So I finished my last blog with my bank cards not working and my $20 and 5 euros being stolen from my bag. Not a great final memory of Peru, and hopefully it won`t be the one that sticks in my mind when I think of the country.

Made it over the border with no other dramas, and the first thing I try is to get money out of the card. This works fine, and I was thinking that my worries were over. This turned out not to be the case.

$4 haggled taxi to Dreamkapture hostel, where we were told there was no room from the receptionist, but turns out we just caught him at the end of his shift and he couldn`t be bothered with the extra work. He eventually let us in, and lone be hold there was space for us.

Because of the night bus the girls hadn`t slept well, and as they caught up on their 40 winks I headed to the local internet café to have my world fall apart around me. As I had previously mentioned I thought my cards problems had been left in Peru. No, they had only been fixed because my lovely boyfriend put 500 euros in my account. Turns out that the credit card that I had got "for emergencies" cost me 2000 euros that I can´t touch or use in any way and that I don´t get back until 2013 for the first enstallment and then 2016 for the second. Thus leaving me with nothing, zilch, nada de nada.

Quick talk with my mum, and things were looking a bit better as she could send me my british money western union, thank god for that. I was however sitting in the café in tears, stressed to hell, that the whole years worth of savings had just been lost, that my dream of going to Galapagos had just gone out the window. I swear the stress spot that appeared on my chin was instantaneous.

By the time I returned to the hostel the girls were up and I was passing my woes on to them. We then, although I was still not sure how I was going to fund it, we went to the travel agency for Galapagos that was attached to the hostel. We decided on the Merac sail boat that is leaving on the 3rd of Aug and is going to the north islands of the Galapagos.

Thankful more than words can describe to Javi and my family that are now helping fund this adventure until I make it home and start earning money again.

So with most of the day wasted on going back and forth to the western union and the internet café we decided we should do something at night. So another $4 haggled taxi we went to the Malacón 2000 which is the promenade along the river. This is nice, busy and well light at night but I prefered it during the day, which we did the following day.

We headed into town again on the second day, after paying for the flights and putting a deposit down on the galapagos. First stop was the 9th of october street and the park that is in the middle. Was ok, but nothing special. Then we headed to another park, park Bolivar. This is home of many iguanas, and you can see them eating and just chilling really. There is a nice church next to that but we weren`t able to enter.

Walking back up the Malacón 2000 to Las Peñas which is a multi coloured part of town, with the house painted blues and pinks. 444 steps up to the top and to see the lighthouse and the rather pathetic church that is situated at the very top. Advice - don´t do this at 3 in the afternoon like us, it is hot and you will be sweating like god knows what by the time you reach the top. This however was rewarded with a jug of beer in one of the many bars near the top. Las Peñas was probably my favourite part of the city, with 360 views, worth the effort.

Bus back to the hostel (much cheaper than the taxi, at only 25 cents a shot) and we headed to the supermarket to buy dinner and save some money. This didn`t really work out, since eating out is very cheap in Ecuador, the tuna sandwich that I made worked out ever so slightly cheaper than buying a burger from the fast food outlet that was at the end of the road, but healthier.

Bus to Quito, 8 hours for $10 and nothing exciting occured on that one. Here now and will update once I´`ve done stuff. Until then.