OK - try 2 after the last dismal failure. Strictly only to be ingested by terminal insomniacs. Best taken with a bottle of something strong and the Times World Atlas. Apologies for length, lack of formatting & style (orig. written for nearest & dearest). Part 1 from my own poison pen, part 2 by significantly-better-half:

##Travel notes from far-flung places: Santiago & Quito

I'm afraid I can't recall what Breda may have told some of you already so I'll just launch into it - apologies for any repetition. As I type this she's just around the corner from me, knocking out an account of our amazing time in the Galapagos Islands, so this may arrive a little out of sync at your end. By the way, don't believe her if she says the sea-lion only gave me a love bite. It was a monster of a man-eating mammal - not to mention the fact she was sitting shivering in the dinghy 50 yards away at the time! Anyway, to roll back the clock a bit, the day we flew out of Sydney seems an absolute eternity ago now. If only time went as slowly during your average 2 week holiday from work eh (it's not been much more than that since we left)? Crossing the date line somewhere over the Pacific, the Sunday itself was like Groundhog Day Part 2 I can tell you. Santiago, where we stopped to break the journey, had a nice feel to it. Actually a very central European feel to my mind - big, solid concrete buildings interspersed with incredibly ornate churches & government buildings. Not to mention the colossal, imposing cast-iron statues of all the national heroes - I'm sure you know the deal, glazed of eye, pointing heroically into the distance, while dozens of their compatriots (scaled in miniature, naturally) struggle to support them on their backs. Speaks volume about the revolution so far? As well as experiencing their spanking new international terminal, to be fair we stayed in the embassy district, so perhaps hardly managed to see the true city. What we did was all very clean and impressive however. Damned chilly too - I was well chuffed to take my new, red fleece out for a bit of a stroll, which had many an admiring glance cast my way by the locals. I think I may also have managed to stop a fair bit of traffic ... And then there's Quito - actually it's not at all a bad place, neither ugly nor handsome. Thankfully, it seems safer than the dire warnings had us believe before our arrival. Though the fact the main tourist centre has numerous paramilitary-style security guards with thumping great rottweilers may have something to do with that I dunno? Uniforms. Now there's something they seem to like over her, or in Ecuador at least. You're obviously a complete nobody if you don't get each morning to don a peaked cap or a set of cavalry boots, spurs and sword (honestly). The food so far has been good, though there's always the possibility it may get a tad monotonous over the coming weeks . It is dirt cheap though if you choose to go for the menu of the day. This typically consists of a wholesome bowl of meat & veggy broth, a plate of chicken, beans, rice & salad, fruit juice and maybe some fresh fruit if you're lucky - all for the princely sum of about $1.5 or 3 Aussie dollars. Now I realise the question on all your lips is whether we've been keeping regular? To be fair it did take several days for things to get moving in that department, if you know what I mean. Though if I keep forgetting I shouldn't be eating food washed in the local water then it won't be long until that situation is dramatically reversed - I'm sure you'll be wanting us to keep you posted? Still on the water theme, you wouldn't believe how much bottled water Breda is managing to get through. All well and good you might think - until we read in a paper (bought in the vain hope it might improve our Spanish) that only 17 of 42 local bottling plants were producing drinkable water - and the rest were in danger of being shut down for unhygienic practices! Let's hope our immunity systems are still high from the famous recent Sydney giardia and cryptosporidium outbreaks. The locals we've encountered in the first few days have seemed pleasant enough (in a weary sort of a way) You'll usually get a smile out of them, though you'll have to crack one first. So far I've not really managed to tap much into the famed South American passion for football, though I'm confident that will come. I was hoping to watch heaps of the World Under 20 Championships currently happening in Argentina (which Ecuador are in). The problem is that, for some bizarre reason, their cable TV is cabled in from Peru and seeing as their juniors didn't make it to the tournament they spat the dummy and refuse to screen any live games. Things should be different when the Copa America starts in a few weeks time though. At which point I fully intend to produce the mini football bought just before leaving so I can have a few kickabouts with the bairns. About aged 2 or 3 I reckon should be OK if my skill level isn't to be shown up ...

##Galapagos Islands

Hola! ¿Que tal? This may well be the condensed version of our trip to the Enchanted Islands which is probably not a bad thing...... So here it goes... After just spending a couple of days in Quito we flew to the island of Baltra in the Galapagos and from there caught a bus, then a ferry and another bus to the port town of Puerta Ayora. This is a working port of about 12,000 people and is a very friendly and relaxed place to hang out. The first couple of days we did nothing but stroll around the town and take in the local sights - one of these was a trip to the Darwin Centre which amongst other things is concerned with the conservation of the Islands as well as helping to keep the Galapagos Tortoise from extinction - they breed them at the centre and once they have reached the age of 2 or 3 release them into the wild (back to the islands from hence they originate). We also saw Lonesome George who is a giant Galapagos Tortoise and at the age of 80 + is the only one of his species left - he isn´t so lonesome anymore though as he has a couple of females from another island to keep him company. The giant tortoise is amazing to see up close - part reptile, part prehistoric beast and we luckily got the chance to see them in the wild on a local farmers land! No more tilling the soil for this farmer - he has a great business going, allowing the tourists to tramp all over his land in the quest for getting up close to these wonderful timid creatures. Though big and awkward looking they are nevertheless majestic. Locals used to keep them as pets before it became necessary to preserve them from extinction. Hundreds of thousands of these harmless creatures have been slaughtered by fishermen and early settlers for their fat (used as oil for lamps) and also for their meat. Quite a sad story but at least now they are a protected species. On another of our lazy days we walked the 3 kms to Tortuga Playa (Turtle Beach) - this is a fabulous white sand beach about 800 metres long and the site of my one and only jog so far....... I am blaming my slow acclimatisation to the altitude for my laziness though Seymour has no empathy for me whatsoever. Whilst here we also saw some marine turtles close to shore as well as lots of sally light crabs. These are an amazing red in colour and in the afternoon the beach is covered with them and as you walk towards them they disappear down little holes in the sand creating the illusion of a shifting red carpet. And so after a few days of the easy life we decided it was time to tackle the travel agents. There are only about a half dozen in the town so it wasn´t a hard task. Most of the cruise ships dock at Puerta Ayora and so we were able to ask to see the boats we were interested in. This in itself is good fun as it means jumping on a panga (dinghy) to motor out to the moored boats, then clambouring on board and having a good sticky beak around. Having done this a few times we settled on a lovely looking sailing boat called the Free Enterprise and joined the boat that evening for dinner and a briefing on our trip. As most people were suffering from seasickness (including his truly) it was an early night for all and after surviving a night of rolling on the high seas it was with relief that we got up at 6.00 am to see the first of our islands - Rabida. Well we were in for a bit of a shock as the boat had never left port due to engine trouble........ and so it was back to the travel agents to find a new boat to take us on our trip. And so we found ourselves on the Dorado which turned out to be a fantastic boat. Great crew, great group we travelled with (13 in total, including 3 kids and us) and a great itinerary with an excellent guide, Peter who knew everything about the islands and even Seymour's quest for knowledge was satisified. As for the trip itself, it was an awesome experience and each day held something different for us - most days we did at least one hike and a snorkel and each island had something new and wonderful to offer. We saw sealions galore and swam with them which was beautiful - they are so graceful in the water and love to swim up to your face mask and then duck under and around you. Of course, Seymour met one that wanted to get even closer and it grabbed him by the upper arm (leaving a wonderful bruise and some great scratch marks) - when Seymour refused to play with him cause he (the sealion) was too rough it tried to grab his flipper - this was when Seymour decided that he had enough and hailed for the panga to pick him up - what a spoilsport! I then got to practice my first aid and Seymour has made a full recovery. Not sure about the sealion. We saw many wonderful and colourful fish and on one lucky day a sea turtle which was so cute. Fortunately we saw no sharks whilst snorkelling but did see them from the beach and also from the panga as well as many different types of rays and lots more sea turtles. Then of course there are all the wonderful birds which are endemic to the islands - blue footed boobies, cormorants, magnificent frigate birds, Darwin finches and one solitary flamingo. We saw lots of marine iguanas and land iguanas and it is amazing how close these birds and other creatures will allow you to get to them. You have to be so careful not to step on them as they pay no heed to the gringo walkways and this goes for the sealions too who blend in so well with their surroundings. I could go on and on about the wonder of nature and the beauty of these islands but I daren't risk the computer crashing again. I know I haven't even touched on the flora of these enchanted islands but it is everything and more than we had expected and even without the animals was itself majestic and unforgettable. Our trip was for 7 nights and 8 days and was a wonderful introduction to Ecuador and its people. I am truly impressed with what I have seen so far and probably because we have for the most part kept to the Gringo trail, have found it a very easy country to get around. There is a great selection of hostels, hotels, restaurants/cafes and food to die for. So, the transition from Sydney to South America has been far easier than I expected and I can only suppose that Peru and Bolivia may present a few more challenges for us! I will leave Seymour to fill you in on our journey after the Galapagos - Otavalo, Banos, El Tambo, Ingapirca ruins and Cuenca where we currently are - a fantastic colonial city which I have already fallen in love with - after only 1 day! Best wishes to you all and keep those emails coming.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2001