New Beginnings

To those few of you who have read and loved my epic stories during my travels, sorry to have not yet filled you in on the last months of adventure, and to those of you who hate group emails and have managed to read this far, you will be pleased to know this is the last of my stories in this chapter of the Life of me!

I left Columbia on a sail boat bound for Panama. Along the way we were lucky enough to spend time in the San Blas islands. They were everything you could imagine for islands in the Caribbean. Aqua blue water, big fat orange star fish, white sand, fish & sharks, swimming at night in the glowing plankton, and one massive tiger stingray that sped up just below the surface, then popped up out of the water and glided mid air for what seemed like eternity. We anchored the boat a couple hundred metres from a small sand island. It had 6 palm trees on it, the smallest i've ever seen. I named it Chook Island, after the picture of the place my mum imagines she could be when she wants to relax. So I decided to spend a night there in my hammock. After my experience in Brazil, i managed to overcome the fear much more quickly. I was more worried about the distant thunder and what the hell I was going to do if it came my way. The skies cleared and I spent the night stargazing at northern hemisphere constellations... and the morning sunrise kept me in my hammock until finally it became too warm to continue being a lazy bum.

After my boat trip I spent some time in Panama city. Previously knowing only what footage was shown in the movie Team America, I found that it had a lot more to it! Getting comfortable in the hostel, formed another traveller-family of a couple of aussie bums, couple of poms, an irish and me. Family dinners, texas hold-em poker, drinking all the boys under the table and a few too many visits to the many Panama City casinos!! I spent one night without a cent in my pocket, seeing the city from a very different perspective. Jumping on a local bus going anywhere, asking the driver if I could ride for free, then jumping off and changing buses willy nilly. One part of town I ended up in (about sunrise) had beautiful old houses, painted bright colours, but had faded with age, giving it a warm vintage feel, like I'd been blasted back in time. The buses I rode were a spectacle themselves. Old American school buses, turned into moving art. Detailed with beautiful graffiti, cartoons, or tattoo-like pictures, always female named and some were dressed up with curtains, and lights brighter then Vegas. No camera that night, but good memories of the streets of Panama city.

Enough bumming around, and missing the family, I decided to head in the direction of home... which meant NYC first. I was so over excited to see this city I had heard so much about, that when I got to JFK and was at the customs desk, I was a little to anxious. (After singing the Team America song in my head the whole flight) When the bloke in the customs cubicle started asking questions in his strong brooklyn accent, I burst out laughing. Trust me when I say, that I DO know that its not the place to fall into a laughing fit. I giggled so damn much I was embarrassing myself. I was trying to hold my mouth but it was too late. He assumed I was 'on' something, but when he asked why i was so happy, I just replied "Im just happy to be here". I managed to get a high-five out of the man, and on my way. My plan was to surprise my friend Osmany, on his doorstep in Brooklyn, but all I had from him was his address. So off I went on my 4-hour subway journey, with the help of many funny New Yorkers. One black guy who was helping me said in his home-boy talk "Oh girl, your man invites you to his crib and he don't give you no crossroad?... if you my girl, i'd look after you ight!". Also got help from NYPD, putting a call out on their radio to find the exact address for me, it was like being in a movie, everywhere I looked I had de-ja-vu. So I spent 3 weeks in NYC having good times with my friends.... Riding bikes through Prospect park and down times square in peak hour, chilling out on a grass patch on a rooftop looking at the tops of manhattan, driving a porshe 110m/hour in upstate NY, getting lost in central park, exploring NY subways and streets, always finding some live music around the corner. This city was something else. Huge mix of culture, an entertaining range of NYC accents, things to do everywhere, an endless amount of places to see, and the people are so kind and love to talk to strangers! I even got to ask for directions in ENGLISH... and also received directions in spanish! Definitely another place I could find myself living.

Finally out of money and deciding to come home. My last few days were intense, trying to see just that extra bit, and the feelings resembled my last few days before my trip started. Excited, scared, nervous, not knowing what was going to happen, and what home was going to be like. I flew Emirates from NY to Dubai. Had a few interesting conversations with people curious about the world of backpacking.... yes, females do travel independently, yes, there are people in south america and you can interact with them, and no, I'm traveling with my money, not daddy's. Dubai airport was cool, it was like the alien airport in Men in Black. Everyone seemed to come from different worlds, and everyone going to different places. It really felt like the centre of the world right there, watching all the people go by on their own journey's.

This whole year I feel like I've been suspended in time. Something I clearly remember asking for. Being neither here nor there has its many benefits as well as challenges. I started this trip with high expectations... to do everything, see everything, meet everyone, know everything, find ultimate truth... and find myself somewhere in between. I certainly didn't fully achieve any of the criteria, but I did manage to find some patience in me, to realise, we are not supposed to know all the answers. The feeling of discovery is the/my essence of life. Where would we be without discovery? If we all knew everything and we all knew the ultimate truth, what would we have left to look for? The ultimate discovery IS discovery itself. Thats why the universe is the way it is, an infinite amount of information & wisdom, so we never stop asking, never stop thriving, never stop feeling, never stop learning. The dangling carrot, the constant desire to find truth, is what drives us to continue to discover things about us and the world around us.

I've been back home a week now and feeling a little disorientated. Everything looks the same, but it feels like its all changed. Still, in a state of limbo, I find myself closing a chapter in my life and a new one beginning. Im in the process of accepting and letting go of things that will hold me down, and holding onto the good experiences and lessons that have made me, me.

To the people I have been fortunate enough to share experiences with when our journey's collided... "hiGH fiVE!"

Columbia... Crazy Beautiful

Im sitting here in Cartegena, on the coast of Colombia and have my last two days in this crazy beautiful country…

my time here started with a flight to Bogota, over the top of the Guerilla jungles from the border town of Leticia in the heart of the Amazon… a quite well off town with its primary industry being the drug trade, but safe none the less…

so sad to leave the jungle but excited to see what Columbia had in store for me. The capital is a huge city dominated by university students, with a strong art culture, exhibitions, the Botero museum and loads of places for coffee and music! I didnt spend enough time there, but Bogota is definately a city i would opt to live if I was studying or working...

so avoiding the cold, I again headed for the coast. Santa Marta is a cosy little beach town on the caribbean coast… first time wooooooo!! I stayed at a great shit hole of a hostel which i loved. Had some great company with drinks and didge-guitar jams on the concrete half built rooftop overlooking the surrounding buildings. This area has the best storms and weather, from our rooftop we just watch the bolts of lightning shoot across the orange-grey night sky glowing from the town´s lights. It rains but we dont move an inch... its hot and humid, and the warm rain is welcomed with my rain dance!

Next stop was a trip to Tyrona Nacional Park. Awesome area of jungle and beaches. Despite the meals being more expensive and banana-up-their-bum staff, the company I had and the beaches, were totally worth it. By now a group of us had accumulated. 1 over the top funny alpha-male german, 2 dopey irish, 2 goregous english girls, 2 O-C Californians, and me and me didge. We all stayed in a big hut that sat ontop a hill in between two small beaches. One central pole, with our hammocks strung around in a circle. Each afternoon we had dramatic thunderstorm entertainment, which made us buzz with excitement. One night we had a massive thunderstorm where some of us thought we might actually be in trouble and I was soaked from head to toe in my hammock cacoon from the side ways rain. But when the storm calmed, we were sad to see it go! So days and days on the hot sand, the aqua blue warm water, loads of card games of ´presidents and assholes´, horse rides through the jungle, and a caribbean tan.

A bus to Cartegena with the group reforming, we have a great last few days together. After a long time travelling solo or as a pair, I have really enjoyed having a big group of us looking out for each other and having a blast... these guys have been like a family! We spent one quiet night out where i ran off to organise our transportation and came back with 6 motorbikes (moto-taxis) and we roared around town like a pack of harleys... only it was 100cc´s and scooters!... We still felt tough like :).. Last night we stepped it up a notch, and organised a romantic trip around town in a horse and cart for all 6 of us. So drinking and antics, we spent a couple hours cruising around town... another place I could live. Old town surrounded by a fortress wall, narrow streets, trees and vines, and vibrant buildings of all different contrasting colours. The place holds a warm atmosphere even when the streets are dead empty. The rest of the night was spent dancing on bars in the quiet discotecas, eating the street kebabs ontop of taxis, and the unfortunate event of our boy james loosing his camera to a pickpocketer. There is such a fine line between people genuinely talking to you, and when they want something from you. My rule of thumb has been to always assume the worst when people approach me. Which is unfortunate, but I feel like if I had any other attitude, I would probably be bulldozed over! It was really sad to see James loose his camera. He is the true example of the turtle traveller theory, sold all, packed up and his life is on his back… we had the police on scooters riding around the area, but no point cause these guys are artists!

My time in south america has had a lot different effects on me then i first thought, and even what a thought during my changes. I guess i was kind of expecting to become more compassionate, more open minded, and be able to connect with people of all characters or cultures. But i guess what happened was a bit opposite. For a while there I bécame really close-minded, and a lot more thickskinned and guarded. Many people rip you off, try to take advantage, and the big majority of people who approach you, want something out of you, whether its obvious or not. My problem was, I was letting these people shape my views of the culture and the countrys. But thats not cricket! I now believe that your perception of places, cultures and countries, should be shaped by the good people you meet. Yes there´s bad, and yes you have to be protective of your space and who´s in it, but its possible to accept the bad. Everyone has choices, but I constantly think about life from their eyes. They have to steal to live, but how would they really feel? They manipulate and lye and hurt others, but what happens when they judge themselves (which we all do, whether its throughout your life or down to the moment you die). When I think of the bad people Ive met along the way, I still remember that everyone has a good nature, and respect that everyone is at different stages of their own development.

To all the good people already in my life, to all the good people I´ve met on my trip and will continue to meet, I wouldnt care if I had to deal with 1000 bad people for every 1 of you, it would still be worth it.

At home in the jungle and giving roosters therapy

Here I am, in Iquitos, the largest city in the world that cannot be accessed by road. Its hot and stinky and I have a headache from all the moto-taxis buzzing around. But it's a jungle city and fabulous!!! I arrived here a few days ago on a grand old boat called La Miluska (similar to Pinky´s nightmare), armed with my two didgeridoo´s, two bags, a pet turtle called Esperenza and missing the tip of my thumb!


But the journey starts in the Andes of Equador. My bus from Quito was long but with beautiful views of the mountains, and gradually descending past waterfalls cascading down to the jungle below. The hills became slopey then flat, and there I was, home in the jungle! From the town of Coca, I got a long one day boat trip to the border town of Nuevo Rocafuerta. Having the old Senora´s laughing at my dreadlocks, being forced to share my chocolate with the couple of kids that had perfected the ´puppy dog eyes and jumping off the boat a couple times for a dip in the Rio Napo. The sunset on the river gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling, and I definitely felt in my element.


In Nuevo Rocafuerta I fortunately made friends with the only other gringoes in town, and together we formed a group to do a bit of a jungle tour. So in our canoe we set off down the side rivers, in the calm of the jungle, sitting on the front the whole time soaking up the piranha atmosphere! Picturing myself as the squirell in ICEAGE2. On one day I caught a little croc with my bare hands, the experience from brazil definitely helped, I shocked the guide, don't think he see´s many tourists going for crocs like that. Another day I ate a witchedy grub alive… my inspiration coming from always wanting to go on ´Fear Factor´. Its harder then it looks!


So after a week around this area, and beginning to become quietly frustrated with the expert New Yorker and her Equadorian (top dog) guide/lover, I found refuge in another dopey australian who showed up. He is a good laugh, rough as nuts and couldn't take any shit from anyone (especially americans). So after crossing the border to Pantoja (peru) as a group, there were two big boats heading for Iquitos, we went our separate ways, and the aussies opted for the big green floating bog known as La Miluska. It turned out to be the best choice in the end. It was a humble 3storey boat. Cows, chickens, and screaching pigs on the lower level, humans, monkeys, turtles and chickens on middle level, along with the kitchen & toilets (basically the same room), and a breezy top deck with a bar, more families in hammocks, chickens and the roosters, one of which I had to have deep and meaningfuls with, explaining to him that he didn't have to crow just because the others did. I managed to only save one turtle who became Esperenza (Hope) but all the rest became turtle soup. The most part of my trip was tranquila, laid back in my hammock, cruising down the river listening to rio napo blues, by Rohan on his guitar and being lazy watching the sun stretch across the sky. The boat would stop every 5 minutes to pick up more people and more bloody bananas that you can poke a stick at. The houses & people by the river were beautiful and the boat stopping was the biggest event of the month, so the whole villiage would turn out. All was well until the last night, being closer to Iquitos the boat had become extremely packed, and I only lost my patience then, when the little boy next to Rohan, was sitting in a pile of his on piss and shit, but the mother and sister did no more then prepare their boiled eggs next to him. Poor little bugger. So by now Rohan was practically dry-reaching in disgust, looking like he could climb a rope out of there with both hands and feet tied. We spent that night stopping children and women peeing on the floor next to us and our bags and we were relieved to make it to Iquitos the next afternoon. Getting off the boat though, Rohan lost his wallet to a team of pickpocketers, but no serious damage done. All up, a pretty good trip, and we are both still in one piece, except my thumb of course (lost the tip to cutting lemons on the boat…it´ll grow back).


So just a couple days here exploring the city, and the slums that they say are the Peruvian version of Venice, only, I don't think they have dunnies in the canals of Venice and swim, wash & cook next to them do they?


You will be happy to know, that Esperenza the tortise now has a happy home with other tortises at the Pilpinwasi Butterfly Farm. Be sure to visit her if you head this way. But beware of the trained pickpocket monkey that they rescued from street kids… he knows how to open everything: buttons, zips, clips, and he even checks your bra!!!


So I´m off to Colombia tomorrow, and onto see a bit of central america… not sure the subject of the next episode…


lots of love always!

80's NIKE ankle sneakers

I left Cusco finally, to see some more of Peru, and Ecuador. So on the road again… with my didgeridoo teacher, Alex, who decided to join me. First we headed for Lima for a few days with Alex´s family, and then onto the northern Peru beaches. Here I finally got rid of my cusco cough, and got healthy again in the sunshine and warm rain! Swam in the Pacific ocean and was imagining Australia on the other side. We then headed across the border to Equador, where I could close my eyes and swear I was in indo, just from the sounds and the smell. Finally arrived in Montanitas beach, which was warm, but being wet season, the town was all mud, and a heavy cloud stretched across the whole sky. At no point did I know where the sun was, but had a relaxing time there and some drama too. My didgeridoo man, with a few kangaroo´s short in the top paddock, tried to sneak his way into my heart… and my wallet. I always was aware about the possibility of him being a brichero (south American boys that hunt gringas (foreign girls) so they can have full belly´s, fun and travel for free).And having none of that, gave him the boot, and decided to go it solo again.

Feeling a lot better and free of drama, met some Spanish boys who thought I could surf… why does everyone always think australian´s can surf??... I accepted their request for me to teach them and so we had half a day in the surf where they looked to me for leadership. caught my first proper wave that day… didn't tell them that… and the big waves scared the shit out of me on the board!!Had a good time though.

So after a few days to myself in a beautiful hut by the beach, I headed to Riobamba. Determined to do something productive, I organised a mountain climb. Its expensive to get a good & experienced mountaineer guide, but I thought my first ice climb should be worth that. The first night we camped closer to Chimborazo (the highest peak in Equador)… froze my tits off and got no sleep for the 3am start. I had my doubts for spending so much money on one day, but at 4am when we drove over the hill that revealed mount Carihuairazo to me, I knew it was meant to be. With the full moon lighting up everything with a glow, the mountain was alive with energy. Hovering closely above it sat my favourite constellation, Orions belt, with the three stars perfectly in between the two peaks. We started the long hike through the shrub and passing alongside lagoons. We had our head torch´s on and the moon lit up the landscape around me…everything covered in a thin layer of ice. At sunrise we made our first steps on snow, and that crunch is surely the sound of bliss… is it not? We continued trekking through patches of snow, until we were surrounded by white… and at the base of the mountain looking up at our route to the summit. It looked really far and hard, but ended up being easier than I thought. Crampons on for the first time, ice ax in hand, prayers to Pachamama and we were off. We hiked the majority of the slope pretty quickly and came to the base of a steep wall of snow to the top. Feet walking sideways and going straight up, I was already aching all over, and then it got steeper. So facing the wall, I walked with the front of my feet, holding on to the ice ax etched into the wall with my right hand, and my left arm just hugging it. I had bursts of energy where I just seemed to run up, and then rests where I was just glued to the wall, breathing and relaxing. I did my final vertical rocky run to the top, and once there, just lied flat in the snow, ice ax still dug in, and holding on with both hands… soaking up the feeling of my first ice climb… and realizing why I´ve always wanted to climb. Had a moment on the top, tied a red scarf to a rock, and learnt how climbers go down! Now I used to think that you go down backwards, like you would on a ladder. But I soon found that its more like bungy jumping. Having trust in my feet, the crampons, the rope attaching me to my guide behind me and the mountain, I ran face first down the wall I just came from. It was so scary… and exhilarating! I was laughing the whole way, just from the adrenaline rush, and was disappointed to hit the smaller slopes. But my ankles ached from what I put them through… so the hike all the way back was a punish! I wish I could do that ice climb every day… I hope I have more opportunities to do the same in the future. So my first time… Mt Carihuairazo 5120m.

More importantly, and my best moment in south America so far… was when I got back to riobamba yesterday arvo. I crossed the street with a small old man who couldn´t see. Hand in hand, we crossed the street together at centipede speed, me being a tall blonde foreigner and him, a small small equadorian in his brimmed hat, baggy old suit, and 80´s nike ankle sneakers… Im not sure if its cause he couldn´t see me clearly or maybe he was just not prejudice, because he didn´t have judgement of me (that I´m used to as a gringa)… and on the other side his smile was so genuine & kind, I will never forget it. Mum thinks he was probably thinking ¨that's the tallest equadorian ive ever seen¨.

Through The Eyes Of My Inner Child

I've been back in cuzco for two weeks now and have settled back into my loki home. With my loft bedroom and a window that looks out to the stars... I've fallen in love again, and in more ways then one.

Last week I had one of the most amazing experiences. I took part in a humble spiritual ceremony in the mountains around saqusayhuaman (inca ruins). The shayman (spiritual healer) called Wyra, was a beautiful man with big bubbly cheeks and a smile that spread all over his face... and all over the world! We drank san pedro, a medicene used from times before the incas, and thought about our lives, our connection to Pachamama (mother earth), and each of us thought about what we wanted to ask for. I was there with two good friends, emma and osmany. But the experience as a whole was very personal. I asked for two things: to see the world through the eyes of my inner child, and for the protection of my family, friends and me. The first time I 'got it', I was walking up a steep hill, turned around to see the others, and all I saw was sparkling blue trees. At this point I thought I was hallucinating, but after a quick confirmation with em, the trees were naturally blue, cause they were eucalyptus! From then on, I saw the beauty in absolutely everything. My senses were heightened, and the touch, smell, sound, taste & sight of everything seemed rythmic & pure. The difference in perception is hard to describe, because the feeling stays with you, not just on the day. What I felt was something that I have always had in me, but it came to the surface, clear and uncensored. My favourite events of the day were: Emma processing & accepting a lot of intense feelings, and us sending love in the direction of someone she cares a lot about. The amazing rock I found, with endless shapes of faces, animals & landscapes and the how the lines of the rock matched the lines of my hands, perfectly. Discovering my nickname in Quechua, Wymie K,uychi... rainbow child. Being amuzed for hours with the colours of Wyra's hat and naming the tassle ChuFly. Walking hand-in-hand down the mountain with Osmany, and inventing the game tandem-mountain-walking. Making sure Emma was holding onto 'her piece of me' and our endless argument of who's visiting who.

Ultimately, I got to see the world through the eyes of my inner child... and that's something I will never loose. The change I feel in my heart is a cup full!... I have an unconditional acceptance of previous pain in my life, and the bad in the world around me, but also the fact that I can make a possitive change... By my family and friends knowing how I appreciate, love and learn from them, by my kindness, smiles & laughter with strangers, and by living my dream.

So, recharged, and ready to go, I meant to leave cuzco today. Until three days ago I discovered the didgeredoo. Its something that I've always wanted to learn, and now, here in Peru, the person teaching me is a peruvian dude, obsessed with Australian Aboriginal culture, and seems to know more about Australia then I do. He is a great teacher and I have a new found passion to learn... even though I'm musically retarded. I can do circular breathing slowly, make a kookaburra sound, and something that sounds like a donkey... step aside Xavier Rudd!! We have been playing overlooking the city, and also in the main plaza where the street kids swamp us.... intrigued with the deep smooth sound coming from this strange foreign object. My first didge isn't painted yet, but its wrapped in a purple peruvian blanket made by a cute old lady from the local market.... I now have my new travel companion...(The didge, not the lady)... :)

Sending you all a smile via butterfly-effect-mail......

Todos Possible, Nada Seguro!!!

To be blunt, this entry wont be as exciting as my last ones. I am sitting in a town called Uyuni, Bolivia. The best thing to ever come out of this town is the road! I´m talking to dad on msn and just hearing from him, made my eyes water. So I was telling myself ¨fluffy kittens fluffy kittens¨ to try and be calm, but to the amusement of Emma beside me and myself, I started crying-laughing. I have had heightened emotions at the moment and have been in a cold environment for over a month now, and I HATE the cold. People think travelling is easy, and not working would be the best thing in the world. But, it is hard not having an everyday purpose, especially when I'm such a dreamer with my career, and all the things I want to accomplish. And so the burden of homesickness has been getting stronger, and word from home makes me smile & keep going (hint hint).



And so, there have been good times too… we have seen great places, and the images will stay in my mind forever. We first arrived in Bolivia in Copacabana, home of the highest lake in the world, Titicaca. Absolutely freezing, we hiked across the hills of Isle de Sol, and got stoned with some funny Americans overlooking aymara ruins and talking to llamas. The next morning having a cosy breakfast with my best friend Em, overlooking the lake from the top of the island, our minds struggling with bitter sweet emotions from seeing the most beautiful places, and also being treated badly as travellers from many lying Bolivians! La Paz was good to see again, finding more secret places to eat & drink red wine. Spent some time with my adopted Bolivian family, and played ¨beach¨ volleyball surrounded by snow capped mountains. I tried my best to tell them they can't call it BEACH volleyball, but because it was on sand, apparently that counted.



So leaving La Paz, we thought it would be best to fork out the extra cash for the best tourist bus. But unfortunately, it was not worth it. 4am in the morning, we woke up to the sound of a spinning tyre. We were bogged. I put on as many clothes as possible and jumped out of the bus to be blasted by the cold winter of a desert in the middle of nowhere, in this bitter sweet country! Usually I can become that bit warmer just from star gazing, but because I was freezing my tits off, all that came out was tyrrets sounds. The bus driver lit grass fires, for light and warmth, and began digging out the soft sand underneath the tyre. The bus was lodged in a dip with its arse on one side and the headlights on the other. The novelty for me lasted about 20minutes. Emma and I, with some being-bogged experience tried our best to help digging, collect rocks and give suggestions… but the Bolivian men were not about to listen to two gringas (female tourists), now or ever. So hugging each other and wishing our dads were there to fix it, we gave up and got back into the warm cabin. The sun came up… and 100 Bolivians, 3 4WD´s, 2 trucks, 2 local buses, 1 farm tracker and 5 hours later, we were towed out.



So we made it to the town of Uyuni, to find our adventure in the Salt Flats and mountains, famous to this region. We chose a tour of 3 days, to see all the sights, and to be driven around in a land cruiser 4WD. There were Israelis on the list, so I requested that me and Emma be put in their group. Good or bad decision, I'm still deciding… but we had an awesome time seeing these amazing places: the huge salt flats, driving through the mountains, blue lakes & pink flamingos, hills that looked like my mum had painted them (and me bursting into tears thinking of her), striking blue-orange sunsets, riding through a mud brick town drunk on a bike that had no breaks, the fruitless search for san pedro cactus (for natural hallucinations!), teaching the german card game Uka to Israelis, singing ¨every sperm is sacred¨ for an hour with a funny Englishman who looked like side-show-bob, chasing the baby llama that was wearing my red scarf, relaxing in hot springs at 4300m with red hills blue skies, and a big moon around us, and me refusing to pay 1boliviana to pee in a toilet, fed up with how in-humane it is (but giving in eventually). So that kind of sums up our trip to the salt flats, and the images will stand out as some of the most amazing things my eyes have ever seen.

Today we leave for Sucre, in search of Che Guevara´s last steps. So until next time: ¨Todos Possible, Nada Seguro¨ (All is possible, Nothing for sure)

Pregnant With An Inkan Prince

This month has been a mix of emotions. Speeding through Bolivia in a week to make it to Peru in time to meet my beautiful friend emma and kick off my time in peru, in the "navel of the world" cuzco. It started with my dream job, of becoming a moto-taxi. I rented a 400cc honda for two days, first stop cuzco airport, where i stood alongside all the taxi drivers, with my sign up "EMMA POOS - bienvenido cuzco". Emma arrived with her two bags and a suitcase, which added to an interesting ride back to the hostel, seeing as though i was only just comfortable with a one person load on the back. after getting lost (but pretending i knew where i was) we made it to LOKI. our new home. This hostel is one of the best ive seen, it used to be a big old catholic monastry, looking over the city with a panoramic view. Cuzco has a high turnover of travellers, the locals (mostly inka descendants) and those expats that fall in love and never leave. The crazy mix seems to add to its charm. So the second day on the bike, we rode around the sacred valley visiting the inka ruins. although my favourite part wasnt the stops, it was the road! best ride ive ever done, winding through the valley, smooth roads and great scenery. coming home on sunset, we rode ontop of a small mountain, covered in farms of all different shades of green and brown, and surrounded by the snow capped mountains. i was glad to have my best friend next to me, feeling that our plans have succeeded and that the contract we wrote up sitting in the marlborough bar in newtown two years ago to travel together, had not gone to waste. next stop was the inka trail. we joined our organised tucan group, and had a great leader who was the peruvian version of eddie murphy. the trek was awesome and something i will never forget. eddie murphy giving a good insight to the history and culture of the inkas, and visiting the ruins along the way. after two days of trekking emma fell sick to the altitude. she described it as the worst day of her life. that was until the third day. after a big night of being sick outside in a freezing valley, she wasnt in good shape for the two Pass's we had to climb. so me, eddie and eloy took turns in piggy backing her up the mountain. good mountaineer training i thought. and the four of us being good company for each other our spirits were lifted and by the end of it we were all dancing to bob marley and shakira music coming from the speackers on eddies pack. it was mothers day, i had my phone with me and said to eddie i wish that i could call mum today. suprisingly he knew a 'special' spot. and at the top of the second pass, he got me to stand on the corner of this one rock, and there i had reception, so ontop of a valley surrounded by clouds, i called mum to tell her happy mothers day! late in the arvo i sped off ahead, and in a dilerious state, my imagination got carried away. starting at some ruins at the top of a hill, i came down a huge flight of inka stairs in a jungle. machu picchu was the around the corner of the next mountain, and scheduled for the next morning. i stood on a rock and wished i was back in the inka times. (imagination now)... suddenly these two inka men ran up the stairs and stopped suddenly in front of me. they poked me to see if i was real. to them they thought i was the daughter of the sun god, who had sent me to them. they talked quechua, and so my little spanish made no difference. one of them ran up to the ruins i had just left and with some strange instrument made a calling out across the valley. a group of inkas came down and whisked me away to machu picchu (high society). at the time i thought i was going to be a sacrifice or killed. but then when we arrived at the great city on top of the sacred mountain, surrounded by a crowd, i realised they thought i was an inkan princess! haha. ME, of all people, dressed in my xavier rudd tshirt, khaki pants and joggers! so i became a local to machu picchu, i had a room in one of the huts, they gave me a baby llama, who i named freddy (mecury), i made them listen to my xavier music until the batteries went flat, and i fell in love with the inkan prince, che. i learned quechua, and had a great lifestyle in this special world. me and che got permission from the priest to live together, and then i became pregnant! and this is when i thought of home. so pregnant with an inkan prince, i decided to go back to the rock that changed my world, i wished to go back to my time, and then suddenly there i was. so after living a year in the lost inka city, (imagination stops here) i trekked down to camp and found emma. told her everything that happened and how much i missed her. she was a little worried and thought that i had had too much coca leaves :)... the next morning we were up at 4am and waiting at the front of the line to trek up to the sungate. i bolted up the hill and got to the top first and spent 5minutes overlooking machu picchu by myself. the ruins which i felt so familiar with... was surreal and later with the group, watched sunrise from standing on the top fields. after our tour we sat inside one of the square stone houses, and relaxed our dilerious heads, and watching people get chased by llamas. the train ride out of aguas calientes was almost as beautiful as our trek, and we made it back to cuzco in one piece. and now, we are heading back to bolivia for 3weeks, and on return to peru, i will be working here again for one-two months. i plan on being relatively fluent in spanish before i head up to north peru. so anyone planning on visiting their sister/daughter/friend who lives in cuzco, you have a host! love always, tj.

Stalked By A Jaguar; Caught A Croc; and Chased By A Waterbuffalo!

the pantanal! its a huge area of land in west brazil, near the border of bolivia. in the wet season (now) its mostly swamp, palm trees scattered on little islands and some big and some small areas of jungle. i came here about two weeks ago. and feel like ive been lost in nature, and wandering if i will become a local and never leave. at first i joined a 4day tour. not my preference in travelling style, but wanted to join my friends for a few more days. packed in like sardines, we got shuffled into old trucks, packed into a hut full of hammocks and saw bits and pieces of the pantanal. the best thing to come of that time was meeting my friend levy. he is a tour guide and has lived in the pantanal his whole life. one night we decided to go catch some caymans (crocs). so my first lesson from levy started in the swamp. at first i followed every step behind him, up to my knees in muddy water. it was about midnight, and the stars covered me like a blanket! we had head torches on and scanned the water for the orange eyes bobbing on the surface. after half an hour of 'training', i really got into it, and set off to catch my own. i approached what i thought was a small one... but once i got there is was about 1.5m long. the light of my torch blinds them, so a quietly came from behind, until i was hovering over it, and got my hands ready near its neck, and striked it. i held on for about 5seconds, it was struggling and was so strong. it whipped out of my hands and i thought i felt its teeth on me, but then it was just its rough skin as it swam off. full of adrenaline i was like BUGGER! levy laughing his head off. once you have it by the neck you are supposed to lift it up out of the water so it doesnt have the strength of its tale. i continued for a few hours, levy watching me from the bank. it was just me and the crocs. i was walking so slow that the surface of the swamp was smooth and reflecting the bright stars. it was hard to tell the eyes from the stars!! i named one croc that i was after "baby", he was about 50cm long and so cute, but always got away when i was above him. after wandering that swamp for a good two hours we decided to move to another location. we were walking down a dirt road, and i was talking my head off to levy, he suddenly stopped, and said quietly, "turn your torch off". i stood behind him as he whispered to me "listen for the noise of the jaguar, its close". amongst all the noises, i heard a deep snoring sound. for those of you who have lived with me, just imagine me asleep :) and a few minutes later about 50m away the black silouette of a jaguar crossed the road where we had walked from. levy said that jaguars are attracted to the bouncing light of a head torch, the same way a house cat is attracted to a bouncing string!! so we continued without our lights on, and made it back to camp in one piece. so next stop was a few days with levy in corumba, before heading back to the pantanal for some more survival training... we camped at a place where they look after the horses for the tourists. a little camp surrounded by palm trees and long days on hammocks. here it was just me, levy & nego. true cowboys. we needed to have some meat for the next few days so they took me out hunting on horseback. we rode through the most beautiful untouched swamplands, and at parts up to the horse's neck in water. nego spotted a group of pigs, so from then we had to talk in signals. the three of us followed them for about half an hour, and near an island we split up to cover more ground and got closer to the pack. we then were about 20m away, and suddenly nego bolted towards them, so naturally baya (my horse) followed. we galloped through knee deep water, im holding on so hard i loose grip of my reins, we corner one pig, a big female. she's tired from running, but angry. levy yells out to me "lift your feet up!" so i do, cause they can grab you and not let go. male pigs can even jump up to you and kill you! so then levy and nego jumped off and grabbed it with their hands, and made it tired by dunking it in the water and then killed it with a machetti. (sorry to those that are reading who are angels). so eating the yummy pork that night, i thought about the whole process of getting it on to my plate. the chase, the kill, the fry pan. maybe i wasn't grateful enough to mother nature, cause the next morning it was in reverse. me and levy took two horses for a ride. my horse 'george' was gorgeous and big, but didnt always listen to me. we were walking calmly through some swamplands, and there were water buffalo ahead. i was riding too close to a female one, who stared at me angrily. it started to walk towards us, and levy was already safely away. he yelled "get over here", and so i tried to get george to go faster but he wasnt listening, and then the buffalo started coming more quickly towards me, and i was like OH SHIT. so i was kicking and kicking george, and saying GEORGE VAMOS VAMOS!! RAPIDO RAPIDO, and he was just in sunday-drive mode. i kept looking back and the angry heffa was getting closer everytime. finally george was troting, but by then heffa was charging, about 20m away. george finally managed a gallop towards levy, and i gained more distance. the whole time yelling to levy "he's not listening to me!!! ahgrrrrrr".... but all is good, cause heffa slowed down, and continued to give me death stares. my heart going a million miles an hour, but i was back with levy and we continued back to camp. levy said they are smart animals, cause they dont hurt the horse, they charge to get you off and then they ram you into the ground till your dead. they dont eat humans, they just hate them. so, that afternoon i decided its time to move on. with mammoth effort, i got out of the pantanal on the back of a farmers truck, to corumba. and now am staying with my adopted family in a villiage on the outskirts of town. they are a very kind family, with grande caracao's (big hearts) and all the kids smother me in the hammock out the front. i feel safe and well, with all limbs attached! tomorrow morning is the train to santa cruz, bolivia. warm wishes to all my family and friends. i love you and miss you heaps. tj.

Coffee Coffee Coffee!

so hello hello amegos! i realise i have not updated you for a while with the current location. but i have been so far away getting to internet. right now i am sitting in the office of a major coffee producing factory in a country town called espirito santo do pinhal, in brazil. this morning we mountain-biked through the coffee bean plantations and got airborne a few times, but luckily stayed upright. there is this random kiwi guy (called 'peaches') who is the only international person living in this beautiful remote town, and thats how i found out about coming here. he has showed us around town for the last few days which has been great. he took us on a free tour through the warehouse just now to explain exactly how coffee is produced. its like charlie in the chocolate factory in there, and i felt like the fat german kid who was going to be sucked up the pipe cause he got to greedy. i was seriously in heaven. i climbed up the towers of coffee bean sacks and got to the highest one, and sat there for ages just in my own state of euphoria! you have no idea what goes into these beans. how much work, how many people contribe, how detailed the grading is of each and every single sack!!! can you believe that. ive always loved the taste and smell of coffee, but now, every cup i have will hold a new appreciation. amazing. EU AMOR CAFE!

Turtle Theory & Conquering Fear

I finally made it out of RIO! got glued to ipenema there for a while, too much romance and adventure i think. so i headed for ilha grande, which is an island 3hours south of rio. on the bus heading there i thought about my turtle theory. how a traveller is like a turtle, their lives on their back and memories inside their hearts! I love that you can just pack up your bag and make a fresh start, whenever you want, and all your memories of people and places youve seen are yours. ilha grande was great. good times, and conquering fears, makes for a successful week in my books. ive decided that israeli's are the wisest backpackers, and even though they are really exclusive and talk hebrew all the time, i made some good friends! JESUS being one of them. he taught be the best words to say in hebrew, and everytime i wanted to get the group's conversation to switch back to english, i would say "yesh vesh" (yes and no) or "be-met??" (really?). so other then experiencing the israeli culture and running riot on the island, i also conquered a big fear of mine. and to do that made me feel so ALIVE!! so here it goes: a fear of being alone. i packed my rucksack, bought some food, and headed for the hills. i trekked accross the island to a small beach, from there i caught a boat to another beach, and on the way, me and two boys decided to jump off!! what can i say, they said they would if i did! and then adriano the boat driver, towed us to shore. from there i trekked, with my eggs carefully attached to the top of my bag, to a isolated beach called santo antonio. i had a relaxing afternoon with the beach to myself, and set up camp on the edge of the boulders of the beach, and the jungle. made a fire, and felt like a cave woman cooking my eggs. I jumped into my hammock-tent as soon as it was dark. at first i lye really still, cause i thought that animals wont know im there. i was nervous, but tried to adjust my thinking. (never watch scary movies ever again - they put unecessary shit in your head). and so my heart was going a hundred mile an hour, so i thought that animals would smell my fear. so i woke up to myself, calmed down, and from there it felt good. through my mosquito net i could see the short length of the beautiful beach i was on, and the stars littered the sky. i had the best seat in the house! without town lights, and just the moon, and the lights of the ships on the horizon, there was this mystic glow of the hills, the beach and the sea. i felt like it was me and god! and so the rest of the night was filled with the noise of the crashing waves, which thankfully drowned out most of the noises of the jungle, not including the couple of snakes that slithered past my tent... i knew i would be fine. when 5am arrived and the first speckle of light appeared, i jumped out of my tent and ran onto the sand jumping up and down. was a good moment cause now i know, that if ever i feel alone, i wont be scared cause i know im stronger than that, all i have to do is think back to my night in the jungle on a deserted beach!! I spent the rest of the day in the waves and on the un-touched sand. i asked god, should i stay another night? and if not, send an ant to bite me. half an hour later, one ant and two march flies bit me. so i packed up my stuff and headed back to the main town. right now, as i sit in an internet cafe in paraty, i can hear good live music on the street, and im in search of some hot food... so talk again soon. love you all. tj

Rockclimbing Rio & All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi

On thursday afternoon I added something to my 'one of the best things I have ever done' list. I rockclimbed sugar loaf mountain, in the heart of rio. It usually takes tourists up in a cable car, because it has the best birds-eye view of the city. Fred, Lance and myself trekked around the base of it, and did 4 pitches and hiking to the summit. We started at 3.30pm, and arrived at the top on dusk. Some parts i was holding on with one hand, which was crazy fun, and surrounded by the city, ocean and mountains was the best backdrop! so at the top, i was crash tackled by the leader trying to be the first up... and when we got there had some victory vodkas, overlooking rio by night! I plan to do a few more climbs. This sunday night (full moon) Im climbing a completely vertical pitch with a pro climber, and we are going to sleep overnight on the face (very safe i promise), in a stretcher-like bed attached to the anchors. When Jenni gets here, we are going to do a climb up the mountain that my big mate (jesus) is on. we can actually climb all the way to his platform, so that should be pretty good. I have not wanted to leave rio, so i've started doing shifts on reception at my mango tree hostel, which will make it easier for me to stay longer. Im getting along with my portugese. my new boy roberto is helping me with that! its a lot easier to learn when you really need to! so im awake at 5.30am this morning, it must have something to do with the all-you-can-eat sushi dinner we had last night. between me and my friend dror, we ate a huge total of 65 servings of sushi, terriyaki, noodles & rice!!! we were trying to get our money's worth :) and both looked pregnant afterwards. until next time... tchau, tj.

Sign Language Dating

i have just spent the last two days at the best hostel you can imagine, must be because it is owned and operated by an aussie! its called the mango tree hostel (ipenema). right next door is the 'girl from ipenema' cafe, where the song was written.. chooky i wish i could take you there for a cafe con lech! out the back of the hostel is a huge mango tree, and in its shade is an orange hammock. thats where ive been. i arrived here yesterday morning after staying with two sydney boys in a unit. i had a crash course in the fundamentals of travelling, just from staying with them. they were hard work! anyho.. all the boys here are very seductive and always 'in love' but i just laugh at them. but i have met a goregeous boy at the phone shop, who ive been talking to in sign-language, neither of us can speak the other one's language. and i have a date with him tomorrow to the beach :) hehehe. that should be interesting! i haven't lived up to all my touristy obligations yet, but tomorrow morning i plan to go up to see my mate christo (big jesus), and next thursday i am actually going to rockclimb sugarloaf, with some experienced local climbers, including my hostel owner. sugarloaf if a huge mountain that most tourists get a cable car to the top of, but im gonna climb the whole frigen thing!!! love you long time family & friends. tj.

Suddenly I See

right now im recovering from a very crazy night in rio!! i havent got many photos yet, because im paranoid to take my camera out! i walked the length of copacabana beach yesterday morning at 5am, it was awesome. the water is warm, and the sand burns. i spent the most part of the day walking around the streets trying to organise a mobile, and eating from all the street vendors (yum). went out with some people from the hostel to a street party. was very local, and everyone assumes im portugese (maybe i look german-brazillian). the club i was at i decided to volunteer behind the bar and tourists were coming up to me trying to speak portugese... then spanish... then i would say `speak some bloody english would ya` hehehe. i surprised a few aussies! after that stint i was soaked in vodka from making messy caipriana's! had a shower in my clothes... and now hibernating. miss you all and wish you were here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE TJ