TravelStream™ news feed for member shesoffagain on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/shesoffagain en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 31 May 2009 18:49:14 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1221262560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1221262560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1221262560/tpod.html Sun, 31 May 2009 18:49:14 -0400 Andes, Amazon and Antarctica Adventure

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Santiago, Chile

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Santiago, Chile

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Well, I have finally arrived back on Australian soil and I have to admit, it feels good to be home. Strange to hear Aussie accents and everyone speaking English after so long trying to get by with Spanish, and for once at the airport I didn't have to go through the "foreigner's" lane in customs, which was also weird. The 13hr flight from Santiago to Auckland wasn't as bad as I was expecting since I had a free seat next to me, and the aisle on the other side so plenty of room for sleeping which was nice. However, at Auckland, my free seat disappeared and was replaced by a woman with a very squirmy, squealy 2 year old - my own personal airplane hell! Thankfully, a friend of mine whom I met on the Antarctica cruise was also on the flight and had a free seat next to her so I swapped. Said friend shall remain nameless however, since she landed both of us in the bag inspection area of quarantine after a sniffer dog got excited at the smell of her pack! (That and the fact that we'd spent months in Sth America doing who-knows-what and bringing who-knows-what back probably had something to do with it too.) The offending scent in nameless friend's bag turned out to be an almost empty tube of vegemite, which apparently is one of the first things the dogs are trained to recognise. Luckily the woman didn't want to open my big backpack, since I had so much crammed in there, I don't think I would ever have got it all to fit nicely back in. Only my carry on bag was searched.

I almost lost one of my little souvenir penguins from Ushuaia though - he was made of wood (which I declared) but unbeknownst to me he was actually a gourd, and still had seeds inside! They had to crack open his bum to get the seeds out!
Thankfully, I was allowed to keep him after that, albeit with a hole in his bum!

We kept thinking we would end up being on the TV show "Border Security" but the staff cheerfully told us they weren't filming that day!

And a quick warning to anyone planning to spend any significant amount of time in Peru - I WAS asked to show my Yellow Fever vaccination certificate before passing through customs.

Now I am in the Virgin Lounge, waiting for my afternoon flight to Brisbane. Have had a shower and a lovely breakfast so am feeling much more civilised, though my clothes still feel a bit ratty and I desperately need a haircut!

This trip definitely rates as one of the best I've ever done, and I don't think anything will ever come close to the experience in Antarctica. It's going to feel strange getting used to a normal life again after so many months on the road. Instead of studying bus timetables and travel guides, I now have to turn my attention to studying for my Primary exams, and get back to work to pay off this amazing holiday!

It might be some time before I can do another big trip like this one but there are still so many places I want to explore, and you can rest assured, that as soon as I can, I'll be "off again".
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1230675360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1230675360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1230675360/tpod.html Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:46:12 -0500 Andes, Amazon and Antarctica Adventure

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Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

They call Ushuaia "El Fin del Mundo", (the end of the world) because the Argentinians claim it is the southernmost city (the Chileans have their own ideas about that).
I came here to catch the boat to Antarctica, and am now spending a couple of days here before leaving to head back to Santiago and then home.

Ushuaia is an odd little town, looking more like it belongs in Europe than in Sth America. It is tourist central, given that it´s a ski resort town in winter and the hub for Antarctica cruises in summer. It is gorgeous really with its quaint buildings and backdrop of snowy mountains which surround the town and can be seen from almost any street, but there´s not a lot to do here.

My plan was to spend some time trekking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park which is meant to be stunning, but instead, I have the flu (courtesy of someone on the ship no doubt) and feel awful. That, coupled with the fact that it has been cold, windy and raining all day, has meant that instead of walking in the national park, I am walking up and down the main street looking at all the tacky souvenirs, and the expensive jewellry and clothing. Haven´t actually bought anything yet and probably won´t get much more than a souvenir pin.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve - the last day of the year and almost the last day of my trip. Tomorrow I fly to Santiago, where I only have a brief layover before heading home.
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Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina

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Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

I have just returned from an absolutely amazing trip to Antarctica. I hardly know where to begin writing about it. The past 12 days have passed so quickly, and now that I´m back in Ushuaia again, it almost feels like it was all a dream, that I didn´t really go to Antarctica. But it WAS real and it was incredible. I didn´t want to come back and I would jump at the chance to get on that ship again.

I suppose I should start with the ship, because it was my home for more than 10 days.

Polar Pioneer was a great little ship. She was dwarfed by some of the other ships in the port at Ushuaia, but she looked as though she was built for the ice, and I liked the look of her from the beginning. She could take us to places the huge cruise liners just couldn´t go.
The cabins were much roomier than I expected. I originally booked a berth in a triple share cabin, and ended up with two other girls. But one of the girls was travelling with her 2 brothers and they wanted to share a cabin, so we swapped with them, and my roommate Rosi and I ended up in a double which was even more spacious, so we were very happy!
There were no gaming lounges, dancefloors or swimming pools on this ship, but there was a cozy bar to hang out in, nice dining rooms, a sauna, and a lecture/video room as well. And except for the crew quarters and engine room (which we got to tour at the end of the voyage), we had free run of the ship, including the bridge. It was great to be able to sit up there at any time of day and scan the horizon for whales.
The Russian crew were very friendly and obviously very experienced with this kind of sailing.

It took a full 2 days at sea to reach Antarctica, initially in the calm, protected waters of the Beagle Channel, and then in the rougher swell of the notorious Drake Passage. We were lucky and had a relatively smooth sail on the way south (the calmest it gets according to the Russian crew), but there was still a lot of rolling and lurching, and a LOT of people were seasick. Although there were 56 passengers on board, I only saw about half of them for the first 2 days, as many people didn´t get out of bed, even for meals!
Luckily, I seem to be immune to seasickness, so felt perfectly fine the whole time.

During those days at sea, those of us who were upright occupied ourselves by attending lectures given by expedition staff, watching videos, having cocktails in the bar, reading, or hanging out on the bridge or top deck watching the albatross and other seabirds soaring and swooping around us, and looking out for any sign of a whale. We did see a fewthose first couple of days, but they were way off in the distance.

But it was Antarctica we all wanted to see, and on the morning of the 4th day, we awoke to a beautiful sight, surrounded by icebergs and snowy islands. We were finally there!

The next 5 days were incredible. We had good weather, and left the ship 2 or 3 times every day, for several hours at a time, either to land on nearby islands or the mainland itself, or to cruise around in our inflatable zodiacs.

I just don´t know how to describe how beautiful and awe-inspiring Antarctica is. Nothing I can come up with is sufficient to do it justice. How do I describe what it feels like to actually set foot on the great white continent? To sit just metres away from a nesting penguin and her chicks, or to watch elephant seals fighting while the rest of the colony lolls about farting and snorting....the smell of a penguin colony....the feel of the sharp icy wind on your face....the crunch of the snow beneath your feet as you climb a hill to a stunning 360 degree view of snowy peaks and icebergs casting reflections in the glassy sea.... to cruise beneath towering icebergs, each one different in shape, texture and colour... to hear the crackle and pop as the ice melts and the bergs split, or the thundering crack of an avalanche somewhere nearby.... to watch a leopard seal tear apart a penguin just metres from your zodiac....to witness the grizzle death of a baby humpback whale at the hands of a group of Orca....
These are things that cannot be explained by words alone - they must be experienced to be understood.

Antarctica was....well, I am truly lost for words. All the adjectives I know are inadequate. In that seemingly barren, harsh landscape, there is so much life, so much colour and movement, so much beauty, and the immense scale of it all is overwhelming. The emotions are so powerful that I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. It sounds crazy, but that´s what it´s like.

I feel so priveleged to have experienced a small piece of this place, and I pray that we don´t stuff it up for future generations.

Our expedition leader told us Antarctica is like heroin - once you´ve had a taste of it, you want more. I know what he means. I didn´t want to leave. I didn´t want to get off that ship. It´s only been 3 days since I left the ice and already I want to go back.

Who knows, maybe one day I will!
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Buenos Aires, Argentina

Well, they say Buenos Aires is the city that never sleeps and I certainly didn´t get much while I was there!
I only had one day in the big smoke, really just a transit stop between Lima and Ushuaia, and I only saw a few blocks of the centre, but I really liked what I saw and am definitely going to go back one day and spend more time there.

Portenos (as people who live in Buenos Aires are called) are nocturnal. They breakfast late, have long lunches, and eat dinner after 9pm, and then party all night it seems.
Doesn´t fit at all with my habit of rising early and going to bed early! Totally screwed with my body clock.
I was glad for the late breakfast that day though, because after my crazy last day in Lima, no sleep and an early flight to BA, I was exhausted and needed the sleep in. Not that I got that much though since other people in the dorm were of the party-all-night species. But I got some.
Anyway, after the late breakfast, I decided to join the free walking tour that was conducted by a couple of history students from the university. It was really good. I only did the first part of the tour, which centred around Plaza de Mayo, and the Avenue leading to it. Argentina has a fascinating, and turbulent history, and is only just emerging from the 2001 social and financial crisis, and the guys explained the events surrounding this really well. It made me want to read and learn more about the city´s history, and it´s people, who are so fiercely proud of their country and its capital. The plaza was quiet the morning we were there, but there are rallies and demonstrations there almost every day, and as I left to do some shopping, I saw police setting up barricades so must have been preparing for another one.
I spent the afternoon hunting for something dressy to wear that evening, because I wanted to see a tango show, and all I had were travel pants and shirts that after 3 and a half months are starting to get a bit worn. In a few hours, I actually managed to put together an outfit that passed.
BA is a huge, bustling, modern city, and was such a nice change from cities in Lima and Ecuador where I´ve been all this time, and wandering up and down the length of Av Florida, the huge pedestrian-only shopping street in the centre, helped to ease some of the cultural overload I was feeling by the end of my time in Peru.

I had planned, before I arrived in BA, to sample a local steak, since Argentina is famous for it´s beef, and it´s grilled meats, and I can still remember one of the best meals I´ve ever had at an Argentinan restaurant in Adelaide many years ago. But, after eating what seemed like nothing but meat and potatoes for so long, I really just felt like salad, so ended up having Subway! (which tasted so much better here by the way!)
So the carnivorous feast will have to wait for the return trip to BA one day.

Besides beef, Argentina is famous for tango of course, and Portenos take their tango very seriously. There are tango shows and milongas happening everywhere, most don´t even start till late at night. I went to see the show at Cafe Tortoni, which is a grand old bar (why oh why didn´t I get a photo of that amazing interior?) famous for tango. The show was excellent, although there was a little too much singing and not enough dancing for my liking. My table was literally right in front of the stage, which made taking pictures tricky (couldn´t always fit them in the frame!) but was great for enhancing the already intimate atmosphere of the little room. The music was wonderful, and made me want to take up the violin again.

I didn´t get home from the tango show until after midnight, and then had to be at the airport at 5:30am to catch a flight to Ushuaia, so didn´t get any sleep, and now, almost 24hrs later, I´m still awake, and about to go looking for some food before I can call it a night.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1229269500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1229269500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1229269500/tpod.html Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:53:12 -0500 Andes, Amazon and Antarctica Adventure

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Lima, Peru

Well I´m back in Lima, and I finally have a replacement lens. Yet, even here, I had trouble finding one.
I spent what I think was the worst day of my whole trip (apart from when I was sick) - I spent literally all day, spending a fortune on taxis going back and forth across the city, to shopping centres, electronics stores and all kinds of markets, looking for a camera lens. With all of my searching, I found only two! One was a brand new one that they wanted over $700US for (over $1000 that means for me!) and they wouldn´t takle Visa, only cash - yeah right - I´ll just pull some off that money tree I have growing in my backpack. The other was a second hand one for $350US. I took the cheaper option and so far it is working well. It only has to last me another 4 weeks!

Anyway, I am glad to finally have my camera back in action, after wasting so much time trying to get it sorted. I have decided that never again will I go on an overseas trip without a backup SLR body and a backup lens. Excess baggage and cost be damned!
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Arequipa, Peru

Arequipa is the second-largest city in Peru, with a population of over 1 million people. It´s situated on the edge of the Andes, in the middle of a desert, and is surrounded by volcanoes. There are some 85 volcanoes in this area in fact. Some are dormant, but some are not.

El Misti, whose perfectly conical form towers over the city, is still active. There have been many minor eruptions in the past, and it seems only a matter of time before it decides to really explode. The city´s history is dotted with earthquakes, and tremors are frequent. I was woken up by one at 3am one morning! Yet despite this, the city, (the centre of which is only 17km from El Misti) continues to grow and suburbs sprawl out up the sides of the mountain! I couldn´t live here that´s for sure!

My flight out of Arequipa wasn´t until late afternoon so I had half a day to kill. I decided to hop on the bright yellow, double-decker sightseeing tour bus, that does daily 4 hours tours of the town and surrounding areas.

The bus stopped at a few lookouts on the outskirts of the city which had good views of the farmlands and surrounding volcanoes, as well as an old water-driven flour-grinding mill, and a colonial mansion which I found only mildly interesting.

At one of the lookout stops, I bought some of the local cheese icecream to try. It sounds disgusting I know, but it´s made with lots of coconut as well as cheese, and sprinkled with cinnamon, and it is really delicious!

After the tour, I decided to finally give one of the restaurants above the plaza a go, as I wanted to try some more local Arequipena food. I had a huge bowl of cream of maize soup (kind of like corn, but white, and not quite as sweet), juice made from Arequipena papaya (smaller, and much creamier and sweeter than normal papaya) and then a dish called rocoto relleno, which is a hot chilli pepper stuffed with meat (in this case alpaca), potato etc, and baked. It was really good, except I made the mistake of taking a bite of the pepper - it was SO hot!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1228853880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1228853880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shesoffagain/6/1228853880/tpod.html Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:42:08 -0500 Andes, Amazon and Antarctica Adventure

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Arequipa, Peru

After the trip to the Colca Canyon, I spent a couple of days seeing the sights in Arequipa and resting my weary legs. The two major tourist attractions in town are the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, and the Museo Santury. Both are definitely well worth seeing.

The Santa Catalina convent takes up about 5 acres in the midst of the historic centre of town, and is surrounded by a huge wall, made of the sillar stone, the local white volcanic stone of which a lot of Arequipa´s buildings are constructed. (Arequipa has been called the White City because of this, but it seems more like a dirty grey/brown after years of exposure to traffic fumes etc)

But I digress - back to the convent! It is a very interesting place.
It was founded in 1580, so it´s over 400 years old. The nuns came from rich Spanish families, and a successful application to enter the convent required payment of a significant dowry. Although they took vows of poverty etc, it seems life in the convent wasn´t so harsh. Each nun´s "cell" was actually a little suite consisting of living areas (with nice colonial furniture) and a kitchen. And each nun had several slaves! They would also apparently invite musicians to come and they would have parties! This went on for a long time until one of the popes sent in a strict nun to sort them out. The slaves were freed, money was sent back to Spain, and after that, things allegedly became more sedate!

The convent was opened to the public in 1970, but there is still a section which is not accessible, where some nuns still live completely secluded.

Santa Catalina is a really beautiful place to get lost in. It feels like a little town within the city, with narrow streets crisscrossing each other, and pretty courtyards surrounded by arched cloisters. Most of the buildings are made of sillar, and the outside walls have been painted in rich colours. There are terracotta pots of geraniums to brighten the place even more, and all sorts of little nooks and crannies, with stairs that seem to go nowhere, and pretty views through little windows. There are photos opportunities around every corner, and I spent a few hours wandering around, wishing I had my wide angle lens!

I also visited the Museo Santury, which is a small museum specifically for exhibiting the body of "Juanita", a young Inca girl who was sacrificed on the summit of Mt Ampato (6310m above sea level) over 500 years ago.
The body was discovered during an expedition in 1995. A few years earlier, a local climber was guiding a group on the mountain, when he found pieces of wood and other objects suggesting a burial site. He contacted an American archaeologist who joined him on an expedition to the summit. A nearby volcano had recently erupted, covering Ampato with hot ash, which melted the ice, and exposed the site even further. The body of the girl had rolled part-way down the mountain when the tomb collapsed, but she was still almost perfectly preserved, frozen in the ice and snow.

The girl was no more than 12 years old when she died, and was killed by a sharp blow to the side of her head. She was buried in beautiful woven clothing, along with many symbolic objects as offerings to the mountain gods.

Since then, the bodies of several other children sacrificed in a similar manner, have been found buried on Ampato and other mountains surrounding Arequipa.

In the museum, you first watch a video about the expedition, and are then guided through the exhibits, which include some of the objects found with the bodies - small ceramics, tiny woven bags containing food and herbs, dolls, metallic figurines, feather headresses and beautiful tunics. They also have sandals made from grasses which were worn by the Inca on what must have been an incredibly arduous climb to the summit. At the end, you see the body of Juanita herself, encased in a specially designed freezer. She is tiny, and very well preserved, still wearing the colthing she was buried in. She was obviously a beautiful girl.

I don´t know if it´s the way the whole thing is presented, or whether it´s just the very nature of the exhibits, but I have never been so moved by anything in a museum in my life.
How did this young girl feel, trudging up that mountain in the freezing cold, at such high altitude, a mountain that to her, was worshipped as a god, knowing that she was going to die? What was going through her mind?
The museum implies that she went willingly, having been separated from her family and raised for this purpose her whole life, and although frightened, would have been proud that her sacrifice would appease her god and help her people. But we´ll never really know.

It´s an incredible insight into Inca culture that raises a lot more questions than it answers, and all I could think as I left the muesum was "Wow".
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