Travel Gran- ME Mamar on a mission

3rd April- Animal day! The smelliest day so far!

Today, we have mostly been shoveling shit…! Not a sentence I ever thought I'd say! I had such a good start to the day though, I really didn't care. I was doing the dishes at the outside sink after breakfast. There are big sacks hanging next to the sink, full of bananas & plantains. I looked up just as a Capuchin monkey put his hand into one of the bags to get a banana. We both stopped dead & looked at each other. Then he moved slowly back into the tree. I kept washing up, while he sat watching me, only a foot away from me. My phone was on the table inside, so when I finished washing up, I thought I'd move slowly inside to get it. I knew he would go straight for a banana as soon as I moved. This is exactly what he did. He saw me approach again, but didn't move away, so I was able to get photo's. I then went around the house & upstairs to tell Graeme. He climbed up the trees to see where I was, after eating his banana. He sat watching us as much as we were watching him. It was a surreal moment. So special. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I am even here, experiencing these things. I feel so blessed. 

We started work after this, & I was on a complete high. We worked all day with Charlie & young Fernando. We scrubbed the goat sheds, swept up everywhere, scrubbed & disinfected the water & food troughs and then spent 2 hours clearing out the sheep pen. Literally shoveling feaces and mud mixed with urine.  It was hot and smelly work. Charlie then fixed broken fence panels & we cut fodder. Then the real hard work came. We had to check the hooves of all of the sheep. It is bad for their health if their hooves grow too long. They can also get infection from the mud & muck. Those that needed cut back, had to be caught & held until the cutting was done, then marked with blue on their back leg, to show which had been seen. One of the big male sheep, Tequila is quite aggressive, so we had to get him into a smaller pen, and keep him from jumping the fence, whilst the others were treated. He has potential to attack & even bite us, so Fernando was on Tequila duty to keep him in the pen. We also had to bring in all of the goats for the night. We were joined this afternoon by a new volunteer, Daniel from L.A. both he and Graeme held the bigger sheep whilst Charlie cut their hooves & I marked them. Some also needed disinfectant applied. It was difficult work. Both Graeme and I also cut the hooves, but it isn't a nice job. Cuddling the lambs was cute though. They are so soft and cuddly. I was terrified during the hoof cutting that I might hurt them or cut too much. The bigger sheep were not easy to hold either. It looked like a scene from WWF smackdown, American wrestling. I was so glad that we had already shifted the mud and poop before attempting this job. It took hours and we were all worn out by the end. One of the big males, Bernie,  got very stressed, which wasn't good. You feel awful, but know it is in their best interests in the long run. I really don't think I could ever be a vet. Graeme got the job of holding Tequila whilst Charlie trimmed his hooves. We then all had to run fast out of the pen, as he wasn't too happy about it. It could have turned into scene from a bucking bronco film, but luckily we got out before he got us!  A nice hot shower followed and our clothes straight into the wash bucket. In truth, we stink of sheep again! We now have work plans for the rest of our time here. We have jobs to do on Thursday before we leave, so rather than catch the local bus for a few dollars, we have booked a private taxi. We will need to check into our hotel and have a good scrub before meeting our next group of fellow travellers. We have a few more days yet though, to enjoy before we leave. Tonight after dinner, we shared a beer with Elsa the cook. She is so nice & even though there is a big language barrier, I can tell she will be lots of fun. She reminds me a lot of my Bulgarian friend Tinka. Warm, friendly, and good fun to be around. 

An exhausting but good day.

Speak soon,

Caroline 

2nd April- Lazy Sunday!

After a much needed lie in, we had a feast for breakfast, with fresh baked bread, eggs, croissants, jams & honey. Fresh pineapple & watermelon and yogurt, washed down with a big pot of coffee. 

As it's Sunday, it's meant to be our day off, but Emily went to check on the animals, just in case. She ran straight back to get us, as they were all still in their pens and not too happy about it- particularly the large male goat, with the big balls and even bigger horns. He butted his way out, determined not to stay in any longer. We got all of the animals out, pegged the goats up separately, making sure they each had some shade as it's another hot day. It was 31 degrees yesterday, but felt hotter with the humidity. Moved the sheep out to a paddock and opened the chicken coup. Cleaned out the pens and put in fresh water to save time later. We were repaid on our way back by a group of monkeys moving through the trees. So good to watch. We were told the sheep had gotten out of the paddock and we're eating the owners garden….oops!  Graeme then did some washing, we have a bucket, cold water, stone bench and a scrubbing brush for this! Back to basics. When hanging the washing over the railings to dry in the sun, I heard a commotion from the kitchen. A chicken was not happy as an agouti was raiding the pig food bucket ( our leftovers). It ran off, but this time I managed to get a picture! Emily decided to stay all weekend after all, and we went together to the nearest village, walking down the steep track towards the river & busy main road that runs through the valley. The village is families that settled along the road to earn a living- so consists of truck stops, restaurants & shops. We ate freshly fried corn envelopes stuffed with cheese from a street food vendor, and then each had a huge freshly made waffles with fruit & ice-cream & fabulous Ecuadorian coffee. The walk back up was exhausting - it is so steep, but worth it as we bought some snacks and more beer! The track is dotted with waterfalls and beautiful plants & flowers. Another fabulous day. 

Caroline

1st April, 23. A truly magical day!

The sun was glorious when we got up this morning. The clouds had cleared enough to see the tops of the mountains. After breakfast, we headed out for a hike with Charlie and Emily. She has decided to stay this weekend after all, which is great. The weather was perfect, as was the company. Charlie is really knowledgeable about the plants and animals in the area, and Emily can translate. I feel like we learnt so much. We even found animal trails, which start to become obvious once you know what you are looking for. The crossed the human trails in a number of places too- it's mad to think we could be so close to wild animals and not even realise. This became more apparent later on today, when checking one of the camera traps. They are motion and heat sensored, so click on when something is detected. The footage showed a school group walking past. Then it very clearly showed a Puma. The next clip was the school group returning on their walk. This added weight to the fact that we had already found a number of footprints in the mud, which Emily thought were an Ocelot and possibly a Puma. We also found a Peccary print. Peccaries are wild black pigs. On our return back to the house, we saw a group of about 15 peccaries emerging from the woods, with some crossing the pasture and some skirting along the edge of the woods. They were fabulous to watch, particularly the babies running behind. 

Later on we are Graeme's curry & rice with a nice cold beer. ( Charlie kindly went into town on his motorbike to buy some for us, but declined to share). The perfect end to a blissful day! 

Speak soon,

Caroline

30th March, Coffee, chocolate & strange fruit!

It poured with rain all night. I know this because I hardly slept. It's a strange conundrum that often people with chronic fatigue don't sleep. The sound of the rain on the plastic roof over the outdoor dish washing area was quite soothing, as were the sounds of the wildlife outside. As morning came I was exhausted, but still keen to get up and see what the day brought. A huge Agouti scurried away as I went downstairs. Mateo and Bruno joined us for breakfast of hard boiled egg, toast and warm croissants with jam. The school group, along with Salina are on a hike to a waterfall and swimming lake today. There are more staff here to cater and clean up after the school kids. In the morning we picked coffee beans with Mateo & Bruno, before Elsa showed us how to shell them ready to dry for 2 weeks. We then, in Blue Peter style, used some already dried beans, roasted and then ground them into coffee powder. We also roasted ( pan fried) cacoa beans, then shelled the warm beans and ground them into a thick oily paste, which we then mixed with sugar & rolled into balls to store. These will make chocolate. The smell was amazing. I must confess I sneaked a taste at each stage. Apparently Elsa makes a delicious chocolate bread- but there was none on offer today, as she & Maria are very busy with the school group. We offered our services. After a long chat with Juan Pablo, about politics, and the similar concerns we share about capitalism, the move towards a cashless society, the failings of both of our countries to protect the people and the future of our youth, we set about washing potatoes, then prepping marinated beef skewers. Now the staff know we, unlike the other volunteers, are not vegatarian, there is always a meat choice for us at meal times. This meant delicious beef chilli burritos, with rice, tomato salsa and guacamole for lunch, and chicken, with sweetcorn, salad and baked potatoes for dinner. Followed by Elsa's delicious home made ice cream. We also have some dough proving, so we can make fresh bread tomorrow. The plan is to add some of the chocolate we made today and cook the bread over an open fire. I am looking forward to that. 

After lunch we cleaned out the animals, collected fodder for them & fresh water. The goats where grazing in a different area today, so we walked them back on rope leads, as though walking a dog! We then headed off on a hike with Emily, checking on 2 of her camera traps, which had been showing signs of fogging up. She had put a bag of rice inside to try and pull out some of the moisture and this appears to have worked. She will collect the camera's in a week's time to compare data. One of the cameras has definitely picked up some animal movement -but she won't be able to see this properly until they are uploaded onto the laptop. We did a brief check & could see the shining eyes of an animal- but hard to see on the tiny screen whilst out in the forest. Exciting stuff. The hike was great too- the forest is so interesting - some of the plants are huge, as though they should be in Jurassic Park! Some of the leaves are the size of a garden parasol. We walked across bamboo bridges and up & down slippery, muddy banks, all the time looking around in wonder at the trees, foliage, fungi and watching out for any creepy crawlies. Ecuador has tarantula spiders, and in truth, I'd love to see one, but only from a distance & I certainly don't want to touch one! We picked some fruit as we walked. The fruits here are strange. The lemons look like exactly like oranges, but taste of lemon. The oranges are also orange and look the same as the lemons, so you have to taste it, to know what it is. Some of the fruit, I've never seen before, including one that looks a bit like a prickly pear, yet tastes of pineapple.We passed the big house on the way back and Juan Pablo said he would be out later with the school group doing a night walk. It reminded me of past residentials with young people from Barnardo's and brought back happy memories. A lot of people never see real darkness- as there is so much light pollution from big cities. It can be really surprising for people to experience true darkness, where you can't even see your hand in front of your face. And then there's always the added bonus of seeing a night sky full of stars. They are unlikely to see that here though, as there is too much cloud cover. Plus, the heavens opened late afternoon and the rain is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. I am so glad I brought my wellies on my travels with me. Even though I nearly lost one of them in the mud today. I lifted my foot to move forward, but my welly boot stayed behind. Graeme has borrowed wellies now too, and is grateful for them. His hiking boots were getting soaked and covered in sheep poo & he will need them for the rest of our travels. It's probably best if we don't smell like a farm yard for the entire holiday. 

Speak soon,

Caroline

29th March, 

We woke to a monkey in the tree outside of our room. I can never seem to get a good photo, but they are great to watch. I walked along to the bathroom and saw an Agouti on the grass. They are a big rodent, the size of a cat. like a cross between a rat without the tail and a guinea pig! I ran back for my phone to get a pic, but only managed to catch his bum as he ran off past a rubbish bag. We have seen so much wildlife today. Whilst weeding & picking vegetables from the garden, we saw a mouse, a bird of prey and lots of caterpillars and butterflies. We then headed off to pick bananas, and interrupted a troupe of monkeys who were stealing oranges. There was about 6 of them. They move so fast through the trees, it was virtually impossible to get a good photo, but such a joy to watch. They have a very distinctive call to each other, so that is something we will listen out for now. We then saw another bird of prey. My favourite sight today was the look of sheer joy on the resident, and extremely large, pigs face when we gave him a bunch of bananas. He attacked them with gusto, gobbling up everything, stalk included. Spraying the milky sap everywhere. Bananas are a very strange thing. They are classed as a herb and are the only plant that is not fully rooted to the ground, and can actually move. They also have a very strange tail like part growing from the bunch of fruit, with a bulbous pink flower at the end. It looks like something from the film Alien. We worked today with Nancy, her 2 children Fernando aged 8, Erica 3, young Bruno, also 8, who is Elsa's nephew, and Mateo, who is 14 & Maria's nephew. He & Bruno are cousins. The schools are currently on holiday, hence they are all here. We spent the afternoon with Emily, who is doing a master's degree in Biology and is conducting a study here on native wild cats. The video footage she has from numerous camera traps shows there is a healthy population of pumas and ocelots, and even a much rather feline, which was not thought to be in this area at all. All are stunningly beautiful and the footage mesmerizing. The traps are rotated across a measured grid, to give a good insite into the behaviour of the cats. The cameras have also recorded deer, armadillos, Cock of the rock ( it's a bright red bird), wild dogs and various other small mammals.

A camera trap temporarily placed at the farm even caught footage of 2 cheeky monkeys breaking into the chicken coup and running off ( on 2 legs) with the eggs!

The video footage was great to see and the project gathering information on native felines is fascinating. As with most things, it needs funding and interested people to continue. Emily has been working with Charlie and his father Victor, training them to use the camera traps and monitor the information gathered. Victor knows the area better than most, including old pathways through the forest. Both he and Charlie are adept at spotting trails. Emily paid for a number of the cameras herself, but the project desperately needs financial support to continue. Camera traps have a short lifespan in such wet and humid conditions. I suggested contacting Chris Packham, as this would make a brilliant addition to the the Spring Watch series & a bit of publicity could lead to long-term sponsorships. Emily is fearful that too much attention could put the cats at risk, but knows that the project needs attention to survive. It's a conundrum. There is no doubt of her dedication and it was inspiring to see. She is delivering a presentation this evening to the school group staying at the big house.

After all of the animals at the farm were fed, Graeme and I did the short "Bamboo trail" hike through the forest. I spent some time messaging my son, James, as it's his birthday today. Graeme had 3 missed calls from his Uncle. It's midnight in the UK, so he is worried something is up. His uncle has dementia & I remind him he has rang at 1am before to say he didn't know where his mobile was- it's probably nothing. This was why we had care call put in before we left. Graeme tries to ring him, but can't, as the phone won't connect. Then we had dinner, this time joined by Mateo & Bruno, which was lovely. I am frustrated at our lack of Spanish. I saw another Agouti on the grass on my way back to our room. Still no photo. 

 We go to bed early here- and the pitch darkness makes it feel much later than it is. There are so many sounds during the night, we have no idea what most of them are, other than the crickets singing. Jungle sounds- croaks & tweets & hums. The night is alive, but we are exhausted. Excited to see what tomorrow brings. 

Speak soon,

Caroline

28th March. The Good Life..

We got up at 6am. The sun was spectacular through the trees & the forest alive with the sounds of birds & insects. A truly beautiful morning. We both slept well last night, which is a rareity. Today's jobs we were told at breakfast is to clear a patch of land and to plant sugar cane. This will be used as one of the sources of food for the sheep once it grows. We then needed to clear the pathways of branches and after lunch, check the health of the sheep, before mucking out the animals, gathering and chopping food for them and giving them clean water before hearding them all in for the night. All of this sounds relatively easy, all of it is difficult or exhausting or both, particularly in the heat. Today we have 8 year old Bruno to help us. He is the nephew of Maria, who also works on site. Charlie, his older cousin is a kind of groundsman come farmer and also tends to the horses. There seems to be a lot of staff and I can't help but wonder how there is enough money to pay them. Both Maria and Nancy the gardener are single parents, with growing children to feed. It has the feel of a commune, with everyone doing their bit to keep the place going. Except the staff eat separately from the volunteers, which I am hoping to change whilst here. I'd much rather sit down with everyone even if we can't converse. 

The clearing of land was very hot and heavy work, but made easier by seeing the progress instantly. We cleared a good site and planted the sugar cane a metre apart in every direction, making a small mound around the base to help with irrigation. There were plenty of creepy crawlies, including large red centipedes which give a nasty bite. We also saw stag beetles, loads of butterflies ( Bruno informed Selina in Spanish that the butterflies don't bite, but you shouldn't let them land on your skin, as they pollinate plants, some of which are poisonous, so can cause irritation). We also saw a tiny black frog. We then cleaned out the goat pens and refilled their water to give us more time later. The heavens opened after lunch and it did not stop raining for the remainder of the day. Animals still need to be fed though, so we headed out with machete's to cut fodder, this time following Charlie to beside the stables. They rotate the areas were they collect food for the animals, allowing more growth. We herded the sheep in for the night and then had to check the eyes of each one, marking on the head if healthy and the back if not- holding those until they were injected with vitamins and medicine   ( 2 needles) I disinfected the needles after each animal, and even helped with the injections. Holding the sheep is hard work, all the time slipping & sliding in sheep poop and mud. At  one point, I couldn't stop laughing as Graeme struggled with a huge sheep, ending up looking like a bucking bronco - no photo sadly, as I had my hands full and my knees, with another sheep. After the sheep, it was the turn of the goats to be checked- this was even more precarious due to the large horns. Happy  to report there was no damage done and all animals were checked and treated where needed! 

The chickens were fed and we headed back for a much needed shower. In truth, we absolutely stank. I tried out the eco friendly solid shampoo and conditioner bars I bought from online supplier Grumm. I am pleasantly surprised to be honest. I really wasn't expecting them to be that great for me, as my hair is so over processed. Yet, my hair smells and feels lovely. I got my brush through it no problem too. I'll let you know how it dries. 

I hand washed my clothes but had no where to dry them, so hung them up outside on hangers to drip overnight. I am wishing I'd brought more lightweight long sleeved tops, as it is hot, but I need to cover up because of insects. Mozzies love me, so I can"t be too careful. So far I only have one bite on my right forehead…and my arms are a bit burnt from briefly pushing my sleeves up when clearing the ground this morning. Graeme is a bit pink on his face and neck despite wearing SPF 50 sunscreen. It appears to be really hot in the morning and very wet in the afternoon. 

I am knackered and aching in places I didn't know I had. Graeme would like nothing better than a couple of cold beers, but there's no chance of that. We should be super fit and healthy at the end of this, as there's no processed food, no junk food, sweets or alcohol. Good home cooked food that has mostly been grown here. Everything so far has been vegetarian apart from some fried fish we had for supper tonight, and there's been plenty of flavour in each dish.  There was also a battered aubergine version, which was very tasty. I haven't felt hungry at all, despite us usually snacking a lot at night- which we haven't done since arriving in Ecuador. 

As the night has gone on, I am aching more & more. As usual I have done too much, too quickly, so will pay for it. I have really enjoyed today though. Can't wait to see what we end up doing tomorrow! 

Speak soon,

Caroline.

27/03/23 Leaving Quito

In March 1541 Gonzalo Pizarro set off from here to find El Dorado. The expedition was a disaster for Pizarro and his conquistadors, though an unexpected consequence of this resulted in Francisco Orelllana being the first European to  navigate the Amazon. Indeed,the great river was originally named after him.

We hope our journey is not so ill-fated. It certainly isn't so ambitious. We take a super  modern road out of the sprawling city which probably traces one of the ancient Inca paths down through the valley passes. We are heading out and then up to the cloud forest reservation of La Hesperia. Here we will spend 10 days working on the various projects they are involved in. Exciting times…

Our phones have not updated the date or time. We are confused as Quito is meant to be 5 hours behind the UK. Then we remember the clocks went forward as we left. We are 6 hours behind the UK and our phones literally don't know what day it is. It is beyond my brain fog to work this out, so I decide to just go with the flow until we figure out how to manually change the date & time. 

We are collected by mini bus "taxi" after a delicious breakfast of avocado on toast for me ( creamy and garlic laden) and a ham & cheese omelette for Graeme,  driven accross town & past the coloured houses clinging to the hillside, it reminds me a lot of McLoud Gange in Northern India, only on a much bigger scale. Quito is huge.  We waited for a young man, happily waved off by his family. He is dressed like he's on his way to star in a boy band video. He starts playing loud music on his phone. The driver is already playing music. They are definitely not the same tune or style. Neither of them adjust the volume. I am amused at first, but this continues for the rest of the journey. All 2and a half hours of it!

We go through a number of toll roads. There are vendors selling watermelon by the side of the roads. We drive through a village and 3 men with hoods up, wearing masks are in the middle of the road, holding out bottles of luminous coloured soft drinks to the passing traffic. I wonder if anyone ever stops to buy some. They look as though they could strip a car faster than a grand pre pit stop.

The road then weaves through the mountains, past lush green forests, deep ravines and random waterfalls and natural springs. It is stunning beautiful.

There's a large, long wagon with the rounded back suggesting it's carrying fuel, coming towards us. A small Micra style car clips the side of it and spins into a full 360 degrees. The wagon continues on. The car stops briefly and we pull into the side of the road to assist. Graeme grabs the backpack from the back of our bus, as we have a first aid kit. Unbelievably, the car then drives off, leaving most of it's front end in the road…crazy!

We are travelling 90 kilometres outside of Quito and soon arrive at the reservation La Hesperia and are met at the stone arch by Juan Pablo. He is really friendly and drives us up to the accomodation, where we meet Selina, a German anthropology student, who has been here for 6 weeks already, with another month to go. There's a capuchin monkey in the tree outside of our room. The first of many we will see. We also spot an agouti, which is a giant rodent native to South America. Another volunteer, Emily is away in Quito, but will return on Wednesday. We also expect a large school group on Wednesday. The buildings are rustic, functional and beautiful. The animals well cared for and the staff dedicated.  The reserve has become very quiet over the last few years and has not yet recovered from lockdown. It relies on volunteering and eco tourists as an income source. What they are trying to achieve is fantastic - but it needs more people. We are told to take it easy today, to allow us to adjust to the altitude.

https://lahesperia.com/ 

We have a delicious lunch of yuka soup, mixed salad flavoured with citrus, rice and pulses,and fried plantains, all very tasty and packed with flavour. The fruit and vegetables are all from the garden. After lunch we help Nancy the gardener with a bit of weeding before cutting food for the animals, cleaning out pens and giving food and water. We even did a bit of sheep heading. It's much harder work than it sounds. Nancy lives on site with her 2 children, Fernando and Erica, all were very friendly, despite our lack of Spanish and them not speaking English. We see more monkeys and huge blue butterflies. I already know that I'm going to love it here!

Speak soon,

Caroline

26th March- and we are off!

Newcastle to Amsterdam, then onto Quito with KLM flights. I love a long haul flight. It feels like all holidays used to- with a meal on the plane and free drinks ( cuppas, or booze- or both!). It all feels part of the holiday experience.

We are due to arrive in Quito at 14:50 local time ( they are 5 hours behind the UK), which means we have time to check in and still see a bit of the city before bed. I am hoping we get a good night's sleep after being up early for the airport. Particularly as we managed to book our flights for the same morning that the clocks go forward for British Summer Time! Another hours sleep lost. To be fair, I am usually still awake at this time anyway, so it hasn't made much difference to me. We have been lucky enough to have a good friend, Phil, who picked us up and drove us to the airport, so it was Hassel free. 

Once at Newcastle airport we checked in without problem. I got a frisked at security ( I always do), and on being asked to show what was in my pocket, imagine my joy at revealing a tampon I had forgotten I'd put in there… I  had to take my hiking boots off to go through the scanner, before going into the big extra security scanner. I expected this, but wasn't prepared for there being nowhere to sit to put them back on. So we both ended up sprawled on the floor adjusting boots. Mine are pretty old, a bit tatty looking and not the easiest to get on & off, but are so comfortable, they were an obvious choice to wear for this trip. Once through security, we settled down to have the obligatory breakfast pint that has become a holiday tradition. Graeme has terrible stomach issues and is not a confident flyer, so headed off to the loo. 

This didn't go well, as part way through his ablutions, the auto flush went, which is a bit like an unexpected jet wash, causing him to jump and his phone to fall to the floor, smashing the screen! Great start and we aren't even out of Newcastle yet! 

Then we looked at our boarding passes and realised we are not sitting together on either flight…Graeme is not happy. I don't mind on short flights, but as we are travelling all day, it's a pain. I want to be able to lie on him to rest. I wasn't given an option of paying extra ( like the budget airlines) so wrongly assumed we would be seated together. I have no idea why airlines do this. It just causes disruption on planes. People swapping seats and moving around, standing in aisles to chat, blocking the trollies. Chatting accross aisles. We board and the plane is full. I settle into my seat next to a family with 3 boys under 5. The youngest screaming his head off. The mother looks harassed to hell. I give her a warm smile. She smiles back. We've all been there & it's usually other peoples reactions that cause the most stress. They also have a connecting flight and are on route to South Africa. A heck of a flight with a baby & 2 toddlers. The lass should get an award for bravery.  I watch the sun come up and marvel at the beauty of the orange glow over the clouds. It's a quick flight to Schiphol. Once we arrive, I ask the staff if we can move seats. The flight is full, but they ask other passengers as they check in and we get a seat swap. Fantastic. Everyone else in the queue at the desk are hoping for the same. 

By the time we board, I am exhausted. The airport is huge and there's a lot of walking. I do most of it, slowly on the moving walkways. I am in sensory overload. The lighting is awful, it's noisy, busy and there are sounds & smells everywhere. It is a struggle. I wonder how those with autism  and their loved ones manage. It can't be easy. We then have a 45 minute delay on the runway. Part way through the flight I begin to feel ill. Sick, lightheaded, hot & pretty dreadful. It came on suddenly. I am guessing I am just over tired & the fatigue has gotten too much. I must look pretty dreadful as the staff ask if I am ok, saying I am very pale. In truth I don't feel up to talking, they direct me to the business class bathroom. 

 The seats on the plane are comfortable, and have individual TV screens, with plenty of choice of films/ TV or music. I can't concentrate, so spend the next 11 hours sitting with my eyes closed trying to rest. I drift in & out of sleep. I am in the middle seat, so can't keep getting up & down as I'd like to. I can't wait to get off the plane. 

The plane has WiFi, but I can't manage to get it to work. I can't remember how I get into Quito from the airport. I hand over the gauntlet to Graeme. It's beyond my capabilities today. I curse my wonky brain. I have always been fiercely independent & it does not come naturally to rely on someone else. Even my husband.

We walk through border control without any problem, pick up our bags and straight through security. The shuttle bus is easy to spot and costs $17.50 for both of us into the cities historical centre. It's hotter than Boris Johnson's pants and they're on fire. Not sunny though. Just hot & humid. The mountains are spectacular. It is a long journey, we, and everyone else on the bus, have no idea what's going on. We were given a pile of receipts and a ticket when we paid for the bus. One of them turned out to be a pre paid ticket for a taxi to our hostell from the bus drop off. I would hate to do the journey alone. All in all it was about 50 mins. All worked out though and 

Once we arrive in Quito after a bus and taxi ride,  we are booked into Secret Garden, which was recommended by staff at La Hesperia, the cloud forest reservation where we will be volunteering. The reception area is on the roof, with spectacular views across the city. Our room is comfy and they have a bar restaurant with a happy hour serving buy one get one free on meals, drinks & cocktails. We are too tired to think, but Graeme wants to eat. We had the beef  goulash with rice and vegetables - it's good. I drank only water on the plane, but had a beer and finished the night with a margarita. All great. You can hear the music in our room, but I don't mind. It has a good atmosphere - I wish we were staying longer. I am too knackered to enjoy it tonight, and we have an early pick up tomorrow to goto the cloud forest.

This is a fantastic place to stay for the budget traveller. It isn't particularly cheep to stay, compared to some places- we paid $44 through booking.com for our double room for the night, with breakfast,  but you can volunteer at the hostel in exchange for bed and breakfast, which is a great way to meet people whilst keeping the costs down. There are lots of hostels globally that offer this ( I have stayed at St Christopher's hostels in London & got talking to a lad who was volunteering in the onsite bar to cover his room and meals). It is always worth asking if you can do this, particularly if you are on a long trip, taking in multiple cities. You can volunteer in lots of ways, bar/ kitchen work, cleaning, housekeeping, running tours or even yoga classes & activities. You will still have plenty of free time to do what you want to. 

https://secretgardenecuador.com/volunteer-exchange-for-free-stay-tours/

20th March; The final countdown!

What a week….and it's only Monday! 

The brilliant news is that Gary at  Llama travel performed a minor miracle and our trip to Peru is back on!!!! Phew! Some of the flights we have booked are non- refundable, so it would have been a nightmare if we had to change the trip locations. We will no longer be part of a big tour though, as the other passengers were booked to fly from the UK and were also visiting Lake Titicaca- which is currently a red zone and not safe to visit due to civil unrest and violence.  Llama have agreed we can still do our full planned trip, with all excursions, but will be in a private car with our own guide. There was an extra cost ( of course) but worth it. We were devastated when we thought we couldn't go. Graeme is onto his third historical book about the area already, so had been gutted we might not get there.

Today I booked us a bed in Quito for when we arrive on Sunday. It was a nice thing to be able to do after a run in with the pure evil and greed of our elderly uncles neighbour and self appointed "carer". Trust me, the only thing she cares about is getting away with fleecing him of his life savings. The police aren't interested in the slightest. The other services we have came into contact with in our endless search for help, support and protection for him, have been brilliant. I can't praise the NHS staff at the memory clinic enough ( he has vascular dementia & altzeimers) the fabulous Occupational health worker and staff at Age UK in North Shields, across various departments. They have all been fantastic. Even the Virgin Media technician who pulled out all of the stops to get Uncles phone line fixed and an emergency contact phone in place that will work even in a power outage. Truthfully, without them all we would be rocking in the corner. 

We are on the brink of a holiday of a lifetime, but are fearful of what evil she is capable of once we are away. I am half expecting to return and she has moved into his house & put him in a home. Or worse! 

We have done everything we can & will have to accept that and move on if we want to retain any sanity. We spend half our lives sending emails to his social worker. I am on my knees. 

I had a phone assessment with my ME/ CFS psychologist last Friday, ( it has been 7 years since my last appointment),  and she informed me that based on my assessment, I have clinical insomnia…"try to avoid any stress", she said. "Get a proper bed time routine"....aye right. That's a good idea- wish I'd thought of that! 🙄

We don't yet have any travel money sorted. We need 3 different currencies. I've looked at a multi currency travel card, but as it's linked to an American bank, we wouldn't be able to use it in Cuba. You also can't load Peruvian Sol onto the card. We don't want to carry a lot of cash & don't want to be hit by a load of charges every time we need to access our own cash. This stuff isn't easy to work out.  We have a zoom meeting with the volunteering project to do, Graeme still needs to pack…It is my son's birthday at the end of the month, so I want to spend time celebrating with him before we go too. I would also quite like to find the time to visit a beauty salon or even a hairdresser before we go. Although it is looking unlikely. Instead, I visited the chemist…I have conjunctivitis, a coldsore on my lip and what feels like coldsores in my nose. Beautiful…..not! Luckily the eye ointment I have makes my eyes blurry, so I can't see how rough I look. The chemist said I should see my GP for antibiotics. I suppose if I ring up for an appointment now, I might get one booked for my return in May. Maybe. 

The only thing keeping me going at the minute are photo's of our granddaughter Penny, and good times with good friends ; we had 2 party nights at the weekend for a dear friends 65th at a Dolly Parton tribute night. What a laugh we had- you can't beat a bit of Dolly. The sight of my 84 year old mother in law in a curly wig and cowboy hat, singing at the top of her voice made my heart happy. She's a gem. The following night we had a double 50th birthday with friends we haven't seen for years. All great fun. It's so good to spend time with good people. It rebuilds our strength to deal with the rubbish life throws at us. It's funny how so much time can pass, yet when we get together it's like we saw each other yesterday. So easy & comfortable. The free bar may have helped too...True friends. The buffet was spectacular.

 We have been running the fridge and freezer down, so we can switch everything off when we are away. Of course that now means we are eating strange concoctions from the bottom shelf of the freezer ( you know the stuff that stays there for years as you just never fancy it) and back of the cupboard. Yesterday for tea we had Chinese pork dumplings, with a homemade chilli soy sauce and a chicken & leek pie! It is slim pickings tonight, and I want a takeaway. Graeme is at an RMT Union meeting in town. I am trying to resist the urge to open a bottle of wine. I know it is bad for me. It won't help me heal or feel any better-;but I still want it. Cheers!

Speak soon.

Caroline

You can find some information about the political situation in Peru here-

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/10/judge-extends-pretrial-detention-for-perus-ex-president-castillo

Here are some useful links if you have an older loved one who is struggling.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/helping-a-loved-one/caring-dementia/

Ihttps://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/in-your-area 

https://www.dementiauk.org

14th March- After epic highs must there always be a low?

What a week! I met some great people on route to Liverpool, after a sad incident on the lines meant instead of one train from Newcastle to Lime Street, I ended up getting 3 trains and a bus! It didn't phase me mind, after all I was definitely having a better time than the pour soul on the lines. Me being me, I chatted to everyone and we ended up traveling as a small posse- sticking together for the journey. The rail staff were fantastic at every point, we really need to support them in their strike action to keep staff on trains and make staff conditions better,  it makes a huge difference to everyone concerned. Mersey Rail staff were amazing and even carried my luggage and made sure I was on the right train to get to my daughter's. Fantastic customer service. 

Then the real fun started- 6 whole days in the company of my 2 year old granddaughter Penny. Grandma heaven. It is hard living away from the people you love. Distance does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes it ache. I miss my daughter & son in law desperately. I would love to able to help more with Penny too- they both work so hard, with long hours yet still manage to be great parents too. Penny is testament to that. She's bright, articulate, hilarious at times but also very strong willed and confident. She reminds me so much of her mam at that age! When they asked if I would have Penny, so they could have a much needed break away in Paris, I jumped at the chance. They were rushing around and working up to the last minute, packing on the morning of the flight, and were clearly excited at getting away, but already stressing about it. Parental guilt is mad. You literally are damned if you do & damned if you don't. My advice to any parent is definitely take a break. Go on the trip. Have a night out. Remember you are a person in your own right, not just a parent. Leave you child with someone safe and have the best time- guilt free. Even if you just book yourself into a hotel for the night, have a bath in peace and then just sleep. You deserve it. Parenting is exhausting. Adult life is exhausting. We all have to recharge our batteries sometimes.

I have had a fabulous time, reading stories, having pic nic teas, film nights and trips to the museum, kiddies craft session at the art gallery, the park & even the beach in a storm. Penny has kept me thoroughly amused and entertained. Naturally, I am completely knackered now 😆. There's a reason I had kids in my youth. I was literally getting her bathed, stories read and into bed and then  climbing into my own bed straight after. My daughter took an extra day off work, so we could spend some time together before I had to leave. She then got yet another job offer and negotiated a pay rise too- so we had to celebrate with a well deserved cocktail or two!  I am now on my way home to Newcastle for a much needed rest. It is always hard saying goodbye though. That last hug of my daughter is the toughest. You never stop being a mam, even when they are fully grown. 

During the journey home, I read through some of the info for our upcoming trip to Ecuador. I was feeling excited so screen shot some bits and sent them over to Graeme, hoping to get him feeling excited too. I was buzzing about the lovely week I've just had, and what else we have coming up when I took a call...

The travel company we have the third stage of our holiday booked with rang to say the holiday is cancelled due to it being unsafe in Peru. I am on a train and lost signal right after that bombshell was dropped. Much frantic arm waving followed, trying to get a signal. Then the stars aligned again. A train announcement that we would be stopping at the next station for 10 minutes. Great opportunity to ring them back. Civil unrest has worsened, major tourist attractions are closed and people are advised not to travel- particularly around Lima, Machu Pichu and Cusco. That was our itinery. I fully understand Llama travel pulling the plug. I remind the agent of our circumstances - we are not on the package from the UK, and will already be in South America. We have booked our own flights from Ecuador to Peru and then onwards to Cuba via Panama. These are non refundable. We also have a gap of 12 days between flights in an unsafe country. They are ringing me back tomorrow with suggestions as to what we now do. They have Peruvian contacts they will also speak to. It's all very much up in the air. I ring Graeme with the news and then busy myself googling other South American countries we could possibly visit instead. Like I said - life is full of epic highs and lows...I remind myself it's meant to be an adventure. Get off the train, go into the Centurion pub and order a wine.

We are Caroline and Graeme, I'm mam to James & Laura and we are Grandma & Gramps to our amazing granddaughter Penny. We are ordinary people from the North East of England, yet we are about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime! 

This is no easy package trip though- we are booked through a volunteering agency, 2 very different travel companies, 5 different airlines, and various buses, boats and trains. Some of which we have organised ourselves , and part of the trip is completely booked by us ( let's hope it all goes to plan!). 

Just to add to the adventure, we both have medical conditions to manage as we go...but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Well, I guess we'll find out! Did I mention we don't speak any other languages too? We are willing to try though....This could be great fun. 

We'd love you to follow us on our journies and see how we get on. Maybe it will inspire you to push yourself, get outside of your comfort zone and find out what you are capable of doing. We will certainly be pushing ourselves - I just hope we don’t end up way beyond our limits too! But if we do- we'll tell you first, promise.😆

It is just over 3 weeks until we board our first flight. We have already hit a whole load of unexpected extra costs ( who knew travel vaccinations were so expensive now, plus extra insurance, entry visa's, plastic free toiletries for our trip to Galapagos, a few bits of specialist kit  & various different currencies?) and we've hit a few problems too, both personally and in terms of the trip.

Nothing ever seems to go very smoothly. It's beginning to feel like we always need to "expect the unexpected" and try not to focus too rigidly on the plan. I find that a little easier than Graeme- he can be a bit of a stress head and a worrier. I get it though, we don't have Daddy Warbucks to bail us out if it all goes pear shaped- we've already had a number of flight time changes ( some of our connections are going to be pretty tight) and we have been contacted by one travel company offering us the option of refunding our trip due to civil unrest. Not possible for us, due to the fact that particular trip is right in the middle of our adventure and we have already spent too much on flights at either end of it! Hopefully things will have settled down again before we are due to arrive or there may be some major changes still to come!  

Whatever happens though, we promise to share the good, the bad & the ugly truths with you.

So whether you are a granny planning on running away to the sun, a bored granda sick of looking at the same 4 walls,  are just young and want to see a bit of the world, or maybe you have your own health struggles & want to know if travelling is an option for you, or you just want something different to read on your lunch break- why not follow our adventure? 

Here's a link to show you a bit more about my health condition Myalgic Encephalitis 

 https://meassociation.org.uk/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/

Speak soon,

Caroline