Friday Photo - Loading the dug-out canoe - in Ecuador

Today I'm joining in with the Friday Photo at Delicious Baby to bring you a photo from my travels with a story behind it.

As you may know I spent three weeks travelling with friends in Ecuador last October (I can't believe it's over a year ago). Part of the trip was a 10 day river journey we took down the Rio Bobonaza in southern Ecuador from Puyo to Kapawi near the Peruvian border where we flew back by light aircraft.

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Time Out supports Passports with Purpose

If you're a Travel Blogger or Travel Blog reader, I'm sure that you'll have heard by now about Passports with Purpose, a charity raffle being supported by Travel bloggers around the world, to raise money for Heifer International, a charity working at grass roots level to beat poverty and hunger.

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Lonely Planet supports Passports with Purpose

I hope you'll have heard about Passports with Purpose by now, not only from me but from all the other travel bloggers who have been publicising this charity raffle on their blogsites. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, do check out all the fab prizes here and then go to First Giving here to buy your tickets. It's all in a good cause of Heifer International, a charity that fights poverty and hunger at grass roots level all over the Developing World.

I've already told you about my prizes of not one but two Christmas Hampers of Travel Inspiration, with guides and stationary to kick off your travel planning for the year ahead. To thank my sponsors, I'll be telling you a little more about their products over the next week or two, in case you need some more ideas for your Christmas list.

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Hunting the Ash-black slug on Dartmoor - in Devon

Forget the sightings of wildcats on Dartmoor in Devon - I was out hunting giant slugs this weekend. It turns out that the micro-habitat around the River Dart in Devon is home to the rare and illusive Ash-black slug, largest slug in England at up to 30cm long and we were out in hot pursuit.

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Heather on her travels around the web in November

As I'm extending my writing to a few other places around the blogsphere, I thought I'd give you a quick round up of some other articles I wrote in November. I've been doing a weekly post every week on a Thursday over at Europe a la Carte, so here are the highlights.

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Friday Photo - Internet in the Rainforest at Sarayaku - in Ecuador

Today I'm joining in with the Friday photo over at Delicious Baby to bring you a story from my travels with a story behind it.

Last October I spent three weeks travelling in Ecuador and we spent a few days in the rainforest community of Sarayaku on the Rio Bobonaza which flows down to join with the Amazon. This is a village which so far has fought off the oil companies and loggers who want to move into their territory and can only be reached by half a day in a canoe from the nearest town, or by light aircraft.

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Lunch at The Priory Inn - in Tetbury

I'd read some glowing reviews of the Priory Inn in Tetbury, so when I was there recently on a shopping day out with a friend, we decided to give it a try for lunch. It wouldn't have been the obvious choice had I not been looking for it, as it's a few minutes walk from the main high street on the road out of town. What was once a tired roadside pub has now been transformed by the new owners into a gastropub and hotel with 14 rooms.

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Fantastic raffle prizes at Passports with Purpose

You'll also find this article over at my new blog at Heatheronhertravels.com

I'm so pleased to be supporting the launch today of Passports with Purpose a charity raffle in aid of Heifer International. For me December is the start of advent and the build up to Christmas, a time when we enjoy the company of our loved ones and appreciate the important things in life.

As travellers, many of us have seen at first hand that others around the world can't rely on the things we take for granted like a nice home, education and healthcare. Heifer International is an organisation that works at grassroots level to address hunger and poverty and it would be wonderful if our Christmas giving could extend to include those throughout the world who need our help.

Today Travel Bloggers all around the world are launching the Passports with Purpose raffle with some fantastic prizes and all the proceeds going to Heifer International. The prize that I'm going to tell you about is only one of many being offered through the efforts of Travel Bloggers and the Sponsors who have donated prizes. Tickets are $10 each and can be bought through Firstgiving here, but first let me tell you about my raffle prizes which have been donated by Lonely Planet, Time Out, Alastair Sawdays, Paperblanks, Pocketcomms and Indus Films.

I'm calling my prize a Christmas Hamper of Travel Inspiration with books, guides and stationary to inspire your Travel plans for 2009 and years to come, and I have not one but two of these hampers of travel inspiration to offer. This is what you'll get if you win one of these great prizes;

Christmas Hamper of Travel Inspiration number 1 - you'll get all of the following

Lonely Planet The Travel Book, a wonderful coffee table book packed full of photos and travel inspiration from countries all over the world and guaranteed to give you itchy feet.

Two Alastair Sawdays guides to Special Places to stay - these are guides to independently owned small hotels and guest houses which are special because of their attention to design, idyllic surroundings and a warm welcome for their guests. As you look at all the wonderful photos and descriptions you'll be dreaming of that cosy cave hotel in Cappadocia or the converted windmill on the Greek Island of Milos. You can choose two from the following guides; Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Green Places and English B & Bs.

Five Time Out City Guides - (yes that's not one but five) You can choose whichever five city guides you want from the Time Out City Guide collection, written by locals with an insider's perspective on all the best things to see and do in each location. This could be some great holiday reading to kick off your travel planning for next year.

Two Paperblanks Dayplanner 2009 diaries (one for you, one for your loved one?) in gorgeous covetable designs, to start to fill with your holiday plans. There are five designs you can choose from, and I'm also offering some more Paperblanks Dayplanners as a bonus prize if you read on.

A handy Pocketcomms communication aid with pocket sized pictures to help you communicate, even when you're stuck for words (What's I'm allergic to shellfish in Hindustani?)

Christmas Hamper of Travel Inspiration number 2

You'll get all the prizes listed above, except that..

Instead of the Lonely Planet Travel Book you'll get a DVD set of the Bruce Parry BBC Amazon series, following the incredible journey Bruce took through the Amazon Basin. I love seeing Bruce interact with all the different groups he meets, from the indigenous people who are fighting to protect the rainforest, to the loggers, gold prospectors and cocaine growers who are all trying to make a living around the Amazon. This prize was kindly donated by Indus Films who co-produced the Amazon series. (It works on UK DVDs but maybe not on US ones, but if you have no way to view it through a laptop, you can return it to me and I'll buy you another travel DVD - I just love to see Bruce in his tribal body paint)

Also, in this hamper you get three of the Alastair Sawdays Special Places to Stay Guides listed above.

How to buy your raffle ticket
By now I hope you'll be itching to head over to First Giving and buy raffle tickets for yourself and all your travel loving friends and family. But first take a look at all the other raffle prizes, as when you buy your ticket you'll be asked to specify your first choice of prize. Once you've selected your prize or prizes, go to First Giving to make your raffle donation. For each ten dollar donation you make, you'll be entered into the raffle for the prize you've selected. The winners will be drawn and notified via e-mail on December 30th and you can see all the details on the Passports with Purpose web-page.

Now for my Special Bonus prize. As Paperblanks have been kind enough to send me a whole box of their gorgeous dayplanner diaries, I have a further 18 to give away. So the first 18 people who head over to First giving to buy at least one ticket ( don't mind if it's my prize or one of the others) and then notify me through the comments over at my new blog, I will also send a Paperblanks dayplanner. That's on top of any prize you may win in the raffle.

So that's it folks - I hope I've convinced you to spread some Christmas cheer by heading over to First Giving to get your tickets and support Heifer International. A big thanks to Debbie, Pam, Beth and Michelle who came up with the great idea and have been working so hard behind the scenes to make it all work and also to my sponsors, Lonely Planet, Time Out, Alastair Sawdays, Paperblanks, Pocketcomms and Indus Films. I'll be thanking them all over the coming couple of weeks with more detailed reviews of their products, in case you're looking for any more ideas for your Christmas stockings.

Here's all the links again
The Passports with Purpose webpage
Heifer International
Details of all the Prizes
Buy your ticket at FirstGiving

PS If you're a travel blogger who is also offering a prize, let me know in the comments over at my new blog, as I'll be doing a round-up in a later post of all the prizes on offer

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