Farewell, Goodbye, Adios, Ciao

Thought I'd sign off with a best of...

Easiest Spanish to understand: Ecuador.

Favouraite Food: Lomo Saltado, Peru/ Plantain Chips, Everywhere/ Toasted Maize, Peru/ Baleadas, Honduras/ Gallo Pinto, (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) Nicaragua.

Worst food overall: Cuba.
Strangest Meal: Chugchucara, Ecuador or Potatoes with potatoes and some potatoes on the island of Amantani, Peru.

Best drink: Margaritas, Mexico.

Funkiest Fruit: Apple Banana (tastes of apple), Bolivia/Tree Tomato (tastes like orange), Colombia/Pepino Melon (peach that tastes of melon), Peru.

Best waterfal: Fumaco, Brazil.

Highest point: 6088m Hyuana Potosi, Bolivia.

Higgest bed: 5350m

Best Salsa: Cuba.

Best beach: Trancoso, Brasil/Tayrona, Colombia/San Blas, Panama/Trinidad, Cuba/Tulum, Mexico.
Wildest tour: Pantanal, Brasil also takes the award for the most mosquitos.

Coldest Swim: Lake Titicaca.
Hotest Swim: San Blas Islands, Panama (excluding thermal springs).
Best Snorkling: Roatan, Honduras.
Most Dangerous Activity: Bridge Jumping, Ecuador.

Best excursion: Galapagos, swimming with sea lions.

Funniest Activity: Golf cart rental on Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
Worst Injury: Brusied knee playing cricket in Antigua/Brusied rib due to handle bar in chest from singletrack riding in Bolivia.
Best Trek: Lost City, Colombia.
Best Solo Trek: Santa Cruz, Peru.
Days worked: 2, running Chaska Wasi hostel in Peru, hope you are well Katy!
Where would I live: Brasil or Mexico.

Favourite accommodation: Montanita, Ecuador.

Worst accommodation: Latacunga, Ecuador, thats what you get for $2 for both of you.

Scariest situation: Jungle cliff road on bus from Coroico to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia.

Best border crossing: Puerto Rico and Dublin.

Worst border crossing: Leaving Costa Rica, 1.5hr passport scramble.

Least up his own arse gringo met: Simon

Money Spent: Lots.

Lovely people met: Lots and lots.

Number of Flights: 16, Oops.

Blog Stats
Number of hits on Blog (bearing in mind it is not publically listed): 1580 (the biggest peak was the Galapagos!)

No. of countries reading the Blog: 44
World Cities Map:

Top 25 European Cities:

And here's some big brother action, what browser and operating system are you using:

Thanks again for your support along the way. Hope to see you soon if I haven't already, you are all welcome to stay at ours anytime.

That's all folks...
Tareq x

Chicago (USA) to Colden Common (UK)

Whilst Chicago is undoubtedly a cool city we were really here just to visit our friends Phil (ippa) and Jay, who have just moved here from blighty, and we were welcomed to the city with

-10°C and a pizza pie (over 2inches of toppings and cheese).

Following brunch at Lou Mitchells we headed to the top of the Sears Tower for amazing views across the city. The drinking started at three, followed by a Thai meal and ending up at the blues bar Kingston Mines to watch Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang.

Happy 30th Birthday Hannah!

A full recovery day later and we were treated to meat Gibsons Steakhouse style, a stunning porterhouse steak, followed by pecan pie (and it being America, 1 portion feeds 4).
Finishing with cocktails atop the John Hancock Centre.

Sale shopping and various sightseeing activities were also enjoyed, including a look at the winter sky and Phil's hot bits at the planetarium.

Then we were off for the last leg of our travels, 7 hours in a barely reclining seat to Dublin, 1 hr with Ronan Keating to London Heathrow, finished off with a coach and a bus.

Cancun (Mexico) to Chicago (USA)

My mum (Isabel) and Jules were thankful for their first day being a chilled one on the beach at Cancun, and were as blown away by the colour of the sea there as we were. And the following day we whisked them away 4 hours inland to Merida, spending the afternoon drinking in the rooftop hot tub .

Merida was a wonderful colonial town all centred around a wonderful plaza, where in the evening we got to enjoy folk music and dancing. The next day we headed out to the Uxmal ruins, pronounced Oosh-mahl.

Then we headed for Chichen Itza which whilst impressive it is highly tourist saturated. By staying in the one horse town of Piste we were able to return for the evening light and sound show.

The town may have been backwards by the motel had a pool, Mexico really is quite civilised.

And back on the road to the paradise that is Tulum. Spending three very laid back days on the beach supping margaritas.

An hour up the road and we were at the laid back version of Cancun, Playa del Carmen.

Followed by an island hop to Isla Mujeres, enjoying yet even more beautiful beaches, snorkelling and a hilarious day spent bombing about on a petrol golf cart...and even more margaritas.

And back to the dreamy waters of Cancun with Jules very generously splashing out on a night in all inclusive hotel for us all, so we could enjoy the last night in Mexico and Central America in style.

So it's bye bye pikey travelers and welcome back to the real world, well kind of, Chicago here we come.

Thanks again for coming Mum and Jules, we had a brilliant time, and we know you did, T&Hx