TravelStream™ news feed for member stujames on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/stujames en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:08:32 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stujames/1/1218499200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stujames/1/1218499200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stujames/1/1218499200/tpod.html Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:08:32 -0400 Argentina 08

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Santiago, Chile

G'day all and goodbye Sth America,

Waiting at the airport to fly home, 6 weeks suprisingly enough has seemed to be longer. Although i have left many places feeling as though they were underdone, i feel as though i have been emersed in the Sth american culture for months. Along the way i have met many great people, all of which i have your email addresses, so when the time comes ill be looking for a couch to sleep on... and all the same i look forward to seeing a few faces in Australia some time soon i hope. But along with the many photos, experiences and good times the biggest thing i take away from South America is the desire to come back, next time i prosime to speak more spanish and come with less of a plan as to allow this awesome culture to direct a path for me...

So adios for now but sometime in the next few years ill be back...

¡Salud!

ps Dad im on the 8am flight from Auckland arriving at the international QF116, I will try to phone you but not sure if there is an international phone this side of customs.
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Valparasio, Chile

Well after the 3.5 hour delay in La Paz, I rolled into town at about 1am, thinking i was going to wake everyone in the hostel on arrival I was surprised to see that my dorm was full but no one to be seen. Chile as a whole operates on a different clock to the rest of the world. Days dont start till 10am and finish in the early hours of the morning, it is impossible to get dinner before 8pm and you´ll be dining alone that early. It is a culture i have become a custom to, tapas and cervesa (beer) in the late afternoon to carry you over for a late dinner of incredible food and great wine.

Living it up in Valparasio, this is an electric coastal town with a bit
of everything. Surf, snow (not to far away), great culture and
colourful architecture. Last night we went to a local concert with a few germans that are studying here in Valparasio and then a few margaritas on the way home. A cocktail for disaster with a 8am rise for surf at Con Con by 9am. The waves were small, water was freezing and i was a little under the weather to boot, but alas i can say i surfed Chile...

Tomorrow is resvered for looking around town during the day and snapping a few pictures but what i have seen so far, i love this place. Yesterday we hiked up to an old jail that has been converted in to pulic space and filled with street art, an aquired taste of art but spectular none the less. Valparasio is also known for its seafood, so we went hunting for a lobster tonight but ended up with shrip and chocolate covered steak, nice but no lobster, so thats now on the lunch menu for tomorrow. I cant wait to show everyone photos of this place, cause it is very hard to describe without them.

The next post will sadly be the last, as in less than 24 hours I leave South America, but the biggest thing i will take away is the desire to return...

Buenos Noches...
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La Paz, Bolivia

Just a quick entry to help pass the time, because it could be a long time. On arriving at La Paz airport this morning it started to snow. The cabbie tells me it doesn´t happen often. The snow is heavy enough to close the airport and hence my flight looks to be delayed, not sure how long it is going to be yet. Once i depart the plan is to arrive in Santiago and head straight for a bus out to Valparasio (about 2 hours out of santiago on the coast) and spend the next three nights there, with a day trip up to Vina Del Mar in there somewhere, retuning to santiago the day of my flight home...

Stuart

Made it to Valparasio, flight was delayed for 3 and a half hours. Only just got in, is now 1215am on the 9th. Going to try and find something to eat then bed. Will put in a decent entry when i´ve have a look around.

Ciao
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Rurrenabaque, Bolivia

Well the trip as a whole is quickly coming to an end, less than a week and im on a flight home. With the extra time I managed to pick up in Bolivia I managed a trip to a Jungle town, Rurrenabaque, there is not much here in the town itself but from here I spent 3 days at a Eco Lodge in the Pampas, a river system with very diverse wildlife. We saw Monkeys, Caimens, heaps of Birds, went Pirana fishing, saw a small anaconda (very small) and pink river dolphins. Has been a nice climate change aswell, from the cold heights of La Paz to the very warm jungle. The days have been very laid back, divided into sleeping in a hammock and taking a boat ride to spot the wildlife. Im now looking forward to getting back to La Paz. The flights are somewhat unreliable due to weather and a grass strip but all going well i should be back tonight, and then out of La Paz again on the 8th for Santiago de Chile.
Santiago im still undecided, i would like to get out to the coast but not sure if ill have enough time will ask around when i get back to La Paz and see what others think. Either way ill be back soon, have many photos to sort through and to be honest im just about ready to come home. See you soon..

Stuart
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La Paz, Bolivia

G'day everyone,

Well im now in La Paz, arrived at 3am on wednesday to -4C with a thick frost that had my cabbie driving out of the airport door open head hanging out so he could see. Fortunately even he realised that was stupid and stopped to wash the windscreen. Im staying at a micro brew house/hostel and would rate it as the best place i have stayed all trip. Great people and atmosphere and their home brew is pretty good too.

La Paz is an awesome place and my new favourite. AI spent the first day wondering the streets followed by a pretty lame city tour (big red bus playing tapes in different languages, skipping on the cobble streets) but it did fill me in on a number of interesting facts about the city. We also passed a private golf course at 3800m, if i can might try squeeze in a game, reacon i could drive about 400m up here... Yesterday was the Worlds Most Dangerous Road on mountain bikes. Named by the world bank in the 60 i think due to the highest number a fatalities in the world, with a 400m drop no guard rails and frequent rock slides i can see why. However for the tour it should be renamed the worlds most scenic as the views were spectacular but the speed at which they limited us to on the way down, removed all danger (little bit bummed about that) but was still a good ride.

I have managed to change my flight out of La Paz now departing for santiago on the 8th of August and will have 3 days to kill in Chile. With the extras time in Bolivia i am heading into the rainforest a 4 day tour leaving on sunday, with a few river boat cruises amd lodge stays. Should be good will keep you posted. Big night out planned for tonight, so is time to join in siesta.

Oh almost forgot to mention, the brew house is looking for staff, free accomdation etc etc....could almost stay here.

Adios
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Cuzco, Peru

Hola Amigos,

After my very short stay in Lima it was on to Cuzco to meet with our tour guide for the Lares Trek and additional tours in Pisac, Ollantaytambo ant the valley of the Incas. There is a lot to put in this entry but I will try and keep it breif, plus its hard to describe without photos...

Our first night in Cuzco was a chance to get aclimatised, and we needed it, is a sensational feeling going from sea level to 3400m (i think that is Cuzco) in an instant. A breif exploration late in the afternoon followed by dinner, i gave the Guinea Pig a miss on the first night but it gets a mention later. Cuzco is a vibrant tourist town being the hub for all Machupicchu travels, and there is an abundace of colour in markets, resturants, incan ruins and spanish churches. It really is a must see for anyone travelling through south amercia. We left on day one of the tour to Ollantaytambo via pisac, in the valley of the Incas. Visiting the first of the Incan ruins on the tour set yo .... will complete later being called for my flight..

Ok Im back, back in the same pub from earlier in the journey in Lima Airport.

It is hard to describe a lot of the ruins without showing pictures so that can wait till i get home. But for the Lares trek, a new personal best height of 4504m above sea level. The first day was only a 3 hour walk but was the most climbing we covered in a day. Reaching a height of 4460m and you do notice the lack of Air, just walking takes it out of you but after a short rest recovery time is pretty good. The scenery was not what i was expecting, rather barron just grass with a lot of Llamas and Alpacas, but the ranges and valleys go on forever... The first night camp was plesant, i dont think it got below zero. The Gap team did a fantastic job on the trek, the food was better than i prepare for myself at home, and the porters run ahead have camp setup by the time you arrive and then pull it down the next day and pass you again before reaching lunch. Day two was a long day, my knee has started to play up a bit as a result but im sure it will pass. We spent the best part of 8 hours on the trail including a lunch break. But it was this day that we reached the summit of 4504m, just after it had started to hail/snow on us for an hour or so. The weather cleared but the cold remained for the descent to our campsite at 4200m for the night. To our suprise the locals were selling there normal hand crafted bags, scarfs and the like but the suprise was 5 soles beers available (thats about $2 australian) so we celebrated in approiate fashion. Unlike the first nights camp it plumeted well below before we made it to bed, so we were welcomed into our tents by a think layer of frost which remained until mid morning, goes without saying i didn´t get much sleep that night. The third day was a easy descent of about 10k into town to be met by the bus to take us back to Ollantaytambo where we caught the train to Machupichu city for the night. Comfortable hotel accomadation and we were all clean and warm for the early rise the next day for Machupichu itself. 5am breakfast seems to be the norm for toursit in the city as we were all competing for one of the limited places to climb Wanapichu (which is the mountain in the background of all the postcard shots), they only allow two group of 200 each per day on that part of the trail, we came in group 1 somewhere in the 180´s. This was a hard climb, one has to think how the inca´s did it, my understanding is they were short people yet at 6´2" i struggled with the size of some of the stairs. However once at the top the views were unbleivable, i know the camera has not done the view justice but i hope i can atleast past on some of the enthuisam we had when we looked back for the first time. It was then back into the city for more of Humbertio´s teaching i just hope that i can retain most of what he has given us in the last week. We were rushed for time at the end of the tour due to our late start on the mountain so it was practically a run to the train to return to Cuzco for the night, which after a sleepy bus ride became a big night. The 298th of July happens to be Peru´s independence day, and who would we be if we didn´t help them celebrate. But alas the night took some recovery and thus nothing productive came out of my final few hours in Cuzco before flying into Lima and now waiting for departure for La Paz.

I hope to change my flight from La Paz and use the remaining time i have in Bolivia and give Chile a miss this time round. Will keep you posted on those developements but at this stage it is not looking good, may be too expensive to change, fingers crossed i can come up with something, will look at the possiblity of a bus tomorrow in La Paz. But other than that it is the riding the Worlds Most Dangerous Road on Wednesday, wish me luck..

Adios
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Lima, Peru

Well Buenos Aries was left unsatisfingly short of done but the flight would have left without me. BA was a fantastic place but i think we just tried to do too much in too little time and to add to that frustration I was robbed by weather on my final day.
Now in Lima, despite all of the travel and safety warnings I have been given along the way, Lima really seems like a city that is aware of a desperately trying to change its reputation. Im staying in the Miraflores district which seems to be the tourist/hotels end of the city near the coast. People are friendly the resturants are great (food very tasty, had goat last night) and the streets are very clean. Again though i have sold Lima short and haven´t enough time to explore the city fully.
We fly out for Cuzco in a couple of hours, i was hoping to get a surf in the western pacific this morning but the board rental doesn´t open till 9am and i have a bus to catch at 9:30 (might cut it a bit too close). The Surf looks great, chatting to the locals yesterday it seems they have a consistant 4 foot swell all year round and and the water temp not so bad in winter at 17c. It is independence month here in July and everyone is patriotic displaying the flag, due to independay day on the 28th everything shuts down for the best part of next week so this might be my last entry for a week or so.

ps I have rented a phone for just my time in Peru the number +51 1 995718927

Adios
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Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina

Hola,

Well after two awesome powder days and fantastic snow in Las Lenas it was time to move on. We bused it out on Friday to Mendoza for the night and managed a half day wine tour before flying to Buenos Aries Saturday afternoon. The wine tour took us through two very different wineries in Mendoza, Argentinas biggest wine producing region. The tour was very extensive, taking us through the whole process, from the vineyard to the fermentation rooms and through the cellars, and finally to tasting,. Argentina´s wines are quite diffferent to Australian in taste but very platible.

Buenos Aries is a very busy exciting place, although like the rest of South America nothing happens before midnight (or very late atleast). We have only had a short look around so far, managed a Tango Show with dinner and a stroll around the Centro area tonight, off to Markets and a bike tour of the city tomorrow..

Cheers

Stuart
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The Andes, Chile

This is just a quick fill, flying over the Andes Santiago to Mendoza we hit some very disturbing levels of turbulance. It is some what more concerning when you see nothing but snow capped mountains as far as the eye can see, beleive me. None the less we arrived in one peice and began the 6 hour drive to Las Lenas which would have to be the most bleak uninteresting terrain i have seen on this trip, so i dont think there are any photos from the drive and it allowed me to catch up on a bit of sleep.
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Las Lenas, Argentina

G´day all,

There are a few days missing and other things i would like to go into more depth but the internet access is slow and expensive so ill fill in the gaps when i get to Buenos Aires. We arrived in Las Lenas on saturday night in blizzard conditions and it looked like the first day would be a right off due weather, but the snow gods have been good to us, conditions cleared early morning allowing just enough time to get hire gear and lift tickets sorted. We then headed to the top of the mountain (3500m), is hard work up there. We were greeted by atleast 12 inches of glorious powder and that was on the groomed runs and a good 2 foot deep just off the track in some awesome bowls. The down side so far is i think this snow will be spoiling and ill never be able to board anywhere else. I would love to put up some photos but that is proving hard than i imagined, but they are coming.

Meet up with the others here, and everyone seems to have enjoyed there own travels so far. We have a few days in BA together before they head for Brazil and me for Peru.

I dont want to spend to much time down here, sorry for the lack of detail but all that needs to be said is this is the best snow i have ever heard of and we are having a blast. Will fill in the blanks in a few days.

Adios
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