http://www.lindybear.com The Travelog of Linda as she travels around the world Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:12:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the past while, I've had a lot of people tell me they read my last blog and almost started crying?! Was it really that sad? Now I did want to pour my heart and soul into it, just because it was the summing up of my whole experience travelling ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/07/12/im-fine/ Here's the deal, this is a long blog, even by my standards, so if you prefer pictures telling the story then feel free to skip past the text....... I've never kept a diary but huge thanks to Donal from work, lindybear.com was born for that function. I am surprised and delighted ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/05/27/over-and-out/ My flight to the US took me through Panama and a horribly cold overnighter at Miami airport - shiver!! It's a funny thing to say but I think arriving into the states was the biggest culture shock this whole year. It's so uptight and security conscious, I constantly felt guilty or ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/05/21/chicago-town-back-in-the-ville/ Sorry, been bold, haven't blogged in a while, so where was I..... ya had a few days after Tayrona and then left Taganga behind and headed for Cartagena. Cartagena is a real touristy spot, massively advertised all over South America. It is also the spot where you can catch a boat to Panama ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/05/13/cartagena-the-u-turn/ Left Medellin on an overnight bus to Santa Marta. Headed straight for Taganga, which is penned as a little fishing village outside Santa Marta. It is nice place to live as a beach bum for a a week or two (or a month or three for some people!) So I have ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/05/01/beach-bum-bear/ ....hmmmm anyway we trundled up El Penol, this amazing rock which just juts out of the ground. It's likened to Sugarloaf mountain in Rio but I think it's even more dramatic as there are no other mountains, to speak of, for miles and miles!! It's got some great colours going on through ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/04/22/bet-pablo-escobar-didnt-have-to-climb-649-steps/ And so, much to the horror of my loved ones at home, I arrived in Columbia. I met an english lady on the plane who has been living here for a year. She freaked the feckin pants off me, I must admit, but 24 hours later I realised that Columbia ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/04/20/bogota-zona-cafetera/   DO NOT adjust your screen, this was it! After trekking for days, blisters, vomiting, burning lungs, getting up at crowfart and running up those giant steps, this-was-the-view. Are you kidding me? Boo to the fog, mist oh and just for good measure some drizzle :-( Soooooo disappointing, I didn't have to worry about seeing it from ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/04/17/ladies-gentlemen-this-is-machu-picchu/ Had one more day before the trekking started.  We headed to the Sacred Valley to check out some ruins around Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman. Got a great view of Cuzco on the way, you might be able to see they have a Cristo, like in Rio de Janeiro, overlooking the city. Apparently there is one in ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/04/15/linca-lindy/ I sadly left Bolivia and crossed the boarder into Peru........ Headed for Puno, a touristy jump-off town for Lake Titicaca. Had a nice stroll around the local markets before heading to the islands the following day. Took a cutie rickshaw (or equivalent) to the harbour......... then a boat ride and a visit to the Uros Reed ... http://www.lindybear.com/2009/04/12/lake-titicaca-the-islands-the-amazon-jungle/