Iris is a British lady of considerable character and pluck, on a 23 week overland expedition from Quito in Ecuador to Caracas in Venezuela. After this, she plans to do a 3-month voluntary placement in Ecuador, and then visit Central America for another overland trip between Panama City and Mexico City, ending up with perhaps another 2-month voluntary placement somewhere in South America again. This amazing journey will take Iris one year. Here is an extract from Iris’ journey notebook.

30^th November: The Journey to Cuenca

I sent my last emails from Baños, was there 3 days and it was a lovely little town but, as I say, that volcano was brooding over it, which made things a little scary! One of our number said he had read there are evacuation arrows in the streets showing the population the way to run should there be an eruption but he couldn't find them which rather concerned him! But we evacuated from Baños without any trouble, but my, what a journey we had to Cuenca – right through the Andes at a minimum of 2,000 metres, sometimes going up to well over 3,000 metres. Everywhere – mountains that seemed to be almost piled one on top of the other, with the occasional narrow valley plummeting down to the depths with hamlets nestled in them. Scary at times as the road was just cut out of the mountainsides and there were some really incredible hair pin bends – looking over the side I was thankful we were going so slowly with no danger of going over the edge because we would have all been killed if we had crashed over the side – probably drops of at least 300 – 1,000m in places with nothing but rock to fall on!

We saw lots of local people – mostly shepherds in the traditional Andean garb of trilby hat, colourful (often red) shawls and brightly coloured skirts, minding their sheep, goats, donkeys, pigs, cattle or llamas. Unfortunately, the cloud was low and obscured what must have been some very fine views but every so often the scene (rather than the sky) would clear and we would see some awesome sights – steaming volcanoes, two or three of them in a line; sheer precipices and steep mountains with their tops obscured in cloud.

We left Baños at 0745 (yours truly being the last on the bus, not because I got up late, I was up at 0500 exercising and showering but the restaurant which was supposed to open at 0600 was later opening and then the girl who waited on table had to run off to the baker's to get bread. But by the time we were all breakfasted (and some rolled in in the early hours of the morning so had no breakfast as they were suffering from hangovers) and I had collected my belongings and finished my ablutions (the obligatory cleaning of teeth), I turned out to be the last on the bus!

We then made our way slowly out of Baños to Cuenca some 366 kms to the south but the terrain, coupled with the weight in our bus – full water tanks as well as petrol tanks, and with two drivers and 22 people aboard with all their luggage – we made slow progress up hills and all sorts of vehicles were continuously overtaking us. We were ok on the straights and downhills but on the downhill had to go slowly again because of the weight being hurled down steep inclines and having to negotiate some hair-raising bends.

We stopped for lunch on the roadside – our leaders/drivers (Heather and Martin) had bought local produce at the market in Baños and so we helped prepare a lunch of salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, avocado pear, onions) and rolls, butter, ham and cheese for us all. We go through an elaborate process of disinfecting our hands, using a spray disinfectant after using the toilet and then washing our hands again in disinfectant water and rinsing them again in disinfectant water and shaking them rather than wiping them dry. All table surfaces and pots and pans are sterilised and then work begins at cutting up and buttering and putting things on plates and in bowls on long trestle tables and canvas stools are put out for us all to sit on. Meanwhile, the local dogs congregate, sniffing out the food and looking longingly at us, as are the local shepherd population.

In the site where we were there were a couple of shepherds (women) with their children, and their donkeys and pigs. The children were wide-eyed but rather suspicious urchins (suspicious of us) and refused all requests to have their photos taken, but hanging around watching these strange tourists in their shorts and long trousers preparing food they could only dream about. We didn't encourage the dogs with any scraps and we certainly did not stroke any of them (dirty little mutts), but they all seemed innocent enough and quiet if not friendly, but after we had all finished eating, the food over was handed out to the shepherds and their children in the form of ham and cheese and salad rolls, and bags of lettuce and tomatoes, and for the pigs, all the swill resulting from the lettuce and other vegetables used in the salad. So everyone benefited, even the local hospice (just a dirty brick building with a small shop and rather disgusting loos but at least we were able to use them and rinse our hands under the tap, hence the strict regime of disinfecting our hands every time we used the loos when we stopped.

At one stage, we experienced the necessity of relieving ourselves without the aid of modern conveniences. The men went one way in a small wooded area and the women went the other. It is at times like these one wishes one was a man and could just open our flies without having to strip ourselves half naked and crouch in the undergrowth. Of course, yours truly had to choose a place with some rather long stems of grass, which tickled my posterior regions as I crouched so I made a rather ungainly spectacle of myself jumping around every time something touched me in a rather intimate place! Then the ceremony of the trowel – burying the tissue we used in the ground so that we didn't pollute the local area of scenic beauty! I am sure this is going to be the first of many occasions when we will need to wander off, trowel in hand, to seek out similar places for similar purposes.

If you’d like to contact Iris, whether to wish her luck with her trip or to ask questions about her itinerary and places visited, I am sure she would like to hear from you. She can be contacted on: irisej2002@yahoo.co.uk

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February is a slow month in the Costa Del Sol. This is why you can get some of the best deals during that month. The temperature goes from 16-10 degrees Celsius. So you can still be in shorts.

I recently just got back from Costa Del Sol. I took advantage of the airline price war that is going on right now. Arriving at the airport I noticed that the traffic was not as heavy as it was during the summer but still a fair number of the people getting off those planes were from the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. First things I noticed was that I needed sunglasses and needed to take off my heavy winter jacket. I just arrived from a Northern European country where that morning it was -6 Celsius. It was also icy and snowing conditions.

I was smiling as I thought of my colleagues back home at work. I was thinking that some of them do deserve their day in the sun. Some of my colleagues had become as cranky as the northern weather in the northern part of Europe and the sun would bring back their smiles. Productivity would greatly improve.

The second thing I noticed is the smile on the Spanish people's face. They seem that they were enjoying themselves. I thought what enjoyment have I had before coming to Spain? In my Northern country I was stuck everyday in traffic, I was driving 20 kilometres an hour on the highway due to snow and icy conditions, I had 3 layers of clothes on because of freezing temperatures. Coming to Spain I was no longer stuck in traffic, there were no icy conditions to peril my well being, and I was taking off my 3 layers of clothes in February!!! Therefore, I too had a smile on my face.

Once in Costa Del Sol, you will be tempted to stop on the highway to view the ocean. My suggestion is to drive west towards Marbella. Take the coastal highway N-340 so that you can get the ocean view throughout your journey. Stop somewhere where you can view the great ocean- like the top of the Sitio de Calahonda. Calahonda is 36 Kilometres west of Malaga and on the N-340. Once at the top there are bars and restaurants where you can sit outside and see the breathtaking views. You will soon forget your problems at work, your icy conditions, and your 3 layers of clothes that you left back home.

About the Author: Fred Desrosiers lives in the coldness of the Swiss Alps. He has been to the Costa Del Sol several times. He loves it so much that he returns time and time again. He can help you if you’d like to visit the Costa del Sol. View his website at Fred's Homepage

My partner and I (aged 55 and 65) went RTW for 12 months to April 2002. She has written a book on it but is looking for a publisher. I went to internet cafes to maintain a long journal. So rather than travellers' tales here are some notes on how we did it. The RTW deal was from Star Alliance, giving us 12 months, 15 stops and 39000 miles. A couple of times when in dispute with an airline the Alliance link was useful. Their miles include overland legs which seems unfair but it is still good value. They allow backtracking, which we needed for India to China.

We flew to Brazil for two lazy weeks to get over the strain of preparations, then to Lima. We took buses – we avoided 'luxury' or 'tourist' buses -round Peru and despite being told it was impossible found a cheap way to Macchu Picchu. Three-day trips to Colca Canyon and to the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Bus and boat (aided by the Bolivian Navy!) to cold La Paz then bus on 'the most dangerous road in the world' to lovely Coroico. Flew to Costa Rica, which seemed very wealthy and grotesquely American!

But we had a wonderful time there – eco-tourism on the Caribbean coast and in the cloud forest. I wrote a report on working conditions on the banana plantations. Then buses through sad Nicaragua, tough Honduras (staying with the Garifuna) and Guatemala with its staggering range of wealth. We were in luxury after three months of back packers' hotels and crowded but fascinating bus journeys. Then we bought a car in Florida and eventually sold it in British Columbia. (One could write a book this, as on each leg of the journey.) This was not as easy as it sounds – big problems with driver's licence and insurance. But surmountable. Boat and bus to Houston BC. Strange coming back to sophistication a few days after 9/11, a different world. Hawaii then fabulous Tonga. Real bliss as the only visitors on an idyllic island, and time to think. Here my partner discovered the magic of snorkelling.

NZ was surprisingly far nicer than expected, Sydney also amazes. We were kept busy there and in Canberra and Melbourne giving talks. Thailand where we made lasting friends, one a young man not half way through 25 years imprisonment for drug smuggling. Don’t even think about it! Interesting to contrast the type of tourists here with those in S America. Almost a different breed. So to the jewel. Three months in India lived up to all my hopes and dreams. A stopover in steamy sophisticated Singapore (the night time zoo worth a visit) thence to Beijing, and onto the trans-Asia train with stops including three weeks in Mongolia (hiring a jeep to traverse the Gobi), Siberia (Lake Baikal), Moscow and glorious St Petersburg.

Stockholm was refreshing and spring time in England utterly delightful. Total cost was less than £4,000 on fares, plus £400 a week rent we got on our London homes. We ate local workers' food. We often stayed in people's homes – fellow Quakers, a hosting organisation, far flung family and friends. Otherwise in the better rooms in cheap hotels. Motels (except some on Route 66) have no character but are great value. Or ashrams. The only problematic visa was that for Russia, though others such as India and China needed some care. I was surprised to find one of the most irksome problems was telephoning – one needs to see if mobiles can be adapted cheaply in each region. Only disappointments: despite three weeks in most places we usually seemed to be in a hurry, and sadly I lost several sets of slides.

Essentials include up-to-date Guides. We used Footprint guides for Latin America because it avoids having lots of volumes; and for India as well as Lonely Planet there and everywhere else. “Road Trip USA” for the side roads. Take both Visa and MasterCard (and Maestro if possible) as many areas take only one or the other. We had all the jabs recommended except expensive encephalitis. We never resolved all the arguments for and against anti-malaria tablets, and if so which ones. But insect repellent from day 1, and a hat if you are bald like me. I had to have scalp pre-cancer treatment on return. I was supplied with and shown how to use self-catheterisation by the NHS. Never had to do it but without it I would not have dared go to Tonga, or deep into the Gobi.

Medically we had very few problems, tummy bug twice, and chest complaints in the Andes. I got shingles when in Thailand but was easily able to get powerful drugs (for £50 – a fortune), which knocked it out. But we had quite a few strains from lugging our packs (and from 3 days meditating cross legged in a Buddhist temple!) We both had Karrimor wheeled rucksacks and seldom had to hump them. My advice – just DO IT! Don't worry about food and accommodation and robbery.

Ignore travel mags and ads. They make it scary so you'll use their expensive services. Just GO! Details on the web site (at http://home.clara.net/spetter/sp/, but sadly I don't have time and space to mention our lovely hosts and the travellers and locals we met. To contact Stephen for any hints or tips, please e-mail him on: spetter@clara.net

Nick from London says that he thinks that it does not really count if you have only been to the inside of an airport in a particular country, though others may argue this point. There are other brief visits I have made to countries. For instance, a couple of years ago I was holidaying in Thailand and took one of those long tail boat trips on the Mekong river in the Golden Triangle. During the short journey the boat driver called in at a jetty on the Lao side of the river for petrol.

Aha! I thought to myself, This is an opportunity to visit Laos! I leapt off the boat and walked up the jetty and spent a couple of minutes on the riverbank on the Lao side of the river. So I have had a very short “visit” to Laos, at least I have stood on Laotian soil, but of course I can't really say that I have been to the country in any usual sense. Perhaps others have similar rapid drop ins on countries? Write in and let the Beetle know what you think!