So the second reason for choosing to come to Venezuela is the hard fact that it is the only country to top the Miss World contest with 6 wins and it's in 2nd place overall in the Miss Universe competition with 7 wins. The first reason was to meet some of my family but more on that later.

Like any respectable male I first went in search of Miss Venezuela and came within sniffing distance of her apparently. At the Angel Falls I was in a truck and saw some beautiful girls passing by to whom I gave my best "Hola Bonita!" eyes. To which they all replied with their "Get lost you weirdo" eyes and I don't think my drooling helped me much! Unfortunately they didn't hop on our bus and our guide informed us later that one of them was Miss World ... sooo close! Not to be put off I then continued my search and eventually got lucky in the Orinoco Delta as you can see in my photo on the left ... meeting Miss World 1938! Sat behind me is Mr Universe 1939. It's a romantic story of them both fleeing the limelight together for the jungle hence the happy smiles when I asked for a photo!!

As for Venezuela itself despite the recent bad press it is a beautiful country with friendly people and with the US$$$ it makes it an affordable place to visit. On the official currency market of 6B:$1 it has the second highest Big Mac index price of $7.15 (after Norway). Yet on the black market of B70:$1 it then has the lowest. $100 is B7000 in B50 bills...so I always looked like a player! Due to the poor government and availability of dollars to buy imports the country is in an economic turmoil - hence the huge disparity in rates. Nobody has money to buy goods so a lot of the shops are empty see the picture inside Zara below! Also supermarkets are rationing their food with 2 chickens per week etc. cars queue for 2 days to get new tyres and used tyres are more expensive than new tyres due to simple supply and demand. You queue in Venezuela for everything from banks, ATM's, bread, tills and petrol ... I remember seeing Russians queuing for goods years ago and couldn't believe it and here I am seeing and unfortunately experiencing it first hand. The only good thing is that they queue properly like a Brit ... the Indian way of pushing in could get nasty! The worst problems have been with medical equipment - patients families head to Colombia to buy surgical supplies so that their operations can happen! People are not staring at your designer handbag but that you have milk and sugar in your shopping bags - this season's 'must have' item! The other crazy thing in all of this is the cost of gasoline. My car holds 60L and costs me $130 to fill up in London. Here it would cost me U$1 at the official rate and U$0.1 at the black market rate. It's practically free! The issue is that car parts and oil are all imported so protests go on about availability of these items to keep your car running. American flights into the country have now reduced from 10 per day to 1. I have been lucky enough to spend some time here with my cousins Marisol and Gilberto to understand and see what life is like in Venezuela. Also for those living in Caracas not only can you not buy milk but you also have the highest murder rate in the world to deal with. The blacked out windows on cars (including front screen) are to hide you from hijackers not protect you from the sun. Also if you run your own business you also run the risk of it being nationalised. In Margarita, boat company's, hotels and restaurants are all randomly taken and given back to 'Chavistas'. We've have already seen what happened in Zimbabwe when things were nationalised and it didn't always go that well!

Despite all of this I have had a great time here and wish I could spend more in Venezuela. World News has highlighted political and violent issues and in some cases you can't really go out after 8pm as it's unsafe yet I have been to some cool places over last few weeks and hardly scratched the surface. I write all this uncomfortable stuff from the comfort of my cousin's air conditioned apartment drinking a lovely Chilean Chardonnay so I am seeing everything here through rose tinted glasses bought with my US Dollars. But other travellers I met have also said the same things. Don't take my word for it and come visit, but be quick before all the goods fly off the shelves!

As I said the main reason for coming to Venezuela has been to meet some cousins for the first time ever. A brief family history ... My Opa's (grandfather) name is Helmut Frederick Wilheim Von Seggern. During WWII he left Germany and went to South West Africa (a German colony now Namibia) and in South Africa was then interned by the British Army as a POW. Upon the war ending he then moved back to SW Africa. He had 3 girls with my Oma one of which is my mother (Monica). My Opa's brother Elu instead came to Venezuela and strangely also had 4 girls - the possible end of the Von Seggern name! My grandparents last came to Venezuela 50 years ago and no other Von Seggern (from my side) has come to visit until now! I wanted to reconnect with my cousins as communication has been very limited as well as wanted to learn more about the Von Seggern family history. My fabulous hosts Marisol and Gilberto whom I have never met have been amazing (they have 2 sons the same age as my brother and I and they are both accountants - it must be in the Von Seggern blood as my Opa also had his own accounting practice!) Like a true Von Seggern we dropped off my bags and then stocked the cooler box with rum and tonic...my new favorite drink and then went for a drive around the island. After queuing for 20 mins for bread at a supermarket we then needed another rum and tonic to get us home - as I said the perfect hosts! We have talked about the family, local views on life in Venezuela and also tasted the wonderful local cuisine. Like other Von Seggern's Marisol is a great cook making me homemade arepas, urchin and mango dessert. I will be trying a few new recipes on unsuspecting guests when I'm back in October! I have also spoken to many of my cousins and hope now that this is the start of  correspondence and visits in the future ... the beauty of Facebook! It has been a great way to end my Venezuela adventure.

Check out a photo below of my grandfather ... also a ginger (but with a full head of hair) any likeness???

Have you read "The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...a "Romancing The Stone" / Indiana Jones style adventure? The mountain portrayed in that is said to be Roraima and was my first stop and impression of Venezuela. It was my task over 6 days to summit it at 2810m, survey the top and return in one piece ... without any treasure, although there are crystal fields on top but its illegal to take any. After ignoring the warnings about being rainy season, the cold and puri-puri black flies that are worse than Mosquitos I set off with 8 others across beautiful savannahs and rivers before ascending through jungle and waterfalls to the flat top.

Camp life: Despite the rainy season we got lucky with mostly sunshine when walking. With warnings of cold I didn't take thermals so summit camp was spent drinking rum and zip-locked in my sleeping bag. As for the puri puri...they take no prisoners and go for all out attack! I got 10 bites (often bleeding) on my right foot within 15 mins as I forgot to spray below the ankles ... fellow trekkers legs and arms looked like a voodoo doll! Smaller and quieter than mosquitos they are the silent destroyers, the ninjas of the biting insect world! Otherwise camp life was good with good guides, good food and good company from all parts of the globe.

It was a visually stunning trek as every day you saw the flat top mountain in various shades of colour depending on sun or cloud. Had to cross numerous rivers to reach the camps with the final push walking underneath waterfalls with all your gear ... my trainers were soaked! The flat top and vistas to the Gran Sabana (including Guyana - known as the Zone Of Reclamation on Venezuela maps after us Brits took it and it's now independent) below was well worth it. On the top numerous pools, caves, quartz fields and unusual rock formations gave it a moon like landscape.

As I have mentioned before if you see me in a tent you have permission to kill me (as Sir Steve Redgrave once said) as I realised after night one why I hate camping! A small tent on hard ground. The only small print to my death sentence is that if I have a comfortable sleeping mat and big enough tent for my 6ft frame then I will do it. Bruised hips and sleepless nights were not what I signed up for.

Thanks to a gold prospector called Jimmy Angel flying around Venezuela the worlds tallest waterfall was discovered in 1937 when he crash landed on top of the Tepui near to the falls. Today illegal gold prospectors are still in the area but the main pull to Canaima are the falls.

There is only one way in and out and that is by plane...in my case a 6 seater Cessna for 50 mins. The landing is awesome as it comes over Canaima Lagoon...a series of smaller falls that provided an extra bonus to the area. These falls were super cool as we were able to walk behind them and see/feel the ferociousness and power of the water falling just c.30m...think what Angel Falls would feel like at 979m!

My first night provided much entertainment as I made friends with a British/US lad from the plane (fresh off on his 7 week hols and super keen for beers!). To set the scene the isolated town has 2500 residents for tourism and booze cannot be brought in as the locals get super lashed! There are 3 bars that we found although this discounts the airport (landing strip) as closes at 5.30. At the end of the crawl around the lake we found the main bar with the promise of 5 girls but it had just locals ... very very drunk locals. Turns out they were all local gold miners so rich (comparatively speaking) and bored on a Wednesday night! 2 of them could hardly stand yet didn't fall over ... I think the Latin dancing ability prevents that! Many Westerners came in and turned around but Paddy and I persisted along with another couple from the lodge. It soon emerged into a scene from "Shaun Of The Dead" but with drunk zombies. They spoke to us but we didn't understand a word. They also wouldn't leave us alone, our only escape was to pretend to be drunk zombies and blend in and walk away to the other side of the bar. This worked for a while until they caught on - finally the lights went out annoyingly without telling us Last Orders! The worst dude was thrown into a boat; another taken into the woods to sleep it off; and another simply lying down on the dance floor.

What is interesting about Canaima that surprised the Venezuela tourists is that you can use your iPhone to guide your journey home at 11pm and not get mugged/shot ... it can't happen anywhere else in Venezuela. Canaima has no police and relies on the local chief for mediating between the families.

Now the highlight is obviously the Angel falls and the only way there is a dug out canoe paddle for 4 hours upstream through rapids! Followed by an hour walk to the viewpoint and further 30 mins to the pools. This gave the adventure an Indiana Jones feel (turns out Harrison Ford has visited!). It was well worth it and what a sight seeing the falls with the longest interrupted drop of 807m. Even better when sharing with only 20 tourists all afternoon. The advantage of Venezuela right now! Chilling (and the water was cold) in the waters admiring the falls has to be up there with top things to do. We spent the night in hammocks by the river and got up for sunrise to admire the beauty of the falls once again. (Don't tell the Venezuelans but the Iguazu Falls tops the Palmer waterfall index!)

Next stop Orinoco Delta for 2 days. Same same but different to Amazon. An untouched more authentic jungle area than the Amazon although I did see fewer animals. As an experience it was great as I stayed in a quiet camp with max 3 of us. My private hut with open sides looked out onto the river. It was a lovely tranquil camp and the surrounding community huts gave it more of a remote, jungle feel. I saw parrots, howler monkeys, dolphins, toucans, bats, lizards and other birds. Tried again unsuccessfully to catch piranha but did eat some ... had bit of a bite!

Only downside to the jungle and more so than previous jungle areas have been the Mosquitos! I sprayed and wore long sleeves but these are super Mosquitos who bite through clothing...I reckon they are the SBS (Navy Seals if you're a yank) of the mosquito world - so my back and legs look blotchy and itch like a bad case of scabies! How do they get you between the fingers and toes when you're covered with 100% deet??

My final stop was Margarita Island in Eastern VZ and near to Trinidad and Tobago. A tax free island like Channel Islands (UK) or Canary Islands (Spain). A beautiful island with amazing beaches, sunsets and importantly warm seas. My aim apart from visiting family has been to stand up at kitesurfing...I ran out of wind last time in Egypt. This time luckily I did it! Although there is no photo evidence. I was meant to have more time on the board but the wind died so you'll have to take my word for it!

There is only one way to arrive at a world cup...and that is by boat sailing down the majestic Amazon river for 4 days sleeping in hammocks and resting on the sun deck whilst sampling the Brazilian culinary delights. Well that would be true if this was not the booze cruise lad version that's not been seen since the late 90's at Playa De Las Americas in Tenerife! Nor was it Brazilian nouvelle cuisine as breakfast was sweet coffee and bread rolls and every lunch and dinner was rice + spaghetti + chicken/beef (delete appropriately)...luckily all washed down with the finest Brazilian beer and rum which helped. In fact it was washed down so much we drank and smoked the boat dry on day 3!! Never seen so many clucking people having to go cold turkey for one day!! I should also point out we bought booze beforehand, the boat had a bar, and both us and the boat stopped to grab booze on day 2. Don't get me wrong the experience was class but not what the guide book had described. The boat was say 30% English/Irish, 30% Colombian, 20% Brazilian and 20% Other but all of which created a great melting pot of football fans and people up for a good time! In true British style when it comes to drinking we were all on the beers pre-boarding and thus first to go dry on day 3 so by night 3 when the more reserved Colombian's still had booze the sun/party/music/bar deck turned into a Salsa show which was fantastic to watch ... do they have some moves!

Despite all the partying we saw some amazing sunsets and scenery with the occasional river dolphin diving through our wake. More importantly we met some cool people who made the stay in Manaus more enjoyable.

I would love to do it again but with more locals on board to get the real experience...although having had to sleep in a hammock for 3 nights which wasn't uncomfortable I was glad to be on dry land and on a flat bed that doesn't swing.

With low expectations re: Manaus thanks to Roy Hodgson's comments earlier in the year, the city of 2 million Brazilians has made a good impression on me. Yes it's remote but thanks to its thriving history in late 1800's due to rubber (before Malaysia took over) the city has a lot of character ... not least the fact it is in the middle of the Amazon! 4hrs flight from Rio, the only road is North to Venezuela/Guyana or sailing East/West so you can tell its remote ... that has certainly not stopped the abundance of footy fans from around the world not least England and USA.

Having been in Manaus on/off for 2 weeks after a while a break from the footy is required so I have explored the city and surrounding Amazon. Also the beauty of the world cup means Manaus has been show casing its sights and sounds for the tourists. Been to some architecturally interesting buildings of which Teatro Amazonias is most impressive! A jewel in the jungle! The market was cool and a melting pot of locals buying/selling which is a spectacle to enjoy and observe. But as expected the Manaus climate is hot...damn hot...hot and wet (That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle - quote from Good Morning Vietnam). When it rains the cats, dogs, piranhas and monkeys all fall from the sky ... luckily only for a short period but it soaks you right through ... like fine rain! (Peter Kay) Oh and don't forget the Mosquitoes to add into to the mix!

Now lets get down to the proper business of the World Cup and footy ... the real reason I and thousands of others are here in Manaus. I got tickets to England vs Italy and USA vs Portugal ... arguably the best tickets in town!

Like any host city they also have fan fests and big screens up in town therefore never far from football on a big screen and never far from a bar stocked full with cold Brahma beers! En mass the Brits arrived followed by the yanks and the town didn't know what hit them...the town square and surrounding bars all ran out of booze the first night we got off the boat. The police closed off the streets as too many people were on them drinking and cheering. The police closed the bars as the fans were having too much fun and thought it might get rowdy. Now in week 3 loads more police, loads more beer and food sellers...I just feel they are a little late as this week is the last game for Manaus and it's moment of glory will be over...the games will be watched just by the locals as the fans move towards Rio. Don't think the locals realised how many would decent on the jungle and how much we would drink!!

First game was the opening match for Brazil which we went to the fan park for...30 mins out of town on the beach...yup the Amazon has a beach! The fan park was a sea of yellow as the locals came out in force for the first game. Pre game music showed me how much the Brazilians like to dance and how quick they are at learning the routines...within a few steps they were copying the Amazonian style dancers on stage. But the main event was the footy which didn't disappoint. We had one Croatian fan in a top who became a local celebrity among the 20,000 Brazil shirts...turned out he was from Galway, Ireland! Afterwards the roundabout was turned into an impromptu rave that we all partied away at until the traffic died down. All other games we spent in town around the square at the erected screen with the backdrop of the city and beer vendors never too far away! Still has a cracking atmosphere for every game including Nigeria vs Iran!

Next up the England game and for me the highlight. The build up and hype was created by the sea of white/red on every street descending on the ground. Few true Italians could be heard until in the stadium when the local Brazilians cheered their every move and booed England...a little harsh I felt...again maybe anti Roy Hodgson abuse from his previous comments. The atmosphere was good although without the England band felt it could of been stronger. Would of loved to have seen a win or draw but wasn't to be. Due to few true Italians and being the WC there was no trouble afterwards just lots of songs taking us from bar to bar! Had great seats thanks to my partner in crime Tiffany. She is on crutches so can obtain wheelchair tickets...as her "companion" I go for free...a right proper touch! We beat all the queues and have seats at the perfect height on edge of the penalty area. Due to FIFA being PC there are also fat boy seats...double seats with padding...we managed to swap our 2 seats (one is really just a space for a wheelchair) for one of these fat boy seats!!

Now as an England fan travelling I was not wearing an England shirt...I have 3 at home but not a fan of wearing them outside matches...touched on nationalism in a previous blog. I'm proudly English but don't always like the image the England shirt brings with it and this was summed up at half time. Got chatting to an old lad from up North and we were chatting about the first half...then he says "I am not racist but" (which immediately makes me think you are) "it's great having black players up front who are a lot quicker than the white guys in midfield". Gave him a polite nod and ended the conversation. I proudly say I am a English when asked just don't always have the outfits to prove it. Anyway the lads played good and just such a shame they are not getting past the group stages.

The final game for me at Manaus was USA vs Portugal. For me a chance to see Cristiano Ronaldo disappoint again and experience the full force of TEAM USA. Now as we all know soccer (as they call it) is not their first sport so decided to note down all the Americanism's that they allow to creep into conversation:

- possess 

- elite

- offence

- if you warm this guy up you cant stop him

- tie

And my favourite

- shake and bake the defender

The USA fans know how to support and cheer and dress up with the usual American Eagle, Statue of Liberty and item of choice a bandana! One guy in cowboy boots from the typical Texan! Yet my favourite chant was "no one likes us...we don't care. No one likes us...we don't care". Now USA played poorly against Ghana and won so was kind of hoping they would lose/draw with Portugal to open the group and give Ghana a chance. Game ended with a last minute goal for the draw which is dessert best served cold!! One US fan was already running the victory lap and missed the last minute goal!!

It would be rude not to spend time in the Amazon so I ventured away from the big screens for 4 days to hear, see and sleep in the Amazon jungle. Due to choosing a budget backpacker operator they had massively over subscribed their trips ... we had 15 whereas the following day some trips had 40! Not only did they over subscribe they also weren't organised nor had enough accommodation ... it didn't dampen our spirits despite getting caught in a few torrential downpours!

I had 3 nights - 1 in their lodge, 1 in a local house in hammocks and another in the actual jungle. The jungle night was the best as our guide Antonio aka MacGyver made a shelter for 11 of us in the jungle! He saw a clearing, chopped down trees and within an hour had dinner on the go. It was great to sleep in the hammock with the stars above, I was an unlucky one should it rain as I had no cover but luckily no cats and dogs this time! Was alarmed to see red blood on my mosquito net in the morning but realised it was the tree bleeding from the decapitation the night before.

We saw loads of stuff during our adventures: Caimans (like alligators), boa snakes, monkeys, sloths, a baby monkey abandoned by its mother, pink river dolphins plus numerous birds. Was meant to see piranha as we went fishing but had no luck yet the market proved the best place to catch them.

Not sure whether a highlight but most of starred in "I'm a backpacker get me out of here"...after opening up a seedling Antonio knocked out a white worm/grub that was wriggling in our hands. Saying it tasted like coconut milk we all bite down which caused the grub to explode in our mouth!! The taste was palatable but the sensation of squeezing something to its death will need some more practice. We won a star which was rice and spaghetti for dinner...there is a theme to the culinary delights of Brazil here!

The Amazon is vast and amazing to be within but didn't feel as though got to the heart of huge Amazon. The people all wear normal clothes, have mobile phones and satellite TV for the footy. No spears or bow/arrows or saucers as front lips. For that experience need to go deeper into the jungle...maybe next time! It was great to see the river as it's highest and meeting of the waters an interesting natural phenomenon. The Rio Negra (dark brown) and Amazon (light brown) don't mix for 6km due to different temperatures and speeds. Like all the things I have seen can always come back and see different things and have an equally amazing time.

Was stuck in the border of Ecuador with Colombia for 2 days. When we got there we waited on the bridge in no-mans land and with the flood gates opening saw Ecuadorians and Colombians running to immigration...never seen anything like it! Luckily for us due to my friend with crutches we sauntered up past the queue to the front desk and in Colombia we were...another country TICK!

We were heading to San Agustin via numerous buses and stop-overs but first stop was a remote church called Las Lajes Sanctuary in a valley which was built as someone saw JC in the rock...its a place of pilgrimage hence the plagues on the wall. Nice place to relax for a few mins before the schlep to San Agustin.

The bus journeys through the jungle were exhilarating when they should be relaxing! Our car was a 7 seater people carrier but our driver was like Colin McRae treating it like a rally car with a jungle and sheer drop one side...oh and in torrential rain! Got to the stage where we had 3 streams and waterfalls over flowing on the road...this made our driver stop, turn down the tunes and assess the road...after a little deliberation we went for it and after a little sliding on the rocks made it through and powered to our hostel!

Stayed in a real chilled hostel near coffee plantations on a hill that had decent food. The place is famous for pre-Colombian ruins and statues but after 2 days was time to chill and relax at the hostel spending hours in the hammock recharging the batteries!

After San Agustin was a night in Popoyan for some old architecture and then onto Cali the home of Salsa! Cali was lively and did venture to a salsa club to bust some moves...after a cheeky dance with a local and failing miserably we moved to a dance music venue...more my style! Dancing with locals was my key target as conversation is limited...dancing with this local who brought her mum out with her!! Thought was a bit forward to meet the in-laws!! 

The other nice thing about Cali is that being a city there is culture to enjoy. The modern art gallery was cool and nice to be in comfortable surroundings...more me as just like home!

After Cali was a fly-by visit to Bogota - a quick 24 hours. After an awful night bus needed 3 coffees to start the day but was well worth it. The city has a cool old town vibe where the art gallery's are based in neat buildings with colonial architecture. Saw a cool exhibition from William Kentbridge from South Africa and the local artist Fernando Botero (who makes people big in his art work and sculptures).

The afternoon was a cycling tour seeing all the top city sites, markets and street murals. 4 hours of cycling at altitude meant an early night. Hope to come back but so much to see!!

Leticia is in the Amazon region of Colombia and only accessible by plane and my final place of this Colombia leg! Currently staying in Colombia with a Brazil entry stamp thus an illegal immigrant!! Next journey is 4 days sailing down the Amazon in a hammock to Manaus and the World Cup!!

So back to Quito for 2nd and final time...could easily do the city in a day so any future travellers should head to the outlying towns for a better Ecuadorian experience. Have also joined up with my buddy Tiffany I first met 3 months ago in Argentina whom we are heading to the World Cup together.

Like all backpackers I went the Equator...the middle of the middle. Back growing up I remember this Simpsons episode where Bart didn't believe the toilets flushed differently in the Southern Hemisphere than Springfield...he called a kid in the outback and as Bart still didn't believe him the kid had to go cycle to his neighbours farm to confirm...3 days later the kid returned with an astronomical phone bill for Bart (Homer!). Well he could of saved time and called Ecuador as either side of the middle of the middle are toilets to test the theory and you will be pleased to know no photos...only joking but there are sinks to prove the theory of clockwise in Southern and anti-clockwise in Northern hemisphere. There are also loads of other fun tests (like being at Science Museum in London) but the interesting part is that the locals knew this thousands of years ago using sun/stars etc.

As I said Quito doesn't offer too much so after this headed to Mindo for some chocolate tasting and tubing. Not that I am becoming a twitcher but this town in the cloud forest has 22% of Ecuador bird species so it was cool seeing these hummingbirds eating as I was tucking into my eggs!

Final Ecuador stop was Otavalo for the largest market in South America. You want it you can get it. Started off at the animal market where in bags that wobble you hear screeching of animals wanting to escape. Cats, dogs, chickens, Cuy (guinea pig), sheep, goats, pigs (who don't half squeal when being taken home), cows, horses and llamas. Unfortunately my rucksack is full otherwise a cheeky llama for Balham Park Road would have been fun!! Then in the town you can buy anything as well as the usual Gringo traveller crap.

Now i wanted to write this blog from Colombia where I am heading but the border is closed (thanks to elections) so writing from the border frontier town in Ecuador and hope to be leaving today. 

Like all developing countries...we arrived at the bus station and the taxi driver took us to the frontier knowing it was closed - $3.50. Then he offered another way into Colombia with a smirk on his face at more expense. Then we had to jump back into a taxi back to town for a hostel resembling Fawlty Towers - $3.50. Grrr I hate being conned. You can't help think that back home if something is closed the honest taxi driver wouldn't take you there! 

So I am flying home from the Galapagos and looking out across the amazing archipelago from my window seat with a big smile on my face. Been here for 9ish days and although not cheap has been worthwhile.

So Galapagos...everyone says the best part of their South America trip. Do I agree...sort of...I am lucky enough just on this year abroad to have snorkelled with whale sharks; seen 200 elephants at the Chobe river and watched a leopard with his kill up a tree...so this is up there. The iguanas and tortoises are superb but what really stands out for me is the close proximity you can get without scarring the animals...the fact they don't see humans as a threat...the animals live in relative harmony with each other. So come here and you will love it but make sure you also go on safari and snorkel in the reefs because equally as good.

There are many islands here but only 4 are inhabited. Without boring you with the details I was on Santa Cruz, Isabella, San Cristobal, Espanola and Floreana. They all have amazing beaches with amazing animals and sealife. I saw tortoises, land iguanas, sea lions and numerous birds while ashore. In the water saw loads of sea lions, sea turtles,marine iguanas, penguins, sharks, rays and numerous tropical fish.

Will let the photos do the talking but for me the real highlight is close proximity you can get to these animals. They are not scarred of humans and don't see them as a threat. The Islands are perfect ecosystems with few predators...the big wow for me was snorkelling with sea turtles and sea lions without a care in the world. The sea lions particularly playful if you dive down and wiggle about a bit...they think it is play time...thus coming to within inches of your face!!

I slummed it for the first 5 days before the last 4 aboard a luxurious catamaran called Anahi...although a backpacker I need comfort and style once in a while...poshpacking or glamping!

During my teens I was lucky enough to sail (really just motor) the Channel with one Channel crossing from Alderney to Hayling Island with the Van Dort's particularly etched into my memory...despite this practice the sometimes rough crossings to the islands didn't help me feel a little queasy...although it's when the boat stops that gives my stomach an extra unwanted churn. Even now on dry land I still sway a little even without any Pisco Sours!

I met some round the world yachties who amazed me of their journeys from Europe and now heading to French Polynesia!! Despite me thinking I have sea legs my round the world yacht trip is being put on hold until I can stomach living days at sea.

After roughing it and doing day trips I splashed out on a 4 day boat trip to the islands the day trips are not allowed to reach hence the big draw. I managed to get the deal for half price as booked few days before and was well worth it given the quality of the guides and the amount of food I have consumed (the plane is tilting to the right slightly!). Now boarding a boat with 15 others means you are living, eating and socialising together for 4 days so don't piss anyone off!! A few of us got discount at the last minute...rule number one therefore is keep it quiet...people don't like to hear they are paying double...what do others say day 1!!

As a keen social observer/people watcher it was great to see the different dynamics develop on board...

- being Galapagos you get some serous animal nuts. One chap on board had RSPB binoculars...not sure if that means Fisher Price Dummy guide to being a twitcher or some serious bird spotter. Luckily he left the jotter behind and turned out to be not even close to Bill Oddy.

- then we had 3 young girls from Israel who wished it was more of a party boat than full of serious animal enthusiasts...the days started at 7am and bed was usually 8.30pm with night sails...they also decided to miss a lot of the excursions so weren't popular on board. The boat had a hot tub which they wanted to use...again in a national park not Cancun!!

- then you had a guy who was filming everything with running commentary...his wife using numerous technical cameras. They also loved correcting each other and me on occasion!! Essentially non-cool geeks.

- a hard core cruiser who had a wonderful character who turned mother to me to ensure all was safe. She rubbed the Israeli girls the wrong way who smoked a lot so she worried the boat would burn down!!

- finally my room mate who was sharing with her friend/colleague but after 2 weeks of snoring needed a new roomie...I was a gentleman...forgot to knock, read until the late hours of 9.30pm and of course made a mess.

Who knows what they said about me but like to think that I have manners and have been brought up proper and in a boat situation you try not to cause friction!!

I am in a new country...Ecuador...the problem is every time I think "oh I am in Ecuador" I break out into a mini rave thanks to the 90's tune by Sash!

Before arriving I was losing my travel Mojo...think due to the many 18+ hours bus rides I did to get here...but my Mojo is now back thanks to meeting some cool people on a bus to Banos and only have max 4hr bus rides to endure thanks to the small size of Ecuador.

First stop was Riobamba which is not worth the stop. I was here for the train ride except I got the wrong town for the AMAZING engineering feat of Ecuador so went by train into the mountains but nothing WOW about it. The train to a little village with a misty view of the tallest mountain in Ecuador was essentially something BA Baracas and the A-Team put together...They went into a shed with a truck and a train...put on a battering ram and roof top for sniping and finished with my train! Call me spoilt but having been on trains in Argentina and Peru this was definitely in 3rd place. The A-Team turned into Mad Max as we had these 5 motorcyclists clad in leather with masks following us to block the roads.

Following unsuccessful Riobamba went to successful Banos...essentially a hot spring town with activities galore. It is next to a very active Ecuador volcano...went on a party bus to see this volcano...well the mist meant we couldn't even see 20ft so can't vouch for the volcanic activity!

As I said previously in Peru went for a training run and my legs were still hurting so I decided to go for a massage the hostel was offering...$20 for 1 hour so I was game. First thing with a massage is don't fart so need to keep the cheeks under control. Second thing is keep a memory of Margaret Thatcher in the mind in case things get embarrassing. My face was head down and was nice and relaxing until I heard the sound of rubber gloves...bit kinky and I don't even know Spanish for "extras"...first thought was what are "safe words" in Spanish to get me out of this mess!! Luckily nothing untoward happened and think they were used due to the fingers having bobbling for exfoliation. By coincidence "Chariots of Fire" came on the radio as she was working my legs. To make things worse she then used gloves to finish me off (not like that!!) rather than her hands like I had some sort of skin rash. Despite all this felt relaxed and rejuvenated with my legs ready for the next beating...cycling the next day in the rain through the canyon.

Luckily the cycling was easy and downhill that passed many waterfalls which was great to get up close and personal to but call me a snob but when you get under the Iguazu Falls nothing compares!!

Next stop Latagunga for some glaciers and volcanoes...as you can tell I am in a rush due to a flight tomorrow to the Galapagos! Did an acclimatisation trek to the Quilotoa lake at c.4000m which was a stunning blue/green/azure colour despite the intermittent rain. The following day I was going to summit Cotopaxi which at 5900m is higher than Kilimanjaro...although you drive to 4500m so kind of cheating. Due to the poor success rate and poor weather (ie no visibility) I just went to 5000m to see the start of the glacier. This volcano erupted in 1905 and erupts every 100 years so watch out if you visit soon!!

Now I like ticking boxes and getting to 5000m is an interesting box that I have now ticked...I have been higher than Mount Everest!! Due to the curvature of the Earth the glacier on Cotopaxi is further from centre of Earth than Everest...surely the true measure of any mountain and summit!! Now I am no Stephen Hawkings (no comments!) but if Everest is 8900m above sea level and I was at 5000m yet further from the Earth core...does this mean all the water moves from the Ecuador to the poles??? Surely gravity has a part to play??? One for the boffins to explain! (By the way if my logic is rubbish and I am going loco then blame not working for 7 months!!)

Next up in Graham Physics lesson...which way does the water flush when using the toilet at the Equator??? (Don't worry won't show photo evidence!)

Final stop of this Ecuador section was Quito. The amazing thing is that you use the PanAmerican Highway to get here...if I went South would end up in Ushuaia, Argentina and North would be Alaska, USA...bizarre!!

Another city...another stat...second highest capital in the world with the 2nd longest cable car to the nearby volcano! Was also the first UNESCO city! Love a factoid!!

Despite its sometimes dangerous reputation it isn't a bad city although weather hasn't been kind. The only thing dangerous about it so far was me climbing the metal staircase to the Basilica tower in a lightning shower in flip-flops!! The old town is nice with old cobbled streets and balconied houses/mansions.

After toasting mum a safe journey home with a Pisco Sour it was back to travelling with a bump as my overnight bus to the mountains had a screaming baby one row in front!

Huaraz is a standard town at the foot of Peru's largest section of Andes. As it was Easter weekend had a nice procession on the Sunday but the main pull is trekking to the various glaciers and lakes which didn't disappoint as you can see from the photos.

Highlight for me was the Canon Del Pato or Duck Canyon. Decided to venture by bike alone from Caraz along a very scenic downhill (thankfully) mainly tarred road. As in a valley you can't get lost! In true Brit style I donned my hat, slopped on my sun cream and headed out into the midday sun with not enough water!! A gentle meander for 39km ended with the last 12km in the Canon Del Pato. Armed with my crappy head torch I cycled through the 35 tunnels getting covered in mud and with each tunnel running the gauntlet with potential on-coming traffic. By the end having gone through dust, mud and tar I felt like a cartoon villain covered in all sorts of materials.

My reward was a quiet village by the river which due to traffic restrictions for the return journey was my home for 4 hours...so I plonked myself in the only restaurant to kill time. The restaurant had no menu so my option was only meat; it was served by "the only gay in the village" Little Britain character; had Peruvian Strictly Come Dancing starring 12 Anne Widdecomb's to keep me entertained...the only saving grace was the owner like football so enjoyed Chelsea 0-0 draw in Champ League!! As you can tell the 4 hours passed pretty quickly just observing Peruvian life.

I decided to make one final stop on my Inca / Peruvian culture tour at Chachapoyas back in the jungle (ish). After a while archaeological sites get samey just like in Thailand and India with temples. Still good but sometimes need a change of scenery.

Chachapoyas is a neat little town with these old houses and balconies similar to Cuzco. After a bus travel fail over 24 hrs to get there i checked into a single room for $9...bargain! Just what i needed as was tired and smelly!

The pull factor here is Kuelap a sort of Machu Picchu but built 900yrs before. Hence although set upon the hill and a defensive fortress it lacked that WOW factor of Machu. It didn't help that it was raining...but still impressive given when it was built.

The other reason people visit is for the statues/tombs/sarcophagus of the Chachapoyas people placed upon shear limestone cliffs around 1200AD...they would destroy the paths once placed to avoid thieving. Unfortunately as limestone meant erosion over the years and so loads of fallen and broken...even a few bones lying around the place!!

Prior to this stop were some caves where we donned some wellies as turned out to be very sticky mud...a few came face to face with it! Again the caves used to be a cemetery but also a cavern of stalag "might touch the ceiling" and stalactites. 




Prior to going into the caves i had an "old people" moment which at 3* yrs is bad news but now see what my mum's friends must go through on a daily basis! We were waiting to pay entry and one of the group picked up a broomstick...

In my head i was oh "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" or a witch from "Wizard of Oz"...

Group member said oh its a "something 2000" (something = he said something but didn't register)

I was like "uh"

He said "you know quiditch"

I was like "uh"

He said "Harry Potter"

I was like "ohhh" after which i found the nearest seat, put some comfortable velcro shoes on, lit my pipe and read the back section of the Daily Mail deciding which pair of elasticated trousers to buy next!

After another long bus journey (3 buses in total) i am finally at Mancora beach for some rest and relaxation. Was last at the beach at Xmas and need to have some time to recharge the batteries...assume I have no sympathy!! Staying at the party hostel in town which reminded me why beaches are a good place...lots of scantily clad young ladies everywhere meant I had to jump into the pool like Kevin and Perry!!

Quick annoyances from the bus journey. Reading "Captain Philips" about the Somali pirates and as I jumped on the bus guess what film starts...and for the first time not dubbed and in English!!...alas despite my speed reading I finished the book as the film closing credits came up. Secondly when people jump onto buses (and planes) why can they not find their seat?? This guy was looking for seat 56487..his luggage ticket number!

Anyway the beach is nice and the water warm and after a lame attempt at surfing decided to go body boarding which I also failed at...I realise that I am not a water baby. What I did realise I am good at is beer pong! My team made the final but couldn't make the final cup which meant drinking copious amounts of beer and a blood bomb (don't know nor want to know what's in it!). The same night I got a complement of looking 25 yrs old although my smile was removed when someone else said "you're not an accountant are you?" What?? Do I have a badge on? Is it really that obvious? You would have thought being away for 7 months I would have lost it!

As I said in my blog title I am off to Ecuador tonight but thanks to my stupidity I have also signed up for the Lima marathon on 18 May. Need to somehow get race fit in just over 2 weeks...so ventured out for an 1.5hr run which apart from getting chased by dogs was a relatively successful run. Issue being not many training opportunities over coming weeks so won't be getting a PB but will have ticked off a marathon in South America...will be 4 continents down!! In my 40th year plan to run the Antarctic marathon...tick off my 7th continent and RETIRE!!

Palmertours is a multi-cultural non discriminatory charitable organisation and that is why I have opened the door for the first time for those with bingo wings, cankles and suspected hairy upper lips...yup Palmertours also caters for the older generation...and I mean old!! Now obviously my mother who joined me this week for 3 weeks doesn't meet any of these criteria but I was willing to make an exception.

So looking like a New Yorker (smart dress with sneakers) mum and I ventured from neighbourhood to neighbourhood seeking out all the major sites Buenos Aires has to offer. From La Boca in the South with its colourful housing to Tigre in the North with its boat houses and waterways. Fantastic effort as ever from my mum who didn't complain...much...and just needed the occasional coffee as a pick me up. As this was my 3rd visit to the city I was able to navigate with ease but this time actually go into the museums and galleries rather than just a fleeting visit. The city has enough to see for 4 days but no more and luckily our timing coincided with the Madres protest on Thursday who are still looking for their children taken under the dictatorship regime. What was also nice to explore were the numerous antique shops with old Louis Vuitton trunks, Harley bikes and pinball machines...could see myself opening up a shop in Notting Hill next to Hugh Grant book shop!

For me the plus side came in staying in a hotel...free towels...TV in the room...sharing with a non-snorer (most of the time)...and more importantly unlimited breakfast every morning. Like a true backpacker this is red rag to a bull so made sure our breakfast sitting was 30+mins to last the day!

Our aim most nights was to find a decent hotel bar for a drink before a nice slap meal...well steak and red wine essentially as that is what the Argentinian's do so well. Drinking in a Philippe Starck designed hotel was a good start and followed this by a top steak house Las Lilas...only issue we didn't have enough cash with us as credit cards are pointless as costs 30%-40% more...luckily no washing up or a quick sprint was involved but dessert consisted of a McFlurry rather than something covered in Dulce De Leche.

Back home I enjoy a bit of culture now and then whether theatre or art and thus made sure this was ticked off during these four days as not done much over the past 6 months. Visited a Mario Testino exhibition; watched a tango show in the famous Cafe Tortoni and the highlight the opera Caligula at the majestic Teatro Colon. Worth mentioning the opera...wonderful setting...but the opera was in German with Spanish subtitles (Just like watching Apocalypto in Peru eh Dave) so didn't understand a word...plus being an ENO production the show had a modern twist with a lot of nudity!! something the BA crowd didn't enjoy as many seats emptied at half time.

We headed north by plane...another advantage of Palmertours does SAGA...Iguazu Falls voted one of the natural 7 wonders of the world (along with Table Mountain) and it certainly didn't disappoint. Wow what a amazing magical place. On this trip have been to the Victoria Falls albeit in dry season but these falls blew me away. To go to the Devils Throat you need to walk a 1km over the river and the excitement builds as you get closer...you feel the spray...you hear the crashing water...then when you arrive and see it in full flow it is magical. The place also has an Avatar feel due to the moss and plant life around the falls.

We continued around the falls as there are around 250 to see and by the late afternoon it was time to do the Great Adventure tour...15 min boat ride in and out of the falls. Some wore swimming costumes and goggles - extreme...we were more casual which we later regretted as you don't get wet you get DRENCHED! Ponchos and waterproofs don't even work...the boat drives into the falls so all around you is water. Apart from having a girl scream in my ear the whole time it was awesome and a great thrill and after wiping the mascara off we both looked semi presentable coming off the boat although the squelch with every step gave the game away as to where we had been. Our reward was a drink at the on-site hotel overlooking the falls although had to act like we owned the place as we continued to squelch through the lobby to the bar!

The next day we planned to go to Brazil to see the falls or the animal sanctuary but as on holiday we sat by the pool and just chilled. Given mum was asleep until lunchtime sometimes you forget that guests are here on holiday and with an intense 10 days to come in Peru and the Inca Trail recharging the batteries was just what the doctor ordered.

If they were to make a "Shaun Of The Dead II" (outside of the Cornetto Trilogy) I would make a great extra as a zombie and know how to make it look realistic ... by doing a 24hr plus bus journey.

A) prior to bus departure do a power walk up a hill to the bus station at 3600m above sea level as you're running late for the bus

B) embark on a 16 hour bus journey through Bolivia where the seats are a little tight and your legs are way too long to get anywhere near comfortable. Ensure the person sitting next to you likes to push his elbows out when sleeping

C) ensure the bus stops every 3/4 hours to pick up passengers. Whilst at bus stops ensure people arrive with dodgy smelling goods/food that then stinks out the whole bus

D) upon arrival at border control at 8am ensure it takes 3 hrs for customs clearance and 2 passport stamps ... again make sure you have a look of worry that it might run out of space! Plus as you're going from Bolivia to Argentina always worry about the rubber glove treatment

E) jump on another bus for 8 hours to destination

Voila ... arrive smelling bad, with glazed eyes from lack of sleep plus malnourishment as the buses don't have toilets so you don't eat or drink for extended periods!

And I enjoy this because?


As I said before, the last week has been a lot of buses to make tracks to Salta in Northern Argentina for my flight to Buenos Aires tomorrow. Therefore in order to try and see everything I crammed lots in...

- In La Paz, I went to the Moon Valley and did 2 hours of off road motorbiking through beautiful countryside and only 20mins downhill from La Paz. As I was riding relatively quickly this meant I killed time riding through some Bolivian council estates... which meant riding with my legs up to avoid the stray dogs chewing your ankles!! I always love a bit of additional danger...not like riding off-road across mountain passes is safe!!

- Went to the wine region of Cafayate for a speed drinking vineyard tour. I managed 8 across 2 half days. It's famous for its white Torrentes wine...smells sweet but tastes dry...not bad but not a touch on Mendoza Melbec...having said that the settings were beautiful and reminded me of Cape Town vineyards. Just a note if doing it by bicycle - don't wear flip-flops (Jandels to my NZ friends...Japanese Sandels) as after a few wines you feel gun-ho going over bumps and you end up scraping your foot! The drive leading into the town has amazing geology through a colourful gauge...as a drive-by tourist just snapped from the bus but still good.

The reason for choosing Salta for this week is the "Tren a las Nubes" or train to the clouds ... now I am not a Malcolm or Nigel and like train spotting, I just enjoy the mode of travel as I can walk around and it is more pleasant than bus. This didn't stop me wearing a parka and having a spotting jotter though! It's the 2nd highest railway in the world!! It has 217km of track, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts and 2 zig-zag and starts at 1187m and rises to 4220m!! It was the opening weekend so we had a marching band to wave us off . It runs weekly and first time of the season had cars of people following us for a glimpse of the train and it's journey! The scenery and engineering are stunning but the train looks more like a Cape Town commuter train than tourist luxury travel hence it was odd to see all these cars wanting to get a glimpse of the train...but then I realised there are no trains in Argentina so there is a novelty element to the journey for them. Singing the national anthem at the top was unique and made me realise how patriotic they are...I didn't mention I was British!

- I succumbed to an old trait...I was craving Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with cold milk FOR DINNER!!...I couldn't find any but saw "Honey Graham" instead as a good alternative. It's a bad habit I know but when all you have for breakfast is bread and Dolce De Leche spread I needed cereal and cold milk. I guess it was karma for buying the cereal as I accidentally picked up soya orange juice to go with it!!

- Salta is a nice enough city but want to highlight one museum on the square. MAAM - in 1999 some European geologists went to Volcano Llullaillaco at 6739m which was an Inca sacrifice site...they found 3 fully preserved children from the -20C temperatures with face, skin and clothes all in tact...seeing it was quite remarkable especially as only 15 years ago...imagine how many more are out there!

Time for reflection...

Wow ... my 6th month travelling milestone has now been reached. Do you miss me? Even know that I've gone? Remember my name?

For me the time has flown by, but in a fantastic way. My energy for travelling has ebbed and flowed as it naturally would but as I write this blog and now list my highlights it brings a smile to my face and real sense of achievement ... to see what I have seen ... done ... what great characters I have met and what experiences I have shared.

Some highlights so far:
- Quad biking with my 5 year old nephew Rex on my dad's farm in South Africa
- Sharing afternoon tea with my 91 year old Nanna
- Reaching the peak of Africa in Kilimanjaro at 5895m to the most Southerly tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas
- Teaching children in South Africa to read and helping adults to use a computer
- Travelled by plane, train, bus, taxi, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, motorbike, quad bike, bicycle, underground, horse, boat and ferry
- Reconnected with family and friends from all parts of the globe from Sydney, Bali, Cape Town and even Wales
- Swam with whale sharks, held a lemur, seen 200 elephants at a watering hole, had a monkey climb up my leg (not a euphemism) and heard a sea lion roar
- Drank 'mate' with the portenos of Buenos Aires and Melbec with the bodega owners in Mendoza, Argentina
- Driven a 4x4 through the Atacama desert in Chile and cycled down the road of death in Bolivia
- Been overwhelmed by the beauty of Patagonia and the Salar de Uyuni

All in all I have covered 12 countries so far, I have the passport stamps to prove it ... although I cant really say I know Zimbabwe that well!

When I started the trip I wanted to track my progress with daily photos ... this proved harder than planned and has been dropped. What i have got immense pleasure from is this blog, it allows me to think about what I've recently done and put down my experiences and thoughts and will become a permanent record of my sabbatical journey. Amazingly to date I have had 7700 views of my website (7699 of those views from my mum) so thanks for following the story.

When I look at this extensive list it feels great to have taken a 12 month sabbatical and it is a real sense of achievement ... not in a ticking box way but having the impetus to utilise this opportunity and to feel that I am making the most of my life. It has been a time for me to think, share my ideologies with fellow travellers and plan not just for the short term but what I want to get most from life in the long term.

On a bus journey in Peru I was reading via the Longform app an interesting article regarding a child with autism and how he dealt with it via Disney films. They say you read something to share ... hence a quote from Laverne, the gargoyle from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” “Quasi,” he says. “Take it from an old spectator. Life’s not a spectator sport. If watchin’s all you’re gonna do, then you’re gonna watch your life go by without you.”

The exciting thing is I am now only half way...

The 1st April is the start of the next arrival on Palmer Tours ... my mum...3 weeks of Buenos Aires, Igauzu Falls and Peru, which also means no hostels for 3 weeks! After that I'm going to Ecuador, Galápagos Islands, Brazil (for England first game), Venezuela, Columbia and Central America.

It's great to reflect on an amazing 6 months so far but also to now look forward to the next adventures I have installed ... to which an open invite is always there for any of you to come and join me.

Keep reading this blog for future installments ...

Hot...temp is averaging above 30C

Hilly...surrounded by the Andes...ski resorts 30km away

Hazy...with the heat and being in a valley pollution is that of Mexico City

High rises...tallest building in SA is completed

So when I last left you was at the border post in the Andes. To give you some idea of the height/altitude we are dealing within this area...I took a sip from my coke bottle at the border and upon arriving into Santiago the bottle had shrunk due to the drop in altitude/pressure!!

Santiago is a great city in the 2 days I have seen it...a nice European style city but less crowed than Buenos Aires. So as mentioned before it is hilly...there are 2 hills in town...mini Santa Lucia and grander San Cristobel. Great visual references for navigation particularly when you get lost walking down the grander hill after sunset!!

Did a walking tour (my own as well as organised one) that provided a great insight into Santiago life...and more importantly some quirky things to enjoy...

My favourite being "coffee with legs" which can be best described a cross between Starbucks and Hooters...btw the coffee is good rather than thinking i am a pervert! Although great skill is required to maximise enjoyment as I realised after my initial school boy error!! Walked into Cafe Caribe and pre-paid for my coffee to see that the lady serving was my mum's age in a shocking pink mini dress...the VPL was that off stomach sucking granny pants!!! Enough to make me burn my throat to get out of there quickly!! To enjoy the experience I scouted the second coffee house around the corner Cafe Haiti which proved a better choice although when the girl said "Hola Chico" and I said "Hables Inglais" to which she walked away to read the paper...at least easier on the eye whilst drinking coffee but doesn't do justice to the South American lady who is great on the eye particularly as summer ;)

The tour also highlighted a great ice cream parlour with earl grey tea, ginger and hazelnut ice-cream. The fish market run by the local mafia (they own all the restaurants) did a cracking crab pie (Pastel de Jaiba) as well.

One thing Chile has done that Argentina hasn't to my knowledge is bring to justice the regime under Pinochet. The Truth and Reconciliation commission has been involved post his regime to understand what happened to the Chilean people...I.e. those that disappeared. Similar to Argentina under the military coup people disappeared and the museum tries to highlight and bring reconciliation to those involved. Bodies were bound with metal and dropped from helicopters out at sea only for bodies to appear on beaches...mass graves identified...bodies in roads with throats slit...and still to this day a few hundred people have not been identified for those families involved. Those protesting where either against the regime, communists even faith leaders were locked up and tortured. Brutal for the people and understandably people still are coming to terms of the Pinochet regime. Will leave you to google Pinochet times in Chile.

So after coming to a major city again I change my mind once again about whether I could live in a small town or city. Mendoza was great and had what you need but Santiago with its culture and art and busyness of life is also appealing...tough one to call but as a city guy born and breed think it wins at the moment as where I would like to live...watch this space!!

Finally a point on Union Jack's? Over here I see many locals wearing T-shirts with the Jack as well as a bum bags amongst items seen. Are they more patriotic than me? Should I wear my footy top with pride? Am I concerned by the conertayions associated with the England top? With World Cup around the corner will hopefully be in Manuas to watch the first game and will be wearing it with pride then!!

For a cheeky day trip (doesn't necessarily do it justice) I went to Valparaiso which is/was a major port. Used to be massive before the Panama Canal was built as a stop between Europe and California when they had a gold rush...today still a port but famous for its 40 hills, funiculars and street murals...photos are only a small selection of the good ones!!

Explored the city and first stop was the 1971 Nobel Peace prize winner Pablo Neruda (poet and diplomat) home in the hills. Great views across the city. The city has many houses/shacks for the port workers so has a favela feel but not with the same tension...one thing to remember in Chile is major earthquakes and so shacks are easier to rebuilt than houses!

Tried the local shellfish "marisco" empanada (Cornish pasty) for lunch at the legendary Empanadas Famosas...people were buying 10 at a time. Bizarrely on the TV were naked ladies with body paint on jumping into a swimming pool after posing...like I have said before SA TV is good!! Also tried the local Pisco Sour for sundowners over the bay...Peru and Chile fighting over who has the rights but still a decent drink!

Did the free walking tour like in Santiago and worthwhile and recommend in any city that offers it...you just tip as the fee (just don't forget to tip like I did and now on a massive guilt trip back to Santiago!). Learnt about the port and city life...had the most expensive street in SA due to the port...now in ruin. All the fire stations are run by volunteers thus more revered than the police in the public eye...more interesting is that each individual station is sponsored by the Brits, Germans, Italians and Saudis i.e. the early immigrant settlers!! Most bizarrely though was the offering of Waitrose Essentials ketchup in the local supermarket???

Best way to see the city is by the following videos from a Red Bull championship to bomb it down the hills in c.2mins. See the steepness and wall decorations.

Finally I head north on a 23hr bus ride today...guess no sympathy coming my way...I will arrive in the Atacama desert and have 4 days exploring high altitudes (roads at 5000m...think top gear in SA) and potential whale bones unearthing before crossing the frontier with Bolivia and the famous salt flats. Therefore those that do get concerned (few of you!!) I will out of radio contact for a while...don't be concerned unless you see me on CNN not waving behind the camera saying "hello mum"!!