March 21 to April 1 Crossing into Columbia from Ecuador wasn’t too hard but the ride from the border to our first stop, Popayan was one of our worst. The roads were good up to Posta so we decide to push on to Popayan – bit mistake. The next major town has an ATM so we are cashed up but the hotels are dodgy. The police and the locals tell us to move on to Popayan – just 85 kilometres away. One did say the road was a little bumpy. …
March 13 to March 18, 2012 Galapagos is home to some of the world’s most interesting creatures – iguanas, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, manta rays and giant tortoises. We’ve come to the islands hoping to see them all and we are not disappointed. Time and budget preclude a cruise so we chose a land-based tour staying on the main island, Santa Cruz and taking a boat trip each day. Our first day is an early start to Bartholomew Island. We are greeted by …
March 8 to 21, 2012 We cross over in to Ecuador with a minimum of fuss. The officials couldn’t have been nicer – we get SOAT. Welcome to Ecuador. First stop is Cuenca to meet up with Ian Moor, the brother of our friend Keith Moor, the Melbourne journalist. The ride takes us away from the desert of Peru to the mountains of southern Ecuador. It’s green, it’s cool, it’s beautiful. Cuenca has a quaint town centre with wonderful buildings like …