Griffo round the world
6th Oct 2006Bariloche, the lake district Hola, como estas bit of spanish for everyone. Anyway cant sleep at the moment so thought i`d use my time wisely and update my site! What a crazy last two weeks! I feel like i have barely stopped. After returning from Rurrenabarque and the Jungle, Dan and i managed to convince Thomas and Bartek (our german and polish mates) to come climbing Huayna Potosi with us (a 6088m summit). What i trip that was. Arrived at base camp at 12 noon after much hassel. First we had to wait at a service station for more than an hour while another taxi with some others and another guide got fuel, in the end the taxi didn`t get fuel and the others swaped to another taxi. Then we went to the guides house to pick up more gear, this was down a dirt goat track that on the way down dan said we`d be lucky to get back up. Funny thing that, as after the taxi was loaded to the max with gear, (we had to get out at this point) the taxi attempted to get back up the hill, not a chance in hell. A rock show as davo would call it. Anyway after several useless attempts by the taxi, we had to push the taxi up the hill while the driver gunned it in first gear. After that we were on our way for bit, til the taxi`s radiator sprang a leak. After our mechanic/taxi driver fixed it, we finally contined and arrived at base camp at 12 noon after leaving at 8am for what was only meant to be an hour and a half drive. Base camp at altitude 4700m, left there in foul weather (snowing heaps, poor visability) and arrived at high camp 5200m some 2 or 3 hours later, covered in snow and freezing! Food, some hot drinks and some happy snaps when the weather cleared, bed by 8pm. 12 midnight (4 hours resting as not much sleep was had, don`t think dan got any) woken up by guides for breaky and it start getting ready. Left high camp at 1am. The next 4-5 hours was a massive hard slog, it was quite difficult walking in crampons and using the ice axe. At around 7am we had made it to the foot of the summit, only about 200m from the top. After 3 attempts at the last section we had to give it away, our energy failed, i was starting to feel quite sick from the altitude (didn`t help watching one of our group spew all over the mountain and have to turn back on the 2nd attempt), and our guide was trying to rush us becasue he said the sun would melt the snow and make it very dangerous to return. So thats it`s, my failed attempt at Huayna Potosi, i made roughly 5900m, nearly there. The return was also very difficult, we had no energy left and some of the technical ice climbing sections left us exhausted. Finally returned to high camp at 9.30am and after short rest the rest of the way to the base camp, there around 2pm. Never have i felt so exhausted, spliting headache and generally crap, but it was worth it, even if i didn`t quite make it. Anyway, the next day back in La Paz, picked up Brazilian Visa, didn`t some sourviner shopping and send package home. What a debarcle, if you ever are in La Paz and want to send stuff home from the post office, allow at least 2-3 hours in the post office. We were pressed for time (had bus leaving for Uyuni at 7pm) and the cash register broke down, the cashier sent me all over the building before i finally returned to him and he processed my parcel. Left there at 6.45pm, mad rush back to the hostel and to collect our mochilla`s (backpacks) and a nervous taxi ride to the bus terminal (got there at 7.10pm). Another rock show that was, the bus was out on the highway 5 min walk from the terminal and in the end didn`t leave til 8.30, why the rush? This bus ride was the start of our 5 day massive travel journey. After leaving La Paz at 8.30 arrived in Uyuni at 6.30am in the morning (the bus ride was freezing, the inside or the windows literally froze). Organised a 3 day Salar del Uyuni tour of the salt flats and left on that at 10am. Awesome scenary, will post the photos in the next couple of days, they speak for themselves so will only briefly mention this section. Saw geyers, many cati, lakes of various colours (red, green, blue, white etc), and rock formations just sticking straight up out of no where. Accomodation basic, no showers! However on the last day in the morning when went to these aguas calientes (hot springs) where the surround temp was below freezing. Awesome, was able to get a little clean, my hair froze while i was sitting in there. Anyway after 3 days of awesome scenary and much sitting in the back of a landcrusier, arrived back in Uyuni at 8pm. Dan and i chilled in the tour agency shop for the next few hours (after dinner and a couple of beers with people from the tour), then jumped on our train at 2am for the border of Bolivar and Argentina. We booked the popular section (as it was called), but should be renamed cattle class, there were no tourists in this section, only locals and two tightarse poor dump arse travellers deprived of sleep. Little sleep later, (it got better as people got off the train along the way), we arrived at Villazon the Bolivan border town at 2pm. Got stamps, changed some money (no hassels), wound clock 1 hour forward and crossed into Argentina. Short walk to Bus terminal and we were on our way again, this time to Salta at 4pm (about 1 hour in total to cross border, pretty good really, and wound clock one hour forward). Bus trip uneventful, arrived salta 10.30pm. Gathered our stuff and were then able to jump directly on to another bus leaving for Mendoza at 11pm (18 hours), long trip but at least the bus in Argentina are comfortable (better than aussie by far). Arrived Mendoza around 6.30pm the next day, had quick bite to eat and then somehow Dan convinced me to get another bus at 8pm to Bariloche (19 hours). By this stage we had been stinking for a couple of days, not be able to change clothes or have a shower (hot springs was last time i`d hit some water), so i thought why not, lets continue to stink! Jumped on bus at 8pm and arrived Bariloche at about 3pm the next day, and managed to find hostel by about 4pm. Was fairly billy bucked by this stage was shower and sleep was on the cards. Finally got clean (i know this is grose) and changed clothes (had been wearing the same clothes since leaving La Paz (again i know this is grose, but you do what you have to, especially when all your other clothes are dirty), lucky i had one clean change left. Well if you read all that, thats where i`m at at the moment, Going snow shoeing later today, really should try and get more sleep, but am having trouble at the moment. Will gone for a couple of days. Not sure where to next, things are up in the air, both Dan and i are keen to get somewhere are chill for a while, constantly moving around and packiing and unpacking our backpacks is driving us both insane. As yet we have manged not to kill each other, hands have come close to each other`s throats (figure of speak, not literally), but we had controlled ourselfs with only minor snapping at each other here and there. Must go, coz the sun is starting threating the horizon, and i need to pack my gear and get my washing, Cheers everybody, send me some emails or leave a message on my board, it would be good to hear from you all. Griffo
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