It’s been a while since we last heard from our STA Explorer The South American Socialiser. So long in fact that he has been back in our good and green land for five weeks. There is a reason however, for this delay in the most recent addition to his travel updates provided via Frranks WeBlog.

“I’m going to tell you about the turbulent final week I had and why I didn’t want to blog about it right away.”

I’ll let you discover all the joys of the ‘turbulent’ finale to his tour for yourself. I would however like to mention a couple of points included in his post. First there is the excellent protocol involved in the attended poncho party. Everyone dresses to represent their status.

“All of the clothes meant something here: single man, married woman, man in love, woman seeking man.”

Nullified is the necessity for small talk! And the other point I want to highlight is the brilliance of the piper (see the photograph top left) who posed during their excursion to the Luna Valley… what a star!

Like many gap year travellers, Nick is determined to make a difference during his months in South America. His latest blog post describes his arrival in Uycho, where he has been teaching kids from the local orphanage and building a wall to defend the town’s local reservoir.

However, volunteering is more complicated and difficult than just crusading in like western knights in armour to sort out the problems of the poor. Nick describes their struggles to deal with hyperactive kids and adults who are, ironically, the opposite:

we were midway through the second week and we still hadn´t had any support from the locals. We were getting a bit tired of the whole ´si mañana´attitude

But with perseverance and a bit of imagination Nick and his fellow volunteers get the kids engaged and finally get going with the wall, learning how to work and play the Uycho way. He’s now headed to Lima and La Paz, so keep on top of his blog and don’t be afraid to leave comments and ask questions if you’re interested in a regular guy’s view of a South American adventure.

Our latest STA Explorer, Nick, is poised on the brink of a whole new world: tomorrow he heads off for a month and ten days of adventure as he travels round South America. Anyone will be able to track his thoughts, opinions and experiences on his blog, his Twitter feed, and other social media sites he’ll join as he goes, and it’ll be a particularly helpful record for anyone thinking of travelling alone, volunteering abroad, or joining any of STA Travel’s organised tours.

18 years old, and hoping to study History and International Relations in London on his return, Nick explains that:

I can be shy, but I’m really into grasping new oportunities and challenges, which is why I chose to go on this summer project and meet new people

He’s planning 3 weeks in Cusco teaching and building, before joining a Madventurer tour from Lima to La Paz. And as he’s currently volunteering at the Green & Away eco-camp before he leaves, Nick should have a great perspective on environmental issues as he travels.

His first post describes his time working in the camp, and the STA Explorers knees-up at which he met us last week. He’s eager to hear comments from any fellow STA travellers with questions, suggestions or just some friendly chat, so head over to his blog and join him virtually on his journey for the next couple of months!