Easter Island

Hello from Santiago!

We finally made it here after some horrendous flights - we´ve had delays, screaming school kids having pillow fights on the aircraft, torn baggage (no zip on Craig´s bag when it arrived!), and yesterday´s flight was the first time we got to sit anywhere near each other. Still, at least our bags arrived, which is an improvement on our previous visits to South America!

We spent our first couple of days in Santiago visiting the Cathedral, various churches, and going up the funicular and cable car in the surrounding hills. Then it was off to Easter Island, which was superb - one of the highlights of our travels so far.

We visited almost every Moai statue on the island, some of which are standing, some fallen, and some still in the quarry. The quarry is the side of a volcano, and it is covered in literally hundreds of Moai heads just sticking out of the ground or still half carved in the rock. We also went to Orongo, the centre of the birdman cult, where they used to have their (often fatal) race to become the birdman for the following year. Some of the best sites were the rows of Moai stood on the coast which look very majestic. There were some Moai near where we were staying, which we visited repeatedly, especially at sunset - even when it was pouring with rain!

We´re now back in Santiago, and have spent the day at the Pre-Columbian Art museum and Museum of Santiago. Tomorrow we are off to visit a vineyard. Keeping Sharon under control with all that wine around may be tricky...

Off again!

Our week at home is over, and we head off to the airport in about an hour. We're now onto our last trip, and the prospect of having to go back to work is looming scarily. Still, we have two months in South America first, so we can't really complain!

The plan is to start in Santiago, and then fly out to Easter Island. Atacama, Patagonia, Ushuaia, Buenos Aires and Iguassu are all on the agenda, before we return home just in time for Christmas.

As always, we will try and update the blog whenever we get a chance, and if we can add on a few pictures of Sharon in funny hats, so much the better.

Home again!

We're home again for a few more days, just long enough to wash everything and repack it ready for our next trip, 2 months in South America.

We had a great time in Nepal and Tibet with David and Liz. Our last few days were spent at Chitwan National Park, where we went on elephant-back safaris (we spotted rhinos, but no tigers), canoe rides down the river, and (Sharon's highlight) bathed in the river with the elephants at washtime. We climbed up the elephant's trunk to get on its back, and we have some great video footage of Sharon's attempted ascent, with her lying sprawled across the elephant's head with her backside stuck in the air, while the elephant sprays water all over her!

Anyway, here's a few photos;
















Mount Everest, taken from Everest Base Camp.
















Us outside the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama, in Lhasa.




















Sharon at the Bodhnath Stupa, Kathmandu
















Durbar Square, Kathmandu




















David getting wet at Royal Chitwan National Park





















David & Liz outside the Monastery at everest Base Camp




















Us at the Tashilinpho Monastery, Shigatse, the seat of the Panchen Lama

Worst comment award..

...definitely goes to Dave, Helen and Emma! You'd be amazed how many references to height we are getting over here (still, it's nice to hear from you - and from some of the other new commenters).

We're back in Pokhara after our trek, and we have managed to find a card-reader, so you have some piccies! The first one is us in front of Mount Chomolongma, better known as Mount Everest, and the second one is Sharon and a yak (which one is which?).

The trek was good, some beautiful scenery, although it was rather cloudy. We finished just in time to avoid the massive thunderstorm though. We bumped into some more Maoist rebels, this time they were rather jovial, gave us a reciept and cheerfully waved us goodbye (after robbing us of about 2GBP).

Most of the Trek involved climbing up lots of stairs for four days which was hard going in the heat but very rewarding at the end (and we got to freshen up in a group shower with David and Liz!). We went to the former recruitment centre of the British Gurkhas which was interesting and inspired us to buy our most lethal souvenir - a Khukuri (Gurkha knife).

Next we go to Chitwan National Park to go on safari, then it is back to Kathmandu and the end of another trip!