A Ginger Abroad

It’s been about five years since I originally planned to head to Canada, and after a few short days staying in Toronto, the wait was worth it. Leaving the tropical climate of Singapore it took nearly a day and a half of transiting which included a three hour layover in London. Unusually for some, I enjoyed my layover at terminal 5. It was great to see all home food comforts on sale (and of course Galaxy chocolate!). Leaving London I eventually arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Named Pearson after Lester B. Pearson, Canada’s former prime minister (and Nobel peace prize winner - thanks to his work in helping resolve the Suez Crisis). Passing through immigration and collecting my luggage was a breeze and there were ample Taxi’s around to take me to my hostel. It’s worth noting that Canada, like many countries these days, operates an eTA immigration process, where you need to pre-apply online for your visa for a small fee. More details about this process can be found h

Dörte, Sarah, and I spent the previous night at a nice restaurant in Quito and it certainly felt like, when waking up at 4am, that I had not slept at all.  We were lucky however, a couple of members of our group landed at 2am, only to pass themselves leaving as they arrived at the hotel. Our flight departed Quito’s shiny new airport at around 6am and headed to Guayaquil for a quick stopover to pick up a few more passengers before flying across the sea to the mystical islands of Galapagos. The Galapagos Islands were discovered on March 10th 1535 by the 4th Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomás de Berlanga.  He, like most explorers, arrived by accident.  Aiming to sail to Peru to resolve a dispute on how the territories of Inca Empire should be divided up, his ship stalled in the sea and the currents took him to the magical islands. But like many claims of discovery, there are disputes to this.  It is believed that Topa Inca Yupanqui, the 10th Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire visited t

A UNESCO report I read that awarded the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu describes this place as 'among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere'. And delving into the history of the mysterious Incas you can understand why. The area is the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization though it is unclear why the people built this beautiful place on top of an eroded granite mountain. Theories are abound and include a temple or retreat for the King of the Incas, to a site that interacts with the sun, stars and the landscape.  The latter in fact is the most recent theory, and it is based on an event in the summer solstice where a beam of light from the sun shines through a window on to a specificly laid and carved granite rock. Standing at 2,430m above sea level, the construction is believed to have been undertaken between two Inca periods; Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93). What is clear from the con

The amazing trip through the Amazon rainforest was one exciting adventure after another. Whilst the wildlife doesn't jump out at you or is presented to you like you get at a zoo, it's the adventure in searching from them through the bushes, trees, and in the water. I want to just summarise some of the things I saw. Monkeys On two occasions we witnessed families of monkeys jumping about from tree to tree and having some fun.  The monkeys of course aren't the size of the gorillas, these are much smaller - about the size of a cat, and are apparently the loudest monkeys on the planet - howler monkeys. Unlike some I certainly did not have the Attenborough skill; some can spot these animals from so far away. Where as I, usually the one with the camera, struggled to spot them and have the time to take a picture. Birds The bird below actually has a frog in its mouth. Yummy. The rainforest is awash with the most magnificent birds. Observing

I suited up in trousers, boots and a long sleeved shirt; drowned myself in deet and headed off with my torch into the rainforest at night time. The rainforest is a different world at night. It's when most of the insects and small creatures come out to hunt. For us, we saw a few interesting sights, and much to my fears we saw a lot of spiders - some were very big. Though the awe of these creatures outweighed my fears. Their intricate webs and lightning fast reflexes make them a fascinating watch. That night they were the ones at the top of the food chain. Turning our torches off, we just stood there for a few minutes. Listening to the rainforest talk. The constant noises of crickets, some birds, and the breaking of branches by monkeys as the move from tree to tree, created excitement and fear. For me any moment a giant 30cm spider could be webbing its way down to my face. It was magnificent though, and genuinely i felt vary safe. The creatures are more in fea