Nicky and Gayle´s Excellent Adventures: Downsize

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Downsize

5 March
La Paz

The awesome foursome lost a member on Monday morning to the real world (some of us have jobs). Ron had to return to reality and attend meetings in Buenos Aires for his Travellers Guru newspaper. We left La Paz the following day for Copacabana and Lake Titicaca.

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Quotes

Nicky: "What day is it today?" Sarah: "I think we decided it was Wednesday"
Nicky (after a very satifying meal): "I wish I had diarrhoea now"
Ryan: "Where are you going?" Us: "Ecuador" Ryan: "Yes but where?" Us: "We have no clue!"
Thomas: We may end up in the gutter but otherwise this is a comfortable ride (in the 1976 dodge to the Peru/Ecuador border we hitched a ride with)
Dave and Ryan (Mancora): Epic!
Raul: But you can`t be 27, you have such a baby face
Ron: I want you to survive. (He says to Nicky at the start of the WMDR)!
Maarten: I know this is the same as a child of a cow (referring to his calf muscle)
Lindsey: " I did! [think of climbing inside the Cablo San Pablo shipwreck], but then I realised I had no clothes on" (while skinning dipping at the end of the world!)
Maarten - "Dr Fredericks" (Dr Brethericks new name)
Nicky - "But I want to go to school" (after the headmaster suggests taking Friday off to celebrate Maartens birthday) one dedicated student...
Ron - "When you want one, you get two" (referring to the fact that N and G are always together)
Nicky - "I´m starting to get pleasure from the tingling in my feet" (after 7 hours of trekking in the Andes)
Gayle - "I don´t think our parents would approve" (when Nicky suggests we hitch around South America after being so successful on our first attempt)
Maarten - "Compared to yesterday I feel like a god" (after Hangover from hell day)
You two are like Japanese tourists (´cos we´re always on the go - no relevance to photo taking)

You know its bad when....

As your bus pulls out to overtake another, the local next to you makes the sign of the cross
You`re both on antibiotics for travellers diarrhoea
Your back pack is so heavy that your travel buddy has to assist you lifting it up so you can put it on your back
You are sponsored 1 sole (16 pence) for bread for lunch
Even after a 12 hour bus ride, your armpits smell better than the locals and their cargo
You are on such a tight budget that you have to buy plain rolls for lunch
You wait to go to the toilets in the restaurant because they are better than the ones at the hostel

Fact for the week

There are 7 million people living in Ireland and 41 million Irish passport holders (according to Johnny from Ireland)
The Inca Empire stretched the distance equivalent as that of France to the Ukraine
Bolivians, for fear of coming across as ignorant would rather give you incorrect directions or information, than admit they don´t know. (resulting in us walking in circles on a few occasions)
The term "gringo" comes from times when the US army were based in South America. They wore green uniforms, and the locals used to say "Green Go" which eventually became Gringo - the affectionate term for European travellers
In South America you have to throw your used loo roll into a bin and not the toilet - Nicky can´t remember to do this and as a result has left a wave of blocked toilets in her wake
The word "chicks" appears to come from the spanish word "chicas" which means girls/young ladies
There are 7 million people living in Ireland and 41 million Irish passports in the world (according to Johnny from Ireland)

Lost Property

Nicky's Green man hat - not sure where
Nicky's sunglasses - internet cafe Montañita
Nicky's passport 22 February - confiscated by bolvian border officials and placed in custody of our driver until arrival at next city 3 days later where it was returned to owner on purchasing a visa
Nicky´s silver Argentinian ring - Vina del Mar beach
Kitty purse incl 80 pesos Supermercado Ushuaia 11 Feb
Gayle passport Bariloche 3 Feb retrieved El Calafate 8 Feb
Toothpaste lid and hence toothpaste Maras house Bariloche 3 Feb
Gayle camera case Circuito Chico 30 Jan
Nicky camera case Buenos Aires 18 Jan at 1am

Current Journey Tallies

Total land travel hours 238.5 Total air travel 9 hours
Quito - Otovalo -Quito 4.5 hours
Coca - Quito 9 hours
Banos - Coca 10 hours
Guayagil - Baños 8 hours
Montanita - Guayagil 3 hours
Guayagil - Montanita 3 hours
Cuenca - Guayagil 6 hours
Lojas - Cuenca 5 hours
Vilcabamba - Lojas 1.5 hours
Lojas - Vilcabamba 1.5 hours
Ecuador Border - Lajos 9 hours
Mancora - peru border 2 hours (in a 1976 Dodge)
Trujillo - Mancora 7 hours
Huaraz - Trujillo 10 hours
Lima - Huaraz 8.5hours
Ica - Lima 4 hours
Nazca - Ica 2 hours
Arequipa - Nazca 8 hours
Cusco - Arequipa 9 hours
Puno - Cusco 7 hours
Copacobana - Puno 6 hours
La Paz - Copacobana 4 hours
Sucre - La paz 12 hours
Potosi - Sucre 2 hours (taxi)
Uyuni - Potosi 6 hours
Calama - San Pedro de Atacama 1hour
Santiago - Calama 3 hours (fly)
Valparaiso - Santiago Airport 1.5 hours
Santiago - Valparaiso 1.5hours
Punta Arenas - Santiago 4 hours (fly)
Ushuaia - Punta Arenas 12 hours
El Calafate - Ushuaia 2 hours (fly)
El Chalten - El Calafate 4 hours
Perito Moreno - El Chalten 17 hours
Bariloche- Perito Morino 15.5
Puerto Madryn-Bariloche 13.5 hours
Penisula Valades Tour 6 hours
Puerto Madryn-Puerto Piramides 1 hour
Buenos Aires-Puerto Madryn 17.5 hours

Contributors

This blog tells the adventures of two 26 year old high school buddies caught in "the mid 20's crisis" as they journey through South America from January to April 2007, trying to avoid settling down... Gayle has been living in the UK for the past 9 years and be emigrating to Australia later on this year. Nicky has just completed her community service in South Africa and possibly moving to the UK, unless Gayle can persuade her Aus is better! They travel as a good team, leaving their mark, losing belongings and educating the masses with their "South African English"

Nicky and Gayle´s Excellent Adventures