Buenos Aires (Argentina) - end of the line

All great journeys must come to an end and there are worst places for such a finale as Buenos Airies. This is really one hell of city. Culture, architecture, art, shopping, dining and a bar scene to rival a European capital (think Paris), but with a Latin American passion and vibe - all rolled into one.

Just two full days here was really, really not doing it justice, especially as part of that was spent being ill. I walked a lot around the old centre, strolled along Calle Defensa with its antique scene and romantic cafes and hung out in La Boca (the old, colourful port district and home of tango - originally started by a bunch of sailors and prostitutes it seems). Naturally, I kept the steak eating and wine drinking pace up, despite a stomach problem. Standards remained very high.

On my last day, by amazing coincidence, it was the Super-Classico of football: Boca Junior and River Plate, the bitter local rivals, playing a derby fixture. Despite the outrageous cost of a ticket, of course I had to go. Never before have I seen rain like the day of the game, although hours queuing outside in this torrential downpour all seemed worthwhile when finally we made it into the ground. It was a cauldron of intense passion unlike anything I have seen before. The chosen member of the elite supporter crew are sung into their seats and bowed before, as a sequence of giant flags - as big as half a football pitch - are unfurled in turn. Orchestral movements of singing and chants echo througout the stadium. Away fans at the top of the stadium urinate on their rivals below. Everything you can get your hands on is ripped up and flung into the air and on the pitch. Total, absolute madness. But then came the complete downer. After 9 minutes of play on the waterlogged pitch, with heavily weighted passes moving no further than a foot or two and players unable to run, the game was called off. A nightmare and not a great end to a big trip. But I am not short of great memories to fall back on. No sir, I am not.

Salta (Argentina) - taste of Europe

Crossing the border from Bolivia into Argentina, I expected a more dramatic difference right away. From one of the continents poorest countries to one of the most developed. Yet, the slightly shady border town of La Quiaca was barely different from it's northern neighbour. From there it was a beautiful bus ride along the side of multicoloured mountains, through charming little villages - we stopped in all of them. Bit-by-bit the landscape changes and the charm starts to increase. Rural buildings become quaint, not run-down; cafes look inviting, not decrepit; and even the bus vendors are selling tasty treats, rather than scary-looking fried montrosities.

Once in Salta itself, a 7 hour ride, it really felt I'd left South America. The taxi ride to the hotel took us down boutique, cafe and tree lined streets, much more reminiscent of Europe. That said, with the exception of the cable car, the only significant thing I did in less then 24 hours in this town was very Argentinian. A fine, fine meal of steak and red wine in a local institution, La Monumental. My lord, the meat is good here. I couldn't eat it every meal, but it is damn tasty.

Uyuni (Bolivia) - mind blowing

Taking a three day tour around the Salt Plains of Uyuni and beyond was arguably the most incredible thing I have done this trip. In fact, the scenery is possibly the most stunning I have ever seen. A big call. Imagine, for example, a stunning desert island covered in cactus, sitting under the most blue of skies. Then picture that it is surrouned by a gigantic, bright-white salt plain that stretches 200km one way and 180km in the other direction. Neither words nor photos do justice to this landscape. And that was just one of the sights on day one.

We set off in a Toyota Landcruiser from the shady town of Uyuni after having arrived by train the previous night. Over the course of three days, the scenery changed every hour or so. One minute a giant salt plain, the next lakes of blue, then red, then green, followed by giant snow capped mountains, with ridges of seven or more colours, huge fields of boulders shaped like trees and finally the 'desierto de Dali' which was clearly an inspiration for his surreal landscapes. All along the way were wild llamas, cute vicuñas, ostriches (or something similar) and incredible flamingoes. The tour took us to the Chilean border crossing, which was the most run-down, remote, barren example of it's kind I have ever witnessed, before trudging back to Uyuni itself. Great food, except on the last day, and a fantastic tour guide. A 'must do' for me.

La Paz (Bolivia) - highest everything

The journey to the highest global capital, across the Andean plain, was a treat in itself. Snow capped mountains, clear blue lakes and llamas everywhere. Once there, the city is geographically pretty interesting. A sprawling city trapped in a divot between mountains and ridges, with views of peaks all around. That said, it's a bit of a dump and the smattering of colonial buildings, surrounding by less elegant modern offerings, do not put it in the league of a Lima or Quito.

Wandering around at the hilly streets at that height is tricky and I wasn't feeling the best. So, apart from the obvious, obligatory visit to Bar Ruta 36 (enough said about that) and a curry in the world's highest indian restaurant, all I really did was shop. My most treasured purchase was a painting by the internationally exhibited artist xxxx. It feels a bit wrong bargaining with the man himself (imagine trying it in Australia), but a reduction from $450 to $220 is not to be sneezed at. After that, I assembled a huge collection of scarfs, t-shirts and hats, in an attempt to find something for everyone who helped me get away 13 months ago. Unfortunately, the size of the haul meant the only bag I could find to fit it all in, was a hippy-style, cloth guitar case. For my last 10 days, there is every chance of me being mistaken for an Argentinian busker.

Copacabana (Bolivia) - gorgeous lake titicaca

At 3,812 metres above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable waterway in the world (not sure what that means) and a cultural treasure. After a long days travel and another border crossing, I arrived at the waters edge on the Bolivian side just in time for sunset. On the face of it, this is just another big lake. But something about the altitude gives it a shimmering glow that is difficult to describe.

The following day, a group of us headed out to La Isla del Sol, a 90 minute ride from the village in a squashed and painfully slow boat. Climbing to the highest point of the southern part of the island was hard work, though it is not really that high at all. God only knows what it is like climbing at 5,000 or 6,000 metres. The view at the top of the pre-inca (there was stuff before those guys?) staircase is, unsurprisingly, divine.

What was not so divine, in my first few days in Bolivia, was the food. After the delights of Peru, the local fair has slipped back to the standards of Central America. A little bit like the calibre of local beauties.

Arequipa (Peru) - travelling in style

The buses in Peru are amongst the best I have seen in the world. Certainly a vast step up from those in Australia, USA or England. From Lima to Arequipa, a journey of 16 hours, I splashed out on the 'super cama' (actually only $40 or so). A fully flat (180 degree) leather recliner, plus a dinner and breakfast service, meant I arrived pretty fresh.

Arequipa itself is a lovely spot, without anything hugely distinctive to note. Though, if I am saying that about a gorgeous colonial town, flanked by snow capped volcanoes and with a perfect climate, it may be time to head home.

One point of distinction is the food in this part of Peru, which again over delivered. It took a bit of time to track down one of the famous 'picanterias' (there are none in the city centre), but once there it was all worthwhile. La Nueva Palomino was definitely the place to be eating. This restaurant of 200 seats, crammed with local families, served up a fantastic spread of local food, the highlight being rocoto relleno, a huge chilli stuffed with meat, onion, eggs and spices. Very spicy and delicious. A definite item for Café Bolivar, Sydney.

Lima (Peru) - culinary delight

It is probably worth couching this entire entry with the observation that I have been eating, for the last year, in some of the world's culinary low-spots. From the rice and beans of Central America, to Colombia's greasy fair, it is not like I arrived in Peru from Tuscany. However, the leap in cooking standards was marked.

My favourite restaurant, with four seperate visits, was El Muelle: a feast of seafood brilliance. Here for just over $10, two or three people could share a huge platter of ceviche, octopus salad, deep fried calamari, seafood rice, dressed scallops and a few other things I couldn't really describe. Arguably the best food I have eaten in 12 months. Naturally it was all best washed down with a bottle of Inka Cola.

I also visited one branch of the Rustica chain which specialises in Peruvian staples. At a buffet there, I tried probably 25 different entrees and main courses (none of which I knew the names), plus the stock dessert: arroz con leche (rice pudding) served with mazamorra morada (erm... like a fruit jam jelly).

Otherwise, the standard Latin American 'menu del dia' is also offered here in Peru (soup, main course, desert and a drink). Except that here is a treat with a huge variety of options, rather than a necessity of a limited budget. All in all, any thoughts I had of a South American themed restaurant have been quickly reduced to a Peruvian one. Just need to learn how to cook it.

Lima (Peru) - unexpectedly excellent

I had heard some shady or at best indifferent things about Lima. I think it even featured recently in a list of the world's worst capital cities (which criminally didn't include any of the hell holes in Central America). Well, I refute anything bad said about this historic, vibrant and cultured culinary mecca. In almost a week I only really explored three parts, but loved elements of all of them.

Baranco was my favourite spot. A waterside, up-market suburb that manages to avoid the influx of malls, american fast food chains and hotel chains that characterise the more afluent suburbs in other Latin American cities. Old buildings, a cafe in a train, charming restaurants, a quaint parque central and lively drinking holes. I could live there.

Nearby is Miraflores, which does have its fair share of KFC's, Starbucks and McDonald's, but makes for a good night out and again is built around an attractive park. It is also a handy spot for cheaply topping up a traveller's wardrobe.

Most surprising was the old town, which I expected to be dangerous, dirty and delapidated. Not at all. The sunset from the gorgeous Plaza de Armas, complete with imposing cathedral and huge parliament building, was a treat. Plenty of museums, galleries and churches fill the crowded streets.

All in all, given the continual rise of the Peruvian economy and the amazing food, I might keep my eyes open for real job opportunities in this misrepresented spot.

Huanchaco (Peru) - break in the journey

Guayacil to Lima is a long journey and, conveniently, the small surf town of Huanchaco is about two thirds along the way. Amongst other things, the town is famous for its caballito boats (little horses) used by the local fishermen, who surf back on the waves with their catch. If you're not a surfer, there is little to do apart from stroll along the beach and take a dip in the aggressive waters.
Nearby are the ancient ruins of Chan Chan, a series of palaces made by the Chimú people (who were eventually overun by the Incas and then the Spanish), now reduced to a series of labyrinths of mud walls. A few carvings of various sea creatures liven up the display and make it worthy of couple of hours. Particularly interesting are the hidden water holes in various parts of the maze. Suddenly you are confronted with a verdant oasis in a network of dry, sandy walls. Apparently, each king that died was buried with his 40 or 50 wives, his army and half his people... all willingly executed on news of his death.

Early impressions of Peru were mixed. It seems more expensive on one hand and the landscape here is dry and quite bleak (a desert type climate induced by the cold waters of the humbolt current). Then again, the food is a vast improvement on earlier countries and the buses are excellent. More time required to determine an overall view.

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) - days 3 & 4

It was pretty hard to top the first day touring the islands and it did turn out to be more of the same. Different landscapes and different species, but still largely a diet of iguanas, sea lions and beautiful ocean. There are worse places to be sat on a sun-lounger on the deck of a luxury boat. On the final night, I actually managed to talk a few of the oldies into playing cards. For about 20 mins, before the onerous task of packing took precedence. Why do people make such a big deal about an activity that I can't seem to spend more then five minutes on?

Having built in an extra day and night for the main island (Sante Fe), I recruited a gang of four backpackers to explore the centre after disembarking the boat. The sights there are pretty interesting and a waste to do as part of boat tour. Firstly the 'gamelos' (twins) which are two giant craters in the highlands that used to be volcano cones. Secondly a llava tunnel of about 500 metres, which appears to be machine cut, but is actually where the lava escaped from the fiery centre. Finally, and most impressively, a farm of giant turtles wallowing in lush pastures and murky marshes. Excellent stuff. Though how Darwin took inspiration from these islands for a 'survial of the fittest' proposition eludes me. Here are some of the slowest, laziest animals I have ever had the pleasure of encountering.

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) - day 2

All the concerns over the cost and the hassles getting there suddenly disappeared when I set foot on Isla Española, after sailing there through the night. Strewn over the rocks and sand, seeming waiting for us but actually totally ignoring our group, was a mountain of sea lions, huge colourful iguanas, giant pelicans and bright red crabs. I have seen all these individually before. But never in such volume, never so friendly and never all together. The landscape is also incredible. Rugged rocks, giant cacti, turquoise blue sea, crashing waves, towering cliffs and bright green shrubs. Many wildlife sites promise much and deliver little. The Galapagos Islands over delivers if anything.

On three seperate visits to the islands different corners, I snorkelled with sting rays, swam with sea lions and spent time studying the nest building habits of the famous 'blue footed boobie'. In one spot, there was a line of four nests which featured, in order, each stage of the hatching process... like a museum display in real life. Ample time was also available on my luxury boat, complete with private cabin. The only drawback being the mean age of my fellow passengers (probably over 60) which meant that dinner at 7pm was the last event of the night. Still, after carnaval, a few nights off the booze did no harm.

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) - day 1

Arrival in the Galapagos Islands is one of lifes truly exciting experiences. I have never read Darwin's Origin of Species (which only references these islands in sporadic parts) or seen one of many documentaries, but this is still a place of legend. Stepping off the plane, you are greeted by a pelican and iguana casually loitering on the runway. It's like bumping into a kangaroo as you disembark a Qantas jet.

The Galapagos boat tour theory goes like this: the closer you are (in time and physically) to an actual boat setting off on a tour, the cheaper the price. And so in good backpacker spirit, I flew into town and headed straight to the dock. Unfortunately, this was in high season and just one day after carnaval which meant there was little on offer. Sure you can wait for two or three days and something will turn up eventually. But the port town of Puerto Ayora is not cheap and not really worthy of much more than a night. So, after 4 hours hunting for something in the heat, I took a tour a couple of classes above what I really needed. Although I spent more than I wanted, or rather got fewer days than I was aiming for, there was some comfort knowing the standard rack rate was almost 3 times what I paid.

Baños (Ecuador) - carnval & circus come to town

It is not just Brazil that celebrates carnival at this time of year. Across South America it's the time to party before lent kicks in. In Ecuador, this means taking to the streets with plentiful supplies of water balloons, canisters of foam, packets of eggs and flour. It really it total carnage and no-one is safe. Little kids rub various liquids into the eyes of innocent grannies. And vice-versa. Gringos are most certainly not left out.

For me carnaval coincided with my last few days in Baños and 'El Gran Circo de Titeres'. After five weeks of preparation, everything went pretty smoothly. We had over 100 attendees each night (as many as 200 on the first night), the show itself all worked and the concession stand was storming success. In total we made over $220 for the foundation and after each show it was time to hit the bars, which meant the Leprachaun. Obviously, the rafting guides were in full force with their accomplished gringa girl pick up techniques. Still, I managed to throw a few salsa moves into the proceedings with the latinas - to claim an own back of sorts.

Baños (Ecuador) - work, work, work

Volunteering at Fundacion Arte del Mundo is proving to be an absolute blast and so far from real work it is hard to believe. A well run organisation, great crew of people and an excellent work space really make it almost too easy. I have found myself three quite different jobs to keep myself busy with, though none of them are too stressful.

In the afternoons, I hang out in the library (the BIB) and play games with kids, read to them in Spanish and try to get involved in craft type activities. Sometimes we play games in the yard and on Friday I was the wolf in an Ecuadorean version of 'what's the time Mr Wolf'. Lots of fun and I scarily quite enjoy spending time with the little ones. At night, I teach a Spanish class to an odd selection of local tourist guides, hotel owners, single mums and teenage girls. Their standards are so different it is quite a challenge. Otherwise, I am heading up the publicity activity for our upcoming Ciro de Los Titeres (circus of the puppets). I managed to write a press release in Spanish last week and have lined up a radio interview and free coverage in the local rag - actually a ten page photocopied newsletter, reminscent of school newspapers.

In total, none of this takes up more than 3 or 4 hours a day and my weekends are free. So, lots of time for hiking, visiting the hot spring baths, taking a few Spanish lessons, cooking and playing cards. It really is an easy life.

Misahualli (Ecuador) - amazonian adventure

Around 3 hours by bus from Baños lies the little town of Misahualli (more easily remembered as Miss Hawaii), perched on the edge of the Amazonian rainforest. Although the town can't have more than a few hundred residents, it has a handful of tour companies more than willing to take you into the jungle, a few basic restaurants and a scruffy parque central complete with a gange of thieving monkeys.

My crew and I chose to miss out on the 'indigenous museum craft workshop' type attractions and instead get as far into the primary forest as possible in one day - which is really not that far. A 3 hour 'canoe' ride (I'd call it a motor launch) takes you a fair distance up the Rio Napo, a tributuary of the Amazon itself. From there, we slowly trekked with our toothless guide, for 3 or 4 hours seeing a host of colourful insects, gigantic butterflies, noisy birds, shy monkeys, tropical edible fruits and some collosal trees. This was the real deal and I enjoyed it, although I still didn't have a real feeling I had actually spent time in the Amazon rainforest. Perhaps I needed a close encounter with a boa constrictor or puma to make it seem real.

Baños (Ecuador) - rumble near the jungle

Roughly in the centre of Ecuador, in a valley of volcanos, lies a small town named after the thermal springs which are prevalent here. Right now, the mother volcano Tungurahua herself is pretty lively, spewing out flaming hot rocks and rumbling day and night. The locals don't seem to be concerned and so I am following their lead. Besides, the authorities have an efficient evacuation plan and, given this is Latin America, that puts my mind at full ease. I might be the only one fleeing anyway. Apparently the villagers have been evacuated before, only to return to find their houses looted by the local cops. It was a band of grannies that last time refused to leave and marshalled the rest of the population.

This town is touristy, very touristy and I have not even seen a weekend yet. But it does this in a very tranquil way and most of the visitors are from other places in Ecuador - not gringos. The hot topic in town relates to the ravenous 'gringa hunters' who work as guides for the many outdoor pursuit companies. They are pretty successful too, with many a dreamy-eyed backpacker believing they are the special one, only for said guide to notch another mark on his bedpost and hit the bars the following night. Amusing stuff and, I guess, a change from the opposite happening in touristy towns in most other parts of the world.

Cotapaxi (Ecuador) - first taste of real altitude

After loosing my dorm bed in a hostel in Quito, I took the option of heading to the countryside for a few nights. Slap bang in front of Volcan Cotopaxi, lies a homely backpacker retreat with a roaring fireplace, four hilarious dogs, three meals a day and a stunning view. A farmstead with pigs, cows, chickens and, erm, llamas adds to the country feel. They also grow most of their own produce.

Whilst there were several action activities to take part in, including scaling the volcano itself, I settled for a walk up to the local waterfall (only a little one, but hopping on the rocks up the creek to get there was fun), a short hike to a minor ridge and lots of lounging around. At night, a crew of mainly Australians and I entertained ourselves with various games of charades, vampire, scrabble and the rest. Shockingly, we never got around to playing poker, despite having a professional dealer in our midst.

Perhaps most interesting for me was the result of plenty of peaceful thinking time about my future. I came up with the fairly broad-based idea that, by age 40 (scarily less then 3 years), I want to be running by own business in the food / travel space. Who knows if it will ever happen and what exactly it might be, but it gives me some kind of focus. Restaurant Bolivar is the opening gambit offering food, music, film and art from the former Gran Colombia.

Quito (Ecuador) - centre of the world

I honestly had never thought why Ecuador was called Ecuador and felt pretty stupid when I read that the Equator runs through the country. In Quito a visit to the 'mitad del mundo' is clearly a must do, although there are clearly other places in the world that can make the same claim. Admittedly most are in the ocean, darkest central Africa or Central Sumatra.

In actual fact, just an hour outside Quito, there are two equators. One was the site officially sanctioned by French scientists in the 17th century (pictured), complete with tourist shops, cafes, bars and great big monument. Right next door (about 250 metres away) is a sight declared the real equator by American military experts, complete with GPS technology, about 12 years ago. Some bright spark bought this sight and has built a quaint little musuem featuring a raft of test that prove it is the Real McCoy. Indeed, water does flow without swirling slap bang on the line, whilst it goes anti-clockwise and clockwise in the southern and northern hemispheres respectively. Many still dispute this and I find it hard to believe that two metres could make any difference. But I saw it. And it did.

The colonial old town of Quito is the other big attraction and even though I have seen a raft of these on my travels, this one really is special. Amongst other spots, I made the effort to visit both the 15th century convent and monastery. Both are still active, although unexpectedly the former was for the monks and the latter the nuns.

Cali (Colombia) - final stop

After nearly five months in Colombia, there were worse places to bow out than Cali. Especially with both the Feiria de Cali and Año Nuevo happening. It also felt like the most Colombian of places I had been, though that is hard to explain.

After a disappointing first night - I just didn't meet anyone interesting - the partying really revved up on nights two and three. In the end, I visited two of the big 'going out' spots, which in Cali means salsa. Bizarrely, the scene only three blocks from my hostel didn't get a look in.

Besides some very late nights (it's been a long, long time since I came out of a club to be greeted by a bright, sunny day), I made it to an outdoor water park, a pacific coast festival and climbed a hill in the old town. Not much of a list of achievements for 3 days - I didn't even make it to silicon valley (in this case not a centre of IT industry) - but a good time was had for sure.

It was sad to leave Colombia, but equally exciting to be crossing a border once more. Hasta Equador.