So we´ve left Peru for the time being, and have spent the last few days enjoys the enchanting city of La Paz. La Paz strikes just the right balance between the expected gritty, overcrowded South American city, and a modern cosmopolitan where gourmet ice-creameries are becoming more and more the norm. As one of the largest high altitude cities in the world, you really can´t beat the view. The city is nestled in and around the Altiplano, the Andean Plateau with the impressive snow capped Illimani mountain standing guard over the city. However, before I begin giving you a full run down of Bolivia, I want to fill you in on our last few days in Peru.

Huacachina

As Dara´s time in Peru was limited (following our visit to Machu Picchu), we decided to fly back to Lima instead of taking the 18 hour bus ride. From there we took a four hour bus to the desert oasis of Huacachina for some rest and relaxation, coupled with some sandboarding. Unfortunately for us (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), we arrived during Semana Santa (Easter Week) and this chilled out, quiet oasis was transformed into a Spring Break Party Town. All the prices were hiked up and accommodation was difficult to come by. We ended up staying in a hostel attached to the only club in the town, which was packed to capacity every night.

Huacachina was once the playground of the Peruvian elite and the buildings and walkways still hark back to this. These days, however, Huacachina attracts the younger backpacker crowd with sand boarding and sand buggies also close at hand for the adrenaline junkies. 

Lake Titicaca

More photos for this post are on Facebook.

The first few weeks in Guatemala seemed to crawl by and we managed to pack in so much into each day – but like all holidays, once you reach the final stretch, time flys by.

The last week of Guatemala involved us travelling the entire length of the country, where we did three 12 hour journeys, crammed into the back of a tiny minibus over four days. We knew our time in Guatemala was coming to an end, and we were anxious not to miss the disappearing river and pristine pools of Semuc Champey and the towering volcanoes and traditional Mayan villages of Lake Atitlan.

Semuc Champey

We left Flores at 7am on Wednesday the 16th of January and travelled south to the city of Coban and then almost doubled back north east to Lanquin, a Qéqchi Mayan town high up in the central cloud forest. We reached Lanquin just after nightfall but still had another hour journey to Semuc Champey, a remote village only accessible by four wheel drive. Sixteen of us tourists were packed into the back of a partly covered truck sitting on planks of wood which slid around perilously at every turn in the road. Despite the long journey, we were all in high spirits and enjoyed the bumpy adventure. At Semuc Champey we were given a room in the ceiling of a straw roofed hut with a foot of a gap all around the eves. A mosquito net kept the bugs at bay and as the electricity generator switched off at 10pm (we only had electricity from 6pm until 10pm), we fell into an exhausted slumber.

The next morning, we began an action packed day of pool diving, exploring caves by candle light and floating lazily down on the Cahabon River on tubes. The Cahabon River at this particular point cuts under a bed of limestone, reappearing 300 meters further down river. Above this natural limestone bridge are a series of stepped turquoise pools of still water. Over 20 pools cascade one after another following the direction of the underground river after which they all merge in an impressive waterfall. We first saw the the river and pools from a viewing point above where you can get a true appreciation of the site before following the forest path down to the water below.

Despite the overcast day the pools were refreshing without being too cold to properly enjoy them. As one pool flowed into another, the water cut through the limestone creating natural slides of which some were and were not safe to slide down. Our Mayan guide talked us through each slide telling us where to put our arms and which direction to point but that didn´t stop a number of us who bumped and bounced unceremoniously down the slides gaining new bruises as we went. I can adequately describe the beauty of this place and pictures don´t really do it justice. Another traveller we met before visiting Semuc Champey said it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen, and while I have seen some contenders for this title on this trip alone, it is definitely up there. The remoteness of the area, the unspoilt forest and high cliffs flanking either side of the river and the quality of the crystal clear water all contribute to the almost mystical aura of Semuc Champey.

After lunch we headed to the particularly water filled caves (made of limestone and created from the same river network) where we were all given a candle and told to stick with the guide. Navigating the caves while keeping the candle dry proved difficult at times when swimming through deep pools or climbing up ropes from one cave to another. While it definitely would not pass the health and safety codes of New Zealand or Ireland, there was nothing too dangerous and exploring the caves with just candles (not head lights, life jackets or harnesses) definitely enhanced the experience. 

The day ended with tubing down the river. After all the earlier excitement, it was great to just relax. However on the walk back along the river to the accommodation a large black turkey decided the black tube I was carrying had trespassed into his territory and began to charge. I am ashamed to say that I screamed in terror, much to amusement of the local families standing by (and Matt). Thankfully just as the Turkey was getting ready for his second attack, and as I continued with my best rich-white-girl-in-the-countryside scream, a little boy, maybe seven or eight took pity on me a grabbed the turkey by the wing and dragged him back to the hut he shared with the family. While the others found it hilarious, I had memories of when our own gander and terrorised us as children. Thankfully we didn’t have to pass the Turkey again on foot as I don´t think I could of handled a rematch.

Lake Atitlan

The next day we headed back to Lanquin by truck and then on to Coban and Antigua by minibus. Antigua was definitely less intimidating the second time around but we made sure to check out the ATMs before using them to prevent a repeat of the earlier card swiping. The next day after a brief rest we took the bus for Lake Atitlan which on a good day takes four to five hours and on a bad takes a lot longer. That was a bad day and we arrived once again after nightfall. Not ideal when you still have to find accommodation. We stayed in San Pedro but there are many other similar small villages nestled around the lake. Here life for the local people has stayed very much unchanged even with the arrival of tourism. Many of the restaurants, hostels and bars which are owned and run by ex pats are contained to the two streets closest to the lake. In the streets further back life for the local people remains almost untouched. Woman do make extra money from weaving clothes and other souvenirs but other than that the local economy is very insular yet self sustaining. After two days enjoying the relaxed way of life of the region we headed back to Antigua, on to Guatemala Airport and from there flew to Cuba. 

We really enjoyed Guatemala and all its diversity. Only 60% of the population speak Spanish with the rest speaking one of the 23 Mayan languages which still survive. The Mayan people suffered greatly during the civil war in the 80s where they were accused of harbouring bandits in the mountains. Many remote villages were completely destroyed with large unmarked graves all that was left. The native people, largely uneducated  and disconnected from each other due to the language barriers and the remoteness of many of the villages were ill equipped to stand up for themselves and are still regarded as second class citizens. Thankfully this is changing, largely due to tourism as Mayan culture is a major draw card for the country.

Guatemala was not originally on our itinerary and was included only at the last minute because it promised to be cheaper than other Latin American countries. Those travelling there will not be disappointed, as it is very cheap, but Guatemala is more than just a cheap place to extend you trip. You discover a breathtakingly beautiful landscape with rich history and culture and a proud people, aware of what is out there in the modern world but not in any great rush to join it just yet.

For more photos, check out the Facebook album.

We left Livingston (Matt’s post to come) on the 9th of January for  Flores and unwittingly landed smack bang in the middle of the regions biggest festival -The Pilgrimage of the Black Christ.  In Guatemala, as with many other parts of the world including Ireland, Christian rituals are amalgamated with older local rituals creating a weird mash up of both traditions. The week long festival culminates on 15 January with numerous parades happening everyday. The first begins at 6am in the morning before people go to work. Each parade (including the 6am one) is accompanied with load music and young boys  walking ahead of the main group lighting fire crackers. Many of the parades didn’t have any religious symbolism from what I could see with men dressed up as women, or boys wearing a giant models of tall women or horses, dancing to marimba music. When I asked a local they said it was a celebration of the first women who went into the jungle (where the men would be working for weeks at a time) to cook and dance with the men.

At night time in the main square outside the Church both worlds seemed to be linked. Once mass was over, just as the people began to emerge from the church, a young man dressed as a bull with fire crackers and sky rockets attached to him would run through the crowd with the rockets going off in every direction. Young children would try and get as close as possible while we (and the many other shocked tourists) literate hid under tables and behind chairs as rockets flew past our head. They even hit the electricity lines causing it to  spark and set a silk banner hanging from the foyer of the Church on fire. This all just seemed to add to the excitement and as the  tourists hid and wondered what the hell was going on the locals clapped and cheered. Fire crackers are very cheap in Guatemala and appear to be central to all festivals. I’m told they are mostly produced in Guatemala city where whole families, even young children are involved in making them. Sometimes there are accidental fires with pretty devastating results.

Even without the excitement of the festival Flores is a  lovely place to visit.  Built up colonial style, the island is very picturesque and while it attracts a lot of tourists it doesn’t have the same staged feeling that Antigua can have. As with many other affluent places in Guatemala it is protected by armed police and the army has a check point half way across the bridge to the main land.  The island had many of the luxuries we had missed in Livingston including the first modern mall we had come across. While some may lament this it is also a positive sign of progress (even if only the very rich Guatemalans and tourists can afford this). Flores is the closest main town to Tikal and every second house is a restaurant or a hotel. As such the locals are relatively well off when compared to the rest of Guatemala and you see teenagers wearing braces, young boys on skate boards and girls in private school uniforms. Despite all this the town retains its charm and in the evening many locals and tourists a like gather on the wharf to jump into the warm clear water and watch the sun set.

While in Flores we did a three day trek from a small Mayan village of Cruce Dos Aguas, an hour from Flores, to the Mayan Ruins of El Zotz and then on to Tikal. It was a really enjoyable trip and while the ruins and the animal life were amazing it was also great to spend some time with some of the locals and properly get to know them. Christobell our guide was very knowledgeable and pointed out all the native plants and how the Mayans use them as various medicines. He was also amazingly able to tell from the sound a frog was making that it was being eaten alive by a snake. I know, I was fairly doubtful myself but we started looking along the path and the next thing we saw a quick rustle as the snake jumped back into the bush and the frog jumped into a near by puddle!

Victor was our amazing cook and walked the horses from camp to camp and Melque was our English translator. We had a great time with them in the evenings as we tried to navigate the language barrier.

Each night after roughly 5 hours walking we slept in Hammocks ingeniously covered with mosquito nets. Howler monkeys kept us awake on the first night and spider moneys woke us on the third morning by pooping on the make shift roof above us. We also saw prints of a Jaguar near to our camp on the second morning but unfortunately didn´t spot one.

El Zotz was the ruins we reached on the second day of the trek. El Zotz literally means the city of the bat and on the first evening, just as sun set we got to watch thousands of them emerge together from their cave. The sky went black there were so many. It was incredible as they silently flew around so, so close but never touching. The El Zotz site felt very authentic as you cannot get their by road so we were the only people their other than the care takers. The ruins are only partially excavated and are still very much covered in jungle. El Zotz is only a day and a half walking distance from Tikal and you can actually see Temple 4 from the top of the temples.

We reached Tikal on the third day and while the temples were spectacular, the number of tourists (after having the jungle to ourselves for three days) did take away from the site a little. We stayed for the sunset tour and got to experience a little more of the site as the rest of the tourists left. Just as we left the park we were inches from stepping on a snake we mistakenly took as a stick. Great way to finish the exciting three days!

Our first real venturing out, our trip to Copán in Honduras went relatively smoothly. With a lengthy drive through Guatemala city itself and lots of beautiful mountains to see, there was always something to look at.

Guatemala city itself is quite an interesting and chaotic place, with an odd mix of street vendors selling anything and everything, but placed right next to a McDonald’s, Wendy’s or any of your other favourite American fast-food stores. Once we’d made it through the craziness of the city we set out into the beautiful country-side of Guatemala. With not much in the way of towns between Guatemala city and Copán, it was pretty easy to take in the breath-taking mountain scenery. Very reminiscent of the South Island. One thing there isn’t a lack of here though is the billboards. Even in the most remote of places, you’d find a billboard advertising how to spot fake currency, or Gallo beer (which isn’t surprising as they seem to sponsor everything in Guatemala. Everything. Think Coke-level branding).

Once we made it to the border and saw plenty of soldiers with assault rifles, we thought the process of crossing may be a bit intimidating. As it turned out, it was anything but – the bus driver was quickly heading behind the immigration desk (marked with big “Immigration personnel only”) and started handing out forms. Easy. Twenty minutes later, we made it to Copán.

Copán

Instantly you could feel that this was a very different place to Antigua. Everyone was still out in the streets after dark – men, women, children, all hanging around in the central park. We quickly felt at ease and even though we´re trying our best to arrive during daylight, we didn’t feel worried about being tourists or finding our way to our hostel.

After dropping our bags and getting suggestions from Fernando, one of the nicest hostel owners ever, we headed out to try some of the local street food – the favourite being tortillas filled with cheese, chicken and salad. With each serving going for only 62c, it seemed worth the risk of some food poisoning. As it turns out, they were delicious and safe to eat. Pupusas and horchata were our other great food discoveries from this part of the trip.

Copán ruinas

The ruins are, of course, what we came to Copán for. Only partly excavated before the site was turned into a UNESCO World Heritage site, the site is now stuck with only some of the parts being excavated. It´s quite sad because each tree is now protected and is slowly tearing apart the parts that remain covered. We spent a good 4 hours exploring this site and the underground tunnels between the temples with our guide/local archaeologist  Virilljo. One interesting thing we discovered about the way Mayans built temples is that they´re solid, filled in with lots of tiny stones rather than having tunnels like other civilizations. The temple of each ruler is also built on top of by the next ruler, so they don´t have to start again each time. Kind of like Russian dolls. We got to go down into the underground tunnels between some of these layers where archaeologists have removed some of the layering between temples, where the intricate artwork has been immaculately preserved – lots of the outer detail has been destroyed as the most common stone for building temples was limestone which hasn´t weathered well.

We were also lucky enough to spot the brilliantly coloured Macaw, and the agouti (a bigger, shorter-haired cousin to the guinea pig).

Luna Jaguar – the mayan hot springs

Located about an hours (four-wheeled) drive from Copán town, we discovered the local hot springs. We were a little hesitant at first to be going to hot springs in an already scorching place. As it turns out, it was pretty good way to spend recovering on New Year’s day. Fernando, the very generous owner of the hostel we were staying at, took us on the very bumpy ride on the back of the truck. Aoife rode in the back with his son, Fernando jr., and Jeremy from California, another guy that was staying at the hostel.

Being uninitiated, we discovered there were a series of steps that you had to follow as part of the Mayan tradition, like placing mud on the face, then walking around an idol of the Mayan queen seven times, and finally splashing your shoulders with hot water. After that we could finally get down to lounging around in the natural hot pools and steam bath which was basically just a steam geyser in the side of a cliff. It was great fun, and a really nice to finish up our time in Copán.

Our hostel right on the water with the bridge in the background.

Matt enjoying the view

Looking a little tired but pleased with my home made vase and perfectly formed water lily.

I´ve skipped our three days in Copan, Honduras as Matt has begun a post and should have it up over the next few days. We were there over new years and left Copan on the morning of the 2nd of January for Rio Dulce, a town within the Rio Dulce National Park. The tourist shuttles we´d been relying on up to then didn´t offer a direct service so we had to change to a local air conditioned coach at Rio Hondo, an hour over the Honduras/Guatemala border. We were led to believe that the shuttle was timed to arrive just before the local bus and that driver made sure you were on the right bus but this was not the case. We were dropped off in the heat of the day in a place that is best described as a fork where two of the major roads through Guatemala meet. Buses would pull up every two minutes and hoards of people selling fruit, drinks, nuts, ice cream, sweet bread and god knows what else would rush at the buses, pushing goods through the windows and even mounting the bus, only jumping off when the bus started moving and picking up speed. While it was fascinating to watch we were the only tourists around and felt very out of our depth.

Monkeys being far too quiet for our liking!

Turtle getting some rays.

There was a small bus terminal which sold drinks where we parked ourselves with our four bags and waited for two and a half hours for our bus to arrive. When it did, it was not the air conditioned coach we expected but a bus slightly better than a chicken bus where a little room was made for us on the back seat along with two women and their four children. Once again as the only tourists on board we had to make use of our very limited Spanish to get by. Every now and again you would spot the children staring at us before looking guiltily away. Despite the cramped conditions and the language barrier everyone was very friendly and accommodating.The idea was to get to Rio Dulce before nightfall so we could orientate ourselves and save some money by walking to our hostel. We arrived late in the end but happily paid for a taxi to our accommodation for a hot shower and a warm bed after a much longer day of traveling than anticipated. We now know to take what the local tourist operators say with with a pinch salt, build in extra time and expect the unexpected.

Rio Dulce

Prime real estate – gives you an idea of the number of birds.

Rio Dulce is the biggest town along the river and lake system of Lake Izabal and the Rio Dulce river, and serves as a market place for the many small Mayan communities living by the water´s edge. Cars are of no use here and are probably unaffordable for most but many of the communities have a small boat which they use to ferry people to and from the town to sell fish and buy essentials. The bridge over the river which joins one side of town to another is the longest in Central America and you see many local Guatemalans stopping on the bridge to have their picture taken.

As expected within a National Park there are loads of animals which live in and by the water and the surrounding jungle. On the morning of the fourth of January we got up early and headed further up the Lake Izabal to El Estor. There we picked up a private charter boat to explore Bocas del Polochic park, an area of wetlands, flooded forests, and savannas. It was a cold morning (by Guatemala standards) so the area was quieter than usual. The first Howler monkeys we spotted were too busy huddling together and trying to stay warm than entertaining us. Matt went from just wanting to see a monkey to wanting to see them swing from tree to tree and do something but we can’t always dictate to nature and the monkeys stayed their quite, still, cold, sulky selves. We did get to hear some other howlers deeper in the jungle greeting each other. The sound is pretty deafening and sounds more like two tigers ready to do battle than a few docile monkeys just saying good morning. While on the trip we also saw some turtles sunning themselves, a few lizards and some interesting birds. We were hoping to see a manatee, and waited about for quite a while but once again nature didn’t feel like complying.

On the one hour trip back to Rio Dulce we were squashed into a local service 16 seater minibus with no less than 26 other people and some chickens.At one stage there were three people hanging out of the door. Matt, easily the tallest person that ever stepped foot in the minibus, was fairly squashed and still the driver beeped the horn and shouted out for more and more people to get on.

Once back in Rio Dulce the midday heat coupled with the bus journey left us feeling pretty hot and sticky and I made the fatal mistake of buying some watermelon slices in a plastic bag from a street vendor. We´d bought it in other places and been fine but a few hours later we both started feeling pretty miserable and spent the night taking turns throwing up. The next day we had booked to take the boat to Livingston and despite very little sleep and still feeling pretty dodgy we decided to press on. We spent four days in Livingston and it really took until the last day for us to feel ourselves again. And so we´ve learned lesson number two – don’t let confidence cloud your judgement. Fruit in a plastic bag on a hot day spells trouble!

We’ve been in Guatemala two weeks today and seem to be making pretty good time. We’re doing a loop of the main attractions in Guatemala in just under a month. This is our third day in Livingston, having spent three days in Antigua, three days in Copan and three days in Rio Dulce. 


Getting started
Once dropped off at LA airport, we encountered our first roadblock. We were told that our kitesurfing equipment was oversized  (despite their website saying the equipment was okay) and it would have to go on standby – potentially delaying its arrival in Guatemala by 8 days. Not a good option as were were due to be in Rio Dulce, 7 hours from Guatemala by then. Thankfully no one messes with Matt when it comes to online content, and he stood his ground. Eventually the airline admitted their mistake and we, along with all our bags, flew through the night to Guatemala. 

We were picked up by private shuttle (our only luxury spend so far) and were driven to Antigua. The one hour trip was our first glimpse of the country and what now, two weeks on, seems normal was then very surreal. Pick up trucks whizzed past us on the motorway with over ten people in the back just hanging on. Women in traditional clothes carrying heavy baskets on their head walked side by side with people wearing all the latest clothes. Brightly coloured chicken buses stopped and packed more and more people on to them and every now and again McDonalds or Dominos would come into view.

Guatemala city itself is a haphazard place with buildings built one on top of another, hanging perilously to the edge of a cliff. It’s easy to see how destructive an earthquake can be here, where badly built shanty towns can just crumble down the many gorges the city is built on and around. 

Antigua 
Antigua (full name Antigua Guatemala) is a town an hour west of the capital. Its name literally means old Guatemala, and was the original capital before numerous earthquakes and an uprising in the 1500s forced the administration to move Guatemala city to its present site. Antigua, with all its pretty colonial buildings, has remained very much unchanged. The streets are cobbled and its squares and churches all remain in the same traditional style. It is very touristy, which was a relief to us having just arrived in the country, but it doesn’t provide a very authentic experience despite all the beautiful surroundings. With the number of tourists come the usually trappings, with peddlers on every corner trying to sell you everything from wooden flutes to traditional scarfs and jewelry. They are quite persistent and will follow you down the road pushing more and more things at you. At night time, we were not encouraged to walk around as the streets become really quiet and dangerous. Antigua is also the place where my debit card was skimmed and $2000 USD was taken out in two separate $1000 amounts. I noticed it straight away and reported it to Kiwibank who immediately recognised it as fraud. Annoyingly they had to let the authorisation go through before they could follow it up but have reassured me that I’ll be fully refunded. They also had to cancel my card to ensure nothing was tried again and are sending the new one to the address we will be at in Venezuela. It did teach us to keep the balances our our cards down and only transfer money over as its needed. It also showed us that while a touristy place may feel familiar and therefore safer, that is often not the case. 

Pacaya volcano
While in Antigua we took a shuttle Pacaya National Park to hike up the Pacaya Volcano. The pictures in the tourist offices showed people walking beside lava flows (and they conveniently haven’t changed the pictures) but since the 2010 eruption it is no longer safe, even by Guatemala standards, to get so close to the summit. As with everywhere in Guatemala people seem to scrape together a living from everything and anything. Locals offered horses to taxi you to the top and children rented you a walking stick for a dollar. The hike through natural bush was nice and we got to see some interesting native bush including wild coffee plants, but it is the view from the top that people really go for.

We arrived just before sunset and could see Pacaya Volcano smoking away above us. Across to the north was Volcan de Agua and Volcan de Acatenango. The terrain was not unlike the Tongariro Crossing, but without the Emerald Lakes. We also got to roast marshmallows and climb into some old lava caves. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves but can say it was a great introduction to the beautiful Guatemalan landscape.

We are just chilling out on the third afternoon in Antigua. Really pretty place and info and pictures will come over the next few days but before the sounds and smells of Guatemala completely swallow us up we have to tell you about our 16 days in LA while its still fresh in our memory.

The LA leg was different things to both Matt and I. For me it was a chance to reconnect with my LA family and show Matt a little of my life before we met. For Matt it was a two week chill out period before seriously starting out on our travels, however, no one can be prepared for the generous welcome the Gervais´ extend to everyone who stops by. With their help and that of Donal, the Torrez and Fox families we managed to cram in more that we thought possible. The time flew by but when we look back it feels like we were there for more like a month instead of 16 short days.

We got to experience a good cross over of what California can offer. We had some great days on bikes exploring the beach neighbourhoods of Venice, Manhattan Beach and Huntington Beach. Larry also showed us around Malibu where we spotted more kite surfers than surfers! We had a great time around Downtown LA practicing our limited Spanish ordering Tacos in Grand Central Market. Big thanks to Donal for taking us to see Home Boy Industries, a bakery which gives men and women recently released from prison a chance to get a job and re-establish themselves within the community. Their slogan ´Nothing stops a bullet like a job´ is pretty powerful. We joined the Home Boys choir for an afternoon went Christmas caroling with some really nice people we would never have the opportunity to meet in our every days lives.

We saw the Hollywood sign, walked Hollywood Blvd and were in the audience of Kimmel Live, a late night talk show. Mike Dorn showed us how magical Disneyland really is and got us out of our beds at 6am to ensure we were first in the line for all the big rides. We were also made Guests of the Day and had free parking and exclusive access to the ‘World of Colour’ show at the end of the day (I guess someone recognised me from Campbell live!!). Disneyland is a strange place which sucks the scepticism out of even the most cynical. By the end of the day you find yourself humming ‘its a small world after all’ and happily queuing for the Winnie the Pooh ride. In tragic contrast on the same day we visited Disneyland, 20 children were gunned down and killed in their kindergarten school in Newtown, Connecticut. America is a country of extremes, but hopefully this terrible atrocity forces politicians to at last tackle the gun control issue in America.

The best part of our trip was getting to meet all of my cousins again, particularly the younger members of the family who three years after my last visit now have personalities all of their own. We had a great time being part of the Gervais, Hoffman and Fox clans and enjoying all the pre-Christmas and Christmas rituals with them. Andrew, Abby and Katie are so full of energy it was difficult to keep up at times. Apart from Abby’s obsession with Matt (which I was very jealous of), Andrew’s declaration every time he farted (which was my fault for laughing the first few times) and Katie’s giant melt down during the Balboa Boat Parade we had great time. It was also great to have a Santa Christmas once again and share that excitement with Lilli and Eoin.

Big thanks to Marguerite for taking us to Knott’s Berry Farm where we went on some of the most ridiculous roller coasters. We have to mention xcelerator in particular – we went from still to 132 km/h in 23 seconds, before rocketing up a near vertical loop of 62m. Near the top we switched to the outside of the loop where we slowed for long enough to realise just how high were were before rocketing down the loop again. The whole thing was over in 22 seconds, but totally worth the long wait. It was great hitting Long Beach with Adria, Mando and little Maddie and experiencing what an authentic American hot dog place has to offer. Maddie is such a sweetie despite her early obsession with make up! Also had a great night on the town with Marguerite and Steve, hitting the bars of Huntington.

Lastly, big thanks to Ed and Molly for their generosity, taking us out on their boat and pointing out of of the amazing houses of Newport Beach. Some of the houses were so unbelievably lavish, in stark contract to the poverty we have already seen in Guatemala and also in so many areas of LA.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve with the Norths, Christmas brunch with the Fox´s and their friends and Christmas dinner with the crazy Gervais crew. We both left LA feeling very lucky to have such great family and friends.

Before we begin filling you in on our time in Los Angeles so far we need to quickly mention the two weeks we had chilling in Napier with Matt’s Mum and Dad. Apart from the minor setback of Poppy (Glenys’ puppy) defecating our bed numerous times it was the perfect way to start our trip. The two weeks gave us the time to organise last minute travel plans and apply for visas. It also allowed us to say goodbye to everyone properly and we even had a pre Christmas Christmas dinner with Matt’s family.

While in Napier we also took advantage of the opportunity to visit Cape Kidnappers and see the gannet colony. Unfortunately the chicks were a little late coming out so all we saw was some romantic exchanging of sea weed and some preening. Best part of the trip was the tractor trailer ride along the shore from Clifton to the Cape. The cliffs formations are truly amazing and the bumpy ride over the rocks just added to the fun. We were stuck in the back of the trailer with a group of girls from Hastings High who giggled their heads off every time we hit a rock but were still able to appreciate the beautiful surroundings.

Repacking our bags to strategically accommodate 30kgs of kite surfing equipment has easily been the most stressful part of our journey so far and the closest Matt and I have come to parting ways! Thankfully we managed to get the gear all the way to Los Angeles for only $30 extra. We’ll keep you informed of how we get on on the next leg of the trip.

Big thanks to Glenys and Brian for having us. Also thanks to Craig, Kath, Emma, and Zac and Matt’s wider family and friends for making our last two weeks in NZ so memorable.