Tuesday 30th September

Ooh no more sleeps and I am very excited and once again a little apprehensive about going so far by myself but once I get going I am right, had a reasonable nights sleep but woke a few times thinking of things to pack. Busy day today had to go to travel agent in Burnie and pick up new itinerary, few odd jobs in town, visiting some friends to say goodbye and home for lunch, phone calls, last minute packing and internet jobs. My son Adam is picking me up at 5.30pm to take me to Wynyard airport for departure to Melbourne at 6.30pm where I stay overnight ready to catch 6.30am flight to Sydney in morning and then onto Auckland, Santiago and finally Quito, Eucador where my tour begins. My itinerary from Quito to Lima is as follows:-
Thursday 2nd Oct - Quito free day, orientation walk, pre-departure meeting
Friday 3rd Oct - Quito to Otavalo a beautiful town famous for it's markets
Saturday 4th Oct - Return to Quito
Sunday 5th Oct - Quito to Tena to Misahualli
Monday 6th Oct - Misahualli to Ecuadorian jungle, canoe up Tena River, trek into jungle
Tuesday 7th Oct - Return to Misahualli
Wednesday 8th Oct - Misahualli to Banos, 9 hour bus journey
Thursday 9th Oct - Banos, free day to enjoy extreme adventures
Friday 10th Oct - Banos to Cuenca, 8 hour bus journey
Saturday 11th Oct - Cuenca, free day, option to visit panama hat factory
Sunday 12th Oct - Cuenca, free day
Monday 13th Oct - Cuenca to Mancora, goodbye to Ecuador hello Peru, 9 hour bus journey
Tuesday 14th Oct - Mancora Beach, free day
Wednesday 15th Oct - Mancora to Huanchaco, 7 hour bus journey,
Thursday 16th Oct - Huanchaco, free day
Friday 17th Oct - Huanchaco to Lima, 9 hour bus journey
Saturday 18th Oct - Tour ends for me and I fly to Cusco to begin my volunteering project

Monday 29th September

Picked up my malaria medication (Doxycycline tablets) today ($21.70) enough for 7 weeks will get other prescription filled on return as doctor has advised to continue taking it for 2 weeks after return. Travel agent rang with flight changes, I was to be arriving in Ecuador 8.55pm on 1st Oct but I now arrive 7.25am on the 2nd Oct so agent has had to cancel my nights accommodation in Quito and I will be sleeping at Santiago airport awaiting connecting flight. I start my tour next day so will check in asap and try to get some sleep and then hopefully go exploring before pre-departure meeting and pre-dinner drinks at Cayman Hostel.

Friday 26th September

I had my last visit to the Devonport Travel Clinic today for my final dose of traveller's diarrhoea and my second rabies shot. Because my local GP thought I wouldn't need to have rabies immunisation I am now out of time to have my third shot and will have to have it when I get to Ecuador (medical centre at airport). All up for doctor's visits and injections it has cost me $690. Fortunately I haven't had reactions to anything and the worst was yellow fever only because my arm was quite sore and a bit swollen but still not a problem.

Friday 19th September

I have been to Devonport Travel Clinic today to have my yellow fever and my third and final Hep B immunisation, whilst there the doctor advised me to also have flu, rabies and travellers diarrhoea (a quite pleasant liquid that I had to drink). I thought I would only be having the two as my local GP advised that I wouldn't need rabies, flu or diarrhoea wish I had gone to the travel clinic initially as they were very helpful and thorough. I now have to go back in a weeks time for another rabies shot and more diarrhoea medication.

wendy's adventures in south america

Sunday 14th Sept.
I will be leaving home for South America on Tues 30th Sept flying into Quito, Ecuador where I will be doing a 16 day Tucan adventure tour finishing in Lima on 18th Oct where I will then fly to Cusco, Peru to take part in a volunteer placement with Global Volunteer Network's partner organisation Maximo Nivel assisting on the childcare programme. I have been very busy organising everything ready to go, immunisations of which there are two still to have my last hep B and yellow fever, lots of paperwork and internet research, bills to pay in advance etc.