Friday was the day I finally said goodbye to South America, and what a trip it has been. I visited 7 countries over more than 4 months going to some places I never thought I would get the chance to visit. It's hard to sum up my highlights because there were so many, but I know I've met a lot of people who actually like me and they made the trip what it was. My flight out of Rio was around about lunchtime and I got to the airport in good time, catching a taxi which passed many of landmarks of Rio I had seen over my time there. When arriving at the airport I had lots of time to spare which just gave me time to relax.
To get to New Zealand required me to take a short flight to Buenos Aires, lay over there for 8 hours, and then take a particularly long flight through the night to Auckland. The first flight was pretty smooth despite departing a little late, although this just decreased my lay over time in BA which was a good thing. I even got a free sandwich on board the flight. The layover in BA was painful however, with just a few shops and wifi to keep me entertained. I did treat myself to a pizza for dinner though. In the end I managed to board the plane half asleep which departed at about midnight.
The flight to Auckland took longer than expected as we were apparently flying against the wind, although there was a decent entertainment system with plenty of films and games to keep me amused. Being by the window too also meant I got a pretty decent sleep during the flight. There were two meals provided on the flight which included some beef and potato thing for dinner, and an omelette thing for breakfast. With the flight crossing the date line, I arrived in Auckland on the Sunday morning as I effectively lost a day. Getting out the airport took a while however as there were massive queues, although once I got my stamp I had no checks and pretty much just walked out the airport.
Arriving in the morning meant I had time to kill, as I couldn't check into the hostel until 2. I therefore just walked down the harbour to see the iconic skyline, although it was very busy as some big race event was happening. Auckland itself is the largest city in New Zealand with about 1.4 million people living in the district, which is about 1 in 3 people of the entire population. With large numbers of Pacific and Asian immigrants, the city is very multicultural and diverse. Famous landmarks include the sky tower and harbour bridge, and the city itself is often referred to as the city of sails as it lies between two harbours. Within the harbours lie many islands, which contain some of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the country. The city also lies on a volcanic field with about 50 volcanoes in the city. Many of these volcanoes aren't actually extinct, although there hasn't been an eruption since Rangitito Island was formed about 600 years ago.
I eventually managed to check into my hostel, and after dinner it wasn't long before I absolutely passed out with the long flight catching up with me! This did however mean I woke up at 3am with my body clock being 8 hours out of sync. The next three days nothing exciting really happened other than sorting things out which I needed to work in the country. The main thing I needed was an ird number which without one means you get taxed 45%. Applying for this required my national insurance card number which I didn't have which caused problems but it was sorted eventually. I also bought a cheap phone so I could be contactable throughout New Zealand with respect to work opportunities. Luckily the hostel had a person who was employed to help people find work so I got everything sorted eventually, including help writing a cv. By Wednesday I had everything sorted (except a wait for my ird number to arrive) to apply for jobs.
Come Thursday I thought it was about time to explore some other parts of city, after becoming extremely familiar with the centre over the previous few days. I therefore decided to visit Mount Eden which is the tallest of the volcanoes in Auckland, and also within an hour walk of the city centre. When getting to the top there were brilliant views in all directions of the skyline, both harbours and surrounding suburbs. There was also an impressive view or the 50m deep crater at the top which you could walk around. Decending down the other side I then headed to One Tree Hill, another of the volcanoes. The views here were as equally impressive. I then headed back to the city via Newmarket which I now know is the place to go shopping, and then across Auckland Domain which I visited when I came here 3 years ago. It was a pretty substantial walk in the end all done in flip flops!
On Friday I went out exploring again, this time heading over to the Auckland harbour bridge which I now know you cannot walk over. I was planning to go across to the other side of the harbour, but instead continued round the harbour to Ponsonby. This area had lots of restaurants and bars which seemed more high end and gourmet. It was a nice area to walk round. I then headed towards Karangahape Road which was more deprived but it seems like an alternative place for nightlife away from the city centre, and only being about a mile from the centre. I then headed back to the hostel and continued applying for jobs as I had heard absolutely nothing from the jobs I had applied for other than one text message saying the job was already taken.
With no luck in the jobs department I again headed out on the Saturday exploring, this time heading east along the harbour edge to check out some of the beaches. I passed Orakei beach which was home to the sea life centre, then Mission Beach which had a lot of affordable restaurants and fish and chip shops which is good to know. I then continued to Kohimarama Beach and St Heliers Bay which is as far as I walked before heading back. On the way back I went to Orakei domain which had some nice views over the harbour before heading back to the hostel.
On Sunday I actually got an opportunity for this job interview working as a bike taxi driver although when they explained what was involved I thought no. You effectively had to pay $200 to hire a bike per day and work whenever you want and then set your own prices to people and hope you make profit, which I thought too risky. Regardless I continued applying for jobs for Sunday, moving to a new hostel for a change of scenery in the process. Come Monday I went back to job search at the hostel I was originally staying at who referred me to another company.
On Tuesday a job which sounded suitable finally rang me for an interview, and I headed out to their office in Henderson about 40 minutes from the city that very morning. When arriving it was more a matter of when can you start than an interview. The company called tradestaff is effectively based all over the country and they give you contracts doing general labour work for clients all over the place. I did have to fill in various health and safety forms and even take a drug test which all went smoothly. I was then given a contract to start the very next day, along with things like steel capped boots and other safety clothing for the job.
Wednesday I was up bright and early to start the job, which was about a 20 minute train ride, then a 10 minute walk away to arrive by 7. After getting a health and safety training session I was ready to start. The job is on a university campus and they are attaching two existing buildings and renovating them to create a new 'hub' for the students. Set over three floors and massive area there were a lot of people on site. With the majority of people skilled trades people, I am part of a team of six who cleans up people's mess, moves things about, lifts things onto site, basically all the little things. I have however got to put up with a Spurs and a Villa fan in my team. By Friday when I was finished I was told by the client to come back Monday which was a good thing, so I should finally be making money for the time being.
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Friday, 3 March 2017
Rio de Janeiro
Friday was our last ever day on Amber, although I accidentally woke up at the wrong hostel the other side of town getting woken up by the tour guide of Gus which was embarrassing. This meant I got ripped to shreds by my group when arriving back at my hostel with about 5 minutes to spare in the morning. With a relatively short drive we headed along the stunning coastline before getting into the built up outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. We arrived by lunchtime and were greeted by dragoman crew, and I fulfilled my duty of back locker for the last time. There were a few goodbyes here as well as some people were either flying home or doing carnival independently which was emotional after being together so long.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world. The stunning Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf) Mountain rises up out of Guanabara Bay and the sandy beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana cut beautiful curves in the shoreline, all under the watchful gaze of the iconic Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The afternoon was free to relax in the hotel and I took advantage of the very good air con and equally good wifi, sorting out a few things which needed doing.
Come evening we had a meeting where we were briefed about the options for carnival, as well as meeting a few new people. The carnival package offered by dragoman is effectively a separate trip, although there were 12 of us from Amber doing it as well as a few members of Gus and Cameron, and also some people travelling with dragoman out of Rio. We were split into 4 groups with my group basically being Amber people, and after our brief we went out for dinner at this buffet place which was nice. After dinner we caught the metro to the Lapa district where I got my first experience of a Bloco, basically a street party, which was set beneath the imposing Lapa arches. With about 3000 people it was quite a good atmosphere and I stayed until about 11 before heading back to bed.
Saturday was when carnival really got started, heading out in the morning to the biggest bloco of the week. After a brilliant breakfast which included sausage, chicken nuggets, and bacon as part of a buffet, I caught the metro with a couple of others which was an absolute experience. Literally the whole train was rocking with people singing and drinking and it was only half 9 in the morning. The train even had a power cut en route which meant we were evacuated and had to get on an even busier train behind. I've never been on such a crowded train before.
When arriving at the bloco set on Copacabana beach it was relatively quiet, although I disembarked the train early which meant instead of following the parade from behind, the parade was effectively coming towards me. It didn't take long to be swallowed up in a crowd of people, and with an estimated 1000000 people who attended it's hard to describe the sheer size of it. Copacabana beach has 6 lanes of traffic and the beach is pretty wide. Within 10 minutes of being swallowed into the parade the whole width was solid to the point you couldn't move. It was a great party however although when leaving it was very hard work getting through the crowds.
It took me about 3 blocks in from the beach before I could actually breath again, and I went for a late lunch at a local restaurant with the person I was with. We then headed back to Copacabana which had eased down a bit but was still very busy, heading onto the actual beach for a few more beers. We stayed here until dark at which point there was considerably less people but still a great atmosphere. After leaving we headed back to the hotel and had a relatively early night as it was quite an intense days partying!
Sunday was a big day being EFL Cup Final day. Having contacted a Saints fan prior I was informed the best place to watch the game was an English pub in the Ipanema district. After breakfast I caught the metro there, taking a walk round the lagoon and along the beach to tie it in with the football. After a few beers down the beach I headed to the pub where there were 6 Southampton fans, as well as 3 members of my truck who came down to support us too. With it being the England Rugby match before too the majority of the pub were behind Southampton. It was a great atmosphere although the final result wasn't so good, but it was a good afternoon with some proper Saints fans.
After the game I headed to a bloco which was happening in the Ipanema district with a couple of the Saints fans and danced with the locals for a few hours which was a laugh. I didn't arrive back at the hotel until late, literally getting back just in time for our evenings visit at the sambadrome. The sambadrome is a highlight of the carnival, where local samba schools dress up in colourful outfits accompanied by impressive floats, dancing and singing along to local music. We were set at the end of the runway in sector 13 which is known for being popular with locals and having a good atmosphere. It was a great evening with lots and singing and dancing, and a very late night leaving in daylight!
Monday in the context of carnival was a far more chilled out day, sleeping in until lunchtime after not getting to bed until 8am the night before! When getting up I went for lunch at this buffet place with my roommate and we then went for a walk along this walk Rio route to see the Maracana. En route we saw the Selaron steps which are there famous colourful mosaic steps. There was however a bloco on the steps which meant it was busy. We also passed the jazz event near the Rio Scenarium as well as getting views of the Lapa arches and sambadrome in daylight. When arriving at the Maracana there was a bloco outfit although it was full of gay people. It was a solid walk in the end though arriving back at the hotel in dark, where I literally passed out with tiredness.
Tuesday was another free day, so I took a day to myself and walked to Botofogo Beach near the hotel which presented brilliant views of the sugarloaf. I then decided to continue walking round to Copacabana beach and then Ipanema Beach which made a solid walk, finishing with lunch at burger king! There were some great views en route including more views of the statue and beaches. I then decided to head back on myself and go up sugarloaf mountain which was near Botofogo. To get up top required two cable car journeys up to the 400m peak, which is literally like a massive rock sticking out the ground! The views up top were stunning, with the many hills, islands, and beaches round Rio visible, as well as a great view of the statue. Just breathtaking.
When heading down I caught a taxi back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple hours before my trip to the gay ball in the evening. There are various balls during carnival and dragoman offers this option as it's basically the last party of carnival. My outfit for the gay ball however was a tutu and unicorn horns! Me and my roommate prior headed back to the Rio Scenarium area which had the jazz event and we sat here and had a burger for dinner while listening to the music. We then found a bloco in the Lapa area and had a few beers here before meeting some of the others from dragoman who were attending, effectively our last night together. The gay ball is basically what it says with quite a few gays and trannies inside, although it had quite a lot of tourists like us too. With alcohol included in the ticket price too it was an interesting night although quite a laugh! We didn't end up leaving until quite late!
Wednesday was when I finally said goodbye to dragoman and many of the people who I've been travelling with, although it was exciting in terms of starting my next stage of travel alone. I also had a further two nights in Copacabana before flying out too, and after leaving the dragoman hotel in the Flamengo district, arrived at my next hotel by lunchtime. Come afternoon I met one of my old friends who was on Gus at one stage and we went out for lunch and sat on the beach all afternoon which was a nice and relaxing afternoon. I then spent the evening at the hotel before getting some much needed sleep after the night before!
Thursday was my last full day in Rio, and the one thing I still kind of needed to do was the Christ the Redeemer statue. Dragoman offered this as an option for $90 which I thought was ridiculous and I managed to do it self guided including transport for less than $30. Catching the local bus after breakfast, I got to the train station and caught the train up to the top. It was a very hot day however with some of the signs saying it was 38 degrees! When getting to the top it was a matter of climbing these steps before the statue finally came into view and was stunning, my 3rd modern wonder of the world I've now visited. The views surrounding it were as equally stunning with 360 views including that of the sugarloaf and the beaches!
After leaving the statue I headed back to the hotel, although my bus took ages as it went via the like Gavea and Leblon districts before actually arriving at Copacabana. I spent the afternoon relaxing in my hotel, before experiencing almighty thunderstorm in the evening. I then met one of my old friends once again for dinner at a local restaurant which was nice, passing out at my hotel when returning ready for my long flight to Auckland the next day.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world. The stunning Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf) Mountain rises up out of Guanabara Bay and the sandy beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana cut beautiful curves in the shoreline, all under the watchful gaze of the iconic Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The afternoon was free to relax in the hotel and I took advantage of the very good air con and equally good wifi, sorting out a few things which needed doing.
Come evening we had a meeting where we were briefed about the options for carnival, as well as meeting a few new people. The carnival package offered by dragoman is effectively a separate trip, although there were 12 of us from Amber doing it as well as a few members of Gus and Cameron, and also some people travelling with dragoman out of Rio. We were split into 4 groups with my group basically being Amber people, and after our brief we went out for dinner at this buffet place which was nice. After dinner we caught the metro to the Lapa district where I got my first experience of a Bloco, basically a street party, which was set beneath the imposing Lapa arches. With about 3000 people it was quite a good atmosphere and I stayed until about 11 before heading back to bed.
Saturday was when carnival really got started, heading out in the morning to the biggest bloco of the week. After a brilliant breakfast which included sausage, chicken nuggets, and bacon as part of a buffet, I caught the metro with a couple of others which was an absolute experience. Literally the whole train was rocking with people singing and drinking and it was only half 9 in the morning. The train even had a power cut en route which meant we were evacuated and had to get on an even busier train behind. I've never been on such a crowded train before.
When arriving at the bloco set on Copacabana beach it was relatively quiet, although I disembarked the train early which meant instead of following the parade from behind, the parade was effectively coming towards me. It didn't take long to be swallowed up in a crowd of people, and with an estimated 1000000 people who attended it's hard to describe the sheer size of it. Copacabana beach has 6 lanes of traffic and the beach is pretty wide. Within 10 minutes of being swallowed into the parade the whole width was solid to the point you couldn't move. It was a great party however although when leaving it was very hard work getting through the crowds.
It took me about 3 blocks in from the beach before I could actually breath again, and I went for a late lunch at a local restaurant with the person I was with. We then headed back to Copacabana which had eased down a bit but was still very busy, heading onto the actual beach for a few more beers. We stayed here until dark at which point there was considerably less people but still a great atmosphere. After leaving we headed back to the hotel and had a relatively early night as it was quite an intense days partying!
Sunday was a big day being EFL Cup Final day. Having contacted a Saints fan prior I was informed the best place to watch the game was an English pub in the Ipanema district. After breakfast I caught the metro there, taking a walk round the lagoon and along the beach to tie it in with the football. After a few beers down the beach I headed to the pub where there were 6 Southampton fans, as well as 3 members of my truck who came down to support us too. With it being the England Rugby match before too the majority of the pub were behind Southampton. It was a great atmosphere although the final result wasn't so good, but it was a good afternoon with some proper Saints fans.
After the game I headed to a bloco which was happening in the Ipanema district with a couple of the Saints fans and danced with the locals for a few hours which was a laugh. I didn't arrive back at the hotel until late, literally getting back just in time for our evenings visit at the sambadrome. The sambadrome is a highlight of the carnival, where local samba schools dress up in colourful outfits accompanied by impressive floats, dancing and singing along to local music. We were set at the end of the runway in sector 13 which is known for being popular with locals and having a good atmosphere. It was a great evening with lots and singing and dancing, and a very late night leaving in daylight!
Monday in the context of carnival was a far more chilled out day, sleeping in until lunchtime after not getting to bed until 8am the night before! When getting up I went for lunch at this buffet place with my roommate and we then went for a walk along this walk Rio route to see the Maracana. En route we saw the Selaron steps which are there famous colourful mosaic steps. There was however a bloco on the steps which meant it was busy. We also passed the jazz event near the Rio Scenarium as well as getting views of the Lapa arches and sambadrome in daylight. When arriving at the Maracana there was a bloco outfit although it was full of gay people. It was a solid walk in the end though arriving back at the hotel in dark, where I literally passed out with tiredness.
Tuesday was another free day, so I took a day to myself and walked to Botofogo Beach near the hotel which presented brilliant views of the sugarloaf. I then decided to continue walking round to Copacabana beach and then Ipanema Beach which made a solid walk, finishing with lunch at burger king! There were some great views en route including more views of the statue and beaches. I then decided to head back on myself and go up sugarloaf mountain which was near Botofogo. To get up top required two cable car journeys up to the 400m peak, which is literally like a massive rock sticking out the ground! The views up top were stunning, with the many hills, islands, and beaches round Rio visible, as well as a great view of the statue. Just breathtaking.
When heading down I caught a taxi back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple hours before my trip to the gay ball in the evening. There are various balls during carnival and dragoman offers this option as it's basically the last party of carnival. My outfit for the gay ball however was a tutu and unicorn horns! Me and my roommate prior headed back to the Rio Scenarium area which had the jazz event and we sat here and had a burger for dinner while listening to the music. We then found a bloco in the Lapa area and had a few beers here before meeting some of the others from dragoman who were attending, effectively our last night together. The gay ball is basically what it says with quite a few gays and trannies inside, although it had quite a lot of tourists like us too. With alcohol included in the ticket price too it was an interesting night although quite a laugh! We didn't end up leaving until quite late!
Wednesday was when I finally said goodbye to dragoman and many of the people who I've been travelling with, although it was exciting in terms of starting my next stage of travel alone. I also had a further two nights in Copacabana before flying out too, and after leaving the dragoman hotel in the Flamengo district, arrived at my next hotel by lunchtime. Come afternoon I met one of my old friends who was on Gus at one stage and we went out for lunch and sat on the beach all afternoon which was a nice and relaxing afternoon. I then spent the evening at the hotel before getting some much needed sleep after the night before!
Thursday was my last full day in Rio, and the one thing I still kind of needed to do was the Christ the Redeemer statue. Dragoman offered this as an option for $90 which I thought was ridiculous and I managed to do it self guided including transport for less than $30. Catching the local bus after breakfast, I got to the train station and caught the train up to the top. It was a very hot day however with some of the signs saying it was 38 degrees! When getting to the top it was a matter of climbing these steps before the statue finally came into view and was stunning, my 3rd modern wonder of the world I've now visited. The views surrounding it were as equally stunning with 360 views including that of the sugarloaf and the beaches!
After leaving the statue I headed back to the hotel, although my bus took ages as it went via the like Gavea and Leblon districts before actually arriving at Copacabana. I spent the afternoon relaxing in my hotel, before experiencing almighty thunderstorm in the evening. I then met one of my old friends once again for dinner at a local restaurant which was nice, passing out at my hotel when returning ready for my long flight to Auckland the next day.
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Brotas and Paraty
Saturday was an early start with a long drive towards the coast over the coming days, via the small town of Brotas. With it taking 2 days to get there we had a long drive day on the first day to allow us a more relaxing day after. Come evening we ended up camping in a service station car park on concrete which was interesting, being joined by the Tucan truck. I however accidentally stayed up all night drinking inside the service station.
Sunday was a much shorter day in terms of driving, although it was confusing knowing what time of day it was in the morning. We basically crossed the state border the day before which meant the clocks went forward an hour, but it turned out that that evening was daylight saving so they went back again. This meant confusion in waking up. En route to Brotas we stopped at a service station for lunch which sold lots of local Brazilian snacks. We arrived in Brotas by early afternoon which gave me time to relax by the pool, although it was ridiculously humid. Gus and Cameron didn't arrive until early evening, and after dinner which was chicken and rice we had a few drinks. It's nice because we're now paralleling all the way to Rio.
Come morning there was the option to go tubing or rafting, although I just decided to have a relaxing day after failing to make it to bed the previous night, instead sleeping under a tree with my inflatable crocodile in the morning. Lunch was pumpkin soup, and after lunch I just sat by the pool until dinner, where we also had a punch made. Dinner was lasagne which was really good, and after dinner we met the other trucks for drinks.
Tuesday was an early start for a relatively long drive to our next stop in Paraty. As I accidentally didn't make it my tent again, sleeping outside by the pool this time, I spent much of the morning asleep on the truck. En route to Paraty we stopped at Ubatuba for lunch and a swim on the sandy beach before arriving in our beachside hostel by late afternoon. Located on the Brazilian Emerald Coast, Paraty is part of a dazzlingly-beautiful strip of land sandwiched between the verdant green hills and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic. Tropical islands, deserted beaches and picturesque coves with excellent swimming and diving make it the perfect place to relax. Come evening we had a pizza buffet at our hostel before having an early night to catch up on sleep. I however slept so well I fell off the top bunk in the night and cut my right leg open which bloody hurt.
Wednesday was the day of the infamous Paraty booze cruise, a dragoman trip which my guide has never attended without someone getting injured which would also never pass UK health and safety apparently. We still attended however, leaving at 10. With free drinks on board it was an early start on the booze. The boat trip itself took us round local islands and beaches where we were able to swim and go on local beaches. It was very scenic and a right laugh and no one was injured which was good. After the cruise I continued into the town, pub crawling round the cobbled streets and having dinner at subway. After dinner we continued joining the locals on the square before heading to the beach to go stargazing.
Come morning I somehow woke up on the beach to an amazing sunrise, and probably also zika virus being exposed to the mosquitos all night. After the sunrise I found my way back to the hostel and slept for the morning. Come lunchtime I headed into the historical centre of Paraty walking round the cobbled streets grabbing some lunch at a local restaurant. I then spent much of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. Come evening we met our group for a farewell dinner to say goodbye, and I won the awards for most impressive fart of the trip, worst Spanish speaker, and the most likely to be attacked by an animal. We then met the other trucks for a few drinks to say goodbye to them.
Sunday was a much shorter day in terms of driving, although it was confusing knowing what time of day it was in the morning. We basically crossed the state border the day before which meant the clocks went forward an hour, but it turned out that that evening was daylight saving so they went back again. This meant confusion in waking up. En route to Brotas we stopped at a service station for lunch which sold lots of local Brazilian snacks. We arrived in Brotas by early afternoon which gave me time to relax by the pool, although it was ridiculously humid. Gus and Cameron didn't arrive until early evening, and after dinner which was chicken and rice we had a few drinks. It's nice because we're now paralleling all the way to Rio.
Come morning there was the option to go tubing or rafting, although I just decided to have a relaxing day after failing to make it to bed the previous night, instead sleeping under a tree with my inflatable crocodile in the morning. Lunch was pumpkin soup, and after lunch I just sat by the pool until dinner, where we also had a punch made. Dinner was lasagne which was really good, and after dinner we met the other trucks for drinks.
Tuesday was an early start for a relatively long drive to our next stop in Paraty. As I accidentally didn't make it my tent again, sleeping outside by the pool this time, I spent much of the morning asleep on the truck. En route to Paraty we stopped at Ubatuba for lunch and a swim on the sandy beach before arriving in our beachside hostel by late afternoon. Located on the Brazilian Emerald Coast, Paraty is part of a dazzlingly-beautiful strip of land sandwiched between the verdant green hills and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic. Tropical islands, deserted beaches and picturesque coves with excellent swimming and diving make it the perfect place to relax. Come evening we had a pizza buffet at our hostel before having an early night to catch up on sleep. I however slept so well I fell off the top bunk in the night and cut my right leg open which bloody hurt.
Wednesday was the day of the infamous Paraty booze cruise, a dragoman trip which my guide has never attended without someone getting injured which would also never pass UK health and safety apparently. We still attended however, leaving at 10. With free drinks on board it was an early start on the booze. The boat trip itself took us round local islands and beaches where we were able to swim and go on local beaches. It was very scenic and a right laugh and no one was injured which was good. After the cruise I continued into the town, pub crawling round the cobbled streets and having dinner at subway. After dinner we continued joining the locals on the square before heading to the beach to go stargazing.
Come morning I somehow woke up on the beach to an amazing sunrise, and probably also zika virus being exposed to the mosquitos all night. After the sunrise I found my way back to the hostel and slept for the morning. Come lunchtime I headed into the historical centre of Paraty walking round the cobbled streets grabbing some lunch at a local restaurant. I then spent much of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. Come evening we met our group for a farewell dinner to say goodbye, and I won the awards for most impressive fart of the trip, worst Spanish speaker, and the most likely to be attacked by an animal. We then met the other trucks for a few drinks to say goodbye to them.
Friday, 24 February 2017
Bonito
After leaving the Pantanal we soon arrived into our next stop in Bonito. The small town of Bonito in the southern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul is perfectly located in a beautiful and unique area. The area's main attractions are the crystal clear rivers, springs and the stunning caves, not to mention the abundant wildlife, which includes monkeys, alligators, anacondas, over 30 varieties of fish and tremendous birdlife. Unsurprisingly, the town is often described as the "eco-tourism capital of Brazil". With 3 nights here we had lots of time to explore and I spent the evening by the pool, eating dinner at the hostel. Prior to us arriving there were 5 trucks here but it was just the other dragoman trucks when we arrived on their last night, so we just partied.
Thursday was an opportunity so see the abundance of fish life on a river snorkeling trip down the Rio Sucuri. I however somehow didn't make it to my room the night before and woke up in the hammock. After breakfast we took the short drive to the river where we had to put on a wetsuit for the activity. After a short walk through the jungle we arrived at this crystal clear river full of fish and we able to snorkel downstream, just letting the river flow take us. There were lots of fish and river plant life, although I didn't see an anaconda.
After the snorkeling we returned to the centre where a buffet lunch was provided, before returning to the hostel via town. In town I purchased a new pair of havaianas and accidentally brought an inflatable crocodile. I then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammock. Come evening I went out for dinner where I shared this platter with someone, with the meats being caiman, capybara, and piranha, and an array of side dishes. It was really good. We then went out in town, checking out a few of the local bars before finally ending up at another hostel for a party. It was actually a really good night out although a slightly late one.
Come morning I woke up in the hammock again and after little sleep just decided to go out for the day. Surrounding Bonito there are many caves and swimming holes so I basically hired a bike and cycled out to this river which was effectively a municipal pool. When arriving there were lots of people there and I went swimming with all the fish of which there were loads! They even jumped out water when you put some bait on a stick. After relaxing here for a bit I had lunch which was just burger and chips.
After the river I cycled to this ecological museum with a cave tour. The museum had lots of stuffed animals and retro artefacts, and after having a nap in the hammock went on a tour of the nearby cave. It was full of stalactites and bats and the formations were very interesting. I even had a translater as the tour was in Portuguese. I then cycled back into town and returned to the hostel by dinner so it was quite a long day. I just had dinner at the hostel and had an early night as I was tired.
Thursday was an opportunity so see the abundance of fish life on a river snorkeling trip down the Rio Sucuri. I however somehow didn't make it to my room the night before and woke up in the hammock. After breakfast we took the short drive to the river where we had to put on a wetsuit for the activity. After a short walk through the jungle we arrived at this crystal clear river full of fish and we able to snorkel downstream, just letting the river flow take us. There were lots of fish and river plant life, although I didn't see an anaconda.
After the snorkeling we returned to the centre where a buffet lunch was provided, before returning to the hostel via town. In town I purchased a new pair of havaianas and accidentally brought an inflatable crocodile. I then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammock. Come evening I went out for dinner where I shared this platter with someone, with the meats being caiman, capybara, and piranha, and an array of side dishes. It was really good. We then went out in town, checking out a few of the local bars before finally ending up at another hostel for a party. It was actually a really good night out although a slightly late one.
Come morning I woke up in the hammock again and after little sleep just decided to go out for the day. Surrounding Bonito there are many caves and swimming holes so I basically hired a bike and cycled out to this river which was effectively a municipal pool. When arriving there were lots of people there and I went swimming with all the fish of which there were loads! They even jumped out water when you put some bait on a stick. After relaxing here for a bit I had lunch which was just burger and chips.
After the river I cycled to this ecological museum with a cave tour. The museum had lots of stuffed animals and retro artefacts, and after having a nap in the hammock went on a tour of the nearby cave. It was full of stalactites and bats and the formations were very interesting. I even had a translater as the tour was in Portuguese. I then cycled back into town and returned to the hostel by dinner so it was quite a long day. I just had dinner at the hostel and had an early night as I was tired.
Friday, 17 February 2017
Pantanal
Sunday was an early start which wasn't great with little sleep. I did put my tent down prior and slept on the truck as we couldn't be bothered to lie down in the tent just to wake up again so soon. I managed to sleep much of the morning. The day itself was just a long drive day and where we leave the other trucks again for a while. We were initially meant to camp although we managed to get a good deal on a hotel in Maracaju so stayed there instead. It was a very muggy day however and wet at times, quite uncomfortable. We arrived at Maracaju by evening, the clocks going back an hour just to confuse things even more. Dinner in the evening was a bacon chowder, and after dinner I sat down and watched a local game with some local Ituapu fans. I was however surprised after a while to notice Guly do Prado was one of their players and he scored a bullet header for Ituapu to win 1-0 which created some scenes. I then had an early night to catch up on some sleep.
Monday was only a short drive day to a fantastic opportunity to stay in a ranch in the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a vast wetland that covers much of inland central and southern Brazil - it is formed of a huge gently-sloping depression surrounded by rolling highlands, so the water from thousands of small rivers runs off from the highlands to collect in the basin before draining out into the Paraguay River. The Pantanal is predominantly an agricultural area, dotted with cattle ranches known locally as "Fazenda". Many of the Fazendas have opened up for eco- tourism in recent years and offer safaris and tours of the area. The wildlife here is staggering, and there is probably nowhere else in South America where you'll be able to see as many indigenous species. There are over 250 different species of birds that have been recorded here, including parakeets, macaws, owls, kingfishers, ibis, storks, kites and hawks, hummingbirds and more, and there are prolific numbers of caiman, anacondas, iguanas, two species of anteaters, ocelots, jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters and thousands of marsh deer. One of the easier animals to spot is the capybara, a giant guinea-pig-type rodent that grows up to 60 kgs and lives in large herds in the swamps.
We arrived at the ranch by lunchtime and had lunch waiting for us upon arrival. With the ranch being over 50km from proper civilisation as well we were even able to open the roof seats as we had to get there off road. Lunch was a buffet with various dishes including meats, rice, and salads. After lunch we were given time to relax as the heat and humidity was top intense to do activities during the day. I just relaxed by the pool, and after afternoon tea I decided to go horse riding which isn't something I would normally do but I thought why not. We went out for a couple of hours round the ranch, through many wet and boggy fields spotting an array of wildlife en route including caiman and capybara, and a lot of bird life. We got back during sunset which was pretty special.
When arriving back dinner was ready which was another big buffet like with lunch. I also got an addiction for starfruit as there was a tree full of them next to the pool. After dinner we had the chance to go out on a night safari to spot some nocturnal wildlife. We spotted some feral pigs, foxes, and owls, although the highlight was the stream which was absolutely teaming with caiman. You could see there eyes out the water in the dark, and when shining the light you could see their whole body. We also saw loads of capybara. The night sky was also as equally impressive with the milky way very clear. When arriving back I just had a few beers by the pool before going to bed.
Tuesday was an early start as I signed up for the boat trip which went at 7am. After breakfast which included various savouries, fruits, and cereals, we took a short walk to the river, passing a large group of macaws and capuchin monkeys en route. When getting into our canoe like boats we went downstream, spitting various forms of birdlife. We also saw more monkeys. The highlight however was seeing a wild anaconda which swam past us with its head out the water. It wasn't ridiculously big but it's head was about the size of my hand to put it into perspective.
After the boat trip we were given the day to relax due to the heat and humidity which was already unbearable by 9. I had a nap in the morning as the room had good air con, and after lunch which was another buffet with an array of dishes relaxed by the pool for the afternoon. Our afternoon activity was a daytime safari, where we spotted a lot more birdlife, as well as stopping at the stream where we chucked dead fish in to get caiman to come. So many came and they were soon by our truck fighting which was impressive.
We then continued to a small lake where we went piranha fishing. Using a wooden pole and with a line and hook attached, we spent a while fishing. You could feel the piranhas tugging the hook with their teeth but they were good at taking the bait and leaving the hook empty. It took me a while but I caught one eventually, even if I did have a few caiman a bit close for comfort. On the way back we stopped at the stream and fed the caiman again, and also saw some coaties as well. When arriving back we had a bit of time to relax before dinner which was a Brazilian bbq beef, chicken, pork belly, with various sides. There was a lot of meat. After dinner we sat by the pool and played games before bed.
Wednesday was our last morning on the ranch, and I was up early again this time to go for a bush walk. There was only 2 of us however as everyone else couldn't be bothered. Our guide took us out through the wetlands and we spotted an abundance of birdlife, as well as some rodent things and anteaters. It was very humid however even at such an early time. When returning I relaxed in the room for the air con, before our final lunch which was once again a massive buffet. We departed straight after lunch for the shortish drive to our next stop in Bonito.
Monday was only a short drive day to a fantastic opportunity to stay in a ranch in the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a vast wetland that covers much of inland central and southern Brazil - it is formed of a huge gently-sloping depression surrounded by rolling highlands, so the water from thousands of small rivers runs off from the highlands to collect in the basin before draining out into the Paraguay River. The Pantanal is predominantly an agricultural area, dotted with cattle ranches known locally as "Fazenda". Many of the Fazendas have opened up for eco- tourism in recent years and offer safaris and tours of the area. The wildlife here is staggering, and there is probably nowhere else in South America where you'll be able to see as many indigenous species. There are over 250 different species of birds that have been recorded here, including parakeets, macaws, owls, kingfishers, ibis, storks, kites and hawks, hummingbirds and more, and there are prolific numbers of caiman, anacondas, iguanas, two species of anteaters, ocelots, jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters and thousands of marsh deer. One of the easier animals to spot is the capybara, a giant guinea-pig-type rodent that grows up to 60 kgs and lives in large herds in the swamps.
We arrived at the ranch by lunchtime and had lunch waiting for us upon arrival. With the ranch being over 50km from proper civilisation as well we were even able to open the roof seats as we had to get there off road. Lunch was a buffet with various dishes including meats, rice, and salads. After lunch we were given time to relax as the heat and humidity was top intense to do activities during the day. I just relaxed by the pool, and after afternoon tea I decided to go horse riding which isn't something I would normally do but I thought why not. We went out for a couple of hours round the ranch, through many wet and boggy fields spotting an array of wildlife en route including caiman and capybara, and a lot of bird life. We got back during sunset which was pretty special.
When arriving back dinner was ready which was another big buffet like with lunch. I also got an addiction for starfruit as there was a tree full of them next to the pool. After dinner we had the chance to go out on a night safari to spot some nocturnal wildlife. We spotted some feral pigs, foxes, and owls, although the highlight was the stream which was absolutely teaming with caiman. You could see there eyes out the water in the dark, and when shining the light you could see their whole body. We also saw loads of capybara. The night sky was also as equally impressive with the milky way very clear. When arriving back I just had a few beers by the pool before going to bed.
Tuesday was an early start as I signed up for the boat trip which went at 7am. After breakfast which included various savouries, fruits, and cereals, we took a short walk to the river, passing a large group of macaws and capuchin monkeys en route. When getting into our canoe like boats we went downstream, spitting various forms of birdlife. We also saw more monkeys. The highlight however was seeing a wild anaconda which swam past us with its head out the water. It wasn't ridiculously big but it's head was about the size of my hand to put it into perspective.
After the boat trip we were given the day to relax due to the heat and humidity which was already unbearable by 9. I had a nap in the morning as the room had good air con, and after lunch which was another buffet with an array of dishes relaxed by the pool for the afternoon. Our afternoon activity was a daytime safari, where we spotted a lot more birdlife, as well as stopping at the stream where we chucked dead fish in to get caiman to come. So many came and they were soon by our truck fighting which was impressive.
We then continued to a small lake where we went piranha fishing. Using a wooden pole and with a line and hook attached, we spent a while fishing. You could feel the piranhas tugging the hook with their teeth but they were good at taking the bait and leaving the hook empty. It took me a while but I caught one eventually, even if I did have a few caiman a bit close for comfort. On the way back we stopped at the stream and fed the caiman again, and also saw some coaties as well. When arriving back we had a bit of time to relax before dinner which was a Brazilian bbq beef, chicken, pork belly, with various sides. There was a lot of meat. After dinner we sat by the pool and played games before bed.
Wednesday was our last morning on the ranch, and I was up early again this time to go for a bush walk. There was only 2 of us however as everyone else couldn't be bothered. Our guide took us out through the wetlands and we spotted an abundance of birdlife, as well as some rodent things and anteaters. It was very humid however even at such an early time. When returning I relaxed in the room for the air con, before our final lunch which was once again a massive buffet. We departed straight after lunch for the shortish drive to our next stop in Bonito.
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Foz do Iguaçu
Wednesday was simply a drive day, with an intended stop for the night in Yapeyú. Yapeyú is very famous amongst Argentines for being the birthplace of their national hero General Jose de San Martin, one of the liberators of South America from Spanish colonial rule. We couldn't camp here however as the campsite had shut down and the house we were going to visit the next morning to learn about San Martin was having renovation work done. We instead drove a bit further north, stopping for the night at a water park which included a few slides and a large pool which was fun! Dinner in the evening was a risotto and we all had an early night after our 5am departure from Buenos Aires. I even slept outside again for the first time in a while.
Thursday was another drive day with the border into Brazil to negotiate as well towards our destination of Foz do Iguaçu for the next three nights. Foz do Iguaçu (meaning "Mouth of the Iguazu River") is the Brazilian town nestled against the double-border with Argentina and Paraguay. The town is of course most famous as the base for exploring the incredible Iguazu Falls. En route we stopped for lunch nearby the Jesuit ruins which a few people had a guided tour round. I instead explored the nearby market and helped make lunch which was a potato salad. By the time we negotiated the border and the fact the clocks went forward an hour, we arrived in Foz by late afternoon, going to the supermarket and atms before going to our campsite.
After setting up my tent in the pouring rain, we had a short time to relax before going out to this dance show in the evening. The show included dances from 8 countries in Latin America culminating with the Brazilian dances. It was a really fun and energetic show and the fact we had an all you can eat buffet to accompany the show made it even better. Unlike the Argentinians who bbq their meat in big joints, the Brazilian way of cooking meat involves putting large hunks on a skewer and cooking it by rotating the skewer, before serving you the hunk. I ate a lot of meat, although there was also many other cuisines to eat, as well as some amazing desserts. I could barely walk as I had eaten so much after leaving.
Friday was a day trip to visit the waterfall, on the Argentinian side. Iguazu Falls, located on the Iguazu River between Argentina and Brazil, is the world's largest waterfall system and one of the most spectacular natural sights in the world! The name "Iguazu" originates from the native Guarani words "y" (meaning "big") and "uasu" (meaning "water") - the Guarani legend says that the falls were created when a deity wanted to marry a beautiful mortal woman, but when she tried to escape away from him in a canoe with another man the deity sliced the river in two, condeming the water and the lovers to fall for eternity. Getting there involved recrossing the border and the clocks going back an hour despite only a short drive.
The Argentinian side has miles of trails and walkways through the forests to various viewpoints of the waterfall system. With falls of between 60m to 82m, the system has 275 waterfalls over a width of 2.7km so it's big. The first place I went to was "Garganta del Diablo (meaning "Devil's Throat"), the largest and most powerful section of the waterfall system. Millons of gallons of water thunder down violently to the bottom of the huge ravine, forming the most incredible display of power, rainbows, and spray! Getting here involved catching a train to a 1km walkway which we followed out to see the section. About 60% of the water decends to this one point in a u like shape and it was so powerful with spray and water flow that we couldn't see the bottom! I got quite wet.
On the way back from the Devil's Throat we saw a camon, and after catching the train back to the central area of the park we had lunch where we were joined by a lot of Coatis. They seemed cute at first but they were actually absolute pests jumping on tables and fighting with each other to steal our food. After lunch there were a couple of walkways to follow to various viewpoints, an upper walkway and a lower walkway. We got to see many smaller waterfalls here as well as some impressive aerial and panoramic views of the whole system. I did however start to rain by the end, although I was wet anyway.
We left the waterfalls by 4, where we recrossed the border into Brazil, with the clocks going forward an hour. When getting back the rain was torrential, so while everyone ran for cover I went for a swim in the pool which was refreshing. Come evening it was our drivers birthday which meant reason to celebrate so we had a bbq. Gus and Cameron also arrived as well as well as the Tucan truck which meant there were a lot of people to celebrate. The bbq was amazing, especially the pork belly. There was a lot of food. We then partied into the night, and it was nice to meet some new people as Gus is practically all new passengers, and Cameron are passengers who have only paralleled with us since Buenos Aires.
Come morning I was woken up in the hammock and was told we were leaving in 5 minutes which was embarrassing. I don't think I got that much sleep. Saturday was a day trip to the Brazilian side of falls. This side wasn't as extensive in terms of walkways, but offered great panoramic views as well as another view of the Devil's Throat from the other side which was just as impressive. I didn't spend as long at the Brazilian side and after visiting all the viewpoints caught a taxi back to the hostel. There were various options for the afternoon including a visit the Ituapi Dam, the 2nd largest dam in the world, and a trip to Paraguay and Cuidad del Este the other side of the river. Where we were was basically a border with three countries split by the river.
I decided to go back to the hostel and watch the football which was worthwhile, next stop Wembley. I also ordered a takeaway which were these weird sandwich things made with cassava bread. Come afternoon I had a sleep in the hammock. After my nap I went to my tent and nearly trod on a snake. When telling someone I was told it was a coral snake which is one of the most venomous in South America. Dinner was pasta with salad and various other accompaniments. There was once again a lot of food. As Gus and Cameron were at the dance show the hostel was quiet until a bunch of rowdy Brazilian locals arrived followed by the trucks returning which equalled party. It was another late night.
Thursday was another drive day with the border into Brazil to negotiate as well towards our destination of Foz do Iguaçu for the next three nights. Foz do Iguaçu (meaning "Mouth of the Iguazu River") is the Brazilian town nestled against the double-border with Argentina and Paraguay. The town is of course most famous as the base for exploring the incredible Iguazu Falls. En route we stopped for lunch nearby the Jesuit ruins which a few people had a guided tour round. I instead explored the nearby market and helped make lunch which was a potato salad. By the time we negotiated the border and the fact the clocks went forward an hour, we arrived in Foz by late afternoon, going to the supermarket and atms before going to our campsite.
After setting up my tent in the pouring rain, we had a short time to relax before going out to this dance show in the evening. The show included dances from 8 countries in Latin America culminating with the Brazilian dances. It was a really fun and energetic show and the fact we had an all you can eat buffet to accompany the show made it even better. Unlike the Argentinians who bbq their meat in big joints, the Brazilian way of cooking meat involves putting large hunks on a skewer and cooking it by rotating the skewer, before serving you the hunk. I ate a lot of meat, although there was also many other cuisines to eat, as well as some amazing desserts. I could barely walk as I had eaten so much after leaving.
Friday was a day trip to visit the waterfall, on the Argentinian side. Iguazu Falls, located on the Iguazu River between Argentina and Brazil, is the world's largest waterfall system and one of the most spectacular natural sights in the world! The name "Iguazu" originates from the native Guarani words "y" (meaning "big") and "uasu" (meaning "water") - the Guarani legend says that the falls were created when a deity wanted to marry a beautiful mortal woman, but when she tried to escape away from him in a canoe with another man the deity sliced the river in two, condeming the water and the lovers to fall for eternity. Getting there involved recrossing the border and the clocks going back an hour despite only a short drive.
The Argentinian side has miles of trails and walkways through the forests to various viewpoints of the waterfall system. With falls of between 60m to 82m, the system has 275 waterfalls over a width of 2.7km so it's big. The first place I went to was "Garganta del Diablo (meaning "Devil's Throat"), the largest and most powerful section of the waterfall system. Millons of gallons of water thunder down violently to the bottom of the huge ravine, forming the most incredible display of power, rainbows, and spray! Getting here involved catching a train to a 1km walkway which we followed out to see the section. About 60% of the water decends to this one point in a u like shape and it was so powerful with spray and water flow that we couldn't see the bottom! I got quite wet.
On the way back from the Devil's Throat we saw a camon, and after catching the train back to the central area of the park we had lunch where we were joined by a lot of Coatis. They seemed cute at first but they were actually absolute pests jumping on tables and fighting with each other to steal our food. After lunch there were a couple of walkways to follow to various viewpoints, an upper walkway and a lower walkway. We got to see many smaller waterfalls here as well as some impressive aerial and panoramic views of the whole system. I did however start to rain by the end, although I was wet anyway.
We left the waterfalls by 4, where we recrossed the border into Brazil, with the clocks going forward an hour. When getting back the rain was torrential, so while everyone ran for cover I went for a swim in the pool which was refreshing. Come evening it was our drivers birthday which meant reason to celebrate so we had a bbq. Gus and Cameron also arrived as well as well as the Tucan truck which meant there were a lot of people to celebrate. The bbq was amazing, especially the pork belly. There was a lot of food. We then partied into the night, and it was nice to meet some new people as Gus is practically all new passengers, and Cameron are passengers who have only paralleled with us since Buenos Aires.
Come morning I was woken up in the hammock and was told we were leaving in 5 minutes which was embarrassing. I don't think I got that much sleep. Saturday was a day trip to the Brazilian side of falls. This side wasn't as extensive in terms of walkways, but offered great panoramic views as well as another view of the Devil's Throat from the other side which was just as impressive. I didn't spend as long at the Brazilian side and after visiting all the viewpoints caught a taxi back to the hostel. There were various options for the afternoon including a visit the Ituapi Dam, the 2nd largest dam in the world, and a trip to Paraguay and Cuidad del Este the other side of the river. Where we were was basically a border with three countries split by the river.
I decided to go back to the hostel and watch the football which was worthwhile, next stop Wembley. I also ordered a takeaway which were these weird sandwich things made with cassava bread. Come afternoon I had a sleep in the hammock. After my nap I went to my tent and nearly trod on a snake. When telling someone I was told it was a coral snake which is one of the most venomous in South America. Dinner was pasta with salad and various other accompaniments. There was once again a lot of food. As Gus and Cameron were at the dance show the hostel was quiet until a bunch of rowdy Brazilian locals arrived followed by the trucks returning which equalled party. It was another late night.
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Buenos Aires
Friday was a ridiculously early start, leaving Puerto Madryn at half 4 in the morning to cover as much ground as possible to get to Buenos Aires as early as possible the following day. The issue our truck keeps getting the alternative itineraries due to there being two trucks and some of the accommodation not being big enough to accommodate everyone was once. On the next leg a third truck called Cameron which has come from Cartagena via the Andes route has caught up with us so we now have three trucks together. The Pantanal later in the trip can't handle that many people which means we are leaving Buenos Aires a day earlier than planned, following the same schedule until Foz, where we are then leapfrogging Bonito and going straight to the Pantanal which requires bush camp en route, before driving back on ourselves to Bonito before following the original itinerary to Rio. This has caused a little controversy with certain members of our truck although it's probably a good thing in terms of numbers.
We made really good progress on Friday, stopping en route at a supermarket en route for food supplies, covering over 1000km by the end of the day, with Gus about 400km behind as we effectively drove until 9 arriving in darkness! Dinner in the evening was spaghetti bolognese, and we then had an early night in our very overgrown camp on the side of the road in long grass.
Saturday was a little bit of a later start being within 300km of Buenos Aires, and arrived in the city by lunchtime. At the mouth of the River Plate estuary (where the Uruguay and Paraná rivers flow out into the Atlantic Ocean) lies the fabulous city of Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. It's a buzzing, energetic city that often feels more European than Latin American, so much so that it's often referred to as "the Paris of the South". We are now staying 4 nights here which gave us 3 full days as well as the afternoon on Saturday. After settling into the hotel I went into the centro district and looked round the shops, buying some new shoes and some trousers. I also saw the impressive obelisk for the sign with the big BA hedge in front of it.
Come evening I somehow agreed to go for a tango lesson which was actually really fun. It's a very simple dance although the footwork is complicated as you have to synchronise with your partner. It wasn't helped either by the heavy to girl to guy ratio which meant I had to do a lot more dancing than everyone else. After the lesson we went to a steak restaurant where I had this ridiculously big steak with chips, although I demolished it. After dinner we went to a local milonga for a night of Tango with the locals which was basically like a big ball with all inclusive drinks. I got told by someone I was worst dancer ever though. After a late departure from the milonga I caught a taxi into the palermo district and went to a club and it was very late night.
Come morning I woke up late, although I was out the hotel by lunchtime and walked out to the Puerto Madero district via the famous Plaza del Mayo. Puerto Madero is the dockland area famous for its high end restaurants. It was a pleasant walk before working my way round to the San Telmo market which takes place every Sunday. Primarily selling handicrafts and antiques, it was full of the very interesting products. I then continued into the La Boca district known most commonly as the home of Boca Juniors fc, and despite being the neighbourhood with the poorest residents and crime record, has a very colourful vibrant vibe. It is also the birthplace of Tango. I didn't go alone however just to be safe, although down the brightly coloured streets it was full of colours and cafes and felt safe.
We stayed here for a drink before catching a taxi back to the San Telmo market, walking back from there to the hotel. I then relaxed before heading out in the evening to the english pub called the Gibraltar bar for dinner where I had the fish and chips. From there I found I headed into the centro district and after looking round the shopping centre went to a nice cafe down one of the streets and had a couple of beers outside before going to bed.
Monday I actually made it to breakfast which was really good, lots of sugar treats, fruit, and breads. I then headed out the opposite direction, passing the Congress building en route to the Recoleta district often described as the Mayfair of the Buenos Aires with its high end establishments. Here was also home to the Recoleta Cemetery which has many high profile Argentinians placed in these massive tombs. The site was a maze of pathways and it was almost big enough to get lost! I then headed out through the Malba district with its gardens and sculptures, eventually getting back to the Palermo district this time in daylight! I had lunch here at plaza Italia.
After lunch I caught the underground out to the Nunez district which was nightmare as I couldn't work out how to buy a ticket, and no one understood me to help me. In the end I just had to jump the barriers and leg it onto the train. When arriving in the Nunez district I headed out to see River Plates football stadium which was pretty impressive. Boca Juniors ground the day before was set in the street whereas River Plates was more of a modern stadium. From here I caught the public overground train which was very basic and graffiti covered back to the central train station. En route back to the hotel I stopped at plaza San Martin, walking back via the centro district to the hotel.
Once at the hotel I had a few beers and come evening I had some empanadas for dinner before heading out to Buenos Aires biggest Monday night, La Bomba de Tiempo. This is a famous drumming show and it was heaving with people, taking place in some old warehouse with a big stage. After the show we followed the drums out the venue and round the streets to a nightclub venue where we partied into the night.
Tuesday was our final full day in Buenos Aires, although I took a far more relaxing approach to the day if going to the police station all morning counts. Someone basically lost their phone the night before so I kindly went with them to get a police report which helps with insurance claims. After a long time in the station we went out for lunch where I had pizza. I then had a nap in the afternoon before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant where I had lasagne. I passed a big protest en route though which was interesting! I then had an early night.
We made really good progress on Friday, stopping en route at a supermarket en route for food supplies, covering over 1000km by the end of the day, with Gus about 400km behind as we effectively drove until 9 arriving in darkness! Dinner in the evening was spaghetti bolognese, and we then had an early night in our very overgrown camp on the side of the road in long grass.
Saturday was a little bit of a later start being within 300km of Buenos Aires, and arrived in the city by lunchtime. At the mouth of the River Plate estuary (where the Uruguay and Paraná rivers flow out into the Atlantic Ocean) lies the fabulous city of Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. It's a buzzing, energetic city that often feels more European than Latin American, so much so that it's often referred to as "the Paris of the South". We are now staying 4 nights here which gave us 3 full days as well as the afternoon on Saturday. After settling into the hotel I went into the centro district and looked round the shops, buying some new shoes and some trousers. I also saw the impressive obelisk for the sign with the big BA hedge in front of it.
Come evening I somehow agreed to go for a tango lesson which was actually really fun. It's a very simple dance although the footwork is complicated as you have to synchronise with your partner. It wasn't helped either by the heavy to girl to guy ratio which meant I had to do a lot more dancing than everyone else. After the lesson we went to a steak restaurant where I had this ridiculously big steak with chips, although I demolished it. After dinner we went to a local milonga for a night of Tango with the locals which was basically like a big ball with all inclusive drinks. I got told by someone I was worst dancer ever though. After a late departure from the milonga I caught a taxi into the palermo district and went to a club and it was very late night.
Come morning I woke up late, although I was out the hotel by lunchtime and walked out to the Puerto Madero district via the famous Plaza del Mayo. Puerto Madero is the dockland area famous for its high end restaurants. It was a pleasant walk before working my way round to the San Telmo market which takes place every Sunday. Primarily selling handicrafts and antiques, it was full of the very interesting products. I then continued into the La Boca district known most commonly as the home of Boca Juniors fc, and despite being the neighbourhood with the poorest residents and crime record, has a very colourful vibrant vibe. It is also the birthplace of Tango. I didn't go alone however just to be safe, although down the brightly coloured streets it was full of colours and cafes and felt safe.
We stayed here for a drink before catching a taxi back to the San Telmo market, walking back from there to the hotel. I then relaxed before heading out in the evening to the english pub called the Gibraltar bar for dinner where I had the fish and chips. From there I found I headed into the centro district and after looking round the shopping centre went to a nice cafe down one of the streets and had a couple of beers outside before going to bed.
Monday I actually made it to breakfast which was really good, lots of sugar treats, fruit, and breads. I then headed out the opposite direction, passing the Congress building en route to the Recoleta district often described as the Mayfair of the Buenos Aires with its high end establishments. Here was also home to the Recoleta Cemetery which has many high profile Argentinians placed in these massive tombs. The site was a maze of pathways and it was almost big enough to get lost! I then headed out through the Malba district with its gardens and sculptures, eventually getting back to the Palermo district this time in daylight! I had lunch here at plaza Italia.
After lunch I caught the underground out to the Nunez district which was nightmare as I couldn't work out how to buy a ticket, and no one understood me to help me. In the end I just had to jump the barriers and leg it onto the train. When arriving in the Nunez district I headed out to see River Plates football stadium which was pretty impressive. Boca Juniors ground the day before was set in the street whereas River Plates was more of a modern stadium. From here I caught the public overground train which was very basic and graffiti covered back to the central train station. En route back to the hotel I stopped at plaza San Martin, walking back via the centro district to the hotel.
Once at the hotel I had a few beers and come evening I had some empanadas for dinner before heading out to Buenos Aires biggest Monday night, La Bomba de Tiempo. This is a famous drumming show and it was heaving with people, taking place in some old warehouse with a big stage. After the show we followed the drums out the venue and round the streets to a nightclub venue where we partied into the night.
Tuesday was our final full day in Buenos Aires, although I took a far more relaxing approach to the day if going to the police station all morning counts. Someone basically lost their phone the night before so I kindly went with them to get a police report which helps with insurance claims. After a long time in the station we went out for lunch where I had pizza. I then had a nap in the afternoon before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant where I had lasagne. I passed a big protest en route though which was interesting! I then had an early night.
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Bush Camps and Puerto Madryn
Monday was an early start to start our drive up to Buenos Aires over the next few days. The drive itself was a long day driving through flat desolate grassland which little much to see other than the occasional guanaco or rhea en route. We stopped en route in Gabernador Gregores again for lunch which was hotdogs, as well as using the supermarket to buy supplies for the next few days. We didn't arrive to our campsite near Jaramillo until about 8 in the end, where dinner was cooked by me and my team as I had put myself forward as head chef. I then had an early night after a stunning sunset.
The desolate cold plains of Patagonia surrounding the tiny town of Jaramillo are a world away from how this area was in the Jurassic era. Around that time the landscape was covered with dense evergreen confierous forests. This changed at the start of the Cretaceous era when volcanic eruptions and the birth of the Andes coincided to reduce he amount of rain and cover much of the forestry with ash and lava, petrifying large amounts of the forest. This ecological legacy has been left behind in Jaramillo, with many examples of fossilised trees and cones lying strewn about the landscape. We were however refused entry to the site so it was completely pointless driving out our way to get there.
After leaving we drove back towards the Atlantic coast and stopped on the beach for lunch which was a salad with crackers. I even went for a paddle for the first time in the Atlantic on the trip. We then continued north along the coast, stopping en route in a large town for more cooking supplies, before making one last push towards our campsite for the night in the small town of Camerones. We didn't arrive until 8 again, although the town was very nice with a little beach with a small jetty, and another great sunset. Dinner in the evening was fajitas. We then sat down the beach and had a fire before going to bed.
Wednesday was a shorter drive day and included a visit to see a Magellanic penguin colony. Camarones is home to around 25,000 of the penguins that nest here on the windy, remote and rocky coast. Between September and April, the penguins come to these sites to incubate their eggs and prepare their offspring for migration - each couple stand in front of their nests protecting the eggs from birds and other predators, and occasionally one adult goes to the sea for food. It was a pretty amazing site as we were able to walk along this walkway and be right close the penguins, of which there were loads. We could even see some sea lions in the distance.
After the penguins we drove back to Camerones and continued driving north, stopping at a service station for lunch where we had a pasta salad. After leaving we also went via the small town of Gaiman for afternoon tea which is famous for its Welsh heritage, also home to an abundance of Welsh tea houses. It was a nice little town with plenty of Welsh names and dragons dotted round the place. It was then one final push to Puerto Madryn for 2 nights camping there, arriving in good time. Dinner in the evening was jacket potatoes with mince and various toppings. We then had another campfire which went on relatively late before going to bed.
Thursday was a free day to explore Puerto Madryn, a port town on the South Atlantic coast of Argentina. The original settlers here were Welsh, founding the port and colonising the Chubut River valley - these original settlers came here in 1865 as they felt like their Welsh customs and traditions were being eroded back at home and that they should emigrate to better preserve them. A distinct Patagonian dialect of the Welsh language has been spoken in the region for over four generations, but although it is now quite rare and you are unlikely to hear anyone speaking it, there are three bilingual Welsh-Spanishs schools in Patagonia, and it is thought that 5,000-10,000 people speak Welsh as a first language and a further 25,000 as a second language.
We had the option here to take a day trip to the Valdés Peninsula, a beautiful rocky outcrop known for its incredible wildlife including Magellanic Penguins, guanaco, sea lions, and even orcas of you're lucky. I decided against this however as it also included 400km of driving, and Puerto Madryn itself had a nice sandy beach with temperatures as high as 31 degrees so it seemed like the perfect place to relax after so much hiking and time sitting in the truck. I instead had a lie in and walked into town for lunch which was about a half hour walk. It was a nice day just relaxing on the beach which was busy. There was even a massive cruise ship docked which I think was European as it had a eu flag on the side.
After exploring the town I headed back to our campsite, stopping off en route at the site of the settlement where the Welsh first migrated. I also tried to visit this ecological site famous for its dinosaur fossils although it was shut. When arriving back at camp there was a thunderstorm although it didn't come to much. Dinner in the evening was this chicken and rice dish, although a lot of people didn't turn up as they stayed in town which meant there was a lot of food leftover. I then had an early night as we had a very early start in the morning.
The desolate cold plains of Patagonia surrounding the tiny town of Jaramillo are a world away from how this area was in the Jurassic era. Around that time the landscape was covered with dense evergreen confierous forests. This changed at the start of the Cretaceous era when volcanic eruptions and the birth of the Andes coincided to reduce he amount of rain and cover much of the forestry with ash and lava, petrifying large amounts of the forest. This ecological legacy has been left behind in Jaramillo, with many examples of fossilised trees and cones lying strewn about the landscape. We were however refused entry to the site so it was completely pointless driving out our way to get there.
After leaving we drove back towards the Atlantic coast and stopped on the beach for lunch which was a salad with crackers. I even went for a paddle for the first time in the Atlantic on the trip. We then continued north along the coast, stopping en route in a large town for more cooking supplies, before making one last push towards our campsite for the night in the small town of Camerones. We didn't arrive until 8 again, although the town was very nice with a little beach with a small jetty, and another great sunset. Dinner in the evening was fajitas. We then sat down the beach and had a fire before going to bed.
Wednesday was a shorter drive day and included a visit to see a Magellanic penguin colony. Camarones is home to around 25,000 of the penguins that nest here on the windy, remote and rocky coast. Between September and April, the penguins come to these sites to incubate their eggs and prepare their offspring for migration - each couple stand in front of their nests protecting the eggs from birds and other predators, and occasionally one adult goes to the sea for food. It was a pretty amazing site as we were able to walk along this walkway and be right close the penguins, of which there were loads. We could even see some sea lions in the distance.
After the penguins we drove back to Camerones and continued driving north, stopping at a service station for lunch where we had a pasta salad. After leaving we also went via the small town of Gaiman for afternoon tea which is famous for its Welsh heritage, also home to an abundance of Welsh tea houses. It was a nice little town with plenty of Welsh names and dragons dotted round the place. It was then one final push to Puerto Madryn for 2 nights camping there, arriving in good time. Dinner in the evening was jacket potatoes with mince and various toppings. We then had another campfire which went on relatively late before going to bed.
Thursday was a free day to explore Puerto Madryn, a port town on the South Atlantic coast of Argentina. The original settlers here were Welsh, founding the port and colonising the Chubut River valley - these original settlers came here in 1865 as they felt like their Welsh customs and traditions were being eroded back at home and that they should emigrate to better preserve them. A distinct Patagonian dialect of the Welsh language has been spoken in the region for over four generations, but although it is now quite rare and you are unlikely to hear anyone speaking it, there are three bilingual Welsh-Spanishs schools in Patagonia, and it is thought that 5,000-10,000 people speak Welsh as a first language and a further 25,000 as a second language.
We had the option here to take a day trip to the Valdés Peninsula, a beautiful rocky outcrop known for its incredible wildlife including Magellanic Penguins, guanaco, sea lions, and even orcas of you're lucky. I decided against this however as it also included 400km of driving, and Puerto Madryn itself had a nice sandy beach with temperatures as high as 31 degrees so it seemed like the perfect place to relax after so much hiking and time sitting in the truck. I instead had a lie in and walked into town for lunch which was about a half hour walk. It was a nice day just relaxing on the beach which was busy. There was even a massive cruise ship docked which I think was European as it had a eu flag on the side.
After exploring the town I headed back to our campsite, stopping off en route at the site of the settlement where the Welsh first migrated. I also tried to visit this ecological site famous for its dinosaur fossils although it was shut. When arriving back at camp there was a thunderstorm although it didn't come to much. Dinner in the evening was this chicken and rice dish, although a lot of people didn't turn up as they stayed in town which meant there was a lot of food leftover. I then had an early night as we had a very early start in the morning.
Monday, 30 January 2017
Los Glaciares National Park
Thursday was another drive day with our last border crossing between Chile and Argentina. We had a relatively late start though as there wasn't too much distance to cover. The talk over breakfast however was about the state of the toilets as someone had obviously not made it to toilet in time and had left an incredibly large amount of liquid poo all over the toilet, floor, wall, and even the ceiling! We got to the border in little over an hour and even got through the border in about an hour which was very good compared to some previous efforts. The drive however after was on a gravel road so it was very bumpy, although it was compensated by amazing scenery. We stopped for a very windy lunch near one of our previous stops in El Calafate, having pasta, before continuing onto our final destination of El Chalten, arriving late afternoon in the pouring rain.
El Chaltén is small remote Patagonian town nestled under the shadow of the iconic Mt. Fitz Roy. The town itself has an interesting origin - the area was disputed between Argentina and Chile for a number of years, so the Argentinians thought they would settle the argument by hastily building the town of El Chaltén in 1985 to claim the territory! The name of Chaltén comes from the Tehuelche word for 'smoky mountain', so called as the early morning clouds gathering around Fitz Roy look remarkably like volcanic smoke. However, the town has grown immensely in recent years and decades, becoming a major centre for adventure tourism in Argentina. It is a fantastic base from which to explore the northern sections of the incredible Los Glaciares National Park. I had a pretty chilled out evening, attempting to get WiFi without success at dinner where I had a beef thing, before conceding and relaxing at the hostel with a couple of beers and games of pool before bed.
Come morning I had no real plans despite the abundance of hiking in the area, and just ended up having a lazy morning, even getting my first significant go at wifi for a very long time. For breakfast a few of us went out to this waffle place, although it was closed upon arrival so we went elsewhere for a drink before returning where I had a waffle with ham, cheese, tomato, and basil which was really good. It was afternoon by the time I ended up having breakfast though as everywhere opened so late, although I did pop down to national park visitor centre to pick up a map of the park.
Los Glaciares National Park is the largest protected area in Argentina, covering a huge area of Argentinian Patagonia along the southern tail of the Andes range. The National Park is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America. This is classic picture-book Patagonia, and wherever you turn you're surrounded by wide open skies, magnificent mountains, incredible glaciers, glistening lakes and thick verdant forest. By far the best way to explore is to get out on foot. As well as the phenomenal needle-like Cerro Torre, the iconic mountain of Fitz Roy looms over El Chaltén, an impossibly-picturesque and steep mountain (which is also the logo for the 'Patagonia' clothing brand!) which can be viewed from many angles on treks in the area.
Not feeling like a serious hike, I went out for a short hike up to a couple of viewpoints to firstly see a view of Lake Viedma, which also had a brilliant view of Fitzroy, as well as going to a viewpoint with a view of the town as well as a another view of Fitzroy. We sat up here for a while although it was very windy after a while. After heading back down and through the town back to the hostel, I went for another short hike alone to see a waterfall which was about a 45 minute walk away. It was a nice little walk along the river and the waterfall was pretty impressive yet busy. When returning I relaxed, and for dinner just bought some empanadas and spent the evening in the hostel before having an early night.
Saturday was the day with the best weather forecast so I decided that was the day to hike up to Lago de los tres which sits at the base of Mount Fitzroy. After getting a few bits from the bakery, I set off with a few others to do the hike. We couldn't go as a big group however as it is a legal requirement to have a guide if you're in a tour group in Argentina, and seeing as the majority of my group wanted to do the hikes we had to leave at scattered times. The hike itself started at the end of the road of my hostel, and immediately started going up through woodland until we were presented with views of the creel below.
A bit further down the route we reached a viewpoint where we could see Fitzroy although it was a little cloudy. The route from there was pretty flat crossing small creeks and going through sections of open land, and occasionally woodland until we reached the final section was effectively had 400m height gain over 1km. The path was very steep but at the top we reached the lake and got a great view of Fitzroy and the surrounding mountains. There were at few different viewpoints although it was very exposed and windy up there. We had lunch up here too, sheltering behind a rock to get out the wind!
After lunch we headed back down the same way, with the path being very wet and slippery going down until levelling out again. The views and scenery was just as good going back, and we got back to the hostel by like half 5 in the end. Come evening it was a big occasion in the Argentinian football calendar with it being Boca Juniors v River Plate, the superclasico, so after a few beers and dinner I went to a local bar to watch the game. It was full of River Plate fans, and the place erupted when they scored, it was a really good atmosphere and River Plate won 2 0. We then continued drinking before going to the mistico disco which was actually really good. It was a late night in the end.
I had a nice lie in on Sunday after the previous nights antics, although I still went for hike, this time to Laguna Torre. I didn't until like 11 though, going to bakery en route for food. The hike started near the hostel and went up into this valley with views of the Cerro Torre, the needle like mountain. It was pretty cloudy though and very moist in the air. When arriving at the lake, I followed it round to get a view of this glacier which was impressive, with a few icebergs even floating in the lake as I walked round. The skies were very overcast though. I spent a while getting different views before heading back the same route to El Chaltén. When arriving back I just relaxed before getting some empanadas and even some decent fruit for dinner. I then had an early night ready for the start of a 3000km drive to BA starting from tomorrow!
El Chaltén is small remote Patagonian town nestled under the shadow of the iconic Mt. Fitz Roy. The town itself has an interesting origin - the area was disputed between Argentina and Chile for a number of years, so the Argentinians thought they would settle the argument by hastily building the town of El Chaltén in 1985 to claim the territory! The name of Chaltén comes from the Tehuelche word for 'smoky mountain', so called as the early morning clouds gathering around Fitz Roy look remarkably like volcanic smoke. However, the town has grown immensely in recent years and decades, becoming a major centre for adventure tourism in Argentina. It is a fantastic base from which to explore the northern sections of the incredible Los Glaciares National Park. I had a pretty chilled out evening, attempting to get WiFi without success at dinner where I had a beef thing, before conceding and relaxing at the hostel with a couple of beers and games of pool before bed.
Come morning I had no real plans despite the abundance of hiking in the area, and just ended up having a lazy morning, even getting my first significant go at wifi for a very long time. For breakfast a few of us went out to this waffle place, although it was closed upon arrival so we went elsewhere for a drink before returning where I had a waffle with ham, cheese, tomato, and basil which was really good. It was afternoon by the time I ended up having breakfast though as everywhere opened so late, although I did pop down to national park visitor centre to pick up a map of the park.
Los Glaciares National Park is the largest protected area in Argentina, covering a huge area of Argentinian Patagonia along the southern tail of the Andes range. The National Park is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America. This is classic picture-book Patagonia, and wherever you turn you're surrounded by wide open skies, magnificent mountains, incredible glaciers, glistening lakes and thick verdant forest. By far the best way to explore is to get out on foot. As well as the phenomenal needle-like Cerro Torre, the iconic mountain of Fitz Roy looms over El Chaltén, an impossibly-picturesque and steep mountain (which is also the logo for the 'Patagonia' clothing brand!) which can be viewed from many angles on treks in the area.
Not feeling like a serious hike, I went out for a short hike up to a couple of viewpoints to firstly see a view of Lake Viedma, which also had a brilliant view of Fitzroy, as well as going to a viewpoint with a view of the town as well as a another view of Fitzroy. We sat up here for a while although it was very windy after a while. After heading back down and through the town back to the hostel, I went for another short hike alone to see a waterfall which was about a 45 minute walk away. It was a nice little walk along the river and the waterfall was pretty impressive yet busy. When returning I relaxed, and for dinner just bought some empanadas and spent the evening in the hostel before having an early night.
Saturday was the day with the best weather forecast so I decided that was the day to hike up to Lago de los tres which sits at the base of Mount Fitzroy. After getting a few bits from the bakery, I set off with a few others to do the hike. We couldn't go as a big group however as it is a legal requirement to have a guide if you're in a tour group in Argentina, and seeing as the majority of my group wanted to do the hikes we had to leave at scattered times. The hike itself started at the end of the road of my hostel, and immediately started going up through woodland until we were presented with views of the creel below.
A bit further down the route we reached a viewpoint where we could see Fitzroy although it was a little cloudy. The route from there was pretty flat crossing small creeks and going through sections of open land, and occasionally woodland until we reached the final section was effectively had 400m height gain over 1km. The path was very steep but at the top we reached the lake and got a great view of Fitzroy and the surrounding mountains. There were at few different viewpoints although it was very exposed and windy up there. We had lunch up here too, sheltering behind a rock to get out the wind!
After lunch we headed back down the same way, with the path being very wet and slippery going down until levelling out again. The views and scenery was just as good going back, and we got back to the hostel by like half 5 in the end. Come evening it was a big occasion in the Argentinian football calendar with it being Boca Juniors v River Plate, the superclasico, so after a few beers and dinner I went to a local bar to watch the game. It was full of River Plate fans, and the place erupted when they scored, it was a really good atmosphere and River Plate won 2 0. We then continued drinking before going to the mistico disco which was actually really good. It was a late night in the end.
I had a nice lie in on Sunday after the previous nights antics, although I still went for hike, this time to Laguna Torre. I didn't until like 11 though, going to bakery en route for food. The hike started near the hostel and went up into this valley with views of the Cerro Torre, the needle like mountain. It was pretty cloudy though and very moist in the air. When arriving at the lake, I followed it round to get a view of this glacier which was impressive, with a few icebergs even floating in the lake as I walked round. The skies were very overcast though. I spent a while getting different views before heading back the same route to El Chaltén. When arriving back I just relaxed before getting some empanadas and even some decent fruit for dinner. I then had an early night ready for the start of a 3000km drive to BA starting from tomorrow!
Friday, 27 January 2017
Torres del Paine National Park
We left Ushuaia at 6 ready for a long day which included a border crossing and ferry crossing which obviously didn't go very well last time. I didn't get any sleep however the night before and entered the truck slightly pissed which wasn't my finest moment but the advantage was I passed out and the morning went quickly. We crossed the border easily, and before heading to the ferry crossing went to Bahia Inituil which we were meant to wild camp at previously to see the penguins. This area is home to the only colony of King penguins outside Antarctica. It was a pretty impressive site even if my head was hurting a little bit. We also had lunch here which was a vegetable bake with a homemade salsa and an aubergine risotto on the side.
After the penguins we drove to the ferry crossing which was surprisingly straight forward as we were the last vehicle on when arriving, then the ferry left straight away, and then we were the first vehicle off! As we did so well and were expecting to arrive here late, we continued driving, stopping just outside Punta Arenas where we finally had our first proper bush camp, by that I mean somewhere without facilities and simply in the middle of nowhere. We camped by a lake although it was very windy which made pitching tents a challenge. Dinner in the evening was a vegetable stir fry and after dinner I had a very early night.
Due to our excellent progress the previous day we didn't leave until 9, as we were only a couple of hours drive off Puerto Natales where we had to pick up our guides for our visit to Torres del Paine National Park. We arrived in Puerto Natales at about lunchtime where we were given free time to explore until 3. I went for lunch at a local restaurant where I had the club sandwich, and took advantage of the last wifi opportunity in quite a while. After picking up our guides we continued into the national park, stopping at a couple of viewpoints en route to see some of the mountains and lakes. We arrived in our base camp by about 5, which was very crowded with tents!
The Torres del Paine National Park contains what is undoubtedly some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. Rising up high above the Patagonian steppe are the three impressive granite towers that give the park its name, surrounded by high plateaus and towering mountain peaks, the most famous of which are Los Cuernos and Paine Grande. The park is a magical natural wonderland full of deep lakes, sparkling glaciers and cascading waterfalls, and it is also an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including guanacos, pumas, flamingos and condors. After pitching our tents, mine being in the middle of the path as it was sheltered, we relaxed before dinner. Dinner was tomato soup, followed this vegetable mash thing with salad. All meals here are cooked by local guides. I then had an early night.
Sunday was the first of 4 free days in the national park. There were two options of things to do here, the w walk package and the basic package, which was decided when booking the trip due to permits. I'm on the basic package. The first day however was everyone together before the 6 people doing the w walk leave us on the second to fourth day. The first day of the w walk effectively goes up to a lookout of the famous three granite mountains, before returning the same way to base camp. Breakfast in the morning was eggs and even a very small amount of bacon! We then set off at 8 to hike up to the viewpoint.
The walk itself was effectively an uphill walk with 800m height gain, with an estimated time of 4.5 hours each way, a 22km round trip. It started relatively flat with brilliant views of the snowcapped mountains, before ascending up a rocky track surrounded by grassland. On the way up we got views of the lakes and rolling hills behind us, and later got the completely contrasting view of the granite snowcapped mountains in front. We eventually decended to this creek, before heading uphill through woodland and over various bridges along a very rocky path. The path then opened out and the final section was very steep and rocky, finishing with an amazing view point of the three granite peaks, despite it being cloudy.
I was first up by quite a way and stayed for a while before heading down as it was quite cold up top. We passed all my group at various points going down and rocketed down the hill the same way which was actually quite steep. We arrived back at base camp at half 12 which was a lot earlier than expected. To put in perspective the next person didn't arrive back until 2, and then the majority of people arrived back between 4 and 5 which meant I really had paced it out a bit. I did however have a nap in the sun in the afternoon and went for an additional hike to the lake. Come evening dinner was soup, followed by stewed steak and rice. We were also briefed of options for the upcoming days which are pretty flexible. I then had another early night.
The next day was a more relaxed day in terms of hiking, and we said bye to the w walkers after a late breakfast. After breakfast we had a free day, although we had the option to do a short hike about half hour drive away in the truck known for an abundance of wildlife. The walk was about 6km in total with the truck dropping us off and picking us up at another location. The walk itself was pretty straight forward but very windy, walking through farmland over rolling grassland hills. We saw lots of Guanaco and even condors, and I even saw an armadillo. There was also a nice viewpoint to see the snowcapped mountains in the distance. The walk itself was about 2 hours in the end which was a nice amount of time.
After the walk I had my packed lunch on the truck on the way back to the campsite, before having the rest of the afternoon to relax before dinner. Dinner in the evening was pasta with a bolognese sauce, preceded by soup once again. I was hungry and ended up having 3 bowls full. The evening was then relatively relaxing and I stayed up for a bit playing cards, before going to bed in a tent all to myself as my tent buddy had left me to do the w walk.
The following day the general plan was to do a walk to the Las Cuenas refugio to see the lake with a 10am departure. I however had a more ambitious plan to do the same hike but continue to the Italiano campground and then up through the French valley to the Britainico viewpoint. That was effectively an undulating 46km hike with 800m height gain in the valley and an estimated time of 19 hours, but I was confident I could do it quicker. What I did have however was someone else was willing to go with me who got back to base camp with me at half 12 on the first day so I wasn't alone. I did have to sign off the trip however as dragoman insurance wouldn't cover us doing something so stupid.
We were therefore given breakfast the previous night, as well as all the leftover dinner from the previous night for lunch, as well as snacks, setting off at 6am. The initial part of the hike was pretty fresh and we made good progress with some amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills. We got to Los Cuernos in good time, but then the path got interesting as it was effectively a stream, but it soon became better and we caught up with the w walkers within 3.5 hours who was in effect a day ahead of us. They thought we were mad.
After the penguins we drove to the ferry crossing which was surprisingly straight forward as we were the last vehicle on when arriving, then the ferry left straight away, and then we were the first vehicle off! As we did so well and were expecting to arrive here late, we continued driving, stopping just outside Punta Arenas where we finally had our first proper bush camp, by that I mean somewhere without facilities and simply in the middle of nowhere. We camped by a lake although it was very windy which made pitching tents a challenge. Dinner in the evening was a vegetable stir fry and after dinner I had a very early night.
Due to our excellent progress the previous day we didn't leave until 9, as we were only a couple of hours drive off Puerto Natales where we had to pick up our guides for our visit to Torres del Paine National Park. We arrived in Puerto Natales at about lunchtime where we were given free time to explore until 3. I went for lunch at a local restaurant where I had the club sandwich, and took advantage of the last wifi opportunity in quite a while. After picking up our guides we continued into the national park, stopping at a couple of viewpoints en route to see some of the mountains and lakes. We arrived in our base camp by about 5, which was very crowded with tents!
The Torres del Paine National Park contains what is undoubtedly some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. Rising up high above the Patagonian steppe are the three impressive granite towers that give the park its name, surrounded by high plateaus and towering mountain peaks, the most famous of which are Los Cuernos and Paine Grande. The park is a magical natural wonderland full of deep lakes, sparkling glaciers and cascading waterfalls, and it is also an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including guanacos, pumas, flamingos and condors. After pitching our tents, mine being in the middle of the path as it was sheltered, we relaxed before dinner. Dinner was tomato soup, followed this vegetable mash thing with salad. All meals here are cooked by local guides. I then had an early night.
Sunday was the first of 4 free days in the national park. There were two options of things to do here, the w walk package and the basic package, which was decided when booking the trip due to permits. I'm on the basic package. The first day however was everyone together before the 6 people doing the w walk leave us on the second to fourth day. The first day of the w walk effectively goes up to a lookout of the famous three granite mountains, before returning the same way to base camp. Breakfast in the morning was eggs and even a very small amount of bacon! We then set off at 8 to hike up to the viewpoint.
The walk itself was effectively an uphill walk with 800m height gain, with an estimated time of 4.5 hours each way, a 22km round trip. It started relatively flat with brilliant views of the snowcapped mountains, before ascending up a rocky track surrounded by grassland. On the way up we got views of the lakes and rolling hills behind us, and later got the completely contrasting view of the granite snowcapped mountains in front. We eventually decended to this creek, before heading uphill through woodland and over various bridges along a very rocky path. The path then opened out and the final section was very steep and rocky, finishing with an amazing view point of the three granite peaks, despite it being cloudy.
I was first up by quite a way and stayed for a while before heading down as it was quite cold up top. We passed all my group at various points going down and rocketed down the hill the same way which was actually quite steep. We arrived back at base camp at half 12 which was a lot earlier than expected. To put in perspective the next person didn't arrive back until 2, and then the majority of people arrived back between 4 and 5 which meant I really had paced it out a bit. I did however have a nap in the sun in the afternoon and went for an additional hike to the lake. Come evening dinner was soup, followed by stewed steak and rice. We were also briefed of options for the upcoming days which are pretty flexible. I then had another early night.
The next day was a more relaxed day in terms of hiking, and we said bye to the w walkers after a late breakfast. After breakfast we had a free day, although we had the option to do a short hike about half hour drive away in the truck known for an abundance of wildlife. The walk was about 6km in total with the truck dropping us off and picking us up at another location. The walk itself was pretty straight forward but very windy, walking through farmland over rolling grassland hills. We saw lots of Guanaco and even condors, and I even saw an armadillo. There was also a nice viewpoint to see the snowcapped mountains in the distance. The walk itself was about 2 hours in the end which was a nice amount of time.
After the walk I had my packed lunch on the truck on the way back to the campsite, before having the rest of the afternoon to relax before dinner. Dinner in the evening was pasta with a bolognese sauce, preceded by soup once again. I was hungry and ended up having 3 bowls full. The evening was then relatively relaxing and I stayed up for a bit playing cards, before going to bed in a tent all to myself as my tent buddy had left me to do the w walk.
The following day the general plan was to do a walk to the Las Cuenas refugio to see the lake with a 10am departure. I however had a more ambitious plan to do the same hike but continue to the Italiano campground and then up through the French valley to the Britainico viewpoint. That was effectively an undulating 46km hike with 800m height gain in the valley and an estimated time of 19 hours, but I was confident I could do it quicker. What I did have however was someone else was willing to go with me who got back to base camp with me at half 12 on the first day so I wasn't alone. I did have to sign off the trip however as dragoman insurance wouldn't cover us doing something so stupid.
We were therefore given breakfast the previous night, as well as all the leftover dinner from the previous night for lunch, as well as snacks, setting off at 6am. The initial part of the hike was pretty fresh and we made good progress with some amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills. We got to Los Cuernos in good time, but then the path got interesting as it was effectively a stream, but it soon became better and we caught up with the w walkers within 3.5 hours who was in effect a day ahead of us. They thought we were mad.
After tanking on in front we got into the Italiano campground, and began our accent up the French valley, with stunning views of the nearby glacier where I witnessed an avalanche. They're very common here due to the plate boundary. The hike itself up the valley was pretty steady crossing many creeks and going through woodland, occasionally presenting us with an amazing view. The final section was pretty steep but the viewpoint gave us breathtaking views of the valley we had climbed through, and the surrounding mountains. We also had lunch up here, yesterday's pasta.
Turning back in good time we headed back down the same way, passing the w walkers again, before reaching the campground in a similar time to our ascent. It was a little slippery going down. We then followed the same path back along the lake, meeting another member of the truck who had also done a long walk minus the hill leaving later than us, to walk back to camp together. We got back just after 5 which was pretty good time. Dinner in the evening was chicken and rice preceded by soup, and after dinner I just once again played cards before bed.
Wednesday was our final day in the national park, and after breakfast we had the option to go out in the truck for the day to see various viewpoints and locations a bit further out in the national park, as well as tieing it in to pick up the w walkers at the ferry terminal in the afternoon. Setting off at 9 we stopped at a few viewpoints to see some of the lakes and views of the mountains, en route to do a short hike to go to a viewpoint to see the grey glacier. The hike was only about 4km and went through woods to a shingle beach which we walked along before climbing to the viewpoint where despite it being a little overcast we saw the glacier and some icebergs.
When returning to the truck we had lunch, before driving to a couple more viewpoints en route to see the largest waterfall in the park. It was about a 2km hike so easy to get to and despite not being big in terms of the height, the water discharge was just staggering. There were various points to see the waterfall. Our final stop was to pick up the w walkers, and we sat in the cafe while waiting. When everyone was back we drove back to the campsite on what turned out to be a full on yet relaxing day. Dinner in the evening was some sausage, chips, vegetable, and lentil thing all mixed together which was weird but nice.
Turning back in good time we headed back down the same way, passing the w walkers again, before reaching the campground in a similar time to our ascent. It was a little slippery going down. We then followed the same path back along the lake, meeting another member of the truck who had also done a long walk minus the hill leaving later than us, to walk back to camp together. We got back just after 5 which was pretty good time. Dinner in the evening was chicken and rice preceded by soup, and after dinner I just once again played cards before bed.
Wednesday was our final day in the national park, and after breakfast we had the option to go out in the truck for the day to see various viewpoints and locations a bit further out in the national park, as well as tieing it in to pick up the w walkers at the ferry terminal in the afternoon. Setting off at 9 we stopped at a few viewpoints to see some of the lakes and views of the mountains, en route to do a short hike to go to a viewpoint to see the grey glacier. The hike was only about 4km and went through woods to a shingle beach which we walked along before climbing to the viewpoint where despite it being a little overcast we saw the glacier and some icebergs.
When returning to the truck we had lunch, before driving to a couple more viewpoints en route to see the largest waterfall in the park. It was about a 2km hike so easy to get to and despite not being big in terms of the height, the water discharge was just staggering. There were various points to see the waterfall. Our final stop was to pick up the w walkers, and we sat in the cafe while waiting. When everyone was back we drove back to the campsite on what turned out to be a full on yet relaxing day. Dinner in the evening was some sausage, chips, vegetable, and lentil thing all mixed together which was weird but nice.
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Ushuaia
After a very cold and wet night camping we set off for Ushuaia. As we camped right next to the border we were able to get through early and miss the queues and we absolutely eased through. En route we stopped in Rio Grande for lunch, and in Tolhuin further down the road to visit a bakery which our guide described as the battery bakery he has ever been to. It was pretty nice. We ended up arriving in Ushuaia in the afternoon and after checking in we were given a talk about the possible excursions in and around the city.
Ushuaia is a port town that lies at the south of Tierra del Fuego on the Argentinian side - it is often known as "the city at the end of the world", as it is the world's most southern city (the Chilean town of Puerto Williams is slightly further south but is much smaller than Ushuaia). Ushuaia itself is low-lying and unassuming, centred around one main street and a waterfront that overlooks the Beagle Channel. Originally Ushuaia was little more than a remote outpost, first colonised by a British-funded mission in the late 1800s and subsequently used by the Argentinian government as a penal colony. What was once a small sleepy town has grown rapidly in recent years, much of which is due to tourist development and particularly to the increasing number of Antarctica trips calling to port here.
After our talk I walked into town and explored the main street with all the shops and restaurants, before heading along the seafront where I got my picture with the end of the world sign and visited the tourist information centre. I walked right round to the airport to get a view of the city skyline with the snowcapped mountains in the background. I did however accidentally trespass on the naval base which probably wasn't a good idea. For dinner I went to this German beer house where I had a burger before heading back to the hostel for bed.
Wednesday I decided to visit the Tierra Del Fuego National Park which was about 12km out of town. It was however difficult to get there as they had no public buses and you had to arrange private transfers to get there. Because of this I decided to run to the entrance. Leaving relatively early I got to the national park in good time where I headed down to Zaratiegui Bay to walk the costera trail. The trail followed the shoreline along gravel beaches and through forest to the Roca Lake. The snowcapped mountains reflected in the water which made it a very pretty walk.
When finishing I ended up at the visitor centre where I looked round before starting the Cerro Guanaco Trail which was a hill. Starting at Roca Lake I initially had to follow the Hito XXIV Trail before veering off along the Guanaco Creek. The trail initially climbed through forest before going out in the open in bogland which made me very muddy. After negotiating the bog and a blizzard the trail headed up a rocky scar on the hill up to the top which even had snow. It was a little grey at the top but I still got good views of the Fuegian mountain range. Coming down was the fun part as it was very slippery and steep but I managed it. At the bottom I went back to the visitor centre for a drink in the cafe before running back to Ushuaia. I was absolutely destroyed when I got back but it was a good day.
Thursday I had a lie in and after breakfast which was very sugar based I spent the morning relaxing. After lunch I headed out into town and looked round the shops before going to a local cafe where I met a few others for a swim in the sea. We had to walk a way out of town however as the water where the ships were was apparently full of sewage. We eventually found somewhere despite accidentally cutting through a naval base and the swim was freezing. We passed a monument en route however to do with the Falklands which had a map of the islands with the Argentine flag above it. They're very sensitive in Ushuaia because much of the people who died in the war came from the city. We even saw a union jack crossed out with writing which translated as fuck off you British pirates.
After the swim we headed back to the hostel where I relaxed before dinner. For dinner I went to a crab restaurant where I tried crab legs with this seafood casserole thing. I literally had to cut the meat out with scissors! After dinner I went to the hard rock cafe for a few drinks before heading back to the hostel for a few more. It was quite a late night and I somehow ended up in the Irish bar at some point.
Ushuaia is a port town that lies at the south of Tierra del Fuego on the Argentinian side - it is often known as "the city at the end of the world", as it is the world's most southern city (the Chilean town of Puerto Williams is slightly further south but is much smaller than Ushuaia). Ushuaia itself is low-lying and unassuming, centred around one main street and a waterfront that overlooks the Beagle Channel. Originally Ushuaia was little more than a remote outpost, first colonised by a British-funded mission in the late 1800s and subsequently used by the Argentinian government as a penal colony. What was once a small sleepy town has grown rapidly in recent years, much of which is due to tourist development and particularly to the increasing number of Antarctica trips calling to port here.
After our talk I walked into town and explored the main street with all the shops and restaurants, before heading along the seafront where I got my picture with the end of the world sign and visited the tourist information centre. I walked right round to the airport to get a view of the city skyline with the snowcapped mountains in the background. I did however accidentally trespass on the naval base which probably wasn't a good idea. For dinner I went to this German beer house where I had a burger before heading back to the hostel for bed.
Wednesday I decided to visit the Tierra Del Fuego National Park which was about 12km out of town. It was however difficult to get there as they had no public buses and you had to arrange private transfers to get there. Because of this I decided to run to the entrance. Leaving relatively early I got to the national park in good time where I headed down to Zaratiegui Bay to walk the costera trail. The trail followed the shoreline along gravel beaches and through forest to the Roca Lake. The snowcapped mountains reflected in the water which made it a very pretty walk.
When finishing I ended up at the visitor centre where I looked round before starting the Cerro Guanaco Trail which was a hill. Starting at Roca Lake I initially had to follow the Hito XXIV Trail before veering off along the Guanaco Creek. The trail initially climbed through forest before going out in the open in bogland which made me very muddy. After negotiating the bog and a blizzard the trail headed up a rocky scar on the hill up to the top which even had snow. It was a little grey at the top but I still got good views of the Fuegian mountain range. Coming down was the fun part as it was very slippery and steep but I managed it. At the bottom I went back to the visitor centre for a drink in the cafe before running back to Ushuaia. I was absolutely destroyed when I got back but it was a good day.
Thursday I had a lie in and after breakfast which was very sugar based I spent the morning relaxing. After lunch I headed out into town and looked round the shops before going to a local cafe where I met a few others for a swim in the sea. We had to walk a way out of town however as the water where the ships were was apparently full of sewage. We eventually found somewhere despite accidentally cutting through a naval base and the swim was freezing. We passed a monument en route however to do with the Falklands which had a map of the islands with the Argentine flag above it. They're very sensitive in Ushuaia because much of the people who died in the war came from the city. We even saw a union jack crossed out with writing which translated as fuck off you British pirates.
After the swim we headed back to the hostel where I relaxed before dinner. For dinner I went to a crab restaurant where I tried crab legs with this seafood casserole thing. I literally had to cut the meat out with scissors! After dinner I went to the hard rock cafe for a few drinks before heading back to the hostel for a few more. It was quite a late night and I somehow ended up in the Irish bar at some point.
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
El Calafate and Bush Camps
With our excellent progress the previous two days we were only 300km off our next destination of El Calafate. El Calafate is a small town on the southern shore of Lago Argentino in Patagonia. Originally a sheep station and trading outpost, today the town has developed a bustling atmosphere and an ever-growing tourist trade. Interestingly the town takes its name from the Calafate berry, and locals claim that if you eat one of these and make a wish, you are guaranteed to return to Patagonia. We arrived here by lunchtime and after checking into our hostel we had a free afternoon to do what we wanted.
The town itself has grown rapidly in recent years and has become a key tourist outpost to see the Perito Moreno Glacier nearby. The facilities were therefore very modern and catered for tourists, and after lunch we explored the town which included small markets and shops. We then headed down to the nearby Laguna Nimez to see the wildlife reserve which was home to various birds including flamingoes. There was a nice little path to follow although it was very windy in places! We didn't get back to the hostel until later afternoon, where I just relaxed in the evening.
Saturday was an included trip to the nearby glacier. The Perito Moreno Glacier is approximately 30kms long from where it spills out of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, and 5kms wide at its terminus, where it has a ice face that is on average 170m high (with about 70m of which is above the surface of the lake). Leaving at 8 we drove along an alternative off road en route here to get some viewpoints of the landscapes of the area. We also stopped at a small estancia to see the goats which were very tame, and got to try some of the meat.
When arriving at the glacier we had the option to do a boat trip, although I decided to do the hikes instead. There were various viewpoints to the massive glacier from different angles and heights, and I was even lucky enough to see some large chunks fall of into the water. What makes that glacier special however is that it isn't receding unlike most others in the world, as the accumulation at the back balances the ice lost at the front. It moves about 2 to 3cm a day. It's hard to describe the scale however. To put into perspective the area of the glacier is bigger than Buenos Aires! And we're visiting a bigger one in a couple of weeks.
After exploring the various viewpoints and hikes in the area we met back at the restaurant where we waited for our bus back to El Calafate. En route we stopped at the lake where we saw loads of flamingoes, and arrived back at the hostel by 5 where I saw the disappointing result, not helped by the fact a previous truck member who was a Burnley fan had sent me abuse. The evening was then spent relaxing, although I somehow ended up watching American football before going to bed.
We left El Calafate at 8 on the Sunday to continue south towards Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia, with two bush camps en route. The road out of El Calafate was gravel however however we soon hit the tarmac and arrived into the town of Rio Gallegos for lunch. We literally pulled up into a supermarket car park and made lunch under a trolley bay! Some people did use the supermarket though, and we were joined by two dogs who were very interested in our food!
After lunch we continued down the road towards the Chilean border, where we were planning to camp just prior at a crater lake called Laguna Azul. When arriving however it was unsuitable for camping as the winds were very strong and the area was exposed, unless we trekked about 15 minutes with our tents and cooking equipment to the sheltered base of the lake which was unrealistic. We did however get some free time here and I walked round the rim of the crater and down to the lakeside where I went for a swim. It was absolutely freezing and people thought I was a nutter.
As we couldn't camp by the lake we decided to drive back to Rio Gallegos where we parked inside a children's playground and camped on the football pitch. This was in fact some random guys back garden who let us camp there. Dinner in the evening was a seafood soup kind of dish which was interesting, and after dinner I ended up in the playground before going to bed to avoid the bitter wind. It was a pretty fresh night and I didn't really want to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning! We left at half 7 in the morning for our drive to Tierra del Fuego.
Tierra del Fuego (meaning "Land of Fire") is a large island separated from mainland South America by the Magellan Strait. The island gets its name from the fires of the Selknam tribe that originally lived here, which Magellan and his sailors observed from their boats on their first travels through the area - unfortunately the Selknam and Yaghan tribes that originally inhabited the island are all but extinct after conflict with European settlers that arrived in the 19th Century. The island is split in half with a straight north-south line between Argentina and Chile, with the Argentinian half containing the island's
largest settlement, Ushuaia. The island of Tierra del Fuego is Patagonia at its most remote and desolate, with a landscape of windswept plains, forests and swamplands, home to rheas, condors, buzzard eagles, seals and sea lions, all of which thrive in these conditions.
Prior to the island however we had the small matter of a border crossing, which we surprisingly crossed in about an hour and a half. We ended up at the ferry crossing to the island by half 10. That's where the good news ended however as the winds were vicious meaning ferries were grounded. With respect I went for a walk along the seafront (which was nice to see for first time since November) and I could barely move forward against the wind. We were stuck here for over 7 hours but eventually got a ferry across some very choppy waters late afternoon. The water was splashing over the boat and I got soaked!
When arriving on the island we were meant to visit a penguin colony but we arrived a lot later than planned. We instead headed to the Argentinian border to camp for the night. There wasn't many options in terms of camping as the surrounded landscape was flat open grassland which was not suitable for camping in the strong winds. We eventually got to the border and managed to camp in some random guys back garden. Dinner in the evening was lamb stew, and we even were allowed to use the guys living area to eat! I then had an early night.
The town itself has grown rapidly in recent years and has become a key tourist outpost to see the Perito Moreno Glacier nearby. The facilities were therefore very modern and catered for tourists, and after lunch we explored the town which included small markets and shops. We then headed down to the nearby Laguna Nimez to see the wildlife reserve which was home to various birds including flamingoes. There was a nice little path to follow although it was very windy in places! We didn't get back to the hostel until later afternoon, where I just relaxed in the evening.
Saturday was an included trip to the nearby glacier. The Perito Moreno Glacier is approximately 30kms long from where it spills out of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, and 5kms wide at its terminus, where it has a ice face that is on average 170m high (with about 70m of which is above the surface of the lake). Leaving at 8 we drove along an alternative off road en route here to get some viewpoints of the landscapes of the area. We also stopped at a small estancia to see the goats which were very tame, and got to try some of the meat.
When arriving at the glacier we had the option to do a boat trip, although I decided to do the hikes instead. There were various viewpoints to the massive glacier from different angles and heights, and I was even lucky enough to see some large chunks fall of into the water. What makes that glacier special however is that it isn't receding unlike most others in the world, as the accumulation at the back balances the ice lost at the front. It moves about 2 to 3cm a day. It's hard to describe the scale however. To put into perspective the area of the glacier is bigger than Buenos Aires! And we're visiting a bigger one in a couple of weeks.
After exploring the various viewpoints and hikes in the area we met back at the restaurant where we waited for our bus back to El Calafate. En route we stopped at the lake where we saw loads of flamingoes, and arrived back at the hostel by 5 where I saw the disappointing result, not helped by the fact a previous truck member who was a Burnley fan had sent me abuse. The evening was then spent relaxing, although I somehow ended up watching American football before going to bed.
We left El Calafate at 8 on the Sunday to continue south towards Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia, with two bush camps en route. The road out of El Calafate was gravel however however we soon hit the tarmac and arrived into the town of Rio Gallegos for lunch. We literally pulled up into a supermarket car park and made lunch under a trolley bay! Some people did use the supermarket though, and we were joined by two dogs who were very interested in our food!
After lunch we continued down the road towards the Chilean border, where we were planning to camp just prior at a crater lake called Laguna Azul. When arriving however it was unsuitable for camping as the winds were very strong and the area was exposed, unless we trekked about 15 minutes with our tents and cooking equipment to the sheltered base of the lake which was unrealistic. We did however get some free time here and I walked round the rim of the crater and down to the lakeside where I went for a swim. It was absolutely freezing and people thought I was a nutter.
As we couldn't camp by the lake we decided to drive back to Rio Gallegos where we parked inside a children's playground and camped on the football pitch. This was in fact some random guys back garden who let us camp there. Dinner in the evening was a seafood soup kind of dish which was interesting, and after dinner I ended up in the playground before going to bed to avoid the bitter wind. It was a pretty fresh night and I didn't really want to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning! We left at half 7 in the morning for our drive to Tierra del Fuego.
Tierra del Fuego (meaning "Land of Fire") is a large island separated from mainland South America by the Magellan Strait. The island gets its name from the fires of the Selknam tribe that originally lived here, which Magellan and his sailors observed from their boats on their first travels through the area - unfortunately the Selknam and Yaghan tribes that originally inhabited the island are all but extinct after conflict with European settlers that arrived in the 19th Century. The island is split in half with a straight north-south line between Argentina and Chile, with the Argentinian half containing the island's
largest settlement, Ushuaia. The island of Tierra del Fuego is Patagonia at its most remote and desolate, with a landscape of windswept plains, forests and swamplands, home to rheas, condors, buzzard eagles, seals and sea lions, all of which thrive in these conditions.
Prior to the island however we had the small matter of a border crossing, which we surprisingly crossed in about an hour and a half. We ended up at the ferry crossing to the island by half 10. That's where the good news ended however as the winds were vicious meaning ferries were grounded. With respect I went for a walk along the seafront (which was nice to see for first time since November) and I could barely move forward against the wind. We were stuck here for over 7 hours but eventually got a ferry across some very choppy waters late afternoon. The water was splashing over the boat and I got soaked!
When arriving on the island we were meant to visit a penguin colony but we arrived a lot later than planned. We instead headed to the Argentinian border to camp for the night. There wasn't many options in terms of camping as the surrounded landscape was flat open grassland which was not suitable for camping in the strong winds. We eventually got to the border and managed to camp in some random guys back garden. Dinner in the evening was lamb stew, and we even were allowed to use the guys living area to eat! I then had an early night.
Friday, 13 January 2017
Bariloche and Bush Camps
Sunday was another drive day including a border crossing, which meant an early start after the last border experience. The border itself was a relatively short drive and when arriving we were met with a queue of cars, although less than the last one. This border was smaller however and it still took us about 5 hours to cross, although they didn't check our bags which was a nice surprise. We ended up arriving in Bariloche at about 6 in the end so it was quite a long day.
The Argentinian resort town of Bariloche has a picture-perfect setting on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake, flanked by the peaks of the surrounding Andean mountains. The scenery here is truly stunning, so it's a magical place to explore and take in all the amazing views. In winter, the town is a popular centre for skiing and in summer the focus shifts to walking, mountain-biking, horse-riding and kayaking and canoeing on the lakes. The town itself is famous for its handmade chocolates, and there are some really spectacular
displays in the local chocolate shops. We were staying about 7.5km outside of town, so after checking in we went out to this local restaurant which had its own brewery and specialised in German food, and it was really good.
Come morning we an array of options of things to do, and I wanted to go hiking. No one else wanted to go though as due to the horrendous weather the previous day and the forecast being rain people wanted to relax at the hostel or go into town. This meant I had to catch a local bus to km 25 which was absolutely heaving. Going to km 25 allowed me to walk various trails to get views of the Lago Nahuel Huapi, and the Lago Moreno later in the day. The paths were predominantly flat woodland trails, and some of the views were just breathtaking. I did a good 6 hours walking in the end.
When returning to bus stop it was very crowded, although I got on a bus ok. It was getting the bus to stop which was the real difficulty as they didn't have buttons so you had to tell the driver to stop, which wasn't easy on a bus packed like sardines. I got off at km 7.5 without any problems though. When arriving back at the hostel I met everyone else and made them jealous they had missed out as it had been a sunny day. Dinner in the evening took us to a steak house where it was unfortunately a farewell meal to one of the original members of the group who started in Cartagena who has to fly home due to unforeseen circumstances. We had a few drinks in the evening to say bye.
Tuesday was another days hiking, although this time I decided to go into the mountains to walk to refugio frey, and I even had someone to hike with. Leaving relatively early we caught the bus to Lago Guitirrez where we walked up to the nearby town of Cerro Catedral. In the winter months this is a popular skiing resort, however in the summer months the lack of snow presents the opportunity for some stunning hikes. When arriving we caught the cable car up the mountain, and then had to get off where we got onto a chairlift which took us to around 2000m. The hike itself to refugio frey was listed as extreme but we just went for it.
The initial path was very loose ground and took us up to this viewpoint presenting stunning views in both directions. We then had to follow the mountains edge on a very challenging path with big boulders and just red dots on the rocks to follow. The views were just breathtaking though. We eventually reached an open area where we had to go into this valley, reaching a view of this lake and glimpses of snow. The descent to the lake was extreme though, literally going down what was effectively a cliff. A lot of upper body strength was needed. We then followed the lake before decending sharply again, this time on very loose terrain which made it difficult in terms of footing. We eventually got deep into the valley and made the refuge where we stopped for lunch.
After lunch we had to return the same way, getting a few pictures of the lakeside refuge before leaving. The valley was as equally stunning on the return, although the climb up to the next lake was a mission with loose terrain. When reaching the lake the next climb was even worse and was practically rock climbing in many places. I certainly had to use my arms a lot. We eventually made it back up and followed the mountains edge back to the chairlift. After heading down we reached the town where we caught the bus back to km 7.5. The evening was spent relaxing with an early start planned for the morning.
Bariloche was when we finally entered Patagonia, the name of the region in the far south of South America, formed of the southernmost stretch of the Andes and the surrounding plains and plateaus. The area is split down the middle by the Andes, with Chilean Patagonia on the west, and Argentinian Patagonia on the east. Renowned for its desolate landscapes, unrelenting winds and magnificent lake, mountain and glacial scenery, the name Patagonia comes from the word "Patagon", used by the explorer Magellan to describe the local people who he believed to be giants. Today historians believe that the Patagons were actually Teheulches, with an average height of about 1.8m as opposed to the average height of a Spaniard of 1.55m at the time!
With so much to we left early and left Gus for the next couple of weeks as we're visiting locations in a completely different order. To put it simple my itinerary is completely pointless. With a lot of ground to cover, we set off and returned to ruta 40 and managed to cover a lot of ground, stopping for lunch on the roadside where we had a pumpkin soup with french bread made by our guide. Whilst we were having lunch so many cars beeped at us to the point where we were guessing the order of beeps for the following three cars.
After lunch we continued south, stopping at Rio Mayo to camp. The campsite however was unsuitable as we couldn't fit under the gate! The town was also a military related area so it didn't seem that nice anyway. We therefore continued south to the next town of Perito Moreno where we found a brilliant place to camp including an inside area suitable for cooking. It was very windy however although we were warned about this! Dinner in the evening was a chicken and mushroom pasta with a salad which was amazing.
The following day we left a little later than planned as driving onto Perito Moreno meant we were further down the road than intended from the day before. Shortly after leaving however we were stopped by a massive amount of sheep blocking the road. Argentina does have a Welsh heritage as many Welsh farmers emigrated during the 19th century and the industrial revolution in the Welsh valleys. We eventually got past and the drive was stunning despite driving through a desolate landscape with some really strong winds. We saw lots of rhea and guanaco en route, stopping before lunch at Cueva de las Manos.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Cueva de las Manos lies in an isolated and remote spot in the valley of Rio Pinturas. The cave takes its name from the hundreds of paintings of hands made by indigenous inhabitants some 13,000-9,000 years ago - possibly by the ancestors of the Tehuelche people. The images of hands are 'negative-painted, meaning that they put their hand on the rock face and sprayed the paint around the outline by blowing it through a bone pipe. As well as the hand impressions, there are also depictions of human beings, guanacos, rheas and other animals, as well as geometric shapes, zigzags, and representations of the sun, moon and hunting scenes. It was a very interesting place and after exploring the site we had lunch here too which was sandwiches.
After lunch we continued south although we had an extended period off road before rejoining to ruta 40. We ended up stopping driving at half 5 in the end after such a long drive the day before, camping in Gabernador Gregores. The campsite was quite small but perfectly adequate, with the town being very quiet. After going to the supermarket we relaxed before dinner, which was morrocan cous cous with vegetables which was probably one of my favourite group meals we've cooked so far. I then had an early night as it was unbearable sitting in the wind which was just unrelentless!
The Argentinian resort town of Bariloche has a picture-perfect setting on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake, flanked by the peaks of the surrounding Andean mountains. The scenery here is truly stunning, so it's a magical place to explore and take in all the amazing views. In winter, the town is a popular centre for skiing and in summer the focus shifts to walking, mountain-biking, horse-riding and kayaking and canoeing on the lakes. The town itself is famous for its handmade chocolates, and there are some really spectacular
displays in the local chocolate shops. We were staying about 7.5km outside of town, so after checking in we went out to this local restaurant which had its own brewery and specialised in German food, and it was really good.
Come morning we an array of options of things to do, and I wanted to go hiking. No one else wanted to go though as due to the horrendous weather the previous day and the forecast being rain people wanted to relax at the hostel or go into town. This meant I had to catch a local bus to km 25 which was absolutely heaving. Going to km 25 allowed me to walk various trails to get views of the Lago Nahuel Huapi, and the Lago Moreno later in the day. The paths were predominantly flat woodland trails, and some of the views were just breathtaking. I did a good 6 hours walking in the end.
When returning to bus stop it was very crowded, although I got on a bus ok. It was getting the bus to stop which was the real difficulty as they didn't have buttons so you had to tell the driver to stop, which wasn't easy on a bus packed like sardines. I got off at km 7.5 without any problems though. When arriving back at the hostel I met everyone else and made them jealous they had missed out as it had been a sunny day. Dinner in the evening took us to a steak house where it was unfortunately a farewell meal to one of the original members of the group who started in Cartagena who has to fly home due to unforeseen circumstances. We had a few drinks in the evening to say bye.
Tuesday was another days hiking, although this time I decided to go into the mountains to walk to refugio frey, and I even had someone to hike with. Leaving relatively early we caught the bus to Lago Guitirrez where we walked up to the nearby town of Cerro Catedral. In the winter months this is a popular skiing resort, however in the summer months the lack of snow presents the opportunity for some stunning hikes. When arriving we caught the cable car up the mountain, and then had to get off where we got onto a chairlift which took us to around 2000m. The hike itself to refugio frey was listed as extreme but we just went for it.
The initial path was very loose ground and took us up to this viewpoint presenting stunning views in both directions. We then had to follow the mountains edge on a very challenging path with big boulders and just red dots on the rocks to follow. The views were just breathtaking though. We eventually reached an open area where we had to go into this valley, reaching a view of this lake and glimpses of snow. The descent to the lake was extreme though, literally going down what was effectively a cliff. A lot of upper body strength was needed. We then followed the lake before decending sharply again, this time on very loose terrain which made it difficult in terms of footing. We eventually got deep into the valley and made the refuge where we stopped for lunch.
After lunch we had to return the same way, getting a few pictures of the lakeside refuge before leaving. The valley was as equally stunning on the return, although the climb up to the next lake was a mission with loose terrain. When reaching the lake the next climb was even worse and was practically rock climbing in many places. I certainly had to use my arms a lot. We eventually made it back up and followed the mountains edge back to the chairlift. After heading down we reached the town where we caught the bus back to km 7.5. The evening was spent relaxing with an early start planned for the morning.
Bariloche was when we finally entered Patagonia, the name of the region in the far south of South America, formed of the southernmost stretch of the Andes and the surrounding plains and plateaus. The area is split down the middle by the Andes, with Chilean Patagonia on the west, and Argentinian Patagonia on the east. Renowned for its desolate landscapes, unrelenting winds and magnificent lake, mountain and glacial scenery, the name Patagonia comes from the word "Patagon", used by the explorer Magellan to describe the local people who he believed to be giants. Today historians believe that the Patagons were actually Teheulches, with an average height of about 1.8m as opposed to the average height of a Spaniard of 1.55m at the time!
With so much to we left early and left Gus for the next couple of weeks as we're visiting locations in a completely different order. To put it simple my itinerary is completely pointless. With a lot of ground to cover, we set off and returned to ruta 40 and managed to cover a lot of ground, stopping for lunch on the roadside where we had a pumpkin soup with french bread made by our guide. Whilst we were having lunch so many cars beeped at us to the point where we were guessing the order of beeps for the following three cars.
After lunch we continued south, stopping at Rio Mayo to camp. The campsite however was unsuitable as we couldn't fit under the gate! The town was also a military related area so it didn't seem that nice anyway. We therefore continued south to the next town of Perito Moreno where we found a brilliant place to camp including an inside area suitable for cooking. It was very windy however although we were warned about this! Dinner in the evening was a chicken and mushroom pasta with a salad which was amazing.
The following day we left a little later than planned as driving onto Perito Moreno meant we were further down the road than intended from the day before. Shortly after leaving however we were stopped by a massive amount of sheep blocking the road. Argentina does have a Welsh heritage as many Welsh farmers emigrated during the 19th century and the industrial revolution in the Welsh valleys. We eventually got past and the drive was stunning despite driving through a desolate landscape with some really strong winds. We saw lots of rhea and guanaco en route, stopping before lunch at Cueva de las Manos.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Cueva de las Manos lies in an isolated and remote spot in the valley of Rio Pinturas. The cave takes its name from the hundreds of paintings of hands made by indigenous inhabitants some 13,000-9,000 years ago - possibly by the ancestors of the Tehuelche people. The images of hands are 'negative-painted, meaning that they put their hand on the rock face and sprayed the paint around the outline by blowing it through a bone pipe. As well as the hand impressions, there are also depictions of human beings, guanacos, rheas and other animals, as well as geometric shapes, zigzags, and representations of the sun, moon and hunting scenes. It was a very interesting place and after exploring the site we had lunch here too which was sandwiches.
After lunch we continued south although we had an extended period off road before rejoining to ruta 40. We ended up stopping driving at half 5 in the end after such a long drive the day before, camping in Gabernador Gregores. The campsite was quite small but perfectly adequate, with the town being very quiet. After going to the supermarket we relaxed before dinner, which was morrocan cous cous with vegetables which was probably one of my favourite group meals we've cooked so far. I then had an early night as it was unbearable sitting in the wind which was just unrelentless!
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Pucon
Thursday was another long drive day, although we covered a lot of distance driving along straight tarmac roads which were predominantly dual carriageway. We did however break down en route though which delayed us a bit but we covered the 800km to arrive by dinner. In Pucón we stayed in a hostel, which sat below the nearby Villarrica volcano which after a few hours of arriving started spewing gas! Dinner in the evening was another included bbq which included lots of beef, chicken, and sausages. The evening itself was nice and relaxing with a few beers and campfire before bed. I did gash my toe open however although I got it cleaned up.
Southern Chile's lake district boasts some lake and mountain scenery
comparable with what the Swiss Alps or New Zealand have to offer! Beautiful
deep blue lakes are flanked by majestic forest-clad mountains with snowy
peaks to provide picture-postcard views and a perfect spot for walking. The attractive small town of Pucón is located at the heart of the Chilean lakes, sitting below the Villarrica volcano. We had the option to climb the volcano although it was a very expensive activity so I decided to catch the local bus to the nearby huerquehue national park.
After having a packed lunch made for me, we set off early to get to the national park, with 8 of us making the hour long drive. We arrived in good time after paying the fees we set off on a hike called the Los Lagos de Senderos which was a 20km return trip to Lago Chico, Lago Verde, and Lago Toco. The paths were basically woodland trails, getting occasional views of the nearby volcano en route. We took detours to a couple of waterfalls en route too. We arrived at the lakes by lunchtime and had lunch at the top before heading back down.
We arrived back of the bottom by half 4 so it was a good days walking. The lakes were stunning though having perfect reflections of the surrounding forest scenery. We didn't realise how far we climbed up though until going back down as it was quite a fair way up! After catching the bus back to Pucón we relaxed at the hostel before going out for dinner at a local restaurant. The town of Pucón itself is very touristy based and modern, home to wooden buildings with your companies and restaurants. Come evening most people went to the hot springs although I stayed at the hostel as my toe was completely destroyed after the injury the day before.
Saturday was another free day, although I didn't wake up until lunchtime as I had quite a late night the night before, drinking with the locals. After listening to the Saints game I spent the afternoon relaxing, although I did go out and see the nearby lake and harbour despite it raining. The evening was a pretty chilled out one, sitting in the lounge area before having a relatively early night.
Southern Chile's lake district boasts some lake and mountain scenery
comparable with what the Swiss Alps or New Zealand have to offer! Beautiful
deep blue lakes are flanked by majestic forest-clad mountains with snowy
peaks to provide picture-postcard views and a perfect spot for walking. The attractive small town of Pucón is located at the heart of the Chilean lakes, sitting below the Villarrica volcano. We had the option to climb the volcano although it was a very expensive activity so I decided to catch the local bus to the nearby huerquehue national park.
After having a packed lunch made for me, we set off early to get to the national park, with 8 of us making the hour long drive. We arrived in good time after paying the fees we set off on a hike called the Los Lagos de Senderos which was a 20km return trip to Lago Chico, Lago Verde, and Lago Toco. The paths were basically woodland trails, getting occasional views of the nearby volcano en route. We took detours to a couple of waterfalls en route too. We arrived at the lakes by lunchtime and had lunch at the top before heading back down.
We arrived back of the bottom by half 4 so it was a good days walking. The lakes were stunning though having perfect reflections of the surrounding forest scenery. We didn't realise how far we climbed up though until going back down as it was quite a fair way up! After catching the bus back to Pucón we relaxed at the hostel before going out for dinner at a local restaurant. The town of Pucón itself is very touristy based and modern, home to wooden buildings with your companies and restaurants. Come evening most people went to the hot springs although I stayed at the hostel as my toe was completely destroyed after the injury the day before.
Saturday was another free day, although I didn't wake up until lunchtime as I had quite a late night the night before, drinking with the locals. After listening to the Saints game I spent the afternoon relaxing, although I did go out and see the nearby lake and harbour despite it raining. The evening was a pretty chilled out one, sitting in the lounge area before having a relatively early night.
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Mendoza and Santiago
After our efforts the day before, we had got ourselves 470km from Mendoza, although being unsure of the road conditions ahead we left early just in case it took while. After breakfast we set off at sunrise and found ourselves on straight tarmac roads which meant we could get some speed up. The weather however was ridiculous being some of the hottest conditions I've encountered so far. Even with all the windows of the truck open a hot air made the truck feel like a sauna. We did plenty of shade stops en route to cool, stopping for lunch under some trees.
In the end we arrived into Mendoza about half 1 which was a lot earlier than expected. Mendoza is a vibrant city full of pleasant leafy boulevards and atmospheric plazas where the locals catch up over coffee in the many street cafes and bars. A university town and an important economic centre, the city has a bustling cosmopolitan feel and has some great restaurants, lively nightlife, interesting museums and galleries, and great shopping. Mendoza is perhaps most famous for its wine. Whilst Mendoza is located in the dry deserts just underneath the Andes, extensive artificial irrigation has made it possible to grow grapes and olives here, both of which benefit from the long, hot, sunny summers - the region produces around two-thirds of Argentina's wine. Mendoza is also used by many adventurers as a base from which to explore the colossal mountains in the area. The highest mountain in the Americas, Mt. Aconcagua (with a summit 6,962m above sea level), is in the high Andes just to the west of the city making the city a big draw for mountaineers.
With it being new years eve we had the afternoon to relax, although there wasn't much to do as everything was shut anyway. I struggled to find booze but I got somewhere in the end. After a bite to eat we set off for our new years celebrations at about 8 which took place at another hostel which was where Gus were staying and were reunited for the first since Christmas. It was here we had all inclusive wine and a bbq with lots of steak for dinner. With a mix of locals and dragoman it was a good atmosphere and it turned into quite a late night. Let's just say I wasn't anticipating returning in daylight and being welcomed back to the hostel by members of my group having breakfast.
After returning late I didn't wake up until the afternoon, where I explored Mendoza which was like ghost town, everywhere closed. We eventually found a street with some cafes open and had a drink, before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant. I then headed off to a pub devoted to Liverpool which was interesting, before heading back to the hotel where I passed out being so tired.
Monday was another day to explore Mendoza, and despite having the option to go on another wine tasting trip, I opted to stay at the hostel and watch the Southampton game. Bad decision. Unlike yesterday however Mendoza was actually open so we looked round the shops and sat a cafe for the afternoon, before heading back to the hostel to watch the darts which was good. I then went to a local pub with some good reviews famed for good burgers and an English atmosphere, and I wasn't disappointed, probably the best pub I've been to in south America. It turned into quite a late night.
Tuesday was another long drive day including a border crossing which gave the potential for a long day. Due to this we left early, although I was extra tired as I barely slept the night before due to the heat which meant I spent much of the night sitting in the lobby to stop myself from sweating. The drive to the border was relatively easy, stopping en route at an old inca bridge site, and a viewpoint to see Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. We also stopped here for lunch which included chicken which was nice.
When arriving at the border we were met by an almighty queue which felt it stretched back for miles. Luckily we counted as a bus which meant we had a separate less busy lane, although we must have passed a solid queue of cars for a good 10 minutes before we reached the official border crossing. We then had to wait for ages before they would let us off the truck and inside the building to get stamped in and out, which also took ages as they accused us leapfrogging the queue. We eventually got stamped in, where we had to wait in a single file queue of buses for a search of the truck. We eventually got searched, although in all the border took over 7 hours to cross which was horrendous.
When finally on the road we got the wine out to celebrate and played games, luckily in daylight with the extended daylight hours through heading south so rapidly. We didn't arrive into Santiago until gone 9 in the end so it was a very long day. We quickly checked in and then went out for dinner to this unique seafood restaurant which had a submarine setting and various sea related things all round the place. I had this battered fish thing with chips and eggs. We didn't end up eating until half 11 though by which time I was exhausted and went straight to bed!
Wednesday was a free day to explore Santiago, Chile's capital. With a very European atmosphere, Santiago is set out with wide tree-lined boulevards which lead to pleasant plazas and leafy parks, and on a clear day the snow-capped peaks of the Andes provide a magnificent backdrop to the Santiago skyline. Much of the centre is pedestrianised, which together with the wide streets and efficient metro system make Santiago an easy city to explore on foot. I did just that and used a map of a guided walking tour, but instead of using a local guide did it self guided.
Starting off at the hotel, the first thing I had to do was get my bearings which I managed, passing buildings such as La Moneda palace and the old congress building before arriving at the plaza da armas which was the main square. I then headed up to the local fish market which absolutely stunk, before passing the old railway station en route to Vega central, a very busy locals market. It was a massive change here, going from the clean almost Western feeling historical centre to a graffiti covered suburb full of locals.
I spent a while looking round the market, passing through the hipster feeling Patronato neighbourhood and back across the filthy river to the historical centre, passing the Museo Bellas Artes en route. I decided to detour off the walking route at Cerro San Lucia and explored this park area full of gardens and old buildings, heading up this tower and a viewpoint of the city. After heading back down I passed through the Lastarria neighbourhood towards Plaza Italia. The final section of the walk took me through the trendy Bellavista neighbourhood home to many western restaurants to finish at the base of Cerro San Cristobal and the funicular railway.
Instead of riding the railway I decided to walk up the hill instead which was a nice walk through trees along a dirt path. When reaching top there were brilliant views of the city, as well as a jesus statue which overlooks the city. Instead of heading back the same way, I went up and over the hill to the other side and into the Providencia neighbourhood home to the tallest building in south America, the Costanera tower. It was very modern and trendy round here, and I explored the shopping centre and had dinner by the river which was really nice.
I didn't leave Providencia until about half 6, although as I had ended up a good 5 mile walk from the hotel I decided to catch the metro back which was very busy. I negotiated it without problems though, despite not fitting onto a train until my 3rd attempt and looking like an idiot when trying to buy a ticket. When arriving back at the hotel I relaxed and said goodbye to the 3 people leaving our truck, as well as finding out a 4th member had told us we're all wankers and stormed off quitting the truck. I did get to meet the new people however including a Middlesbrough fan, and a Sporting Lisbon fan who is obviously a fan of Cedric who came from there. The evening was relaxing although there was a pool table which was good.
In the end we arrived into Mendoza about half 1 which was a lot earlier than expected. Mendoza is a vibrant city full of pleasant leafy boulevards and atmospheric plazas where the locals catch up over coffee in the many street cafes and bars. A university town and an important economic centre, the city has a bustling cosmopolitan feel and has some great restaurants, lively nightlife, interesting museums and galleries, and great shopping. Mendoza is perhaps most famous for its wine. Whilst Mendoza is located in the dry deserts just underneath the Andes, extensive artificial irrigation has made it possible to grow grapes and olives here, both of which benefit from the long, hot, sunny summers - the region produces around two-thirds of Argentina's wine. Mendoza is also used by many adventurers as a base from which to explore the colossal mountains in the area. The highest mountain in the Americas, Mt. Aconcagua (with a summit 6,962m above sea level), is in the high Andes just to the west of the city making the city a big draw for mountaineers.
With it being new years eve we had the afternoon to relax, although there wasn't much to do as everything was shut anyway. I struggled to find booze but I got somewhere in the end. After a bite to eat we set off for our new years celebrations at about 8 which took place at another hostel which was where Gus were staying and were reunited for the first since Christmas. It was here we had all inclusive wine and a bbq with lots of steak for dinner. With a mix of locals and dragoman it was a good atmosphere and it turned into quite a late night. Let's just say I wasn't anticipating returning in daylight and being welcomed back to the hostel by members of my group having breakfast.
After returning late I didn't wake up until the afternoon, where I explored Mendoza which was like ghost town, everywhere closed. We eventually found a street with some cafes open and had a drink, before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant. I then headed off to a pub devoted to Liverpool which was interesting, before heading back to the hotel where I passed out being so tired.
Monday was another day to explore Mendoza, and despite having the option to go on another wine tasting trip, I opted to stay at the hostel and watch the Southampton game. Bad decision. Unlike yesterday however Mendoza was actually open so we looked round the shops and sat a cafe for the afternoon, before heading back to the hostel to watch the darts which was good. I then went to a local pub with some good reviews famed for good burgers and an English atmosphere, and I wasn't disappointed, probably the best pub I've been to in south America. It turned into quite a late night.
Tuesday was another long drive day including a border crossing which gave the potential for a long day. Due to this we left early, although I was extra tired as I barely slept the night before due to the heat which meant I spent much of the night sitting in the lobby to stop myself from sweating. The drive to the border was relatively easy, stopping en route at an old inca bridge site, and a viewpoint to see Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. We also stopped here for lunch which included chicken which was nice.
When arriving at the border we were met by an almighty queue which felt it stretched back for miles. Luckily we counted as a bus which meant we had a separate less busy lane, although we must have passed a solid queue of cars for a good 10 minutes before we reached the official border crossing. We then had to wait for ages before they would let us off the truck and inside the building to get stamped in and out, which also took ages as they accused us leapfrogging the queue. We eventually got stamped in, where we had to wait in a single file queue of buses for a search of the truck. We eventually got searched, although in all the border took over 7 hours to cross which was horrendous.
When finally on the road we got the wine out to celebrate and played games, luckily in daylight with the extended daylight hours through heading south so rapidly. We didn't arrive into Santiago until gone 9 in the end so it was a very long day. We quickly checked in and then went out for dinner to this unique seafood restaurant which had a submarine setting and various sea related things all round the place. I had this battered fish thing with chips and eggs. We didn't end up eating until half 11 though by which time I was exhausted and went straight to bed!
Wednesday was a free day to explore Santiago, Chile's capital. With a very European atmosphere, Santiago is set out with wide tree-lined boulevards which lead to pleasant plazas and leafy parks, and on a clear day the snow-capped peaks of the Andes provide a magnificent backdrop to the Santiago skyline. Much of the centre is pedestrianised, which together with the wide streets and efficient metro system make Santiago an easy city to explore on foot. I did just that and used a map of a guided walking tour, but instead of using a local guide did it self guided.
Starting off at the hotel, the first thing I had to do was get my bearings which I managed, passing buildings such as La Moneda palace and the old congress building before arriving at the plaza da armas which was the main square. I then headed up to the local fish market which absolutely stunk, before passing the old railway station en route to Vega central, a very busy locals market. It was a massive change here, going from the clean almost Western feeling historical centre to a graffiti covered suburb full of locals.
I spent a while looking round the market, passing through the hipster feeling Patronato neighbourhood and back across the filthy river to the historical centre, passing the Museo Bellas Artes en route. I decided to detour off the walking route at Cerro San Lucia and explored this park area full of gardens and old buildings, heading up this tower and a viewpoint of the city. After heading back down I passed through the Lastarria neighbourhood towards Plaza Italia. The final section of the walk took me through the trendy Bellavista neighbourhood home to many western restaurants to finish at the base of Cerro San Cristobal and the funicular railway.
Instead of riding the railway I decided to walk up the hill instead which was a nice walk through trees along a dirt path. When reaching top there were brilliant views of the city, as well as a jesus statue which overlooks the city. Instead of heading back the same way, I went up and over the hill to the other side and into the Providencia neighbourhood home to the tallest building in south America, the Costanera tower. It was very modern and trendy round here, and I explored the shopping centre and had dinner by the river which was really nice.
I didn't leave Providencia until about half 6, although as I had ended up a good 5 mile walk from the hotel I decided to catch the metro back which was very busy. I negotiated it without problems though, despite not fitting onto a train until my 3rd attempt and looking like an idiot when trying to buy a ticket. When arriving back at the hotel I relaxed and said goodbye to the 3 people leaving our truck, as well as finding out a 4th member had told us we're all wankers and stormed off quitting the truck. I did get to meet the new people however including a Middlesbrough fan, and a Sporting Lisbon fan who is obviously a fan of Cedric who came from there. The evening was relaxing although there was a pool table which was good.
Monday, 2 January 2017
Cafayate
We left our estancia on the Thursday relatively late with just a short drive to our next stop in Cafayate. We did however have problems leaving as our crew thought head office had paid the estancia by card already, but they hadn't which caused a delay. We eventually left, with our guide and driver having swapped roles due to a few issues, and within a minute of starting his new driving job our driver backed into the fence where the horses were and broke it. Instead of causing more problems it was a matter of foot down and drive off.
En route to Cafayate we stopped to view a few rock formations. The scenery changed from lush green countryside to red coloured canyon like scenery pretty quickly and our first stop took us to this rock face which was pretty impressive. Our second stop was at this amphitheatre like formation which made lots of echoes. There were people in here padding guitar which was very fitting. Other sights en route included a toad which we just viewed from the truck.
We arrived in Cafayate by lunchtime, where I found a local brewery and a few of us had lunch. Cafayate is a small town in north west Argentina, and is world-famous for its wine production. The surrounding vineyards produce some of the best quality wine in South America - Cafayate is particularly renowned for its Torrontes, a distinctive and crisp white wine that is typically Argentinian and similar in style to a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Cafayate itself is small and has a sleepy laid-back feel, although it can become usy during Argentinian holiday periods.
After lunch we made the short drive to the campsite and set up on what was a touristy campsite with decent facilities, before a few of us went off to go wine tasting. The first vineyard we stopped at produced nanni wines and was run over generations by a small family. We tasted a torrentes, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, and tannat variety here. The next vineyard we visited was the piattelli vineyard, set on a vast sight centred round a picturesque house. The setting was beautiful. We opted to taste the grand reserva wines here to add a bit of glass, tasting another torrentes, two varieties of malbec, a cabernet sauvignon, and an oak aged blend which were all very nice, but expensive though.
We didn't arrive back to the campsite until like 8, stopping at the supermarket en route to the camp to buy food for the next couple of days. Considering half the group didn't come wine tasting, they were hungry when we returned! Dinner in the evening was another Japanese curry after the huge success last time and the fact there aren't many survivors left from the Colombia who got to try it before. It was really good, and after dinner it was nice sitting at the campsite on what was a really warm evening, although we did have a early night.
Friday was an early start as we effectively had to cover 1100km over 2 days to get to Mendoza, wild camping somewhere in the middle. We decided the best plan of attack was a matter of get as we could the first day and see where we ended up. Shortly after leaving we stopped at Quilmes. The ruins of the city of Quilmes are located on a remote hillside in the Tucumán province in north west Argentina. The people of Quilmes were an indigenous tribe who inhabited this area as far back as 850 CE, fiercely resisting attempted Inca invasions in the 15th and 16th Centuries and even holding out against the Spanish for over 100 years before finally succumbing to a siege led by the colonial powers in 1667. I went up the hill to the viewpoints while the other explored below before leaving after a short while to continue.
The roads weren't that great and we initially made slow progress but we eventually made it to ruta 40 and the tarmac and got some speed up, stopping at various places en route for toilet and snacks. For lunch we even managed to find a shaded area and had the usual truck lunch before heading up into the mountains on winding roads which slowed us down a fair bit. We eventually stopped driving at about 7, stopping at a local campsite which had a pool to avoid wild camping. It was a really hot day. You know it's hot when the Aussies say it's hot. After setting up, we relaxed with cold beers in hand before dinner, which was chicken pasta. We then had an early night with another long drive day to come.
En route to Cafayate we stopped to view a few rock formations. The scenery changed from lush green countryside to red coloured canyon like scenery pretty quickly and our first stop took us to this rock face which was pretty impressive. Our second stop was at this amphitheatre like formation which made lots of echoes. There were people in here padding guitar which was very fitting. Other sights en route included a toad which we just viewed from the truck.
We arrived in Cafayate by lunchtime, where I found a local brewery and a few of us had lunch. Cafayate is a small town in north west Argentina, and is world-famous for its wine production. The surrounding vineyards produce some of the best quality wine in South America - Cafayate is particularly renowned for its Torrontes, a distinctive and crisp white wine that is typically Argentinian and similar in style to a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Cafayate itself is small and has a sleepy laid-back feel, although it can become usy during Argentinian holiday periods.
After lunch we made the short drive to the campsite and set up on what was a touristy campsite with decent facilities, before a few of us went off to go wine tasting. The first vineyard we stopped at produced nanni wines and was run over generations by a small family. We tasted a torrentes, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, and tannat variety here. The next vineyard we visited was the piattelli vineyard, set on a vast sight centred round a picturesque house. The setting was beautiful. We opted to taste the grand reserva wines here to add a bit of glass, tasting another torrentes, two varieties of malbec, a cabernet sauvignon, and an oak aged blend which were all very nice, but expensive though.
We didn't arrive back to the campsite until like 8, stopping at the supermarket en route to the camp to buy food for the next couple of days. Considering half the group didn't come wine tasting, they were hungry when we returned! Dinner in the evening was another Japanese curry after the huge success last time and the fact there aren't many survivors left from the Colombia who got to try it before. It was really good, and after dinner it was nice sitting at the campsite on what was a really warm evening, although we did have a early night.
Friday was an early start as we effectively had to cover 1100km over 2 days to get to Mendoza, wild camping somewhere in the middle. We decided the best plan of attack was a matter of get as we could the first day and see where we ended up. Shortly after leaving we stopped at Quilmes. The ruins of the city of Quilmes are located on a remote hillside in the Tucumán province in north west Argentina. The people of Quilmes were an indigenous tribe who inhabited this area as far back as 850 CE, fiercely resisting attempted Inca invasions in the 15th and 16th Centuries and even holding out against the Spanish for over 100 years before finally succumbing to a siege led by the colonial powers in 1667. I went up the hill to the viewpoints while the other explored below before leaving after a short while to continue.
The roads weren't that great and we initially made slow progress but we eventually made it to ruta 40 and the tarmac and got some speed up, stopping at various places en route for toilet and snacks. For lunch we even managed to find a shaded area and had the usual truck lunch before heading up into the mountains on winding roads which slowed us down a fair bit. We eventually stopped driving at about 7, stopping at a local campsite which had a pool to avoid wild camping. It was a really hot day. You know it's hot when the Aussies say it's hot. After setting up, we relaxed with cold beers in hand before dinner, which was chicken pasta. We then had an early night with another long drive day to come.
Estancia
Monday was where Amber and Gus split up until the new year, with Gus going to Cafayate, and then an estancia, with Amber going to another estancia, and then Cafayate. This meant Gus had to leave early, and we got to leave late because our estancia was like an hour down the road. This does mean however after Cafayate we have a lot of distance to cover unlike Gus who will be a lot further down the road. Our advantage though was we got a whole morning to explore Salta, so I went and walked through the park and caught the cable car to the top of the hill to see the views of the city. It was lots of fun.
We ended up leaving Salta at about half 1, and we were at the estancia by 3 where we were greeted by the owner who was very vocal. Our driver got out the truck and literally went to say hello and the owner started kissing him. He seems like a very happy guy. After setting up our tents we sat inside the dining area and it started raining, having scones and jam later which was very British. We did however have bottomless glasses of wine as the owner kept filling them up even when it was half full. Argentinian people have a very different way of eating, with lunch being their main meal of the day, and the times being a lot later than usual. Dinner wasn't until half 9 which was empanadas which were really good, lots of meat inside. I somehow however ended up being the last one up with the Argentinian family who knew who Southampton were due to Dani Osvaldo and Boca Juniors. The wine was so drinkable.
Come morning we had agreed to restart our running club as we were finally out of altitude, which had expanded from 3 members to 6 members. I however was the only one who turned up because it was raining, although I still went and was accompanied by the two dogs who had slept outside my tent all night. They literally ran with me to the town and back which was about a 10km round trip, and I even had about 5 dogs following me at one point. We got quite wet though although I managed to make the dogs pass out when we got back.
We originally had horse riding planned for the morning, although this was cancelled due to the weather and postponed until the afternoon. We instead simply had the morning to relax and as I was so exhausted I ended up having nap until lunchtime. Lunch was a proper Argentinian bbq including big joints of steak where we got endless lumps of it on our plate, ribs, sausages and a big variety of sides and salads. It was quite a good meal although I was stuffed by the end. We also once again had bottomless glasses of wine.
Come afternoon I decided against horse riding as it was still raining and stayed behind and played cards relaxed. We had scones once again for afternoon tea and a lot of wine whilst everyone was horse riding. We had a treat in the evening with a cheese and wine tasting session where we tried 4 local wines, a torrentes, torrentes reisling, malbec, and oak aged cabernet sauvignon. They were really good and the cheese went down really well too. We were then surprised by dinner as the owner just walked out with half a pig and carved us an endless supply to eat with breads. They're feeding us well. We also had the small matter of a truck members 70th birthday to celebrate. We were given more wine and it was quite a late night.
Wednesday was a nice and relaxing start with breakfast not until 10. I went for a run though again which was good, minus the dogs who were nowhere to be seen. After breakfast most people went horse riding although I wasn't so keen and went for a hike instead, with the dogs. They kept getting into fights with other dogs on the way though as they kept breaking into people's houses. They even killed 4 chickens en route by chasing them, catching them and chucking them on the floor. I had about 30 barking dogs round me at one point, and an angry Argentinian chucking rocks which wasn't great.
When getting back I relaxed before lunch, which was once again a big bbq with a lot of meat. The owner wouldn't stop feeding me! We then had a free afternoon, where most people went for a nap, although I just listened to the Saints game which wasn't great. Come evening I ended up having an early night as I was exhausted, not helped by the fact I'd spent much of the day playing football with the kids who wouldn't run out of energy!
We ended up leaving Salta at about half 1, and we were at the estancia by 3 where we were greeted by the owner who was very vocal. Our driver got out the truck and literally went to say hello and the owner started kissing him. He seems like a very happy guy. After setting up our tents we sat inside the dining area and it started raining, having scones and jam later which was very British. We did however have bottomless glasses of wine as the owner kept filling them up even when it was half full. Argentinian people have a very different way of eating, with lunch being their main meal of the day, and the times being a lot later than usual. Dinner wasn't until half 9 which was empanadas which were really good, lots of meat inside. I somehow however ended up being the last one up with the Argentinian family who knew who Southampton were due to Dani Osvaldo and Boca Juniors. The wine was so drinkable.
Come morning we had agreed to restart our running club as we were finally out of altitude, which had expanded from 3 members to 6 members. I however was the only one who turned up because it was raining, although I still went and was accompanied by the two dogs who had slept outside my tent all night. They literally ran with me to the town and back which was about a 10km round trip, and I even had about 5 dogs following me at one point. We got quite wet though although I managed to make the dogs pass out when we got back.
We originally had horse riding planned for the morning, although this was cancelled due to the weather and postponed until the afternoon. We instead simply had the morning to relax and as I was so exhausted I ended up having nap until lunchtime. Lunch was a proper Argentinian bbq including big joints of steak where we got endless lumps of it on our plate, ribs, sausages and a big variety of sides and salads. It was quite a good meal although I was stuffed by the end. We also once again had bottomless glasses of wine.
Come afternoon I decided against horse riding as it was still raining and stayed behind and played cards relaxed. We had scones once again for afternoon tea and a lot of wine whilst everyone was horse riding. We had a treat in the evening with a cheese and wine tasting session where we tried 4 local wines, a torrentes, torrentes reisling, malbec, and oak aged cabernet sauvignon. They were really good and the cheese went down really well too. We were then surprised by dinner as the owner just walked out with half a pig and carved us an endless supply to eat with breads. They're feeding us well. We also had the small matter of a truck members 70th birthday to celebrate. We were given more wine and it was quite a late night.
Wednesday was a nice and relaxing start with breakfast not until 10. I went for a run though again which was good, minus the dogs who were nowhere to be seen. After breakfast most people went horse riding although I wasn't so keen and went for a hike instead, with the dogs. They kept getting into fights with other dogs on the way though as they kept breaking into people's houses. They even killed 4 chickens en route by chasing them, catching them and chucking them on the floor. I had about 30 barking dogs round me at one point, and an angry Argentinian chucking rocks which wasn't great.
When getting back I relaxed before lunch, which was once again a big bbq with a lot of meat. The owner wouldn't stop feeding me! We then had a free afternoon, where most people went for a nap, although I just listened to the Saints game which wasn't great. Come evening I ended up having an early night as I was exhausted, not helped by the fact I'd spent much of the day playing football with the kids who wouldn't run out of energy!
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