How Ya Goin Mate?!

Well well its about time we updated the blog. We're currently in Wellington, New Zealand, but I'll backtrack from where we left you in Paraguay (if I can remember)! (hi its ruth i decided that i wanted to add some stuff to this blog, cazz isnt here so most of it wont make sence, and anyway cazz makes half this stuff up, we havent even gone travaling, were just hiding.) (im going to get toled of for this, cazz can get a little grumpy).

Well, we left Gwen and Mag's on a 6 hr bus ride to Resistencia over the Paraguian/Argentinian border. We had 30 minutes to spare in Resistencia to get our bus to Salta. All was going well until a tyre on the bus exploded, meaning we missed our bus, aargh. We both could have cried. (ruth agen what cazz has mised out is are rawe cos i was scared of the exploding bus and wanted to sit nex to her but she wanted alone time, it was all a bit emoshinal , were ok now ) Sat at Resistencia bus station, not able to get a bus to Salta, no one spoke English, getting later and later. Ah, so we decided that instead of sleeping rough at the bus station we'd get an overnight bus to Tucuman then straigh up to Salta. To cut a long story short, we got to salt a day and a half later, tired and dirty. The overnight bus journey was comfy but freezing. Some pervy blonde Brazilian lad gave me his jacket to sleep it, but when Ruth woke the next morning he was taking pictures of us asleep, wierd! (ruth agen hi the photos are on youtube some where).

So.....Salta was lovely, absolutely roasting, but lovely! We had a few chilled out days, spent our evenings in resteraunts dotted around the square. We booked to go on a 15hr trip on the Saturday, so had an early night on the Friday. Only to be kept awake by death metal music from reception. After complaining we popped back into bed only to be kept awake by a rustling sound.

Ruth: Cazz is that you?
Cazz: No, I thought it was you?

Enter my torch, shining onto the floor something massive runs across the room. It was a huge cockroach. The English girls were not impressed! We got the receptionist to kill it, but only after he had declared Salta is too hot for cockroaches and we must e lying. Hmm.( i said something really fun, i toled him to tell the cockroch that)

So, our 15hr day trip took us up the tracks of a disused train track known as "Train to the Clouds". We stopped at A small museum on the way up where they had a mummy that waas 600 hundred yrs old. It was found 30 yrs ago hanging from a tree with a dead baby tied round its waist, how horrible. (ruth - and no one wanted it so he had to take the mummyon the bus but it wouldnt go in the baggag holed so he had to buy a seat for it and its still not got a permanet home because it cant be burried cos the church wanted to know how he died and the scienc peopel already had some better muumys so this small museam up a mountin miles away from where it came from has taken it. i listed to the guied cazz was distracted buy some oled stone istrement). Our trip took us up to the Altiplano for lunch. The Altiplano is very hight up and flat from ancient flooding. The temperature in the day is so hot, but at night well below freezing. All the locals had interesting very brown red faces. We continued after lunch through the desert, passing llamas and alpacas (not sure how to spell that), finally reaching the salt flats. We then made our way through canyons down into the town of Santa Rosa that looked like a wild western film set. We were at really high altitudes most of the day, and both had headaches. Was a good day, but spent a LOT of time on the minibus.

On our penultimate day in Salta we went to the mall. After browsing the shops (and buying a top each) we were ready to get a taxi home, when we saw the road was severly flooded from a storm. Sadly we had to go to the cinema. Twice. And get a McDonalds. It was a fantastic day! (the road looked like a river and it was flowing really fast with brown mud water it was really strange. five houres or so later when we left all the water had gone. the filme we went to see wher Next with Nicolas cage which was rubish with a capital C, i rember when he was a good acter and you actualy went to see a fillm because he was in it, now ild rather pay not to see him act, so i really do not recomend this film, unless you are traped in a mall in salta and its the only one on at the time. the other film was called invisabul, it was ok, nothing to wright home about thought.)

After spending 5 days in Salta (we also went to a couple of museums where we saw another INCA mummy of a 15 yr old girl, that had been sacrificied as part of a ritual. She had been left on a freezing mounatin, and was perfectly preserved, was quite eerie and sad). We got another overnight bus to Mendoza, and then another bus straight to Santiago. The coach ride took us through the Andes, it was stunning. At the Chillean border we had to get out to have our bags security checked. At this point we were high in the Andes and it was snowing. Unprepared for this, especially Ruth who had flip flops and a vest top on, we were freezing! A local took pity on Ruth and lent her her baby's blanket! ( can look quiet perfetic when i want. i think thay should tell you when you get on the bus how coled its going to be).i

We had 5 relaxed days in Santiago. Chile isn't a third world country, meaning while it was more civilised, it was alos a lot more expensive. We stayed in this really cool funky hostel in Bellavista. All the buildings in the area were brightly painted giving it a Cuban feel.

On the Friday night a group of us went out for tea, then Ruth had an early on cos she was feeling a bit ill. Myself and Sarah (Yprkshire lass) went for a few drinks in the plaza round the corner and got chatting to some locals. We ended up spending the rest of the night with them and went back to one of their houses for a party, was very cool. Everyone was very friendly (and they seemed to love my dancing to Jamoroquai)! I got in at 8am, so had an easy day Saturday. (yeh and i spent the night wondering where the hell she was and how long i should leave it till i start calling the hosbital, dirty stop out).

We went up the Funicular at San Christobal to see the statue of the Virgin Mary. There was an open air Chruch up there playing Ave Maria. I had a moment! We also called at the zoo on the way up. Our hostel was right by the mountain zoo and sitting on the balcony we could hear lions roaring etc. Heck, we were just hoping it was secure!

We spent our last 2 evening with Fran and Hannah, our girls from Brighton. Its really annoying, throughout our travels we meet people we really click with, and they can feel like your best friend for the time you spend together, then you have to go.

Our flight from Santiago to Auckland was at 11PM on Monday. We had mixed feeling about leaving South America. And then our flight was delayed by 4 hours. And then we saw The Killers (American rock kinda band). They were on our flight. We were a little excited even though we're not so keen on their music! Anyway, we had a beer with them with was cool and I have a stalker picture of Brandon Flowers (the singer) to send in to Heat Magazines spotted section! Hehe (ok the truth, cazz coudnt tell if it was him or not and then the music vidio came on and it was him so she tryed to get his photo but pretending to take my photo. we had met some other english people and the girl and cazz really wanted to go talk to band but could quite work out which ones thay where, so thay got really drunk and the killers left. We did talk to them a little bit well thay were talking to the peopel that we were talking to it was all very excitting and we hung out with the onterage who were abit to cool for school.)

So....We finally made it to New Zealand! We got here at 9AM Wednesday morning. It was raining. Haha. Auckland is quite a small city, but pleasant. We took in a few galleries and shops. We also met up with Katie and Matt our travelling buddies and spent 3 nights with them catching up, which was ace.

Being in New Zealand its time to get some extreme sports in. To start with Me, Matt and Katie went on a bunggee ball. Sadly there were 3 seats so Ruth did the honourable thing and stood aside, haha! I didn't want to go on it either but got roped into it, was very funny! (i have never seen someone more scared in my life she was shaking all over it was almost to painfall to watch, i was ok thought.) We spent Friday night in a comedy club, where a debate with the comedians arose about Scottish/English hatred to each other (Katie and Matt are Scots).

I think I'm babbling. Sorry. I haven't spoken to anyone yet today and I think I'm lonely.

Anyway, On Saturday me and Ruthie went to Rotorua. On the way we stopped at Waitomo caves, where we went caving, kitted out in wet suits, wellie, helmets and rubber rings! We were underground for about 3 hours, a lot of in the pitch black. We saw thousands of glow worms which were fantastic, we had to lean backwards with our rubber rings on our bums and fall down a little waterfall which was horrible! And the water was freezing! Phew! Ruth had to lead the group at one point in the black dark, haha, was very funny, she was very brave! (that not what you said at the time).

Arriving in Rotorua was a stinky job. The town is full of bubbling marshes that stink of sulphur. Looking across the town there are lots of patches of smoke rising where the sulphur is escaping, eugh it stank! I don't know if anyone has seen the film Volcano, but its similar to the beginning of that! Saturday evening took Ruth off to a Maori mock-up village, where she watched them dance in authentic costumes and ate thier traditinaly meal (which was very like Sunday dinner (which was suday dinner)). I opted for a quiet night and had a picnic in the park (on my own)!

On Sunday we made our way to Taupo, calling in to see a geyser go off in the morning, and swimming in a natural hot pool. This whole area is full of geothermal activity (in Taupo we were both woken by a minor earthquake early in the morning (ok it woke us up but we didnt think it was an earthquake we decided it was the washinmasheen in another room and when back to bed.), and the water is roasting because of active volcanoes letting out steam and heating the water. Twas heaven!

So, this brings us to Sunday afternoon and the scariest moment of my life when I decided to do a skydive. Me and Catrin, our Welsh friend decided to do it. We jumped from 15,000ft which is the highest legal skydive (it was a tandom and my instructor, Caine, was quite hot)! ANyway, going up in this tiny cessna plane was just terrifying. We jumped aboved Lake Taupo and Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. From 15,000ft we could see the west and east coast of New Zealand. Anyway, I have the most amusing DVD of the jump and the look on my face when I'm sat at the edge of the plane is priceless! We fell for 66 seconds at 170mph before the parachute opened. I didn't know what the hell was going on at first and found it so hard to breathe! When the parachute opened that was a lot more pleasant. I'm so glad I did it, I wanted a challenge, but not sure I'd do it again! (i got some good photos of mount doom)

On Monday we went on a yacht on Lake Taupo to see the Maori carvings in some cliffs, impressive, but not so much when we were told they were only 26 yrs old!

Yesterday we came down to Wellington. Its been rainy and windy since we got here with an impressive lightning storm going on last night. Today Ruthy had gone on a hobbit tour in the shire (Lord Of The Rings Tour). And this evening we're meeting Alex (one of my best buds) sister and her boyfriend for a meal. They've been living here for a few months now.

I think this has been really boring, but I just wanted to get it done and I'm feeling quite uninspired. May go and make some friend now! I know Ruth is probably trotting round the mountains with plastic hobbit ears on, aah the image does make me smile!

Oh and we still keep trying to speak Spanish to people! Ooh, and we're going to the South Island in 2 days, we changed our flights so we fly out of Christchurch to Melbourne on the 30th of Nov (so we can visit the Neighbours set and try and pull Toadie)!!hehe

So....please write with your gossip. Sadly if you've not posted our Crimbo pressies you've missed the last post. Tut tut!

Next blog will be more interesting I promise!

With lots of love and hugs,

Carolyn and Ruth xx