Delayed. Twice.

There are a multitude of things that I want to write about our plane travels.
The way Michael and I look at each other as we head to the check in desk dragging the surfboards behind us - 'Do you think they'll charge us this time?'
Or the time I was called into a smoky room in Indonesia, by a man in uniform and told that the surfboards were too big to fit on the plane - they squeezed them in.
But it wasn't until our travel took us through US that we had our worst airline experiences.

TWICE, in the space of 7 days.

We flew from El Salvador to Philadelphia with Delta ($170 for the surfboards, thank you very much - a new record in obnoxious charges, especially considering the most we've been charged by ANY other airline, and only on one occasion, is $50). Our connection was in Atlanta, and according to the itinerary we had 1 hour and 28 minutes to clear immigration, collect our bags, and re-check them on the domestic leg of the flight - hmmm.
I asked the Delta staff if this would be possible, and they assured me that Atlanta airport would process us rapidly and speed us towards Philly in the blink of an eye.
We landed, ran to immigration, ran to our bags, pushed our way through customs, rechecked our bags with a guy called Hagen - a special moment when he and Michael bonded over a shared name. And decided that they must be cousins. And he promised to get our bags to Philly.
We made it to the gate, we made it on the plane and we took off. And then the cabin wouldn't pressurize, and so we turned around and headed back to Atlanta. They finally canceled the flight 5 hours after the scheduled departure time, and we shuffled off to the Holiday Inn for some sleep. It was 2am. We had 3 hours to sleep before we had to get up and head back to the airport for our re-scheduled departure to Philadelphia.
Delta bought us dinner, breakfast and a night at a hotel - which is more than can be said for United....

Our Philadelphia to DC flight was running behind schedule, but we were assured on numerous occasions by the Philadelphia ground staff that everyone would make their connections. We didn't. More running through airport corridors, a dramatic collision as I rounded the corner, and we arrived at the gate for London, to see the airplane sitting there & the doors closing. Our seats had been given to standby passengers and they were not letting us board. This time we got to spend the night in DC, except this time United didn't pick up the tab. In fact they did absolutely nothing, except re-book us on the next flight. Our initial flight was delayed due to weather, and according to United this is out of their control (yes, I understand that) and therefore they are not responsible for the missed connections (not so sure I understand this part).... We were told it was the fault of the ground staff in Philly - who should not have promised that we would make our connection.
So, a night at Marriott this time, Wendys for dinner and a feeling that the US airlines are really going to have to get their shit together soon.

Random update...

Sorry sorry sorry... I know I just haven't kept up the blogging pace since we've been in Central America. I don't know what happened. I just can't seem to focus on writing anything down, probably because I'm too busy at the beach, or having a cool drink in the shade.
We're in El Tunco at the mo, on the coast of El Salvador. It's a small town, with not much to do except surf or hit the beach - which suits me fine. Pauly Paul (Michael's dad) is here for the next week, and tomorrow we're going to head inland and explore some coffee plantations.
We're coming towards the end of our travels, and recently Michael and I have found ourselves thinking about all of the things we've seen, all the places we've been and all the long and painful bus rides we've taken. For the record, the worlds worst bus rides were in Laos where an average speed of 25km per hour (15 miles an hour), along with the bags of rice and chickens makes covering distances tedious.
On August 7th we are flying to Philadelphia to spend some time with the Lil Red Yeti. After that we're flying to London, where I will finally get to meet the very cute India (my niece) and hang with the rest of the family. We're going to spend a couple of months in Europe (wouldn't you?) before we finally board the plane that will deliver us to Los Angeles in October.
We're excited for this last stage of our trip. We can't wait to see family and friends, and we're ready to stick in one place for a while (I am so over the unpacking /packing thing)... See you soon!

El Gigante, Nicaragua

We've spent the last 10 days in El Gigante. Much of the time has been spent at the beach - surfing and relaxing! For the first 5 days we were joined by Christine & Mike.
It was fun to have some more beach time together, and for Michael to continue his surf lessons!
El Gigante is a peaceful fishing village with a couple of places to eat, one small store and a lot of domestic animals wandering the streets. My favorite beach is Amarrila - it's a 15 minute walk away, and when we get there I usually have it all to myself. On the way to the beach I pass the ladies at the pump on laundry day, Juan Carlos' house, stopping for a chat to discuss his technique for fixing his fishing nets. Of course I have to fight off the mosquitoes on the rain logged road, but the beach itself is bug free.

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

Mmm Ceviche...

We were invited to join a fishing trip, so at 6am we were on the beach and ready to go.
It was my first time fishing, really fishing. I've done some 'casting' in my time - from the beaches in Australia, but never been out with the professionals and actually caught anything!
It was amazing. We caught 7 tuna, 4 jacks and I landed a mackerel that was turned into a delicious ceviche for our evening appetizer!
We don't have use of a kitchen, so we couldn't cook the tuna ourselves. Instead, we did the next best thing and took them to La Gaviota where the cook marinaded them and threw them on the grill.
There's nothing like eating freshly caught fish. Especially when you caught it yourself!

Bocas del Toro

We made our way from Santa Catalina to the town of David, near the border with Costa Rica. Our plan was to catch the early morning bus into Costa Rica, but somehow we got waylaid.... Instead we caught a bus to Amirante in Northern Panama, and from there hopped on a water taxi to Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro.
We had no idea what to expect, and were a little worried that the island would be very touristy. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find that despite having everything a tourist could want or need, the town has retained that laid back Carribbean feel.
The main form of transport is the water taxi, which we used to explore some of the local beaches.
We met up with some friends, and together took a taxi that dropped the surfers at Wizards beach. Trish and I then headed further up the coast to Polo Beach for some sublime snorkling. Despite the number of tourists in town it was so easy for us to find a completely deserted beach, with a jungle backdrop and beautiful yellow sand.
The visability was not as great as Coiba, but there was still an amazing variety of fish and some beautiful coral.

Two Years....

It's been two years since Michael and I boarded our first flight on this adventure of ours. Tonight we are going out to celebrate.
Tomorrow we're on the bus again, skipping into Costa Rica on our way North.

I promise that I will do some 'catch up' posting some time within the next couple of days... We have been having fun with friends and relaxing at the beach!

Underwater fun

An hour and a half by boat from Santa Catalina is Coiba Island. The largest island in Central America. From 1919 until 2004 Coiba was home to a prison therefore access to the island was restricted. Because of this, the islands natural resources have survived almost untouched.
We snorkled in two locations just off the Northern tip of the island, and it was some of the best snorkling that I have ever done. We saw multiple species of fish, too numerous to count, swam with turtles and even got to hang with a couple of white tip sharks, who despite being smaller than Jaws still move in that 'sharky' kinda way.

Friends..

Originally uploaded by ladyhedda

We met up with Christine and Mike in Quito on our last night, and together we hopped onto a plane in the morning - destination: Cartagena.

The old city of Cartagena is built on an island, and at one time was surrounded completely by fortified walls. It's a beautiful city, with narrow streets and colonial buildings that provide lots of charm. The music here is distinctly different from the rest of South America, with a strong Caribbean influence in the beats that vibrate into the early hours from the bar under our hostal room.

Mitad del Mundo...

Originally uploaded by ladyhedda

Just North of Quito is the Mitad del Mundo - Middle of the World. It's not known as the Equator here, as the Spanish word for Equator is Equador, and we're in Equador, so that would be confusing.

We flew South of the Equator on April 1st, 2007 - 14 and a half months ago. We have both ventured into the Northern Hemisphere during that time (Michael to Sumatra, me to Malaysia and on a whistle stop trip to LA and London). However, the majority of our time has been spend 'Down South'. I have loved being 'Down South'. The stars are different. We saw the Big Dipper for the first time in nearly a year just recently. I was happy to see the stars that made me think of home.

Just South of the Equator

Another long day on buses, I know you want to hear about it...
We left Lobitos at 10am. The combi gods were shining on us as we departed after only a 15 minute wait. We bounced our way to Talara for the last time, passing the fishing boats, the fish processing plants and finally the new boats being built. In Talara we walked the 2 blocks to the bus station, and got ourselves onto the 11.30am bus - how's that for a connection, only a 30 minute wait!
It was a 2 hour ride North to Mancora (touristy beach town) where we grabbed lunch and then hopped into another combi for the 2 hour trip to Tumbes. In Tumbes the nice combi driver dropped us off at the CIFA office, avoiding the 4 long blocks we were going to walk. At CIFA we were able to get seats on the 4.15pm departure to Guayaquil in Ecuador. We crossed the border and arrived in Guayaquil at 10pm, where we ate dinner and got seats on the 11.20pm bus to Quito. We arrived in Quito at 8.30am, 2 combis, 3 buses and 22 and a half hours later.

Can't seem to leave.

Michael and I have been recovering from excessive bus travel. We're staying in a little town, on the ocean in the very North of Peru. The town is called Lobitos, and it's reached by a combi van from Talara, a 45 minute ride on dirt roads - 30 minutes if you get lucky and score a combi that can use more than just 2nd gear.
We've been staying with Darwin, his wife Naoini and their 19 month old son Miguelito. Naoini is an amazing cook, and Miguelito has been providing the entertainment.
I have been traveling into Talara on the combi daily to see a man about my back (more on that at a later date).... The combi vans leave Lobitos when they have enough passengers, 10 is the minimum number of adults (babies don't count) needed to make the driver switch on the engine. Each person walking in the direction of the combi becomes a potential passenger, maybe, just maybe they want to go to Talara too. Once the engine is on, we toot the horn, then we drive around the square, then we drive into Lobitos and circle the town - tooting the horn, then we drive over the hill to Nuevo Lobitos and circle there - more tooting, then, and only then, when we are absolutley sure that there are no more passengers to be russled up we hit the road to Talara.
Today I was waiting at the combi stop at 8.30am with two fishermen. The sun was getting hot, and the fish that were packed onto the roof were starting to leak fish juice inside the van, after half an hour a lady joined us, after another 30 minutes some more passengers climbed on board. We drove around Lobitos. At 10am, a hour and a half later, we hit the road with a full compliment of passengers, some fish and a box of Avon cosmetics.

Dinner for two and a bottle of champagne?

Last year Michael spent our Wedding Anniversary in East Timor, I spent it in West Timor. And this year?

Well, we got up at 6.30am, jumped a mototaxi to the bus station and caught the 7.30am bus from Pacasmayo to Chiclayo, 2 hours later we grabbed the bags from the bus, and threw them onto another bus for the 3 hour ride to Piura. In Piura we pulled them off the bus and dragged them a block to the next bus company where we boarded a bus to Talara - 2 hours. In Talara we headed to the local micro/combi van stop where they loaded boards on the top and we waited for the van to fill before it left for Lobitos. We arrived in Lobitos and spent the night in a room with bunkbeds and a plague of crickets. And when I say a plague of crickets I am not joking. They were everywhere, in everything and on everything. I estimated there were 200, Darrin said 100. If you average our guesses you are still talking about a lot of crickets jumping around you all night. And crickets are too similar to cockroaches for me to feel comfortable when I see them running around on the floor, and hiding under my pillow.

We have moved to alternative cricket free accomodation.

It never rains...

Chan Chan is the largest mud city in the world. It was once the capital of the Chimu Kingdom in Northern Peru. The Chimus believed that the earth was flat, and so they built Chan Chan at the edge of the sea to make travel to the afterlife easier. The site is made up of a series of temples, only one of which can be visited - Tschudi.
Tschudi is filled with images from the sea - fishing nets, sea otters, pelicans, fish all adorn the mud walls. It is these animals who, the Chimu's believed, will lead the dead to the afterlife.
The palace has only one entrance, and is surrounded by walls of mud that reach 12m in places. The weather in this part of Peru is consistent. Consistently dry. According to our guide it never rains here, except in an El Niño year. During the last El Niño it rained so much, and for so long that parts of the mud were washed away. They expect similar rains next year and are working hard to get the site covered, using scaffold and traditional cane roofs.

Huanchaco

After a miserable bus ride in economy (there were no good seats left) we arrived in Huanchaco. Michael and Darrin wasted no time in getting out in the waves in the local craft.

Huanchaco's reed boats (Caballito de Totora) are still used daily by fishermen laying their nets ofshore. It takes some experience to ride the rolling waves in one, it's not as easy as the fishermen make it look!

The town is filled with great seafood restaurants, and I have eaten Ceviche at every meal.

Playing catchup!

These photos are a little delayed, sorry. I've been struggling to upload photos for days - computers keep melting down...
On our last day in Cuzco we took a collectivo out to Tambomachay to visit the Baños del Inka. From there we walked back into town passing the Red Fort (Puka Pukara), Q'enko and finally Sacsayhuamán.
Sacsayhuamán is an impressive Inka site overlooking the City of Cuzco. The scale of the stonework is amazing.

An all-English final

I was happily sitting on the computer minding my own business when Angelo (sitting on his balcony in Holland) pointed out that the Champions League final had started. I told Michael, who quickly grabbed his coat and was out the door before I could say Arsenal.
We found a bar, with a TV and ordered a jarra of cerveza. The whole of the street was filled with people watching the game. One jarra turned into two, and two turned into four.
Thanks Angelo.

Heading to Lima

We're on the overnight bus to Lima today - eighteen and a half hours if all runs smoothly. Darrin flies in on Monday, and after a couple of days in Lima we'll be heading to the beach!

We made it...

After 4 days of walking we made it to our destination, Machu Picchu. We were up early (again) to make it to the top for sunrise and beat the worst of the crowds.
I love the feeling that comes when you have worked hard (and walked hard) to reach a destination. There is something very spiritual about following the paths that people have used for centuries to link villages and cities together.

Salkantay Trek

We were on the bus at 4.30 in the morning headed for the town of Mollepata, and the begining of the trek. In Mollepata we handed over our sleeping bags and other gear to the horsemen, who packed them onto the mules. Mollepata is at 2900m, and our destination for the 1st night was Soraypampa at 3850m. The walking was steady, and the climb gentle in most parts.
As we ate lunch we watched the rain clouds gathering in the valley ahead, behind us was sunshine and blue skies. The first rain came as we pulled into our campground and settled into our tents. We ate dinner all the time watching the weather outside as the temperature gradually decreased.
The next morning we were woken with a cup of mate de coca at 5.30am. In the night the rain had turned to snow. SNOW, on the day that we had to cross the pass. We waited to see if the snow would clear, and when it became aparrant that it was with us for the duration we slipped into our bin liner ponchos and started the climb to the pass.
The initial trail had us gaining elevation quickly, but soon leveled out into a beautiful white valley where we stopped to catch our breath. The trail followed the river and dissapeared ahead of us into the clouds.
The next hour was a constant climb on switchbacks that zig-zaged endlessly. I ended up on my ass as a group of mules came barreling down the trail and tried to take me with them. We took a short break by a lake, a break that involved standing around shovelling biscuits into our faces and trying to stay warm. We built a snowman and talked about making snow angels, but it was too cold to lay in the snow.
After 4 1/2 hours of climbing in constant snow we made it to the pass at 4600m. On the pass our guide lead us in a ceremony to thank the mountain for our safe travels. All of us had carried a stone with us, we held it in our right hand. In our left hand we held a coca leaf. We faced the mountain and (in our best Quechua) said "Thank you Mountain Salkantay". One by one we placed our coca leaves on the ground with the stone on top of them, forming a small cairn. The passes in the Andes are marked by these cairns as travellers bring stones as offerings to the mountains. We had made it to the highest point on our trek. It was time to start heading down.
The trail descended from the pass into Cloud Forest, as we moved further from the pass, the snow turned to rain and the trail turned into a mud bath. The mud was inches deep. The Cloud Forest is beautiful. There are orchids and bromeliads in the trees, the sounds of birds overhead and the squelch of our feet below.
The second camp was in a beautiful valley, the air was warmer and we went to bed feeling warm (if not quite dry) and happy that the hardest day was behind us.
The third day continued through muddy trails in the forest. The rain had ended and given way to bright blue skies. It was a relatively short day (only 14kms) to our camp, and we made it in time for lunch.
In the afternoon I settled into a slow yoga and stretching routine. Michael and the boys decided to play 5 a side with the cooks and our guide. Two hours later Michael returned, cursing himself for getting talked into another game! We slept well.
Our final day of hiking was to take us to our first view of Machu Picchu. The original stones of the Inka trails are impressive and filled us with a sense of purpose. There we were, at an Inka checkpoint looking over the valley at our destination, Machu Picchu.

My legs hurt

We made it! We're back in Cusco after a hike full of fun and plenty of weather. We trekked a total of 70kms, and none of it was flat. If we weren't climbing up snowy passes, we were squelching down muddy jungle trails.
These are Michael's photos. Enjoy!

More to follow soon.....

We're off on another hike....

We've been debating how to get to Machu Pichu, by train or by trek. The trekking option has won.... So, tomorrow we're up with the birds (probably before the birds) to get a bus to the trail head. We're trekking the Salkantay route, it's supposed to have amazing mountain views (there is one pass to climb over at 4600m) and beautiful jungle sections. We shall see!
We'll be back in Cuzco on Friday night...

Isla del Sol

We spent a couple of nights on Isla del Sol, in Lake Titicaca. The weather was perfect, and we spent the time exploring the island and it's communitites.
Isla del Sol is the site of the Inka creation myth. Viracocha, the supreme Inka god, destroyed the area surrounding Lake Titicaca with a Great Flood. After this, his decendants Manco Kapac and Mama Ocllo sprung from the lake to found Cuzco and the Inka dynasty.

La Paz Lady...

Landing in La Paz on our tiny plane fresh out of the jungle is a trippy experience. We flew from jungle through mountain passes, where the mountains looked close enough to touch into El Alto airport. The airport is at 4000m in the town of El Alto that is perched above La Paz. The minute you step off the plane you can tell you are at 4000m simply because the backpack feels so heavy, and walking up stairs is much harder than it needs to be. Fortunately we have spent most of the last month above 2800m (much of it closer to 3800m) - so adjusting didn't take long.
The Ladies in Bolivia all wear hats, and some really great hats. But it was in La Paz that I fell in love with their Bowler hats. They balance them effortlessly on their heads. I tried and failed to pull off the look, so we left the Bowler hat in La Paz where it belongs.

Da Jungle

We just spent a fantastic 3 nights in the Madidi National Park. We decided to stay at the Chalalan lodge, a community owned and operated lodge. The lodge was built with financial aid from Conservation International and the Interamerican Development Bank. It was designed and constructed by the local community (San José de Uchupiamonas) using their traditional materials and techniques.
The lodge situated on the bank of Lago Chalalan, and is reached by a 5 1/2 hour trip up the Beni and Tuíchi rivers, followed by a 20 minute walk through the forest.

Our nights were filled by the sound of nocturnal animals and our days were spent canoing on the lake and walking in the jungle with our guide. The jungle is not the best place for wildlife spotting, as the animals are at home and constantly on the move. If their path and your trail happen to intersect then you are lucky!

On our second day we packed a boxed lunch and set out on a longer walk. We crossed the Rayamayo River (Stingray River), using sticks to prod the river bed and hopefully scare the stingrays away... we arrived for lunch at the Eslabón river where I tried and tried to catch a catfish for my dinner. No luck.

During our trip we were lucky enough to run into an assortment of monkeys (Capuchin, Squirrel, Red Howler and the elusive Black Spider Monkey). We also joined a group of wild Boar eating their way through the forest and an endangered Red Brocket Deer. We saw Toucans, Macaws, Parrots and Parakeets as well as a King Vulture and his friends.

The Madidi National Park is one of the most biologically diverse protected areas on the planet, and is home to over 1000 species of bird (11% of the worlds known avian species). It was created in 1995 and encompasses Amazonian lowlands at 200m, to the mountains of the Apolobamba Range at more than 6000m (19,685ft), including a huge range of wildlife habitats, from torrid rain forests to Andean glaciers.



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Sucre oh Sucre

We have had a really great time here in Sucre. In fact, it's going to go down as one of my favourite cities that we have visited. Our acommodation was just perfect, and at $4 a night who can complain. The coffee at breakfast was not Nescafe, but real proper coffee. We've eaten beautiful fresh produce from the market every day combined with delicious Bolivian chorizo lunches. However, we gotta keep this show on the road....

We're on the night bus tonight to La Paz. It's a short 12 hours, and Michael has secured us seats on the 'Best Bus in Bolivia'... That's right. There is a bus in Bolivia that is better than all of the rest of the busses, and WE ARE ON IT. It remains to be seen what makes this bus better than the rest, but here's a suggestion:
Reclining seats...

I may have to go shopping for clothes

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

I have been avoiding the fact that my wardrobe has been dwindling. For the last couple of months I have been busy patching, and sewing and cutting and hoping that I would be able to finish the trip with the clothes currently in my backpack.
It seems, however, that I may be forced to buy myself a new pair of trousers. The pair I currently have now have a floral patch on the butt, and are promising to wear through in at least 3 other places.
My favorite skirt (yes the one that I wear all the time, in every photo, evidence here, here and here) is also on it's way out. I have already made about 4 repairs to it, and when it returned from the last wash I had to make 3 more.
If these two items die, it will leave me with only one skirt. And that skirt I made by cutting up a dress.
The photo is of Michaels trousers. He retired them, as they were threadbare. Fortunately Ken (Thank you Ken) donated a pair of jeans which means that Michael won't have to resort to shorts and legwarmers.

Fitting right in

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

Our one purchase at Tarabuco market yesterday was a new hat for me. A hat that has proved to be very popular with the local ladies, and a great conversation starter. Nearly every Bolivian woman sports a hat of some kind, and most of them wear a hat like this.
On the bus on the way home I was admired by a couple of locals who kept taking my hat off, and putting it back on my head at a 'better' angle. Taking it off again, they even inspected the inside of the hat, and were thrilled to find out that it was a Bolivian original. We compared hat 'notes' in sign language as my Quechua language skills are non existant, and they spoke no Spanish.

Sunday market

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

Today we took the local bus out to Tarabuco for the market. It's a 2 hour ride through scenic countryside on a bus packed with other market goers. The closer we got to Tarabuco, the more tightly packed we got as the bus driver stopped to let on passengers.
The market itself is famous for it's local indigenous community in traditional dress. You can see a fantastic slide show of the market here, and more photos here. The costumes are so beautiful, and incredibly detailed.

3-0

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

We very nearly missed kickoff, but a last minute dash with a few hundred other people got us into our seats just before the whistle blew.
Universidad, the local team were playing Oriente and the whole of Sucre had turned out for the match. The stadium was sold out, and the final score of 3-0 (to Sucre) ensured that there were many firecrackers.
We ate hot dogs and joined in the 'mexican wave' and cheered ourselves hoarse...

Shopping for our supper

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

We're in Sucre, Bolivia - and loving it. The town is beautiful, with all of the old colonial buildings in the center painted white. We spent the day yesterday wandering the streets and picking up some delicious treats at the market for our supper. We bought some amazing chorizo sausages, a round of white goats cheese and some salad vegetables. We cooked the sausages on a parilla at our hospedaje, threw together a salad and washed it all down with a couple of bottles of Huari beer.

Pass the salt please...

The Salar de Uyuni covers an area of 12,000 km², making it the largest in the world. It's hypnotic, the salt is endless and the horizon wavers in the distance. At it's thickest point the salt is 8m deep.
We dragged ourselves out of bed at 5.30am to watch the sun rise over the salt flats, and then spent the morning driving and walking on the salt. We visited a couple of different 'islands' and had fun scrambling amoungst the cacti.
The day finished in Uyuni, where we visited the train graveyard - where all those hard working trains go to sleep.

The air is thin...

Day 2 on the altiplano. We loaded the car, and set off on another day of surreal landscapes, beautiful wildlife and spectacular scenery.
All of us had struggled to sleep throught the night, not only because of the extreme cold but also due to the altitude.
The second day was filled with expansive landscapes, 'daliesque' desert colours and more altiplano lagunas filled with flamingos.
We finished the day in a salt hotel on the edge of the Salar de Uyuni. Everything in the hotel was made of salt - walls, beds, tables & chairs. Even the floor crunched underfoot!

Headed into Bolivia...

These are the photos from our first day in Bolivia. We crossed the border at 10 in the morning, where we loaded the surfboards onto a Toyota 4x4 for the trip across the altiplano to Uyuni. The terrain is rough and dusty, and the road (track? trail?) on the bumpy side - but the scenery is out of this world.
It's a fairytale landscape unlike anything we've seen before.

The day included visits to two altiplano lakes and some thermal hot springs. The first lake Laguna Blanca, is home to flamingos and appears white due to the high concentration of borax. We then traveled on to Laguna Verde and the Licancabur Volcano. Laguna Verde has high mineral levels of Arsenic, Lead and Copper giving it a bright green color. Both of these lakes are at 4400m (14,400 ft).
A mid morning visit to the thermal hot springs (Termas de Polques) gave us an excuse for a bath and some time out of the truck. The water was lovely and warm, but getting out was difficult - cold wind and nowhere to get changed made for some fun balancing acts!
After our bath we headed to the Solar de Manaña geyser basin, to watch some bubbling pools of mud spit stinky gas into the air. These are at 5000m (16,400ft) - which left us all a little out of breath, and happy to be back in the truck as passangers with minimal physical exertion!
After lunch we visited Laguna Colorada - a beautiful red lake filled with 3 species of flamingo (James's, Andean & Chilean). The lake is colored red by algae and has bright white borax islands that create a startling contrast.
Our acommodation for the night was in a basic adobe building - no heating, so we pilfered extra blankets from the room next door... All of us slept in our hats as the outside temperature was -15 centigrade (5 farenheit)... (really really cold)

La Luna

Originally uploaded by ladyhedda

The air over the Atacama desert is transparant and dry, which makes for perfect stargazing.

We watched the moon set and the sky darken. Alain (our astronomer guide) taught us about stars, constellations, planets and galaxies. He has 6 telescopes set up all directed towards different objects. We saw the Moon, Saturn, Mars alongside clusters, gas fields and more.

Michael has written a beautiful post about his experience at an observatory further south over here....

Cold, so cold...

We made the trip to see the El Tatio Geyser field. The geysers are at their most active between 6.30am and 7.30am, and they are a 2 hour drive from San Pedro... So, in order to see the geysers do their thing we got out of bed at 3.50am - I know, stupid right?

The geyser field is at 4200m (13,800 ft) which at 6am in the morning translates to really fucking cold... -8.5 celcius, or 16.5 farenheit to be precise.

There are about 80 active geysers, and the erupt at varying heights with the tallest being 6 meters. Cold underground rivers met with hot volcanic rock underground, and hey presto the only way is up!
In summary, we got out of bed at ridiculous o'clock to see a bunch of holes in the ground spurt stinky water and steam into the air, whilst freezing ourselves to death. Nuts.

The Atacama

We're in San Pedro de Atacama, in the North of Chile. The town is at 2700m (7900ft) in the middle of the Atacama desert. The air here is dry, and at night it gets really cold.

There is beautiful desert scenery surrounding San Pedro. We've been out to visit the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) at sunset and the Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley) - which is really the old road linking San Pedro to the nearest town. A wiggley road meandering between desert rock formations.

Other Rio fun

On our last morning Claire and I made an early run around to the main street in Ipanema to visit the cashpoint (ATM). Obviously someone had been there before us, and they had been busy... Unfortunately neither of us had cameras with us, so you will have to imagine what we saw....
On the floor in the middle of the lobby was a large teracotta bowl, in which there was a (very dead) rooster, surrounding the bowl/rooster was a ring of manioc flour and some large leaves, similar to bay leaves. The last component was a large bottle of Grants whisky.
Magic, Macumba magic. If you are looking for some help to get what you want (and me thinks that someone was in need of some cash) then you can visit a Macumba specialist. They will tell you what to do, where to do it and when to do it. Sort of like a prescription. Saturday morning, in the lobby, with the rooster....

20% of Rio's population lives in a favela

We went on a tour of two of Rios favelas - Rocinha and Vila Canoas. Rocinha is the largest favela in Brazil - the official population is 60,000. However some believe that the real number is somewhere between 150,000 and 400,000..... Christina (our guide) explained to us about living in a favela - and about the drug lords that run them.
There are sentries posted at the entrance to the favelas, each holding a couple of large rockets/fireworks which they will let off as an early warning system if anyone unwelcome tries to enter.
In late 2006 there was a 'war' within Rocinha, and control of the favela passed from one criminal faction (the CV) to another (the ADA).

Here's a link to a Washington Post photo essay from Rocinha.

Vila Canoas is a really small favela, and the tour company supports a school here.
Mike got a photo of me skipping with the kids. Skipping is bloody hard work.

hedda playing with the kids in the favela
Originally uploaded by yobosayo

I've been working out

I nearly had my wallet stolen, nearly but not quite... I don't know who was more surprised me, or the bastard who tried to rip it out of my hand. Obviously he wasn't aware of my amazing grip strength, as all he got was the strap! I looked behind me (not really expecting to see the culprit) but there he was stanging on the pavement with a look of confusion on his face, clutching a pink strap and nothing else. So I shook my fist at him, like an old lady.

Maracanã Stadium from ladyhedda on Vimeo.

We went to see a football match at the Maracana stadium in Rio.... It was an international game between Fluminense (Rio) and Libertad (Paraguay), the final score was 2-0 to Fluminense. This (short) video was shot after Fluminenese scored....

The only team chant I managed to learn went something like this:
Fluminense, Nense, Ole ole ole ole ole, nense, ole ole ole ole....
Original hey?

Redeemed?

Here are the photos from our trip up to see Christ the Redeemer. Are we redeemed? I don't feel any different, but Claire seems to think we may be.

Nope.... Still no snow!

Praia do Santinho is such a lovely peaceful place.... Its really good to relax in the sun for a few days before sight seeing in Rio. It´s hot, sunny, with lovely sandy beaches... And a chance to see dolphins and whales! Both Hedda and I agree that the Posada and the hospitality of the people that own it are amazing. If you ever get the chance come out here!

Iguaçu Falls

I know there's been a lack of posting around here lately, but Claire and I have been having too much fun.... But now that Claire has headed for Englands snowy shores, I have been able to catch up on some photo uploading..
So, here are some photos of our trip to Iguazú / Iguaçu Falls (how d'ya like that, I give you both the Spanish and Portugese spelling).
We spent a total of 3 days at the falls, both on the Brazillian side and the Argentinian side. The Brazillian side of the falls gives the best panoramic views, and the Argentinian side allows you to get really close. We took a boat trip that zooms you around the falls and even gives you a shower underneath them....

Snowing...hmmm?

Did I hear it was snowing back home and a little chilly? Hmmm? Eh? Well I thought you´d be pleased to know its in the 30´s here in Brazil, sunny, hot and very blue sky... If that isn´t enough for you Hedda and I are off to test out the lovely beaches in Florianopolis tonight for a 4 day stay! Obviously we´d hate for you to miss out on the experience so will keep you posted! Oh yes indeedy!

In the jungle the quiet jungle the lion sleeps tonight....

We have just been in the jungle for 3 days. It was amazing! I have always wanted to go to the jungle since the days of A-level geography! Very very very hot and humid! It rained which isn´t surprising for a Rain forest, however...this brought out the spiders....which was surprising to me for some reason... completely forgot that there were likely to be millions of huge spiders in the jungle! Thank the lordy that a Danish bloke, taller than me, was in front of me on the trail.. So, basically cleared the trail of cobwebs by walking into them.

I have to say Hedda was brave and went for a night walk... No torches.... Just wobbling through the jungle with all the critters...and Spiders..no thank you!

We went for a paddle in a boat on the Iguazu river so that you get the full feel for how massive the rain forest is! Slight miss hap...a Dutch girl and i were helping a lady out of the boat and the cement ramp we were standing on broke off into the river....yupp nearly went floating towards the waterfalls...and Cayman....and what did Hedda do? Hmm? Stood laughing from dry ground!

Had a fantastic time really really glad we went...I think we are both in agreement with that!

Is it a bus or is it a plane!

We landed in Puerto Iguazu this morning after a 16 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. Now does the thought of a 16 hour bus journey make you cringe and your bum go numb.... Well now then... Do they have buses here, or do they have buses... We are talking about seats that turn into beds, meals, wine and a lovely whiskey nightcap... Hee hee totally unreal... Feels like you are travelling first class with BA. So it might be sad, but I´m actually quite looking forward to the next bus trip!

Upgraded

We're on the bus to Puerto Iguazu in a couple of hours. It's an 18 hour bus ride, and because I'm traveling with my Princess Claire we've upgraded ourselves to the fancy bus.
We'll have beds, fully reclining beds. I love it!

Just like being married

We're sitting at a table with a glass of vino tinto in hand, tango music fills the room, it's dark, there's dancing on stage, the audience is quiet.
I lean forward, burp in Claire's direction and seductively whisper 'Onion' in her ear....

¡Hola! Buenos Aires!

Hee hee this is really exciting...three reasons really...firstly I have never written on a bloggy blog, 2ndly Hedda has given me permission to write on her blog (dangerous!), and 3rdly and most importantly....the reason for the bloggy blog is that Hedda invited me out to meet her in Argentina....and here I am!

Buenos Aires is a fab city...really one you could comfortably fit and live in. Really reminds me of Rome; with the laid back attitude to life, fantastic food, fabulous building and lovely wine. Of course we´ve had to try a few bottles just to be on the safe side! Where Buenos Aires really differs is the total love of dancing and music, and more importantly the sharing of this. Impromptu bands, singers and tangoing in the streets...just makes it a top banana place to wobble around and enjoy.

So where have we been.....pretty much everywhere! I have my very own experienced guide...Hedda. Who apart from the scintillating conversation (obviously!) has been top banana at getting us around the city. Speaking Spanish (not the usual English way of just speaking louder and with a slight french accent....erm Stupot!) here just makes life so easy.....

Sunday 16th

Hed´s met me at the airport...great to see her after ooo about a year. So global traveller meets up with...erm Maidstoneite....

Our first port of call on the days´ itinerary is back to the Hostel in San Telmo region of the city. This in itself for any of my family and friends reading this is an experience to say the least. Do you know its not that bad!?! It´s clean...and its clean...and its erm clean...ooo the beds are comfy...I always wanted bunk beds...well now I have one! Ooo and they have this spread for breakfast which is just like banoffee pie toffee bit...cooked condense milk...its gorgeous and a massive sugar rush in the morning!

Off to La Boca - this is another region of the city by the old port area... its a poor part of the city such that historically families living her have always struggled. So to make up for the hardships of the past they paint all of the houses different colours. It shouldn´t work...but it does! There should be mucho clasho (poor I know) but there isn´t. Its full of tango dancing in the street and a fair few odd people, not scary just a bit unique....like the man with tights on his head selling bugs...red tights no less....with a skin tight super hero suit on!
Made an astonishing discovery in La Boca over lunch of the local delicacy of Empañadas......Cornish Pasties....honestly! I have photographic evidence of Cornish pasties in South America!

We then we wobbled back to San Telmo for the Sunday Antiques market....its really an excuse for families to get together in the parks and have a picnic or wonder along La Defensa watching the impromptu bands and dancing up and down the street...its great! Ooo and they sell empañadas all over the place....its pastie heaven! Our first real taste of proper tango was in this area with a full blown spango tango open air show in one of the little squares...it was great! How their legs don´t fly off I have no idea.

Evening meal...can you guess....steak! Beautiful!

Anyhoo....next blog to follow tomorrow...I have some catching up to do on the days as it is now Wednesday and tomorrow is our last day in Buenos Aires...but I had to use my first bloggy blog to waffle! And now I´ve done it! Bye for now!

Impending Arrival

Woo hoo!

Tomorrow CLAIREY arrives. Here in Argentina. For 3 whole weeks. We're going to party.

Hiking in the Fitzroys

These are the photos from our time in the Fitzroy Range. We had a fantastic time camping for 5 days and doing some lazy hiking. The mountain range is absolutely spectacular, and we lucked out for most of the days with beautiful blue skies...
On day 4 as we made our way to camp the wind started to pick up, and the rain started to fall. And it didn't stop. So we spent a wet and windy night wondering if our belongings would fall out of the trees, or the tent would blow away.
Our stuff was hanging in the trees because we'd heard from other hikers that there is a 'mouse problem' at the Torre campground. Mice that like to eat backpacks and eat through your tent to get to your food, not very nice mice. So we hung everything in our backpacks from a line strung between two trees and covered it with bin liners to keep out the rain. I then spent the night listening to the pitter patter of little mice feet and the eek eek eek for little mice voices. We survived unscathed by mice, but wet with a soggy tent to pack up.

We're in El Calafate, from where we headed into the Southern end of the Los Glaciers National Park to see the Moreno Glacier....
Chunks of ice as big as our house are floating in the water.... The noise as ice falls from the face is like a sonic boom.
Tonight is Kenny B's Birthday. So we're planning a lil party for him, with some tequila. Oh boy.

Cruisin' the Beagle Channel

Ushuaia is the main port for Antarctic departures, and last minute trips are available if there is space. We thought about it, but not for long. Our budget just doesn't stretch that far!!
So instead we hopped onto a boat for a cruise in the Beagle Channel. And were treated to lots of wildlife, beautiful still water, fantastic scenery and a relaxing afternoon.
The pengins down here are Magellanic Penguins, there are approximately 1,800,000 breeding pairs that are only found on the Falkland Islands, in Argentina and Chile. We were also lucky to see some Gentoo Penguins. These guys breed in Sub Antartic regions and on the Antartic Peninsular and have some 320,000 breeding pairs flapping around....
I love the penguins. Which reminds me to post a link to the Yellow Eye Penguin Trust... We were lucky enough to see the Hohiho (their Maori name) Penguins in the wild while we were in New Zealand - they are the worlds rarest Penguin with only 1500 pairs. The trust has recently purchased an additional 12km stretch of land in the Catlins at Long Point to preserve their breeding ground. This makes me Happy.

Fin del Mundo (sort of)

We made it to Ushuaia, only a 15hr bus ride away. Yeuch. We arrived in town at 9pm and started checking out the hostels looking for a bed. Any bed. It's coming to the end of the season down here, so lots of places are closed and the places that are open are full.
At 10pm we met a guy on the street who has an apartment. A two bedroom apartment with kitchen and bathroom, a new apartment. It feels like heaven. We're the only people staying there.

I must confess I don't feel as though I'm going to fall off the planet, but apparently we are rotating a little slower down here.

Day 8

The final day.
The alarm was set for 5.45am, we pulled on our clothes after a chilly night at Camp Las Torres and hit the trail in the dark, our path lit by our headlamps.
The trail follows a small stream up the valley towards the towers and then disappears into a pile of boulders. Big boulders. Lots of really big rocks and boulders.
It's dark, it's windy and we're climbing boulders up and up. Boulders that never end. The climb takes a good 45 minutes and we headed up the ridgeline and waited for the sun to rise.
Michael had brought our stove and breakfast makings. So coffee and oatmeal preparation was underway as the sun came up.
We were so lucky with the weather, the clouds parted over the top of the towers allowing the first morning sun to illuminate them. We sat and watched the colours change.
After breakfast it was back down the boulders to camp, a quick pack up and the final hike out of the valley.

Distance: 9.5km

Dinner: No more pasta, we're heading out for MEAT. Mmmm.

Pack: Thrown down on the hostal floor

Feet: Headed into a shower

Weather: I don't care anymore, I'm not walking in it.

Total Kilometers: 130km (that's 80 miles on foot)

Day 7

No photos for today. Not sure why, maybe we were too busy walking and trying to stay ahead of the rain...
We did manage to take some kind of short cut that turned into a boggy trail which once again meant wet muddy feet (my socks are a wee bit stinky now).
We approached our last camp ground by walking up the valley towards the Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine, pronounced PIE-nay in this neck of the woods). The sky started to cloud over and the wind picked up and then the rain came. Horizontal rain.
We pulled into a refugio to sit out the storm and wait until we could get back on the trail.

Distance: 20.5km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Still on my back

Feet: Stinky

Weather: Um rain. A lot of it.

Day 6

Campartmento Italian to Los Cuernos via Valley Francais.
This morning was the first hiking we got to do without the packs. We left the tent behind and headed up the Valley Francaise to explore for a few hours. The valley is one of the most beautiful spots on the trail, and at the top mirador we were surrounded by mountains.
Then it was back down to the tent, pack up and head a little further along the trail to Los Cuernos where we had a shower, with warm water. Wow.

Distance: 16.5km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Is finally feeling lighter

Feet: Using plastic bags in my shoes

Weather: Rain, clouds and then afternoon sun!

Day 5

Today was one of those days with some ground to cover, and not as much to see. So we packed up and got on the road. The trail continues down the valley towards Lago Pehoe, where we stopped for a noodle lunch and were joined by a friendly Guanaco.
After that we headed back around towards Campartmento Italiano. The rain was coming down and for the last 2 hours we were hopping through flooded trails trying to keep our feet dry. No luck there....

Distance: Only 18km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: The cheese and salami are gone.

Feet: Wet wet wet

Weather: Rain and floods.

Day 4

Up and over the Paso Gardner today. The trail climbed slowly through forest and out onto the moraine. A steady climb up and up and up in Patagonian wind and rain brought us to the highest point on the trail at 1200m and nearly blew me away a couple of times!
The views over Glacier Grey from the pass are amazing, Michael got all emotional and declared it one of the best days of his life. It really is a special place in the world.
The remaining part of the day was spent hiking down the valley, alongside the glacier. We crossed a couple of ravines, with the help of dodgy wooden ladders, rope and some scrambling. Just don't look down.

Distance: A whopping 22km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Not feeling very light

Feet: Wet and cold

Weather: Laughing at me

Day 3

Camp Dickson to Camp Perros
A short day (I need it!). A steepish climb for the first 40 minutes was rewarded by views back over Lago Dickson and forward up the Los Perros Valley towards the Los Perros Glacier.
The trail follows the Rio Los Perros, past a pretty waterfall through woodland for most of the morning. We ate lunch in the wood, perched on a log.
In the afternoon we climbed up the moraine edge for views of the Los Perros Glacier. It's a little windy at the top, and the wind is cold as it's rushing down from the glacier and up over the lake towards us!

Distance: 9km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Still heavy

Feet: My little toe has caved under all the pressure

Weather: Perfecto

Day 2

Camp Seron to Camp Dickson
A longish day that feels even longer because the packs are still so full of food. 7 days food is a lot of food, when it was layed out on the bed it didn't look too bad, but now it's on my back I'm starting to realize that the cheese and salami will have to be eaten pronto. The ramen noodles will be saved for the end of the trip. Eat the heavy stuff asap.

Distance: 19km

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Not getting lighter

Feet: Sore but dry

Weather: Strong winds, cloud but no rain.

Day 1

Originally uploaded by m_hagen

We're packed and ready to go... The bus picks us up from the hostel at 7.30am and it's off to the Torres del Paine (PIE-nay) National Park.
We get off the bus, and within 15 minutes have removed our shoes to negotiate a flooded river and missed the turn for the start of the trail... We realize that we have missed the turn 4km down the road. So, we keep going forwards, until the next trail which will take us in the right direction. Just what I really needed, an extra 6.5ks of hiking when my pack is heavy. So, we stop for lunch - with every bite the pack gets a little lighter, or am I imagining it?
The afternoon is spent hiking towards our first destination - Camp Seron. Where we put up the tent and prepare our dinner.

Distance: 16.5 kms

Dinner: Pasta

Pack: Heavy

Feet: Wet

Weather: Sunny

We're off the boat!

We arrived last night at about 6pm in Puerto Natales.  The trip down was great.  Four days on a ferry, with a 12 hour period on the Pacific crossing the Penas Gulf bobbing around like a cork...  The swell wasn't huge, but there were a couple of moments when I thought I might get my pigtails dunked in the ocean from my bunk bed...

 

We're heading into the Torres del Paine National Park tomorrow.  We're planning to hike the 'circuit'....  So, we'll be walking for 8 days (7 nights) carrying all our food, tent and sleeping bags.  It's gonna be a heavy backpack tomorrow morning....

 

Gotta run, and shop for food.  Light food.

 

Not our boat....

Originally uploaded by ladyhedda

Today we're stocking up on salty snacks for the boat ride, and have just purchased some motion sickness tablets. Rumour has it that everyone gets sick on this trip, not just a select few. Hmmm, we shall see.

Our berths are in C class cabins, not sure what that means, but I'm pretty sure we won't have an ensuite! You can check out the boat here (click on cabins to see our beds!). We're in C Class, and have bunks 1 & 2 in cabin 106.

We'll be at sea for the next 4 days. I promise an update as soon as we arrive in Puerto Natales.

Southbound, it's getting chilly

Originally uploaded by ladyhedda

I found Michael. He showed up on the doorstep of the family home that I was staying in at 8am this morning.... He'd been standing outside on the street calling my name and whistling, 'cause he knew the street I was on, but not the house!! One of the neighbours brought him over to the right door. We're staying with a retired maths teacher and her husband in a little house in the center of town.

This is her stove. It's amazing, it's wood burning and is absolutely immaculate. She and her husband have lived in the house since 1971.

Estoy en Chile

The bus ride over the Andes is pretty, but l o n g... I left Bariloche this morning at 9am and finally reached Puerto Montt at 6pm, 3 hours late. The border crossing was fun. First you exit Argentina, then you pile back onto the bus and drive for 20 minutes where you get off the bus again and deal with Chilean customs and immigration. They empty the whole bus of all the bags and x-ray every one... Once we arrived in Puerto Montt, I realized that I had 'misplaced' my baggage reclaim ticket. So, I had to wait until all the other bags were gone, and then give the driver and the steward a kiss on the cheek each before they would hand it over...

We've changed our plans a little. Michael was going to meet me in Bariloche and we were going to head South on the Argentinian side of the Andes, but, I managed to get a couple of last minute tickets on the Navimag ship in Chile. The ship is a cargo boat that transports passengers too... The trip will take 4 days and travels South through the Chilean fiords, coming out into the Pacific for one (bumpy) channel crossing. You can see photos and a video of the stormy seas here....

Gotta go shopping for seasickness tablets tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day

I-ve arrived in Bariloche, in Argentina-s Lake District. It-s a beautiful day- if a little windy.
The keyboard on this computer is confusing. I can-t find any punctuation... Grrr.

Anyway, Happy Valentines Day!

My two favorite things

One 13 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires and I've arrived in Mendoza. The Mendoza region is known for it's wine, Malbec to be precise. So, on Tuesday I'm scheduled on a fancy tour to enjoy some of the best that they have to offer.

Mendoza is also the closest city to Aconcagua (the tallest peak in South America). So tomorrow I'm heading over to check it out. I don't have time to climb it on this trip, but I will be planning that on a future occasion......