Fowler Parents: We have sent a CD in the post to you of all our photos so far. It will take about 2 weeks probably so don´t start pulling your hair out if the posty doesn´t bring it soon ( we also have a copy if it never shows). Please guard it with your lifes and no sneaky peeks..
Carpenter Parents: Skiing is a YES but the unemployed are not entitled to holidays so Emily better act sharpish.

Also, we are now in Copacabana on the edge of Lake Titicaca after leaving La Paz this morning. We hired bikes today and cycled along the edge of the lake..amazing views. Today we are going to Isla de Sol (Incas supposed birthplace) and staying the night there. Then to Puno in Peru for 2 nights..then Cusco and Inca Trail..We´re not totally sure what´s happening after the inca trail but it will likely involve Arequipa, Colca Canyon and Nasca Lines..then to Florida ( cheapest flight from Lima to Quito goes via Panama City and takes 5 HOURS!!)

Still having lots of fun..love Emily and Gavin..

P.S Gavin bought a 99% (zip is plastic) Alpaca jacket today..lovely.

Nice to hear from you again after 1 week with no contact causing maternal panics. Alls well here - Nick returned to Oz last night and should be somewhere south of Singapore by now, but he'll be back in 3 weeks as has fixed up his viva etc., then we intend visiting him in Feb. Weather is so warm we boated for a night with him this weekend (mainly to empty the loo!) Trish and Alain are coming over for a week next Monday.
Liverpool have ground out the odd 1-0 victory against nonentities - but Gavianno Rangers are now FOURTH in the SPL, having been overtaken by Hibs.Relegation beckons.
Can you think of skiing yet?? We're thinking of booking a week end of March perhaps at Cervinia again. Would you 2 be able to get time off??

Can everyone read the big message below and then tell me this: Has anyone ever seen 'Rules of Attraction'? If you have you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, see it, watch the tour of Europe and then you'll know what I mean. x

Turkey is Peru in Brazil.

P.S More photos to come when we find a computer with a CD drive........xxxxx

hellooo, we have had a very active last couple of weeks (roughly) since we left the Iguacu Falls and we shall try and update but we have been travelling on trains and buses through the night so are half asleep....

After going to the Argentinian side of the falls we got a 13hr bus ride to Bonito where the sun finally decided to show it's face. we got off the bus at 10am and went straight to a freshwater lake that was fed by waterfalls to go swimming and play water volleyball..the highlight of the park though was the 'flying fox' pulley rope swing that Gavin got hours of excitement from, and bombing of the diving board that was surrounded by huge fish..On the second day we went snorkelling down the clearest gentle (except for the rapids) rivers surrounded by about 30 species of fish.

From Bonito we got a 6 hour bus to a farm/ranch in the Pantanal wetlands in the west of Brazil. We spent two nights camping in hammocks in a barn that was worryingly open to the environment as we found out on our first night when the mightiest of storms hit (beginning of wet season). We got up at 2am to move all our bags etc so they didn't get soaked as only mosquitoe nets covered the windows..the lightening show was awesome. We had a very eventful first day pirhana fishing in the Pantanal. We were there for about 3 hours fishing on a lake filled with caimens! In the first 2hr59mins Gavin managed to hook a caimen by its arm and hold on for about a minute till it escaped and also broke his bamboo rod after getting it frustratingly stuck in the tree behind, then the reeds and then the tree again...Emily, well she managed to hook her bra strap but unfortunately the buckle was too strong for an almightly embarrassing moment. After 2hr59mins EVERYONE (including Emily, annoyingly) except me had managed to succeed in catching a fish, the whole reason we were there. Thankful, in the final 30 seconds a blind kale fish caught on to the fatty strang hanging from my hook and i reeled it in with a beeming smile. We then ate the fish and Emily enjoyed it! We went on four long walks in total in our 3 days in the Pantanal including one at 5.30am...we saw an emormous amount of birds and animals including an ANACONDA which the farmer happily pulled from under a tree..next thing the bloody beast was in my arms and its head tightly between my fist.

We left the Pantanal to head to Corumba from where we said adios to Brazil and hello to Bolivia in the form of a 17hr train journey comparable to a ride at Alton Towers. We had a fantastic film show of Constantine and Jeepers Creepers 2, just to make sure that you got nightmares if the ride alone wasnt scary enough. We arrived in Santa Cruz in the sunshine and spent the day tiredly trying to find handicraft markets, but could only find shampoo stalls.
We left Santa Cruz the next morning to go to Sucre and our method of transport this time was a PLANE! arghhhhh. After discussions with Howard from our group about how Boeing sell old planes that have done their fair share of miles in Europe to poor countries we got on the plane and 28 minutes later we landed in the Andes..lots of people in our group commented on how the pilot used every inch of the runway but thankfully i was oblivious to that at the time. The airport was tiny with a giant dinosaur outside..a sign of things to come!!

We sent three days in Sucre that had a rich white colonial centre. On the first two days we wondered around the shops and parks, went to see dino footprints and spoke to the parents on the phone. One of the parks had a scaled down version of the eiffel tower in memory of the tin boom..it was quite scary at the top as it wobbled a lot. The dinosaur footprints were amazing..there are 5000 footprints so far discovered (more being unveiled all the time) from 320 different species..The actual tourist set up for it though was comical..they had a really trashy dino truck that took you there, then an hilarious introduction with plastic dinosaurs in a pond of water. I (Gavin) also wore flip-flops which weren't ideal to say the least..got V muddy toes..

From the local shops I got a matching set of hat, scarf and gloves but unfortunately only yesterday had the hat and gloves pinched, thieving toe-rags (or as Emily said "I lost them"..believe who you like)..

Well anyway, i have been building up to the MOUNTAIN BIKE riding we did in Sucre. Me and Emily went our seperate ways (sob sob), Emily did a silly 70% uphill ride in the Andes for 4 hrs and I did a much easier on the legs ride that was 4 downhills and in between trucks back up to the top..neadless to say i was less tired when we got back. I actually had one 5 min uphill section and it took me about 5 mins to catch my breathe again due to the altitude..i actually dont know how Emily managed 4 hrs..

It was a little scary at first as I didn't realise they put the brakes around the wrong way here...the adrenaline sooned kicked in though and on the 2nd downhill i raced and beat the guide who turned out to be the bolivian downhill champ..i was very happy , beat in his own back yard!!

Our next stop after Sucre was Potosi famous for Cerro Rico "Rich Mountain" that dominates this once very weathy city. In the 17th century Potosi was larger than Madrid, London or Paris, hard to believe nowadays. We went down into the mines through one entrance (there are 5000) and had a tour for about an hour and a half. It was shocking...the workers start as young as 12 and in the deepest parts the life expectancy is 25 years due to the high levels of toxic gases. We bought Coca Leaves they chew to surpass their need for energy), crackers and dynamite for the workers...we kept some of the dynamite to make a bomb outside after..the shockwaves when it blew up made us tingle...

After Potosi we caught an eventful bus ride to Uyuni ( Bus driver got beaten up) where we started our salt flats excursion. We spent three days on the largest salt flats in the World, whcih was literally like being on another planet..we visited two large ïslands" covered with cactuses, went to a salt refinery and saw flamingoes...how exciting. We aslo stayed in a salt hotel and a hotel that was partly built. funny. Before we left we did a long hike up to a volcano i've forgotten the name of.

The salt flats finished yesterday and at midnight we caught a train and bus that were due to get us to la Paz at 10 this morning. The train however took 12 hras instead or 6 after randomly stopping in the desert for 3 HOURS!!

Anyway, we are now in La Paz

Love Emily and Gavin xxxxxxxxxxx

Ruth, I left my phone in England so will get your text at the beginning of December...something to look forward to when i get home! Very strange that you bumped into two travelling Leeks, they dont get around that much.

Hey! Did you get my text? If not have joined my tour in Bangkok and met 2 girls from Leek!!! Heather and Debs (can't remember surnames, but will find out!), they know of you but they went to the "rival" school to yours, and your dad, Emily, is Heather's doctor! How random! They are really nice, there are 18 of us on the tour, mostly girls travelling on their own, all of similar ages, so has worked out well. Have updated my site so check it out when you can, hope you are still having los of fun! Ruth xxx

hey puddle and gav, i went home the other day and saw an email printed off from you two to the whole family.... EXCEPT ME... think your sending them to [email protected] rather than co.uk... IDIOTS! either that or i'm not in the inner circle :-( !!! I'm going to be a cabaret dancer in the christmas panto!!! xxxx

Hello!

I'm in Leek library!! Still don't know when my viva is, or when I'll be heading back to Oz.... Looking forward to more photos!!!

Dear E&G/P&S.....hope you enjoyed the mines in Potosi?! Should imagine that you are well on your way to the Salt Flats now, they are so amazing! Lucky you! 'Twas World Cup Qualifiers last night, seems we managed to qualify despite all the rumours and specualtion in the press to the contary! Scotland didnt make it, sorry Gav, though you did win last night! Actually none of the other home nations made it, which is a tad disappointing. Well apart from that, my play rehearsals are going OK-am standing in for someone who is on holiday, but everyone said I was v good-so thats nice isn't it-hopefully will actually be in the next one! Its all about cricket! And Wallace and Gromit has eventually come out at the cinema, but the studio where it was made has unfortunatly burnt down....so they all melted! Nick has already seen it, i will try and see it at the weekend-Curly Zoe is popping over too! Fun! Well, keep having lots of fun, loads of love Big Sis xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello Emily and Gavin! Hope you are still having a great time. I leave on my trip today, am all packed and slightly nervous, just want to get there now! Some of the uni crowd came up to sunny (but actually rainy!) Doncaster last weekend which was a good laugh, very drunken of course! I have sorted a similar website for my travells called getjealous.com, will send everyone an email with the details. Take care, Ruth xxx