Time to Dance Samba in Encarnación

Encarnación. Where’s that? What, there’s a carnival there? Isn’t that in Brazil? Many people have heard about, and some have even been, to the infamous ‘carnavales’, or carnivals all over Brazil. I mean, who hasn’t heard of the revelling that goes on in Rio de Janeiro? Just the word conjures up bronzed bodies, minimal clothing, glittery bits barely covering up what needs to be covered up, loud music and lots of raucous partying. Oh, and probably the consumption of way too much alcohol. But I will let you in on a secret … Brazil’s not the only place that holds the yearly Carnival celebrations. We had the opportunity to see Carnival … Paraguayan style. Oh yes, this ubiquitous South American country, which few know about and fewer have been to, holds a pretty impressive show. Just ask us. We went!…

8 amazing days on one of the remotest places on earth!

First up and off the bat, I will refer to Easter Island as Rapa Nui. It is both the original and indigenous name of the island as well as the name preferred and used by the locals. It also honours the original owners of the land.

Where is it?

Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, has a surface area of only 163.6 square kilometres (63.2 square miles) and is part of Polynesia. It was christened by the Dutch who arrived here in 1722 and was annexed by Chile in the late 19th century. More than 3700 kilometres from Santiago on continental Chile and some 4200 kilometres from Tahiti it is one of the remotest inhabited islands on earth.  Along with New Zealand, and Hawaii this island forms part of the triangle in which lie the Polynesian Islands. The first people came to Rapa Nui around 300–400AD.

Ahu Tongariki

A snippet of the countries travelled between 2014 and 2016

Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, USA, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Nepal, Georgia, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey, Cyprus, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Canada, Hawaii.

Fast Forward in 2017. We travelled around Australia, Chile, Argentina and currently in Paraguay… New travel blogs are coming soon on 2018! Stay tuned and Subscribe to veryitchyfeet.com – A LifeTime of Travel Detours; to receive travel updates on your email.

The majestic peak of Chimborazo.

Whilst staying in Guaranda we decided to do a day trip to Mount Chimborazo, only some 50 kilometres away. Whilst it had been thought to be extinct, new studies show that it is actually active, having erupted at least seven times during the last 10 000 years; nothing on record however. The mountain was once considered the highest on the planet but was dethroned by the Himalayan and Peruvian peaks. According to the Earth’s geometry, however, the summit of Chimborazo is considered to be the farthest from the Earth’s centre.  This huge mountain is the highest point in Ecuador and has the highest peak near the equator at 6268 metres.

Wondering at the gateway to the Amazon

Soon enough we were off to Baños de Agua Santa, or Baños, as it’s more commonly known. The area around the small town has to be the jewel in Ecuador’s jewel-encrusted crown! This tourist-happy town is the gateway to the Amazon. The town itself isn’t a bomb of excitement, and in peak season it can feel garish and overcrowded with backpackers and tour operators trying to lure you into the den of mountain-biking, rafting, hiking, bungee jumping and partying. Having said that, nobody leaves without some great stories and a big whopping smile across their face! Luckily for us, it was low season, and we were able to hang out and do our thing. You can sometimes see the nearby Volcan Tungurahua erupting.  Saw it erupting in 1999, no such luck this time!

We’d been to or through Macas a couple of times over the years, and this time we would pass through on our way to a  remote part of Ecuador’s Amazon basin, to see Alex’s Uncle Jorge. It’s also known as the “Emerald of the East”, due to its location just east of the Andes mountains.  Few tourists actually make it to the town with so few tourist trappings, but it’s raw, it’s real and it’s worth a look-see. We ate some decent food and went on some lovely walks with Jorje, from where we could see the perfect snow-covered cone of Volcan Sangay (5230 metres).  It’s Ecuador’s seventh’ highest mountain and one of the world’s most active.  It can be glimpsed on a clear day … We saw it in all of its glory.  Lady Luck was on our side!