TravelStream™ news feed for member jaftc on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jaftc en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Fri, 23 May 2008 12:17:42 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1211133420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1211133420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1211133420/tpod.html Fri, 23 May 2008 12:17:42 -0400 Patagonia to St Petersburg - a journey of discovery.

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Arequipa, Peru

Due to the fact that we are either too active, too lazy or perhaps just actively lazy (!) we are slightly behind in the documenting of our adventures. Therefore in this entry I am going to attempt to cover a lot of distance and time but, you´ll be pleased to hear, in as few words as possible!

La Paz sits at roughly 4500m above sea level and is the highest capital city in the world. It also has the highest major airport in the world where the departing planes don´t so much take off as just glide down to their intended destinations. The city sits in a vast basin with its various edifices sprawling up and out on each side to a distant concrete sky line. We stayed in El Presidente which is, you guessed it, the highest five star hotel in the world. One night of decadence was all we allowed ourselves though before we moved on to less salubrious, and more affordable surroundings. La Paz has a concentrated and slightly intense atmosphere yet we felt relatively safe wondering through the streets which teem with vendors of everything imaginable from fresh fruit juices to not so fresh llama foetus´s!

On then to Lake Titicaca. The highest altitude large body of water on the planet, it is divided roughly 40% - 60% between Bolivia and Peru. It is also vast, stunningly beautiful and for the most part free from pollution. One day we hiked 8km across the sacred Island of the Sun in the Bolivian side. The trip will be remembered by Yas and I with differing emotions but I need not elaborate as a picture can convey so much more! A day or so later we crossed the Peruvian border with some minor difficulties caused, depending how cynical one is feeling, by either lazy or corrupt Bolivian customs officials, and found ourselves in the town of Puno on the lake´s north western shore. Here we took a tour of the Uros floating islands. They are entirely man made from the Tratora reeds that abound on the lake, and need to be perpetually reconstructed owing to the fact that the reeds have a tendency to rot every now and then. We were shown around one of the islands by its incumbent President, an extremely hospitable gentleman named Jose. After establishing our marital status (or lack of it) he offered to unite Yasmin and I in a traditional yet legally binding Quechua ceremony. After weighing up the complexities of our domestic situation, we accepted.... only kidding Mum! I think he was just after an excuse for a fiesta!

With a few days to spare before we needed to be in Cuzco for the much trampled Inca Trail, we decided to visit Arequipa. A colonial jewel, it is also one of the most modern cities in Peru, and the second largest after Lima. The central Plaza de Armas has been described as the most beautiful of its kind in South America. A bold claim indeed but it can´t be too far off. A colossal white stone cathedral dominates one side whilst in the centre is an attractive fountain surrounded by giant palm trees and immaculate flower beds. On each of the three remaining sides there are long columns of grand archways housing cafes, restaurants and artisan shops. The Spanish Conquistadors destroyed much of the historical beauty of Peru and its surrounding continent. However in the case of Arequipa their own architectural legacy almost makes up for it.
We spent five happy days immersed in it all, as well as enjoying some of the more modern attractions including a cinema and shopping centre. Here it was that Yasmin invoked her feminine birth right to purchase clothing for no practical reason other than the pathological need to shop, whilst I took it back to my youth and played ´´Chase HQ´´ in a small arcade - good times!

After a few days of relaxation including a fantastic meal of Ceviche (a traditional Peruano dish of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and chili which some of you will no doubt be subjected to upon our return) on my birthday, we booked a very challenging two day, high altitude trek into the enormity of the Colca Canyon. Bigger than the Grand Canyon but not as steep sided (apparently!?) it is, I think, the second biggest canyon in the world. We descended early in the morning which took roughly three hours. And eventually we hiked out which took, well, longer. Again I don´t need to say too much about the ascent and in fact, I don´t really want to.

One unquestioned highlight of the entire trip so far though was on our journey back from the canyon - when we finally emerged! The Mirador Cruz del Condor is a lookout point over the Colca Canyon which is situated above a nesting area of one of the most incredible creatures on the planet. The Condor stands almost 1m tall and has a wingspan of up to 3m (roughly a Ford Focus)! We waited patiently but with mild skepticism for them to show themselves until suddenly one, and then another appeared. Before long they were everywhere and we were treated to a majestic aerobatic display for nearly an hour, though we would quite happily have stood in awe for far, far longer.

So there you have it.... Three weeks, a couple of thousands miles and as little verbiage as possible....sort of!


TC.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1209329340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1209329340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1209329340/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 13:26:45 -0400 Patagonia to St Petersburg - a journey of discovery.

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Uyuni, Uyuni, Bolivia

Our visit to the border town of Villazon, although brief, immediately allowed us to appreciate the difference between Argentina and Bolivia. Well known as the poorest South American country Boliva was awash with unpaved and dusty roads, dishevled, incomplete buildings and a predominantly native population, all dressed in brightly coloured traditional attire.( Cholito women in bowler hats). As we walked through the town our senses were greeted by bright and colourful markets and people, smells of spices, fruit and food at the roadside stalls and all was enticing.

We were aiming north, towards the famous Salt flats near Uyuni. The train was out of service and thus we headed to the bus station where the only buses were heading to the town of Tupiza. The bus was old and the roads were dusty and pebble ridden. Much to my suprise though we made it there without difficulty. Tupiza is a quiet and decent town but sadly its purpose seems soley to provide all the gringos that pass through it (which they must do order to get to where they are going) a place to eat and sleep. The only other benefit of stopping here however is that an alternative and better tour of the salt flats starts here. Ideal for us, so after a good rest and some really decent food we signed up.

There we were, early morning on day one, standing in front of our 4x4, bags packed and our group standing beside us ( 3 men much to TCs delight!). Allow me to introduce the group, firstly there was Johan the lawyer from Bristol. A typical travelling brit, nine months on the road with a beard to show for it, not yet been a working man and thus still overly confident and a rather chatty. Next there was Uri, a qualified physicist and soldier of 10 years from Israel, taking a serious career break. Uri was nothing like the other Israeli travellers we've met, quiet and polite, pensive, pretty good at spanish after just four months travelling and a mighty good photographer. Finally there was Ellio (the one I suspect TC worried about the most!) a dashing and charming Italian. He admitted to being married and divorced twice, job unknown but something to do with 'publicity'. Ellio chose to move to Brazil because "they know how to party". The other members of the crew included our driver Jose and the chef who happened to be his wife and they brought along their baby girl, thus completing our new temporary family.

We set off on our four day tour, TC and I camped out in the very back of the car and managed to make it quite homely. (Baby and Mrs Jose sat in the middle of the car and remained the centre of attention for much of the trip). The first day was not particularly exciting, we drove for 7 hrs with stops at small villages that just happened to be on the way. The village folk were very were friendly though. Driving on, the landscape was thankfully ever-changing and enchanting as we continued. We stayed the night at one of the quaint villages. It was so dark and we were so high in altitude that every star could be seen sparkling vividly and the milky way was amazingly clear.

Next day we saw lamas grazing only feet from our lunch spot. We saw lakes of many different colours- red, blue and green and with beautiful mirror effects. Most were populated by flamingos. Day 3, at 5000m altitude we were taken to the geisers. Far more exciting than i expected and we had the benefit of not being held back by safety ropes or any other such nonsense. We were free to walk amongst them as close as we liked, i think the photos and video tell all (except the overwhelming smell of sulphur).
And then on day 4 we arrived on the salt flats in time for the sunrise. Wow, an awesome unending expance of brilliant white. Here again the pictures tell all, never have i seen my shadow so long. We worked hard on the perspective pics (a must at any salt flat) so do enjoy!

Jaf x

Next La Paz and the Titi lake.....
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Villazon, Bolivia

We reluctantly left our penthouse Mendoza apartment and headed north. Our destination was Salta, a slightly downbeat but very beautiful city in Northern Argentina. It is awash with colonial architecture (aren't they all but Salta is particularly blessed!) and has a huge and devout Catholic population. We didn't stay long but we are unlikely to forget Salta.......

The city is overlooked by a huge hill which attracts tourists and locals alike to its summit to enjoy the views. It can be reached by cable car which runs from the Parque General de San Martin (The Liberator) which slowly bares you to the top over the dense hillside forest. The other option is to hike up a steep winding path through the trees. We chose the cable option and resolved to walk back. After enjoying the attractions on the summit which included artisan markets, man-made waterfalls, a bar, some great wildlife and of course the view - we headed down. Due to the gradient the path zigzags down with sharp hairpin corners but it is possible to lessen your journey time considerably by cutting a straight line through the forest at various stages. After a couple of successful diversions we got cocky! We took one more and descended for some minutes. However the path did not reappear and the rough tracks made by previous feet were fading. Pretty soon we realised that they had vanished altogether and we were lost!

For about an hour we hacked through the dense foliage but the path was gone. We did eventually reach a fence displaying a very aggressive sign in Spanish. I can't translate exactly but basically it said - 'don't even think about hopping over this here fence, gringo!' Unfortunately we had no choice and we jumped down about 12ft into a back garden of a fancy looking residence. We walked slowly towards a house and saw, about 40m away, a gate...the road...freedom!! Our spirits rose but just as quickly we were stopped dead in our tracks. In between us and the gate there was a large, sleeping Pit bul. We crept past him and reached the gate which turned out to be about 5m high and padlocked. Suddenly the dog was running towards us and barking wildly...

It is at times like this that you find out a lot about your own character. It turns out that I am both a survivalist (Darwinist if you will) and a bit of a coward. Yasmin is an animal lover (vegetarian) who has boundless courage! The dog's owners emerged just in time and after a brief explanation they subdued their hound and let us pass. I have no idea what would have happened had the elderly couple been out that day but one thing is for sure, that dog had blood-lust in its eyes. Never stray from the path.

We managed to put the experience behind us with a nice meal and the next morning we were packed and heading for the border town of La Quiaca. Not much to report there and the following morning we crossed the border to Bolivia. Villazon is a lively and colourful town where the indigenous heritage of the Aymara tribes hits you straight away. There is still the evidence of Spanish invaders but, much more so than in Argentina, the people of Bolivia hold true to their Indian routes. The ladies (Cholitas) dress in colorful skirts, as many as maybe 4 or 5 one on top of the other to give the impression of girth (men think they are more attractive and have more child baring potential!) They also wear bowler hats at slight angles over their thick braided hair. At every turn someone is selling something. Whether it be fresh juice, pirate dvds, hats and jumpers made from pure Llama or Alpaca fur - or the ubiquitous coca leaf.

The leaf is a source of conjecture amongst South American society. Most Bolivians will tell you - usually through a bulging mouth - that the leaf is an integral part of the history of South America and has been used for positive means for thousands of years. This is of course true. However the other side argue that because the derivatives of the leaf are highly addictive drugs that cause untold damage to individuals, families and entire societies throughout the world, it should be illegal full stop.
On the question of whether the leaf itself can be classed as a drug or not, it s not my place to say. However I can say that I hiked 8km at high altitude with my asthmatic lungs a couple of days ago and found it, well, surprisingly easy!

Next up, a four day tour to the Salar de Uyuni.

TC.
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Mendoza, Argentina

We boarded our last Argentinian flight to Bariloche, still in awe of our glacier experience. This town, although clearly geared to more upper market tourism, was still pleasant and quite beautiful. Our inexpensive hosteria was sited on the edge of Bariloche´s famous Nahuel Haupe lake and we enjoyed stunning sunsets and moonlit water from the comfort of our room.
We visited another national park and though it was postcard pretty the excess of tourists did take the edge off somewhat. We did learn a lot about the flora and forna and I gave a tree a well deserved hug. The next day we decided to enjoy the scenery on horseback. Led by a genuine gaucho twosome our first job was to round up the horses which are normally left free to roam. ¨Stand hear¨ the gaucho said, ¨dont let them cross the river if they come this way¨. Sounds simple enough but ten minutes later, as ten large and wild looking horses approached me at pace I felt rather uneasy. No fear I thought and I held out my arms to make myself large and said sternly, STOP. Thankfully they obeyed.

Continuing at this more gentle pace we caught our next bus to Mendoza. Argentina is famous for beef and red wine and Mendoza provice is wine country. There are, we learned after many many, many visits, over 1000 wineries (Bodegas) in Mendoza..... lets get cracking TC said!
We started off in the Maipu* region by hardy bicycle (*pronounced ´my-pooh´, honest!). All the bodegas, traditional or modern are impressive and ask for little or no money for wine tasting (degustacion). Thus, after enjoying the hugely informative tours we politely obliged. Now I am not to blame if spitting vessels are not provided at the bodegas, clearly tis not the custom here and quite frankly its just wrong to waste such good malbec. Lets just say that we realised the failings of bicycles for such an occasion and decided to use public transport the next day.
Wise you may think but the region of Lujan de Cuyo has a public transport system that is quite special. After an arduous journey in which we eventually ended up hitching a lift on a packed tourist coach we managed to visit only one of our intended five bodegas that day. However, bodega Tapiz was the most informative and hospitable and well worth it.

Suffice to say there were many fine wine experiences and I don´t want to bore you but I drank well and I think the pictures tell all.

Onwards north.....

Jaf x
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1206122520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1206122520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1206122520/tpod.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:47:29 -0400 Patagonia to St Petersburg - a journey of discovery.

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Ushuaia, Argentina

How can you tell that you are in a large country? One way is to find out how many times the city of London will fit into its biggest lake - roughly six and a half times for Lago Argentino. Another is to catch a bus in the far south of said country and disembark some 21 hours later, only to discover to your amazement, that you are still in the far south! The journey started in the city of Ushuaia, the so called southern most city in the world, in the Tierra del Fuego region of Patagonia. It ended, mercifully, in the town of El Calafate, the gateway to the incredible Perito Moreno Glacier.

Although the passage was in some ways unpleasant, the scenary along the way provided some solace. Mile after mile of baron and unending scrubland. This mass desolation went on for hours as far the eye could see and, after a while longer, as far as the mind could imagine. It was only interupted sparadically by heards of wild guanacos (big llamas) and shimmering lakes populated with flocks of flamingos and megallanic geese. From time to time, birds of prey would coast past us, effortlessly outpacing our bus.

In Ushuaia we trekked six km through the national park of Tierra del Fuego. The next day we reluctantly turned down a tour of Antarctica, which started at a very reasonable $3500 but was, tantalisingly, just beyond our shrinking budget! That afternoon on a boat we were challenged, in a fairly friendly manner, to a sort of drinking competition by a rowdy group of Argentines. They claimed that their captain's liquor was so strong that by the third shot we would be proclaiming that Las Malvinas belonged rightfully to them and not to the crown - it´s fair to say we kept up the British end!! It still fascinates me how Yasmin, who gets sick on practically any landgoing vehicle, is more at home on the seas than the most scurvy ridden, blackhearted and swarthy pirate!

Probably the highlight of our trip so far was the Moreno Glacier. Although not even the biggest in it´s own region, it is still an overwhelming sight to behold. The photos, as with the Iguazu waterfalls, barely do it justice. It´s unique quality is that unlike almost all of the worlds Glaciers, it is not shrinking due to climate change but steadily advancing into the huge lake in which it exists.


TC.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1205328480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1205328480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaftc/1/1205328480/tpod.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:47:29 -0400 Patagonia to St Petersburg - a journey of discovery.

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Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Today i wanted to be a cowboy, or goucho as they say in these parts. So we caught a bus (surprisingly spacious and comfortable) to a dusty little town in gaucho country and borrowed a couple of horses from a man who clearly thought we knew what we were doing... and off we set into the, well.... wherever the horses wanted to go. It was a nice 'navigation'.

Unfortunately on our return to Buenos Aires TC was the first to succumb to travellers projectile vomiting. He did recover surprising well was able to devour another beef cow steak by the next day.

TC took me to my first football match at La Bombenera, it was so much fun although i was a little scared, the fans here are a little on edge... go boca juniors...!

Well we have come to our senses and our eyes are open to a whole new way of travelling, hostel style! Our next stop, Iguazu falls, was simply breathtaking. The pics are great but cannot do justice to the sheer beauty and power of these falls. Despite the heat, the day was amazing and it was great to spend the evenings with good food, BBQ's, free caiparinhas and meeting and chatting with other travellers.



Jaf x



PS We made another quick stop in B.A. before we flew to Patagonia. We dined at a wonderfully charming cafe called Kentucky's in the the Palermo district. However I got a little over confident with my spanish and ordered to drink....a baby! Now, this clearly threw the waiter slightly but bound by his innate hospitality and his pride in understanding his customers, he retired smartly and returned with - I kid you not - a very large beer and an adult magazine! That, to me, is service of the highest standard, and the food was splendid to boot!

TC.
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Apethorpe, United Kingdom

A party seemed like a good idea, and what better way to annoy your friends than with an unnecessarily complicated fancy dress theme? Despite this the party was a success with many folks making the effort, not just with imaginative apparel but also by traveling long distances to a remote location at short notice! Thank you to everyone....

Special recognition:-

Best group effort - The Young Ones
Most skin on display - Mike and Dave of course
Most diligent and inventive - Tim and Ruth
Most dangerous - Tom and Yaz
Least effort despite no decent excuse - You know who you are!
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Buenos Aires, Argentina

This backpacking lark is definitely not for the faint of heart.....apparently, which is why after our 16 hour airbourne ordeal we decided to check into the beautiful, spacious and rather opulant Moreno hotel, San Telmo - the heartland of the Tango!

It took some time to get used to the jetlag which meant our first taste of the city was a midnight stroll up a quiet little steert named La Defensa. On Sundays however this quiet little street is transformed into a huge and thronging antiques and artisan market complete with with live Tango shows and an incredible array of interesting characters!

This morning we saw the city in a better light (and with a map) and found it charming, proud and familiar, if somewhat smoggy! Lovely lunch at a restaurant called ´Bice´ with waiters who are incredibly adept at keeping your wine glass full! After a couple of hairy moments on zebra crossings (the only traffic law in B.A. seems to be that you must ignore all traffic laws at all times) we made it to a travel agent and booked some excursions to Iguazu falls and Patagonia.

Suffice to say we don´t feel like ´´backpackers´´ quite yet. However the combination of the incredibly remote and arresting sites that lay ahead of us and the fact that we will quite simply run out of money in about a week if we don´t quit the expensive hotels and fine dining at lunchtime, mean that rougher times most definitely lay ahead.
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