Hola - buenos mi amigos! Now in Florianopolis after taking 3 flights overnight from Quito. So, finally in Brazil, the last Country I will visit before the UK, (hopefully unless the ash cloud messes with me and sends me home via New York.....). Happy to hear the strike is off and the airports are currently open so hopefully will be home as planned. You will be happy to know that the weather is pretty shocking here, rainy, cold and windy but I'm off kiteboarding...

Hola chicos! In Quito now after the most stupendous, (there, not sure I've used that one before), 12 days on the Galapagos Islands. It was seriously amazing. Spent a small fortunte, it's definately not cheap there but it was so worth it. Where else can you sail around idyllic paradise islands with stunning beaches, snorkel in crystal clear blue waters with turtles, penguins, sea lions, sharks, rays etc, walk on hardened lava flows, crawl and swim through pitch ...

Mancora and Montanita: Nice towns on the beach. Did some kiteboarding. Ate some great seafood. Nothing much happened....... Actually, not strictly true. The last 2 weeks have been mental. This was just for the benefit of family and sensible friends. Mancora is in Northern Peru and is the first time I had been in the sea in South America. Very much a party town on the beach. Not the most amazing of beaches but the sea was warm, the sand was soft and the surf was...