Farewell US of A

Magical Mellow Maui, we miss you!  What a wonderful island, and wonderful 3 week holiday.  We wrapped up our last day there with a fun meal out with the crew.  What a hoot - we were all such lightweights, after 2 rum mojitos, we were giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls.  Tracey's boyfriend, Deano, was just hilarious - we haven't laughed so hard in ages!
Arrived back on the mainland late on Thursday, and are staying here for 5 nights - at our friend's house in Half Moon Bay (sth of SF).  Yay for Marika!  She has been too good to us (demonstrating, once again, that fab American hospitality).  We have
been very lucky to have a base in San Fran for sorting out our gear, cleaning bikes, and packing our bags & boxes. Might have been very difficult otherwise, so 3 cheers for Marika!  Hip hip hooray!
Just been doing a few last minute touristy things around San Fran the past few days.  We hung out with the wild crowds at a college American Footbal game...Stanford Cardinals vs Colorado Buffalos.  Phenomenal really; it was just a university game, but looking at the size of the crowd, stadium, entertainment, and general fuss & excitement;

you'd think it was a national pro league game!  Didn't have a clue what was going on in the game, although tried super hard to focus!  Seemed very drawn out to me, with lots of stops and penalties, and time outs.  Seemed like the players hardly had any run time at all!  The marching band was pretty cool, as were the cheerleaders (from a distance - the cheap seats were pretty close to the clouds!).  Ate copious amounts of popcorn whilst we were there too. :-)
It was the end of Fleet Week yesterday in San Fran, which acknowledges the military forces, and has a massive air show which draws big crowds.  Brent was super keen to go and watch the F-18s (the US Air Force fighter planes, fast, loud and totally Top Gun-stylee), so we checked it out and saw some pretty cool sights.  Not really my scene, but the people watching was fun!

So, we are now reaching the end of our time here in the US of A.  We left NZ on 1 June, and will return on 21 Oct - that's nearly 5 months away!  We have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go away exploring for so long.  We will have taken 17 flights by the time we get home, hired 4 different vehicles, and stayed in countless motels, campgrounds, homes and cabins.  We reckon we did about 14,500kms in Albert, although not too sure on that stat....and we went on 53 mountain bike rides.  And we had no injuries (well, no major ones anyway)!  Phew!
One of the highlights of the trip has definitely been the people we've met, who have truly made it a real American experience!  The hospitality we've enjoyed, and the welcoming & inquisitive nature of the Americans has made us feel very comfortable in this country.  Diane Foster in Park City, the LA boys we met in the Downieville pub, the Texan boys & Mel in Durango, the friendly dude in the Butte cafe, Brendan Pheasant up in Canmore, Pete & Sarah from Moab, the San Fran MTB crew we met in Santa Cruz (especially Marika!), the Harley riders we met in a bar in Moab, and the awesome bunch we met in Maui (especially Tracey!) .......All these folks (and many others) made our experience super memorable, and we thank you!  I hope we can show some NZ hospitality to you one day.
So, next stop is sunny Sydney this coming Thursday, where we are visiting my Mum, Dad, and bro, Lewis.  Plus, we are going on our own little excursions  - Brent up to Brisbane to visit his mate Gary; and me down to Melbourne to visit my friend, Franc.  Will be interesting being apart for a few days, as we have spent nearly every moment together the past 5 months!  And we're still the best of friends.  Brent has been a wonderful travelling companion, and has made me realise just how patient, caring & considerate he really is (you get to know each other pretty darned well in close confines, living in each other's pockets!!). We've had a lot of fun together, and have heaps of great memories to share.
To anyone reading this, I hope you've enjoyed our ramblings and photos over the past 5 months (I know I have a tendency to babble!).  Thanks for being interested in what we're up to!  Looking forward to catching up with our friends and family very SOON!
Em & Brent xx

Farewell Maui, we've enjoyed the stay

 Howdy y'all.  Well, we have reached the last day in sunny Maui.  We arrived here 3 weeks ago, and I think we can safely say we've explored much of this island, and done everything we wanted to do.  Has been a great hols within a hols!  Will certainly always hold very fond memories of Hawaii.
On Monday we returned our car, so got back to doing local activites, close to home!!  We visited the beach down the road, Ho'okipa, which is uber-popular amongst surfers & windsurfers.  We knew the swell was going to be a bit lower than normal, and so might be ok for us little snorkellers to do some exploring without getting squashed by a grommet (aka a talented young surfer dude)!
Wasn't the best visibility, but we saw 10 massive turtles!  Yippee!  You could see their heads popping up above the water, from the shoreline, so we knew

they were out there!  Came across 8 of them all grouped together, rolling around in the tide, so that was a pretty special experience!  They were up to a metre long, for sure.
Yesterday, we embarked upon a challenge which we had been considering doing ever since we arrived on this island.  Haleakala is the volcano which we hiked a few weeks ago  - it commands your attention all the time, as it stands proud in amongst the clouds in the centre of the island.  There is a paved road which goes all the way to the top - from

sea level up to 10,023 feet (3055 m) over a distance of 35 miles (56 kms).  Now....what do you think we had to do??  With 2 mountain bikes??  Climb the darned thing of course!  I was half dreading having to do it, as I knew it would be tough.  But Brent was determined to make it to the top.  Considering that we were on bikes with fat nobbly tyres, we knew it would take awhile (the fastest pro roadies get up there in 3 hrs on skinny tyres).  Started at 7am.  And 7 hours later, we were at the top, lying flat on our backs, exhausted, in the sheltered lookout point (funny looks from other tourists was amusing).  Took a total of 45 mins of breaks along the way, at 2500ft, 5000ft, 7000ft and 9000ft (see pic at top left - this is Brent at 9000ft, and we were both stuffed! Hardly had energy to take photo for goodness sake, haha).  And, trust me - these breaks were essential!  Was definitely a mental and physical challenge for us both.  The legs weren't too bad, but our butts suffered!!  Was going snail pace at the top - just couldn't force the legs to go any faster!  Took us an hour and a half to whizz back down the mountain - all pure downhill!  Was pretty chilly at the top, so had to carry layers up there to ensure we didn't freeze our bums off.  We are both stoked that we did it, as the mountain had been beckoning us to 'give it a go' the whole time we've been here!  Not many opportunities to ride from sea level to 3000m in 1 day.
Today we've just been packing our bags and bikes, in anticipation of our flight to San Fran tomorrow.  Out for dinner tonight with our newfound friends here in Maui too, which will be fun!  Have been fortunate to meet some top people here, and hopefully we'll see them again one day.  That's all from us now....until next time....in San Fran, back on the mainland, farewell from Maui x

Only a few more days to go!

Time is ticking along (even in Maui the clock moves the same pace forward), and we seem to slowly be approaching the end of our amazing trip...we will be in NZ in about 3 weeks and we are super looking forward to seeing all our friends and family!  Only another 3 days left in Maui for us....

We have loved our stay here in Hawaii - Maui is really is a very beautiful island, full of beautiful people and beautiful beaches, ocean water and fresh food!  For breakfast this morning, we indulged in organic cereal topped with fresh papaya, sweet pineapple, lillkoi (passionfruit) and star

fruit...YUM...what a great way to start the day!
We have spent oodles of time in the water lately.  On Friday, we visited our fave snorkelling spot on the island, called Ahihi Bay.  Got there nice and early this time, so we could get the clear water & hopefully spot the elusive turtles.  Was on a mission to see these Hawaiian green sea turtles - as we've seen heaps of them from the shoreline, but only once when we were snorkelling.  We had been told about a Turtle Cleaning Station, where turtles go to have fish pick at their shells, and clean it for them.  Had vague directions (opposite some
tree, end of some reef, near a sandy patch..etc....it's not easy to navigate!).  However, fortunately we did stumble across it after about 25 mins of searching, and saw 6 turtles!!  Woohoo!!  Pretty decent sizes too, ranging from half a metre to 3/4 metre long.  That made our day.  They are beautiful creatures, and enjoyable to watch as they gracefully manouver around in the water. Mission accomplished!
There are so many water sports here - everything imaginable...including Stand Up Paddle Boarding, which seems to have taken off as a new sport.  We wanted to give it a go, so rented a board in Lahaina, and tried it on a relatively low swell beach...was super fun!  Brent was surfing the waves before you knew it (of course), whereas I took a bit more time to feel balanced on it :-) Might have to buy a SUP board when we get home - cos we really need more toys!  haha
We visited a slice of paradise on the weekend....lucky us had the opportunity to go to Lanai - a neighbouring island with a population of 3500 people. Very slow paced and a little bit like going back in time. Hopped on the early morning ferry Sat morning along with Tracey, Dean and Shaun - and our 5 bikes.  They were just there for a day trip, but we stayed the whole weekend.  We rode the local mt bike track - Munro Trail, which took about 5 hours or so, and ended up being maybe 3500 to 4000 feet of climbing in hot, humid conditions!  Fun!  A dip in the ocean was just LUSH afterwards!  The water at the beach was crystal clear, and the sand so white - it was just like out of a postcard!  Tracey and the boys
went home that night on the last ferry, but we stayed on another day for some more snorkelling and swimming.  Camped right next to the beach for 1 night.  Did our biggest snorkel so far - a big swim out to maybe 40-50 foot depth of clear water (twice!) - was totally worth it, as we got to swim with a pod of spinner dolphins - YAY!!  We had seen 100's of them from the shore in their large pod, when we were out for a walk along the headland, and ran like the clappers to get the snorkel gear so we could get out to them in time.  Mad swim...and then saw about 30 of them close up.  They are very playful creatures; jumping (and spinning at the same time) out of the water and playing underneath.  Also saw a stingray and couple of turtles on the way out.  I have never been swimming with dolphins before, so was a whole new experience!  Also explored the 1 large hotel at the beach; Four Seasons; which was super-luxurious, and only marginally out of our price range with rooms going from $400 - $6500 a night =- EEEK!  We were happy with the camping.  Grabbed a late ferry back to Maui, and got back just in time to see a glorious sunset - see the pic - with Lanai in the background.  What a great weekend.
So just a few days left, and we have a couple of plans in the pipeline, although going to try and make the most of the sunshine whilst we can.  Be back again soon, much aloha to our friends and family, Em & Brent x

More exploring in paradise

 It was pretty hard choosing which photos to upload on the blog tonight...we have seen so many beautiful sites the last 5 days, even our crappy duct-taped-up-$100 camera has managed to capture some awesome shots!  We visited the eastern side of the island a few days ago.  Its a pretty touristy route, 'the Highway to Hana', but we managed to turn it in to a bit of an adventure by taking the camping gear and finding a quiet spot to park up for the night.  The eastern side receives a lot more rainfall than the west, so it was LUSH green with stunning rainforest and beautiful freshwater swimming holes & waterfalls, thanks to the streams trickling down the mountain.  The narrow road hugs the cliff edge, and weaves its way in and out of beautiful forested valleys.  We stopped at a few of the swimming holes along the way - one of which was crystal clear & partially contained in a cave, and was fab to have a cool dip in!  Gave us an insight in to the typical Maui tourist though....these pools are just gorgeous and are begging you to jump in (irresistable in the heat!), but so many people would not do it....either too intimidated, too afraid of getting outside their comfort zone, or just a bit rushed perhaps?  I found their behaviour very curious - they'd drive for miles to see a lovely site, they'd stop for 2 minutes along with the rest

of the tour bus peoples, take a few photos and then disappear to drive to the next site.  I don't know - maybe Brent and I just have a different appreciation for nature's beautiful spots, and want to fully experience it!   Or perhaps these people are only on holiday for 1 week and don't have the luxury of 3 wks to fully explore & unwind on the island.  Suppose we are lucky in that way.  Anyway, enough moaning about other tourists (there actually weren't many people - it was pretty quiet out that way).  Lots of fruit stalls were dotted along the road and Hawaiians selling yummy banana bread every few kms or so.  So had to sample the local flavours of course!  We camped on a cliff edge, in a small isolated campground...a stone's throw from the popular 'Seven Sacred Pools', which were beautiful and definitely best experienced first thing in the morning

when nobody else is there (a flowing series of freshwater pools split up by little waterfalls)!  Also hiked for about 45 mins to a 400 ft waterfall; the trail passed through a thick bamboo forest - the bamboo swayed in the wind and sounded like lots of wind chimes all together! Saw some cool sites along the way, and made us feel like we had a real tropical island experience!
Back in Paia, we spent a couple of days snorkelling and attemping surfing again (don't think this sport is my forte, although Brent seems to be a natural)....also we biked up the Skyline Trail which was about a 3500 foot ascent on nasty loose shingle / lava rocks, which was equally as tough to descend!  It was at the top of Haleakala Mountain (10,023 feet) so the lungs definitely felt it. :-)  Was a fun and physically tough ride, about 4 hours or
so, and was pleased that both of us got back to the car with no blood showing!  (those lava rocks are seriously sharp, and not to be messed with!)
Today was a neat day.  We took our Toyota station wagon off on an adventure to the NW side of the island - isolated, rugged and flippin narrow roads!  Snorkelled at Honolua Bay (see pic), and managed to spot a few new species, inc a lobster nestled under a rock!  Not the best snorkelling we've done but still a cool spot.  Then ventured on to the blowhole, which was raging when we arrived (maybe 50-60ft high), with high tide and the big swell....sweet to watch!  Didn't want to get too close though (those things can suck you back down the manhole) :-)  Next stop was the Olivine Pools - a natural swimming hole, set in smooth lava rocks, hugging the coastline and some fierce ocean swell just next to it!  Was a memorable spot to wind up the day, and have a relaxing dip along with the crabs, little fishies and urchins that dwell in those pools too (ouch).  (fortunately sharks couldn't make it in to this pool, hehe)
So tomorrow we are going to try and get out early, do some snorkelling, and hopefully see some turtles!  Then this weekend, we are heading to Lanai, which is a neighbouring island...Tracey and her boyfriend Dean

are coming with us too, for some mt biking on the island, so should be well fun!  Camping next to the idyllic sandy beach there too.... be back after our little adventure this weekend :-) From us two, Cheerio for now xx

Soaking up the sights of Maui

Think we've been pretty lucky since being here in Maui.  Thanks to our friend, Tracey, we've have had the insider's 'local' guide to this pretty little island- and it makes the experience a heck of a lot more fun (we are not ones for following the touristy track!).  She has pointed us in the right direction of good adventures, and generously supplied us with the essential toys to go there - surfboards, boogie boards, snorkelling gear - what a gem!  Having explored some of the more touristy parts of town, I think we are definitely in the best spot - the true Maui - the place where real Mauians hang out.  Paia is very chic, is full of organic stores, roadside vege stalls, funky clothing stores, tropical fruit markets and dreadlocked chillin' hippies hanging out on the beach srumming on the guitar (and the air smells pretty sweet too haha).  It has a mix of kick-arse intense beaches with massive waves (Ho'okipa Bay - not for the faint hearted), and reef-protected sandy coves that are good for a dip.  And the weather is superb!  We both like it here.
So we did our Haleakala Volcano adventure a few days ago - and it was awesome!  The crater contains 3 basic huts which you can book online, but they are very popular & are hard to get hold of.  We were fortunate, as there was 1 hut available, on 1 day during our trip here - so snapped it up pronto!  The skies were clear blue on our hike in to the crater - was about a 3000 foot descent to the hut, and took us around 4 hours or so.  Beautiful terrain, and very reminiscent of Mt Ruapehu in NZ.  The hut was basic, but had heaps of room, with 12 bunk beds and its own kitchen.  Was nestled away in the far corner of the crater, where it gets a bit more rain, and is definitely lusher.  We had some company in the form of Nene's....the Hawaiian Goose, which is endemic to the islands, and is dangerously on the verge of extinction. 

Apparently there's only 600 left in the world.  So we were pleased to have them quacking away on our doorstep.
Had a 5 hour hike to get out of the crater on Wednesday, which was a challenge for the old blisters and weary legs (we're not used to hiking with a pack!), but was totally worth it, as we passed some colourful volcanic 'pupu's' which are the smaller cone craters on the basin floor and lots of gnarled/sharp volcanic lava rock.  So back to the station wagon hire car (Frank's Friendly Cars - only $25 a day, what a

bargain), and 35 miles downhill all the way back to Paia to 30 degree heat and glorious sunshine. 
The past few days have been all about the ocean.  We are on the island mecca of watersports, so gotta get out there and do it!  We found a mint spot for snorkelling down near La Perouse Bay, which had a small cove called Ahihi.  Huge parrot fish, angel fish, colourful coral and even saw a huge turtle - maybe 3/4 metre long?  Was a perfect place for snorkelling as the coral was relatively untouched, unlike many other spots, and the fish were plentiful & the water was clear.  Also tried surfing again, a couple of times.  Managed to stand up for at least 5 seconds on 1 attempt which I was pretty proud of, and Brent of course, had a good few runs too.  I fell off pretty badly yesterday though (I am pretty un-co on these surfboards aye!), and managed to knock my knee in the tumbling wave, so have got a nice bruise, which is a bit sore but shouldn't keep me out of the water for too long!  Hopefully will be back in to it in a few days.
Visited Lahaina yesterday which is the bustling port town on the other side of the island.  Heaps of tourists here - soooo, this is where they've

all been hiding!!  We have clearly been totally oblivious to the number of tourists on the island!  Lahaina used to be the capital of Hawaii before Honolulu, so it has some historical buildings, etc, and also the biggest Banyan Tree in Nth America....very impressive actually, despite the tourists all around it - was like 10 trees all together, holding hands (branches) in a circle. But was actually just 1 tree.  Had ourselves a posh lunch in a beachside cafe, whilist watching the turtles swim by, and then headed back to Paia.  Went out for a lovely dinner last night too, at Tracey's place, along with a dude called Shaun - another Maui water baby who is in to all watersports imaginable!  You can see how the lifestyle here is so appealing.  However Maui definitely has its undercurrent of 'issues' as well, which we've been learning about on the way - eg, the conflict between 'locals' (i.e. immigrants) and native Hawaiians....and also drugs are an issue here...and the unemployment (lots of people just hanging out) - so it may be an island paradise in many ways, but it still has its problems, like everywhere I guess.
Today we are just relaxing (well I am anyway thanks to busted knee, Brent is in fact out on a bike ride right now!) - went to the local market this morning and actually bought some souvenir type stuff!  Needless to say, we have avoided buying things along the way, as we just haven't had space, and it's a pain to carry them around with us, but now we are approaching the end of our trip, methinks it's time to spend up!  (well, a little bit anyway, haha, I never was much of a shopper)  Also bought some local tropical fruit, which we are just loving!  They have yellow passion fruit here called lillikoi, which is delish, as is their papaya, star fruit, mango, and sweet bananas.  Bought some red bananas today which are meant to be good when fried up.  And also an unusual looking persimmon - green and yellow in colour.  We'll see what that's like! 
Going to Hana tomorrow which is on the east side of the island, and will probably camp over there as well, next to the beach. 
Tiime to go, aloha from Brent and Em x
PS wishing all the best in recovery to Christine too!  Thinking of you lots! Take care

The meaning of Aloha

Well, I would have written this entry several days ago - but the 'Maui time' and the slower pace of life seems to have taken its toll, and we are now cruising along at a slightly more chilled out tempo.  It's Most enjoyable too!
Arrived at Kahului airport 4 days ago.  Or was it 5.  Hmmm, either way, we are nicely settled in now, and have already been out 'n' about exploring the island. We are staying in Paia, a hippy-town which is on the north coast

of the island, and is considered to be the windsurfing mecca of the world.  Incessant trade winds blast through the island, between the 2 mountainous areas, creating the funnel effect that is ideal for all watersports!  You may have seen the famous wave 'Jaws' on TV - it's the world's largest wave  and surfers have to get towed out to it by a jetski.  That is just around the corner from our place, although the gi-normous monster waves don't start til Nov - which we are pretty happy about, as even the current puny waves (by local standards anyway) are making us

a bit nervous!   (However would be cool to see the nutty surfers brave Jaws one day)
The weather here is just fantastic.  Clear blue skies every day, and hot hot hot, with a healthy dose of humidity too.  Felt like we entered an giant oven when we first arrived, but think we're used to it now, and the wind cools us down quite pleasantly too. 
Have been super fortunate on this trip, as we had a contact here in Maui before arriving - and she has just been marvellous!!  Tracey is the lady's

name and she is a tough nut alright - a world class windsurfer, triathlete, mt biker, paraglider , talented artist, cabinetmaker, and seems to know just about everyone on the island!!  She hooked us up with a friend of hers who had a spare room in his coastal cottage, so we're paying mate's rates, and thus avoiding the exhorbitant Maui accomm prices (everything is outrageously expensive here).  Jay is our flatmate, and he has been great too, and also hardly ever home, so we've had the home to ourselves much of the time.  It's fab and a stone's throw from the ocean too!
Did some exploring the first few days, on our bikes (they had to come to Hawaii too of course!).  It's not really a mt bike mecca, but it has some trails, and plenty to keep us occupied.  Done lots of swimming in the clear blue ocean, and seen some colourful tropical fishies too.  Yesterday was an awesome day, and

just demonstrated the fantastic 'aloha' that we have been shown since we've been here.  Aloha means hello and goodbye, but also means warmth and affection.  Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming.  So, we started the day yesterday biking over to Tracey's neat beachside studio, where we hopped in to the truck of a friend of hers - Chris.  He was going to teach us how to surf!!  Great!!  Found out that this guy actually surfs 'Jaws', the giant wave... (what were we letting ourselves in for...) Yet another fit, bronzed and tough athlete! This is the land of the fit, healthy and attractive people, for sure! It was heaps of fun

anyway, and even though I spent more time falling in to the water than standing up on the board, I really enjoyed it!  Brent had a blast too, and seemed to pick it up instantaneously.  Are we surprised?  Nope!  He must have had a good 6 or 7 runs standing up on the board.  We have been told we can use the boards whenever we like, so perhaps once our arms/shoulders/ribs stop aching (from the paddling out -exhausting), we will give it another go!
After the surfing, we went to Chris' huge house (with a mean view of the island) for a delish BBQ, along with about 8 other people, and enjoyed some more 'aloha'! Aren't we lucky buggers.
Today was another good'un.  6 of us ventured out to Twin Falls, with our mt bikes, and biked the EMI track.  It was a 4WD track which followed an old irrigation channel built by Chinese workers back in the 1900s.  On private land too, so was lucky we had some locals 'in the know' with us! Stopped for lunch at a stunning waterfall, which you could dunk your head under.  Definitely got wetter, greener and lusher the further east we got, so experienced a bit of drizzle - and some awesome views of the rainforest and deep valleys.  Out on the ride for about 5 hours or so. Was a fab day out, and hope to go there again for some more exploring!
So we've got lots of activites lined up for the next few days - we have got a cabin booked in the crater of Haleakala Volcano (10,000 ft), which will be a good 10 mile hike to get there.  Have never slept in the crater of a volcano before!  Lots of snorkelling, swimming, surfing is in the pipeline and might try some stand up paddle boarding too :-)   Keen to try some more local foods too.  We have eaten heaps of tropical fruit (papaya, mango, guava, strawberry guava, yellow passion fruit, etc...) which you can just pick off the trees!  We are having a great time, getting to know some wonderful people and enjoying some Hawaiian aloha....  B & E

Jungle Fever

 

Ecuador is definitely a land of stunning contrasts. The past 5 days we travelled from the bustling city of Quito to the picturesque & freezing cold Mt Cotopaxi, and then on to the hot lowlands of the Amazon Jungle.

We have had some fantastic experiences the past few days – it has just been a sampler of what Ecuador has to offer, and I think you could definitely spend a long time here getting to know this little country. Has been interesting to come from westernized, orderly & structured USA to colourful, vibrant and relatively chaotic Ecuador. Different sights, smells, customs, language, tastes and attitudes...and has been a treat to explore it all. 

We joined a tour group to Mt Cotopaxi on Wednesday– the world's highest active volcano, at nearly 6000 metres. Unfortunately as we are on such a short trip, it wasn't possible to acclimatise to the altitude and climb to the top of the mountain successfully, without having a heart attack.  :-) So we compromised, and got up to 4950m instead, and that was far enough! Lungs were gasping for oxygen and we were definitely a little dizzy & unsteady on our feet. Our transport to the mountain was on a very old rickety Land Rover, in to which they crammed 8 of us, including some Aussies and Spanish chicas. Our guide, Marco explained the landscape to us and gave us some background on the area. Kind of reminded us of Mt Ruapehu at home – rugged and wild. The dodgy Land Rover made it up the sketchy road, amazingly enough, and we started our hike up to the refugio. Blistering cold wind and snow in our faces was a bit of a shock after 3 months in sunshine!! Defrosted with a chocolate caliente in the refugio, then battled the winds to check out the glacier. Could hardly see a thing, but that was cool. We were excited to be in such a challenging environment. We then were given a 'mountain bike' to make our way back down the mountain, for about a 15 km journey. I use the words 'mountain bike' in the loosest possible terms. I know we could be considered as bike snobs, but these bikes were completely hopeless – crap brakes, crap suspension, crap gears....arrgghh!  Brent was appalled.  Made us appreciate our lovely bikes! Interesting journey down through the blizzard, negotiating the ruts with our slick tyres, and down in to sunshine at the bottom. Then a 2 hour long trip in the Land Rover through crazy traffic, and drivers that appear to totally ignore road rules. Fortunately we had a good driver who only made us gasp a few times :-)

Lots of fun, and great to be up in the mountains.

The next day marked the beginning of our adventure to the Amazon Rainforest. Had no idea what to expect, and didn't really know what we were in for, so felt a bit nervous! However, it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip so far. Definitely one to include on the 'memorable list'! The journey started at 7am to the airport, where we caught our little plane to Lago Agrio – the gateway to the Cuyabayo Amazon Rainforest region. Stepped off the plane in to a sauna -  phenomenal humidity and heat, which was a bit of a shock after the temperate climate of mountainous Quito. Well, we were only 25

miles from the equator, so hardly surprising! Hopped on a mini bus along with 6 other westerners, and travelled along a bumpy and dusty road to the start of our river journey. The Aguarico River was huge, surrounded by thick rainforest and dotted with primitive huts and tiny remote villages. No roads past this point! Travelled for 2.5 hours on a motorised canoe which was fun....along the Aguarico and then a sharp left turn down a smaller, darker river called the Cuyabeno. This would be our home turf for the next few days. No sign of life for about 25 minutes, then we all of a sudden make another sharp left turn in to seems like a forested bank – but turns out to be a narrow opening to a muddy lagoon. 2 minutes later we come across our home. Dracaena Lodge. 8 huts. 1 central communal hut. 5 or 6 staff. No power. No communication. No luxuries. However it had everything we needed. Our accommodation was a simple open hut with its own toilet and a cold water shower (which was just water from the river!) Plus a couple of beds with the ever-essential mozzie nets over them. The heat and humidity was pretty intense and a bit stifling at first, but we slowly got used to it. We were treated to a lovely candlelit meal (not sure what we ate - the lighting was pretty dim!) and then off on our first explore in to the dense jungle! We both thought we were pretty relaxed, but, turns out we were far from that. The slighest thing that touched us...a branch, leaf, other person, etc...would make us jump a mile. This was a night time walk, when the jungle comes alive! We had our very own Mowgli, the jungle boy multi-lingual guide; and a Spanish speaking naturalist too. Huge insects that defied belief, and a few that were most unexpected, including a crab (eh?)! Brent held a tarantula too.  I didn't.  That thing was scary looking!  The jungle was pretty noisy at night, so the earplugs became an essential component to ensuring a good nights' sleep. And the mozzie net.  Surprisingly not a huge number of mozzies though, thank goodness, as we were a bit anxious about malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever...not the most pleasant ailments to say the least!  One of our neighbouring huts had a German couple in it - and they found a snake in their shower eating a frog!  (see pic)  Pretty cool, but glad it wasn't in our bathroom!

Day 2 started early, at 6am with a trip in the canoe again.  Saw 5 different species of monkeys from the boat and lots of birds, including toucans, snake birds, kingfishers and macaws.  The guides were pretty adept at knowing where to look!  Was pretty proud of myself though, as I was first to see the Yellow Handed Titi Monkeys - YEHH!  Not that it was a competition of course.  Also saw heaps of pink and grey freshwater dolphins, that look quite different to normal dolphins, and are very unique.  We then hiked for about 3 hours in the rainforest, looking for more species and also to learn more about the medicinal properties of the forest plants.  Saw lots of different things, and even had the opportunity to try a few - including drinking from a tree log...and snorting a garlic-like concoction (from a plant) up our noses - apparently good for clearing sinuses!  Definitely made our eyes water and woke us up - and we had the pleasure of smelling garlic all day long!  Seemed to keep away the bugs though :-)  Afterwards we went fishing for Piranhas - neither of us caught a thing (including the other tourists), but the guides caught about 6 - so we got to see their snapping sharp teeth that seemed capable of biting off a finger. 

Day 3 we went to a local tribal village called Playas de Cuyabeno, where we walked around, tried out some tropical fruits off the trees, and drew war paint ( natural ink from an indiginous plant) on each other's faces.  As a result, Brent had the Harry Potter lightening bolt on his forehead for the rest of the day. :-) Also visited one of the family's homes in a basic hut, where we had a traditional lunch and we watched them make cassava, the local 'bread' made of manioc - okay-ish but blander than plain rice crackers, and desperately in need of sweet honey to make edible.  But cool to try. 

Checked out their 'Birdwatching Tower' later in the day.  Now I am not afraid of heights - but this thing gave both of us the willies.  It was 9 stories high, appeared to be totally wonky and on the lean, and the wood seemed somewhat loose in places.  The guide said 'It's ok, it's very safe, it has been here for 15 years...' EEK, 15 years of rotting wood.  But we survived, although didn't see heaps of birds.  Did more wildlife spotting that night in the boats, to see 'Kaimas' - the local alligators.  Only about 1.5 metres long, they're pretty piddly small by comparison to Aussies Crocs but they were neat to see!  We did actually do some swimming in the river too, and our guide assured us it was safe....but, on reflection, maybe we were deluded with jungle fever :-)

Day 4 we had an epic long journey back to Quito - boat, car, plane and taxi.  But it all worked out, and we are now safe 'n' sound in our insect & snake-free room.  Fly out super early tomorrow to San Francisco, for the next part of our journey!  Off to Hawaii on Wednesday.  Has been great to be here in South America, and hopefully will come back here again one day.  Adios amigos x

La buena vida

Hola from Ecuador!
It all seems very odd that we are here in South America right now...how did that happen??  I know, obviously we got on a plane and arrived here, but it seems a bit surreal!  A bit like we are in a dream...
Had a cool time in San Fran just before flying out here. Battled the ridiculous SF traffic (see pic) to get to Half Moon Bay, where our newfound mt biking amigo, Marika, lives!  An absolute gem, she very generously offered for us to stay at her place for the few days before we

flew out.  This gave us the opportunity to clean the neglected (and decidely grotty) van, and also dismantle & scrub the bikes.  Brent did a meticulous and excellent job of cleaning the well-used bikes, so they are boxed up and ready for us to take to Hawaii now!  We also got a chance to catch up with Marika's friends - the group of people who we met on our 1st mt bike ride in the States - had a lovely meal out with them, to the Half Moon Bay brewery, where we had a good ole chinwag (mostly about bikes haha).  The beer and wine were mighty fine too.
Marika was away during our visit, so we ended up house sitting and looking after her awesome dog, Sophie!  Didn't realise how much we missed being in a proper house, rather than the small confines of good ole Alby, or a non-descript, boring motel room.  The joys of cooking on a proper stove that has 4 whole hobs! Wow!  And using a proper sharp knife rather than a pocket knife, and drinking water out of a glass rather than a plastic bottle! She had a stunning house and we're super grateful to Marika for letting us stay!!

The trip to Ecuador was pretty epic and long, although we stayed in good spirits as we were excited about visiting a brand new country!  Arrived in to Ecuador airport to be welcomed by possibly the longest queue (at customs) that we have ever seen.  Midnight til 1.30am we were standing there.  Oh the joys of travel! 
The hotel is lush -in a nice part of town, and is a nicely renovated old villa with creaking wooden floors and tasteful decor, and has friendly reception staff who recognise us and know our names.  We like!
First day here was basically in a sleep-deprived zombie-state, so pretty boring and involved the planning of our week here, which took forever (nothing happens quickly here, we've discovered).  Got some exciting tours coming up...one to Mt Cotopaxi for a day trip (the highest volcano in the world, at 6000 m altitude), and the other to the Amazon jungle for 4 days :-) Staying in a hut in the Cuyabeno region, which is a short flight east of Quito.  Going to check out

the famous wildlife there - macaws, parrots, monkeys, freshwater dolphins, giant ants, tarantulas and oversized mozzies.  EEk!  And maybe eat a few grubs.  Look out Bear Grylls, you got competition!!
So, today, we went for a good old explore around Quito city.  Definitely exudes that noisy hustle & bustle of a city in a more developing nation - heaps of tiny smoke cafes and loads of street sellers and people trying to make a few cents.  They will sell anything here.  Saw an old man (must've been about 80) who had only a few chupa chups lollypops to sell, so we took pity on him and bought 2 for

40 cents.  The Ecuadorians seem like proud hard workers - only seen 1 person begging (and he only had 1 leg)!  Loads of shoe shiners on every street corner, people selling bags of apples, people selling sunglasses (they're real Oakleys, honest), people with carts of ice cream...anything you want, and it's here!  Went for a walk to the historic part of town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its narrow, cobbled streets, cathedrals and lovely buildings.  Also hiked up to a city religious monument via a poor (and very interesting) residential area (oh, and we discovered when we got to the bottom that there was a sign saying 'Warning. Tourists do not enter - this is a robbery area'. OOPS). It was only about a 500 foot ascent but we were knackered at the top.  This is the 2nd highest city in the world, so we were at about 3000m altitude today, and feeling the lack of oxygen!
Services, food, drinks, accommodation are all a lot cheaper here.  You could get a shoe shine for a dollar!  And a bikini wax for $3!  And a haircut for $4! Might get a haircut and see what I come out like.   English isn't very widespread (don't think they get too many tourists here), and my Spanish is ok but is more like Spanglish, so have had a few interesting conversations!  Anyway, we are enjoying our visit to beautiful Ecuador, enjoying the new culture, friendly people and new flavours/smells/sights and sounds.  Will report more soon.  Adios amigos and hasta luego. x



Getting close to the Big Smoke again!

Can definitely tell that we are close to a big city - people are talking faster, drivers are more impatient, things are more expensive and the air doesn't seem quite so crisp!  Despite that, we are still enjoying ourselves and managing to get 'off the beaten track', so to speak.  We left Downieville a few days ago - was sad to leave as it was a very mellow, slow paced and idyllic town...and had some fab riding of course.  Met lots of people there, including a couple of kiwi riders from Wellington, and felt like we knew half the town!  We ended up doing the Downieville Downhill track for a 2nd time (3rd time for Brent actually), just before we left.  Couldn't resist the temptation - was just too fun the

1st time :-)   After a fresh swim in the glorious Downieville River (see pic at bottom), we drove westwards towards the Californian coast, in anticipation of sandy beaches and having a dip in the ocean.  But, alas, the fog was in full force, and ensured temperatures were at a minimum (13 degrees - what a shock to the system!) and visibility was a mere few hundred feet.  Whizzed down the coast from Point Arena southwards, passing through some trendy and colourful villages full of hippies and organic shops.  Too cold to get out of Albert though!!  Although we did see a big colony of huge seals on the way down.
After driving around in circles for an hour or two, we finally found somewhere to stay in Marin County (one of the downsides of 'winging it' and never

booking anything!!)
Marin County is just north of San Fran, across the Golden Gate Bridge.  This place claims to be the origin of mountain biking - and has a lot of history here in terms of the first races and legendary names in the sport - the innovative people who really initiated the sport.  Today we rode 'Repack Road' - this was the location of the 1st ever mountain bike race back in the 70s.  1300 ft steep-ish descent over about 2 miles, on a  rough fire trail.  It's full of loose gravel, off camber corners and ruts.  The record is still held by famous Gary Fisher, who did it  in the seventies in 4m22sec, on a fully rigid bike with no front brakes, called a 'Klunker' (the 1st ever 'mountain bikes' - would've been scary riding one of those down the track at lightening fast pace, that's for sure).  Impressive!  Was good fun actually.
Did a bit of an explore on the bikes tonight around the local neighbourhood (San Rafael), and we seem to be one of the only people here whose 1st language is English!  This is hispanic territory and Mexican had to be tonight's dinner as a result.   I may be biased, but tostadas/tamals/burritos/fajitas/enchiladas etc all  seem to be variations on exactly the same meal!  Sloppy food and possibly not my favourite meal of choice.  Sorry to any Mexican food fans out there.  Tomorrow, we are going to check out some more trails and then head across the Golden Gate Bridge in to San Fran.  Staying with a friend in Half Moon Bay for a few days before we leave for Ecuador!  Need to clean up the van before we return it to the rental company - now THAT is going to be an epic job.  You can just imagine what it's like after 3 months of living in it... ewwwww.......