Christmas in Cartagena was great but then again so was christmas eve and boxing day. Without friends and family it was just another good day on the road. The German owner of the Casa Viena hostel didn´t make a fuss, it was business as usual but a good business so I was glad to be in his hostel. Cartagena provided me with a wealth of new information to assist in the next stage of my travels, and serves as a half way house between South America and Central America. The colonial town is also a superb tourist destination and provided for very picturesque photos. I'd hoped to secure a spot on a sail boat, dear reader, with the plan being…

I caught an overnight bus from Merida in Venezuela north to Caracas, and met two nice travellers to start off one of my more unusual travel tales. It was a good feeling to be in a city right near the caribbean coast of South America, having travelled to the southern most city in the world Ushuaia in Argentina during 2003. Perhaps it doesn't have the same ring to it as Cape Town to Cairo, but nevertheless I felt it was a memorable achievement. In a bizarre twist I stayed in Caracas for only five minutes, and my story follows... The travellers were in transit at the Caracas terminal, dear reader, and we parted company as I caught a taxi to…

I've been on the bounce, dear reader, since last sharing travel adventures with you and the journal continues from Cali in Colombia. After a relaxing stay in a quality hostel it was time to move on, and north is the plan. I booked on a bus to Bogota and for the first time on this trip I was the only foreign traveller on board. The journey was through mountainous terrain along winding roads, and the bus arrived in Bogota in the early evening. Bogota is the capital of Colombia with a population of seven million inhabitants at an altitude of 2600 metres. It's interesting to note three capital cities in South America are at high altitude and surrounded by mountains.…

My friends and I continued north from Riobamba Ecuador to Banos, which is a picturesque town in the centre of the country surrounded by mountains and known for adventure activities. We spent a quiet day at the local pool in this lovely town and enjoyed good food, but had to press on north to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. We had a very bad experience within two hours of arrival despite being out early in the central tourist area, and being within a block of two security guards with dogs. Fortunately we weren't really hurt and my friend's possessions were quickly recovered by security. We spent four nights in Quito, dear reader, and a definite highlight was the middle of…

My last night in Lima coincided with the final world cup qualifier for Germany 2006, played in Sydney between Australia and Uruguay. I watched the first game in Huacachina with a Uruguayan girl I met on an earlier tour, it was great fun and a predictable result. Of course I was extremely gracious to her in defeat. The return game started at 4:00am local time, and by coincidence there were up to ten Australians at the hostel in Lima. The place was absolutely jumping around 7:00am when Australia slotted home the winning penalty, as we started hopping about like mad kangaroos to celebrate a terrific achievement for Australian football. Congratulations to the mighty Socceroos and all the best for the…

It seems the best cure for walkers who have completed the Salkantay or Inca trails is to party hard when you get off the train back in Cusco, and who am I to argue with this tried and true remedy. As such I went out to Mama Africas that night with the hostel crowd for much therapeutic drinking and dancing all night. I booked on an overnight bus trip the next day south west to Arequipa with two English girls who had become travel friends. At this stage of my trip, there are some travellers I've bumped into four or five times on the gringo trail. It really is very social and a lot of fun on the trail in…

The journal left off in Rurrenabaque Bolivia, where I booked a flight on a twelve seater plane back to La Paz at the end of the jungle tour. The flight only took an hour but we struggled badly through lack of air. It was alright for some however, as I looked forward to the pilots and they had oxygen masks on. At least the guys in command weren't passing out! I was feeling pretty knocked around in flying back to altitude again and my back seized up, but help arrived in the form of a traveller on the plane who practices shiatsu massage and the adventures continue. I subsequently caught a bus to Copacabana, dear reader, which is on Lake…

The journal left off at Sucre which is a beautiful colonial town in the centre of Bolivia. I caught up with the salt plains team and we spent three enjoyable nights there, relaxing and enjoying the sights and restaurants. We also visited our travel companion who had been laid up in hospital after suffering a broken leg playing a game of soccer on the Salar de Uyni. She seemed quite chirpy and is being well looked after in the hospital. It was great to connect with my travel friends again after having such a wonderful time together at the salt plains, in spite of the injury caused to one of our team. We enjoyed a travel experience that will stay…

I've been on the bounce, dear reader, since the last time I shared travel adventures and the journal now continues... Towards the end of my stay in Rosario I met an English lad in our dorm room and we became travelling companions for several days. He is also heading north so we organized an overnight bus to Salta in the far north of Argentina. We booked into a recommended hostel, and it was soon time to let our hair down at the local pubs and clubs for the weekend. We had a very enjoyable time and the nightlife was heaving in this beautiful northern Argentinian city. Salta is terrific, and proved to be quite the surprise packet with the amount…

Hello World... Welcome to my brand spanking new travel blog and here begins the first posting of a travel journal which is a tentative yet exciting first step for me ... and hopefully an informative and entertaining diversion for you. Life on the road develops a particular rhythm and after two weeks mainly in northern Argentina I'm beginning to feel the beat, as I ease into a six month journey to discover the joys of Latin America. Sydney is a big city, the lovely reader, and after an uneventful flight via Auckland on 17 September my port of arrival was Santiago, which is a big city. But this is South America and I'm very glad to be here. I spent…