A very delayed continuation....

Yes, so Nathan said something along the lines of, I know I have only known you for a short time Jo, but we have shared quite a lot of things (many bottles of wine, steaks and almost a few waiters ;)) and I think I have something on my belly button and I think it might be scabies. Well, I pondered how he knew anything about scabies and he said a friend of his had had it a few years ago. I thought it was crabs, but apparently not. There was a short silence and then he started worrying that I was freaked out. I pointed out my various experiences of personal afflictions and some experienced by friends (wont go into details) which set his mind at rest, and we headed to a cafe to goolge scabies and for me to have a closer look at his belly button. He had a red mark on the side of his belly button and needless to say, having googled it, we were diagnosing him (and me) with it, amongst various other illnesses. We did come to the conclusion, however, that if it was scabies it would be very itchy, which he said it wasnt, but proceeded to start scratching it as you would. So the day went by and we drank hot chocolate and waited to say goodby (my bus for Ushuaia left at 3am). I said to him if he wanted I we could go to the doctor cos I knew where it was (ha ha ha). So, he was very brave, but he kept picking and poking it and I kept looking at it very closely without touching it cos the website (with revolting pictures) said it was contagious. By the afternoon he could take it no more, so off we went to the hospital. I was praying it would be a different doctor for fear of being accused of having Munchausens by Proxy. I was saved, it was a lady doctor who was very sweet, took one look at the alleged scabies and declared it to be an inflamed follicle. Off we went to drink wine and eat more steak.

It was painful, had to sleep for an hour then get up and get on a bus at 3 to Ushuaia and say goodbye to Nathan which was emotional and a bit drunken. The bus journey was a journey from hell, went on for about 17 hours and we had to get on and off to go in and out of chile, have sniffer dogs on the bus to make sure we weren't taking fruit or meat products into the country (I successfully smuggled peanuts through which Nathan had hidden in my jacket ;)) plus was sitting next to a Spanish guy and we said nothing to each other for the whole journey, despite the fact I was debating if it would be wrong to go in for a cuddle as I was dozing off.

Eventually we arrived in The Southern Most City of the World and what a shithole it was. Please never go there. It rained for most of the time. I did meet a lovely girl called Jo. She had fallen out with her travel buddy, so we spent a day visiting the prison (what fun), eating and drinking and she was trying to set me up with her 46 year old uncle, who, I fear is a little old for me, but who knows, perhaps he is the man of my dreams. Yet to meet him as he is a) in the UK and b) still married ;). Anyway, Jo left and things went from bad to worse. I met a sweet couple from home and we went on a lovely walk, but then they left and it rained and rained and all the weird shops (duty free scenarios) closed and I honestly felt like I was back in the winter of the UK. Why oh why people think Ushuaia is nice is beyod me, its an ex penal colony for christ's sake, does that not say it all?.

So, I was being a spoilt, miserable, wet brat and was wishing the time away until I could get on my plane back to BA (my favourite place in the whole world). And so the time came and I had to pay tax at the airport to get out of that place, which I did with satisfaction. I would have paid ANYTHING to leave. On the plane got a bit homesick and was a bit jealous of the people on the plane who were going back to their own apartments, beds and duvets. But arrived in the sweaty heat of Buenos Aires all smiles and familiarity. Went to the hostel and celebrated with 2 beers and some lovely Brazilians and went to bed. Found an even more gorgeous part of the city the next day, Palermo. Wish Jen and Diasy had seen it cos its beautiful and right up Jen's street, all arty and bohemian ;). Had a gorgeous lunch and really missed them a lot. Then that night met up with Amy and Aiden who Nathan and I had met on the bus and went to La Bomba, a funky night of African drumming, which ended in the pissing down rain. I kid you not, it was so torrential it was up to my knees, no storm drains to take the water and no taxis to get home. Somehow we made it on a bus which we got for free cos none of us had any change and I went back to the lovely flat they were staying in and slept on the sofa.

Next day I fed my hangover with steak and got on the plane to Lima. Was meeting Maddy (to say goodbye) and James (to go travelling with). Had a couple of days to kill, so booked into hostel and thought would get on with updating emails etc, but was so exhausted when I woke up in the morning, I had breakfast and went back to the dorm to lie down, which is when I met Canadian Nathan. We chatted for ages and he was all into natural healing and ayahuasca which he had been takin almost on a daily basis for a month. Was the skinny as anything, but sweet and suggested we go for lunch. Having declared he fasted and abstained from alcohol, he managed the pisco sour and beers OK and then we went for ice cream and watched the world go by. It seemed he wanted to spend the day with me, which was lovely and then he said he would cook us dinner. Well it was all very charming and I thought nothing of it as we walked round the supermarket like husband and wife picking veggies to go with the fish he had bought and we checked out the cinema times on the way home cos I wanted to go and see Invictus. Well he cooked up a lovely dinner, producing asparagus and mushrooms which he cooked with fish and homemade pesto with pasta. I was quite blown away, but still thought nothing of it and we ran to the cinema and got in just as the film had started. Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather as, 10 mins into the film, he put his arm around me (27 years old this time ;)). Apparently he had been sitting there deliberating whether to do it or not and decided he didn't have a lot to lose and the worse that could happen was that I would hate him. Well, being Jo Reynolds and loving a cuddle at the best of times, I happily gave in and enjoyed the rest of the movie ;).

So, we went and had a few beers or more and went back to the hostel, where I declared in no uncertain terms my new year's res, which he said was a shame but he would happily take a cuddle and off we went to bed. No one else in the dorm! Never happens! But I stuck to my guns and we cuddled. HOWEVER, the next morning I decided that I might change the wording of my new years res to "no more casual sex....when drunk" and in my sobriety I happily broke it ;). And so lovely Maddy arrived with her man (well, boy) and the four of us had a very cheesy but lovely day eating ice creams and wondering around markets in Miraflores. And Nathan slept in my bed for anther two nights even though the dorm was full, but I figured as long as we kept very still no one would notice (even though they totally did notice, but didnt seem to mind). And James arrived and we went out and celebrated (although Miraflores is shite for nightlife), but we had fun and the next day we all had to say our goodbyes. Nathan was trying to justify our time together and saying things like, it would never have worked, we are too different etc etc. Was very sweet, I think he was seriously considering us being together, and to be honest, it would have been fun, but these things happen and you have to part.

Was sad saying bye to Maddy. So funny, am literally old enough to be her mum, but we got on sooooo well and had such nice times together in various hospitals and on countless gossiping sessions, god she kept me sane many a time ;).

God why are these postings sooooo very long, I must keep more up to date, this one is a mission.....

Yes, so said bye to Maddy and James and I got on a bus to Huaraz. Stayed in a vile hostel which I hated, but went on a great hike up to a lake which I never saw cos we got totally lost. Ended up climbing up a sheer moutain face (an exaggeration, but almost) and James with a broken thumb (god knows how he did it). What it did make me realise is that I like climbing and promised myself I would do some (not yet happened). Was an exhausting and at times frustrating day cos took ages to find the path, and I got cross cos my walking boot got wet and I got the hump and sat down and made sandwiches surrounded by cows whilst james legged it up to the lake. So we made it back to Huaraz eventually and the next day went on an equally exhausting but exhilarating bike ride, which involved very steep, bumpy and scary downhills (still dont know how James did it with broken thumb)with a Russian guy who worked for Freddy Mac so I took naughty delight in blaming him for the recession, which he got very defensive about and then told me his boss had a bonus of 16 million USD last year mmmmmmmmmmmmm no comment.

So James and I left Huaraz and Peru and went on a huge bus journey mission up to Vilcabamba, stopping for a walk round the lovely colonial town of Trujillo on the way. But I was ill, I had a bad tummy and was feeling rough (not ideal on bus jouneys, thank god for immodium) and by the time we got to Vilcabamba, which is just beautiful, I was shitting through the eye of a needle and had to go to the doc, only to find out I had amoebas again (size zero here I come). We were in thee most gorgeous hostel, with pool, massage, amazing breakfasts, so all in all wasnt in a bad place to be ill and James looked after me and was an angel and I slept solidly for a whole day. I had, by this time decided that I was going to go my own way. James was going off to meet his mate and I didnt want to intrude, plus the whole point of me travelling is to do it alone and as much as I liked travelling with him, I thought it best we split up. Plus I was ill and he had to get to a city to get the pins in his thumb taken out.

So more goodbyes were said and I stayed another night in Vilcabamba and managed to have a few cuba libres and went off for a pedicure the next day and looked at the stunning mountains and all the very old people in the town (lots of expats there, apparently people live to a very old age in Vilcabamba, a marvellous thing, butnot so good when you are very old but cant walk or do anything). Got on a bus to Cuenca the next day. Very pretty, 52 churches, one for every week of the year, just perfect for the millions of Catholics here to go and confess their sins (which are many when you are a LatAm man).

So, in my dorm was a boy called Simon from Germany. A botanist and PASSIONATE about it. Was great, spend the first day going round museums with him, history of ecuador, history of medicine (all kinds of horrendous objects that my cousin Dr Daniel would have loved to see) and the next day went on a trip to El Cajas national park. So we had an official guide, but Simon was soooooo much more knowledgeable (and only in his 20s) and spent the day going into graphic detail about the biology of all the plants we saw, none of which I can remember other than 2 things: 1) a daisy is not just one flower, its hundreds of flowers and 2) the part of a mushroom that we see that sticks out of the ground is its genital parts (think of that next time you tuck into your garlic mushrooms stuffed with cheese).

OK enough enough, my head hurts. I still need to write about adventures in the Galapagos and the snogging of the head of watch dept in Harrods with whom I am having a salsa lesson tonight, but that's it for now.....