Planning for the next leg of the trip is about to commence – Asia here we come!!! So far Vietnam, Japan and Australia are on the list with possibly Laos, Palau and Indonesia in between. It’s all still a bit muddled but we’re working on it. Stay tuned!

We had booked our flight from Santiago to Caracas (via Bogota) for March 3rd but the earthquake had slightly damaged the airport in Santiago so anything or nothing could happen with our flight. Once again everyone had a different opinion on whether we’d be able to leave or not.

The airline, Avianca, said the flight would definitely leave on Wednesday morning. Which was very reassuring even though the operator on the phone was in Bogota and didn’t know much about the situation on the ground in Santiago. Our Chilean friends said that the airport wouldn’t re-open until the coming Monday so we should just concentrate on getting our ticket changed for next week. The internet was suspiciously quiet on all accounts; no one posted anything about flights leaving or how much the airport was actually damaged.

So we spent a few days in Santiago in limbo. We got some work done and did some sight-seeing but unfortunately many museums were closed.

Although there was some slight damage visible in parts of the city, most people went about their business as usual: going to work, eating at restaurants and shopping. Our friend Lola gave us an excellent city tour and took us up to the San Cristobal mountain for some beautiful views of the city and a cup of ‘mote con huesillo’. A very excentric Chilean drink/food that combines ice-cold fruit sirup with wheat grains and a dried peach. Really, you have to try it to understand it.

Sorry, very much not in focus...

In any case, on Tuesday afternoon Avianca called us to say that yes, the flight was definitely on for the next day (yay!) however because the airport buildings were still closed, we had to arrive at 3am at the Avianca office in Santiago where we’d be put onto busses to be taken to the airport as a group. Of course there was a small organizational problem at the Avianca office that morning with everyone scrambling to be the first on the bus, lest they leave anyone behind. But eventually we all made it to the airport where check-in was handled in some very tasteful, white fabric, party tents. They even had a make-shift customs desk and a portable x-ray scanner. The wait before the flight was probably the worst of it all because the waiting area was packed with tired and grumpy people and a cold draft was coming in through the gaps at the bottom of the tent. But we were just grateful to be there and on our way.

When we got off the plane in Bogota, a crowd of people clapped and cheered for us in the arrivals area; there was free coffee, arequipe and bottles of Colombiana: a disgustingly addictive soda that tastes like a mix of Red Bull and Seven-Up. What a wonderfully warm welcome!

Happy new year everyone! It’s about time we get our paws on the road again. Today we’re off to Argentina where we’ll spend a month in Buenos Aires before we head south into Patagonia. Plans are still a bit vague at this point as to what will happen after we leave Buenos Aires in February but it’ll probably involve Isla Valdez, El Calafate and the glaciers, Bariloche, crossing the lakes into Chile and then going up to Mendoza and Santiago. As always, any and all tips on where to go and what to do are welcome, so keep ‘em coming! (We also promise to finally include comments. That’s our resolution for 2010.)

Posts have been scant in the past few days because we’re in Caracas, spending the holidays with Conor’s family. Of course there’s a lot to say about Caracas and Venezuela, not even touching on the political situation, but since this is Conor’s home and I’ve been here several times before as well, it doesn’t feel new or exciting enough to write about. We’re essentially on vacation these days.

Ever since we landed in Caracas a week ago, things have been both slow and fast. Slow in the sense that our usual tourist routine has been completely reversed and we spend long hours just relaxing at home, watching movies, reading and hanging out with friends. Fast because Conor’s sister had a baby just over a week ago and obviously that’s brought a whole lot of extra activity into the house and our lives. Little Mila is absurdly adorable and behaves like a model baby: she sleeps, eats and poops. If there is any crying, her parents are very good at shielding the rest of the house.

Tonight is Christmas Eve and even though it doesn’t feel very Christmassy yet, especially since it’s 30˚C and sunny outside, the decorations are ready, the roast is in the oven and everything is set for the festivities tonight. Just like at my house, presents are given on the 24th at night. Conor’s mum would like it to be at midnight but since there are small kids in the house, this will probably happen BEFORE dinner… After the inevitable wrapping paper orgy, we’ll have a scrumptious meal of pernil (a pork leg roasted in the oven), ensalada de gallina (chicken salad) and roast potatoes followed by a mess of chocolate-oatmeal cookies that I made this morning (they’re very tasty but a disaster to look at).

Over the past few days we’ve been decorating the house to get it ready for the holidays. The Christmas tree is a real pine and spreads a wonderful scent around the house. There’s also an extensive nativity scene which includes a waterfall and lake made of blue plastic wrap and lemon shaped fairy-lights. Conor and I brought some papel picado from Mexico which we’ve strung up all over the house and there are mountains of presents under the tree just waiting to be opened tonight.

This picture is a much more accurate example of what is really going on, especially with Catire the cat reclining in the manger:

In that spirit, merry Christmas everyone! (Or happy hanukkah, jolly festivus, whatever it is you’re celebrating these days. Even if it’s just a weekend off.)

And the road beckons once more… After a lovely summer spent tingling around Spain, France and Italy, we’re packing our bags again. This time it’s off to farther distances: Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica and by Christmas we should arrive in Venezuela.

We have all kinds of adventures planned, from getting our scuba diving certificate and learning to surf to doing a cooking course in Mexico and whitewater rafting and ziplining across Costa Rica. (Well, maybe not ACROSS Costa Rica…)

This is the part of the trip we have planned so far:

Costa Rica is still a blank apart from a week’s surfing at Jaco with our friend Henri. But I’m sure once we’re on the road, ideas and plans will come. They usually do.

If you have any tips for us – please let us know! We’d love to hear from you. (That said, we’re also working on getting comments up and running on the blog so it’ll be easier to leave feedback in the future.)

As some of you might know, this blog was supposed to have been started a few months ago. But then travel got in the way. *cough cough* So this is a little visual update on where we’ve been so far!

(These aren’t the actual roads taken most of the time , rather the roads Google thinks we should have taken.)

View Larger Map

Conor was very excited to go to Beirut. Until he realized we were going to Bayreuth. (Say: Bye-roid.) Oh the disappointment…

This quaint little Bavarian town only pops up when Wagner is mentioned (big festival each year) but surprisingly people live here all year round. For example Martha and Henri who took us out for some first class Thai food and even shared their last chocolate cakes with us. (Thanks guys!)