On the 12th of July we arrived to the country that I hadn't seen for almost two years and my husband saw it for the first time. It was very windy and cold so all my talk about the warm summers seemed like a bunch of lies. It was fun but strange to arrive to Finland. I think that I was in schock in the beginning as well as David. Now we have been here for about one month and things seem to be working fine so we are getting used to life here.
The first week we started to organise our things like all the paperwork to get a resident visa for David. This ment going to the register office to get our marriage certificate and sitting at the immigration police for three hours just to hand in the papers. I have never been involved immigration issues in Finland so I am learning a lot of new things in this slow process as well.
The beginning of our second week in Finland we got to spend one of the most traditional of our celebrations, midsummer (juhannus). For this we went to Lovisa to my mums summercottage and celebrated it with barbecue, cider and sauna. We also went to a party where we tried out eukonkanto (we came in second) and salmiakkikossu. At our summercottage we had some very special guests as I saw my new cute goddaughter Iina for the first time.
The next week we had to travel to Sweden again. This time to Göteborg for a one day festival called West Coast Riot. It wasn't really budgeted, but there were so many of David's favourite bands so we had to go there. On the way we also met my old colleagues when flying with Blue1, which was fun.
After the festival and another night at the airport we came back to Finland and headed to Lovisa again. We had an important event there, the baptism of my new god daughter Iina. Se is a very very cute girl and I was really honoured to become her godmother.
Othervise we have spent time together with friends and family and also looking for work. I am now back at an old place for one month and David is working as an airport assistant and delivering mail as well, while looking for other jobs.
This weekend we also visited Estonia, but only Tallinn for a day trip. We went with my mum, Benny, Anita and the boys. It was quite a quick visit, but we had a nice sunny day. We did also some shopping for our wedding party in August, since alcohol is cheaper in Estonia. The old part of Tallinn is very beautiful and we also took some pictures there.
14 July 2008
Germany, Denmark and Sweden
Because of the excellent flight offer that we found Berlin was our first destination in Europe. It was a new place to me as well as to David who was in Europe for the first time. In Berlin we stayed with a friend of ours, who treated us like kings and we could had stayed longer. We did the typical touristy sightseeing in there. The highlight was still the concert of Bad Religion that we went to. Germany also suprised us a little bit with the cheap prices so a "couple" of nights we enjoyed some beer and sangria. The weather was still very good when we where in Berlin, so it gave a good first impression of the European summer.
From Berlin we had some other flight offers to Copenhagen. At this point we were already quite broke and with the expensive prices of accommodation in Denmark we decided to leave our luggage in a storage and stay the night out. Here David got the idea of what the nordic summers are like since we were practically sightseeing until midnight because it was so light. Then the rest of the nigth we spent in the city center eating and drinking some Tuborg. The second day we found a not so expensive hostel and we were sleeping almost 24hours there... On Sunday we still had time for more sightseeing and this time we went to a couple of museums and in the afternoon to the airport for our flight to Stockholm. Have to mention also that Copenhagen is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe in my opinion.
In Stockholm we spent the first night at Arlanda airport. It was very quiet with comfortable seats, so I can recommend it as a place to sleep ;) The next day I walked around the town looking for some accommodation and found a nice youth hostel to stay. In Stockholm I was a guide to David since I have been to Stockholm many times. He preferred Copenhagen so Stockholm was maby a bit of a disappointment. Still I like the city very much as well as the people living there.
On our third day in Stockholm we came to the most exciting part. That was meeting my Mum and nephew Robin at the harbour and spend a day with them. We went to Djurgården, which is the smallest zoo I've ever seen. It was quite rainy and we didn't stay there very long. Still I wanted to show our nordic animals to David such as the moose and elk, which were so exotic =) After that we went back to Viking Line, where David and Robin found a common hobby - playing with playstation. David was so tired after the day that he actually fell asleep when the boat left and he woke up the following morning in Finland.
From Berlin we had some other flight offers to Copenhagen. At this point we were already quite broke and with the expensive prices of accommodation in Denmark we decided to leave our luggage in a storage and stay the night out. Here David got the idea of what the nordic summers are like since we were practically sightseeing until midnight because it was so light. Then the rest of the nigth we spent in the city center eating and drinking some Tuborg. The second day we found a not so expensive hostel and we were sleeping almost 24hours there... On Sunday we still had time for more sightseeing and this time we went to a couple of museums and in the afternoon to the airport for our flight to Stockholm. Have to mention also that Copenhagen is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe in my opinion.
In Stockholm we spent the first night at Arlanda airport. It was very quiet with comfortable seats, so I can recommend it as a place to sleep ;) The next day I walked around the town looking for some accommodation and found a nice youth hostel to stay. In Stockholm I was a guide to David since I have been to Stockholm many times. He preferred Copenhagen so Stockholm was maby a bit of a disappointment. Still I like the city very much as well as the people living there.
On our third day in Stockholm we came to the most exciting part. That was meeting my Mum and nephew Robin at the harbour and spend a day with them. We went to Djurgården, which is the smallest zoo I've ever seen. It was quite rainy and we didn't stay there very long. Still I wanted to show our nordic animals to David such as the moose and elk, which were so exotic =) After that we went back to Viking Line, where David and Robin found a common hobby - playing with playstation. David was so tired after the day that he actually fell asleep when the boat left and he woke up the following morning in Finland.
Viva Mexico
Mexico has always been one of our favourite countries in the world although we don't know it very well yet. But maby that is because tequila, nachos, the great people and the beautiful country =)So that means that we had great expectations when arriving in Cancún. Unfortunately we only had a long weekend there but we'll be back when we get a chance.
So in Mexico we went first to Cancun where we obviously wanted to go to the beach. It was really beautiful, but it is also very touristy so it's not easy to find a quiet spot, which I would prefer on the beach. After a day in Cancun we took a bus the next morning to Chichen Itza to see the famous Maya ruins. Also a very beautiful place worthiwhile visiting. After a day of walking in Chichen Itza we headed back to the coast to Tulum. This is another place with amazing sights with Maya ruins at the Caribbean Sea. If I would have been a Maya in my previous life I would have wanted to live in Tulum. In Tulum the sand is white and the sea has got an amazingly blue colour.
From Tulum our plan was to head to Playa del Carmen the next day but we did actually just pass it because we had to wait for the bus for such a long time and where in a hurry to the airport. Other things that we naturally did in Mexico was to have a taste of tortillas and tequila. Mexico is definitively my food heaven =)mums At the airport in Cancun they also had a variety of tequilas that you could taste, so the time passed too quickly and our flight to Germany started.
So in Mexico we went first to Cancun where we obviously wanted to go to the beach. It was really beautiful, but it is also very touristy so it's not easy to find a quiet spot, which I would prefer on the beach. After a day in Cancun we took a bus the next morning to Chichen Itza to see the famous Maya ruins. Also a very beautiful place worthiwhile visiting. After a day of walking in Chichen Itza we headed back to the coast to Tulum. This is another place with amazing sights with Maya ruins at the Caribbean Sea. If I would have been a Maya in my previous life I would have wanted to live in Tulum. In Tulum the sand is white and the sea has got an amazingly blue colour.
From Tulum our plan was to head to Playa del Carmen the next day but we did actually just pass it because we had to wait for the bus for such a long time and where in a hurry to the airport. Other things that we naturally did in Mexico was to have a taste of tortillas and tequila. Mexico is definitively my food heaven =)mums At the airport in Cancun they also had a variety of tequilas that you could taste, so the time passed too quickly and our flight to Germany started.
16 May 2008
Honduras and Guatemala
In Honduras we also arrived first to the capital Tegucigalpa. Tegucigalpa is Nahuatl and means silverhill. It didn´t look very beautiful so we decided to continue straight to the northwestern coast to the town of La Ceiba, which is the route to the Bay Islands. These three islands have also been visited by a couple of famous persons like Columbus and Robinson Crusoe and we thought that it might deserve a couple more legends like us ;)
In Bay Islands we spent our birthdays 20th and 21st of May and as a birthdaygift we did a open water diving course. Bay Islands have the second biggest reef and diving is quite affordable there. It was fun but also scary, because we had to do a lot of exercises underneath the water. E.g. we had to practice to swim (dive) without the mask and what to do if we would be without oxygen. It was not fun, but I managed to do it. On Roatan we also went to a beach called West Bay which has got crystal clear water where it is great to swim without big waves. The only thing that I didn´t like there were the sandflies that almost ate me alive. My legs, arms and back were (and still are) full of marks from them. Well it again a way that people start a conversation with me because they want to know where I have been bitten so badly..
After Roatan we went up north to Copán Ruinas, which is a very beautiful little town close to old Maya ruins. We really liked the place. From Copán we crossed the border to Guatemala. In Guatemala we travelled all the way to Antigua and visited a place called Panajachel at lake Atitlan. Antigua is a very touristy spot in Guatemala and for a good reason. It is a colonial town and a very beautiful one. We went to Panajachel to visit the villages at the lake. It was also nice but not that special. Tomorrow we are flying to Cancún in Mexico and plan to visit Chichen Itzá, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. We´ll see if we are able to do that within our time limits but it should be possible. Then on the first of June we will be flying to Berlin. So we´ll see you soon.
In Bay Islands we spent our birthdays 20th and 21st of May and as a birthdaygift we did a open water diving course. Bay Islands have the second biggest reef and diving is quite affordable there. It was fun but also scary, because we had to do a lot of exercises underneath the water. E.g. we had to practice to swim (dive) without the mask and what to do if we would be without oxygen. It was not fun, but I managed to do it. On Roatan we also went to a beach called West Bay which has got crystal clear water where it is great to swim without big waves. The only thing that I didn´t like there were the sandflies that almost ate me alive. My legs, arms and back were (and still are) full of marks from them. Well it again a way that people start a conversation with me because they want to know where I have been bitten so badly..
After Roatan we went up north to Copán Ruinas, which is a very beautiful little town close to old Maya ruins. We really liked the place. From Copán we crossed the border to Guatemala. In Guatemala we travelled all the way to Antigua and visited a place called Panajachel at lake Atitlan. Antigua is a very touristy spot in Guatemala and for a good reason. It is a colonial town and a very beautiful one. We went to Panajachel to visit the villages at the lake. It was also nice but not that special. Tomorrow we are flying to Cancún in Mexico and plan to visit Chichen Itzá, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. We´ll see if we are able to do that within our time limits but it should be possible. Then on the first of June we will be flying to Berlin. So we´ll see you soon.
14 May 2008
Panamá, Costa Rica & Nicaragua
A week ago we flew into the city of Panamá. Colombia and Panamá share a border but it is not a good way to travel by land, it is almost impossible, so we had to take a flight. The Darien gap between these to countries is very dangerous for three different reasons. First of all it is all jungle, there are no good roads and if you don´t meet any big and dangerous animals you will probably meet mosquitoes with malaria or some other insects that can kill you, or you could just basically get baldy lost. Secondly the jungle is home to one of the most dangerous animals, which would be humanbeings. Colombia has a bad reputation due to FARC who like to kidnap Colombian people with money or foreigners. The third reason is the smuggling of drugs that also goes via the Darien Gap.
So naturally we flew into Panamá and spent our first day in the city. From the airport we wanted to take a bus to the city instead of taxi (bus 1 dollar vs. taxi 30 dollars). The taxidrivers just wished us good luck and said may good bless you. Our trip with the old US schoolbus went fine and from the busterminal we took a taxi to the hostal. The hostal and the surrounding area was another survival story. The neighbourhood was in the process of "cleaning" up but we happened to land on a bad street, with it´s prostitutes and drugs. I just wanted the night to pass by really fast so that we could leave asap. This night we slept with a chair, table and our backpacks in front of the door and with the lights on. In the morning we went to see the famous channel of Panamá and after that we went to buy our busticket north. Next to the busstation and spent the entire day in the mall next to the bus-station. We weren´t exactly interested in hanging around the city.
From the city of Panamá we went up north to Bocas del Toro, more precisely to the Isla del Colon. It is a relaxing place in the Caribbean sea, with all the rastafaris, hammoks and palmtrees. There we spent a couple of days. First on a beach called Red Frog Beach (one of my favourite beaches in the world), then another day on the Wizard beach. They were both really nice and we found our private spot on them to enjoy the day. Bocas del Toro is a place where I could definitively return.
From Bocas we travelled next to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica. It was also a nice relaxed town, with beautiful beaches. There we spent two nights and a day and a half. In Puerto Viejo we had the best accomodation, since we had our own new cabin with all the luxuries included. From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca we went to the capital San Jose, where we arrived in the afternoon. Since we didn´t really want to stay in the capital we just looked for a hostel close to the bus station and relaxed there wathing tv.
The next morning we took a bus to Nicaragua. In Nicaragua our plans were to go the island of Ometepe which consists of two volcanoes rising from a lake. After that we wanted to go to Granada, an old colonial city and then continue to Honduras via Managua. The day before we read on the news that all transport in Nicaragua has been on a strike for almost two weeks, and naturally this changed our travelplans a lot. So in Nicagaragua we went only to their capital Managua for one night and the following morning we continued straight to Honduras because international buses were the only form of transport in Nicaragua. Well they had taxis that were about 30 times more expensive than a bus, so we thought that it wasn´t worth the stay.
Now we are in Honduras and are planning to celebrate our birthdays on Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea =) Ciao!
So naturally we flew into Panamá and spent our first day in the city. From the airport we wanted to take a bus to the city instead of taxi (bus 1 dollar vs. taxi 30 dollars). The taxidrivers just wished us good luck and said may good bless you. Our trip with the old US schoolbus went fine and from the busterminal we took a taxi to the hostal. The hostal and the surrounding area was another survival story. The neighbourhood was in the process of "cleaning" up but we happened to land on a bad street, with it´s prostitutes and drugs. I just wanted the night to pass by really fast so that we could leave asap. This night we slept with a chair, table and our backpacks in front of the door and with the lights on. In the morning we went to see the famous channel of Panamá and after that we went to buy our busticket north. Next to the busstation and spent the entire day in the mall next to the bus-station. We weren´t exactly interested in hanging around the city.
From the city of Panamá we went up north to Bocas del Toro, more precisely to the Isla del Colon. It is a relaxing place in the Caribbean sea, with all the rastafaris, hammoks and palmtrees. There we spent a couple of days. First on a beach called Red Frog Beach (one of my favourite beaches in the world), then another day on the Wizard beach. They were both really nice and we found our private spot on them to enjoy the day. Bocas del Toro is a place where I could definitively return.
From Bocas we travelled next to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica. It was also a nice relaxed town, with beautiful beaches. There we spent two nights and a day and a half. In Puerto Viejo we had the best accomodation, since we had our own new cabin with all the luxuries included. From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca we went to the capital San Jose, where we arrived in the afternoon. Since we didn´t really want to stay in the capital we just looked for a hostel close to the bus station and relaxed there wathing tv.
The next morning we took a bus to Nicaragua. In Nicaragua our plans were to go the island of Ometepe which consists of two volcanoes rising from a lake. After that we wanted to go to Granada, an old colonial city and then continue to Honduras via Managua. The day before we read on the news that all transport in Nicaragua has been on a strike for almost two weeks, and naturally this changed our travelplans a lot. So in Nicagaragua we went only to their capital Managua for one night and the following morning we continued straight to Honduras because international buses were the only form of transport in Nicaragua. Well they had taxis that were about 30 times more expensive than a bus, so we thought that it wasn´t worth the stay.
Now we are in Honduras and are planning to celebrate our birthdays on Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea =) Ciao!
Ecuador & Colombia
Long time since I last wrote and so many things have happened and we have seen so many new places. I´ll try to remember all that we have done.. I just don´t have a good memory.
Well from Peru we went to Ecuador as I mentioned. It was a quick visit because we both wanted to see as much as possible of Colombia. In Ecuador we went for one day to Guayaquil. This used to be a dangerous place but the city has gone through a big change and it was actually quite nice to visit. The most important for me was to visit the Plaza with Iguanas =)I have a lot of pictures in facebook about the Iguanas. I could had stayed there all day just watching them and feeding them. We gave them some bananas and they just went crazy, so cute and funny. From Guayaquil we took a nightbus to the capital Quito. In Quito we visited the old part of the city which was very beautiful. We also visited a Jesuita church which was covered with gold inside. It was amazingly beautiful.
From Quito we went to Tulcan, which is on the border to Colombia. In Tulcan we were only for a couple of hours because we just wanted to visit the graveyard. Sounds a bit strange maby, but the graveyard was really beautiful. It looks like Edward scissorhand would had visited it if you know what I mean. On the way to Tulcan we had a bit of bad luck. The first and the last time we left one backpack on the shelf above the seats and the thieves immediately took advantage of this. Well we didn´t leave any valuables there naturally but the bastards got away with a pair of sunglasses, one sleepingbag and two hats.. Annoying and so frustratring. Well we learned to be more careful with our stuff.
After this we crossed the border to Colombia. In the south we visited a city called Popayan, which is a Unesco world heritage site. It was a nice city with it´s white colonial buildings but definitively not a highlight. After that we went to San Agustin, where one can find the most important precolombian statues. Also nice but it didn´t take my breath away. Altough guide books say that you shouldn´t travel by night in Colombian buses due to FARC we took a nightbus to the capital Bogotá. We had no problems on the way and arrived early in the morning in Bogotá.
It was a bit more tricky to find your way there as we wanted to take a bus from the terminal to the city center. The streets in Bogotá are all numbered and you have street 1 west and street 1 east, we didn´t realize that they have the same numbers to east and west so we got a bit lost.. so we walked a while with all the luggage trying to get a taxi in the morning. The neighbourhood wasn´t the best one so I was really happy when we finally got a taxi. Bogotá in general was also quite a deception, my favourite place there was the police museum. There they told all about the history and naturally there was a section about the biggest bosses in the Colombian drugcartells. The guide told us that to capture the big boss Pablo Escobar it took 499 days and the day they caught him there were approx. 8000 men in the project to catch one man. But during the worst time of the drugwar 900 policemen were killed in only three months.
From Bogotá we took another nightbus to Santa Marta on the Caribbian coast and headed straight to Parque Nacional Tayrona. In Tayrona we stayed in our little cabin without electricity and our little rat and cockroach. A beach called Piscina (swimmingpool) was one of my favorites with it´s white sand and palmtrees. Although the nature was very beautiful it was a bit of a survival experience with all the mosquitoes. I had about 24 mosquito bites on one cheek (beautiful) when we left the place after three quite sleepless nights. After Tayrona, we stayed a couple of days in the nearby village of Taganga. It is also famous for a beautiful beach, but just ten days before we went there some idiot had managed to spill oil in the water so everybody where cleaning up the beach and swimming wasn´t a healthy option.
The last place that we visited in the north was Cartagena de India, which people say that is one of the most beautiful colonial cities of Colombia. The old part was indeed very nice with it´s old but well maintained colorful buildings. Although we stayed in a hotel we did have a rat visiting us again. We had bought some sandwiches that we planned to eat as breakfast but in the morning there was a hole in the bag and half of the bread was already eaten. Annoying. In the morning I also noticed that the restaurant downstairs had been closed by the healthinspectors and I can imagine the reason.
In Cartagena we finally managed to avoid a theft, which I was happy about. David was walking with a backpack and I was walking behind him on a narrow street. A guy came next to David and offered him money exchange and meantime anotherone was already opening the zipper of the backpack with a towel above his arm to cover it. I had read that this is a common way to steal things in Cartagena and realised what they were doing. So I grabbed the arm that tried to enter the backpack and shouted at the guy. They went away very quietly and with such an innocent look on their faces. From Cartagena we had to take a flight to Panamá but that´s already another story.
Well from Peru we went to Ecuador as I mentioned. It was a quick visit because we both wanted to see as much as possible of Colombia. In Ecuador we went for one day to Guayaquil. This used to be a dangerous place but the city has gone through a big change and it was actually quite nice to visit. The most important for me was to visit the Plaza with Iguanas =)I have a lot of pictures in facebook about the Iguanas. I could had stayed there all day just watching them and feeding them. We gave them some bananas and they just went crazy, so cute and funny. From Guayaquil we took a nightbus to the capital Quito. In Quito we visited the old part of the city which was very beautiful. We also visited a Jesuita church which was covered with gold inside. It was amazingly beautiful.
From Quito we went to Tulcan, which is on the border to Colombia. In Tulcan we were only for a couple of hours because we just wanted to visit the graveyard. Sounds a bit strange maby, but the graveyard was really beautiful. It looks like Edward scissorhand would had visited it if you know what I mean. On the way to Tulcan we had a bit of bad luck. The first and the last time we left one backpack on the shelf above the seats and the thieves immediately took advantage of this. Well we didn´t leave any valuables there naturally but the bastards got away with a pair of sunglasses, one sleepingbag and two hats.. Annoying and so frustratring. Well we learned to be more careful with our stuff.
After this we crossed the border to Colombia. In the south we visited a city called Popayan, which is a Unesco world heritage site. It was a nice city with it´s white colonial buildings but definitively not a highlight. After that we went to San Agustin, where one can find the most important precolombian statues. Also nice but it didn´t take my breath away. Altough guide books say that you shouldn´t travel by night in Colombian buses due to FARC we took a nightbus to the capital Bogotá. We had no problems on the way and arrived early in the morning in Bogotá.
It was a bit more tricky to find your way there as we wanted to take a bus from the terminal to the city center. The streets in Bogotá are all numbered and you have street 1 west and street 1 east, we didn´t realize that they have the same numbers to east and west so we got a bit lost.. so we walked a while with all the luggage trying to get a taxi in the morning. The neighbourhood wasn´t the best one so I was really happy when we finally got a taxi. Bogotá in general was also quite a deception, my favourite place there was the police museum. There they told all about the history and naturally there was a section about the biggest bosses in the Colombian drugcartells. The guide told us that to capture the big boss Pablo Escobar it took 499 days and the day they caught him there were approx. 8000 men in the project to catch one man. But during the worst time of the drugwar 900 policemen were killed in only three months.
From Bogotá we took another nightbus to Santa Marta on the Caribbian coast and headed straight to Parque Nacional Tayrona. In Tayrona we stayed in our little cabin without electricity and our little rat and cockroach. A beach called Piscina (swimmingpool) was one of my favorites with it´s white sand and palmtrees. Although the nature was very beautiful it was a bit of a survival experience with all the mosquitoes. I had about 24 mosquito bites on one cheek (beautiful) when we left the place after three quite sleepless nights. After Tayrona, we stayed a couple of days in the nearby village of Taganga. It is also famous for a beautiful beach, but just ten days before we went there some idiot had managed to spill oil in the water so everybody where cleaning up the beach and swimming wasn´t a healthy option.
The last place that we visited in the north was Cartagena de India, which people say that is one of the most beautiful colonial cities of Colombia. The old part was indeed very nice with it´s old but well maintained colorful buildings. Although we stayed in a hotel we did have a rat visiting us again. We had bought some sandwiches that we planned to eat as breakfast but in the morning there was a hole in the bag and half of the bread was already eaten. Annoying. In the morning I also noticed that the restaurant downstairs had been closed by the healthinspectors and I can imagine the reason.
In Cartagena we finally managed to avoid a theft, which I was happy about. David was walking with a backpack and I was walking behind him on a narrow street. A guy came next to David and offered him money exchange and meantime anotherone was already opening the zipper of the backpack with a towel above his arm to cover it. I had read that this is a common way to steal things in Cartagena and realised what they were doing. So I grabbed the arm that tried to enter the backpack and shouted at the guy. They went away very quietly and with such an innocent look on their faces. From Cartagena we had to take a flight to Panamá but that´s already another story.
18 April 2008
Bolivia & Peru
A couple o weeks already back on the road and we have seen quite a lot by now and there is still a lot to look forward to. We started our trip by taking a bus from Santiago to Calama (north Chile). In the north of Chile a lot of men work in the mining industry and I was actually the only female on that bus, since the rest were going to work. From Calama we continued to San Pedro de Atacama where we spent two nights before going to Bolivia. Chile is the longest country in the world so there you can find really different types of climate. In the north it is really dry and arid. We visited Valle de Muerte and Valle de la Luna on our first day, which literally looks like you would be on the surface of the moon (luna). On the second day we went to visit the Geysers of Tatio, which are the highest located geysers in the world.
After Chile we headed to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia for a three day tour. Salar de Uyuny was definitevely one of the highlights so far. Although I suffered from high altitude sickness the first day when we reached an altitude of 4300 meters. This basically ment a terrible headache and vomiting. I was also a bit scared since this can be a fatal sickness even to young and healthy people. Salar de Uyuni is a place that I didn´t know before but, it was a place worth visiting. There where beautiful lakes in different colours, geysirs and the salt. We also slept one night in a hotel made of salt, quite different to what we are used to.
After Uyuni we went to Potosi, which is the highest city in the world. It wasn´t anything special only the name that means butt yes in Chilean spanish was funny ;) From Potosi we headed for one day to Sucre, which was the old capital of Bolivia. It is a colonnial city and it was really beutiful, I liked it a lot. From Sucre we went to the actual capital La Paz (Peace), which wasn´t anything special.After that we headed to Copacabana because we wanted to go to lake Titicaca (one of the highest lakes in the world). There we went to Isla del Sol and walked around on the mountains for a day. As we were already used to the hights (approx 4000m) we jogged there because we were a bit late for our boat back.
Then we came to Peru where we are at the moment. First we travelled one day all the way to Cuzco which is the mainplace to enter to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The first day we did some sightseing around Cuzco. We had planned to go to some ruins around the city but the tourbus forgot us at the first stop so we did go to museums and to see a traditional dance show. The second day we went to the Sacred Valley and ended at Aguas Calientes, which is below Machu Picchu. The third day was definitively the best since we got to see one of the highlights: Machu Picchu. It was definitively worth while all the trouble. It was really an amazing place. It is actually my number one place of all the places that I have visited in the world. It is beautiful and the place where the Inkas built is amazing on the top of the mountains. They were such experts in building that people still don´t understand how they where able to do what they did. Well after this highlight we went back to Cuzco and the next day we went horseriding. Something that was new for both of us. We finally visited the ruins around Cuzco. From Cuzco we travelled approx. 22 hours to Lima and continued almost directly to Mancora. Here we are at the moment. We have enjoyed two days at the beach and are travelling to Ecuador tonight. We are only passing through Ecuador and will be there for three days and then Colombia. Will write more when we are in Colombia. Hasta la proxima.
After Chile we headed to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia for a three day tour. Salar de Uyuny was definitevely one of the highlights so far. Although I suffered from high altitude sickness the first day when we reached an altitude of 4300 meters. This basically ment a terrible headache and vomiting. I was also a bit scared since this can be a fatal sickness even to young and healthy people. Salar de Uyuni is a place that I didn´t know before but, it was a place worth visiting. There where beautiful lakes in different colours, geysirs and the salt. We also slept one night in a hotel made of salt, quite different to what we are used to.
After Uyuni we went to Potosi, which is the highest city in the world. It wasn´t anything special only the name that means butt yes in Chilean spanish was funny ;) From Potosi we headed for one day to Sucre, which was the old capital of Bolivia. It is a colonnial city and it was really beutiful, I liked it a lot. From Sucre we went to the actual capital La Paz (Peace), which wasn´t anything special.After that we headed to Copacabana because we wanted to go to lake Titicaca (one of the highest lakes in the world). There we went to Isla del Sol and walked around on the mountains for a day. As we were already used to the hights (approx 4000m) we jogged there because we were a bit late for our boat back.
Then we came to Peru where we are at the moment. First we travelled one day all the way to Cuzco which is the mainplace to enter to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The first day we did some sightseing around Cuzco. We had planned to go to some ruins around the city but the tourbus forgot us at the first stop so we did go to museums and to see a traditional dance show. The second day we went to the Sacred Valley and ended at Aguas Calientes, which is below Machu Picchu. The third day was definitively the best since we got to see one of the highlights: Machu Picchu. It was definitively worth while all the trouble. It was really an amazing place. It is actually my number one place of all the places that I have visited in the world. It is beautiful and the place where the Inkas built is amazing on the top of the mountains. They were such experts in building that people still don´t understand how they where able to do what they did. Well after this highlight we went back to Cuzco and the next day we went horseriding. Something that was new for both of us. We finally visited the ruins around Cuzco. From Cuzco we travelled approx. 22 hours to Lima and continued almost directly to Mancora. Here we are at the moment. We have enjoyed two days at the beach and are travelling to Ecuador tonight. We are only passing through Ecuador and will be there for three days and then Colombia. Will write more when we are in Colombia. Hasta la proxima.