Adland Tours

28/10/2026

A big celebtation is going on in Ollantaytambo today. Kids are dressed up, locals are in their finest, bugles are being played, announcements over the loud speaker in the square, rain pouring down.
AND NOW that the fiesta is over, the sun is out and we are having a siesta.

23/10/2026

They say a picture paints a thousand words but sometimes one word paints a thousand pictures

TO TELL THE TALE IN 1 WORD IT WOULD BE - WOW or in 3 words WHAT THE F*K

I think it worth giving you a few EXTRA WPRDS more than one but even i for once might use my words sparingly

Oct 19th
Drove Quito to Guayaquil via lake Quilotoa. OMG very pretty volcanic lake in could forrest- Stopped just short of Guay in a place called Milagro to avoid staying one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the world in terms of homicide rate. When we pulled over on the side of the highway to eat some food a friendly local warned us that we should not be there because of motorcycle gangs with guns. Milago was pretty scarey too and it took a good half hour of driving flooded streets to get into the hotel.

Oct 20
Flew to Lima - detained by immigration for not having clear travel itinerary - sorted that then made fancy choice to get an SUV instead of tiny car. Good choice very good choice. Why - will make sense by oct 22 - visited Fort Paramonga - noted slanted walls often attributed to incas - day ended with car stuck on dirt track - thanks google maps - dug car out using bit of wood and then stayed in some kind of family holiday park that really looks like it should the set for a horror murder mystery

Oct 21
Chankillo Ruins - hiked into the ruins after leaving car in middle of dessert - lots of fun to be had hypothesizing about how ruins relate to sun calendar but also possible intersecting planetary orbits.

Sechin ruins - big pile of rocks - to tired for more hypothesis

Oct 22
Oh F*k did we just do that. Starting at sea level - visited Panamaca ruins kinda cool at least two societies dating back at least as far as 200ad built on this site - intuition says it might been a home to third community possible rest stop for hunter gather types.

Worked out according to us that building on Mts in peruvian dessert may have been a way of protecting river valleys from becoming desserts due to erosion

Then headed off to get to Tumshukaiko ruins perhaps starting later in the day than was sensible - dirt road for a lot of ir - manageable with 4WD - JUST - MAX elevation at top pass was 4314m and most of drive back down done in dark and fog. Finally arrive at a hotel? Nope yet another set for a horror murder movie with 4 wild dogs guarding property and no humans to let us in.

Ok i lied you get one pic - sunset at top of mt above cloud forrest very pretty

Thanks Celeste Novion for excellent calling of Cnrs on decent.

Looking forward to offering up this rout to future brave Adland Tours guests

Signing of for now - Captain Jelly aka James Nicholas Leslie Adler

18/10/2026

I'm not usually a huge fan of churches and Quito Ecuador probably has more per square inch/ capita than any place I think I've ever seen.

My feet shaking in my heart pounding as I ascended the near vertical stairs to 16th Story of these Church spires. I think they “oh gods” and Jesus Christ’s I was saying was more pure fear than the clergy might have hoped.

The look on Celeste Novion's face was not from a tiny stare case bit rather a creaky floor at level 15.

Jokes asside, the heart raising climb as well as the architecture experience made it seem well post-worthy - OMG THE GARGOYALS

I think in the future i might offer a six or seven night equatorian extension / side trip for Adland Tours could be fitted in before or after oue 2027 Galapagos, Cusco/Machu Picchu, or Antartica Tours. Hands up if you have had a particular interest in Quito or Ecuador.

In 2027 we can also offer Torres Del Paine, Iguazu or Tierra Del Fuego.

Send me James Nicholas Leslie Adler a message if the taste of South America could whet your appetite in 2027 or Beyond

14/10/2026

14/10/2026

I share this with a heavy heart but also with a sense of hope and how much it means when communities come,together in hard time.

Dear Friends and guests who have traveled with Adland Tours especially those who came to the Galapagos in 2024 and 2025.

You may already be aware that Colette Moine passed away earlier this year. Colette was one of the highlights for our groups of the last two years. She was an extraordinary naturalist guide - but perhaps more important for me, a dear sister who i held and hold close to my heart. Id rather not talk about what happened on facebook but If it is important for you to know - then message me.

She is survived by her two teenage boys. People from accross the world who loved Colette and or knew the boys have been raising money to help them out. I would like to thank River Sampson , Michele Adler, Chris Rohr, Tash for their contributions to what the Adland community can do to support them. Of course i James Nicholas Leslie Adler will be chipping in also.

This week i get to go to Ecuador to visit the boys and their Grandad to drop off the gift from our community.

If you would like to make a contribution there is no ammount too big or too small to be meaningful. Please send me a DM or leave a comment here if you wish to make a contribution.

I look forward also to the chance to find some closure for myself as i sit by her grave and commune with her spirit. She will be with me always.

Here is a pic of the amazing human - Colette (left) me (centre lol) and her amazing colleague from Galapagos Infinito - Noemi.

The other pics are the flock of Golden Rays Colette and i wondered over for an hour in the Santa Cruz harbour

15/08/2026

On our way to the footie in Melbourne. C'arn the Hawks.

20/07/2026

This is a blast from the past. Years ago when I was a Pharmact student (that's a lot of years ago!), I earned extra money by doing television ads.
One of those was for McVities biscuits, an English brand that filmed wheat fields in Australia to promote their chocolate dipped wheaten biscuits. For three days, I ran through wheat fields, sailed on a skiff and ate choc covered bikkies. Every shot seemed to have 20 takes. To the point where I nearly threw up at the thought of tasting yet another one.
For years, even the idea of a Chocolate Wheaten (Aussie equivalent) made my stomach turn.

Imagine my surprise when I found McVities Digestives in Aldi today.
Should I dare to buy a packet?

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

What a wonderful month we had in Indonesia with family and friends. These are some shots of the last couple of days. Memories to last a lifetime.