Return to the Americas

‘Let’s go to Galapagos my girl?’ 

This was sent to me by a travel-loving friend and so my next destination was set. It wasn’t somewhere in the world I had ever thought of going, nor did I expect to ever get the chance to go, but this year keeps surprising. 

Our first couple of days in Ecuador were days of contrast. Blue skies, the heat of the sun at Otavalo market on the first day and snow showers climbing to the base camp on Cotopaxi, one of the world’s highest active volcanoes on the second. A friend had told me the hot chocolate at the refuge at 4,900m (16,000ft) was a definite must, and as I hugged the mug of warm, cinnamon infused chocolate, I realised he was absolutely right.

It’s true that we weren’t quite sure what to expect from Ecuador, as it was still in a state of emergency with the UK government advising against travel to certain areas.  The amazing guides and other people working in tourism there said what a crushing blow ‘fake news’ had had on their industry. Yes, there had been incidents leading to an increased police presence and a curfew in Quito at night, but we can only talk of our experience. As two solo females we felt safe, we felt the warmth and kindness of local people, who welcomed us happily.

From the colours of Otavalo market and the snow on Cotopaxi, we flew to the Galápagos Islands, landing at Baltra airport with the heat and humidity hitting us immediately as we stepped off the plane. Within the first half an hour we had seen iguanas, pelicans and crabs, as well as the most unbelievably turquoise coloured waters. It was to be a week of incredible wildlife including so many sea lions, Galápagos penguins (the smallest penguins in the world,) blue-footed boobies, stingrays, hammerhead sharks, turtles and of course tortoises. We were lucky enough to see tortoises in the wild and at breeding centres, where they are trying to help increase numbers of these endangered creatures.

The hiking was a challenge in the heat. On our visit to three different islands we walked to black sand beaches, climbed up to a caldera on a volcano, hiked to viewpoints across lava rock pathways and through cactus forests. Each one was different and worth the indescribable amount of sweating!

The islands were not like anywhere I have been before. Our trip allowed us to experience the lively island of Santa Cruz, which is the most populated, Isabella, the largest island and Floreana, which just one hundred people call home. Floreana was my favourite experience because we were hosted by families living on the island and it was so green and quiet. On reflection, I’m super glad I saw the islands this way rather than on a cruise. Firstly it’s a lot cheaper and it allowed for more hiking opportunities.

On our return to Quito, we spent time on a walking tour, exploring the colourful markets, downtown area, cathedrals and admiring the architecture of a brothel (very unexpected!!)

Our final jaunt on this adventure was to Panama City. What a contrast! Congested city traffic, a distinctly wealthier country but luckily for us, wonderful National Parks with mountains, cloud forests and trails to explore. So we left the city behind and explored a few hidden gems in this country at the crossroads of the Americas with its incredible human engineering feat, the Panama Canal. Of course we also had to visit the canal and we were lucky enough to see a cruise ship pass through the Miraflores locks.

Our final unexpected encounter was to see sloths in the wild, so close. They really are amazing creatures; their long fur, claws, smiling faces. I was SO happy we saw them! A great way to end our Easter travels.

Back to the Balkans

This winter I wanted real snow. Not the little sprinkling we usually get in the UK most years, but snow that crunches when you walk on it, that you sink into, that you can build snow people with. So an inexpensive flight to Bulgaria and a snowshoeing trip was booked.

It was a week spent in beautiful mountains in Vitosha and Rila National Parks with great company, (fellow travellers from the UK after a winter adventure.) Our days were mostly spent under blue skies on slopes, walking across frozen lakes, winding our way through Narnia-like forests and enjoying the mountain scenery. Evenings we were treated to delicious food and conversation and drinks in front of a fire. The week simply flew by with such lovely company. We were fortunate to have a fantastic guide, who had previously worked in the mountain rescue service, so we all immediately relaxed into our trip and could simply ‘be,’ enjoying our surroundings, feeling far away from home. Perfect.

As I had a few extra days at the end of my trip, I headed back to Sofia and from there travelled to Plovdiv (Europe’s oldest city) scattered with Roman architecture and a quick trip across the border to Skopje in North Macedonia, where Mother Teresa was born. Both cities were very different.  Skopje’s Old Bazaar was great to wander through and I loved hearing the call to prayer from the mosque and smelling the Turkish coffee coming from the cafes and seeing windows full of baklava.  Back in Bulgaria, I could definitely have spent longer exploring Plovdiv and its old town too. The Roman mosaics were incredible and they have done a fantastic job at making these as accessible as possible to visitors in a great museum: https://www.plovdivmosaics.org/

During my day trips I crossed paths with people from San Diego, Spain, India and New York, all choosing to travel to the Balkans for different reasons. I was hugely grateful for their company over shared meals and laughter on the long road journeys.

Today I am homeward bound again, leaving Sofia in the sunshine to welcome more travellers to explore her sights.

Skopje, North Macedonia

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Asen’s Fortress

Bachkovo Monastery

One Step at a Time

50 miles walking, in less than 22 hours, in February? Why not?! I roped in a friend who is a ‘say yes’ kinda girl and with two preparation walks under our belt; one involving a brunch stop, the other involving a pit stop for a cocktail, we were all set!

The daytime walking was perfect. Norfolk was at its best under big, blue skies, a lovely temperature, a hint of sunshine and some great views along the coastal path. After dark we had rain, mud and a shingle beach and my poor friend had nasty blisters. Ouch! 

In the darkness, we ended up mostly walking with a lovely group of seasoned and experienced walkers from around the Birmingham area. They were walking this 50 mile route so that a member of their team could qualify for the Speyside 100, an event in May challenging folk to walk (or run) 100 miles in less than 48 hours near the Cairngorms in Scotland. As people were chatting about this near the start of the walk, we were quite intrigued to look into it. By mile 40, we’d changed our minds. 50 would be more than enough for us.

It was a really well run event with kind folk serving us hot drinks and food at the village hall checkpoints along the way. The camaraderie is my overriding memory of the event. That and the beautiful feeling of finally getting in my bed at 4.30am after 19 hours of walking. Bliss.