Sorry I haven't called in a while, but I have been busy. Why? None of your business!
Well, Ecuador was a rush! Not in the adrenaline sense of the word (well at times it was, actually) but in the sense we only had 2 weeks in total! We were on the move the whole time pretty much!
The first week we went to Ban(y)os and I hurled myself off a bridge, for no particular reason! I was feeling a bit wussy that day so I agreed when they insisted Ｉattached rope to myself at one end, and the bridge at the other. We then booked our trip to the chungle and went!
It was amazing - we saw loads of animals, including the common house emerald Boa Constrictor which decided to reside a lado to my bed! The bastard! I was understandably concerned at first but then we came to an agreement - he eat the insects that were trying to bite me and I allow him to stay on a temporary basis. He was silent on the matter but I took this as a sign of his acquiescence. In addition we saw tarantulas (an excellent word for the letter 'T' in I-Spy), poisonous snakes, pink river dolphins etc.
I then took a week Spanish course in Quito. I had some contacts to call upon for assistance and they very kindly gave me and the missus a free en-suite room for the week - sweet - and a discount on the tuition. How did it go? - I hear you asking - excellently! Without doubt my ability doubled in the 5 days I studied and I managed to practice a lot too. It was excellent spending time with Diego, Patty and Sandra and the rest of the crew. Made some good friends in the student residence too - more to heap onto the pile!
Now we're in Columbia and it is blaady hot! The humidity is like a fat, hot, sweaty man hugging you all day and never letting go! Just as I would with a hot, fat, sweaty man hugging me all day, I got used to it after a while. I actually started to like it...
To cool off we went to a waterfall today. On the walk back a very friendly Columbian family offered us a cold beer. Well, it would have been rude to say no! As they drove past us on the way down, they insisted we jump in to get a lift back. Very kind! A party inside the car then ensued, including necking shots of whiskey, dancing to the same song about 15 times and sh*tting myself wondering why the old geezer in the back had a pistol in his belt! 'For protection' he claimed. So I turned back to the whiskey!
On Wednesday we're doing the Lost City trek, though I'm not sure we'll find it....
There is an excellent cat here!
Ciao for now brown cows
Spread the love
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Santa Cruz Trek - The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen!
The title says it all.
We just finished a 4 day trek in Santa Cruz Valley, Peru, having started from the city of Huaraz which sits approximtaley 3,100 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.
Without hesitation, I can say it was the best thing I have ever done and the scenery was the most spectacular I think I'll ever see. Having already done tours in Colca Canyon and Grand Canyon it is some feat, but I am adamant in my exclamation! Check out my images and videos on Facebook and you'll see what I mean.
The altitude was the first obstacle to overcome - on the first day alone we reached heights of over 4,800 metres above sea level. Just walking and breathing were a challenge whilst my body was still aclimatising. Our walk started with an ascent for approximately 1 hour and it felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest! The lack of oxygen in the air means your heart has to work much harder to pump the blood around to afford your organs the oxygen they need to function. Luckily I had a piano with me so there was no promblem there.
We arrived at our camp approx. 5 hours later and our tents had already been set up by the young chap who was guiding the donkeys that carried our equipment. Within half an hour lunch was being served and I was amazed at how resourceful the guides were with limited cooking facilities and ingredients - the food was always fresh, filling and nutritious.
Day two was the hardest slog in the world, ever - official! We ascended 1,100 metres up to 4,700 metres above sea level via a rocky path, avoiding bad tempered bulls (well, slightly agrieved) and the occasional donkey. I took my pulse at one point and it was over 140 bpm! I have come to realise I love hard challenges - there is a very fine line between be exhausted and ecstatic I believe. When we finally reached the pass through the mountains the views were breathtaking.
By days three and four my chicken legs had grown meagre amounts of muscle and my poor heart has started to aclimatise so the walking became easier - I am a machine!! The scenery continued to delight and we had so much fun. At one point were were transcending a valley that was criss-crossed by small rivers, and I took it upon myself to cross them long-jump style. I duly obliged to entertain the group and fall arse-over tit into mud (and possibly horse shit).
Our group was fantastic - a German, an Italian, an American, 2 French (yes, they ate garlic) and two Peruvians. And yes, of course, I was the most handsome!!
We head to Ecuador tonight and then after 2 weeks to Colombia - WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE??!
Ciao for now.
We just finished a 4 day trek in Santa Cruz Valley, Peru, having started from the city of Huaraz which sits approximtaley 3,100 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.
Without hesitation, I can say it was the best thing I have ever done and the scenery was the most spectacular I think I'll ever see. Having already done tours in Colca Canyon and Grand Canyon it is some feat, but I am adamant in my exclamation! Check out my images and videos on Facebook and you'll see what I mean.
The altitude was the first obstacle to overcome - on the first day alone we reached heights of over 4,800 metres above sea level. Just walking and breathing were a challenge whilst my body was still aclimatising. Our walk started with an ascent for approximately 1 hour and it felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest! The lack of oxygen in the air means your heart has to work much harder to pump the blood around to afford your organs the oxygen they need to function. Luckily I had a piano with me so there was no promblem there.
We arrived at our camp approx. 5 hours later and our tents had already been set up by the young chap who was guiding the donkeys that carried our equipment. Within half an hour lunch was being served and I was amazed at how resourceful the guides were with limited cooking facilities and ingredients - the food was always fresh, filling and nutritious.
Day two was the hardest slog in the world, ever - official! We ascended 1,100 metres up to 4,700 metres above sea level via a rocky path, avoiding bad tempered bulls (well, slightly agrieved) and the occasional donkey. I took my pulse at one point and it was over 140 bpm! I have come to realise I love hard challenges - there is a very fine line between be exhausted and ecstatic I believe. When we finally reached the pass through the mountains the views were breathtaking.
By days three and four my chicken legs had grown meagre amounts of muscle and my poor heart has started to aclimatise so the walking became easier - I am a machine!! The scenery continued to delight and we had so much fun. At one point were were transcending a valley that was criss-crossed by small rivers, and I took it upon myself to cross them long-jump style. I duly obliged to entertain the group and fall arse-over tit into mud (and possibly horse shit).
Our group was fantastic - a German, an Italian, an American, 2 French (yes, they ate garlic) and two Peruvians. And yes, of course, I was the most handsome!!
We head to Ecuador tonight and then after 2 weeks to Colombia - WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE??!
Ciao for now.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sandboarding and Peruvian Wine Tours
Our latest point of call to note was at a place called Huacachina (easy for you to say). It is a very small town approx. 5 hours south of Lima that exists only due to an oasis lagoon that sits amongst the rolling sand dunes.
The main focus was sandboarding, but we found out we could also do a tour of the Ballestas Islands (known as the poor man´s Galapagos), which are excellent for spotting sea lions, boobies (yes, I did giggle and wink each time the guide said that word) and pelicans and also do a tour of the local vineyards.
Ballestas Islands were good - I refer you to photos on Facebook. Sandboarding was also good, but as I´d done a day of snowboarding before it felt pretty lame! Wine tour was definitely a highlight. We visited 3 ´bodegas´and each for each ´tasting´ they pretty much gave us half a glass! I was hammered by the end! Kept my composure as always though and held fort!
We´re back in Lima but heading to Huaraz to climb some moontains - we both feel like we have excess stores of energy so are looking forward to it!
Ciao England.
The main focus was sandboarding, but we found out we could also do a tour of the Ballestas Islands (known as the poor man´s Galapagos), which are excellent for spotting sea lions, boobies (yes, I did giggle and wink each time the guide said that word) and pelicans and also do a tour of the local vineyards.
Ballestas Islands were good - I refer you to photos on Facebook. Sandboarding was also good, but as I´d done a day of snowboarding before it felt pretty lame! Wine tour was definitely a highlight. We visited 3 ´bodegas´and each for each ´tasting´ they pretty much gave us half a glass! I was hammered by the end! Kept my composure as always though and held fort!
We´re back in Lima but heading to Huaraz to climb some moontains - we both feel like we have excess stores of energy so are looking forward to it!
Ciao England.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Copacabana, Puno, Arequipa and Colca Canyon
I will start this post with a brief description of Copacabana in Bolivia, which nestles beside the majestic Lake Titicaca - it is shite. It is a dirty little town that had a 'carnival' going on for the whole time we were there. I will describe the scenario so my pain may be dissipated vicariously - a 'band' 'played' their instruments for approximately 14 hours a day outside our hotel, but it appeared they were briefed with the following instruction, "bang your instrument as loudly as you can and pay no particular attention to timing, rhythm or melody. As for dancing, have a p*ssed off look on your face and just do a 130 degree turn in one direction and then switch to the other direction (like an AC circuit) whilst twirling your skirt, and under NO circumstances try to improvise". I trust I have conveyed the message that I thoroughly enjoyed this local spectacle.
Thankfully the town also lacked a cash machine, meaning we couldn't withdraw the bunse to do a tour to Isla Del Sol (which by all accounts is actually beautiful) which hastened our premature exit to Puno, on the Peruvian side of the lake. What a relief! Cash machines, internet, excellent vegetarian restaurants, nice people and an abundance of good quality artisan items. We did a tour to the floating Uros reed islands which was interesting enough to occupy us for a few hours. We didn't stick around long though and made our way to Arequipa, which is the base city to explore Colca Canyon (deepest canyon in the world, twice as deep as Grand Canyon) from.
Arequipa is big! When we approached it at night in our bus it looked as big as LA or London! Quite surprising. It's a pleasant and vibrant city and - wait for it - Cressy and I went to a museum! Second shocking fact - it was actually interesting! There are the mummified remains of a female Inca teenage sacrifice victim on display, preceded by a very informative and captivating National Geographic video. An excellent guide furnished us with the perfect quantity of pertinent information and the whole experience only lasted about 40 minutes. In brief, the Incas believed that the volcanoes were actually gods and an eruption signified that they were angry. In order to appease them, human sacrifices were offered and it was considered a privilege to be chosen as the sacrificial offering. When the guide told me that I actually thought, "bullshit!" but according to the literature the claim holds true! The main mummy (Juanita) was behind screens being restored as part of an annual conservation program but the replacement was still an excellent example of a child body preserved by the extreme cold at the top of the volcano.
Enough history now. 3 days ago we set off on our trek of Colca Canyon, which was bloody hard! The scenery was stunning and there were two ascents, the longest of which was 1,100 metres on the last day up a steep rocky path in the pouring rain. At over 3,000 metres above sea level breathing was very difficult and at times Cressy and I declared that we reached 7 out of a possible 10 on the fed up scale! When we reached the summit I literally screamed (note 'screamed', and not shouted) with delight and felt like hugging everyone. To add to my delirium the hostel had the best shower in the world (ever, officially) and I could have spent the whole night in it. We toasted our success with a few Mojitos in the local bar and all agreed that I was in fact the best climber despite my apparent lack of quadricep muscles and legs that look like arms.
As it was such an achievement, we decided to celebrate again upon our return to Arequipa by having Mexican food, drinking beer then going to a karaoke bar and drinking lots of good quality rum and Coke. I was horrified by the version of Bill Withers' 'Lean on Me' they had and duly refused to sing, but was quietly amused by the inexplicable soft porn video they had to accompany it.
We head to Cusco tomorrow evening to seek pastures new and further adventure.
Thankfully the town also lacked a cash machine, meaning we couldn't withdraw the bunse to do a tour to Isla Del Sol (which by all accounts is actually beautiful) which hastened our premature exit to Puno, on the Peruvian side of the lake. What a relief! Cash machines, internet, excellent vegetarian restaurants, nice people and an abundance of good quality artisan items. We did a tour to the floating Uros reed islands which was interesting enough to occupy us for a few hours. We didn't stick around long though and made our way to Arequipa, which is the base city to explore Colca Canyon (deepest canyon in the world, twice as deep as Grand Canyon) from.
Arequipa is big! When we approached it at night in our bus it looked as big as LA or London! Quite surprising. It's a pleasant and vibrant city and - wait for it - Cressy and I went to a museum! Second shocking fact - it was actually interesting! There are the mummified remains of a female Inca teenage sacrifice victim on display, preceded by a very informative and captivating National Geographic video. An excellent guide furnished us with the perfect quantity of pertinent information and the whole experience only lasted about 40 minutes. In brief, the Incas believed that the volcanoes were actually gods and an eruption signified that they were angry. In order to appease them, human sacrifices were offered and it was considered a privilege to be chosen as the sacrificial offering. When the guide told me that I actually thought, "bullshit!" but according to the literature the claim holds true! The main mummy (Juanita) was behind screens being restored as part of an annual conservation program but the replacement was still an excellent example of a child body preserved by the extreme cold at the top of the volcano.
Enough history now. 3 days ago we set off on our trek of Colca Canyon, which was bloody hard! The scenery was stunning and there were two ascents, the longest of which was 1,100 metres on the last day up a steep rocky path in the pouring rain. At over 3,000 metres above sea level breathing was very difficult and at times Cressy and I declared that we reached 7 out of a possible 10 on the fed up scale! When we reached the summit I literally screamed (note 'screamed', and not shouted) with delight and felt like hugging everyone. To add to my delirium the hostel had the best shower in the world (ever, officially) and I could have spent the whole night in it. We toasted our success with a few Mojitos in the local bar and all agreed that I was in fact the best climber despite my apparent lack of quadricep muscles and legs that look like arms.
As it was such an achievement, we decided to celebrate again upon our return to Arequipa by having Mexican food, drinking beer then going to a karaoke bar and drinking lots of good quality rum and Coke. I was horrified by the version of Bill Withers' 'Lean on Me' they had and duly refused to sing, but was quietly amused by the inexplicable soft porn video they had to accompany it.
We head to Cusco tomorrow evening to seek pastures new and further adventure.
Friday, January 29, 2010
La Paz
We´re in La Paz, Bolivia, hence the title of this entry.
It is boring! I think I´ve come to realise that cities in general are quite boring - generally the focal points tend to be churches and museums, which by their very nature are intended to inflict boredom and a desperation to leave on the poor souls that enter.
Cressy is going to do the DEATH ROAD cycle route, also known affectionately as ´The World´s Most Dangerous Road´ tomorrow. Can you imagine why I won´t be joining her?! To be fair, lots of people do it every day and only about 60% die, which is a favourable statistic. It does not appeal to me at all! I am a complete wuss and not great on a bicycle, so it would have been a pointless exercise and a waste of money if I joined her. Luckily there is another person from our hostel who will be accompanying her. I will be thinking of her as I sit in the comfort of the hostel bar and watch football ALL DAY!
I must have eaten something dodgy last night as I felt absolutely turd last night and this morning and was sick! Imodium is officially a life saver. Whoever invented it deserves the Nobel Peace Prize I think. I can´t think of anything it won´t fix - water leak? Imodium. Diarrhea? Imodium. Unemployed? Imodium. I challenge anyone to suggest a situation that Imodium cannot fix!
We´re looking forward to moving on to Lake Titicaca, Peru and the Inca Trail in particular. It´s terrible what has happened there and we know someone who is still stranded in Aguas Calientes, the small town at the foot of Machu Picchu. Selfishly, I hope everything is ok by the time we come to do the walk, but more importantly I hope normality returns to the lives of those affected by the flooding and landslides.
Rafael Benitez is the bane of my life. I am having sleepless nights and am totally unable to enjoy my holiday because of him - can someone please inform him of this and ask that he resigns as a result? Thanks.
Keep it real and spread the love people.
It is boring! I think I´ve come to realise that cities in general are quite boring - generally the focal points tend to be churches and museums, which by their very nature are intended to inflict boredom and a desperation to leave on the poor souls that enter.
Cressy is going to do the DEATH ROAD cycle route, also known affectionately as ´The World´s Most Dangerous Road´ tomorrow. Can you imagine why I won´t be joining her?! To be fair, lots of people do it every day and only about 60% die, which is a favourable statistic. It does not appeal to me at all! I am a complete wuss and not great on a bicycle, so it would have been a pointless exercise and a waste of money if I joined her. Luckily there is another person from our hostel who will be accompanying her. I will be thinking of her as I sit in the comfort of the hostel bar and watch football ALL DAY!
I must have eaten something dodgy last night as I felt absolutely turd last night and this morning and was sick! Imodium is officially a life saver. Whoever invented it deserves the Nobel Peace Prize I think. I can´t think of anything it won´t fix - water leak? Imodium. Diarrhea? Imodium. Unemployed? Imodium. I challenge anyone to suggest a situation that Imodium cannot fix!
We´re looking forward to moving on to Lake Titicaca, Peru and the Inca Trail in particular. It´s terrible what has happened there and we know someone who is still stranded in Aguas Calientes, the small town at the foot of Machu Picchu. Selfishly, I hope everything is ok by the time we come to do the walk, but more importantly I hope normality returns to the lives of those affected by the flooding and landslides.
Rafael Benitez is the bane of my life. I am having sleepless nights and am totally unable to enjoy my holiday because of him - can someone please inform him of this and ask that he resigns as a result? Thanks.
Keep it real and spread the love people.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Electricity and Internet - Hallelujah!
We just arrived into Uyuni in Bolivia after a 4 day tour of the salt flats in Bolivia, which was amazing! The scenery was spectacular and we had great banter with our compatriots from Nueva Zelanda who were lucky enough to have a sense of humour and demeanour which was approcaching the quality of ours! Mine in particular...
It is relieving in a way to be back to ´civilisation´ i.e. to have internet, telephone, and running water again. I am surprised by how little I missed it actually - I suspect it is because we were kept so busy and the altitude took a lot to get used to - at times we were nearly 5000 metres above sea level!
On the first day of our tour we arrived into our accommodation, which was possibly the most remote town / settlement I have ever seen in my life. Imagine driving through dusty desert for about 7 hours, passing literally no sign of life other than flamingoes and the odd llama on the way to then arrive at a collection of 20 or so houses made from mud bricks. The altitude was 4,400 metres above sea level, so of course we did the sensible thing and played basketball with local kids, to discover that we ran out of breath just walking on to the court. We were outclassed by a group seven year olds, so of course I did the sensible thing and bullied on account of their inferior height and weight.
The final day was fantastic and we did the mandatory perspective photos on the salt flats, which was amazing fun! Soon they will be added to Facebook, much to my delight.
These four days have been fantastic and it was fun, fun and more fun.
Looking forward to the next part of our adventure with great anticipation.
It is relieving in a way to be back to ´civilisation´ i.e. to have internet, telephone, and running water again. I am surprised by how little I missed it actually - I suspect it is because we were kept so busy and the altitude took a lot to get used to - at times we were nearly 5000 metres above sea level!
On the first day of our tour we arrived into our accommodation, which was possibly the most remote town / settlement I have ever seen in my life. Imagine driving through dusty desert for about 7 hours, passing literally no sign of life other than flamingoes and the odd llama on the way to then arrive at a collection of 20 or so houses made from mud bricks. The altitude was 4,400 metres above sea level, so of course we did the sensible thing and played basketball with local kids, to discover that we ran out of breath just walking on to the court. We were outclassed by a group seven year olds, so of course I did the sensible thing and bullied on account of their inferior height and weight.
The final day was fantastic and we did the mandatory perspective photos on the salt flats, which was amazing fun! Soon they will be added to Facebook, much to my delight.
These four days have been fantastic and it was fun, fun and more fun.
Looking forward to the next part of our adventure with great anticipation.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Fush and Chups
We are in Bolivia!
I felt a sense of elation when we arrived here because I think I had reached my limit with Argentina - I was sick of people who worked on buses doing their, " I couldn´t give a sh&t that you´re vegetarian, just scrape the ham off" face. We even had to queue for 2 hours just to leave the country!!
Bolivia is a world apart. For a start, everyone is a lot shorter and it is apparent that poverty is commonplace. I was so pleased to find our bus we were taking to Tupiza was old, horribly painted, uncomfortable and only just fit for the job - that is what travelling is about! However, I also felt guilty and slightly voyeuristic - whilst everything seemed more ´South American´ and ´cultural´it is simply because people are poorer and have fewer of life´s luxuries. What is a novelty for me is reality for these people every day and I am certain it is not pleasing for them. The only solution was to flog myself and apologise for my conduct during the war - I feel a lot better now.
We bumped into a lovely couple from New Zealand (Nuck and Keem, aka Nick and Kim) on the bus whom we´d chatted to for a wee while in Mendoza and we´ve been hanging around with them ever since. We all went on a jeep tour, mountain bike descent of 800 metres and horse riding tour in the desert yesterday and we´re going on a 4 day tour of the salt flats and surrounding area tomorrow. We were due to leave today but poor old Nick got sick so we delayed for a day - the good news is that I got to see some Premiership football! Every cloud...
We´re at an altitude of about 3000 meteres and it is weird how the smallest of actions require me to summon a lot of energy! Today has been knackering - walking to the post office of course required a rewarding trip to the ice cream shop and I imagine to stay true to form we will drink beer later.
I am considerig writing a small book called, ´Cressyisms´. Entry 1: "Is Holland in Denmark?"
More to follow...
I felt a sense of elation when we arrived here because I think I had reached my limit with Argentina - I was sick of people who worked on buses doing their, " I couldn´t give a sh&t that you´re vegetarian, just scrape the ham off" face. We even had to queue for 2 hours just to leave the country!!
Bolivia is a world apart. For a start, everyone is a lot shorter and it is apparent that poverty is commonplace. I was so pleased to find our bus we were taking to Tupiza was old, horribly painted, uncomfortable and only just fit for the job - that is what travelling is about! However, I also felt guilty and slightly voyeuristic - whilst everything seemed more ´South American´ and ´cultural´it is simply because people are poorer and have fewer of life´s luxuries. What is a novelty for me is reality for these people every day and I am certain it is not pleasing for them. The only solution was to flog myself and apologise for my conduct during the war - I feel a lot better now.
We bumped into a lovely couple from New Zealand (Nuck and Keem, aka Nick and Kim) on the bus whom we´d chatted to for a wee while in Mendoza and we´ve been hanging around with them ever since. We all went on a jeep tour, mountain bike descent of 800 metres and horse riding tour in the desert yesterday and we´re going on a 4 day tour of the salt flats and surrounding area tomorrow. We were due to leave today but poor old Nick got sick so we delayed for a day - the good news is that I got to see some Premiership football! Every cloud...
We´re at an altitude of about 3000 meteres and it is weird how the smallest of actions require me to summon a lot of energy! Today has been knackering - walking to the post office of course required a rewarding trip to the ice cream shop and I imagine to stay true to form we will drink beer later.
I am considerig writing a small book called, ´Cressyisms´. Entry 1: "Is Holland in Denmark?"
More to follow...
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