The Jungle
A couple of days in the jungle visiting an American and his work of preserving the nature.
Our six bed bunk house for three days
Dan and Sam, with make up from yesterday, are occupied by a monkey
In the dark dark jungle - Bug climbing tree
Yellow neck turtle
Otavalo
1/5 Thu
The classic market of Otavalo is a - must to go visit. Prices are already low but you have to bargin and negotiate. The attitude against the buyer is much better though, if you compare to southern Europe and western Asia. 
An old happy lady who just earned $10
Busy people...
Electrician climbing concrete pole
EESH - Ecuadorian Electrical Standards in Hostels
Quito - Back again
Back in Quito after a great time at the galapagos islands. Gaby and her friends are having a party at a Hacienda today. If you wanna come, bring a 4x4 drive car since there are cobble stone roads that will take you there. Great fun though and great view over Quito.
View from La Hacienda over Quito
Bernie, Sandra, Tina, Gaby
Sunday - A hangover feeling is not the best when Gabys dad took us to his golf club. After a fantastic lunch at the club we were ready to rock. The lunch wine helped Magnus to get going again.
Caddie #1, Carmen, Gaby, Alberto, Tina, Caddie #2 and #4
Gabys and her "golf schooled" swing - ¡Es Muy Bien!
Galapagos Islands - Tortuga Bay
Wed 23/4 - Thu 24/4
A taxi costs $1 within Puerto Ayora and $15 to cross the Santa Cruz island. The cost of petrol/gas is supported by the goverment wich make these white pickup taxis very cheap. The main town on this island is not very big but has everything you can ask for. This day, the taxi took us to a small house where to sign in for hiking/walking to Tortuga Bay. They wanna make sure that no one is camping or getting lost in the area. It is also a nesting place for turtles, which gives prohibited areas. Sign in - sign out. After a 25 minutes walk on bitwise cobblestone and bricks we finally reached the bay. Doesnt seem to far, but the warm and humid weather makes you quite tired and dried out. 
A Marine Iguana is keeping an eye on Tina
Turtle tracks...
Tina is walking Tortuga beach
On thursday we mostly chilled-out by the pool and watched som Ecua-Volleyball. An exciting game played with three people on each side the net and with a football. All men are gathered after work around four a clock, and plays a challenge tournament where the bets are sometimes as high as one thousand dollars. It is fun to watch all the excited and argumentive players that sometimes almost start fighting. We found Ecua-Volleyballs Maradona himself.
Ecaudors national sport (almost) - Ecua-Volleyball 
Maradona ... or?
Both dried out on a bar having beer and sprite...
Galapagos Islands - Diving
After four days of snorkeling we decided to see marine life for a longer time than you can hold your breath. Galapagos Divecenter offered dives around Floreana Island and Gordon Rocks. We were diving together with an Austrian-Brasilian guy with a water proof case to his camera, therefore great pictures and movies, Thanks...
Tina and Magnus under the surface.....
A school of fishes...
Playful sealions
A hammarhead shark, just wait for our movie.....
A green seaturtle
Galapagos Islands - Cruise
We have now reached The Galapagos Islands by air from Quito - Giuyaquil. The Galapgos have never been connected with the continent. Gradually, over many hundred of thousands of years, animals and plants from over the sea somehow migrated there and as time went by the adapted themselves to Galapagos conditions and came to differ more and more from there continetal ancestors. The islands are formed over a hotspot in the west giving birth to islands were cold and warm currents meets and affects the unique environment.
We arrived to Puerta Ayora from were we will take a four day trip on Aida Maria. A cruise that will take us around the archipelago of Galapagos, inculding Santa Cruz, Rabida, Santiago, Bartholome and North Seymore. The cabin on the boat was quite tiny but we at least had our own shower. Three course lunch and dinner was standard and the food was great. All the food and drinks were served with elegance from our own alltiallo Victor who bye the way makes the best capriña. Everyday a guided tour on the islands were included as well as snorkeling.
Aida Maria outside Rabida Island
Marine Iguanas on Santiago Island
Santiago Island - A Galapagos Penguin thinking about entering the water
Sea Lions taking a nap on Rabida Island
A Giant Tortoise male left behind on the highlands of Santa Cruz Island
North Seymoure - A blue footed boobie male dancing to impress the female, she doesn´t seem to impreessed ...
Bartolome Island - The most photographed view of the Galapagos Islands
A fregatta bird trying to attract a female by ´blowing himself '
Lava lizard trying to get a sun tan
Quito
Wed 15/4
We have finally reached Quito in Ecuador after 19h in flights and airports. KLM tends to stop at there colonies i.e. Bonair, before reaching the final destination. A cab from the airport to a city hotel costs $6 and include native music and open windows. It also includes a slalom coarse ride through the traffics with suddently instantly stops when lights go from green to red. The horn seems to be a part of the music rytmes. The magic bean hotel is nice since a beer cost $2 and a double room $30 per night. Jet lagged and hungry we decide for a quick breakfast before heading off to the Indian Market a couple of blocks further down from the hotel. On the way down Magnus decide to go for a haircut - Todo Corto - at cost of $2. Muy bien. A swiss women from the flight turnes up and joins us on the way down. At the market everything seems really really cheap. But how cheap can it be? We must try. When Magnus negotiated for a sombrero the indian girl looked at me with her brown eyes and point at the swiss girl - Tus madre tiene mucho dolares. Magnus answered back in a low voice, in poor spanish - She is not my mother even if I look very young. Must have been his new todo corto haircut. 
At seven Gaby picks us up to go meet her parents. Whisky, water and tortilla are served. Nice. Gabys father is showing pictures from the Lake District in Argentina, where we might go in early june. Since Tina has been talking about what we are going to eat when we come to Ecuador we went to a sushi place called Noe. Magnus had to admit it - Great sushi. Probably the best one we have eated. An early morning is upon us and we have to get back to the hotel. Gaby is driving - much better than the taxi driver. Tomorrow we are going to the Galapagos IIands...
Welcome to our blog - America del Sur
Mon 14/4
The purpose of this blog is to keep friends and family updated of our well being and our discovers in America del Sur. By request from Christina and her many foreinger friends we are therefore bitwise forced to torture you with our poor english ... please, have patience. 
Flight to Quito from Gothenburg
