Well here it is, my first entry. I thought I best get used to the layout and functions before landing in S. America as I have been told it is hard to navigate in Spanish!!!
I have finally, after weeks of running about like a headless mongoose, (faster than a chicken) got my life packed up in a backpack and small bag. Considering this time I also have a tent, sleeping and therma-rest, the bags dont seem that heavy. Hmmmm, that is easy to say now as I havent actually carried them for more than 2 mins.
Tonight is my last night in England before heading to Sao Paolo tomorrow evening via Zurich. No doubt there will be a fair few beers downed in the bars of Manchester later and a sore head to boot in the morning. It would be rude not to.
The next blog will be somewhere on the other side of the world, dont ask me where because I have no idea at the this stage. In fact I still dont where I will be sleeping in Brazil on Saturday night. All that do I know is that it will be near a nice beach so I can chill for a few days and get climatised.
Adios y hasta luego mis amigos
James
Hi Folks, thanks for being patient, I have been in staying in a remote beach area in Brazil the last few days and not had a fast enough internet connection to write a blog. More about that later.
The flight from Manc to Sao Paolo via Zurich was painless enough, a couple of glasses of wine and I was out for most of the flight. What I had forgotten about was the impact long distance journeys have on my guts, nice......
We arrived at Sao Paolo airport around 6am feeling a little dazed and sleepy. We had decided on the flight to get out of the city and to chill out on a beach resort, Parati had been recommended so that was the plan. We were soon in a taxi from the airport to the city centre coach station down town.
Well, the taxi journey was interesting. A couple of mins out of the airport we were on a 4 lane road between some of the worst slums I have seen, nothing to be surprised about here. What was surprising was 2 men parked funny in the central reservation and a police car pulling up, one of the cops getting out behind his door and aiming his gun at the car. Straight out of US cop movie, great stuff. This must of inspired our taxi driver to be in the movies as he put his foot down and weaved in and out of the traffic leaving inches between the cars in front. I tried to work out which was the fast lane and which was the slow lane but gave up after 5 mins.
I spoke a bit of Spanish to the driver and explained we wanted to go to Parati. Just before the coach station he stopped the taxi and wrote down the name of the coach company and what time the coach left, and how much it would cost. What a friendly man. We arrived at the coach station with 40 mins to spare.
The taxi driver was spot on with his details. Tickets were very easily bought behind the specific counter for the coach company. Again the fella selling the tickets was very helpful especially after I asked him to say, please, thankyou and good bye in Portugese. He enjoyed practising his English too.
The coach was bloody fantastic, reclining seats, air conditioning, big windows, and music to listen to. What was not so good was my constant gurgling stomach, enough of that me thinks. We followed the coast for a good couple of hours and the coach was bouncing from side to side, I get the impression the Brazillians like to drive as fast as the vehicle they are in will let them. Some of the kids on board were sick as dogs. It is bank holiday weekend so places like Ubatuba (quality name for a town) were heaving with beach goers from the city and surfers. 6.5 hours after we set off we arrived in Parati.
The coach station in Parati is pretty small and thankfully for us across the road is a small tourist information place. Nearly all the places to stay were booked for the bank hols but the yet again very friendly and helpful man found us a room near the main beach. Twice as much as we were hoping to pay but such is life.
The hotel is gorgeous, outdoor pool, very clean and spacious rooms, air con, fridge and massive ensuite bathroom. The 3 of us ( me, Rich & Alex) stayed in the same room to keep costs down. By the time we arrived we were hot, sweaty, tired and in need of a shower and clean clothes. We were told we would have to wait 2 hours (5pm) before we could check in. We left our main bags at the hostel and went for a walk along the beach.
2 mins down the road and a very drunk Brazilian guy started talking to us, friendly enough. His mates joined in and we had some really funny light hearted banter, these guys are so friendly it is untrue. They invited us in for drinks and food but kindly declined and went on our merry way. The restaurants on the beach were extortionate so we went back to the hotel to wait until our room was ready.
By the pool side we chatted to 3 older Brazilian men from Rio who were staying for the weekend. They had brought a coach of 49 of their friends down. The women were on their balcony drinking, dancing and singing Samba songs at the top of their voices, it was hilarious. We learnt some more Portugese especially the words for Rice & Bean which is a favourite food.
5pm came and we were told our room wont be ready until 7.30pm. Bloody Hell, not good. There was nothing else to do apart from walk into town and find some food. I was not in a good way, stomach problems, sweaty to the core, exhausted and my bag was killing my shoulders. It was a 45 min walk into town. We came across a self service food place which was spot on, loads of veg, and chicked and my energy levels perked up. Enough to get back to our room in one piece. I have to say the shower was one of the best I have ever had in my entire life. 2.5 seconds later I was asleep.
What a difference a good sleep makes, I felt a lot better the next morning. And the breakfast, oh my god, more fruit than you can shake a stick at, cheese, meats, bread, and cake after cake. The coffee to is bloody gorgeous. After a 5 course breakfast we hit the beach. The sun was out and the sea calm so I took a swim around a boat that was anchored up nearby, I had to work the cake off somehow.
It was so nice to chill out in the sun after the mad travels of the day before. What was more fun was the mud we found in a bay just up the way, see the photo´s and vid´s :-)
That night we walked around the old historical part of the city, cobbled streets and loads of really cool shops, restaurants and bars. I stopped by a bar with a list of liquers that I had no idea what they were, inside were about 300 bottles of spirits on the walls. The man serving spoke good English so it was time to find out.
The local speciality is Cachaça and liquer made from palm trees or palm sugar. For 3 reais a shot, a big double, (3.5 reais to the pound) he poured 3 glasses, a pure cachaça, a more mature one, and one flavoures in cinnamon. The first was rough, proper rough, the next smoother and the third delicious. Much to our surprise he brought this big wide bottomed bottle from behind the counter that had a snake in it. He tipped a small glass in the liquid and gave it us to sip, it was pleasantly nice. Alex wasnt to keen at all on the idea, though she tried it.
On the wall was a bottle of snake cachaça, 600rs to buy, ouch. The most bizarre was a crab in a bottle which was not for sale. My body temperature had risen somewhat from the booze so we went on our merry way.
Around the corner was the main square where the locals hung out and drunk beer, we were on Itaipava a clean but gassy beer, and the cheapest. 3rs a big bottle. I bumped into 3 guys I spoke to at the coach station on arrival so decided to stay out and drink with these guys as R&A went back to the hotel.
Earlier in the night was a football match and the locals we were watching the game on tv in a small bar spilling out in to the street. I thought it would be interesting to have a few drinks there and see what happens. A rather drunk football shirted bloke spoke to me, hey Gringo, (the first and only time so far I have been called Gringo) and blurbed something out. The locals looked as confused as I did and laughed at him as he stumbled out. I sat with Ben, Dale and Peter drinking 10 Itai´s between us until we got kicked out around 2am.
These guys had been in Brazil for a week and told me about how the Brazilian ladies like to kiss, this old woman 60+ with bad teeth who couldnt speak a word of English was trying it on with Ben much to our and everyone else in the bar´s amusement. For the first time I experienced the womens fascination with blonde hair. If I had a pound for everytime my hair was touched it would of paid for the nights beers.
Tomorrow, onward to Trindade......
We had been recommended a beautiful resort called Trindade around the bay from Parati and just a 30 min bus ride away.
Oh boy, what a bus ride too. We lumped our bags onto the back of the bus and help on bloody tight. I mentioned before they like to drive fast and break late. This ride was up and down a hill and as bumpy as you could get. You would pay good money for a ride like this at Alton Towers, it was a good job my dinner had settled before we got on. The funniest bit was when the bus had to cross a stream and turn an uphill corner at the sametime, we felt the rear tyres slide right across the wet rocks before they took grip, waaay heeyyyy.
Trindade is a small place of a main road and a couple of small roads lined with hotels, hostels, campsites, shops selling clothes and surf gear, restaurants and a small supermarket. It is out of season and very quiet at the moment but we get the feeling an massive influx of surfers is around the corner as they bars are stocking up like crazy.
We arrived in the rain, dumped our bags off, got changed into beach gear and headed to the sea in the wet. The warning sign by the beach was read, sort of taken notice of, and ignored. Me and Rich jumped in the sea which was surprisingly warm for the time of day. 5pm ish. The waves were bloody strong and I could feel a strong rip on my legs as the sand was draqgged out to sea. We had to stay close to the shore and take care.
I swam out as far as I felt safe and had a go at body surfing, it has been a good few years since I last tried so was out of practise. I got totally slammed dunked by a couple of waves early on, this is not the easiest place to try. Now I understood the warning sign. It wasnt long before I caught one and rode it in to the beach at a good speed, yes man, this is great fun. I remember the buzz now. I caught a few more but decided enough was enough when a big wave broke and I dropped out of it like a brick and landed on my hands and knees on the pebbly sand, nice bit of chafffing there.
The restaurants are island prices and way over our budget, apart from an Italian place. The owner/chef spoke to us in excellent English with an American accent and helped decphyer the menu for us. We shared a gorgeous vegy pizza and an enourmous lasagna. The lasagna was heavenly and so filling, it was a matter of crawling back to the hotel.
The next 3 days were spent chilling on the 3 beaches in the area, all bloody stunning. It is a pity it has been overcast and raining most of the days as it the coast would be breath taking in full sunshine. One night a mozzy must of got into our room as my face looked like I had contracted bubonic plague by the morning. The lumps have now dissappeared thankfully.
If I had to make a couple of comments about my first week in Brazil it is how very friendly the people are. At first I was like, ok, you are friendly, but what are you after, really now, what do you want. The answer is nothing. They are genuinly friendly and happy people that I have encountered so far. I always say hello, thanks, goodbye in Portugese which goes a long way, and try to pick up as many words as possible. The really appreciate my trying to learn their language.
The other thing I have noticed is CAKES. Bloody hell, I have never seen so many cakes. Cakes for breakfast, on every food stall, corner, women walking up and down the beach selling cakes, the last shop open at night is the cake shop. Of course it is rude not too indulge in cakes. As you may or may not know I am more of savoury man than a sweet tooth, but boy, these cakes are seriously good, well worth the air fare alone.
We are back in Parati now waiting for our coach back to Sao Paolo, then onto the airport for the flight to Buenos Aries. We will have 5 hours to kill at the airport which is fine as it saves on a nights accommodation. Ok, it is time to say chau, and next time you will hear from me I will be in Argentina or Uruguay.
Adios
James
The first plans to go a little tits up......
Today was the day to get back to Sao Paolo to catch our pre-booked flight to Buenos Aires in Argentina at 7.30 tomorrow morning. Loads of time... so we thought..... The bus from Trindade back to Parati was at 12 midday so it was a steady start to the day, a good breakfast and loads of time to chill and repack. The bus wasnt as much as a fairground ride going the other way thankfully. We arrived back in Parati half an hour later. The coach we wanted to catch back to Sao Paolo left at 4.30pm to get in at 11.30. The idea was to have a sleep at the airport before catching the flight. Which meant we had a nice couple of hours to spare.
I killed a couple of those hours updating this blog with the previous entries. A good feed of veg and chicked back at the self service place and it was time to get back to the bus station to buy our tickets to Sao Paolo. We get to the kiosk to be told the coach is full. Oh shit.... The next coach left at 11.30pm with expected arrival time in SP at 5.30am, 2 hours before our flight. It is a 20 min taxi drive from SP coach station to airport, which means cutting it fine to get our flight. Any problems or delays with the coach and things would get interesting.
With no other option, we bought tickets, found a dry spot under a big tree and set about seeing the next 7 hours through. As it happens, it was a nice evening in the end. We found a square near some restaurants and watched the sun set listening to musicians playing acoustic guitars. It also gave me chance to walk around the old part of the town and check out the galleries, shops and craft stores. We shared a couple of large beers back at the locals bar and before we knew it, only an hour to go.
The coach was on time and within a few minutes I was out like a light. Next thing I know it is 4.45am and we had arrived early in Sao Paolo. It was perfect timing for our flight, and all worked out a lot better than sleeping at the airport. I have lernt previously that travelling has a strange way of making good things out of bad events, and this was one of those occassions.
Nothing of interest to write about the plane to Buenos Aires, Argentina here we come....
It took chuffing ages to get through passport control when we got off the plane. Not what you need when you are busting for a pee!!! Eventually we had our passports stamped, rather neatly which is a good thing as running out of blank pages in my passport could become a problem, collected our bags, and were let loose in another country.
I managed to find a phone and call ahead to a hostel to make sure we had a bed for a night which we did. The next decision was to decide on weather to take a 20 min taxi for about 20 pounds between us or the 2.5 hour bus down town for 50p each. A no brainer really and we set off in search of the bus. Just a 3 min walk from the airport which was handy.
We missed the bus by seconds but were told the next would be 20 mins, my Spanish is very limited but somehow the infomartion between bus man and myself got there. I was approached by a man who smelt of beer, good going for 11am. He asked where we were from and he said he was South African and mentioned the rugby final that was one later, that is the last I mention about rugby!!
Anyway I talked to him for a while and he proceeded to tell me about how he has had his backpack and all his belongings stollen from a hostel in town and that he is sleeping at the airport until his embassy is open on Monday. Not what you want to hear after 24 hours travel when you reach a new city. I was obviously dubious about his story as I have heard this type of thing before. He kept on nipping back for a beer before the bus arrived. Not that short of money then. He said he had been begging at the airport.
At this point I thought, here we go, it is only a matter of time before he asks for some cash, but I was going to make him work really hard for it. He must of picked up that I was not a new traveller or something and that he wasnt going to get an easy ride. In the end he didnt ask for any money and sat on his own at the back of the bus. Good move matey.
The first thing I thought about the city is that it is unbelievably massive, I mean seriously big. The road we took into the city must be about 10 - 15 miles in a straight line, the bus was on it for at least an hour and half. How all the shops manage to make enough money to stay open is beyond me. It was a good way of seeing what BA is all about. A few parks and thousands upon thousands of Saturday shoppers lining the streets.
We checked a couple of hostels out and settled for The Hostel-Inn Buenos Aires that was friendly enough, we are staying in an 8 bed dorm, time for sleepless nights again!!
We were told there was to be a hostel bbq later that evening that will be an experience. I have heard about Argentinian bbq´s so we signed up. It was still light so we went for a walk around a few blocks taking in the cathedral, the palace where Evita spoke and checked out the shops and restaurants near us.
The bbq eventually got way at 10pm, I was ravenous by this time. The salad consisted of 4 lettuce leaves and a sliced tomato with a few pieces of bread. The first tray of meat came down and I thought that should just about fill 8 of us around the table. The chunks of steak were delicious, cuts from all parts of the cow. The sausages were so flavoursome and tasty. I went at it like a man possessed and felt more than happy with my fill. The second tray of meat came down with the same amount of meat again, with a couple of different cuts. Ahhh, I didnt realise there was more to come. I managed to squeeze in a couple of more pieces before deciding enough was enough. When the 3rd tray came down I thought that is taking the piss. With all the meat and wine I was done in and crawled upstairs to sleep in my bunk.....
The joy of dorm rooms, I had removed the memories from my travel bank thoughts over the last few years. Was woken up every half an hour by some annoying bird above me pissing about with her mobile and stuff. Normally I would tell her to shut up, but I was so tired I fell asleep soon after waking up each time. Note to self.... get your ear plugs out of backpack.
After the clouds and rain of Brazil it was such a relief to see a totally clear sky and a blazing sun in the morning. One of the girls in the hostel told me about the main cemetary in the city that was worth visiting. As it was a Sunday and day for exploring I decided to have a look to see what it was all about. The cemetary was near the posh and beautiful area of Palermo so that was another good reason to head over that way.
Buenos Aires has a tube system like London that costs the equivalent of 20p for a journey anywhere in the city, if only London was like that. The Cemetario de La Relocoleta is huge with 4800 graves, crypts and monuments lining the area. It is easy to get lost in there without a map. I did buy a map to help fund the maintenance and to find the main graves. The 2 main ones I found were ex President Sarmiento and Evita´s that had by far the most people looking at it.
It was soon clear that the sun was going to be out for the whole day so to make the most of it we took a walk through the parks of Palermo, well until we got attacked by a swarm of mozzies. You could see wild parrots flying between the palm trees.
Back near our hostel the streets were lined with market trades selling everything from beads to tshirts and musical instruments. It had a fun relaxed feeling to it and was a joy to wander slowly taking in the crafts. At the end of the market is a plaza with more antique stands. We sat here with a cold beer and watched the world go by. Guess who we saw on the way back to the hostel, the bloody annoying South African guy from the airport having a drink at a table outside a bar. He shouted hello and left us alone. A city with 11 million people and the one person you dont want to see......
Later in the evening a few of us from the hostel went out to eat at a nearby restaurant. The food here is so cheap and the meat, well the best meat in the world. A huge tasty tenderloin steak costs about 3 pound, it is rude not to eat one. I know my digestion is going to complain at some point but what the hell.
On the way back the Plaza Dorrego near our hostel was full of locals dancing the Tango and a samba drum band banging out a frentic rhythm. I am really liking this city.
Next day we went to the port and bought boat tickets across to Uruguay. I spent most of the after noon back in the plaza writing and reading. To Argentian with acoustic guitars sang a mixture of Spanish and English classic rock anthems for an hour or so, they were really really good. If I had been any more relaxed here I would of been asleep. More good food and a couple of beers were quaffed in the evening before an early night to get up in time for the boat to Uruguay.......
Colonia Del Sacramento is only an hour so away from Buenos Aires by boat so it was the obvious way to get in to Uruguay. I was hopng to be able to stand outside on the deck and watch Buenos Aires drift into the distance but we were ushered inside by the crew.
Uruguay was described in the Lonely Planet as the Switzerland of South America, and on arriving in Colonia you can understand why. It has a very relaxed feel to it, cobbled streets in the old historical part of the city with trees lining almost all of the streets and roads. The hostel Colonia was only a 10 minute walk away from the port and has a really nice courtyard to eat and socialise in.
It was only midday when we arrived so we had a whole afternoon to play with. After lunch we took the free push bikes from the hostel and headed to a nearby beach. The bikes, well, if you can call them bikes, ok, they 2 wheels and a crossbar, the handlebars moved in the socket in all directions which was interesting, and everytime I turned a corner the front wheel smakced into my toes as there wasnt enough room between pedals and wheel. This made for a rather interesting ride!!!
The beach was ok, the sea more like a dirty river and there were loads of mozzies on the beach. I had a bit of swim and then headed across the road for a beer. This bar must have least been cleaned 20 years ago, a very old woman served us and I couldnt help think of the Bates Motel out of Psycho. It was a road side bar with a very creepy feel to it. The beers went down well though.
One of the first thing I noticed were the cars. I am convinced that they import their cars from scrap heaps all around England and then by some miracle get them running again. Seriously they are shells and must of never heard of an MOT. Mk 1 ford escorts everywhere with different coloured doors and wires hanging out. Unbelievable. The food is pretty good here and the pizza´s very nice, which is more than can be said for the Uruguayan wine which is shite.
We had a walk around the old picturesque part of town before sunset. There were a few ruins and a gatehouse that were interesting.
My second day here was spent on the other beach, Playa Honda which is a couple of kilometres away. This is a much nicer beach and I spent the day soaking in the sun and reading. I had to pass an old shanty town on the way to the beach, a reminder that this is still a poor part of the world. Later that day I enjoyed a very nice cappuccino and watched the sun set over the sea. The first of many stunning sunsets on these travels. Next day heading east towards Punta Del Diablo.
We got up early for the bus to Punto Del Este and then hopefully onto Punto Del Diablo for a chill on the beach.
We missed the connecting bus onto Diablo and had to spend the night in Este much to our annoyance. This place is a bloody rip off and the Youth Hostel a disgrace. To top it off my guts were playing up so I was in bed for 9pm. The one good part of this place is the womans fashion shop called Tits, inspired.
The less said about this place the better, on to Punta Del Diablo first thing tomorrow.
Up nice and early for breakfast and to get out of this god forsaken shite hostel and rip off town. You get them all over the world and this is one of those places.....
We had to take a local bus to San Carlos or something like that, wait 30 mins and get a proper coach to just outside Punta Del Diablo. My guts were just about holding up ok but I felt knackered. The coach dropped us off by the side of the motorway by the road into Diablo, about a 4 or 5km walk to the centre. Thankfully a pickup truck drove past a minute later and we all jumped in the back with our bags and got a lift into the small fishing village.
As we were visiting out of season the campsite is shut as are most of the places to stay, restaurants and shops. We did look at getting a 4 bed dorm in the Youth Hostel but that was expensive for what was on offer. We did end up in a spot on Cabana, a little thatched roof cottage that slept 6 but 4 comfortably. This is a self contained place with a little kitchen and dining area with beds along the wall and upstairs in the attic. This is perfect for keeping the cost down and cooking our own food.
We decided on staying 4 days here as it is such a nice place. The village itself is home to 500 families spread out over a couple of beaches and the main fishing port. The idea of staying here for as long as possible was to recharge the batteries before heading back to Buenos Aires.
Most of the days were spent either walking or chilling on the gorgeous long quiet beaches. As soon as we moved into our home a dog decided to adopt us as her family. She never left the front of the cabana when we were in and followed us for miles and miles on our walks and stayed with us when sun bathing.
She was definitely a tormented dog, totally on heat and constantly battling away horny dogs. I think she got a bit to much to fend off one night as there was an almighty racket outside. The next she spent hours on the beach digging a huge windy trench to lie and to try and bury a big piece of concrete she was chewing on, strange dog.
Saturday around 10pm I thought I would stick my head out of the door to see if anything was happening, not a sound. Apart from the dogs barking, a man from a nearby Cabana blabbered something to me in Spanish, I just replied I was staying here and he began giving one of the dogs an almighty telling off, if that helped. He looked like a very minature Fidel Castro much to my amusement, this is a bizarre fun place.
The morning of the last full day I got up early to see the sunrise over the harbour. It was so peaceful and soulful out on the rocks by myself, it was a great start to a perfect lazy day. It is a shame to leave such a gorgeous chilled place.
We got back to Buenos Aires in one day, a couple of coaches, a boat and a subway, nothing of interest to mention. After fully resting up in Uruguay for a few days I was ready for some serious partying. Rich & Alex wanted some peace and quiet, I checked in back at the Hostel we stayed in previously and they went to a smaller place a few blocks away. We agreed to meet up the next day to check out a museum.
I was on the terrace floor of the hostel this time, so up the tight stairs I trekked banging in to the walls with my oversized backpack. I was greeted by a couple of hello James´ on the terrace by guys I had met here before, what a nice welcome. Simon was playing the guitar to the gathering of about 10 travellers. It was Helen´s 20th birthday the next day but she was celebrating tonight. Talk about perfect timing, within an hour I had bottle of wine in hand and ready to hit the town.
The plan was to leave around midnight, hit a bar or two and then a club. Downstairs in the hostel 2 guys were playing guitars and singing. One guy was a blind Argentian who played brilliant acoustic guitar and sang backing vocals, the other a local too with a great voice and electric guitar. The Pink Floyd covers they played were absolutely spot on, I really enjoyed listening to them. We sat entranced until nearly 2am so it was straight to a club.
We bought tickets at the hostel for a drum and bass club called Bahrain, only 15 pesos which is 2.50 pound and included a drink. On the way into the club we had to walk through an airport style metal detector to make sure I wasn´t carrying tin cans, walking frames, or a 20 piece cutlery set. Inside the main room was a huge long screen with moving images that moved in time to the music. It was a DJ´s birthday so the clubbed stopped to sing to him and watch him blow up his cake. Ok, night quite blow up but the indoor firework on the cake nearly set fire to the curtains and the club itself!!!
How they had the cheek to call it a drum and bass club I dont know. The first few tunes were good enough then it changed to a mix of white noise, gabba, bad soca and some genre even I can´t but a name to. To be honest it was total shite. That didnt stop me havin a great laugh making up stupid new dances and generally taking the piss out of everything.
Much to my amazement I couldnt find a kebab shop on the way home so it was a super Pancha time instead. A pancha is a long hot dog covered in onions, garlic sauce and salsa. Not as fulfilling as a dirty doner but good enough, it was light when I crashed out.
I can understand why R&A wanted a quieter dorm. I was in a 6 bed dorm with 2 Spanish guys who were always on a beer mission, a crazy gay Mexican with more energy than 10 duracell rabbits, a Peruvian and a venezualian. Three of them snoring out of sync. I got an hours sleep and decided to get up for breakfast!!
Shortly after I met up with R&A and a couple of others from the hostel to go to the museum of fine arts. Before the museum we went to the near by train station and bought over night train tickets for the following night to Sierra De La Ventana. It was a great idea to spend a grey and rainy day in the museum. After an hour of walking around pretty uninspiring paintings sleep deprivation started to kick in, I made my excuses and headed back for a siesta. At last. I am finally in a South American sleep pattern.
I was rudely awoken when the Spanish guys stumbled in late afternoon after a mini beer session. Sod it, time to get up and eat. My Spanish improved a Iot staying here as they didnt speak much English. Later on I met up with R & A again and we headed to El Desnivel, the great steak restaurant for another monster steak. Full of wine, meat, beer and 3 hours sleep I was ready for another night out. I left R&A to go and find a nice place for a quiet drink as I headed back into the hostel carnage.
It was Helen´s proper birthday day so more drinks and celebrations were to be had, also the friend she is travelling with is his birthday tomorrow so double celebrations. I ordered taxis for us all and we headed to near the posh area of the city, Palermo. An Israeli girl in the group had been given a recommendation of a great bar to go to so we headed there, El Biloche De Roberto, or something like that.
Well, blody hell , talk about inappropriate, our group was 16 of us in total. The bar was tiny, a handful of tables with romantic couples canoodling with each other watching a brilliant female singer and male guitarist play traditional tango. The look on the cliental and bar staff faces when we piled in was a picture. We ordered a drink and tried to keep as quiet as possible, which was chuffing hard. The music was brilliant but we had to get out of here for the sake of the other punters.
Nearby was a club called Catedral which was brilliantly decorated in Tango arts and had a big dance floor for those brave enough to dance. Being mid week it was quiet, I could see it being fantastic on a weekend. 2 pairs of locals got up and danced, I have been learning Salsa for a year now and have just about got a few moves together and able to keep time. I have absolutely no idea what the steps are in tango, as much as I have seen I cannot work it out, at some stage I will get a lesson or two to try and fathom it out. A couple of big beers later and it was back to super pancha shop for supper.
The one area of Buenos Aires that we had yet to visit that was a must see was the area of La Boca , home to Boca Juniors football team, and the only place in the Lonely Planet that says keep to the safe roads in both the nightime and daylight. So after another night of minimal sleep, myself Rich & Alex set off south in the direction of La Boca.
It wasnt long before we had reached the first of many painted and colourful buildings. So far this trip we have split the map reading between us, sometimes we would have a map each to read as I like to know where in regards to the hostel I am. Today Rich had the map and I was happy to look around and follow his guidance. We walked further along the main road but didnt see much more of interest. We came to a big road with a crossing that didnt seem right but carried on regardless. The streets became quieter with people and more and more run down.
I was thinking this doesnt seem right, and questioned where we were, it was not a great place to get the map out. Rich said we should take the next left. At the end of the road on the corner where we should take the left was a run down building with a group of guys hanging around, I said not blood likely, lets take a left and get back to the main road where there are people. As we approached the cross roads the guys started shouting ´hey gringo, hey english man´ time to up the pace, ignore them and get the hell out of here.
Two blocks later we were back on a safe busy road, and could look at the map. To give Rich his credit he is almost always a brilliant map reader, it was just ironic that the one time he got it wrong was the one time we ended up on the edge of the ´whatever you do avoid this area´ place. The three of us have never been so pleased to see shed loads of tourists with their cameras out taking pix of locals tangoing, restaurants and the coloured buildings with policemen on most of the corners. We sat down, took stock..... slurrrp ( ok, bad joke, ) and gathered our wits.
La Boca itself is a tourist trap, loads of expensive restaurants, street vendors and great tango dancers, it is worth an hour or two walking around and taking in the vibe but I prefer less in your face places. The dodgy walk itself was much more exciting, our heart rates shot up and it is a good reminder to take care.
We had a few hours before the overnight train so we grabbed a large beer and sat on the Dorrego plaza, this is like home from home now, and watched the street vendors trying to sell their crafts. I went back to the hostel to get my rucksack that I had safely stored in the lockup and to get ready for the train ride.
Just before I was about to leave a friend I had met the last time I was here arrived. I decided to stuff the train and have another party night in Buenos Aires. The hostel was full so we found another place near the plaza and headed out into the night. I fancied a change from big steak carnage and talked about cheeses, cold meats, breads and a bottle of fine wine watching the world go by. And, as if by magic we passed a place that did that, what a fantastic spread it was to. The wine superb and more food than you can shake a stick at, it was a good choice to stay the extra night. It took me back to the few days I spent in Hanoi in Vietnam, not quiet the same food and drink, then it was cheese and ham sarnies and beer, but watching the world go by feeling happy and relaxed was the same.
When it came time to pay we had a 100 peso note that was slightly torn and missing the last 2 digits of the serial number. We insisted that this was the only money we had, even though we both had enough each to cover it. This note had to get changed at some point. Anyway, after speaking to 2 waiters, a policeman on the corner, they all said it needed to be changed at the central bank. Ok, so now what do we do. The waiter who had been a star all night said, it is not our problem, not his problem, so come back tomorrow or the day after and pay then. Now that is trusting. So away we went.
Next morning I am really starting to feel the after effects of 3 nights partying, tiredness is catching up with me. I had to go the other side of the city to buy my overnight coach ticket to Sierra De La Ventana to catch up with R&A and to start the trekking season. Trying to find the central bank was fun, about 10 banks later we got there and the offending 100 peso note was changed in a jiffy. As I am a true believer in karma the next stop was the restaurant to pay the previous nights bill, which came to the equivalent of 11 pound for the both of us. Bargain.
We were heading in different directions so said our goodbyes after an hour chilling back in the plaza, again. For the first time this trip I was travelling alone. I spent a couple of hours at the hostel doing pretty much nothing. Sat chilling and reflecting in my own thoughts. It felt good, so much time, space, and nothing to do, no place to go, (apart from the coach station later) no worries, this is the true travelling experience. I was starting to nod and fall asleep so I got of my jacksie and headed to the huge bus station well early.
At the station I took the last available seat in front of the big screen with all the arrival and departure details on, 3 hours to my coach got in. After a good session of people watching, bus stations are perfect for this, you get all walks of life and plenty of odd balls, I picked up my book, ( in fact Rich Pointon´s book) The Gringo Trail and started reading about places I was about to visit. Time passed, and passed, and passed, until I looked up and saw my coach, shit I so could of easily nodded off and missed it. As it happens I had 15 mins spare and before long I was on the spacious, air conditioned, reclining seated coach heading south towards Patagonia.
My thoughts on Buenos Aires, I love this city. Ok, so it is busy, with 15 million people it is going to be, very polluted, 15 million people have a lot of cars and buses, incredible amounts of dog rog on the pavement and has the odd dodgy area. But.... it has the best steaks in the world, amazing architecture, museums, tango, fashion, beautiful people, wine, choice of food, clubs etc etc etc and is bloody cheap. I can see myself coming back here to refill my backpack full of goodies before leaving South America.
I have just been busted trying to download my camera pix to the hostel PC so they will have to wait until I get to an internet cafe. ......
I arrived in Sierra De La Ventana at 6.45am, 8.5 hours after leaving Buenos Aires. For the life of me I couldn´t work out why the overnight coach had to have the air conditioning on so low, there were women on there shivering under their coats and jackets, and it was warm outside. Bizarre.
I must of managed to get some sleep as I felt fine when I arrived at the coach stop. The shop was open and after a bit of Spanglish and looking at a map I walked the mile into the small town. Nothing was open at this point but I thought I would try and find out where Rich & Alex were staying. After walking around with my rucksack and day bag for an hour the 2 hostels I checked were shut. So the obvious choice was to head to the tourist information place and wait for it to open at 8am. 10 past and I was inside looking for a note or some hint from them, nada.
I was talking to the assistant about good places to camp or stay when she remembered talking to 2 English people and a german girl a day or two before. I asked if she remembered where they were heading and she recalled a campsite, and kindly phoned them up. Bingo, they are staying there. Knowing that a bus was leaving for the mountains at 9am for a trek I bombed across town to the campsite and the chalets they were in. Imagine their surprise when I knocked on the door. They had sent me an email that night but I must of left B.A. before they sent it, it was good skills meeting up like this. I dropped off my bags, got my trekking gear on and away to the mountains we went.
The trek was up Cerro Ventana, the window in the mountain. About 3 hours up and 2 down. It was a steep uphill climb over rocks and when the wind picked up it was bloody cold. I realised I need to buy another fleece and warmer gloves for the longer treks further south. It took 2 hours to reach the top and the view was spectacular. I stood in the window and nearly got swept off my feet, it was a true hardcore wind tunnel and freezing. Great fun though. The descent took around an hour and we reached the shelter of the hut just before the heavens opened. The local children on a school day out were climbing the mountain in shorts, tshirts and converse trainers, how they didnt freeze to death or slip all the way down I have no idea. This would never be allowed in the UK or NZ.
The return bus wasnt until 4.30pm which was 3 hours away. There was a small side trek to a tiny waterfall which we took. I say waterfall, it is more like trickle of water over a black rock face, still the climb up the almost dried out stream was fun. The bus was still an hour away so we were kinldly allowed to wait in the hut until they closed the park, and had to run on the spot to keep warm for the last 20 mins. The temp difference after B.A. is a bit of a shock to the system.
The following day was another travel day and my second over night coach. As the coach wasnt leaving until 7pm we chilled in the pretty small town of Sierra. There is a small hill that over looks the town, Cerro Del Amor, the hill of love, that gives great views of the place and the mountain range behind it. The sun decided to come out in the early afternoon so we sat by the river and ate lunch and watched the locals have picnics.
7.30pm the coach to Trelew via Bahia Blanca arrived and it was time to settle down for another overnighter.....
Quckly getting through the boring coach details, it took 3 hours on the coach to Bahia Blanca that meant an hour wait before getting on the coach to Trelew at 11.40pm. I slept a little on the first coach but woke up mid snooze, that and the fact the coach was stuffy and not much room I felt pretty niggly. So did Alex so it wasn´t just me. I soon chilled my boots, had some food and before we knew it we were upstairs on another coach. This one was much better, more space and better air con and we were given food and snacks along the way.
So, here we were in Patagonia. Bloody hell this place is a vast, seriously vast, desolate, bland flat landscape that goes on for hundreds and hundreds of miles without changing. Looking out of the window is hypnotic, the horizon line is fixed for hours. It is freaky when you think how far from civilisation you are and hope that the coach doesnt break down.
In the morning I swapped seats to the right side of the coach because the sun was baking on the left side. I sat near the front by the sweet black coffee machine to stock up on sugar and caffeine. There were 3 older women sat to my left. I had been listening to some Spanish lessons on my mp3 player and I though would practice a bit. Just the basics, hello, how are you, where are you from etc. Within 3 minutes, the woman from Peru was passing me her name and telephone number on a piece of paper!!! Very friendly. I found out that she and her daughter were from Peru and staying at the other womans house in Puerto Madyrn, the next stop on the way to Trelew.
3 minutes later they gave me their names, email addresses, and where they were staying and invited me, Rich & Alex to stay with them. Unbelievably friendly, if not a bit too trusting, we could of been anybody. At Puerto Madryn we wished each other happy travels and I waved them off from the top of the coach. 13 hours after leaving Bahia Blanca we were finally in Trelew.
Waiting for a coach out of here were an English couple that recommended a good place to stay, the cheapest in the area but still more expensive than we were used to paying, at least for the first time this trip I had my own room to spread out in and cable tv if I wanted to watch it.
There were 2 reasons for visiting Trelew, the first to break up the mammoth journey to Ushuaia and the second was to visit the Welsh Tea Rooms in nearby Gaiman. Yep, that is right, Welsh Tea Rooms!!!. Some Welsh travellers settled here a few years ago and had the great idea of making a bomb from the tourists by offering tea and cakes.
A 30 min bus ride through more desolate landscapes, a drop into a tiny valley and we had arrived in the small town of Gaiman. We checked out 3 tea rooms before settling on Ty Gwyn.
I had no idea what to expect from our 30 peso´s each, which is a fair bit of money here, a nights accommodation ranges from 25 to 35 peso´s. Plates upon plates were placed in front of us. 3 sandwiches, 3 rounds of bread, 2 scones and 6 big pieces of cake, each, and unlimited tea. Me and Rich agreed on we couldnt leave until the plates were cleared.
Coach loads of Japanese and America tourists flooded in and out as we sat at our table. They were only in the room for 20 mins, a cup of tea, 2 bits of cake and they were out, and they were charged 40 peso´s each, haha. Not us, in the end I had 3 sarnies, 3 breads, 2 scones, 7 cakes and 7 cups of tea and felt like.. .... exploding. What had I done to myself.
I tried to walk some of it off in the next hour waddling around the river. I was totally done in. Time to get back to the hostel and rest my aching stomach. It was to be another big travel day tomorrow so a good nights sleep was in order......
The coach out of Trelew left at 12:15pm, 5 hours later we were in Comodor Rivadavia. Here we had to find out the cheapest way to get to Ushuaia by various coach routes or flying. Once in the bus station I realised that the top zip on my day bag was open as I hadnt closed it properly leaving the coach. My camera cables had fallen out on the coach that had now departed, shit houses. Oh well, Rich & Alex have the same cable so not all is lost, still it bloody annoys me losing stuff.
My Spanish has improved enough to get times and price details reasonably quickly. With all the timetables and prices in front of us the cheapest option was to get coaches all the way down to Ushuaia. Having a couple of hours before the coach out of here we went to the supermarket for a beer and to sit in the plaza with the remaining sunlight. By the Plaza was a trendy bar that was on ´Happy Time´. I tried a local drink of Fernet and coke. Fernet is a spirit that is bitter and very herby, I am glad I have tried it but wont be having another in a hurry. By 9.15pm our coach to Rio Gallegos was here. 7.30am we had arrived in Rio G, 8am on the move again.
Getting to Ushuaia means crossing in and out of Chile and having to go through border controls. Nothing too painful but I can see the spare pages in my passport getting used up far to quickly. Thankfully so far the customs officials have been careful to get as many stamps on the one page.
Once we were in Chile the roads were unsealed so the coach was very noisy and masses of stones kicked up under the floor. No wonder the windscreen was chipped as much as it was. The landscape was more interesting here with the odd rolling hills with llama type animals roaming and small ponds with flamingo´s resting on one leg.
The coach rolled onto a boat to take us across a stretch of sea. Outside the fresh air was welcoming but bitterly cold and we were sprayed by the freezing sea water on a couple of occassions. On the other side I could hear one of the coaches wheel bearings playing up, I hope it holds out. We checked out of Chile, but not straight back into Argentina, that was 10 mins later. Were we driving in some sort of no mans land, what would happen if we broke down here....
Once back into Argentina the roads were sealed again and we could make much better time. There was a final coach change at Rio Grande, a bit of shit hole if you ask me. I was surprised by the number of people who didnt get on the coach to Ushuaia, they must of been locals working here. Climbing up into the hills the views suddenly changed to beautiful snow topped mountains with lakes and valleys below, my spirits suddenly lifted, I had a good feeling about this area of the world. The coach was really struggling up the windy paths, fingers crossed we would arrive safely. 3 hours after leaving Rio Grande, we had finally arrived in Ushuaia at 8pm. The heart of Tierra Del Fuego and the southern most city in the world. 5 days and 3040km after leaving Buenos Aires. Time for a well deserved rest......
Wow, wow, wow.
All this travel down here has been so worthwhile. Ushuaia is situated in a truly beautiful location, the Beagle straight seperates the snowy mountain ranges of Chile and Argentina. The hostel we are staying in is cosy, homely, very friendly with a shared kitchen and so far everyone staying here have got on really well. It is not too big and the view out of the living area looks out over the town, the Beagle and to the mountain range across. I have spent many an hour writing, reading and contemplating my navel.
It is the southern most city in the world so as you would be expect it is a lot colder than what we have experienced so far on our travels. It is a tax free town here so clothes are a lot cheaper than in the UK. This is perfect as I have needed to buy a new fleece , balaclava and warm water proof gloves. How I am going to get these in my rucksack I have no idea but I will cross that problem at a later date.
This is very much somewhere I can relax for a good few days, even a week or two. My first full day here was spent catching up with a few chores, laundry , shopping, getting my passport stamped at the tourist information office with an Ushuaia stamp, food shopping and eating loads of fruit and veg. I could happily not see another cheese and ham sandwich for days, this was the staple diet of coach food.
We bought some bottles of the local beer, Beagle and had a mini beer tasting session. The 3 French girls staying here were making a massive crepe mountain for their dinner so I had a go at flipping, succeeded without dropping it, hehe.
It is so good to be able to have a real bed to lie in. The first night I woke up thinking I was still on a coach, totally confused. Tomorrow the first of the treks in Tierra Del Fuego.
Behind where we are staying are a few mountains and the best of the 3 treks in them is to the Martial Glacier. We set off just after lunch, me, Rich & Alex, Nathan & Jenny (Australian) and Johnny from Denmark. The first half an hour were along the roads to the bass of the mountain. Within 10 minutes it had started raining so I stopped to put on my waterproof trousers and jacket, the first time I had worn them so this will be a good test.
It was one of those days where the wind would pick up 1 minute and it would be freezing so you put on your hat and gloves, the next minute the sun would come out so they all came off again. It wasn´t to long before we had walked up the road to the bottom of the chair lift that was closed for repairs. We kept the chair lift on our right side as we walked up the muddy and snow covered path. The view of the mountains above were stunning, and the fresh air in my lungs felt great after the smog and pollution of Buenos Aires.
We walked over a small wooden bridge that crossed a small stream trickling down the mountain side. This joined the top of the chair lift. From this point on the path was covered in deep snow so the going would be slower. The clouds parted to give a great view of the town below and the Beagle straight.
Walking in the snow was such a laugh, at times my foot went straight through and I was up to my thighs in snow. We had taken a lower path than we shoud of done so had to scramble up a steep snowy ridge to rejoin the correct one, it was hilarious trying to get up there, I looked like a snowman by the time I reached the top.
It was bloody cold up here, I am so glad I bought a thicker fleece and gloves to keep me warm. Crossing the mountain to the bottom of the glacier was tricky at times in the deep snow and swirling wind. It started to snow in all directions. The slopes here are a snow boarders dream, totally unused with fresh powder and wide slopes to carve in. We reached a place where the bottom of the glaicer should of been visible but it was covered in snow. Still the views were amazing. We didnt stop long as the snow started falling heavier and conditions were deterioating.
Back at the wooden bridge by the chair lift we had a snowball fight, made a small snow man and snow angels. Rather than taking the roads back to the hostel we followed a path alongside the river and through a big sodden forest with patches of snow on the floor. It was beautiful in here, a picture postcard moment. A perfect end to a good days trekking.
After a lazy day of rest following the Martial Glacier trek we were ready for another. The party was 5 this time, me, Rich & Alex and Andre (Brazilian) & Marcela (Chilean) from our hostel. It was a good taxi ride to the start of the trek so Andre booked 2 taxis for us. We went in the first taxi and Marcela gave the driver instructions in Spanish where to drop us off. We were to wait until they arrived in the second taxi before starting the trek.
Well, 15 minutes passed and no sign of Andre & Marcela. mmmm. 5 mins later and an empty taxi arrived. It soon became apparent that our taxi driver had taken a right turn at the fork and not the left and had dropped us off in the wrong place. A & M had sent their taxi to pick us up and take them to the correct starting postion, 4 km´s away. Which we had to pay more money for, just one of those things.
Both Andre & Marcela speak fluent Spanish. When we eventually met up, they explained how they had over heard the 2 taxi drivers speaking to each other on their radio´s. The second taxi driver told ours that he had dropped us in the wrong place. Our taxi driver said, oh well, they will be ok. What the ....... it was a good job A & M heard this and sent their driver to us. We would of been waiting in the middle of nowhere for ages until we would have to walk back. What a bastard of taxi driver.
Anyway, we were soon on our way along the very muddy paths to the bottom of the mountains. The trekking book said follow the river until you reach a bridge over the river to pick up the path. We had walked along the river for a while but didnt see a bridge. Not knowing if the bridge was still there we came across a fallen tree that we could use to get across the river. A bit tricky but we all made it over without falling in, the water would of been incredibly icy.
Underfoot the otherside was very bouncy red and orange spongy plant things. I was really enjoying springing on the clumps until my foot went straight through one and I got a boot full of what looked like booze vomit. Nice, thankfully it didnt smell the same and I got most of it out before we carried on. We followed what we thought was a path up the mountain and thought the forest, following horse crap along the way. After an hour or two it was apparent that we were lost, no path, snow falling, getting colder and the slope very steep and tricky to pass. I was swinging between trees and branches at times to keep my balance. Rich had set his compass in the correct direction so we were using that as guidance.
Much to my amazement two girls from Buenos Aires had caught us up out of nowhere, they had been hear 3 times before but were just as lost as we were. We had split off into 2 groups, I was in the front group with Rich and the 2 B.A. girls. It was getting harder to trek, we could hear running water so we couldnt have been that far away. We waited for the others to catch us up, but they didnt. After some whistles and shouting we made a sensible decisions to go back to the others, and for us to all descend back down the mountain. The snow was falling much heavier and if the conditions changed it would be even tricker getting down, and it was getting on in the afternoon, 4pm. Even thought it stays light until 9.30 it gets really cold when the sun goes behind the mountain.
We stopped in a wind break for some food and water before continuing down. Imagine my surprise when I spotted the path we should of been on all along. Ok, now we were back on track. Time to up the pace and get back up the mountain and towards the lake. The falling snow had made the path really muddy and it was amazing that none of us had slipped over at this point. We steadily climbed for an hour until we reached the tree line and came out onto deep snowy slopes. Now this was tricky.
Ploughing ahead in the deep snow was hard work, and we had to be careful of streams below foot. Rich has walking poles with him so he led the way prodding in front for solid ground. We crossed over a few slopes and a stream until we reached a clearing. It was so peaceful and soulful here and I was so pleased we had made it so far. The lake was still another hour up the mountain and it was clear we didnt have time or the gear to reach it. It was now 6pm, the B.A. girls had left a message if they werent back down by 8pm for a search party to come looking for them, that gave us only 2 hours to get back down. It would be close.
I made good use of my waterproof trousers and slip down the snowy slopes on my arse, great fun and saved a good few minutes. If only it was like that all the way down. With the snow still falling heavily it was a good job we could see our footsteps from earlier to mark the way. By now it was really slushy, I managed to stay on 2 feet which was more than can be said for the 2 Argentian girls, they were caked in mud but not hurt. Further down the mountain the proper path became much easier to follow. We passed a dead horse lying in the woods, not sure what had happened to it. The path led us to the correct bridge over the river. If we would of continued following the river and not used the fallen tree we would of found the path with no problems, I will put this down to experience.
We made it to the start of the trek just before 8pm so no search party was sent. We tried to phone taxi´s but they were engaged so off we trotted along the 4 mile path to the main road. Eventually we got through and were back at the hostel, muddy and tired by 9.30pm. I tell you, the pizza and cold beer went down an absolute treat that night.
After the fantastic trek the day before, it was time to celebrate my birthday in style, by doing as little as possible all day.
At breakfast I was wished a happy birthday by both the travellers staying here and the locals working in the hostel, a nice start to the day. What was even better was that is was snowing really heavily outside and the view was just amazing, snow on the trees and houses below. I spent the morning reading my birthday emails, writing and just generally chilling out.
Rich & Alex had been out in town for a couple of hours and got back just after midday. I was enjoying my first glass of red wine while watching the world go by. R&A had been busy in the kitchen and called me through. Wow, What a fantastic spread they had put on for my birthday lunch, loads of fresh veg, fruit salad, a bottle of rose and some prezzies.
I opened my birthday card, it had been written in by the guys and workers staying here, what a nice surprise. R&A had bought me a bottle of Patagonia ale, some bubbles from Mendoza and a wicked cream cake, perfect. I was in for a treat of an afternoon. The three us spent a lovely couple of hours eating and drinking and reminiscing about our travels so far, it has been a month since we left Manchester. It is strange, it seems like no time at all has past as well as like a life time has. Thinking about our week in Brazil seems like a distant memory.
It was really really good to get a healthy meal of veg and fruit which is a bit of treat out here. In the afternoon I plugged my mp3 player into the tv for some relaxed tunes and we played cards with the others staying here. Obviously I was enjoying a drink or two along the way. We hadnt eaten out in Ushuaia since we have arrived so tonight me, R&A had planned to go to a recommended Chilean restaurant called Chiko. Things dont get going until later in Argentina so we waited until after 9pm to go out to eat.
I was ready for a good steak so ordered steak and chips in the restaurant. What appeared on my plate, was..... I cant decsribe it any other way than.... a disgrace. A tiny piece of over cooked beef and hard luke warm chips, for nearly 30 peso´s. What can you do apart from laugh it off. It is not as if I hadnt had a brilliant feed earlier, and wasnt overly hungry anyway after 2 pieces of cake.
Johnny, Andre & Marcela joined us and we set off in search of a bar for a birthday drink. We passed t´wo night clubs and had a look inside. Nightclubs........ really....... I dont think so. Basically they are whore houses with miserable looking women sat around the edges. They could have at least smiled when we walked in, they most have known we werent there for business. We did eventually find a good bar on the main drag that sold pints of Beagel Stout, just what I wanted to end the night. I crawled into bed slightly tipsy and very happy after a brilliant birthday at the end of the world.
After my birthday bash I caught the hostel cold and was laid up for 2 days, I did get the chance to learn a new fun card game that involved picking up tea spoons before everyone else and practising my Spanish with the guys working in the hostel, as well as preparing for the 3 day trek around the back of the mountain range near us and through Paso De La Oveja.
This was the first time I would be trying out my new tent, sleeping bag etc etc and was in preparation for longer treks in Chilean and Argentian Patagonia. The start of the trek was the same place we attempted the Laguna 1 day trek a few days before.
Like then, the weather was all over the place, and the track was very muddy. Not only that there had been some strong winds and the amount of trees that had fallen over and crossed the tracks was surprising. It slowed us down considerably and made for some interesting clambering techniques. The first days path took us to the edge of the Nacional Parque which involved a few river crossings. This time we actually crossed at the correct places where the were small man made bridges and not using random trees.
A few hours into the walk we came across the first other person of the day, an Englishman walking in the opposite direction to us. He had attempted the pass but said he couldn´t get through due to the snow, but for us to have a look and see how we find it. Not really what you want to hear on the first afternoon of a 3 day trek, but we didnt let that de-motivate us and carried on regardless.
Another hour further along the muddy and slippy track we saw 3 ranger type people, at this point we realised we hadn´t purchased a permit so were a bit cautious about what we talked about. They were cool and friendly and re-confirmed that the pass through the mountains was closed and the side trip to the lakes very snowy and the lakes had frozen over and covered in snow.
Oh well, this trek was just as much about testing our gear and how to ration food and fuel as it was about the trek. We carried on as far as we could to find that the snow was deep and that we had to back track to the first suitable place to camp, a clearing we found in a forest by clean running water. This was ideal. It had got late on in the day, by the time we had put our tents up, cooked a hot meal of lentils, onions, corgettes and stock, we were just in time to get in our sleeping bags before it went totally dark. It was bloody cold outside and we could see patches of snow scattered around our camp.
The next morning I woke up in a total daze. It could have been a combination of a long hard days trekking, the back end of my head cold and the fact I had 12 hours sleep. I feel worse for too much sleep than not enough. Breakfast was a power one, hot porridge, muesli and banana that would give us plenty of energy for the 2nd day. There was no way the pass would be open so we back tracked the way we came the previous day to the first campsite of the trail. I was a bit disheartened by this. We had been walking in the trees so we didnt have good views from the mountains, and 90% of the walk was tramping through mud. If I am honest I wasn´t enjoying it too much at all.
We arrived at the campsite mid afternoon in the sunshine so putting the tent up was much easier. We sat and relaxed in the sun for a while enjoying the peace and quiet. I thought I heard an aeroplane overhead, but couldnt see one anywhere. Then I realised it was an avalanche in the mountains in front of us. We watched in a amazement as a huge mass of snow ploughed over the trees and created a river down the mountain side. This continued throughout the afternoon and evening.
I wanted to cook and to learn how to use Rich & Alex´s all weather all fuel store. Halfway through cooking the heavens opened up on me, Rich & Alex retreated to the comfort of their tent as I continued. I now know my waterproofs are actually very waterproof, and confirmed that food does taste a lot better when cooked and eaten outside.
It was still raining heavily when I finally got into my dry tent. The rain continued through the night and I had a shocking sleep waking up every half an hour. My hips, knees, back and shoulders ached like hell when I first got up. A bit of stretching and they were a lot better, time to head back to Ushuaia. The rain had turned to snow up in the mountains and they looked beautiful first thing, like a coating of flour over the tree tops.
The overnight rain had made the path even muddier than the first 2 days, I kept reminding myself that it is nothing comapred to what I experienced at Glastonbury in the summer. We passed a school outing of about 20 kids and 3 teachers, they were already caked in mud, the teachers must be bloody mental getting that lot camped up over night, I was very relieved we had left before them as there wouldnt been a moments peace.
Once back at the start of the trek we looked for a path that would take us through the woods and back into Ushuaia, the map is a few years old and it looked like houses had been built where the track should of been. A kind Argentian man that we had said hola to earlier stopped in his car and gave us a lift back to our hostel, I really appreciated that gesture as we were flagging a bit.
So, overall it was a good trek in the fact that our equipment works and we have an idea of how much fuel and food we used up. I found the trek pretty dissappointing as the pass was closed and the views not great and most of the time was tramping in mud. My head wasnt totally on the job which I put down to feeling run down from my cold.
That evening we treated ourselves to a couple of great pizza´s and cake. I bought a box of good red wine too. As it was Saturday night it would be a shame if I didnt see what Ushuaia had to offer in the way of night life. I went to the Irish bar with a Dutch guy called Sonde.
I was half cut by the time I arrived in the bar after polishing off the wine. As like anywhere in Argentina nothing gets going until 1am, and this was the case. The pub really started to rock around then with plenty of drunken travellers. Apparently I look like Mick Dundee out of Crocodile Dundee..... I couldnt see it myself, a load of Irish people took there picture with me. Obviously I tried to charge them for the pleasure and got a free shot out of them. This is where things get a little hazy.
When we the pub shut we walked across town to a new club that had opened up, the music was good but the DJ shocking, clopping beats all over the shop. I got talking to some locals in there and before we knew it the club was closing. Sonde came over and said there is an after party. We piled in the back of a car driven by 2 girls he had been talking with to yet another club somewhere, I had no idea which direction we were heading in.
The music sounded a lot better so we headed to the bar and got a beer. I looked around to see what was what in the club and realised that it was full of men, and the 2 girls were kissing and grinding each other on the dance floor. I felt a pinch on my arse and turned around to see a rather strange looking bloke smiling at me. We had found the gay underworld club of Ushuaia. Nice one Sonde. I used my best Spanglish to tell the man I was straight.
I was well hammered and tired by now, so I finished my beer, stumbled around looking for the exit and finally left into the freezing cold bright morning. I recognised the road from the lift back from the Parque earlier in the day. It was a long sobering cold walk back to the hostel. Breakfast would be served in half an hour. I contemplated staying up for it but thought best of it and dissapeared to my room.
Next day was pretty much a right off apart from buying my coach ticket to Punta Arenas in Chile that left 5.30am the next morning and to share the funny stories of the night before with our friends in the hostel. We had been in Ushuaia for nearly 2 weeks, most people stay a handful of days, it was definitely time to move on.......
It was a very early start to the day leaving for Chile, up at 4.30am to get the 5.30am coach. It was absolutely freezing on the coach driving through the snowy mountains, I even took my sleeping back out to put over my legs and feet to stop them going totally numb.
Chilean - Argentian relations aren´t the best, a bit like English- French & French -German so it took ages getting through passport control, an hour just to get a stamp in my passport. 12 hours after leaving Ushuaia we had arrived in the pretty tree lined streets of Punta Arenas. It had a slight feel of Colonia in Uruguay about it, more westernised, more money and a more laid back feel to the place.
The first night we found an all you can eat place for the equivalent of 5 pound. That will do me as I was starving. The choice food was great and included a few Chinese dishes. Me being me I had 3 first courses, 3 second courses and 4 desserts, what a gannet. As has been the case each time we have crossed over in to a new country my stomach wasnt great, neither was Rich & Alex´s so it was time to chill for a few days. Besides England are playing Croatia in a couple of days.
We found this amazing coffee shop a block away from us called Immigrante´s that served fantastic coffees, chocolates and cakes. I had a Valencia coffee with chocolate and uber tangy orange, it was heavenly. Next day, it is a biggy, the England match. We stocked up on beers, crisps and food for dinner and settled down in front of the cable tv in our homestay type of hostel.
Five to five our time, no sign of the game, I started getting a little twitchy, I hadnt found a sports pub in town. 2 minutes to, bingo it was showing the game. What a fantastic piece of luck. Well, that is enough about football.
I went and got a small box of great Chilean wine to savour while I cooked a monster Mexican meal to take away the dissappoint. Alex had caught the hostel cold from Ushuaia and was laid up the next day so me and Rich headed into the National Park.
We caught a Colectivo which is a taxi that drives a fixed route and has a fixed price. My Spanish is now good enough to tell him to take us to the end of the route nearest to the start of the park. There were two routes to walk, we took the hardest and steepest first up the snow resort of Mt Fenton. We had to walk along way on roads before we hit the mountain, and it was a steep climb that took it out of me a little. The views of the surrounding mountains made it all worth while.
We tried to find a short cut to the second trail through forests and along the valley but got stuck at a a huge quarry. We did succesfully rejoin the track and were rewarded with a beautiful walk down in the valley. It was another long road walk back to our hostel and my feet were shot to bits. Not a good sign. I definitely need some more insoles.
The following day was a 3 hour coach to Puerto Natales and to prepare for the hardest physical and mental challenge I have ever faced, the 9 day trek around Torres Del Paine.......
At last I finally have the time to pick up with my travel stories.
The bus journey to Puerto Natales went without any incident and the view of the mountains coming into the town were a joy. Shortly after checking in at the relaxed, cheap and good hostel I went for a walk to the lake. As you can see from the photo´s it was a stunning day, the best we have had for a few weeks and I sat there for ages enjoying the warmth of the sun.
It is still a long way down south and as soon as the sunsets the temperature drops rapidly. There is not a lot going on in the town and it is used as a stop off for trekkers to buy supplies and prepare themselves for one of the most popular treks in South America, Torres Del Paine.
We arrived on a Friday so for me it was time to hit a bar and sink a couple of beers. The El Bar de Ruperto is run by an Englishman called Slowly. He got his nick name from the locals as he speaks both English and Spanish at break neck speed and he was constantly told to speak more slowly. He came to Puerto Natales as a traveller, met a local woman, they could only converse using a Spanish - English dictionary at first, the fell for each other, got married after 3 months and have been running the pub together for 6 years!!! Behind the bar is a bottle of chilli vodka, I touched a glass of it to my lips and it nearly took the skin off. We had great amusement watching drunk travellers showing their bravado by necking a shot then turn purple and run to the toilet.
Opposite our hostel is a small trendier bar called Toore. On the way back I thought I would drop in a see what the score was. As I walked into the funky bar I couldnt see a traveller in site. This will be interesting. With a bottle of beer in hand I started talking to a table full of people. It turns out that they were a group of 74 pharmacists from Portugal on their annual holiday. Last year they went to Vietnam and Cambodia, this year Brazil, Uruguay and Chile. That must take some serious organising!!
Alex wasnt feeling to good, she had picked up the cold from Ushuaia that me and Rich had already caught, she seemed to get it worse than us. There was no way we could attempt Torres not at full strength so we chilled out. I was glad for a break and to get back to reading, learning basic meditation and eating loads.
The following night was a Saturday and we had read about a Rum & Reggae night at El Living, a vegetarian restaurant. When we entered there was no reggae being played, we had to ask the barman where the music was, he put a tape on very quietly on a small stereo. The choice of drinks was a rum punch, or.... rum punch. We asked why, the barman said he couldnt be arsed to make another drink, nice service bro. The punch was out of cheap bottles from the supermarket and tasted totally synthetic, still it made us laugh for an hour about the ridiculesness of it all.
Back in El Ruperto we spoke to a couple more travellers. Rich & Alex went home I went to a nightclub near by with them. What a joke it was. I am not exactly tall but I towered over the locals in there, and was at least twice their ages, no comments please. I stayed as long as I could down my beer. As for the music, I am not even going to there. I decided to see if Toore was any better, and it was absolutely rocking.
Loads of people were dressed up and wearing hats, silver balloons everywhere, cake doing the rounds. I had to see what was going on. This time it was totally full of locals, a good time to practice my Spanish. Within seconds of walking into the bar I was approached by a local woman, again really tiny, she reminded me of a flump. She had obviously been celebrating hard and was in a very chatty and touchy feely mood. I asked her what the cake was for and found out it was the bar´s first birthday. She quickly dissappeared and returned moments later with a plate full for me, good work I say. We sat down and I savoured the most amazing cake. It gave me a respite from talking for 5 minutes.
She ran the hot tub next door to the bar and offers massages. Her friend said she gives the best massages in South America. Now the alarm bells were ringing. I said I was a poor traveller and had no money for such luxurious. She said business is business, but for me it is for fun, no dinero. Hmmmm, I told her I was heading into Paine the following morning for a few days and would see when I get back, I didnt want to appear rude, I was gone soon after.
The next four days were spent doing pretty much sod all, we attended a talk on how to prepare for the big trek. I had mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness. The longest I have trekked for is the 3 days in Ushuaia. This is going to be 9 days and so much more weight to carry. My shoulder isnt great at the best of times.
Anyway a long list of what we needed was made, food, drinks, I bought some trekking poles, tickets to the entrance of the park purchased, bag packed and an early night was had in preparation for the early coach to the National Park................
I had a shocking nights sleep waking up every half an hour feeling anxious about the trek On the coach I spent most of the time talking to some girls who are staying in Puerto Natales for a couple of months working in hostel. They had done the ´W´ previously and were tackling the circuit this time. In the back of my mind was the trek I did in New Zealand up Mt Holdsworth. It damn nearly killed me with the climbing and carrying my backpack, and that was only for 2 days.
As we drew up to the entrance to the park we were greeted with some good views of the Torres themsleves with only the tops covered in cloud. It was to be 8 days before we would see them again. First things first, we had to register to enter the park at Laguna Amarga and pay the entry fee of 15,000 peso´s, the equivalent of 15 USD. The registration forms have 2 boxes that you can tick one for walking the ´W´ and the other for the circuit. I ticked the box for the circuit and walked up to the counter. The man behind the desk scribbled out my tick in the box and ticked ´W´. I said no, I am walking the circuit, he said it is closed, to which I said OK, I am going anyway, to which he replied that is your risk, if you break a leg we wont come and rescue you. He left my form ticked for the W and away I went. Good to know my peso´s are going to good use!!!!
I had to walk for 10 minutes across a small bridge to another smaller mini-bus that would take us to the start of the treks. I gave my backpack to the fella loading up the trailer. He threw it into the back of the trailer attached to the bus in true South American style and I heard something crack, was this in my bag or someone else´s, who know´s? So I got on the bus and watched the mountains draw in. Once we were dropped off I secured my tent to the outside of my bag, fastened the straps the best I knew how and prepared for the first stage of the walk.
In my backpack was my breakfast for the next 9 days. Breakfast would be 10 spoons of oats, 1 large spoon of powdered milk and a spoon of honey. I had snacks as well, 2 190gm bars of chocolate, a bag of mixed nuts, a bag of mixed dried fruit and a bag of dried banana chips. We were also carrying our food for lunch and dinners. We split this food depending on our body size and weight. I was carrying 9 large onions, 6 large corgettes, some carrots and a litre of white gas for the stove. With all my clothes, tent, sleeping, mat etc I estimate I had between 18 - 22 kgs on my back.
The sun was shining and the wind low so I started off in a tshirt knowing how hot I can get when trekking, and to make the most of the weather as I knew it was not going to be like this for long. It took us 10 minutes to get our bearings and to make sure we were heading in the right direction to start with. The first hour was a steady climb upwards, the weather was good and we watched the different birds fly all around us. About another hour in and we could see the impressive Laguna Azul in the distance, the first of many lakes we would pass. The trail took us along the Rio Paine that we were to follow all the way to our first campsite, Campamento Seron.
Even though the circuit and this part of the trek is officially closed the paths were well marked and easy to follow. Richard and Alex stopped for some lunch while I carried on further up the path as I wasn´t hungry at this stage and wanted to make more headway towards the campsite. I came to a gate just where the river started to come closer to the path. Out of nowhere the wind picked up and nearly knocked me off my feet, cool, my first taste of the unexpected Patagonian weather out here.
I looked up in to the skies and saw that they were black and getting closer. I found some trees where I could put my back pack down and put on my waterproofs. I sat under a tree away from the path and watched the rain slam down and the wind change directions every 30 seconds. Out of the tree cover there would be no chance of not getting soaked. I took this as a perfect opportunity for a rest and a bit to eat. Lunch for the next 5-6 days would be 2 or 4 slices of brown bread and a dollop of honey in the middle. I say dollop as the bread was dry and would fall apart if I tried to spread it. The rain eased off for a while and Rich and Alex caught me up after their lunch stop, they were soaked and had been in the short storm. It was only another 20 minute walk and we were at Campamento Seron, today we had walked for 4.5 hours and covered 9 kms.
The rain stopped shortly after we arrived at Seron. I had expected the campsite to be closed but there was a small wooden building that was open with a gaucho boiling water and a couple of trekkers inside eating their food at a long wooden table. Outside a handful of tents were already up. To make the most of the break in the rain we quickly put up our own tents and stashed our bags inside. The practice in Ushuaia was a great help for me erecting my tent as fast as possible. We were told we would have to pay for the campsite, 3500 pesos. For dinner we had brown spaghetti, onion, stock and corgette. I had brought a box of ceylan cinnamon tea a bag for breakfast and dinner each day. As a treat I decided to have a couple of pieces of choc so I went back into my food bag only to discover what the crack had been when my backpack was stashed on the trailer earlier.
My plastic tub of honey had cracked and inside my carrier bag of food the honey had spilt on to my bags of oats, fruit, nuts and soaked the paper wrappers around my chocolate. It was a honey explosion, ( which I thought was a shit name for a girl band. I had to find something to laugh about). Very luckily for me, one of the taps by the toilets had running hot water so after about an hour I had cleaned off the honey and rebagged my food. This time I made sure the honey was carefully wrapped up in a bag of its own.
As soon as the sun dropped behind the mountains the temperature dropped quickly. It was getting cold but still loads of daylight, time to get some rest. I was in my tent by 9pm looking out at the mountains and the horse in the distance. My feet ached which I was worried about, this is day 1 of 9, how would they feel in the morning!! I had not brought a book, mp3 player or my diary to write in, to keep down any unnecessary weight in my backpack. I lay on my thermarest wide awake looking at the top of my tent listening to the voices of other trekkers around me. I thought to myself this could be an interesting test of my mental strength if I am lying awake in my tent with nothing to do for a few hours each night..... I listened to the wind pick up and the rain drops splatter my tent, before I knew it I had drifted off into some sort of sporadic sleep, the first day successfully over.
It had been raining most of the night so I lay in my tent waiting for it to stop. When I did eventually get up the sun was shining and it was dry. All around me I could see people quickly packing up their tents and moving on. The gaucho´s had been drinking the night before and had slept in so they werent asking for money. Not to miss out on this unforseen opportunity ourselves we rapidly packed up camp and moved on without paying too.
Just as we were turning the corner from the campsite I had caught my backpack on a barbed wire fence. My tent was attached to the outside and this is what had snagged on the fence. I got that horrible feeling in my stomach that something bad had just happened. The outside of my tent bag was ripped, I looked inside the bag. The plastic bag that my inner tent was in had also ripped. Unbelievably the wire had not passed through far enough to rip the inside of my tent, I had been so bloody lucky. I easily patched up the holes with plasters from my first aid kit.
Just around the corner by the river we sat down for breakfast. It was still drizzling and the skies were totally grey. It was a quick break as we had a long walking day ahead of us, 19 kms!! The trail followed the Rio Paine on our right for most of the day with the very picturesque blue lake, Lago Paine in front of us for the first couple of hours. The weather was miserable, wind and rain and the steady climb made for tough trekking. To my left I could see the odd glacier through the clouds and many waterfalls making their way down through the forests to the rivers and lakes below.
We stopped for lunch under the cover of some trees and by a running river to refill our water sacks. A small mouse played in the grasses just where I was sat. This took my mind away from the flies and mozzies that were buzzing around my head. When I was in Puerto Natales somebody mentioned that there were mozzies and insects around Dickson, I had forgotten this important information and to bring mozzy spray, luckily for me Rich & Alex had some with them.
We continued following the river, my legs were getting heavier and my shoulders started to ache. After one and a half days of trekking I had finally worked out what all my straps were for on my backpack so I could tighten and loosen them correctly depending on the terrain. This took a huge strain away from my shoulders, even then the weight of my bag was still causing some discomfort.
After what seemed like hours we had another climb in front of us, the steepest of the day and by now the rain was heavier and the wind swilring. It was just a matter of getting our heads down and ploughing on. At the top of this summit I was rewarded with a stunning view a glacier running down into Lago Dickson, the campsite in front of me with snow topped mountains behind the campsite. The end of the walking was in site. The path down to the campsite was steep and very slippy. With my tired legs it was a miracle I didnt fall, the trekking poles I bought 2 days before had already paid for themselves today.
The rain continued as we entered Dickson. The refugio was not yet open so there was no charge. Gaucho´s were making a water line and water pump running from the lake to the wooden buildings. We found a wooden bench under a tree that would be good for cooking on. My tent is not ideal for putting up in the rain as the inner and outer are not attached. I constructed the poles and inner under the tree to minimise how much water fell on it and quickly fastened the outer over it and pegged it down, this seemed to work fine.
It was cold and wet at the campsite. Dinner tonight was white rice an onion and a stock cube. This sounds boring as hell but after a long hard days walking it tasted great. Even better was my cinnamon tea, the glacier water here tastes fantastic and my piece of chocolate. I had absolutely no problem at all falling asleep, it was only 9pm but I was exhausted.
Even though it rained through most of the night it was dry in the morning. I filled up my water sack from Lago Dickson, the clouds had lifted and I was blown away by the view of the snow capped mountains over the lake. I could also see the snowy mountains behind the refugio, this would be an amazing place to stay in good weather. Yesterday was a hard days walking, thankfully my feet were ok in the morning, they ached but without any blisters.
The first part of our walk today was following the river Rio Los Perros and walking through beautiful forests. As the river weaved southwards we could see the glaciers from afar. The water from all the lakes and rivers in the park is drinkable so rather than filling our sacks to the top and carrying the extra weight we stopped off regularly. One stop was by a wooden bridge where we mucked about for a while playing pooh sticks and watching the gushing water below.
I could hear avalanches in the background if I looked carefully enough I could see newly formed waterfalls running down the mountain sides. Around half-way into the walk we were passed by the Gaucho´s from Dickson on horse back carrying supplies to Campamento Los Perros. Before we reached the camp I spent a good half an hour marvelling at Glacier Los Perros and the lago below it. I could see chunks of ice falling away from the front of the glacier and floating towards us.
9kms and 5.5 hours after leaving Dickson we reached Campamento Los Perros. The Camp was still officially closed. I pitched my tent straight away which was a good job. It had been dry all day until just I after I had finished. Then the heavens opened and didn´t let up until the next morning. Luckily for us we were allowed to use a shelter to cook in. Here we ate with our friends with Ken, Jim & Patty from Wisconsin who we had been walking with since Seron.
Slowly I was getting into the trekking sleep pattern. It was Saturday night and I was in bed for 7.30pm, lying down felt so good. No weight to carry and my feet could stop tingling. Tomorrow I would be tackling the infamous paso to the other side of the mountains and to the start of the ´W´. I had heard so many horror stories about the pass, the incredible winds, blinding sunlight and deep deep snow, as well as how fantastic the views are. These thoughts ran through my head as I lay there waiting to drift off to sleep.
It rained all night and was the coldest night so far out here which is not surprising as we were camped close to a glacier. I had a bit of a scare as I thought I had lost the washing up liquid but found it in the shelter in the morning. This may not sound like much of a problem but small things like this can make a difference. I had a good hearty breakfast before before I set off. Ken had very kindly donated us some power energy bars that he didnt want to carry because of the additional weight, I had been saving mine for the day of the pass, today.
For the first couple of hours of trekking we climbed up hill through a forest following muddy paths and crossing bridges made from falling trees and snapped off branches. I had to be careful on numerous occassions not to slip or sink over my boots into the mud. My poles were making a huge difference and helped me keep my balance. We could see the forest clear and the way up over the mountains in front of us towards the pass. We could hear the wind above us howling through the trees. Just before we walked out over the trees we stopped to put on all our layers. I had on my walking trousers, waterproof trousers, tshirt, fleece, waterproof jacket, balaclava and two pairs of gloves. I ate half the power bar and headed over the crest.
Bloody hell, the first gust of wind nearly knocked me off my feet, for some reason I found myself laughing instead of being scared, I was finding it strangely fun. There was nothing else for it but to keep my head down and start walking towards the pass. We crossed over some rocks and then made our way through not very deep snow. Orange markers guided us in the correct direction. I had to wear sunglasses not just to protect me from the bright sunshine reflecting off the snow but to shield my eyes from the wind. My eyes and nose were still running.
Luckily for us, the wind dropped off not long after we started heading up the mountain side. We slowly made our way across the snow heading upwards towards the rocks where we could take a breather. It was steady going as the wind swirled around us. The higher we climbed the deeper the snow got. Walking over the sharp rocks took more concentration than the snow, if I was to fall on these I would be in trouble.
About two thirds up the mountain we found shelter from the wind, this was a perfect place for a rest. I took on some water, finished my power bar and enjoyed the amazing view below us of where we had come from and the glacier in front of us. The wind dropped again and the sun came out. I was keeping my fingers crossed the weather would stay like this.
Dressed in full battle gear it was full steam ahead. We were walking up to our knees through the snow in places. After around 30 mins of trekking we finally made it to the top. We had been extremely lucky with the weather, moderate wind, no rain or snow and mostly blue skies. Even at the top where the wind can easily sweep you off your feet the wind dropped. We were surrounded by clouds but I could make out a flag in the distance.
I HAD MADE IT TO THE TOP!! I touched the Chilean flag and sat down for a moment. It is hard to describe how I was feeling. The joy, the relief, it wasn´t as difficult by half as I had imagined it would be, partly due to the helpful weather. I felt so alive and full of achievement. I also felt a little something else.
It can be easy to take things for granted sometimes when you are travelling, the freedom, choice of what you want to, when you want to do it and for how long. These are massive things to be able to have and do, not everyone can have these even if they want them.
The day before I set off on this adventure I received an email from my friend Neil in Sheffield. I hadn´t heard from him since I had left, the last I knew he was setting off for Hawaii to live, a few weeks after I left Sheffield myself, and was by now lording it up and surfing on the beaches there. In his email he told me that 10 days before he was due to fly out he was hit by a car outside a night club in Sheffield which had messed him up a lot. I was gutted to hear this news. He signed off his email with a request. To bring him home a small rock/pebble/stone from somewhere that felt real. I couldn´t think of a more humble think to ask.
As I sat at the top of the pass, I looked down and found a small black and white stone. I picked it up and thought I am not going to get many places that feel as real as this, this stones for you mate. Keep strong bro, you will be picking fruit in the sunshine of Hawaii before you know it.
As I stood up to start the descent on the other side of the mountain. The most amazing thing happened. The clouds suddenly parted and the sun came out. What I saw was my WOW factor of my trip so far. In front of me was a glacier, not just any glacier, but Glacier Grey. It was massive and came sweeping down from the far right in front of me down towards the left in the direction we were heading. This was totally unexpected and it took my breath away, I couldnt believe what I was seeing.
The clear view lasted for only a minute before the clouds returned and the wind picked up, time to start heading downwards. It was a 15 minute hike down deep snow before we reached the ´solid´ ground of a forest. I was up to my waist in snow at times as my foot sank through the footmarks. As we entered the leaf stripped trees of the forest, it started to snow, heavily. Not enough for a total white out but enough to turn the forest into a beautiful winter postcard. Talk about getting the best luck of weather know to man.
At places in the forest the path was very slippy and muddy and we had to swing on trees to keep from falling. Eventually after 5.5 hours and 12kms of mountain climing we reached Campamento Paso on the other side of the mountain range. The snow stopped for a 30 minute period while we got our tents up, somebody was certainly looking down on us today.
At the camp was a shelter and the guys working here on repairing the tracks had lit a fire in the stove. We sat around it warming our feet. Having a fire was another stroke of luck as Rich & Alex´s stove we had been using to cook our dinners had stopped working. We could heat our pans on the stove itself.
The sun finally came out properly and I could for the first time put on my sandals and give my feet some air. They bloody needed it. A helicopter flew down nearby. I asked one of the local guys what it was for. He told me it was dropping planks of wood off for the track repairs, and the pilot had just given the 3 Kiwi girls I was talking to half an hour ago a lift down to their refugio. The next time I heard the helicopter fly in I ran to the pad and helped the guys take the wood off. I was asked by the pilot if wanted a lift down, I asked if he was returning here to which he said this was his last drop off. I watched him swoop over Glacier Grey and down the mountain side. One of my dreams is to fly in a helicopter, not this time. My time will come.
Our dinner of of brown spag, onions, corgettes, carrot, stock and some chapililies made by the locals (flour type of pancakes) tasted fantastic. Snow was falling all around us. I retired to my tent as happy as I could have possibly been. What a day, this was what I had been waiting for since I arrived in South America.
It had snowed all night and was still snowing when I packed my tent up in the morning. After a hearty breakfast we set off in the snow for the next leg around 10.30. We were still following lago Grey and the amazing glacier, I was still marvelling at its beauty and often stopped to take it in.
There were a lot of steep cliffs to climb up and down, having eaten almost half of our food my rucksack felt a little lighter. Also my legs were now a lot stronger from the conditioning of walking for 4 days. About 3hrs and 6kms from Camp Paso we arrived at a small campsite, Campamento Los Guardas, where we stopped for lunch. Here was a small look out that was perpendicular to the front of Glacier Grey and had more spectacular views.
We had been told at Paso that one of the bridges was out between Los Guardas and Refugio Grey and to take care when crossing. I came across a deep steep ridge with ropes running up and down it, this is what I had been warned about. This is the first test of my dislike of heights. I couldn`t see any orange markers around me, so I just walked up to the ropes and started climbing. Taking 3 ropes in my hand, rucksack on my back, trekking poles flapping around behind me, I started to climb up the mountain. Only to realise when I got near the top that it was bloody hard to get over the ridge, there was no way this is the correct path. I looked to my right and saw an orange marker below me.
James you fool, I should have been going down, not up the ropes. Rich and Alex were below me shouting what are you doing up there!!! Somehow I managed to get all the way back down without knocking them out with falling rocks I was disturbing from the mountain side and not ripping my waterproofs on the barbed wire I was holding onto. My poles kept on getting trapped between my legs, it must have looked a total shambles. The other side of the valley was a sign warning not to pass as the bridge was out, a bit too late for that.
After the tricky bridge it was a steady 4kms and 1.5 hours to the comfort of Refugio Grey. This is the first Refugio that is officially open in the parque and where more tourists come to stay in the comfort of a warm room and hot food served to them. It was also the first place we had to pay to pitch our tents, the princely sum of 3500 pesos, 3.5 USD. But, and it is a big but, they have hot showers. Oh, yes, it is hard to describe how good a hot shower felt after 5 days of hard trekking. It was heavenly.
It was a gorgeous evening and after dinner me, Rich and Ken went for a scramble over the rocks by the lake. It was the first time this trek we had got off the beaten track and left the masses. It was so enjoyable watching huge chunks of ice float past us on the lake. We had the closest view of the front of Glacier without having to pay for a boat to take you closer. It was a fitting end to another exciting days walking.
The weather changed again today, it was bright but windy. We followed Lago Grey all the way until we turned to our right and headed towards Lago Pehoe. Behind me for the first time I could see all 3 prongs of Glacier Grey entering its lake. I know I have mentioned the Glacier a million times but it made that much of an impression on me.
When Lago Pehoe came into view I couldn`t believe the colour of the water, it was incredible, so turquoise and it reflected the mountains brilliantly. We stopped for lunch at Guarderia Lago Pehoe, 11kms and 3.5 hours after leaving Refugio Grey. We were feeling pretty tired so we took our time over lunch, looking out to the beautiful waters and eating nuts and sweets. Up to now I have rationed my snacks very well, today I was glad of the extra pieces of chocolate and nuts.
As we turned the corner of the bottom of the track the wind really picked up in places. I had to plant my poles so I didn`t get blown over. Even the condors circling above us were struggling against the wind. One condor followed us for a good half an hour, I was just hoping that it wasn`t hungry!!
We walked past a smaller lake to our right, Lago Skottsberg before starting the ascent up Valley Frances to Campamento Italiano which would be our base for the day. As we climbed upwards we had a great view of the towering Cerro Paine Grande to our left, with snow capped tips. As me and Rich were looking at the top of the mountain, we were discussing what a big black mark on the mountain side was. We heard a voice behind us explaining what type of rock it was and what the fissure was. Rich asked if he was some sort of Geologist. To which he replied, yes I am. This is how I met my friends from Canada, Aaron and Kevin.
To reach the campsite I had to walk over a pretty long rope bridge that was blowing in the wind. My fear of heights must be slowly waning as I messed about on the bridge for a while taking photo´s and stuff. It was a good steady 2 hours (8kms) climb from where we had lunch to the campsite. There was a cosy shelter where we cooked and ate dinner and chatted with Aaron and Kevin, two brothers from Calgary on holiday here. The campsite was well sheltered by the trees which was great as the wind was blowing hard. The toilets though were miles away which my feet were not at all happy about. It was another early night, since the first night when I lay awake for a couple of hours in my tent, the moment I lay down I was straight to sleep. I had nothing to worry about going crazy looking at the small squares in the material of my inner sheet.
I had a broken nights sleep, the wind was howling all night in the trees above me. Every now and again I would hear a huge roar of leaves in the trees and a few seconds later my tent would shake. I am so glad I bought the shape and design of tent I did as it I stood firm all night.
The reason for camping at Italiano was that it is in the foot of Valle Frances and the glaciers and mountains surrounding it. After breakfast we packed up our day bags and headed up the valley which was steep in places. The views here were spectacular , Glacier Frances in front of us, Cerro Paine Grande to our left, the Cuerno principle (Cerro Espada, Cerro Hoja, Cerro Mascara and Cuerno Norte) to our right, and the gorgeous Lago Nordenskjold behind us.
It was a good hike to the first view point, and bloody windy up there. Me and Rich decided to carry on climbing up the rocky mountain side to gain a better view of the mountains. We did talk about going right over to the ridge to see if we could see the Torres from this side but as it was cloudy and we had a lot more trekking to do we decided against it. The views here were amazing as they were.
We bombed down the valley back to Italiano to pack up our tents, eat lunch and to move on to the next campsite. I was bloody knackered by the time I got back to Italiano, and really hungry. It is not surprising really, it was 3 hours up and 2 hours down covering around 15kms. I hadn`t taken on enough calories over breakfast and was on the verge of burn out. I made sure I had a good feed before setting off. My dry honey sandwiches had run out and we were onto magi supernoodles, these didn`t pack that many calories either. It is a good job my back is starting to weigh a little less, and I have lost a few pounds in body weight that I don`t have to carry.
It was another weather day of 2 halves, in the afternoon the sun came out and stayed out all day, plus the wind had dropped. So far this trek we have had unbelievable good luck with the weather when it has mattered. Today included, battling into the wind would have been really tough.
As it was, we had a steady 2 hours and 6kms walk along the beautiful Lago Nordenskjold to Campamento Los Cuernos. This was a great place for a campsite with mountains all around us, and a short walk to Lago Nordenskjold. The campsite was busy by now as it is on the ´W´ and lots more people were trekking here. It took me a while to find a suitable place to pitch my tent, eventually I found a good spot between two trees.
Los Cuernos is also a Refugio so we had to pay another 3500 peso´s and I got to have my second hot shower of the trek. The sun was out all evening and cooking outside was a pleasure. What was even better was Aaron coming over and donating cheese, 2 packets of flavoured rice, oranges and apples. If we ever needed to take on some additional food, this was the day, what a star. It felt like we were eating a real feast.
The refugio does sell food at a very inflated price. We had set off 7 days ago with a challenge to be totally self sufficient for the length of the trek and not to buy any food. If people wanted to donate their food because they wanted to carry less weight themselves than that is totally acceptable. We were still on course for the challenge.
I watched a stunning sunset over the lake below before hitting the sack, totally knackered, it had been a long day. The mornings fast and long climb had taken its toll and my feet were swollen and hot. Tomorrow, we would be climbing up to see the Torres...............
By now I had come to realise that though my feet ached like mad when I got to sleep at night, by the morning they were OK again and wouldn´t get worse than they already were. It was just a matter of accepting the fact and getting on with it.....
Today was going to be the longest walking day of the trek, this was well planned as by now I was feeling very strong and my backpack was at its lightest. We followed the gorgeous Lago Nordenskjold and started walking towards where we started this adventure 8 days ago. The wind was really strong as we turned the corner to climb upwards towards the Torres. But for my poles I would have been blown over a couple of times.
The weather once again was being kind to us, a warm mild overcast day with no signs of rain in the afternoon. From the contours of our map we guessed that we had a steep climb up the Valle Ascensio to the first camp, Campamento Chileno followed by a steady trek to our base for the night Campamento Torres. The climb up to Chileno was a lot easier than I thought, a couple of places that were a bit tricky with loose rocks but nothing scary. 5hrs and 15km from Los Cuernos we arrived at Chileno, where we stopped for lunch.
The clouds parted for a few moments which gave us a good glimpse up the mountain and to our next destination. As most people that have walked the circuit here know, the map the registration office gives you to follow is pretty shit. What I thought would be a steady walk to Campamento Torres was in fact a tough climb for an hour (5kms). We had reached the campsite quite early in the day so I was able to grab a good flat camping spot near a strream to pitch my tent.
We had a decision to make. To wait for tomorrow before climbing up to the Torres or go the same evening. I spoke to the guard at the camp and he told me the weather forecast was shocking for the night and the next two days, it was an easy decision to make. Even though we had already trekked for 6 hours with our bags we set off rock climbing towards the 3 granite monsters. And it was a rock climb. I dont know how but we managed the 1 hour (3 km) climb in just over 30 mins, adrenalin must have been pumping around my body.
I have mentioned many times previously we had been lucky with the weather, what happened when we reached the top was just the same. It had been cloudy all day and the tops of the towers were out of view. As soon as we reached the best view point, the clouds dispersed and gave us a perfect view. I sat in awe at the Torres. It is hard to believe that each tower is over a kilometer in height from the base of the lake. A mixture of emtions ran through me, relief that I had finally completed the circuit other than leaving the park, tiredness, adrenalin, and shear joy at the amazing views. I sat and relaxed on the rocks for what seemed like ages.
I decided that I wanted to get to back down before the temperature dropped even colder. Just as I started to make my way down the clouds reappeared and covered the tips of the towers, it was surreal. I rock hopped down to the camp in 30 mins and set about chilling for the evening. Aaron and Kevin joined us for dinner and we sat about exchanging travels stories and drinking tea. Aaron was planning to get up at 4.30am to see if the towers would turn red. This only happens at sunrise and when there isnt a single cloud in the sky, even a single cloud would prevent this phenomen happening.
It had been one hell of a long day, a truly brilliant one, and one I would never forget. I had absolutely know trouble dropping off to sleep.
The decision to climb up to the Torres the previous evening was the right one. The night brought hard and long winds with heavy snow fall. No chance of the seeing the tips glow red today. I woke up at 2am really hungry, I snacked on the last of my fruit and nuts. Yesterdays walk had really burnt up the calories. I lay in my tent dreaming of a cold beer and a good steak.
It was a nice easy walk back to the start of the trek taking in the pretty Valle Ascensio and Rio Ascensio that runs down it. I was passed by large groups of travellers wearing iPods starting off the ´W´. I was so glad I had walked the circuit when it was closed and not very busy. To my astonishment I watched a man wearing a huge backpack pulling a one wheeled trailer behind him that was stacked with tents, sleeping bags and roll mats. Following him were his 3 young daughters, I thought to myself you are insane. I later found out that my friends saw him 2 days later and the kids were totally fed up, crying and misbehaving. It was 2 days walk either way to get out of the park, I bet he won´t be doing this again in a hurry.
It only took 2.5 hours to get back to where the coach was picking us up. We sat down by some tents and had our last meal of super noodles. I watched a small friendly bird walk around me picking up scraps of food, In true Patagonian style the wind picked up into a frenzy, I counted my lucky stars I wasnt any where on the mountains in it, as that would have been seriously tough.
We waited for an hout before the minibus came and shuttled us to the main coach back to Puerto Natales. I dumped my backpack in the hold and found my cosy soft seat on the coach. I savoured my very last piece of food on me, 2 squares of chocolate that I had been saving all morning.......
I HAD DONE IT.
I had completed what I had set out on, the toughest physical and potentially mental challenge I had ever attempted. 9 days of being totally self sufficient trekking in one of the most amazing places in the world.
I felt great. Tired but really great. As fit and as strong as I have ever known. Relaxed, soulful and totally appreciative of getting back to nature. The healthy diet of no caffeine, alcohol, meat and real cheese had done me the world of good. I had experienced every type of weather known to man and seen more different landscapes in the 9 days than I had in all my years.
The coach journey back was a blur. All around me exhausted trekkers slept. I stared out of the window watching the mountains dissappear behind me and the vast flat Patagonian landscape unfold in front of me. The next thing I knew was when I woke up with a start in Puerto Natales, tiredness must have taken hold and I had drifted off into a deep sleep. I was back in the land of civilisation, and a changed man for the experience....................
Before leaving for the trek I had booked the tiny single room back in the hostel Mwono to sleep in on my return. Knowing that I would not be disturbed by another random climbing the ladder up to their top bunk was fantastic. One of the best feelings in life is a long hot shower after being in the wilderness for days, this was one of those moments.
The taste of my first cold dark beer was heavenly. So was the second, and third. I should have been exhausted and in bed by ten. Nope, not me. So I went back to El Ruperto´s with Aaron and Kevin for a couple of pints and a chilli vodka or two, it was Friday night after all. El Ruperto´s was very quiet so we tried out my favourite bar Toore where I met up with my friends Neil and Dian from the hostel. This was much better and the music funky. Half way down my cold crisp refreshing bottle of Corona (can you tell I was enjoying a beer again!!!) I realised that I forgot to eat any dinner that night.....
The next thing I remember was waking up fully dressed on top of my bed mid Saturday afternoon. Oops. After an almighty lazy day, it was time for our celebratory meal. Myself, Rich and Alex went to a parilla (grill restaurant) that we found in the town. The food was amazing, I had a rack of lamb that just fell apart on the bone. We treated ourselves to 2 top of the range bottles of Carmenere and had a fantastic evening reminiscing about our spectacular trek.
The speciality drink of Chile is the pisco sour. We had yet to try one so off we trotted to Toore. We had saved vouchers from the local paper for 2 for 1 pisco sours. Well what a laugh. The drinks were ridiculously strong and on top of the wine we were having a great time, laughing, dancing, singing etc.
I had forgotten about my previous encounter with the overly friendly woman from the hot tub and massage place next door, until I got a tap on my shoulder. What a surprise!!! It was really funny, she made a big point of showing me that she was drinking water that night, she felt a little embarassed and humble for being so full on last time and apologised for being drunk. It was cool and we had a small fun chat before I got back to the party.
Sunday was written off. The only thing I did was buy my bus ticket to El Calafate and eat as much food as possible. Tomorrow morning we would be leaving Chile and back into Argentina. What an amazing 3 weeks in Chile......
The bus to El Calafate took 5.5 hours, 2 of those hours were crossing over from Chile to Argentina. The two countries dont particularly like each other and make life as hard as possible when crossing over the borders.
What can I say about El Calafate, in one word, rip off. Ok that is 2 words, unless you hyphenate it, rip-off, does that count as one word or two..... anyway, as you can tell I am struggling to muster up the enthuisiasm to write about here, I would rather rattle on about grammatical differences.....
Our hostel was, shite, the worst stocked kitchen I have ever come across and was run by nazi´s kicking you out of the kitchen to clean when you are mid way through cooking. I think there faces would have cracked if they tried to even smile....
El Calafate is purely a stop off town for visitors going to see the massive Moreno Glacier. The town itself is uber touristy, expensive and pretty much soul less. As we were here we decided that we should best go and see the glacier. So we were herded up like sheep on a coach, driven the 3 hours there. Herded off to walk around platform and stare at the big lump of ice.
OK, I may not be doing it justice, for the people who havent seen a glacier before, it is a marvel to see. For me, Glacier Grey beats it hands down, and I didnt have to pay a small fortune to get there. The heavens opened. I mean really opened. It was 6pm, the coach leaves at 8pm, and guess what, the restaurant shut at 8pm. They would have made a killing in there. Instead we waited under shelter to keep dry.
After 10 mins I decided to go off road and walk along the path that is officially closed to the public. It looked fine to me, no problems at all. I could get further down in front of the glacier and watch big chunks of ice fall off, which was impressive. What I wasnt impressed with were my waterproofs that had cost me an arm and a leg in blighty, not being waterproof in places. That is what I get for handing them over to a laundrette, I need to get some Nickwax now.
8pm came, we were shuttled back on the bus, totally soaked and the bus was full of condensation, it reminded me of horror school trips as a kid. I hate not having the freedom to travel independently.
Needless to say I was on the next available coach out of here towards El Chalten and the Los Glaciers National Park. The coach left in the afternoon which gave me a morning to myself. Near to the hostel is a waterlands where a variety of birds go to rest and breed. Perfect, a nice hour long walk before the coach. Until.... just as I set off to circum navigate the ponds, a true Patagonian wind hit. It was a beauty, I was being blown all over. Not only me, I watched a young harrier fly up into the sky only to be sent spiralling by the wind, how it didnt crash land on the ground I have no idea, oh how I laughed.....
El Chalten, here I come.....
We arrived in El Chalten in the pouring rain. The 4 hour bus journey went without incident. As we arrived into the tiny purpose built village we were given a useful and funny short talk about safety and rules in the Los Glaciers National Park which is the reason for coming here.
On arrival into the almost roadless town I was thrown back to my time in South East Asia. The mud road was totally flooded and rain water flowed towards the end of the town. After checking out a very very bad hostel and a huge HI hostel that was full we found sanctuary in a smallish friendly hostel at the edge of town. The supermarket and shops were at the other end so I had to battle the rain and wind to get supplies. Not the best start to my time here, though.....
El Chalten does have its own microbrewery that sells its own beers, hmmmm, the dark beer was a taste sensation, and, a big and, we got free peanuts and popcorn.... ooohh, its like a Brucy Bonus. I was in a funny mood when I arrived in El Chalten, for the first time since being away, I was unsure which path to take after this week. Christmas and New Year were approaching and I was in the arse end of nowhere. Dont get me wrong, I was with 2 of my best friends and having a good time, but something was niggling at me. We had a healthy dinner and an early night, hoping the weather would improve so we could start trekking sometime soon, the forecasts werent good.
The following day was much of the same, rain, wind and grey skies. A good day for going through my backpack and trying to re-organise everything to fit better. I was watching the cable tv in the hostel, the owner was flicking through the channels and stopped on one that said, live - from El Chalten. Eh! We looked outside the window and across the road was a film crew, a man being interviewed, a music band and a small crowd of people. How bizarre...
So of I trotted across the way to have a nosey, and to walk behind the camera. I dont know why but I always have an urge to get on tv, waving my hands and being one of those annoying people that you see!! It was one of those channels that go around a country finding out about local places. The band were some sort of rocky ska band that were funky and uplifting. As they played the sun came out and the clouds started to part. Nice work.
As I was returning to the hostel a French couple stopped me and asked if I had been to Los Condores view point. I hadnt heard of it. Just above the info place we stopped at yesterday is a small mountain, about 30 mins climb that gives views of the total range of mountains. Some people come to El Chalten for 5 or 6 days and dont see the mountains, as the clouds were clearing I thought it would be a good idea to take a look.
What a decision that was, as I reached the top I had a clear view of all the mountain range, it was absolutely stunning. A site to behold. I sat on a rock, in the quiet and stared out to them, tomorrow I would start climbing towards them on a 4 night camping trip. I was feeling instantly more contented, happy and soulful after the last few days in El Calafate and the shitty weather. Lets get back to the mountains. The evening was spent buying food for the next few days and packing our bags with tents etc for the next trekking adventure.....
ok, so here we go again, off into the mountains for some soul food.
The first days trekking was pretty easy, a steady 3 hours trek up to the campsite of De Agostini next to the Rio Fitz Roy and a short walk from Lago Torre and the impressive Cerro Torre and Cerro Solo alongside it.
Shortly into the walk was a sign stating a monument to a trekker next to a burnt down tree, the message said be careful with your cigarette butts!!! For the first part of the trek we were facing Glacier Grande that swept down in front of us. It is really nice watching it draw closer as we slowly climbed up the mountain side.
All the treks in El Chalten are very easily accessible and can be done in one day based in the town itself. This made camping all the more fun. It only took us 3 hours to reach the campsite of De Agostini, a very pretty campsite next to Rio Fitz Roy and a short walk away from the days highlight, Lago Torre with the Cerro´s Torre and Solo.
After we pitched our tents in a great spot we climbed up the scree slope to look at the gorgeous lake and the 2 Cerro´s. We just about got a clear shot of Cerro Torre through the clouds. Because it is so accessible we could spend a good hour or two walking around the lake and enjoying the view knowing that our tents were nearby. As I was walking to the other side of the lake, a true Patagonian wind picked up and nearly sent me flying down the side, oops. These winds come from nowhere and change direction rapidly. It definitely keeps you on your toes....
Next day we switched across to the otherside of the national park towards the second campsite of Poincenot. I definitely had day 2 trekking legs as my legs felt heavy. It was a good laugh though walking through the woods and passing the impressive lakes of Lago Madre & Hija - mother and child. We stopped for some lunch and watched a huge bird in the trees above us. As well as messing about sticking our heads in a hole in a tree!!
It took only 3 hours to reach Poincenot where we could switch to our day bags. This was a great help because the 1 hour trek up to Lago de los Tres was particularly tricky under foot. Though, the views were about as good as I have seen so far in South America. As good as, if not better than Torres Del Paine. This is what I have been wanting the last few days. I spent ages messing about on the rocks, cooling my swollen feet in the icy cold water of the lake and just chilling out.
I heard a man scream. An American had stripped down naked and jumped into the lake!!! Rich heard him say as he tried to get out, ´I may need help, I may need help´ as he shivvered and made his way to the shore. It was hilarious, he had been warned before to plan his exit to the shore properly.
To the left of the Lago de los Tres was another lake, Lago Sucia, dirty lake that a Glacier fed down into. There was a small pretty waterfall between the 2 lakes. I was fortunate enough to watch an avalanche flow down into Sucia and the new waterfalls it created. The descent back to camp was a slightly tricky one and that evenings food of pasta and sauce was all the more tasty for a good days trekking.
In the morning we left our tents at Poincenot and took the side trip to another Glacier, Piedras Blancas, white legs. It was raining most of the morning, nothing heavy but enough to make clambering over the stones all the more slippy. The climb up to the lake below the glacier was more of a rock climb than a walk, but great fun. Me fear of heights is definitely lessening with each trek. On the side of a big rock were some drawings or carvings, that looked very much like pacman, what came first, the drawings or the video game!!
The glacier itself was beautiful, with many waterfalls along the edge. Huge chunks floated to the shore towards us, I ate a piece, just tasted like snow, what was I expecting. I pushed a big chunk out into the lake and as it swung around I thought it looked like a dolphin, which was nice! The rain had stopped which made the return trip back to the tent all the more enjoyable.
We decided to spend a couple of nights camping at the south edge of town to save a bit of money and because it is more peaceful. The walk out of the park took us past another really nice lake, Lago Capri which also had its own campsite. Me and Darren walked ahead of Rich & Alex. I spotted a hollowed out tree which I hid in waiting for them to catch me up. Darren hid up in the trees with a camera ready to capture the moment on video.
Before R&A walked past another couple came first, I had to keep totally still. They spotted our rucksacks on the floor and stopped for a moment to look around. The woman said, perhaps they are in trouble, or dead. The man said, maybe, oh well, and they carried on walking. I did well not to burst out laughing. What seemed like an age later, Alex walked past and she got a surprise as the tree started talking to her!!!
On the way to the southern campsite we passed the Panaderia, bakers and treated ourselved to some snacks. The cheese and onion empanadas here are the best I have had. In fact, everything in here is good, cakes, empanadas, breads. It is a little haven in a badly stocked village.
Next day was another cracker, blue skies and sunshine, so we headed up another mountain, Loma del Pliegue Lombado. The first part was through woods and was easy. Then the mountain came into sight. I noticed how steep the side was, and to make matters worse it was broken slate we had to walk on and it kept on slipping down the mountain side. I was nervous climbing up, but in the end it was fine. The rewarding views made up for it, we had clear sites of Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy, the mountains to the side of El Chalten and the huge lake Lago Viedma behind us. I sat down and had a siesta in the sun. A huge condor circled above us on the mountain top.
It was here that I made a decision that I had been pondering over the last few days and was the cause of my uneasiness when I arrived in El Chalten. I decided that I was going to head up to Bariloche and leave the others to continue trekking and head into Chile and Villa O´Higgins. For the first time this trip we were going in a seperate direction. My trip is not all about trekking and if I had continued into Chile I would have been piggy backing on somebody elses trip and not my own. I felt that I wanted a new challenge, to take Spanish classes and to be in a funky town for Xmas and New Year. When I returned to the town I bought my bus ticket up to Bariloche, a 32 hour journey!!! I was to leave at midnight the following day.
Before I was to leave, I decided to cook us all a big beef and veg roast as an early Xmas dinner. The wind that day was intense and I had to battle into it and the ridiculous amout of dust blowing up from the streets to go shopping for the supplies. The owner of the hostel let me shower and sort my bags out as well as the use the kitchen for cooking free of charge.
Our 3 course Xmas dinner consisted of, olives, cheese, crackers and red wine for starters. A beef roast, loads of veg, pumpkin, butternut squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrotts etc. I was surprised by how good it turned out, I had never cooked a roast and veg using the same tray before. Aside from the ace Panaderia in town, the other great food shop was an icecream parlour making its own ice creams. I bought a big tub of 4 different flavours that we ate with a fresh pineapple that I found in the supermarket. What a feast.
At midnight I said my goodbyes to Rich & Alex, and Darren, picked up my bags and waited outside the coach station to start the next part of my travels in South America..... Bariloche here I come........
32 hours on a bus is my longest coach journey so far this trip, in fact ever. It was also the first journey this new bus company was running so I was keeping my fingers crossed for a trouble free ride.
The bus itself was only a third full which was great because everyone could sleep across the aisle and use four seats each. It was real fun trying to clamber over everyones legs to get to the toilet at the back of the bus!!
A lot of people dont like the vast barrenness of Patagonia, not me, I love it. I find the spaciousness of it relaxing and soulful. I can happily look out at the horizon that doesnt change for hours drifting with my thoughts and ideas. The sunrises and sunsets in the Patagonian dessert are something to be experienced, words and photo´s cannot due it justice.
What amazes me is every few hours you will see a lone ranch or farm and then nothing for hours more. How do they survive out here. We stopped a couple of times for supplies, cheese and ham sarnies are not a good diet for 2 days. The first stop was by a small service station that had horse carts littered around, totally wierd. The second stop was in a town called Perito Moreno. I had 3 hours here whilst the coach took a side trip to drop off other passengers. I had a really good lunch of a fantastic pizza, salad and a beer. I also bought some whiskey and sprite for later on the journey.
I had got about 3 hours sleep the night before so was determined to knock myself out tonight for at least a couple more hours. As we entered a new state there was a random steel statue of something, god knows what it was. It provided a photo opportunity and chance to stretch our legs outside the bus again.
As I was lying down chilling I felt a drip on my head. There was water running along the baggage racks above us. The air conditioning had broke and was leaking. The drivers had a look at it but it was clear they had no idea. So some bright spark decided to open up the air vents in the roof of the coach, but the wrong way. Instantly the bus was full of dry dust. So not only was it hot we were breathing in sand. The decision to buy the small bottle of whiskey was inspired. I did manage to get around 5 hours sleep the second night and felt fine when I arrived in Bariloche in the heat of the sun, I forgot it was summer here. I had finally arrived to a place that I could sit out in the sun in my shorts and tshirt. Fantastic.....
I arrived in Bariloche, on a Thursday morning not knowing what the hostel situation would be like over Xmas and New Year. The first hostel I checked out that had been recommended was full for the festive period, my heart sunk. Fortunately the hostel across the road Ruca Hueney had a spaces. The hostel itself is really friendly, laid back, has a large and best stocked kitchen I have seen and would be ideal to be holed up in for a while, perfect.
As I was unpacking my bags in the dorm I got talking to a fun lass from Israel called Adi. She is travelling in South America before moving to the states to be with her bf. It was gorgeous outside so we made the most of they day and took a bus out to Cerro Otto and rode the cable car to the top. The views of Bariloche and the surrounding area were stunning, I am liking this city already. It has a good vibe about it.
We started to walk down the long a windy dusty path back to the hostel but Adi´s feet were starting to hurt. Just as she said we could do with a lift, a pick up truck came around the corner. We hiked up into the back and had a fun bumpy ride back into town, what a stroke of luck. That night we checked out the most famous party bar in Patagonia, Wilkenny´s. To be honest it is shite, but it is always busy and sells drinks all through the night. I was shattered by 1am and came home. The locals here dont usually go out until 1.30am, I knew I had to get into a different sleep pattern.
The next day I took it easy, had a walk around the craft market, tried some of the fantastic homemade icecream and cooked a 3 course meal with Adi and Lars, a cool German guy on holiday here. Since I left Buenos Aires 2 months ago I have been having a mad craving for blue cheese. Anybody who knows me well knows how much I love cheese, cheeeeeese Gromitt..... and the last time I went travelling I had a craving for it. It is not as bad here in South America because there is cheese but it is this tasteless rubbery shit that just doesnt satisfy......
Imagine my please when I found a Queseria, cheese shop on the corner of my street. I bought goats cheese, fresh parmesan and strong runny blue cheese. With some olives and a really good bottle of red wine I was in total bliss. I could hardly speak as wave after wave of taste sensations swept through my body. This town is really growing on me.
And it gets better. Three blocks down on my road is a bar called Antares. It is also a microbrewery and makes its own 7 types of beer, stout, honey beer, ale etc. Yes, yes, yes. The honey beer is to die for, and there is a happy hour from 7 - 8pm, two pints for the price of one, it just gets better and better. I felt tipsy after the 2 pints, later I realised it is 7%, no wonder. Although it was Friday night the travelling had caught up with me so I had an early night and would save myself for tomorrow.
Saturday afternoon Adi had to move on so we went to a chocolate shop. Bariloche is famous for its chocolates and has loads of shops where you can watch them make it and try a few. We had a lunch at Mamushka´s on the street of Mitre. The hot chocolate and cakes were to die for. We said goodbye to Adi and me and Lars bought supplies so I could cook up another 3 course feast for dinner.
I had been deliberating for a few days by now about what to do with my beard. After the main course I decided it had to go so hacked away at it with my half sharp scissors out of my first aid kit. How I didnt cut myself is anyones guess. Early in the day Lars bought a shed load of grade A chocolate that we sampled for dessert.
Full of choc energy and newly shaved I was ready to hit the town and see some more bars. A funny lass called Jen from New York joined us. We started off in the small dark and cheapest pub called South Bar for cocktails. Jen had been talking about brandy´s so we caught the last hour in the Map Room for Havanna clubs. Next we went to Wilkenny´s for a drink, it was pretty dire so we went across the road to another club called Roxybar, or something like that. It was 15 peso door tax with a free beer. Getting the beer is a different story.
It is the most ridiculous way of buying a drink I know of. First you have to queue up for ages to pass your money over to a woman, only 1 woman working, who rings your order into the till and hands you a receipt. Then you have to go to the other side of the bar and wait again for the only 2 bar men to server you your drinks. It takes bloody ages, it is muy stupido. Also, for the life of me I dont know what is the Argentinians fascination with English 80´s pop music. It is everywhere and makes up about 90% of the music on the radio and in this club. I just could not get into dancing to it. Me and Jen asked for some house music and for about 30 mins the dj played some really good tech house. The rest of the club stood around and watched us dance in a western fashion looking totally bemused. As soon as the 80´s music returned the place went mental again. Oh well..
I was deteremined to see the sunrise so we sat on the balcony of the hostel drinking cups of tea and working our way through a bag of biscuits. God how we laughed, I didnt think it was possible to have an hour long conversation about biscuits but we did.
Sunday morning came and I felt pretty rough and ropy. Jen had an inspired idea for a hangover cure, burger and chips and a coffee sat out in the shade on the streets. The beef here in Argentina is the best in the world, I am not just saying that, it is. Fact. And the burgers are bloody gorgeous. I am getting hungry thinking about it. Lars was properly hungover, I dont think he had drunk so much in a long time. I convinced him what he needed was some fresh and a walk. It was a struggle but in the end he came with me to Cerro Campanario.
We took the chairlift to the top and chilled out looking over the lakes and Llao Llao national park. I thought the views from Cerro Otto were good but here just blew that out of the water. It was stunning. Most Sundays in Centro Civico which is the main square there is some sort of free music festival. To my astonishment tonights act were a 6 piece live ska band called Los Calzones who totally rocked. There was a huge mosh pit in the square which I threw myself into. I somehow returned unscathed. I could have quiet happily carried on partying all night, but I had school in the morning.
One of the reasons I wanted to come to Bariloche is to study Spanish as up to now it is shocking, almost worthless. I had been recommended a really good school called La Montaña which I had enrolled with on Friday. So I set my alarm for 7.30am and got an early one.
I was supposed to be at school for 8.45 so they could test me level of comprehension and place me in the correct level of class. I woke up at 8.45. The school is only 2 mins walk away so I quickly got dressed and made it there, I looked shocking not the best way to start. The class I was first in I hardly understood a word, luckily it was just a stop gap until my profesora arrived. I was in a class with a woman from the States names Deanna and a fun teacher called Laura.
I was actually surprised by how many verbs I did know, it was just that I had never had any practice of speaking. This would improve over the coming weeks. Monday was Xmas Eve, so after the 4 hour lessons we had a toast in the school, brintis, with bubbles and pan dulces. A great way to start the celebrations. Fresh from the champas I did a big shop at the supermarket for veg and meat for Xmas day, I offered to cook for 7 of us in the hostel!!!
Here in Argentina they celebrate Xmas on Xmas Eve with an asado, which is a traditional Argentinian bbq with loads of different cuts of beef, lamb, sausages and salads, bread etc. I ate in our hostel with all the other guests and it was one hell of a laugh and a good fiesta. We counted down to midnight like on NYE and raised a glass of beer. After the feast the tables and benches were moved to side of the room and latin music was played. For the first time this holiday I was dancing Salsa, very rusty but I really really enjoyed it. The night was still young, 1am, so we headed onto Wilkennys for more dancing, drinking and generally pissing around until the early hours.
As it was Xmas day the school was shut so I could have a lie in. The 2 Dutch girls in the hostel Elaine and Jasmijn had made me and the 2 Swiss guys, Stefan and Lucas a traditinal Dutch breakfast of breads, cheeses and loads of sweet, cakes and pan dulces. What a feast to start the day with. I had bought a bottle of bubbly which we drank whilst stuffing ourselves silly. Outside it was gorgeous so I spent the afternoon sunbathing by the lake with Elaine and Jasmijn. The lake, Lago Nahuel Huapi is usually freezing, but on this occassion there was no wind so I had a relaxing swim. I lay on ny back looking out to the snow capped mountains thinking to myself this is not half a bloody good way to spend a Xmas day.
Totally chilled and full of sun I set about my turn to feed the masses. I had lined up olives, cheeses, breads and crackers with red wine for starters. For the main I roasted to huge pieces of beef, so bloody tasty and ridiculously cheap, veg of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, butternut squash, onions, garlick, cabbage etc. I also made up some gravy from the juices, flour and stock. Gravy was a new experience for the others and they really took to it, the food went down really really well and I was well chuffed how it had turned out. Dessert was left over cakes from breakfast. We were all stuffed and I was back at school in the morning it was an early night.
What a brilliant Xmas day.....
After 4 hours of school in the morning I feel totally brain dead and have to go for a siesta, it had taken me a week but I was finally adjusting to the Argentinian way of life. On Thursday after classes in the afternoon a few of us took a bus to the national park of Llao Llao and a short walk to the hidden lake, Lago Escondido. Not only was it a really nice day and a walk but I was also practising speaking Spanish to other people other than my teacher. Slowly, very slowly I was getting the hang of a few sentences and verbs. I am finding learning Spanish really bloody difficult but I am totally determined to keep on with it.
Bariloche is a place where all the school graduates go to celebrate when they have finished their terms. The hidden lake was not so well hidden as it was swarming with kids. Roque, a cool teacher at the school and who was organising the walks found a quiet spot where we could sit down and be shown the ritual of drinking mate. It is like tea but drunk out of a mate cup and bombilla, a straw like thing. Mate, is yabe herbs and contains caffeine and is the traditional drink of Argentina. People carry flasks of hot water with them all day to top up the mate cup with water.
On Friday, the evenings activity from the school was free Salsa lessons at South Bar. Now this was great fun and I learnt a couple of new moves and started getting my rhythm back from not practising for a few months. I had intended to eat at the hostel but ended up going out of town with a Deanna, her fella Juan and few guys from the school. The meal was amazing and it was nice to eat in a restaurant that I would have never known about. Afterwards we returned to Antares and to a different club called La Cantina that plays reggae, ska a bit of indie and sells beer by the litre. It was a job trying to dance and not spill any. I am not sure how it happened but it was morning when I left the club and walked home in time for breakfast!!
Saturday was a quiet day and I returned to Antares to watch a really good live 4 piece band playing different styles of latin music and watching a woman flamenco dancing. Sunday was the turn of Stefan and Lucas to cook for us. Man, what a job they did. It was a traditional Swiss cheese fondue made up of a vast amount of cheeses, garlic and a bottle of white wine. I was again cheese heaven, and even got the cheese sweats. It was bloody marvellous.
Monday back to school and as it was NYE another brintis of bubbles and cakes. NYE was again a huge asado in the hostel. My Spanish had come on a little by now so I was able to join in some basic conversations with others from Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuala etc. I was really enjoying the night, especially the salsa dancing afterwards. We all went to Roxy´s to dance ourselves out for the rest of the night. What a brilliant way to bring in the New Year........ I have a good feeling about 2008.......
we continue.....
I had a very restful day after the carnage of NYE, just went to the Mexican restaurant in town as a farewell meal for some friends who were moving on from Bariloche. The next day I was back at Spanish school in the morning and to watch a Spanish movie with subtitles in the afternoon, I was exhausted after. Half of Bariloche had a power cut for most of the evening so we sat around the hostel with candles and played the guitar, I didn´t play, because I can´t!
I was feeling more energetic by the Thursday so after school in the morning, me and Kim from the hostel went for a walk up to Cerro Lopez. We left Bariloche at 2.30pm which is loads of time to walk up to the Refugio and back down in an afternoon.....
It was another beautiful sunny day and perfect for trekking. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the track and away we went. Following a river and the valley to our right we started to climb and waft away the annoying big blue flies that nip you. It was great to be back in the mountains. An hour into the walk we arrived at Arroyo Lopez, Black Rock Refugio with a view of Llao Llao below and a big black rock, surprisingly, above it. We chilled here for a while before continuing on.
The track became snowy as we walked across the big ravine, the last part of the way to Refugio Lopez became steeper which I enjoyed as I felt like I was doing some exercise for the first time in ages. It was beautiful there, the view all around was stunning, the snow capped mountains looked amazing. I wanted to go up to the summit, so we continued. The way to the summit was by clambering up some rocks, a bit of climbing was involved, Kim decided to wait for me to return. I was loving scrambling up to the peak, especially with what greeted me at the top.
I was totally alone at the summit, Pico Turista. I could see the towering Mt Tronador in the distance and the mountains of Chile over the border, behind me was Llao Llao and Bariloche. I sat for a while and took it all in. This to me what trekking is all about, I was so contented, serene and relaxed up there. I realised I had probably been up here longer than I expected, so to save time I put on my waterproofs and slid down the snow on my arse until I met Kim.
The first time was hilarious, apart from I left my glove half way up so had to retrieve it. I couldn`t video the other parts as the slopes were much steeper, snow flew up into my face and how I didn`t go sprawling down the mountain into the rocks I have no idea, what a laugh it was. We returned to the Refugio about 8pm in the evening, where had the day gone. It was OK as the path was easy to follow down and should only take an hour or so, enough time to get down before dark. At the Refugio I spoke to a family from Buenos Aires who had stayed there the night before, they were very friendly and told me about the mountains and the area.
We needed to move on so me and Kim and 3 Brazilian girls who we met on the path started to make headway down. We passed a random family of cows on the track which was bizarre. Kim thought she saw a path to the left dropping down the mountain side, the one we took up, it felt like the path should be around here so we decided to go for it. It was too tricky for the Brazilian girls so they turned back up the mountain side and returned to the road.
The path didn`t exist. It was a total scramble down tree avalanches and swinging on tree roots to get past boulders. I thought to myself as long as we hit the river we can follow that down to the bottom, no problem, or so I thought. I now always carry my trekking poles with me on long walks, these were worth there weight in gold. I handed one to Kim so we could both get down with some reasonable safety. We eventually arrived at the river.....
Shit... the mountain side was a very steep rock face joining the river, we had to choices, fjord the quickly flowing river up climb up the mountain face. Both options were not good. Kim preferred to climb so that is what we did. I didn`t tell her about my fear of heights. For the first time that trek the possibility of being stuck out here for the night entered my mind. That morning in my Spanish lesson I had to recall a story of my travels to the class. I told the class about the time in Ushuaia when we went on a trek and just about got down the snow and muddy mountain before pitch black and someone was to come looking for us. Flavia, the teacher told me that it was very common to hear on the news and radio about tourists getting lost on treks in the surrounding areas, we had a laugh and joke about how stupid they were. Right now I wasn´t laughing at the thought, or the embarrassment.
This was by far the most difficult bit of climbing I had done. It was a very steep scree slope, falling rocks, spiky bushes that kept leaving spikes in my hands. I was very surprised how well Kim climbed, 2 years living in Scotland must have helped. It was getting dark, I kept saying as long as we hit the tree line we will be ok, the path is very close. If either of us were to slip or fall, we were toast. Rocks kept on falling around my head but missing, thankfully. After 20 mins of climbing I reached the tree line, and to my massive relief I could see the proper path. I shouted down to Kim that the path was here and to take her time and be careful reaching the top.
Phew, back on track, still it was about 9.30pm now, not long before total blackness, time to get a move on. We jogged as much as we could down which was hard because the path was sandy and slippy. Other paths went in different directions, we couldn`t see the red paint marks on the stones very and had to stop to check our route, we couldn`t risk going off road again.
Half way down we came across the family from BsAs we spoke to earlier, you should have seen the surprise look on their faces as we came out of the trees. I explained what we had just gone through. We walked with them to the bottom of the mountain. It was now 10.30 and pitch black, we had got down just in time for the last bus. But, very kindly we got a lift all the way back to the hostel with the family, it was 11.30, we should have been back hours ago.
As I entered the hostel a big cheer went up, the guys working there were hanging around worried, 30 mins later they were going to call the police, what a relief we were back in one piece. We were exhausted. The cold beer that night was one of the best ever.
The next morning I recalled the story in Spanish to my class which went down with much amusement. I started to feel bad in the afternoon, my stomach playing up again. I managed to get through Salsa lessons and that was about it. A rare quiet Friday night for me. Sat night I went back to Antares and sampled their 8 home brew beers in a funky wooden rack. The honey beer is still my favourite, it is just lush. I was planning to drive some of the 7 lakes the following morning and as I was still unwell it was another early one........... what a week......
On the Sunday morning I walked into town with Robin a Swedish guy to pick up the car to drive up to the 7 lakes, some beautiful lakes north of Bariloche. On the way to the car rental place I passed a shop called Mr Cock that sells baby clothes, all types of wrong!!!
In the car were myself, Robin and his mother from Sweden, Kim from the Cerro Lopez trek and Anne from Finland. It was the first time I had driven on the other side of the road, after a couple of minutes it was no problem, it helps not having driven at all for the last 3 months.
As for the trip itself, it was pretty stressful. The lakes were nice but part of the roads were unsealed which made for a slow and bumpy ride, not only that I had accidently scratched the side of the car driving down to a beach which was an arse. On top of all that, Robin spoke absoulte shite, his English is way better than mine and he was coming out with all sorts of mad phrases that haven´t been used since the days of Shakespeare, god knows where he was taught. Lesson to self, choose who you are going to spend a day in a car with very carefully in future.We did have a very pleasant lunch picnic at Lago Espejo and picnic dinner at Lago Correntoso. I managed to cover up the scratches with dust from the road that the hire company didnt notice, which was a very welcome relief.
Next morning I was back at school for my third and last week of Spanish lessons. In my class were to really cool and fun American guys Brennan and Elliott. I was starting to enjoy Spanish for the first time now that some of the rules and structures were starting to sink in, we could concentrate on having fun and silly conversations. The next 3 days went without much going on, a few beers in Antares, South Bar and the Map Room, my 3 favourite bars. The Thursday night I met up with a couple of friends at a bowling alley for a beer, I couldn´t believe what I saw. A man was manually replacing the pins on 2 alleys, see the video, what a job to have, I hope he gets paid danger money!!! Back in the hostel I could feel myself tensing up, getting stressed and stuff, my mind was elsewhere and I didn´t know why. I felt really uneasy and like something was going to blow, not sure what.
Friday was my last day at school, it was a really fun morning and I took some photo´s of Flavia my lecturer, Fernando and Brennan and Elliott in the class room. In the afternoon a group of us returned to the Llao Llao area and took a really pleasant walk along the gorgeous Lago Guitterez to a pretty little waterfall nearby. Roque had forgotten his mate cup so I made a makeshift one out of an empty water bottle and a the plastic casing of a biro. It was a total shambles put a real good laugh trying.
That night I found a really cheap and tasty Chinese restaurant that I ate at with Martina from the hostel. The best live band in Bariloche were playing live at Pilgrim bar. The 2 guitarists were absolutely amazing, I was blown away by their skills, it was a real treat to here such good live music.
On the Saturday me and Elliott headed back to Llao Llao to hire bikes and ride the famous Chico Circuit. It was another hot and sunny day. As was becoming common place in Bariloche we set off in the wrong direction on the circuit and ended up riding 20kms up and down hills extra until we picked up the route again, sorry Elliott. We did really enjoy the ride after this point with great views of the lakes, mountain sides and surrounding areas. We had covered about 50kms in the day and were knackered on the bus home.
The whole of Argentina takes the month of January off as holidays, most of the hostels are booked in advance and it is a total madhouse everywhere. As the hostel was full every Saturday in Jan & Feb is an asado in the hostel, the famous Argentinian bbq. I was so pleased about this as I really didnt want to cook after the big bike ride. Full of energy from meat, meat and more meat, I went into town with Willie and Jo from the hostel. La Cantina was our first stop for litres of beer. There is a casino in town which we decided to check out. I have never spent any money in a casino before, so after looking around for the free sandwiches which there werent any much to my dissappointment, I changed 20 pesos into chips and went to the roulette table. About 2 mins later, I was 20 pesos out of pocket!!! It was pretty damn funny watching the ball land on numbers just next to mine, well, for everybody else it was.
The next day was a very quiet one. I spent it with Almudena my Spanish friend staying in the hostel and with who I was planning to go to Rio with to stay with her friend there. We went to my favourite coffee bar Trentis and back to the Chinese for dinner. She is vegan and ordered a vegetarion chow mein. When it came it was full of eggs. This is where the fun started. She complained to the waiter that she couldnt eat it, he said we would have to pay for it anyway, whatever, so she ordered an alternative egg free dish. When it came to pay they had charged us for the untouched offending egginess. To which Al replied, since when has an egg been a vegetable, classic. After much arguing with the manageress we paid for what we ate and made a quick exit before they started throwing chop sticks at us.....
I got an absolute shocking nights sleep and felt all over the shop in the morning, thankfully I had no school to go to. In fact it was weird, having all my own time again. I decided to get out of the busy hostel and go and chill by the lake in the morning sun and unwind. This gave me time to think. There are some highly recommended treks in the nearby mountains that I wanted to do before moving on, the next day would be ideal. So I went shopping for a stove, lightweight pans and enough food for the next 5 days.
When I returned to the hostel imagine my surprise when I was told to check out as there were no beds. I said I had agreed to check out tomorrow, the man working there said tonight, and that I had told my friend who works there 3 times that I said today. This was a lie, but as there were no beds I was stuck. It was 6pm and I had an hour to get everything ready for camping. Shit. But I managed it, left a bag of non-trekking essentials at the hostel and set off into the evening. I was carrying way to much as I didnt have time to weigh out food etc. I had feeling something was going to blow in the hostel, I dont know why, what or how, but my gut instincts had come true.
Monday nights is Salsa night with the school, I thought sod it, I am not missing it. So I turned up with my backpack and threw some shapes for an hour and had a couple of beers. I was a on a bus at 9pm, slightly merry with nowhere to sleep. I had about 1.5 hours of daylight left. On the bus were a group of guys from Buenos Aires camping too. They got off the bus near a campsite so I followed. When I got to the reception they had taken the last pitches, I was told to walk a mile down the road to the next hostel, I knew this would be full. It was OK, I had a tent, I could theoretically pitch anywhere!!!
As I was walking down the stone lane back to the main road, a car pulled up beside me. It was a friendly Chilean couple who were having the same problem looking for a campsite, they invited me into their car so we could search for a campsite together, a stroke of good fortune. A fair amount of Spanglish was used at this stage. The next campsite we checked out was also full. The one after this at 14.5km wasn´t, it was not cheap but it was very nice and had a restaurant of sorts there. I managed to get my tent up and bed made just before pitch black. I helped my new friends put their tent up with the aid of my head torch.
The offered to buy me dinner, which was very gratefully accepted, I got a couple of beers in. Before long we were chatting in Spanish, a beer always helps, sat in his car as he went through all the different types of Chilean music on his car stereo until 2am. Normally I dont drink before a trekking day but this was a good exception. As usual things worked out well, and actually for the better as I was a day ahead of schedule for the mountains.
The next morning I had a lie in, packed up and took a couple of buses to the start of the treks at Villa Cathedral, the first walk would be up to Refugio Frey. It was an absolute scorcher and I was drinking water like it was going out of fashion, it helpeded reduce the weight if my pack by a couple of kg´s as well. It was a 3 hour walk up to Refugio Frey passing past Lago Guitterez along the way, the last hour was pretty hard, I was definitely out of shape.
Refugio Frey is in a truly stunning setting next to Lago Tonchek and surrounded by mountains. It is free camping here so after filling up with water I went in search of a suitable place to camp. The wind was blowing really strong so I was very happy to find a great spot protected by a stone wall which proved very useful cooking besides. As I was cleaning my pan I was stunned to hear a hello James, it was Morgan from the first week on my Spanish course on a climbing week, she just happened to walk by, what a small world. As I sat by my tent I realised why I was starting to get stressed back in the hostel.
For almost a month I had been sleeping in a 6 or 8 bed dorm with people coming and going all the time. This meant making introductions, small talk, limited space and pretty much no time for myself to relax anywhere. What I was longing for was some piece, quiet and solitude. Within 2 hours of being in the mountains I felt better. I had the best nights sleep for weeks, my own tent with nobody coughing, turning the light on, snoring, etc etc.
I was glad of the a good sleep and a hearty breakfast, yep, my favourite of hot porridge and honey with a cinammon tea. What I hadn´t planned for was hiking up scree slopes. Now this was tough, not only that I chose a difficult route up from Lake Tonchek to Lago Schnoll, this was possibly the trickiest trek I had done so far in South America, harder than Torres Del Paine. After a short rest by the lake, it was through snow and a rock climb to the next summit, I was drenched in sweat by the time I reached the top.
Coming down was just as hard, though I managed to ski part of the way down on the small lose rocks, I was in for a hard days trekking. 40 mins through forest, another 1 hours steep climb and a tricky drop down to Lago Jacob, I went up to knee my in mud and had to fyord a river before finally arriving at Refugio San Martin. It had taken me 5 hours, it predicts 6 to 10 hours so I had made very good time, and boy could I feel it. My legs were throbbing, it had been the hardest days walking so far but the views were amazing, I was buzzing afterwards. As soon as my tent was up I fell asleep for an hour. That night in the Refugio I practiced my Spanish with a couple from BsAs and drank some mate, to much mate as I was wired, it was loaded with caffeine.
Day 3. Another good sound solid sleep and I was feeling great in the morning, day 2 legs were over and my spirits were very high. Some space and the fresh mountain air was just what I needed. I thought it would be a 3 hour trek down to the bottom of the mountain when in fact it was 6. The path crossed over a waterfall, through forest and followed a fast flowing stream. I was picked up by the bus to Colonia Suiza, I refused to pay 15 pesos early and decided to walk an extra hour, the driver took pity and gave me a lift for free, hehe.
I camped in a lovely campsite called Huene Ruca by the side of the massive and beautiful Lago Perito Moreno Este. I cooked my dinner by the side of the lake and shared a beer with a German couple here. I had thought about another trek the following day, but as the campsite was so nice I decided to chill for a whole day sunbathing and reading Spanish.
I woke up quite early and had breakfast on the beach by the lake. By now I was well and truly back to normal, very relaxed, happy and feeling fitter and healthier. In the evening I sat in the restaurant with a good bottle of red wine studying. Once finished I walked slowly back to my tent and could here some gorgeous acoustic music. Further around the lake were a group of Argentinians playing the guitar and harmonica and singing folk songs. I joined a couple at their campfire, they are both musicians and we chatted into the small hours talking about English bands, drinking wine and staring at the stars. For the first time I felt like I was back in Thailand where time didn´t matter, the weather good and people totally chilled.
The 5 nights camping had been a perfect tonic. I arrived back in the hostel mid afternoon so I had plenty of time to sort my stuff out. That evening was a free live Tango performance a couple of blocks from my hostel, the male singer had an incredible voice that made the hairs on my arms stand up. Even the dorm room didnt seem that bad after.
I caught up with Elliott for lunch the next day, had happy hour at Antares, took a Siesta, returned to Antares for the live band and carried on partying at Wilkenny´s and La Cantina. It was not surprising I had a hangover the next day! I booked my flights to Rio, it was actually happening now and not the pipe dream it was 2 weeks earlier.
As I was sat in an internet cafe I got a tap on the shoulder, my friend Darren from the treks in El Chalten was in town. I arranged to meet up later. As it was my last Monday here I couldnt miss the salsa lessons, I had become good friends with the instructor by now, even if I couldnt understand half of what he was telling me. Me and Darren went for a Chinese back at the place with the egg incident, they didnt recognise me thankfully. On the way back to the Map Room I was victim of a bizarre event....
A family were walking down the street in the opposite direction to us. We walked passed them when I heard a call out. As I turned around a young blonde girl approached me, grabbed my head and started kissing me in the street whilst the rest of her family watched on the street corner, mum, dad, grandad etc. They gave a cheer as she walked back to them. Me and Darren looked at each other in disbelief.
My last day in Bariloche, 34 days after I arrived. I popped into the school to say goodbye and had a really nice lunch with a load of the guys. My stay here has been fantastic, I had learnt and experienced so much, met some amazing people and learnt some Spanish. The lakes, treks, bars, food, salsa, Xmas and New Year mean this town will be always be special for me..............
Why does it always happen on a travel day that my dodgy guts start to play up, that and feeling hungover on the top deck of a bumpy and rocky coach was not the best. I thought I was going to be in trouble. Thankfully I fell asleep for 2 hous and the sickness passed. When I awoke I saw one of the most amazing things of my trip so far.
A perfectly round bright orange sun directly in front of me at eye level. It was hanging there just above the horizon, not in the sky above, just above the ground. I had never seen anything like it in my life, truly beautiful.
I arrived in Mendoza mid morning to a wet and grey day. What was this, I had been used to clear blue skies and glorious sunshine for a month, this weather was foreign to me. I found the hostel I had pre-booked and took myself of to bed for a few hours, stomach was killing me. It was raining all day so I did miss much outside anyway. In the evening I went to a self-service veggie restaurant for some healthy food with Kat from England who is in my dorm. On the way back I was ready for a beer and found a superb little bar called Iguana that was playing underground techy house, some with vocals that was a very welcome change from the 80´s English pop music that is everywhere in Argentina.
When I was trekking in Torres Del Paine I met 2 really cool brothers from Canada, Aaron and Kevin who had a friend here called Horacio, that they put in touch with me. I met up with Horacio the next day and went for a really good steak lunch at Scala in the centre of Mendoza. He is uber cool and very knowledgable about the area, history, wines and bloody everything. We got on really well and I knew my stay here would be all the more fun for meeting him. Sometimes he gives wine tours to travellers so he chose an excellent red wine to compliment the steak.
I was still feeling under the weather so had a longer than usual siesta. Kat´s boyfriend arrived in the hostel, he is mountain biking all over South America. The main street for bars in Mendoza is the long Aristides Villaneuva so we headed down there for a beer. We chilled at a cool outdoor bar called Ikata watching the locals pass by. The bartender had recommended a club out of town, so we hailed a taxi to drive us the good distance out there. Only to find it was closed, we tried to get into a new club that had opened but that was VIP invite only. So we returned to Ikata and complained at the barman, he thought it was Friday and not Thursday which it was, the plank. Anyway we still stayed there until closing at 4am.
One of the main things to do in Mendoza is to visit a winery or two. The best area for this is Maipu which is about 30 mins away on the bus. I went there with Alison from Canada who was also in my dorm. Here we hired mountain bikes and set off on the tour. The first place we visited was Bodega La Rural museum, and a small vineyard. We waited patiently through 45 mins of a Spanish spoken tour which I understood about 5%. We were rewarded with a nice glass of wine after for our patience.
Next up was a liquor and chocolate family run business called Historias & Sabores. This time the owner gave a talk in English as well as Spanish. There were so many different liquors that are made there. We sampled a few after, the choc mint was delicious. We decided to buy a couple of small bottles for later, the choc mint, and ABSINTHE, why o why o why!!
Right, it was about time we visited a proper winery and got some tasting done. We rode 6-7kms to Bodega Tempus a very modern and posh vineyard. We pushed the boat out and chipped in together to try all the 6 main wines, and the special reserve. The sun had come out so we sat outside enjoying the reds. Argentina is famous for its Malbec, though I prefer the Syrah and Cab Sav, the Reserver was way ahead of the others and well worth the extra money. Feeling a bit peckish I opened my back of brown crackers and cheese spread with ham flavour, from now on known as CHAM!
I was feeling a little tipsy after this so the bike ride to the next vineyard Viña el Cerno went in a flash. They had closed the tours but opened up for us for a tasting, again the Cab Sav for me was the tastiest. We had to get the bikes back before 7 so it we bombed down the main road back, luckily it was slightly downhill all the way. Whilst we waited for the bus we had a couple of shots of Absinthe each, man it was raw, thankfully CHAM took the nasty taste away.
That night Horacio picked me up from the hostel and took me to his family home for a traditional bbq. His family live in a huge lovely house just outside of town, with heirlooms and souvernirs from his fathers travels all over the world. It was raining outside so we ate the amazing bbq in the dining room. I was treated to parts of the cow I had never tried before, the flank had been soaked in milk before to give it a softer texture, just stunning. Horacio and his family made me feel very much at home, and gave me a guided tour of their house.
I sat drinking wine, beer and the popular local drink of fernet and coke with Horacio and his cousins and friends until way after midnight. We then piled into a couple of cars and drove to a nearby nightclub called Iskra, I dont know how but we manage to queue jump the huge queue and go straight in. The club was pumping and playing all different kinds of music. I lost the guys straight away so headed to near the dance floor and threw some shapes. I managed to speak to a few people with my best drunken Spanish and was introduced to Euge and her friends who I enjoyed semi-salsa´ing with. I would never thought it possible to Salsa to Run DMC & Aerosmith before now!!!
The next day was pretty much written off, I did go for a walk in the lovely Plaza Independencia at wached the fountains for a bit. As it was a Saturday I had to check out a few bars, so a group of us from the hostel went to an Irish pub for beers and whiskey chasers and a smaller trendy bar. I left the others and ended up back in Iguana propping up the bar and talking tech house in Spanish to the DJ. I have know idea how I managed to talk to him as I didnt remember a word the next day, apparently I was fluent, it is amazing what a few beers and whiskies can do.
So onto Sunday, and for the first in Mendoza it was a bright sunny day. I had a hangover so decided to walk it off with a stroll in the gorgeous Parque San Martin. Before I had to fuel up with steak and Chablis at a very nice restaurant called Giovanni´s. Hair of the dog inside I strolled through the park walking past the tranquil lake, it took me 2 hours to find it!!!
At the top of the park is a zoo that I had to check out. I was surprised by the number of different animals they had there, nearly 200. Some of the animals looked very distressed, pacing up and down their tiny cages looking unhappy as people took photo´s and shouted at them, I wasn´t enjoying it very much. That said, I do think the Mandril is a fantastic animal! Feeling wiped out I chilled in the hostel with Kat & Steve, we shared a meal and a bottle of wine or two.
My last full day in Mendoza I caught up with Horacio over lunch at La Carmela. I had a huge cheeseburger, which is a normal burger absolutely smoothered in cheese all over it, it was fantastic. I had proper cheese sweats after, get in. I met up with a Euge for a quick coffee before I had to get back and pack my stuff ready for flying to Rio via Buenos Aires.......... off to Rio for carnival I go, you have no idea how I excited I was.......
Just a quick warning this is a pretty long blog, so either grab your self a hot drink if you are in the freezing cold of England or a cold beer if you are fortunate enough to be in S, America too. I don´t have many photo´s of Rio, the carnival or bloco´s as I left my camera in the flat for reasons described below.....
Getting to RIo was a bit of an arse if I am honest, to cut a long story short, expensive taxi´s, delayed flights, communication problems in Portugese and Spanish, but after 16 hours travel I met my friends Almudena and Paul in Botafogo. I had landed in Rio in the heat and humidity. Al´s friend from Madrid Paul lives in a flat with 3 guys from Rio, Black, Flavia & Raphael who are brother and sister. There were, Al, Silvia another girl for Spain who Al had met on the bus there and myself sleeping the flat for the week, it was sure cosy.
The first night I was knackered so we just grabbed a couple of cold beers and chilled out. I was thinking to myself that even though I had Spanish lessons I couldn´t understand anything they were talking about, it was very fast and I found out later full of Madrid slang. I dont know any Portugese so it was good for me that Paul, Al, and Silvia could all speak good English.
Much to my surprise the weather in Rio was rubbish, it was grey almost all the time and rained heavily everyday. At least one or two major storms a night that couldn´t help but dampen the carnival spirit.
As for Rio, on my first full day we walked along Praia Botafogo the beach nearest to us, and along the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. The beaches were very quiet as it was grey and rain clouds loomed ahead. Carnival is different to what I had imagined. Having spent many years at Notting Hill carnival in London I expected something similar, colourful processions through the streets and sound systems on all the street corners. The Samba school processions are out of town at the Sambadromo which you have to buy expensive tickets in advance to get good seats. The music and parties are spread throughout the city, usually two or three a night, called Bloco´s.
In the evening we went to the first of my Bloco´s somewhere downtown. Batterias, groups of drummers banged out Samba beats, girls shaked their booties on a truck and a man shouted and mc´d over the top. Here we go, now this felt like a carnival. I grapped a cold beer and shuffled around in the crowd to the music. Clara from France turned around with an upset look, her bag had just been slashed and her mobile phone stolen. Shit, this is not good. It was then I realised I was in Rio. A few moments later there was a surge along the side of the bloco, instantly I felt down to my pocket, my wallet was gone!!!! I knew instantly that it was a lost cause.
Normally I am very careful with what I take out, this night I had my camera and phone in 1 pocket, and my wallet in the other with cashcard, and 150 rs. I was really annoyed with myself, all I needed was 40 or 50rs in cash, that is it, I just didnt think to leave the other things back in the safety of the flat. It took 2 hours for me to find an internet cafe and put a stop on my card, going to the police would have been a waste of time so I didn´t bother. I was just relieved that it was my wallet and not camera and phone.
After here we went to Lapa where the famous bridge is and the hub of most of the nightlife. The streets were full of drunken people, the Brazilian men just grabbing the passing girls moving in for a kiss without as much as a hello, it was a battle for the girls in our group to walk through the crowds. We danced in the streets in our shorts and sandles until the very early hours getting home just before daylight, day 1 in Rio survived if minus my cashcard and 50 quid.
Most of the following day I spent running around banks and shops until I found a good place to change some travellers cheques. I did fulfil one of my life times ambitions, drinking a caipirinhi on Copacabana beach at sunset, it wasn´t a good sunset but the caipirinhi was spot on, the drummers playing great beats and the cool sea breeze very nice. Just along the path was a craft market we took a look around and bought some clothes and accessories for the carnival. We were all shattered so chilled in the flat ready for tomorrow, the Friday night.
Mid afternoon the sun made a rare appearance so we headed down to Ipanema beach, it was very busy and hot down there. Beautiful bodies lay bronzing in the sun. The waves in the sea were huge, I attempted to body surf, the first wave I caught fully took me in at a hell of a speed and totally slammed me into the sand, that would do for me for the day, the rip on my ankles was very strong, I understood why so many people get into trouble in the waters here. After a chill at Ikra´s house, to leave all our possessions we went to the nearby bloco at Ipanema.
The streets were heaving, I mean seriously full of people, it was hard enough to stay upright, you had to move in the direction of the bloco. It was too much for some of our group, they decided enough was enough and went home. Not me, the night was just starting. We grabbed some beers and jumped onto one of the many cheap mini vans that bomb around the streets dropping folk off at the parties, it was back to Lapa for us. That night there was a major storm, a proper full on electical bad boy, we took shelter under a cocktail stall as we watched the streets turn into rivers. We lasted until 4am before heading home.
Saturday night back to Lapa and to a club with a really good live Samba band. Once entry was paid we could come and go as we pleased, which was great as the rain was sporadic through the night, and I could use the toilets close by. The third time I went back in it had turned into a hip hop club and I was the only white person in there. If I had a pound for each time I heard Gringo it would have paid for my flight there, I got some strange looks, and one man pushed his female friend or girlfriend into my face and told her to kiss the gringo. I refused and he questioned me, what is wrong, dont you like women! I was close to getting into a full blown discussion about this but made the sensible decision to get out whilst I was alive!
Much to my pleasant surprise I received an email from Nishi a friend from London, who just happened to be in Rio with Julia visiting Christine who lives here. We arranged to meet up the following day and we shared a really nice afternoon at the Instituto Moreira Salles Gallery. On display were fantastic landscape photographs of country scenes. Outside were large funky trees that we sat under and enjoyed a cup of herbal tea. After here Christine invited me back to her flat for cocktails. She lives on the 17th floor of a tower block in a fantastic 2 story flat, outdoor pool and amazing views over the lake, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and up to Christ (Corcovado). What a great place to live.
A couple of tasty cocktails inside us we headed to Leblon and to a bar to watch the Carnival on close up on tv. I was sat watching it thinking I should be there. Seconds later my phone rang, the others were heading there, I told them to wait while I got a taxi so we could go together. Anyone who has been in Rio will know about the taxi drivers. They are mental, not just mental, but absolutely f******g crazy. They drive at impossible speeds in the rain around the tight streets, drifting the back end and sliding all over the shop. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, my life was in someone elses hands.....
Outside the Sambadromo the atmosphere was electric, thousands of people everywhere. The other side of the main road I could see the Samba schools getting ready to enter the stadium ,big screens showed the amazing clothes and batterias. We waited until after midnight and bought cheap tickets off a tout for only 35rs. We were inside in time for the last 2 Samba schools.
The way the competition runs is that each school has more or less an hour to complete the run through the stadium, all the time playing the same song over and over again, everybody has to sing, dance, keep in line, look happy and full of energy and look professional for the whole time. There could be as many as 2000 people in single Samba school. The floats were just mind boggling, huge animated gorilla´s , tigers, geisha´s depending on the theme they had chosen. I took a few photos on my phone which are on here, unfortunately the videos I took wont copy up. It was a great experience to be there, even though we were along way from the front the atmosphere was incredible.
Next day I went to Laranjeis with Paul, Rafael and his gf for a bloco early in the evening. This one was rocking and I had room to dance. It had the best vibe of the blocos I saw. Me and Paul got chatting to some locals, Roberta and friends who joined is in returning to Lapa. A big stage had been erected here and I listened to traditional Brazilian pop music and some great live bands.
My time in Rio was slowly coming to an end I hadnt done any of the touristy things. Al was leaving the next day so we and Silvia went up to see Christ the Redeemer at Corcovado. It is a must see in Rio, I enjoyed the views of the city more than the statue. It was heaving with tourists jostling for photo positions and had a soulless feel to it. As it was Tuesday and the last night of the carnival it was fancy dress time. The lads dressed up in the girls clothes and vice versa. There was a party in the flat and Flavia cooked loads of mega tasty Brazilian food for us. What a laugh we had dressing up.
We all headed down to Lapa, the 5th time in a week and definitely the most fun. Some of the looks we got were hilarious and I had my two pairs of walking socks breasts squeezed on numerous occassion, mostly by women!! As with every other night the heavens opened with a beast of a storm, so with a soggy dress sticking to my legs we made our way home.
One of the other main tourist attractions is to take the 2 cable cars up Pao de Acucar, the Sugarloaf. I went with Silvia the next day as it was her last day here. The weather was pretty good for a change, dry and no wind. I prefered here to Corcovado as there were less people and more places to walk around. I sat on a bench on a quiet tree covered path and watch 5 cheeky monkeys playing on the branches above.
This is more like it, being by nature again, it was time for me to think about moving on, I had heard Ilha Grande is beautiful so that was my plan. I met up with Roberta that evening and we went to a cool outdoor bar close to the lake. A live 3 piece Jazz band were knocking out covers, they were fantastic, I didnt expect to hear any Jazz here during carnival week, especially not this good. It was a fitting end to a crazy, mental week. My body was broken after 8 days of going nocturnal, drinking more cans of beer than I thought possible and caipirinhis with 3 huge spoons of sugar in, living off pizza, chicken and sausages on sticks from street vendors, sleeping on sofa´s and any floor space available etc. What an experience :-)
after the chaos of Rio carnival it was time for some chill time, so I packed up my bags and took a bus to the central bus station at Rodoviaria Novo Rio. I was just in time to take the 10.30 bus to Angras dos Reis the stop off port to the small island of Ilha Grande. It was a 3 hours bus journey there, the last hour following the gorgeous ocean and beautiful green rolling hills covered in forest. It is breathtaking, the Brazilian coast line is some of the nicest I have seen anywhere in the world.
I hopped on a waiting boat to take me and the fellow backpackers the 1.5 hours sailing time across to the island. Yeahhhh man, this is the life. I felt like I was back in South East Asia again hopping to a small island. AND the sun had come out, the first time in days. I sat back and enjoyed the sea breeze sweep over me as I could see small islands and bays in the distance, instantly I felt my soul food being replaced, I knew I was going to enjoy the next few days, as long as I could find accommodation!!
It was still carnival season, the week after the main event so all the hostels were full and twice the price they usually are. I knew there were 2 campsites I could use but I prefered proper accommodation as the storms here are strong. I had been recommended a nice Pousada, Pousada Oriental a short way from the main drag, I negociated a price for staying more than 3 days in the 6 bed dorm, of 40rs a night, pretty expensive but worth it for the location and the incredible breakfast.
It was really hot and humid on the island and with the travelling and dodgy guts again, why does it always happen on a travel day, I spent the afternoon chilling out at the Pousada and taking an extended siesta. Full of energy in the evening I went to see what the nightlife is all about. It is expensive on the island but I found a very reasonable and healthy self service place just at the bottom of my road. This is where I ate for the duration of my stay, plenty of salad and vegetables, part of my post Rio detox!!!
Just where the boat drops off the passengers in the main harbour of Abraao are two lively bars on the corner of the street. I took a couple of beers here and chatted with fellow tourists, which it was 90% of the people. Brazil has the most amazing cakes which you can buy any time of the day. Sometime after midnight I bought a fantastic piece of lemon meringue from a street vendor, the selection of cakes was ridiculous. The only club on the island was on the street next to my mine. A live reggae band knocked out covers of all varieties of music which I danced a sort of Salsa hybrid too. A very drunk old haggered Brazilian woman took a shine to me and started shaking her booty at me, it was both embarrassing and hilarious. As she was doing this I walked over to the side of the danceloor to escape. It was a minute or so before she realised I had left, so she was just bent over waggling whilst everyone in the club watched in bemusement, bloody funny.
One of the reasons for visiting the island is for the beach, Lopez Mendes, rated as one of the nicest in Brazil. To get to the beach it is either a 2 hour trek across the island or you can take a boat. After an almighty breakfast I set off on the walk. It was soooooooo good to be back in the forest and nature, it was baking hot and I was dripping from every pour, mostly beer from the carnival..... nice! I saw 2 snakes on, a small red one on the path that looked pretty dangerous, and a 1.5 meter thick black one in the trees, a real beast, it moved away before I got the chance to take a pic.
The beach of Lopez Mendes is gorgeous, it stretches out for what seems like miles. The sun was hot and soothing and the sea, well the waves were perfect for body surfing. Not sure what happened but I couldn´t catch a wave for ages, then I cracked it and rode a good few beauties into the shore. I love playing in the sea and these waves were fantastic. I was tired after the walk and swimming so took the boat back to the main port with some girls and the leader of a tour group. Along the way we stopped to watch 4-5 little monkeys playing inthe trees above. The boat ride back was so relaxing and I day dreamed looking out to the bays and the various trees hanging off the cliff sides. That night was an incredible electrical storm that I watched from the comfort of the hostel, the night sky lit up with the forked lightning.
Next to Lopez Mendes is another smaller beach called St Antonio that I wanted to check out. The next morning I set off on the same route in the morning sun, I was enjoying the exercise. Along the way I met an English guy called Kev who was at the start of his travels. He stopped on a beach and asked a strange request. Would I mind taking a photo of him with a rubber pigeon!!! He had been given the pigeon as a leaving present from work and had the idea of taking photo´s with it at different locations and creating a Facebook profile for it. What a fun idea, these were the first photo´s of the pigeons holiday!
The beach of St Antonio it was quaint, very small with pretty rocks, I prefered Lopez Mendes to spend an afternoon on, so I returned there. I hit the waves body surfing until I suffered wicked cramp in my right calf, it was a nightmare trying to keep my head above water and get out whilst my muscles were spasming. Near where I was layed on the beach I got talking to a friendly couple from Rosario, the first time I had spoken Spanish in over a week, Charly gave me some anti-inflammateries for my leg. I had not drunk nowhere near enough water for the walking and swimming I had done. I caught the boat back again and drank litres of water in my room until I felt at least semi hydrated. That evening I went to the bars and Reggae club again with 2 fun Norwegian guys Julian and Havard from my dorm.
In the other direction on the island is a walk via an aquaduct to some waterfalls. Me, Julian and Havard set off on a mini adventure. It was a good up hill walk in the humidity to the falls, and how beautiful they were to. Below the falls was a small plunge pool that I could swim in to get right beneath the water. It was so refreshing, the power of the water massaged my aching shoulder muscles. Above the falls were rocks that slid down into another plunge pool. At the top I sat on my ass and slide down the rocks at a good speed into the pool, it was a scream, I hope to get a video or two of Julian in the near future. The walk back was a slow one as we were knackered by then. In the evening was another huge storm and the power went out of the town. The hostel owner lit candles and we sat watching the storm drinking rum & coke, it really is a spot on hostel.
My last day on the island and I didnt feel like doing to much walking. We strolled along the coast to the nearest beach 15 mins away. We borrowed a football from the hostel and kicked it around for a while. Before long we were in a full on 6-a-side match with the locals. They totally kicked our arses, beach football is a very different game and the kids were so quick and skillful it was scary. It is no wonder they win the world cup so often. I decided to stay in defence and hack anything that came near me, my feet arent as fast as they were 10 years ago...... I spent the afternoon studying and catching up with things ready to move on. A couple of beers in the evening and an early night were in order.
My 5 nights on this beautiful island have been some of the best of my trip so far. To anyone who is travelling this way, Ihla Grande is a must see, it is simply stunning, even if just for a day or two. I felt so relaxed and recharged from my stay, and ready to head back to Rio for a couple of nights.......
A beautiful morning to take the boat back across to the mainland, I fell asleep on the side with the cool breeze washing over me. I told you I was relaxed. On the boat I got talking to one of the tourist reps about getting back to Rio. I was going to take the main air con bus from the central bus station for 70rs, the guy told me about an alternative route using local buses. I had time on my hands and was feeling in the adventurous mood so decided to go for it. On a scrap of paper he wrote down the stops I needed to take so I could show the bus drivers and anybody willing to help me. The details for the trip are as follows for anyone wanting to save a shed load of money, this can be reversed for the opposite direction.
From the boat port of Angras dos Reis - Take the bus to Div Mangaratiba - 2 reis
Change here and take the bus to C. Jacarei a Itaguai - 5 reis
Then from Itaguai to Castello in Rio, 5 reis, this is near the central bus station of Rodovaria Novo Rio, here you can take a number of buses to Ipanema or Copacabana - 2.40 reis. A bargain way back to Rio.
So I gets on the local bus, all the buses in Brazil have a stupid tiny turnstil type thing at the front of the bus which makes lumping a 20kg backpack over a mare, especially as the drivers carry on driving as soon as you get on the bus. I squashed at least 5 of the poor sods sitting near the front. I paid the woman behing the till at the turnstile and pointed to the piece of paper. She nodded her head in acknowledgement and I sat right at the front, trying not to squash the tiny woman next to me with my oversized bags. I was given the queue an hour later to jump off the bus.
Here I showed my scrap of paper to an official looking bus person who pointed out where to wait. An old woman started to talk with me, in very broken Spanish we just about communicated, she was getting the same buses to Rio and would help me out. When the bus arrived it was smaller than the previous one, I was just glad there was a double seat free at the front I could place my bags on. My guardian angel woman chatted with me for a while before I nodded off. I was woken with a prod when we arrived at the next stop. God knows where I would have ended up if she wasnt with me, then again, I wouldnt have allowed myself to fall asleep......
It was only a short wait in the baking sun before then final leg of the journey. The air con had broken on this bus so it was a bit of sweat box. The kind lady fed me crisps and sweets even though I politely refused, I must have looked like I needed feeding, no chance after the amount of cakes I scoffed on the island. I think she is a religious person as she made a few references to God and to keep safe. She wrote in my tiny note book a couple of phrases, which I had translated later on, it was ´dont trust everyone you meet as some people are robbers. Keep your eyes and ears open, stay safe, and God protect you´ She works at a hospital in Rio and wrote down what I now know is the address.
She showed me where to get off in Rio and we walked to the central bus station together. It was hot and she looked exhausted, I but us both a can of coke and a snack and we rested on a bench for a short while. I found out which bus I needed to get to Copacabana and we said our farewells, what an interesting and fascinating journey. I love this types of adventures.
Next I had to decide where to stay on my return to Rio. At the front of this bus were 3 Israelis travellers who knew of a cheap hostel. I knew of a better one in Ipanema but as Copacabana was closest decided to check there first. We ended up in a very cheap place not far from the beach, this would do as I am only staying here for a short while before heading on to Sao Paulo. Initially we missed the stop we needed to take, so sat on the bus as it didnt the complete circuit again, an extra 30 mins, the bus driver was most pissed off and continually mummbled at us under his breath, fat lot of good that did.
I was in a 14 bed dorm, the biggest dorm I had slept in on my travels so far, it was only half which was cool. I took a well needed siesta, went for some food at a nearby self service place and returned to the hostel for beers and socialising. Roberta came over and we went to Copacabana beach for some caipivodka´s and a catch up.
How different Rio looks and feels in the baking sunshine instead of the rain. Next morning it was sunny. As has been usual since Ilha Grande, I stuffed myself full of breakfast so I could skip lunch until I was hungry again at dinner, a great way to save money in this expensive country. We, I and the 3 Israelis from the bus went for a stroll all along Copacabana and Ipanema beach. I wanted to sunbathe at the famous Posta 9. This is where all the beautiful people hang out, and believe me, there were some seriously stunning ladies there. Mid afternoon some killer grey clouds came over head which was the sign to head back, I felt like I had caught enough sun anyway.
As I was walking back past the hotels and the Beatles named ´Help´ bar I was approached by an American man. He asked if I knew what time was best to go to the bar or was it better to go to the outdoor area of the bar up a block down to ´meet´ people. I said I had no idea. Without prompting he gave me the full low down on how the prostitutes work in the area, the best bars, how much to offer at the start, what a good price is etc etc etc. He had planned his whole stay in Rio and South America around picking up prostitutes for the best price, fascinating man!
I had a steady last night in Rio, going for some food with a couple of English guys in the hostel. I had a cuban chicken which consisted of chicken in bread crumbs, a slice of bacon, deep fried plantains and a tasty veg rice thing which I can only assume was the Cuban part of the dish, anyway it was very tasty and filling. I sank a few beers in the hostel before getting a relatively early one as the next morning I was finally heading to see my friend Alex in Sao Paulo, 7.5 years after we first met in Toronto in the summer of 2000......
Getting to São Paulo was relatively easy, back to the main bus station of Rodoviaria Novo Rio and a very comfortable air conditioned, semi sleeping bus, 6.5 hours after setting off I arrived at Tiete bus station, with my friend Alex waiting for me. It was so good to see him after nearly 7.5 years, we have kept in touch via the net since 2000 and finally we got to meet up again.
He drove me through the rush hour traffic of São Paulo centre, it is chaotic. A city of around 20 million people, who nearly all drive cars. I quote the Lonely Planet for their description of Sao Paulo - ´Paulistanos ( inhabitants of the city; inhabitants of São Paulo state are called paulistas) believe in working hard and playing harder, and despite constantly complaining about street violence, clogged highways and pollution, most wouldn´t dream of living anywhere else´ . This is so so true and made Alex laugh when I read it to him. São Paulo is a very industrial and commercial city where all the country´s industries are based, there isn´t a lot to do in the city itself apart from some amazing bars and night clubs.
I was aware of this before I arrived, Alex and his family have made me feel very very at home in their fantastic condo house in the suberb of Alphaville, 25 mins out of the city centre. After settling into my gorgeous en suite room with all comforts you can think of we, Alex, his dad Mizael, mum Sandra and youngest sister Marise went to a nearby restaurant called Benditahora for dinner. The food was delicious, up there with the best stone backed pizza´s I have ever tasted. The restaurant is a huge wooden place built by a local man who used to make pizza´s in his back garden and sell them to his neighbours.
It was Friday night and Alex wanted to show me a different type of club in São Paulo, Villa Country. I had no idea what I was about to experience. It is a massive club, built like a typical wooden American outlaw club, massive inside and full of people wearing cowboy hats and belts, line dancing, Country dancing to live bands and country music. It was totally different from what I had seen in a club before. If I am honest the music is not my type and I couldn´t dance to it, though the experience is something I wont ever forget. On my wak around the club I noticed a big birthday cake, looking curious I was invited to try a piece and chat with the birthday woman, the cake was lovely and the conversation just silly.
The next day, Saturday after a great breakfast and a well needed chill, Alex took me to his cousins´ Vinicios and Manuela´s birthday party. Here I was introduced to lots of extended family, his oldest sister Thais and her husband Paulo. They also speak fluent English are very nice and friendly. I tried some traditional Brazilian food, the first of hundreds of types over the next 10 days!!! The beans I loved, as the steak and sausage. I am not to keen on chicken hearts, the taste and texture are not to my liking!!! I did really like the little dessert balls of Brigadeiro ( the black one) & Beijinho ( the white one), and the guara drink.
Alex wanted to show me some areas of the city so we went for a spin in his bullet proof car, São Paulo is a dangerous city with lots of crime. We drove past the newly renovated train station that is based on Big Ben and England´s contribution to architecture here. Just around the corner Alex decided to change lane at the last minute just in front of 2 policeman standing by their car, we were pulled over to the side. I couldnt really tell what was going on as I didnt understand the Portugese, though Alex was asked to show is papers, his car inspected and I was asked for my passport that I didnt have on me. 30 mins later and we were on the move again.
The policemen told Alex he would be given a ticket, to which he said fine, a good answer. They were after money, a bribe. Alex hadnt done anything wrong, and he knew it, so did the policemen. They tried everything, saying that he hadnt reported the change to the car when it was bullet proofed etc etc. Alex repeated to give him a ticket, or he only had 20 reis in his wallet, he had more but wasn´t going to admit that. They argued for a while, they even asked him if he was related to the F1 motor racing driver Phillipe Massa to which he said he was a cousin, and that he had come from the countryside to show me ´the gringo´ the town and that he had got lost. Eventually he let us go, without ticket and fine, bloody good work from Alex if I do say. That was fascinating, I am getting a great understanding of Brazil. Apart from the beauty, the people, the amazing food, I have been robbed and bribed, this is what travelling is all about, the experiences :-)
After an amazing dinner back at casa de Massa, Sandra is a fantastic cook, and it is all very healthy, just what I need after larding it up the past 3 weeks. Me, Alex and Marise hit the town. I heard about the world famous Buddha Bar opening a place here so we visited there, and...... WOW what a bar. This is what I am talking about. Huge beautiful builidings, very very nice restaurant, amazing DJ, beautiful and famous people everywhere. I drank a glass of delicious Brazilian champagne and took in the atmosphere and environment, totally lording it up. I could get used to this, I just need a very well payed job first.
After here I was taken to an exclusive modern club called Cafe de la Musique. I was dressed as best a backpacker could but was way underdressed. It was 100 reis entry, about 30 pound, but you could buy drinks up to that value for free. Inside is a restaurant, the chairs are removed after midnight and it turns into a club with very good electonica and house music. The club is full of the wealthy and beautiful, I got talking to a racing driver from the states and a model who model from SP who lives in California. The waiters were continually bringing out bottles of champagne with fireworks attached to the side, it was a cracking club and a brilliant night out in town.
Having my own room and being able to sleep in without disturbance and to chill out is so so good after weeks in dorm rooms etc. Sunday was a quiet one, a spot of lunch at a good Italian restaurant followed by dessert at Thais & Paulinho´s house, I tasted another new food, sinjin or something like that, a coconut based dessert that was right up my tree. We spent the evening chilling out and I used the time to catch up with emails, photo´s and this blog that was almost 2 months out of date!!!
Monday night we visited a bar called Deck in Alphaville with 2 of Alex´s mates, some lads banter and a few beers went down well. Alex is a member of a very very good gym in the centre of town, a Reebok cente. He asked me if I wanted to go, whether that was before or after I stuffed myself on cake at breakfast I dont know!!! So off we went, and what a good work out it was. Without a lie, the gym had the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life, perfect in every way, it is no wonder he has a membership there. I knew I was going to be in trouble the next day, I couldn´t lift my arms above my head in the shower. I thought working out is meant to be good for you!!!!
On the Wednesday I had offered to cook a traditional roast beef dinner for the family which was gratefully accepted. In the morning I had my first haircut of my travels followed by another session in the gym. This was really going to hurt. We dropped by the supermarket and butchers where I bought all the ingredients for dinner. I was baffled why the vegetables were taking so long to roast, I turned the oven up to the max, still not cooking. Only to be told 30 mins later that the numbers on the nob are back to front, obviously!!! I had turned the oven down, I was just relieved that it was that way and not the other way round. I managed to salvage the meal and it tasted good, everyone was impressed, so was I !!!
At dead on midnight there was a full lunar eclipse outside my bedroom window. I lay there slowly watching the moon totally disappear, it was magical. I watched and watched but the moon didn´t reappear, where had it gone, who had stolen the big cheese. After what seemed like an eon it slowly came back into view, I was relieved, I could try to sleep now.
I woke up the next morning feeling very tired and in pain. I couldn´t sleep because every time I moved my arms I had shooting pains everywhere. In the middle of night I raided my painkiller jar, the first time this trip. I felt ridiculous, I can manage 9 days of trekking in Torres Del Paine, clambering over screes and rock climbing with my backpack in Bariloche but a couple of hours down the gym totally broke my body, how absurd. That saying I went back to the local gym that night to wreck my legs and back to, if I was going to knacker up my body I may as well do all my muscles!!!
We deserved a couple of beers after so Alex arranged to meet his friend Marianna at a nearby bar, Azure. A strange 3 piece band knocked out weird Beatles and Brazilian pop covers, we sat outside as far from the speakers as possible. Just as we ordered a beer, a random woman came over to Marianna and asked her to pretend to be her best friend Erika with 2 kids. She was having an affair and decided to create a cover story as her husband was with her, Marianna was introduced as the friend that this woman drinks with when she goes ´out´. The husband left and the woman sank a bottle of wine in quick time, Marianna/Erika talked to her and it was soon apparent her life was a mess. A bizarre thing to happen to us on a quiet drink in a bar.
It was the weekend again, the week had flown by. After a couple of business meetings Alex had in the morning and a lunch meeting we stocked up on beers and breakfast stuff and drove the two hours to Maresias, to Paulo´s family condo, a gorgeous beach resort and home to the famous night club, Sirena. We arrived in time to watch a beautiful sunset from the beach. The sea was incredibly warm, it was warmer in the water than out of it so we bathed and watched the sky change to purples and oranges. We got out whilst we could see and jumped in the outdoor pool at the condo looking up to the stars above, what a perftect start to the weekend.
I was asleep when Marise, Thais & Paulo and Paulo´s brother Gui arrived in the early hours. The day was spent on the beach and I really enjoyed body surfing the perfect waves, my arms were slowly returning to normal after the gym carnage of the previous week! Lunch on the beach was brilliant, a superb chicken and salad wrap and açai with banana and granola. Açai is a Brazilian fruit dark purple in colour with a fresh taste to it. It is so morish.
In the afternoon I went with Paulo to buy meat for the bbq. Brazilian style sausages, chicken in garlic and herb sauce and Picanha beef, the best part of the cow for bbq´ing. I have just realised how much I am writing about food on this blog, but it really is a highlight of Brazil trying all the different foods. An almighty storm raged as the bbq cooked, rain bounced down all around the outdoor stove. The Picanha was unbelievably tender and juicy, and the caipivodka out of this world. Gui made an unusual drink of red wine, fresh pineapple chunks and condensed milk, it was bloody delicious.
After the bbq we went to the sauna for a good sweat, and sweat I did, it was like a sauna in there. Jumping into the outdoor pool was heavenly, another blast of sauna and pool and it was time for a sleep before going on to Sirena. We got ready listening to some techy house and drinking all sorts. I tried Johnny Walker Red Label and coconut water, for a change this didnt agree with me so I added coke, that worked, We hit the club shortly after midnight.
Sirena is one of the top 10 clubs in the world and has an amazing resident DJ Carlo Dall´anese. I chatted with him as he was getting a drink before starting his set. Talk about bad look, tonight was the only night of the year that the beautiful outdoor dancefloor in the forest was not open, bugger. Oh well, I wasn´t going to let that spoil me evening. Carlo is a really nice and top man, I told him I was a promoter from England and I was writing an article on the club and I wanted to take some photo´s of him from the photo booth. 20 mins into his set and I was invited up to the decks and took some photo´s with him. Not only is he a bloody good chap his music and mixing is sensational, the place was rocking. The guest DJ R2 was good but not a patch on Carlo, I danced away until the early hours and walked the short distance back to the condo in the morning daylight.
It was early afternoon on Sunday when I surfaced, a quick breakfast, packed up and away we went. We had a huge lunch at Tarrel in Maresias, a traditional Brazilian affair of black beans, rice and chicken. We set off in the rain swapping silly stories of child hood memories, crap jokes and riddles. What a laugh, I hadn´t laughed so much in a long time, Marise had tears rolling down her cheeks. We got back to SP after spending the usual hour in slow moving traffic, it was bad even on a Sunday night!!
After an amazing week and a half relaxing with Alex and his family it was time for me to hit the road again. One of the highlights of South America is the Iguaçu falls which was my next destination. Alex very kindly drove me to the bus station for 5pm where I got on a small local bus for my 16.5 hour ride to Foz do Iguaçu. The ride itself started off horrible, with a small kid kicking the back of my chair and someone with bad guts in the toilet. The coach stank of shit. Thankfully for me the driver pulled into a station nearby and some poor sod cleaned the toilet out. The fresh smell of bleach was much better.
Someway through the evening we stopped at a self service food restaurant where I had the biggest meal for hardly any money. Once back on the bus the kids had fallen alseep and I could get a few hours myself. Before I knew it, it was 9.30am and I had arrived in Foz. I had booked myself into Hostel Bambu which has a really nice outdoor kitchen and bar and a small pool. My room wasn`t ready so I dumped my bags and went to see the falls with Mark from Edinburgh who had also just arrived. The falls are truly gorgeous. I have been to Niagra and Iguaçu makes Niagra look like a trickle in a stream. You can see the falls from both Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian side gives you a panaromic view and can be walked around the circuit in about 2 hours. There is a gangway that you can walk out onto overlooking the huge drop and where you can freshen up in the cool spray. Back in the hostel after a pizza and a couple of beers a group of us went to Park City bar. Some of the guys from the hostel and their friends also came along and it was a right boozy do. The flaming triple sec shots were the icing on the cake. We got kicked out of the bar at 3am and continued on at the hostel until 5, watching a huge storm bounce down around us. A very eventful and fun first day here.
The rain continued heavily all through the night and was still slamming down in the morning. Not to be beaten by the shit weather me and Mark decided to go and see one of the modern wonders of the world, the Itaipu Dam. This supplies 100% of Paraguay and 20% of Brazil`s electricity. It is an amazing feat of engineering and is now home to many Universities and research into environmentally friendly energies. We were shown a very interesting video on the area and how the regeneration program is helping other countries develop new technologies and ideas. We had also booked to go and see the Ecomuseum afterwards. Me and Mark and another couple were the only people on our huge coach that drove us around the massive site. How ironic I thought, what a waste of energy!
The Dam is impressive it was a shame it rained so much we didnt get to stop more often and walk around the place. It has to be seen to be believed how big it is. Afterwards we spent an hour walking around the Ecomuseum which was interesting enough and for some reason had a huge display of tropical fish there. Still raining we decided to head back to the hostel, make a big pasta dish and drink wine. The rain got heavier, where it was coming from nobody knew. There was only one option, to stay in the hostel drinking the bar dry, which we had a very good go at. Out of the blue, the rain stopped, dead on midnight, how spooky. It was another late night, around 4am when I crawled to bed. Tomorrow I was crossing back into Argentina which should only take an hour......
The next day I took a local bus to the Brazil border and signed out after a month here. I only intended to spend a week or so in Rio and a few days in Sao Paulo. Brazil has really grown on me, the longer I stayed the more I wanted to stay here and travel this beautiful country. The only downside is that it is very expensive compared to other South American countries. There are so many places here that I still want to see so maybe I will return at some stage. I was told buses were very regular passing through the border control. What should have been about 1 hour in total getting to Puerto Iguazu in Argentina took 4 hours, most of that waiting in no mans land! My hostel was 5 mins walk from the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu which was a bonus. I tried asking for directions in Spanish, it was then I realised that I had forgotten almost everything. A month listening to Portugese and speaking mostly English had damaged my learning of Spanish. I was so bloody frustrated.
I had been recommended a good hostel called Timbo Pousada by my friend Jelena who I met in Bariloche at the Spanish school. It was such a nice surprise when I registered at the reception to be passed a note from Jelena saying that she is still here and will catch up later. The hostel is one of the nicest I have stayed in during my 5 months away. It only has 16 - 20 beds in four rooms, a small outdoor pool, hammocks, a cosy kitchen and dining area, free internet and wifi. The staff are very friendly here as were the travellers in the hostel. The sun was baking hot and in no time I was lying in the hammock by the pool sunbathing in the sun, talking to a friendly couple from England, George & Hannah and drinking an ice cold beer. Yes man, this is the life!!!
I had drifted off to sleep only to be woken by a familiar voice ´it hasn´t taken you long to find the best spot in the hostel` Jelena had returned. Travelling and backpacking is great for meeting new people, I have met loads of really cool and fun people during my travels in South America. Nearly all the time you meet once and only for a handful of days before moving in different directions. Which is why when you meet up with a friend you have travelled with before it is all the more fun. One of the things I have missed about Argentina, which there are many, is the wine. I was like an excited child on Christmas day morning in the supermarket choosing my first bottle in ages. I remembered a really nice red that my friend Horacio had bought us in Mendoza, Trapiche Malbec. The four of us, George, Hannah, Jelena and myself cooked a huge and tasty brown rice and veg stir fry dish, I was in need of some healthy food. It was so pleasant sat in the wooden dining area eating good food and drinking unbelievable wine. Just to put it into context, the Trapiche is around 2 quid a bottle!! After dinner me & Jelena went to a nearby bar and drank another bottle while we caught up with each others travels since the end of January. Before long it was 4am, ahhh, I am back in Argentina, this is a normal time of the night.I was quiet amazed that I didnt have a hangover the next morning. This was great because I was off to see the Iguazu falls on the Argentinian side with George & Hannah. Whilst the Brazil side you can walk around in a couple of hours, you need all day here as there are so many walks and treks to see. The sun was shining and it was a perfect day to visit the falls. It was a steady walk to the lower circuit and across to the island. Along the way were a bunch of Coatis scampering stealing food, I had been warned not to get to close as they give you a nasty bite!!!
The falls are just amazing, really really good. These are definitely one of my highlights so far. Not only are the waterfalls amazing, the falls are situated in a national park with so many animals and insects and colourful plants all around. It is so nice to be surrounded by nature again. I took the opportunity for a swim in the river and to cool down before we walked up to the upper circuit. The best view of the falls, and to really feel the power of them is at the Devils throat, Garganta del Diablo. It was a 20 min train ride through the forest and a mile walk along a wooden gangway over the river to the top of the falls. The spray and wind were refreshing. It is hard to describe the shear power and volume of water falling over the top, it is a WOW. I didnt see any myself but there are crocodiles in the river near the falls!!
We took the train back to the start of the park and had enough time to do the lesser know side trek Macuco Trail. This is an hour and half walk through gorgeous forests to a small waterfall. Below is a small plunge pool that contained hundreds of fish. When you throw a piece of bread in the pool goes mental with fish reaching for the food. I waded across the pool and stood underneath the falls. The pressure of the water knocked my head forward and massaged my shoulders. I couldn´t stay too long underneath as some drops of water felt like needles digging into me. It was still really warm and I dried off in no time on the way back to the exit.
Later that evening the four of us cooked again, a big pasta dish with more wine, cheese, olives etc. I lay in the hammock with Jelena watching South Park on the tv. The next thing I heard was the clatter of cuttlery on the table next to me, I had fallen asleep all night there. This was fine as I literally rolled out of bed, sat down at the table and was serverd breakfast. How lazy can you get!
This day was George´s birthday so we went to a really nice pattiseria for lunch, great coffee, panini and cakes. A short walk away is the Tres Fronteras a point where the river splits Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. You can see all three countries from the view point. The sunset was magnificent, a true beauty. We bought more wine, cheese, olives etc for nibbles before going out to a Mexican for George`s birthday. We were all stuffed after that and never made it out of the hostel. Instead we played cards and drank beer until the wee hours.
We said farewell to G&H the next morning as they were moving on. Me & Jelena spent the day swapping music on our mp3 players so we had new music to listen to. I bought my ticket to Rosario the next day and packed up ready. In the evening we went out for a drink and some cake and chilled back in the hostel. This is a hostel I could easily spend a week there, doing nothing, in fact I am going to make an effort to do more of doing nothing. Tomorrow I am moving on to Rosario.....
It took me just over 20 hours on coaches to get to Rosario, changing at Posadas. The sunset was just simply stunning again, bright orange colours all across the sky. I arrived in Rosario at 8am on a bright sunny day. I quickly searched on the net for a good place to stay and decided on Che Pampas, it had been given a good write up, and was a bit of a party hostel.
When I was in Brazil on the beautiful island of Ilha Grande and the famous Lopez Mendez beach, I got talking to a friendly couple from Rosario. I met up with Maria for lunch at a really nice restaurant by the river called Flora. It was good to catch up and try and get back on track with my Spanish, which is still really rusty. Maria had to get back to work so I went for a stroll along the river front in the baking sun.
The huge art museum MACRO was unfortunately closed for an exhibition change so that was a brief visit. The main attraction in Rosario is the huge and impressive Monumento Nacional a la Bandera (flag). I took the lift to the top of the main statue and had great views over the city. For a big city, Rosario has a relaxed feel about it. And also is home to some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.
In my dorm were two girls who were travelling together, Terrie from Ireland and Elaine from Scarborough. That evening we went to Davis Bar below MACRO to see the sunset over the river and to drink some top notch red wine. Dinner was skipped instead we settled on olives and empanada´s (little pasty things). Just enough to mop up the red wine. We fancied a change of scene so went for a wander, it was still early, midnight so the clubs were empty. Instead we settled on a small corner cafe with a friendly owner for more beers. Elaine inexplicably had a right tantrum with Terrie over absolutely nothing, I was close to saying sod it and going back to the hostel, but Elaine took herself inside and quietened down. Apparently this isnt the first time she has gone on one. Back in the hostel were a group of people working on a tv show, Police, Camera, Action. They are camera crew, sound men, etc etc. We had a good laugh in the courtyard playing the guitar and singing.
The next day I took a walk around town, past the birth place of Che Guevara which is just a house above a shop, a bit dissappointing to be honest. Checked out a small museum and sat in the park by a fountain relaxing in the sunshine. A day for chilling out after a late night. In the evening Maria and Charly picked me up from the hostel and along with Maria´s brother and gf we went to the best parilla in town. Luckily for me, everyone spoke really good English. The food was fantastic, the vacio very very good. I do love the meat and red wine of Argentina, and it is sooo cheap compared to England.
Friday and the weekend was upon us. Elaine had decided to leave and go to Buenos Aires in a huff, for the best. 2 English girls in the hostel had switched rooms to mine, Lucy and Lindsay, along with a Canadian guy the 5 of us took the boat across the river to Isla Invernada and the small beach of Vladimir. It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon drinking beers, with a picnic we had made and basking in the sunshine.
Dinner that evening was at a gorgeous restaurant by the riverside, the same 5 of us from our dorm. Street kids were constantly trying to sell toys and cards, not in a hassling way, very quiet and polite. I was left a small wooden owl on my table, I thought why not, so I bought it off the child. Then I suddenly remembered a Vic and Bob sketch about owls, 1 owl is not good enough, 2 owls, now you are talking, count me in. I called the kid back and bought a second, the relief was incredible, I nearly made a huge faux pas. 1 owl indeed, what was I thinking!!!!
When we got back to the hostel a band had set up a full rig outside on the patio, projector, mixing desk, performing artists, the works. How fantastic. The Ramirez were performing a huge festival in San Martin the next day and were giving us a full free rehearsal. Beer in hand we sat down to enjoy the show. 2 songs in they were being pelted with bags of used nappies from the tower block above. The bastards, some miserable get wasnt taking kindly to the noise below, they were so good too. It wasnt even late, only 11.30pm. Not to be put off, the show moved inside for an acoustic set. What a party, much dancing, singing, drinking of fernet and coke (traditional Argentinian drink) and general mucking about until the morning light.
It was quiet funny in the hostel, the TV crew had been centre of attention for the last 2 or 3 nights, now the band were playing they got the hump and were jealous of the bands attention, typical Argentinian male behaviour. We got to watch the filming on the tv upstairs straight after it had been recorded, it was hilarious some of the situations they got themselves in. The cameraman sprayed our tshirts with the programmes logos, mine was fantastic with a policeman shooting a rocket launcher and blowing the head off a robber running away!!!!
It was Saturday and after a big sleep to clear away the cobwebs it was time to go out for dinner. We took a local bus from the city centre to Barrio Alberdi where there are nice beaches and lots of restaurants. We missed our stop to get off the bus and were given an extra hour long tour of the burbs, some of the places I was glad to stay on the bus. I spoke with the driver and when we reached our stop he gave us a shout. We settled on a place called Carlitos for meat and salad, and of course loads of wine.
Nearby was a recommended by we wanted to check out. As we were walking there I heard some bang on tech house blasting out from a house. A group of guys were dancing on a terrace, I gave them the thumbs or for the music, next thing we were all up there drinking fernet and dancing on the terrace over looking the main street. A fun random house party to gate crash. We managed to get last orders in at the bar next to the house, messing about with the owls again, dont ask me about the owls, it is just random!
The hostel was quiet for a change, apart from us. In Foz do Iquacu I was taught an alternative to stone, paper, scissors, called, Bear, Hunter, Ninja. After we necked a bottle of bacardi between us, this was turned into the most ridiculous game, of owl, pussycat & umbrella. It is impossible to explain in words. For some reason I was convinced that the owl and pussycat went to sea in a big bright blue umbrella, not a teacup. I was later made to eat my words when someone googled it! Getting to bed at 7.30am totally sloshed is not the best idea when I had to get a 6 hour coach to Cordoba the next day!!!
Rosario, what a great party city, and I never made it to a late bar or club!!!
It was a shocker of a coach journey to Cordoba, I thought I was going to throw up on the coach, thankfully I fell asleep and woke up feeling better. We arrived in Cordoba at 8.30pm, only 6 hours travel, I expected it to be 8. I was still hungover as we checked into Palenque Hostel. Anybody heading to Cordoba I advise not staying here, it is pretty shit and bloody noisy when we arrived, that was Me, Terrie, Lucy & Lindsay from Rosario. After dumping our bags etc we headed out into the miserable weather to look for food, settling on a pizza at Mega Pizza, says it all really. Though we did find a really nice cafe afterwards for cake and good red wine.
If I am honest I didn´t like Cordoba when I arrived, a big city again, loads of people, I was still tired from not sleeping and I just wanted to head to the mountains. I had a bit of a walk around the city but couldnt muster up any enthusiasm. Instead I waited an hour in the travel agents and booked myself a ticket to Santiago in a couple of days. Still feeling shite I had a long siesta that seemed to clear the cobwebs. Me, Lucy and Terrie went to a resto bar on the corner for nibbles and cocktails. It was a chilled and friendly place, great drinks and a good view of the passing people getting ready for a night out. Unexpectedly the waiter gave us a free beer after we paid to keep us there, nice touch.
The next day I was in much better spirits, a sunny day, and after changing hostels to a much better place, Tango Hostel I felt loads better. Feeling in the need for some culture I checked out the Anthropolgy museum, the beautiful Paseo del Buen Pastor with sculptures and restaurants and a very impressive fine arts museum. Tango Hostel cooks a meal in the evening for those who want to eat, and it is always bloody gorgeous and cheap. That night I joined in and got to know the long term stayers and the hostel workers over a few beers. I am starting to like this city.
One of the main attractions of Cordoba is that it is close access to Alta Gracia, the Che Guevara Museum and one of the houses he grew up in. It was a short bus journey past many of the vineyards here. The sunshine was out again in all its glory, proper summer time here (just to make all the folks in England who are snowed in jealous!) The museum was fascinating, I havent seen the film The Motorcycle Diaries so didnt know much about Che´s life. After reading the manuscript and touring the grounds I had a good understanding of the revolutionary legend. On display were his motorised pushbike and the motorbike he travelled around on. It was quiet a moving museum with stories up to his death.Alta Gracia is also a really nice small village with a lake, Jesuit ruins and nice restaurants.
That evening after another slap up dinner a group of us went out clubbing. Flaco, one of the guys who works in the hostel, queue jumped La Luna for us and got us in free. Cordoba has the reputation as one of the best party cities in South America, and now I know why, it was pumping inside. Oh, I thought Rosario had the most beuatiful people in the world, after 3 days in Cordoba, Cordoba takes the crown. It is just ridiculous. Everybody looks like they have just come off the catwalk. It was a blinding night and I got to bed at silly o´clock.
I had to change hostels again unfortunately to one around the corner, that seemed quiet and pleasant enough, 2 musicians were singing and playing the guitar outside. I returned to Tango for dinner, it was Andy´s 30th birthday party that made the night more festive. His friend from England was visiting him and brought him a suitcase full of presents, like marmite etc!!! To celebrate we went on to another club, Peekaboo, which again was fantastic, proper dirty and techy house music until the wee hours.
In the space of a few days I had gone from not liking the city to bloody loving it. I cancelled my ticket to Santiago. One of the benefits of travelling indefinitely is that I can do what I want when I want. I had also gone nocturnal. The day flew by and it was that time to hit the bars again, third night running. Started off in Cruz bar talking to a load of students in Cordoba. We were then taken on a mini pub crawl which ended up with Salsa dancing in a drunken state, I have no idea which bars or clubs we went too.
I had to change my dorm yet again, the same hostel this time, though from a nice spacious quiet 4 bed dorm, to something that looked like it had been bombed in Baghdad, this was by far the worst room I had to sleep in. This travelling lark is amazing but at times it can test even my patience. I threw my bags on my top bunk and got the hell out of there. Much to my surprise there was a huge free concert in the park a few blocks away. The Pepsi festival with famous Argenitinian bands that I had never heard of!!! It was good fun watching the massive mosh pit in front of the stage, these guys do know how to party even though there was NO BEER on sale. A festival with no beer, whatever next.
In my dorm the previous tonights was a girl from Germany called Marion. She had previously lived in Cordoba for 6 months whilst studying and knew of a nearby crafts market. It was superb, if I had a flat back in blighty that I knew I was returning too I could have refurbished it with beauitful things for next to nothing. I bought 12 incense sticks for 1 peso, 15p, a small hand painted drawing for 80p and a sliver thumb ring for about 6 quid. Anyone passing through the market is on Sat and Sun from 6pm at Paseo de las Artes.
Nearby was a very nice vegetarian restaurant, Cafe Tamada, with an outdoor area, world music and paintings all over the walls. I was telling Marion that my mum lives in France in a cider producing area, imagine my surprise as we walked up to the entrance to see a sign for real cidre! This has been happening a lot to me, talking about something that I would like and a few minutes later it appearing, (but not everything though Arraz before you make any crude comments on the message board). And, it did taste of real cider, real apples not that industrial chemical crap.
Days were flying by and it was now Sunday, I had been partying hard for 4 days, and it was starting to take its toll. I changed hostels yet again back into Tango. This must be some sort of record for a week in a single city. The sun was baking again, so what a perfect opportunity to sit by the small lake in the park relaxing for a few hours. The heat got to much so a group of us went to the nearby cafe for a few cold beers to cool down. By the park is a huge museum of modern arts that is fantastic, all types of installation art, paintings and just plain weird stuff. It was my last night in Cordoba, and in true form we headed out to the bars again. There was a birthday cake on a table, so asked whose birthday it was and we sang happy birthday in English which appeared to be the best birthday present ever by the smile on her face.
My last day was spent catching up with emails, blogs, packing and saying goodbye to the many friends I had made in Tango Hostel. Considering I disliked the place when I first arrivedand couldnt wait to leave, it was with sadness I was leaving Cordoba. This is definitely a city I could return to and possibly live and work if the opportunity was to arise.I was sent on my way with a song from Flaco and his friend as I tleft to take an overnight coach to San Juan......
I threw caution to the wind and got a seat on the bus on the top floor right at the front. I was told not to sit there because if the bus crashed I would fly out of the window. That was then, this is now. If it is my time to go, it is my time to go. I wanted to see the sunrise from the best seat so I did.
Sat next to me was a big fat man, whose fat on his arm wobbled over the seat divider onto my side, great. Not only that the a/c wasnt working, usually it is freezing cold, so I was wearing jeans and long sleeve top, and Slim was kicking out some serious heat too. Hmm, this was going to be a fun journey!!!
I arrived in San Juan at around 8ish, just over 9 hours travel. Totally knackered I stumbled the 6 blocks to my hostel. My room wasnt ready but I could eat breakfast there, yep, you guesses it, white bread and coffee. How I longed for a full on 3 course Brazilian slap up breakfast. The reason for coming to San Juan was to take a bus to Barreal and the mountains. After 2 weeks of serious partying, the call of the mountains was a strong as I have had since Bariloche when I had big dorm madness. With Easter weekend coming I thought if I could get there early, I could pitch my tent and that would be that. Imagine my surprise when I was told all buses to Barreal were booked for 5 days. Bastard.
Sod it, I thought, I am going to get some sleep and see what the day brings. In my dorm Sonya (21 USA) entered as I was about to snooze, she was in the same predicament after a 30 hour bus trip. After a good kip we went out for lunch, a superb self service veggie restaurant called Soychi. Boy did I need some salad and vegetables. Sonya speaks very good Spanish so we tried to get some info on how to get to Barreal. This was looking more and more unlikely.
There is bugger all to do in San Juan. But that doesn really matter. One of the things that I have learnt about travelling is it is not always about where to go or what to see, it is about who you meet along the way. In fact you can be at an amazing place and if the company is bad it really spoils it. Meeting great people is very very much one of the best parts about travelling. As I said there is nothing to do in San Juan, but that didnt stop me having a really good day sat at the road side drinking wine with Sonya and talking about everything from philosophy to favourite foods.
As I am on a tangent from travel stories I may as carry on. Before I came away I wasnt sure how I would take to the travelling again, long distance journeys, much time on my own, meeting people on a daily basis etc etc. Something that has really surprised me is that I am meeting other people who are really travelling. For instance, Lisette the 18 year old Dutch girl who is using couch surfing to find rooms in peoples houses, Agata & Ewa, 2 Polish students who I met in Uspallata who are hitchiking across Chile and Argentina, and Sonya who for a 21 year old has the maturity and wisdom of someone much much older. My travels seem easier than theirs at times.
I have met many Argentinians on my travels, all of them very friendly and helpful. Some I will keep in touch with long after my time here. One thing that has been brought to my attention on numerous occassions is that the Argentine culture is to live for the moment and not plan for the future. This is the case for most things from health, business, recycling and the mentality. It pains me to see trash sites next to beautiful mountains, people not planning for there futures, all money goes on fashion and cars, sometimes people skip meals so they can look good at night, businesses are boom or bust. I have met people on my travels who own businesses that have a long term mentality but their counterparts make it difficult for them to plan for this.
Considering all of the above, and the fact that 95% of the music played on the radio and everyhwere is 80´s English pop music, I love this country. So much that I am finding it hard to leave and move on to Bolivia. Before then, I had to get to the mountains....
We tried asking the worker in the telephone place if he knew away to Barreal, his mate could take us for an extortionate amount. See what I mean about short term. He could have made a good load of money from us, without taking the p***. We could have recommended him to friends and he could make more money... Anyway....
Sonya mentioned that above Mendoza is a beautiful place called Uspallata surrounded by mountains, this is somewhere I had not heard or thought about. Ok, lets go for it tomorrow, see if we have more luck with the buses.....
Talk about a stroke of luck, we arrived at the bus station in San Juan, and the bus to Mendoza was waiting for us, and we could sit up top at the front. It was a princely some of 2 quid, bargain. The 2 hour journey was heavenly, blue skies, mountains all around, listening to Janice Joplin and Martin Sexton. I had a good feeling about today. It was only a 1 hour wait in Mendoza before we were on a local bus to Uspallata, the mountains were 2 hours away.
I drifted off into a mid afternoon snooze only to awake to the most gorgeous of scenes, a stunning blue lake with snow capped mountains all around, at last, the cities behind and the mountains in front of me. I turned to my left, a woman had fallen asleep breast feeding her baby daughter, to her left a grandmother was feeding a small budgie with a bottle, you gotta love this travelling lark.
We had booked into a hostel near the small town, Gran Hostel Uspallata. This was a 3 bed dorm in what is more like an up market hotel than a hostel, perfect. I went for a walk to check out the campsites and to see if I could find gas for my stove. No gas but 2 great campsites, one in the centre, the other with weird igloo looking places for rent opposite the hostel.
On the way back I saw something I had never seen before. At sunset, the sky around the moon turned all shades of pinks and purples, I stood there in amazement as the mozzies had a field day feeding off me. Sonya was moving on in the morning so we went for something to eat. Mid way through the restaurant had a power cut which made for some candle serving manuevers. On the way back to the hostel we wathched a dog get hit by a car. Right next to the accident were a bunch of Argentinians, neither the driver of the group stopped. We walked into the road to see the blank look on the dogs eyes, feeling helpless. Another car stopped and we moved the dog to the side of the road, poor thing. I couldnt believe the car drove straight on and the group didnt even bat an eyelid.....
I have been so lucky with the weather, pure blue skies and baking sun. I decided to take the campsite in town, it was quiet and in a perfect location. After pitching my tent I kept my fingers crossed I could find gas, the last place I tried had one last bottle, result. I love cooking and eating outside and now I could. Favian from Buenos Aires was camping next to me, after our introductions he told me about a near by walk with views over the town, Via Crucis. Here was a track with tall crosses with bible references, the view of the mountains was amazing, I felt so so so so happy to be back in the mountains. I walked around with a big smile on my face. That night I sat at the table next to my tent cooking pasta and sauce on my stove and drinking red wine watching the stunning sunset, I couldnt have been happier in that moment.
I mentioned in the last blog that before I came travelling that I was worried about spending long periods of time on my own, that never happens to me, in fact I really appreciate the day or two to myself when I can get them. Camping is perfect for me to recharge and have some head space.
Uspallata is a base for the highest mountain outside the Himalayas, Aconcagua close to the Chilean border. The Friday morning I booked myself on to a coach tour, as much as I dislike these, it was only 40 pesos, 6 pesos to the pound, and it took me to Cristo Redentor on the Argentine Chilean border, Acocncagua park so I could see the mountain, nearly 7000m in height, and the stunning Puente del Inca, a colourful mineral deposit by the river and an old building. I bought a bottle of wine with a grape I hadnt come across before, Bonarda. The tour was all in Spanish so I had some good practice listening and talking. I feel my Spanish is slowly getting better. For a tour, I really enjoyed it and met some fun Argentinians including a young couple on their honeymoon.
That night as I cooked my standard pasta meal I watched in awe as an electrical storm and lightening lit up the sky over the nearby mountains. There wasnt a drop of rain in site and it was just amazing.
Ok, time for some walking, and to get back in to some sort of healthy shape. I walked from the campsite 10kms up a barren mountain landscape to Cerro 7 Colores. A small mountain with all kinds of greens and browns on its mountain side. I fried in the midday sun but I so enjoyed the walking, my mind drifting off all over the place, total fréedom of space and thought. I walked back to make sure that I wasnt only red on one side of my face and body, 5 hours later. Much to my amazement there is a small club in the town called La Cima. Favian had made friends with some young girls from Mendoza selling cake at the market. We all went to the club until the wee hours, I managed to get some Salsa dancing in for the first time in ages, I have to admit I was pants.
I had been told there is another small mountain called Tunduqueral 7kms out of town with ancient carvings on. To walk off our hangovers me and Favian headed in that direction. We worked our way through the useful phrases at the back of my Spanish English dictionary, Favian wanted to practice his English and I definitely need to practice my Spanish. After nearly 2 hours of walking we couldnt see the Cerro anywhere and headed back to camp, bloody exhausted from 4 hours walking in the sun. In the centre plaza was a folklore musical concert that we listened to whilst cooking. Next to our tents were 2 Polish girls Agata and Ewa who turned out to be really fun.
I said goodbye to Favian the following morning, he is a star and really helped me with my Spanish and we shared a lot of good laughs and funny stories. I had planned a day for doing nothing, though I spent ages writing and studying Spanish. In the afternoon after being rudely awoken with cold water thrown on me whilst taking a siesta in the sun, I walked to a nearby museum with Agata and Ewa. It is an old workhouse where they mined and shaped iron, silver and gold for distribution all over Chile and Argentina. I felt like a mission, I still wanted to see Tunduqueral.
We managed to hitch a ride in an ancient light blue Renault 6 to the start of the walk to Cerro Tunduqueral, 7kms from town my arse, more like 17km. No wonder me and Favian couldnt find it. There were lots of small carvings from indigenous tribes many years before. One looked like the mushroom character from Super Mario Brothers, I wonder if they had playstations 3000 years ago...... We even managed to hitch a ride back to town in the back of a pick up truck, it was screaming along the road and was a scream. I am starting to like this hitch hiking, it is a shame that I heading in the wrong direction for it, the north of Argentina and Bolivia arent safe to hike. Maybe I could hitch across America.....
As a reward for finding Tunduqueral and it was my last night in the fabulous Uspallata we treated ourselves to a full on parilla, massive meat feast, and it was massive. More meat than you can shake a stick at. We helped the digestion with a bottle of Aconcagua red wine that was divine.
Ok, this is live and direct, this morning the moon was still in the sky at 9am, bízarre. I am currently in the main bus terminal in Mendoza, been here for 3 hours, my overnight bus to Tucuman leaves in 20 mins so I need to get a move on.........
So after a long wait in Mendoza bus terminal I finally boarded my coach. I had paid a bit more for the ´cama´ seats, bigger spacious seats and leg room and almost fully reclining, proper comfy. Spending the extra money was worthwhile as I also got hot beef with chips and gravy, a glass of red wine and whiskey along with the obligatory ham and cheese sandwich.
What I hadn´t planned for was the incredible amount of stupidly loud snoring all around me, I pushed the bloke next to me about 10 times for him to stop, but people sat in my close vicinity were at it too. So much for getting a good sleep on the more expensive seats!!! I arrived in Tucuman at 8.30am, just over 12 hours travelling.
The first thing I noticed about Tucuman was how bloody humid it is, really really humid and a little uncomfortable. I checked into Oh Hostel that had been recommended, I was the only westerner there, also great for practising my Spanish which is slowly coming along. The really friendly women working in the hostel gave me buckets of information on the activities in the area, tours, handgliding etc etc. All I wanted to do was go for a long walk.....
I took a local bus out towards San Javier, about 30 kms out of the city. I asked the driver to drop me off by the road near the Cascada del Rio Noque waterfalls. There was nobody in site. It was a lovely quiet 15 mins walk through the forest to the small falls. I had the place to myself and relaxed there taking in the scenery and listening to the noises of the many insects around me. It was so peaceful out there.
Back up on the road I walked 12kms in the heat to the large statue of Christ on a mountain top. Something that was really strange was a massive unfinished building stood in a random field that looked so out of place, maybe it was going to be a Hotel or something, it was most odd. I was rewarded with great views looking down on Tucuman from the statue, it is a pretty city from up high. I had just missed the 4pm bus, the next one was at 6.30pm. Stuff that I thought and continued walking.
5 mins down the line I had thumbed a lift with a retired couple who live just by the statue. My first taste of solo hitch hiking, and I was loving it. Elsa & George were most friendly and even gave me a Sacramento cake from the bakers they stopped at. Result. I returned to the hostel in time to watch most of the France - England footy game on the tv with a cold beer, a bit of luxury I thought, wish I hadnt bothered as the game was shite.
That night the heavens opened with a huge storm. I stayed local and went to a fantastic restaurant called La Corzuela recommened to me by the hostel. It was a high ceiling place with all sorts of interesting local indigenous objects on the wall. I tried a local dish of Locro o humita de olla. A bowl full of criolla cheese, onions, with shredded corn top, totally delicious, mmmmmm cheese. I felt caught myself nodding off and nearly falling face first into my dinner. The lack of sleep, long walk in the heat and a large glass of red had all taken its toll, good job the hostel was close.
Next morning I felt more refreshed after a good sleep and felt like another good walk. I checked out the main Plaza Independencia and the very attractive buildings all around it, the architecture here is fantastic. A tv crew were doing interviews in the park and were being heckled by groups of school children much to my entertainment.
I watched in slight bemusement as my bus to El Cadillal, pulled up, started to roll back down again until the driver turned the front wheel to jam against the kerb so to stop it, the passenger door swung open in a weird manner. I had to take a photo. I thought I was going to be the only one on the bus until Jodine from Hamilton got on just before it set off and 2 local women. My preminition about the bus was correct, half way to El Cadillal it broke down by the side of the road. Much to our good fortune the cousin of one of the local women drove by in his pickup which we hitched a ride in the pack of to the small town.
One of the main attractions in El Cadillal is the picturesque lake, El Dique El Cadillal. I watch in amazement as a small child fished the waters with the top of the lake up to his neck, talk about dedication to the cause. It was a hot day and right for a swim, I stripped off and jumped in, it was so refreshing and not cold after a few seconds. I had planned on a walk but there wasnt enough time before the last bus was due to pick us up. Instead me and Jodine went exploring the nearby statues and forest.
I spotted a couple of rundown buildings between the trees, the remains of an old cable car station. I felt like a yoing boy again discovering an old out house in the back fields to play in. The spiders here were massive, Jodine nearly fainted twice. Above was huge black rain clouds, and sure enough they broke, torrential rain bounced down. We took shelter in one of the small buildings, I was eaten alive by the mozzies in there. It was only a passing storm and 30 mins later it was good enough to walk in.
We headed back to the bus stop and still had 30 mins spare. Across the road was a sign for drinks but it just looked like someones house. I had a look inside and everything was shut up, until I heard an old womans voice. She had just woken up from her afternoon siesta. We sat in her back yard drinking mate and watching the chickens run around. Surprisingly bang on time the bus came, the driver had managed to fix the earlier problems. In El Cadillal is an impressive Aquaduct that I wanted to see, the bus drove the circuit that I would have walked and I got to see it after all. Result.
The rain started up again, and as we entered the city of Tucuman the streets were more like rivers than roads, it was incredible how quickly the place had flooded. The driver told us this was common place at this time of year, why they dont do something about it I dont know. I waded home from the station and took a well needed siesta. I had arranged to meet Jodine at another recommended restaurant called El Portal by the main plaza, here they also sell traditional dishes.
I tried a Tamal, a small pork and vegetable thing wrapped up in Corn leaves, like a small parcel. This was delicious. What wasnt tasty was the mondongo empanada. Mondongo is cows stomach lining, it is really chewy and fatty with a horrid taste, I struggled not to throw up eating it, still, you have to try this things. Jodine had a locro, a hollowed out big bread bun filled with corn, veg, pork and tripe. Huge strings of mondongo and other cows innerds, really disgusting. We finished the evening off by drinking fernet and coke and talking about world music. Jodine used to have a once a week radio show in Oz about world music so we swapped bands. I have a long list of new music I want to download when I get the chance.
Only a short 2 night stop here, next up Tafi del Valle.....
I am food, for the bloody mozzies that crept in to my dorm last night, the whole of my back and legs were covered in bites, the little bastards.... Anyway..... I took a small local bus in the morning to a small town called Tafi del Valle, only 3 hours or so away from Tucuman. I arrived on a very grey, drizzly and quite cold lunch time.
There is not a great deal to do here, I just wanted to break up the journey from Tucuman to Cafayate. Again, I couldnt see any tourists so I had the pick of the hostels, I checked out all 3 as I had time on my hands and settled for a huge double bedroom with en-suite bathroom for only 30 pesos at El Cardòn. All the crockery in the hostel is hand made pottery and the art on the walls made by local artists, it has a very relaxed feel to the place.
I took a walk to the bus terminal to get times for the next morning to Cafayate, on the way back to my hostel I bumped into Jodine at a restaurant. The sign outside had caught my eye, llama steak!!! I just had to try it. Llama tastes and looks similar to lamb, I really like it, the mash potato and peach chutney complemented it perfectally.
Jodine was on the next bus back to Tucuman, she only had a couple of hours here and 30 mins left. The restuarant owner lent me his car, very kind fella, to save time. The one attraction in the village is the Capilla Jesuitica La Banda, a jesuit church and set off buildings the people hid in whilst the Spanish were conquering the country. Underneath the church are 3 kms of tunnels. On display were artifacts going back 400 years, there was a piano from 300 years ago that still played sounds, terrible mind but I enjoyed making a noise!!
I dropped Jodine off at the terminal, returned the car and still had all afternoon and night free. I spent it chilling out in my quiet, huge and luxurious room with a bottle of vino. listening to music and catching up with writing and travel plans. I enjoy these quiet moments away from the noisy dorms.
Another short 3 hour bus trip through quiet amazing landscapes and I had arrived in Cafayate on a sunny afternoon. I had been recommended a hostel called El Balcòn that I rocked up to and checked in. As it was a nice day I didnt waste anytime and booked myself on to an excursion that afternoon to see the Quebradas, 500 million year old rock formations an hour or so out of town.
I was first on the bus so grabbed the front seat for the best views, a tiny manic woman from Buenos Aires sat next to me twitching and speaking at a rapid pace, when she slowed down we managed to have a basic conversation. The Quebradas are just something else, totally amazing. The colours the minerals have turned the rock faces are superb, from deep reds and purples to all different shades of greens, yellows and some white flecks from the Calcium. For only 40 pesos, a full afternoon of visiting and walking around the rocks was definitely worth it.
Back in the hostel I was joined in my dorm by Andy from Reading, I could tell he was pretty chilled out and we would get on well. To save money I nipped across to the supermarket for dinner, a huge brown roll, a pot of mixed meat, cheese and olives, and 1.90 peso bottle of red wine. The whole lot came to 85 pence. Much to my amazement the 1.90 peso bottle of wine tasted good, Andy said it tasted better than the 35 peso bottle he tried earlier in the day!!!
There is a bar on the top floor balcony of the hostel which we sat upstairs and quaffed some beers. I plugged in my mp3 player and listened to some of my fav tunes through loud speakers for a change, it was great to play DJ for the first time in a few weeks. Agata & Ewa had arrived in town too and came over for the fiesta.
Sergio one of the brothers who works and owns the hostel gave us a mini concert, getting the girls in the audience to sing backing vocals. I have to put a disclaimer in here, only stay at El Balcòn if you dont want to get any sleep, and for the girls, if you dont mind Sergio being a total creepy, slimey, pervy guy. Many of the people I have spoken to that have stayed here either left after one night, or told Sergio to piss off and not talk to them again, he and the hostel are getting a bad reputation.
After the mini concert, me, Agata & Ewa and a young lad called Ivan from BsAs went to Chikan a bar by the main plaza for the last drink of the night. It had crept up to 3am again, sometimes I dont know where the time goes. The girls went back to their campsite and I headed back with Ivan. As we were walking past the square, Ivan got incredibly excited, there was a girl wearing boots. So what I thought....
Then he explained, girls in Argentina wearing boots are easy!!! OK, with 5 mins he had agreed to go to the club around the corner from the hostel that plays shocking cumbia music. I was knackered and wanted to go to sleep. He begged me to go to the club with him for 10 mins and to dance with the boot girls cousin while he sealed the deal. I took one on the chin for him, it was one of those dances where I just wanted to be anywhere else but with this girl in this shit club. 10 mins down the line, I was out of there, Ivan and booty were getting a hotel, he was right, she was easy. I rang the door bell of the hostel for ages, Sergio had fallen asleep, it was nearly 5am when I woke him up to let me, in the ****·%·%··$·$·%&
Agata & Ewa came over after breakfast and we took a walk around the Bodega`s (wineries) in town. First up was Bodega Domingo Hermano´s, the tour was in Spanish but I understood a fair bit, probably because I have seen more wine tours than hot dinners whilst in New Zealand. The speciality grape here is Torrontès, a white wine. It smells fantastic, very floral, but the taste for me is like vinegar. The red here as well was average.
The second vineyard we visited was the Organic Nanni Bodega, a more traditional winery. We got to taste 4 wines, the Torrontès again average, but the Malbec, Cab Sav, and Tannat were bang on. I loved the Tannat, the stronger and more peppery and spicier of the 3, I bought a bottle for later on. Nearby was a special alfajore shop, alfajores are the staple diet chocolate biscuit thing that Argentinians live off. We bought 3 different recommended flavours, the coffee one was delicious.
After a brief rest over lunch time we set off on the 6km walk to the bottom of the mountains and the Rio Colorado. 2 hours walking time up the mountain following the river are waterfalls. We made it half way up the mountain and realised that we would probably be walking down in the dark, no light, not wearing proper clothes and boots and not enough food if we got caught. I made the sensible decision, for a change, to turn back. We still wanted to swim and found a small plunge pool under a little waterfall to splash about in. It was bloody cold but very refreshing after a hot sweaty climb.
On the way down we passed a man with his arm in a sling, he looked in absolute agony, we think he had broken a bone. The trek up the mountain has many river crossings and is tricky in places, I slipped once and smashed my toe into a rock, sandals are not the best footwear here. We stopped off at a little picnic area under some stone buildings for a res and to take on fruit and water. As we were walking th 6km back to town I looked out over the mountains in the distance. I couldnt believe what I saw, a square rainbow just caught on the top of one of the smaller mountains, it was stunning, the colours just fantastic. It is hard to capture on camera the colours and the amazing sky around. On the floor by the side of the road were wallnuts that had fallen from the trees above, they tasted delicious and were a welcome treat after the long walk.
We went for pizza on the street corner for dinner, it wasnt a late one as the walk had wiped me out. s I got into bed, they were line dancing or something in the balcony bar above, my bed was shaking with the vibrations and I thought someone was going to fall through the roof!!
Between Tafi and Cafayate are some of the oldest ruins in Argentina at Quilmes. Me and Andy took the 11am bus out that way to go exploring. The bus dropped us off at the side of the road, 5kms from the ruins, we hitched almost immediately. The ruins are fantastic, 1000 year old and were homes to 6000 people. The Spanish came and made them march all away across the country to Buenos Aires, there is an area in BsAs called Quilmes and is the name of the most popular beer in Argentina. The hour long trek up the left side of the ruins, across the top of the mountains and down the other side was really good and gave perfect views of the structure of the area. The mountain and sky backdrop just blew me away, the skies here are some of the best I have ever seen.
The next bus back to Cafayate was at 7pm, hmmmm, all day to kill. We hitched the 5kms from the ruins to the main road again and tried to thumb a lift. Not happening. 4 Argentinian girls told us about a bus going to Amaicha in the other direction as there is a museum there, so we took that. I asked about the observatorio 15kms further south and was told it was open, so we hopped back on the bus and got dropped off near there.
I expected there to be a museum or some information to read and look out. Nope, nada. It was 3pm on a cloudy day, what on earth was I expecting to see through a huge telescope!!! We had a good laugh about the absurdity of the situation. Only one thing for it, hitch back to Amaicha...... or so we thought.
Not a single car would stop for us, when I hitch on my own, no problem, same with Andy, to men hitching together is a different story. I had wanted to do some walking so here was our perfect opportunity walking back to Amaicha on a long road in the mountains. It was actually a really good laugh, as I thought I got on with Andy really well and I enjoyed the lads banter and stupid stories. We came across a small shop and bought the last two cans of cold beer for the walk.
2 hours had gone past since we left the observatorio, time was pressing on if we wanted to get the 6.30 bus in Amaicha. Just out of town a big truck stopped for us, we climbed up the ladder and enjoyed truck surfing our way into town, the locals waving and laughing with us as we rode in. Talk about good timing, the bus pulled into the station just as we ran around the corner, phew.
My route around South America is all over the place, 2 days ago I had travelled from Tafi to Cafayate, to almost go all the way back this day, to go back up to Cafayate, bizarre. We had to change buses in Santa Maria, 30 mins, enough time for a big beer each. Slept like a log on the way back to Cafayate.
On the way out to eat that evening imagine my surprise when I bumped into Jelena and her friend Mairisa sat at the table I ate at the previous night. It was a very nice surprise to see Jelena again. After a huge bowl of delicious pasta, me and Andy joined them for beers and a catch up.
Next day I changed hostel to the one that Jelena & Mairisa were staying in, I couldnt take Sergio and his selfish noise any more. Huayra Sanipy hostel is much much quieter with a big chilled garden to hang out in. I quickly dropped my bags off and me and Jelena set off for the waterfalls, with much more time and food with us this time. It was a tricky 2 hours climb up the river to the falls. Rain made the path even more slippier in parts. We were offered a guide at the bottom of the trek, I can understand why most people take one as the paths were not easy to follow, more than one route over rocks and through forests. This made it more interesting for me.
Eventually we did find the waterfall, and stunning it was too. I braved the cold waters and went for a swim under the falls, and it was cold. Very refreshing though. As and added bonus I took the higher path back to the mountain crossing a stumbled across the hidden waterfalls that we were told we wouldnt find without a guide, yeah, whatever. We had a perfect spot for lunch. On the way back down I slipped on a rock in the riverr and took a chunk out of my shin and scraped across my right leg, thankfully I was able to walk, no breaks or anything.
There is another Bodega near the road to the falls, Bodega Mounier, it is ok and I picked up a bottle of the Cab Sav there. We hitched a ride back into town with 2 guys from NY. They dropped us off at the famous Helados Miranda. I tried the wine ice cream, Torronte`s and Cabernet, both delicious. I think all Torronte`s should be made into ice cream and not wine. That evening I tried a rabbit empanada, the first time I had seen this. Believe me it was infinitely more enjoyable than the mondongo one I tried in Tucuman.....
The next day, 2nd April, there was a tribute in the main plaza. I wondered what the noise was and started off to have a look. Then I remembered it is the memorial for the people who lost their lives in the Falklands War, I thought better of having a butchers and snook off back to the hostel. We were on the 1.30pm bus out of Cafayate to Salta. We had just enough time for another wine tasting at El Transìto Bodega across the road from Nanni, both Bodega`s are run by the same family. The Torrontès here was the best I had tried but the Cab Sav was a cut above the rest and a snip at 15 peso´s.
We got on the small mini bus for the 3 hour ride to Salta passing through the road of the Quebrada´s, I do like backtracking and criss crossing my travel path!
On arrival in Salta, me, Jelena & Mairisa took a taxi to PrisaMata (Hurry Kills) Hostel where Mairisa was working. I had checked-in in time to catch the 2nd half of the Champions League game between Arsenal and Liverpool. I have hardly watched any football since being away, but I enjoyed this game with a cold beer.
The last few days I had been eating pasta and pizza and my body craved salad and veg. For dinner we cooked a big salad, guacamole, olives, cheese, hams and opened one of the superb bottles of wine from Cafayate, this living is fantastic and so cheap here. I was tired from the travelling, and with a head cold coming on took it easy that night.
I had brought the good weather with me to Salta, for the first time in over a week the sun was beaming down. A perfect morning to take the Telefèrico up to Cerro 20 de Febrero that looks down over the city of Salta. If I am honest it is not the prettiest city I have ever seen, though the mountains in the distance were nice. We walked the 2400 steps back down in town passing a plaza and the Guemes Monument.
I am definitely under the weather and took a big siesta in the afternoon. Dinner was at a very good cheap Mexican nearby, I had real bife de lomo fajitas that were out of this world. Mairisa´s boyfriend is a professor of music and plays the keyboard in a jazz band. After dinner we all met up the music bar Cafe del Tiempo. A 4 piece jazz band were playing, Leon, a drummer, guitarist and 6 string bass guitarist who is absolutely amazing. He normally plays the double bass but switched to bass guitar and played it like he was born with it attached to his arms.
Yesterday morning we went to the MAAM museum in town, before 10am it is free, 15 pesos after. The museum is based on the discovery of mummified children at the top of 7000m mountain near the Chilean border. The children were from very high status familes and were óffered´ to the gods so that the harvest would be good the next year. There are films of the amazing expedition up the mountains, displays of the artefacts found around the body, and still in tact two of the three 500 year old bodies that were discovered. It is a fascinating museum and I really recommend it.
My cold had come through so I spent most of the day sleeping. I had yet to visit a real peña, a traditional place were folklore music is played. We visited the La Casana de Molina 10 mins drive out of town. The building is an outside courtyard with small rooms attached all around where locals bring their instruments to play. The food here is also out of this world, huge salads, speciality dishes, empanadas, house wine and stunning ice cream, it all came to only 25 pesos each. We sat listening to the traidtional music in candle light. I could feel myself dropping off to sleep, time to crash.
This was last night, my cold is slowly on its way out thankfully, I have a 3.30pm coach north to Tilcara in 2 hours time......... Until next time....ciao, suerte, besos
It seems like ages since I last wrote a blog, and it is, over a month ago..... I will try and remember what I did back then, here goes......
We had booked upper deck front row seats for the best views of the stunning landscapes, quebradas and mountains all around. It took just a little over 4 hours to arrive at the small town of Tilcara. It was one of those journeys where I wasnt sure where to get off, signs saying 5km´s to Tilcara, 30 mins later and we are still driving on the bus. Eventually we rocked up to the bus station in the dark, without having booked accommodation.
A man offered to show us a room in an old stone house. His car was classic, at least 150 years old, only 1 seat and we had to climb in through the boot. Thankfully it was only a 5 min ride to the house. It was a strange place, a long corridor that dog legged to the left opening up into an outdoor courtyard, in to a small kitchen and then 2 rooms with the smallest bathroom known to man. It had a character, I liked it so we booked in for a couple of nights. One problem was with hot water, there is a tank above the shower that I had to fill half way up and wait 40 mins for the water to get hot.
I was starving so we headed up the cobbled streets in the cold to the main plaza. We settled on a peña styled restaurant with live local music, that was really good, but just to bloody loud. Next morning it was a bright and chilly day, perfect for a good walk. Near the town centre are some old ruins in an area called El Pucara de Tilcara. Old stone buildings were surrounded by cactii with beautiful mountaings surrounding us. To the north we could see a mountain on the Bolivian side. Outside the ruins were small market stalls, I tried on a big cowboy hat, after much messing about and laughing, not like me eh!, I bought it. A new travelling companion.....
The other attraction here is a short bus ride to Purmamarca and the mountain of 7 colours. I was taken aback by houw incredibly touristy the village centre was, I expected to be dropped off by the side of the road and to go for a quiet walk, no sireee. The plaza was lined with clothes of many colours, my first taste of what Bolivia could be like as most of the items here had come south from there. The mountain itself was a short walk from the town and did have plenty of colour. The walk across the ridge and around the other side of the town was equally enjoyable, as was looking at the hugely decorated cemetry.
We had spotted a really nice restaurant earlier in the day, where I drank coca leaf tea. We returned there for dinner, I wore my new hat and got some seriously strange looks from the waitresses and other clients, all to my amusement. I could see I was going to enjoy this. For the first time I tried llama, a tasty meat a little like lamb, in an almighty big salad and some very nice vino tinto.
It had been a short day and a half stay inTilcara, a very characteristic town and I had a great time there.
It was only a short 1 hour bus journey from Tilcara to Humahuaca, I had come here to see the quebradas near the town, not that I had seen enough already!!
We had been recommended a good hostel, Posada el Sol just out of town. It was more than just out of town, it was a bloody knackering 20 min walk from the station with our bags. The hostel is in a great location looking up to the quebradas behind.
After a quick look in the Lonely Planet, the first time in a while, I read about a bizarre happening at a local church at midday, we had enough time to check it out. On the strike of 12, with background classical music, the figure of San Francisco Solan appeared from an opening window in the side of the Cabildo church. He bowed down, raised his sword and dissappeared again, it was all very surreal and highly amusing.
Towering over the town is the impressive Monumento a los Heroes de la Independencia. It was a tiring walk up, the altitude was definitely starting to get to my chest and effect my breathing. At the top I was rewarded with great views of the city and the mountains. WIth hindsight I could have spent just afternoon here before crossing over to Bolivia, but we were here for the day. On the way back to the hostel we dropped into the bus station to buy tickets to La Quiaca the next morning, the border crossing to Bolivia. At the station we watched a bus driver and man on the platform have the most pathetic of sprawls, the driver tried to kick at the man from about 3 metres away. 2 laughing policeman took them away to be told off....
We walked up behind the hostel and to the mirador by the quebradas. The sunset was really nice and peaceful though the temperature dropped rapidly as soon as the sun fell behind the mountains. That night we cooked a celebratory last meal in Argentina, a huge salad and bottle of good Chablis. Feeling adventurous we waked the long dark path back into town. Everywhere was shut, apart from 1 single bar, Humahuacaiga or somet.
The bar itself was fantastic, loads of comfy chairs, beautiful paintings on the wall, more spirits than you can shake a leg at and a funny little man called Enzo playing some brilliant salsa music on his PC. Enzo appeared to be on another planet, not surprisingly as we were the only people in there all night. He kept on dissappearing into the back of the bar coming back with a glazed look in his eyes. I sampled a few of the liquors as they were ridiculously cheap, one was called Legui named after a famous horse rider, I didnt know they rode horses here.....
The next morning it was time to pack up and head to the border town of La Quiaca. It was a pleasant 2 hours drive through the baren landscape to the industrial small town. We had a rather unpleasant and sweaty 30 min walk to the border police. We arrived just in front of 2 coach load of tourists and managed to get through passport control before them. After nearly 4 months in Argentina, it was time to say goodbye and start my 2nd leg of my travels, Bolivia here I come.......
After 4 months of travelling in Argentina it was a mixture of sadness and excitement that I crossed over the border into Bolivia.
I was a little anxious when I first arrived into Buenos Aires, especially how the Argentinians would treat an Englishman, with the various histories that the two countries have. I have to admit that I didnt have the best start to my travels in this country, after arriving at the internation airport and we were hassled by a drunk South African man telling us all about the dangers of BsAs, where not to go, he had all his possessions stolen etc etc. I sussed him for being on the make but still it was not what I wanted to here after travelling for 20 hours and arriving in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world....
He was right to warn us to be careful. BsAs is a fantastic city, proud beautiful people, a little cold to talk to at first, great passionate tango, unbelievable steaks the size of houses, clubs, bars, etc etc. And also Boca.... the one time Rich misread the map, he is 99.9% accurate, we ended up in the wrong streets of Boca, the worst place to get lost. Thankfuly for us we turned a corner and ran two blocks to the safety of American tourists and policemen. 1 block more in the wrong direction and we would have been robbed in broad daylight. Still, we were lucky, many of my friends weren´t.
That is the only time I have felt threatened in my time in Argentina. I spent mty birthday in the southern most city in the world, Ushuaia, it snowed all morning and was bright sunshine in the afternoon. Seen some of the most beautiful mountains, glaciers and lakes in my life in the Southern Patagonian region of El Chalten and the Fitz Roy mountains.
I spent a month in Bariloche over Xmas and New Year learning spanish at the wonderful school of La Montaña. I made a lot of friends during my time in Ruca Hueney hostel, some I have bumped into since and travelled with. In Bariloche was the first time I went trekking in the mountains and lakes solo for 6 days, another amazing experience, including drinking mate.
North of Bariloche I spent a few days in the wine growing region of Mendoza. Visiting the vineyards and of course sampling many vinos, the malbec being the speciality. I was welcomed into the home of Horacio for a traditional Argentinian bbq, Asado, with his family, which was a real treat, and then invited to drink plenty of fernet and coke, which I now have a taste for :-)
I had a break of a month in Brazil before returning into Argentina via the simply mind blowing falls of Iguacu. These have to be seen to be believed. After a few days of chilling out at the best hostel resort I have stayed in, small swimming pool, hammocks, chilled restaurant etc, I headed south to the city of Rosario....
Again I fell lucky with the hostel, the first night the film crew recording Police Camera Action staying in the hostel showed us their footage and we had a mad party. The second night a band called the Ramirez gave us a full dress rehearsal in the hostel of their new set, another mad party. I also met up with Maria and Charly who I met in Brazil and they took me to the best restaurant in town.
From here I went to Cordoba. Funnily enough I didnt like it the first 2 days, but ended up staying nearly 2 weeks. This is a place I could definitely stay in for a long time. The camping I did at Uspallata was a highlight for me. I didnt see a single gringo in nearly a week and met a greet guy from BsAs called Fabian. My spanish came along leaps and bounds here and the surrounding mountains were a welcome site after 3 weeks partying.
It was time to make my way north to Bolivia. Nice and slowly though, going off the beaten track through Tucuman and Tafi de Valle, hitch hiking for the first time and meeting some very interesting locals. Cafayate was next up, more vineyards, waterfalls, trekking, 2 mad polish girls who I never stopped laughing with, the oldest ruins at Quilmes and meeting back up with Jelena. Going north through Salta, Tilcara and Humahuaca was a joy, a totally different feel from the south, I could feel I was getting closer to Bolivia.
As for the people of Argentina. Like I said, I didnt know what to expect. I can honestly say they are some of the friendliest people I have ever met, and I have been to many a country. I have been invited into friends houses for meals with their families, taken out for dinner, invited to bars, clubs, places to stay, camp fires, to share the drink mate, taste home made wine etc etc. The people are very proud and like to look after their appearences. Especially in Cordoba and Rosario where the people are the most beautiful I have ever seen.
There is another side though, and it took me a while to understand. I have been told that many people live for the now and not plan for the future, business is hard, people spend their money on clothes and cars, sometimes at the expense of missing meals during the week to pay for them. The monetry market in Argentina has collapsed twice before, leaving many people broke, it is no wonder that what they earn they spend straight away. This is not the case for everybody but I have been told that it is common. It is going to take a few years and a lot of confidence in the government and economy to change this mindset.
Of all the places I have visited there are two so far that I would consider living and working in for a period of time, New Zealand and Argentina. I can find many similarities between the two countries, the people and the countryside. I just need to improve my spanish for Argentina to be a real possibility for somewhere to live........
It was one of the strangest border crossings I have done. Walking across the bridge from La Quiaca in Argentina to Villazon on the Bolivian side, it was only a matter of minutes before I had gone through passport control and exchanged my left over peso´s for Boliviano´s. We had thought about getting a train to Tupiza but that was quickly thrown out as the railway line was damaged. So it had to be a coach.
We had a couple of hours to spare, and as I was starving we went in search of some food, the first on Bolivian land. Much to my surprise there was a chinese restaurant across the road, I hadn´t eaten Chinese for ages and that took my fancy. I had a 3 course Chinese meal that cost about a pound and a big bottle of tasty brown beer, I couldn´t believe my luck, I expected to be eating chicken heads and squirrels feet.
The coach was a run down old knacker of a thing, with broken windows, a noisy exhaust and dust coming in through the windows. We were climbing up into the mountains, beautiful colourful mountains, and the air was getting thinner. I had saved some coca leaves from Argentina which I chewed on, this helped my breath a lot easier.
Tupiza is a small town with not a lot going on, it is a popular base for the famous tours of the Uyuni salt flats. I wasn´t feeling so good when we arrived in the town so I planned to chill out for a couple of days, get over my bad stomach, head cold and to climatise to the altitude. Up on a mountain overlooking the town is a staute of Jesus, Corazon de Jesus, heart of Christ, that I climbed up to for the sunset. It was a very colourful sunset and the statue was lit up by lights. As soon as the sun went behind the mountains the weather turned really cold, something I would have to get used to very quickly.
Not wanting to spend all day in bed, the next morning we went for a walk towards the canons, El Cañon. On the little map the hostel had given me it was marked on 2 km´s behind the Jesus statue. Well, after walking for nearly an hour I could not see the cañon anywhere. I asked a very old tiny man which direction it was, he pointed in the direction we heading and said it was 1 to 1.5 hours more walking. What!!! I was tired, out of breath and had just run out of water, time to return to town. I was annoyed that I hadnt reached my destination.
As we were walking through the dessert I heard some shouting to my left, I turned around to see two army soldiers running towards us carrying huge guns, shouting, Militiria Zona, we had walked across the armies territory. I nearly burst out laughing when I saw how knackered the guys were, totally unfit. I pulled out my map and asked the soldier where the cañon was, he pointed in the direcion we came from. He gave me a funny look, like what was I doing here. I thanked him and carried on my way back to town, walking just on the correct side of the military zone so that he had to follow me all the way, he must have been fuming, oh did I laugh.
The third day here I spent practising Spanish with Jelena, studying my remaining course work that I had from Bariloche and getting information for the Uyuni tour. At breakfast I spoke to an Aussie couple Guy 34 and Maddy 22 that also wanted to go on the tour, great, that saves looking and we could leave the next morning. A lazy day by the pool reading, a huge healthy salad and soup and I was feeling loads better, ready to spend 5 days in a jeep! I was still partially in Argentinian time, eating late and going out until later. I fancied a beer so we went out into town, everywhere was shut by 11pm... apart from a very bad but hilarious karaoke bar. We were the only people in there, the music and video on the big screen were 30 seconds out of sinc that made it feel very surreal. What a strange town...
This is one of the best tours I have done in my life. I don´t usually like tours but this was one that would be impossible without a guide and jeep. This could turn into quiet a long blog as it was five full days of fun.....
Day 1 - We started off early on Friday morning meeting Guy & Maddy at the hostel ready for our driver Carlos and cook Esperanza to turn up. They were an hour late which wasn´t the best start but we still had plenty of time left in the day to take in everything. Within 20 mins we had left sealed roads and were bouncing around on dirt tracks, all of our luggage, fuel and equipment were on top of the jeep which made for a rocky ride. Just outside the town of Tupiza we stopped at the 4200m high Quebrada de Palala for a photo´s.
From here it was a longish drive in the Altiplano until we arrived at El Sillar (Valley of the Moon). The landscape looked like something out of a Star Wars film and was baking hot by the side of the road. Another long relaxing drive through the mountain tops listening to my mp3 and Cafe del Mar. Carlos wanted to put on some cumbia but I nipped that in the bud after 10 mins, there was no way I could sit in a jeep for 5 days listening to the same beat for hours and hours.
Carlos pulled up in the middle of a huge open deser space surrounded by llama´s, for our first lunch stop. I wasnt sure what to expect, but we were given a very tasty feast, salads, breads, llama empanada´s, fruit, drinks, etc etc. I now knew what Rich meant when he told me I would be stuffing my face for 5 days. As we continued along the windy roads within nothing in site for miles, I was astounded to see a single woman every now and again hearding small groups of animals. Where did she live, where did she get her water from as the area was totally dry, what did she eat. What an existence, it was mind blowing. I watched a man ride past on his push bike, where the bloody hell did he come from and where is he going!!!
Carlos gave us a surprise stop at his home village of Polulos, a small rustic village. All the children came to talk and play with us, stroking our arms and blonde hair. Carlos introduced us to his grandmother of 88 years who could only speak Quechuan. It was a fascinating place to see, small solar panels on the houses to supply electricity for the evenings.
Onwards and upwards we continued, I chewed on some coca leaves to help my breathing as the air was getting thinner the higher we climbed, somewhere over 4000m. A few years ago a very harsh winter had wiped out thousands of llamas, we passed a small llama cemetry made from llama bones. Another big surprise was to see a hundred or so school children playing in a desert area, it was a school outing for the area, where did all these children come from because I had hardly seen any houses the last few hours.
Our home for the first night was at San Antonia de Lipez, population of 250 and at 4620m high, and surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains. The food again was plentiful, hot and tasty, just what we needed as the temperature dropped rapidly when the sun went in. It was a proper cold. The stars that night were amazing, thousands upon thousands and perfectly clear and close enough to reach up and grab. What an amazing first day of the tour.
Day 2 - It was a very early start, 4.45am, and the stars were still out in force. The sunrise from the jeep was spectacular and I slowly came round from a borken nights sleep and ready to face the day. The first place we visited was the old 16/17th Century Ruins of San Antonia. These were taken over by the Spanish when the mineral mining of Bolivia was at its peak. I wandered around the ruined village following a Viscacha, a big rabbit type of animal with a long tale, it was too quick for me to take a photo of it.
More windy dusty paths and we came to the entrance to Reserva Nacional De Fauna Andina (Eduardo Avaroa) a bit of a mouthful. In general a huge national park with volcano´s, lakes, desert, small salt flats etc. Eduardo Avaroa was the man in charge of the army that was defeated by the Chileans when they took the port areas of Boliva. Bolivia is now land locked and cause for most of the miserable attitudes of the Bolivians.
We stopped for a stretch of the legs at lago Hedionda at an incredible 4855m, one of the highest lakes in the world. Next up was the towering Volcano Uturmurcu at 6208m. We had talked about walking up this volcano but changed to another one, more about that later. I wasnt aware that I had flamingo´s named after me, the James flamingo has black legs and tips on its wings. The stunning Lago Morejo had many for me to admire and watch as they flew past us.
The Salar de Chalviri Hot Springs was our 2nd lunch stop. This was also the first time where we encountered many other jeeps and tourists as it was the prime stop for tours running in all directions. After a very warm dip in the hot springs we stocked up on a ridiculous amount of lunch before heading off again. Near to the hot springs are a serious of natural and bizarre standing stones that looks like something out of a Dali drawing.
To end the 2nd day, and my favourite place of the tour so far was Volcano Licanbur (5950m) and the beautiful Lago Verde, green lake below. I felt so alive stood underneath the huge sky with swirling whispy clouds and the colourful lake below me. I made sure we stayed here as long as possilbe as I enjoyed the space outside the jeep and the piece and quiet from Guy, who by now I realised talks a lot of shite about nothing.
We brieflt checked out some geisers at Sol de Mañana on the way to our second home for the night, Waylljara at a very high 5000m. It was bloody freezing up there, and I mean cold. Our dinner had gone cold before we had chance to eat half of it. Not only that my bad guts were back, great timing. As soon as I had finished eating I got wrapped up into my 4 season sleeping bag and piled on as many blankets as I could find. Another great day of the tour.
Day 3 - Another early start up at 6am in the sharp cold and away before 8am. We were away before the other jeeps which was great as I hate following in the dust trails. If I thought Lago Verde was special, I was totally blown away by Lago Colorado, the redness of the lake was simply breath taking. I couldn´t have planned a better start to the day. In very high spirits we flew across the Desert of Siloli to the famous stone tree, Arbol de Piedra.
This stone was something I was looking forward to from the moment we left Tupiza. And I wasn´t dissappointed. It was more impressive in real life than on the many pictures I have seen of it. The whole area is fantastic with loads of rocks to climb and walk around and to get a proper feel for the place. It is crazy such beauty in the middle of the desert miles from anywhere. Just before I got back in to the jeep, I spotted a Bolivian woman talking to her child bang in front of the rock, a perfect photo opportunity.
For the first time in days I was feeling hungry, I put this down to being so chuffing cold the night before. We stopped at the perfect place for lunch. With the semi-active smoking Volcano Ollague (5865m) in the distance, no other tourists in site and 2 Vicuña´s walking close by. Vicuñas are like a type of deer. We found a big rock to shelter from the wind and it was really warm where we sat and ate. So much that I fell asleep for 20 mins, a power siesta before we continued on.
The scenery changed from a desert landscape into a salt flat as we entered the Salar de Chiguana. This was spectacular, I could see small pools of water reflecting that made it look like a big mirror. The views played tricks with our eyes. What we didnt expect was to get a flat tyre here. Stuck in the middle of nowhere. After a lot straining we managed to get the spare tyre from under the jeep and replaced the shattered front tyre. Within an hour we were motoring along again.
I always say pick the people you want to travel with very carefully, especially on days out and tours. To start with Guy and Maddy were fine, we got on well with them. But as the tour went on I realised that Guy is a bigotted, shite talking, racist, and annoying man. Worst of all he stinks. His pits went off after the first day, his farts nearly made everyone sick in the jeep, and I dont want to talk about his cheesy feet. There was a slight issue that he always wanted to sit in the front seats, not to want to cause an argument, I said fine, what he didnt realise was that I could open the back windows and avoid his stench!!
We had paid a few more dollars to upgrade the nights accommodation for the 3rd night, and to stay in a salt hotel. A hotel totally made out of salt. The walls, chairs, tables, beds, etc etc. It was a bizarre and amazing site. Also for the first time we had hot showers, joy o joy o joy, it was a full on hot power shower that was pure heaven. Please Guy, use the bloody thing. We were the only people staying in the hotel, so I plugged in my MP3 player into the main sound system and we enjoyed some chilled music with dinner. I treated myself to a beer. Pouring a beer at this altitude is an experience, there is more head than beer, with a few tries I managed to pour something that resembled a pint.
After dinner we rewarded with some musical entertainment by the local children. I say music, more like random slapping of drums and blowing down pipes, but it was really special. The outfits were their traditional family clothes and they were so happy to be playing. The second band was a father and 2 sons number, the father played really well and his 2 sons played pretty good pipes. We gave everyone a huge round of appluase and a good tip that they very modestly accepted from us. What a fun unexpected end to the day.
Day 4 - Another very early start at 5.30am so that we could watch the sunrise over the salt flats. It was amazing watching the sky turn many different colours. We drove across the salt flats to a small island, Incahuagi, with thousands of cactii, some over 1000 years old. The view from the top of the island across the salt flats was stunning, 100 square kilometres of salt, the biggest salt area in the world. We had breakfast by the side of the island before motoring across to the Coqueza, our home for the night, and to climb Volcan Tunupa.
After dumping our main backpacks in the dorm, and gipping at the stench of Guys feet, we ate an early lunch and set off up to the start of the trek for Volcano Tunupa (5435m). Near to the carpark where we left the jeep is a small locked cave, with the mummified remains of 6 people over 800 years old. They were still in the position they died in. It was very surreal.
Ok, so on to the trek, I had been looking forward to this for a couple of days, and was nervous at the challenge. Within a few mnutes I was out of breath because of the altitude, so I changed my stride to half and that helped. I carried on a steady slowish pace until we reached the first view point. The red mountain and green volcano looked amazing. The path got steeper and steeper. Jelena didnt feel to good so she turned back to head to the jeep. Not a great situation as she was heading back on her own as we continued.
We took a well earned break just before we started to cross the first scree slope. Getting to this rest point was tricky and hard work itself. I took on chocolate, peanuts and coca leaves to help my breathing. Crossing the scree slope, was a nightmare. I just about kept my vertigo in check, two steps forward, 1 step sliding down, 2 steps up and across, 1 down etc. I heard a big shout from behind. This is where things got interesting.....
Guy was fuming mad, why had Carlos taken us this way, didnt he know that scree slopes cause the second most deaths on mountains, and our situation was ridiculous. Maddy was freaking out because of Guy, and was nearly in tears. They wanted me toi translate. The options were, go back the way they came, carry on, or go down the scree slope. After swearing for a while they decided to go down the scree slope carefully.
I carried on across this scree slope, until we came to the second one, even steeper. I looked at the time, 4.30pm. If I was to continue we would be coming down in the pitch black with no torches, it was a f****d up situation. I said, this is getting silly, I am heading down the scree slope, foot boarding down which was fun. Carlos went to find the now steaming Guy & Maddy. I bombed along the path down rock hopping, and enjoying the space and trekking alone for the first time in ages. Eventually I rounded the lake and caught up with a tired Jelena, she was really pleased to see me as time was passing on, and we had all gone in different directions. If any one of us had fallen it would have been a real nightmare of a situation stuck up alone in the mountain side.
Despite the situation I was still really enjoying the trek. Carlos and the others caught up with us and we started walking together, Guy & Maddy now giving the silent treatment. It started to get dark and cold, we still had an hour to get to the jeep. We reached it just as the sun was setting, more beautiful skies. It was a very frosty jeep ride back to the hostel.
I knew the situation was going to kick off, instead I sloped off to enjoy a real good hot shower, a treat I had to pay for but was well worth it. When I came out, I could hear shouting, ok, here we go. Guy & Maddy were having a right go at Carlos for not being professional, taking them on a dangerous trek etc etc. They refused to eat at the table and were telling all the other guests about the nightmare on the mountain!!
After a while, they did join us for dinner. I tried to explain that this is South America and not Australia, they had only been on holiday 2 weeks. This is not a one off, this is the norm, for poor countries, they dont have ropes, telecommunications on mountains etc, the situation WAS bad, but nothing happened, which we should be glad for, and for them to expect the same if they go on more treks. I managed to calm the situaition down a bit with selective translating. Carlos, had p****d me off though I didnt let that show. He was insensitive to it all, saying that all other guides do the same and nobody had died with him. I thought YET.Anyway, the food was great, I had a glass of rum that I had been saving for 3 days and got an early night tucked up in my Barney bed sheets on a cranky old campbed. A very eventful day 4 over with.....
Day 5 - There was still a real atmosphere at breakfast. I was slightly annoyed wth Jelena for getting involved when she didnt need to, though we talked that through and that was OK. Guy and Maddy were still seething. Stuff them I thought, I am enjkoying myself and I wont see them after 6 hours time. The morning was spent in the salt flats taking loads of silly photos. With it being so pure white you can play with the perspective of objects so it looks like you are holding a jeep in your hands etc, it was great fun messing about out there. Carlos asked if we wanted to stop in the centre of the salt flats for a photo, I said great opportunity.
Guy, said, but we have already had a flat, we dont have a spare now, if another tyre goes we are...... oh shut up man. Relax and enjoy yourself, loads of other jeeps pass by. We got out and took the photo`s. We stopped at a small village on the outskirts of the salt flats for a huge lunch opposite a house made all from salt. We had to fill in a for about what we thought of the trek. Everyone left it to me as they werent talking to each other by now. I said it was a great trek apart from the dangerous trek and to make people aware of the trek before selling it to them, everyone thanked me for filling it in, how petty.
We passed men shovelling up salt for a living. For every 2kg`s of salt they make 1 boliviano, the exchange rate is 14 bolivianos to the pound!!! This has to be the hardest worst paid job in the world. I felt really sad for the guys. Carlos and Esperanza dropped of the moaning minnies near the bus station in Uyuni, and us by the cash machine so Jelena could pay them. I thanked them for the tour and wished them well. Then.... Carlos asked us for 80 b`s for guiding us on the trek, the woman in the tour office said we were not to pay anymore money, so we said no. Then Esperanza asked for my head torch which is impossible to replace, I said no, sorry, but I need it for camping. It was a sour end to the tour, we were just other tourists who they wanted to get everything out of as possible.
All in all, it was an amazing experience, some of the sites will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a shame it kicked off and the last afternoon, I could understand the situation but it was taken to far. I didnt let that spoil my trip though, it is there problem not mine.
Uyuni is a small town, not a lot going on apart from booking the trips. We stayed in a big hostel and had a huge room to ourselves which was great. I bought a bottle of Boivian red wine, which surprisingly was very good, Tarija is a wine growing region in the south of Boliva. That evening we had fantastic pizzas at the Minuteman Pizza shop, the best I have had in South America. Exhausted and stuffed full of food I went to sleep in a proper bed for the first time in ages.
There was no point staying any longer in Uyuni as it is a crappy little town, so the morning after the tour finished we took a 5.5 hour bus ride to Potosi. And what a ride it was too, Quebradas, mountains, Vicuñas, llamas, and just beautiful scenery. The bus rides in Bolivia so far have been spot on.
The main reason people visit Potosi (the worlds highest city at 4060m) is to experience the working conditions of the silver mines. This was no exception for me. We checked into a Hostel called Carlos V, which on hindsight was a mistake. The woman running it was a total battle axe, no hot water after 11am and the building echoed noises all night. Anyway....
I was exhausted walking up the stairs, my first taste of altitude, totally out of breath. Ok, small steps and walking slowly for a couple of days. We ate at a really good healthy cafe called Cafe Cultural Kaypicha then went for a walk around the San Francisco Convent which had great views of the city and some interesting catacombs. Potosi is a pretty small town, cramped roads, lots of traffic and has a claustraphobic feel to it, I wasnt particularly enjoying the place, We shared a big pitcher of La Casona cocktail, in errr, La Casona, and had an average mexican meal at Cafe4060. WIthin half a day I had visited the best restaurants.
In the morning we changed hostals to a quiet bizzare place, Hostal Compañia de Jesus. The name should give it away, an old convent with some rooms converted for backackers. It had 24 hot water and a very relaxed feel, a bit strange but I liked that. It would do for a night.
Sooooo, on to the main point of Potosi, the mine tour. We went with an excellent agency called Koala Tours which I very much recommend. We drove a short distance out of town to a small apartment where we changed out of our clothes and put on overalls, helmet with miners torch that was chuffing heavy. I bought a bandana to cover my mouth from dust. Booted and suited we made our way to the farmers market for gifts for the miners. Here we bought big bottles of soft drinks, coca leaves and 2 lots of dynamite. Yep, that is right, dynamite. Potosi is the only place in the world with no regulations for dynamite, for 2 quid I could buy a bomb. Insane.....
We rocked up to the production plant and watched silver being treated with other chemicals and run through a maze of tubes. The whole place was one big health and safety hazard, fascinating at the same time. So the formalities over, lets get on with it. Time to visit the mines. Before we entered I nearly got taken out by a passing metal trolley with 2 tonnes of rock on it, 2 men were pushing it at a hell of a rate of knotts. This would not be the first time we had to jump out of the way.
The mines are small, dark, claustraphobic, hot, sweaty and dusty. We visited Tio (Uncle Devil) dressed in all sorts, covered with gifts of coca leaves and cigs. There is a small museum that explains everything from the slave trade, to how many people die each year in the mines. More about that later. We had to crawl on our hands and knees in places to get through the tunnels, some of the steps down were a night mare, one slip and the group would all go. But we were all fine. 2 or 3 levels down we went, I lost my barings after 30 mins. The tiny men working down there were carrying up to 40kg of rocks on their backs, they are unbelievably strong for their size. One guy wanted my bandana, so I gave it to him. I was down there for 2 hours, he works down here, 2 hours of dust I could survive.
It was an experience hard to describe being down those mines. The average working life expectancy is 15 years after which most men die from dust related diseases. In the 4 months of 2008, 46 men had died down the mines already, mostly in Jan and Feb when it is the rainy season and all sorts of problems arise. It is like a lottery down there. People create co-operatives and work together, once a twice a year a group will hit a great amount of silver and be almost overnight millionaires, this is what drives the miners in the horrendous working conditions.
Back on land the tour guides made bombs with the dynamite. lit the fuse and handed it to me while he took a photo. I was standing there with a live bomb in my hand. In total they made 4 bombs and ran out into a field to plant them, and run like the clappers out of there. I waited with camera videoing, when they exploded I nearly fell over, the shock moved my internal organs. I couldnt imagine what it would be like to hear the noise down the mines. I can honestly say that it was a great tour, harsh to see people working like that but definiteiy something I am glad to have experienced.
We were pretty tired that night so had a quiet one, back to La Casona for a good feed and some Bolivian Tannat - Merlot wine that was delicious. I am stll surprised by the fact that Bolivia has some good wines. An early night as moving on to Sucre the next morning.
Sucre is the defacto capital of Bolivia, La Paz is the working capital and Sucre the governmental capital, I think I have got that the right way round! Anyway, sometimes the 2 cities have riots because that is what the Bolivians seem to enjoy most, riots and demonstrations. I am off on a tangent there....
The coach was in the afternoon so we went back to Kaypicha cafe one last time in Potosi where I had a llama sandwich, pretty dam good actually. The 4 hours drive to Sucre was another stunner, it really is a beautiful country landscape wise. I had been in touch with Rich & Alex on email over the last 4 months since we parted ways. I was thinking they would be in Sucre when I arrived there. We had been recommended a hostel Wasi Masi which is where they were staying. When we arrived we were told there was no space.
In the courtyard to the hostel I heard my name from behind, imagine my surprise when I saw Darren. I hadnt seen him since Bariloche. Good skills. Rich came down the stairs from his room and was totally surprised to see me. It had been 4 months, and it was really great to meet up again, Alex was really pleased to. Me & Jelena checked into a real nice new hostal down the road called La Dolce Vita.
After a fantastic hot shower, these things are a luxury when you have had to take luke warm showers the last few days, we went out in to the city. Proper bars for the first time in Bolivia. I had a fair few beers with the old trekking group, me, Darren, Rich & Alex, not sure where I went but I think it was El Germen, Kafe Kultura (for a curry), Bibliocafe, Salfari and ended up in a cheesy club called Mito´s. It was a big night. When 2 Unlimited was played in the club it was time for me to crash.
The next day was Saturday and for the first time these travels I went to see a football match. Sucre (1st) vbs Santa Cruz (2nd) in the top league. We got there early and sat on stone seats in the sunshine looking out at the hills in the distance. A lovely sunny day. The crowd slowly filled up, kids selling everything from chewing gum to hats walked around us. The game itself was a good one, the standard is about division 2 in England. Sucre won 3-0 with 2 good goals and one screamer from 30 yards. Santa Cruz hit the post 3 times, missed a penalty and had a man sent off. The most bizarre thing was the ref had to have a police riot squad around him to get off the pitch, the crowd hurled every available missile at him after the game. Who would be a ref. That evening we stuffed our faces with the best pizza I have had here.
Sunday was a very quiet day, we walked up Cerro Churuquella over looking the city in the late afternoon. My lungs burnt with the effort of walking uphill at this altitude and the heat of the sun. We watched the sun set over the city from the Mirador cafe with a cold beer. As soon as the sun goes in the temperature drops rapidly. Time to find a warm place to eat. Me and Darren shared a huge meat feast of a pariilla in the Plaza Restaurant. Loads of salad and wine to go with it and I was as happy as a happy person eating a happy meal served by the happiest waitress in happy town.
The weekend was over and on Monday time to move on. My bus to Samaipata was at 7pm in the evening so I had all day to sort my bags out and suff. I had a big lasagna lunch followed by an hour of playing games and colouring in with the daughter of the hostal owner before we had to get a tiny bus to the coach terminal. I nearly flattened 4 old woman with my backpack as the bus swung round a corner. The bag system confused the hell out of me at the terminal. I had already but a ticket for the coach. Then had to buy a ticket for some sort of tax to get on the platform. Then to be told to take my bags back to the office to be weighed, then I had to watch them through the system on to the bus. A bit of a faff but I suppose more secure. We left Sucre at 7.30pm stopping once early evening for dinner at a road side comedor. The set menu was chicken foot soup and a plate of rice, chips and something that resembled chicken leg.....
We arrived in Samaipata at 5.30am. Waiting by the coach was the owners of the Posada Del Sol with their car. That made life so much easier than lumping my bags around in the dark streets looking for a hostel. Darren was already here and had booked me in to his big clean twin ensuite room. The hostel location is perfect, a big garden, terraces and hammocks looking out to the surrounding mountains. After getting over the confusion about having ti pay for the previous night even though I checked in at 6am, we split the difference the owners were very friendly and helpful. I grabbed a couple of hours sleep and woke at lunch time.
Samaipata is a very small town, 5000 people, and is off the beaten track. Beautiful settings, lots of European restaurants, it is a good place to retire, and a laid back feel. Just what I wanted after the hustle and bustle of Potosi and Sucre. I had a fantastic lunch at Latina Cafe, a huge healthy chicken salad and half a bottle of Chablis, for less than 4 quid. We watched Liverpool and Chelsea play the Champions league semi. Near to the end a rather strange peg legged Buddhist came into the hostel. I had a quick talk with him and went for a look around his place, thinking I might do a meditation course. After 30 mins I found him up his own arse, biggotted, not really interested in me other than do I have 2000 dollars to pay for his solar panneled roof on his new monastry. Hmmmm, not really the Buddhist mentality I have seen in South East Asia.
We returned to Latina Cafe for nibbles and wine in the evening and me and Darren sat up on the view point over the town just by our hostel. Drinking Cuba Libre and putting the world to rights, I do love those evenings. It was a short stumble down the hill back to our hostel.
For some strange reason I set my alarm at silly o´clock and got up to watch the sunrise from my balcony. It was partly cloudy so gave off some good colours. Then the sun sort of went in and had a second sunrise. Pretty bizarre but fun to watch. I had a very lazy day for a change, reading my book. watching a video and generally contemplating my navel. The 5 of us went to Chakana´s for dinner after sunset and stayed in their for the evening, it had a real fire and was probably the warmest place in town.
By now I was enjoying doing nothing. More reading, dinner and lunch at Tierre Libre run by a friend of the hostal owner. The lasagna was fantastic and just what I fancied. OK, so I had been here for 3 days now and done nowt. The next day I was in the mood for a wander. Me and Rich walked out of town to the Monkey Sanctuary. It was the first time we had been walking alone and had loads of funny stories to share and catch up with, not to be printed here!!!! The monkey zoo was great fun, loads of wild birds, monkeys running around and jumping on me, funny pigs and other creatures that I couldnt put a name too.
There is a Ducth run campsite and herb garden not far from the centre of town that we ate at for lunch, again really good healthy food. On a roll now and feeling full of beans I wanted to do something else in the afternoon. Me, Darren and Jelena took an hour taxi ride to Las Cuevas and to the waterfalls there. There are 3 seperate falls within walking distance. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, I stood under all of them getting my shoulders stung from the power of the water. It was bloody refreshing I tell thee. We had been told that Tierre Libre do the best pizzas in town, I always have to test the best pizzas in town. Unfortunately for us, the pizzas were half cold, soft and floppy, not top notch cuisine, oh no missus.
Somehow it had got back to Saturday and the weekend, not that makes a difference, everyday is a weekend when you are travelling and not working. Call me a git if you want, but its true. Today was the big day, or as big as it gets in Samaipata. We hired a mini van to take us the 3 hour drive to La Pajcha falls, some big fallens hidden away in the countryside somewhere. I sat in the front, the passenger side, or was it. The steering wheel had been removed from my seat and fixed into the other side, what a bodge job if I ever saw one. Still the driver was good and the car handled the huge creveaces perfectly.
We stopped at what I thought was a ghost town. An old man sat on his chair looking out into space, this is what I think is the Bolivians other favourite past time other than rioting. I suppose they need to conserve their energy for the yearly ruck. Anyway, we had a quick walk around the small square, huge colourful plants somehow lived amongst the dying cactii. I saw a piglet feed on his mother lying in the street whilst a donkey looked on. Priceless.
The falls were pretty good, not as big as I expected but high and powerful enough so that I couldnt stand under them, I got pretty close though and enjoyed swimming in the very fresh water. We spent an afternoon sunbathing and picnic`ing, is that a word! by the waters. The way back was better because we got to see down the valleys to the town and watch condors fly over head. When we got back to the hostal a full on kids birthday party was in full flow, sound system and everything. It was the daughters birthday party and her girly friends were there. The prize competition was a group dance to some sort of pop cumbia song that they kids had practiced moves to. Seriously, kids that age should not be allowed to watch MTV with the moves they were doing. We quickly looked away embarrassed and got out of there, the Dad was left bemused, he had to judge the best dance group, what a nightmare situation.
I tell you what I think is a great Boilivian idea. The kids have the party in the afternoon and then the parents have theirs in the evening. We were invited to join in drinking the pretty lethal punch and eat some great food supplied by Tierre Libre ( I will forgive the painful pizza from the night before) I enjoyed watching the locals slowly get plastered. The Bolvians love to drink, especially the 95% proof firewater the miners all drink. I tried a sip and it nearly took the skin lining off my mouth. They are hardcore booze nutters when in the mood.
The hostal owner was starting to gibber hilarious shite and slur his words. We thanked him and made our excuses to leave, stopping for a drink at the German run bar Landhaus. This is a nice bar with a good selection of drinks, Darren chose a piña colada because he hadnt tried one, her looked so funny drinking it, lots of piss taking poor lad. IN the corner is a tiny dancefloor which 3 local girls started doing the MTV hip roll thing!!! There was nobody else in the pub or interested, it is a strange country. We checked out the nightlife in Melody, 2 people dancing whilst the rest sat with head in hands drunk. A quick drink then we were gone.
Feeling fit and healthy again after some walking and swimming me and Darren went for a good hike over the mountains that we could see from the hostel. It was a perfect day for trekking, sunny and with a slight breeze. The views of the over side of the peaks were fantastic. We wanted to do a loop as neither of us like walking back the same route. The valleys stopped us going the obvious route so we though about off roading it and making our own way. Then I had a thought, this is Bolivia, who knows what could be growing in these mountains, well I do know, but wouldnt like to be found wandering through a dodgy field by some uzi wielding local. After a brief chat we decided to go back the way we came. 5 mins after this decision, a kid with a machete as long as his legs and 3 gnarly dogs appeared out of nowhere, a wise decision not to go trespassing. As this was our last night in Samaipata we returned one last time to Latina Cafe for salad and chablis.
Samaipata is a little haven. A perfect place to rest up, relax, eat well, see waterfalls, inca ruins, cheeky little monkeys, meditate at a strange Buddhists sanctuary, drink plenty of wine and enjoy the climate. One of my favourite places in South America. Tomorrow on to Santa Cruz for an information gathering exercise. I am not at all excited about Santa Cruz, in fact it is with slight reluctance but a necessity that I am going.
We, that is me, Darren and German guy and his Mexican girl friend, hired a taxi to drive us the 3 hours to Santa Cruz. The taxi was batterred, I mean how it drives I have no idea. The driver was, how can I put it, shit. Really bad steering, and appeared to be not on this planet. The road to Santa Cruz was pot holey like crazy, and even though I was sat in the front I was thrown about which gave me a bad headache. I knew going to Santa Cruz was not going to be fun, still I kept calm and got on with it.
As we drove in to the city, I just wanted to turn back round and return to Samaipata. It is always difficult returning to a big city after spending time in the quiet and peaceful countryside. Santa Cruz is an ugly city, it was horrible driving into it. The taxi driver dropped us off somewhere at the edge of town, so me and Daz had to take another taxi.
We had been recommended a good hostel, Jodanga, and gave the taxi driver the address. It took him bloody ages to find it, driving all around small streets asking the local people. Bolivian taxi drivers are a joke, none of them seem to know any street names or places. I made sure I agreed a price before we set off, otherwise it could get interesting. Eventually he found the hostel and we checked into an 8 bed dorm. As luck would have it, Jelena was in the same hostel and dorm too.
The reason for coming to Santa Cruz ( uncomfortably humid today) was an information gathering exercise, for a potential trek into the North East of Bolivia and the jungle of Noel Kempf National Park, and I wanted information on boat rides from Trinidad and the jungle there. We walked to the libray for NK info, to be told that the office had moved 30 mins taxi out of town, but I picked up a leaflet. After a few phone calls I got the information we needed. It wasnt good. The road into the NK NP was blocked by falling trees and floods, the only way in is to fly and that is 1000 USD. Bugger. I also got info on the river tour 500 USD for 5 days, bugger again, that would totally wreck my by now strained budget.
Yep, Santa Cruz was living up to my expectations as a pain in the arse. OK, so what, I am here, it is a city, they must have good food etc. Me and Darren went to Cafe 24 for nachos and a beer. Above this bar is Torra, where we had another beer and watched a really bad 3 piece Brazilian band play rubbishly. Half an hour of that and I had enough. The most fun of the day was drinking wine in the hostel and chatting to the other tourists in there until the early hours.
Things were only to get...... the heavens had opened up over night and had continued into the morning. The streets were flooded. I wanted to buy a bus ticket out of here so walked in the storm to the bus station, only to be told that they cant sell me a ticket for Thursday and to go back tomorrow. Great. I went to a sandwich shop for lunch, only to be given the wrong food, wrong price etc. A song by the Streets ran through my head.
"Today, I have achieved absolutely nowt"
"I`d have done more, staying in, not gone out"
I was soaked to the skin, bus ticket less, sandals covered in crap dragged up from the sewers and flooded streets, not satisfied with my sandwich and it was only gone midday. The only thing for it, hole up in the hostal and wait for the rain to end. I watched Man U beat Barcelona 1-0 in the Champions league and Casino Royal on DVD. The rain was still banging down. Sod this, I was hungry and wanted a Mexican.Me and Darren walked in the cold wet and windy rain to the restaurant. At least it was warm in there, and reasonably cheap. I treated myself to Corona`s, a chimichanga and a big burrito. That will do. We walked back in the rain again as everybody in the city were using the taxis. Once dry I watched another good movie, Blood Diamonds and got my head down.
It was now the end of May, on the 4th of June Santa Cruz were having a referendum against the state so that they keep all there taxes for them selves and not have to hand it out to the rest of the country. What that means is, they are expecting a full on riot in the city between 4th and 6th of June, another good reason to get out of here. I woke up in the morning in agony, serious stomach cramps and pains. Aggghhhhh, this chuffing city. I was really ill, and still had to buy my bus ticket.
I returned to the bus station, wading through the still flooded streets to be told that buses werent running on Thursday, 1st May, it is a national holiday. I really didnt want to wait until the weekend, so I had to get an overnight bus the same day, stomach cramps and all. Bloody hell. I managed to get back to the hostel without doubling up and slept for a while. Watched Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 and said goodbye to Jelena. We were going seperate directions for the first time in 6 weeks. I got to the bus station at 6.30 for the 7pm bus. Up to now all the buses have been bang on time. The one occassion I really didnt want the coach to be late, yes, you guessed it, it arrived at 9.45pm..... It was a terrible bus, cracks in the windows, I woke up in the night with no feeling in my legs. Goodbye Santa Cruz, and good bloody riddance.....
My God, that bus was cold, I now understand why people bring on huge thick blankets to cover themselves up. It was freezing inside. After an uncomfortable 14 hours I arrived in the capital city of La Paz, a total mad house of a place. A bit like Bangkok or Phnom Penh, hustle and bustle everywhere. I had been recommended the hostel Loki to stay in, so I rocked up there and dumped my bag in a 5 bed en-suite dorm.
Within less than an hour of my arriving in La Paz as I was going on a tour, an unofficial one to the San Pedro prison to have a look around and speak to some of the inmates. It cost a princely 200 Boliviano`s to get in which goes to paying off the guards. We were led around the small part of the prison, 120 inmates, that have more money to avoid the carnage 1200 peope area, I didnt get to see this side, and I wouldnt want to, I doubt I would get out in 1 piece.
We were shown the mucky showers, gym, a pool and games room run by an inmate who takes a percentage of any betting in there, the guides room, he has PS2, DVD, tv, stereo etc, he must be well connected. We were shown a 3 story rooms, this man runs the show and I have been told he was Pablo Escobar`s right had man, the main Colombian cocaine dealer. This man is the guy that the other inmates go to if they have a problem or need anything. It was so fascinating and also pretty edgy in there, but we were safe. After a good luck around we were invited upstairs to the room of the man organising the tours.
He explained how things worked in the prison, between the two sides, people coming and going. There are many shops and it is like a self contained town. On the other side is a cocaine making factory, the guy was selling what he said would is the purest cocaine available for 1.50 pounds a packet. I watched as a few of the group got stuck into it, drinking brandy and smoking ready made joints. What a bizarre situation to see inside a prison. The book Marching Powder is based on this prison and I believe that a film is being made about it very soon starring Brad Pitt.
What a welcome to this crazy city. My guts were still giving me pain so I went for a lie down. This is when I realised I was in a serious party hostel and sleep is a luxury. I rested for a couple of hours and went into the Loki bar around 8pm. It was mental, music blaring, thick with smoke, people already really drunk and a few wired. I went to the bar to get a beer and was given a tequila shot and some other shooter before I was served, this was going to be a fun night. There was a pub quiz that was pretty hilarious that took us through happy hour, a pint of vodka and orange or rum and coke for 80p. Dangerous. When the hostal bar shut at 1am I went to a pretty seedy underground bar, Cafe 36 with a few friends. This was definitely sketchy but a good laugh after beers, cocktails and shooters. I left in the early hours, only to realise once I had got back to my hostel that I had left my fleece, hat and gloves in Cafe 36. My friend he was going straight back there and would pick them up. I saw him at 2pm the next day, he hadnt been back, they were no being worn by some local. What a crazy first day here.
I hardly got a wink of sleep as people were coming and going in the dorm, cleaners outside, my head pounding and my stomach still not good. I changed dorms into a 8 bed dorm with no bathroom, it was upstairs and off the main area so was quieter. I very hopefully went back to 36 to see if my fleece was there, the man said it is my problem not his, what else did I expect. I did have a really good set lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Pagoda, loads of food and a glass of wine for 2.50, Bolivian is so cheap at times. I spent the evening back in the bar slowly drinking a beer to get rid of the hangover. Somebody was telling me about Viviennes, possibly the seediest place in town. Others said dont go it is proper horrible, other people said it had to be seen to be believed. I had to find out for myself.
Me, Brooke, Dave and Nikki from the Loki took a taxi there, to a small metal door in an underground car park looking place, sketchy. A very haggered looking Vivienne opened the door. She used to be the number 1 prostitue in La Paz and has had more plastic surgery than Cliff Richard and Joan Collins put together, she looked a right mess. The first thing that struck me when I entered was the stench of cat pee. Oh my word, I was nearly gipping. We were ushered from behind the bar into a very seedily lit lounge area, stains everywhere, the bloody cat running around, dirty sofa´s and a couple of rooms off the area with huge beds. Vivienne asked me if I wanted to buy cocaine or sleep with her daughter!!! What. I saw her daughter, a 30 year younger looking version of herself. I just want a beer thanks, and a quick one at that. We werent in there more than 10 or 15 mins, and that is 9 or 14 too many. This place had to be seen to be believed, never again for me.
It was still reasonably early so I went to Orange, a night club. It was full of gringo`s, mostly 18 to 20 year olds from the South of England. It was pretty crap to be honest, I had a couple of beers and left just before the close. When I got back to my dorm bed, I slept for what felt like the first time in days.
It was Saturday by now, Thursday and Friday had been pretty mental in the hostal. I had to get out and have a look around the city. I headed up behind San Francisco church to the famous Witches Markets where you can buy all sorts of clothes made from Alpaca wool, gifts, pretty much all sorts. I replaced my lost hat, gloves and fleece for about 10 pound. My fleece is really heavby and just what I need to keep me warm at night, the temperature is warm during the day and drops below freezing at night. All this shopping had made me hungry. I ate a very healthy and tasty almuerza, lunch at Mora Mora, pasta soup, salad, rice, chips, chicken and dessert for 1 pound, this is great.
In the hostel that night was a short shorts party, a free cocktail for everyone wearing, err, short shorts. I think the idea was thought up by the guys behind the bar to see lots of womens legs, it is ironic that they were almost the only ones wearing short shorts. The night flew by again with pints of spirits and mixers. Went to Orange after Loki, it was the usual crap, me and Mike (Ethiopia) had enough and went to Mongo`s, another club. We are both 34 the crowd tonight was averaging 19. Mongo`s was a little better, I got talking to a couple of locals and suggested is there another bar. We walked around the corner and I bumped into Oliver, a mad English man, 34, who runs Olivers Bar and Travels. He has been here for 4 or 5 years and is a proper alchy.
So the four of us went to a small bar around the corner, Mike had wandered off somewhere. For the first time in a few days I was speaking Spanish again, or trying to. At 3 am in the morning after a few drinks, my Spanish is very ropey at best. Still it was a change of scene and hilarious listening to Olivers drunken tales of debauchery in La Paz. The 2 who were with us left so I got talking to another group of people at the table next to us. There was Vivianka who lives in La Paz, her sister and a gay Italian guy. Thankfully they could speak some English so the conversation was easier. The Italian guy told how Bolivia isnt exactly welcoming of gays and he has to keep a low profile to avoid trouble, but there is still a scene and he likes it here. Fair enough. It was almost light again when I got home. People were right, Loki is not good for the health.
The next morning was Sunday 4th May. The Santa Cruz referendum day, there were lots of protests and demonstrations on the main street of La Paz, thankfully all peaceful, what I watched anyway. I had planned to meet up with a friend during the day, but didnt get out of bed until the afternoon. I ate a good roast beef dinner in the hostel that my body thanked me for. I told myself I was having a quiet and early night. Yeah right. I sat in a dorm that was having a mini party, happy hour came and went, ended up back in Mongo`s, then Cafe 36. I have to get out of this hostal, the partying is taking its toll, I am not 20 any more.
My body was feeling it by now, the altitude, late nights, bad stomach, and noisy hostal so lack of sleep was catching up big time. I got some anti-biotics from a pharmacy for my guts and got out of the hostel for as big as part of the day as possible. I sat in an internet cafe for a few hours catching up on emails. It did me good to switch off and use my brain again. The evening was great. A group of us went out to eat at a restaurant called Traffic. The best food I have had in La Paz. Everything from Thai, Turkish, fusion Asian etc. And, it is a big AND, the food came HOT. Yes HOT. Being served hot food in Bolivia is a major issue, often I have sent food back. AND, the 9 dishes all came at the same time, incredible. The food was excellent, and so was the Glenfiddich that I treated myself too. I enjoyed a normal, civilised evening with intelligent conversations for the first time in ages.
I felt half normal again after a steady evening and a relaxing morning. I met up with Andrew who lives here in La Paz, in the afternoon and we went for a walk up to Killi-killi mirador. It was a slow breathless uphill walk, I am so unfit now after my stomach upset, feel so week and strenghtless. The views from the mirador of the city are spectacular, the towering Mt Illimani (6403m) in the distance. La Paz city is incredible, it is a big bowl, shops and city in the middle, houses built on the slopes of the mountains all around. You can still see loads of quebradas and mountain sides, it is a stunning site.
I got an email from Rich & Alex that they had arrived in La Paz at Hostal Blanquita. We met up with each other and went for a great curry at Star of India. The Vindaloo here is stupid. I mean seriously stupidly hot, a small bit took my face off, it is impossible to eat. We bought a dish between us for a laugh, it is funny, but you cant eat it. I went back to the Loki to meet up with the friends I had made there. They were in a serious mess, been partying for 4 or 5 days solid and looked like zombies, a real state. I had to get out of this hostel. That night a very smelly guy was sleeping above me, his feet nearly made me sick. No sleep again that night.
As soon as I was awake in the morning I went over to look at the hostal RIch & Alex were staying in, it is quiet, with a midnight curfew, they had a big twin ensuit room that I could have for cheaper than my 8 bed dorm in Loki. My way out.... I returned to Loki, packed, left messages for my friends on the notice board and escaped, I was so happy to have my own space and to catch up with R&A again. I had a very healthy lunch of a massive fruit salad, nuts, raisens and yoghurt and loads of water, starting to feel better.
In the afternoon we went up to the cemetry area and took a 1.5 hour bus to the impressive Inca ruins of Tiwanaku. It was so good to be out of the city and in wide open dessert space. The ruins were good fun to walk around, my favourites were the stone faces in the Temple Semi-subterraneo. We sat near the portal of the sun and ate lunch. The museums here were very informative and the second site of Puma Punku had huge slaps of stone. Nobody knows how they got there as the closest place that these stones could have originated from is 40km´s away over huge mountains. The locals believe divine interventation helped!
We tried a local vegetarion place for dinner, it was a bad choice. It tasted pretty awful and I still dont know what veg we ate, I have to try these things. It didnt cost much which was a good thing. I returned to see a friend in Loki, they were in a real bad way, I suggested they get out of there for a while. On my way out I bumped into Jelena who had just checked in, a nice surprise. I wanted some me time so picked up a bottle of red wine on the way home. The door to the hostel was shut, so I rang the bell, and again, and again, it was not even 11pm. Eventually a miserable looking woman opened the door.
I was without water but there was a fridge full in reception. I asked for a large bottle of water, the woman said she didnt have the key to the fridge. I asked, who has the key. The manager I was told. When is he back?. Later. How long later? I need water. Then..... she dissappeared behing the desk and go the key out of a draw and opened up the fridge, and gave me the bottle..........
It was 6b´s, I had a 10 note. She said, `I dont have change`. Neither do I, I can pay in the morning or you can put it on my room tab. No. I cant do that she said. OK, but I have no change, I am not paying 10 for it. Oh, she said. All this was in Spanish. So, I stood there and looked at her not saying anything. Then.... she went back behind the desk, opened the draw, in their was the key for the small change box in the fridge that had 4 b´s change for me.... Agggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh. This is so typical of Bolivia, some people are sooooooooooo lazy. With water and change in hand I sat in my room reading, writing and sipping a glass of wine.
When....... will I get a good nights sleep. My room was next to the main road and was bloody noisy, the windows did not trap the noise out. Also I woke up bloody freezing in the night. Oh well, I would be leaving La Paz the next day. We, me, R&A went to the closest big supermarket in the morning to by food for a few days trekking and camping. A good lunch at El Teraza, an afternoon of packing and splitting my bags for camping. A huge salad in the good and healthy 100% Natural, an early night and ready for another adventure. We had a 6.15am bus to catch the next day to Sajama....... After a very eventful 8 nights in this mad house of a city, a fun and extremely interesting one, I was heading back into the mountains, and I couldnt wait......
Up dead early to pack and leave my non trekking things in the hostal. I could hear some sort of commotion outside, I looked out of my bedroom window to see a small fight going on, 2 guys were checking the other for weapons. When I say fight, they like to push each other around a lot and the couple of punches were lame, which is a good thing I suppose.
Without much problems we were on the 6.15 bus. I snoozed off a few times, waking up to stunning snow capped mountains and moonscapes in the altiplano. 3.5 hours after leaving La Paz the coach dropped us off at the side of the main road. It was then we realised our situation. We had been left at the junction to the tiny village of Sajama, 11km´s walk away. Hmmmm. After a brief chat, Rich decided to stay with our backpacks whilst me and Alex walked the 2kms up the road to Lagunas. Here we fortunately managed to find a minibus that would takes into Sajama. The driver drove to the border of Chile at Tambo Quemado first to pick up another passenger, then we returned to pick up Rich and the bags and drove the very bumpy path into Sajama. I had a bizarre conversation with a Bolivian about the import of Volvo trucks from US into Bolivia.
We had to pay to enter the park, why I dont know, just greasing the pockets of the locals as the park doesnt need any maintenace. It is a tiny village, a small church, a few houses, a couple of hostels and park office. The amazing Nevado Sajama (6542m) over looking the town, and in the distance Volcanoes Parinacota (6350m) and Pomerape (6240m). We looked at the hostels and camping possibilities, brrrr, and decided to stay in Hostal Oasis. A basic place, but we could cook on our camping stoves in the restaurant area for free. I had a big room outside, and it is cooooold.
We quickly got our day bags together, including bathing gear and towels. Oh yes, Sajama is the highest point in Bolivia but amazingly there are hot springs to bathe in below the mountain. It was a long 8km walk and at times we had to stop to catch our breath. Not only is high altitude at 4200m, but the air is really dry too. Thankfully at the hot springs there are 2 stone shelters to get changed in. As for the hot springs, WOW. They were the perfect temperature to bathe in for ages. We poured ourselves a rum & coke and lay back looking up to the magical mountains. What a fantastic place. Bolivia really does have some of the most amazing scenery. We must have been bathing for an hour before it was time to head back, warm and a little tipsy.
We decided to walk back a different way, cutting across streams, tundras, boggy areas, and generally all over the shop, it was a more direct route but took the same time. I found an old lantern on the floor, I was dissappointed a genie didnt pop out when I rubbed it !! We returned to town just in time for sunset, Nevado Sajama shone bright white and the surrounding mountains were covered in pinks and purples. As soon as the sun set, the temperatute got really really cold. We cooked early and I and got into my bed for around 9, I was shattered from the lack of sleep, travelling, trekking, hot springs and freezing cold.
I had a big lie in the next morning, there was no way I was leaving the warmth of my bed until the sun was beaming down on my windows. A very nice slow and steady start to the day, after a late breakfast we set off in a different direction to find the hot geysers here. It was another 8 or 9km walk and took 2 hours, it was a dull walk until we reached the valley between the mountains and the geysers themselves.
It was definitely worth the walk. Bubbling pools of different depths, colours, sizes and jets flying up all over the place. We were tired from the walk so sat by a big rock for a wind block and ate lunch watching the geysers play. We followed the stream back down passing two local woman washing there clothes in the hot water. The walk back was mostly downhill and easier, we chatted about how we are looking forward to Richy Heald coming out to Peru at the end of June. This is going to be such good fun.
The sunset that night was spectacular, much more colourful than the previous night. Life up here is harsh, I mean to live and survive in this climate is seriously hard work. The 3 young children in the hostel have red rosy cheeks from the sun and wind. My nose was already peeling and felt like it was going to fall off!!! Today was Saturday, we wanted to move on the next morning, but the only bus was at 5am and expensive, how would I get around this, I hate early starts......
Also staying in our hostel in Sajama are 2 German guys who are planning to climb Nevado Sajama, the crazy nutters. I had chat with them and they very kindly offered to give us a lift to the main road, where we hoped to catch a bus into Chile. They dropped us off around 9 in the morning so it wasnt to cold and we waited.....
We kept ourselves warm and occupied by kicking a small piece of rubber tubing around that bounced in all random directions and provided us with much laughter, small things eh!! We only had to wait 30 mins before a coach stopped for us, a really comfortable one at that too. It took ages to get through the border control. Bolivia`s biggest or 2nd biggest export is cocaine. The border police have a hard job to do. Also Chile dont accept any fruit, or milk products coming into their country. Alex went through the check first. She had 3 limes in her main backpack, they found them and she had to take them out. Me and Rich had 3 each too. She whispered back that it would be easier if we took them out. So we did. Put them in our pockets and went straight through.
What a mockery, they were checking the big suitcases and backpacks, but there is no check for people, no walking through scanners or metal detectors, or anything. You got to love these countries sometimes, they crack me up.
What we were doing this week is bordering on the insane. Dropping from 4200m in Sajama, to sea level in Arica back up to 4500m at Chungara, all in 7 days.
This is the second time I have been in Chile. I was at the southern most city of Punta Arenas and of course Torres del Paine back in Nov last year. Now I was at the northern most city 6 months later. Missing out the entire rest of Chile, a trip for another time maybe. Arica is..... how can I put it.... a shit hole. Walking around the streets was like looking at a war torn city trying to put itself back together. Rich told me this was typical of a lot of towns in Chile. Beautiful countryside, mountains and the Andes, but the towns have a lot to be desired. It is a strange country. We arrived on Sunday afternoon, mothers day. Loads of men were stumbling around drunk, the town had an edge to it.
We checked into a triple room, Hostal Las Palmas, basic but it had a hot shower and I did some good bartering so got the room cheaper, I do enjoy a good barter. We put our beach clothes on and walked to the north beach, playa Chinchorro. We walked along a train track that was covered in rubbish. In fact there was rubbish everywhere, the beach was not clean. As we dropped down to the beach and close to the sea, I saw a sight that I will never forget.
Just to the side of us was a huge huge woman, wearing a light pink cotton tracksuit waddling on the beach. She started mummbling something totally non coherent at us, then shouting and walking towards us. As I turned around to look, I was totally shocked. She had peeed herself all down her front, and the front of her tracksuit pants wer stained in brown and red. The poor woman. I dont know why I am writing this, I suppose it is to get a feel that there is real hardship and experiences out here as well as the good. I didnt understand what she was saying and to be honest I didnt want to get close to her. It was a horrible situation. We continued up the beach.
For a beach resort, it was cold. I lasted 30 mins before I had enough and wanted to get warm again. A hot shower, plenty of layers, hat and gloves and we went out for dinner. We found a local eatery that had a 3 course meal for not much money, salad, soup and a chicken and rice thing.
Next morning we spent food shopping, not only for lunch and dinner but for camping and trekking again. The local market was excellent for fruit and veg and the supermarket had enough trekking gear. Rich & Alex went back to Chinchorro for an afternoon of sunbathing, I was in the mood for a good walk. I headed south of the town, past the huge headland with Christ statue and past playas El Laucho and La Lisera. I really enjoyed strolling along the beaches in the sunshine, watching the fishermen and birds in the sea. My mind was far away from the scruffy town 2 miles away.
The evening was very relaxing. We had fine wine and cheese on the roof top terrace of the hostel and watched the sunset over the town. We shared a huge salad for dinner and played dice. We had to be up early the next morning to catch a 7am bus to Putre.
The taxi came early, and it was only 10 mins to the stop for the bus to Putre. We had an hour to wait in the cold. The sunrise was great and the time did fly by, 7am we were sat on the coach and leaving this depressing town. Half of the people on the bus were military going to another barrack. I fell asleep on the bus only to wake up with a stunning view. We had climbed up above the clouds. The clouds were trapped between the mountains and it looked like a big bed of cotton wool.
The ride to Putre was breathtaking, huge valleys and mountains, windy roads, a turned over truck which wasnt to clever but a great ride in all. Putre is back up at 3600m, my body didnt know what hit it. I had got used to the altitude of Sajama, and had been slowly getting fitter and stronger after my bad guts. I was out of breath after 30 seconds walking with my back pack. We booked into Hostel Cali. My room was a childs room with noddy books and funny wallpaper. It would do for one night, and it was warm enough.
I went for a short walk up the hill, not a lot going on really but it was some exercise. The library had free internet that I took full use of. The town is quiet so I sat and read my book for a while, enjoying the tranquility. I sat in the plaza and watched the sunset, I do this a lot these days. The cloud formations were fascinating, at altitude sometimes I feel I could reach up and grab them.
Dinner was soup and pitta breads, I had bought trekking food so was going to eat it regardless, on a budget these days.Rich & Alex had been down to CONAF, the park office and had half arranged for the head man to give us a lift the next day to Lago Chungara in his jeep.
Another lazy morning in Putre, a hearty cazuela for lunch. A meet and veg soup, warm and filling. At 3pm the CONAF man took us in his jeep to the Refugio at Lago Chungara. It was a very pleasant hours drive and I got to practice some Spanish with him for the first time in a few days. We had talked about camping, Alex wasnt feeling very well and it was cold outside, I mean proper cold. There was room in the refugio for us, and it will be closed tomorrow so we decided to stay in the refugio. A canadian girl called Kathy was also in the refugio.
The 4 of us climbed up the hill beside the refugio and had great views of the perfectly formed volcano and Lago Chungara (4500m). My God, when the wind blew it was cold. We didnt hang around outside to long and returned to the shelter of the Refugio. It was bloody cold in there too. A big bowl of hot pasta helped warm me up until the fire was lit. We sat around playing dice for a while before the fire started to fail. Time to get layer up and get to sleep.
Coming on this trip to Sajama, Arica and now Chungara was Rich & Alex´s idea, they invited me along so I obviously I accepted. Alex had been really ill in the night so she and Rich were returning back to La Paz the next morning. I was staying, going for the trek and to camp outside. I felt a little guilty that I was doing their idea and they had to return to La Paz. Still, I was going to enjoy it as much as I could.
Pitching my tent was a nightmare. There was no ground for my tent pegs to go into. I had to batten down the top sheet with rocks. Not ideal for a windy environment. My backpack inside gave enough weight so that my tent wouldn`t fly away, hopefully. I set off walking around the stunning lake. Passing all different types of birds, llama`s, vicunas etc. It was so peaceful navigating the turns in the lake and crossing over sand dunes. I carried on walking until I reached the other lake 2 hours from my tent. I forget the name but it was beautiful. I sat down and ate my lunch watching the birds play fight with each other in the lake. I had a slow and enjoyable walk back almost the same route.
As I returned to my tent, Guillarme the little old man at the kiosk told me about another viewpoint. I crossed over the road, scrambled over some rocks and sat down at the corner so I could see both sides of the lake. I was drifting away with my thoughts when I caught a movement in the corner of my eye. I turned slowly and noticed that a viscacha had hopped down onto a rock near me. Wow, this is the first time I had seen once since Uyuni. I carefully got my camera out and managed to capture a shot before he scuttled away. What good luck.
The sun was still out at 4.30 so I sat on the wooden bench next to my tent and wrote my diary and enjoye the view, my thoughts drifting all over the place. So chilled here, the mountain and lake are up there with the best views I have seen in South America. All of a sudden I could feel the cold coming. Time to get some food on. I was allowed to cook in a small wooden outdoor shed round the back of the refugio so the wind wouldnt play havoc with my stove. Cooking took ages, things take longer to boil up at 4500m, Lake Chungara is one of the highest bodies of water in the world. After a massive portion of pasta I washed up in freezing cold water, my fingers going numb. 7 pm, and time to get into my tent.
I watched a movie on my mp3 player and drunk some rum and orange that I had been saving. At the time it was a great idea. Wrapped up in every item of clothing I had, hat, gloves, 2 fleeces, ski socks I drifted off nicely to sleep. But. I woke up suddenly at 2.30am. My head was banging and I was dry as a dessert. I only had a little bit of water, oops. I turned on my head torch to discover that the condensation in my tent had frozen. It was minus 6 or 7 degrees outside. Thankfully I managed to get some sleep and waited for the sun to hit my tent before getting up.
I was told there was a market fair going on at 9 in the morning at the border crossing and there should be plenty of people driving past that I could maybe hitch with. I was knackered in the morning and by the time I had packed up my tent it was 10am. I sat by the side of the road for 3 hours before a car stopped. It was a retired chief of police from Santiago on holiday with his wife and they were visiting ex work colleagues on the border. Pretty handy. He dropped me off at the Chilean border control so I could get my passport stamped. I had no way of getting to the Bolivian check point 10 miles away. Check this. The guy who gave me a lift spoke to one of the guards and asked if he would take me to the Bolivian check point, he said yes. This could be fun.
As I came out of passport control, the main coach to La Paz was at the door. Instead of my police escort I took the comfortable coach back. I thanked the police guys and was on my way with conventional transport, a police escort would have been more fun I think. It was Friday afternoon when I hit El Alto and the traffic stunk. I could see a big group of people so I thought another demo. Instead a motorbike lay on the ground, with a very dead driver sprawled in the road. The police and people were just watching and doing nothing, what a surprise. Further along the road I saw a minibus full of people with about 10 live sheep strapped on to the roof, it was most bizarre.
I returned to Hostal Blanquita to find a note from Rich and Alex saying that they have moved hostel, to around the corner at El Solario. I quickly went there and caught them at the door. They had had a couple of items of clothing stolen from Blanquita and had moved. There was a huge single free so I booked that, retrieved my left luggage from Blanquita and checked in. I was starving, really hungry. We went for an Italian up the road, a great ravioli and garlic bread with white wine. 30 mins after, I was hungry again and went to 100% Natural for a massive sandwich, that did the job. The cold and altitude had taken it out of me. I slept like a log that night.
It was Saturday and the biggest festival in La Paz. The Gran Poder festival, a bit like a mini Rio or Nottinghill Carnival. I went out in the morning heat and watched the colourful parade walk by. Everyone was doing the same dance that I found strange. The outfits were amazing, so much work had gone into each one, I found that surprising as it is such a poor country and the quality was high. Big bands trailed behind the dancers blaring out stomping music.
I met up with Vivianka for lunch at Alexander Coffee for a very tasty asian salad. I chatted with her for 3 hours in Spanish finding out all sorts of fascinating information about Bolivia. Like, when there is a road accident the police more often than not rob the victims pockets and watches, it had happened to her mother!! There is a lack of quality donuts in La Paz so she is working on opening a donut shop!!! I was absolutely drained after from concentrating on listening, understanding and replying. I slept for 3 hours!!
I spent a relaxing night with Rich and Alex at Sol y Luna. I had this amazing goulash dish, loads of meat and veg and warm bread. They are also serve 3 micro beers, the dark beer was the best pint I had in months. It was expensive, but the waiter forgot to charge me for it. Brillant. We checked out another restaurant for a beer, Marakesh. It was totally full of Israelis. I said we only wanted a drink, which was fine. Another waitress said we could only stay if we were eating. I explained that we had been told it was OK. She said no problem, but she had a problem, she was totally wired, it was a strain watching her put the bottle of beer on the table. She was in her 40s but looked 60. I think the restaurant is a front for things other than food and drink, she was a mess.
The next morning I encountered some rather unexpected aggression in the hostel kitchen. I was washing up the breakfast pots when a small shaved head French guy, from out of nowhere started telling me that I watch myself because all English are arrogant bastards and he really doesnt like us. Blood drips from their noses well. Hmmmm, what can you say to that. So, I replied something like every English man is the same, not inviduals who should be treated as inividuals. Mmm, that helped. He had these mad crazy eyes like he had been in the coke dens for far too long. I could see that reasoning wasnt going to get anywhere. I just carried on clearing up, stood my ground and when he repeated that I should take care, I just thanked him for the kind warning and that I was happy that he cared about his fellow hostel guests. That kind of bemused him and I left wondering why and what the hell that was all about.
We fancied a change of scene on the Sunday morning and took a really long walk south of the city. We came across the river that runs through. It was incredibly frothy and the smell, well, it is so chemically it is untrue. My eyes streamed as I got near it. It is scary to think that 100 kms or so south of here farms wash in and drink this water. We found a small built up area and a Chinese restaurant for lunch sharing loads of food, again stupidly cheap. We didnt really want to go back to the city centre yet so bought a bottle of good port! and sat in the park supping and watching a kid trying to skateboard, he was hilarious. We took a tiny micro back to the city, they cram as many people into a mini size area as possible, it was a fun journey.
Back at the hostel we met up with Jelena again as she was back in La Paz too. We all went to an Italian for dinner, more wine, then Alexandres for cake, Loki for happy hour and and back to Jelenas hostel for more wine. It had been a really relaxed and a merry Sunday.
Ok, I had a few errands to run before, me Rich and Alex were going to Lake Titicaca the next day. I extended Visa at the immigration office, a 10 min job. Found a real Turkish lunch spot for a kebab, I had been craving one for ages, it was really tasty and not like a dirty doner from home. Had another good siesta, went to a bizarrely decorated place called Angelo Colonia for dinner. Back to 100% Natural for cake, and I shared a half bottle of Nanni, Tannat wine with Jelena. This is our favourite wine from Argentina and she found a bottle in Santa Cruz. She is heading back to Holland next week and we would be saying good bye the next morning as I go to Copacabana and Lake Titicaca.
I had a bit of a hectic morning trying to get my photos copied from my camera to DVD so I could free the memory card up. The shop that was copying it for me said it would 30 mins, 2 hours later it had completed!!! Typical Bolivia. Me, Rich & Alex, and Jelena took a local micro up to the cemetry area where our coach to Copacabana was waiting at midday. I said a final farewell to Jelena after travelling on and off together for the past 2 months, some fantastic journeys in that time.
The coach journey was pretty steady towards Lake Titicaca. We had to get off the coach and take a small boat across the lake between San Pablo de Tequina and San Perdro de Tequina, as the coach was transported across on a wooden platform. A huge Bolivian woman went flying across the deck of the small boat as she tried to get on. She land with a massive thump, but was thankfully unhurt, the millions of layers of clothes she was wearing acting as a cushion. It was hilarious to see, and nobody dared look at each other on the boat for fear of cracking up.
On the otherside some young English guys didnt have their passports on hand, they had packed them in their main backpacks that were stashed on the roof of the coach. We had to wait 30 mins whilst they got them and showed them to the officials. How stupid not having your passport at hand. Within 4 hours of leaving La Paz we had arrived in the touristy town of Copacabana. I took a twin ensuite room at Hostal Emperador for only 20b`s, I just cant work out the pricing sometimes. A sandwich in town costs the same!!!
One of the must do things in Copacabana is to watch the sunset over Lake Titicaca from Cerro Calvario (3966m). It was a short slippy climb up the hill and it left me a touch breathless when I reached the top. It was definitely worth every step as we watched the sun dissappear on the horizon and the sky change colour. It was soulful up there and I felt really relaxed. It was bloody cold when the sun dropped so we didnt hang around. How I didnt fall over on the way back down is a miracle, dark and slippier than the way up.
We ate at Mankhu Uta for dinner as the set menus looked really good value. The hot bread was a good start but the rest of the food average. Rich found a caterpillar in his salad!!!! He of course didnt have to pay for his meal, the waitress was well embarrassed, hehe. Across the road from here is the Akwaana Cafe that is famous for its hot chocolate. It was good but we all agreed we have had better.
The next morning was certainly fresh outside, the air had a bite about it. Me and Rich went for a brisk walk up Horca del Inca that afforded us great views of the Inca terraces on the hillsides and the view of the yachts in the bay. One the way down we saw a queue of people, they were changing their empty gas bottles for full ones. Me & Rich were gobsmacked when we watched a tiny old woman, pick up a big full bottle, throw it over her back in a coloured shawl and walk up the steep road we had just come down. Incredible strength.
A breakfast in the courtyard of the hostel where there was a bit of a sun trap for half an hour. After checking out of the boat times to get to Isla del Sol me and Rich returned to Mankhu Uta to watch the Champions League Final between Chelsea and Man U. A very enjoyable match and we had free nachos whilst watching it.
We found a really good pizza place for dinner, and Andrew from La Paz joined us, he was on his way into Peru so came a day earlier to meet up with us. We had a great time swapping travel stories and what it is like to actually live in Bolivia. Outside was a full on fiesta, a truck with a 4 piece band playing on the back and very drunk old Bolivian woman shuffling about. Me and Andrew checked it out for a while over beers and I couldnt stop laughing at the music and dancing, One woman grapped a fellow traveller, a 6.2 German guy and wouldnt leave him alone. Every time he tried to get away from dancing with her she followed him and clung on, it had everyone in stitches. I left earlier than I wanted to pack ready for the early boat in the morning.
I had packed up my stuff for trekking and camping and left the rest in reception. The day before we used the small kitchen to boil water and toast bread. I asked the woman in reception if she could open the kitchen for us, she said that none of the equipment was working. What, we knew it was, the stupid woman. So we sat outside on the coutryard and had dry bread and no cuppa. The woman didnt expect us to be sat there and went into the kitchen with her cup to make a brew. When she saw is she pretended to clean and not put the kettle on. So she didnt get her brew either. She could have charged us 5b`s to use the kitchen, she would have made money and she could have a drink as well, but nooooo, that would involve forward thinking which is an alien concept here. Rich said something of the ilk out loud and the look the woman gave him nearly turned him to stone.
We got on the 8.30 boat from the harbour, I sat on the top deck wrapped up in hat, gloves and big fleece and watched the bays and mountains drift by. I love being on the water and it is something that I havent done much of this trip, so really enjoyed the 1,5 hours to the south port of Isla del Sol. Isla del Sol is the Inca`n birth place of the Sun and has major importance in the Inca dynasty. We hopped off the boat at La Sagrada and paid 5n`s each for the pleasure of stepping foot there.
There are 2 groups of Indian residents on the island, and they dont like each other and are known for having silly spats from time to time, we would also have to pay 10b each to enter the north part of the island, which is fair enough. After sorting out my backpack, slapping a load of sun cream on, it is not called the Island of Sun for nothing, we were ready to start trekking. It was an up hill climb up the Escalara del Inca until we reached the small village of Yumani. Lake Titicaca is at 3810m and I had to stop a couple of times on the way up to catch my breath, the altitude and weight of backpack was making it slow progress.
We could see the Illampu mountain range in the distance over the Lake, terraces cut into the hillsides all around us. This island is beautiful, simply stunning, I can understand why the Incan´s used it as a central place of importance. We wanted the best views we could so climbed up to a high viewpoint (4024m) that had a spectacular 360 degree view. I felt so happy to be trekking in the countryside again. We sat for a spot of lunch looking out to the peninsula of Kakayo-Queño ridge and the light house there, and Bahia Kona. We had crossed over to the west side of the island now and a little further north was the checkpoint to the Challa area of the north.
To our left we could see the highest point of the island, Cerro Santa Barbara (4032m) that I just had to climb for the views. I could see right to the north tip and where we were heading to find a campsite. We continued on a very old pathed path with views of the other side of Kona and Kona del Norte out across the ridge. We passed small old ruins, The Sacred Rock (Roca Sagrada) a stone table (Mesa de Sacrificios) and the impressive labyrinth of ruins of Chucana.
As always we got slightly off track looking for the recommended bay to camp on. We crossed to the bays on the east side but there was no where to pitch our tents. Eventually after another hour walking we arrived at the stunning bay and beach of Sabacera. We had been trekking for around 6 hours and around 14kms, and I was feeling a little tired and hungry. It took twice as long to pitch my tent as normal fumbling with poles and having difficulty banging pegs in to the rock hard ground. The sun was still beating down hard at 5pm, so much that I had wash in the freezing snow melt waters of the lake to cool me down.
We sat together and cooked by my tent. A young Bolivian boy sat near us and played his wooden flute for us. He doesnt see many tourists down on the bay and was intrigued about us. He ran up to his mothers shop and brought 12 litres of bottled water back down to us, fantastic, I had everything I needed for the next 2 days. Just before sunset we helped pull in his families rowing boat in from the lake. The people here are genuinly friendly and not trying to sell us anything which is a rare occurence.
The sunset that night was breathtaking. It was cold but not freezing. I have never seen so many stars in the sky, the milky was clearly visible, as was Orions belt and the Southern Cross. It was at the moment I wish I knew more about the constellations, a hobby for another time. Happy, exhausted and well fed and slept like a log that night.
The next day, we did absolutely sod all. We had decided to have a rest day between walking. So that is what we did. I spent all day sunbathing on the beach, eating food, and had a little swim in the lake. Not learning my lesson from Torres del Paine and the incredible exploding pot of honey, I bought more honey. This time I hadnt screwed on the lid properly and it had gone everywhere, honey explosion part 2.
The sunset was even more beautiful than the night before which I didnt think was possible. I sat watching a couple of men fishing from their boat on the lake. It is so peaceful here, and not a single other walker or Gringo came down to the beach all day. Heaven. My stove had run out of gas and Rich & Alex`s had a blockage. So as they were fixing it so we could have tea and I went in search of dry wood to make a bonfire. Eventually they stove was working and we sat around the fire enjoying tea and biscuits, how very English of us. It was colder than last night so I was wrapped up in the warmth of my tent for around 8pm.
The camping conditions here are a lot different to Sajama and Chungara. There the air was very dry as well as cold, here there is a lot of moisture in the air. My tent and sleeping back were soaked with condensation in the morning. We waited a couple of hours before packing up so the sun could dry them out. It was another scorching day without a cloud in the sky. We climbed back up the steep path to the main track and Bahia Challapampa below us. We walked back down the east side of the island passing Bahia Cha`lla, Kea and Pukhara. It was definitely washing day as clothes were strewn over walls all around the tiny villages.
We continued trekking across the middle of the island until we returned to the checkpoint where we bought the 10b tickets on the first day. The man looked at my ticket and said I needed to pay 10b more. Here we go again. I wasnt having any of this. He said the ticket was valid for only 2 days, and we were into day 3. I explained that there is no sign or anything on the ticket to mention that it is only valid for 2 days. Then I said he should put a sign up on the wall. He looked blank, I was obviously thinking way out side the box there!!!! So he asked for 5b each. I said no. I only have enough for the boat back. Then man was trying hard for more money. Not from me buyo. Then he asked for 1b each, desperation now. No, I said, he gave up and we left without paying. This is now becoming an almost daily routine. Rather than getting annoyed I look at it as a game, otherwise you would go insane.
At the other check point, they looked at my ticket, smiled and waved me through, no problems at all. You got to love this country at times. Walking back to Yumani was a shock to the system. 100´s of gringos waiting for the boats back to Copacabana, I had gone from not seeing anybody yesterday to back in full touristville. I sat chat talking with a retired woman from Bristol on the boat back. She had travelled to a lot of places I had in 2002, NZ, Vietnam and Laos. We swapped stories and I really enjoyed remembering my times there.
Back in Copacabana I had another huge room and very hot shower that eased my slightly aching limbs, It had been another long days walking, 5 hours and 15 kms. We ate at a recommended place for super salads. That were very dissappointing, the food here in general has been poor. Not to get upset we returned to Akwaana for a couple of beers. Apart from us were a Bolivian woman and bf, an Argentinian and Chilean woman. Some good salsa music was playing and I was shown some latin moves. Much more up close and personal than the New York style I learnt in Sheffield. The Bolivian woman told me she liked me, and wants to swap boyfriends, her fella was 2 feet away. I said thanks, but not thanks. We didnt stay much longer there!!!
I took a 10am bus back to La Paz. As I were leaving Copacabana we passed the cathedral and the most bizarre of daily festivals, the blessing of the automobiles. People bring there cars and spend far to much money on having flowers decorated all over the engines and holy water splashed on then. This is a symbol of good luck so that the cars wont break down or have a crash. Some of the cars are in a shocking state, they would be much better off spending the money on a M.O.T., but hey, this is Bolivia and that would be way to logical.
The 4 hour journey back to the mad house of La Paz was uneventful. I returned to El Solario where I had a room with a balcony over looking the busy street below. The ligt in my room blew up in a cloud of sparks and smoke so I negociated a discount until it was fixed. I ate a big healthy salad at 100% Natural, bought a bottle of wine and sat on my balcony watching the people below. People watching is one of my favourite past times and this is a good spot for it.
I had been mulling over wether to join Rich & Alex and Darren on a hard 7 to 8 day trek in the Illampu mountains near Sorata. I decided to go for it, so the next day I spent buying gas and food to last me up in the mountains. I had a few hours to catch up with the blog before going for a curry at Star of India with Lucy & Damion from my hostel. At the corner of my street the shops leave a big pile of rubbish for the bin men to collect. I sat on my balcony as the lorry pulled up. 2 men got out, looked at the rubbish, and started to kick the crap out of it. I can appreciate it is a shitty job, but splitting the back bin bags with a size 10 and sending the rubbish flying is not going to help. It was so funny. To give them credit they did eventually clean every last piece up.
After a pretty frantic morning I took a taxi up to the cemetry area to find a way to get to Sorata. The taxi driver was a young 25 y.o. Paceña`n who had great pleasure in telling me all about his playboy lifestyle and his 3 girl friends, it made for a very fun and interesting ride. I arrived just time in time to get the last seat at the back of a small mini-bus to Sorata. My backpack on the roof, and I was wedged into the back right corner surrounded by 12 huge and jovial local woman. We had a bit of banter at first, mainly over my blonde mop of hair before the excitement died down and I turned my thoughts to zoning out for the 4 hours and ignoring the numbness spreading through out my body.
Great views of the mountains along the way, and better still some of the woman got off so that at one point I could actually move my legs and relieve the pins and needles. 30 mins outside of Sorata a young mother with child sat next to me at the back of the bus. How I didnt throw up from the smells I have no idea. She really, really stank of BO and shit. I wedged a big dollop of mentisan up my nostrils to mask the stench. At 4pm I arrived in the picturesque town of Sorata and was dropped off by the pretty plaza.
Rich & Alex had arrived in Sorata a couple of days earlier and had booked into the highly recommended Las Piedras hostel. I rocked up there and asked if they had a single room, I was told no. Then I said my friends are staying here, ahhh, you must be James, I have a room reserved for you. It was a beautiful room with a balcony outside, fantastic. On the terrace were Rich & Alex reading and sunbathing, I had a good feeling about this town. Darren turned up shortly afterwards but there was no room, so he is staying just around the corner.
We all met up for dinner later in the evening, along with Lucy & Damion from the Solario hostel in La Paz. We ate at Bella Bologna, and I had some very tasty tacos and a singani, a local spirit. The woman serving us had fallen asleep behind the counter and wouldnt wake up. We cleared up, left the money safe behind the counter, and closed up behind us.
The next day we booked our guide, a mule man and 2 mules for the 8 day Illampu circuit trek. That was sorted and the four of us were by now really looking forward to getting back into the mountains. We can see Illampu from Sorata and it is a stunning site with the snow on its peak. I had a very lazy day in my hammock reading a book about Bolivia written by an American called William Powers who won a global award for helping the Indians with renewable economic enterprises in the jungles.
Lucy & Damion were staying at a hostal 20 mins out of town called Altai Oasis. After eating dinner there we went down the bottom of the gardens and lit a bombfire and cooked popcorn and steak sandwiches on it. The fire is in a very dodgy place with a sheer drop and edge next to it. In the dark it is a hazard. We had much merriment singing along to Damion´s guitar playing with silly songs that he had changed the lyrics to. A couple of Brazilian guys staying there joined us. One didnt see the edge and slipped down but held on to the ridge by 2 clumps of grass, we helped pull him up, the lucky get.
A bit later on, an American wasnt so lucky, he didnt see the lights we put to mark the edge, and he fell off. Luckily there was a grassy embankment half way down that broke his fall, somehow he avoided injury apart from being winded and a bruised ego. He was more annoyed that his stuff had gone everywhere and he had lost his pan for frying popcorn. I think it rolled down the bank into the river. The walk back to our hostel took ages, about an hour on the back roads in thick fog so we could hardly see the road.
Next morning, the day before the trek I popped into town to buy some last minute foods. As I was walking down the market stalls, out of nowhere a dog came up from behind and bit my left calf. No bark, no warning, just a bite. SHIT. The locals found it funny that this small dog had bitten a gringo. My first thoughts were RABIES, there have been known cases in the town and a young girl had died last year. Blood hell, not what I needed at all.
I returned to my hostel to wash the wound with soap and water, and to get my medical certificates and money. I headed to the hospital with Rich, where all the staff were playing volleyball out the back and told me to wait 15 mins whilst they finished the game!!! What!!! My wound was professionally cleaned and bandaged, for bargain 5b`s. I was still worried about rabies. I went to the police station and the man on duty showed me another office. They guy here works for meat importation and organises rounds of vaccinations for the local dogs, many dont have owners or homes.
I explained that I want to see a certificate of vaccination to put my mind at rest. Other wise no trekking for me and I would have to return to La Paz for a serious of rabies jabs, even though I had been vaccinated before I came away, it only gives 24 hours extra time to get the serious of jabs. As I last was aware the jabs are in the stomach and are extremely painful. I would have to stay in La Paz for a month until the course was finished. Anyway....
I showed the guy where I was bitten, by now the dog had been moved to a different place. The people here were scared I was going to sue or something. The girl in the shop denied all knowledge of a dog being there and wouldnt answer the agents questions. Great. We were about to walk back to the office when the woman of the shop returned. I had spoken to her earlier about the dog and who the owner was, she said it wasnt hers. To diffuse the situation I explained that I wasn´t in any pain, I didnt want any money, all I wanted to see was the certificate of vaccination before I can go on my trek. That did the job, 2 mins later the certificate was brought out. The dog was clean, as long as the swelling died down I was ok to trek tomorrow. I was exhuasted after from the emotional pullava.
At night we had a massive meal of lasagna, chips, rice and wine. Stocking up on my carbs for tomorrow. We ate at Jaliscos on the corner of the street facing the plaza, which would become our regular and favourite people watching spot on our return. We spent the evening packing ready for the big trek and an early start in the morning.
Day 1 - Up, up and away....
My leg was feeling ok in the morning, a little sore but nothing that I couldnt handle. We met up with our guide Marcus at the guides office by the plaza. As we had hired mules to carry our backpacks we had packed plenty of food and could also take a day bag with us. It was a 20 min walk up through town with both my bags until we stopped by a ridge where Matteo, the mule man was waiting with his 2 mules. By 10.20, the mules had been laden up with our bags, and we could start our first days walking.
Marcus had estimated that it would take us 6 hours of continual climbing until we reached our first campsite near Lago Chillata. Sorata is at around 2900m and Lago Chillata at 4204m. An increase in altitude of 1500m. The first hour was hard, strong sunshine and the path was steep at times. Sweat was already pouring off me and I was drinking water like it was going out of fashion. I was impressed with the mules and how they managed to walk up some of the steep and rocky passes, they are much more sure footed than I expected. I was a little worried about Marcus, ok, he was carrying his own backpack but he seemed laboured and wasnt keeping up with us.
Lunch was a 30 min stop on a ridge looking down into the valley we had just climbed up. I had dry brown bread, nuts, a banana and a couple of biscuits, that would see me through until dinner. We climbed and climbed and climbed, it was tough going at times but we plodded on. Another brief stop where I sat down on a spiky plant and impaled my ass with tiny spikes. That was fun removing those I tell you.
We arrived by the pretty Lake Chillata after just under 5 hours of walking, 1 hour quicker than expected and around 18kms covered. Marcus says we are fast walkers, which we are. He also told me alter that he had a stomach upset which is why he was struggling. OK. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Behind Lake Chillata were the towering mountains of Illampu (6368m) and Ancohuma (6429m). For the next 7 nights I will be eating brown spaghetti, onion, and a packets of goulash and bolognais sauce with grated cheese. It sounds pretty gross but it tastes fantastic after a hard days trekking.
As the sun was setting the clouds surrounded us. The effect of the sun on the clouds was something I have never witnessed before. It was totally surreal, especially when a hole in the clouds appeared and we could see the sunsetting through it. The clouds turned deep red, and blue depending which direction I looked. Bloody amazing. Then it got cold, I mean proper cold again so I was in bed for 8.30.
Day 2 - A day of 2 halves........
I slept really bad, a broken nights sleep. We were up early to do a side trip up to Laguna Glacier that is one of the highlights of the trek. I was up at 6.30am, ice covering my tent. It was still about -10 outside as the sun hadnt come over the mountain. Alex was feeling tired and didnt want the extra walking so stayed back at the camp with Matteo and the mules. 8am, me, Darren, Rich and Marcus set off up on the 800m climb to Laguna Glacier (5038m). I was still half asleep during the first 30 mins walking, until we came to the valley. My vertigo soon woke me up, the sheer edges got the adrenalin running and one slip and it is game over, instant death below.
Walking got the circulation going and with the sun coming up we could start taking off layers. A couple of times I was nervous climbing up the icey slate rocks to the path above. We used hands to hold on to ridges in the rocks and to keep our balance as we climbed over Paso Titisani. Marcus said it is 4 hours up, we did it in 2 3/4. The last 30 mins was proper hard, the highest altitude I have ever been at. We stopped every 5 mins to get our breath, not enough oxygen in the system and once or twice I had this feeling of total body claustraphobia. Muscles craving more oxygen, this passed after a few seconds but is an unpleasant experience.
The view of the Glacier, Laguna and the snow on Illampu was worth everystep of the climb. I found a spike free place to lay down and look at the views whilst snacking and taking on more water. I nodded off for 15 mins, the early start, lack of sleep and hard climb taking its toll. We returned by the same route, passing a small stone house where a solo man lives. That is seriously hard living, he lives of potatoes, quinua, a couple of sheep and llama. A brave brave man. It only took us 2 hours to return to camp. It was around 1pm when we returned, all ready we had trekked for nearly 5 hours, with a 800m climb and descent and covering about 12kms.
On the way back down Marcus approached me out of ear shot of Rich & Darren. He told me had a small problem, about food, and that the 150 b`s we had agreed and given him for food wasnt enough. Here we go again. I asked him how much he needed, he said 100. Which is way to much. As this is only half way through day 2 of 8 I wanted to keep everyone happy. I spoke to the others, and we agreed to give him the 100b`s, and not to say anything more about it. We had only payed half of the trip fee up front as I knew something like this could happen. He was very happy we payed, and we would forget about it until we returned to Sorata.
We had to pack up camp when we returned and set off on the second part of the day. My legs were a little tired but overall I felt good. We walked along the side of a mountain, dropping into the valley to go back up again. The clouds were surrounding us so we could only see a few metres in front of us and nothing more. We arrived at our second campsite (4200m) near Estancia Lackathiya 2.5 hours and 8kms from Chillata. The cloud still around us we pitched in near darkness and ate in blackness. For the first time I could feel some pain in my fingers, I wasnt sure if it was from my trekking poles banging on rocks, or through altitude, or the freezing water I was washing up in. 8.30pm to bed again.
Day 3 - 2 passes in 1 day.......
The cloud had cleared in the morning and we could see back along the valley we walked yesterday. In front of us was a huge mountain and pass that would we be climbing first thing. Abra de Illampu (4741m). It was a slow, long and steady climb up to the pass. The wind had picked up so I was wearing all my layers, fleece, gloves and hat to counter the chilly air. The views at the pass were great, we could see for miles and miles. It was too windy to rest at the top so we dropped down in to the valley below, quebrada Illampu and rested behind rocks for lunch. I had another quick siesta before set off around the mountains.
We followed a low path past Estancia Utjaña Pampa and the small stone buildings. The cloud came in again, trapped between the 2 mountains. A river ran below the second pass of the day, and it was pretty tricky crossing it. We climbed on hands and knees across to branches and just about avoided falling into the icy waters. This is where things got hard. We were tired from the earlier pass and now we had a second one to climb. It was a long hard 1.5 hours up. I zoned out and tried to take my mind off my aching feet and sore shoulder. It was cloudy again at the top of the pass, Pasa Korahuasi (4479m).
Just down the other side we set up camp, a good place to camp and protected somewhat from the wind and close to a stream for cooking water. We had walked 18kms in 6 hours, with 1000 ascent and 1200 descent, 2 passes, no wonder we were knackered.
Day 4 - Daylight robbery........
After our decision to cross both passes yesterday, today was a lot shorter walking. We had a very relaxed and lazy morning and didnt set of until 11am. We continued dropping down the side of the mountain, 800m descent, and to follow the river in to the small Aymaran town of Cocoyo (3510m and population of 500). There are a lot of gold and mineral miners in the town and it was obvious that somebody had lots of money from the big jeeps and satellite dishes.
In the town was a small shop where I stocked up on eggs, flap jacks and bread. The town had a funny feel to it, an awkward feel and we didnt feel at all welcome and wanted to leave as soon as possible. In the Lonely Planet it mentions that sometimes here we will be asked to ´donate´money to the ´local school´. As we were about to walk out of town, sure enough a man approached us to donate money. I asked how much, he said 50b`s. Before agreeing I asked him to take us to the school as I wanted to speak to the teacher directly. Whilst we were walking there Marcus whispered not to give more than 20.
At the school, the children were looking out of the windows curiously at us. The teacher said he is a volunteer. I asked questions about the school, how many teachers and children but he just ignored me and carried on with his rant. Thanks. We gave him 20b´s that I said were for books and pencils for the children, he gave us a receipt for the money. Finally we could leave the funny town.
From the town it was an 800m climb up the mountains, not steep and pleasant. Me and Rich had walked on ahead and were discussing donations etc, when we came across a field with a JCB, loads of work men with tools and they looked like they were building a road. 3 of men walked over to Rich in front and I caught up with him. He asked where we were going, and I pointed ahead. Here we go AGAIN. There was a slightly aggressive feel about the men, I knew they wanted money, He asked if I could speak Spanish, I played dumb, answering in bad Spanish and pointed to Marcus who was approaching us. One of the reasons for hiring the guide is not just to lead the way but to negociate at times like these.
The men asked for ´donation´ for the ´school´ in another area. OK, lets give them 20b`s like we did earlier. Ahhh. This is where things got interesting. They wanted monef now for ´the new road. Bloody hell. 10b each. OK, so that is 40b`s. Lets pay it. Not the end of the matter. Matteo had now joined us with the 2 mules. Marcus was still negotiating with the men, we were huddled together apart trying hiding what little money we had left. Matteo approached us and looked really worried. He was told he has to pay 20b`s for each mule otherwise they would come and rob them in the night. For f*** sake. Daylight robbery. In the end we paid 10 bs for each mule, a total of 60b`s.
We traipsed off feeling disappointed, violated and anxious about camping just up the way where the men would be passing later. This is not my idea of a relaxing trek. The place where we camped was again good, opposite some impressive ravines. We pitched up in silence in a grumpy mood. As we were boiling water the men walked past. Happy as can be, wishing us a good night and good sleeps. Now they have the money to get drunk on later they are now our friends. We prefered that than what other options could have happened. 3.5 hours walking and 10kms. It was cold again that night, and my nails on my fingers felt like they had loads of pressure underneath and were now causing me worry.
Day 5 - An incident free day.....
It was really cold again in the morning, it had dropped to around -15 in the night. I was warm inside but it was a slow start to the day. We waited until the sun hit our tents before we got up for breakfast. We were on our way at 10.30, walking up 600m to Paso Sarani (4600m) in an hour, to drop down 700m into the valley on the other side. Today was a lot more relaxed and the paths were well trodden and easy to walk on.
We had a chilled lunch break in the bottom of the valley and watched a woman fly up and down the mountain herding some sheep. I was amazed at the speed she was covering the ground. Once the sheep were gathered she sat by Rio Chajolpaya fishing, multi talented woman this one. Another 2 hour climb mostly on the pre Inca road of ( Camino Calzada). Cerro Kasiri (5857m) & Cerro Calzada (5650) flanked us on either side. It was definitely the most enjoyable days walking, and with a stunning waterfall near the camp we had a fun and relaxed evening there. We camped at 4300m, 400m climb, 3.5hours walking and 10kms, a second short day, and by now we were feeling fit and strong.
Day 6 - sneaking around the mountains......
It was a leisurely morning as we had to time our arrival at the days camping place very carefully!!!!! It was a full on 750m clim up to Abra de la Calzada pass (5045m) that took us 2.25 hours. This is now the highest altitude I have climed at. We rested near Laguna Renado Khota in front of Cerro Kasiri. It was only an hour descent to our camp place, but we were warned that there were more farmers that would ask for money. Not in the mood for more donations, we spent 2.5 hours over lunch at by the lake, relaxing, snoozing and admiring Kasiri.
It was now time to drop the 300m to Laguna Chojña Khota (4722m), it took about an hour. Marcus vision is amazing, and he told us to drop down because he could see a farmer taking his llamas back to his farm. We had to wait an hour before the farmer had gone out of sight. I couldnt believe the ridiculessness of the situation, we were creeping around the back country of Bolivia to avoid getting stung for money by the locals, it was all very bizarre. Another short trekking day, 3.5 hours and 10kms.
The camping area was really bad, hardly any flat spaces, and right by marshes and bogs. I borrowed a thick plastic sheet to put under my tent for extra warmth and to stop the moisture and wetness soaking through. It was seriously cold and the fog was freezing at night. I rushed my dinner and got into my sack as soon as I could, hands giving me grief. We had set our alarms for 4.30am in the morning, for a very good reason.......
Day 7 - Beat the bandits...........
Before we left Sorata on this trip we were already concerned about passing Lago San Francisco. There is a big boxed section about this in the Lonely Planet trekking book about armed robbers asking for 100USD each. Also back in Sorata, tour guides told me about the robber and he has been asking for money from trekkers by holding them up with a pistol. The guides always barter the money down to around 100b`s which is still expensive. Worse than that, we had very little money left and didnt want to risk getting any of our equipment stolen.
So, we got up at 4am, in the FREEZING cold. My fingers were giving me seriously cold, I now believe it is the first stages of frost bite. My thumb nails have since turned black. It was enough for me to say to myself I would never camp in this temperature again. 5am, the mules were loaded, we had head torches on, and we set off in the dark up a tricky and steep mountain.
Marcus couldnt find the payh straight away, we were walking all over the place, it was nerve racking on the mountain side in the dark. Climbing over ice covered rocks, it was not ideal by any means. At one stage we were walking across a very steep scree slope, I made the mistake of looking down and for the first time in a long long time, I had bad Vertigo. My legs felt like jelly and every step took all my concentration. As soon as I crossed the scree slope I was fine again, but that was horrible.
The cold had left my body by now, fast walking up hill got the circulation moving, thank God, other wise it would have been a miserable morning. The sun was starting to come up and now and we could see that we were walking on an incredible desert looking landscape. We had stashed our cameras etc safely so I dont have any photos of this. The sun had turned the top of Ancahuma (6429m) red, it really was beautiful at this time of the morning. Shame we couldnt stick around and enjoy it, we had to push on.
Darren at this point had a full on head cold. He is a true warrior, ignoring the sniffles and cracking on walking. The sun had fully risen at 7.30am. We had to get past San Francisco before the bandits arrived there around 9am. We were walking fast across the ridge and down the otherside, through the Jiska Orkaña swamp and past the offending lake San Francisco (4476m). There was no sign of anybody there. We started to relax a little and I took my camera out. We stall had to climb up the other side and out of site.
This was hard climbing again. Marcus pointed out the small stone building the armed robber stays in when he is up here. We made it to the to of the ridge at 9.00, looking back down on the stunning lake and surrounding mountains. By 9.30 we had made it to the safety of the pass Apacheta (4860m). We hadnt had time to eat breakfast and by now, not only was I tired from a fast 4.5hours walking, but bloody starving to. We sat down and ate as much as we could that we didnt need to cook.
A well need 30 min break and we were on our way again at 10 dropping down for Laguna Chuñahui Khota. We could see straight out to Lake Titicaca (4000m), down the valley to Sorata (2700m) and Ancohuma (6429) all in a single eye shot. This blew me away, to see such massive diversity in one view, truly amazing.
We still had a long way to go, the camping by the lake looked rubbish, so as we had all afternoon we decided to carry up to Mina Susana. This was a brilliant decision as it was the best camping spot of the trek so far. Flat, by a river, Illampu in front of us, sun trap and no wind. Fantastic, what a mad day. All sorts of terrain, emotions and views. 8.5 hours walking, 28 kms, 850 ascent, 1200 descent, and 4 hours of the afternoon left to relax in the sunshine.
We knew that the hardest part of the trek was over, and we could properly relax and eat the extra food that we had been saving. I slept like a log that night.
Day 8 - The long road back to Sorata......
I woke up early and couldnt get back to sleep, so read my Bolivia book until the sun came through at 9am. Marcus and Matteo wanted to get off earlier, but there was no way I was packing my tent up wet. 11am we were moving for the last of our 8 days. In the LP it says it is an easy road back to Sorata following the river, so we thought we had plenty of time. Marcus had different ideas. Not once on the trek did he discuss which paths and routes he was taking which up until now, wasnt a big issue, but he took us a massively long way back to Sorata.
It was a pretty uninteresting walk back, a few corn fields and again we were told to not to linger to long because people were asking for money. A woman did stop us, but we just ignored her and continued, much to her annoyance. No money swapping hands today. We kept the mules in eye sight between us all day. We couldnt get home any earlier without our bags and we werent risking letting the mules out of sight. Not exactly trusting but it had to be done.
Another long day walking, 6 hours 30kms, 200 ascent, 1700 descent back to Sorata, and we were knackered and hungry by now. I had not had a shower in 7 days, the hot shower back in the hostel was just pure luxury. No idea how long I was in there for but it felt like hours. Rich & Alex went out for something to eat together. Me and Darren went to the plaza, had 2 main coursese each from different places, a massive dessert and beers. I still bought biscuits on the way home. A glass of wine in my room whilst I made Rich´s birthday card for tomorrow, and the 8 days had been succesfully completed, what an amazing experience.
8 days, 45 hours walking, 140kms, 8km ascent and descent and a touch of frost bite!
After a good feed and early night we were all on top form ready to celebrate Rich`s birthday. The sun was shining, clear blue skies and all day to enjoy ourselves. We ha a slap up breakfast of scarmbled eggs, hot brown bread and hot chocolate in the hostel, Petra´s breakfasts are one of the best in South America. A short walk down to Cafe Illampu afterwards, messing about on the way, for a beer and a piece of cake. In the gardern of the cafe is a really high tree house and a ricket old ladder that blows in the wind. I was well happy I got up there without any vertigo and the views to the mountains were fantastic.
Next up was to spend a few hours on the plaza at our favourite spot on the corner. Plenty of beers, laughter and just general banter was the order. Marcus our tour guide over to say hello, then just stood there in silence for 5 mins, all a bit strange, but it wasn´t an issue. We left an order with the restaurant for 4 pizza´s to take away later in the evening.
We returned back to Las Piedras and set up a mini party in courtyard, wine, nibbles, silly jokes and by now more messing about. Petra came down and joined us for a glass of wine, have to keep the owner happy in case it got a biy silly later on. Me and Darren returned to the plaza to pick up the pizzas. As we were waiting over a beer I saw something that took a few minutes to sink.
A small girl, about 5 or 6, had come out of the plaza and plonked her baby sister down in the middle of the road, in front of a parked minibus. We were talking so it didnt register at first, then after about 5 mins, the minibus turned its lights on, the baby started screaming, and a woman from across the road picked her up and took back into the park. It was all very surreal, the other girl was nowhere to be seen, I couldnt believe the woman would leave a baby with a young child.
We ploughed into the great pizzas, finished the wine off and headed to Marley`s bars for cocktails. The owners were asleep and the bar was shut when we arrived. We soon woke them up and got them working behind the bar. I had a coca liquor cocktail which had a unique taste and made pretty squiffy. Not sure exactly what happened the rest of the night, I know we worked our way down the cocktail list between us. A perfect lazy indulgent day.
Next morning we saud goodbye to Darren as he was travelling back to La Paz and for some more treks. I was in full on lazy mode and spent all day reading Whispering in the Ear of Giants by William Powers, the Bolivia book. I did take a break in the evening to go for a beer in the plaza and a walk to Altai Oasis for a tasty burger. Shattered from the night before it was an early one.
The next 2 days I finished that book, read getting High With Oasis which is hilarious, lay in a hammock for hours, sat on the plaza drinking beer and people watching and eating everything from lasagna to burritos. By now I was ready for another adventure, and believe me I was about to have one......
Getting to Rurrenabaque usually involves going back up to La Paz and either flying or taking a bloody bus. I really didnt want to go that way. So after much asking around and investigations between us, we found a way. We were to take an 8am camioneta from the plaza that would take us to a small village called Santa Rosa, 10 hours away!!!!
We arranged the camioneta the night before, and were under the impression that we would have the back of it to ourselves so we could stretch out. Imagine our surprise when we turned and the back was full of market shopping, cargo and people. We managed to find room for the backpacks outside and wedged ourselves in between the metal bars. 10 hours, is going to be a long long day. I was hanging on to the back ropes and was choked with diesel fumes within half an hour, I was getting a killer headache. I had to move positions. The camioneta stopped and I managed to remove my leg that was trapped between 2 rice sacks and could stand up on the back.
The metal bars were just on the posiition of my hip bone and rib cage and were getting banged every time we went around the corner. The road, was.... you couldnt call it a road. By far worse than the roads I had been warned about. Totally muddy, thin tight corners and over hanging branches. It was a potential death trap. I was actually enjoying the views once I got used to the fact I was hanging on for dear life. I was only genuinely scared when the driver started racing a 4x4 jeep. We all knew it was a stupid race as there was only going to be one winner. I was relieved when the jeep sped off as we crossed a stream and the driver gave up.
I was mentioning to Rich this was a bit like my horror journey in Laos, the only thing that was missing was the rain and live animals. As if on queue, the heavens opened. The tarpaulin came over and we were bobbing from under neath between showers. It was ridiculuosly cramped under neath and every limb ached from bending and twisting. During a break in the rain I stood up again. We were now in the jungle and the trees had over hanging branches. I had to duck to avoid beeing decapitated. Once I ducked and smacked my head on the metal bar nearly knocking myself unconcsious. Brilliant, I had a headache before, now I had a killer one and a bruise to match.
We stopped in a small village to drop off a load of cargo. I had no idea where we were,, true back country. My big hat was soaked, covererd in mud and was a sorry state. It had been a bind carrying it so I gave it to a shop owner in exchange for a bunch of banans that I shared amongst the passengers. Around 6 we arrived in Santa Rosa, 10 hours on the camioneta.
This where the fun really started. The only hostel in town was full. Today was also Rich & Alex´s 11th anniversary together. I really didnt want to be sharing a room. But, the only beds available were up some wooden steps in the back of restaurant, a tin roof with no walls, my single camp bed was wet from the rain, and in the plaza in front was the biggest sound system. I found out, it was the local taxi firms 7th birthday and the whole town was partying all through the night. Bloody Hell.
Dinner was shite, cold rice, chips and egg, a dry cake and small beer. I was knackered and my head throbbed. I was given a mozzy net but there was no where to hang it up. Still fully dressed, I lay out a thick blanket to stop the dampness gettting to me, and lay down, hat, snood and gloves on. The only part of me exposed were my eyes and nose. Miraculously, with the aid of ear plugs I fell asleep. I woke up through the night, but I did get a couple of hours sleep.
I woke up in the morning scratching my eyes. It was then I realised that the mozzies had eaten the small exposed area of skin, I looked like I had been in a boxing match. Great. We got up early and flagged a colectivo, taxi to take us to Mapiri where we hoped to get a boat. The taxi driver was a young kid. The road was a mud bath and he slid the car all over the place. He was driving way to fast, it was like he had been playing on a PS3 and jumped straight into his car and continued driving in the same way. Within an hour we had safely arrived in 1 piece at the small town of Mapiri.
The 3 of us really wanted to get the boat to Rurre, the main reason for coming this way. We were told in Mapiri the river was to low and know boats were sailing. OK. Other option to take a 4x4 jeep to Guanay and try again there. The next jeep was at 10 which gave us an hour for breakfast, yep, the usual, rice, egg, tomato and a cup of tea. The Yukka was tasty though. More time to people watch, a young girl walked past with a live parrot in her hand feeding it, like you do.
We had the middle row of the jeep to ourselves, this felt like total luxury. The 4.5 hour ride to Guanay went well. We drove through some small Indian villages, wooden huts with straw rooves, loads of jungle and we were up in the clouds. Only a 4x4 jeep could get through these steep muddy roads. We were now in true back country and the people were looking at us with disbelief we were travelling this way, very few gringos even attempt it.
In Guanay we were told no boats were sailing to Rurre. That didnt surprise me. After a lunch of, yeah, you guessed it, rice, chips, egg and toms, me and Rich walked to the port to see what we could come up with. The only option was to leave tomorrow and spend 50 USD each. Stuff that. Back to the taxi rank by the plaza. We took a colectivo, only this time there were 3 people in the front, and 4 of us in the back seats, totally cramped for room. The driver was insane, driving like a looney tune through small villages, pedestrians wouldnt have a chance to jump out of the way. I gave in to fate and thought he doesnt want to die either. After a shocking 2 hours we arrived in the big town of Caranavi.
We booked onto the 8pm coach to Rurre and went for dinner. Rice, chips, egg and toms. I was looking forward to arriving in Rurre for some real food. The coach didnt leave until 9pm. I was in the worst possible seat on the coach. The guy in front of me had reclined his seat that much I couldnt open my bag that was between my feet on the floor. I was sat by the window. Next to me was a huge Bolivian woman that stank, and had a 2 year old kid on her lap. She didnt buy 2 seats, nope just the one. The bus was humid. All I could do was laugh to myself and say I did want an adventure.
I fell asleep just after the bus set off, only to be rudely awaken by a man asking for my ticket. I gave him a look that I dont give very often. I had just bought the ticket off him, not an hour before. How many blonde hair gringos are on this coach. Why, oh why did he have to wake me. I nodded off again to realise we were stationery, There was a major traffic jam on one of the famous parts of the road, enough room for one bus. A car had stalled in the stream across it. An hour later the traffic had been sorted and we were moving again. I knew I was in for a long sleepless cramp filled night.
At 10am in the morning the coach arrived in Rurre, 13 hours after leaving Caranavi. The last 3 hours of way in was slow progress. It had been raining all night and had made the roads even more dangerous than normal. During the night, the kid was flinging his arms and legs about in his sleep hitting me in all the worse places possible. This has definitely been my most hardcore travel of South America so far. Just over 2 days after leaving Sorata we had arrived at our destination.
Rich & Alex went for a rice and egg breakfast, I felt like death and needed somthing else. I checked into a hostel called, El Balsero on the main drag, took a piping hot shower and fell asleep for an hour. I realised I had booked myself into the noisiest room in town, I jut hoped it would be quieter at night. I met up with R&A for lunch, a huge plate of chips, falafals and salad, just what I needed.
It was Saturday night, and I was in the mood for a couple of drinks and to see what the night life had to offer. Both the Monkey and Mosquito Bars had happy hour cocktails between 7 and 9, that we went to. Both very gringo´fied. Dinner in Caso de Campo was excellent, natural and organic food, my body was thanking me for it. A couple of beers in here and I returned to Mosquitos chatting with some Aussies and Mosquitos with some gap year students from England, one girl was from where I grew up which was fun to talk about haunts. Outside my hostel are 2 Karoake bars, that ran through the night. Just I was dropping off I would here a plastered local sing Rocky or some other terrible 80´s record.
The fun continues. The rain was pouring down outside when I woke up. It rains for about only 2 weeks during this season, I had found it. I was still trying to catch up with my sleep and took short naps during the day, after lunch and tea. I returned to Monkeys at 7pm for happy hour where I got talking to Lena from Denmark. She was about to head into the jungle for a months volunteering so we chatted about Bolivia for most of the night. I had a pizza in Mosquitos and a final beer and returned back to my shell to listen to more bad Karaoke.
I was here in Rurre to visit the Pampas, I was thinking about going the next day so couldnt be bothered to change hostel. When I got back to my room, I felt. Not like a tired or one too many beers ill, but proper ill. I spent all night violently vomitting, I had got food poisoning from the pizza. What next could happen to me. I spent the following day in bed. I managed to leave the hostel to get rehydration tablets and water and bananas.
Somehow the next day I managed to walk up the hill to the huge cross that overlooks the city with Rich. It was a good hours trek and I hoped I would sweat most of the germs out of my body in the humidity. After the walk I slept for 3 hours before we met up again at a Chinese restaurant to watch the sunset over Rio Beni. It was a good sunset and the plate of noodles and veg helped gain some strength.
The following morning I woke up with a killer headache but still booked myself onto a 2 day Pampas tour the next day. I had to do something and get out of Rurre, it was just making me ill. I ate some really healthy food at Pacha Mamas and Casa de Campo and poured water down my neck all day. I was in bed by 8pm again, exhausted and hoped for a sound sleep before the tour.
I was up early ready to get the jeep into the Pampas. I woke up with stomach cramps. I couldnt believe I had now got bad guts, just what I needed when I was going deep into the Pampas. Nothing I could do about it, but to get on with it. The jeep left Rurre at 9am. With me in the jeep were the driver, guide, cook, 2 Dutch girls on my seat and 5 people in the back. I was really quiet for the bumpy 3 hour ride to Santa Rosa. Thankfully I didnt feel that ill.
At Santa Rosa we threw our bags on one of the thing long wooden boats. I was with 5 young guys from Montreal who are travelling together. It was soon obvious after 10 mins that we were going to have a scream, the banter was hilarious already, they were bouncing off each other. I sat at the front of the boat and had the perfect view down the Rio Yacuma. I love floating boat rides and this was a beauty. The sun was hot but not intense and the speed of the boat gave a cool wind over me.
Alongside the river we saw hundreds of alligator, a few cayman, bigger and darker than the alligator, thousands of turtles sat on logs on the river, loads of birds, herons, and a few colorful birds of paradise. We rocked up to our lodge in the wild and unloaded our things. I slept for an hour whilst the cook made lunch. The usual rice, chips and meat, lol.
After a brief lunch we continued for another 30 mins down the river, more animals and birds. I roped the boat up to a tree and we were passed fishing line wrapped around a stick, with a small piece of beef hooked on. We dangled the bait into the murky waters and within minutes the piranha´s were biting. I would like to say I caught one, but as many bites as I had, I didnt manage to snag one. Daniel behind me caught one, it was a shambles when he passed the hooked piranha back to the guide to unhook. He was shouting for us to be careful in case it bit us, the guys in front were ducking all over the place.
We slowly sailed back up the river and stopped at a wooden building on high wooden stilts. From the top we could see the sunset over the horizon. The colours and view reminded me of an African animal documentary I had seen on the tv, the huge horizon streaked with pinks and purples. We stayed here for a couple of hours drinking cold beers and admiring the view. It was time to head back for dinner.
It was dark on the river, but the full moon gave us enough light to see the silhouettes of the trees. We put on our head torches and searched the river banks. Every now and again we would see 2 lights, the eyes of the alligators bouncing of our lights. Then the guide killed the engine of the boat and we sailed in silence. This was incredible. The noise of the insects in the trees were like an orchestra. Fireflys glowed in the trees, a few passed by in front of me leaving a trail of light in me eyes. This was pure bliss, a cold beer, cruising in silence down a river in the Pampas. Worth the tour fee alone.
Back in the lodge we had a massive meal of spag bol, salad, tea and biscuits. The lights were turned off at 10pm by which time everybody had secured themselves under their mozzy nets in the dorm. I struggled to sleep at first due to the heat and humidity, but it soon cooled down later into the night.
I was woken up at day break by the dawn chorus of a thousand birds. It is better than any alarm. Breakfast was served early so we get a quick start to go in search of snakes. An hour further up the river and the 2 boats on our tour moored up near a boggy marsh. I was aware that we could be looking for 2 to 3 hours and not see a single snake. This has happened to a few friends. I was told that I was the only one of the group of 14 that was going back to Rurre today, and that they hoped I was lucky......
Within 20 mins the other guide had found a cobra, the first time cobra in a couple of weeks. Now talk about luck. At this stage we hadnt even walked into the stinky marsh. 20 mins of slopping around and trying not to lose my boot in the mud as it was 2 sizes to big. We had heard a shout, they had found an anaconda. Not a huge one, but a good size. 40 mins of searching. Extreme luck. It was the first time in months that both a cobra and an anaconda had been seen in one search. Bonus.
On the way back to the lodge we stopped by a bush with loads of cheeky little yellow monkeys jumping between the branches. They werent shy at all and came within arms reach, all most showing off. One of the reasons I wanted to visit the Pampas were to see 2 animals, a pink river dolphin and a capybara. I saw 2 dolphins swim by the boat and jump out of the water. It is insane that they live inland on a river. They are pretty ugly looking. Just as I was about to give up on a capybara, I spotted a big one on the river bank. It is the worlds biggest rodent and looks like a huge stupid gerbil. It waddled of into the distance. Perfect I had seen everything I came to see.
I had an early lunch on my own, the usual and sat on the river bank waiting for another tours boat to take me back to Santa Rose. Half way along I realised I had left my tiki in the lodge. It was given to me by the assitant major of Auckland when I finished my contract and is a maori symbol of safe travels. I was gutted because I knew I wouldnt see it again. Oh well.....
I rode shot gun in the front of the jeep back to Rurre, a dull 3 hours listening to bad Bolivian covers of English 80`s music. I met up with Rich & Alex for sunset at the Chinese place and went for a dinner at Pacha Mamas. I treated myself to olives, blue cheese (soooooo good) nacho`s dips, mojito and a herb chicken sandwich. Totally too much but I was feeling better and needed to get some strength back, ready for another adventure tomorrow......
We were pretty disappointed that we couldnt take the boat to Rurre. But during our stay in Rurre we arranged amd booked a boat ride the over way. Brilliant piece of luck. We didnt want to take the same route back up to Caranavi. We met our captain, Christian at the port at 8am and soon after we set off. With plenty of cargo, a cook, assistant cook and 2 sailors. This boat was a lot quicker than the one in the Pampas I had hat and gloves on to keep warm. In fact, Christian said it was the coldest ride he had taken.
We travelled up Rio Beni and the forest on either side. The sky was grey and drizzly which gave it a very atmospheric feel. The clouds looked menacing over the mountains. It was going to be a long 10 hours journey to Guanay. Especially as the small piece of foam on the hard wooden seats didnt offer much against numbness. But, I was loving it. A good egg sandwich for breakfast followed by an endless supply of different fresh food. A few people from river villages hopped on and off as we cruised along.
We watched people panning for gold along the river. The average daily wage in Bolivia is 40b`s, which is 3 pound. The gold hunters can gather between 1 and 3 grammes of gold a day, each gramme is worth 200 b`s so they are rolling in money at times. It was a long, hard, freezing job but by the number of people we saw, it is a worthwhile job. 5.30pm we arrived for the second time in the small town of Guanay.
Christian had phoned ahead and booked us 3 places on the only coach to Caranavi and delayed the departure until we arrived. 6.20 and we were sat in comfortable reclining seats. I wish Christians arm pits and farts werent as horrendous as they were. Not long after we set off, we were asked to get off the bus as it crossed a river. Hang on, we crossed this no problem in a taxi last time. I was told the main bridge was 75 percent damaged and it could fall at any times. No buses or bigger are aloud to cross it. It so we had to cross on a makeshift wooden platform. Hmmmm, not only that we had to pay 2b extra for the privelege. Christian went mad at the organiser, Christian is Bolivian. Why not charge 22b instead of 20 for the ticket so we didnt have to mess about with coins. It is sooooo typically Bolivian. Always asking for more money in a sly way.
As we crossed the other side we noticed that there were paintings of Osama bin Laden and Che Guevara on the back of the bus, an obvious dig at the USA and western world. We got many laughs of our fella passengers as we posed for photos with the 2 war lords. 9.30m, tired and hungry we arrived in the hub of Caranavi. It is a very uninteresting place and the only reason to stay is to wait for another coach out of there. We stayed in a very average Residencial, my bed was made out of straw and lumpy, it was cheap and I had another sleepless night.
After the usual breakfast we were in a taxi to Coroico, a beautiful holiday spot for many Paceñañs and tourists alike, 4 hours south of La Paz. I had been warned that the road between La Paz and Coroico is a nightmare. One of the worlds worst. In places the road was thin on a huge drop below, but nothing like the one from Sorata. The only thing that scared me was when he tried to overtake buses on blind corners at break neck speeds. The mad bastard had a death wish. We arrived in the sun town of Coroico around 11, and straight away booked into the good Hostal Kory.
It has a small outdoor swimming pool, a balcony with tables and chairs that has incredible views of the valley and mountains, and an attached restaurant that is overpriced. It is right on the main plaza. I could here a political annoucement and shouting and cheering. A new prefectura had been sworn in on the embassy balcony and a crowd had gather down below. I watched as he signed autographs and ponced about. The town is at 1600m and has a great climate, warm during the day, cool at night. Perfect for me.
I spent most of the day on the balcony reading and writing, and accidentally smashing a bottle of wine all over the decking, arse. When the sun dropped, so did the temperature, time to get warm and go for lunch. In all the guides a French run hostal and restaurant is highly recommended, Hostal Cafatel. It is a 15 min walk out of town but worth every step. The quina and cheesy curried veg was fantastic, as was the lasagna. I recommend anyone going to Coroico to check it out. In the plaza hundreds of kids were letting off fireworks. A perfect advert how not to be safe. Holding them in their hands or throwing them across the paths, it was a war zone. I safely made it back to the hostel without being blown up or set on fire.
Cockrels woke me up early the next morning, the sun wasnt close to rising so what the bloody hell were they playing at. I packed my bags and left them in R&S room as I had planned to go to La Paz that night. Before then I wanted to visit the nearby waterfalls. Me and Rich got some snacks and water and started climbing up the hill to the battered old church of Calvario. Already the views were stunning and it was peaceful being back up in the hills. This was my first proper walk since Illampu and I was really happy to fit enough to trek again.
After an hour we reached the first falls, Cochuna, a small waterfall surrounded by pipes and a fence. They were taking the clean water back into a small village below. I know the need but the metalwork spoiled the view. We kept on the high path to the second falls, San Jacinto, again surrounded by pipes. We decided to take a not obvious path down to the main road below so we could look up the falls. The path was a serious of switch backs in the outback. We passed a few young men working a field. Within seconds one had run down and started talking to us. I knew he wanted. He spoke to me, I said I didnt understand, which I didnt and said that I dont speak Spanish and carried on walking down. He didnt know what to say that to and we reached the main road without spending any money.
We passed the bottom of San Jacinto to San Felix, the third and by far biggest of the 3 falls, between 50 and 60 metres. A few locals splashed there feet in the plunge pool. I stripped off to my shorts and had a quick refreshing shower. We sat on a rock looking at the falls and ate lunch. A perfect spot for a rest. We tried to find the high pass on the way back but it was impossible to find so we had to walk along the main road back to town. A good 4 hour and 15km trek.
Back in Coroico I collected my backpacks, said goodbye to R&A and walked down the many steps to the bus terminal. I asked around for the minibus only to be told there is road block near La Paz due to a demonstration about the water quality. I had no option but to stay an extra night and to leave in the morning. Not a bad thing as Coroico is great. I returned to the hostal to some bemused faces and checked into a different room. I was hot after walking back up the hill so made use of the pool to cool down, it is very fresh.
That evening we went to the Mosquito bar for half price cocktails, free peanuts and pool. A good way to start the evening. We ate Mexican at Bamboo`s. We spent ages reading the full menu only to be told after they were cooking 3 dishes only that night. Burritos it was and some cold beer. The plaza was even more of a war zone than the previous night, how any of the kids arent maimed or losing eyes is a bloody miracle. I say ta ra to R&A for the second time that day as I would be leaving early in the morning.
The road block had finished by the morning so I managed to get the last space on an 8am minibus back to La Paz. The road was paved, luxury and the views along the quebradas stunning. We passed loads of the cyclists bombing down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road (WMDR). I was travelling up the ´new´road which was still a mess. I could see down to the old road, which is in pieces. Even the road was pretty dangerous, it was nothing compared to when I held on for life between Sorata and Santa Rosa.
It took 4 hours to get back to La Paz. The minibus had a wheel bearing out, and was all over the shop. I changed onto a colectivo the last 30 mins back into La Paz. I checked back into El Solario, for the 3rd time and headed straight to Mora Mora for a huge healthy lunch. It was a steady first day, catching up with friends and family and a big salad at 100% Natural. I was updating my blog in the hostel when I hear somebody playing good reggae music on the guitar. I got talking to Asher (Mc Steed) about music. Next thing I know it was 5am in the morning and a litre of rum had been drunk, rapping, swapping artists etc. I felt pants the next day, not surprising so it was pretty much a right off. I managed a Chinese in the evening and crashed out with a sore head.
Next day I spent ages uploading photos and blogging on here, but I enjoyed recalling my adventures whilst I typed. I had arranged to meet Vivianka who lives in La Paz in the early afternoon. We went to Cafe Beirut where we watched the football, Russia and Spain on tv with a a big sheesha pipe and a few beers. For the first time in La Paz I visited the area of Miraflores. A crowd was gathering outside the largest football stadium in Boliva, 50000 people for the match tonight. A friend of Viviankas was selling leather bags, and her aunty wanted to buy one, so we went to a residential area near by. A random house had a dragon built on its roof, very surreal. We ate dinner at 100% Natural and shared a bottle of wine.
We, me, Rich and Alex bought tickets to Cuzco in Peru for Sunday morning. We are going there to meet Richie Heald who is on a 2.5 week holiday. I cant, wait, it will be a riot. In the afternoon we took a 30 min micro ride down to Zona Sur, for 1.5b`s, 9p !!! Zona Sur is a city within a city. This is where all the Europeans live and it is a very wealthy area. Boutiques, fancy restaurants and I could see money everywhere. We met up with Andrew for a drink in Cafe Berlins at sunset. Outside there was a chair in the street between 2 cars, Rich sat on it and a random street seller tried to sell fly spray whilst he was sat down. You couldnt plan a more random photo. I bought a doner kebab and stood posing for stupid photos by a huge Range Rover, the looks I got were classic. Pimp my kebab.
It is now my last day in La Paz and also my last day in Bolivia. 8am we are on a 12 hour coach to Cuzco. I am not a big fan of shopping, but today it was fantastic. I managed to buy, hat, gloves, socks, trekking pants, suncream etc etc in the market for stupidly cheap prices. There is no way I am going to freeze in Peru now. My final lunch in Mora Mora was great. Yukka soup, I can of a cheesy tasty potato that I am really into now.
My final story of Bolivia. In the English run curry house of Star of India, they sell a vindaloo. This is no normal vindaloo, it is insanely hot. I had half a tea spoon before and it blew my mouth off, and I like spicy food. I bet Asher that he couldnt eat a whole portion. I would pay for his dinner if he could. Well... I have just got back from there. He started off OK, then his cheeks started pouring with sweat, his went a funny colour. He dissappeared to the toilet for 10 min. A fifth of the way through, he admitted defeat. I am glad he gave up as he looked in pain.
Thats it. 3 months in Bolivia, and it has been the most adventurous, diverse, mind boggling country of South America so far. At times you are stunned by the stupidity, totally awe inspired by the beauty and for some reason La Paz has a hold on me. I love this crazy city, every day is an adventure. There are loads more things I could do here, but it is time to move on. Bring on Peru......
It was chaos during the night before we were to take the long distance coach to Cuzco in Peru. A totally coked up Frenchman came back to the hostel in the middle of the night and started shouting and mummbling to himself. Breathing really difficulty and going around the hostel doors scratching on them, hoping somebody was up. I didnt hear to much but he was trying to remove the window in his bedroom. I woke up suddenly to a huge crash, he had smashed a window next to the administration office. The hostal owner came out and threatened to call the police, the man ran off and thankfully that was the last we heard of him before we checked out 7.30.
Tired from lack of sleep we plonked ourselves down on the 7.45am bus out of La Paz. I was sat next to you a young man from Lima called Gally. We spoke in Spanish for a couple of hours, he was teaching me Peruvian slang. I was mentally exhausted from trying to speak and understand him so plugged us both into my mp3 player to listen to chilled music until we reached the border. We arrived at Desaguedera at 10.30am, and walked across into Peru. Passport control was no problems and quick, after 2.5 months in Bolivia it was time to experience a new country.
The coach followed the west side of Lake Titicaca, I had amazing views of the glistening lake. 4 hours after the border we were in the town of Puno where tourists stay to visit the floating islands. I must have fallen asleep for a while because I woke up on the outskirts of Cuzco in the dark. At 6.30pm, 11.5 hours after leaving La Paz we had arrived at the main bus terminal of Cuzco.
My friend Andrew in La Paz had given us a recommendation for a good hostel in Cuzco, a hospedaje, which is similar to a hostal but it is a families home and they rent out a few rooms. Anyone reading this going to Cuzco, I can really recommend the place, Hospedaje Mirador in San Blas, close to KM0 restaurant. I was relieved not only to have a good room and bed for the night, but my stomach was killing after being cramped on the coach for so long, more bad guts. This always happens when I cross into a new country, and especially on long distance coaches with not much space. We ate a charity run restaurant called Sumaq Mijuna where all the profits go to helping poor street children and their mothers. I fell asleep in seconds of my head hitting the pillow after.
We were in Cuzco to meet up with Richie Heald who was flying in the next morning from Lima. He is here in Peru on a 2.5 week holiday. I was woken up with a start by incredibly loud firecrackers going off in the near by streets at 7am and 8am. As the days passed this happened every morning, it is like a free alarm clock for the citizens of Cuzco. What about us travellers in need of a good lie in, no consideration!!! For breakfast I went to El Buen Pastor, a very good bakery that is also charity run, for strong coffee and wholemeal breads.
Feeling a little more alive, me, Rich and Alex took a local minibus to Cuzco airport to wait for Richie`s flight. It was bang on time. Richie walked out with his usual confident swagger with a big grin on his face. It was fantastic to see him, although something seemed a little strange. He was without his main backpack that had been delayed by a day, ahhh, I thought it was to perfect to be true, hehehe. After much backslapping and laughter we introudced him to his first massively over packed colectivo ride back into the city centre.
It was lunch time by now, we had been given a recommendation of a good local restaurant with local foods called Q`ori. Also it was a damn sight cheaper than the other places. My first impressions of Cuzco were not good..... It is the most incredibly touristy place I have seen in my 9 months in South America. Gringos everywhere, and the city centre looked like a European city. This is a culture shock in itself for me after spending weeks in the back country of Bolivia with hardly a foreigner in site at times. It took me a couple of days to get used to this... back to the restaurant. I tried a Chicha Morada drink, a local drink soft drink made from purple corn, I found it very pleasant to drink.
The sun was shining and there were clear blue skies overhead, so after lunch we bought cold beers and sat in a local plaza people watching, my favourite travelling sport. Rich & Alex bought a coca beer, beer made with coca leaves, which is the most disgusting beer I have ever tasted in my entire life. I would like to meet the person who actually enjoys drinking this offending brew. A tourist policeman came over to us and asked us to leave the plaza. Even though we were being quiet, drinking alcohol in a public place like here is an offence, excellent, less than 24 hours in Peru and I am `being done` by a policeman.
We returned to our hostel for a chill. By now my stomach had got worse, talk about bad timing, and I was also feeling drained. I slept for a couple of hours before we returned to Q`ori for dinner. I tried another local dish, Palta a la Jardinera, an avocado stuffed with cold veg, mayonaisse and chicken, bloody delicious. In the night we visited the bar/club called Uptown. Not only was it happy hour but they had free salsa lessons. I grabbed a girl who was working behind the bar for a dance. That is when I realised that I hadnt salsa`d for months and that I had forgot every move apart from the basic steps..... mmmmm..... I caught glimpses of other couples dancing and managed to piece a couple of moves together without looking a total fraud. I had a couple more dances during the night and slowly but surely my memory kicked in and 2 or 3 basic spins came back to me, still very very rusty though. Me & Richie shared a beer in the Irish bar, Paddy Flaherty`s before calling it a night at 2am.
Woken up with a bang again, quite literaly by the f*****g annoying firecrackers. Another simple breakfast at Buen Pastor before we had a walk around the picturesque centre of Cuzco. The architecture is simply stunning, everywhere I looked I could see carvings, perfectly straight stone walls, cathedrals, arches, cobbled streets. If you ignore the mass of gringo`s it is beautiful. We sat for a while on the steps at Plaza de Almas and watched a small demonstration go by, nothing on the scale of the Bolivian ones. An old woman walked past selling coca leaves. I bought a small bag and 2 balls of ash based thingy to act as an alkali. I showed Richie the custom way of placing the leaves in the side of your mouth by your gum, taking a small bit of alkali and swilling the saliva around. I put too much ash in my mouth and burnt a blister on my tongue, very clever James.
I was not the only one feeling ill. Alex has had a head cold for about 3 weeks now that she cant shift, and Rich has been feeling exhausted for over a week. I had no energy either. We managed a brief lunch back at Qóri before having a rest in the hostal. We were feeling bad because we wanted to be on top form for Richie and his relatively short holiday here. Rich was feeling worse. The hostal owner arranged for a doctor to come out and see him. An hour later he had arrived and was giving blood tests etc, the results would be ready the following morning.
Alex stayed with Rich in the hostel whilst me and Richie went out to eat. By San Blas plaza is an excellent French run restaurant called La Caverne del Oriente. I had the speciality of Alpaca and cus-cus which was amazing. I turned around to talk to Richie, the colour had drained from his face, oh no. Yep, you guessed it, he was the next one to be ill, that makes all four of us, full house. Maybe it wasn`t a good idea to eat salad at the local restaurant the last couple of days.....
Not to be beaten, and it was a Tuesday night after all, every day is a weekend day when travelling!! Me and Richie went back out for a few beers. Paddy`s was a lot busier than the previous night and had a good atmosphere, Uptown was, well, straight out of a Ritzy club in a small English town. Really minging English girls were dancing on the bar having shots poured down their necks, the dj was playing crap dance music and it was pretty awful in there. And, that is not just because I am getting old and felt 15 years older than everyone else, cough.... We had a quick beer and got back for 3am, not bad going for a pair of granddads....
We had wanted to go to Machu Picchu the next morning but things were going a bit tits up. I felt crap still, and Rich had to go and get his doctors report, he had a blood infection. Not only that, R&A had there camera stolen last night, with the last months photos on, over 200. We think this was in the street outside KM0 where a few locals were hanging out. The police station reported that Cuzco has the highest rate of pick pocketing in the world, I think on a par with Rio at carnival time. I went to the chemist to by anti-biotics, Rich and Richie had done the same, we were all taking a 3 day course of the same medicine. Rich went to the police station to make a report, a queue of gringos were waiting to do the same, a pile of papers 3 foot high showed this happens every few minutes!!!
We had a slow walk around the streets of San Blas and stumbled across a brilliant veggie restaurant called El Arbol for healthy veg soup, having to be careful with what we eat and avoid dairy food, meat and salad for the next few meals. It got really cold early evening and as we were heading to Machu Picchu the next morning, and after 2 late nights we had an early one. A big travel day tomorrow.
There are many ways to get to Machu Picchu, the most famous is the 5 day walk along the Inca Trail from Cuzco to the site itself. This is not only very expensive but booked up for 2 or 3 months in advance. Other ways are the alternative 7 day hike, a 3 day tour, 2 of which are by mountain biking, or, by the cheap budget backpacker way, guess which one we took.
For the benefit of Rich Pointon who has just confirmed he is coming out to South America for a months holiday in September, which I am delighted by, this is how to get to Aguas Calientes the cheapest and an interesting way. Aguas Calientes is the small town below Machu Picchu where you can walk up to the site from.
1 - Take a taxi from San Blas to the where the buses and minibuses leave for Santa Maria, about 8 soles. There is a big coach leaving there that I think takes about 8 hours for 20ish soles. We bartered for an 8 seater new people carrier for 28 soles each, plenty of space....
A lot of time in Bolivia the locals distort the truth, is the soup hot, yes, noooo its not. Is the beer cold, yes, noooo its not. Is the bus direct.... it stops to pick up passengers every 5 mins, etc etc, but this is done in a strangely but slightly charming manner which I had got used to in Bolivia. With an open mind I entered Peru to see what the culture is like here. What time does the minibus leave I asked, 7am, are you sure, propbably 7.30am. Ok, I can handle that, transport runs late in Peru most of the time. Is it direct, yes, great. 8am we set off. 3 mins later, he was filling up for fuel, this always happens, taxis and minibuses are never fuel ready before journeys.... 5 mins later we wait for 10 mins for a taxi to catch us up with another passenger. OK, no probs. 10 mins later, stopped to pick up a local, direct indeed!!! Ok, so Peru is no different, people will blatantly lie to your face, not like Bolivia with a hint of guilt, there is a total lack of remorse...
Anwyay, back to the travel. The views to Santa Maria are amazing, it is different to other mountainous areas because there are a lot more trees which gives it an Alpine feel, beautiful to see. 4.5 hours after leaving Cuzco we arrived in a tiny plaza in S. Maria. Warning, there are hundreds of tiny insects that bite like crazy, wear a long sleeve top or cover exposed skin with mozzie spray, they are nasty little bastards.
2 - Take a local taxi to Santa Theresa, 10 soles, I tried to haggle but they werent having any of it. It only took 20 mins to get there.
3 - From Santa Theresa, another local taxi, 5 soles to Hidroelectrica, a short 10 min ride.
We were told by the taxi driver the train to Aguas Calientes leaves at 3pm, nope, it leaves at 4.40pm and takes about 1.5 hours. There were 4 of us, with all backpacks. Rich wasnt feeling to good but Richie was in the mood for a walk. Instead of us all paying the 25 soles each for the train, Rich & Alex were to take the bags and we would walk.
4 - From Hidrolectrica, 2 options. 1.5 hour train ride for 25 soles, or an excellent 2.5 hour, 10km walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Warning, when you get to a small train station, take the road, 15 min walk to A.C., there are 2 train tunnels further up the track, you wouldnt want to be in there when the train comes!!!
Outside Hidroelectrica is a bridge over the river with stunning views through the mountains. This is also the first glimpse of Machu Picchu up on the top of the mountain if you look in the right direction. I noticed Richie walking a little strange, even though it was solid metal and a safe crossing he had vertigo. I had no idea, I was hoping he would be OK on the trek up to MP. I didnt think about putting mozzie spray on, MISTAKE. There are loads of mozzies here so make sure you are either covered up or sprayed up. Workmen were repairing the line, small train things came past everynow and again so we had to jump at the side of the track.
I found a hostel for us whilst we were waiting for the train to arrive. Mandor Hospedaje, private bathroom for 25s each for 2 nights, 12.5 a night. The rooms are OK, luke warm water in the upstairs rooms, downstairs better, but they clean there stairs at 7am and make a bloody racket, that is if you want a lie in, check out is at 9am so it is not much of a problem.
Hot, sticky and tired, me and Richie waited by the track side for the train to come in, sharing a well needed large ice cold beer. Cusquena and Arequipena are the best beers in Peru, so far anyway. A man pushing a small trolley along the train tracks collected rubbish from passers by, a bit strange to watch. Just after 6 the train pulled in, we helped unload the backpacks and dumped them off at the hostel. Alex went to the ticket office to buy entrance tickets to Machu Picchu.
5 - Entrance tickets to Machu Picchu cost 50 USD or 122 soles. They are valid for 1 day and can be used up to 3 days after purchase in case the weather is crap the day you plan to visit. ***** FIND A STUDENT**** with a valid student card and tickets are half price for 25 USD. There are no passport or other details on the ticket other than your name so you shouldnt be questioned on entrance, they punch a hole in your ticket and that is all.
We ate at a cheap Chinese restaurant called Los Amazonas, I wouldnt recommend it, there are thousands of other restautants with menus from 10 soles that are better value. I picked up some biscuits, brown bread and Fanny jam to make food for the next day, which is also Richie`s 43rd birthday, sorry for giving your age away mate....
We ate breakfast in the local market, wanting egg and palta sandwiches. We asked a woman if she had brown bread, yes was the answer. We sat down on the bar stools waiting for coffee and sandwiches. She was half way cooking when I noticed the buns were white. Hmmmmm. I questioned this, I said what are those, she just looked at me, I said I asked for brown, she nodded, they are white, she nodded, blatantly lying to my face, we just stood up and walked off, leaving her there with half made breakfasts.
We moved to another counter, do you have brown bread, are you sure I asked, yes. OK, lets try again. We ordered our sandwiches. The woman ran down stairs to a shop and came back with brown bread. Excellent. She then made me my sandwiches and very tasty coffee. Then she ran downstairs and came back with another egg, and made Alex`s sandwich. She then disappeared again and came back with 2 more eggs for Rich & Richie, ok, I can see a pattern here, then again she left and came back with an another avocado. We looked at each other half baffled and trying not to crack up. Everything is bought on order, but why she couldn`t get everything in one go I dont know. I wont even start on when we came to pay, adding 2 things up is a mathematical nightmare apparently.....
We walked out of town, across the 2 bridges that cross Rio Urubamba and to the bottom of the steps up to MP. The sun was shining and clear skies, a perfect start to the day. The walk up was a little steep, criss crossing the road that the buses were taking up. The scenery is amazing, the location really is breathtaking, it is hard to comprehend at times how they built a city up on the top of here. It took about an hour until we reached the entrance to the site. It was still early and not so busy which was great.
6 - There are guides outside touting for business, we didnt bother and just listened into other groups tours from time to time, this was enough for me to get information on the areas I was interested in. Some of the guides were telling people not to talk and when they could and couldnt take photos, I was surprised the way some people were spoken to, it was like a school outing. We burst out laughing at times.
My first impressions were that of slight dissappointment, it appeared a lot smaller than I imagined, especially after seeing the photos that are in every hostel. We wanted to climb up Huayna Picchu the mountain at the back of the site.
7 - Only 400 people are allowed to climb up Huayna Picchu a day. Get to the site early and walk to the far end to get a ticket, you can enter anytime after up to 11am. THIS IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MP FOR ME.
Once we had tickets we sat up near the watch tower for a rest and to take in the view. Slowly but surely the magic of the place was getting to me. It is insane how they built everything at this height, it is mind blowing. We took a few photos from around the watch tower, this is where most postcard pix are taken. We had an hour to walk around the Temple of The Sun, Real Tomb, Temple of 3 Windows, Intihuatan (sundial) etc before the walk. The closer you look at the stones and structures the workmanship is perfect.
The walk up to Huayna Picchu is along very steep steps in parts with hand rails to hold onto. Richie didnt have any problems with his vertigo, that was very quickly surpressed. This wasnt true for everyone I passed, a woman was clutching to the side with fear shouting at her son not to go near to the edge, he was nowhere near it. I could sympathise with her as a year ago I was the same. I thought the location of the main of MP was insane. I still dont understand how they could build ruins and buildings at the top of HP, it is just incredible. It took 40 mins to reach the summit at 2634m. There was one part I didnt cross around the back of the lower path, I made the mistake of looking down and quickly turned back to the safer path, that wasnt vertigo, purely being sensible!!!
We rested at the summit and took in the tree covered mountain sides, the valleys and rivers below, Hidroelectrica and MP. By now I was totally in awe of the whole place. What was initially dissappointed had totally dissappeared.
I recommend anyone coming to South America to visit here, it is hard to describe in words at time.
Back on the main part by the watchtower we gave Richie his birthday presents, which he opened with the perfect view of the area. What a place to have a birthday! The hours had flown by here. We had been lucky with the clear skies in the morning as the clouds had set in during the afternoon, giving a mystical feeling.
8 - A little known and little talked about place is the Inca Bridge. VISIT IT. I wondered how they built MP, this is another ball game, once I saw the bridge and the bush lined route around the mountains I was gob smacked. It looks like something straight out of an Indiana Jones film. It has to be seen to be believed.
Something else that is awe inspiring is the irrigation system running through the site, water still trickles all around through tiny viaducts. Bloody brilliant. The Condor was interesting, a huge rock making a wing, the head part has a hole where sacrificial animal blood runs down to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth), a tit bit I overheard a guide telling her group.
We walked back down to Aguas Calientes the same way we came up. What a day..... It wasnt over yet.
We grabbed our bathing costumes and walked up the hill to the outdoor hot springs to bathe our aching limbs. There are natural hot waters to rest in, it was busy with trekkers and tourists alike. We spent an hour in there looking up at the surrounding mountains. We were going to get out when there was a power cut. Blackness. When our eyes adjusted we could the stars above, it was fantastic. It was still dark when we eventually braved the darkness and left to get changed. Thankfully the power and lights returned shortly afterwards.
For Richies birthday we ate a very good restaurant the name I forget and had a 4 course meal, with a bottle of top Chilean wine. There are 2 night clubs in town, Wayticha which was dead, but we made a 4 man party, complete with sparklers and silly dancing, and El Tequila, slightly more lively and better music. One of the best days of my travels so far.
After an incredible day at Machu Picchu it was time to crack on with the travelling and to try and catch up on the lost time we had in Cuzco being ill. It was ridiculously noisy in our hostel from around 7am, somebody was cleaning the stairs and it sounded like they were deliberately banging the broom handle on our room door. We had to get up early anyway. We had the same breakfast back in the market, with the usual complications of woman having to buy individual items again, at least we were prepared this time.
Me and Richie took the train this time whilst Rich & Alex walked back to Hidroelectrica. I realised that this was my first train ride in South America in 9 months. I have travelled by all manner of road based vehicles and boat type craft, but no train strangely enough. It was a slow and pleasant ride through the mountains, looking up to see a glimpse of MP every now and again. I chatted with a student from Santiago, the first time in a while I had a conversation in Spanish, my head hurt after....
Rich & Alex were waiting for us in Hidroelectrica to help us take the mountain of bags off the train. They had reserved seats for us in a minivan, a good job as it was jam packed and still people were looing for a ride. It drove us directly to Santa Maria via a brief stop in Santa Theresa. Time had flown by during the day, we arrived in Santa Maria at 3.30pm. We didnt hang around here because of the insects and quickly hired an estate car to take us all the way back to Cuzco. Relative luxury and leg room for 30 soles each......
The car ride back to Cuzco was not without plenty of incidents. As we were driving along an unsealed and dusty road a motorbike pulled out of a side road straight in front of the car. The rider had a largish middle aged woman riding pillion. We hit the bike, we werent driving fast thankfully and our driver had time to break a little, but still, it was a big impact and made a hell of a noise. The motorbike flew back and onto the road. Miraculously neither of the bike riders were hurt, I had visions of broken legs etc, this is in the middle of nowhere, getting to a hospital would have taken hours. Our driver was furious, his light had been smashed and he had a big dent in his bonnet, it was totally the motorcycle riders fault for not stopping at the junction. After checking over the car we continued.
Darkness drew in around 6pm when the sunset, climbing up high into the mountains and surrounded by clouds the temperature dropped and the visibility was very low. We crawled along the road at times avoiding pot holes and the huge drop over the mountain side. This is the most dangerous road in Peru and in the rainy season many people drive off the edge to instant death!! The car started making a funny noise and wobbling, hmmm. We stopped to check the tyre, I thought he was going to change it, but no... we carried on. 10 mins later, it was flat as a pancake so we stopped in the freezing cold of the clouds to change it. Luckily I had a little torch to shine on the wheel to speed things up. I felt sorry for our taxi driver, what a day he was having. 2 five hour rides a day from Cuzco and back, a smashed up front of car, a knackered tyre and he is running late to get back for a Saturday night party.
I phoned ahead to the Hospedaje in Cuzco so we had rooms reserved. We arrived at 8.30pm, I was in desperate need of a shower as I was covered in dust from the journey. There was no hot water in the hostel, great, we went out to dinner in our dirty travel clothes at the nearest restaurant, that had no cold beers, it was turning out to be one of those days. I shared a few beers with Rich in The Muse until we got kicked out at closing time. Tomorrow more travelling to Puno.
By now, I was totally exhausted. This is by far the fastest I have travelled since I came away. Usually I have 2 or 3 days in each place, even if there is not a lot to do. I have the luxury of travelling with no schedule or plans, so I can take my time and rest up when I want to. Because Richie only has 2 weeks here, we want to cram as much in as he wants to see. Other than Machu Picchu, the other things on his list were to visit the floating islands of Titi`caca and if possible to see condors near Arequipa.
Up early again, at least now I could have a hot shower before leaving the hostel. El Buen Pastor bakery was shut, it was a Sunday morning, but another place was open, La Bodega del Wayki. This was by far the best breakfast I have had in Peru so far. Food is really important for me, it can be the highlight of a place and is something I look forward to each meal. I had a massive plate of scrambled eggs, half a loaf of granary bread, butter, jam, coffee, a big fruit salad covered in tasty yoghurt. Yeah man, get in. I made 3 rounds of jam sandwiches with the left over bread to take with me on the coach. All that cost only 10 soles, 5.5 soles to the pound!!
We took a taxi to Cuzco bus station at 10.30. It was bloody busy there, people were shouting out Puno every half a second and touting for our business. We asked around for the cheapest price, 10s for the 7 hour ride. We wanted to leave at 11am, no point in waiting. I asked the woman if it was definitely leaving at 11, yes, I asked again, yes she said. Is it direct, yes, are you sure, yes she said. The coach left at 11.30am and stopped to pick up passengers every stop. THE LYING #&*%($#`s. Blatant with no remorse. As I sat on the coach I memorised the Spanish for, `are you lying to me`, `why did you lie`, and I am not paying because you lied. This will come in very handy in the future....
Even though the coach was a battered old Bolivian one there was enough leg room and the seats were surprisingly comfortable. I sat next to Richie and we listened to music on my mp3 for the duration of the journey, nodding our heads to some funky drum & bass. He made me laugh when we passed through the busy town of Juliaca, "bloody hell mate, where are we, Beirut or something." The town is a shite hole and looks like 10 bombs had been dropped on it. An hour after we had arrived in the small bus terminal of Puno around 7pm. Waiting was a friendly taxi driver recommending a hostel, called Tumi II. I am always a bit cautious about taking taxi drivers recommendations, I said I will have a look but if I dont like I will go somewhere else. He was totally fine with that.
The hostel is excellent, 15 soles for a big triple room with hot showers ensuite, there is a big problem with hot water in Peru, so getting hot water is a bonus. I expected Puno to be a small local town, oooh, how wrong was I. The main area is as touristy as you can get, street hawkers selling everything from finger puppets to alapca scarves, restaurant staff shoving menus under your nose as you walk past. We agreed to try a restaurant for pizza, the man was persistant and funny so we went with him. Rich asked where the best pizza in town is, the man said this restaurant here, different to where he was taking us. How strange we thought. We said thanks and went to this place instead!!! He must be on some sort of freelance commission making gringo trapping restaurant finding bloke... The food in Lago de Flores was excellent, brilliant pizzas, nachos, wine, and salad and choc cake for 15s. Bonus. We had a free pisco sour in the main club of Ekeko`s before tiredness crept in, it had been another very long travel day.
We had looked into getting to the floating islands of Uros ourselves, but as the tour arranged from our hostel is only 20 soles each, we could lie in longer, not worry about anything and enjoy the ride. After a tasty breaksfast at the excellent Rico`s Pan bakery we were picked up at our hostel at 9, along with 10 other tourists. A short ride to the harbour where we got on a small boat, that was packed full of gringo`s. Generally I have a bit of a problem with tours, prefering to do things my own way, in my own time and not being patronisingly talked to. I could feel my shoulders rising as the guide started speaking to us. Relax James, you are on here for the next few hours. The engine of the boat started, then failed 2 seconds later. Great. The captain started sucking fuel up through the pipe to get it flowing, soon after we were headed to the floating islands of Uros.
My scepticism of the tour soon evaporated as I listened to the tour guide explain about the history of Lake Titi`caca, the Bolivian side (40%), the Peruvian side (60%), Aymaran (800 years b.c.) and Quechuen languages (1500 years later), the depth of the lake (290m) etc etc. Fascinating stuff.
We stepped off the boat on to the tiny isla of Sumaj Wiljta. We sat on a circular straw bench and listened to how the islands are made. 1 metre of reads are entwined together and laid on top of 1 to 2 metres of soil that has air and roots trapped inside. This gives both bouyancy and protects the houses from water seeping up. The houses are also made out of the reeds in the lake, strung and held together with wooden poles and lengths of rope. There is a bed of reeds between the base of the house and the straw floor for added protection against water. Islanders sometimes float there island to another and the families join together. Each island has a president, sometimes they fall out or want to live independently, islands split and join all the time. The floor needs to be replaced every 2 years, the houses knocked down and new ones rebuilt every 15 to 20 years. It is a very hard exsitence, the people are constantly working. On Sumaj Wiljta are 6 families with 15 people in total. They make good money from the tourists and the excellent gifts and souveniers they make themselves. I bought a Pacha Mama pillow case and some small wooden musical instruments, the only things I can fit in my backpack....
Me & Richie sat in a reed built boat across to the otherside and the second island of the tour, Taca`ila. I climbed up a watch tower of a bird and could see many more small islands, a school with children lined up in the play ground and people weaving reeds. It is a really interesting life out here. This is one of the best tours I have been on, 4 or 5 hours is plenty enough time and for 20 soles it is a steal.
No rest for the wicked, job done in Puno and time to move on yet again, this time to Arequipa. After a brief spot of lunch, we went to the bus terminal and bought coach tickets to Arequipa leaving at 2pm. 2.30pm we left. A rather uneventful 7 hours passed until we arrived in the large terminal in Arequipa. Pablo from the hostel in Puno had given me a flyer for a recommended hostel there. I spoke to the taxi driver to take me there, he was pissed off because he didnt have the chance to get me to look at this hostel recommendation so he would miss out on his commission. Posada del Virrey is a biggish hostel, me and Richie were in a 5 bed room that we had to ourselves.
Absolutely starving by now we headed straight out to dinner. Just around the corner is an Israeli run restaurant called Lakshmivan. I chose their own menu, a combo meal. What I got for 16 soles was insane, bread, salad, veg soup, rice, mushrooms, chips, curried veg, veg milanese & mixed yoghurt juice, all fantastic. I was falling asleep at the table by the time my glass of beer was empty, these continual travel days are wiping me out, but still we have to crack on.
***** What the f**k is that ***** I woke up with a start at 4am. My bed was shaking like mad. I opened my eyes. It wasnt just my bed, it was the whole room, not just the whole room, but the hostel, the street and the whole area. OK, so this is an earthquake, it is still going on. I could hear people shouting outside. The strip light over the door that was switched off was lighting up. The gases were moving so much that they excited themselves and started emitting light. OK, this is going on for too long now. What do I do. Do I stay in bed, move to somewhere without a ceiling or roof. Just as I was starting to worry, the big tremors stopped. Phew. I hadnt ever thought about earthquakes on my travels. When I woke up I read a bit about Peru in my LP, earthquakes and tremors are a regular occurence. Last year, August 15th, there was a huge earthquake that devastated a massive area in Pisco.
We sat eating breakfast back in Lakshmivan discussing options for Colca Canon, condor watching etc. Working out how many days Richie had left. After much deliberation he decided that it would take too much time to see the condors, the bus times are really crap and we would have to spend an extra day getting there. That decided we headed back to the terminal and bought tickets to Ica leaving in the evening, yet another travel day.
We packed our bags and left them in the secure room in the hostel, and headed out into the sunshine for a look at Arequipa. The plaza has nice fountains in the centre, all around the plaza are arched lined buildings, with the main government building opposite the cathedral. A good place to chill and people watch for a while. We stared in amazement as a small kid walked up to a pidgeon, picked it up and posed for a photo for his mum. I tried to get near a pidgeon and they flew off.
We ate at one of the many restaurants on the 2nd floor over looking the plaza. A very popular local Peruvian dish is called rocotto relleno, a spicy bell pepper stuffed with mince and onions, accompanied with potatos in a cheesy sauce. This was seriously delicious, and had a hell of a spicy kick to it that came on after I had finished. I was struggling to walk around the town after, so tired. I left the others to wander and returned to the hostel for a couple of hours chilling before dinner and the overnight coach. We flagged a taxi outside out the hostel to take us to the independent bus terminal for Flores coaches.
This is where the fun starts........
When we arrived at the terminal we noticed something was wrong, no coaches. There is a nationwide `Paro` tomorrow, all the main roads are blocked due to a protest against the government, cost of living, food, water etc has risen rapidly and the people are demonstrating. Our coach had been cancelled. Shit. The main bus terminal is across the road, lets go over and see if other companies are running. 3 were, prices ranging from 40 to 100. We chose the one for 40s after me and Alex checked out the coach, it was a new semi-cama coach, a real bargain. As we were about to pay, Richie told us he couldnt find his small day bag. He was stood just in front of it by the counter, out of view. Somebody had stolen it from under his nose.
In his bag were his glasses, his new camera with all his photos, everything from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, the floating islands etc. Also Visa receipts and his flight tickets back home, jacket etc etc. Shit, shit, shit. You cannot take your eyes off anything for a second here. He decided to make a police report in Ica, the bag was gone by now so we may as well continue our journey. Unfortunately the woman behind the counter had given our seats away on the bus, only 2 left. Great, thanks love, that really helps. Luckily there were seats left on Cruz de la Sur, for 90s, twice the price but food etc. We were ushered across the road to another bus terminal, checked in like an airport and waited in the luxurious waiting room. Bang on time at 9.30 the coach left. I sat back and ate 4 curried veg and rice dinners, more for the amusement of the others and everyone else around me than through hunger. Shawshank Redemption played on the tv, one of my fav films. For an expensive coach I could not get comfortable during the night, if I managed 2 hours sleep I was lucky.
We arrived at the bus terminal in Ica at around 8 in the morning, feeling dazed and confused. A taxi driver was waiting to take us to Huacachina, a few kms away. Ica is, from what I saw from the bus, a shit hole and looks bloody edgy. The Lonely Planet recommends not to stay there and instead head for the oasis of Huacachina. We took the taxi driver up on his offer, and to give him his credit he is pretty friendly. I later found out from talking to him that he wanted us to by-pass all the tour operators and for us to use him for transport to the sites around the area. In Huachachina, the hostel Arena I was full, Arena II was 25 soles a night, ouch. We had been paying no more than 15s. Me and Rich walked around every available hostal and hospedaje in the small village and decided that the best option was to take 2 twin ensuite rooms at Arena II, cable tv in our rooms and a swimming pool outside looking up to the sand dunes and a large restaurant/bar. I bartered with the owner that if we take a tour through them can we get the rooms for 20s each a night, for every night we stay, it was a deal. We waited for an hour until we could checkin to our rooms at 11am. So much for 24 hour hot water, I had a just about luke warm shower. The room is spacious and clean and relaxing. What wasnt so good was the banging trance music coming from a cafe right behind our room, mmmmm, not what I wanted to hear in the morning after a sleepless night. Anyway, by now we were starving and went for lunch at the funky and tranquil restaurant Cafe de la Banana`s. The sun was coming out and it was nice and warm, the climate here is much better than Arequipa. I had a fantastic big plate of homemade chips, salad sarnie and an ice cold beer, well needed too. Since I have arrived in Peru, my belly has grown, the food here is great, and the `menu`s, 2 courses and a drink cheaper than just a starter, what is a man supposed to do. Get some chuffing exercise I suppose..... We were still pissed off about Richies bag getting stolen, and had yet to make a police report. We had to go into the city of Ica to make it, not something we were looking forward to. Not only is it a moody place, but the `Paro` was in full force, the main highways were blockaded and there was a very strange atmosphere. The hostel owner had his car window smashed last night by rocks for trying to take an American tourist to the airport, tensions were running high. The streets on the way to the police station were deserted, there was a very `ghost town` feel to the place. Ica is a big place so for it to be this quiet was eerie. Policemen were wearing bullet proof vests and had riot gear nearby. I was expecting a long and drawn out situation in the police station. Richie could speak no Spanish and the policeman no English. But, it was fine and went really well. The policeman was in a jolly mood, and between us we made a full and comprehensive police report listing every stolen item. We had a good laugh at times trying to describe items that I didnt know the vocabulary for. A cross between charades and pictionary did the job with no problems. It took ages for us to get a cab back to Huacachina, like I say the streets were empty, taxi drivers were either taking the day off, or at the Paro hurling stones. A tv crew pulled and started filming the front of the station and us, I wonder if we were on the news that night!!! A policeman stood with us until a taxi arrived. Back in the safety of Huacachina, we hired sand boards in the late afternoon and walked up the huge sand dunes that surround us, I think they are the second biggest in the world, the biggest further north in Peru. It was bloody hard walking in the soft sand, in no time I was dripping with sweat, this is the exercise I need. The boards are pretty crap and the bindings useless, snapping off everytime I took a turn. But that didnt really matter, we were having a bloody good laugh for the first time in a couple of days. The sun was setting in the distance, the weather was mild, it was peaceful and quiet, and watching each other fall over in the sand was just the tonic. I was already liking Huacachina a lot, it is a stunning location, Ica hidden away in the distance. Once the sun had set, we had a 4 man race down the very steep slope back to the hostal. Me and Richie sat on one board, Rich & Alex the other. We got some pretty fast speed up at times, and every nooky and cranny was full of sand by the time we bailed out at the bottom. The showers were still luke warm, but I found that refreshing, as was the cold beer. For dinner, we found a very surprisingly modern, art decorated, very good Ibiza/Buddha Bar chilled music playing restaurant called Barrett. I ordered a chinese chicken rice dish and a glass of red wine. Whilst waiting for our food we had a game of jenga, that went on for ages, and ages, and ages. The levels kept on growing. We had the total attention of everyone in the restaurant. A french couple behind us had finished their dinner 10 mins ago, and were waiting to leave, but wouldnt until the game was finished. The chef was watching, not bringing our food out until the bricks had fallen. It was level 37 when Richie Heald had the unfortunate task of sending the bricks scattering. My food was great, but the wine... was bloody delicious. A Tabernero 2005 Merlot/Malbec. I recognised the name from a recommendation on my first day in Peru, it was heaven for my taste buds, the best wine since Salta in Argentina 3 months ago. What had started as a tiring, soul testing and shitty day, had ended really really well. Travelling has a tendency to change your mood upside down at the drop of a hat, or theft of a bag. The key is not to get too downbeat with the lows as good things are always around the corner, it is great character building. To make up for the slight dissappointed of missing Condors, Richie wanted to visit Paracas and the Ballestas Islas (The Poormans Galapagos). We took the tour from our hostel for 80`s, it should have been 90 but if you dont ask you dont get!! It was yet another very early start, at 6.30am we were waiting at the reception. The 4 of us had our own taxi to the small port of Paracas, an hour away. I had a light breakfast in case the sea was choppy, I dont have the strongest of stomachs for bobbing around in waves. Thankfully it was flat as a pancake. The boat was rapid and I was happy to have brought my thick fleece, hat and gloves to protect from the cold wind. Our guide spoke perfect English with a BBC newsreaders accent, it made me laugh to hear such a precise and perfect voice come from a Peruvian. The first thing we saw was a massive sand carving of a Candelabra. There are many myths around where it originated, from 2000 b.c. pointing north to the Nazca lines (older than the lines of Nazca), pirates marking treasure 200 years ago, to aliens from outer space. It has been there unspoilt for many many years, there is no rain in this part of Peru and the wind comes from the other side of the dune so it remains intact. Bloody bizarre and fascinating to see. Ok, that seen, it was time to see the Ballestas Islas and the animals and birds there. Richie turned to me and asked `are there dolphins here`, I said `no mate, not here.` 2 seconds later 5 of the buggers jumped out of the water by our boat, what do I know, we both cracked up laughing. We quietly and slowly sailed up to some rocks where we watched a species of the Booby, I had always wanted to see a Booby, they have eyes pointing forwards like a mammal and not on the side of their head like most birds. Strange to see. The guide pointed out Inca Terns, a rare species of a bird the name I forget, Humboldt penguins, herons and sea lions. The smell of `Guano`was strong. Guano, is, basically, bird shit. This is collected and sold as a fertilizer, centuries ago Guano was the biggest export of Peru until the Spanish got their hands on it. On a small island across the way, thousands upon thousands of Cormarents (sp) huddled together making a mass of black bodies. This is to stop other birds landing on the ground and attacking them and their young. Back on land Rich & Alex ate `ceviche` which is a Peruvian speciality food, raw fish in lemon, chilli and onions. Some people say it is an aphrodisiac, mmmmm, not convinced. The tour we booked was in 2 parts, the first the Paracas and Ballestas Islas, the second, to visit two vineyards (Bodegas) that make sweet wines and pisco, a strong spirit made from grape skins. The first winery is Bodega El Catador. Here they extract the juices by the method of treading grapes with their feet in March. It is turned into a fiesta with much wine and pisco being drunk, pageant queens, and by the sound of it, everyone getting wrecked and making a big mess with grapes and the squishy by products. The liquids are stored in `Botica`s` I think that is how it is spelt. Pisco is the Quechuan for bird, and the Boticas resemble the shape of a birds beak, or a mans genitals depending on who you ask about the origin..... We sampled a few pisco`s, bloody disgusting, the pure was the least offensive. The wines were too sweet for me, the Perfecto Amor, Perfect Love was the best of them. One drink that was delicious was the Pisco cream, better than Baileys in our opinion, we bought a bottle for later. The second place was called Lazo, a more traditional place with thousands of ancient memorabilia strewn all over the place, including mummified skulls of the heads of rivals cut off by the long knives of soldiers, nice! The pisco`s here were better, still very strong and made my body shiver, the pure pisco the smoothest of them all, I still wouldnt drink it neat through choice. I like the white Italian wine, sweet but not too sweet. We decided to buy a bottle of the Perfecto Amor which was also good. We arrived back at the hostal at 2.30pm, still loads of the day left and already we had been on a 8 hour tour.... We climbed back up to the top of the sand dunes for sunset again. It was a lot windier than yesterday, sand was blowing in our faces and it was a lot cooler. To keep warm we took it in turns jumping off the lip to see how far we could leap before rolling in the sand. It is the simple things in life that give me most pleasure, trekking, camping, sunsets, sunrises and now messing about in the sand. I felt 10 years old again and our laughter was infectious, fellow travellers nearby joined in hurling themselves off over the edge. We shared the bottle of cream pisco as we watched the bright sun dissappear over the horizon. We didnt have boards to slide down on tonight, instead we ran down at full pelt trying not to topple head over heels, it took a long time to walk up, 1 min 8 secs to run down. We ate dinner at La Sirena next door to Barrett. A local creamy potato dish and pesto beef, very tasty. I am slowly working my way through all the local dishes that arent fish based, the variety and quality is so much better than Bolivia. We had discussed the option of going to Nazca to see the lines, doing it by ourselves, 2 hour bus and a walk up the look out, very cheap way of doing it, instead of flying over in a plane. People I have met travelling havent been overly impressed by them, to me it is the mystery factor that intrigues me. Richie wasn`t bothered seeing them, which meant, for the first time in ages........... we had no plans for tomorrow, no travelling, no tours.... woooo hooo. Even though I could sleep all day, I woke up at 6, 7 and 8am, my body clock used to getting up early. Sod it, I got up and sat in the restaurant with a coffee, reading and writing. There was no electricity in the town, a total power cut. This was bad luck for Richie, he still had to contact his insurance company and arrange for replacement flight tickets home (which turned into an ordeal to say the least). Breakfast was eaten at the cafe that backed onto our room, the noisy one from yesterday morning, called Casa de la Bamboo. Actually it is the best restaurant in town, run by a really friendly woman from Bournemouth, her Peruvian husband who they live there with there daughter and six cats. A healthy breakfast and amazing filter coffee set me up for the day, of doing sod all. At this time of the year the climate is very predictable, grey clouds until 12.30 when the sun comes over the dunes, sunshine around our pool until 3.30pm when there is shade. This is the cue to go to the other side of the lake for the last 2 hours of rays before sunset and the chilly night air. My body ached from the boarding and playing in the sand, lack of sleep and massive amount of travel. Lying there in the sand with the sun on my back was heavenly, I drifted off into daydreams for an hour. There was still no power and no running water when we got back to the hostel. I heard Rich say tara to Alex, he was going to walk straigt up the very steep dune in front of us. Without thinking I shouted to him to wait up. I slipped my trainers on and set off up the hill. What had I done....... 1 minute in and I was exhausted, oh my god, this is going to be tough. Each step was a killer, sweat was pouring off me, my feet sliding down 2/3rds of the way I climbed up. Why did I say I would do this. But, me being me, I was not going to quit. I counted 50 steps then rested to get my breath, tried to get to 50 again, got to 43 before my lungs and legs burnt, 35 this time, 30. Thats it, I sat down to empty my trainers of sand and to properly catch my breath, I was a fifth of the way up!!! This routine carried on for the next 15 to 20 mins as I slowly made my way up the sandy mountain. Rich was at the top when I just passed half way, there was no way I was going to quit. I worked out a better tactic, digging my feet into the sand at an angle to get more grip and less slippage, 50 steps, 42, 35, rest.... I eventually got to the top in time to see the sunset. Two sandboarders spoke to me, `you are bloody mental mate, do you want to borrow my board down.` No, its OK, I am running down. `You what!!!` He said... Watch.... I flew back down in a minute. I looked like a sand yeti, head to toe in sand stuck to my sweaty body, ahhhhh, bugger, no water I thought.... Luckily it had just come back on..... My body was shaking from the stupid climb I had just completed, not doing that again. Back in Bamboo for our third meal of the day there I had a bloody amazing Thai Green Chicken Curry with noodles and quinua washed down with a Cusquena, the best meal I have eaten in ages. Soon after I was asleep, the past 2 weeks catching up with me, not to mention the sand walking. Richie decided he really likes it here, and as there was only Lima next to visit, he wanted another day relaxing in Huacachina, very very good decision pal, another day doing nowt. .... and pretty much nowt I did until 7pm. More bad luck for Richie, his guts were playing up and he spent most of the day in bed, poor lad, he is certainly not having the easiest of holidays at times. Bamboo were making pizzas in their outdoor wood fired oven for a group of volunteers from Pisco who were visiting. We were invited to join in so we sat around the small bonfire eating nibbles, drinking cold beer and waiting for the fabuluous looking pizzas. More and more travellers turned up, from the BWB volunteer group. Burners without Borders, from the Burning man festival. I was chatting away with Essex, a girl from Essex, they call each other by the city they come from. I said I was from Sheffield, oh, Essex said, we have a lad here from Sheffield too, where is he. `Oi, Sheffield, come here` I was asked which part I lived in, Heeley, Meersbrook I said. `No way` I heard behind me, me too.... The world is a very small place at times, especially when travelling. What happened next was just too wierd. `Sheffield` came over and said hi, whats your name I asked, Tim he said, Tim Newark. I said `I lived in your dads house before I came travelling......` OH MY GOD, It was Pete`s son Tim, I was living in the house he grew up, I saw him my last day in Sheffield. We had no idea either of us were travelling, let alone a tiny oasis in the sand dunes of Peru. People around me thought I was joking when I said `I lived in your dads house.` They were just as gobsmacked as we were..... totally bizarre. I was in good spirits around the fire and full of pizza and beers. I stayed up until 2am until the embers died down. OK, chill over, time to move on to the capital of Lima, and 9 million people there, a world apart from this quiet little oasis town...........
After another fine breakfast of hot porridge and coffee at Bamboo we took a taxi to the bus terminal in Ica. The coach company Flores has its own terminal and coaches leave every 20 mins, we were on the 12.20 coach to Lima. We followed the west coast all the way to Lima. I was expecting beautiful lanscapes, how far from the truth. The sky was cloudy and grey all day, and some of the towns we passed are the most run down and deprived I have seen in South America so far. It was depressing at times to see how people live, shacks, squallers. I remembered that there are frequent earthquakes in the area that flatten homes. Peru is rich in culture, history and diverse and stunning countryside, it is financially very poor in places, this divide creates the edgy feel, theft and low standard of living.
Driving into Lima was also an eye opener, there are areas that I would not want to walk around at any time of day. 5 hours on the bus and we were getting dropped off at the bus station. The most popular tourist area in Lima is Miraflores, we took a taxi there. Unfortunately for us, there was a big parade in the streets, thousands of people watching the extremely colourful dancers parade by, the main roads closed off. We had to walk up some steep stairs with our backpacks and fight through the crowds to locate a hostel. The first 2 we tried were fully booked, I thought to myself ´this could be fun´. Richie & Alex waited with our bags as me and Rich went on the search for a bed for a night. 2 options close by, a small 6 bed dorm for 30 soles each or a huge big room, 3 double beds ensuite bathroom, cable tv and table and chairs we could sit at, 35s each. Twice the cost of anywhere else I have stayed at in Peru, but for the next 2 nights it would be fine. Oh, and piping hot water 24 hours, bonus. The place is called Inca Palace Hostel on Av. Shell for anyone interested.
We took a walk to Park Kennedy to look for a good restaurant. The area is surrounded with bars and restaurants and is really touristy, but still has a good atmosphere. We ate at an Arabic restaurant called Lashesh, the salad fantastic, the rest very average. I have a friend who lives in Lima, Angela and we arranged to meet up for a drink after at Cafe de la Paz. It was great to see her and catch up after all this time. We had a beer at an English bar called the Old Pub. In true English pub style, dodgy ice, only half the beers on offer and no cold soft drinks, a taste of home.....
The following day, Monday, was Richie Healds last day in Peru. We wanted to spend it having loads of fun, as we do everyday, but even more fun than that. After a brilliant fruit salad and yoghurt breakfast we had a small walk around the artesanel markets so Richie could buy a few souveniers for home. That job done, it was time to relax. Down by the sea is an area called Larcomar which has 3 floors of shops, bars and restaurants, some looking out to the ocean.
A recommended place for coffee overlooking the beach and sea is at Cafe Cafe. We sat outside on the balcony and perused the menu. It was happy hour, mmmm, sod the coffee lets get a cocktail, Mai Tai`s all round please... Blody delicious, we couldnt taste the alcohol, but certainly felt it once we had finished. It was 3pm, we had skipped lunch all together, and instead of eating in the restuarant we had a better idea.
At the supermarket we splurged on 2 bottles of fine wine, Tabernero 2005 and a Chilean Cabenere, blue cheese, goats cheese, stuffed olives, crisps, breads and spicy dips. Time for an afternoon party in the hostel. I plugged in my mp3 into the tv so we had party music. Also we watched all the photos that I had taken since Richie had been in Peru. It was incredible to see how much we had seen and experienced in the last 2 weeks, looking back at Cuzco seemed like months ago.
We asked Richie what he wanted to do on his last night in Peru. He replied with an answer that would never enter my mind, and let alone do. `Karaoke` he replied !!!! Ok, lets do it.... We were tipsy from the wine which is a good start. We found a small, dark, alcoved bar above a restaurant down in Miraflores, perfect. A table of Peruvian girls were singing badly, excellent, opposite our table an Englishman and his local gf were also singing out of tune, this was going to be fun. We ordered a bottle of wine and studied the list of songs, half in Spanish, half in English.
Richie was chomping at the bit and was first up, blasting out Wonderwall, everyone in the place sang along. Rich was next with a hilarious version of New York, New York. I sang Champagne Supernova, Alex La Isla Bonita, Richie with the perfect selection of Bohemian Rhapsody. By now he was stood on a chair, waving his arms about and singing at the top of his voice, absolutely top notch entertainment. Rich finished off our singing with Phil Collins, Invisible Touch that had us howling with laughter, what a brilliant and random night. The others went off to eat a late night snack of ceviche, I snook off to copy the photos for Richie to take home with him. A perfect day to finish off his holiday.
It was an early start the next day, and surprisingly I felt hangover free, not sure how. Me and Rich accompanied Richie in a taxi to the airport. We werent allowed inside without a ticket, so said our goodbyes on the street. It had been an amazing 2 weeks, bloody frantic at times, but so much fun.
I am going to miss Richie not travelling with us, get yourself back out to Colombia in a few months time pal.
Not wanting to take a cab back, we jumped on 2 local buses, the first to downtown Lima. The streets were bloody sketchy between the airport and downtime, I was glad to see them for the experience, and happy to be watching from the safety of the bus. A brief coffee stop in a veg restaurant and the second bus to Miraflores. The morning traffic was horrendous, I jumped out a few blocks away from Park Kennedy. Me and Rich said our goodbyes. We were both looking for another hostel and may not meet up again before check out.
Angela called and we met up by the church. She knew of a hostal in neighbouring district, Barranco. We took a bus there but I didnt like the area too much. I had been recommended a hostel north of Shell from a friend in Huacachina. It took us ages to find it, but I am glad we did, it has been my home for a week. I wanted somewhere quiet where I could sleep in peace, read, write and generally get my strength back. I was totally exhausted, not felt this tired since day 3 in Torres Del Paine. I am staying in Jose Luis Hospedaje on 727 Ugarriza, by 28 de Julio block 13. A single room, ensuite (piping hot water), free internet and breakfast for 35 soles, by far the best value I have come across in Lima. Still twice the cost of other cities, but I have space to rest up.
In the evening we took a walk down to Larcomar and along the funky lit up path. There is a statue of two lovers kissing and young couples all around were making out there. We ate tacos at a cheap Mexican street cafe in Miraflores. My eyes were closing at the table, I was in bed for 9pm.....
I had 12 hours sleep and I stil was totally exhausted, I realised I was going to need a good few days to catch up. I spent all day chilling out, a big siesta, writing my diary and blog and generally spending my time doing nothing. I really appreciate time, I mean really appreciate it, it is a luxury that I have afforded myself this travel. To be able to stare out at the mountains for as long as I want to, people watch, or just listen to music in a hammock is bliss. Angela came over in the evening and we ate a very tasty and cheap Chinese meal around the corner from here.
After another lie in and a lazy morning I could slowly feel my strength returning. Not only do I need to recuperate, I also need a bloody good haircut. My blonde locks were the longest they had been since I was 15 when I had a truly terrible mullet. I wasnt far off that stage now. Angela was going to get her haircut with a good Argentinain hairdresser, a prefect opportunity for me to tag along. After a nightmare situation in Laos when my hair was hacked to pieces in the worst possible way imaginable I was more than happy to have a stylist have a try. He did a good job, so I was told. My head felt 10 degrees cooler and I thought I could breath a lot easier!!! I now appreciated how Samson felt after his savage choppery, I needed 2 hours sleep following the cut. Later that night I met up with Angela in the fancy restaurant down of Mango`s down in Larcomar for a cocktail. I chose a Lucuma pisco cocktail, that did a very good job of hiding the nasty taste of cheap pisco....
Yesterday after my haircut I was invited by Angela and her sister to Patty to join them and Patty`s fiancee Armando for dinner at their house. I accepted with much enthusiasm, I really enjoy experiencing everyday life in the places I visit, and to be invited to eat is a true priviledge. Armando had spent a couple of years in the states so his English was good, we chatted about different cultures and politics on our way to the offy where I bought some beers fo us. Dinner was really good, rice, steak cooked in a sauce that the recipe is from Arequipa. Very flavoursome as was the wine from Salta in Argentina. Afterwards we listened to the radio and loads of English 80`s music that is so so popular in South America. For a change, Patty put on some traditional music and showed me the dances. One dance is quiet bizarre and bloody hilarious. The women put a handkerchief hanging out from the back of their jeans and the man has to try and light it with a candle or cigarrette lighter, the women wiggle their ass to make things more difficult and fun. I would love to see a full on fiesta at a nightclub with this going on....
I had done pretty much bugger all the last few days and was ready for some culture and more good stories from the capital. Angela came over mid afternoon and we took a very crowded micro downtown to the centre of the city. A quick walk around the busy Chinatown area and the ´Chifa´s´ Chinese restaurants, followed by a sketcy walk to San Francisco convent The main road leading to the convent is the leading supplier of dodgy documentation, anything that needs faking can be bought here.
The architecture of San Francisco is stunning. We were just in time to pay the 5s for the tour inside and to the catacombs. Our guide was a woman with a terrible English accent, if I had a pound for everytime I heard, ´made from ceeeeedar woooooood from Nicaraguaaaaaa´ I would be minted. It was interesting and catacombs I always like. Taking photo´s is prohibited on the tour, yeahhhh right, there was no way I was missing capturing the piles of skulls and bones lying in the crypts. Outside was an armoured vehicle that I tried to get into, nobody answered, I wonder why....
A couple of blocks away was the central plaza of Lima, Plaza de Almas. A crowd was gathered around a brass band playing in front of the Government building. The lights at sunset gave the area a beautiful glowing look, especially in front of the cathedral. We drank Algarrobina pisco cocktails in a side street watching people walk by. As I was in the area I decided to buy my coach ticket to Huaraz, which would save an afternoon coming back here, it is not the safest place to hang out. I did spend half an hour in Polvo Azules, a market where any brand of fake clothing can be bought, thoughmuch to my dissappointment no Stussy tshirts.
After a well needed chill I took a taxi over to Chorrillos and Ang´s house. The taxi driver is the oldest one I have ever seen, at least in his mid 70´s and drove like it too, shocking. I was starving by now so we headed back into Miraflores. It was 1am in the morning when my pizza was placed in front of me at Cafe de la Paz, what an hour to eat dinner. 2am I had finished ,time for a boogie. Above Bohemian cafe is a small club called Etnico. This plays every type of music imaginable, changing styles every 2 mins. I pissed myself laughing at the locals doing YMCA, they didnt understand the letters and the hand movements were all over the shop. I couldnt believe it, I had stayed out until past 4am, I must be feeling better.
Sunday was a big chill day. I got a call from Ang telling me I was invited to her uncles house in neighbouring Surco, never heard of it. I pondered for a bit, then thought, go for it. Possibly the best decision I have made in Peru since climbing Huayna Picchu.......
On my travels I lead a simple existence, not wanting much, not expecting much, and I have an open mind where ever I go. Every now and again I do miss a touch of home, the odd craving. For the last 3 months I have missed good Whiskey, I mean, really good whiskey. I was spoilt in Sheffield with the Sheaf, it has all the best whiskeys in the world. Chivas and Johnny Walker dont do it for me. When I arrived at Miguel´s house he told me he had a hobby of collecting whiskeys......
Oooooooohhhhh boy, what a selection he had, none of them opened, he enjoyed collecting more than drinking. Would Iike to try some. It is not often I am lost for words but I mummbled something that said I would love to. The special reserve 12 year old Glenfiddich was heaven to my lips, what luck I was having. The limited edition 18 year old Grants that was over 12 years old from bottling was even better. I chatted away with more enthusiasm than in all my time in Peru. Miguel, you are a legend, I am eternally grateful for your generosity.
I was beeming when I got back to my hostel, in a warm whiskey glow, I felt sooooo happy. It had been a wonderful night meeting Angela´s family, they are lovely, welcoming and down to earth people. I had a light dinner of yuca ( potato like root), sweetcorn and meat, all made on Miguels farm. I was just heading up to bed when I started to talking to a girl from Colombia, she was travelling with her family. Shortly after her dad introduced himself and gave me his details to contact him when I get to Colombia. He has info and contacts for hostels, great I said. I was about to get into bed when there was a knock on my door. I was given an unopened bag of the finest 100% pure Colombian filter coffee. I was gobsmacked, what had I done to deserve such fortune today.....
I woke up with a hangover, not surprising really. Today, Monday, is my last full day in Lima, and I didnt want to waste it. I dropped by Ang´s and we took a couple of buses out to Pachamacac, some old Inca ruins. It was closed. Oh well, lets go to Barranco instead, we should have been there last night. It is a Bohemian area where painters, writers and actors hang out. We walked over the famous ´Puente de los Suspiros´ bridge , hard to breath bridge and admired the gardens and statues, the singer ´Chabuca Grando´ singing about Jose Antonio, her most famous song. . A few beers in the ancient Juanito Bodega Bar, the owner at 95 years of age walked in as we were leaving. For my last meal we had a grade a pizza at El Hornito.
Well, that is me upto date. I have just said a sad farewell to Angela, she has been an absolute star and a great friend to me during my week and a half in Lima, I am going to miss her company and especially her fun outlook on life and sense of humour.
It is time for me to move on, now I am fully rested and full of energy, even though I am going to get 4 hours sleep tonight. Tomorrow I am heading north, a 9 hour coach journey to Huaraz and back into the mountains, I cannot wait , they are calling me. I said I wouldnt trek again, but I am considering a 8 to 12 day trekking and camping stint around Huayash....... we shall see..............
Sometimes I really dont help myself. After only 3 hours sleep and far too much rum & coke the night before, I boarded my bus in Lima at 8.30am and sat down below blaring Peruvian music blasting out from the speakers. I felt really crap. I managed to eat an empanada and a piece of chocolate to stop me throwing up. The traffic out of the city was shocking, so the bus was stopping and starting every 2 seconds, I closed my eyes and drifted away....
I caught glimpses of some amazing sand scenes, huge steep dunes dropping down from the side of the road into the sea, massive waves rolling into the shore from far out at sea. We had a half hour stop at restuarant for lunch, basic rice and a bit of steak, before arriving in Huaraz at 5pm, 8.5 hours after leaving Lima. At the bus station were 2 English girls also looking for a hostel so we shared a taxi to El Jacal where Rich & Alex are staying. That hostel was full, but 2 blocks up the road we managed to get a good clean ensuite room at La Cabaña for 3 nights.
Huaraz is a city of around 100,000 people surrounded by mountains, on one side of the main road is the Cordillera Blanca and the other Cordillera Negra. Huaraz is used a base for the many treks in the area, it also has a nice plaza and good restuarants and bars so is a good place to rest up. Which is what Rich is doing as he was really ill again when I arrived, his secind bout of food poisoning in Peru. We all met up for dinner at Amma where they have excellent salads and lasagna´s.
The 28th July is the day of Peuvian Indepence and a National Holiday. All the hotels and hostels in the centre of town are booked from the 25-28th July. Which meant I had to find another hostel to move into from Friday. I spent the whole morning checking out the available options, in the end I reserved a bed at Caroline Hostel. After an amazing big breakfast at Restaurant Churrup, the fruit salad, muesli, yoghurt and syrup bowl was fantastic, I spent all after at my now favourite spot in Huaraz, Cafe Andino. It is on the 3rd and 4th floor of a building looking out at the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca. I sat on the balcony writing and drinking Shara-Shara tea (made of local herbs and coca leaves) which is great for altitude sickness and upset stomach, I had neither but prevention is the best cure. And other cheesy cliches....
Rich & Alex met me there in the evening for dinner, and I can very much recommend the quinua salad there, loads of veg and stuff. The last time the 3 of us travelled together on a big trip, in New Zealand in 2002 we played nomination whist for hours. This time it is a dice game similar to yahtzee that Alex had picked up on her travels. The night was spent rolling dice and drinking more tea. After a pretty hectic 9 days in Lima, I can feel myself really starting to relax more and getting plenty of sleep.
Me, Rich & Alex are planning a trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash, 110 km´s south of Huaraz. It has recently been voted the 2nd best trek in the world by one magazine. It is by no means easy and will need a lot of planning. I went to the Officina de Guias to get some information. I couldnt believe the guide I was talking too, he was soooooo uninterested, staring off into space, and yawning. 3 times, I said ´hello. are you listening´ he turned round startled. We just looked at him, shook our heads, stood up and walked off. Unbelievable....
I had lunch at a local restaurant then meet up with the others early afternoon. We took a taxi to Monterrey where there are thermal baths. Initially I was shocked at the colour of the water, a shitty brown colour. I expected hot bubbling springs, the main pool was luke warm. We did find a hot thermal pool the other side of the complex, and it was hot. Really good food my stiff muscles after the long bus journey. Next to it is another big luke warm pool to cool down in. A small snake was swimming next to me for a while, it looked harmless enough but I still refused the chance to pick it up. We found another good place for food in the evening at Las Tulpas, I had a local speciality, a shredded chicken dish in a spicy sauce with rice. The food was excellent, the stench of cooking fat and the slow service spoilt the overall feeling there.
In the morning I had to pack my stuff and change hostel to Caroline. For the first time in months I was back in a dorm room, 3 bunk beds. In my room was a woman from Mendoza in Argentina, a climber, a French student, a Swiss student, and 2 Italian climbers. Everyone was relaxed and friendly, a good blend and I was practising my spanish again.
Downstairs is a trekking information desk where I was asking about day treks to Lakes 69 & Churrup. 3 English guys were looking to do a similar walk, Helen, her friend Sofia and John. We spent the afternoon in Cafe Andino drinking some of the best coffee in Peru and chatting about travel stories. I spent a few hours back in my hostel reading a book that I have really gotten into about Fidel Castro. He was interviewed 3 times in 1975 by 2 Americans for broadcast in America. I returned to Cafe Andino to meet R&A for dinner. I say dinner, for me it was a plate of chunky chips and 2 large beers, it was Friday night after all.....
I was ready for a few beers and to see what the night life of Huaraz has to offer. It was still relatively early, 10ish and the bars were still quiet. I chose the most local of places, La Huaca, and being the only gringo in there I was getting some funny looks. I sat at the bar with my beer and people watched. Some strange long red leather boot transaction was going on between the barmaids and a dancer. The music was seriously bad in here so I changed locations to Zero Drama.
Zero Drama is a tiny little bar run by Julio and his American and pregnant girlfriend. There were 3 other people in the bar, but the music was good and the conversation fascinating. I learnt all about the corruption in the area, how the money from the mines goes overseas, mostly to Canada and tourism is slowly dropping because the quality of the infrastructure and roads are slowly reducing. Climbers and trekkers will still come here but it is putting off the casual tourist, which may or may not be a bad thing. It was midnight by now and time to see if any of the small clubs were any good.
The first 3 I checked out were really bad, my last port of call before heading back was 13 Buhos, I had arranged to meet Helen, John and Sofia there earlier, as it happened we had all just walked in within 5 mins of each other. The music was better in here so we found a good table and drank to the early hours with some silly dancing in between, a successful Friday night out.
Parades were all about town on Saturday. I caught a glimpse of a military parade, some face painted guerillas with massive machine guns and rocket launchers. And something that shocked me a bit.....
A truck with 4 men with machine guns, and 4 men knelt down in the back with white hoods covering their heads. I then watched a re-enactment of a terrorist siutation which ended with the hooded men slumped over the side of the truck, dead. What the hell was that all about, nobody clapped, just stared in disbelief. I am still trying to work that one out now. The people of Peru at times have a very strange sense of humour, that, just is not funny, and bloody bizarre.
Another of my favourite restaurants in Huaraz is Salvia, a small vegeterian place where you can get super cheap ´menu´ meals. A big bowl of veggie soup, a main dish which is usually rice and veggies in sauce, and a refresco, a fruit juice, for only 4 soles, about 80p. It was definitely time for my afternoon siests after stuffing my face. I woke up late afternoon to the sound of heavy rain...
Rain.... what is that then..... I havent seen rain for ages (sorry to the folks back home, I know your summer has been a wash out again).... from the balcony of my hostel I watched a beautiful thing. A double rainbow spread across the horizon with the mountains in the background. I have never seen a rainbow like that before. Alex had been ill as well the last few days, but both Rich & Alex were starting to feel better, so it was pizza for dinner at the very excellent El Horno.
Sunday was upon us already, where were the days going. After lunch at Salvia we took a colectivo up to Rataquenua where there is a huge cross overlooking the city. One of the travel agencies had put on a climbing and mountain biking competition called V-tours up there. As usual in Peru everything was running 2 to 3 hours late. We found some shade and watched a BMX rider get some air over the jumps in front of us.
Late afternoon the mountain bike event started, I had a great spot at the end of the very ricketty bodged wooden jump. The bikers flew down a few metres to the finishing line. We watched some climbers struggle up the climbing wall that had been erected, the overhang was really difficult to get over, only a couple of experts managed it. The sunset that night was spectacular, the view of the cross against the colourful clouds was simply beautiful. Looking down on Huaraz as the cities lights came on was equally impressive.
CUY.... guinea pig, is a culinary speciality here in Peru. I had been meaning to try it since I arrived but was waiting for the right time. The photos in the menus of restaurants display the poor animal with head, legs and arms attached and splayed on a plate alongside rice. I wasnt in the mood for that, but tried some guinea pig ravioli instead. There was very little meat inside, but what I did taste was slightly gamey like rabbit. We have talked about sharing a cuy picante, a spicy guinea pig with all attached at another date.....The food in Encuentro was poor, lack of meat in my ravioli, I found a maggot in RIch´s salad, and some of the veg and salad was off, I wont be going back there in a hurry.
Weekend over and gettting back to full health, it was time to do what we came for, and get this mammoth trek planned. Salvia lunch passed and we returned to Active Peu, a highly recommended trekking agency run by a Belgium called Denis. He was very helpful to us for organising our own independent trip to Huayhuash. Most people go with a tour that supplies everything, tents, equipment, chef and food etc etc, We prefer to go our own way. After an hour of discussions we booked a mule man, 2 mules and hired his tent and a food box to start trekking on Thursday 31st July. First job done. Coach tickets to Chiquian on Wednesday booked, 2nd job done. The most difficult was left, food for the 4 of us for 12 days in the mountains....
We checked out the central market and nearby shops for supplies and bought some lentils and veg for dinner. We soaked one load and left the others raw. The experiment worked, soaked lentils take 7 mins to cook, unsoaked 20 mins. Soaking them saves time and a lot of fuel. At the far end of town is a Feria, a fair with a stage for bands. I asked a policeman how far it was to walk, 6 blocks he said, I counted 15 by the time I arrived there. Inside were stalls selling everything from kids bikes to tv`s!!! I sampled a dozen sweet red wines by the time I reached the stage, some old crooner from Peru who now lives in the US was singing slow songs. Not exactly rock and roll...
Still, I got myself a cold beer and chatted with 2 young Peru lads who wanted to practise their English. I gave an hour of my time before I was ready to leave, the mental strain and the crooning had taken its toll. I checked out the balcony in Carline Hostel and was invited to drink rum & coke with an American who is travelling by motorbike all the way down to the south of Argentina. He had spent 10 months in Colombia and gave me a long list of great places to visit, if I can reach them. Great information to recieve.
Which brings me up to yesterday, Tuesday. I changed hostel yet again to EL Jacal where Rich & Alex are staying. This is purely for logistical reasons for trek preparation. We spent 2 or 3 hours down the market buying our trekking food. Bags and bags and bags of it, about 15 to 20 kg´s worth of food!!!! The afternoon was spent splitting the food down, filling up the box and generally getting a little organised, this trek is slowly coming togethre. Knowing that I will not be eating meat or drinking beer for 2 weeks I treated myself at dinner. Behind the useless Officina de Guias, is the restautant Casa de Guias.
What a difference to the hopeless information I received a few days ago. A large Brahma beer for half the cost of everywhere else, free garlic bread with cheese and chilli, and the best peppered steak I have had since Argentina with loads of chunky chips. FOOD HEAVEN. I was now feeling trek ready. We had a couple of games of dice in Andino before getting an early one, on the road tomorrow.
Well folks, that is me bang up to date. It is 10am on Wednesday 30th July, I have 2 hours to pack everything up for 2 weeks in the mountains of Huayhuash. Getting a 2pm coach to Chiquian where we are spending 1 night, Thursday we started the first of 12 days trekking..... I will be in touch in a couple of weeks..... wish us luck....
Finally, I have got around to writing about this World Class trek. Just a small warning it is going to be trekking based with not that many silly stories, Day 7 was interesting, so if you are not a trekking enthusiast you may want to skip to the photos and videos.
Carrying on from my last blog, we took a 3 hour coach from Huaraz to the tiny town of Chiquian. We checked into the excellent Los Nogales hostel, only 10s and went in search of dinner. I had a cold steak and chips and a warm beer, not exactly what I wanted as my last meal before 11 days in the mountains, but hey, this is the back end of Peru.
Day 1 - Up bright and early for a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice, thought I would stock up on energy for the first morning. We took a local coach from Chiquian, via Llamac to the starting point of Pocpo. We had to pay 2 lots of community fees, one each at Llamac and Pocpo for the pleasure of driving through. Local community charges or whatever they want to call it, will now be known as Gringo Tax.
At Pocpo we met our muleman, Ezer and his 2 donkeys that would be carrying our bags and food for the next 11 days. The sun was shining, clear blue skies and I felt great to be back in the wide open countryside again. There was one worry, Richard was still feeling rough from his 2nd bout of a blood infection, whether he could continue on the trek only time would tell.....
It was a short first day, a steady climb upwards following the Rio Llamac to our first campsite at Quartelhuain (4170m). It took me 3 hours to walk there. Rich & Alex sensibly chose to accept the lift in the back of a pick up truck to the campsite, to conserve there energies for the next day. It was strange when we arrived at the campsite, R&A had bagged a good spot for our tents, but a big arranged group came and took it. OK, so that is how it works. We scratched around and found a suitable pitch. W
What we werent ready for was 2 groups of Israeli`s, one of 14 people, the other 11 arriving as we were cooking. To set the record straight, I have nothing against people from Israel, I have met 1 or 2 very cool people from Israel on my travels, as individuals. The problem I do have is when there are groups of Israelis, they are renouned for being the noisiest, inconsiderate and disrepctuful bunch of people on the planet. My Israeli friends say the same.....
As I was cooking sauce, a frisby narrowly missed my head, from one of the groups. I shouted at them to take it easy. 5 mins later, the frisby knocked the pan off the stove. We all snapped and told them to politely go and screw themselves. Cooking was a worry the first night. We put far too much water in the pans to cook spag and sauce, I used up a 5th of my fuel in 1 night, very very worrying.... That night I was trying to sleep, I heard an almighty racket behind me, the Israelis were playing some sort of shouting game around their tents, I was happy to be camping in a small site the next day.....
Day 2 - I was woken up at 7am, by, you guessed it... It was bloody cold in the morning and my tent was covered in ice. After breakfast of oats and muesli and cup of tea (the same every day) we packed up and loaded up the donkeys and set off at 10am. We were heading for our first pass of the trek. It was a slow and steady climb up to paso Cacananpunta (4700m) that took me 1.5 hours. At the top I waited for R&A before we started the walk to the 2nd campsite.
Just over the other side of the pass to the left was a red coloured lake, Laguna Pucacocha that shone in the daylight. We caught up with Ezer and the donkeys and had a well deserved lunch break looking up to the path. The afternoon was very pleasant, a steady stroll down to our camp at Laguna Mitucocha (4270m), 3.5 hours. As we turned the last corner we had magnificent views of the mountains, Yerujapa Chica (6121), Jirishanca (6094) & Rondoy (5870).
The campsite location was stunning, right in front of the lake and with the mountains looking down on us. I was speaking to a friendly couple from the states who were camping behind us, they were suffering from the altitude and were leaving the trail after a couple of days. I explained my gas concerns..... as it happens, they had an unwanted canister 2/3rds full that they kindly donated me. They were thankful to me for lightening there packs that they were carrying. Later on they donated loads of food to, what a stroke of luck :-)
Cooking was much better the second night, we reduced the water needed to cook the lentils by half, and halved the water in the sauce and soup, cooking time was greatly reduced so my gas would last the trek. You live and learn..... Sunset that night was breathtaking, we sat and watched it until we couldnt take the cold anymore and dissappearred into our tents at 7pm, bed time for the trek!!!
Day 3 - It was a very cold night, there was ice on the inside of my tent when I woke up at day break!!! We waited for the sun to creep up over the mountains and on tour tents so we could dry them and our sleeping bags before putting them away. Our bags are made from down so it is important to keep them dry as possible as they dont handle water and dampness well. Alex paid the 15s each Gringo Tax and at 10.15 we were on the way up to Paso Carhuac (4650m).
It was as a steady 1.5hr climb to the pass where we were rewarded with fantastic views of, right to left, Jirishanca (6094), Yerupaja Grande (6634), Siula (6344). Another 3.5 hours from the pass we reached the stunningly blue lake of Laguna Carhuacocha (4138m). We were very surprised to see a toilet stood on the bank of the river with a view of the mountains. At least we now knew where some of the G. Tax is going. Just before the campsite is a stone house with all sorts of dead animals hanging on the wall drying in the sun. The smell was bad so I didnt get to close to investigate what animals they were. If the previous nights campsite was fantastic, this was even better, the view of the lake and the mountains reflecting on it was simply stunning.
Day 4 - I woke up really at 6.30am full of energy. I took a walk around the lake and watched the sun hit the top of the snow covered mountains, they shone like beacons, what a brilliant way to start the day. We had a longer day ahead so we cracked on and set off at 8.15. Another 15s Gringo Tax was paid at the lake head before we were allowed to pass. For the first time we were walking a seperate way to Ezer and the donkeys, we decided to take the more difficult but ultimately more rewarding alternative route to campamento Huayhuash.
We followed the left hand side of the L. Carhuacocha below the mountains until we reached the first of 3 lakes close together. Wow....... The first lake L. Ganrajanca (4245) was covered in rock debris below a big glacier, the water level had dropped in the sun. I stood in amazement at the beauty of the mountains behind here. The otherside of the moraine wall was is the crystal clear lake of Laguna Siula (4290m). We sat here for lunch watching big avalanches crash down the front of Siula into the waters below. What a spot to rest before the tricky part.
The path up to the pass (4800m) was thin, dusty and had loose rocks. Breathing was getting more and more difficult and we had to stop a few times to catch our breath. Half way up we could see the third lake, Laguna Quesillacocha (4332). We reached a false summit of the pass and as we walked over the lip, we could see the way ahead, tight switchbacks up a steep rocky face. For me, it was a matter of getting a steady pace, small steps, deep breaths, and plodding on slowly but surely. We all managed to get to the top without any problems. I was really hungry at the summit and scoffed my saved up powerbars and chocolate from the preivous days.
After a short rest, not to long as the wind had picked up and it had started to hail a little, we set off down the other side towards Huayhuash. Below us we could see Laguna Carcinero (4450m) and the mountains on our right, right to left, Sarapo (6127m) and Carnicero (5960m). It was a long walk through boggy marsh land to our campsite at Huayhuash, where my tent had already been put up Ezer, good man. I took a 30 min siesta before having a strip wash in the icy glacier water further up the stream. That was seriously refreshing after 5.5 hours hard trekking!!!
The sun came out mid afternoon which we were delighted with. All around us donkeys and horses wandered around, the donkeys were really friendly and we gave them some salt they were craving for. The day had been fantastic, 4 stunning lakes, amazing mountains, a hard pass, and with the falling rain on my tent I drifted off to sleep a very happy man....
Day 5 - Another 15s Gringo Tax to pay before we left the campsite around 9. I walked with Ezer the first 2 hours up to Paso Portachuelo (4750m) practising my Spanish and his English. I was feeling strong today and made really good time to the pass where I could rest longer and enjoy the views over lunch. Lunch is either jam or dulce de lecce sandwiches on dry brown bread with a power bar. I sat looking out to Leòn Huacan (5442) thinking what a great mountain that would be to snowboard down. To the right of here are Quesillojanca (5357) and Yarupac (5685). Behind me was the interesting rocky Puscanturpa (5442m).
R&A soon came over the pass and the 3 of us took a steady walk down passed Laguna Viconga (4407m) to a check point for our second 15 soles Gringo Tax of the day. Included in this areas tax is the free use of the "aguas calientes", hot waters. Even though it had been a shorter days walking, 3.5 hours, bathing in the hot waters was an absolute joy. A smaller pool next to the main one was for washing in, I dindnt have to suffer the freezing river water for a night.
We were lucky with the weather, it was hailing for an hour, but stopped whilst we cooked dinner in front of Mt Cuyoc (5550m). That night it was cloudless and the moonlight and stars lit up the area, there were so many stars and they looked close enough to grab out of the sky.
Day 6 - Just as we packed up the next morning it started to hail heavily again. Big black clouds loomed overhead so it was time to put my full battle gear on, water proofs, snood, hat and thick gloves. It had been months since I had been fully kitted up like this. WIthin 30 mins, it had stopped and the sun broke through from time to time, so it had to come off. It was one of those annoying weather days where it was hot one minute, cold winds the next, a bit of a hail etc, making the decision what to wear a pain.
I was feeling strong again, my legs finally getting used to the trekking. We were the last group to set off from the campsite, but I could see the pass ahead, about an hour away. I thought to myself, this pass is mine today........ And it was...... The LP said 2.5 to 3 hours to reach the fantastic Punta Cuyoc (5000m) pass, I did it in 1.5, passing the other groups. It is never a race, or anything like that, but I took the pass today, yeah man!!!!
My Cuyoc (5550m)is a stunning mountain, with that and the long range of Puscanturpa (5442m) the views were magnificent. This trek is mindblowing at times. To my left on the other side is Mt Pumarini (5450m) named after puma`s ears! It was FREEZING at the top in high winds and hail and snow, full gear on gear again for the tricky descent down the steep scree slope. I sort of skiied down it, nearly going flying a couple of times but just about staying on two feet. The mist had come in giving the valley a wierd and wonderful atmosphere.
The other side of Mt Cuyoc, the east side is something I will never forget. I could see up to it from my tent. Todays trekking time was estimated at 4 to 6 hours, I did it in 2.5 hours, it was no surprise I fell asleep for an hour in my tent after, it was raining anyway so good use of the time. The campsite is below the San Antonio pass, the hardest and highest point of the trek.
Day 7 - The big day........ I was first up at 7.30am, ice covered the area and my tent making a wintery picture. I made breakfast and tea for everyone as they stayed in their tents, there is no point all of us getting cold outside. At 9.30 we said goodbye to Ezer as he and the donkeys were going the longer easier route to the next campsite, it is impossible for animals to go up the San Antonio pass.....
The first stage was a scree slope that was steady enough to climb, steep without being to steep. We traipsed up in convoy keeping the same pace, part 1 completed with no problems. The second stage followed a trickling river that was icing over in parts making it slippy underfoot, care had to be taken here but again it was fine. The views back of last nights campsite and Mt Cuyoc were great.
Part 3, I could see the long path ahead to the bottom of a steep scree slope up to the top of the San Antonio pass (5020m). I prefer not to walk on steep scree slopes if I can help it, they make me nervous. To my left was a steep bank, with a few animal tracks and the odd clump of small plants. I thought to myself, " I can get up there". Without much thought about it, I started to climb up. R&A were taking the other route to the pass. I could tell I was getting higher and higher, my muscles craved oxygen. I stopped every 100 steps to catch my breat, my lungs ached at times.
Near the top of the ridge was loose rocks and to steep to walk up, I grabbed hold of a few rocks and pulled myself up to the top. Great, I had made it. Hang on, what the bloody hell am I doing here.......
To my left was a magnificent site of Cerro Yunapacsac (5008m) and incredibly steep sand dunes. I was gobsmacked to see 3 cows runnning across it like it was a flat path, and where the hell had they come from. Also, I realised that I had finally, after many treks,overcome my vertigo. If I can stand up on this ridge, sheer drops either side, camera held in one hand then that is good enough for me. You still wont get me doing a bungee jump though, no no no no..... A sky dive maybe.....
It was also here that I realised that the path to the pass wasnt easy, the ridge was blocked with huge rocks that were unpassable in places. I did manage to find a route around the back of my first obstacle, clambering up rocks, up another scree slope to the highest point I have ever trekked to, 5079m. I could hear R&A shouting me, but they couldnt hear me back. I eventually caught their eye by waving my trekking poles in the air. After a tricky 5 minutes climbing down, I eventually made it to San Antonio pass....... and what a view......
The mountains and lakes the otherside were the best I have seen on the trek, and that is saying something. The browns and reds of Mt Caramarca (5557m) were stunning, Laguna Juraucocha (4343) sat below the towering Mt Jurau (5650m) and the snow capped Mt´s Carnicero (5960) & Sarapo (6127) on the right. I had a brief rest and a sandwich at the top before we started the very steep and hard descent.
The descent is what puts most people off crossing the San Antonio pass, it was STEEP on loose rocks and scree, and played havoc with the front of my knee caps. It would extremely difficult without trekking poles, one of which I nearly lost down the valley. We took our time making our way down the valley, crossing over a small stream and frozen waters. After a while we sat down for lunch and to replace lost carbs. Looking further down the valley we were heading, it got even steeper, almost impossible.
Whilst we were eating, Alex looked at the big map, and said, we are on the wrong path. Ahhhhhhh. We needed to be much further on the left. Bugger. So, full after eating and with tired legs, we climbed half way back up the way we had come down, this burnt our leg muscles. We crossed over into another valley, stil unsure if it is the correct way, I walked a little down the path to see. It was another scree slope, between 2 rocks and a sheer drop, I lost a bit of footing then made a hastily retreat back up again. That said instant death to me down there.
We climbed a little further up, rock climbed a bit and eventually found the correct path. Phewwww.... Back on track, but the track was still not easy. Sandy and loose rocks underfoot and steep still in parts. The views were worth every step though, and I was awe inspired all the way down. It took about 3 hours to walk down to our campsite at Cutatambo (4265m), bloody hard on the legs. I find trekking down harder on the legs than climbing upwards.
Ezer had put my tent up again the good lad. I sat in it with a handful of sublimes ( great square of choc and nuts) and tucked into a couple. Still not finished for the day, me and Rich took a walk up the moraine in front of us to take a look at Laguna Juraucocha (4343m). It was great to sit and look up at the glacier and lake. What a day, about 6 hours hard walking with the most amazing views.
Day 8 - We had scheduled in an extra day for a rest day on the trek, and this was it. Staying an extra night at Cutatambo meant no packing up of tents, we could leave things as they were. Rather than having a day of rest, I ended up trekking up to Laguna Sarapococha /4482m) and up a ridge at 4600m. The lake is in front of the back of Mt Siula where Jo Simpson famously crawled down for 4 days with a shattered leg. This was made into a BBC documentary in 2002 called Touching The Void. If anybody has this video can you let me know as I really want to see it.
In front of me and to the left of Siula were the south sides of Rasac (6017) and Yerupaja Grande (6634). I sat waiting for half an hour waiting for the clouds to clear so I could take a good photo, it never happened. Instead, I walked back down, around the lake to get a closer view of the crystal clear waters and for lunch. Then I went on a random walk, rock hopping for an hour and finding the small Laguna Santa Rosa (4461m). Just as I was leaving S.Rosa I heard a massive crack in the mountain above. A huge mass of ice had broke away and I watched an awesome avalanche works it way down the mountain side into the lake below, what luck.
On the way back to camp, I checked out the 100m waterfall I could see from my tent, from both above and below. I took the opportunity for a good bath in the icy waters. What was meant to be a rest day, I had climbed and trekked for about 4 hours!!!
Day 9 - I had not slept well the last couple of nights, and last night was no difference, I got about 3 hours sleep before it was time to get up. I had no idea why I was sleeping so badly, as I am sure my body needed the rest. It was bright sunshine when we came to leave, and the photo I was trying to get yesteday, I got today, blue skies over the mountains.
It was an easy start to the day, following Quebrada & Rio Calina down for a couple of hours, passing waterfalls and intricate stone buildings. We arrived at the check point for the area of Huallyapa and the small town below. It was a wopping 35 soles Gringo Tax here!! In the town we bought 50 bread rolls and rice to compliment our food supplies.
All along the trek are small children asking for Caramelo (sweets). By the state of their teeth the last thing in the world they need is sugar based food. It got to the point where some kids didnt even say hola, buenas tardes (good afternoon), just straight into Caramelo. I was walking past 3 children, shouting "Caramelo, caramelo" at me, I turned around and said ´no, me llamo James´, no, I am called James. The blank and confused look on their faces was priceless. A little cruel I know, but they really should rethink their strategy.
We stopped for lunch of bread rolls and dulce at pretty waterfall in the shade on Quebrada Milo. It was a great place to rest before the ascent up to our campsite. It was a slow climb for 1.5 hours to Huatiaq (4300) and our fantastic pitch for the night. We had the place to ourselves, the other groups were camping 5 mins further ahead. Ezer has an aunt back in Huallyapa so he took himself back there for the night. For the first time this trek, it was just the 3 of us in wide open space. Dinner that night was really relaxed and fun, only having to cook for ourselves, which also meant bigger portions :-) The sunset over Diablo Mudo ahead (5223) which was the sign to get inside before the ice set in.
Day 10 - Ezer had returned to camp before I got up so he was ready for breakfast when I made it from inside my tent, the wind was still biting outside. I hadnt slept well again, I was feeling a bit sleep deprived and everything seemed to take twice as long as it should do, even though we set off at the same time as normal, 10ish. Straight away we were climbing up to the first of 2 passes in the day. Diablo Mudo looked great and also moody in the clouds in front of us. I had just about woken up fully when we arrived at Punta Tapush (4770m) the first pass.
A short rest and time to crack on, still along day ahead. Laguna Susucocha (4750) below Punta Tapush marked our way, keeping to the right of it. As we walked down the valley we could see a copse of trees, the first trees since the very start of our trek 9 days ago. Soon after we had turned a big corner to the right and could look up to the second pass Punta Yauche (4850). A perfect spot for lunch and to recharge the batteries before the next climb. 2 friendly children came up and said hello and good afternoon, and didnt once ask for sweets, now, we felt like giving them something, if I had spare pens and paper that would have done, but I was carrying only what I really needed.
We paid another 15 soles Gringo Tax below the pass to a friendly and helpful farmer. He pointed out the best way to get up the pass and over the rock faces. I had been looking forward to San Antonio pass the most, but this one was even better. The rock formations are out of this world, no idea how they got here, where is Aaron when you need him, lol. The 4 of us sat at the top of the pass looking out at the amazing views, mountains glistened all around us. This is the spot I will remember most from the trek.
Just as I thought it couldnt get any better, 3 huge condors flew and circled overhead, they looked so graceful for such huge birds. After about 45 mins it was time to carry on. Straight away we had more amazing views, the red and brown ridgeo of Huacrish (5622) led the way down. We stopped many many times to look up at the rocks and mountains covered in cloud. Mining trails zig zagged across the steep faces.
Our final campsite for the night was at Laguna Jahuacocha (4050) part of the Inkahuain village. It was really busy here with college camps and climbers, but Ezer managed to find us a quiet flat area. Cooking was later than usual, we just finished before it got to dark, and it was very very cold.
Day 11 - Yipppeeee, at last, I got a good nights sleep, a full 8 hours, I felt like a new man. I was still up at 6am, making breakfast and tea for the camp and getting my stuff away early. It was an easy start to the day, walking past an ancient canal and some small stone houses. The last climb of the trek was up to Pampa Llamac (4300m). I thought it would be a very easy ascent, but it wasnt, lots of ups and downs until we finally arrived there 2 hours after setting off. A very leisurley lunch looking out at the inca terraces in the nearby mountains.
We knew it was downhill from now on back to the village of Llamac. It was a very dusty path all the way down and even though it was dark I had to wear sunglasses to stop me being blinded. Surprisingly there were loads of catctii growing along the path, catcii at 4000m, what is that all about. 1.5 hours later we had arrived in Llamac. We had done it, circuit completed, a day early to for missing out one campsite. We had initially planned to camp on the football pitch of Llamac but a minibus to Huaraz passed us by. We could be in a real house with good food in 4 hours, decision made, back to Huaraz we were going.
We said a very big thanks to Ezer and gave him all our unused food to take with him. It had been a truly exceptional trek, World Class. The shortish trekking days around 4 or 5 hours had made life easier, cooking and the chores became second nature after 11 days, and the views were amazing on every day.
11 days trekking, 47 hours of walking over 160km´s with about 6.5km ascent and descent.
The 3 hours bus ride back to Huaraz went in a blur. We checked back in to El Jacal, quickly got changed and went out to eat at my favourite restaurant, Casa de Guias. After a week and a half of the same food, no meat or beer and plane stuff. Garlic bread with cheese and garlic, a massive mixed salad, a monster lasagna and 2 big beers went down like absolute paradise. It seriously tasted good.
The next morning I woke up at 6am, even though I could sleep in all day, I was still in trekking sleep patterns. It was a day of chores, washing, emails, phone calls to say all is OK, and eating like a horse.
We had only been back to 2 days, and time for me and Rich to plan the next trek, off to Caraz tomorrow.....
After a couple of days sorting stuff out in Huaraz we took the short 1.5 local bus to Caraz. The colectivo bus journey was a bit interesting. Me, Rich & Alex sat on the back seat, shoulder to shoulder with no more room, the stupide bus usher wanted a 4th person to get on our seat. We said no, there is no room, he insisted it is for 4 people. Stop the van I said, we are getting off if you want 4 people. He had just spent 5 mins securing our bags to the roof. No, he wasnt stopping.
He still carried on about the 4th person, stop I said again. No, he didnt want to. He was being a total tit. A well to do suited man in front gave the idiot a good lecture about service, tourism and not to be so ignorant, we were please someone else was on our side. All the other passengers just looked at the floor or out of the window. The pillock was still moaning about the 4th seat when we arrived in Caraz. It was not as if he turned anyone away because the lack of room, he was scouting for more people to use the seats. He then tried to charge us money for carrying our backpacks. I gave him a look to say not to be so bloody stupid, and told him I didnt understand what he was saying anyway.
Peru is so infuriating at times...... it tests my patience to the limit....anyway.....
Incredibly we managed to get all our heavy backpacks and ourselves on to a small tuk-tuk. We had been wanting to ride in one for a while. It serioiusly struggled to put-put up the small hill to the plaza. Time to look for a bed for the night. Alex waited with the bags whilst me and Rich went scouting. The first place was very very posh, but to expensive. The second, well what a contrast. As I walked in, Rich said ´have you ever spent a night in a prison cell´. It was a disgrace and the owner was the sketchiest looking man I had seen in years, nnnnoooooo thanks mister.
Eventually we settled for Hostal Oasis that has been recommended to us. I got a big twin room, ensuite bathroom and cable tv for 20s. That will do. Caraz is tiny, the main reason we came here was to get more information on the nearby Alpamayo trek and to see if we could hire a muleman and mules here. We sat upstairs on the outside terrace of Cafe de Rat drinking cold beers and eating cancha´s, roasted nuts.
It was a celebration of our 10 months so far in South America. It has gone so fast and we have done so so much. The sunset and the temperature dropped rapidly. Time for a walk to see a good place for dinner. Not much choice, but we did find a small bar/offy. With a cold large cusqueña for only 4 soles. Bar Perez, it was pretty funny sat in a bar that was so unlike a bar. The locals wondered what the chuff we were doing there, but were friendly enough.
The toilet was rare. Hardly any room, banged my head 3 times, and check this. The toilet brush was kept on the sink, next to the tap. That is soooo Peruvian. A couple of clients came in with plastic bottles and the owner filled them up with moonshine pisco. I asked to try a wee dram, bloody hell, it tasted really good. I bought a bottle to take away. We returned to Cafe de Rat for pizza, salad and more beer, and it was excellent.
I am still in trekking time and was up again at 7am. Bright sunshine and a lot warmer here than Huaraz, it is 1km lower so it will be warmer. I took myself out for a walk, and followed the tourist route marked on the map, it was rubbish. A big cross was about all to see. That is fine though, plenty of time to chill. I had a great menu lunch at Jaunchi and 2 lots of ice creams, the ice cream here is great. A big sleep and time for dinner again.
We sat back up at Cafe de Rat playing dominos on the balcony and drinking a cold one. We got all the trekking information we needed from Pony Expeditions, a very very helpful and knowledgeable company, mission accomplished. Dinner at Bolivar was good and cheap, cakes at the famous Manjar Real outstanding, and that was everything Caraz had to offer tried and tested. 2 nights here is more than enough, time to return to Huaraz for the 3rd time.....
Getting back to Huaraz from Caraz went without incident. The hostel we tried to get into was full so we moved around the corner to a place called Hostel Miss Helen. It sounds dodgy, and is on a road that looks like Beirut, but the rooms were big, clean and had ensuite, it would do for a night. Another lunch at Salvia and dinner at Casa de Guias and all was good. I kept on hearing this strange whistling noise. I found out what it was.
A man wearing a black security uniform was crouched in the street and whenever anybody walked past he blew this bloody whistle. It reminded me of the old fashioned policemen who blew there whistles to notify the scoundrels to run off so there wouldn`t be a confrontation. This whistle blowing goes on all night. What a job to have.
Next morning we checked back into La Cabaña, my fav hostel in Huaraz. I decided to move into the small 4 bed dorm downstairs. It was a Friday and I was in the mood for socialising. I was told there were 2 others in my room, and boy could you tell, their backpacks looked like they had exploded all over the place.
Me, Rich & Alex went to Amma for dinner. I had an amazing hot sizzling plate of terryaki chicken with potato and green salad. Town was dead so I went back to my dorm to chill. Soon after, the bag explosion culprits returned to the dorm, Deborah and Pauline from Belgium. Marcello the owner of the bar Vagamundo was picking them up in 10 mins, he had just reopened the bar two days ago, and would I like to join them. Oh yes.
Loads of beers in Vagamundo until that shut, followed by more in 13 Buhos with plenty of funky and silly dancing, when the music turned crap, we ran across the road to El Tambo and danced in there, and vice versa, both clubs are free. This went on until 4am, when I said enough is enough. So we returned to the hostel, drinking wine on the terrace until the sun came up at 6. A bloody good night.
I was in a mega lazy mood the next morning, as the English football season started I stayed in bed watching a couple of games. As I was about to leave the hostel, I realised that the Belgians had taken both the room keys, and all the hostel workers were out. I was trapped inside the hostel, I could go out but who knows when I could get back in. I decided to wait and read in the hammock.
The front door bell rang, I ignored it, then it rang, and rang, and rang, in the end I opened it up. It was a young American who had just returned from a 4 day trek and wanted to retrieve her left backpack. I explained that nobody was in, and she could wait in my room until they returned. I put the kettle on for me and Brittney, soon after the owners were back, and so were Deborah and Pauline so I had a key. I arranged to meet up with Brittney and her tour group later for dinner. As I had been here for weeks I recommended Casa de Guias for food and Vagamundo´s for drinks, it was another excellent, fun, boozy and late night.
This took me up to Sunday morning. I was sat in the hammock reading, the 2 Belgium girls checked out to be replaced by a noisy Israeli guy who insisted on speaking at me, loudly, when I was reading. I gave up and chatted with him for a while. Brittney came over and we went to Cafe Andino for white chocolate and for a game of Battleships and Scrabble. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Later on her tour group and I met up again for dinner at Encuentro where I ate a very over priced and shite pizza. I was feeling funny so returned home early. What I didnt need when I was trying to sleep was the Israeli shouting and telling me all about his lady conquests in South America!! Will I ever sleep....
Next morning I went on a day hike to Laguna Churup with Brittney. We took a local colectivo that was rammed in the back, they gave us the front seats to the small village of Llupa. Here it was a good hour or so walk to Pitec and the start of the ascent up to Laguna Churup. It was a perfect day for hiking, blue skies and a slight breeze to cool us off. The lake itself is magnificent (4465m) with the towering Mt Churup (5495m) overlooking it. We sat and ate banana sandwiches watching the lake glisten in the sunshine. Brittney was feeling a bit ill from the altitude and had a rest for an hour whilst I climbed the moraine wall at the other end of the lake. Behind the moraine is a smaller lake, Laguna Churupita (4580m) with even better close up views of the mountain. The ice fall at the top is incredible.
We walked the same way down to Llupa, tired legs and all. Small herds of animals with their owners walked past us, sheep, cows, pigs, dogs, llamas, etc, any combination. We waited for a good half an hour until we flagged a taxi. As I got in the car Brittney mentioned something about them sniffing rags. I looked into the front and the driver was pretending to clean the steering wheel with his rag. I didnt think anything of it, until.....
He tried pronouncing our names, over and over again, then laughing his head off. This was funny at first, he even said to his gf that they would pretend to be us in town tonight. They were high as a kite, good job he was driving at 10 miles an hour, cars were swerving to avoid him. It got very repetitive after 20 mins of this, and I was starting to fear for our lives as we drove into the town of Huaraz. It was with relief we arrived in one piece. We could still hear him laughing to himself as he drove off down the road.
Next day it was Alex´s birthday and time to celebrate in style. We drank wine on the terrace with crisps before lunch followed by a good meal at Cafe California. The afternoon it rained, for the first time days, only for a couple of hours. We sat on the balcony sheltered from the rain drinking rum and cokes and playing dice. Then it was time for a few beers at Casa de Guias before a hearty Mexican at Chilli Heaven. We were all done in after so much food and drink and it was a relatively early one, especially as me and Rich had a busy day tomorrow.
I said goodbye to Brittney in the morning as she was heading back to Lima and then the states in a couple of days. The morning was spent buying enough food for me, Rich and muleman for 9 days of trekking around Alpamayo. This went like clockwork and only took an hour. We had lunch at Salvia, I spent 2 hours packing trek stuff and watching a very poor England 2 - 2 Czech football game. It took 2 hours to get to Caraz by colectivo. On arrival we went straight to Pony to pick up the food box and tent for muleman, stuff our faces with the biggest plate of Chinese I have ever seen and get our last nights sleep in a room for 9 days.
Tomorrow we would start the big one.......
Ok, here goes..... it could be a long one so get yourself a cuppa or a glass of something stronger.......
Day 1 - We were up at 7am in Caraz to get ready for the ride to Cashapampa (2900m) to meet our muleman and 2 mules. If felt exhausted when I awoke, a bit sick, dry throat and a head ache. No idea why but not a great start to the day. A couple of egg sandwiches and a strong milky coffee helped a little bit. Alberto from Pony Expeditions gave us a lift with our backpacks, tents and food box to the colectivo terminal a few blocks away. We piled in with our stuff into a massively overloaded estate car, 2 locals were sat in the boot laid over our bags, how the car got up the steep unsealed road is a miracle.
We arrived an hour later at Cashapampa and were instantly introduced to Cesàr, our muleman and his 2 mules Marron and Daniel. Cesàr is 20 years old and seems friendly and enthusiastic from first impressions. Just up the road we had to pay 10 soles gringo tax at the Cashapampa Park office, me and Rich had bought the 65 soles Huascaran park fees when we both went to Laguna Churup. Ok, fees paid, donkeys loaded up, time to trek.
It was a very pleasant and easy first days walk following Quebrada (ravine-valley) Santa Cruz and hopping over the river Santa Cruz along the way. We continued past the first campsite of Lllamacorral (3600m) to our campsite by Laguna Ichicocha (3840m). We arrived around 2pm which gave us a lot of time for our daily chores, somehow it was dark before we knew it. To the right of our campsite we could see the top of Mt Caraz (6025m) poking out between the rocks and in front of my tent the towering and impressive Mt Santa Cruz (6259m).
To give a gauge on how cold the water we wash ourselves in, it is on a scale from 0 to 10. 0 being, yeah I could lie in this for a while without gettting to cold, to, 10 which is water next to a glacier. Tonights water was a 6/10, a refreshing wash.
Dinner was spag, tom sauce, big red onion, grated cheese and for me soya meat. This would 4 of the 8 dinners we were to eat on the trek. The other 4 dinners would be lentils, packet soup, big red onion, grated cheese and soya meat for me. Always followed by a cup of tea and a packet of orios biscuits, we are English after all.
As soon as we washed the pots and packed up we got into our tents, at 7pm. The heavy rain started, I lay there hoping it would be dry in the morning. 7pm is the usual time we head into our tents, it is dark and cold by then. Depending on how tired I am, I write for a bit or read a few pages of my book before my hands get too cold and I need to bury them into the warmth of my sleeping bag. Day 1 over.
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 3hrs 45mins, 950m ascent, 14kms covered, water 6/10
Day 2 - I slept for 2 hours, woke up, lay awake for 3 or 4 hours then cat napped until sunlight. This is my sleep routine for the whole trek. To get more routines out of the way, the following is the same for every morning.....
First signs of sunlight at 6am, between 6.30 and 7am, sun hits our tents. 7.30am get our of tent to start breakfast. Breakfast is the same every day, 2 ladles of oats, 6 spoons of granola, 1 spoon of powdered milk and a cup of tea. I make lunch whilst the tea is cooking. Which is 3 rounds of brown bread sandwiches, 4 days jam, 4 days dulce de leche, with 2 power bars. Start packing up at 8 to 8.30, by 9am we are on the road again. Always last to leave camp by at least an hour, always the first to arrive at the next camp!!!! OK, all the daily chores out of the way, time for the fun part.......
Are you still with me and awake.....????
30 mins ahead of our campsite is the long Laguna Jatuncocha (3880m) which is another campsite. We continued walking up Q. Santa Cruz until we reached a crossroads in the path at Quishuar. Here we had a decision to make.
We knew the days walk would be a long one, with us passing over Punta Union pass later in the day, but we wanted to at least do part of the side trip from here to see the lookout (mirador) for views of Mt Alpamayo. It was an easy decision to make, we would hike up to the mirador. At the mirador we couldnt see much, so carried on. The mountains were in the clouds. In the distance we could see a tent, at the climbers Alpamayo base camp ( south side) "sod it" we said lets carry on until there, at least we have a destination point.
It took an hour from the crossroads to reach the base camp along Q. Arhuaycocha. To our left was the huge and impressivce Mt Quitaraju (6036m) and in front of us our first views of Mt Alpamayo (5947m). In front of the campsite was a big moraine wall, we knew there would be a lake behind it. We had come this far on the side trip we may as well make it to the lake. Wooooooowwww. What a lake it was too. Incredible views of Laguna Arhuaycocha (4370m). I was breathtaken by its beauty. 2 mountains had glacier fronts had dropping down into it. Mt Jancarurish (5601m) and Mt Rinrijirca (5810m). We were a little tired but the views gave us renewed strength.....
We had walked 1.5 hours extra up a side trip, and had a long walk to get back on track. We had great views back down Q. Santa Cruz to the campsite the night before and a very snowy Mt Artesonraju (6025m) in front of us. Already we had seen some of the best mountains in South America, half way through day 2. Instead of returning to the crossroads we took a thin animal track along Q. Santa Rosa to the campsite at Taullipampa (4250m).
This is the 2nd nights campsite for the groups and other treks. Not for us!!! Even though it is a great campsite with stunning views of Mt Pucajirca (6046m) on the left, Mt Taulliraju (5830m) in front and Mts Artesonraju & Paròn (5600m) behind we still had more work to do. By this stage we had been walking 4 hours at a good pace, and in front of us was the path up to Paso Punta Union (4750m).
I am not exaggerating when I say that it is a bloody hard pass. We were already a bit tired, it was a long hard fast 1.5 hours climbing up to reach the top. My heart was racing and I was pouring with sweat. I had to really dig in to keep my pace. It is harder sometimes stopping because my legs get heavier. Obviously I stopped to take photos but not for long. Below the pass is a beautiful small lake, Laguna Tauillicocha (4400m) that glistened torquise as the sun hit it. At the summit we had clear views of all the surrounding mountains, it was magical. We had the place to ourselves, everyone else was camping below. It was a perfect spot fou lunch and to stock up on well needed carbs. We still hard further to go.
The pass through is a seeming impossible break in the rock wall. Through this I could see another side of Mt Tauilliraju (5830m) to our left with Q. Huaripampa below and a few small lakes. It was a 40 min steep and steady trek down to meet up with Cesàr and the donkeys. We had wanted to camp further down the valley but he had already unloaded the donkeys and put up his tent. We were trekking independently, but whenever you have a muleman it is not entirely independent, you are in his hands when he says his donkeys are tired etc..... As much as I like Cesàr, he is like almost Peruvians in the fact that he lies through his teeth at every opportunity if it suits him with no remorse. We are used to this by now and dont let it get to us.
We were high up at our campsite at Laguna Chaquicocha (4300m) and as soon as the sunset it got cold, and I mean REALLY cold. Oh yeah, another part of the nightly routine is to filter 10 litres of water by using a small hand pump that takes about an hour. This is for cooking dinner and 2 litres for me and Rich to drink the next day. Because we were higher up and it was freezing dinner took a lot longer to cook. The mountains looked beautiful at sunset, but I didnt hang around to long to watch them because of the cold. It had been a very long hard trekking day, stunning mountains and lakes, I was glad we did this on day 2.
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 6hrs 10mins, 1220m ascent, 770m descent, 20kms covered, water 5/10
Day 3 - A steady half an hour descent to the Tuctubamba campsite (4100m) that we wanted to stay at was the first part of the days trekking. I was appalled to see that a tour group had emptied all there rubbish behind a rock, had they no respect for the national park. We were at the foot of the pass, Alto de Pucaraju (4640m).
In front of us were the mulemen from the other groups and shed loads of donkeys and horses. They had given them English names. As were climbing up the steep switchbacks we could here shouting from behind, "Peter", "Richard", arriba, arriba. It reminded me of the classic English comedian Uncle Peter shouting, "woof bark, donkey, Peter, where am I..... who wants a cup of tea"
We laughed at this until we reached the summit, over taking the other groups on the way, we are hardcore....After a good rest it was time to head down Q. Tuctubamba and towards our camp. Just the other side of the pass was another very torquise lake, Laguna Sepo (4200m).
The Quebrada swept around the corner and followed the left side of the long lake, Laguna Huecrucocha (4000m). We were to camp at the head of the lake. At first I was annoyed because it was really bumpy but we found good pitches after a few minutes of looking. From the porch of my tent I could see straight up to Mt Pucaraju (5025m). We arrived in good time and I was very welcome of the extra time to rest. Also it was warmer here because were at lower altitude.
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 3hrs 20mins, 640m ascent, 940m descent, 12kms covered, water 5/10
Day 4 - We started off dropping down 200m into the bottom of Q. Ingenio (3800m) to which we would be walking along for an hour or so before ascending the pass. The air here was dry, I had read about the dry air in the guides previously. We were walking at a good pace again, as for everyday and I was breathing hard. I wondered if this is actually any good for my health or is damaging me in some way. I know my skin goes really dry, my hands look like a granddads at times, and my hair is dropping out at an alarming rate, I am sure I am going bald far to quickly since I have been in the mountains. Needless to say we carried on regardless.....
The pass today was up to Paso Tupatupa (4400m) a relatively low one passing a few unnamed lakes along the way. We sat a little further up from the pass summit away from the groups for some more quiet. We had stunning 360 degree views of mountains as far as the eye can see. More mountain tops than I have ever seen in my life. It takes the breath away, we sat in silence for half an hour eating our lunch, I was seriously hungry, I could feel my soul as well as my stomach filling up by the minute.
It was time to start the long descent along Q. Tacllush towards the marshy area of Janca Pampa. We stayed to the right of the river until we reached a small field surrounded by dry stone walls. An old woman with a child and loads of sheep spoke to me in Quechuan, to which I know no words, and pointed us in the direction of the left of the river. At this point, Rich got his excellent map out and had a look, it made sense to go left. By now I am so untrusting of the Peruvian people that I dont believe a word they say, this could have been a practical joke for her amusement......
We walked along a faint path until we came to a few small farm houses. We knew we were in the right area as a small boy was sat waiting for us and asked us for caramelo. Below us was the river, but we couldnt see any sign of tents, mules or gringos. We asked a few kids the direction, they didnt understand Spanish. So we dropped down to the river and turned right, nada. A man who could speak Spanish said the campsite was another 10 mins to the left, 10 mins actually meant 40 mins, this is typical Peruvian time.
I asked a girl if we were on the correct side of the river for the campsite, she said yes. Great, lets get cracking on. This wasnt the best side to be on, we had to leap over creeks and marshy areas. I planted my pole to leap over a stream, but my pole sank and I fell to my right up to my arm in mud, shit and god knows what else. I immediately immersed my offending arm and trekking pole in the fast flowing water to rinse off the cack.
Where we were camped had an unbelievable few of the mountains in front. From left to right, Mt. Pucajirca West (6039m), Central (6010m) and North (6050m). The sun was beating down on us as we put up camp. Straight away kids appeared from nowhere offering to sell us beer and coke. I dont drink when I am trekking, Cesàr asked for a beer. He had also sliced a big gash under his bog toe on broken glass helping another muleman pull his mule out from a marshy bog. Of course you can have a beer mate. I also gave him anticeptic and plasters for his toe, he was very pleased with the gifts. We bought a big bottle of coke to give something back to the locals, not that we really wanted it.
I was knackered and sat in the sun reading my book, Rich went for a wander. I was asked to play football but decided against it, my feet were pounding as it was. I had an audience when cooking, surrounded my by the local children watching my every move. This was a pain in the arse to be honest. Cesàr told us to keep a very close eye on everything as they are thieving bastards. Rich was pumping water as I was preparing dinner and sarnies. I gave away a slice of bread and dulce which they shared.
I swapped with Rich to take over water pumping as he put the lentils on. He had put the bottle of coke in the stream to cool down. We had take our eyes of it for a few seconds, it had gone....... aghhhh. We still had an audience as we ate, this was very off putting. Dont get me wrong, I can quiet happily talk, joke, teach English words ( which I did) to anyone, but to have snotty little thieving kids stare at you as you eat isnt exactly relaxing. They asked for more bread. I explained that we have exaclty enough food to get us round 9 days, which is the absolute truth, down to the nearest slice of bread and power bar. They said ok.
The night drew in as we were finishing our dinner, it was around 7pm, the kids had to go to eat. The child who I had given bread and choc spread to earlier threw a lump of dried cow shit that just missed Rich and hit my tent, that is gratitude for you. That is it, no treats for any other kid on the trek...... this is such typical Peruvian behaviour. The countryside is some of the most beautiful in the world, it is the people that let this country down..... We had to put ever piece of equipment and food inside our inner parts of our tents, not just our porches as there had been incidents of food boxes being stolen during the night, I had a more than usual bad nights sleep........
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 4hrs 10mins, 600m ascent, 1000m descent, 15kms covered, water 8/10 (very cold)
Day 5 - For the first time I was starting to count down the days to the end of the trek.....
This is not because I wasnt enjoying the mountains and lakes, I was, it was because I was getting more and more tired. Not just physically but with the routine. We had done a 11 day trek around Huayhuash with only a weeks rest in between. On hindsight, this is not a long enough break between treks. Everything runs like clockwork with me and Rich, an unspoken communication that gets everything done perfectly, I couldnt ask for anything better. We both agreed on that. But it is the same every day, 2 hours chores in the morning, a hard days trek, 2 hours chores in the evening, then sleep.
The views are breathtaking, but even so, how many mountain views and lakes can you see in a month before even they start to blend into one..... This was how I was starting to feel. Like I say, I was still enjoying it immensely, especially the physical and mental challenge of it all...... anyway, onto day 5 of the trek....
We had a long ascent to start the day. The first part of the climb was through a forested region which was a real treat as we dont get to see many trees. We were in high spirits walking through the trees, maybe it was because of the extra oxygen they were pumping out. The forest opened up into a wide area with a waterfall at the end. This indicated the start of the rocky climb.
How do explain this without being to graphic...... Going to the toilet is a bit of an ordeal, plenty of squatting down, digging holes, finding rocks etc. What I didnt need was to feel a bit ill after the first part of the long climb. After going to the toilet I was drained, my legs had given up... I ate my power bars and trundled along. Rich was way off in the distance, Cesàr and the donkeys had over taken me, I was trundling along, on the flat, down Q. Yanajanca, starved of oxygen into my lungs. The air was so dry. I switched to the mode I go into when I am long distance running.
Shut down brain, relax eyes, pump arms forward and back and legs will follow. One after the other. In front of me was a huge steep mountain face, with a scree slope at the top, to a very high pass. Time to seriously dig in and see what I was made of.......
I started at the bottom of the slope, it was sandy with a few loose rocks. It is so draining on the legs when you slide a bit down on dirt and stones when you are trying to climb. I took deep breaths, it made no difference. Ok, head down, dont look up, step by step mate. 10 mins passed, I caught up with Cesàr and the donkeys that I over took. Still head down, I could see muddy boots in front of me, I had caught up with the French group, overtook them, things were looking up. The higher I climbed, the colder and windier it got.
Also, the air was colder, and for some reason felt less dry, I could feel me lungs filling up with more air. I looked up. Shit, a bloody steep scree slope. So what. I am over my vertigo, lets go for it. I dont know where I got the energy from but I flew up the scree slope, over taking the other groups muleman and donkeys. I had reached the top, breathing hard, but more easily. Challenge completed, I was elated. Not just with the way I got up there, but with the views of Mt Pucajirca Norte (6050m) so close behind me from the pass of Paso HUillca (4610m).
It was really cold and windy at the top. Behind me down the pass in the distance I could see Laguna Sactaycocha (4056m). In front was Q. Yanta Quenua with the snow covered Mt Champara (5749m) in the far distance. As I ate my lunch the French group arrived at the top. Fanny, one of the French girls was in a bad way. She looked awful, suffering from AMS with a splitting headache. Not only that, she had vertigo, and the way down would test anyones, a seriously steep scree slope until it leveled out. The guide looked useless, dressed in converes trainers and under equipped. This is the reason we never go with a tour, we are better equipped and more experienced ourselves.
Me and Rich made good progress descending and nearly over shot the turn off to the campsite, his map came in handy again. We had walked passed Huillca (4000m) and needed to turn back. We had arranged with Cesàr to meet here, no sign of him, what a surprise. Ok, lets go in search of our bags and where we are camping for the night.
From Huillca we trekked a good 1 1/4 hours up and down until we found him, it had been another long trekking day. I was definitely getting day 5 legs by now, we were in hardcore trekking survival mode, and bloody loving the challenge in a sadistic way. The campsite was in a stunning place, river below us with the mountains in front. From left to right, Pucajiraca West (6039m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Jancarurish (5601m).
My mind wandered as I put my tent up, only 4 more sleeps to go. I found a secluded spot down by the river for a strip wash in the fast flowing river, 7.5/10. I was hopping around drying my feet I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my right foot. A huge spine from a plant was sticking out from the ball of my right foot. I carefully removed it so nothing snapped of inside, but in bloody hurt, great, just what I needed. It was in a bastard place on my foot. Oh well, it will add to the challenge......
That night after dinner etc the wind dropped and it the temperature felt warmer. It was a cloudless sky with thousands upon thousands of stars out. I stood star gazing for a while when I saw a shooting star fly across my vision. A friend from back home had sent me an email saying that if I saw a shooting star I had to make a wish for us both......
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 5hrs, 1210m ascent, 610m descent, 17kms covered, water 7.5/10
Day 6 - Today would be a reasonably short day compared to the last 2, which I was happy about because my foot ached from the spike yesterday and I was starting to get very trek heavy. It was an ascent from the get go in the morning up to Paso Mesapampa (4460m) that took us half an hour. From the pass we trekked at a fast pace along Q. Mayobamba for a good hour until we reached the base of the second pass of the day.
If I felt tired it was nothing compared to the French group we overtook along the way. They had set off 2 hours before us and looked shattered. The other group of 3 we were following also looked shot to pieces. In a strange way this made me feel better. The air was really really dry here and breathing was more difficult than usual and my limbs were definitely feeling that they had been working hard for 6 days by now.
Ok, time to head up to Paso Caracar (4830m). I ate my power bars and started climbing, non stop for 30 mins, the last 10 up steep scree again. At the top it was blowing a gale, almost knocking me off my feet. I put on every layer I had and we made a sharp exit to the less windier parts down the other side. 20 mins down the other side we found a big rock to sit against and eat our lunch. We had all afternoon ahead of us so we could take all the time we wanted. This was the perfect place for it.....
The tiredness in my legs evaporated along with the clouds when I saw what was in front of me. A range of 6 of the most stunningly beautiful mountains I had set eyes on. From left to right, Mt Tayapampa (5675m), Jankarurish (5601m), Alpamayo (5947m), Quitaraju (6030m), Abrasraju (5785m) and Santa Cruz Pucaraju (6241m).
This is why I put myself through the hardship of big treks, to see what I was seeing. I thought to myself why was I feeling the feelings I felt. It is because I was so close to these mountains. Mountains on my other treks are way off in the distance, these seemed so close up and personal. I didnt notice my ass going numb from the cold stones I was sat on. I examined each mountain and the contours of the summits.
Before I came travelling to South America I didnt know if I would take to trekking or not. Buying all the equipment etc was a risk, right now, every single pound and ounce of energy spent was worth it. Views dont get much better than this. The Alpamayo circuit is a WORLD CLASS trek.
Further down I could see the full range of the Santa Cruz mountains in the clouds, not a perfect view, and hard to capture on camera but to see the 3 in one shot was amazing. Pucaraju (6241m), Chico (5880m) and Norte (5829m). Cesàr had found us a brilliant camping spot for the next 2 nights, just below Laguna Jancarurish at (4230m). I sat down leaning against my rucksack, exhausted and also in awe looking at Mt Jankarurish (5601m) in front of me.
The French groups big top tent was being taken down. I asked Cesàr what the problem was. He said the French didnt like their guide and they wanted to move further down the valley next to the group of 14 Israeli`s, things had gotten bad. I later found out that they left a day earlier. This trekking lark is not easy and not for everyone. Some groups have left after 1 day losing all their money!!!
I was knackered after putting my tent up. Proper tired. Not only that, the river was using water straight from a glacier. It was a 9/10. FREEEZING. But I felt refreshed after a very quick wash. We had prepared dinner in plenty of time so spent an hour reading and relaxing in our tents. Then it happened......
It started to rain, and rain, and pelt it down. It had got dark. We hadnt eaten yet. Cesàr was in his tent waiting to be fed, I was hungry too. I shouted across to Rich that we had to do it. All our waterproofs went on. Out into the rain we went and cooked dinner in the icy rain, that turned to lumps of hail bouncing off of us. But we did it. Battling the elements, and with a smile on our faces, we cooked dinner, ate it in our tents, cleaned up in the rain, and by the time we finished tea the weather had eased up.
Cesàr came out to say that he and the other groups cant believe what we are doing. The other groups get cooked for under huge tents, all snug and warm. We are doing it raw, Cesàr said that we had the upmost respect from the other guides and groups. As I go into my tent the rain came lashing down again. I heard an incredible noise. It sounded like a jumbo jet flying overhead, I realised it was a massive avalanche crashing down into the lake, this continued all night long.......
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 3hrs, 680m ascent, 650m descent, 13kms covered, water 9/10
Day 7 - Rest day, but not really. Time for a side trip. We climbed up the moraine wall in front us, up some steep switchbacks, passing a waterfall and to the North Alpamayo base camp (4550m). We were heading to the highest point on the circuit to get a close view of Mt Santa Cruz Chico (5880m). This route is also the spot of the most famous view of Mt Alpmayo (5947m) though I was more impressed with Quitaraju (6036m), Abasraju (5785m) and Pucaraju (6241m) and Chico.
It was a good 2 or so hours getting to the summit with again stunning views of the mountains. The wind picked up, oh my god it was cold, I mean seriously bloody cold, arctic. Time to head back down the same way. Back at camp Cesàr had brought back some Pacha Manca, food cooked on hot stones under the ground. I chomped on oca and potatoes as we cooked dinner. We had loads of food that night that my body craved, I would love to know how many calories a day I was burning off, they say you burn twice as much as normal at this altitude.
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 4hrs, 770m ascent, 770m descent, 12kms covered, water 9/10
Bloody hell, this is turning into War & Peacem, sorry, not long to go....
Day 8 - It was really really really cold in the morning. I mean, there was just as much ice on the inside of my tent as there was outside. Ideally we would wait for our sleeping bags and tents to dry before packing them, not today. I put my sleeping bag outside to dry, it FROZE. It was frozen when I packed it. There was pool of ice on the floor where I had shaken my tent. That got packed wet.
We knew this would be a long tough day. We were already tired, but deep down we knew there was only one more sleep left. It was a flat 1.5 hour walk along Q. Alpamyo to the basefirst of the 3 passes today. We passed Ruina Pampa along the way, a collection of old Inca ruins that used to be a town. The first pass was up to Paso Los Cedros (4770m). Along a serious of switchbacks, that went on, and on, and on. We were climbing for an hour when I could see a ridge. Ahhh the pass.... but nooooo....
It was a false summit. Shit houses. Ok, time to dig in again. A steeper ridge to climb, another half an hour. 3 hours after leaving camp we had reached the summit of Paso Los Cedros. If there had been any great views to see, I wouldnt have been that bothered. As it was, there werent. I plonked my tired body down and ate half my lunch. Across from us we could see the 2nd pass, an unnamed one, that was just a bit lower than where we were. But. and a big but. The path dropped 200m to climb up again......
Nothing else to do but get on with it, we passed Cesàr and the donkeys on the way up. Heart pounding and on a roll, it was time to head straight on to the 3rd and last pass, Paso Osoruri (4860m), the highest pass on the trek. In a blur we had got there. 45 mins from Paso Los Cedros. We sat down exhausted but with a smile on our face knowing that was the last pass. I shoveled down all my energy bars and sandwiches I had stored up.
Time to descend. It was a series of steep switchbacks until the view opened up to the stunning Laguna Cullicocha (4628m) with perfect views of Mt Santa Cruz Norte (5829m). Yeah, ok, I was tired, but these views were worth every hard step of the day. How much better can this trek get....... Another down the other side following a canal and Q. de Los Cedros until our campsite at Huishcash. Below an amazing vertical stone face was Laguna Azulcocha.
It was in bright sunshine we arrived at Huishcash (4328m). Cesàr looked knackered, it took him ages to pitch his tent. I pumped the water as Rich prepared dinner. On Huayhuash every night we had a good sunset, tonight was our first one of this trek. And it was a beauty. We ate dinner outside watching the sky change colours. It hailed on us as we finished drinking our tea.
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 5rs 30mins, 1130m ascent, 1160m descent, 23kms covered, water 5/10
Day 9 - Last day, what I needed was a hot sunny morning so that I could dry everything out, clean it and put it away dry. My prayers were answered. Clear blue skies at 6.30am with a baking hot sun. A perfect start to the day, nice and steady and away at the usual time.
It only took us 2 hours of steady descending all the way down to Hulcayan (3150m) crossing the waterfall in a couple of places. From day 1, I had a feeling the last day would be an issue with Cesàr but I kept this at the back of my mind. Today was the day....
At Hualcayan, Cesàr had unloaded our bags from the donkeys and put them at the side of the road. Me and Rich had talked about all the possibilities available to us. I knew Cesàr didnt want to walk back to Cashapampa to complete the circuit. He said that the donkeys were tired. Absolute Bullshit. They had walked 2 hours carrying hardly any wait. He couldnt be arse. This is the usual bollocks I hear on a daily basis in Peru. We said, come on lets go. He said it would take him 5 hours to get there. We KNOW it only takes 3 with a mule. OK, we said, lets go. But the colectivo´s stop running from there at 2pm. Bollocks. We KNOW they run until 6pm.
Ok, he had dumped us in Hualcayan and wont take us any further. A colectivo from Cashapampa costs 6 soles each. A taxi from Hualcayan costs 30s each. This should be fun. We sat down to eat lunch. In the end we got a taxi for 15s each, a bargain really. I said, directo, non stopping, the driver said yes.......
20 mins along the road, the taxi pulled up to speak to some people at the side of the road. He asked if they could get in. I said, ´Sure´, the more people in your car, the less we pay. I I left them at the side of the road and we drove back to Caraz without stopping again. I have been in this country too long now to know how things work. It took an hour and half to get back to Caraz, for 3 quid each on a shocking road it was a bargain, to us anyway. Locals would pay half again......
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 2rs , 1170m descent, 8kms covered
Totals
Walking time (not inc. breaks) 36hrs 55 mins, 7200m ascent, 7070m descent, 134kms
What a trek, the best I have been on. Tough, hard, with the most amazing mountains. World class..................
Back in Caraz we told what happened today to Alberto in Popny Expeditions. He gave us half a days money back which covered the complete taxi fair. We had done well out of it. Cesàr probably wont get any work again from Alberto. This is so common in South America. Live for the moment with no thought for the future. Which is why things have stayed the same for years.
Who am I to say what is right and what is wrong. I only see things through my own eyes, and most people dont look happy here, only frustrated. If only they could think about the future a little more...
We got back to Caraz really easily. Checked back into La Cabaña and also our good friend Darren was there. Me, Rich, Alex and Darren went to Casa de Guias for a slap up meal. I showed Darren the bars, Extreme, Vagamundos, 13 Buhos and El Tambo. We ended back at the hostel watching our trekking photos whilst picking a fight with a bottle of rum. The rum won at 4am.............
After the all night drinking session with Darren I was just about fit to watch a few football games on tv. We had planned to go to Chavin on Sunday, so with Rich & Alex leaving the next day, it would be the last meal we would have together for the foreseeable future. We had a slap pizza meal at El Horno´s, in my opinion the best pizzas in town.
Next day me and Darren went down to the coach station to get tickets to Chavin, only to find that all the buses were full that day. I wasn`t too disappointed to be honest. We caught up with R&A for a massive chinese meal in the afternoon, and the real final dinner at Casa de Guias at night. We waved off R&A as they left in a taxi to catch their overnight coach to Trujillo.
Since then, I have not done a great deal. Eating at Salvia for lunch everyday, and Casa de Guias half of the evenings. I got absorbed with the US Open tennis following Andy Murray to the final, watching England destroy Andorra and Croatia and taking in a few movies on tv.
I did have a first for me, playing Ultimate Frisbee. With the staff from Cafe California, 10 of us took taxis 20 mins away up in the mountains to a football pitch. We marked out the pitch and spent the next hour and a half running around in the heat with a frisbee. It is a great game, fun to play and bloody good exercise. I was exhausted after running hard at altitude for that length of time. I nearly fell asleep with my beer in Vagamundo´s later that Friday night.
Saturday was a lazy day of sport, tennis, England etc on tv with some cold rum & cokes. As I was returning to my hostel after an amazing lasagne and beers at Casa de Guias, I got a call from Erika who I know from the internet cafe. She and her friends were heading to El Tambo, the local night club, and do I want to join them. Too right. If I wasn`t tipsy before, I certainly was after more beer and a load of sangria. I danced until the early hours, remembering some of the salsa I learnt in Sheffield.
If my legs weren`t knackered from the frisbee on Friday, they certainly were the next morning after El Tambo. Not only that I had a mother of all hangovers and a huge bruise on my right arm that I still don`t know where it came from. I bumped into a few travellers during the day and we arranged to meet up at the English run Chilli Heaven for dinner. I wasn`t hungry after treating myself to cheese, crisps and gorgeous stuffed olives earlier, but I still splurged....
on a bottle of Old Speckled Hen imported from England. I haven`t tasted such amazing beer since La Paz 4 months ago. It was heaven to my lips. That is pretty much all I have done in the 12 days since the Alpamayo trek. After 7 weeks in the area I am finally moving on. It has been a brilliant place for the treks and to chill out, the great food, laid back people and it is cheap. I wont miss the packs of dogs that bark and the cockerels that crow all through the night though.
Back to Lima I go for the big wedding.....
I was knackered when I arrived in Lima. Some stupid Israeli traveller received a phone call at 4am and had a conversation at the top of his voice waking up the entire coach. Another Israeli who was sat in front of me told him to shut the **** up!!! On arrival at 6am I called Angela as she wanted to come and meet me. I waited an hour, then got a call back from her. Where are you, she asked. I am here, where are you, I replied. At the station she answered. It was then I realised I had got off the coach at the wrong station miles out of town. Luckily for me there was another coach at my terminal heading to the correct station. It took me another to arrive in downtown Lima and meet up with Angela.
We took a cab to Barranco, a cool bohemian suburb and I checked into Los Giraloes hospedaje. My room is dank, dark, and humid. But it has a private bathroom, hot shower and is only 25 soles a night which is very cheap for Lima. It will be fine for my stay here. Even though I needed to sleep I had a very busy day ahead getting things for the wedding.
First up we headed to Gamarra and the markets there, it is a bloody mad house, more stalls than I could ever imagine, it goes on for miles and miles. I managed to buy a decent shirt for only 40 soles, one job off the list. Next to the plaza de armas is a shoe shine man, he spent ages buffing up my shoes, that Angela had borrowed from an ex boyfriend for me. Locals were asking for money, this guy really earnt his 1 sole, my shoes were like mirrors afterwards. On the bus back to Barranco were hawkers selling all sorts of crap. For a laugh I bought a toothbrush, a real bendy one for 1 sole. Sat next to me on the back of the bus was a withered old man. He pointed out to me that he had just bought a needle and cotton set on the bus, we were now crap buying bus buddies!!!
I tried on a few suits downtown. In one shop the suit looked dirty, I asked the store attendant if he had cleaned it, he said yes.... I wasnt convinced. I tried on another jacket, in the pocket was a dirty tissue. I asked him again if he had cleaned it after the last rental, he said yes, I said, `what is this then` and showed him the offending tissue. He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders like he really didnt give a shit. Unbelievable. I chucked him his jacket back and walked out, so typical of Peru.
I had been downtown for most of the day, not only was I tired, I was also hungry and pissed off, downtown is really stressful at the best of times, today had been a real test of my patience. What I needed was a good lie down and an early night, but I had a long night ahead of me. Carlos, Angela`s brother had been given an invite to the opening night of a new dance club in Miraflores, and he invited me along. So at 10pm, we jumped in a taxi to the new club, Timelessbeatz.
We had free beer for the first hour until the no.1 DJ in South America, DJ Oscar Bohorquez started playing. Carlos introduced me to him as a dj from England and we had a brief chat, he is a really friendly guy and has been listed as one of the top 100 dj`s in the world by DJmag. The music was spot on, deep techy house music, just up my street. It was a bit of a strange atmosphere, many of the men just stood around the dance floor looking moody, trying to look cool. Different to me and Carlos, we were dancing like crazy. It was a brilliant night, by 2am I was dead on my feet and was almost asleep as the cab dropped me off.
I had another bus day doing chores. Lunch at Angela`s house followed by a well needed haircut, it only cost me 10 soles, the best 2 quid haircut I have ever had. We spent all afternoon in bloody downtown, picking up my suit etc. In the evening I went with Angela and Armando (groom) to a florist market. Angela was arranging the flowers for the wedding. It was amazing, I have never seen so many huge bouquets, about 20 stalls all making flowers up for weddings, funerals etc. After a few minutes I went for a walk around and found a little store where I bought a beer. I sat down on plastic chair people watching as I drank my cold lager. Just as I was about to finish the lady working behind the counter told me it is not permitted to drink beer in her shop. I said fine, I had been there 20 mins already and had just finished it!!
My friend Andrew from La Paz is also in Lima for the wedding, we met up in Hukana bar in Barranco for a couple of beers in the evening. The bar is shocking, terrible service and I had an argument over the cold plate of food I got, I sent it back and it was returned to me in the same state. I cancelled it in the end. Then I had another argument over the bill, they charged me 6 soles for each beer, my drinks menu said 5 soles, the waiters said 6. the waiter told me the difference would come out of his pay check. Bollocks I thought. I spoke with the manager and told here I was only going to pay 5 and not isnt the fault of the waiter. I also told her to change the other drinks menu, she said no problem and I paid 5 soles. I wonder how many times a night they try the over pricing trick with the gringo holiday makers here. I have been in Peru to long now to fall for this.
Saturday was the big day, Patty (Angela`s sister) and Armando`s wedding. After a healthy menu lunch at Cafe Iguita in Barranco I met up with Andrew so we could buy a wedding present. We arrived at Angela`s house around 6pm. Patty looked beautiful in her dress, the photographer had set up his lights in the living room and was snapping away for an hour. At 7.30 we all took taxis to the church. The ceremony was due to start at 8.30, in true Peruvian style it was after 9pm when it got under way.
This was my first catholic wedding I have attended. I had no idea what the priest was saying in Spanish so I just concentrated on taking in the surroundings a listening to the amazing orchestra that played a few songs during the ceremony. After the hour long ceremony we moved next door for bubbles and a bit of food. Patty & Armando stood on a stage and 1 by 1 the guests went and said there congratulations to the happy couple. The chocolate and coffee truffles that we being passed around tasted fantastic, with the good Mendozan wine it was a great start to the festivities.
Around 11.30pm we took taxis to Armando`s families house for the reception. The first dance was to the Blue Danube, after Patty & Armando had danced the parted and all of their family members danced with one of them, it was a really nice touch. Peach and algurriba cocktails were given to us. Patty & Armando had their real first dance to a Mark Antony song, a great choice.
Then the fun really started. The unmarried ladies lined up to catch the bouquet. Patty threw it straight up in the air, it hit the ceiling and dropped to the floor. I am still laughing at the video now. The second throw was much more successful, Eveleyn, a friend of Patty;s caught it. Patty sat on a chair in the middle of the floor whilst Armando buried himself under her dress looking for the garter! Then it was our turn, only 5 of us lined up to catch the garter Armando threw. Andrew caught it in front of Coco, a family friend who is a little bit special and a bit pervy, Evelyn was relieved. Andrew then had to put the garter on Evelyn`s leg, with her boyfriend sat right behind him!. Andrew was a true gent and saved any embarrassment.
Dinner was due to be served at midnight, it was just before 2am when it was served, big slices of succulent pork. The 100 litres of beer at the reception was being consumed rapidly and each table had a bottle of whiskey. It was a fantastic reception, I danced, drank and chatted until nearly 8am, when it was time to leave. Angela had the veil from the dress in her bag. In my silly druken state, I took the veil and unravelled it in the taxi, covering the whole car and the taxi driver. Luckily for me he found it as funny as I did and went along with the stupidty, it was around 10am when I finally got to bed.
Sunday was a write off. I only got out of bed at 10pm to go for dinner, at El Hornito in Barranco for an amazing pizza. After I was wide awake, this was the start of my insomnia and messed up sleep patterns. I sat in the internet cafe until 5am replying to emails about my Facebook status. After the wedding I changed my status to married for a joke, the emails I got were hilarious......
Monday I had to go back downtown to return my suit etc and bought tickets to Trujillo leaving on Thursday night (in 3 hours time!) I had a monstruous sandwich for dinner, Monstrous is the name of the sandwich shop, it is famous in these parts because they taste amazing. Up until 5am again not being able to sleep, even a box of wine didnt help me to sleep.
Tuesday I had a day to relax. Andrew came over and we checked out some of the art galleries in Barranco and the Electricity Museum!!!! To my surprise it is actually very well layed out and pretty interesting, really old tv sets and radios, and what looked like the first laptop, made in 1982. We had a very average lasagna in Rafo restaurant. That night in the interenet cafe I made friends with Jorge, he is a famous artists from Lima and does surf art.
Which takes me up to Wed, yesterday, I slept in all day, had a menu at Iguita and sat in Kantu cafe with the laptop writing and stuff. Angela joined me, then Carlos and his gf Patty came over. We ate at Monstruous and waited for Andrew to join us. We went for drinks in Juanito which was really busy. A very very strange man wearing a dress stuffed with balloons for breasts and his ass walked past the entrance to the bar. We just had to pose for pictures with him....
I am now sat in K`unta cafe waiting for Andrew and Angela to arrive for a drink. It is 7pm, our coach to Trujillo leaves at 10pm. I am bloody knackered so hopefully I will sleep ok on the coach, it is due to arrive at 6.30am all being well........
It was a restless 9 hours on the overnight bus to Trujillo, why I had to get so tipsy the night before I dont know, but I really suffered on the coach. It was in a daze we arrived at the tiny bus terminal in Trujillo just after sunrise. The taxi driver took us to a couple of hostals to check out, we chose El Molina which was clean enough and central. After checking in we went to a local cafe for breakfast and strong coffee, I was exhausted.
The reason I wanted to come here was to see the Pyramids and the famous site of Chan Chan. What I really wanted was to sleep all day, but I knew I had to crack on with my travels. We booked onto a tour that would take us to see the Pyramids, Las Huacas of El sol and La Luna. At 10.30 we hopped into the agencies minibus with a handful of other tourists.
I usually avoid tours at all costs as they do my head in, I took this one only because it would cost more in taxis to visit all the places in one day, also Angela could translate for me when the guides Spanish got to technical for me. The firs place we visited was the 1500 year old ruins of La Huaca de la Luna, a Moche temple that was used for ceremonies, worshipping and some very unpleasant human sacrifices. Prisoners were fed the halucinogenic plant San Pedro before they were sacrificed to the gods and had all there flesh removed from their bones, nice!
The pyramid is constructed layer upon layer, every 100 years or so the previous temple and tombs were totally covered by another layer of bricks and a new temple. The layers have fallen down on to each other in parts which makes the archeologists job very difficult. Some of the original painting is still in tact with some funky colourful carvings. We could see across the base of the massive area that is still to be excavated to the large La Huaca del Sol.
For lunch we were taken to the very touristy restaurant, El Sombrero. I had a tasty goat dish whilst watching some traditional dances, Marinera and an African dance. Straight from here we went to La Huaca Arco Iris, Rainbow pyramid. This is a Chimu pyramid that was used between 1000 & 1470 AD. It is in excellent condition because up until 1963 it was totally covered in sand. The temple is about 800sq metres and has two levels around 7.5 metres high. The carvings here are in perfect condition.
Next up was the Chan Chan museum to get some background before finally visiting the site of Chan Chan. By this stage I was getting a little `toured out` so spent more time taking silly photos than listening to the monotoned guide. At last we visited Chan Chan...
It is a massive site built around 1300 AD that had approx 10,000 buildings and 60,000 people lived there. Now it is a few ruins with the walls spreading over a distance of 28sq km`s. We visited the Royal Compund which is the main attraction. It is a maze of walls and rooms, food storage areas, temples, tumbs etc. We were shown the tomb where the king was buried along with his 30 concubines, believed to be alive when they were buried, grim!
Finally we were driven to the surf town of Huanchaco in time to see the sunset for the beach. Soon after we were on our way back to the centre of Trujillo. I was absolutely knackered, and hungry, my stomach starting to play up again. We had a very shit burger in a restaurant followed by a magnificent fruit salad, 1 out of 2 isnt bad. Apart from I had really bad stomach the next day, I knew that burger was not a good idea.
I had wanted to leave Trujillo early in the morning for Chiclayo so I could see the Sipan museum in the afternoon. When I woke up I was in a total daze, felt like a virus was running through my body. I wasnt going anywhere in a hurry, thankfully check out was at 1pm. I had a very healthy and filling 2 course vegetarian meal for lunch before we took the coach on to Chiclayo.....
It was a short 3 hour trip between Trujillo and Chiclayo. On arrival I looked at hostel that had been recommended to me but it was full of a massive school party there for a few days. So I accepted the taxi drivers suggestion of taking a look at Hotel Tumbas Reales. It was more than I wanted to pay so I got a really good discount on the rate. Everyone was happy, especially me at the view out of the window over the city and out to the plaza.
I was still feeling weird from the past 3 days travelling and didnt feel like doing much apart from eating. We went to Venecia for an excellent pizza and a cold beer that did the job. For the first time in a few days I got a long solid nights sleep and felt loads better in the morning.
After breakfast we took a taxi to the highly recommended museum, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan in the next town of Lambayeque. The town itself is a scruffy place so I was amazed to see the outside of the muesum, it looked amazing. To say the museum is good is an understatement, it is world class. It is all about the tombs they found in the area, layer upon layer of tombs with the king at the bottom. The whole display, lighting, order, writings and general lay out is unbelievable.
I usually dont like museums because they are very similar, the first farming tools, ceramic pots etc etc etcc. I have been in so many museums in different parts of the world, I pick and choose the ones I now visit. I cannot recommend this museum highly enough. I spent a very interesting 2 hours taking in all the information and marvelling at the objects, jewelry, skeletons, tombs etc that are in remarkable condition.
Outside the museum we had a good lunch and were lucky with the bus that arrived as we did at the stop. Check out was at 1pm, in true Peru style I was 30 mins late, but that was fine. Continuing the fast pace of travel we headed to the coach station to get ourselves up to the beach town of Mancora and to meet up with the newly married couple, Patty & Armando.
It took 3 hours on the coach to reach the busy city of Piura. In Piura we had 2 options, to take a bus that was leaving an hour later and takes 4 hours, or jump in a huge old American car that was leaving immediately and takes 2.5 hours, it was a no brainer. Me and Angela sat in the front of the beast of a car so had clear views of the rubble laden streets. The driver was bombing along safely until we started to approach Mancora. I have no idea why, but he started driving like a complete tit. Over taking trucks on blind corners and driving at stupid speeds over speed bumps. I was relieved when we arrived in Mancora in one piece.
We hopped on a tuk-tuk for the short ride to our hostel, Kimbas. The newly wed’s, Patty & Armando were waiting for us as we pulled into the hostel. They had been on their honeymoon and had moved to this hostel for a few days more. Kimbas hostel is amazing. It is really well laid out, wooden bungalows, loads of trees and plants, and an outdoor swimming pool.
This was the reason I was so surprised to see a scorpion on the base of my bed when I entered my room for the first time. I took off my right trekking boot and made sure that it won’t be bothering me again. Once settled into my room my stomach started rumbling and I knew I had to eat soon. The 4 of us went to Chan Chan restaurant for dinner to eat Italian. My lasagna was very good, pricey, but most of Mancora is.
The next morning I could not get out of bed, I felt shocking, totally lacking in energy, ill and lethargic. I made it out to the dining area for breakfast, 2 white rolls, jam, good Colombian coffee and large jug of mixed fruit juice. The same every day, with room delivery service if you ask! I fell straight back to sleep after and somehow I mustered up the energy to go for a walk in the early afternoon. I couldn’t believe the weather, totally grey with a bit of drizzle. It is summer all year round in Mancora, they hadn’t had rain for weeks!
We went for a walk along the beach and past the beach bars and restaurants, it was quiet which was not surprising considering the weather. Kimbas is a great hostel, but by no means cheap, more than I have spent in any other hostel in Peru. I checked out 5 or 6 more places in the area, they were cheaper, but nowhere near as good. When I returned to Kimbas I bargained a 10 soles discount a night for my room for staying a long time, Brucey Bonus.
I had a long siesta, the heat was taking its toll on my body, I was used to the mountains and coldness of Lima. I remembered back to my times in South East Asia when I felt the same. Hmmmmm, water and salt were the solution then. I poured 2 litres of water down my neck and took a multi-vitamin tablet, 2 hours later I was back on form.
Patty & Armando were having drinks on their balcony, a few beers and a bottle of the excellent sparkling wine they had saved from their wedding. We joked around listening to a 80’s mix CD that Armando had bought from a street vendor for about 20p. No pretend copies here, the album name was written on the CD with a black marker pen. Armando wanted to treat us to all to dinner, which was very gratefully accepted.
Chinese (Chifa) restaurants are very common in Peru and South America. What aren’t common are Thai restaurants. Just at the end of our road is a Chifa / Thai restaurant. Perfect I thought. My chicken, coconut and fine noodles Thai meal was fantastic, just what I wanted to eat. I hadn’t eaten Thai for over a year and this was a good effort. Opposite the restaurant are a sting of bars offering happy. The music was…. to be honest, shite in most of them, apart from Barena Surf Club bar run by a Peruvian man and his English, lake district born fiancée. We had mojito’s and watched the world go past outside. I wanted to return the favour for tonight and arranged for a drinks and nibbles night outside my room the following night.
The next day after breakfast we took a mini-bus further north to the beach area called Punta Sal. There were about 5 other people on the stretch of beach all day. The grey clouds and drizzle of the previous day had disappeared and we had scorching sunshine and no wind to enjoy. It really was hot, the sea was warm and calm and ideal to lie in and cool down.
The night was spent on my patio with stuffed olives, cheese, real wholegrain bread, avocado, crisps etc, beer, and rum and coke. Salsa music played in the background as we chatted away. I soon realized that my Spanish had got rusty with the lack of practice the last few weeks. But as always after a few drinks, I relaxed and managed to hold a conversation or two. I bought a couple of big fat cigars for me & Armando that took us all night to smoke. They complemented the rum perfectly.
It was now Wednesday and Patty & Armando’s last day in Mancora, they had a 4.30pm coach to catch back to Lima. After breakfast me and Angela took a tuk-tuk to Pocitas beach a couple of kilometers south of Mancora. Like Punta Sal there were hardly any other people around, but unlike P.S. the sea was raging and with the sharp rocks near the shore it was too dangerous to go swimming.
We met up with P&A for lunch at a sea food restaurant, I settled for a veggie soup as it was the only thing on the menu that I could eat. We returned a couple of hours later to the area and the bus terminals nearby to wave Patty & Armando off to Lima and I thanked them very much for their kindness and generosity over the past few days. The night was spent again on my patio looking at the star filled sky and finishing of the remains of last night’s fiesta.
The next day I had a big decision to make. It was now the 25th of September, my Visa was due to expire on the 27th, which meant I had been in Peru for 3 months!!!! My friend Richard from Sheffield is in Peru and we have been in constant contact the last few days to meet up. He arrives at my hostel in Mancora the day my Visa expires. Part of me wants to crack on with my travels and cross over into Ecuador, the other part really likes it here in Mancora and it would be a lot easier to stay here and chill with Ang and Richard for another few days.
One thing for it I thought, head up to the border with Ecuador and see what can be done about either a Visa extension or a new 90 day Visa. So after breakfast we hoped on a mini-bus to Tumbes which took 2 hours. We then had to wait 30 mins to switch to another mini-bus that took almost an hour to reach the border town of Aguas Verdes. As soon as I got off the bus I was approached by a man asking if I needed an extension or new Visa. I had in mind that this was the way to go. I had Angela with me for backup with the language difficulties.
I explained that I needed a new Visa. I haggled his ‘tip’ down from 30 soles to 20 and we started the procedure. I checked out of Peru in the normal manner and we jumped on the back of a tuk-tuk for the short ride to the border with Ecuador. We walked across a bridge and into Ecuador. Here we jumped into a taxi for the 5km ride to the Ecuadorian Immigration office, why it is 5km’s inland I don’t know. I signed into Ecuador in the normal manner, which is when things got interesting.
Officially I should spend 1 night in Ecuador before crossing back into Peru, which is where the helpful man comes in handy. We sat down at a table in the café for 10 mins waiting. I spoke to the man and he confirmed that he has ‘friends’ on both sides of the border. Angela was now in Ecuador without any kind of Visa. The man prompted me to go up to the same counter that I had just signed in at, and I was promptly signed out again. Ok, so far so good.
In these type of situations I always feel a little uncomfortable because I am not 100% in control, reliant on somebody not to screw me over. Though I did feel confident with the man I was with, he was friendly and talkative and my gut instinct was a good one, I always really on my gut instinct when travelling. We returned to the border by taxi, and hired another tuk-tuk back to the Peru Immigration Office. This is the last and most risky step. I filled in yet another immigration form and made my way up to the entrance counter. The woman just smiled at me, the man went back office, I was stamped in with no problems at all. I gave the man his 20 soles for his hours work. All went smoothly as possible, I had a new 90 day Visa for Peru.
We stopped off in Tumbes for lunch, an excellent Chinese menu meal, and a lot cheaper than Mancora. We had been on the road all day, and I wanted to do something more soulful. As we were close to Zorritos, another beach town with a long beach I suggested we stop off there. We spent an hour walking along the beach watching the thousands of crabs scurrying around under our feet. We were lucky to see a stunning sunset as the fishermen pulled in their boats from the sea.
We were also lucky to flag down a coach back to Mancora straight away. Though we had a 40 min wait at the state crossing as the narcotics police searched the bus. I read earlier in a local newspaper that 50kg of coca leaves had been seized 2 days earlier. There were no problems and we were soon back in Mancora. Patty & Armando had left us a bottle of their sparkling wine from the wedding. A perfect opportunity to drink it after a successful Visa bribing mission.
For the first time in what seems like weeks I had nothing that I needed to do the next day, Friday. I had a long slow leisurely breakfast in bed before sunbathing by the hostel pool. The sun was scorching hot so I dipped in the refreshing pool water at regular interviews. We watched another fantastic sunset over Mancora beach. Loads of surfers were riding the long waves that Mancora is famous for. As Richard would be arriving the next day, I wanted to check out the bars to see which the best is. It is low season in Mancora so there are not a lot of people around, but enough to make Iguana bar seem lively. We had a couple of beers here and watched the ‘Ruca’s’ flirt with the gringo’s. A famous Ruca from a tacky celeb tv show was walking around much to the amusement of the locals.
I had another lazy day around the hostel, I started to feel like I was recharging my batteries again. Richard arrived in the hostel an hour earlier than I expected, he had made very good time coming from Piura. It was brilliant to see him again after a year. He was in time to catch the sunset again that we enjoyed with a few cold beers. For dinner we returned to the Thai restaurant but this time the food was disappointing and nothing like the first time we ate there. Afterwards we spent a couple of hours chilling at the beach bar Moomba that is on the sand with lights and bonfire to keep the patrons warm from the chilly sea breeze.
Sunday morning was a typical Sunday morning, very quiet and relaxed. Hardly anybody else was staying in the hostel which was ideal. For a long time I haven’t studied any Spanish because I have been trekking or attending weddings etc. Now, I had no excuse not to as I had plenty of time on my hands and Angela nearby to correct me or to answer questions I had. By now I was starting to get some colour on my skin and to lose the shiny reflecting pasty white Englishness out of my legs.
We shared a few beers on our patio early evening before going for a steak. I hadn’t splurged on a good meal for a while and I really fancied some good steak. We ate at El Faro (Lighthouse) Lounge restaurant. My steak, bechemal potatoes and ratatouille were excellent, as was the Los Arboles wine. A real treat. Me and Rich taught Angela whist and played a few games back in the hostel.
Richard wanted a beach day so I suggested we go to Punta Sal. We took a tuk-tuk there which took over an hour, the longest tuk-tuk ride I have ever taken. There is a big hotel there with sun lounges etc that has a good stretch of beach in front of it. Only, they wanted to charge us 50 soles each to use the facilities…. Errr no. Instead we walked the 4kms along the people free coast until the other area with the restaurant. A light lunch and I feel asleep on the beach, I love taking a siesta on the beach.
The wind had picked up and was blowing sand all over us. There was a rip in the sea that pushed you all the way down the beach in minutes. I had to get out, walk up the beach, get back in the water and end up miles away again, it was good fun though trying to swim upstream battling the waves. We had a steady evening, some red wine, an early dinner and more cards in Rich’s bungalow.
By now I was in real slowdown mode. Everything was taking me ages to do the simple things, I was in true Peru time, just ask Rich. For a change we chose to make our own sangria, so after a good fruit shop in the local market we returned to the hostel to chop it all up. We had no jug so I cut the top off a 2.5 litre plastic water bottle that we used, classy eh! I had a craving for pizza that we ate at the overpriced Chan Chan restaurant, it was bloody tasty though.
I wanted to show Richard the other beach I like in the area at Pocitas. It is a 40 min walk along the coast from where our hostel is. Thousands of birds, pelicans, frigate birds and condors flew overhead and were diving into the waves hoping to catch a fish or two. We found a spot with no tourists around and lay in the midday sun (as only mad dogs and Englishmen do). We walked back the same way into Mancora town for lunch. Instead of going out for dinner that evening we made our own food, stuffed olives, guacamole, cheese and breads with yet another monster sangria (a good source of fruit!!). We returned to Moomba and Iguana bars for a late night drink, the music was shocking so we left early on.
Days were flying by, I couldn’t believe how long I had already been in Mancora. Another day of studying, lazing by the pool, drinking sangria and watching the sunset. I ate a healty version of a kebab at the very well decorated Terulia restaurant the lighting and art in the back area are funky and interesting. More cards in the hostel and an early night ready for…
Friday night. This would be the last big night in Mancora for us. Richard wanted to try lobster as it is very fresh and a damn site cheaper than in England. We ate lunch at Mancora Summer Forever restaurant (great name), Rich with his big lobster and all. I have a tendency to find something I really like right at the end of a long stay somewhere. This was the case at this bar, they serve Polar dark beer. I hadn’t seen this anywhere else, it is a dark beer that actually tastes like a dark beer should do and not some very sweet beer. It tasted like heaven, I knew I would be returning there.
I sensibly took a siesta in the afternoon. We ate a very tasty and healthy dinner at Angela’s Place, the name of an exceptionally good vegetarian restaurant in town, the falafels are fantastic. Then it was back to the hostel to start on the bottle of vodka we had bought between us. After a few of those, it was back to Iguana bar for some mojitos. The music was actually good for a change, up to 1.30am when it took a massive turn for the worse. A cue to head back to the hostel and finish the vodka off at around 4am….
I felt very special yesterday morning, Saturday, after a broken night’s sleep. I managed to eat a soup and some rice to settle my stomach. We had a recovery beer back at the lobster place, the dark beer working wonders, I bought a couple for takeout. We all bought our bus tickets out of Mancora, Angela leaves for Lima tomorrow at 4.30pm, I leave for Loja in Ecuador at 5.30pm and Rich back to Piura on Monday at 5pm.A burger and a papa rellena for dinner did the job as did another black beer.
Which brings me up to today. Sunday 5th October. Another sunny day is with us. I am just about to pack up my stuff and get some lunch and food to take with me on the overnight bus. I cannot believe how long I have been in Peru for. After Richie Heald left I expected to stay for another month to do the treks in Huaraz and then leave as soon as possible.
The countryside in Peru is amazing, Machu Picchu, the floating islands of Puno, the sand dunes at Huacachina and of course Alpamayo and Huayhuash treks. On the other hand, the people I have come across have really tested my patience, Richie had his bag stolen, Rich has camera stolen out of his pocket, constantly lied at to my face etc etc. Which was the main reason I wanted to leave 6 weeks ago.
But, this is not true for everyone I have met here. Angela has been an angel, showing me around Lima, inviting me to her family home for traditional Peruvian food and to meet her family. After my second trek in Huaraz I was invited by Patty, Angela’s sister to attend her wedding in Lima. I waited 3 weeks to attend, and I am so glad I did, it was an amazing and fun experience. Mancora has been a great place to relax for 2 weeks before moving on, and of course to catch up with Richard.
One of things that is always difficult when travelling is saying goodbyes, I will be sad to say goodbye to Angela and Richard after an amazing time here in Mancora. But, I really am looking forward to exploring a new country, this time tomorrow I will be in Ecuador……
Carrying on from where I left off....... I watched a stunning sunset from the bus on the way to Sullana, 2.5 hours from Mancora. I had to wait 1.5 hours at the bus stop in Sullana, which included a power blackout before I took a smaller single level bus to Loja in Ecuador. First I had to get through the border control. The bus was full and I was sat next to a very large Peruvian woman who crushed me into the window of the bus, this seems to happen to me a lot, why aren`t there ever slim people on the seat next to me....
We arrived at Macara around 11.45pm, this is the border into Ecuador. A policeman checked my passport and told me to across the street to get it stamped out. Everyone from the bus was standing around waiting, there was nobody on the desk. We shouted, banged on the door etc, 15 mins later a man appeared. It took a few seconds each to be stamped out of Peru. I walked the short distance across the bridge into Ecuador, filled in my form, got a 90 day Visa, all in 10 mins. Great, lets get going.....erm.....not quite.
The Ecuadorian police were going through every bag on the coach, mine was looked over in seconds. 1 hour later the guards told 6 women to remove about 20 bags full of what I think is childrens clothes and shoes, these all had to be checked, paid 5 dollars each for (that is what I understood was happening) and then reloaded back on to the bus. At 2am, over 2 hours since we arrived there, we were finally moving. I hoped the bus was a direct one, it wasn`t. It stopped all along the way picking up and dropping off passengers, I hardly slept on the way to Loja, where I arrived at 6am.
I managed to hop on a local bus in Loja at 6.45am to go to Vilcabamba. People were on their way to work, it was interesting to see people at this time of the morning. My first impressions of the Ecuadorians are that they are friendly and laid back. Around 8am I arrived in the small village (4-5000 people) of Vilcabamba. I was heading for Hosteria Las Riunas de Quinara anyway, but Leon who is a volunteer there was waiting for tourists and we walked together to the hostel.
http://www.vilcabamba.org/ - Info on Vilcabamba
http://www.lasruinasdequinara.com/ - Las Ruinas de Quinara Hostel in Vilcabamba
The reason I wanted to stay there, apart from all the facilities, is to see what the place is like to volunteer for work there. On arrival I saw the outdoor pool and jacuzzi`s, small outdoor bar and plants everywhere. A good first impression. I checked into my 5 bed room, and paid for the breakfast and evening meal combo price. If was going to be staying I wanted to check out the food as well, very important.
I was knackered on arrival and had a very deep 2 hour sleep. Feeling refreshed I went for one of the many walks around the area with 3 German students who are researching plants in the Peru dry forest. We walked south of the main plaza looking to take a turning down a small path to a river. I thought we had walked 1km to far, after asking a group of people erecting a tent next to a church, they confirmed I was right. The people were very friendly and invited us to the fiesta later that evening, a 5 day knees was taking place. One of the men walked us back down the road and pointed out the path that was easily missed.
At the end of the wood path we came across a small zoo. We checked it out as I was intrigued to see the conditions. The birds were in big cages and seemed happy enough. The 2 puma`s and the ostriches were in incredibly small cages and looked very very distressed. the ostriches were plucking the feathers out of each other, and pecking out the metal cage. I left straight away. In the distance I could see the top of Mt Mandango that looks like the face of a man lying down.
The food was good that night, soup, rice, salad, chicken and fresh peach with plenty of juice, a good start on that front. The centre is tiny, a small plaza with a few shops around the outside. One restaurant was open later in the night, Natural Yoghurt and we ordered a beer there. There is only 1 Ecuadorian beer that is sold everywhere, Pilsener, 4.2% and tastes pants, I would have to get used to it. The other is Club sold in small bottles, available in some places for the same price, not much better taste. I have found 1 place that sells Brahma, but keeps running out. The rest is imported beers and costs twice as much.....
After the beer we decided to walk back out of town to the fiesta. We got there and it was totally dead, it never happened that night. 2 extremely drunk men were sat at the side of the road mummbling incoherently, having a conversation with them was impossible. It was 1.5 hour waste of time walk up and down the hill, I was totally exhausted when I finally got to bed.
I slept like a log and was ready for another walk after a hearty breakfast. Mercedes from Patagonia in Argentina is working here as a volunteer and arranged for a walk through the hostel. We went with Ramiro the gardener in the hostel and another tourist in the hostel. We took a taxi a short distance out of town, to walk along Rio Uchima and to visit a waterfall. Ramiro was spraying yellow arrows on rocks to mark the way.
Incredibly other hostels in town are removing the hostels signs, and turning arrows the wrong way round. It is so easy to get lost out here following the correct signs, never mind when they are pointing in the wrong direction. Some people are so stupid. We walked an hour along the river, through really nice countryside when we came across a man digging. He started talking irately and we had to turn back. The man said that someone had bought land further up the track and it was now private property!!!!
Not to be put off, we went on a different walk, to the top of Mt Mandango, the face I saw on yesterdays walk. The sun was out and it started to get really hot. Vilcabamba is at 1500m, the top of Mt Mandango 2100m so it was a bit of a climb. The views up there are amazing. We followed a very thin path with sheer drops on both sides. The wind made it tricky at times and we had to slide down on our bums in places. This walk would be very difficult if it was raining. I chatted to both Mercedes and Ramiro and they are nice people.
I checked out another hostel on the way back but they werent looking for volunteers. In the plaza there is an internet cafe that sells different types of beers and is the hangout place, a mix of foreigners living in Vilcabamba (Vilca), volunteers and backpackers. It has a very tranquil atmosphere, as does all of Vilca. I sat and had a couple of cold beers and made friends with Olivier from Belgium and couple of Americans working on a nearby farm. The food in the hostel was again very good, pizza was excellent, things were looking good. I was given a free flaming shot at the bar before I went back to Natural Yoghurt for a good night beer.
This took me up to Wednesday and the day I had pencilled in for making my decision on volunteering. I checked out 3 or 4 hostels in the centre, nothing is as good as where am I staying. I could not come up for a good enough reason for not volunteering here. So I returned to the hostel, spoke to Mauricio the owner, and agreed to work as a gardener for 1 month, in exchange for free accommodation and food.
My morning was spent renewing this blog for another 12 months, 30 bloody quid, another 6 months travel insurance, 226 bastard pounds, and buying a chip for my phone. It is a good job I am living rent and food free after that expensive morning. In my room is Mercedes and Eva from Germany who is also volunteering for 3 weeks. The room is put aside for volunteers but as the weekend would be fully booked travellers are also using it.
In the afternoon 43 oldies from Quito arrived for a birthday bash in the hostel, which meant us volunteers couldnt eat until 8pm, I was hank. To take my mind off my stomach I soaked myself in the hot foamy jacuzzi for half an hour listening to some slow salsa that was playing in the bar, I could get used to this...... I was introduced to Janet and Margerita in the kitchen who cook the evening meals and sat down for another good meal. Tomorrow would be my first day of work in over a year!!!!
I am working in the garden with Ramiro, who is a plant specialist and has been working in the hostel 8 years. I am scheduled to work 6 hours a day for 6 days a week, taking Sundays off. That works out to be $2.50 an hour!!!! But it is all relative. Ramiro didn`t turn up until 11am, then sent home, his eyes looked like pin holes in the snow!!! Eva and Mercedes went on one of the walks so I was left to man the tourist information office, handing out information on the walks, table tennis bats, and DVD`s (which there are about 1000 :-) ). I spent the day listening to my music, writing emails and talking with the backpackers here. I told Mauricio that I work in IT and he had me swap out a knackered monitor. What an easy first day of work.
Vilcabamba is famous for the people that live to 120-130 years old, it is all to do with the water in the area. This sounds like fun. So after my days work, I walk the short distance to the nearby river, and submerge myself in it for as long as I can, 3 times. This has the effect of cleaning me of garden dust, waking me up, and I hope to give me a year or two extra on my life!!! I sunbathe on the top balcony, sweat in the steam room, swim in the pool and relax my gardening aching muscles in the jacuzzi, what a way to relax after a working day.
That night after dinner the oldies were holding a party in the large conference room. We went up stairs to see what it was all about. As soon as we arrived a woman asked if she could interview us. She works on a Missonary religious radio station out of Quito and wanted to interview os foreign volunteers about our thoughs on Ecuador, in Spanish!!!! I would hate to listen to the tape back, bloody embarrassing I tell you. The woman was really friendly, wants to practice her English and has offered to show me around the radio station when I arrive in Quito, I will be taking her up on that offer as I am very interested to know what it will look like.
We needed a beer after the interview and walked back into town. The main road that crosses the road to the hostel is being dug up to lay pipes down. We passed a man riding his bicycle, 3 seconds later we heard an almighty crash. I turned around to see his back wheel spinning in the air, he and his bike were in the ditch. He had tried to ride across 2 planks of wood, but he was totally shit faced and missed. We helped him up out of the ditch, he and his bike seemed ok. He smiled at us with totally unfoccused eyes, thanked us and carried on his merry way. It was hilarious, a total comedy basic sketch, I am still laughing at the site of the wheel spinning days later.
The following morning, Friday, I spent working in the garden. I say garden, it looked like a shit tip and not been tidied for weeks. By lunch time the path around one side was walkable and I was happy with the few hours work I had done. Mauricio went out in the morning and bought 2 new Vista laptops to be used for the internet in the hostel. That got me out of the garden just in time for the daily afternoon heavy shower as I set about installing them.
The oldies had left the hostel to be replaced with 30 Evangelistic peoples. Somehow we ended up serving them food at 10pm, in 1 day I had worked in the garden, installed PC`s and was now serving soup! We had a riot serving the food. Not only that, the shitty taste of the Pilsener beer, does not now taste half as bad, my tastes buds are climatising to it.
Over the beer I heard a story about our boss Mauricio. He has a wife who lives in Loja. He is know for asking the female volunteers is they can do massages, if they say yes and give him one, he offers to give him a pay rise for having sex with him. The pervy bastard. He has a very bad reputation in the town for this. Not only this, he is always shouting at the Ecuadorian staff, is a total stress head, and gets on everybodys tits. I had already taken a dislike to him after my second day of work and the stories just get better. I have walked straight in to an Ecuadorian soap opera for a month....... Watch this space.
The Evangelists started preaching and singing at 8am the following morning and didnt finish until 10.30pm. My relaxing, peaceful and medatitive gardening was now disrupted with this noise. The hymns were sung over and over again, one tune keeps running around my head, I cant get rid of it. My day was split between gardening and configuring the laptops for the visitors.
I watched a brilliant film, Walk The Line about Johnny Cash in the afternoon. A couple from Manchester came into the hostel. There is only 1 bar/club that is open in town, and this is only on Friday and Satuday night if there are enough people in town! We checked it out, a small area for drinking and a small dance floor. Very friendly people, relaxed and a good place for a late night drink, the place shuts at 2am. That was Saturday night....
I was celebrating on the Sunday, my 1 year in South America. And what a year it has been, I struggle to remember all the things I have done in the last 12 months. Sunday is my day off work so I went to the plaza to have a look at the artesanal stalls, bought some rum and coke and shared it in the plaza with the few friends I have made since I have been here. A very relaxed afternoon in the hostel jacuzzi with a drink, what better way to celebrate?
So there you have it. I am getting to know the people working here a bit better, I have no idea how things are going to pan out of the next 3 to 4 weeks, but I have a feeling there will be plenty of stories to tell.......until next weekend....chau....
So it was back to work on the Monday morning for me, 4 hours of gardening. Lunch was, possibly the worst lunch I have had in South America, I had a very bland soup and left the rest of the food well alone. I was in a flat mood in the afternoon, I could just not get motivated. I wanted to get out of the hostel, so me and Eva went for a walk to the nearby water of life, Aguas de Hierro, water of iron. We had to get the key for the gate from an elderly woman of 83 years old, she was moving very freely and was very sharp when talking. Great I thought, these waters must be excellent. When I saw the small brown stagnant waters covered in dead insects, I decided to give it a miss.
I relaxed afterwards by a refreshing soak in the local river, El Rio Chamba, a couple of minutes walk from the hostal and a long steam in the Turkish baths followed by the jacuzzi. The hostel was quiet again once the incredibly noisy Evangelists left in the morning. In the evening I sat in the plaza with Eva and Laidy (Colombian girl working the bar in the hostel) for a couple of beers laughing my socks off at the incredibly complex love life Laidy has.
The following day I was working the front garden with Ramiro, we chatted a bit and I was slowly coming to the conclusion that he is an excellent gardener with a vast amount of knowledge. He has visited all the national parks in Ecuador, and most in South America. An American came to the hostel called Eric, he would be starting tomorrow also as a gardening volunteer. My first impressions of him were, that he is a little strange. This was further obivous during the chat in our dorm before lights out.
Wed afternoon I really wanted to watch the England match on tv, but Ecuador doesnt have ESPN which is bloody annoying. The morning proved my suspicions, Eric is definitely lacking in social skills and constantly comes out with inane random monotone boring stories, it is very difficult to get a normal flowing conversation out of him. He is sleeping in the bed next to me in my dorm and will be working for at least a month also.
This got me thinking. All through my travels I have chosen where I go, when and with whom. If I dont like somebody, I dont stick around them. With work, you don`t get to choose who you are going to work with, this is going to be a big test of my patience. After another lunch of soup and avoiding bones and white rice, I started cutting the lawn, with a pair of blunt sheers. A good workman never blames his tools, or something like that, I dont care, the sheers were shit, it would have been easier with a pair of scissors. At least it was great exercise.
My Belgium friend Deborah arrived in the afternoon, we shared a dorm in Huaraz for a couple of days back in Peru. I always enjoying catching up with friends I have met during my travels and it was great to see her. As true to form, her backpack had exploded all over our dorm within an hour, depsite her saying that she is tidying it!!!! Eric is definitely strange and is making the girls feel uncomfortable by his lingering around pointless comments.
Next day I had a great days work. In the morning I went around the entire hostel watering the hundreds of plants, the orchids have a fantastic smell to them. I had to wear a watering can backpack type of thing with a long hose to reach the plants suspended from the roofs, I couldnt help but run around pretending I was in the jungle soaking my fellow volunteers, it created a fun atmosphere in the place for a change. I was asked to sort some PC`s out in the afternoon so that was relaxing for me, and I didnt see Eric the whole day. Me and Deborah sat in the plaza for a couple of beers in the evening catching up with each others travel stories since Huaraz, I cannot wait for Colombia, it sounds amazing.
It had got to Friday already. I felt drained in the morning, like my body is figthing some sort of a bug. I could have slept in all day. 3 more volunteers from Colombia arrived and for a change, I guided them, Eva and Eric on the Cerro Mandango trek. At the first cross it was incredibly windy and to dangerous to continue walking over the very narrow ridge. Instead, I returned to the end of the circuit and led the way up to the highest point on the otherside of the ridge. From here I marked the tricky path back to town so other tourists could find the way easily. It was a long 5.5 hours walking during the heat of the day, I was knackered. After my soak in the river I had a lond long siesta and an early night.
I was still feeling pants on the Saturday morning. Ramiro the head gardnere took me and to of the Colombians out for a walk to mark another trek for the hostel guests to go on. I was to take the photos for the leaflets that are to be written. The first 2 hours I was walking like a zombie but came around after dinner of banana sandwiches. Ramiro is amazing, every few steps he stopped at a plant or tree and told of its healing properties or its uses, it is a shame my Spanish is not good enough to understand most of what he was saying.
It was really nice to get out of the hostel again for a second day running, especially as another group of 50 Evangelists arrived the night before, preaching and singing at the top of their voices 12 hours or day, it was driving me mad. Near the end of the days walking, another 5.5 hours we passed the main gates to a new hostel that is being built, San Juaquin, it is going to be the biggest hostel in South America and will have its own airstrip. When I say biggest, not because of the number of people, but the area it covers is huuuuuge. I dread to think how much a room will cost. Next to that is a massive mansion owned by an American film director, I dont blame him as the views are stunning.
I needed something good to taste so treated myself to a bottle of wine, Eva bought some chocolate and we sat in the plaza enjoying them for half an hour. After another very very average dinner, me, Deborah, Eva and Mercedes went to the only bar in town, Iguana for a couple of beers. Me and Deborah had a bit of dance to the surprisingly good electronic music for half an hour before we got kicked out at 2.30am when the bar shut.
The main gates to the hostel were locked, Deborah thought she would be a hero and climb the back gate into the rear garden. She landed with a bit of thud and a whimper. I quickly followed over the gate in time to stop her falling over. She had left a big chunk of her hand on the metal gate!!! Her hand was a mess, I cleaned it as best I could, but some antiseptic cream on and bandaged it, there was not a lot that could be done at that hour.
Which brings me up to today, my only day off of the week. After a quick breakfast I took Deborah to the hospital so she could get the hole in hand stiched up, she needed 8 stitches!!!! I have spent an hour in the jacuzzi and slept most of the day. Still fighting a bug. Bloody Eric is sat next to me on the other PC, `what do you think of this burger`, WHAT, why are you looking at a photo of a sodding burger on the internet you nutter.
My Spanish I feel is getting worse, or maybe it is a case of 2 steps for 1 step backwards. For example, the washing powder for the machines had run out, so I was trying to find some more. I was knackered which always makes speaking Spanish more difficut. I was talking to the girls in the kitchen if they knew where I could find some soap for my clothes. I asked for `sopa para mi ropa`, to which I got some blank looks and a bit of laughter. I know the Spanish for soap is jabon, but my brain wasn`t working, I had asked for `soup for my clothes`, which we have all had a good laugh about since, and has become a running joke.
Sooooo, I have been here two weeks now, the food is starting to get to me a bit it has been very bad this week. Toast, coffee and juice for breakfast is OK, but the lunches are bad, I have just been eating soup, white rice and bone of cow does not do it for me. The dinners are slightly better but again it is white rice for every meal, which I dont really eat at home anyway. It is getting to the point where I will have to go and buy some stuff of my own, which sort of defeats the object. I neeeeeed cheese, a pizza would satisfy my cravings. Workwise, this last week has been varied and I have seen some of the amazing scenery around the area. I am hoping the hostel bikes arrived soon so I can mark some cycle paths, that would be an excellent job. As for my sanity, only time will tell.......
Here goes with part 3 of this soap opera of a hostel.....
I was still feeling pretty run down on the Monday morning, which is a good job I was doing PC work all day and not working in the garden. That and it was the first day of the storms here, it is starting to get into the wet season. I spent all day copying music on the bar PC`s, not only that I copied my entire mp3 collection on to the main bar PC so I can listen to my music at times when I am working in the garden, that makes a huge difference I tell you. I DJ`d the bar that night, only 4 of us but at least we got to hear some drum & bass which was a first.....
I got up early on Tuesday ready for a big days trekking, only to be told by Mauricio the owner of the hostel he wants 2 people in the garden. He really is full of shit at times, at times there is nobody working it and he doesnt care. Anyway, I enjoyed the first couple of hours on my own with the plants and stuff, kind of meditation for me. Until.....
I could here raking near me. Eric appeared from somewhere. He is the slowest worker I have ever come across as well as his lack of social skills. So my peaceful morning started to get a little stressed. I tried to blank him out but it came to ahead when he kept asking me stupid questions......
James, what do you think of the Gigabyte?
I mean what the hell type of question is that...... This is a typical question from him, and he just spouts shite all day. I told him at lunch to pick a garden, why he said, are we going to work it together. No, I replied, I want to work alone this afternoon, nothing personal, just not in the mood for company. Then he said he felt ill. So I told him to get bed, which he did, peace in the afternoon for me. I was in a bit of a foul mood all day, I told myself I would speak to Ramiro, the head gardener and tell him I couldnt work with Eric anymore.
Afterwork I took a walk into town and bought a box of Clos red wine. A couple of glasses later and I was relaxed. I watched a movie with Deborah, which Eric came in half way through and spoke in the wrong places, por favour...... I was in for a treat though, a piece of pizza for dinner, my cheese craving was fulfilled. After the movie I sat in a hammock and chatted away. Another glass of wine and I had an idea.
I will turn this into a challenge. I love challenges, and the biggest challenge I can possibly think of right now is to not get annoyed at Eric, a big big challenge. That evening I had a chat with him and tried to find out something that we had in common, he can play the flute apparently, I will ask him about that a later date....
Wednesday came and I was doing more work on the front garden on my own, listening to one of my Cafe del Mar mixes on the bar system, for some reason I asked Eric to help me. I know I have set myself a challenge, but after 2 hours I was going crazy inside my head, I rode it out though. I took myself off for a dip in the river and chill on the top balcony in the hostel, an hours sun bathing and a siesta.
When I came down, there was a cameraman making a movie. What is this I asked??? The hostel is making an advert to be shown on Ecuador tv. I was given a beer and asked to sit in the jacuzzi, it was bloody cold. Then we switched to the warm foamy jacuzzi which was loads better. So, I could well be appearing on Ecaudor tv in the next few weeks, and what is my salary, a large shite beer worth $1. Gotta love it. Radio interview and a tv advert in the space of 2 weeks. I watched a real good but very sad film called Hotel Rwanda in the evening, I recommend watching it.
I woke up in a bad mood in the morning with no motivation at all. I tried to zone out and ignore Eric and the people around me as I was gardening. Mid afternoon Ramiro said we are going for a walk around the area, so the 3 of us left the gardening. The walk was great, Ramiro is amazing, he knows all about 5000+ plants and was continuously stopping to show us different varieties and uses.
The reason for the walk was to find magnesium in clay for use in the spa as facial masks. Me and Ramiro filled 2 bags up of mud after an hour of searching. Eric has a bad back so cant lift anything. I had to walk 30 mins through a stream with 20 - 25 kgs of mud in a rice sack on my shoulders. Not only that I trod in some deep mud up to my right knee, if there was a photo of me it would have been hilarious. I was knackered when I got back, 5 mins later, Ramiro and Eric pulled up in a taxi!!!!!
It was another red wine night and a couple of beers in the hostel, Mercedes and Eva were leaving the next day. The bar shut at 10.30pm!!! If we were evangelists we could make noise on the top bar until 11.30pm which happens every weekend, but noooo. Soooo. We walked to the plaza with a guitar only to be told to move after 10 mins by the noise police or something. No bars were open so we found a quiet place by a river where we could chill for an hour, it is like Big Brother at times here....
Friday was already upon me, the days fly bar. The working day went quickly and I sweated my hangover out in the baking sun. Mercedes left at 6am and Eva in the afternoon, which left me and Eric as the volunteers in my room. 3 nice Colombians joined as volunteers on Tuesday, Juan Camelo, Diana and Joanna. So it wasnt to bad.
In the evening me and Deborah and 3 other tourists had some beers by the internet cafe before moving on to Iguana Bar. There was live music playing.....wooooooooo. A real treat. Some sort of shamanic folklore band. The first 3 songs were very ropey, but afterwards they got their act together and it was a lot better, that or the beers were taking hold.....
Not sure why, but some weird youth wearing his cap back to front, totally hip!!! was carrying a big flashlight in the club and was shining it all over the place, not right at all. Some good salsa played after the band and me and Debs had a good dance, her hole in her hand not bothering her tonight.
Saturday morning and I expected to work in the garden, Another big group of Evangelists arrived on Friday night and by 8am were making a massive noise. Some kids were playing in a rock band, so bad it is hard to describe. Ramiro hates the noise as much as I do and asked me if I wanted to join him and JC on a walk, of course I do.
We went on a great 5.5 hour walk all around the mountains behind the hostel. It was beautiful and my wooley head cleared quickly. I chose to stay in Vilca because of the location was very very happy to walking and marking paths as a days walk. I burnt my neck on the process.
Dinner that night was fish. For the first time as a volunteer here, I chose not to eat in the hostel, I cant eat fish and the rest of it looked pants. Me and Deborah went to Sambuca Cafe where I treated myself to a big burger with sausage, cheese and bacon. It was sooooooo good, I was in meat and cheese heaven. In the plaza I could here numbers being called out, it was street bingo!!!
I was told a new bar was opening up, not the case, it was a community centre. But, I did find a second club called Oscurito, in a basement of a building. The sound system left a lot to be desired. We only stayed for one drink as I was getting stomach cramps.
Which bring leads me up to today, my day off. My 3 Colombian volunteer friends have left. I have just found out why. Mauricio told the 2 girls they had to share a bed. Debo is leaving tonight so there are 3 beds in my and Erics dorm. But no, that was the choice, share a bed or leave. So they have left. I cannot believe it. They are great volunteers. Sometimes I just do not understand the mentality out here, I dont even try to understand at times. Let the work shy fob and girl freaking out Eric in the hostel, and let 3 hard workers go. Madness.
Which leaves me, Eric and really good new volunteer from Argentina left as the only volunteers. I am trying to get to work in the tourist office so I can watch a few films during the day and avoid Ericisms. Talking of Ericisms, I had to have a word with him about his stinking shoes. The room reeked. I mean really bad. That has stopped now, but it took me 2 conversations with him to get it to stop. Today, he left his smalls out. His white socks are half black and brown, his white boxers stained yellow. I know this is gross but I like to paint a picture.
Going to say goodbye to my last good friend here, Deborah, as she is moving onto Peru tonight. As for me, I hope dinner is edible, a glass of wine and an early night. The heavens have just opened, the rain is bouncing of the path. Until next time, nos vemos pronto, adios.....
With almost all the volunteers leaving in the past few days, I decided to open up the internet cafe on Monday morning and work in there for the day. Nobody said anything, in fact I ended up working 12 hours which was good for them. It was also excellent for me as I escaped the torrential rains in the garden and managed to catch up with a load of emails and stuff. It is hardly hard work maintaining 3 laptops, handing out DVD´s and table tennis bats.
Tuesday was a bizarre day. To continue with the bloody strange comings and goings of the last week, my friend Leidy who was working the bar told me she is leaving. I mentioned before about Mauricio being a pervert and offering $200 for sex, well she told Mauricio´s wife, and she went ballistic. But good on her, I would have done the same. Anyway, Leidy walked, her friend who was running the reception etc, Idaly, was sacked for no reason, and Nacho walked out in protest.
Totally shit. I felt numb, I wanted to walk too but I had given the address of the hostel for family to send birthday cards. I would stick it out. Only me and weirdo Eric left as volunteers!!!! I went for a goodbye beer with the last of my volunteer friends in the evening, just to get away from the hostel for a couple of hours. The place had a strange atmosphere again.
Another 12 hour day in the office on Wednesday, I actually like it in there, I get to speak to the new tourists coming and going and I dont have to see Mauricio. Rain again all day, I could see a pattern forming, my thoughts drifted to the Carribean Coast of Colombia. A few more tourists had arrived so the day went quickly chatting about travels. Also, another volunteer called Jack from the US had arrived and was due to start working in the office tomorrow so I would only have to work 6 hours again.
For some reason I woke up at 6am on Thursday, wide awake. For the first time in days it was a beautiful sunny morning so I got up before everybody else and enjoyed the only hour of sunshine that day. It was soooo peaceful and relaxing by the pool and I was in a great mood. The morning flew by and a few more tourists came in, James & Donna from England and a German girl were looking through the DVD´s, I had finished my shift so we all sat in the jacuzzis watching Dukes of Hazard of all movies.
As usual I always warn the new guests about Mauricio, how he is a perv, a bully to the staff and has a terrbile reputation in town. Just to keep an eye out for him. When the movie finished at 7pm, Mauricio shut the bar early and joined us in the jacuzzis with 2 bottles of quality rum and bottles of coke. He was ordering Joel, Michael and the kitchen staff around for us which I felt awkward about, as these are my friends and colleagues. I said so afterwards and they could tell I was uncomfortable and said dont worry about it.
We sat drinking rum and coke and eating pizza all evening. More tourists joined us, John & John from the states, Crasna from Canada and Connor and Neil from Ireland. It was a real party atmosphere and the first I had known in my 4 weeks in the hostel. I could see Mauricio massaging Donna´s shoulders and told James to keep an eye out. We had a real laugh sliding down the slide into the pool, head first, backwards etc. After 7 hours in a hot jacuzzi the cold water was heavenly. I took myself off to bed at 1am with the party still going strong, I had work in the morning.
Friday 31st October, Halloween. I had a nightmare of a hangover in the morning, so did most of the guests in the hostel. I finished work at 3pm, had a walk around the plaza for a short while for a change of scene and returned just before the heavens opened mega strong. When Jack had closed up the internet cafe we walked back into the town, it was a ghost town, nobody out at all, the only bar was empty and this was at 10.30pm. We sat in the plaza and had a couple of beers before returning to the hostel.
The other tourists were in a jacuzzi watching horror films, we joined them to watch the remake of Texas Chainsaw Masacre which was super grim, but apt for Halloween night. I was flagging again at 1am, and wasnt drinking so called it a night. The party was going until around 4am when it went quiet again. Then......
I was woken up by almighty shouting, screaming and crashes half an hour later. I quickly ran outside to see Donna screaming , you dirty fucking pervert I am going to kill you at Mauricio and punching him hard. What is going on. James came down and all hell was breaking loose. I asked Michael to call the police. It was horrible, Donna was hysterical, she and James were hitting Mauricio and smashing things up. The police took ages to come. Mauricio was asking me to translate, I told him not to speak to me and left them to it.
I was leaving the hostel to walk into town to find the police when they arrived. We all went into one of the dorm rooms to explain to the police what had happened. Mauricio had taken the keys for Donna & James´ room and had let himself in whist they were sleeping. Donna woke to find Mauricio sexually abusing her whilst James slept at the bottom of there bed. The sick pyscho rapist bastard.
We all went to the hospital with her in the back of the police van. On arrival the female nurse said to the police this is not the first time this has happened, and something has to be done. We waited for a couple of hours before we were taken back to the hostel. By this time the staff had arrived. I explained what had happened and that I was walking out. By now I was totally numb, it was only starting to sink in what had happened. Mauricio was nowhere to be seen thankfully.
I couldnt believe it, people talking and rumours is one thing, for this to happen is another. I left a forwarding address with the hostel for any mail and said goodbye to my staff friends that had arrived, I couldnt stay here a minute longer. Everybody was in shock. We told all the other visitors in the hostel what had happened and there was a mass exodus in the morning. I feel sorry for the guys working there, they could well lose their jobs. The worrying thing is that Mauricio and his family are well connected in Loja and have paid off the police before.
We took a taxi to the police station in town where Donna had made a statement. We sat at a cafe on the corner of a plaza for breakfast. I just wanted to leave Vilcabamba, I left the guys drinking rum as they tried to calm their nerves. What a nightmare. I headed straight to the bus station on this shite Saturday morning to catch a bus to Loja and on to Cuenca.
A brief update, Donna met with the president of Vilcabamba and the governer of the district of Loja sometime today (Tuesday). I don´t know what has happened but I just hope they have arrested the bastard and thrown away the key for life. It makes me sick to the core thinking about him.
I am sorry this is a horrible horrible entry, but travelling isnt all about sandy beaches and cocktails, this happens all over South America, nobody likes to hear about it, but it is real and goes on, and more often than not it goes totally unpunished.
The bus to Loja took 1 hour, I nodded off briefly as sleep deprivation was kicking in. At the terminal in Loja I bumped into Leon and Joel, workers from the hostel, we said our goodbyes and to keep in touch. They both said they wouldnt work for Mauricio again and were looking for other work. I got a bus to Cuenca leaving at midday. I took my seat and tried to shut off my brain. My mp3 player ran out of batteries an hour into the journey so I started watching a bad Jackie Chan movie. It stopped 30 mins from the end, and played again, stopping a second time in the same place. Great. I must have dropped off to sleep for an hour as I felt a little better when I arrived in Cuenca, 5.5 hours after leaving Loja.
I took a taxi to El Cafecito hostel, but they were full. As I was getting my backpack ready to tramp around the streets looking for another place, John & John who I met in Vilca walked in. The 3 of us found a 3 bed dorm in a large Hotel Pichincha, with the worst beds I have ever seen, small, camp beds with the thinnest mattresses. This weekend is the Cuenca Independence celebration on 3rd Nov so everywhere is full and twice the price, $10 for this room was shocking, but I didnt care, I wanted to sleep somewhere.
We had burgers for dinner then took a walk around the town. Cuenca is beautiful, very colonial with amazing architecture. It was Saturday night and people were dressed up to party, stunningly beautiful women strolling with their partners in to the many bars and clubs. We managed a couple of drinks before tiredness crept in. As much as I wanted to stay out and party my body refused so I was in bed shortly after midnight.
I had another shocking nights sleep, not only did the beds wake us up squeeking everytime one of us moved, but the doors of the hostel slammed all night keeping us awake. We had to get out of here. We checked out a great hostel that is the oldest in the town, Hostel Majestik where we had a brilliant breakfast. We told the owner to keep our rooms. Out of curiousity I wanted to check back at El Cafecito, by luck they had a 3 bed dorm for only $6 each, what luck. We cancelled our other reserved room and checked into El Cafecito.
The sun was out, for the first time in days on the Sunday morning and I wanted to see some of the fiesta in town. We crossed the nearby river and sat listening to a funk band play excellent music. The streets were lined with art, artesanias etc. I treated myself to a very fine Panama hat that are famous around these parts. It comes with a decorated box to keep the rolled up hat in, no idea where I have room for it. A good lucnh of Tacos, some more acoustic music and I was starting to nod off on the streets. Time for a siesta.
When I woke up the hostel restaurant which our dorm door opens up onto was full. We found the last available table, ordered happy hour mojitos and lasagnas. The food was amazing, the best I have had in Ecuador and I was starting to feel a little alive again. Time for a bit of a party. We bought some Zhumir, a local Ecuadorian drink made from peaches and around 21% to sip in our room whilst we got readty. Out in the streets were many people, and an excellent drumming group were banging out funky rhythms causing my feet to move.
The clubs had a steep cover charge apart from El Studio which is on the corner of our street and was $5 entry with free drinks all night. This was a good job as the music and sound system were poor and had a funny mix of people. I sat at the bar on a stool talking to a local woman who is on couch surfing and has 20 Germans crashing at her place, most of them were in the club. Everytime I put my drink down, I picked it back up full, the bar staff continuously topping my rum and coke up. I have no idea how much I drank but I knew by 4.30am I had enough.
Monday morning I felt like death. I made it out for lunch and went straight back to bed. Hardly any sleep for a third night running, this is no good. Late afternoon I managed to make it out of the hostel again and go for a walk with John. We found a vegetarian restaurant by San Blass where I managed to keep down a huge and healthy fruit salad and yoghurt. My body thanked me for it.
Today is Cuenca´s Independence day with loads going on in the parks. We headed back to the river and randomly came across 2 arches with amazing art work and sculptures. A nice bit of culture, latin folk music was being played by a band. It had been raining all day, and the rain was starting to get heavier. We checked out the main music stage by the park, but it was appauling some moved on to the main drag.
The road was blocked off and 4 music stages had different types of music playing. Each one was bad, it wasnt because I was feeling rough, it was just very bad music. We found out way back to the hostal via the University and the Hospital, the hospital has a cash machine with singing adverts belting out from it, very surreal.
Back in the hostel, Crasna, Connor and Neil, Erin and 2 other guys from Vilcabamba had turned up. We caught up on the gossip from Vilca and sat down for a beer. Nearly all the bars were shut apart from a sports bar that was playing salsa and reggaton. I last 1 beer until I had to leave for sleep, only 12.30 but it felt like 5am.
Now it is today. I apologise for my writing style these last 2 entries, not exactly descriptive, more factual for a change but I am still feeling a bit pants. I had a big lie this morning and spent the time chilling in the hostel restaurant ara writing my journal and chatting with my friends. Nearly all have moved on in different directions, so it is likely we will bump into each other along the way. I am have spent the day sleeping, blogging and thinking about which direction to head. Most likely to the coast, but that could change in the morning.
I really really like Cuenca, it is a beautiful city, lively without being frantic, great people and loads of places to eat good food. After being stuck in the tiny tiny town of Vilcabamba with almost nothing going on it has been a very good few days for me here in Cuenca. I could very easily spend a long time here, but I am ready to move on. The last 3 months I have been to about 6 places and it is time to pick up the pace. I just hope there is a break in the rain so I can get some treks in. Until next time......
Getting to Montañita was a bloody good travel. The taxi ride to the bus terminal in Cuenca took longer than expected due to a huge demonstration over the poor running of the city, personally I think it was just an excuse to get out of work for the day, dress up in traditional clothes and get pissed afterwards. I hoped on the 11.30am bus to Guayaquil that was held up for a while due to a coach meets pickup road accident! The ride through the Cajas National Park was stunning, the clouded mountains, waterfalls and hundreds of lakes gave it a brilliant atmosphere. The coach arrived after nearly 5 hours in the very humid and shopping mall esque terminal in Guayaquil.
I immediately bought a ticket for the next bus to Montañita. Whilst waiting for the coach I got talking to an America couple who had just opened up a bar in Montañita called the Blue Room and have a friend with a hostel that I could stay in. I was sat next to an Ecuadorian girl, married at 22 and who is a Jehova´s Witness. We had a fascinating conversation on the 2.5 hour bus ride to Montañita. She was trying to get me to read the bible, in the end she gave up saying I was one of the very few people that she had met that actually didnt need to read it. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing!!!
Montañita is a small surf town, very touristy with lots of bars, restaurants and a couple of clubs and is a party town. It is the quietest time of the year with rain and grey skies everyday. I checked into my small but private room at Planeta Tierra and went out to find dinner. Hola Ola is an excellent place for food and I had the biggest stacked omelete sandwich I have set eyes on. I could hardly walk out of the place after. I went to the Blue Room for a quick beer and ended up talking to a guy who exports hemp all over the world, clothes, shoes, bags etc. Apart from he is banned in a couple of countries, I wonder why....
The next morning was bloody miserable, grey, wet, drizzley and I was seriously thinking about getting the next coach out of here. My room was small and not at all relaxing and I didnt want to be in it. I checked out 5 or 6 more hostels and came across a great place by the beach, Centro del Mundo. I could have a huge wooden room to myself, with ensuite and hammocks outside for the same price as my shitty room. I would make a decision over an enormous breakfast at Funky Monkey.
I decided to switch rooms and see how I felt after another day. It is amazing the difference a good room makes, I was instantly chilled out reading my book in a hammock looking out to the sea. This is more like it. I bumped into Mechi in the street, one of the volunteers from Vilcabamba which was cool, she didnt know about pervy Mauricio so we spent a while catching up on that gossip.
As I was looking out to the beach, I saw somebody running. I used to run 2 or 3 times a week back in Sheffield, and it is something I havent done since I left England. Without a moment of thought, I put my shorts on, took of my shoes and ran. All the way to one end of the beach, then a few km´s to the other and back. It felt amazing. I was so surprised by my fitness, I only stopped because the hard sand had given me blisters. That run was just what I needed right then.
I played cards with Andrea and her 2 friends from Cuenca in Hola Ola and then had a few happy hour mojitos in Funky Monkey. The main club in town is called Caña Grill. It was a girls birthday who had been in the area for a while so they made a cake for her in the club, really tasty. A Radiohead cover band played for a while before some crap old cheesy chart music came on. Time for me to leave....
Friday and the weekend was upon me again. All day I spent reading and eating the good food here. My good friend Nacho arrived in my hostel in the evening so it was time for more cocktails. Along the street by Caña Grill are loads of make shift cocktail stands with happy hour prices. We made our way along them until we came to one place that was more funky than the others. The Black Passion cocktails are my new favourite, coffee, milk, and booze, what a combination. Caña Grill was the same as the night before, exactly the same songs in the same order, oh dear oh dear. A few of us chatted in the hostel until the wee hours.
My birthday was going to be on Wednesday but I still didnt know where I was going to be for it so I decided the Saturday night would be a birthday bash. Which meant, you guessed it, loads of food and more cocktails. There are a few military police walking up and down the streets from time to time to keep an eye on things, one huge mucker dressed in camouflage was wearing bright yellow wellington boots, classic, couldnt help but laugh at him. Check out the photo. My favourite cocktail stand gave me 3 for 1 Black Passions so I was in caffeine/booze heaven for a few hours. The bands in Caña Grill that night were really good and went on longer than usual. As soon as the repeat play CD came on we returned to the hostel to carry on the party until the sun came up.
Sunday was a real day of rest. I had a real good slap up meat fest of a dinner at restaurant called Happy Monkey House of all places. I also bought my bus ticket out of here for 5.15am the following morning so it was an evening of packing an early night, I was with hangover anyway after the coffee cocktail carnage..... 5 nights is more than enough for me in this small touristy town......
It was a very early start leaving Montañita, up at 4.30am for the 5.15am to Guayaquil. It was an uneventful 3 hours, followed by another 5 hour bus to Guaranda. I chose this route as it is more picturesque and I could get to see the massive volcanos in the area. Hmmmm, it was mega cloudy and I fell asleep coming into the town so I didnt get to see much. I was with Dave and Illy who we keep bumping into each other throughout Ecuador. Guaranda is a strange town, the people seem to be in a world of their own wandering around in a sort of daze. We had a quick chinese lunch then another bus to Ambato which was a pleasant 2 hours around a smaller volcano, and the last bus to Baños which took 45 mins, what a days travel!!!!
I checked in to a recommended hostel called Plantas y Blanco which I thoroughly recommend, great staff and a superb top floor terrace looking out to the town and the surrounding mountains. I was in a bit of a sleep deprived daze after unpacking. I was hungry so went in search of some food, which ended up being a packet of crisps, a mars bar and a box of wine!!!! I was thinking about getting to bed around 10pm but wanted to check out the terrace first in the hostel.
My Irish friends from Vilca and Cuenca were there, as were about 20 other people drinking, chatting and having a fun time. My early night to bed went straight out of the window. The terrace shuts at 10.30pm so the clients can sleep, which is a good idea, so the large group found a pool bar which we took over. This shut at 3am, followed by more drinking on the outside balcony until 6am, how I stayed awake that long is a miracle....
Next day was a wipe out. I did a few chores in the day, went for a really good Italian meal with some of the guys in the hostel and checked out the thermal baths close by. 3 different temps of baths and outdoor so we could see the moon and the waterfall right next door. The pool water is a dirty brown colour, by the look of the mans face on the wall, it would soon have a shade of white, his girl friend was bouncing on top of him. That and some childs dirty nappy that was taken off the child was more than enough to make us run out of the 8 drop soup bath!!!
Wednesday, and my birthday. To celebrate I did something that I have never done before, white water rafting There were 7 of us from the hostel booked into a raft, and enough people for another 2 rafts with the same firm. A massive hostel breakfast that I cannot recommend enough and away we set off at 9am. We had a fantastic 45 mine drive towards Puyo passing 4 or 5 excellent waterfalls that we could see from the road. We were given helmets, wetsuits and life jackets and a very thorough safety talk. Our raft guide was the man who gave the talk which was a comfort.
The rain started as we entered the water which cooled us down. Before we set off into the rapids we stood under a waterfall to get our bodies used to the cold water. In case we fell out!!! When we started hitting the rapids, Grade 3 and 4, nothing to serious, I was instantly hooked. What a laugh, we were bouncing around all over the place, I couldnt stop smiling and laughing. It was hard work at times but such a buzz. I had a go at the front of the raft which is even more exhillirating as the waves smash into you, blinding you for a few seconds before you can paddle again. It was a briiliant experience. Included in the very cheap price of $25 was a 2 course lunch and a fun ride back to town, what a way to start my birthday.
I chilled in the afternoon sunshine with some wine before 14 of us went to dinner at Casa Hood which has excellent world food. A traditional Bolivian band played happy birthday to me and I was brought out a small cake with a candle by the waitress, a really nice touch. As expected I spent the evening mixing beer, wine, cocktails, shooters until the early hours to finish off a great day.
Thursday I died. I felt like absolute dog shit. Got out of bed at 3.30pm, ate a pizza went back to bed until 7pm. Not only had I a hangover from hell, I had caught the hostel flu that is doing the rounds. My throat was sore, head banging and eyes streaming. I sat up on the terrace listening to 2 girls play the acoustic guitar that seemed to sooth my head.
Friday, yesterday and I felt no better, my nose streaming now. Still, sod it I thought, I am not letting it beat me. I hired a mountain bike and went on a 22km ride, mostly down hill, checking out the waterfalls that I passed on the way to the rafting. An excellent ride through the mountains. The devils waterfall is my favourite, I could climb under some rocks that came out at the top of the falls and I could stand behind the falls getting a very refreshing soak. After I was knackered and caught the bus back into town, uphill for 3 hours was not what I fancied. To try and sweat my cold out I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered something spicy, didnt seem to work so I had a very early night.
Today, Saturday and I am still full of snot. Again not to be stopped I went on a trek up the mountains behind the hostel, a steep 45 min climb got the pulse racing and my body sweating. I walked across to the Statue of the Virgin and ran down the 660 steps back into town in the midday sun. I am determined to shake this off. I randomly bumped into Nacho in the street, my friend from Vilca and Montañita this afternoon. We have just been to Casa Hood for some more food and a catch up. He has just arrived but will be meeting up again in a few days.
I am heading back into the mountains tomorrow for the Quilatoa loop. If my cold is better I want to trek up to the crater lake (5hrs at 4000m) and take on the sub zero temperatures for a couple of nights camping. Since my birthday on Wed I have had no interest in drinking a single drop of alcohol, I am wondering how long this is going to last for. ......
It had been a long while since I had been trekking and camping and I was ready to go again. The Quilotoa Loop has a great reputation for being a stunning part of Ecuador and I wanted to see for myself. I caught a bus from Baños to Latacunga which had some amazing views of the countryside, it was a short 1 3/4 hr ride. I was walking to the bus terminal in Latacunga when a group of school children stopped me and asked if I would give them an interview for their school project, I said sure but I had to get on my bus first. There is only bus a day that leaves Latacunga for Quilotoa and the tiny village of Chugchilan, I was just in time to get on before it left at midday. Before we set off the school children found me at the back of the bus and asked me a list of questions in English. The usual questions at first....
What is my name?, Where am I from? Which countries have I visited in South America? What do I think of Latacunga, "I don´t know, only been here for 5 mins". What do you think of the new US President, " oh, the election has already taken place, who won???" etc etc.
I have been told many people the buses in Ecuador are abysmal. My experience so far is that they are fine. This bus was the exception, designed for people 4 foot tall and very much like a clapped out Bolivian bus, but, the 4 hour ride went quickly enough and has some of the best scenery in the country. Definitely worth the effort. We passed through Pujili, Zumbahua, Quilotoa and finally Chugchilan where I spent the night at the excellent Hostal Cloud Forest. For $10 a 3 course dinner and breakfast were included, which is a good job as there are no restaurants in the village. I was splitting my backpack down into trekking stuff and things to leave in the hostel when I got a knock on my door asking me to go to the communal lounge. A group of school children gave us a demonstration of 2 indigenous dances, they were so cute. After they got us all us foreigners up to dance with them and teach us the basics, it was such good fun.
The next day after a hearty breakfast I strapped my trek and camping ready backpack on and set off in the morning sun for the trek to Quilotoa. Most people do Quilotoa to Chugchilan as it is mostly downhill, not me, making life that little bit more difficult for myself as usual. I headed down a ravine into the valley bottom, beautiful beautiful landscapes. I passed locals on their way to work, with a friendly good morning and safe travels exchanged. I was really happy, it felt good to be back trekking in the mountains again. Then the path started climbing upwards, and upwards and upwards, through lush countryside and hills. I was miles away in a daydream when I came round to realise I was surrounded by thick fog. Hmmmmm, this could make things interesting.
I recognised the road from yesterday, after leaving Quilotoa for Chugchilan, this is not right I said to myself, I should be on a path. So I turned around and retraced my steps for 30 mins. I could see a fork in the road, a local was shouting and pointing to the fork. Ok, this feels right. I climbed up a thin path that opened out on to a mountain top. Apart from I couldnt see anything, visibility was almost zero. There was no way I could continue up here. So I came back down, and started walking on the road back towards Chugchilan to see if I could pick up another path. I had convinced myself I had missed the path.
Another 30 mins down the road I caught up with an elderly local couple. I explained I was looking for the path to the lake, they told me I was correct before. Bloody hell, I would have to go back up again the way I had just come down. I took the fork where I had previously climbed up to the hill with no visibility but this time followed a sandy path slowly climbing upwards. Stuff it, I am going to follow this and see where it leads. It was a proper scrambled up sandy banks at times. The trek from Chugchilan to Quilotoa lake takes 5 hours, I had already walked 5 hours by now and I was still not close. I continued up the sandy path and pulled myself up on to a ledge. I couldnt believe it, I was next to the road where I originally turned back the first time 2 hours ago. Agghhhhh.
I was surrounded by fog still. I started following an animal track that lead to a terraced field with vegetables growing in it. I had no idea where I was, then I heard a car. I scrambled up on my hands to the top of this field and joined the road again. My only option was to follow the road into Quilotoa. The last hour of the official trek is around the summit of the crater lake, 4000m with a 400m drop into an icy lake, there was no way I would risk navigating in the fog, with my big pack on a sketcy path. I reached the road and got my head down for the last stretch. It took an hour more to get into the small town of Quilotoa.
The town was covered thick in fog. I checked out the hostels there and local store. I was just about to check into a hostel for the night when I was talking to the woman. I found out even though it is foggy up here, there is no fog by the lake side. OK, lets risk it. I found a small store where I bought enough water and trekking food for 2 days and headed down the steep sandy path towards the green lake in the volcano crater. As I got half way down I realised I had left my bread buns in the store, aghhhhh, back up to get them, and retracing my steps again, it was definitely one of those days. As I got closer to the lake, the fog cleared and I was given a stunning view. 7 hours it took me to get to the lakeside, and how it was worth it.
I found a good pitch for my tent and set up camp. A small boy was playing his wooden flute in the background, it was a perfect combination for the location. There was only me staying in the crater, I had the place to myself. I cooked a big pasta meal, a large cup of tea and watched the sunset over the crater rim. What a peaceful place.
I didnt sleep well that night, whether it was because I went to bed at 7pm, the thinnes of the air at 4000m, or the miriad of thoughts running through my head. I realised that I had not properly relaxed since I arrived in Ecuador, I have been relaxed but not totally relaxed. I was awake to see the sunrise over the other side of the crater rim, and it was stunning. I decided to walk around the crater rim, but first to hop around the edge of the lake. It took me a while to find the path up having to scramble across some steep mountain sides.
The view from the crater summit is incredible, I could see the twin peaks of the Iliniza volcano, and farms all around. It is a continual up and down trek around the crater and took me 5 hours in total. I found the point where the path I was looking for yesterday joined the rim, I looked back and I still couldnt see where I should have walked, what I did know is that it would have been really dangerous walking the rim in the thick fog of yesterday. 60 people from the town were all working on digging out the new path down to the lake, most of these were women and children, where were the men??
Back down at my tent were a few day trippers, I got chatting with a German called Saskia who stayed for a couple of hours over a cup of tea. Out of nowhere this man comes running over with a massive camera tripod in hand. He had just run down the path and was out of breath. It turns out he is from Korea and is spending 6 years cycling around the world and making money by writing stories for Korean newspapers and websites. He was amazed that I was camping alone in the crater and took a few photos of me and my camp, I could well be in a Korean newspaper article by now. I was amazed by his energy, he was bouncing around all over the place, taking photos of him in the lake, then dissappeared as fast as he arrived.
I had another sleepless night, my mind and thoughts all over the place, I couldnt put my finger on why. I considered walking back to Chugchilan but decided to enjoy the morning sun by the lake. The hour climb back up with my full backpack was an effort I tell you. The bus to Chugchilan was due to pass by Quilotoa at 2pm, 2.5 hours to wait. I sat at the junction of the road, I forgot to mention before that the road to Chugchilan is a shocker, pot holes, mud, sheer drops to the side, well dodgy in the rain! and waited for the bus. Locals passed by in their pickup trucks, telling me it is $30 to get back to Chugchilan, the bus is only $2!!!!
I was reading my book, the very thought provoking Gods From Outer Space by Erich Von Daniken, fascinating insight, when 3 motorbikes pulled up. I heard....James, James Timmis..... I said, yes thats me, totally baffled. He remembered me from a night out in Huaraz in Peru months ago. He kept his motorcycle helmet on as we chatted for 20 mins, I still couldnt work out who it was. I had a brilliant ride back to Chugchilan on the top and outside of a camioneta with 3 generations of an American family here on holiday, only $2 and a fantastic way to see the countryside. I passed the point where I got fogged out on the first day when I was looking for the path, I could see the way now, there was no chance I could have continued in the fog, I would have been stuck up there.
Back in the hostel at dinner, I heard, ahhh James again, what a small world, it was my motorbike friend, who I now recognised as David without his helmet on. They had taken my advice and come to this hostel to stay. The hostel was full of French people, I had not seen so many in one place in South America.
To complete the loop I had to take a camioneta north to the small town of Sigchos 1 hour away. I sat in the back of the trailer as locals hopped on and off going about their daily business, it was a real insight into true Ecuador campesino life. The ride to Sigchos was fantastic. What wasn´t so great was the 5 hour wait in the sorry old town of Sigchos waiting for the bus via Saqisili to Latacunga. The bus broke down 10 mins after leaving the terminal so that was an extra hour waiting. The fog came down in the afternoon so I didnt get to see much on the 2.5 hr ride to Latacunga, loop completed. It has been the highlight of Ecuador for me.......onto Quito, what a massive contrast......
The 2 hour bus ride between Latacunga and Quito passes Cotopaxi, the stunning snow capped volcano. I never got to see it because of the weather. Cotopaxi is the highlight of Ecuador for a lot of people, it would be my thing to miss and something to see if I ever return here. Quito is the second biggest city in Ecuador behind Guayaquil and is at an altitude of 2850m. I checked into the recommended Hostel Belmont in between the old and new towns, it is a very friendly hostel and has private rooms and bathroom for only $6 which is a bargain.
All the bars etc are in a 4 block area called Mariscal, or Gringo town. I hopped in a taxi, taking a bus a night is not recommended, over to the area and caught up with a couple of friends that I made in Cuenca. I decided to have a look at a couple of other hostels in the area to see if I wanted to move. I walked 1 block to many away from the centre and got a load of abuse shouted at me by a group of very drunk men, a nice welcome to the city. I was looking around Centro del Mundo when I bumped into my good friend Nacho and 2 Germans that I met in Montañita, what a small world.
We popped out for hot dogs and runm and coke to drink before going to a bar. The bar part never happened, we drank 2 bottles of rum in the hostel courtyard unto the sun came up. I was in no fit state to be walking around at 6am in the sketchiest place I have seen looking for a taxi. I snook into a dorm and jumped on the top of a bunk and I got my head down for a couple of hours before heading back to my own hostel. I had enough time for a couple of more hours before I had to do something that has been in the back of my mind since Vilcabamba.
James & Donna, the English couple that had the horrible experience in Vilcabamba happen to them were in Quito talking with the British Embassy and lawyers, making statements etc. I had been asked to make an official statement to. Myself, Conor, Neil & Krasna, all from that night in Vilcabamba met up with James & Donna by some small legal rooms in a tower block. We were told to come up as the judge was ready to take our statements, then 1 min later, were told the judge is on holiday until Monday and we had to return then, today was Friday. Somehow a miracle happened, due to the screaming on the phone by the British Embassy, a replacement judge had offered to stand in, unheard of in Ecuador. The next 3 hours were spent 1 by 1 making statements via an interpreter to the judge, an unpleasant experience but something we all wanted to do. It was a relief for everyone to get that over with, especially after 4 hours sleep and a rum hangover. The rest is in the hands of the lawyers now, I hope that bastard gets sent down for good.
I met up with James & Donna for dinner at Iwok, a great fusion restaurant. We were all drained. Before I returned home I popped into see Nacho who was having his worst ever hangover, it was pretty funny to see.
I wanted to do a few touristy things the next day, so me and Nacho went up the Teleferiqo, cable car ride that overlooks the city. It goes from 2850m to 4100m in 20 mins, a big change and not much time for the body to adjust. Some of the locals were almost dying after climbing 10 steps at the top, I would have expected they were used to the altitude, it appears not. It is a great place to see the whole city spread out between two mountain ranges. From here we took a look at the Old town and the great architecture.
An art exhibition was taking place to recognise 10 years of peace between Peru and Ecuador and housed some fantastic pieces from both countries, a very pleasant surprise. We chilled out on plaza San Francisco next to the big cathedral watching plaza life. A man had a really hard job of weeding the plaza between the big stones. A woman with a loud speaker was telling us all how we are going to rot in hell and be damned for ever unless we turn to the lord, nothing like trying to put the Fear of God into people!!! A man was asleep on the steps of the church, a woman knitting and breast feeding her child at the sametime, a small performance had a crowd of people watching, a bare footed man carrying a roll of carpet on his head, everywhere I looked something random was taking place, I love people watching, it is so interesting.
The rain came down which was actually refreshing on the walk to the Basilica. We passed Convent San Juan and some quaint backstreets nearby. The Basilica (Iglesia de la Basilica del Voto Nacional) is a huge gothic looking church in need of a bit of restoration. What is brilliant is that you can climb up into the belfry and clock towers that afford great views over the city. The ladders up to the top are a bit dodgy and I had to keep my vertigo in check to reach the summit. I pulled the strings connected to the bells and made a racket, a group of school girls jumped out of their skins much to everyones amusement.
I was well in need of an afternoon siesta before getting ready for the Saturday night. Quito is the most sketchiest place I have visited in South America. Seriously, I was constantly on super guard. I met up with Nacho in his hostel, it was a empty. I thought this was strange. We bought some rum and coke only to be told we cant drink in the hostel, they sell there own drinks so it must be some licensing law I told myself. As we were eating dinner the police came in and asked to see our passports, I didnt have mine with me which wasnt a problem. I think the man on duty in the hostel knew the police were coming and told the guests to dissappear as they were smoking weed in the back amongst other things and he didnt want any trouble.
We decided to drink our rum and coke in the street outside the hostel. Kai who is staying in the same dorm as Nacho had just been mugged in the street half a block away and was still shaken up. 2 men approached him, took out his wallet and ran off with $20, this is so close to the hostel. As we were drinking our rum, we watched the drug dealers on the street corners go about their business, they were smoking coke behind cars as they worked. One man told how he say Kai get mugged, the guys werent from around here and wont be coming back, the dealers dont need any police hassel in the area. One dealer, totally wired was helping people park there cars on the pavement then asking $10 for car protection. He was waving police cars on as the cruised past. I will say again, Quito is the sketchiest place I have seen in South America.
Later on we met up with Jess & Niketti for Niketti´s birthday celebrations. We had a few shots in a local bar before going to a local club. If I am honest the club was pants, crap music, to light and not a good atmosphere. We stayed for a couple of drinks before calling it a night. We had a fun time even though the club wasnt great.
I was more than ready to leave Quito already but there was still one thing I wanted to do, visit the Mitad del Mundo, the museum on the Equator line. With another rum hangover I hopped on the metro for the hour ride out of town. Hands in pockets all the time, a guy in my hostel had his wallet stolen and his ruck sack slashed in front of him on the metro yesterday and he didnt realise until later on! From the end of the Metro it was an hour bus ride to the Equator line. I just wanted to stare out the window and chill, the woman next to me had other ideas. Talking to me all the time in Spanish, how do you say hand in English, how do you say, its hot in English, how do you say, lunch etc etc. Obviously I helped her out, other passengers were looking on laughing at the absurdity of it.
I skipped the ´City´place where the big statue to recognise the equator stands, it is actually a few meters from the exact spot. Instead I went to the smaller museum which I can highly recommend. The tour was in Spanish that I surprised myself by understaning almost all of it. The highlight of the tour were the mini experiments. The first is the draining of water from a sink. On the exact equator it flows straight down, either side of the line it flows in opposite directions. This I believe is a crock of shit, it all depends on which way the water is introduced to the sink, the design of the pipes etc.
The balancing of an uncooked egg on the head of a nail was impressive though. I tried to balance it but was having any joy, the tour guide did it in a few seconds. Another experiment is to squeeze your thumb and fore finger together strongly, it is hard to pull them apart, on the equator line it is easy. Also to move your arms held out horizintally down by 2 hands, it is easy with 1 hand on the equator line, this worked well, but is part of it pyschological! The last is to walk along the equator with eyes closed and arms to the side, there is no force to balance against. Some of the people couldnt do this on any line, lots of food for thought though.
Getting back into the city was a mare. There had been a big football match on and all the football crowd were at the metro station waiting for buses. I joined one of the long queues which wasnt the most fun thing I have done this holiday. As I was getting on to a bus, I switched queues and jumped onto another one, just through instinct. The group of lads on the bus I was going to get on didnt exactly look friendly and welcoming, so I avoided the situation. I was knackered by the time I reached San Blas where my hostel is at. It was Sunday afternoon and most places were shut so I grabbed some empanadas for dinner. I was heading up my street to the hostel when I saw the double doors open and a motorbike being pused into the living, it was David again, totally random as we hadnt spoken about where we were going after Quilotoa.
We chilled in the living room swapping travel stories, mostly about people who had been robbed in Quito, it sounds like almost everyone has had an experience. Quito does have some interesting places to see, but I have to say that I was not once relaxed walking in the area, it is super super sketchy. I have jsut been talking to Neil & Krasna who told me a man got stabbed and another woman kidnapped in the same area as Kai was mugged, the place is going mental.
I was more than ready to leave Quito and Ecuador, it has been a mixed bag of experiences, not all good, and the worst experience of my travels. Travelling is not all about drinking cocktails whilst lying in a hammock looking out to see, for me Ecuador was the other end of that scale, and I was exhuasted, physically and mentally from my 2 months here. I was in need of a place to stay and properly relax for a week to recharge my batteries...... It was time to cross over into Colombia.
I met up with James & Donna in the morning and the 3 of us took a taxi to the main bus terminal. Within half an hour we were sat on the bus as it was leaving Quito for Tulcan. It was a good feeling that we are shared. It was an uneventul 6 hours to the small town of Tulcan where we instantly hopped in a taxi to take us to the border crossing of Rumichaca. The taxi actually dropped us off on the Colombian side, we had to walk back over the bridge to sign out of Ecuador, then recross it back into Colombia!! We waited 1.5 hrs in the queue to sign in to Colombia. It was unique in the fact that we didnt have to fill in any forms. I was told that the maximum number of days on the Visa is 60, I asked the man behind the counter, if it is 60 or 90, he mummbled something I didnt understand. When I checked my passport he had given me 90 days!!! Everyone else got 60 even if they asked for 90, what luck. It costs $25 to get a 30 day extension if needed, I wont have to do that now.
Whilst waiting in the queue we got talking to a friendly man from Quito, he works as a trekking a climbing guide for the highest mountains all over Ecuador. He is married to a woman from Bogota and was going to visit her family. He gave me their details in Bogota so if I am there at the sametime he will show me around the lesser know good places in the city. We shared a taxi to Ipiales, the nearest town to the border. I was expecting another hours wait as the drugs and arms police went through our backpacks, they opened the boot, shrugged their shoulders and waved us on, another piece of good luck.
Ipiales is an unspectacular place. Travellers only every stay here 1 night if they have arrived late like we have done. The hostel was cheap and nasty, springs sticking out of the matress etc. They know people are only ever going to stay 1 night so dont care about the rooms, showers etc. We ate pizza in a take away which filled the gap. My highlight was the bottle of beer, it had FLAVOUR not like the shite in Ecuador.
There is 1 thing to do in Ipiales and that is to visit the Santuario de Las Lajas, a beautiful church 5 kms out of town. It was built between 1926 and 1944 on a bridge over a stunning river gorge. Somebody apparently saw an image of the Virgin mother appear on a rock face 45m above the river. The church is built in such a way that the rock with the image forms its main altar, I couldnt see any images!! A statue of the Virgin mother sits on the top of a hill alongside a waterfall over looking the church. The whole area is beautiful and relaxed. We visited this site in the morning before setting off north to Popayan........
After the excellent visit to Santuaria de Las Lunas it was another big long bus journey to Popayan. The 2 hour ride between Ipiales and Pasto is one of the best I have had in South America, the views of the mountains, canyons, lush green forests are breathtaking, not to be missed. We had an hour delay in Pasto whislt some demonstrations were taking in the town. The journey took a total of 8.5 hours and we arrived in Popayan in the dark and heavy rain. The first hostel we checked out was full, but this worked in our favour as we stayed in the much nicer Casa de Familiar Descanso. I had a cosy private room that would be perfect for a short rest. Me, James & Donna ate at restaurant Italiano which has great food and beers.
In the morning I had breakfast with James & Donna before they took their bus to Cali, we said our goodbyes and planned to meet up in the north of Colombia around Christmas time. For the first time in a while I had a day just to potter and catch up with chores. Popayan is a small picturesque town, white washed walls and buildings and some colonial architecture. It is quiet enough but I still was super aware of my surroundings as the odd robbery takes place here. I strolled along the streets enjoying the buildings and watching people go about there daily business.
I dont know to much about it, but there is a story of pyramid sales here. Some scamsters set up a scheme, where people deposit $100, next month they get $200 back. Then they invest that, and they get $400 back the next month!! I am sure you can see where this is going. After the first month and the $200 investment, the people dissappeared with all the money. What happens, a bloody riot in the town, this was a few weeks ago. Now, check this. The scheme re-opened again, and the same people invested, first month went fine. But, the government good tell what was going to happen and intervened with the scame, what happened, another riot. When I was walking in the streets huge huge queues of people were lining up to see notaria´s, armed police were keeping the crowds back and letting in a few people in at a time. It is a storm brewing. (since I left a week ago, there was another mini riot because of that, and other government issues, stones thrown, cars trashed etc). It is strange as normally the town has a very relaxed feel about the place.
I know I talk about food quiet a bit, but anyone reading this and going to Popayan, you have to visit Vegetarian Natural Vida, the best restaurant in town. Great great food for super low prices. After living off bus food for 3 days my body craved fruit and veg, and boy did it get it. Happily fed I sat down in an internet cafe to set about catching up with loads of blogging. Only to be told that the cafe shut at 6.30pm!!! What, in fact, everywhere apart from restaurants shut at 6.30pm!!! Ok, if thats the way it is. I have a great Johnny Cash autobiography I am reading to enjoy. I packed my stuff ready for another early start and bus journey to San Augustin......
I have heard so so many good things about San Augustin, that it is very relaxed, safe, and a beautiful part of Colombia. I was looking for somewhere to stay for a week and really chill out, could this be the place? To get to San Augustin is an adventure in itself, the road is not passable at times due to the weather, I was lucky to travel on a day without rain. It is way out into the jungle and into FARC territory.
My old version of the Lonely Planet says to check with the government before travelling there, the last 4 years there has been no guerilla activity. The recent rains have created hundreds of waterfalls flowing through the mountains near the road. I just about closed the bus window in time as we drove past a huge waterfall that was spraying water across the road, stunning to see.
The road in parts is wrecked, pot holes, mud, branches etc, for 2 hours I dont think we got past 10 mph. The bus had great shock absorbers that would send you flying from side to side, me and the other passengers found this hilarious at times, the things you laugh at on long bus journeys!!! It took 7 hours to get to San Augustin which is not bad going. 2 friends were stuck in Popayan after me for 2 days waiting for the road to be drivable again.
Once in town I took a taxi straight to Casa de Francois which has been recommended to me by almost everyone who has been to San Augustin. Instantly on arrival I knew I had found what I was looking for. The most relaxed hostel you can imagine, massive garden, large spacious dorms, the friendliest owners you can imagine, Francois and his Colombian wife Adriana, cat that is due to give birth any day now and 2 friendly dogs that wind each other up in a hysterical fashion. The cat gave birth to 3 kittens yesterday afternoon!!!
At the hostel I started to chatting to Jim & Gen, who also happened to be in the same hostel as me in Popayan. We instantly got along and spent the first nights hanging outside my dorm drinking Colombian wine (that was my fault, I have been told Colombian wine is shocking so I had to try it for myself. Didnt read the lable that it is for cooking, but, it is very drinkable, the oregano and herbs give it an interesting flavour!!!!) beers and rum. The hostel is just the perfect place to chill out. Not only that I had the amazing and funky 6 bed dorm to myself the first 2 nights.
The main attractions to the area are to visit the hundreds of statues that have been discovered in the last 50 years, more and more are discovered each year. These are placed by burial sights all over the area and range from 500 years b.c. up to around 1500 a.d. There are different ways of getting to see them, by treks, the Parque Archeologico, by horse, or by jeep tour. Other things to do are based around getting high, you can visit a shaman and take ayuahasca and find your inner animal, go on the ´special tour´to see how marching powder is made, pick mushrooms and space out in the mountains, or just smoke yourself into unconsciousness with opium. All of the above are easily found if that is your thing.
I have been on the jeep tour which takes you out into the countryside which is just beautiful, really really stunning. We walked around El Estrecho a river crossing, saw some tombs at Obando, loads of the statues including the highest at 7m at Alto de Los Idolos, visited the 2nd higest waterfall in South America at Salto de Bordones, more statues at Alto de las Piedras (I got statue burn out at this stage) and another very impressive waterfall at Salto del Mortiño. In between we stopped for lunch in the small and quirky town of Isnos. All in all, a relaxed and stunning day tour.
I have also visited the Parque Archeologico, more of the statues to visit but the walk is through countryside, a hill top with great views and through a bit of forest. The views are just as impressive as the statues. There was an excellent statue of a penguin. Which got me thinking, how on earth do they know what a penguin looks like in the middle of South America, until some told me that there are penguins on the Galapagos, I had no idea! Oh, the other thing, which you might guess, is food. The fruit here is amazing, the perfect climate for growing it and it is so delicious. 3 nights ago there was a raging thunderstorm and the electricty was out at the hostel. We lit candles and chilled out in the dowm as the rain bounced down, it was super cosy.
I had planned to leave for Cali yesterday, but as my friends Neil & Krasna arrived in the morning it would be rude not to stay another night! So it was yet another fun and relaxed evening sat outside our dorm, drinking, listening to music and generally talking all sorts of rubbish that you do, it reached a peak when the topic got on to dolphin blow hole sex!!
I have been here in San Augustin 8 nights now, today I had a surge of energy after breakfast and I took myself off for a walk to see the small statues at El Tablon and the brilliant views from La Chaquira, this area really is stunning. I was still in the mood for walking and I completed a 15km loop in the midday scorching heat, only mad dogs and Englishmen eh, or mad Englishmen!! I fell straight asleep when I got back to the hostel, totally knackered.
I am leaving for the salsa capital of Colombia Cali tomorrow, the big city of Cali, that is if the road is drivable. I have spent many hours in my hammock reading and looking out at the hills, drinking loads of beer, wine and rum, and eating plenty. I could easily stay here for another week or two it is that relaxed. San Augustin is definitely a place I could come back to visit and chill, and I may I just do that!!!
Many times, travelling is all about getting to a place more than the place itself, the journey to Cali was certainly an interesting one!!!!! It was an early start to leave the amazing Casa de Francois hostel and be at the coach office for 7am. Here we had to take a taxi 10 mins out of town and wait at a road junction for the bus. 30 mins later it had arrived, I was just happy the sun was out for a change and the views were great. What wasn`t so great was that all the seats in the bus were taken apart from the very back row.....
The road back to Popayan was as bad as I remembered it, I spent just as much time in the air banging my head on the roof as I was sat down. The bus was stopped by militia to be checked for arms and drugs. I was amazed to see a monk being frisked by the side of the bus by an army officer. I felt sick by the time we arrived in the pouring rain in Popayan after 5.5hrs on the shitty bus. I managed to keep a good meal down before we took another bus into the 3rd largest city of Colombia, the self named salsa capital of Cali. It was a much better ride, even in the pouring rain and took a little over 2.5hrs to get to the bus terminal.
It is still very much the wet season here in Colombia and it rains every day, usually for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but I have witnessed some seriously heavy storms that last for a lot longer. Some of the taxis wouldnt take us to the Pelican Larry hostel, either they didnt know where it was or they couldnt be arsed. It was rush hour and the hostel is a little difficult to find, as our taxi driver realised. Eventually we did make it, and it felt good to be in a clean and dry hostel. The hostel is owned by a German called Gunter who runs the place with military precision. This doesnt bother me as I got on with him ok, some people he rubbed up the wrong way.
There is a very well stocked kitchen in the hostel and for the first time in ages I cooked most nights. I actually find it really relaxing and enjoyable as well as saving me money and knowing I am going to get good tasting food. The 7th December is a big light festival in Colombia, and Cali is no exception. A huge area is covered in lights, all along the river, pavements, buildings etc. To walk around the streets was incredible, lots of stalls, food and musicians playing all over. It was a superb introduction to the city. I was liking the feel of the place already.
One of the main drags of Cali is Calle 6, or known as sexta. It is full of touristy bars, restaurants, salsa clubs etc, and looks a bit like a little Las Vegas with all the flashing lights and stuff. We chose a bar to sit down and have a drink and watch the world go by, Douglas Bar. Me and Tracy went inside to the dance floor area for a bit of salsa, as soon as we got on the floor the music changed to banging underground house, it was good in there and I still had a good dance. A bit later on some friends joined us, Justin and Brook the 2 kiwi guys we met in San Augustin and my friend Carol and her friend Ximena who are from Cali. We all enjoy some fun banter when Ximena said, "where is my bag". It had been stolen from the back of her chair. Shit. It contained her ID, keys for a B&B and other stuff. It was going to be her birthday on the Sunday, not a great way to start her birthday weekend, loads of things for her to sort out on the Satuday. Also, a good reminder that any touristy place in any city is ripe of theft etc. We left the bar straight away and found another smaller one where we bought her a couple of tequilas. My first night in Cali had been an eventful and a late one, a pattern to be repeated!!!!
The next day, Saturday I went for a walk around town with Tracy. A few blocks away is a big shopping mall called Chipi Chapi, hundreds of shops, supermarkets, restaurants but is more famous for the amount of silicon!!! Seriously, I have never seen so much plastic surgery, so me of the girls looked ridiculous with monster breasts and ass, more like aliens than humans. Other women were just unbelievably beautiful, the rough with the smooth!
After the mall we went to the zoo. I am usually a bit reluctant to check out zoo`s because the ones I have seen so far have animals in tiny cages looking distressed. Cali zoo is the best zoo I have visited in South America and well worth a couple of hours checking out the different areas. I loved the anteaters, they look so funny and walk in a ridiculous way, I spent ages laughing at them, I am sure the locals were laughing at me laughing at them!!
Nearby is San Antonio, a church on top of a hill looking out over the city. It was a good place to rest for an hour and chill out. Next to the church is an awesome tree with exposed roots spreading out for metres, it looked like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie. It was then back to the hostel where I cooked a big spag bol and chilled for a couple of hours ready for hitting the town at night.
We met Jim, Gen and Carol in a bar by our hostel for a couple of beers before deciding where to go. Our hostel is next to the Granada area of Cali, a trendier area with better bars and clubs than the touristy Sexta. We chose Babel bar to go to with half the 10K entrance going towards beers and were given flourescent glasses or halos on entrance. The club is spread over 3 floors, latin music on the 1st, a mix on the 2nd and on the top floor which opens out on to an outdoor terrace, electronic music. We bought a bottle of rum and enjoyed the venue. Much silly dancing, playing with the glasses and generally messing about, it was a real fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Surprisingly the club shut at 2am, still early. We asked around for a recommendation of another good club to go to, Eliptica came out tops. It was a long taxi ride out of town up a hill somewhere. The club is fantastic, semi-open air, with views of the city and an outdoor chill out area. We were the only ones dancing out of the 30 or so people there, it could easyily hold 500. I couldnt believe how good the music was, proper underground electronic house music, dirty, twisted and bloody funky. We got talking to the DJ´s, 2 twins called Thomas and Andres who are both also doctors. They were overjoyed to have us dance and me and Jim chatted dj talk with them a lot of the time. We left as the sun was coming up and the cockrels crowing in the fields around the club.
The next morning I had a bout of the blues...... Whether it was the lack of sleep, exhaustion or that I was just travelled out. I had been questioning things for the last few days, what is that I wanted out of travelling?, I am in enjoying this enough? Colombia is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, why was I feeling this way? Missing friends, family and my things being one place for more than a few days at a time. Also, I had been in dorm rooms for the last 4 weeks, maybe it was space I needed...
On a lampost outside the hostel was a poster for a music and lightshow on Sunday 7th Dec, a country wide celebration and the official turning on of the Xmas lights. The show was Plaza de Torros, the circular bull ring out of town. Me and Tracy hopped into a taxi and made our way there. Thousands of people were pouring into the arena. I looked for a beer outside, nothing, a little strange I thought. We were given candles on our way into the stands to light later on. The first music was 3 guys singing some sort of Reggaton, a good enough start. Then some school children came out doing some traditional dancing which was cute. Then a large man with an orchestra and 2 choirs behind him started singing salsa. All good stuff.....
Then I started listening to the lyrics, a bit gospel I thought. The music slowed down a bit,the lyrics of the songs were displayed on the big screens either side of the stage. Very gospel. Then I realised what the concert was. A huge religious ceremony. All around the stadium were people representing churches from all over the county. We listened through an hour and a half service, if you believe, you can achieve anything. An old woman next to meetbroke down in tears a few times, held my hand, and told me everything would be ok if I believed.
At the end of the service everybody stood up and let out an almighty cheer that went on for a couple of minutes, the noise was incredible and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We then all lit our candels which was a great site. We had fireworks to end the ceremony. The whole thing was certainly a very different experience to what I had expected and had come across so far on my travels. I left feeling rather uplifted though my hangover headache was thumping.
That evening, me, Jim, Gen & Tracy went over to Thomas and Andres apartment, the 2 dj´s from the night before for a house party. Loads of wine, beers and amazing music flowed until the very early morning, yet again.
I had a relatively steady next day, Chipi Chapi again, a strange fruit salad that had grated cheese on top, cheese and banana actually works, cheese and the yoghurt turned my stomach. I watched one of the worse films of all time in the hostel, Mark of the Beast, it was so bad it was funny. That evening I cooked again for me, Richard, Olivia and Brooke. The 4 of us agreed to go to San Cipriano in the morning, so the first time in ages I got to bed at a reasonable hour. I was still feeling the blues a little, and now I was also missing the countryside.
San Cipriano is bizarre. It is out in the rain forest 3 hours west of Cali. To get into the rain forest we had to take a 2.5 hour bus out of Cali which dropped us off at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Then we crossed a long rickety bridge over a fast flowing river, the bridge had holes in the planks in places. I was amazed to see a man ride his motorbike across it. As we reached the other side of the river, the heavens opened, it is a rain forest after all.
To reach the tiny village village in the forest we had to travel on one of the most weird means of transport. There are train tracks into the village, but no trains. A motorbike was strapped onto a wooden board that had 4 small metal wheels underneath that sat on the train tracks. We then crammed on to the wood/bike contraption and hung on for dear life as we sped along the train tracks. I would not like to fall off I tell you. I have met people that have and the injuries arent pleasant. Half an hour speeding along in the rain we reached the San Cipriano.
We sat down in a local house that also doubles up as a small restaurant for chicken and chips. There is not a lot to do here, apart from swim in the clear and warmish river, which I did. The river had a fast current and I had to swim hard upstream just to stay in the same place. It was nice to be surrounded by the trees again. We returned to the main road the same way, all of us managing to stay on the wooden board transport. The rain seriously came down as we waited for a bus, this took ages. A youth was selling some yellow liquid in a bottle, it is a mix of aguardiente ( the local liqour of Colombia) and milk, that actually tasted really good. We passed it around to take the edge off the wetness. Brooke bought a chocolate and herb based bottle that tasted really rank. It was long 3hrs back to Cali in a crammed and humid bus.
Back in the hostel some more people had arrived during the day. It was Tina´s birthday so of course we had to go out and celebrate. We had a few drinks in Barbilla on Sexta, including a bottle of rum, no bags or anything stolen this time, when that shut we had a lock in at the Talvern Pub until the police came in and told us to go home, without asking for bribes which was a bonus. Another long and fun day.
I was starting to get burn out, and wanted to do as little as possible on the Wednesday. I made use of the fast computers to call family and chat with friends, I could feel my spirits lift a little. In the evening Gunter put on a bbq in the hostel, some excellent pieces of meat. It was a nice atmosphere in the hostel, relaxed and fun at the same time, a great group of people with everyone on the same wavelength. We went to the nearest bar, El Pub for a beer or two after the bbq. I had enjoyed a relaxed day, my energy starting to return, the temporary blues slowly dissapating and I was ready for the countryside.....
So after a mad few days in Cali it was time to head into the countryside and Zona Cafetera, the best coffee growing region in Colombia. Me and Richard took a 2.5hr bus ride to Armenia and arrived in torrential rain, then another small bus for 30 mins into the small town of Solento. I had been recommended the Plantation House as the hostel to stay in, the only one I knew of so we headed straight there. Imagine my surprise when I found Jim, Gen, Tracy, Olivia, Brooke, Justin and Brook all already there, I had no idea they would be here so I was really happy to see them.
We were in the bottom of the 2 houses that contains a small kitchen, living room with wood fire and 2 small 6 bed dorms. After unpacking we made a run to the supermarket for food and plenty of wine. The sunset that night was truly spectacular. A crowd of us went down to thehammocks with a glass of wine and watched the sky change all strains of purple and reds. Isat there with a big smile on my face, this was just what I needed. The blues of the last few days had gone and I was totally enjoying the travelling again.
With that, I knocked up some dinner and was ready to see the town. 3 of the hostel gardeners and an American guy called Ari (who runs a mountain biking business here) dropped by the hostel and said do we want to go to Camino Real for a beer. Is the Pope catholic!!! So off we trotted and sank a few in the outside beer garden, meeting more people from my hostel there. We then returned to the small plaza where we met up with everyone else from the hostel, a big group of us by now, in Donde Mi Apa Fonda Bar. The bar owner had been drinking from 11am and was totally drunk. He brought a bottle of Aguardiente to our table along with beers for us to drink. That got me up and dancing salsa with the locals.
On the way back to the hostel we met a group of the local military police on a street corner. We had a good chat and a laugh with them posing for photos. Miraculously, I managed to talk one of the guys to give me his grenade launcher to hold for a photo. It was heavier than I expected. I soooooo wanted to experience what it would feel like to fire a grenade at a tree or something. One of the girls in the hostel told me that a militia had offered her dope to smoke with them in their barracks, which she obviously declined, what a crazy place.
One of the main things to do in the area is to go hiking in the Valley del Cocora and the cloud forest around Acaime. So after breakfast, me, Richard, Maria, Justin and Brook hired a jeep taxi to take us the 30 min ride up the muddy paths to the entrance to the park. As soon as we arrived it started to piss it down, heavily. After 5 mins I realised that mywaterproofs were so not waterproof and my boots were now also letting in water. That makes just about everything I own in my back pack pretty much knackered. Not surprising after 14 months on the road. I made a mental note to buy some Nick Wax if there is any in Colombia...
Anyway, so back to the trek. The mountains around us were covered in clouds and the visibilty poor but that did not detract any from the stunning scenery. The rain and climate makes everything so lush. We followed a very muddy path upwards for about an hour until we entered the cloud forest. The overhead trees protecting us from the rain. We stopped under the shelter of a covered bridge on a river for some lunch. After the short break we were ready to continue climbing through the trees. We reached the wooden lodge and research centre of Acaime in a couple of hours. The hummingbirds here are spectacular.
We started to get a little cold from not walking so didnt stay to long and headed to La Montaña a look out point up a steeper path. The clouds were in when we arrived but after minutes they cleared to give us a great view of the mountain. This was the first time I hadactually been trekking in a cloud forest and to see the clouds rise up through the forest was amazing. Further down the path was another view point, totally obscured. I said lets wait for 5 mins to see what happens, bang on cue, the clouds parted for 10 mins so we had perfect views, then came in again. What luck we were having. The path down was really muddy in places and a few tree avalanches blocked the path. We had to scramble over them. Massively tall palm trees silhouetted the atmospheric background of rolling hills all the way back to the park entrance. What a trek. I had forgotten about being soaked to the skin. We crammed into the back of the last jeep (5pm) back to Solento.
That evening I had one of the most bizarre meals of my travels, I know I go on about food a lot, but, I bloody like it. I made a veg ratatouille that we ate with 2 hard boiled eggs and some fried spicy plantanas, a combination you would never think would work, it nearly didnt. We were so hungry it tasted fantastic. The wine helped of course. The days activities were stil not over......
I had been told there is a bar in town that had some sort of explosive boules game. We found the bar just off the plaza called Cancha de Tejo. When you buy a beer you can play this game for free. On a small pitch a few metres in length are 2 square areas thick in clay. In the centre is a metal ring covered in the clay. We put 4 paper triangles containing explosives at N,E,S,W on the metal ring to give it somewhere to impact. The scoring goes, if you land the heavy metal ball thing you throw in the clay it is 1 point, if it lands in the middle of all 4 triangles, you get 6 points, if you explode one, it is 4 points. Obviously we were trying to blow things up. Man, it was loud. What fun, we all managed to hit a couple and make a racket. Bits of gunpowder flying everywhere and we had ringing in our eyes. What a combination, alcohol and free explosives to play with, no ear guards, nothing. Only in South America, you gotta love this continent.....
I was fast asleep in my dorm, when I woke up suddenly to a massive noise. Brooke, who had bought some chocolate moonshine on the San Cipriano trip near Cali was shouting and swearing. The bottle of moonshine had exploded in the dorm, it had been fermenting in the bottle the last few days and had decided to pick this moment to explode. It was so bloody loud and the room was covered in shards of glass and sticky smelly horrid chocolate liquor. By the time I woke up the traces of moonshine had gone, so were Brooke and Olivia, they had decided enough was enough and moved on.
Tim the slightly eccentric English owner of the hostel has recently bought a massive area of land that has fruit growing on it and also a coffee farm. After breakfast, me and Tom & Gabi (from Sheffield) decided to take Tim´s tour on the farm. I am glad I did as it is really interesting. We were shown all the stages of producing coffee from picking the beans, seperating them, washing and drying them. Colombia has a very strict process and laws in place to produce coffee which is why the quality is always so high. He plans to lease out 10 plants to people, produce the coffee and label it up in the owners name, it is like having your own coffee brand made in Colombia, I will be interested to see how his worlds first scheme takes off next year. After the tour we were allowed to walk along the bamboo paths in his farm, across small bridges and looking at the pineapples etc growing all around.
Lunch was had at the excellent Rincon de Lucia cafe, loads of food at a very cheap price and superb quality. I cannot recommmend this cafe enough for breakfast and lunch. Just as we finished the afternoon torrential rains came down, we hired a jeep back to the hostel. In the evening we went to another bar in the plaza for more beers and salsa dancing. It was a perfect way to end yet another superb day in Solento. I was really enjoying this place.
The next morning, Sunday morning, was a beautiful one. The sunshining, no clouds and dry. After a monster breakfast at Lucias I went for a walk to Finca Don Elias, an hour out of town with Lucy, her friend Maria was staying at the coffee farm. The walk is fantastic, with amazing views down the other side of the valley and watching the river snake away behind the mountains. Lucy went on the coffee tour there as I hiked down to the river and walked back to town, I was so at peace being surrounded by beautiful countryside, really really happy. Colombia is such an amazing country, and I have only just started to explore it.
My afternoon was spent fixing the PC in the hostel as it was full of viruses, for free use of it of course.... Then I set about making the biggest spag bol I have made. It was enough for 4 of us for 2 meals! There was a great atmosphere in the house, loads of wine flowing,we were onto our 2nd litre each by 9pm!, music on the stereo and lots of laughter. Around 10 I decide it would be a good idea to walk back into town and the plaza, I didnt know what to expect at this time on a Sunday night but a walk would be interesting. Evan from Canada and Lucy from London also came along.
We passed a local house that was rocking with a party on the way to the plaza. Much to my and Evans joy there was a group of people chilling in the middle of the plaza, 2 of the guys playing amazing acoustic guitar and singing. I could tell they had played together many times as their guitar playing complimented each other brilliantly. We sat with the guys sharing wine and listening to the music for an hour or so. Back in the hostel we grabbed more wine and went down to the hammock area to carry on the party. The conversation was absolute wobblegob and had us in stitches until it was time to crash.
Monday was pretty much a write off. I slept most of it trying to get rid of my red winehangover. The smallness of the dorm room was starting to get on my nerves a little, and the 3 Germans making a racket in the living room when everyone was trying to sleep didnt help.
After breakfast and 2 super strong coffees I walked up to the mirador in the town which gave me amazing views out towards the cloud forest. It was then as I was looking out to the trees that I decided it was time to move on, this time travelling solo and to find somewhere I can totally relax, the thermals at Santa Rosa de Cabal sprang to mind. What a great few days I have had here in the little town of Solento.......
I arrived at the coach stop in Solento just before 11.30, the bus to Pereira was to leave at 2.50, hmmmm. So I got on the 11.30 bus to Armenia, which is in the opposite direction, got the driver to drop me off at the side of the road, 5 mins later I was on a bus to Pereira. I was also in luck at the Pereira coach station, the bus to Santa Rosa left just as I got on
it. It wasnt all clockwork though, I did miss getting off in the centre of Santa Rosa, so I had to catch a bus back into the centre 20 mins out of town, but the friendly driver didnt ask me to pay. It was 2pm, and the dark clouds were strarting to roll in overhead. Time to find somewhere to sleep.....
After asking in the police station and a pretty fancy hotel I soon became aware there are no hostels in Santa Rosa. I asked for directions to the cheapest hotel, on calle 13. The first place I looked at, Hotel Don Fermin wanted 20k for a large room, cable tv, private bathroom and very clean, I expected to pay 30K for this. I said it was more than I wanted to pay, I got it for 15K!!!! The same price I was paying in a tiny 6 bed dorm with cold water. This was just what I wanted, my own space. After a great lunch at Flamingo Restaurant across the road, I took a siesta. I soooo needed it as well after the liquor explosions and broken nights sleep in Solento.
As well as writing this blog I am also keeping a journal that I write in everyday. I hadnt written in it for over a week, the longest time I had let it slip. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching European football and catching up with my muses. I popped out for take away pizza, when I returned the owner of the hostel was drinking coffee (tinto). I sat with him for half an hour as he explained to me the different thermal baths and mountain treks nearby. He is one of the friendlies hostel owners I have met, his son was working during the day and he too made me feel very welcome. Come to think of it, Colombia has some of the most friendliest people I have met.
In the other countries in South America, when somebody stops me in the street and starts talking to me, in the back of my mind is, "ok, what are they trying to sell me, or when are they going to ask me for money", this is 100% guaranteed. In Colombia, people just want to know where I am from, ask my opinions on Colombia, where I have seen so far, then wish me and my family all the best for the future and walk off. Nothing more. So, so friendly and it is a joy to be a part of, especially after Ecuador.
I had another shocking nights sleep, some people in the hostel came back drunk and woke everybody up, then another family kicked off, blah blah blah. I was in 2 minds what to do when I woke up. But, I was really enjoying my space and being in a town where I havent seen another tourist. Not only that, there are the thermal waters to visit. I hopped on the midday Chiva, a sort of funky bus decorated with paintings and flowers and thing, with a few Colombians on holiday. After a few minutes we were talking and chatting away and enjoying the countryside and rolling mountains.
I chose to visit the Balneario Termales because of the photos I had seen in my hotel. This was one of the best choices of my trip. The entrance of the site starts off with a path over a stream, that turns into a series of small water falls. Continuing up this path leads to the main area with a truly stunning waterfall in front. I expected the water to be cold under the falls but it wasnt, I found it really refreshing. I spent the afternoon relaxing in the natural hot waters and looking up at the surrounding forest and the waterfall. It is a perfect place to relax. On the way back to town, the Chiva stopped so we could buy chorizo sausages, they told me the best in Colombia, and after eating one, I have to agree.
2 nights in Santa Rosa was plenty enough for me to catch up with my things and enjoy an afternoon in the thermal baths. After a hearty lunch at Chiqui´s, the best place for lunch in the town, I waited at the side of a main road to hail a bus to take me to Manizales.....
It was a short 1 hour journey to Manizales from Santa Rosa, I took a taxi to the only hostel in the city, Mountain House. It is in a good residencial area and close to the university area of Cable Plaza, plenty of bars, shops, restaurants etc. The women owners and staff are super friendly and what I am starting to get accustomed to in Colombia. After settling in I decided to go for a walk, the hour long walk along Avenida Santander into the centre of down. The first thing I noticed about the town, is that the cafe culture is strong here, people are very fashion conscious, and at times the women are absolutely gorgeous.
In the centre of town is Plaza Bolivar that has the very impressive Catedral Basilica and a bizarre statue of a half man, bottom half and half condor. As I was about to take a photo of this, a guy comes up to me and asks if I am in the hostel. I said yes, Mountain House. He says, great so am I, can you take a photo for me. This is how I first met Jonathan, my friend from LA. He had never seen before but knew there was only 1 hostel and took an educated guess. We arranged to hit the town later that night. I carried on walking through town up to Chipre, where there is a good view of the city. In Chipre there is a tower with 360 degree views of the mountains surrounding the city. The best time to go is at sunset, it was the middle of the afternoon with loads of clouds so I decided to leave the tower for another time.
After a beer and a game of pool in the hostel, me, Jonathan and 2 English guys from the hostel went out in search of a good bar. It was obivous where we would end up from the first 5 mins, the bar called Meditterraneo, a few blocks from our hostel. This bar was rocking, people dancing on the tables etc, everywhere else was quiet, it was Thursday. So in true Colombian style we bought a bottle of rum between us and got involved in the party. I found out that the place was full of Geography students out on the razz. It was an excellent atmosphere and I enjoyed a couple of salsa dances. The club shut surprisingly early so we and a few of the students took taxis way out of town to another club called Candela. We were the only people in there, but that didnt matter, the party was continuing and the run flowing. It was a fantastic night apart from that Erika, one of the students had her jacket and Id and papers stolen in the club. I have no idea by whom because there was hardly anybody else in there.
The next afternoon I had lunch with Ygal, Mark and Barbara from my hostel, it was third time I have bumped into Ygal in Colombia. So many people are heading in the same direction, most to Cartagena for Xmas. We took a bus into town and had a walk around the malls before walking up to Chipre. This time I did make it up the Chipre tower, in time for sunset. Man, it was stunning, the clouds turning pink, and to watch the lights come on over the city was fantastic. The weather had been crap all afternoon so I was lucky to get the views I did.
Jonathan had arrange to meet up with Paula and Erika from the night before, so we met them at the Cable Plaza. On the top floor is a bar overlooking the city. We had a few beers and some banter, all in Spanish, Jonathan can speak really good Spanish because he has Mexican friends in LA, this meant I had to speak Spanish to which was great as I was in need of practice before going to Medellin.
Saturday was soon upon us. I had a day of catching up with chores, emails, laundry etc. Nothing to exciting. The evening was interesting though. One of the owners of Mountain House, Christina, is opening up the second hostel in Manizales, called Kaffa Experience. Me, Jonathan, Ygal, Barbara and Mark were invited to the opening night. Me and Jonathan walked Christina across the 2 blocks in the pouring rain to the new hostel. The fruit punch and nibbles went down well. The place was full of press, photographers, tourist agents, friends and family. We had to stand through about an hour of speeches before the toast. The others arrived shortly after. We had a surprise sprung on us before the closing. We each were asked to give a small speech in Spanish on our thoughts of Colombia!!! My few words actually got a ripple of applaus which I was chuffed about.
In high spirits we returned to Cable Plaza and for the club back on the top floor. Between us, Erika and Paula we had enough free tickets to avoid paying. Me and Jonathan got the rum in and not before long the group was on the dance floor throwing some shapes. Yet another fun night, I am loving this country. Me, Mark, Ygal and Barbara left the next afternoon for Medellin, I was going to meet up with my Colombian friends and Nacho for Xmas and New Year, I cannot wait......
The road from Manizales to Medellin was chuffing curvy but that didnt stop me from nodding off for a couple of hours, the partying in Manizales taking its toll. I woke on the coach to find a raging river flowing next to the road, I have never seen such a fast flowing river so close to houses and a main highway, it was a rafters parardise. I arrived at the south terminal of Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia with around 3.2 million people, and infamously known as the drugs capital of the world in the 80`s by Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medell%C3%ADn Thankfully since 2004 things have been stable here and it is a great place to visit.
At the station I had a very pleasant surprise, I was expecting Yohana and Dayana to meet me, but Nacho was there too. He had arrived the day before which meant the whole volunteering crew would be together for Xmas. The Xmas lights in the centre of Medellin were awesome, the main streets shut off and thousands of people walking up and down enjoying the atmosphere. A couple of beers and a burrito later and we walked back to Yohana`s house and my home for a week.
I didn`t really know what to expect at the house, there was Yohana`s mum Patricia, her heavily pregnant sister Paula and her husband Phillipe who were all very friendly and welcoming. Paula and Phillipe live in Miami so it was with a mixture of Spanglish that we communicated in. I had a feeling I was in for a fun Xmas. We ate together and shared a few beers as we caught up on the last few weeks travelling seperately, so much to catch up on.
The next day was mostly spent chilling out and recovering from our buses journies. Late afternoon we talk a walk into town, the streets were rammed with last minute shoppers. Me and Nacho took the amazing efficient, clean and fast metro to the trendy area of El Poblado built with mostly Pablo`s money, and a good job he made of it to. We were looking for a hostel to stay in for NYE and after cheking out 3 or 4 settled on Pit Stop.
We had arranged to meet Juancamilo ,JC, in an area called periodistas where artists, musicians etc hang out. It was the first time we had met since Vilcabamba and it was awesome to hang out together. We got a bottle of rum from the street shop and sat watching the locals on the streets. There was much pot smoking and other stuff going off, shifty but fascinating at the same time, I was trying to work out what the undercover police were actually up to.
When Dayana and Yohana and family all turned up we moved to a really cool small tango bar called La Boa. I felt so relaxed and happy with this company, I could feel the warmth and genuine happiness that my friends have for themselves and each other, it was like one big happy family. Yohana and Dayana had to work in the morning, me, Nacho and JC went for a walk.
JC took us to an area I would never dream of visiting on my own or just with travellers. Through some areas that looked well sketchy but were fine with the right guide. We stopped for a beer on a street corner and waited for something to happen, JC had told us about the area. Then out of nowhere, 3 huge trannies appeared scouting for business, they were at least 6 foot tall and looked hard. Out of the corner of my eye I could see an elderly man in his 60`s or 70`s pushing a cart with cigs, sweets, gum and drinks. I kept a close sneeky watch and realised that was not all he was selling!!!
As we turned to walk off a young lad, I think in his mid teens was walking around sniffing a bag of glue and totally off his head. He was laughing and talking to us and amazed that I was from England and wanted to practice the little English he knew, I felt really sorry for him that he was walking the streets at this late hour in this area. Further along 2 men approached us and started talking to us, my guard went up, JC chatted with him saying no thanks, no thanks. The man said, no problem and walked off. He was asking for money for food, when we said no, he had no problem.
For me that is a true sign of Medellin. So far I may have painted a sketchy picture, sure like all cities there are sketchy areas, but for Medellin is different, I didnt feel threatened like in Quito. Life is life, and I was really pleased to see this other side of the city with the best guide I could think of, and not once did I feel afraid or worried. Me and Nacho got back to Yohana`s house at 2am and couldnt get the key in the door, making the dog bark and waking the house up, oops!
Next day JC had invited us over for lunch. His mum, Mariangela and sister Paula are both really nice, everyone I have met so far in Medellin are so amazingly friendly it is unreal. I could already see myself getting stuck in this city. Another surprise was that I didnt know what a good chef JC is, he served up an awesome lunch!
Like the previous night he acted as guide for me and Nacho showing us around the beautiful houses in the Prado central region, the Parque de los Deseos and massive outdoor film projector, they show free films on Sunday nights, the University of Antioquia. We stopped for a coffee on a walkway over the long river Medellin looking out to the surrounding mountains that circle the inner city. The sun was shining bright and it was a stunning day.
On the other side of the river we took a slow walk up to the top of Cerro El Volador where we were rewarded with magnificent 360 views. The higher up the mountains the poorer the barrios (suburbs) got. We sat on a bench enjoying the views as JC pointed out the famous buildings below us. By now I was feeling tired from the lack of sleep, the walking and speaking Spanish all day, I find it really draining concentrating to speak. We walked down a different way with views of the other side of the city, across a bridge with very poor slum houses backing on to the river. Like most cities the gap between rich and poor is huge.
Only a few blocks from the bridge we entered a very cool Bohemian area called Carlos E. Restrepo that houses the museum of modern Art. Outside the museum on the street was a fantastic exhibition of paintings by Deborah Arango a famous Colombian artist. This area felt relaxed so we grabbed some beers and chilled out watching the world go by. I felt at home here. Medellin was growing by the day on me and I was with 2 of my favourite people I have met on my travels.
In Latin America Christmas is celebrated on the 24th December. It dawned on me that this was my second Xmas in South America, I felt a mix of `oh my god, I have been out here for soooo long`, and `no way, where has the year gone.` We were invited to JC`s house again for Xmas lunch. Everyone was there, Yohana, Dayana, Nacho, JC and his family. I felt so welcomed it was untrue, all very easy going and fun. JC excelled himself with the food, he is an amateur chef. I hadnt eaten this well in a long long time.
Dinner on the 24th is the English equivalent of Xmas day lunch, we would all be together for this. So after lunch we went shopping for our food and drink for the celebrations. Down the market so Nacho could buy a slab of pork, being Argentinian it was naturally his job to take care of the asado (bbq). JC got the veg, the girls natilla and bunuelos for dessert, and I was on cocktail and music duty, we all had our favourite roles.
The pork took 3 hours to cook, expertly done on the bbq outside on the terrace. We couldnt have asked for a more perfect evening. JC prepared the food, I supplied the never ending different cocktails and music and we had the most amazing time, chatting, laughing and dancing all over the house. This is such a better way to celebrate Xmas than getting stuffed at lunch time and falling asleep all day.
We sat down for dinner just before midnight and opened our presents. I was given a really cool tshirt and a had written poem in Spanish by Charles Baudelaire. The food tasted as good as it looked and smelt, this was the perfect way to bring in Xmas away from my friends and family back home in England, it felt like family here. We moved upstairs to the terrace where we stayed all night listening to music and incredibly drinking all the spirits we had bought, I didnt think it was possible. We fell asleep outside and woke up when the sun came over the side of the house. What an amazing day.
Xmas day was not surprisingly a few quiet and low key affair. I spent my afternoon calling friends and family back home to wish them a happy Christmas. It was quiet funny what I had for my Xmas day lunch, Mondongo stew. Mondongo is the Spanish for tripe, I tried it in Argentina and said never again, I managed a few pieces but had to leave the rest of it. I didnt care at all as my xmas was yesteday and today didnt matter in that sense. Later that night I started to feel a little strange, hot one minute and cold the next, not the best sign.
I was right, it wasnt the best sign, I felt shocking on Boxing Day and spent all day in bed. I wasnt going to let this beat me and by 9pm I was ready to do something. My very good friend Lynden who I met in Cordoba all those months ago had moved to Medellin and we had arranged to meet up in the evening. We took a taxi over to his hostel, Sunshine, in El Poblado then went for a couple of beers in the trendy Parque Llegas area. Lyndens gf Lina works in a nearby bar called Donde Aquellos. We nailed a litre of rum before heading to the famous travellers nightclub Blue around the corner.
It was already 2.30am and the place was jumping, a real mix of locals and gringos, with the obvious shenanigans going on. The music was a mixture of old 80`s classics like New Order and Frankie Goes To Hollywood and some random crap that cleared the dance floor. We ended up back at Lyndens hostel chilling out in the back room on hammocks. I shared a taxi back into the centre of town at 7.30am in the morning, it is amazing how time flies when you are having fun.
It was now Saturday 27th and mine and Nacho`s last day in the house of Yohana. One of the main attractions in Medellin is the Metrocable that goes up in the mountains surrounding the cities and into the poor districts. We timed our ride to coincide with the sunset over the city that was just stunning. First we visited San Javier then the other side Santo Domigo where we looked out at the Xmas lights over the city. The queue at the cable car station in San Javier was massive which gave us plenty of time to chew the fat. Me and Nacho saw something at the sametime that still makes me laugh to this day. There was a guy standing 2 rows from us with a long piece of metal, a piercing of some sort, hanging from the middle of his face below his bottom lip and above his chin, it looked ridiculous. We turned to each other at the same time and said, WTF is that, totally out of the blue. A line of children were queued up alongside me, a small lad said hello and I asked me where I was from. I said I am from England. 5 mins later, he said hello, and I know you speak English, which made us crack up again.
It was the last night at the house, we had been made to feel unbelievably welcome. We cooked a leaving meal and sat up on the terrace looking out to the stars with some beers. I was a bit apprehensive before I arrived here in Medellin how my Xmas would be. I couldnt have asked for any more. Tomorrow I would be moving into the madness of a big backpacker hostel.......
Me and Nacho moved out of the house of Yohana after thanking her and her family for a wonderful Xmas there. We would still be meeting up so it wasn`t a final farewell. The Pit Stop Hostel is a bloody big place with some huge dorms, we were in a 6 bed dorm which was spacious and ok. It is a party hostel but was chilled when we arrived, apparently there had been a massive party the night before and everyone was sleeping it off. I was sat by the outdoor pool when I started to feel restless.
I shouted over to Nacho, "lets go". "Where to" he replied, "on a random mission" I answered. So we left the hostel, hopped on the metro and ended up at Parque Berrio with the famous big sculptures by Botero outside. We were getting hungry and asked a woman on the streets where a good area to it is, they pointed downstairs to what was obviously a strip joint. I took a look around, the whole area was full of dodgy bars, pimps, whores and it stunk of piss. Time to move on.
We walked from here up the main street of La Playa taking in all the Xmas lights, Hare Krishna`s dancing and singing, chivas (open sided buses with music blaring out and people drinking and dancing) driving past every 5 minutes. We ate street food for dinner as there was loads to choose from. As it was Sunday night it was quiet and no clubs were open. So we bought some rum & coke and sat in Periodistas and watched the locals getting really messy. 2 policeman searched a man in a wheel chair fofr drugs and inside the statues behind a bench where some wasted punks sat. It is a really good place to sit, drink and watch a bit of the underworld in safety.
Yohana and Dayana turned up so we moved on to the last open bar on the corner of the street for more rum and coke, rum is the obligatory in Colombia along with the local firewater aguardiente. We sat chatting until the bar shut and we got booted out at 3.30.
Next day not surprisingly I felt hungover. An aussie girl in my dorm who I had just met made me cornflakes which was fantastic, I hadnt had cornflakes since I left England. There is a good kitchen in the hostel and to save money me and Nacho went to the supermarket to stock up and food and drink to last us over the New Year period. I started to feel really ropey by now. I managed to eat a big dirty burger before heading back for a long siesta, another big night was ahead.
Down at an area called Industriales the main Xmas lights run alongside the river. To say they are impressive is an understatement, they are incredible. Thousands of people were milling around, checking at the hundreds of food stalls, temporary bars and gift shops. Not only that, a litre of beer was only 4k, bargain. The 5 of us were all together again and the atmosphere was fantastic. We had a great time and arranged to meet up the following night.
Back in Pit Stop the all you can drink rum and coke party was in full swing, it was 90% Aussies in the hostel. The bar shut at 12.30 so we walked into El Poblado and a bar called Octavia which is trendy and expensive. When that shut I found a small bar that was playing salsa so we piled into there for a while, and I had a few dances with the local grandmas much to everyones amusement. It was another 3.30am night, this routine is going to be my downfall.....
Nacho was a hero in the morning and made us huge healthy vegetarian sandwiches for lunch which my body craved the nutrition. I suggested we go out sight seeing for the day which was agreed upon. We returned to Parque Berrio which in the day as much nicer than when we were there 2 days ago. We posed for silly photos with the statues that passerby`s laughed at. Next to the park is the huge Museo de Antioquia that houses many of Botero`s paintings and sculptures. He really is a talented artist and the museum is excellent. Next to the museum is a brilliant fruit market where you can make up your own fruit smoothies for next to nothing.
Next up on the days tour was the Jardin Botanico where I fell asleep on the grass in the sunshine waiting for Yohana and her friend to turn up after they finished work. We sat and watched a cheeky squirrel steal crisps from a kid and run up into his tree, after a few moments a big crowd was standing and watching.
When we arrived back at Pit Stop I was very very happy to see that Andrew, Angela and Mayrena were there to. They had come across on a horrendous 14 hours journey from Bogota and were well in need of feeding and watering so I cooked fajitas for us all. Lynden and Lina were next to turn up shortly followed by JC, Yohana and Dayana, all my favourite friends were here in one place, I was made up.
We ended up in some club on Calle 10 that I dont remember the name of. What I do remember is that we stayed in there all night drinking, dancing, throwing popcorn at each other until we got kicked out at 2.30am. For a change we went back to Lynden and Lina`s place at Sunshine Hostel and carried on the party until the early hours. I could see a routine happening here....
New Years Eve and Pit Stop hostel was buzzing with excitement. In the morning I got a phone call from Dayana saying that we were invited to her family house for lunch. What a great surprise. She lives in the same area as JC and has a big flat with amazing views out over the city. We were given a traditional Colombian meal called bandeja paisa that had loads of good food on one plate. I really enjoyed and needed it. I checked out the very impressive and massive brick church downtown called Catedral Metropolitan. Construction was started in 1890 and took 40 years to complete using 1,120,000 fired adobe bricks - one of the world`s largest structures using this material.
I started to feel totally exhausted and had to go back for a siesta. I felt sick as a dog when I woke up and wondered how I would get through the night. By the time I had got myself together Pit Stop was rocking to the hilt and all the free rum punch had gone, from the smell of the bowl I didnt miss out on much. I stuffed a load of pizza down my throat, drank a shed load of water and by 10.30 was ready to party again, bring on the rum. The local man about town was letting off fireworks in the garden by holding them in his hand to huge cheers. I love the way in Colombia nobody has the slightest sense of danger.
Strangely there were 2 countdowns to NY and both went off with a huge cheer and loads of hugs and kisses. 30 seconds after Andrew, Angela and Mayrena walked in, they had been stuck outside the hostel on the street tyring to get in and had just missed the turn of the year, they didnt miss much to be honest. For some reason I had been elected leader of the after bar party and people were waiting on me to finish my bottle of rum, which took all of 3 minutes. Vamos I shouted at the top of my voice and the crowd gathered and we marched on down to Octavia.
It was rammed inside and it was impossible to get to the bar. NYE is not as big a deal as it is in England and Octavia was the only bar open, the nearest club was 15kms away. We returned to Sunshine Hostel because Andrew, Ang & Mayrena had moved there earlier and it was a great place to end the mad evening. I talked the owner into letting me crash there for the night as I wanted to move there myself in the morning. Another Medellin chapter ending and another one about to begin......
I went back to Pit Stop hostel in the morning to pick up my things to move into the much nicer Sunshine Hostel. Pit Stop was still rocking, there were casualities all over the place, I was so happy to get out of there and to some calm and quiet. Don`t get my wrong, I do like a good party hostel from time to time, but a few nights is enough for me until I need somewhere I can sleep.
In the back of Sunshine is a chill out area, big cushions and a hammock. Part of the roof is exposed so the midday sun comes down on to the hammock. I lay in the hammock with a couple of recovery beers before having a long and much needed siesta. I woke famished, I could have eaten a poorly monkey. Me and Andrew went out for a bite to eat and settled on a burger place. Mine actually tasted what I imagine a poorly monkey tastes like, it filled the huge whole in my stomach though.
I wasn`t in the mood for returning to the hostel yet so we went up to our now local bar, Donde Aquellos, for my favourite pastime, watching street life. To American men in their 60`s had 2 young, drunk and annoying girls hanging off of them. They oldies decided to leave and on the way out one turned to me and said, `here, I will leave you a present, I have already got her drunk for you` , then this girl started to letch all over me. At first it was slightly funny then it became really bloody annoying, when she started to flash her tits at me and propositioning my every 2 mins it got really embarrassin, for her more than me. In the end the bar manager called a taxi for her and we helped in the back of the taxi. What a state to get into and she has to be careful because there are some proper creepy guys about.
Another fun night out and the new people in the hotstel, Yana & Timon, are a good laugh too. With Xmas and New Year successfully enjoyed it was time I started to think about leaving Medellin and continuing on my journey through Colombia, across the country to the capital Bogota east of Medellin.
I wanted to get out of the city for the day and see one of the many smaller towns close to Medellin. One that I heard good reports of Santa Fe is only 1.5 hours drive away now that the biggest tunnel I have ever driven through is open, knocking a huge 3 hours off the driving time. Santa Fe is a lovely old colonial town surround by stunning mountains and has a relaxed slow pace about it. I liked the town as soon as I arrived in the baking midday heat.
We were starving by now and after checking out a few places we settled on Las Carnes del Tio (The meats of the uncle). The tables were set outside in a courtyard with paintings on the walls and bushes and plants all around. The food here is the best I have eaten in bloody ages, anybody reading this in Medellin you have to come here just for the food alone. Nearby was a small local museum called, Museu Juan Del Coral that is very well organised and worth checking out.
Outside the sun had gotten hotter, a cold beer was in order, then another, a walk around the artesan stalls and it was time to chill. I bought a local speciality drink at a stall, Michelaba, which is beer with lemon juice in it, with salt all around the rim of the glass. I am up for tyring almost anything as it is part of the experience. It was RANK, nearly made me vomit much to the amusement of the woman who sold it to me. All around were locals lapping it up! Each to their own.
We were enjoying the town so much we decided to stay longer and sit in the busy plaza to people watch longer. In true Colombian fashion we ordered a bottle of rum and coke and rolled around the table laughing our heads off. The atmosphere in the town was fantastic and we discussed staying the night but decided to head back to Medellin. If I was to return to Medellin I would definitely stay a weekend in Santa Fe. We were well squiffy by now and didnt want to sober up on the way back for fear of hangover kicking in, only one thing for it, another bottle of rum which we finished by the time we got back to the bus station!!!!
We gathered Yana, Timon and JC from Sunshine and returned to Donde Aquellos which is fast becoming a daily thing. We knecked 2 litres of rum between is in no time at all and were having a riot in the streets. I love this city. It is one of the few places on my travels I have got stuck in. When the bar shut we went back to the hostel to carry on the party, the fridge was stocked full of beer so there was no chance of us running out. Things got very silly, face painting, hangman on the white board, singing stupid songs etc. At 4am and elderly man who was staying in the hostel came out to complain about the noise to the girl working behind the bar. She shrugged her shoulders and finished her beer.
It is quiet ironic that I left Pitstop because of the non stop noise, and now I was part of creating it in a smaller more chilled out place. It was a totally different atmosphere and vibe with us, and much more fun. Today had been one of the best days of my time so far in Colombia. Big question, how long can I carry on partying like this and when to move on???
I slept in the next day only getting up to eat Andrews great food. By the evening I was feeling alive again and ready to hit the town. I am officialy stuck in Medellin, and I dont regret it one bit, what a city and what great friends I have here. I waited for JC to arrive until me, Ang, Mayrena, Andrew, Lynden and Lina headed out in the rain to find somewhere to dance. We were drawn back to Parque Periodistas and the dodgy goings on. La Papayara is an excellent place for salsa, merengue, cumbia etc and we all had a good dance. The rum was very expensive and it was like an oven inside so we moved on.
Just down the road to a bar called Wall Street. There was cheap rum in there so everyone was happy, I was even more happy to see on the huge screen music videos of The Charlatans, Stone Roses, Oasis and other early 90`s classics, it was like being back at college all over again. When the bar shut, guess where we went, ayeeee, Donde Aquellos to for another bottle. Me and Lynden stopped in the plaza on the way back and chatted to some locals. The sun was up when I finally called it a night!
The next day was Angela and Mayrena`s last day in Medellin and as Angela hadnt seen the lights I said we would go. We took the Metro to Industriales and walked up to the top of Cerro Nutibara and the look out. The view from there of the lights below and the city is amazing. I really hate goodbyes and saying goodbye to Angela and Mayrena was hard, we had such a good time together in Medellin. I felt a little, Andrew did the same so I suggested we go for a beer, Lynden joined us.
We sat in Parque Lleras near Donde Aquellos and watched the ruca`s and women walking about. We realised that it was the first time we werent in female company and could chat about lads stuff, which we took the max. Some guy that Lynden knows with a long pony tail, from this point known as Pelo Largo (long hair) joined us for a beer. Next to where we were sat were 3 young not very attractive girls that Pelo Largo was obviously interested in. I said `well go and talk to them then`, he said `no, cant you go over and do your blonde thing with them`!!!! No chance mate. It was an early night at 1am and I was still in Medellin, I really should make a move soon.
In the morning I was all over the place, the partying had taken its toll and I felt like I had been in a boxing ring for 5 hours with a Mike Tyson on crack. I called Yohana and told her that I was planning on leaving Medellin tomorrow and was she free to meet up later. I had a very very nice suprise, Yohana, Dayana and JC all came over in the evening and we went for a coffee on the plaza. They had even brought me a gift, a Colombian flag tshirt that was such a nice touch. We had a great hour together going over our time together here in Medellin. It was another sad farewell to my friends that I will miss very much.
Back in Sunshine I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and ready for a quiet and early night. Andrew, Lynden, Lina, Pelo Largo, Carolina and Imri the hostel owner had other thoughts. They wanted to party. What was I supposed to do??? I couldnt stay in now I could I??? We piled into 2 taxis and headed out of town to a big club called La Cantina, a mix of gringos and locals. As soon as I entered the club a voluptous and attracitive blonde woman started talking to me and invited me to sit at her table. She was speaking good English so I thought why not. She was with a club owner from Miami who looked a bit pissed off I was there, and he was a huge mucker.
We got rum and coke and soon I was back on top form. As I was going up to dance the blonde woman, who was now with her brunette friend and another mad meat head sat with her grabbed me and wanted to take photos of with me. Does she have a death wish or what, I posed for a couple, then to make matters worse, gave one of the men my camera to take photos for me!! It was hilarious in the club, one of those nights where everyone was on peak form.
I woke up fully dressed and wearing my shoes lying on my top bunk. I dont remember getting there. I was in no fit state to sit on a bus for 8 hours to Bogota so I suggested to Andrew we go somewhere for the day. We ended up in a totally random town called Rio Negro. Not a lot going on apart from an Italian restaurant and falling asleep by the side of a river only to be woken up by rain drops landing on me.
On the way back to Medellin I made my decision, no matter what, I am leaving Medellin in the morning. I went to Donde Aquellos to say goodbye to everyone, for the last time this time. I could easily stay here for weeks and weeks, I love Medelllin, I love the people here and the feel of the city, it is hard to leave......
I had finally pulled myself away from Medellin and was back on the road, and into relatively unknown backpacker territory, off the beaten track again. From talking to the hostel owner I had liked the sounds of Rio Claro, a campsite next to a river in the rain forest. I made my way to the northern bus terminal in Medellin and had to wait 1.5 hours for the 2.15 bus. I started to think that I would be pitching my tent in the dark. I was on a small little bus with no leg room and was the only traveller on it. I nodded off and woke up as we were pulling into a small restaurant at the side of the road.
Everbody got off and I got myself a tasty ice cream. Some of the locals were curious and came over to talk to me, one man was very friendly, he was here with his family on the way for a break and invited me to see his home and the area. Back on the bus he introduced me to his heavliy pregnant sister sat next to him. She asked me my name, `James` I replied, she then told me if she has a boy she will name him after me. I couldnt believe it, we swapped emails so she could let me know is she has a boy or a girl.
I was daydreaming out of the window looking down the valley when people shouted for the bus driver to stop. I had reached my destination, if it was left to me I would have never of known to stop there. From talking to the people and telling them where I was going they made the driver stop for me. Such wonderful people in Colombia. They leant out of the bus window and waved goodbye as their bus pulled away.
I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, a gate led into a a gravel road with a small campsite on the left hand side. A few Colombians had already pitched their tents and were cooking dinner. I realised what a rain forest meant, it was soooooo humid. I was dripping with sweat just standing there. I pitched my tent on a flat piece of grass and made my way over the toilet block for a shower. No lights, electricity or running water. I went to the restuarant by the side of the road to ask who to speak to, they just shrugged their shoulders to say you are on your own buddy.
By now I was hungry and needed water. 20 mins further into the forest is a hotel/restuarant type of place called El Refugio (the refuge). I spoke to the owner and she said I could buy the set dinner and water from her. At last I was surrounded by countryside, not a bottle of rum in site and I was starting to relax. I made my way back to my tent before I got too sleepy, it was pitch black but my head torch gave me enough light. I was not at all comfortable in my tent, so so hot, I could feel bugs around me and the noise of the river keeping me awake.
That didnt stop me from falling asleep. I awoke to heavy heavy rain at 6.30am. I looked outside and it was bouncing down. The ground was soaked. I thought this has to stop soon so I waited, and fell back to sleep for an hour. I was woken by huge thunder and lightening, I put my hand on the floor and felt it move. I WAS FLOATING. Shiiiiiitttttt. I looked outside my tent and I was in a small pool an inch or so high. Shiiiiiiiittttt. I jumped into action. Stuffed as much as I could in my backpack and ran in my boxers across the campsite to the toilet block and a small shelter to leave my bag there.
When I returned to my tent the water had rose high enough to get inside it, I was flooded. I rescued as much as I could, unpegged my tent and dragged it to higher ground, it was full of water. I was drenched to the skin, the rain was so so so heavy, I have never seen anything like it. I had left pegs and poles in the mini-lake where my tent had been. Other people were flooded to. We stood looking out to the rain wondering if it would ever stop. I was cold, drenched and feeling pretty pissed off with the situation.
I didnt want to give up and leave, but this is no fun at all. Everything was soaked in shitty river water, I envied the people sat in their jeeps and cars dry and protected from the rain. Some kind soul came round with a jug of coffee he had made for us to share, the people in Colombia are so nice, how many times have I said that now. Eventually after another hour the rain stopped. I went back to inspect the damage. Water inside still and missing pegs. Bloody hell.
A young man called Wilda came over and asked if I needed anything, I just said something to dry the inside of my tent with, he lent me a couple of towels he had. I mopped up as best I could and hung my things on string to dry as best as possible. Miraculously I found my 3 tent pegs in the water, that would have a mare to have lost those. As I was walking to the toilet block for my backpack I heard my name, startled I looked up and saw Carolina from my hostel standing there. She had arrived with 3 friends last night too and was also washed out. It was great to see a fun and friendly face.
The sun was starting to come out and the mornings glood was lifting. We put our day bags together and went on a really fun walk along the river, with caves and stalagmites, small beaches, view points and death slides. We found a good spot to rest and swim in for a while. We had to be careful not to leave the side of the river as the current was very very strong and getting dragged along was not worth thinking about.
Carolina and friends were heading back to Medellin the same day and we had just enough time for lunch together before they flagged a coach back. I returned to El Refugio for dinner and had a long chat with Tatyana the owner about an alternative overland route into Panama and some great places to visit there. More options to think about. She gave me a fruit to try, Guama, which is a fluffy white fruit that is delicious. A kind man gave me a lift back to camp in th back of his pickup. Wilda had set up a bbq and I sat with him and his gf talking about the wildlife here. He works in the Botanical Gardens in Medellin. What a fantastic day after the worst of starts.
There was another heavy storm between 8 and 10 in the morning but this time I was prepared and had positioned my tent so that I wouldnt get flooded again. When the sun finally came I ran down to El Refugio for a very quick breakfast and for my days fun. There are loads of activities do here, the one that stood out for me was the caving and it was relatively cheap to. All I had with me were my sandals, shorts tshirt and headtorch. First we had to pull ourselves across the fast flowing river using the rope between 2 trees, holding on for dear life.
The path opened up into amazing forest, some trees 100m`s high with trunks incredible wide. We hiked up slippy marble rocks for half an hour until we reached the opening of a cave. At first the water was ankle deep then it started to get deeper. I jumped out of my skin when I heard screeching from above, Guacharas in the roof of the cave screaming. I was walking last in the line and my head torch batteries started to go, great I thought, just dont drop back to far or I am screwed.
What happened next was one of the highlights of my travels. In some places we had to slide off marble rocks into plunge pools below. In the dark nearly unsighted this was pretty scary, totally submerging under the water, head torch and all. Some of the slides were really long with drop off`s at the end. Adrenalin was pumping through my body, what a rush. Finally I could see natural light, we had reached the inside of waterfall, the one I walked past yesterday. To finish the fun, we climbed down a rope ladder in the waterfall to the river and pulled ourselves back across the river by another rope. This was one of the best tours I have ever done.
I am so glad I decided to stick out here another night. I wouldnt have missed that experience for the world. Not only that, with the sun being out all my stuff had dries and I could back up my tent and belongings dry. I wasnt dry at all the humidity was insane, I felt like I was under a shower. I waited 30 mins at the side of the road until a coach stopped for me to get on and to take me to Bogota. The aircon was heavenly. What should have been a 5 hour journey took 7.5 and I arrived in the capital at midnight!!!!
we continue..... I arrived in Bogota around midnight and took a taxi straight to the Cranky Croc hostel that had been recommended to me, only to find it was full. The owner called around and found me a room in a nearby place called Destino Nomada Hostel (DN Hostel), it had only been open 6 weeks and was spotless. I was in a 5 bed dorm to myself which was lucky. The hot shower was luxurious after my camping escapades in RIo Claro and I was starving by now. That was a small problem as I had no food and there were no restaurants or take aways open. Hmmmm, not to worry. Andres who was working the night shift very kindly gave me some of his chicken and rice dinner that he has spare, that with my first beer in 3 days tasted amazing.
I spent all my saturday day sorting out my soaked camping stuff, hanging out books and possesions to dry in the morning sun. Cleaning river water and mud off stuff and generally trying to get my shit together. The hostel set up is awesome, free breakfast, free internet and a laundry service in 2 hours! By 4pm I was ready to see what Bogota had to offer. I called up my friend Sara and arranged to meet her in Centro Commercial Andina on calle 83. It was right at the other end of town and it took me ages to find the right bus that dropped me off close by.
I arranged to meet Sara at the Juan Valdez coffee shop in Andino. I waited, no sign of her. So I asked if there was somewhere I could use a phone, there is always somebody nearby that is selling mobile calls by the minute, not here. Hmmm, what were my options. I asked a woman security guard if there was a locutorio, no she replied. I told her that I had to make an urgent phone call. She thought for a moment then had an idea, her mother was working in the next door fast food shop and she let me use her mobile phone for a small fee. I called Sara and told her I was here. OK, no problem. So I waited, and waited, eventually the security guard came over and told me Sara was on her mothers mobile, she was down stairs waiting, I was on the 4th floor, little did I know there were Juan Valdez coffees shops in the same centre!!!
Anyway, we eventually met up and I had a great afternoon being shown all around the Zona Rosa and Zona T areas of the city. Sara is from Bogota and works in TV as PR and knows loads of cool places. We later met up with her brother Jose who is an agent for actors and Alexander an actress. Sara had never tried drinking Guiness so I had to take her to the Irish bar to try some, not a success, but my real ale was delicious. It is bloody expensive in the bars here, 2 beers cost the same as my accommodation!!!
We walked back to her flat which she shares with Juirana for food and drinks before hitting the town. Sara and Juirana know the owner of a very fashionable bar called Sand, so we went there and got in free, much to my relief. It was pretty empty when we arrived and the clientel were actors, dancers, singers etc, as you can imagine there was some amazing dancing going on. It had a very arrogant and fake atmosphere which I didnt like. Some guy that I was told was a very famous actor, I hadnt a clue who he was, came over and bought a massive bottle of whiskey to share with us which was a bonus. At £200 a bottle he must have been seriously loaded!!!
Sunday morning and a lazy day ahead. I had just finished watching a premiership footy match on the big tv when the hostel got a phone call for me. It was Angela, she was here in Bogota and was moving into DN, fantastic. Sara came over in the afternoon and I cooked a spag bol for the 3 of us. The Xmas lights were still up in plaza Bolivar so we had a walk around the area. Almost everywhere was shut but we did find one bar open, En Boga that had a terrace looking down onto 19th street for a beer to end the weekend.
Monday was a public holiday, I have no idea why, but it was, and most of the museums are free on public holidays. I was feeling in a cultural mood so that was ideal. 2 blocks down from the hostel is the Botero Museum which is a really big museum, It doesnt just house paintings and sculptures by Boterok, there are also works by Picasso, Kilmt, Henry Moore and Paul Delveauk. It is one of the best art museums I have seen and well worth an hour or two exploring. In the same complex is Casa de Moneda, House of Money which is not my bag, and the Banco de la Republica museum which is good.
From here me and Angela walked downtown to check out the street stalls and the busy markets. Another stroke of luck, the highest building in the city was open because it was a public holiday. The Colpatrio building is 50 stories high and visitors can walk around outside on the top floor. The view of the city and the surrounding mountains are amazing. Something else that is a must when visiting Bogota. Finally we ended up back in Zona Rosa and the excellent Bogota Brewery Company pub where I savoured pints of stout and real ale, a taste sensation.
There are loads to do in the surround area of Bogota, one of them is a place called Guativita which is home to the legend of El Dorado, a small lake where a boat laden with gold was meant to have sunk. There was a demonstration in the city centre about something to do with the dodgy pyramid savings accounts that thousands of locals have lost millions in dollars in. Riot police lined the street but it was a peaceful demo and no kicking off.
It took a little over 2 hours to get to the small quaint town of Guatavita with its white washed houses. Drizzle was in the air and the skies were grey, I felt knackered and tingley like my body was fighting off a cold or something. We had a short walk to the big lake then started on a hike up to the lake with El Dorado. After an hour of walking up a windy road we met two locals digging a field. We were told it was closed today!!! Great, so we turned around and waited by the side of the road for half an hour for a bus heading back to Bogota.
I wasnt ready to return to the city so we randomly jumped off the bus at the next village along called Sesquile. There is nothing going on here, a small plaza and a pretty church, with a few restaurants and bars around the plaza. We sat on a terrace people watching and enjoying a few cold beers. Angela told me she hadnt tried aguardiente so I bought a bottle for the bus ride back to Bogota. We just about finished as we got back, both really drunk by now and starving. Nealy all of town was shut apart from an excellent Mexican place with a real log fire to warm us from the cold and drizzle. A perfect end to a peaceful day out of the big city.
For some reason I decided to check my passport when I woke and my Colombian visa. Shit, my 90 day visa expires on 22nd Feb. For the first time I thought about my travels coming to an end. I felt very surreal and strange. Reality strikes. I spent most of the day looking at flights and thinking about the best way to get back to England, via which countries and when. All through my travels my plan had been to reach the Caribbean coast of Colombia then decide what to do. That was 5 weeks away, and I still had no clue what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, and when. One thing for it, a bottle of rum and to ponder things over. These things will work themselves out, they always do.....
It was cold, grey and raining when I walked out into the city, a good day for inside stuff. By now my hair was very much in need of a chop, it was the longest it has been since I had a terrible mullet at high school. I asked around for a good place to go and the 3rd on my list, all the others were shut, I settled down for a trim. I should have gone with my gut instinct and left when I watched the woman start hacking away, but I was to polite to sat anything. She made a right hash of it, ok, it looked better than it was, but not a good enough job for me to stop wearing hats!!!
I had been very highly recommended to visit the Police Museum and the exhibition there, so that is what we did. A young policeman gave us a tour of the building which consisted mainly of items captured from Pablo Escobar and his cartel. If you don`t know, Escobar was the main cocaine dealer in the world during the 80`s and ran most of Colombia and was the most wanted man on the planet, the USA waged a personal war against him. He was eventually captured and killed, his guns, jacket etc that he was wearing at the time are on display here, a long with original wanted posters and other information. It is a fascinating museum and very worth while going to.
My very good friend Andrew arrived late afternoon which meant more celebrations. The thai restaurant downtown we walked to was closed so we had to change plans. Bogota is a bizarre city, it is the capital but nothing seems to be open. I wonder if it is because the universities are out of term, the only people hanging around were drunks, homeless, aggressive drug addicts and whores, it had a real edge to that area. We did find a great cheap take away pizza place on the way back to the hostel to fill our faces with.
Friday and the weekend was upon me again. In the morning as I was eating my egg sandwich and checking my emails in the hostel I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find it was Nacho, amazing. I was surrounded by 3 of my best friends in South America. In the afternoon we visited the Modern Art Museum which is spread out over 3 floors. It holds works by Botero and Grau and an awesome painting of a big eye that I really liked.
The most famous club in Bogota is Cha Cha`s which is on the 41st floor of a tower block with stunning views out over the city. We went, paid the 15k entrance, not cheap and hit the bar. It was almost empty when we arrived and didnt get much busier during the night. The DJ was a really cool guy, we chatted for a while about progressive house and tech house, though his tunes were hit and miss, to cheesy for my liking. I got the feeling that Bogota is a much more happening place when the students are back, I still had a good time in the club.
Saturday night we all went out for dinner close to the Bull rink at a local restaurant called Parilla del Parque in an area called La Macarena. It was a real meat feast with plenty of wine. I have no idea what Nacho ordered, it looked very much like mondongo (tripe) to me and looked disgusting. German, the owner of the hostel told us the place to go to dance was Goce Pagoda so we headed there. It is usually a student haunt, has a strictly afro-latin music policy which I really like. I was hypnotised by the long latin jazz songs on the video screen. I had a few dances before my legs and eyes felt heavy, the partying catching up again. The hostel that was sooo peaceful and quiet when I first arrived was pumping until the early hours, it was turning into a party hostel from the people there.
I slept in late and was rudely awoken by two crying kids!!! A family of 4 were staying in the room opposite me, who would bring young children to a hostel like this! Anyway, after the shock of finding out that the ATM had incorrectly taken out £400 from my account and dealing with the fraud team of my bank to look into it, it was time to make the most of the beautifully sunny Sunday morning. We, that is my, Angela and Nacho walked across town to pick up Andrew and Eliza. In the plaza was a huge flee market. People were selling the biggest load of cheap tat that I have ever seen, and I have seen some shite car boots etc. Broken in half keyboards, cameras that were in bits, comics that the ink had run on, rusty nails, you name it, it was there, straight to the bin stuff. So funny to stand back and watch what people were picking up.
One of the biggest tourist attractions in Bogota is the Gold Museum, Museo de Oro, which just happens to be free on Sunday`s. This really is an amazing museum, videos on how to extract, produce and bend gold, 1000`s of original pieces dating from 100`s of years back. An amazing collection of priceless items.
OK, a word of warning now, if you dont like bull fights, skip this next section!!! I am totally against animal cruelty, but I am travelling to experience as much as I can and bull fights are a tradition in Colombia and I felt I should go and experience one. Before getting into the area we had a bit of a confrontation. Outside the stadium was a big protest against the `sport`. Demonstration, blockades, barriers and plackards. As curious tourists we walked up close and took out cameras out to take photos of the demostrators. One man took offence to this and came over and approached showing us his dissapproval. We claimed it is a free country etc, one of the stewards advised us to put our cameras away and move on, good advice as it was starting to get a little bit sketchy, an interesting moment to say the least.....
Inside the cordoned off area to the stadium were queues for tickets everywhere. The tickets are bloody expensive, 65k each, which is way over my budget. I had an idea to hang around until it started to see if we could get cheap ones. You could tell it was a rich persons event by the people, clothes and wealth knocking about. Andrew bought a Bota, a sack kind of vessel for drinking aguardiente out of. We bought 2 litres of the lethal liqour and poured it in. A tout approached us just after the gig started, we got excellent 86k seats for 50k each.
Inside is a circular stadium, 2/3rds full and a great atmosphere. We were in for a different type of bull fight, all the matadors were on horseback and not foot. First off the bulls are slowed down by 3 sabres stuck in there bodys, the horseman ship to get close to the bulls is incredible. It is really horrible to see the bull being stabbed by the sticks, especially if the matador is off target. It is a very strange experience to be inside the stadium, a very good atmosphere, party like, to watch the slow killing of a poor animal. It is a mixture of emotions. We drank freely from La Bota.
We watched 6 fights, you cant really call them fights as there is only going to be one winner. 2 of them were well done, I say well done in the way that the bull suffered the least and was well put to sleep, the others were, bloody horrible to watch. Being honest, there is an excitement about the whole thing, the atmosphere, skill involved but at the same time I had a deep regret about the suffering of the bulls. It is an experience I am glad to have witnessed to understand more about the people and culture I was living in at the time.
Andrew left before the end, I have never seen him so drunk as this, we quaffed a shed load of aguardiente and he was well on his way. Me and Angela walked back from the stadium, god knows how but I remember stopping to rest from laughing so much. It was only late afternoon, daytime drinking of hard local spirits is not recommended if you want to do anything afterwards. It was the birthday of one of the guys in the hostel when we got back so more partying was had until the wee hours, it was turning into a Medellin all over again. Time to leave....
So I did..... this was one of the hardest goodbyes of all. Firstly Angela was heading back to Lima, we had shared so many amazing times together in Colombia and will miss her dearly. Also Nacho was staying longer and I will miss his company too, mi salsa, so many laughs. But on a positive note, Andrew decided to join me in my travels through my last few weeks in Colombia which I was super chuffed with. It was pelting down with rain as we headed north on the Transmilenia to the northern bus terminal....... Back on the road again. Bogota had given me some amazing experiences, a bizarre city in its own unique way....
We arrived in the small bustling town of Tunja at 6pm after 2.5 hours on a coach from Bogota. A short tazi ride from the the tiny station and we were dropped off by the side of the huge plaza in the town centre. People were milling about looking for places to eat. We were looking for a place to sleep. In the guide books it recommended a hostel a called Hotel Saboy, outside it looked like a local house. Inside it was!!!! A massive structure on 2 floors with 3 generations of a family living inside. We had to help move beds around into this shambles of a room that needed more than a paint of coat. It was like something out of the 70`s but was so so charming.
The head of the house grandma was a dear old sole and really funny with her antique manerisms, it was basic as basic good get and had a really homely feel to the place. I was so tired that as long as I warm and had a bed I was happy. It was still pelting down with rain outside so we had to dash between buildings with over hanging roofs to keep from getting soaked. As usual nearly everywhere was already shut when we when out for dinner. A good place that I can recommend is San Thoyo that has a great menu, not to expensive and an indoor golf putting course which is very unique!!! I did great job of avoiding the rain on the way back to the hostel until this massive SUV came flying by and hit the biggest puddle in the town just as I was running past it, you can imagine the rest, a true comedy basic.
We were going to be leaving Tunja in the afternoon which gave us a full morning to see the sites here. 4 or 5 hours is more than enough to capture the best parts. Andrew is a Catholic and has a vast knowledge of Cathedrals, Saints and religious history and is a great guide to have when visiting churces and cathedrals which Tunja has many of. First up was the amazing Santo Domingo which hosts the stunning Capilla del Rosario which is covered in red and gold art and paintings, this is worth seeing if nothing else. Next was Santa Joseta, the victim soul, who came from this area, she is a whole story in herself and the huge Iglesia San Francisco.
Finally of the churches we visited Iglesia de Santa Clara La Real which we were the first visitors of the day. All of the saints had there own paitings in the main part of the church, not only catholic saints, there were Inca and other religious pieces, this was to entice other relgions to the church and slowly convert them, The Inca sun relics are stunning. Our guide is also a tourist policeman and works there, not only does he know the church inside out he knows the histoty of the town, top bloke. Walking down one of the streets I witnessed one of the strangest things I have seen in a long while. A run down old house, totally trashed inside with rubbish and 2 cows walking about inside eating food scartching about for food. I coudln`t believe my eyes at first, very bizarra, only in South America!!!
After a great cheap menu lunch whilst watching the inaguaration of Barack Obama into the White House we visited some famous houses by the plaza. These had been converted into museums, Casa de Juan de Vargas has the most amazing paintings of animals and jungles on the ceilings, definitely worth checking out. I had only been in Tunja for 24 hours, so much history and culture to see, and 1 day is more than enough to see it all.....
It was only a short 1 hour bus ride to very picturesque and quaint small town of Villa de Leyva. The plaza is huge and published as the biggest in Colombia with gorgeous scenery overlooking it. We booked straight into Colombian Highlands hostel which is in a gorgeous piece of land with simply stunning views of the countryside around. We were in a 6 bed dorm with a fantastic terrace looking out to the mountains across the valley.
As soon as we dropped our bags off we were on a walk, through the gorgeous little town and to a German owned vineyard a km out of town. It felt like walking into someones house it was that small, Joachim, the German owner was sat drinking a coffee and reading and reading the paper when we knocked on the door. He seemed a little put out at first, like, what do these to want. As soon as he realised we were both wine lovers and asked loads of questions about his vines, processes etc he soon warmed up and gave us a details tour of his place and a tasting. The Cab Sav is excellent and we were bought a bottle that he sold us for trade price.
There is an outdoor bbq in the hostel and we wanted a meat feat to go with the wine. You would have thought buying some meat was a simple job, nooooooo, not here. Everywhere is set up so you are forced into eating at one of the many expensive restaurants. There are plenty of butchers but they only sell the good pieces of meat in massive quantities, as much as we tried they would not sell small portions. The 5th and last butchers were tried we cut a deal with them, 4 different types of meat, 2 people portions at a reasonable price, what a ball ache for such a simple thing. It was all worth while though as it was a feast fit for a king, a calm, warm stary night, home grown wine and organic meat and salad cooked and eaten outside.
I couldnt believe the view out of the dorm in the morning, clear blue skies and and mist rolling through the hills. I stood on the balcony with my coffee and stared out with a smile on my face, I just had to go walking up there, to the national parque, Santuario de Iguague. Day bags packed with water and food, a walk into town and bus to the drop off point and we were at the bottom of the hike up into the hills. A 3 km uphill hike through gorgeous forests following a flowing river. 2 children were playing pooh sticks, one of the boys is the son of the park keeper and is here for the school holidays and has a real cheeky character.
We reached the entrance to the park after lunch which was leaving it a bit late. We still had enough time to reach the waterfall and back if we trekked hard, no problem. What was a problem was the entrance to the park, 31k, WTF!!! That is equivalent to 2 nights accommodation, for a few hours walking in the woods. The same costs as if you wanted to camp. No amount of bartering would make any difference. If he said, ok, 5k each, which would still be expensive, then I would have paid it, instead, he said 31k or nothing. Nothing it was. We turned around and walked back to the main road, incredible.
That was a blessing in disguise as the views were just as good returning as going up. We carried on along the backroads towards some old ruins. We passed a truck being loaded up with some strange type of fruit. We stopped and talked to the couple whose fruit and truck it was, they gave us the fruit to try, bloody delicious so we bought a jar of jam from them to go with out lunch. They were heading to a local market to sell their mass of pallets.
We managed to hitchhike a lift on the back of a truck to the Archeological Park out in the hills. It was turning into one of those amazing random days that I remember more than any other days. The park was full of stone monoliths, a dozen or so huge phallic stones that people come to worship to help their fertility!!!!! What ever works I suppose..... Another stroke of luck, Martin the sun of Joachim the vineyard owner drove past us we were walking the long distance back to town and gave us a lift in his car;. Shit I love Colombia, this country is amazing, the countryside, people, culture and the feeling I get travelling here.
We had time for one last walk in the morning before moving on again. Behind the hostel is a fantastic walk up through a valley up to waterfalls and perfectly clear views over the town. We walked down a different route passing through a building site that will now be the Arco Iris hotel. We met the owner who is a real friendly man, it is not in the packpacker range, more like honeymoon accommodation and weekend retreats, 5 star quality. It was with reluctance that I headed to the bus station, I could easily stay a week here in Villa De Leyva if I had the time, a place I would love to return to..........
I felt very relaxed and refreshed after the waterfall walk in Villa de Leyva. We had to return to Tunja on the bus before catching anoter 4 hour one to San Gil with some stunning scenery along the way. We checked into the recommended Maconda Hostel owned by an Aussie guy that I actully think is a bit ofan arrogant tosser.
For dinner I fancied Italian so we went to to a place that sells both pizza and lasgna on a street corner a block from the main plaza. Andrew ordered a basic pizza and I a special lasagna. As I was eating my dish I thought something was wrong, then I noticed that there was no tomato sauce, there was none on the pizza either. WTF is that all about. Not only that, I noticed some small pink things in my lasagna, shrimps!!!! I am alergic to sea food. I picked out the offending item and put them on the side of my plate, the waitress asked why, I told her I was allergic to them, she walked off laughing, unbelievable. Needless to say they didnt get a tip.
The main reason to come to San Gil is for the watersports, loads of stuff to do. The rafting was really expensive so I gave that a miss. What did jump out for me was Hydrospeeding, something I have never come across before. Basically it is going down a river, about grade 2 rapids, on a body board wearing a helmet and flippers, sounds insane, and it is....
My flippers didnt fit properly so I had to turn them upside down and switch feet, talking about chaffing. We slowly slid into the cold water and were given instructions to listen to from the lead kayaker who would show us the line to take. The first rapids were the biggest and most daunting. I was pretty bloody nervous I tell you. The instructor told us to keep left, I made my way over when my right flipper came off, SHIT, I was dragged right, totally flipped in the waves and chucked towards the rocks. My right knee scraped down a sharp rock and just above my right ankle slammed into an edge.
I was in massive pain, couldnt move my leg with numbness, I paddled to the side and managed to get my flipper back on. Next problem, I was on the wrong side of the river for the next set of rapids, it was a major effort to get on the correct line and to stay on my board. I was exhausted and hung on to the back of the support kayak until I could get my leg moving properly again. Adrenalin was pumping around my body.
Thankfully the river quietened down and we could float along easily for a short while, the longer I went the more control I got over the board until in the end I was seeking out the smaller rapids to go through. The trees and countryside either side were amazing and the sun beating down us. 11kms and 1.5 hours in the water was plenty, I was shattered at the end. I was shocked to see the state of my leg, cut almost to the bone. The scar still hasnt heeled properly 3 months later!!
Me, Andrew and Tom, who came with us on the Hydrospeeding took a bus to Barichara 40 mins away to have a look at the gorgeous colonial village and to go on a famous hike from there. I knew within half an hour of arriving there that there was no chance of me trekking, my leg had swollen up a massive side. Andrew was also in pain with 2 chunks taken out of his stomach. What a crazy sport!
After checking out the church, museum and cemetry we needed painkillers and booze. We sat people watching in the small plaza as we set about numbing the pain. A very drunken man came and talked at us for a while until we had to ignore him so he went away. I couldnt get over a big stone statue of a Hormiga, which translates as huge ass, a big assed ant that people eat as a delicacy. I was going to try one until I found out the cost, bloody expensive. The Ibuprofen and half litre of rum had done its trick and it was time to head back to San Gil on the bus.
It was Friday night and despite my wound I still wanted to check out the nightlife so we hopped into a taxi to the furthest of the 2 clubs called Trapiche. It was almost empty when we arrived and full of couples dancing and not socialising. I had a couple of dances with a couple of locals before the music turned crap, time to leave. We asked the barman to call a taxi, nothing for 20 mins so we decided to walk in the pitch black towards town. No taxis we coming by, it could be a long walk.....
By the side of the road I saw a sign on the side of the building for `Painball` what a great typo. Further on is a place called Bariloche that is basically a whore house. We went inside for a beer to keep the levels topped up and even the whores werent taking any notice, it was definitely one of those nights. We continued walking and soon after actually managed to get a taxi to take us to the other big club, Masai Masa. This was the same situation as before so we called it quits.
Some guys were in my dorm in Maconda and turned it in to a sty and it bloody stank to, it was an easy decision to move down the road into the much nicer place 3 doors down, my own big room for the first time in ages. My leg was a mess but not bad enough to stop me going paragliding, another first for me. A group of us from Maconda and my new hostel got in a van for the hour drive to near some amazing canyons with the Rio Chicamocha below.
I watched as my friends went up first, it seemed so calm and peaceful as the chutes moved in the currents. The death spirals looked really exciting. I wasnt at all nervous as I was strapped into the harness and took off. It is a strange sensation floating in the air, I was really enjoying it looking out to the mountains and the canyons. My instructor asked if I wanted to try the death spiral, too bloody right. Man what a rush that is, unfortunately I felt started to feel sick. To give my instructor credit he held us almost stationery in the air until my nausiousness passed. He very gently got us back down to the ground, my friends laughed as my face resembled a ghost, all the colour had drained from it. I had to lie down for a while to stop from throwing up.
The sun was really strong so we returned to the main office. Locals were playing a kind of skittle boules with amazing accuracy. 2 packs of crisps and 3 beers settled my stomach and I was ready for the evenings entertainment. Our paragliding group went for dinner together at the excellent La Mana restaurant. It was the last opening night before they closed to refurbish the place.
As is this custom in the small towns everyone gathered in the plaza and got pissed until it was time to hit the clubs. A load of us went to Masai Masa which was loads better than the previous night. We hooked up with a load of locals that we had met since we arrived. Andrew was dancing with this woman and getting along fine. At the end of the night we had an incident. A man that was with us, declared his love for the woman that Andrew was dancing with, she didnt want any of it, in the end 3 police had to escort him out of the club as he was getting a little psycho.....
Dancing all night on my leg was not the best of ideas and I was feeling it the next day. A few of us took a taxi to nearby Curiti, Andrew and friends went off caving and I walked, or should I say limped through town to the nearby pools. There is a serious of 40 or so pools set in a valley that runs for miles. I found a quiet spot away from the masses to sit and chill in the countryside. I had arranged to meet up with the others for lunch before larking about in the river. We had the worst soup I have ever encountered , it looked the colour of mud and tasted the same. We got some serious mileage of laughter out of that soup for days after.
Continuing on with the busy schedule in the morning we went to the amazing Juan Curi Falls just out of town. It was a great walk up through the forest to the plunge pool at the bottom. I was surprised by how warm the water was, the warmest water I have come across in a waterfall. We were lucky by hitching a lift back to town with a Spanish family from Barcelona on holiday here. There was enough time to pack and to start the journey to Mompos.......
Getting to places is sometimes more of an adventure than the place itself, the journey to Mompos was one, as well as Mompos being one of the most charming places I have seen. With me and Andrew on the journey was a young Swiss girl called Nadja, who turned out to be a very independent traveller. It was a 2 1/4 hour bus to Bucaramanga with some amazing views of the canons, breathtaking. At the main terminal of Bucaramanga we had a short wait until changing buses to Barrancabermeja (Barranca), I stood in amazement as I watched the prettiest road cleaner I have set eyes upon, only in Colombia.
Another short bus journey of 2 3/4 hours and we were in the incredibly hot and humid town of Barranca, incredible heat. There area around the bus station felt very sketchy, hawkers were trying to carry our bags and get us to go one of the hotels there, no no no. I told a particulary sketchy man to let go of my backpack and do one. After much walking and asking around we found a perfect place called Hotel Anterza for only 13k each with good ceiling fans. There was no water when we arrived so we had to go out to eat sweaty from the trip.
We dumped our bags and headed to Plaza La Vida which is surrounded by bars and restaurants, and surprisingly bloody expensive. The best place was a local eatery for a burger and a beer which also played very good salsa. It was still baking hot at 10pm, I had a very refreshing cold shower in reception then went straight to sleep as we had to be up at 5am in the morning.
It was still very humid in the morning. We took a cab down to the harbour and was shocked at the cost of the boat, 55k, but that was our only option. We woke ourselves up as best as possible with tinto`s, the name for a small sugary black coffee, donned our lifevests and squeezed inside the little boat. The sunrise over Rio Magdalena was out of this world, it felt very soulful. I had just started reading 100 Years Of Solitude by the Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez which is about some of the areas I would be travelling in. It was one of the best books I have ever read, he won the Nobel prize for this book.
Loads of locals got on and off our boat as they went to there work places along the river, we often stopped to pick up cargo and food. It took a total of 5.5hrs to get to the busy little port town of El Banco, I suppose 55k is not bad for the length of the journey. It was chaos when we arrived, men crowded around us to take us further along the journey. It was midday and baking hot. I managed to barter a jeep ride for us down from 30k each to 12k, amazing how much they think gringos will pay, a lot of them will do. We waited for 1.5hrs waiting for more passengers before we could set off, enough time for a chicken arepa and a couple of cold beers.
The 3 hours to Mompos were on dirt roads with loads of pot holes, clear blue lakes, rivers, fields and bamboo houses scattered around. The driver hit a huge iguana that was lying in the road, she was pregnant and we managed to save her eggs and put them to the side of the road, unfortunately the iguana died. We had 2 river crossings on wooden boats along the way which gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs.
We got dropped of outside the only hostel, La Casa Amarilla. The dorms were all full but next door is a huge house that the owners are planning to knock through to make one big hostel, we were given the keys to the entire place, what luck, our own house. Nadja took the last dorm bed which I didnt mind as she had been whinging all day and doing my head in.
I went for a stroll and found a plaza with loads of local food stores all around, at Parque Santa Domingo opposite the cathedral. Huge portions of meat and salad for only 5k, this is more like it and my kind of thing, local prices in local places again. Not another traveller in site, I was loving it. The atmosphere of the place was relaxed, happy and jovial, I was loving Mompos already. I was absolutely shattered after the long day travelling, I fell asleep on top of my bed with the fan on full blast.
Mompos is a kind of town where time stood still, I could it imagine the cargo boats coming down the river 400 years ago emptying into the massive white mansions along the banks. It is slow paced, good climate and something like I have never seen before. It is a perfect place to relax and unwind, sit by the river and watch the flotsam go past whilst reading and drinking a cold beer. I could hear the slapping of dominoes on the table by the men at the beer stalls, I dont know why they have to slam them down, but they all do it.
Me and Andrew went for a walk around town and stumbled upon a beautiful cemetry with some amazing tomb stones, it was sunset and the contrast of the white tombs and the pink skies was unbelievable. I returned to my room to find a note on my door, it was from Nadja accusing me of eating her swiss chocolate from the fridge. I nearly went ballistic, I hadnt been anywhere near the fridge in her hostel, I kept my calm when speaking to her, it appears that little daughter of the hostel owner told Nadja we had taken it, the little shit, it was obvious she had and was passing the blame. For the next 2 days when we used the kitchen she would pull little terror faces at us which I just laughed at that made her more mad.
Another one of those places I could easily stay at longer but my days were starting to run out, it is off the beaten track but so worth the effort getting here, I will miss the quiet over the next few weeks...
If the journey to Mompos was an adventure the one from Mompos to Barranquilla was just as much. Just before midday we flagged down a tuk-tuk outside our hostel and asked him to take us to a coach to Barranquilla. 3 offices later and we were told there were no more direct coaches leaving that day, mmmmmmmmm, ok, change of plan. We got dropped off at the taxi rank and were sat in the back for an hour on a bumpy muddy road until we met a river.
Here we switched to a long thin boat across the river into a second taxi for a half journey to La Bodega. A bigger faster boat sped along the Rio Magdalena for 30 mins until will reached Magangué, a bustling sweat box of a port town. The locals were hustling us hard to get in their pickups, vans and trucks. We ignored them all and walked through the heaving market to where we could see coaches.
I bargained hard and got a direct coach from here to Barranquilla for only 25K with perfect air-con. Outside the coach the hawkers were banging on my window making monkey impressions, mono, the Spanish for monkey is what they call us gringo`s here, I could just imagine what would happen if the reverse happened in England. It was 4 hours into Barranquilla where the terminal is so far out of town it is stupid. A 30 min taxi ride and we were at our destination, Hotel Olimpico in the run down market area on Cra 42.
My first impressions of Barranquilla are that it is an unremarkable city, to be honest, it looks like a total shit hole and if it wasnt for the carnival I would be straight out of here. If it wasnt for the carnival..... After checking into the reasonable hotel we headed to a recommended area around 84 & 43 to find something to eat. Bloody hell it is expensive around here apart from a cheapish place called Licks of all names. By now I was more than ready for a good drink, this is where things started to get fun....
Just up the road from Licks is an off-license called Licour Station 85, which is not just an off-license but more of a hang out, seats and tables outside, great music, table service and supermarket prices. I soon made friends with the owner Julio, his wife Sandra and some of their friends who were having a birthday party there. The atmosphere was amazing, fun, festive and relaxed and friendly at the sametime. If Barranquilla the place itself is naff, the people are the opposite, what a city.
Andrew called a couple of friends he knows, Zile and Peggy and we headed off to a club called Cantagallo. The girls know the owner so we got in free on VIP passes and a table right next to the stage which was pretty cool. It was karaoke when we got inside, a huge fat bloke won with a crazy rendition of a merengue song, he was so bad it was good. The live music was fast and frantic, traditional coastal carnival music, I was already in the carnival spell and knew there would be some crazy days ahead here.
Considering I got 4 hours sleep I felt good the next day. I went to the DAS office, the embassy to check on my Visa that I thought I would over stay by 1 day, the man said it was fine and not a problem. We met up with another set of Andrews friends, Monica, Vanessa and Nathalie and shared a taxi to possibly the most exclusive restaurant in town. Which just happened to be a fish restaurant!!! You may or may not know I am allergice to nearly all sea food and shell fish so I settle for a couple of Club beers and enjoyed the jazz music with a view of the boats on the river.
Pre-carnival here was in full swing, every street corner had music blaring and people dancing, I have never seen anything like it. After lunch we went to the big stadium where the competitions would be held to buy costumes, I got a marimunda mask, bascially 2 big elephant ears, eyes and a big long nose representing, I dont need to spell it out. I needed a massive siesta before the next big night out.
It was the main pre-carnival parade in the evening so we headed back to Licour Station 85, (LS85) to meet up with our new friends. A litre of rum between us and everything was back on full form. We stood on the corner and watched the procession go by, the costumes, music, acrobats, dancers, craziness was infectious, god this city has the carnival spirit .
We returned to LS85 and got talking with loads of locals, people heading to clubs and bars around 1am so headed along the streets in the masses. A huge black SUV reversed out in front of me nearly running over my toes, I shouted stop. I was surprised to see a girl of around 18 driving it, the 3 rows of seats were full of teenages, as soon as the knew I was English a load of screaming and shouting broke out. Next we know we are driving through the access only gates right to the entry to the clubs, skills.
Outside the queue was massive and I couldnt be arsed to wait, I said hello to some more people, then the next thing I know, I am sat in the back of a pick up truck with 2 hot girls driving around town drinking aguardiente, how random is this night going to get. We queue jumped with them the line for the biggest club in town Uva, went through security then decided the music was crap. At this point I started making a video diary of the nights events when another group walked passed.
They were trashed, offering us all sorts, I settled for a good swig of the whiskey and some banter. Next thing I know it was 11am the next morning, Andrew had got us a taxi home that I have no recollection of taking. This place is getting to be dangerous for my health.
We returned to the stadium to see the pre-carnival parades where the judges give the different groups 60% of the total points for their performances. Some absolutely stunning dances, by now the music was embedded in my head, I was hearing the rhythms when there was silence. The spirit was now inside me. A cumbia group came and sat by me, I made friends with Saira and we hung out with her group the rest of the day dancing and and learning about the traditions of the carnival and the origins of the dances.
We returned to a friend of Saira`s house in the evening to relax and talk about the dancing. I was invited to dance in the group on the main day of the carnival when we were to return. It would be my last night in Barranquilla, as much as I wanted to dance I knew I would miss my flight the following morning after the post-dance celebrations. I had been in Barranquilla 3 nights and had already made some great friends, I couldnt wait to return for the main carnival.
The next day I left a few things in the hotel that I didnt want to travel with the following fortnight and prepared myself for the journey to the beach resort of Taganga. What a brilliant few days in Barranquilla, from my first impressions I thought, oh know, what am I doing here, I was excited about returning......
Santa Marta is 2 hours away from Barranquilla and Taganga is a half hour taxi ride from Santa Marta. I had wanted to check into Casa de Felipe but that was full so we setteled on Hostel Oso Perezoso, the lazy bear. I had a very fuzzy head from the last 3 days and wanted to walk and find some open space to clear my mind.
We walked along the beach checking out the fishing boats, smoothie stands and restaurants, up a headland and down to Plaza Granate which was almost deserted. The bay itself is beautiful, if it wasnt for the wind it would be perfect. I stayed anyway and stared out to the sea, I meditated for a while and could feel myself sinking down, down, down into the sand with the sound of the waves soothing me. When I came around and open my eyes I was alone on the beach with only 3 stray dogs lying next to me. I didnt hear them approach and they were obviously happy to lie near me. I stayed to watch the sun disappear over the Caribbean sea before heading back before the path became to difficult to see.
In the morning we changed hostels to the much roomier and cleaner Maromar. I was in the mood for a good hike. In true only mad dogs and Englishmen stylee, it was in the middle of the day I took us clambering up a steep, sandy scree slope surrounded by cactii heading out towards the national park. It was a struggle to keep from slipping down and pretty scary in places but the views from the summit were worth the effort.
I returned to Playa Taganga to watch the sunset again when I just happened to randomly bump into Ellie, the girl who I shared a dorm with in San Augustin a few weeks ago. It actually seemed like a lifetime ago, so much has happened in the 2.5 months I have been in Colombia, it all seems like a dream.
I had a really pleasant evening in the hostel with Andrew and the other travellers staying there, we shared some wine and had one of those relaxed chats where everyone was on the same wavelength, relaxed, chilled and just happy to be by the sea. Nobody on a mission and carrying on, it was the ideal end to a great day.
For the first time in aaaggggeeeesssss I had a real leisurely day, lying on the beach all day and floating in the real warm waters off Playa Grante. I was enjoying reading 100 years of solitude which was based on the area I was staying in. I could feel my energy returning and by the evening I was ready for a session.
Ellie and her friends were staying next door to our hostel in the excellent Bayview. It was happy hour for most of the night, cheap rum and beers so we headed around there. Before long a group of us had formed a party and were having a riot, this became more so when an Aussie girl called George told us it was her birthday. Off to a club it was then, a very touristy and over priced place called El Garaje that played a mix of music. I got me and George a tequila shot for her bday, me and tequila have a love/hate relationship, thankfully it was a love one that night and I had a great time without felling at all ill and had a great time climbing trees.
There are no ATM`s in Taganga so we had to do a run into Santa Marta to get some money. Santa Marta is a major cruise ship stop off and I watched the huge liners come in with the hundreds of passengers, Even so, the town has a chilled feel to it and I enjoyed the change of scene. 90% of the travellers who come to Taganga and Santa Marta use it is a base to organise trips into Tayrona National Park which is meant to be amazing. For some reason it wasnt calling me, I had other plans.....
Maybe because I was reading 100 Years of Solitude and I had just read about Cabo de la Vela, the fact I was really restless and also that I wanted to get way way off the beaten track, and that Cabo is about as far off the beaten track as you can get, it was there I wanted to go. Andrew talked to out hostel owner and after much discussion we worked out a way to get there,... I was happy..... this is going to be one hell of an adventure into the northern most point of South America where we dont know if there is even a hostel, I love the diversity of Colombia............
It was a very early 5am start in to the unknown. After waiting an hour for a bus that wasn`t full we ended up taking a taxi into Santa Marta and from there a coach to 4 Vias which is a big road junction before Maico. The coach passed the famous Tayrona National Park, The Lost City Trek and Riohacha. It took 4.5 hours to reach 4 Vias.
It was incredibly windy and isolated here and one of the roads was lined with shabby restaurants. Surpisingly we had a decent lunch for not to much money, what was cooking on the grills looked inedible. Here we arranged a taxi to take us to the next stop off point of Uribia. We waited in the back of the taxi for 1 hour!!!! until there were more passengers going in the same direction.
Uribia is a very small town, with a bit of market where the transport goes from. We had no idea what to expect in Cabo so we bought food and water to last us 2 or 3 days. I had the feeling that no many tourists at all go through here, which was just what I wanted. We stood at the side of the road thumbing a lift to Cabo, nothing for 30 mins. There was a small queue of people near us. Only after 30 mins one decided to tell us that there is a camioneta that goes by every hour!
When it arrived I couldnt believe it, the roof was already full of shopping and the back with women and children. We managed to get our rucksacks on top and our food in the back. It was another 30 mins before we set off as everylast inch of space was rammed with people and cargo. In the back I counted 6 adults and 9 kids, 4 adults on the roof, 4 in the front and 4 hanging on the back, and a live goat at one stage. 27 people and a goat and all the luggage. My leg was totally trapped between bags, kids and a big barrel of diesel that had started leaking on my skin and burning me.
It was a very long 2.5 hours through desert until we arrived in the desolate Cabo. As I was falling out of the truck with dead legs I watched an elderly woman ride past on her push bike with 2 parrots sat on the handle bars. The sun was about to set and I was anxious to find a bed for the night. I had no idea what to expect here and was surprised to see a couple of small shops, 2 restaurants and little wooden cabanas.
I looked at 3 rooms and settled on a twin with no running water and a bucket of sea water to flush the toilet. We had to buy sweet water, not drinking water but contained no salt to pour over us to wash in. The nearest shop sold Polar beer which comes from nearby Venezuala and is the tastiest beer I have had for ages. I watched the sunset from the beach a few yards in front of cabana and enjoyed my beer. A day of 12 hours very adventurous travelling. I was both happy and exhausted.
I was cooking boiled eggs and making coffee in the morning when an artesan couple came buy, an Argentinian guy and his Brazilian girlfriend. They were really friendly and we chatted for ages and I bought some amazing jewelry from them. I was still feeling tired from the travelling yesterday so I had a lazy day. A slow walk up the beach towards the lighthouse passing fishermen repairing holes in their nets. The wind picked up and we got totally sandblasted which stung like hell at times. I was loving reading my book, 100 Years of Solitude that has a few pages of Cabo that I was relating to.
The sunset that night was fantastic, the colours changing every few seconds, like the clouds were dancing in beams of light. The rum was going down a treat too. I wanted to get some more but the shop had shut. Luckily a large family had arrived just up the way in a huge SUV. They were playing music and football in the cars headlights. I went over to say hello and ask where they were from, Bogota, and the father of the family gave me a large glass of moonshine aguardiente. It was RANK and burnt my throat but certainly made my happy. What a great chilled day.
After a days rest I was ready to explore again, I asked the hostel owner how to get to Pilar de Azucar, a small hill on the northern most point of South America looking along the coast. We hired a local with a truck to take us there and pick us up at the lighthouse at 3.30pm. Along the way we picked up a few girls who were walking there, it was a major distance and they were glad of the ride.
The views along the coast are breathtaking. It really is a magical place, soulful, quiet, and so spacious. The small beach and waves below us were perfect for body surfing in, and warm too. 2 of the girls we picked up, Alba and Marcela challenged us to a game of beach football that was an absoulte riot. I told them we were going to walk to the lighthouse if they wanted to join us. I think they regreted accepting as it was a lot lot longer than I first thought. They bailed out half there and waited to thumb a lift.
Walking across the desert landscape was stunning, the sun high in the sky and hot. I was starting to get tired from the walking and swimming and wish I had brought more water than I had. We finally reached the lighthouse with an hour to spare before the truck was to pick us up. I lay down looking out to sea and had a siesta. 3.30pm came, no sign of the truck. We waited another 30 mins, nothing. We could see the town and knew he wasnt coming for us the bastard.
It was one of the longest walks back to town I have had on this trip, tired, slightly sun burnt and out of water I was pissed off. Then, I stopped, and just laughed at the situaton, being annoyed was not going to change anything, this is the back end of nowhere and people are a different breed out here.
We invited Alba and Marcela over for dinner, we lit some wood and cooked on the open fire. It was great fun and very sociable. We had arranged a pickup truck for 5am in the morning to take us back to Uribia. After dinner I packed up my entire backpack ready for the morning. In high spirits the 4 of us got some drinks and sat by the sea playing spin the bottle and other silly games. 2 men that had been drinking all day with the cabana came over and sat near us. They were acting really slimey and pervy and pretty sketchy. We moved further down the beach for an hour before calling it a night.
It was pitch black when the truck blew its horn at 5am to wake us up. I had my head torch with me to see what we were doing. Andrew threw his bag on the truck and came back for the food. I was still sleepy and searching the room for my backpack. I shouted to him, `have you got my backpack` thinking he may have already put it on the truck. `No` he replied. Then I got a knot in my stomach.
OHHHHH SHIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. I dont ****ing believe it. Andrew shouted for me to hurry up. I said we have a problem. I knew all my possessions had gone. The driver of the truck peeped again, by this time the hostel owner had come out. I asked anyone had they seen my backpack. Everyones faces dropped. A mad search around the properties showed up nothing. I knew that was a lost cause. The truck driver had to drive off. There was nothing else to do but to wait for sunrise. I lay on my bed feeling numb.
I ran through events in my head as I lay there. It was obvious to me, the 2 shady guys that came near us on the beach last night had seen us go further down the beach, one jumped over the open wall, opened the window, through my backpack out to his mate, locked the window, climbed back over and done a runner with my worldly possessions.
I had the clothes on my back and my money belt containing my passport, cash, driving license and bank cards so I wasnt in total shit. Still, it was a pain in the arse. Andrew was a star and spoke to the owner about what to do next. We would wait until 8am when the police station was open. I was drifting in and out of a light sleep when I heard shouting outside our room.
I went to the door and looked outside. A huge man about 6`5" was shouting at one of the men I think stole my backpack. 2 women were there trying to get them to stop arguing. The man mountain was fuming at something, stomping around and getting madder and madder. Eventually he turned to the thief and gave him an almighty punch that sent him flying. Ok, time to get back inside, this is bandit country and anything could happen.
I could still hear shouting outside when I heard Andrew laughing. What, I asked. He translated what he had just heard Lurch shout.....
`You stole my blender, I caught you sleeping with my wife, now give him back his backpack you bastard` I burst out laughing myself. At first light we walked to the police station. The police was behind the small supermarket and was a tiny kitchen table with 2 small chair, a pile of papers and the 2 policewomen were also the 2 nurses in town. I filled in the most basic of forms to take with me, I told them to make a copy for themselves which they wouldnt have done.
The morning sun was beautiful. Despite what had just happened to me, I still love Cabo, Colombia and this lifestyle. Shortly after making my statement another pickup came to take us to Uribia. Andrew asked me if I was ok. I felt strangely calm, serene and liberated. Liberated from possessions, stuff, things. For sure, I had lost a lot personal items, gifts, souvenirs, special things, but, it is stuff. I was truly travelling light.
On the coach back to Santa Marta a blind woman came onboard selling wordsearches with a pen for like 15p to help her buy food. I bought 2, and gave them to a woman and child sat opposite me. I felt thankful for my situation, I was healthy, sane and living my dream.
Back in Santa Marta I checked into Hostel Miramar, that to be frank, is a shite hole but I was too tired to go searching. The last thing I wanted to do was go shopping, but I had to, for shoes, clothes and toiletries. I had nothing and needed a real cold shower and a clean change of clothes. To say I was exhausted after was a major understatement. What I wanted was a clean, single air con room not this humid, noisy shit pit of a dorm.
I spoke to soon about having my health. In the morning I had the most painful stomach cramps of my life. I was in a mess. Just what I needed right now. In the evening I felt well enough to go and get some bread to eat, I was hastled by whores as soon as I left the hostel, what a place for a backpackers hostel. I got no sleep that night as it was one of the hostel owners kids birthday and the party went on all night. I couldnt wait to leave for Cartagena in the morning....
Thankfully I woke feeling like I had slept reasonably well, my cramps had lessened and I managed a bowl of granola for breakfast. Time to get out of this shit pit of a hostel. During the 4.5 hours coach to Cartagena I thought about life after South America, all along my plans were to reach the Caribbean Coast of Colombia then make a decision. Decision time was now. All I knew was that deep down I was more than ready to stop travelling, I was well and truly travel weary and ready to be one place for a while to recharge. But where!
Cartagena is a famous Colonial city that is full of tourists, not just backpackers but wealthy holiday makers from around the world, mostly americans. We checked into Hotel Marlin and an excellent clean room. The buildings in the old part of the city are beautiful, drummers and dancers played in the streets and I watched in awe. I bought a replacemtne Panama Hat that put a big smile back on my face.
We met up with Natasha & Liz in the evening, the girls we met in Taganga. We sat outside an excellent bar by the clock tower and listened to some great salsa. I was still feeling crap and hoped I would be ok to go to Playa Blanca in the morning.
I was much better so off we went. As we were crossing the river on a car platform we asked a couple in a jeep if they were going to Playa Blanca. They werent, but were going close by so we hitched a lift with them instead of the bone shaking motorbike taxi. Playa Blanca beach is stunning. We walked past loads of huts until we came across a bargain, a twin for only 15k each. Perfect. 3 shacks up at Hugo`s place were Natasha, Liz and a group of their friends from England who were on a holiday here.
I could not believe how warm the sea was, it was like walking into a warm shower, it was heavenly, as was the sunset. We all chilled at Hugo`s in the evening and as I had just taken my last anti-bioitic I was ready for a beer. Then went perfectly until Hugo, the owner, shockingly got his tool out in front of one of the girls!!!!! I was asked to stay in the girls dorm as they were scared he would come in the night, what a perv.
I woke up early morning and couldnt find my day bag. SHIT, I thought, not again, then I realised I wasnt in my room but at Hugo`s. It was light and people outside, the girls were still sleeping so I quietly made my way outside. As I was walking back to my hostel Hugo ran up to me and asked if I stayed the night. I said yes. I said I had to pay!!! I explained that the only reason I stayed was because the girls were scared because of what you did last night, he soon shut up and walked off without asking me again.
I was soooooo relaxed here on Playa Blanca, a long beautiful beach, warm sea to swim in and great sun to lie in and read my book. I decided to stay another night as I had just enough cash to last me. This was just what my body needed after the past few days, a day of doing as little as possible. I slept like a log and spent all the next day on the beach before getting the last boat back to Cartagena. I hadnt felt this relaxed for a long time, refreshed and ready for a Saturday night out in Cartagena.....
I checked back into Marlin hostel in a 4 bed dorm this time, 2 Canadian brothers were sharing with me, Dan & Tom. The 3 of us went out and started off sitting in Plaza Bolivar with a litre of rum before going to a posh bar for a couple of beers. Next up was the busy club Tu Candelabra which was full of gringo`s and whores and had a shit atmosphere, so we went to Elektra which was more of the same and even worse. I wanted to get a taxi home even though it wasnt far, Dan wanted to walk. Against my gut feeling I said OK, lets walk. Biggggg mistake.
About 2 blocks from our hostel by a load of taxis, Dan said hello to a tourist policeman walking across our path. He started walking with us towards our hostel, great, an escort. Not quiet. As we got to the entrance to the park and the police station there, he told us to follow him, I said no thanks, I am going home. He said `now`, I said `why`. Bloody hell, here we go. We went inside and his mate was behind a desk. Dan started shitting himself. He had only been in Colombia 2 days and wasn`t travel hardened.
The policeman said that he had seen us buying coke from a dealer, a complete lie. They went through our wallets and pockets and obviously found nothing. I had about 40 quid in my pocket, that they kept looking at it and looking at me. I said no way. I was happy to sit this out in the corner of the room. Dan bottled it and said fine. They took our cash and handed back our wallets. Then the cheeky bastard asked if I wanted to take a photo with him as A SOUVENIR. I was fuming on the way home. Cartagena was getting on my tits, not at all a backpackers place.
What better way to spend a Sunday evening recovering than to spend it at Cafe Del Mar watching the sunset over the Caribbean coast. I met up with my friend Juli who is from Cartagena. I was good to get away from the hostel and to speak some Spanish for a change. I really enjoyed the change of scene. We arranged to meet up the next day for a tour of the old city. It grated me badly to walk past the copshop again on the way back to my hostel, how many 100`s of people have been scammed the same way!
I had a real fun day exploring the old city with Juli, checking out the modern art museum and all the market stalls, I bought a few replacement items that had been stolen. Andrew returned in the evening from Barranquilla and with the group of friends I had made since we all went out for a splurge, a good meal. We struck a good deal at Olanda for an amazing 3 course meal and 1/2 litre of wine for only 36K.
We changed hostel from the now annoying Marlin to a much better room at Baluante 2 doors up. I had cable tv, I dont usually bother but I was in the mood for watching a game of English football. I mentioned before that I was feeling travelled out and after the dodgy police episode, gringo`s, whores and the touristy feel here, I just couldnt be arsed with Cartagena any more. I checked out Boca Grande beach for afternoon that was to windy for comfort and spent 2 days reading, writing, watching tv and drinking wine. I was just waiting until it was time to get to Barranquilla for CARNIVAL and my last 3 nights in South America......
Our friend Saira had found us a cheap and ideally located room for us to stay in over carnival. All the hotels were either fullly booked or charging double or triple normal prices. Me friend Terrie who I had met in Cordoba almost a year ago was in town with her friend Rachelle. Me, Andrew, Terrie and Saira went to the stadium in the evening to watch the Queen of Queen`s festival.
Each of the suburbs elects a queen who has to perform a few dances and make a short speech. The winner is crowned the Queen of Queens for the carnival and is a huge honour. Outside the stadium Andrew nearly had his camera stolen from his belt by a scabby bint who ran across us. The performances were out of this world. Beers flowing, african drummers, sexy gyrating dancers and of course the annoucement of the winning queen. What a start to the festivities.
After the exctiment died down we took a taxi across town to see my good friends Julio & Sandra at Liqour Station 85, (LS85). Me and Terrie were on top form and couldnt stop laughing. LS85 closed early so Julio drove us to a nearby club for yet more rum and dancing. I cannot write to much as it is all a blur.
I woke up feeling very special, still drunk and hungry. I went on a wander up the road and found a row of local eateries and planted myself down for a menu and a beer. I got chatted up by some middle age woman that was fun for a short while. As I was walking back to my room I suddenly remembered that I had arranged with Julio to go to the mud volcano at Volcan del Totuna.
Julio picked me up and we drove an hour to the very bizarre place. Julio speaks excellent English so we had a great time swapping stories about our countries. Totuma is like nothing I have seen before. I tiny little volcano that is full of luke warm mud. I bathed in it and the density of the mud supported my weight so it felt like I was floating. Unbelievably relaxing. I cannot recommend this experience enough.
Shortly after I arrived back so did Terrie, Rachelle, Andrew and Saira, we were all staying in the same place. We had music on the ipod, wine, food and it was a real party atmosphere. When ready we shared a taxi down to LS85 where I was greated with a huge shout of `James Ron`. The big group of people that I met my very first time here were back and having a big party. It was an insanely good atmosphere, loads of dancing to a music played by a group of children, shouting Mama Ron every two minutes and drinking a big glass of rum or aguardiente. Everyone was buzzing, this is where things start to get really hazy, I couldnt tell you how many bottle of rum we had between us, we hardly remember the taxi ride home.
I woke up to find Andrew and Saira putting on their cumbia outfits to dance in the main parade. I had been invited to dance to, but as today was my last full day in South America I wanted to enjoy it as a spectator. That and the fact that I could hardly see straight never mind dance. I was feeling very special and only a hair of the dog, and the tail was going to save me and get me through the day. With my Colombia tshirt, marimunda mask and covered in glitter it was time to join the half a million people partying in the streets.
Tyring to get to see the parade was a nightmare. It was 5 or 6 people deep to the barrier. Flour, glitter and drinks were being thrown everywhere, within minutes I was covered in them all. I had a little wooden marimunda mask cup around my neck that people kept on filling with rum and aguardiente. I met so many nice and friendly people that kept on stopping me and asking me where I was from. Barranquilla has the BEST carnival I have been too, and that is a LOT.
I could see an area that was almost vacant with a perfect view of the parade. I needed a plan. I could see 2 policemen on the side I wanted to get too, surrounded by thousands of people on our side. Then it came to me. When I was in Toronto in 2000 on a night out I pretended to be a reporter/photographer from a leading dance music magazine in the UK and managed to blag my way into clubs, kitchens of restaurants and hotels. Kerching, the lights went on. I used the same story. Within a few minutes the policeman let me in. I had the best view in the house.
I pretended to take a load of photos with my camera, the battery had gone ages ago, and asked Terrie and Rachelle to pass me a battery, with the obvious trick of gettting them into, it worked. We couldnt have been in a better place, and the coldest beers to be bought. We watched the incredibly colourful floats go by, singers singing, dancers dancing, absolutely drop dead gorgeous women looking absolutely drop dead gorgeous.
My last day in South America and one of the very best. I was hoping to see Andrew & Saira`s group but we left at dark and they hadnt gone by. I thought we had missed them when in fact the parade was running 3 hours late! Back to LS85 we went. I was in full payasito mode covering people in flour and getting them up to dance and do stupid things. I was going to enjoy my last night to the max.
In the back of my mind was the fact I had to get up early for my flight. We finished yet another bottle of rum when Nico and Larry arrived and bought another one, oh dear. I was in a fit enough state to back my very small bag before I passed out. 3 days full on carnival and I was starting to feel it......
I woke up in a tangle. Fully dressed, marimunda cup and mask around my neck and still covered in glitter. I thought I had missed my flight and panicked, Terrie the sweetheart and set her alarm and it went off just after I woke up. I was still drunk. I paid for my bed and got a 7.30am taxi to the airport. How I got through the airport I do not know but I woke up as the plane came into land at Bogota airport......
I was the last one off the plane, apart from one girl. As I stumbled onto the stairs to the building we struck up conversation. It appears she had been waiting for me to get off the plane. I looked a mess, bandana, unshaven, marimunda mask and covered in flour and glitter! Sat next to me was a beautiful woman, who turned out to be a tv actress on her way to Cali and had taken a fancy to me. We had lunch together, she helped me through the check-in process, made a pass at me, gave me her card then waved me goodbye. Only in Colombia.....My last minutes in South America...
Colombia....I am going to miss you so much, I WILL be back, my 500 days of adventure in South America were over..... but my travels were to continue.......