In the few days I’d been in Cali I’d learnt there’s places and times when you can walk around the city. Not much different to any city. It’s just here you need to be a lot more selective. Like there’s a popular walk up to the three crosses mountain. But you don’t go after lunch. Beside it being too hot, you are warned it’s too dangerous. So I took the advice and headed off first ...…[read more]
Author: Chris
In fact I doubt the moon would be this rugged. That’s the impression you’d get if you were to land in the middle of this island on the equator a thousand kilometres off the Ecuador coast. It’s certainly not the image you associate with a tropical island. Instead you’d be greeted by the most harshest uninhabitable landscape imaginable. We’d trekked up to the main volcano on the island. It’s the second largest in the world ...…[read more]
“I don’t want to scare you,” I was told. The bus was nearing the end of our seven hour bus journey from Quito, the capital city of Ecuador in South America. “Don’t go out alone. And when you get to the bus station, go straight to the taxi.” He was a military guy returning to duty on the nearby Columbian border. “Terrorists” he had explained in our earlier chat over the journey. “Cross the border, ...…[read more]
It seemed odd all the long haul busses heading up the Peru north coast were all nighters. On day break I could see why. There’s nothing to see. Large tracts of desert. At least in our deserts down under we throw in a few rocks, trees and dry river beds here and there. By contrast here, there’s sand hill after sand hill. At least until you get further north nudging closer to the equator. There ...…[read more]
What is it that we are so fascinated about old stuff. Antique shops thrive to support our fix to fill our houses with old stuff. Stuff we don’t even use. But just to look at and spend time dusting. Old vintage cars that turn our heads after enthusiasts have spent meticulous hours restoring every original detail. We collect stamps, old books we never read again, childhood dolls and toys we never touch again. You name it, ...…[read more]
It felt just like back home. A delightful city environment. And after two weeks in Cuba, supermarkets actually full of stock. This is popular Mierflores in Lima, Peru. Offering a vast choice of restaurants to enjoy what Peru is famous for… food. Plus lovely parks, surrounds, and beach foreshore parks. Then there’s the city centre with its grand colonial buildings. But the city of ten million is not all pristine. Step outside the popular tourist ...…[read more]
Trapped in an economic time warp for half a century. Extreme capitalism. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. Suddenly replaced by revolutionary Fidel Castro’s brand of socialism. All the monuments of capitalism are seized by the state. The grand homes, the hotels, the businesses. Add in the international hotspots like the Cuban missile crisis, the embarrassing American failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Topped off with an enduring trade embargo over this half century. ...…[read more]
One week later…. When I said no internet, you can get it. Its just a matter of finding it. It’s like playing a game of treasure hunt…. Cuban style. The way you play the game is to look for urban wifi clues. These are the wifi hotspots sparsely located around the city. The way to identify them is to look for a collection of small idle groups of people. With mobile phone in hand. They’ll ...…[read more]
Thinking of you today. With many loving memories of our forty years together. And our wonderful family you had to sadly farewell. I think of you often. Especially on my little journey now. You have brought a tear but also many a smile for the numerous situations I have found myself in. Just like on our travels and life experiences together. When we’d find ourselves in those many, …well, not exactly a paradise situation, how ...…[read more]
A lot of travelers may not be familiar with the name, but it’s one of the serious hazards of travelling. The dreaded AFC Syndrome. There’s different strains of it throughout many parts of the world. It can literally run you down and completely ruin your vacation. I could sense I was in danger of becoming susceptible to the local strain of this syndrome. Characteristically, it sneaks up on you without you being aware. Then before ...…[read more]