TravelStream™ news feed for member grahamnalex on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/grahamnalex en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 04 Jul 2005 11:02:44 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1125538800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1125538800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1125538800/tpod.html Mon, 04 Jul 2005 11:02:44 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Salvador, Brazil

31st MayAfter a 21 hour bus journey south we arrived in Salvador, the 2nd biggest tourist destination in Brazil. It still has many African influences in the culture, food and religion as it was the centre of the country´s slave trade. Salvador is a huge city but we headed straight for the old colonial centre, which over looks the water front and financial district. We were instantly jumped upon by the usual "tourist guide" who turns out to be someone trying to get some money out of you for pointing out your hotel across the street. As we were in Brazil out of season we seem to be suffering from the fact that the local blaggers didn´t have as many tourists to approach. The extra attention got to be a bit wearing. After we had settled into our room, which over looked the main square, we headed out to explore. The whole area is a maze of fantastic old colonial buildings. Unfortunately a lot of them have suffered, due to a lack of money, however the area is still very beautiful, in a slightly run down, Old Havana kind of way. As we wandered through the streets, we noticed that a lot of work is being done to restore the public buildings, which will I´m sure lead to the whole area being brought back to it´s former glory. As with a lot of shabby chic areas, local artist have moved in, and the streets are lined with small studios and galleries. Not expecting much to be going on as it was Tuesday night, we headed out. The town was buzzing with people, there was a local, all female drum band practicing in the street and a stage with a live band set up on the old slave whipping square. Another of the squares had been taken over by stalls, most were make shift bars and some sold the delicious Bahian street food. We knew folk from Salvador liked to party, (they hold one of the best Carnivals in Brazil), but did this sort of thing go on every night? It turned out that Tuesday is in fact the city´s big night out, so we had a few drinks and a slab of tapioca pudding and enjoyed the spectacle.The next day we were plagued by particularly foul weather but managed to ride the funicular railway down to the financial district and look round the indoor market before riding the art deco elevator back up to the old town. We also saw some Capoeira, the traditional slave fight dance, being performed, it is very popular in Salvador, maybe that´s why there are so many people with ankle injuries.2nd JuneWe wanted to visit the island on Marro Sao Paulo which lies south of Salvador, so after breakfast we caught the Cat-ferry over. We had read you´d need your sea-legs as it can be a rough crossing and it didn´t disappoint. We sat outside near the back and crew members were soon accompanying green looking passengers to the stern to throw up. We felt OK but we remembered Martin´s advice; to always make sure you face downwind. I think it was particularly rough, as when we docked at Morro de Sao Paulo the ferry was crunched against the dockside by the waves. Morro is only a small island and there are no cars, the locals use horse and cart, tractors and wheel barrows to get about on the narrow sandy streets. We were met off the dock by a wheel barrow taxi, who slung our two backpacks into his barrow and wheeled them up the 40 degree harbour ramp and to a hotel he recommended on the beach front. The hotel was a great spot and the breakfast terrace looked out over the best surf beach on the island. Although there were no cars this was no backwater, there were lots of nice restaurants, bars and shops and on the 4 or 5 beaches there was pretty much everything you could ask for and in Summer it gets packed. You can surf, snorkel, wind surf, dive, horse ride or even try the zip-wire from the lighthouse down to the beach. When we were there it was quiet and peaceful. The first day Graham hired a surf board but as the area to catch the waves was short and rocky and packed with other surfers he soon got into trouble for not obeying the mysterious queueing system. A local kid had been watching and called him over and gave him a few tips. Apparently it was not a good time for learners to be out as the tide was low and there was not much water to cover the rocky point. So not wanting to get minced on the rocks or beaten up by locals he sat back with me as a spectator. It wasn´t long before another local kid came running up to ask if he could have a go on Graham´s board. They are mad keen but probably can´t afford a board of their own, so we thought he might as well but it to good use. We went for a walk to the furthest beach. Graham was confident that as we continued we would be able to cut back across the island, and eventually we did find a track. It took us through a mud quagmire than sucked out flip-flops off, then through the little villages in the centre off the island. Before we had chance to reach home we were caught in a tremendous rainstorm which turned dusk into dark. We arrived back at the hotel completely dripping wet and covered in sand from legging it. You would have thought I´d have learnt my lesson on these romantic walks Graham takes me on, but the next day after Graham had attempted to surf again, we set off to find the waterfall on the island. After several hours we did find a waterfall, just not THE waterfall, but all in all we got a good look round the island, and not just the tourist spots. Luckly the weather had decided to give us a break to. 4th JuneWe took a short ferry south to the mainland, then piled in a mini-bus with the locals to get to the nearest town, for a bus to Rio. The locals from Marro de Sao Paulo obviously all knew each other and were enjoying the crack on the way, even when one of their bags went sailing off the roof onto the road, luckily it was spotted and we reversed the 200 meters to retrieve it. The bus to Rio was with the same company as we took to Salvador so we expected a similar service with snacks, free water, good seats and blanket. But this rural route did not warrant the same service. Lets get one thing clear, the buses in Brazil are FREEZING. They have the air conditioning cranked right up, this might be necessary in the height of Summer but when it´s cloudy and rainy outside it isn´t. We had come expecting blankets, so spent the 25 hour journey huddled together for warmth, me in a mini skirt and boob tube!Rio Entry coming soon!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116518580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116518580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116518580/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jun 2005 12:56:31 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Tucuman, Argentina

18th MayWe wanted to reach The Igazu Falls on the Brazilian/ Argentinian border and the most direct route was through Paraguay but the road was supposed to be horrendous, unpaved nightmare and could take anything between 20 hours and 4 days to reach Asuncion the capital. So we decided to give it a miss and go through Argentina where they have Tarmac and luxury buses. And so the journey began:Tupiza to Tarija - 8hrs overnight, bumpyTarija - has a market open at 5.30am for breakfast and generally a very pretty colonial town.Tarija to Bermejo - 4hrs, noisyBermejo to Oran - 30 min taxi, a walkover the bridge border into Argentina, and a strict search.Oran - a hillbilly town but we managed to get a steak as we had 12hrs to wait for our next bus.Oran to Tucuman - 10hrsTucuman - Off one bus straight onto the next one waiting.Tucuman to Puerto Igazu - 21hrs, 4 films in a row.21st MayAfter 3 nights on buses we arrived and were pretty glad to be in a hotel.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116974280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116974280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116974280/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jun 2005 12:50:03 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Natal, Brazil

24th MayWe arrived quite late in Recife and decided it would be wise to take a taxi to our hotel as we didn´t want to experience why Recife has the reputation as the most dangerous city this side of Rio. Recife was a bit run down so we quickly hopped on a bus to it´s sister city, Olinda. Olinda has some of Brazil´s finest examples of colonial architecture, set on a steep hill next to the sea. Unfortunately a lot of it is very run down but the town is a centre for local artists and they are supposed to host a great Carnival. It was pouring down when we arrived but we did get a chance to get out and take a few snaps, and sink a Caprinha looking out over the town as the rain came down in Sunny Brazil again. The local street food was cheap and delicious. 25th MayWe took a taxi north up the coast to a little beach town called Jacuma, as it was only a bit more expensive than the bus but a lot quicker. It was very quiet when we arrived as it´s their winter at the moment and we immediately attracted the attention of a local fisherman called Raymundo. He saw to it that he was our guide, (and meal partner) for the next two days. Raymundo introduced us to everybody he new in the village and they advised us where to find the most unspoilt beaches. The next morning we set off to walk off our hearty Brazilian breakfast, that made a Full English look small. The beaches were pretty special, they were wide, long and empty with palm trees or multi-coloured rock faces opposite the sea. With no public transport we were only passed by the occasional beach buggy, the local form of getting about. Before we reached a secluded cove we passed a group of vultures feasting on a huge sea turtle that had been washed ashore in the recent high tides. After a sunbathe and read we hurried home hoping not to get cut off by the tide.28th May We headed north again by bus to the nearest city, where we were again intercepted by a taxi driver willing to take us the next leg of the journey for the same price as the bus. Priaia de Pipa is a really cool little town on a cliff top overlooking a sandy beach. Around the corner the next beach has some pretty good waves so Graham went off in search of a surf board to hire for the next day. We had some amazing barbecue king prawns in one of the many restaurants and I checked out the bikinis in the glam shops that lined the main street. No purchases though, I did not want to be too hasty before seeing what Rio has to offer. The place was a sophisticated mix of surfers types and Brazilians weekenders. It was Friday night so we tracked down a hip bar and joined in the dancing that spiled out onto the street. After a few Graham got into spill mode, those that have been drinking with him will know what I mean, luckily the drinks were pretty reasonable. As for the surfing, I´m making progress but not really in the water. I have managed to perfect the scruffy beach bum look but the watery bit is proving tricky. The thing is surfing is actually very difficult, in Ecuador I think we had it pretty easy. The waves were long and they broke onto nice soft sand. In Brazil things have got a lot harder, in Pipa I went out and spent the whole time trying to get past the huge break. This was both very tiring and demoralising. However the water is really warm and I know that this is a real luxury in the world of water sports, so I will persist.On the way to Natal to get our bus down to Salvador, we met a Brazilian guy called Marcus, who had just given up life and a wife in Notting Hill. He had travelled up the coast of Brazil looking for the perfect spot to buy a beach bar. He arrived in Pipa and bought his bar. He told us that you can get out to Natal (the nearest airport to Pipa), for 400 euros from Amsterdam. If you take into account the price difference when you´re here, two weeks in Brazil would be cheaper than two weeks in Spain. Well worth thinking about!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116691200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116691200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116691200/tpod.html Tue, 31 May 2005 20:35:57 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

22nd MayAfter a day spent entertaining myself in the small town of Iguazu, whilst Graham was in bed with the shits, it was time to visit the falls. The waterfalls are partly in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay and are one of the must sees for visitors to South America. We arrived in the park and began our exploration of the various trails and around the walkways over and minor waterfalls. We left the big one, the Devil´s Throat, until last. The falls must have been even more gigantic than usual, as the boat ride to the island in the middle of the lower river was not operating that day, due to the river being so high. We brought waterproofs but still got a soaking, but luckily we had brought a change of clothes. We smartened ourselves up and went for the amazing buffet lunch at the Sherraton Hotel that had a fantastic view of the falls. After gorging ourselves and enjoying a bottle of Argentina´s finest we took the short train ride to the Devil´s Throat. It really was a sight, the metal walkways took you right out over the edge and the noise of the water was deafening. After a second soaking we headed back to our hotel just as the rain came... and it didn´t stop. We to a short bus journey to the Brazilian side the next day and went straight to the airport and caught a plane to Recife in the north of Brazil. Thank God we decided against taking a bus to Sao Paulo, as when we turned on the TV in Recife, Sao Paulo was under water with flooding. The North East Coast is supposed to be the sunshine capital of Brazil, but we seemed to have brought the weather with us.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116376080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116376080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1116376080/tpod.html Thu, 26 May 2005 11:57:51 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Tupiza, Bolivia

15th MayWe decided to set off for Tupiza as soon as we got back from our 3 day jeep trip. The train from Uyuni was only oncer every two days, so if we stayed it would mean two days in a pretty baron town with only a great pizza place as entertainment. So at 2am we headed for the station thinking that an hour and a half would be plenty of time to get tickets etc.. Oh no this is Bolivia.Alex volunteered to queue. A line of maybe 12 people ahead of her, it looked OK. However an hour and a half later as the train was about to leave and Alex still had three people in front of her, the ticket office declared it had ran out of tickets and told us we should try to get on the train anyway. A very cross Alex and a slightly worried me, ran down the pitch black train lines with a few other worried gringos trying to find a way onto the now moving train. We managed to get on, and pushed our way down the very crowded train to a carriage with a tiny amount of floor space. We collapsed on or packs and realised we had an uncomfortable 8 hours to look forward to. Arse.About ten minutes into the journey the guard arrived, and with smile asked us if we were happy. We explained as best we could that we had no ticket and would be more than willing to pay for better seats, well just seats actually.Here began another adventure, the guard sent us up the train, he´d told us that there were some seats in executive class which sounded good to us. So off we went. Our journey ended, two carriages later at some seats which really weren´t very executive at all. Ahead was the engine, so we excepted our lot and settled down. Five minutes later our smiley guard arrived and told us to follow him. Off we went through the engine, jumping across open carriage connections, climbing over the luggage car and the sleeping luggage guard. Eventually we arrived at executive, feeling like we had just been in a western movie, but none the less very grateful for our wide reclining seats.We arrived early in Tupiza, got a room, and headed out to find somewhere to get some horses and a guide to explore the vast canyon lands which surround the town. Bolivia is fantastic for this sort of thing as the people are very friendly and they are always ready to organise a trip around your ideas.The next day we were off, two days horses riding through the western style hills with an overnight in a small village. We were joined on our trip by another British couple, John and Becky and issued with our horses, complete with their western style saddles. We set of out of town along an old railway line and up into the hills. The horses were quite lively and we were shortly overtaken by a group of wildly out of control whopping Israelis. We rode past towering red rock formations and along a dry river bed before stopping for lunch beside a river were the local goats were keeping the make shift football pitch in good order. After lunch we forded the river and galloped across the sands on the other side. At this point Becky´s horse decided it was taking its own route and took off across another river and up the bank into the Pampas grass. She was a little shaken up so the guide decided she should swap onto a less ´loco` horse. We briefly rested our sore bums in a dusty village before continuing to our stop for the night. Our accommodation was an old farm house where we were joined by two other groups. It was an ideal setting where the horses could rest and we made a campfire want swapped tales with the Israelis. The next day we eased our aching backsides back into the saddles and made our route home passing through tiny villages along the river. After the lunch stop Becky joined some of the Israelis who had managed to negotiate a lift in a jeep back into Tupiza, allowing us to have a bit more fun on the return. We stopped again at the previous lunch site, where whilst munching on my sandwich I saw my horse with another galloping across the river and into distance. Great! As I was contemplating the long walk home a couple of the guides flew past to go and round them up. Much of the journey home was along the old railway and ridden at top speed with Graham out in front. He assures me he could have stopped at any time and was fully in control. It was great fun and much more than we had imagined we would be doing. We arrived home at about 5pm and both agreed we were exhausted but with less than a month to go before our trip ended we decided we better get going to Iguazu on the Brazilian/Argentinian border.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1115935800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1115935800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1115935800/tpod.html Sat, 21 May 2005 22:15:39 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Uyuni, Bolivia

12th MayWe finally made it to Uyuni in the south of Bolivia after an unscheduled two day stop off in the rail town of Oruro. We did not see much of the town as we were both confined to the safety of our ensuite room with another bout of the sour apple quick step. With plenty of bog roll to hand we decided to brave the train journey to Uyuni as the next train did not leave for another two days. We arrived in the middle of the night to the bitterly cold town, and along with the other 30 or so gringos that got off the train, traipsed round every hotel in the Lonely Planet trying to find a bed for the night. Lucky we were picked up by a tour operator looking to earn a quick buck from hotels by bringing them guests, he found us a room in a hotel we would have never found in a million years.Although the place was no palace we fell asleep immediately only to be woken in the night by some girl having a screaming match with the owner at about 5am, Graham got up to tell them to shut up, they seemed to be having a disagreement over the £1.25 a person it cost to stay there.After a days rest we were ready for the first day of our 3 day 4x4 trip of the Salar de Uyuni and the national reserve that surrounds it. In the office we met up with the first of our party, Sven from Sweden who´d packed his rucksack with only the bare essentials; enough beer, wine, cigarettes, and hard liquor to see him through the the 3 days. In the Toyota Land Cruiser waiting out side we met the others, a German guy and a Danish couple, Graham later realised it was the very same couple he had told to shut up the night before! Our driver was also our cook, guide and mechanic.We headed out of town and to the edge of the Salar, a flat expanse of white salt that stretches for 12000 square Kms. Millions of years ago the sea was pushed up by the movement of tectonic plates and formed a salt lake, that over time evaporated leaving behind a thick crust of salt that looks more like an Arctic landscape. We had a brief stop at a town that processed the salt on the edge of the lake before heading across to the Isla de Pescado. The island in the middle of the flat white ice like landscape was covered in giant cacti, some of them were over 10 meters tall and when you think that they only grow about 1cm every year you get an idea of now old they were. The islands rock was covered in a thick layer of fossilised coral and with Boliva´s only active volcano in the background, was a very surreal sight. Being surrounded by whiteness gave a lack of perspective enabling us to play camera tricks such as creating pictures of us balancing the jeep in the palm of our hand. We reached the other side of the salt lake where we spent the first night. Our accommodation was in the Salt Hotel, the building and most of the furniture comprised of square blocks of salt with more salt scattered over the floor, it was unexpectedly one of the warmest hotels we had stayed in for some time.On day two we sat in our car and watched all the other groups disappearing off, after 30 minutes we decided we had better go and look for our driver, who as it turned out had loaded us into the car and then taken himself off for a hot shower! Cheeky git.I guess the guy did have a long days driving ahead of him, in the eight hours driving that day we covered all sorts of terrain. This is the perfect place to film a 4x4 advert, we sped over desolate volcanic plateaus and boulder fields, the driver picking his own path. The highlights of the day included mind boggling wind shaped rock formations, flamingos wading through mineral red lagoons and incredible canyons. That night the accommodation was a little more basic and a lot colder, outside it dropped to -20 and we were in what was not much more than an outhouse. Unfortunately the Danes had not brought sleeping bags, so it was their turn for a sleepless night... Sweet Justice.The next day was an early start to the volcanic field and to see a steaming geezer before the sun came up and the air pressure changed. At the next site sulphurous pools of volcanic mud bubbled away, this was our highest point on the trip at 5000m, and with the wind chill we didn´t hang around for too long. We didn`t know what to anticipate from the thermal pools that were next on the itinerary. When we arrived the setting was beautiful, with a steaming pool in a stream overlooking a lake that reflected the snow capped volcanoes above but there was no shelter from the biting wind. Getting in wouldn´t be the problem, getting out would be hellish. I, unlike Graham, had had the foresight to put my swimming gear on in the morning so was first in. It was heaven as my feet started to thaw out for the first time since the day before. We headed over to the Chillian boarder were we dropped half of the group that were continuing south. On the way we passed another lagoon, this time green with a perfectly symmetrical volcano on it´s shore and the Dali Rocks that looked, from afar, like grazing dinosaurs. We had been experiencing a strange rubber smell for some time and as the driver pulled over the problem revealed itself. The front wheel was bent at a peculiar angle. Christopher our driver donned his overall and dismantled the front axle and other concerned drivers stopped to offer advise. At this point as we stood in the freezing wind we recalled the tale we had been told by a Danish guy in the hotel about his friend that had to have his leg amputated after leaving his stricken jeep and going to find help. Never stray from the car the old man warned. Eek! After 2 hours of Sven entertaining us with tales of his Brazilian ex-girlfriend and her sleazy dog that liked to join them in bed, Christopher had the wheel back on straight minus the brake. After our delay we headed back on the long route to Uyuni. We fell asleep to be awoken by half the roof rack crashing onto the bonnet. Our driver who we started to realise was a little short sighted, had miss judged his speed and driven full pelt into a dry river bed. This as it turned out was just the beginning. In the middle of the night, approaching the lights of Uyuni the combination of no brakes, short sightedness and an unknown road block had exciting consequences. Christopher had to swerve into the fields in the pitch black to avoid the 4 ft piles of earth the someone had deposited across the road. The only warning was a small line of stones about three feet before the earth.Christopher seemed convinced this was a one off. However Alex and I sat with our eyes glue to the road but even our warning shouts of PARE, PARE (stop!) didn´t stop us exiting the road a further three times. After the fourth block Christopher decided to take the cross country route to town as it seemed safer. We later discovered these were protest blockades over petrol prices and that they had been placed all over the roads north of Uyuni. Thank god we were heading south!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114968900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114968900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114968900/tpod.html Mon, 16 May 2005 22:23:48 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Rurrenabaque, Bolivia

30th AprilAfter sorting out our travel arrangements for the jungle, we set off at 10.30am from La Paz for another epic bus journey. This time 18 hrs down the worst road in the world. Our bus looked like something out of Mad Max, massive wheels and full of unsavoury smelling characters, all the other gringos had evidently taken the plane. The legroom must have contravened some kind on international transport regulation. But off we went, cheered by the prospect off the tropical climate. Graham the tough mountain man has been moaning about the lack of central heating ever since Cuzco, it has not bothered me, as it's much the same as a December evening at the Bond residence. The journey down was a hair-raising experience and I was too nervous to sleep through the whole thing as planned. We had seats on the left side of the bus, which overlooked the cliff edge, the traffic drives on the wrong side of the road on this stretch to prevent the heavily loaded lorries travelling up to La Paz having to pass other vehicles on the cliff edge side. They also have the right of way over the traffic coming down hill so that they don't have to stop and make hill starts. So as you can see going down is a lot worse than coming up.We made it to Rurrenbaque in the early morning and after little sleep on the bumpy journey, were due on the 1st day of our 2-day jungle trip. Luckily due to a cock up at the agency it was just the two of us and our guide. We took a dugout canoe up the river for an hour, then walked through the jungle, crossing log bridges, to reach our camp, a shelter and bench next to a stream. Walter our guide lived with his family about a mile from the camp and explained that each local guide chooses his own spot to set up a camp, his 3 children came across to joined us and help out. He took us for a walk and using our limited Spanish he explained the names and medical properties of many of the trees and plants. He told us not to worry as most of the dangerous snakes and creepy crawlies don't come out until after dark. Apparently all the snakes are busy trying to catch the frogs at night. He explained that there was no point in carrying anti-venom as the only two poisonous snakes could kill a horse in 5 minutes so there was no anti-venom, GREAT!Walter was a really nice bloke, he did everything. The most amazing thing about the jungle was the lack of mosquitoes. Walter explained that the water at our camp was safe for swimming, we both looked at each other thinking he was clearly mad but after seeing him let his own kids in we thought we'd bet give it ago. That night we lay on our beds (which I can best describe as pasteing tables with mozi nets) and joked about the poisonous snakes climbing the trees above our heads. Needless to say the thought of getting up for a pee didn't even cross our mind. I wish I'd have had a tape recorder to catch the noise of the frogs, it was incredible.The next morning we awoke to a fine breakfast cooked by Walter, he then dragged us off into the jungle for a long walk. The guy new everything about the jungle, I think his favourite word was "TOXICO". After a few hours of looking at spiders and frogs and a quiet moment looking out over the vastness of the jungle we headed back to the camp for a spot of lunch. We then went back to the river for another trip by dugout to Rurrenbeque. To my surprise the guy who's boat it was dragged me to the back where he smiled and gave me the handle to the outboard. I looked at him and smiled back, not sure if this was a good idea as the river was fast flowing with currents. I quickly realised he had ulterior motives as he left me to it and climbed down to the front of the boat to spend the journey chatting up Alex.The next day we headed for the Pampas, an area close to the jungle, where the land is a little flatter and the river draws down the large animals to drink. We had a 4-hour jeep journey, followed by a 6-hour journey by dugout canoe to get to the spot we were staying. As we got in the jeep we realised that the other couple where from the UK and amazingly had come from Bolton too. After a bit of a chat we found out they new Leo, one of my mates. What a small world.The jeep journey was real rough, a few days before it had rained and the dirt road had been turned into giant ruts. On arriving at the river we spotted a pod of fresh water pink dolphins. They are amazing, really long noses and funny looking faces. They start off pink when they're young and become grey, as they get older. We loaded up the dugout and set off on what was to be a very long journey. We had arrived at the end of the wet season so the water levels where really high. This meant that rather than sticking to the tight twists and turns of the river we could turn across through the trees, which where half submerged in the water. Within the first half an hour we had come across a troop of squirrel monkeys, they were really interested in us and come down from their trees to have a closer look, even venturing onto the canoe. For the next six hours we cut our way down the river with wild life around every corner. Eagles, turtles, huge howler monkeys, cappuccino monkeys, giant stalks and herons, they all seemed to be there.We arrived at our camp, which was a cattle ranch. The sun began to set and then it happened; the air turned black and the bugs came out. I'm not the sort of person who's really that bothered by insects but this was like a scene from Indian Jones!So ran for cover in our insect proof hut. When we arrived we found someone had arrived before us, namely some giant spiders and frogs etc. Peter and Ali the couple from Bolton seemed to take it all in their stride as they'd driven back to England from South Africa it the 70´s and had spent four month camping with lions etc. Peter had nearly died from Malaria so a few oversized insects were nothing to them. We had dinner with Juan Carlos our guide and Daniel our mad as a hatter interrupter. We all decided that we should have an early night and head back to the hut for some sleep. When we arrived two giant toads where sat on our doorstep, as if waiting to be let in. We sent them on their way and went inside. I headed over to my bed and spotted a giant cockroach in my wash bag, then another, then another. By this time Alex was not a happy bunny. She leapt around the room, as Peter and I tried to catch the buggers with a toothbrush and a wastepaper basket then chuck them out the door. When we had decided we had got rid of them all, we tucked ourselves into our mozi netted beds and fell asleep.The next morning Peter told us that he and one of the ranch hands had just killed one the most poisonous snakes in Bolivia that was lurking outside in the woodpile. The Pampas is apparently a really good place to see anacondas, but because there was so much water around our guide reckoned that we would be very lucky to see one. After breakfast we got some horses from the farm and headed cross-country to the neighbouring farm along the river. The only way at this time of year was by horse back as the mud on the trail was really deep, Juan Carlos led the way and we followed. The horses where up to there knees in mud and really struggled to wade through in places. This was all quite exciting for me as I'd never been out on a horse before now. Alex is a bit of an old hand and I could see she want to go a bit faster on the dry stuff but it wasn't to be. When we got to the next farm we where greeted by the farm parrot, she flew down on to my horse and picked up the reigns, my horse however was having none of it and whacked her off with its tail. After the ride back, we all jumped in the dugout and went to find some pink dolphin to swim with. As soon as we got in the boat there they were there. I stripped off and jumped in and instantly they all swam off to the other side of the river. I swam around for a bit splashing on the top of the water trying to attract them but to no avail. Alex and the others looked at me swimming around in the brown river water, which later that night we would be alligator and cayman spotting in, and decided to give it a miss. Juan Carlos had a swim too but in the end the dolphins decided they didn't like the look of us. So we jumped in the boat and went for a ride up-river to see if we could spot some sloths. No luck again though, the sloth where nowhere to be seen. We motored back to the ranch slowly watching the sunset and listening to the howler monkey and frogs. That evening after dinner we put on our head torches and went looking for alligators and cayman. Juan Carlos told us that the alligator are OK, but that the cayman are really aggressive, so we would not get too close to them. As soon as we were on the river the red eyes of the alligators and cayman were clear to see with a flashlight which was a little unnerving as about four hours earlier we had been in there trying to swim with the dolphins. As we motored along, Juan Carlos pointed out which were alligators and which where cayman. Spotting a small alligator about a meter long we motored up to it, as we got really close Juan Carlos said that actually it was a young cayman, at which point Alex was about a foot away from it. Then with a lightening fast move it shot off onto the bank. Alex leapt about two feet in the air and we all rolled about the boat laughing at her. After watching a very brave water rat swim across the middle of the river we headed home to bed, this time with only a couple of giant spiders for company.The next morning was an early start. We woke in the dark at 4.30am and got straight in the boat to experience dawn on the river and search for the elusive sloths. The sunrise was amazing and brought relief from the mosquitoes that were out in full force. After about an hour of searching the trees, we spotted a round lump in one of the bows. The guide tried to wake him up by imitating a puma; the sloth lived up to his name and didn't move. After Juan Carlos had been through all the animal sounds he knew we headed back for breakfast. An hour later on our return journey the same sloth had managed to turn his head and we got a good look at him. On the way back to the pick-up point we stopped off for a swim at a popular dolphin spot, Alex and Ali went in and the dolphins played at popping up around them. We stopped and had lunch at a little bar and the lady who owned it showed us the Piranha that she had just caught and was about to make into soup. Just before we got to the jeep we spotted some capybaras, the worlds largest rodent. They are about the size of a pig with rat like teeth and short brown hair. Finally we saw an ostrich type bird, but sorry we can't remember its name. The next day we set off back to La Paz, another 18 hours by bus up the death road.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114358760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114358760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114358760/tpod.html Mon, 09 May 2005 14:04:24 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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La Paz, Bolivia

26th AprilAfter another long bus journey we arrived in La Paz. It´s the highest capital city in the world at 3660 meters above sea level, the steep valley that surrounds the city is covered with the poorest slums and snow capped mountains including the mighty Illimani. It´s a bustling city and most of everyday life takes place on the streets and narrow pavements. There´s no limit to the number of stalls selling everything from herbs, toilet roll and Cd's to socks, tools and bread. On the witches market they sell dried llama foetuses and armadillos.They believe it's good luck to have a dried llama foetuses under your house... souvenir anyone!We wasted no time in booking onto a mountain biking trip down 'the most dangerous road in the world´according to some world road agency, which has has become the top tourist attraction in La Paz. The dirt road descends 4000m over its 63km it is extremely narrow in places with a sheer drop of some 1000ft in places into the bottom of the gorge. This turned out to be a piece of cake on a mountain bike, but looked a lot trickier for the lorries that rumble up and down the road. We had a wicked day out. I managed to get through three bikes and Alex (who was in the fast group she wants me to add) looked like she'd gone to rounds with a mud cannon by the end of the day. We managed get showers and a meal in a very nice hotel at the end of the trip. The lift back up the road at the end of the day was the scariest thing on the tip all day.On returning to La Paz we had a day off to rest our aching arms and then sorted out a trip to the jungle. Unfortunately we couldn't get flights down to Rurrenabaque (the town in the jungle), so yes we where on the road of death again. Putting our trust in the bus driver. eek!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114217400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114217400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1114217400/tpod.html Sun, 08 May 2005 12:45:47 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Copacabana, Bolivia

22nd April We headed out of Cuzco by train to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Having booked backpacker class it was a nice surprise to find we had a table complete with linen tablecloth and flowers to ourselves. The journey by train takes 10hrs, 4hrs longer than by bus but it is far more luxurious. We treated ourselves to breakfast and a 3 course lunch but stopped short of afternoon tea. The train passed along the river valley we had been rafting down and after a short stop for photos at the highest point continued past glaciers and onto the flat treeless Altiplano, the Andean high plain. We stopped one night in Puno and took a boat out onto Lake Titicaca to visit the Uros tribe who live on floating islands on the lake. The islands are made from cut reeds and as they rot away below in the water they are replaced with more on top. Their homes, also made from reeds can be moved from one island to another if the family falls out with their neighbours.24th April We left Puno for the short bus trip to Copacabana on the Bolivian side of the lake. If you´re on the Peruvian side of the lake they will tell you that 60% of Lake Titicaca belongs to Peru and 40% belongs to Bolivia, however on the Bolivian side they will tell you the same story, that they in fact own 60% and Peru 40%. This in-fighting must be the reason for landlocked Bolivia´s navy. Copacabana´s cathedral is Bolivia´s most important pilgrimage site and the town on the edge of this lake at 3820m had the feel of a seaside resort complete with b&bs and pedalos. We took possible he slowest boat in the world out the the Isla del Sol, reputed to be the birthplace of the sun in Inca mythology. We walked the Inca pathway over hills from the north to the south of the island. It was a very tranquil place with no cars and one or two places to stay, but we gave them a miss and hit what could be called the high life of Copacabana that night. Next day I had the hangover from hell after indulging in a few to many high altitude cocktails. To make matters worse we couldn´t find the place in town that served a full English and a fell asleep in the sun and burnt my nose...Time to leave for La Paz.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1113410460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1113410460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/grahamnalex/martinique-rio/1113410460/tpod.html Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:08:05 -0400 From Martinique to Rio. The Adventures of an International Playboy from Bolton and Glamour puss from Preston.

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Cuzco, Peru

15th AprilNo trip to Peru would be complete without visiting the last city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. There is a perfectly good train that runs direct from Cuzco to Machu Picchu but we were taking the Inca Trail, a 4 day hike over 33km, camping 3 nights along the way. The advantage being you arrive at dawn before the crowds and see plenty more ruins along the original route the Incas would have used to reach the city. The disadvantages...hiking and camping. (Ax) We travelled buy bus to the start point, collecting the other 10 group members, 3 guides, 10 porters and our cook along the way. Although it was only supposed to be a 4 hour hike today (braking us in gently), an extra 1 hour was added when the bus couldn't't reach the end of the road as it had been dug up. We had lunch around our dinning table that doubled as a stretcher and met the rest of our group, which consisted of 1 English guy, and American guy, 6 Frogs, 2 Israeli guys, and 3 ladies from Argentina. The first nights camping was a nice introduction to the Inca trail. We arrived to our pitched tents and hot coca tea. We later realised this was to be very civilised camping with a dining tent and three course meals cooked for us by the amazing porters. The next day the porters woke us at 5.30am with more coca tea. The coca tea turned out to be the Inca equivalent to a good British brew except with an extra kick. Coca leaves are chewed by all the porters and guides as the ancient Incas discovered that by doing so they could work harder for long and didn't need to eat or drink as much. Quechua People (the native people) have grown coca leaves for thousands of years for a multitude of purposes. Our Guide encouraged us all to buy a big bag to help us with the walk and probably to make his life easier. That evening after completing the Dead Woman's Pass, a 4215 meter col into the next valley, we had to explain to the other Brit in the party that the active ingredient in coca leaves is not in fact caffeine.Third day we got up at 5am for what was to be the longest day, a climb through the beautiful cloud forest. The views were stunning with wild orchids growing all the side of the impressively engineered Inca footpath. We passed threw a stone tunnel carved into to mountain side and hummingbirds buzzed around the flowers. Alex even stopped moaning at one point. A very very long knee breaking decent to our final nights camping was rewarded by hot showers, cold beers and a feast cooked up by our unbelievable porters. These guys would leave after us having packed up our camp then run past us on the trail with 20-30kg on their backs to arrive in time to set up our tents and have a brew ready for our arrival. Apparently one porter still working on the Inca trail is 72!On the final day we awoke bleary eyed at 3.50am to race to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu for sunrise. On arrival Machu Picchu was shrouded in cloud and on our guides advice we sat patiently waiting for it to lift. After an hour or so we had our first glimpse of the city below, a few quick snaps and we were on our way again to spend time at the ruins before the crowds arrived on the early train from Cuzco.As you can imagine Machu Picchu is amazing. The place was only rediscovered in 1941 by a American guy wandering around the jungle looking for the last hiding place of the Incas. When he got there two local families were living there farming on the terraces. The guy spent three years digging it out of the jungle with the help of some Yale University students and some locals. Unfortunately some locals had already nicked all the gold etc. The theory goes that Machu Picchu isn´t the last hiding place of the Incas after all. Our guide pointed out the next valley explaining that it´s probably up there, and that the tribe that live up there like white people... for breakfast. It´s quite amazing that a lot of the locals don´t speak Spanish at all, they speak Quechua. It´s really hard for them to get decent jobs as the language of their country is Spanish, and there aren´t many decent jobs to being with.After a couple hours wandering around with our mouths open we headed down to Aguas Calientes, a hot spring, which is handily at the bottom of the mountain. On arrival I sprinted for the pools hoping that nobody would notice that I was wearing the same underpants that I´d been wearing on the Trail for the past 4 days. The pools looked like each visitor since 1941 had done the same filthy trick. However we were cream crackered and this was probably the only hot soak we would get for the next three months.So in we jumped! A couple of hours later we were on the train back to Cuzco. This took 4 hours which made me feel a little better about spending 4 days walking 33 km.Back in Cuzco we organised to go rafting. I managed to convince Alex that we were both expert enough rafters that we needn´t bother with the beginners trip and should go straight for the macho stuff, (even though we actually had a total of 0 hours experience between us). The rafting trip turned out to be brilliant (for those who know a 4-4+ grade). The next day we could hardly move, what with our aching knees and sore arms from paddling for our lives. Alex was starting to get a little concerned that this trip was turning into a exercise fest, so had a days shopping and headed for Lake Titicaca for some R&R.
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