And so… the end is near… here`s the final curtain… you know the rest.
Where did we leave you stranded? Sucre! Land of the posh in Bolivia. From there we flew through the skies to La Paz again for an overnight stop in el posho hotel. Shoppio till nous droppio and an evening of traditional Bolivian spectaculars. Theatre, dance (including participation from us whities) and some ridiculous costumes.
Hannah ate a guinea pig! She is thrilled. Trio of Andean animals complete, and in her belly. Amy had omlette again… oh how she has grown to love the humble huevo.
Colombia!!! Coming back to the Finca was like coming home- sweet as a nutty.
Had some rum and coke almost immediately. Standard. The clock is ticking, babes and you know the score. Went to pick up our compadre, a Mr. Luigi. He was delayed. We exhausted ourselves preparing a welcome dance for his arrival (he would see us through a glass wall when he went to baggage collection- ideal circs for such an event), however his tardiness cost him dearly, we were bored and tired, and we barely looked at him when he arrived. THAT IS WHAT YOU GET FOR BEING LATE.
Jokes! We were over the moon to have a new travelling bud.
BED. Next day we went riding for several hours. It was aces high.
“It´s not going to rain, is it?”
“Maybe, but let`s all just get wet together. It`s fine”.
Cue: One fat (and phat) stormy beauty. Wind, thunder, rain. Rain. RAINNNNN. One would think this might dampen the spirits (get it? See what we did there?) but oooooh noooo. We are now FREE spirits, remembs. Cue: Excited steeds pounding on cobbled Andean slopes. It was amazing!
Chilled at the finca for a couple of days under the bootiful hospitality of Rosie, Pietro and Gabriella. We couldn`t have been better cared for. Fanks!! From the bottom of our bottoms.
Who wants to sleep outdoors in the jungle? Me, Miss, Meeee!
Here is our jungle lodge, nestled in the trees, where we spent 3 days and two splendid nights... Rio Claro, a nature reserve 3 hours drive from the farm.
Having been bitten a great deal by mosquitos on this trip, Hannah (above) is what some might call paranoid about this. As a result, she dressed mainly in head to toe thermals, wrapped in a mosquito net, in this tropical climate. Did this stop them from biting? Noooooo. Her blood is so scrummy. Mmmmm. Visit her at BubonicPlagueLegs.com.
The joys of Rio Claro include canopying. Here is a picture of Amy in her crazy trousers, stuck half way down a zip line. No-one else got stuck. What did she do wrong? If anything is going to crack Hannah up it is watching this loser flail above a canyon.
Caving. Oh. My. Days. Having visited the mines in Potosi, we have got the bug for dark enclosed life-threatening places. WE LOVED IT. You know the really good water slide at Butlins? Well, put it inside a mountain, add some psychotic prehistoric soundy birdy creatures, a massive crab, switch off the lights and slide into the depths of your cavernous mind. Up to our heads, wading through water in a cave rocked our tiny worlds. Sadly, no camera could withstand such a dunking so we are photoless, but take our words for it. It rocked. Literally. Pier also ended up with a massive burly man sliding between his legs at one point which was a beautiful thing.
Then jump of an 8 metre high platform into the river (not Amy. She wishes she was that hard, but she is not. Sometimes you have to accept defeat. Lesson 24)
And LOADS of animals. Bonus! We saw…
Possum type character.
Snakey snake face.
Ms. T. Rula.
Tou Can (play at that game)
Howl the monkey, the howler monkey
Pincer McPinch.
From Rio Claro to Medellin, the de facto capital of Colombia. Had a whirlwind tour of the city, checking out the dynamic local art and architecture. Here is a fat dog by Boterro.
Cable car ride up to the top of the world, where we met some brilliant local kids. Amy introduced Pierluigi as her girlfriend in Spanish. It was all very funny. Genrally eating, drinking, having fun and enjoying THE FINAL DAY.
We are about to go out for dinner with our lovely hosts, drink rum, dance and celebrate what has been the most amazing trip. Hannah goes home tomorrow, and Amy is staying on for a chilled style holiday so the blog stops here, folks.
Thanks for reading about our adventures. Did we mention that we have had the trip of a lifetime? Here`s to all the lovely people we have met who may never read this, but have rocked our tiny world.
What now? Fancy meeting on this ere page, this time next year? We hope so.
Love from A & H xxx
Dear Hannah and Amy
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip. We look forward to hearing all the detail when you return. Your blog has been amazing particularly as we know how difficult the circumstances often were when you were producing it
See you soon
Love
Dad
I've so loved your blog...can't you keep it coming when you get home otherwise being at work just won't be the same?! Perhaps Amy could keep bloggin from wherever she's off to now...or will you be too drunk?
ReplyDeleteHow about if we all chip in & send you both to Outer Mongolia for a month or two? Do they have wifi in their yurts? Might be easier to take your yurt to the wifi!
Anyhow, so sad your journey is over but looking forward to seeing you & hearing more of your tales.
Aunty Phylida xxx
Utterly ADORED your blog, Girls, and I am totally with Aunty Phylida is her suggestion to send you to Outer Mongolia for a month or two, in order to receive more hysterically funny updates! Except for the fact that we all miss you terribly, of course, and want you back home with us a.s.a.p.
ReplyDeleteLoving the ridiculous costumes in the first pic, above...unless they are very large and dangerous Bolivian insects, which I wouldn’t be totally surprised to discover.
Sorry that our PL missed out on his Welcome Dance, but, quite frankly, it serves him right for being delayed. There’s a time and a place for Welcome Dances, and for Being Late, and he was obviously as out of sync as yer average Skype Chat.
Nice casually-superior look of Pierluigi’s, astride his horse, though. Comes of being Amy’s girlfriend, no doubt.
The stormy ride sounds exciting on those gorgeous steeds!
How wonderful of Rosie, Pietro and Gabrielle to look after you both so well. Please add our own grateful “Fanks” to them.
I remember that Jungle Lodge, Amsie. It was last seen in Welsh Wales, featuring a Badger Parade, if I recall correctly!
Sorry that poor Hannah has been bitten half to death by mozies. You bite `em right back, Han; damn `em! Oh, too late, now, of course. You will just have to content yourself with taking it out on their rather less intrusive English cousins, come Summer.
Nobody has yet explained what is the accepted stratagem when you get stuck half way down a zip-line, so - my brow furrowed with increasing puzzlement - I crave further elucidation. Do you stay there all day – and night – just hangin` abaht, mindlessly optimistic and exhibiting a jaunty lack of concern? Or edge along, gingerly, for several hours; disorientated beyond recall? Or, when a certain languor inevitably develops, do you drop down, down, down until the stupor of your very soul is soaked in water? Nice to know, for when I next do it, during an approaching three weeks of careless rapture in Delightful Devon, wearing heavy vest, woolly jumper, thick socks, welly-blobs, mackintosh and overcoat, in tune with the balmy weather of an English May.
(To be continued, below...)
(Continued from above...)
ReplyDeleteThe caves sound amazing; although I think we shall draw a very swift line around the fact of Pierluigi’s enjoying the beautiful experience of having a massive man sliding between his legs, in burly romantic manner. I realise it was dark in there, and all that, but some people should keep their exploratory feelers to themselves, methinks.
Oh, how sweet is that Possum Type Character?!! Snakey Snake Face is fresh of phizog and reasonably innocent-looking, too, actually (on the other [bitten] hand, Anteee has recently heard of a horribly venomous reptile called “Russell’s Snake”, Gals – which really exists - so I think you can easily guess to whom this toxic appellation has now been affixed!). I wouldn’t much fancy encountering Ms T. Rula in the bathtub, however, and there’s a definite aura of instability about young Pincer McPinch, but I was extremely smitten with Howl the Monkey and Toucan (play at that game). Fat Dog looks fun, too, if a little less energetic than all the others.
The Parj – not too keen on heights – could only manage the cable car if snow were lying beneath it, so he quickly turned his attention away from that particular caper...and reached for a paper bag...
Hope you had a brilliant final day with your wonderful hosts, Hannah, and a really safe journey home. Look forward to seeing you again, soon, Sweetheart.
Enjoy your chilled-out final fortnight with Pier and his lovely family, Amsicle. We have all missed you SO much, and are really excited at the prospect of having you home with us, again, very soon; with even more Tales of Sweet S.A.
And how you will absolutely LOVE meeting your new niece, who is adorable beyond measure. I spent most of yesterday hogging her mercilessly, and have a numb right arm to prove it (which is why I am touch-typing this comment via left hand and nose).
Jasper wags “Hello”, and I think he might be making some kind of encouraging comment, too, or singing an operatic aria, but it’s hard to hear what he’s trying to communicate through the sodden dishcloth he is currently consuming.
Much Love
xxxxxxxxxx
I am going to miss the blog muchly! I've loved it. Thank you for taking all those hours writing it - believe me, it has been greatly appreciated. I even read one instalment while in labour, which was helpful as it took my mind off the pain, if only briefly!
ReplyDeleteWill be brief now as feeding Matilda so typing one handed, which is very boring. Can't wait to see you again when you get back Aim. Enjoy your last 2 weeks.
Loads of love.
Louise
xxxxxx