South American Adventures

New York

2007-03-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

Honduras

2007-03-20T02:45:00.000-07:00

Guatemala

2007-02-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Miami Vice

2007-02-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

My Vice with Miami !!!

For all our 8 months of travelling South America we half expected that the biggest culture shock would be landing in the loud land of the United States in the sunny resort city of Miami.

Even though it`s a country we are all too familiar with due to media and globalisation it is still surprising to actually experience it.
Though for us, the experience was short.

The sun wasn`t shining as a cyclone had just swept through the state leaving clouds and rain behind. Still, I was excited to be entering an English speaking again, while Joel was beaming at the thought of meeting his idol, Mickey Mouse at Disney world. Both these notions were fast crushed on arrival as we learnt that Disney world was in Orlando (a land far, far away) and everybody in Miami is a Latin American immigrant, so everyone in Miami speaks Spanish.

While still in the airport sipping our Starbucks we next learnt that we had arrived in Miami on Superbowl weekend- which happened to be held in Miami. We were excited because Superbowl in the U.S`s biggest sporting event and the city was buzzing with celebrities, athletes and activities. It soon dawned on us however, that we were without accommodation in a city full of sports fans from around the country. It was no easy task to find ourselves a bed as everything was either booked out or the prices had doubled. We ended up settling for a room that cost the same as about 8 nights accommodation in Ecuador as that was the cheapest we could find.

Once settled into our hotel we made our way out for South Beach where the pre-game action was. We were so accustomed to the buses of South America- whereby you can go anywhere at anytime- and thought a heavily populated city of the U.S would be the same. But this country runs on oil and everyone loves their cars. All the `vehicles´ are hotted up with mag wheels, tinted windows, glitzy paint job and are the size of a small apartment. Especially all the stretched ones. Stretched limo`s, stretched 4X4`s, even stretched hummers. Buses appeared to be highly unfashionable. After much waiting around and changing buses we made it South Beach to be met by a people parade.

Ocean drive had been closed to traffic and the place was packed with people. It was like being in a P Diddy film clip (who was also in town) with all the homeboys with their over sized clothing and bling-bling, and the booty girls with under sized clothes and over sized sunglasses. Plus all skaters on their boards and blades, the beach babes, the party revellers all glammed up for the big night ahead and the sports fans shouting `Go Bears` or `Go Colts`.

While it was tempting to stay and party with JLo, Fergie, Hulk Hogan, the `tweedle dee` and `tweedle dumb` Hilton sisters, Magic Johnson and the numerous other celeb`s in town (apparently over 1000 private jets were flying in- no wonder the U.S is slow to admit there is a global warming problem), we had to get back to the bus stop for the last bus at 8pm, and opted for a night in our hotel with cable TV.

We awoke on Superbowl Sunday to dismal weather and decided we`d tasted enough of Miami and raced to the airport to make the next flight to Guatemala. While we made it in time to make the flight the staff at American Airlines stuffed us around for an hour so that by the time we were issued a boarding pass the flight was `closed`. We missed it by 3 minutes.

As I write this we are sitting on a plane waiting to take off to Guatemala 7 hours later. We spent a lovely day in the Miami airport cruising from Starbucks to Starbucks (I counted 6). It`s raining outside and the Superbowl kicked off 10 minutes ago and I couldn`t care less.

So if you`re heading to Miami make sure you check the weather first and find out if there are any grand events. I can`t tell you much about the city itself but if you want to know where to get a coffee at the airport- hit me up.

Brazil

2007-02-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

The land of the thong - Havaianas and G-bangers are everywhere in this great land!

Entering Rio de Janeiro is was very exotic experience for us after being the cold Andes for such a long period. For one the city is one of the most beautiful in the world. Surrounded by lush tropical rainforest covered mountains that meet the Atlantic´s white sandy beaches. Fresh fruits of mango, melons and bananas are sold cheaply everywhere.

Then there is the people. The women of all shapes and sizes lining the beach of Copacabana and Impanema with their G-strings. They are sexy and know how to dance, everyone has got rhythm and the music - oh. We went out to the nightclub district of Lapa and I have never seen anything like it. The streets are full of people, selling drinks, jewellery, whistles! The typical Brazilian drum bands are playing outside and the neighbourhood is just wall to wall clubs. All different types of music, so you just pick the type you like. We went to a samba club. I have never seen people dance like that before. The amount of shakes per second some of the woman can do with their arse is incredible. And move over Kaluha man - these black sweaty, topless men know how to groove (Katie wanted me to include this sentence if anyone is wondering). It was such a great thing to watch and a little embarrassing to try and dance.

However, this exotic city also has a very dark side. Only weeks before we arrived the main drug lords whom are in jail (which they basically control) had organised their gangs to torch public buses, killing many innocent people and even blocking roads so that emergency vehicles were unable to help. This was all in the name of better living conditions inside the jail. Then 180 corrupt cops were arrested. One couldn´t be blamed feeling a little intimidated in certain areas of Rio, especially at night and/or near the Favelas.

On the other hand Rio seemed to be a lot safer than Sao Paulo where over 700 murders occur each month some 400 more than in Rio. Bring on Ilha Grande.

We spent a week camping on Ilha Grande a tropical island haven south of Rio. Its beaches were stunning to say the least. We snorkeled, swam and body surfed in the clear waters. The vegetation was equally as impressive and the most dense I have ever seen. The orchestra of cicadas filled the jungle with noise occasionally being disturbed by the monkeys in the distance.

Next we headed north to Itacare, a tropical tourist town with massive surf culture. Camping in the town centre gave us access by trekking through rainforest to several different surf beaches where we spent the next three days riding the modest waves.

Sitting on the boards waiting for the next set to roll in and looking back on shore gave us the realisation we were in a truly exotic tropical paradise. White sand surrounded by coconut palms and different species of lush plants some boasting red or purple flowers. Afro-Brazilians, with their ripped bodies and dreadlocks flipping themselves into all sorts of impossible positions practising Capoeira. Then there was the vendors selling coconut water, watermelon and cold beers to the G-string bearing girls baking in the sun. Not to be left out were the soccer lads, playing volleyball without their hands.

Although touristic, with many people trying to sell us Gringos necklaces, bracelets or a joint, we did enjoy our time here. It was also the place that we stumbled across our first Capoeira performance and I´m still in ore at what I saw.

Capoeira is a martial art developed by the African slaves to fight their oppressors. It was practised in sin with the aid of music and in the form of dance to hide the true training of this fighting style. These men and women can back flip, hand stand, fly kick, somersault in mid air all while dodging their opponents kicks. They are the most flexible people I have ever seen. This martial art is an amazing spectacle and the people practising it would not want to be messed with.

SALVADOR

Salvador in the Northeast of Brazil was our next destination and had the greatest influence of Afro-Brazilian people that we have experienced. The streets were filled with constant drumming and dancing. The big mamas (huge black women) sat on the street corners selling traditional foods and the town was continuously in fiesta mode- party, party party! Although currently a colourful and beautiful part of Brazilian culture its history is very cruel.

The area of the Northwest namely Salvador is where the Portuguese first set foot into Brazil. During their rein they brought over 4.5 million (this is no typing error) 4.5 MILLION slaves to the region. More slaves than anywhere else in the world. In fact the suburb called Pelourinho, were we stayed, is the place were slaves were publicly beaten, killed and sold off. Some men had the job of looking after groups of women basically to keep them orderly. Sounds like a better job than working in the coffee or tobacco fields until you find out they were castrated so that they were not tempted into sexual exchange.

One of the interesting things to come out of this history is the religion of Candomble. Candomble is a conglomerate of African religions from Congos, Angolous, Cabindas, Benguelas, Zaire, etc. All the areas the slaves were originally from. Learning about Candomble was of particular interest to myself as the similarities in beliefs to the Indigenous Australians that I work with in Arnhemland and the Kimberley are many.

Here are a few Orixa (Gods) in the Candomble religion that I found to be similar.

OXUMARE or The Rainbow Serpent
This god is related with fertility and abundance. Oxumare duties include directing the forces that produce the movement and dynamics of human existences.

XANGO the Thunder and Lightening Orixa
If disrespected will provoke death and destruction with lightening bolts punishing evil doers. This is similar to the thunder and lightening spirit Namarragon in Arnhemland or Wandjina in the Kimberley.

IEMANJA the Mermaid or Yuk Yuk in Kunwingu (Arnhemland)
She lives in the depths of different rivers. Mermaids are represented in so many different cultures thoughout the world but that's another blog!

Even with the disturbing past I found the people to be relishing in the present enjoying their roots and embracing their new culture through song and dance. There was no sign of resentment to the Europeans, no ´poor bugga me´.

Our fitting ending to Brazil was to visit the looming statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). The 60 metre statue is situated on the mountains overlooking Rio. Normally a panoramic view but for us was covered in cloud. The cloud was so thick that we could´t even see Christ properly standing directly below the huge monument. Instead we were left with a silhouette of the imposing figure. A lasting impression.

¨Obrigado Brasil, Ate mais tarde¨

Chau

Ushuaia - End of the World

2007-01-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

Ushuaia was the perfect way to see in the New Year. The "End of the World" for the "End of the Year." It was a random night including some traditional Lithuanian folk dancing, drinks on the beach with some Brazilians and kittens running around the bar at 4am while the sun was high in the sky! Looking forward to what 2007 will bring.

Tierra Del Fuego - The Land of Fire

To shake off our New Year's hangovers we took off on a 3 day hike through Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was fabulous with incredibly beautiful scenery- just when you think you`ve seen enough mountains and glaciers. But this one skirted the ocean too, which was a new experience for us. The weather came in really bad on our 2nd night and we were camped out in the open. We got smashed by Patagonian wind and snow and rain and woke up warm and dry with our tent covered in snow. But it was a ridiculously beautiful spot with forest below us and waterfalls cascading down green cliffs across from us. And then a view through a tight valley to the ocean. Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego are one of our favourite places we`ve been too.

Torres Del Paine

2007-01-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

Torres del Paine is arguably the most famous trek in Patagonia and after our 8 days of hiking the circuit it was easy to see why!

The trek itself was not demanding in terms of distance and terrain covered. However, carrying 8 days of food along with the testing weather saw our bodies weary and in desperate need of a warm shower at the conclusion of this walk.

The aspect of Torres del Paine that gives it its fame is the astonishing diversity the route takes you on. Wildflowers carpeting the landscape red with pleasant song birds chirping away, gave us the impression of the perfect spring day. Later the weather would contradict this, exposing us to wind, rain, hail and finally snow. And then, as if God Himself were reading our minds, knowing full well we had had enough the sun would shine momentarily giving us renewed hope and energy.

Open grass lands changed into closed valleys surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Later the trek would pass through knee deep mud as it began to climb over Paso John Garner to a view that was nothing short of amazing. Looking over the massive ice field in Glacier Grey is one of the most breathtaking sights I have every seen trekking.

The main draw card of this tramp is the ´Torres´. Spectacular towers of granite erecting from the top of the mountain range. On our final day day of the walk we woke at 3:30am and started trekking to a location where the intention was to see the first rays of sun hit the Torres turning the grey silhouette of granite golden orange and the sky a warm red. Instead we were met by heavy cloud, strong winds and the snow dumping for hours. We could barely see 20 metres in front of us let alone the mighty towers. With our tails between our legs we trudged back to the tent and crashed out disappointed and fatigued.

With a stroke of luck, when we awoke the clouds had lifted. Not wanting to miss the view we ran back up the mountain to the view spot and were rewarded with the impressive icon. No words or photos can describe the feelings one gets of this place but it was an amazing experience.

We ran the next 15 kilometres along the trail with packs on backs to make the afternoon bus that would take us back to civilisation. We made the bus with most of the other walkers present showing signs of disappointment as they were unable to see ´Torres del Paine.´ Katie and myself were only too happy to show them our digital photos.

Adios 2006

2006-12-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

Another year as come to an end and Joel and I are hard pressed to remember everything we have been so lucky to do. Starting 2006 in Darwin seems like another world away and everything we have seen and learnt since makes us feel like different people.

Learning the Spanish language (though poorly) is just the beginning, matched with learning about the geography, history and politics of each country we visit- which is so deep and complex we can only scratch the surface. Then there are the people. The warm smiles of locals, the grubby faced children on the streets, the other travellers on their own quest for a taste of South America, it is all these people we meet that have brought life to our experiences and taught us things about life that we just can`t learn at home.

We will be spending the end of the year at the end of the world- Ushuaia. The most southerly city on earth. So as we come into the New Year we look forward to visitng new countries, spending more time on beaches and less time on mountains and gradually prepare ourselves for working again- but this time in the UK.

We hope 2006 brought you many joys and that 2007 holds many more for you.
Happy New Year.

Some pictures from our travels this year...

Volcan Lanin

2006-12-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

Lanin´s Mapuche name means ´Dead Rock´as the Mapuche people believed that anyone who climbed the mountain would be killed by evil spirits!

The intimidating figure of Volcan Lanin towering over all its surrounding mountains, gave us the chance to redeem ourselves and summit a volcano after failing to summit Cotopaxi in Ecuador. This time we would succeed and the fact that we did it solo made it much more satisfying.

The first day of hiking took us through southern beech forest and then opened up to impressive views of Lanin. Later in the day we would tread on volcanic basalt followed by snow - it was the perfect way to start the mission. Our destination was Refugio Caja and we reached the refuge hut in good time finishing the day by donning our crampons to climb the last two hundred so metres in snow. The ´refugio´ was very basic. Picture a shed the shape of a triangle, with concert floor and that was our pace of rest. For drinking water we had to boil up snow with the trusty MSR stove (boys love their toys) as everything was frozen. That night I radioed National Parks to find out what the weather was doing the next day for our summit attempt and the news wasn´t good.

The following day saw some of the worst weather we have experienced in the Andes. Gale force winds, the kind that makes peeing an interesting challenge, heavy snow fall and fog that would make navigation through the glacier and crevasse landscape near impossible. This meant we were hut bound for the day. Snuggled in our sleeping bags we played cards and chess to pass the time and drank tea to stay warm whilst not trying to consume too much in the fear of having to go outside in the freezing conditions to relieve our bladders.

The radio call that night did not give us any positive news ´Clima Malo´ bad weather. However, the Gods were on our side as when I woke at 4am the dark sky was lined with nothing but twinkling stars. GAME ON.

Katie leads the charge at sunrise followed by some German climbers, the wind is strong.

We climbed up over 1200 metres with the last 2 hours on an angle greater then 45 degrees. Katie and myself reached the summit in just under 5 hours. The second group to stand on top of the volcano behind two German mountaineers, Derk and Jork. It was both a breath taking 360 degree view and an amazing sense of achievement.

That same day we hiked 2700 metres down often sliding on our bums using the ice axe as a brake to the ranger hut. Whilst looking behind us it was hard to believe that only hours before we were standing on the summit of that great mountain. The beer tasted that much sweeter back in town while we chatted about our feat.

Puenta Del Inca

2006-11-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Work and Aconcagua

Acongagua, the highest peak outside of Asia. It sits in the distance behind us at a height of 6962 metres. This is as close as we got to it this time, as we couldn´t afford the 14 days and $2000US to climb it. However, we have plans to return...

Everything is Zen at the construction site for this ´healing centre with sound´ (whatever that is). We spent 3 days here helping build mudbricks, green houses and tending to the permaculture garden. It was hot, dry and dirty work, but set in a beautiful valley with amazing (all natural) food. We learnt a lot about alternative building and gardening methods and gained some muscles.

Iguazu Falls

2006-11-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

Joel and KAtie enjoying Iguazu Falls

The power of the Falls

Billy Joel and Katie get the best view

The Worlds Most Dangerous Road

2006-11-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

We have mountain biked on the most dangerous road in the world! Covered in mud we descended from 4700m to 1200m dodging trucks and all the time trying not to go off the edge. In true Bolivian style we stopped for lunch next to a monument of a backpacker that had come off the edge and died. Thanks for the confidence guide! It truly is the most dangerous road in the world as the track is steep and there are many bus and truck wrecks whom have come off the side.

If mountain biking wasn´t enough we caught a bus for 18hrs 230km (that's slow going Hirsch I know your pretty average at Maths) on the same road. Because the road is so thin the outside vehicle is the one that has to give way if two vehicles are approaching. While doing this our back tyres went off the edge. A few of us yelled out stop to the driver. We didn´t want to become part of the wreckage art work below. I was told not to lean out the window as that may even tip the bus. The things you do for that prefect photo.

Down But Not Out

2006-10-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

This was written on the on the same day it happened so the blood was still pumping pretty fast. Its part of the parcel when travelling though South America!

While sitting in a Park at 11:30am soaking up the spring sun and enjoying the noval I was reading 4 blokes came up to me and asked for some small change and water. I was sitting there minding our backpacks while Katie was posting a parcel before we were to head to Uruaguy.

Then it all happen. One guy went behind me and pinned my shoulders down. The others were yelling at me to give them my small backpack. I politely told them to F&%k Off! One of the fellas then grabbed my right hand while one grabbed my throat and stuck a knife or broken bottle to my neck. The other arse hole stabbed me in the right leg below the knee. They quickly gabbed my wallett and small bad containing my i-pod, English passport, camera and 2 films (I´m gutted about that), and some cash. I started chasing them, with blood pissing from my leg, as I was pretty mad by this stage. They headed into a plaza with heaps of people and I decided to not persue them as the two big backpacks were left alone in the park and there was a chance they could have got taken as well. Katie returned to find people around me trying to offer help. My leg was cut bad so I wraped it up with a bandage my St Johns instructure would have been proud of. It was still bleeding quite badly so we went to emergency where I had 7 stitches and lots of needles.

Katie was a little shaken up but has been looking after me better than I could expect and I´m certainly accepting the sympathy. Wish I had of caught one of those punks as the adrenaline was pumping.

Its More Than a Game

2006-10-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

For Argentines football is more than a game. Its a passion, a culture, a way of life. Obsession would best sum up the feeling Argentines have for this game!

During our time in Buenos Aires we couldn´t pass up the opportunity to go to a match and see what all the fuss is about. The team with the craziest fans is ¨la Boca Juniors.´Their famous son Diego Maradona is portrayed as a God and this is the team we set out to see. Unfortunately on the day we had set up to meet a dodgy local, who was going to sell us tickets to the match from the back of his car, the news headlines read ¨La Boca Juniors game cancelled due to fears of crowd violence.¨

Not to worry though as we scored tickets for 2nd on the ladder River Plate verses Rosario Central. What an experience it was! Funny enough we found ourselves in the craziest section of the crowd, behind the goals with the River Plate (home team) cheer squad. A few fans advised us that this was not the place for us as it was dangerous (seems to be the consensus anywhere we go in South America). However a friendly local helped us settle in. Before I knew it my shirt was off and I was jumping around, fist in air, screaming ´ Vamos River Plate Vamos.´ Katie was doing the same only with her shirt on. It should be noted that she was 1 of 2 women in this entire section of over 200 people!

The cheer squad were passionate in Argentinian terms (this equates to NUTS in Aussie terms). The cheer squad, made up of about 60 men who must have a diet of protein powder and steroids, smashed there symbols and banged there drums. Their many banners flying red and white were everywhere. Some extended from the top of the stadium to the front row seats. They controlled the crowd with various chants and didn´t stop singing for the entire 90 minutes.

The atmosphere was electric. Picture being in the general admission of a punk rock concert mixed with a riot. You couldn´t even tell if a goal was scored because; 1. you couldn´t see the match and

2. the crowd were at maximum volume and intensity the whole game.

We moved to a section that was a little more tranquilo for the second half and more importantly we could actually see the game. River Plate won 2-0. I would have hated to be in that if they had of lost. For security reasons the Rosario crowd had to leave the stadium about 30 minutes before the River mob. I´ve never seen so many police at a sporting match. The crowd were great, the game was of a high level and its true this game is an obsession!

Something in the Aire

2006-10-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

I don´t think I´ve ever fallen in love with a city before. I´ve read and heard stories where people romanticise about cities- Paris, New York, Melbourne- any place they have ventured to and been taken away by its charm, immensity and style. It had never happened to me like this until I spent my first 2 days in Buenos Aires. I had heard from many travellers how wonderful a place it was. They spoke of great food, cheap wine, fashion, Futbol and Tango. Indeed, I arrived with expectations but was met with something far greater than I had imagined.

The city is a thriving haven of culture, arts and character. A fusion of modernity with antiquity, history with the present and a future that looks like its on its way up after an economic slump at the turn of this century. The old buildings tell of wealth and influence from a European world, intricately and ornately decorated and proudly bearing the Argentinian flag. Each suburb bears its own image, displaying colours and character along tree lined streets through feria´s, markets and performing arts. Meanwhile, through the air wafts the smell of Tango, the pheremone of the city, the sexual, lustrious movement that pulsates through the streets. A leg thrown over a hip, two faces cheek to cheek- this is the dance of the city resonating the qualities of the city itself. Beauty, style and composure. Lust, passion and emotion. I have much yet to discover of Buenos Aires just as I do the Tango, but in an instant of admiring these 2 Argentinian products, I have found myself lost in their charm, drugged by their magic and lusting for more.

Katie x

Having a Whale of a Time!

2006-10-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

Why is the steak so tender and rich in Argentina? Speaking to other travellers they would tell you that all the cattle feed on fresh grass or that when the cow is killed it is beaten before hand and they are the reasons. Whatever the cause for the soft meat it is the best I have ever had and at around $1 for a big eye fillet or $5 to eat out I am the one who is jumping over the moon, with joy that is!

After an unreal time in Bariloche of feasting on steak, chocolate, wine and a few days of snowboarding some fresh spring powder we headed to the warmer coastal town of Puerto Madryn. It is from here that we took an excursion to Peninsula Valdes to see the Southern Right Whales. And whales we did see!

Large adults suspending their tales for minutes on end. Calves with too much energy breeching out of the water and crashing back down again, while mum opted to relax by floating on her back extending her huge pectoral fins into the air. It was a photographers heaven.

At one stage we had 8 mothers and calves between 1 and 40 metres from our boat. Quite possibly we could have leaned over the edge and patted these beautifully peaceful creatures. However, that doesn´t comply with Ecotourism so this along with the fact you can never be sure how a 15 metre in length animal weighing 45 tonnes will react once touched was enough to keep our hand in the boat.

God bless the relaxed laws of South America allowing us to get so close to these amazing creatures of the sea. In all honesty though the whales were as equally as curious of us as we of them and I saw no sign of stress. Another memorable experience for us both.

Not to be left out we saw elephant seals on one of the near by beaches. Also currently in mating season the large males (can grow to 6 metres and weigh 4 tonnes) fight to own a stretch of beach and therefore the right to mate with any females on that stretch . We witnessed one male chasing off another whom was trying to steal a few women. It was actually quite funny as they have to move like a caterpillar or slug as they weigh so much. After about two to three slug rolls they flop on their bellies to rest for 30 seconds then continue the chase. Its like a slow motion fight scene. Seeing these big boys move you can´t help but feel for the pups that may end up squashed.

CHILE - The Snow!

2006-10-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Our snow adventures in Chile involved 3 superb days of snowbaording at 2 different resorts, and an overnight hike to a run-down hut high in the mountains. Despite catching the very tail end of the ski season, there was still plenty of snow, blue skies and excellent riding. The resorts are mainly above the tree line making for wide open runs and beautiful scenery of the endless Andes.

As for our snow hike, we were ill prepared for the amount of snow we would have to walk through, which meant we were sinking knee deep into the snow and sporting wet, cold feet by the end of it. The hut which was our destination- ´Shangrila´ was literally on it´s last legs and didn´t provide much shelter at all. We were tentless, so had a night out under the stars, in the snow, at below 0*. Despite feeling like squatters, it was a magical little place.

Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia

2006-09-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

We have travelled to some beautiful, unique and challenging landscapes but none quite so as intense as Salar de Uyuni.

The only thing confirming we were not on the moon was the gravity factor and the fact we could breath as the landscape indicated otherwise. Geysers bubbling, volcanoes smoking in the distance, lakes of odd colours including red, green and turquoise, weird shaped rocks, deserts of nothing but stones for miles and not a tree in sight. Ending the day we stopped at a hotel totally made of salt.

Although the landscape was harsh many of the lakes teemed with flamingos. 3 different species these ladies of the desert so elegant and pink.

The highlight of the 4 days was the salt flats themselves. We rose at 4am to make it to the middle of the salt lake for ´salida del sol´ (sun rise). Driving there our guide turned off all the car lights while still travelling at 110km per hour. He could do this as the terrain was so flat. Once again it felt like we were not on earth as the only sign of movement was the groan of the Toyota engine.

The sunrise was magical with every shade of purple and pink in the sky. However, the most amazing aspect of this place is there is nothing but flatness until the horizon thus meaning nothing to get a perspective of how big things are or how far they are away. We set up some loco photos, see below. This effect is not limited to stills as while eating brekky we saw another car driving in the distance and we could have sworn it was a small toy replica. At the end of the day we stopped at a hotel made totally of salt. The sea of salt is one special place!

Tupiza - Bolivia

2006-09-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Rollin´, rollin´rollin´, man my arse is swollen!

The town of Tupiza was like being transported to cowboy and western film set. Indeed this place is were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were put to rest in a bloody gun fight (they are like the Ned Kelly of North and South America).

To get in the mood of this place Katie and myself went on a 7 hour horse ride through cactus dominated, dry red escarpment, dusty hot landscape. Don´t worry about little horse riding experience folks, she´ll be right, this is Bolivia and anything goes. So with no helmets we were off galloping in no time. My horse happened to be of Argentinian descent (that means he was big) and Tupiza´s top race horse for the past 6 years. As soon as we started galloping he was in race mode and off like a frog in a sock. I had to use a lot of strength to slow him up by pulling on the reins. He was the boss man in the pack taking the lead at ever opportunity and closely followed by Katie´s brown nosing horse whose face was within centimetres of my horse´s bum for most of the day. It was a fitting way to see the new country, riding through rivers and along the railway line. yeeeee haaaaaa

Potosi - Bolivia

2006-09-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Potosi is the highest city in the world at 4070 metres. Although it was once Latin America´s largest and wealthiest city it does have a haunted past!

They enter the opening knowing that over the past 300 years this location has claimed over 8 million lives. For the Indigenous People it is the home of the devil. Each year several llamas are sacrificed, their throats cut so that their blood will cover the soil. In return it is hoped that the devil will not harm more people. This is followed by daily offering of cigarettes, money and coca leaves. The offerings are obviously well received as the statue representing the lands owner has a large erection and cheeky smile. You could be mistaken to thinking this is the gate way to hell!

Armed with nothing more than a pick, shovel and coca leaves the men must hack away at the soil in temperatures of 30 plus degrees hoping they will struck it lucky and find silver.

This trip into Potosi Silver Mine was a real eye opener and even with all the protective equipment including face mask it was still difficult to breath due to the toxic fumes. These miners work long hours to produce more than 10 tonnes of material for which they are payed a dismal $A8.5. Even so the workers are in good spirits and happy for us to be there. An interesting place to visit a horrible place to make a living.

AMAZON - Jungle

2006-09-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

In the jungle, the mighty jungle the juguar sleeps tonight!

Getting there was an adventure in itself as the Bolivian road network is a little behind our standards. It takes 20 hours to travel 300 k´s and they claim to have the worlds most dangerous road- a one-lane dirt road for two-way traffic beside a cliff edge. We decided the best way to tackle this road was to ride a mountain bike down it. 5 hours down hill through rain, mud and fog and dodging trucks and buses whilst trying to control our speed. It was awesome! Followed by an even hairier 16 hour bus ride we arrived in our jungle wonderland- Rurrenabaque.

There are two aspects to the Bolivian Amazon- the pampa and the jungle. The jungle was as lush, green and grand as we had imagined. We got bitten by mozzies, sandflys, ticks and ants, bathed in the Amazon rivers, swung on vines, ate grubs fresh from the plants and even got painted up in some traditional tatoos.

Joel entranced after being painted up with the power of the jaguar

AMAZON - Jungle

2006-09-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Our guide was amazing. Only 25 years himself- Jhazmany- meaning light of the Jaguar, was a true man of the jungle. The machetti wielding, coca chewing, gumboot wearing power pack was taught his Tacana culture from his dad. He made ants bite us, then used the plant remedy to take away the sting, taught us how to make rope from the bark of trees, would take us fishing with his bow and arrow (which he whipped up from the jungle in a couple of hours) weave us drink bottle holders from palm leaves and showed us what plants will cure you, feed you, kill you and make you fall in love.

He also fished a particularly spider out of its home, told us 3 bites will kill a human and then put it on our faces. A quick cure for aracnophobia- this thing had claws too. It was unbelievable.

We were also weary of the elusive pumas and jaguars, and while we didn´t see any, we did stumble across a fretting chancho- like a wild pig, that had just been attacked by a jaguar, but our prescence had scared it off. Jhazmany knew this by the 2 massive teeth gauges in the pigs rear legs, a good 20cm apart.

Our jungle adventure took place in the Madidi National Park, only 10 years old it is a proactive step to conserve teh Bolivian rainforest. We also felt that it was much needed as it was sad to see as we flew out of Rurrenabaque (we chose not to go the hellish road again) the extensive land clearing. Progress, progress, progress...

AMAZON - Pampa

2006-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

If you pee in the water little fish will swim up you urethra and lodge themselves, pirhanas are waiting to feed on you, there are many crocs but we still went swimming just to be with the pnk river dolphins, poco loco !

Crusing on a Pampa river to our sunset location.

AMAZON - Pampa

2006-09-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Pampa was surprisingly reminiscent of the wetlands of Kakadu, as crocodiles line the shores and similar bird species fly around. The major differences however on these flat river systems are the pink dolphins, monkeys and capibaras- massive guineapigs. Oh, and the pirhanas. We were a little apprehensive to go swimming with the dolphins after we´d seen all the croc´s and were told stories of pirhanas eating off toes, but we survived unscathed. We also went fishing for pirhanas and Joel tested their bite on his arm after much pressure from the rest of us on the boat. To say he flinched would be an understatment- he´s still sporting the scab.

The Pampa was good for wildlife, but the evidence of human impact was blinding as everything beyond the rivers edge was on fire with the land being cleared for farming.

Bolivia - Laguna Glacier - 3 Day Trek

2006-09-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

A three day walk from Sorrata took us on a wild adventure with snow, hail, a little getting lost but we made it to the final destination of Laguna Glacier at 5200m to some amazing views.

Lake Titicaca

2006-09-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Trekking Choquerquiro and Machu Picchu

2006-08-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Trekking with mules is all the rage in Peru. Not sure why they are a pain in the ass!

The small village of Cachora situated in the Andean mountains of Peru was the starting point of our demanding 7 day trek via the Inca ruins of Choquerquiro and the grand finale destination - Machu Picchu. Not ones to follow the gringo trail we decided to do this walk independently. However, we were joined by a Kiwi and Aussie couple, Jeni and Brett, whom equally love tramping.

In Cachora we organised an arrero (mule guide) and two mules. The mules would carry our heavy packs for the initial three days then we would continue solo for the rest. Walking with the mules was a new experience for us, exciting in a way as its like being on a great expedition. When trekking up those steep mountains, of which there were many, I really appreicated those animals carrying our heavy load. They did however come with a few headaches.

The first being on the morning of the second day when the plan was to set off at 6am. Unfortunately the mules had bolted in the night so our poor arrero had to run about 7 plus kilometres up a mountain to retrieve them. All was good though as we arrived at the ruins of Choquequiro at 11ish after 3 to 4 hours of trekking.

Choquequiro is a less known Inca ruin and appealed to us as it had less tourists. It is still being excavated so many of its scretes are less known. Unlike Machu Picchu the only way to get there is by slogging out the 35 kilometres. The special aspect of this trek is we had the terrace ruins all to ourselves.

Things went terribly wrong at the ruins. We had lost our arrero and the mules. The plan was to meet them for almuerzos (lunch). But after waiting for hours they never showed. By 4pm things were looking bad. We hadn´t eaten since 6 that morning, so we were bloody hungry, and the weather was coming in cold. The mules had everything of ours including warm weather equipment, food, stove, and tent so we were left with nothing. The shirt and shorts I was wearing funny enough didn´t seem to protect me from the icy Andean wind.

Luckily for us we met some other trampers whom shared their spare clothes with us and offered us a few chocolate bars, of which we were very greatful. In a kind gesture the caretakers of Choquerquiro also made us the best tasting soup and coca tea both hitting that hunger spot. They also let us sleep in a hut with them. The four of us snuggling under the blanket to keep warm!

We set off early the next morning and after several hours of tramping were reunited with the arrero, mules, packs and FOOD. It was a warm feeling and the tucker was bliss.

The mishap put us a day behind our intented schedule but that was no worries as we had plenty of food. But our guide had had enough so he returned to his home town of Cachora and left us to fend for ourselves.

The next 3 days involved camping on Indigenous farms, playing soccer with the kids, while chickens, dogs and goats eyed off our food. The amazing thing was we would enter a remote village, no roads so the only transport being by foot, and we could still purchase a cold beer.

We climbed two passes over 4000 metres so there were lots of ups and downs. Not to mention the amazing views of glacier covered mountains and deep valleys. On our last major hiking day we were spoilt with a soak in some natural hotsprings. The hot waterfall acted not only as a much need shower but also a massarge on our sore shoulders. Our walk had now merged with the popular tourist trek the Salcantay and it was a real shock to the system to see the many gringoes that had aluded us for the past five days and the familiar Quechuan farmers were few.

We made it to the tourist town of Aguas Calientes by sitting in the back of a truck driving through coffee and banana crops, stopping every few kilometres while coffee bags were thrown onto the tray of the truck. A cable car ride over the river Vilconota, another truck ride and finally a train to Aguas Caliente where we were greeted by a hot shower and a much deserved cold beer. Our final day of this interesting trek involved a 4am start, to walk the 1 1/2 hours to Machu Picchu. This place although receiving many tourists is every bit amazing and unique as its reputation holds. Looking around the ruins for 9 hours brought many memorable photos and even more views. The stone work is done to perfection and this combined with the stunning location of the high mountains and rivers below show just how powerful the Inca Empire was.

Camp Spot

2006-08-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Camp spot near a beautiful waterfall and Inca ruins in the Cajas National Park - Ecuador

Cusco- a word from Katie

2006-07-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

I see dead people! Peru is not short of morbid curiousity as we visited a church with 20,000 people buried under it- their bones placed in pretty patterns for us to view. And this picture shows a mummy from a graveyard in Nazca, where the tombs are left open for the viewing of these dred-locked skeletons.

Thought it was about time I put a little effort into this website thing, and gave you my two-bobs worth of our life in Peru.

Despite trying to ignore my maternal nature I have been blissfully content this week as we have a home. We have shacked up in Cusco for 10 days or so and booked ourselves into Spanish school. It has been so nice to have a kitchen and make our own food, and to come back to the same place at the end of each day- and they even have a dog where we are staying (one you can actually pat-not a mangy, flea ridden thing as is normal for South America).

Prior to arriving in Cusco, the navel of the Inkan world, we visited the Colca Canyon, apparently the second deepest canyon in the world. We had both come down ill with some fluey/fever thing but Joel was recovering so made an attempt to descend into the canyon, but took a few wrong turns, met with some nasty looking cactus´ and ended up atop a cliff with no safe way into the canyon. So he returned to the town where we were staying- Cobanaconde, which happened to be celebrating the festival of their patron saint. This meant all the local people were on the piss for 3 days with multiple brass bands playing the same song continuously and everyone dancing the same dance continuously. For us it was a bit like the pied-piper as we heard the music and saw the people dancing through the town so we followed them to our first ever bull fight. Taking from the spanish influence, 5 men were dressed in the proper matador get-up and the chosen bull was forced into the ring where they proceeded to taunt him with their coloured cloths and once he was a little tired started to stab decorated spears into his shoulder blades. The final blow being a sword through his spine into his chest. Then the 5 of them huddled around him pushing on his rump trying to make him fall over until eventually (after a slow and surely painful time) the animal collapsed and all the cowboys came out to finish him off. I have only just acepted the idea of eating meat again, so watching this didn´t really encourage my new way of life.

Anyway, during all this the brass band is still playing and the people still dancing around so we got swept into the dancing parade and tried our luck at some traditional dance moves. Joel must have impressed one old fella who came up to him and grabbed his nuts with a big smile, before dancing off again.

Cusco has been a bit of quiet time for us as we are studying Spanish 4 hours a day and then have to do homework- such a strange thing to choose to do when travelling. But it is a beautiful city to spend some time in. It is also the tourist high season which means that local thieves are having a field day. I went to a nearby market last weekend and when we left we virtually had to fight our way onto the bus where I was crammed against the gear stick and the front window of the bus- it was so packed it was dangerous. Needless to say my wallet was stolen out of my pocket that was zipped up- sneaky bastards. Thankfully I only had the equivalent of $5 in it. Of the people in our hostal alone this week one girl has had her bag and passport stolen, another guy had his wallet taken and two people had attempts made on them after they were spat on to distract them. Welcome to Cusco gringos!

Peru: The Nazca Lines

2006-07-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

After a hard day of hiking the Andes and feasting on guinea pig, alpaca steak and cactus, quench your thirst with an Isaac Kola. Forget about beer folks this stuff hits the spot. For those that don´t know Katie´s surname is Isaac!

The big news to come out of South America is after 9 years of obstaining Katie is now a meat eater again.

Its true water spins one direction in the Southern Hemisphere and the other way in the Northern Hemisphere. Good old Corrilois was correct. I know this because our last day in Ecuador was spent at ´Mitad Del Mundo,´ the middle of the world or where the Equator passes through Ecuador. To celebrate my first time in the Northern Hemisphere a had a kiss with my beautiful girl friend, Katie in the Southern Hemisphere and myself in the Northern. What a lucky man! From the Equator to Peru, what a big day.

Tears roll down our checks as everytime our eyelids close grains of quartz stratch the outer membrain of our eyes. Calves are burning as we push to the summit of this giant sand dune. Alas we make it and what a view. In one direction sand dunes seem endless. In the other a mirage of a lagoon surrounded by palm trees, hotels and locals stalls. This true oasis in Peru is called Huacachina, a truely amazing place. However, the ascent to the summit wasnt all about the view, although that was bloody great, it was about SANDBOARDING. Candlewax on the base of the board makes for some fast down-dune action, and with a couple of turns and one massive wipeout we were at the bottom with sand in every orefice of the body. It doesnt get much better than this!

Next stop Nazca, famous for its mysterious lines etched into the dry, flat expanse of the Nazca desert, between a period from 900 BC to 600 AD. These lines can only be seen by air, perhaps made for the Gods of the Nazca. There is a monkey some 150metres in length, and a heron near 3oometres long, whilst the countless lines that mark the desert extend for kilometres. Unfortunately for the Nazca people they disappeared into the nearby Andes (due to lack of water- if only they had Isaac Kola) so no one knows exactly why they created these lines.

We took a 30 minute flight over them to really appreciate how amazing the feat of the Nazca people was. In the air the lines look endless, some of them meet on small hilltops, others take on triangular shapes and scattered amoungst them all are the distinct shapes of animals. Despite being a short flight, the 5 of us in the plane were feeling queesy, which was heightened by our loco-pilot putting the plane into some zero-gravity rollercoaster action at the end.

The Galapagos Islands

2006-07-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Bananas and chocolate, banana juice, fried bananas, banana and soup, roast banana, chili and banana, banana ice cream, banana and fish, dried bananas..................its like a scene from Forest Gump. These are my favourate fruit and they are everywhere. YUMMY!

Katie and myself have just returned from two weeks on the Galapagos Islands. But just before I get into that part of our trip let me tell you about a crazy train ride we took called ´Narvis del Diablo´ the Devils Nose recommended to us by Grasshopper. Basically we rode on the roof of the train a great way to see the scenery. The last part of the 6 hr train ride takes you down some crazily steep track. Holding our beers in one hand and the roof of the train in the other we derailed not once but 4 times. No one was hurt but we were held up for an hr while the workers repaired the track by hand and somehow managed to lift the train back on the track. The locals must think we are bloody stupid for all these tourists to be sitting on top of this dangerous train ride but they seem to have fun waving as we passed through there towns!

The Galapagos Islands will forever be a highlight of my life. This place is ridiculous, wildlife everywhere and the freaking thing is that none of it is scared of us. We took an 8 day boat cruise which visited two or three islands each day. Each island was unique in some way. Some of the highlights for me included the giant tortoises, 250 plus kilos walking slowly though the cactus forests. Probably aged 150 - 200 years old. Has witnessed his family members almost be wiped out to extinction by passing sailors and pirates whom would use his family for fresh meat. These guys can last a year with no food or water so would find themselves in the bottom of a sailing ships, stuck on there back for months on end until coming to there bloody death. Some of the more unco-ordinated (Hirsch and Clarky) tortoises full backwards while making love only to come to their death a year later unable to move from their awkward position. Doesn´t natural selection suck - damn you Charles Darwin, damn you!

We also got to witness albatrosses mating. These guys are amazing in the air but struggle on land. Woddle to find there life long partner. Clap their beaks together, look around then dual each other other with their beaks like two musketeers. Katie and myself sat a metre away from this. A truly breath taking experience. The frigate birds were cool with the males puffing up there red neck balloon to impress the chicks. We saw most of the land animals that makes this place so unique over the two weeks. You actually get quite lazy - if an animal is more than 3 metres away its not worth looking at. If we were not exploring the islands Katie and myself would go snorkeling from our boat regularly playing with sea lion pups and females and seeing turtles, sharks, rays and hundreds of species of fish.

I was surprised to find the terrestrial environment fairly harsh with catus dominating the plants. Did make for an interesting nudy shot though! No jokes about pricks boys, you´ll have to be more creative than that. The underwater environment was a different story. Wow, the two currents of the area make for some awesome underwater viewing which I saw while diving this place. On one of my dives I saw 3 species of Morays eels, 6 hammerhead sharks (a real highlight of my diving career), white tip reef sharks, two large Galapagos sharks (I swam up to them wondering why the dive master didn´t follow only to find out later that they feed on sea lions!), a manta ray, cow ray, a group of eagle rays and green turtle. Heaven to say the least.

Not ones to rest we continued to suck this country for all she is worth as after the Galapagos we did a two day tramp in Cajas national park. I´ve seen the Andes by foot and by bus but to actually camp out is a whole new Andean experience. The below freezing conditions were quickly forgotten by the stars in the clear sky and the location. A new habitat for us on this walk was the cloud forest which grows between 2800 - 3400 metres but only found near the equator for the ideal humid conditions. Navigation is tricky when the cloud comes in thick and after being a little missed place for an hour we were back on track.

Ecuador

2006-07-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

¨altitude sickness may develop in those who ascend rapidly to altitudes greater than 2500m. Bing physically fit offers no protection. The risks with faster ascents, higher altitudes and greater exertion. Symptoms may include headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, malaise, insomnia and loss of appetite. It can cause swelling of the brain or fluids in the lungs.¨ - Katie made me read this after our recent mountaineering trip but I´ll get back to that later!

South America, Ecuador we made it and are loving it. Quito the capital is great. Locals are helpful, food and beer is cheap and the city offers so much buts lets begin by getting out of the comfort of a big city which caters for tourists and into the heart of this amazing country - the true South American experience.

Our destination was Latacunga and the bus ride was as exciting as the destination. People selling ice creams, nuts, beans, and even buskers not to mention the Andean scenery. Needless to say the trip was very entertaining.

We arrived in Latacunga and made a few mistakes that could have turned pear shape but have now transformed into traveller gossip. Getting off at the wrong bus stop was the first. We were in a rough part of town no tourist here. However we found a Hotel for $2.50 a night each. A little run down but what can you expect for that price. Walking to find dinner we had stares from the local men, who seemed to dominate the population, one of whom was cleaning his pistol.

That night we found out why our room was so cheap. It was the Latacunga brothel. We had little sleep that night listening to men walking up the creaking stairs, the sounds of beds squeaking. ladies moaning, chairs banging, ladies choking and men climaxing. This was followed by peeing and showering, shooting up some drugs, laughing, yelling, etc this happened all bloody night. We were in a situation, no one knew where we were, we couldn´t ring anyone, the streets were not safe so walking was not an option and worst of all our Spanish was not good enough to talk to anyone. An intimidating night but a great travelling lesson.

Thus far on our trip we have spent a fair chunk of time in the Andes including the great indigenous markets and staying with an Indigenous family (by pure luck) at 4000m at a place called Quilotoa. Its a volcano that has been filled by water. Very beautiful and great trekking. Because our high altitude acclimatization had been going so well we decided to have a crack at some mountaineering and climb Cotopaxi. The worlds highest active volcano standing some 5900m above sea level. The ice axe climbing preparation went well as we passed all techniques no worries. We hiked from 4300m to 4800m were we spent the night in a climbers hut. Katie was struggling with the altitude a little but I felt pretty good considering our hight. We woke up at mid night and for me this is were it all went bad. I had not had any sleep, when I got out of my sleeping bag I vomited 4 times until nothing was left to come up and I had a spliting headche. Katie on the other had was feeling really good apart from a slight headache. However, being a stubbin bloke I wan´t to push on. With head torches on and a slight glow form the moon we ascended 300m in an hour to 5000m before donning the crampons and ice axe. During that whole time my condition grew worse with dizziness and more dry reaching and vomiting. The first ice climb on to the glacier was a demanding and required a lot of energy something I didn´t have a lot of.

However, being on the mountain at this time of night was amazing. Very still, cold and inspiring. We continued to ascend for another hour or so to 5200m by this time I had zero enrgy and altitude sickness had got the better of me. We had no choice but to desend. I stumbled a few times on the way down as I was totally out of it. A dangerour thing as we were surrounded by several small crevases. My only comfort was I was roped to Katie and the guide. I feel for Katie as she was feeling good and quite possibly could have made it to the summit so I´m greatly sorry for that babe.

I really enjoyed the mountaineering exprience and the mountains have not seen the last of me! Before this trip I knew little of altitude sickness but now know from first hand experience what soroche is all about.

2006-05-17T05:43:00.000-07:00