Gap year & Travel News

Hola again!

Hope all is well in England- is there still snow? It doesn’t seem real that there could be snow at home when it’s so hot here! Had a really nice 1st weekend just lazing and chilling out in the sun, there’s another backpacker lodge like ours in the village and they had a party on Saturday which we went to, Lots of fun! Plenty of rum!

We saw Dolphins...TWICE!

Then on Monday we got started with the proper project work, cleaning up Playa Melissa on the island and putting together stuff to promote not littering etc etc…. I have been doing a morning hike every day at 6.30 up a nearby mountain with everyone to get fit for the trek at the end, On Monday we kayaked out to the island (I know,  what an effort….. sore arms! But good fun) – and WE SAW DOLPHINS!!!!!! Really close up, it was amazing. We cleaned up a lot of the rubbish on the beach – there is so much it’s disgusting, bottles everywhere and nappies and we even found a used needle…. ewww. Then the same again on Tuesday when we finished the clean up and it looks so much better for it. We saw dolphins again that day! But further off. Then on Wednesday me and pip (the design team!) got all the materials for the notice board that is going to go on the beach and made it – I will take a photo to show you

Oh! and we have been having 4 hours of spanish lessons a day instead of 2 ….. long story and a bit hard to concentrate for that long, but I think we are going back to two next week. I dont feel like I can speak the language at all, and it is frustrating, but it is also amazing how much we have learnt in just one week – I know so so much more than I did!

Yesterday we had a bit of a nothing day – our Spanish teacher didn’t turn up for personal reasons so we just went to the beach in the morning, then me Pip and Emma went into town to print off some photos of the beach for our notice board, but the whole of Puerto La Cruz had a power cut and we couldn’t get much done…. so we just went and bought massive ice creams instead from this amazing Italian heladaria we found!!! Welcome to South America! So today we are re-attempting the printing and then later we are going (by boat this time, thank god my arms can’t take much more!) to the island again to pick up all the rubbish and finishing off work for our presentations. We are doing talks about what we’ve been up to in 2 schools as well as presenting to the national park office, in SPANISH, so its pretty full on…. but we’ll get there I hope!

Pip, me and Emma making the most of a power cut...well, someone has to save the icecream from melting!

Yum!

I’m really excited about this weekend though – on Saturday we are driving to this 30m high waterfall and we are going to absail down it!!! slightly terrified but I’m sure it will be amazing! Then a new group are arriving at the lodge so we are going to have a party. On sunday we’re doing a day trip to Playa Blanca – it’s supposed to be a gorgeous, white sands beach on an island about 2 hours away from us by bus and boat! Which should be lovely. I will take lots of photos.