Hola from Ecuador! We have been here almost a week already and are starting to settle in to a new language and way of life. Using Quito as a base, we have visited (and survived!) the Amazon Rainforest. We spent 3 nights at La Selva Lodge, quite close to the Napo River, a tributary to the Amazon. We had a great journey to get there - a motorised canoe ride down the Rio Napo, a walk through rainforest and finally, a paddle canoe across the lake that La Selva is s...

After many weeks in wild and wonderful places, we were back to civilisation in the form of the cities of Dunedin and Christchurch. These places, more than any so far have felt a lot like home - lots of old-looking churches, university buildings and guesthouses. Both felt quite crowded with their populations of 200, 000 and 400, 000 respectively - how did we ever cope in Tokyo? Too many people and not enough penguins. Dunedin is a good place for exploring the Ot...

Anyone getting tired from all the adventure sports New Zealand has to offer and is craving a few days just doing nothing by a beach... come here! Few New Zealanders, and fewer tourists, seem to have heard of the Catlins, right down on the South Coast of South Island. In our 3 nights here at Catlins Beach House in Porpoise Bay (www.catlinsbeachhouse.co.nz), we had a double room with a sea view - and what views! We could see the sea, with the world's smallest and ...

What an amazing place! We've had a fantastic two days and don't want to leave. Getting the ferry over from Bluff and arriving in Halfmoon Bay, it's hard to get a feel for how big the place actually is and just how much wilderness lies out there to be discovered. We arranged an overnight Kiwi spotting trip with Furhana who runs Ruggedy Range Wilderness Experience (www.ruggedyrange.com) and every minute was an adventure. We started with a relaxing boat ride across...

After a pleasant drive from Queenstown, we arrived in Te Anau, our base to explore the Milford and Doubtful Sounds. Seemingly unable to pass a pie shop without entering, we discovered 'Miles Better Pies' - and found the best pie of our travels so far! Would highly recommend stopping by if you get a chance! We go up at 5.30am to drive to Milford Sound and get on a 9 o clock boat ride. The scenery, despite most of the peaks being shrouded in cloud and mist, was st...