South America and America

Sailing the San Blas islands.

2009-05-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Dolphins chasing the boat.

Above pic: Our first island.

Above pic: Another view.

Above pic: Starfish.

Above pic: The local Kuna tribes canoe.

Above pic: All this for 11 us dollars.

Above pic: Jo taking things easy.

Above pic: Not the best sunset but not bad.

Sailling from Colombia to Panama via San Blas, a.k.a Paradise.

2009-05-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

The boat we agreed to board was the Windseeker with an Aussie captain named Mike and his first mate a half Scottish, half Italian with a curly moustache (you had to see it). We left Cartagena on the 2nd May with the two crew, myself, Jo, an Isreali, Boris, his girlfriend Julia, a German girl, Maggy, and a Swiss lad, Danny. The trip was 6 nights and 7 days long, sailing through the San Blas Archipelago for $360 us.

The first 3 days was continuous sailing and not much scenery apart from the other 5 pasengers getting sea sick and leaning over the side of the boat. I tell a lie on our first day at one point we were accompanied by a pod of dolphins. On our thrid night we arrived at the first island and had a celebratory drink involving lots of cheap rum.

The next 3 days we were literally in paradise. We sailed and stayed the night off 3 different islands, all uninhabited, with white sand, palm trees and crytal clear waters. We had snorkelling gear to explore the coral, saw more dolphins, sting rays and many tropical fish. Our captain Mike was great appearing to do the trips for the love of sailing more than financial gain. The boat was also perfectly comfortable, it wasnt the largest but me and Jo had our own room and double bed.

There was a problem between Mike and the first mate Maurizio on the last night, which resulted in Maurizio getting kicked off the boat, for continuously getting caught stoned or pissed when he should have been working. Whilst he was banished to a near by island we were spending our last night drinking rum and eating lobster which we had bought of the local Kuna tribe at $11 us for 8 lobsters and an octopus. The next morning some local Kunas took us by canoe to the main land where we caught a jeep which drove through the jungle to Panama city.

2009-05-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Walking up the mud volcano.

Above pic: It was a bit of a sqeeze.

Above pic: Not easy to get off.

Above pic: Streets of the old town.

Above pic: Sunset over the fortified walls.

Cartagena, Colombia.

2009-05-11T15:45:00.001-07:00

The reason for putting ourselves through such a grueling journey in such a short space of time had been to reach Cartegena on the caribean coast of Colombia. We had a flight booked for the 14th May from Quito to San Jose (Costa Rica) and decided we would tavel from Solento Valley all the way the Cartegena via Cali and then break up the journey at various stops on the way back down.

The city of Cartegena was the main highlight of Colombia. The buildings were colourful, the sun was shining, and there were fruit stalls everywhere. The main tourist attraction is the old town, which is surounded by fortified walls which were built after an attack in 1586 by Sir Francis Drake and for future protection from Pirate raids.

We had reached Cartegena on the 24th April a day before Jo´s birthday and for her birthday went for a dip in the mud Volcano. This was probably one of those things you would do once, but never again. It was definately an experience but a very weird one. We got some good pictures, and there is a video somewhere on the blog.

Half way through Colombia we had realised just how little fun getting a bus back down to Quito (Equador) for our flight to San Jose (Costa Rica) on the 14th May would be. After the very accurate way of looking at the map and seeing Costa Rica only a thumb print or two away from Cartagena, we had decided to cancel our flight and try sailing to Panama and travelling through to Costa Rica.

We found out that there are no such ferry services doing this route but yacht owners take backpackers for a fee. After searching the web and hearing many horror stories mainly involving over crowding on the boats and pissed/stoned captains we found a few recomendations.

Solento Valley in the Coffee growing region of Colombia.

2009-05-11T15:32:00.001-07:00

Above pic: The jeep that took us through the valley to the start of our treck.

Above pic: The group from our hostel, including Rachel to Joannas left from Burnley and Tom and Karen to my right from Leeds.

Above pic: Our view from the above picture.

Above pic: The walk was littered with hundreds of these trees, possibly rubber trees.

Above pic: How many people can you fit in to a jeep, well if you put 2 on the roof, 3 hanging on the back and the rest inside, 11. Sitting on the top was the only way to travel.

Solento Valley in the Coffee growing region of Colombia.

2009-05-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

After a much needed day whith out sitting on a bus we got on another bus to visit Solento Valley, 40mins drive from Armenia. Solento had been reccomended by someone we met in Argentina and is in the coffee growing region of Colombia. Here we stayed in an old coffee plantation that had been converted in to a hostel by an English bloke. Although we didn´t get to do a coffee plantation tour here, we did do a nice treck with a group from our hostel.

Lima to Colombia via Equador.

2009-05-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

Above pic: The pet turtles from our hostel in Lima.

Above pic: Worst border crossing ever, Peru to Equador at La Balsa. I forgot to mention the bridge had been washed away meaning no vehicles can drive over and we had to cross the river by walking across a broken down tree.

Above pic: 10mins into Equador and there had been a landslide, luckily a JCB was already removing the dirt.

Above pic: We spent Equador on a bus, and so this is Popayan in Colombia.

Above pic: Another picture of Popayan.

Lima to Colombia via Equador.

2009-05-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Our next destination was Lima where Beadle´s trip ended and he flew back to London. We weren´t expecting much from Lima and so only stayed one night before a massive bus journey from Lima through Ecuador and on to Colombia. The whole journey was very grueling but as we had not planned to go to Colombia originally, we hadn´t enough notice to buy a cheap flight ticket.

We spent the next week on a bus staying in random little towns and crossing the most remote and needlesly complicated border crossing going from Peru in to Ecuador. From Lima we had to travel to Chiclayo, Jaen, San Ignacio, get a 3 hour taxi to some little town I forget the name of (which I can´t find on google map either it´s that remote) to get another 3 hour taxi to the border town of La Balsa in Colombia. I can´t find La Balsa on google map either or a recognised road although these were dirt roads through the mountains which may explain it. From here we then had to get a truck to Zumba which was delayed due to a land slide that put 10ft of dirt in our way. Then when we did arrive in Zumba we had to wait for 8 hours to get a bus to Vilcabamba. Vilcabamba also does not appear to be on google map but Loja is which was 1 hour north of Vilcabamba. From here it was on to Cuenca, Riobamba, Quito, the border town of Tulcan over to Ipiales in Colombia and on to Popayan where we did finally spend a day looking around the very scenic city.

2009-05-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Above pic: 3 days camping and walking in the rain for this.

Above pic: Beggining to clear up.

Above pic: Getting better.

Above pic: Llama, Alpacca, I forget the difference

Above pic: The full classic view over Machu Picchu.

Above pic: Group photo.

Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail.

2009-05-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

The treck we chose to do was the classic inca trail and the most expensive trail at 450 us dollars. There were alternative routes which were cheaper and there was also an option of getting the train up but this was still expensive with park fees. It was expensive butwe had picked one of the better companies offering the treck, who treat their staff well and the food was excellent. Like many tours it was another 4 days and 3 nights to Machu Picchu camping en route.

The first day as advised was very easy with around 5 hours walking, one Inca site, and over a hour listening to our very good but a little over talkative guide. The porters or Chatskis we already had huge respect for as they were running past us with masive loads on their backs to set up camp before we arrived for every meal and camp site.

The second day we had been warned was the hard day ascending from something like 2400 meters to 4200 meters in 5 hours continualy up hill. This was the day we realised how many people were on the Inca Trail as 500 people were all walking the same path, some faster than others. At the top of the ascent we also had the first real rain that then didn`t really stop for the remaining 2 and a half days.

The 3rd day was mostly downhill (not easy in the rain) and we started to come accros larger and more impressive Inca sites. By this point it really was raining which meant the tent at lunch was much appreciated, and we picked the pace up a little to get to the next camp quicker.

We spent our last night at a camp only 1 hours walk away from Machu Picchu. To beat the other groups we were away from camp at 5am and walked fast to be the first group there. When we arrived at Machu Picchu the weather was how it had been for the previous couple of days, which was rain and very poor visibility due to the rain clouds. The first point of entry was called the Sun Gate where on a clear day you get a great view of the whole site. We on the other hand could see only a matter of metres in front and so walked on down to the main site and took some bad photo´s and begun to question whether it had been worth it. As the guided tour began at around 8am our luck changed and we saw the first bit of blue sky since we started the treck. From then on it just got better and better until the whole sky was blue and we could see the whole site from every view point and the trip was suddenly well worth it.

Arequipa and Cuzco.

2009-05-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Arequipa central plaza.

Above pic: Volcano Misty the backdrop to our river rafting.

Above pic: It wasnt possible to get pictures whilst rafting so this is it.

Above pic: Cuzco central square.

Above pic: The hill overlooking Cuzco.

Arequipa to Cuzco, Peru.

2009-05-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Now firmly in Peru we had about a week before our Inca Treck on the 8th April so caught yet another bus to Arequipa, Peru`s second largest city, partly to kill time. It turned out that the city was full of spanish colonial arcitechture, white walls and a very nice central square. After a day of walking the streets we arranged to go rafting the day after at 15 pounds for 3 hours, bargain. The scenery for the rafting had volcano Misti in the background as we were taken down grade 2, 3 and 4 rapids.

We got to Cusco 5 days early which was not a problem as the city is very scenic and was nice to walk around. It was extremely touristy but like many South American cities had a great central square with cathedrals and other impresive buildings surounding. We spent the 5 days before the treck taking things easy, only thing of note was meeting up with Liñe a Danish girl we had previously met in Santa Cruz and Sucre for a few drinks. That and watching the football in Nicks Sports Bar which had Samuel Smith beers amazingly.

Lake Titticaca, Bolivia and Peru.

2009-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Cathedral in Copocabana, Bolivia.

Above pic: Sunset over Lake Titticaca, Bolivia.

Above pic: One of the floating islands off Puno, Peru.

Above pic: An example of some handcrafts for sale on the floating islands.

Lake Titticaca

2009-05-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

Travelling only 3 hours from La Paz we reached Lake Titticaca which we would travel around into Peru. We stayed in Copacabana (not quite as nice as Rio`s) and took a boat to the Isla Del Sol (island of the sun) for a walk around the island, a visit to some inca ruins and to eat Trout which the lake is full of. The other island that we decided was worth a visit was on Peru´s side of the lake just off Puno. The islands are known as the Floating Islands as they literally are being man made from straw and cubes of dirt tied together. Luckily the tour was only short as the novelty did wear off quite soon.

2009-05-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Bolivian wrestling.

Above pic: Me, Joanna and Beadle all geared up.

Above pic: Racing down.

Above pic: The reason its not a good idea to drive too close to the edge.

La Paz (Bolivia)

2009-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

After breaking down in the middle of nowhere twice, we arrived in La Paz late and very tired. Leaving us just enough time to find a hotel and to go and see the Bolivian wrestling. This was one of the weirdest experiences of the trip and involved men, traditionally dressed Bolivian women, dwarfs and someone dressed as Rafael Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle wrestling in a ring. The costumes looked as if they were made at home that afternoon and the crowd got involved by throwing whatever they could find into the ring at whoever was closest. Strangely entertaining.

Another tour that had been recommended to us whilst we were in La Paz was the prison tour. La Paz prison is run from the inside with the prisoners establishing their own community and hierarchy. With the guards outside turning a blind eye the inmates are able to run guided tours to the tourists waiting outside the prison gates. This however was soon scrapped when I turned on the news to see guards on top of the prison walls (they don`t have guards inside the prison) firing shot guns and gas into the prison.

An arguably safer alternative was mountain biking down the worlds most dangerous road, which was given the name in 1995 by the Inter-American Development Bank christened due to the high number of motorists who have persihed over the cliff edge over the years. This turned out to be one of the best days of the trip, going as fast or as slow as you like down a bending gravel road from a high altitude (again snowing at the top). A bonus was that we managed to get our tour for half the price of many of the others. The equipment was arguably not as good (one of my gears didn´t work) but it was all down hill so all you need is good brakes.

2009-05-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Above pic: The start of the trip.

Above pic: Our first flat.

Above pic: Volcano and blue lagoon.

Above pic: Flamingoes

Above pic: Funny shaped rock.

Above pic: Another funny shaped rock.

Above pic: The classic picture, which looks mucho, mucho better with the sun shining.

Above pic: Inside the salt hotel.

Above pic: A view over the salt flat.

Salar De Uyuni. (Tupiza - Uyuni)

2009-05-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

From Potosi it was on the Tupiza for the Salt Flat Tour of Salar De Uyuni. This was a 4 day 3 night tour with 5 of us me, Joanna, Jeremy and Alex and Mary (the Ausie couple we were travelling with through Boliviar), the cook and the driver in a Toyota Land Cruiser. The first day we spent driving through a mountain range getting to a high altitude of just under 4000 metres. For the altitude I presume the cook gave us some Coca leaves, which I had first tried in Potosi but not as many. This time we were given dried potatoe to acompany the leaves which contained an alkaline, which helped break down the leaves and meant they had greater affect waking us up a bit. The cook also did a great job with the food apart from the fact we think the sauce was made with jeruselum artichokes. For anyone that does`t know the body finds it hard to break them down which isn`t good with 7 people stuck in a Land Cruiser for the day. The day ended with our first flat tire (the road was gravel for the whole trip sometimes not even a road) minutes after it had started snowing at our high altitude. Luckily the driver was amzingly quick changing the spare and we didn´t have to stand in our shorts and flip flops too long.

Our accomadation for the night wasn´t much warmer however as we were in the middle of nowhere and there are only small farming communities which consisted of a few mud huts. The food again was great but something didn`t agree with me and I spent much of the night running to another mud hut to be sick.

The next day I was still not good but had no choice but to be woken at 4.30am to get into a car for 12 hours. What scenery I saw was very nice, but it wasn´t until the hot pools that I really felt any better, and even then I was trying to sleep as much I could. Luckily the next place we stayed for the night which was a ready made hostel for people doing the tour although there were probably another 100 backpackers which made the toilets a no go area.

Our 3rd day I felt much better and was able to enjoy the pancakes made for our breakfast. Again it was a very early start at around 5am but the landscape was far more veried than previous days going from lagoons and flamingoes to desert and rock formations. This last night was spent right next to the salt flat ready for our final morning and the highlight of the tour.

Morning arrived and we set off before sunrise hoping to get onto the flats before too many other cars arrived. This we managed to do but we were unlucky with the weather as it was over cast and we didn`t get much of a sun rise. The salt flats themselves are enormous apparently 10 billion tonnes of salt makes it the largest Salt flat in the world. We had to do what every tourist does and take pictures of our selves appearing on different strategically placed objects so it appears we are stood on them, as there is no perspective when all you can see for miles is white salt. Again due to the weather ours could have been better with a blue sky rather than grey but what can you do.

After crossing the Salt Flat and arriving in Uyuni it was and afternoon in a bar until our overnight bus to La Paz.

On the boat

2009-05-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sailing to Panma from Colombia 5 of May.

This is what we woke up saw with our breakfast. Life is pretty good sometimes.

Potosi

2009-05-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Mount Potosi.

Above pic: Buying Coca leaves at the miners market.

Above pic: Me holding two sticks of dynamite.

Above pic: Me, Jo and Beadle before entering the mine.

Above pic: Jo and a couple of miners chewing massive amounts of Coca leaves (notice the cheeks).

Potosi

2009-05-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our next destination was Potosi which was absolutely freezing, not too suprising considering its the highest city in the world at 4090 meters above sea level. The reason for our visit was to go down the mines of the huge mountain overlooking the city. The mountain was once laced with silver which the Spanish Empire was funded on for a number of years, these days its a co-operative mine with no government assistance and little silver. This has left it open to tourism and guided tours which we of course did. The morning started with a trip to the Miners market to buy the miners dynamite, coca leaves and 90% alcohol (they mix it with water and it did not taste good), before heading down a working mine for a few hours. The whole experience was hard work but an eye opener, because the miners work for themselves health and safety was very low on the agender, and the tunnels were tiny as the longer they spend largening them the less time they have mining for silver. Also due to the toxic fumes each miner could only expect to live for around 30 years after entering the mines.

Joannas birthday in Colombia

2009-05-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

2009-03-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Me and a Toucan, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Above pic: Me about to cross the wooden bridge to Gingers Paradise.

Above pic: Joanna and the locals hitching in the cargo truck to Samaipata.

Above pic: The Bolivian countryside on our treck to the Condors.

Above pic: A Skyline view of Sucre from our hotel.

Potosi: Dancing on the streets

2009-03-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Rio: Maracana stadium

2009-03-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Cowboys in Brazil

2009-03-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

We were waiting for our bus when (real) cowboys came past and after them hundreds of cows and some donkeys.

The Pantanal - Santa Cruz, Sucre, and Potosi (Bolivia).

2009-03-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

From the Pantanal we got a bus to Corumba which is a border town with Bolivia. From here we crossed the border, without getting an entry stamp (customs decided not to return to work after lunch) to catch the ´Death Train´ to Santa Cruz. The ´Death Train´ was by far the worst made track I have been on with the carriages jumping up and down constantly all night (it was a 14 hour night train). Apparently it got its name because of the passengers who used to sit on the roof of the carriage, and unsurprisingly bounced off as the carriages jumped.

Santa Cruz was not what we expected Bolivia to be like. I was expecting the towns to consist of mud huts and holes in the ground for toilets, rather than the hotel like hostels and upmarket bars and restuarants. This has been the same throughout Bolivia but to give you an idea we are paying 10 pounds for a very clean double room with en suite, 1 pound for a large beer and 2-3 pounds for a main in a nice restaurant. Our first hostel in Santa Cruz also had a pet Toucan, which I shall post pictures of.

After a couple of days of not doing very much apart from explaining why we have no entry stamp and making sure we got one, we moved on to Samaipata. Rather than catching a local bus on the potholed and un fenced cliff roads we got a minibus at 13 pounds for a 2 and a half hour journey. We were also travelling with an Australian couple, Alex and Mary, since Santa Clara so this was split 5 ways, cheap, cheap.

The plan for the first night was to stay at a place called, ´Gingers Paradise´ I of course did the right thing and had a picture taken under the sign. Not that we stayed here after we realised that it was a weird little hippy retreat, where the residents were expected to help out with farm work. Instead we did the brave thing and had lunch there, swam in the river and did a runner. Problem was it was in the middle of no where and only one bus passed a day. There were however plenty of cargo trucks which all the locals hitch in, so we gave it a go. 30mins passed before the ingenious idea of the lads hiding around the corner whilst the girls held the sign looking helpless. Sure enough 10mins later a truck stopped and we all jumped in the back with the rotten veg and staring locals. This was probably the best journey I have done, it was only 2 hours to Samaipata but stood up in the back of an open top wagon around cliff roads is the way forward, good fun.

Our time in Samaipata was not as eventful, but our accomadation was the best of the trip. We did do a treck to see some Condors and went to an old fort dating back from 1500 bc, but otherwise took things easy. Next was the most unconfortable overnight bus ever to Sucre, not because of leg room or seats, just that Bolivian roads are crap. Any how Sucre was a beautiful city but not so much to do apart from museums, we did the textile museum, which displayed traditional Bolivian weaving, but that was more out of boredom than anything else. Our next destination was Potosi, and again we managed to get a taxi for 15 pounds split 5 ways. 1 in the front, 3 on the back seat, bags on the roof, and Jo kindly in the boot (it was a 5 hour journey 4 on the back seat would be uncomfortble).

Fishing

2009-03-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Santa Clara, the Pantanal (wetlands), Brazil.

2009-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

After Rio we wen on a detox to the Pantanal area of Brazil. The Panatanal translates in to the Wetlands and is a protected area home to Anacondas, Toucans, Caimens, Piranha´s and Puma´s to name a few. Many of the farms in the area have caught onto the idea of eco tourism and typically offer a 4 night stay including all food and activities for the duration. We chose one that was recommended to us by Mat and Gabby who we travelled with in Argentina, called Santa Clara, roughly 3 hours from Campo Grande. Five activities were included, Piranha fishing, night time safari, horse riding, bush walk and a boat ride. What wildlife you saw was look of the draw, we did see many monkeys on the night safari and bush walk, but not much else, where as another group saw monkeys and an anaconda. The Piranha fishing couldn´t have been much easier, pretty much as soon as you put the rod in you would get a bite. They were quite could at getting the bait (beef) off the hook however without getting caught, and as soon as you did catch something the caimens would be after it. The other activity which I have posted photo´s of was from the boat ride. For this 6 of us and a guide went out on a small motor boat and saw some baby caimens, many adult caimens, and the largest rodent in the world (forget the name now), and also fed a caimen using a piranha as bait on the end of the line.

Santa Clara, the Pantanal (wetlands), Brazil.

2009-03-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Above image: Close up of a Piranha, whilst fishing at Santa Clara, Pantanal, Brazil.

Above image: The mornings catch whilst Piranha fishing.

Above image: The view from our boat on our way down the river Paraguay in search of Caimens.

Above image: Using a Piranha as bait our guide fed a caimen using a fishing line from the safety of our very small boat.

Above image: Getting as close as possible to a caimen catching some rays.

Rio

2009-03-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Carnival in Rio was how you would expect, lots of street party´s and drinking. The main parade takes place at an area called the Samba Dome, which is a sealed off stretch of road with stands either side for spectators. We got a ticket through our hostel for the Sunday (the parade is on each night for roughly a week) and headed down as a group, dressed up a little, and watched the parade from 9pm until 5am. This was the carnival as you see it on T.V or in the papers with the massive floats and costumes and it was impressive, even from our seats in sector 6, which were the cheap seats. On the plus side we were in with the locals, rather than the tourists (gringo´s) who mostly sat in the expensive seats. The advantage of being with the locals was they were far more up for it than some of the gringo´s.

As well as the main parade throughout Carnival there are the Blocco party´s, which are bassically street party´s being held 3 times a day in different areas of Rio, 9am, 2pm and 8pm. I have no idea how many people turn out but the whole area is a sea of people following a little parade of drums, music, dancers etc getting drunk, singing and dancing. Many of the locals (to make some money) buy beers from the supermarkets for 30p each put them in a cool box and sell them on the street for 60p, so you never had to move a muscle to buy a beer, they just brought them to you.

Apart from the party´s we did do a few touristy things. We watched Flamengo at the Maracana football stadium, sunbathed on Copacabana beach, visited the statue of Christ, and did a tour of the Favelas (slums on the hillsides of Rio).

On the safety side of things we hardly had any problems. People had warned us we would be robbed and probably at gun point, but we were fine. I did catch a lad trying to pick pocket me during one of the blocco party´s but as soon as I caught him he ran a mile.

The whole was amazing and couldn´t have gone better, but it was a very hectic week before heading to Campo Grande and the Pantanal area.

From Iguazu to Rio.

2009-02-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

After Salta we went on to Iguazu Falls which were as huge as we thought. We spent a couple of days viewing the falls from both the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side. The Argentinian side is by far the better, as well as getting closer, and having better walk ways we were also able to get a boat, which took us under one of the smaller falls. There should be some video posted to give you an idea.

After Iguazu it was straight to Buenos Aires for 5 days. Unfortunately ´Boca Juniors´ weren´t playing so we had to make do with a stadim tour instead, tickets for previous games on sale at the hostel were over 100 pounds so would have been an expensive do. Speaking of the hostel we had our first problem with bedbugs or at least Joanna and Beadle did. We counted over 50 bites on Joanna and Beadle wasn´t far off, I managed to get away with none, but had to apply the bite cream 4 times a day which wasn´t fun either. The last night we went for one last steak at a place recommended as the best steak house in Argentina, and it was. Expensive by Argentinian standards at 20 pounds each, but that included free champagne whilst you wait for a table (1hr 20mins) a bottle of red and a huge tray of side orders such as quail eggs in ramikins.

The next mornig we caught the ferry to Montevideo (Uruguay) with the intention of travelling up the coast of Uruguay and Brazil to Rio for the carnival. The idea was to take it easy on the beaches before the mayhem of Rio, and that´s what we did. In Uruguay we stayed in La Padrerra, and Punta Del Diablo, doing nothing but relaxing on the beach. In Cabo Polonio in between Padrerra and Diablo we did get metres away from a seal colony but apart from that we just took it easy each day and each night. Brazil was slightly more eventful in that we rented a surf board on Ihla Do Mel (the honey island), but apart from learning to surf it was much the same as Uruguay. The final stop before Rio was Ihla do Grande, but here we couldn´t even relax on the beach as we had our first taste of bad whether, with tropical storms for 3 days before deciding to leave early for Rio.

Rio De Janiero

2009-02-26T11:14:00.001-08:00

Above pic: Joanna on the famous steps in Santa Teresa (5 mins from our hostel). You may recognise the steps from either the Snoop Dogg / Pharrel Williams music video for ´Beautiful´ or U2´s, ´Walk On´ music video. Whatever takes your fancy.

Above Pic: The staue of Christ the Redeemer.

Above Pic: From left to right, Anna, Joanna, Beadle, Amanda, Me, and er Christ.

Above Pic: The view from the Staue of Christ the Redeemer. The small island edging out into the water is Sugarloaf Mountain.

Above Pic: An 2009 Carnival advert for my beer of choice Boa, Antartica.

Above pic: One of the floats from our seats in sector 6.

Above Pic: A float which walls collapsed to reveal people dancing.

Above Pic: Me and Joanna + stupid hat bought off one of the local kids for a pound. Most likely stolen 10 mins before from someone in the parade.

First day of surfing in Ilha do mel Brazil

2009-02-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

That is how you stand up =)

Beadle showing off.

Me catching a wave

Dave ready to stand up

We are both ready to go out and learn how to surf

Me on the wave:

Iguazu Falls

2009-01-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

Mendoza Wine Yard Tour.

2009-01-06T08:02:00.001-08:00

Above pic: Our tour guide at the Tommasso wine yard getting our tasters ready.

Above pic: Having a FREE taster at the wine museum.

Above pic: Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Penguins in Puerto Madryn

2009-01-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

Swinmming and playing around at the beach.

De alskar att simma ut i havet och sen in igen. Ur sota var de =)

Parque National Los Glaciares.

2009-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Above pic: A view point of the Moreno Glacier.

Above pic: The two of us.

Above pic: Not good with my birds of prey but someone may know?

Above pic: Almost identical pic to the front cover of our ´Lonely Planet´guide book.

Above pic: Left to right, Beadle, Joanna, Me and Gabby half of the couple we met form Norwich.

First Film

2009-01-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Southern Argentina up to Mendoza.

2009-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Had a change of plan and joined a couple we met in Puerto Madryn and travelled way down south to El Calafate and El Chalten. El Calafate is 80km from ´Parque National Los Glaciares´where we hired a car to go view the Moreno Glacier. Apparently its one of the only glaciers still expanding and we were lucky enough to see and hear parts fall off.

From El Calafate we travelled on to El Chalten which was founded just over 20 years ago so was very basic, but had a good micro brewery. From here there are numerous hikes to other glaciers and also the chance to view Fitz Roy Peak, which we did.

Another reason for travelling to El Chalten was the route back up north to Mendoza, Ruta 40. The journey was made famous by ´Che Guevara´ in the book ´The Motor Cycle Diaries´ but to be honest was nothing but flat desert land and the odd bird that the ´Road Runner´was based on.

We arrived to Mendoza on Christmas day staying at a hostel with a pool and huge BBQ. Spent the week up to New Year lounging around the pool having BBQ´s taking it easy. The only day we did anything of note was to do the vineyard tours which was the reason for travelling to Mendoza. This involved being given a bike and a map of all the vineyards in the area (aprox 14 in all) and visiting as many as you can before having to return the bikes.

After recovering from that we organised a big party for New Year, all putting some money in to have a big BBQ and plenty to drink.

Currently we are in Salta, another 19 hours further north close to the Chilean border. On Tuesday we are catching a bus to Iguazu Falls and then on to Beunos Aires, but I will try to be quicker to update the blog next time.

Pictures from Puerto Madryn

2009-01-04T12:09:00.001-08:00

Above pic: Overlooking a beach full of Penguins near Puerto Madryn, look closely and you can see them.

Above pic: A close up.

Above pic: The three of us overlooking the beach.

Above pic: A better idea of how many there were.

Above pic: The dolphins that looked like baby killer whales.

Pictures from Barriloche.

2009-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Above pic: Me holding a bottle of Quilmes beer down at the lake in Barriloche, 90p a litre, not bad.

Above pic: Barriloche main square.

Above pic: Half way through a bike ride before taking a dip in the lake.

Above pic: One of the view points on the same bike ride.

Above pic: Joanna at the same view point.

2008-12-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

In Argentina now in a place called Puerto Madryn. Left Pucon in Chile around a week ago and crossed the border into Argentina staying in a town called Bariloche which was amazing. It´s located in Patagonia and is a ski resort in the winter but just as good in the summer because of all the lakes. The hostel we stayed in was on the 10th floor of some appartment blocks and had a huge balcony overlooking the lake, which we just sat out on in the evenings having a few drinks. In the day there were loads of hikes to do and we also rented out mountain bikes which we used to go and find a perfect beach with rocks to jump off into the water.

We left Bariloche to travel to Puerto Madryn in the hope of going whale watching but decided against it in the end because we are at the end of the season and it wasn´t guarenteed we would see any. Instead we did a tour yesterday to see Penguin City where they have settled to nest, there were so many I soon got bored of them. After that we went out on a boat to see some weird looking dolphins which looked more like baby killer whales (I forget the name now). Then after that it was onto the Welsh village for the Welsh tea servive which didn´t really appeal. Apparently the town was founded by Welsh imigrants in the 1800´s but not what I came to South America for.

Not sure where we are heading next somewhere up the coast I think before spending Christmas in Mendoza. Already met a few people who will also be there and even in the same hostel which has a pool, so it should be a good Christmas.

Pucon- Chiles Lake District

2008-12-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

Bild ovan: Vackert
Pic Above: On the way back down the volcano.

Bild ovan: Jaaaag
Pic Above: Joanna at the top of the volcano after a 5 hour treck up. Great view.

Bild ovan: Vad kan man saga¿
Pic Above: I got the oldest slowest horse which also had red hair. Think they were taking the mick.

Bild ovan: The team!
Pic Above: A pit stop at a water fall before reluctantly getting back on the horse.

Bild ovan: Dave pa toppen
Pic Above: Volcano conquered.

Bild ovan: Hoppla
Pic Above: Very cold lake.

Bild ovan:Yhee ner for vulkanen
Pic Above: Sliding down the volcano, 5 hours up 30mins down.

Bld ovan: Inne i en vulkan
Pic Above: Top of the volcano, nice smell.

Bild ovan: Jag och David redo att bestiga
Pic Above: Looking tired after getting up at 4am with 3 hours sleep before a massive treck.

Bild ovan: Varm vatten kalla
Pic Above: Hot pools very nice if a little too hot.

2008-12-02T15:19:00.001-08:00

Me and David in Pucan,

bilder

2008-11-27T14:25:00.001-08:00

Santiago:Utanfor presidenens hus
Above pic: Presidential Palace Santiago.

Bilden ovan: En Pool uppe pa berget.
Above Pic: The pool at the top of the hill in Santiago.

Vid toppen
Below Pic: On the way up the hill in Santiago.

Pa toppen av ett berg som vi besteg
Below Pic: Top of the same hill, a little smoggy.

Jag och beadle firar tidig jul
Below Pic: Joanna and Beadle in front of the most out of place christmas tree I have ever seen.

First Few Days

2008-11-27T14:02:00.000-08:00

Flight went better than expected no delays and actually got some sleep. Stayed in Santiago for a couple of days walking around the city the first day and then walked up a hill with the virgin Mary and a realy nice swimming pool at the top. The weather has been perfect, clear blue skies and around 25 degrees, have got a little colour in me already but maybe a bit too much on the shoulders.

This morning we got on a coach for a couple ofr hours to a city on the coast called Valparaiso (near Casablanca). Its basically a port city with a few beaches just a short drive away so the plan for tommorow is to have a beach day and try not to burn.

All in all having a great time, Chile is supposed to be the most expensive country we will visit in South America but we are only paying around 5 pounds for dinner with a beer. In the super markets its even better paying 1 pound for a litre of beer and 2 pounds for a decent litre of wine so all good.

After a couple of days here we will be heading down south to Chile´s lake district so I will get some pictures on the page soon and will do another update once in the lakes.

Hope all is well.

6 timmar kvar

2008-11-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hejhej alla där hemma!
Vill bara säga att det är inte lång tid nu. Ni kan hitta oss här (jag och david) men även på resedagboken.se.
Jag hoppas att ni kommer tycka att det är trevligt att följa med oss på vår resa!
Ses snart
kram
joanna

Ps:this is a very rough travel plan =)
Ps: detta är en väldigt gorv reseplan =)