul whod fallen
asleep on the beach.








After a hard day on the beach we would often join many residents and visitors for a relaxing stroll
down the Malecon, a paved walkway along the sea front which features a collection of sculptures by
Mexican artists. In addition to the unusual pieces there are street performers demonstrating sand
art, rock balancing and the occasional dancer. If thats not your scene there are also plenty of
benches from which to watch the world go by or the spectacular sunsets.




88

Purely by chance we were in Puerto Vallarta over a weekend as this is when the Papantla Flyers per-
form up to six times a night. Their ritual dance while suspended from a tall pole is steeped in history
and tradition, thought to date back 1,500 years. Legend has it that after a long period of drought in
Papantla, Veracruz, a region in southern Mexico, five men attempted to deliver a message to the
God of fertility, Xipe Totec, to request the return of the rains. They cut down the longest, straightest
tree, stripped if of all its branches and suspended themselves by their feet and flew in circles from
the top to attract her attention.

The modern day version carried out in Puerto Vallarta is no less ritualistic. Four men make thirteen
revolutions each to total fifty-two to signify the weeks of the year. There are four of them to sym-
bolise the four elements and the four cardinal directions. They wear colourful costumes comprising
of bright red pants to signify human mortality and vibrant ribbons comprising of all the colours of the
rainbow.

The ritual begins with five men climbing to the top of the 30m pole where one will stand on the tiny
platform and guide the flyers with the rhythm of a drum and flute. The remaining four secure their
ropes and on a signal slowly release themselves, face down, from the platform with their arms
stretched wide as they slowly descend to the beach below. Watch it here.








The performers train from childhood for the
honour of upholding the tradition. Special.










89

Although Ive never been much of a railway enthusiast, the more I read about the Copper Canyon
Railway, the more I was looking forward to the journey. To catch the train we left Puerto Vallarta
and caught a bus along the coast to Los Mochis. A journey of some 500 miles, travelling through the
night with a total journey time of around thirteen hours. Simple. Actually, by now we considered
ourselves fairly seasoned travellers so when the girls asked how long we would be on the bus I no
longer felt nervous about telling them, and thankfully they no longer froze for fifteen minutes in
shock. Its amazing what you can become accustomed to and consider the norm if you do it often
enough.

Thankfully the bus journey was smooth and uneventful and we spent the following day resting in Los
Mochis, knowing that wed be up at stupid oclock the following morning as the train left at 6am and
we needed to be there in good time.









To travel on El Chepe, or to give the train its proper name, Chihuahua al Pacifico you have two
choices; Primera Express (First Class) or Clase Economica (Second Class). Each class is a different
train and possibly a different experience. The Clase Economica takes one to two hours longer for
the journey because it can call at any of the fifty stops along the way at passengers request. The
Primera has two or three passenger cars with sixty four seats on each and a dining car serving meals
throughout the journey as well as a bar. The Economica has three or four cars with additional seat-
ing, and a snack car. Fortunately both trains have air conditioning and reclining seats and clean
toilets (got an 8 from the girls).

We opted for the Primera as the cost wasnt exorbitant and we figured thirteen hours was long
enough.

The journey would cover 400 miles, cross 39 bridges, the longest of which is just over 500 m long.
It would also pass through 86 tunnels, the longest of which is 1,500m long. We would rise from sea
level at Los Mochis up to 8,000ft (2,500m) before descending into Chihuahua which sits at 2,500ft
(800m).

90

It would pass through deep ravines and hug the sides of mountains as well as navigating switch-
backs, chicanes and a full 360 at one point.

The project was started way back in 1898 but because of the engineering challenges it was
abandoned due to the lack of technical expertise at that time. The project was resurrected in 1953
and completed in 1961. Formerly run by the Government, the line was privatized in 1998 and is now
run by Ferromex, a private rail company.
Although we booked our tickets the day before,
it is advisable to book well in advance.

The area known as Copper Canyon is actually made up of twenty canyons formed by six rivers and is
often compared to the more famous Grand Canyon in the US. As well as El Chepe, the line is used
primarily to move freight to and from the coast and was originally built for this purpose.

As the train was far from full on the day we travelled, the girls were able to move freely from
carriage to carriage and had a great time. Some of the bridge crossings made Lorraine a little
twitchy but apart from that there was one glorious vista after another to keep all of us enthralled for
the whole day.









If you dont want to complete the journey in one day there are several stops along the way with
hotels and hostels. There are also plenty of activities such as horse riding, hiking and 4x4 trips into
the canyons. Or you could just kick-back with a beer and marvel at it all.
Abz just hanging about.
91

The weather was glorious all day and we watched in awe as the scenery and colours changed until
we pulled into Chihuahua just after dark.








Chihuahua would be the last place we would visit before entering the States. I had
a sense of finality in some respects. Both Lorraine and I had visited the US on
numerous occasions and although I felt some comfort about entering a country
where I knew the rules, the language and to a certain degree the geography, I also
felt a sadness about leaving behind the unpredictability of the past few months. We
decided to see more of Chihuahua before catching a bus up to Juarez.

Although I knew there was a city called Chihuahua I was more familiar with the
breed of dog. The origins of the breed are up for debate. The popular view is that
the dogs were favoured by the Toltecs and subsequently the Aztecs, and were used in sacred rituals
as they were believed to be holy or have mystical powers. Thus the breed was named after the
State of Chihuahua where they were apparently first found. There is however a counter argument
based on a number of European paintings of small dogs which closely resemble Chihuahuas. The
most famous of these, dated 1482, is a fresco by Sandro Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel which was
completed ten years before Columbus returned from the New World. Coincidence?

Chihuahua the city is also the capital of Chihuahua the State and has a population of around 800,000
and one of the highest literacy rates in the country at 98%. My dinner guest, Miguel Hidalgo was
held here by the Spanish in the Federal Palace before being executed in the nearby Government
Palace, as depicted in this mural by Aaron Pina Mora on the wall of the Government palace.

92

As well as the Mexican War of Independence the city was also involved in the Mexican Revolution
(1910 - 1917) as it was the operational headquarters for Pancho Villa, the leader of the Division Del
Norte.

As with many of the towns and cities we visited in South and Central America, much of the colonial
influence and architecture remains intact and accessible. One way to get around Chihuahua is on
the Trolley el Tarahumara; a bus that visits all the main monuments and museums in the city, of
which there are many.









The Cathedral The Angel of Liberty

The following day we caught the bus that would take us to the border with the United States at Jua-
rez which is another of those divided cities, with Juarez in Mexico and El Paso in the USA. It would
be another 220 miles on public transport and pass through a city referred to as the most violent
zone in the world outside of declared war zones. Fortunately our route took us around the outskirts
of Juarez to the border checkpoint. To pass through immigration we were supposed to collect all our
belongings and join the queue of foreigners; get the necessary stamp in our passports and rejoin the
bus on the other side to continue our journey into El Paso. What actually happened was we eventu-
ally reached the head of the queue only to be told that we needed to fill out some forms before we
would be considered for entry. This meant a further delay of twenty minutes, by which time our bus
was long gone. Fortunately there were buses passing through all the time so we managed to hitch a
lift the remainder of the way to the bus station. From here we made our way to the Greyhound de-
pot and booked our overnight bus ride from El Paso to Dallas.

Id never travelled by Greyhound, but for some reason I had a romantic vision of pan-american jour-
neys with Simon & Garfunkel playing in the background as we travelled in comfort and style from
State to State. What I actually found was a really uncomfortable bus (not Coach) with a policy of
one out - all out. Throughout the night we stopped on several occasion and each time, the lights
were switched on and we were required to get off with all our possessions, save those in the Hold.
This meant that, not only were we regularly disturbed, we also had to change seats and formations
93

each time we got on as there was nothing left behind to indicate that we had already been there. I
did consider laying a few towels out at one stage but figured that may not go down too well. By the
time we pulled in to Dallas there was little else to do but find a hotel and rest.

We decided to do a road trip through America, visiting several States we had never been to, and
knew little or nothing about. Our trips to America had predominantly been for vacations to San
Francisco, Florida and New York so there was plenty of scope for adventure. At one stage in the
planning phase we considered buying an RV (Recreation Vehicle); doing the road trip, and selling it
before leaving the US. Upon further investigation we decided that there was too much expense and
risk involved so we elected to use hire cars and Motels.

Feeling rested and revived we headed out on foot to explore Dallas as our Hotel was fairly central
and wed had enough of transport for the time being. For those of you who from Dallas, from Texas
or the States for that matter, please forgive us but whenever we talked about Dallas as a family it
was either JFK or JR that came up. With that in mind our first port of call was a western outfitters
where we each bought a cowboy hat. When in Rome and all that. Abbey was keen to get her
hands, or rather her feet on a gleaming pair of cowboy boots but common sense kicked in and we
said no.

Next we made our way to Dealey Plaza to the place where John F. Kennedy was assassinated on
November 22nd 1963. It was another, you had to be there moment for us all. Having seen the
footage and read
about the shooting
we understood
intellectually what
had happened, but
it was only by
standing on the
cross that now
commemorates where he was when the shots rang out, and by
seeing the depository and the grassy knoll did I really get a sense of
what had taken place there. Like most people who were there with
us, we spoke in hushed tones and spent time in quiet contemplation.
Not to match everybody else, but just because it felt like the right thing to do.

To complete the picture we moved on to the JFK Memorial, some 200yds from where X marks the
spot.

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Made of concrete with a simple design of a
fifty foot square, formed by four, thirty foot
high walls which have two openings on op-
posite walls, it pays tribute to the life of JFK
as opposed to his loss. The designer, Philip
Johnson intended the design to symbolise
Kennedys free spirit. In the centre of the
square is a low black granite square with
the Presidents name in Gold letters on two
sides.


Having put the history lesson to bed for now we ventured further afield and visited the Old Red
Courthouse as its affectionately known. Once the Dallas County Courthouse it is now the Old Red
Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. Although we didnt visit the museum, it is also a tourist
information centre with loads of suggestions about where to
go and what to do.

For the remainder of the day we just wandered around the
city centre, taking in the sights and enjoying the fantastic
Spring weather.

The following day the girls wanted to go off to a Mall. Theyd been deprived of the chance to wan-
der aimlessly around a shopping emporium for a while and were showing signs of withdrawal
symptoms. Gnashing of teeth; unexpected outbursts; weepy moments, that sort of thing, so I spent
the day on my own, ahhhhh, and found Pioneer Plaza and the McKinney Avenue Trolley. Hurray.

Pioneer Plaza is a large park in downtown Dallas with an amazing bronze sculpture, or rather a series
of sculptures that commemorate the cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail. The
sculpture consists of seventy steers and three trail riders, and all together it is the largest bronze
statue in the world.
95

The McKinney Avenue Trolley is a free transport service provided
by the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, that runs a number of
vintage trolley buses, totally free of charge up and down McKinney
Avenue, one of Dallas Downtown Arts Districts. There are several
stops along the way to take in many of the attractions in the area,
such as The Meyerson Symphony Center. Opened in 1989 it is
widely regarded as one of the finest concert halls in the world.

As it was mid-afternoon when I visited I thought it would be quiet
and I might be able to get a sneak peak inside. As I approached, it
became clear that there was an event of some size taking place
judging by the number of groups of children in matching uniforms, most of who were carrying instru-
ments of all shapes and sizes.

Bear in mind that Im wearing shorts and all terrain sandals so I kind of stuck out like a sore thumb.
Undaunted I went through the entrance and found an information desk. I briefly explained to a very
kind lady that I was only here for the day and would appreciate the opportunity to have a quick look
inside. She explained that there was a large regional music competition taking place and only partic-
ipants and parents were allowed in. However, if I was stopped at any of the checkpoints on the way
to the auditorium and said I was a parent she didnt anticipate there being a problem. I promised to
be on my best behaviour and joined the pod of parents who were mainly clothed in suits and dress-
es. A couple of Im with them and I hope I havent missed her later and I was inside.
Although I only stayed for about an hour, I was treated to some fantastic renditions of some well
known and not so well known pieces by some very talented musicians whilst marvelling at the beau-
ty of the architecture. Needless to say, the acoustics were unbelievable.

Although wed only scratched the surface and Dallas still had much to offer us we decided to get on
the road and hired a car. The first leg would take us through some of the Southern States before
heading North towards the lakes and eventually Canada.

Lorraine had been in regular contact with relatives back in the UK and was relieved to hear that her
Mum had undergone major surgery for the second time in the past few months, this time for her
cancer. Although the surgery had gone well and she was now recovering at home, Lorraine was
keen to see her in person and offer any support she could. We decided that we would travel as a
family until we reached Nashville where Lorraine and Abbey would return to the UK for two weeks
before meeting up with Hannah and I in New York.


96







So we headed South
to Austin, to see the
Texas State Capitol
building which was
thought to be the seventh largest building in the world at
the time of its construction between 1882-1888. It has a
magnificent domed ceiling and several ornate floors includ-
ing this Terrazo
mosaic depicting the seals of the six nations that have
governed Texas. What you cant see from the outside is the
extension completed in 1993 due to the lack of space the
original building provided. Because of the need to preserve
the historic facades and the space kept open to the public,
the decision was taken to build a four-story extension under-
ground to provide nearly twice as much floor space as the original building. With large skylights dis-
guised as planters and three story atriums exposed to the sky the structure is light and airy and
doesnt feel like its buried.

A short drive of eighty miles down Route 35 and we were in San Antonio, home of the Alamo.
Originally a Spanish mission and hospital, it had been fortified to ward off attacks from neighbouring
tribes but was not reinforced to withstand canon and mortar shells. The Battle of the Alamo
between Texans led by William B.
Travis, and the Mexican army led
by President General Antonio Lopez
de Santa Anna, lasted for thirteen
days between February 23rd -
March 6th, 1836 and was the turn-
ing point in the Texas Revolution.
Although the Texans were defeated
and all but two of the defenders
were killed, reports of the massacre
and cruelty spread throughout Tex-
97

as and the United States, and an army was quickly raised to defeat the Mexicans which happened at
the Battle of San Jacinto only a month after the Battle of the Alamo.

Wandering around the site I was struck by how small it was. I liken it to watching Tennis on televi-
sion and then watching it live. Seeing adaptations of the battle in films doesnt convey the close
proximity of the two sides and how brutal the fighting would have been. Although the girls hadnt
covered this period in their school studies, I think they understood the significance of the events and
how they helped in some small way to shape the history of the United States.

After visiting the Alamo we went into San Antonio to enjoy the River Walk which is a series of walk-
ways along the banks of the San Antonio River. The area is a major tourist attraction and the banks
are lined with cafes, bars and restaurants. In spite of this, it was a beautiful evening and we took a
ride on one of the boats that meander along the river with the mandatory running commentary.

Pretty soon we were back on the road again with the goal of reaching Houston before bedtime,
some 190 miles away. As the sun began to set, the girls settled down for a snooze as we made
good progress along Route 10 and it wasnt long before we were on the outskirts of our destination
and found a Super8 for the night.

If you are doing a road trip of a few thousand miles through the States you could spend several
years just visiting all the sights and attractions along the way, so we had to be ruthless in selecting
things to do and see. In Houston we decided to go to the Space Centre which is the visitor area of
the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre. This is NASAs centre for human spaceflight activities and
home of the space shuttle. (http://www.spacecenter.org/).

One of the great things about our fascination with space is that it doesnt matter how old you are or
what gender you are. Both Lorraine and I are old enough to remember the first moon landings in
1969, and the girls have seen Shuttle launches on the television but I think for most of us the
curiosity goes beyond what we have achieved so far and lies more in the eternal question of are we
alone? With so many films and
TV series centred around outer
space, its clear that we have an
ongoing fascination with
something we dont yet have an
answer to.

Unless you know otherwise???

98

As the site is spread over many acres we elected to go on the NASA Tram Tour which visits several
of the buildings and provides a behind-the-scenes look at whats going on. One of the main
attractions is the Saturn V Complex with an original rocket divided into stages.
We also visited the historic Mission Control Centre and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, one of the
training facilities for the astronauts.

Back at the visitor centre there was a wealth of exhibits and attractions to keep us occupied and
interested including mock-ups of the shuttle and the opportunity to touch a piece of moon rock.
There was also a specific exhibit to answer the most asked question about space flight. How do as-
tronauts go to the toilet in
space?

With the girls considering the
wording of their applications
to NASAs Space Programme
we continued East along
Route 10 to New Orleans, passing through Beaumont and Baton Rouge.

Although Hurricane Katrina had hit the southern States some three years earlier we knew that its
effects and legacy were still being felt by the communities most affected. Call it morbid curiosity,
but there is something compelling about visiting a place where an amazing event happened, regard-
less of whether it was terrible or wonderful. Obviously Katrina was a terrible event, and was widely
reported across the world so in addition to visiting New Orleans for its own sake, we were also mind-
ful of the recent history.

Unfortunately the weather was once again in a foul mood with torrential rain preventing anything
other than a brief glimpse of the city. With more rain forecast for the next few days we decided to
leave on the same day we arrived, having only wandered around the French Quarter before calling it
a day. We shall return.

99

Our next target destination was Memphis, Tennessee, which sits atop a bluff overlooking the Missip-
piee river. Home of Graceland, Sun Studios and the Peabody Ducks. Although the most direct route
would have been along the 55 we decided to get off the beaten track and make our way North along
the 61 to get a better feel for the land we were travelling through. For some time now we had got
into the habit of eating when we felt hungry. I think this was in part due to the unusual hours we
had been keeping with early mornings and late nights. If we needed to eat something substantial
mid morning or late evening then so be it.

We had just passed through the town of Tunica when we noticed a restaurant by the side of the
road on the opposite side of the carriageway so we turned around and headed back. It turned out
to be The Catfish Warehouse, and although we were early for the lunchtime sitting we were made
very welcome by the owners Vic and his wife JoAnn. As the name suggests, the speciality of the
house was Catfish and they were in safe hands as prior to opening the Warehouse in 2007 Vic had
spent the previous twenty years farming Catfish so he knew a thing or two about them. As none of
us had tried Catfish before we were eager to get our first taste. We had also never tried Gumbo so
we ordered some of that too.

We knew that portions tended to
be larger than we had been used
to at home but even by US stand-
ards the portions were generous
and the fish was gorgeous. As
customers hadnt starting arriving
yet we had time to speak to Vic
over our lunch and he was kind enough to give the girls a Catfish Warehouse baseball cap as a sou-
venir of our visit, which they still have today. On a trip like ours, these sort of encounters and expe-
riences are just as valuable, if not more, than visits to well known landmarks and attractions.

Arriving in Memphis in the late afternoon our first task was to find accommodation. Although Mem-
phis is a large city, according to the Guidebook most of the attractions seemed to be in walking dis-
tance of each other so we elected to find a hotel in a fairly central position to save driving-in each
day. Eventually we found one almost directly op-
posite the Autozone Ball park, and guess what,
there was a game on that night against Nashville.
Although the Memphis Redbirds, are a minor
league Baseball team it was a fantastic experience.
I gave Lorraine and the girls a crash course in how
the game is played and we bought a couple of
100

oversized foam hands to wave and batter each other with. Alt-
hough Lorraine isnt sport minded at all she was swept along with
the crowd and was cheering Memphis on with the best of them.
After the game (which Memphis won, yeyyyyyyyy, go Redbirds),
we wandered down to Beale Street; home of the Blues. By the
time we arrived the street festival was in full swing, with artists
lining the sidewalk and audiences pouring into the road to ex-
press themselves without hesitation or hindrance.

Although we wouldnt normally listen
to Blues music back home, both Lor-
raine and I were drawn under its
spell and were soon dancing away.
Much to the girls embarrassment.


There was one guy who really caught our attention as he was
playing a guitar hed made himself out of two old broom handles
and a wooden box. The sound he was able to produce was
amazing as well as having a great voice for the Blues.

The following day was Graceland day. As wed not hit the sack
until late the night before, we had a lie-in and went around the corner to Dennys for breakfast at
around 10.30am. The plan was to grab a bite to eat then go over the road to The Peabody Hotel to
see the famous Peabody ducks who were due to make their entrance at 11am. Unfortunately Den-
nys was heaving and there was a wait of approximately 20-30 minutes. So we all hung around until
we eventually sat down just before 11, and once wed ordered, the girls left to go and see the ducks.

The Peabody is a luxury hotel in the Downtown area and famous for the ducks that live on the roof-
top who are brought to the fountain in the hotels lobby everyday at 11am and 5am in what is
known as The March of the Ducks. They are shepherded by a Duckmaster, Jason Sensat, and
draw large crowds.

The ritual started back in the 1930s when the General manager of the hotel returned from a hunting
trip and thought it would be fun to leave some of his live decoy ducks in the hotel lobby. The guests
apparently liked them so much that they have remained there ever since. (Obviously not the same
ducks.) The ducks are raised by a local farmer and stay with the hotel for three months
before returning to the farm to live out the rest of their days as wild ducks. As a testament to how
101

valued the hotel considers them, duck is not served anywhere on the premises. With a large celebri-
ty following it was no surprise that the girls came back raving about how cute they were.










We knew from our Guide book that there was a free shuttle bus that ran between a number of at-
tractions in Memphis, including Sun studio and Graceland so after visiting the studio where Elvis rec-
orded his first hit back in 1954 we were on our way. Although Sun Studio is widely regarded as the
birthplace of Rock N Roll and has been voted the No. 1 tourist attraction in Memphis we were on a
tight schedule and eager to see Elviss home.

Graceland was opened to the public in June 1982, almost
five years after his death and has become the 2nd most
visited private home in America, second only to the White
House. The estate was part of Graceland Farms and was
named after the daughter of the original owner, S.C. Toof,
founder of a commercial printing company in Memphis. Upon his death Grace inherited the estate
and gave the portion of land commonly referred to as Graceland to her nephews and niece. In 1939
Ruth Moore, Graces niece, along with her husband built the colonial mansion that Elvis eventually
purchased in 1957 for $90,000 when he was 22 years old.











102

When we visited there were three types of tickets available; the Entourage VIP Tour, the Platinum
ticket and the Mansion ticket. We elected to buy the Platinum ticket which included the Automobile
museum and the airplanes and a number of exhibits not included with the Mansion ticket. Each of
the tours is self-guided and includes a personal audio-guide.

The tour started on the opposite side of the road from Graceland where attendants provided each of
us with our headphones before we boarded the shuttle bus which crossed Elvis Presley Blvd and en-
tered the estate through the Music Gates and eventually stopped outside the main entrance to the
house, still guarded by the lions either side of the steps.

After a brief history of the property by a tour guide
the doors opened and we filed in. The tour is limited
to the ground floor and the basement partly out of
respect for the family but also because there would
need to be significant renovation upstairs to accom-
modate the numbers of visitors and this was thought
to be inappropriate by the company that now manag-
es Graceland.

Although we were part of a group and there was a finite time we had for our tour, I didnt feel
rushed at any time and we were able to dwell wherever we wanted to.








Despite the girls knowing very little about Elvis they were enthralled by the audio commentary which
was sensitive and entertaining without being glitzy or procedural. The tour encompasses the dining
room and living room which leads through to the music room where Elvis would entertain his many
guests, then on to the kitchen and the famous jungle room before moving to the basement where
you can see the lavishly decorated billiard and T.V. rooms. We then left the main house to see the
former racquetball court which now houses the collection of Gold and Platinum discs which line the
walls floor to ceiling. It also has a collection of memorabilia and clothing including Elviss distinctive
jumpsuits.

103


Leaving the exhibition we wandered past the
swimming pool and onto the Meditation Garden with its circular pool and fountains. It is here that
Elvis has his final resting place, flanked by Gladys and Vernon, his mother and father. He is also
joined by Minnie Mae, his grand-mother, and there is also a plaque in memory of his stillborn twin,
Jesse Garon Presley who was born 35 minutes before Elvis.












Day 121
Date 25th May
Location Memphis to Nashville, USA
So we left Memphis with The King accompanying us on the car cd player, and headed for Nashville
where we would temporarily go our separate ways. On the way we passed through Jackson and
stopped off at the Casey Jones Village. As a child I can remember watching the TV series in black
and white about a railway engineer and his many adventures. What I didnt know was that the se-
ries was based on a real Casey Jones who was from Jackson, was a railway engineer in the 1800s
and did drive a train called the Cannonball Express. He became a legend and hero due to his un-
timely death when the Cannonball Express was in collision with a freight train in 1900 when Jones
was the only casualty as he battled to stop the train and save the lives of his passengers.


104

Also on the site is Brooks Shaws Old Country Store which has been voted Jacksons Best Overall
Restaurant. I can testify that the food was brilliant and the groceries entertaining.
Many times on the trip we were in the
right place at the right time, as when we
left the store a transporter pulled up with replica vehicles from the TV series The Dukes Of Hazard.
First Casey Jones, then the General Lee, it was like revisiting my childhood.

We continued to head east for another 130 miles until we
reached Nashville, commonly referred to as Music City be-
cause of its association with Country music.

Lorraine was keen to get back to the UK to see her mother
who was convalescing after her surgery, and Abbey was keen
to reconnect with her friends. Hannah was given the opportunity to return with them but decided to
continue the road-trip with me for the next two weeks. We had agreed to meet up in New York on
the 12th June so Hannah and I made a rough plan of the route we would take to get us there. This
would incorporate Niagara Falls, Toronto, Boston before heading south to the Big Apple.

Our first stop would be the Great Smoky National Park in the Southern Appalachians where we saw
our first wild bear of the trip. It was quite far away and I wasnt quick enough with the camera on
this occasion. The next time we would see a bear would be much more up close and personal, but
more of that later.

Hannah quickly adjusted to her new role as map reader, particularly as she could have the music on
as loud as she liked. Unfortunately Elvis had been left in the cd player of the previous car so we had
picked up some Avril Lavigne to keep us going. We made good progress over the next couple of
days through Tennessee, West Virginia and Ohio, where we stopped off at the Amish and Mennonite
Heritage Centre near Berlin. We were guided along the Behalt, a 265ft mural-in-th-round which il-
lustrates the heritage of the Amish and Mennonite people from their Anabaptist beginnings in Zurich,
Switzerland in 1525 to the present day.
105

Eventually we made it to the banks of Lake Erie, one of five that form the largest group of freshwa-
ter lakes on earth. After a decent nights rest in a Days Inn we made our way to Buffalo and over
the border into Canada and headed to the next biggie on our trip. Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls is actually the collective name for three sets of waterfalls, the Horseshoe, American and
smaller Bridal Veil Falls. Together they have the highest flow rate of any falls in the world.
We couldnt visit them without taking a trip on the famous Maid of The Mist boat tour so we donned
the obligatory blue raincoat and put our faith in the Captain. Fortunately the sky was pretty angry
which only added to the experience as the water thundered across the threshold above us as we
descended into the spray.
Having survived and got pleasingly wet in the same way you might hope to on a log flume we elect-
ed to get a better view from the top of the Skylon Tower which stands adjacent to the falls and
boasts a revolving restaurant and observation decks.










106

Falling into the trap of ok, done that, we made good time as we headed to Toronto on the banks of
Lake Ontario, growing more excited by the minute as the enormous CN tower began to dominate the
skyline.
Our first challenge, as ever was to find accommodation within our
budget, ideally near the city centre, but this wasnt to be so we
eventually found a Super 8 on the way to Ajax which lies to the
north-east of the city. Thankfully Toronto has a great road net-
work and the following morning we were back in the centre within
thirty minutes with only one thing on our mind. To get to the top
of the worlds tallest tower. (Before you say what about the Burj
Khalifa, and the Canton Tower, and numerous others, a tower
according to the Council on Tall Buildings is defined as a building
in which less than 50% of the construction is usable floor space.)
Regardless of where it stands in the Im bigger than you picking
list, it was an amazing sight and the tallest man-made structure
Hannah and I had ever seen.
The viewing is primarily split between two levelsthe Lookout and the Sky Pod.
It took 58 seconds in the elevator to travel the 346m to the Lookout which afforded us stunning
views of the city. Feeling brave we went down one level to the Glass Floor which is 2 1/2 inches
thick and can apparently withstand the weight of 14 large Hippos. The obvious questions are how
did they get them in the elevator, and what happened when the 15th one got on?

Annoyingly Hannah walked straight onto the middle
of a panel without a care in the world, which
obviously meant I had to follow. The signs said the
glass was specifically designed for people to have fun
on it. Not sure what they meant by that but it
sounded like a contradiction to me.

As if we werent high enough, we caught the Sky Pod elevator which took us up another 33 floors to
a height of 447m (1,465ft). The difference between the two levels was noticeable as it felt to me
like Id lost my sense of perspective. A bit like looking out of an aeroplane window and not compre-
hending how high you are. Needless to say the views of Toronto and the bay were amazing.
107

Coming back down to earth we went for a wander
around to see whats what and came across pieces of
sculpture dotted around the city centre. This one by
the sculpture Tom Otterness, entitled Immigrant
Family was our favourite.

We were later told that many of the sculptures had
been commissioned by businesses due to the tax
breaks they would receive, but I dont know if thats true or if someone just wanted to go to the bar
that night and say, youll never guess what I told this tourist today. Being gullible is one thing
being called a tourist is another. That said, there was a lack of unpredictability
in our lives at that time. Hopefully it would change.

Next on our Toronto tour was the Hockey Hall of Fame, where we got to stand
next to the Stanley Cup. (Im talking about Ice Hockey for those who havent
heard of it.) Even though we didnt have much experience of the game there
was plenty to see and do so it was worth a visit.

Being a proud Englishman I thought my homeland would have the monopoly on castles with secret
passages and soaring battlements, so it came as an exciting surprise to find Torontos very own
Camelot not far from the city centre. Casa Loma was the realised dream of Sir Henry Pellatt, a vi-
sionary businessman who made his fortune from stocks, electricity (he founded the Toronto Electric
Light Company in the same year Thomas Edison developed steam generated electricity), hydro-
electric power, (his company built the first hydro-generating plant at Niagara Falls), mining and land.

Casa Loma took three years to complete at a cost of $3.5
million and exceeded any private home in North America.

108

Unfortunately Sir Henry and Lady Pellatt would only enjoy Casa Loma for ten years before his for-
tune would dwindle due to poor investments, WWI and an over zealous team of tax assessors. How-
ever during their time at Casa Loma they enjoyed an exuberant social schedule and continued their
involvement in philanthropic projects such as St Johns Ambulance in Canada which is largely down
to Sir Henry, and the promotion of the Girl Guides Association of Canada which Lady Pellatt played
an active part in developing.









Today Casa Loma is one of Torontos top ten tourist attractions and hosts almost 300,000 visitors
each year, as well as over 200 functions.

With plenty to see and do in Toronto we took advantage of the hop-on hop-off open top double-
decker buses that stop at all the points of interest and allowed us to visit at our own pace. Having
experienced the main attractions and with the clock ticking until the girls return we left Toronto and
headed around the Eastern shore of Lake Ontario before crossing the border back into the USA. The
600 mile (977 kms) journey to Boston would take us through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire
and eventually Massachusetts.

Day 133
Date 6th June
Location Boston, MA

I fell in love in Boston. No, not with somebody else, with the city itself. Maybe we were there at the
right time. Although I dont have a phobia about being underground, I love cities that you can walk
around without the need to use tubes or metros. Boston is definitely one of those. It is known as
The Walking City and in a recent study was ranked the third most walkable city in the United States
with 13% of its population commuting on foot.

There was a real buzz around the place as the Boston Celtics basketball team had defeated the Los
Angeles Lakers in the first game of the 2008 Play-Offs only the night before. Ultimately the six game
series would go to the wire, with Boston winning the last game to clinch the series 4-2.
109

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the USA and was the location of several major events in the
American Revolution such as the Boston Massacre and the famous or infamous Boston Tea Party. It
also saw the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston early on in the war for independence from
the oppressive British Regime. (A bit harsh, but apparently true.)

With so much history to absorb we bought a guide book
and followed the Freedom Trail; a 2.5 mile walk marked
by a continuous red line on the sidewalk (pavement)
that takes you from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill
Monument.

The weather was perfect as we strolled along the time-
line, occasionally stopping to discuss a plaque , grave-
stone or building. Although I missed Abbey dearly, I really enjoyed having Hannah all to myself.



Leaving downtown Boston but still on the Freedom Trail we crossed the Charlestown bridge to enter
the neighbourhood of Charlestown. Before making our way up to Bunker Hill we were guided to the
Navy Yard where we could board the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the
world today, having been built in 1797 to protect American merchant ships from attack by Algerian
pirates as well as the British and French Navies. Lovingly known as Old Ironsides because of her
great strength and unblemished record in numerous battles she is still seaworthy and the guides who
escorted us around her are enlisted seamen.








Hannah on the steps of the Massachusetts
Statehouse next to Boston Common.
110

The good weather had brought out a number of street entertainers which drew large crowds.
Thankfully his guinea pigs
resisted the temptation to go
boo! and he made it.


Having completed the Freedom Trail we spent the rest of the day just wandering around and enjoy-
ing the many parks Boston has to offer. By chance we came across
the Cheers Boston, formerly known as the Bull & Finch Pub, which
served as the inspiration for the Cheers TV series. Im not sure
whether Hannah had ever heard of the show but she played along
and had her photo taken for posterity. When in Rome and all that.

As well as plenty of green open spaces there were also several fountain parks which were ideal to
cool off in as the weather remained glorious.










Being a committed sports fan I was keen to see the
next round of the basketball playoffs and invited
Hannah to join me in the bar to cheer on the Celtics.
Feeling tired from the days adventures she declined
and didnt try to make me feel guilty about leaving
her on her own in the hotel room.

111

The next day was museum day. First on the list was the Museum of Science. Boston has over one
hundred universities and colleges and has a long history as a seat of learning particularly as it is the
home of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as MIT, as well as the
world famous Harvard University.

The Museum of Science has over 400 interactive exhibits and a number of live demonstrations.
During one of these Hannah was chosen to demonstrate the effects of static electricity.











She said it gave her quite a belt but she was too polite to say
anything.
Next on the list was the Museum of Fine Arts, which is the largest art
museum in New England, housing over 450,000 works of art including
paintings by the French artists
Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir,
Cezanne and Gauguin, as well
as its renowned collection of
artefacts from ancient Egypt.





The following day we visited the New
England Aquarium with its massive 200,000
gallon cylindrical tank. Hannah and I agreed
that the highlight was watching the penguins
being fed.

112







Having packed quite a bit into the past few days it was time for us to head towards New York and
meet up with the girls so we could continue our journey as a family. Heading south from Boston we
stopped off at Plymouth where the Mayflower ship carrying the Pilgrim Fathers eventually made land.
Their gruelling journey from Plymouth, England had taken sixty-six days during which time they had
apparently been blown off course from their original heading of the mouth of the Hudson River, and
subsequently dropped anchor inside the tip of Cape Cod. Although there is no clear evidence, one
school of thought is that as winter was upon them so aside from scouting parties they stayed on the
Mayflower until March of the following year, before finally venturing onto dry land at what is now
known as Plymouth.
This story is close to my heart as I grew up on the outskirts of Plymouth,
England and was aware of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims from a young age
and had visited the Mayflower steps from which they boarded the Mayflower
on numerous occasions.
Another part of the legend is Plymouth Rock, a solid piece of Granite that is
the supposed landing point of the Pilgrims. A piece of rock inscribed with
1620 and thought to be part of the original lies at sea level in Plymouth
wharf and can be viewed from above through metal grates.
Unfortunately for Hannah and I, work was being carried out on the on
the covering structure while we there so we werent able to see the
actual rock.

Soon enough it
was time to move
on.