Baños

Thursday, May 29
I spent Thursday getting some more last minute things for the Galapagos trip (a new pair of board shorts, some food, and lots of alcohol). We are flying out tomorrow morning at 10am and are supposed to be on the boat by 1pm. After our 5 day trip on the boat, I will be spending an additional 4 days on the islands to do some more hiking, snorkeling, and diving.

Wednesday, May 28
We awoke Wednesday morning to much of the same weather...overcast with a good potential for rain. Yet again, despite the forecast, Jodi and I decided to rent bikes again and head further away from Baños to see more waterfalls that we had missed the previous day. We headed out and when we came to the bridge jumping spot, Jodi spoke with the operator and they let her have her go since she had paid for it the previous day. From there, we headed on down the road to a waterfall where we could take a cable car across the river and pass directly over the waterfall. There were 3 other people in our cable car and they were all from the states...Chris, Jose, and Megan. We got to talking and decided to head off together to see some of the other waterfalls.

The next stop was Pailon del Diablo, which, according to signs along the way, is the 8th wonder of the world. While the waterfall was impressive, I don't think it will make the list. However, there was a new set of balconies that gave people access to close up views of the waterfall and even let you go behind the falls. The only catch was that you had to basically crawl on your hands and knees beneath rocks (not good for claustrophic people) for a few minutes to access the balconies. We then headed on to Machay waterfall.

We capped the day off by watching the other Copa Libertadore semi-final match between Boca (Argentina) and Fluminense (Brazil) which also ended in a tie, 2-2. Jodi, Jessica, and I then headed to the bus terminal to catch an 11pm overnight bus back to Guayaquil. We decided to go with a different bus company, as they promised a better bus and direct service with no stops. They lied! First, the bus did not even show up until 12:30am. Second, the bus was remarkable worse than the first. The seats were so close together that I could not sit with my legs in front of me...instead I had to stick them out in the aisle. My seat would not recline...at least it wouldn't lock in a reclined position, so it was like sitting on a see-saw. Finally, it was not direct...we must have made 12 stops on the way. But, we all survived and pulled into Guayaquil at 6:30am.

Tuesday, May 27
We made it to Baños around 8am. It was not great weather. There were clouds hovering over all the mountains and it looked like rain was coming. But, despite that forecast, we all decided to rent bikes and attempt canyoning. Jodi and I also signed up for bridge jumping, which is similar to bungee jumping, but there is no give to the chord and it is more like pendulum swinging. The bike ride started off fine and we got some great views of the mountains and some waterfalls. After about an hour of biking, we met up with a crew to go canyoning. We jumped in a car and drove about 5 minutes to our staging point were we proceeded to put on wet suits and harness for the excursion. Canyoning is basically repelling down watefalls, so we were all required to wear helmets and knee pads to attempt to prevent injury. Our guide, Franklin (a 20 year old Baños firefighter) then led us on a 25 minute hike where we could start our adventure. We each got to practice on a small 12 foot boulder and then jumped right into the waterfalls. It was fantastic! We repelled down 5 different falls, the tallest being 35m high.

After we finished canyoning, we returned to the bridge where we had met the canyoning crew. It was this bridge where I would attempt the bridge jumping...Jodi had decided not to go at this time as she was incredible cold from canyoning and it had started to absolutely pour, so it wasn't exactly the ideal conditions for bridge jumping. However, since I was there, I decided to go ahead with it. Like bungee jumping, it is quite a rush standing on the edge of bridge looking down. The first few seconds are identical to bungee jumping...basically throwing yourself face first off a high place...but then you just swing back and forth beneath the bridge for a few minutes before you are lowered to the ground. For $15 it was worth it.

We finished the day by returning to Baños and watching the Copa Libertadores semi-final match between Liga de Quito (Ecuador) and America (Mexico), which ended in a disappointing tie (1-1).

Monday, May 26
We were able to meet up with Jon and Lucy for an incredible dinner (El Toro Asado) last night. Monday was spent buying a couple things for the Galapagos trip and then Jodi, Jessica, and I headed to the bus terminal to purchase overnight bus tickets to Baños. We figure since we have a few days to spare, why not check out a few other places in Ecuador. We hoped on what was supposed to be a 11:30pm departing bus to Baños. However, the bus arrived late and didn't leave until close to 12:30am. And, on top of that, I have never been on a bus with a temperature like that one. For the first 3 hours sweat was literally pouring down my face and completely soaked all of my clothing. Each time I opened the window (which opened from the seat in front of me), the 10 year old Ecuadorian kid sitting in the row in front of me would shut it. I was ready to lose it....I don't do well in confined areas with extreme heat.

Guayaquil...continued

Sunday, May 25
In the morning I walked down to the Malecon Saltado, another revamped waterfront area of Guayaquil. While not nearly as stunning or interesting as Malecon 2000, it is nice to see that the city is making an effort to improve itself. I walked through a small estuary/wetlands area and got some interesting photos of the fauna. Jessica, Jodi, and I then made our way to Las Peñas and climbed the 444 stairs (in the 100% humidity) to see the lighthouse and get treated to some great views of Guayaquil.

We spent the rest of the day buying snorkels and masks for our Galapagos trip, investigating bus options to get up to Baños (a little south of Quito), and browsing the street markets of La Bahía...where I bought a new hat, which I desperately needed to keep my mane out of my face, and a Barcelona (one of Guayaquil's futbol teams) jersey.

We will hopefully be meeting up with Jon and Lucy, who I met in Patagonia, tonight for dinner. They are supposed to arrive on a bus tonight and will be heading out to see the Galapagos on Tuesday.

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Saturday, May 24
We spent most of the day trying to find agencies with Galapagos tours. However, we picked a bad weekend to do this as it is a national holiday and almost nothing is opened. But, we did managed to book a tour and we leave on Friday (May 30th) for a 5 day tour of the Galapagos. I can't wait. While we booked the economic class of tours, I am hoping we will be okay. We have read numerous reviews of our boat (Friendship) and while they are extremely mixed, the most recent reviews look positive and give me hope of having a great time. It is a 5 day tour and we will be visiting the islands of Baltras, Plaza, Santa Fe, Española, Santa María, Santa Cruz, and Bartolomé.

After booking our tour, we had a quick lunch and then visited Parque Bolivar, where the iguanas rule and run around like squirrels do in the US. It is quite a site. While the park is gated, there is nothing keeping the iguanas there, other than the pools of water, lucious grass, and abundance of food provided by visitors. But, you can get right up next to the iguanas and even touch them without any problems. The trees are even filled with them!

I heard from Jon and Lucy who I met down in Patagonia and they will be arriving here tomorrow night. We will then be treating ourselves to what is supposed to be the a fantastic meal at the only Argentinian steak house in Guayaquil. I doubt it will compare to Rick's, but I will have to reserve judgement until tomorrow.

Finally, I have decided to extend my travels a bit and will now be staying in South America until around June 18th. I do not have any set plans as of yet for after my Galapagos tour, but I think I will stay out on the islands for a while and do some additional snorkeling, diving, and hiking.

Friday, May 23
We caught an 8:30am bus from Mancora headed to Guayaquil, Ecuador. We had been told that the border crossing that we would be going through is the worst in South America, so we had chosen this particular bus because it got us to the border around noon and it also did not require us to walk across the actual border (which other bus companies did require). We arrived at the exit point for Peru and passed through without incident. Similarly, we had no problems entering Ecuador. I can see why would not want to be passing through the area at dark, but other than that, it was a pretty standard border.

We arrived in Guayaquil and set out to check out part of the city. We briefly explored Malecon, which is the newly reconstructed water front area. I was very impressed. The area was very clean and safe, and offered tons of small food stops. We then ventured to Las Peñas for dinner. Las Peñas is also new renovated and has tons of restaurants, bars, and small shops.

Mancora, Peru

Thursday, May 22
Will be spending my last full day in Mancora soaking in some more sun and updating my blog with pictures. Ben flies back to the states today. He had a great time in the Galapagos and passed on some tips for me...can't wait to get to the Galapagos Islands.

Wednesday, May 21
Relaxed on the beach for most of the day. Also purchased my bus ticket to go to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Should be an interesting 9 hour bus trip. The border crossing into Ecuador that we will be using is known as the worst border crossing in South America. Because of that, we are taking an 8am bus that will get us to the border around midday, which we have been told is the safest time to cross. Watched a bit of the UEFA championship game between Manchester United and Chelsea...tough loss for Chelsea. Then I watched a quarterfinal Copa Libertadores game between Boca Juniors (Argentina) and Atlas (Mexico). Palermo for Boca had a hat trick in the first half and Boca went on to win easily 3-0.

Tuesday, May 20
Spent the day relaxing on the beach, trying not to get burned. The wind picked up nicely for kiteboarders, so I sat on the beach for a while being very envious!

Huacachina (part II) & Mancora, Peru

Monday, May 19
We arrived in Mancora earlier than we expected and we were taken to the hostel we had reserved...Del Wawa. However, after seeing our incredibly small room that was way overpriced, we headed next door to Las Olas and found a very comfortable room with 4 beds. While Jessica slept (she had started feeling really bad in Lima before we jumped on our overnight bus to Mancora), Jodi and I attempted to get some color...which we got...and then some. Apparently the close-to-the-equator sun laughs at sunscreen with SPF 30. But, the beach here is gorgeous and well worth visiting if any of you make it down to Peru. There is a great surf break right outside our hostel that is perfect for all levels of surfers. The water is warm (at least warmer than San Diego water), refreshing, and incredibly clear. Each day the different restaurants send poeple out to fish and dive for local lobsters, shrimp, and fish to serve for afternoon lunches and dinners. Jodi and Jessica have also decided to join me in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, so we will be leaving on Friday to Guayaquil.

Sunday, May 18
We woke up early Sunday morning to get to Ica to catch our 4.5 hour bus to Lima. We were not able to book a touristy bus from Ica to Lima, so we were on the local Peruvian bus...which, we later found out, had live and apparently free-roaming chickens in with our luggage. Once in Lima, we had to wait a few hours for our 18 hour bus ride to Mancora. Long day of travel!

Saturday, May 17
Jodi, Jessica, and I woke up at 5:30am to catch a bus to take us to the coast where we had decided to join a tour to see the Paracas National Reserve and the Islas Balletas. This reserve and the islands it includes is knows as the "poor man's Galapagos". Unortunately the sky was very overcast and made the 2.5 hour boat trip a little less than ideal. Our first stop was to view the Candelabra, a shape created in the sand dunes of one of the islands close to shore. Our guide explained that this shapes could have been created in a variety of ways:
1) by sea pirates as a guide to their hidden treasure, some 300 years ago
2) by some sea fairing folk as a guide to the coast, about 200 years ago
3) by the same aliens who created the Nazca lines thousands of years ago
We didnt buy any of the explanations, though, as we could see 4x4 tracks heading to the Candelabra where it looked like some people had dug out the shape just that morning. From the Candelabra, we headed to Islas Balletas where we were able to see tons of sea lions, crabs, a relative of the Andean condor, and hundreds of thousands of sea birds. Islas Balletas continues to be a large source of income for Peru as it provides a large source of guano....the guano is up to 50m deep on some parts of the islands. Unfortunately, Jodi got to experience the bird droppings first hand as a bird dropped a heat seaker right in the middle of her chest...and, of course, she was the only one on the entire boat of 40 people to get nailed! We returned to Huacachina in the afternoon and had to say so long to Woody and Luke. They had to catch an afternoon bus to Cusco. Then around 4:30pm we set out for a dune buggy ride across the sand dunes. The sand buggy ride was amazing...just imagine a high speed roller coaster across uneven and unstable terrain...we chose the company we did as it was the only company in the area that had not killed a passenger. We made several stops in the dunes to let people sandboard...which turned into a disaster for two drunks girls from Lima who were in our buggy as they collided half way down a dune and nearly decapitated each other. We stayed out in the sand until after sunset, so we were able to get some unbelievable photos.

Friday, May 16
I spent most of Friday figuring out my next move. Because I needed to eventually get to Ecuador, I decided to start heading North. Jodi and Jessica decided to also head North and possibly join me on my trip to the Galapagos Islands. We made it into Ica and bought tickets to go to Mancora (a few hours South of the Ecuadorian border) on Sunday. Friday afternoon, while the girls were shopping in Ica, I met up with Woody and Luke for a sandboarding session. We rented the boards for an hour and slowly climbed our way to the tallest sand dune surrounding Huacachina. Hiking in the sand dunes is about the worst thing I can think of...each step I took I would sink back about half the distance I had moved forward. Because of the effort it took to climb the dunes, we only went down twice...which was more than enough for my legs. But, sandboarding was great. Very similar to snowboarding except that you have to lean much further back and it is much more difficult to turn...but the sand is soft and provides a nice cushion for wipeouts. We had dinner again at the same restaurant with Jenga (Hospedaje Del Barco) but this time by candle light as the place had lost electricity. Still had a great meal and another towering game of Jenga.

Great travel blog

So the two girls I have been traveling with for a bit now (Jodi and Jessica) have a blog that is now recognized as one of the top 100 travel blogs by Travelhackers. So, if you want some great information about traveling the world, check it out.

http://legalnomads.blogspot.com

Huacachina, Peru

Thursday, May 15
We were required to vacate our room at noon on Thursday and force to find other accomodations. The holiday in Lima that apparently caused the influx of people made finding another room a little difficult. We were able to manage to secure a room (calling it a room is very generous...it was more of an attic that reaked of cat urine) at another hostel, but returned to El Huacachinero to sit by the pool and attempt to catch up on some sleep. We also had to say goodbye to Daniel as he was returning to Buenos Aires for a few days before leaving for Dubai where he will soon be starting a new job. That afternoon, as we were sitting by the pool, the hostel seemed awfully empty despite the claims by the administration that all the rooms were full. We decided to try our luck and asked if any space had become available. Luckily enough, there were some cancellations and we were able to return to our same triple room. In the evening, we met up again with Woody and Luke to have dinner. We found a fantastic restaurant overlooking the lagoon. While my lomo saltado was one of the best meals Ive had on my trip, the highlight of the dinner was our game of Jenga. The skills demonstrated by our dinner group cannot be matched as we finally got to the point in the game when there were literally no more pieces be moved and we were left with a precariously leaning pile of blocks towering over our glasses of wine and appetizers.

Wednesday, May 14
We arrived in Ica around 8:30am and found a taxi to take us to Huacachina, about 6km away. After some negotiations with different hostels in Huacachina, we were able to secure a room at El Huacachinero...a very nice hostel at the base of the sand dunes. Unfortunately, due to a holiday in Lima, we were told we could only stay one night. We ate breakfast at a small cafe owned by a British women named Beth. Jodi was looking hoping to find a pair of sandals and Beth offered to take us into Ica to the try to find some. So, Jodi, Jessica, and I, along with Beth and her 16 month old daughter (Jasmine) jumped in a cab and headed into Ica. After finding a pair of sandals, Beth directed us to a great little restaurant in the main plaza where we could get cheap pizza and ice cream. After returning to Huacachina, we met up with 3 guys who we had all met earlier in Chile (Woody, Luke, and Daniel) and spent the day lounging around the pool, catching up one each other's adventures. That night we had great dinner, actually running into Jessica (British girl from the Salkantay Trek) at the restaurant, and then ventured out to the local pubs and disco.

Tuesday, May 13
We got on a 6pm bus from Cusco to Ica and thought we were prepared for the 14 hour, overnight trip to the coast. With snacks and drinks in hand, we settled in and were lucky enough to be treated to a great movie...Motorcycle Diaries. It was great to watch that movie again and to recognize many of the places that are visited in the movie after just being their myself. Unfortunately, the rest of the trip was not as nice. The road from Cusco to Ica has got to be one of the windiest in the world...we all spent the night trying to fall asleep while being tossed from aisle to window. And, trying to use the restroom was quite an adventure. If you could make it down the aisle without landing on the lap of another passenger, you still had to find a way to balance yourself in the bathroom so as not to fall in.

Cusco, Peru (part II)

Monday, May 12
We again spent large portions of the day at the clinic with Lee Ann. She was improving and that was a huge relief to us all. The rest of the day was spent planning the next move. I decided I would follow Jodi and Jessica to the coast of Peru to a place called Huacachina, which is an oasis in the middle of sand dunes. We booked an overnight (14 hour) bus ride from Cusco to Ica and we should arrive Wednesday around noon.

Sunday, May 11
The members of our trek had agreed to meet Sunday morning to get together and meet with our guide to do a little shopping and exploring of the city. However, as Jodi and I were waiting for the others to arrive, Jennifer found us and told us Lee Ann was not doing well. We had to check Lee Ann into a local private clinic where they initially told us she had salmonella, a urinary infection, and a blood infection. We spent most of the day in the clinic with Lee Ann making sure she had proper care. The rest of the day was spend on the internet and phone, researching her symptoms and trying to get in touch with doctors in the US that could give us advice on what to do. When we returned to the clinic later that night, miraculously the doctors had reduced the number of problems from 3 to 1 and said Lee Ann only had a kidney infection and should be able to leave the hospital in a few days.

A side note, it was Mother's Day and just to prove what an incredible guide we had, Aquiles brought his mother down to the clinic to meet and check on Lee Ann. Seriously, if you can find a better guide or person in Peru, you better have some incredible proof to back it up.

Salkantay Trek, Peru

Let me first begin by saying that I could not have had a better group for the Salkantay Trek. There were only 5 of us and our guide - me, Jessica (England), Jennifer (Colorado), Lee Ann (Colorado), Jodi (Montreal), and Aquiles (our guide). The girls could not have been nicer and put up with me for 5 days despite having the only Y chromosome in the group.

Saturday, May 10
We woke up at 4am to have breakfast and then make our way to the ruins of Machu Picchu. We hoped to see a sunrise over the ruins, but cloud cover prevented such a site. We spent the first part of the morning walking around the ruins with our guide, Aquiles, telling us about the history and mistique of the area. Four of us (Jodi, Jennifer, Lee Ann, and myself) then made our way up Wynapicchu, the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu. From Waynapicchu we could clearly make out how the ruins of Machu Picchu form the shape of condor. We made it to the top and were disappointed to find swarms of tourists, many with their iPods and fanny packs camped out, making it nearly impossible to relax and enjoy the remarkable view. From the top of Wynapicchu we continued on to the Gran Caverna and the Templo de La Luna...which were disappointing after seeing the views from Wynapicchu and became disasterous after realizing the hike we would have to make to return to the main path to reach Machu Picchu once again. For those of you traveling to Machu Picchu, unless you are a masochist, skip the Gran Caverna and Templo de la Luna.

We returned to Aguas Calientes completely exhausted and not really looking forward to the train ride to Ollantaytambo where we would have to get off to catch a 2 hour bus back to Cusco. But, the train ride turned out to be ok. I met a guy from Arizona who is actually living in Mexico City about 6 blocks from where I lived....ridiculous, especially considering that 26 million people live there and the area where I lived was not the most popular choice for accomodations. We arrived in Ollantaytambo and hoped on our bus to Cusco. The bus had no room for luggage, despite that fact that nearly all the passengers had just hiked for 5 days or more. With our backpacks stuffed below our feet or in the aisles, we began to pull away. Just at that moment, a Canadian sitting directly behind me began projectile vomiting out the window. His girlfriend quickly got the bus to stop and asked if they could be let off to catch a cab. The bus driver agreed and she got off. Her boyfriend continued throwing up out the window as the bus once again began to pull away. With the entire bus shouting at the driver to stop, I managed to help the pale northern neighbor of the US up out of his seat and down the aisle and out the door. The remaining trip to Cusco was uneventful, other than the fact that when we returned to Cusco the hostel I was staying at had given away my room and I was forced to argue with them for 45 minutes in order to get a bed to sleep in.

Overall, the Salkantay trek was remarkable and an experience that will go down as one of my favorites in my life. The beauty of the landscape and the comraderie of the group could not have been better. And, our guide, Aquiles, was one of kind. If anyone is considering a trek to Machu Picchu, I would highly recommend contacting Aquiles and finding out what trekking company he is with. He will make sure you thoroughly enjoy your experience and will do everything he can to make your trip one that you will never forget. You can reach him at marcc20@hotmail.com.

Friday, May 9
We began Friday with another short bus ride to a place called Hidro Electrica where we would follow the train tracks into Machu Picchu. The trek along the train treks was pretty miserable as there was no real path and we were forced to walk along uneven rock piles for 4 hours. Along the way we were able to catch a few glimpses of Machu Picchu, allowing us to push on despite the pain in our legs and feet. But, we arrived in Aguas Calientes, the small town at the base of Machu Picchu, with time to climb Putukusi mountain, a towering landmass with spectacular views of the ruins. To get to the top of Putukusi we had to climb several wooden ladders that went nearly straight up the side of the mountain. The hike up Putukusi took about an hour and 40 minutes, but was well worth it. We were treated to views of Machu Picchu few other trekking groups were privelaged to see. After Putukusi, we checked into our hostel in Aguas Calientes. What a treat to sleep again in a bed and not on the hard ground. Unfortunately I received some bad news that night that my parents had to put Bailey down the day before. He had begun stuggling to breathe and was not eating. The decision was made to end any suffering Bailey was having and the vet came to the house. Bailey passed peacefully, but it has really been hard on me and my family. But, my parents were able to bury him in a flower garden on the edge of the lawn in a place that can been seen from several areas in the house. It will be strange when I finally return home and not be greeted by his wagging tail.

Thursday, May 8
Our third day we continued hikking along the river for most of the day. We passed more waterfalls and entered the rainforest portion of our journey. It was a very long day of trekking and we finally made it to La Playa for lunch around 3pm. After lunch, we hoped on a short bus to Santa Teresa where we would camp for the night. This was the first day we even had a glimpse of other trekking groups and unfortunately our campsite in Santa Teresa was filled with several other groups...severly detracting from the beauty of the area and the peacefullness of the hike. We also visited another thermal spring which was stunning, not only because the warmth and cleanliness of the pools, but because of the mountains and rivers surrounding it.

Wednesday, May 7
Despite having to sleep in below freezing temperatures, I woke up excited to continue our trek towards Machu Picchu. After thawing out with some tea and breakfast, we began our hike to Colcapampa. As we hiked, Salkantay and Humantay remained in our rearview while we passed through landscape filled with incredible flora and fauna as well as rivers, waterfalls, and small ponds. Our second campsite was in the backyard of a small farmhouse, where we were constantly bombarded with noises and attacks by pigs, chickens, and dogs. But, I can't really complain as the campsite was surrounding by stunning mountains and the sound of the two rivers merging below. The campsite was also located close to a thermal spring, so after having lunch, we hiked the 20 minutes down the cliffs to the baths. The baths themselves were not much, but the view was spectacular, being located on a small piece of land where the two rivers came together.

Tuesday, May 6
I got picked up from my hostel at 4am to begin the 3 hour drive out to Mollepata where we had our first breakfast together as a trekking group. From there we drove another few hours to Salkantay Pampa where we began our trek to our first camp site. This first day of trekking was the hardest as it brought us from about 3500 meters up to Abra Salkantay which is at 4800 meters and then back down a bit to our campsite at Huayracmachay (about 3800 meters). The views this day were unlike any I have ever seen. The entire day was spent hiking between two giant peaks, Salkantay and Humantay mountains. The pictures I took do not do justics to the beauty of the area. That night we made camp at the base of the two mountains and were treated to indescribable views of Salkantay and Humantay as the sun went down. Of all the places I have traveled to so far, this place ranks way up there in terms of beauty and inspiration. As the sun went down, the snow capped peaks of Salkantay and Humantay turned an incredible shade of blue and were lit as if there was an energy source just below the surface of the snow.

Cusco, Peru

Monday, May 5
Ben was still not feeling well and I think it may have to do with the altitude. I had to leave him to go to United Mice, the company who I would be doing the 5 day Salkantay Trek with. I officially got signed up for the trek that would be leaving the next day and also found out that the trek would just be me and 4 other women, one of which would be Jodi. I was told I would also need to return at 6pm for the trek briefing and to meet our guide. I spent the rest of the day with Jodi picking up medicine and gear that we would need for the trip (altitude sickness pills, trekking poles, a thick rain jacket, etc). I then returned to the hostel to check on Ben. He was still down for the count and not seeming to improve. I gave him some altitude sickness pills and gatorade, hoping he would show some signs of improvement before I left the next day. I returned to United Mice at 6pm and meet the 3 other girls (not counting Jodi) who I would be traveling with for the next 5 days: Jessica (England), Jennifer (Colorado), and Lee Ann (Colorado, originally from Chicago). I also met our guide, Aquiles. Then, it was off to a carb heavy dinner and bed. I had also heard back from my parents about Bailey and things had gotten worse again. I hated to think that I would be unavailable for the next 5 days and not know what was going on with favorite companion.

Sunday, May 4
We took a 6:30am flight from Arequipa to Cusco, with a stop in Juliaca. We arrived in Cusco around 8:30am and found a nice, cheap hostel. Ben was not feeling well and decided to try to sleep it off while I went off to explore. While walking around I got some terrible news about our family's yellow lab, Bailey. My parents had to take him to a vet and they found cancer throughout his body, along with some internal bleeding. The outlook was not good for my friend of 14 years, so I decided to make my way up to Cristo Blanco, a giant Christ statue on a hill overlooking Cusco. I sat up there for a while, remembering Bailey and praying that there was a way he could hang on so I could see him one last time. It was a gorgeos day and I felt inspired being up there, hoping I could send strength and comfort to the lab I had known since I was a freshman in high school. After heading back down to the city I received word from my parents that Bailey had improved. They had prepared a place to bury him and had a vet on the way to put him down, but miraculously he perked up and began acting like the Bailey we knew. With that good news in hand, I went to meet up with Jodi and Jessica for a late lunch. I needed to talk strategy with Jodi about our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu.

Arequipa (part II) & Colca Canyon, Peru

Saturday, May 3
I made the mistake of trying to lie down for a bit around 1am before my bus comes at 2am...bad mistake. Apparently I slept through my alarm as I awoke to a loud banging on my door saying the bus was outside waiting for me. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and grabbed my jacket. I sleeply climbed into the bus and grabbed a window seat...unfortunatetly it was the seat above the wheel well, so my knees really didn't fit and I was forced to keep my legs in the aisle. It was about a 3 hour drive to get to our first stop where we were supposed to be fed breakfast. The bus was so cold on the drive that ice began forming on the inside of the windows. Needless to say, I was not prepared for this kind of cold and spent the entire time trying to find ways not to freeze to death. The other passengers were apparently made aware of these conditions as they were all sleeping soundly. The day before, while walking around Arequipa, I had asked one of the treking companies about the 1 day tour to Colca Canyon and was told vehemently not to take it as it was very dangerous. The man I spoke with claimed that the drivers, because they had to cover such large distances to get to the canyon and back in one day, were crazy and pushed the limits of the vehicles. I decided it was worth the risk and was not sure if I was ever going to get another chance to see Colca Canyon. Well, I would have to say that the man was correct in his assessment of the drivers. I was scared driving in cabs in Mexico City, but this was something else!! But, we made it to our breakfast spot...with several passengers sprinting off the bus to vomit. After a few pieces of bread and some 'mate de coca' we headed off for the canyon.

Our next stop was next to a church where the main attraction is an eagle that people can take pictures with. While the area was largely unimpressive, the eagle was something to see. I have an affinity for birds of prey and this was a real treat for me...especially when it would spread its wings. After seeing the eagle, we headed to an area where you could view the hanging tombs, special burial areas high up in the cliffs surrounding Colca Canyon. They were difficult to spot, except for a few where a distinctive red color appeared to be dripping from the tombs. I believe the color was from dyes used in the burial clothing of the dead. The major stop on this 1 day tour is Cruz del Condor, a cliff overlooking a deep part of the canyon where Andean condors nest and frequently fly. I was lucky enough to get to the Cruz del Condor in time to see about 5 condors. A few of them flew just overhead, probably no more than a few meters above me, and I was able to get some good pictures. These condors would soar for hours, using the air currents of the canyon, and never flap their giant wings. Our guide was telling us that the wingspan of the Andean condor would routinely get up to 4m.

We left Cruz del Condor and began our long trip back to Arequipa. We made several stops along the way to view different areas of the canyon and the surrounding area. At each stop there were several local men and women selling fruits and jewelry or performing for spare change. The most amazing site for me was the agricultural areas. The way the people had designed and divided their land made the area look just like a page out of a paint by number book. Our last stop on the way back to Arequipa was at Mirador de los Andes, the highest point in the area, which allowed for outstanding views of the major mountains and volcanoes. The site is located 4,910 meters above sea level and aside from the views of mountains and volcanoes, there were hundreds of stone structures placed all around. Originally, these structures were created by indigenous people who hiked up to the area and left a stone that they had carried with them in this spot. Now, most of the structures are made by tourists...but it still is quite a site to see. I made it back to Arequipa around 6pm, completely exhausted and ready to relax before the next leg of the journey which begins the next morning with a flight to Cusco.

Friday, May 2
I spent most of the day Friday walking around Arequipa, taking pictures of various churches and monuments in the city. I also picked up a new day pack for my 5 day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. In the afternooon I visited the Museo Santury that houses Juanita, the most famous of the Inca mummies that was found near the summit of Ampato, one of the volcanoes in the area. Juanita was surprisingly well preserved and is currently being kept in a glass box at -20 degrees Celcius with 90% humidity. The tour of the Museo Santury did not allow cameras or photos of any kind, so unfortunately I don't have any pics to share. I returned to the hostel after the tour and decided to take a one day trip to Colca Canyon. Colca Canyon, it is said, is the second deepest canyon in the world (3191m), with the only deeper canyon being nearby Cotahuasi Canyon. The only bad part about putting myself on the list to go is that the bus leaves for the canyon at 2am.

Tacna & Arequipa, Peru

Wednesday, April 30
ben and i, along with two brits we had met in san pedro de atacama (edward, aka "woody", and luke), grabbed a morning bus to arica, basically a border crossing town just south of the peruvian border. from there the four of us grabbed a colectivo (a stunningly beautiful taxi) to ferry us across the border and into the town of Tacna. we spent the night in tacna eating and having a couple brews with our british buddies and then turned it in early as we had to get up at 4am to catch our next transport to Arequipa.

Thursday, May 1
we arrived in Arequipa and checked into our hostel, which is located just outside of town in a small suburb called Vallecito. the hostel itself has seen better days (when we arrived it looked like a scene straight out of animal house), but is in a very nice area and only a 10 minute walk from the central plaza of Arequipa. since our room was not available yet, ben and i headed out to see the city. Arequipa is called "the white city" for the volcanic rock that was used to construct many of the buildings in the area. we explored the Plaza de Armas and the huge cathedral on its north side, the Iglesia de La Merced, the Monasterio Santa Catalina, and finally another suburb just northwest of the city called Yanahuara. the Monasterio Santa Catalina was incredible. it takes up a entire city block (over 5 acres) and is literally a city within a city. we spent a couple hours winding our way through the numerous streets, alleys, and maze-like rooms.

Friday, May 2
after finishing this email i will head off to explore some other sites in the city, with my main interest being the Museo Santur, which houses several well preserved mummies who are said to be child sacrifices from over 500 years ago. we will be here in Arequipa until sunday morning and then are off for Cuzco. i cant wait for that leg of the trip as i have decided to join a 5 day / 4 night trek from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. as luck has it, a girl from Montreal that i met in San Pedro de Atacama (Jodi) is traveling with a friend who has decided not to do the trek to Machu Picchu. so, im hoping to take her place. i will then catch back up with ben in Ecuador sometime around May 14th.

signing off for now.

Iquique, Chile

Saturday, April 26
we survived the hottest bus ive ever been on and arrived in iquique on saturday night. we ended up traveling with two guys we met in san pedro de atacama, ronan (irish) and will (british), who are a riot. it turned out that we were all staying at a great hostel right near the main beach of the city. we took it fairly easy saturday night, just grabbing some food and hanging around the bar/restaurant to enjoy the surprisingly good 80s rock band....they were killing it with Lionel Richie; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Journey and others. iquique, as it turns out, was a great spot to relax for a few days and catch our breath. the town is up and coming, and it hopes to become the major beach attraction in chile....however, it has a ways to go. but, the beaches are nice and there is some good surf...although the water is absolutely freezing.

Sunday, April 27
on sunday we walked around the city looking for the different paragliding excursions and checking out the various churches and other monuments in the city. when we returned to the hostel we found that several other irish travelers were staying there as well...it was actually 8 of the craziest girls i have ever met (two of whom ended up being friends on ronan, our fellow irish traveler). it turned out to be a great find. we had been told that sunday was incredibly slow and that we would not find anything going on in town. so, we proceeded to entertain ourselves with food and booze, until around midnight when one of the staffers of the hostel recommended that we head out to a karaoke bar in town. about 15 of us (brits, irish, dutch, and ben and i) arrived at the karaoke bar to find 5-7 locals sitting in the bar area just relaxing. we quickly changed that and took over the mic. we proceeded to make complete fools of ourselves (and our respective countries) for the next hour until the bar filled up with locals who, in turn, grabbed the mic from our gringo hands. a little while later, the karaoke bar turned into a disco and then continued to go back and forth between the two roles until we realized that we were the only people left in the bar...around 5:30am.

Monday, April 28
i spent the majority of the day at the huge duty free zone just north of town and then at the beach. it was great to not do much and relax in this lazy beach town. that afternoon, all of us at our hostel decided to have a bbq and we drank and ate wonderfully for hours. then we decided we would have another go at karaoke and returned to the same bar we had visited the previous night...pretty sure the staff at the bar did everything they could to prevent our entry, but there was no stopping our gringo army. we proceeded to embarrass ourselves once again, with the highlight coming when ronan and will (our irish and british traveling companions) attempted to sing Ice, Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. it might have been okay except for the fact that the karaoke display screens failed to have the lyrics for this song...ronan and will did not have the words memorized and were left standing on the stage with mics in hands with nothing to sing. the crowd was not pleased. once again we shut down the bar, and somehow i ended up being on the last to get a taxi to return to the hostel. when i arrived, i was unable to wake Lalo, our local night watchman, to get him to open the gate. after failed attempts to wake him by throwing rocks at the window, i scaled the 10 feet wall (which was lined on top with arrowhead like spikes) and managed to jump to the other side. this was not the best idea i've ever had and now am dealing with a bone bruise on my left heal that i hope will feel better by the time i get to cuzco to hike to machu picchu.

Tuesday, April 29
tuesday was a recovery day and was spent entirely on the beach. four of the irish girls had left the night before and the remaining four left in the afternoon. very little was accomplished this day and i went to bed early to try and catch up before our bus ride to the Peruvian border on wednesday.

Salta, Argentina (part II) & San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

wednesday morning ben and i set out in our VW Gol and headed north in hopes of getting to the state of Jujuy and visiting Tilcara, Purmamarca, and the Argentinian salt flats. we thought we were following the map and heading north of route 9, which looks to be a straight shot Jujuy, but either the map did not correctly show the path or we ended up on another road. but, the road we ended up taking was well worth the mistake. the road, which I believe was either route 9 or route 34 (its hard to tell since route 9 starts and stops and picks up in different places throughout the region), was incredible. the twisting, turning road (where we could not go much
faster than 30km/h at any time) took us through the mountains and jungles surrounding Salta. we left our windows down and it was like listening to one of those animal sound CDs you can buy...crazy bird calls and other noises that i cant pretend i know the origin of. we definitely found that the road less traveled is well worth the trouble.

we made it to Jujuy a little behind schedule so instead of stopping there, we continue north in hopes of getting to Tilcara to have lunch. the road was under going major construction, which further slowed us down, but i was able to make up some time on the paved sections by cruising at 140km/h....pretty sure the VW Gol was not made to hit those speeds...ive never heard or felt a car shake like that. we got within about 10km of Tilcara when traffic came to a stand still. from where we were it looked like an accident with a car on fire about 200 meters up the road. ben got out to see what was happening and came back a few minutes later with the news that the road was blocked from side to side with several cars by some locals who were apparently not happy about something. they had also started a fire on the side of the road. after hanging around for a bit, watching the lines of cars continuously grow on both sides of the road block, we decided to give up and make our way to Purmamarca.

we arrived in Purmamarca without incident and were treated to the incredible site of the Cerro de los Siete Colores, which is a series of mountains and hills next to this incredibly small town that displays layers upon layers of natural colors. it was hard to imagine that this phenomenon could occur naturally. we hiked around the area for a while, taking in this gift of nature, and then bought some local meets and bread to take with us to the salt flats. the slat flats, while only being about 50km away from Purmamarca, took a while to get to because of the incredible ascent and swtichbacks that we necessary to conquer in order to climb the Andes. on the way to the salt flats we reached a high of 4170m above sea level. but, the car successfully got us to the Argentinian salt flats knowns as Salinas Grandes. for those of you who havent visited a salt flat, it is difficult to describe. it is an endless desert of white that is so bright and blinding that it is difficult to see and make out anything. we hung around for a while, taking pictures and enjoying our lunch, before climbing back in the car to head back towards Salta. because of the road conditions we were not able to make any stops on the way back to Salta. we had to return the car before the company closed since we had a 7am bus the next morning.

thursday morning we climbed in the double decker bus for our trip to San Pedro de Atacame in northen Chile. along the way we picked up what looked like to be a high school soccer team. ive never seen such an ordeal. i think the entire town came out to send these guys off and it took almost 2 hours to load them and their luggage. the bus, which was supposed to arrive in San Pedro at 4pm, ended up arriving at 7pm, thanks to the soccer team and some other delays we encountered at the Argentinian and Chilean border crossings. but, we made it. we also were able to find space at a great hostel near the center of town.

friday we spent the first part of the day checking out our new spot. starting at 3pm, we climbed about a bus with about 20 others for a tour through several valleys, mountains, and rock formations in the area, including Valle de Marte, Valle de la Muerte, Tres Marias, and Valle de la Luna. at the last stop, Valle de la Luna, we stopped for about 40 minutes to watch and enjoy the sunset. it is called a lunar sunset here, and for good reason. the landscape could not be described as terrestrial. we returned to San Pedro at about 7:30pm only to leave again at 9:30 to head to the middle of the desert to observe the stars . this late night excursion may be the highlight of
my trip up to this point. we arrived at the observatory (a small house in the middle of the desert surrounded by 8 fantastic telescopes) before the moon had risen and were treated to indescribable views of the milky way several other star clusters and galaxies that im embarrassed to say whose names ive already forgotten. we were then treated to the fantastic view of the moon rising over the Andes which was soon followed by Jupiter. there was also 2 telescopes pointed at Saturn, which were so strong and the sky so clear that we were able to make out the shadow of the rings on the planet. a little later in the night we were able to make out 6 signs of the zodiac, clearly layed out in a path from one end of the horizon to the other. it is easy to see now how ancient people came to think that these stars had incredible meaning and power. i wish i could write more about our experience last night, but all of it still has not sunk in with me yet. plus, i need to get going to catch our next bus which leaves in about an hour to Iquique, another city in northern Chile, but right on the beach. it is supposed to be the paragliding mecca in south america....cant wait!

Salta, Argentina

in an attempt to continue working on my spanish, the first part of this post is for my spanish speaking friends. i hope i am not butchering the language too badly.

el primer parte de este mensaje es por mi maestra de español en la ciudad de mexico...y mis otros amigos que hablan español.

ahora, ben y yo estamos in salta, en el norteoeste parte de argentina. esta area es increíble y me encanta. salimos de buenos aires en domingo y llegó a salta con bien clima. pero, cuando me desperté el lunes por la mañana, el clima era malo. simplemente no tenemos buena suerte con la clima. increíble! el lunes caminamos en la ciudad y fuimos a cerro san bernardo para grandes vistas de la ciudad. también compramos nuestros boletos para ir a san pedro de atacama (chile). vamos allí el jueves.

el martes, alquilamos un coche y manejamos de salta a cafayate. la camino fue magnífico! los colores de las rocas y las formaciones fueron sorprendentes. nosotros comemos en cafayate y visitamos dos bodegas de vino. yo recomiendo el torrontes a las personas que gustan el vino blanco.

voy a tratar de seguir escribiendo un poco en español, pero no siempre tengo mucho tiempo para escribir....y es mas facil para mi a escribir en ingles.

besos y abrazos.


now, for the english version.

last saturday night ben and i decided that we should get out of the city for a couple reasons. first, the smoke was still not going anywhere and it really took away from the sites of the city and the enjoyment of being outside. second, the weather in salta was supposed to be gorgeous...and continue to be so for at least the next week. finally, the boca fútbol game we wanted to go to got moved up to saturday night without us knowing (boca beat newell's 2-1).

so, sunday we headed for salta. we arrived in the northwest part of argentina to clear, sunny skies. finally, the traveling and weather spirits were with us...or so we thought. we woke up monday morning to a severly overcast day. we spent the day exploring the city and organizing the next leg of our journey. one of the places we went in the city was cerro san bernardo, a large hill on the edge of town that offers great views of the city and surrounding area. by the time we got to the top of cerro san bernardo, the weather had cleared a bit and allowed us pretty good views. salta reminds me a little of mexico city in that it is a sprawling city surrounded by mountains. later in the day we bought our bus tickets to go to san pedro de atacama in northern chile for thursday morning. finally, we decided to rent a car for tuesday and wednesday so we could venture outside the city and see places that have come highly recommended to us by friends.

tuesday morning we set out for cafayate in our VW Gol (the latin american version of the 3-door hatchback called the Golf). it turned out to be much cheaper to rent this car (that comes with unlimited mileage...nice!) than to do the buses and tours to get to the areas and places we wanted to see. the drive from salta to cafayate will be one of the defining moments of the trip. it was truly breath taking. as you leave salta with its fresh green mountainsides and lush farmlands, you enter the quebrada de cafayate...an area of expansive reddish-brown sandstone that over time has come to resemble the landscape of another planet. massive amounts of rain over thousand of years have created incredible formations in the rock...including formations known as the devil's throat, the amphitheater, the toad, the friar, and the castles...to mention a few. having our own car allowed us to stop at all these site and many others along the way, providing us with incredible views that words and even pictures cannot accurately describe or portray. we arrived in cafayate around 1pm and walked around the small, quite town. as we entered the various craft markets we were offered figs, nuts, sweet wines from the region...all
of which were outstanding. we had a great lunch of empanadas, humitas (similar to a tamale and made out of cheese, onions, corn, pumpkin, and spices), and locro (a spicy meat stew that includes beans, onions and other vegetables). afterwards, we visited two of the local wineries (of which there must have been at least 6 in this very small, sleepy town). the northwest region of argentina, including cafayate, is known for a particular white wine they produce called torrontés. for lovers of white wine, i highly recommend it. the drive back to salta was just as amazing as the drive to cafayate, despite being the exact same path. simply coming from the opposite direction changed the vantage point of the landscape so much that it was as if we had never driven the road before. we also decided to stop off at dique cabra corral, a massive lake about 40km south of salta. companies and brochures claim to have 'extreme sports' here, including bungee jumping, jet skiing, and other water sports. we left quite disappointed after seeing the single jet ski (probably 15 years old), the 12 foot high water slide (that currently directed riders into an empty pool...not even the lake), and the fairly pedestrian 75 foot tall bridge from which you could bungee jump.

right now it is about 8:45am on wednesday morning and we are going to drive north to explore the jujuy region, including purmamarca (with its cerro de los siete colores) and the argentinian salt flats. tomorrow morning we head for northern chile. i will write more again when i can get in front of a computer.

ciao!

Iguazu & Buenos Aires (part III), Argentina

we got back to buenos aires last night after spending 3 days in iguazu. iguazu is a town located in the very northeast corner of argentina and is on the border of both brazil and paraguay. the reason to visit this area is for the amazing waterfalls. unfortunately it was raining the first 2 days we were there, but not knowing if the weather would improve, ben and i ventured out to the national park that encompasses the falls on the argentinian side of the border. the first day we explored the catwalk to what is known as the garganta del diable, an area where several rivers come together and plunge down a semicircular cliff about 75m high. the sights and sounds were incredible. with the rain and the constant mist created from the falling water, it was difficult to get good pictures and to keep my camera dry, but we did what we could. while walking back from the garganta del diablo we heard that a women's body had recently been discovered a few kilometers down stream from these falls. no one knows what happened, but the last place people can place this woman was on the catwalks to garganta del diablo, about a week prior to the discovery of her body.

the next day we visited the national park again....and it was still raining. we cant seem to catch a break on the weather. we decided to do a tour that include a truck trip through parts of the jungle and a boat tour through the falls. the truck part of the tour was pretty disappointing, only seeing a few toucans and no other wildlife. but, the toucan is an amazing bird that can only truly be appreciated if you see it in person. the boat portion of the tour was more exciting as it drove us right up to several of the falls, including Salto Bossetti, Salto Bernabé Mendez, Salto San Martín, and Salto Tres Mosqueteros. Unfortunately the water level did not allow us to get
very close to Garganta del Diablo. I attempted to take pictures with my camera in a plastic bag, but Im not sure if there are going to be any good. The boat tour also include passes directly beneath Salto Tres Mosqueteros and Salta San Martín. I think I have some good pictures of other boats doing this that I will send later so you get a better idea of exactly what this involved. after the boat tour, we walked all the trails throughout the national park getting great views of all the falls from different vantage points. we were also hoping to get a glimpse of the wildlife that live in this part of the jungle (jaguars, armadillos, deer, monkeys) but only saw a few birds and the argentinian version of a racoon.

friday morning we had planned to sleep in a bit to catch up on some much needed rest. just like in el chalten, the weather had improved just when we were getting ready to leave. the sun was out, the skies were bright blue, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. with weather like this, i couldnt resist going out one last time to the falls. ben stayed behind so i ventured out with a canadian girl that i had run into in el calafate about a week earlier. we left our hostel at about 10:15am and i was supposed to be back by 12:15 to begin our journey back to BA. we got to the national park and missed the train that takes you to garganta del diable. so we decided to quicky go view salto san martín. the change in scenery with the improved weather was incredible. the 2 prior days were so drab and colorless, and now with the sun out, everything seemed so enhanced. we took a couple of quick pictures and ran back to the train station...only to see the train pulling away. so we decided to walk the 2.5km to the start of the catwalks for garganta del diablo...which turned out to be a treat as we came upon a family of capuchin monkeys crossing the train tracks. it made the walk well worth it. we arrived at the start of the catwalks to the falls at about 11:40 and the sign posted said the next train back to the center of the park left at 12, so i ran to the falls to get pictures with hopes of returning in time for the train. we got to the falls and i quickly enjoyed the amazing view. with the sun out, it was much easier to make out the falls and i was able to really appreciate this wonder of nature. but, i could not stay long. i ran back towards the train as fast as possible, knocking aside tourists from all parts of the world who were incessantly clogging the catwalks to videotape meaningless parts of the river. i showed up at the train station to the disappointing news that the train left early....early!!! that is a word and phenomenon that until this point i did not believe was understood in argentina. as the next train was not set to depart until 12:30, i began the 2.5km run back to the center of the park. as it had rained for the past 2 days, the path along side the train tracks was not in the least bit solid and when i finally dragged my sweaty self onto the concrete path at the final train stop, i was covered in mud from the waist down. needless to say, the bus driver on the bus i had to take to return to the hostel was not pleased with me, my appearance, or the incredible amount of mud i deposited in his vehicle. but, to be able to see the true colors of the falls and the family of monkeys, made the quick trip worth all the effort.

so we had some difficulties getting back to BA last night due to some massive fires in the area. the domestic airport in BA was shut down for several hours yesterday because the fires had created so much smoke it made it impossible for planes to land. thankfully, the winds changed enough so that we could land at the airport, but the air quality here is making it difficult for us to want to stay. but, with a big Boca fútbol game on Sunday, we have decided to stick it out at least through the weekend. there is a dispute as to exactly who/what started the fires. the government is claiming that the farmers stared the fires (which are about 12km outside the city) because of the recently increased export tax on beef. the farmers claim that it was not them....but we have also heard that the farmers have said they started the fires to clear weeds from their pasture lands...not sure how that really makes sense. regardless, the city is completely covered in a heavy layer of smoke that permeates everything. we have heard the winds are supposed to change and that the city should clear up in the next few days...hopefully in time for our Boca game tomorrow.

we are thinking right now that our next stop will be Salta, in the northwest part of Argentina. from there we are hoping to get to a place in northern chile called San Pedro de Atacama and then into the salt flats of Bolivia. alot of this depends on bus schedules and availability, as we have heard rumors of more protests in the area with people placing large boulders on the roads blocking all automobile travel.

more to come soon.

Bariloche & Buenos Aires (part II), Argentina

on saturday, it started raining, but that did not deter ben and i from some more exploring. we rented a car and headed out to the largest ski resort mountain and town in the Bariloche area...called Cerro Catedral. because of the weather, the views of the mountain and town were not great. as we were leaving, we noticed parts of the road had been closed down. we were not told why, only to take an alternate route. about 15 minutes later we found the reason. as i was driving a around a blind curve, out of no where appeared one of the rally cars attempting to pass cars. i slammed the brakes and just barely avoided a head on collision with car #23. we knew the rally car race was going on, but no one told us we would be a part of it. luckily, we escaped without damage...however, our eyes were peeled for the rest of the trip back to Bariloche. we spotted several other rally cars on the road on the way back. who knew that they would actually be racing on the normal streets with everyday traffic. after lunch we made a trip to the northern edge of the lakes to a small town called Villa de Angostura. it is a small ski town located on the edge of another national forest.

on sunday, we took a boat tour to the Parque Nacional de los Arrayanes and Isla Victoria. unfortunately i was having my pictures from my memory card transferred to a CD that day, so i didn´t have my camera with me...but ben did and when i get those pics, they will be included. the day was gorgeous and we got to explore the 2 areas. the Parque Nacional de los Arrayanes features the arrayane tree (i may be saying that wrong) that soaks up some much liquid that it kills surrounding plants and also does not have bark. instead, it has a coffee colored surface that is surpisingly smooth and cool to the touch. the forests of these trees made for a remarkable site. from there we went to Isla Victoria, the largest lake in Parque Nahuel Huapi (in which Bariloche is located). the forest features trees transplanted from all over the world, including the giant sequoias from california.

bariloche is an unbelievable town and one that i will be back to visit. for anyone looking to head south to argentina, this place must be on your list!

today we flew from Bariloche to Buenos Aires and will be here until wednesday morning. we will then be heading up to Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Paraguay in the very northeast corner of Argentina. we cant wait. Iguazu Falls is supposed to be one of those places that you visit and the images and sounds never leave your memory.

Bariloche, Argentina

ben and i arrived in Bariloche on thursday night. apparently this weekend in Bariloche there are a few things going on, which made finding a hostel a little difficult, but we got one. we ended up sharing a four bed dorm room with 2 british girls that we had met in El Calafate. only $13 per person for the night. the hostel (periko's) was actually quite nice and we ended up meeting several people who gave us some good ideas for things do to in the area. in
the past 3 days we have meet tons of travelers and been able to spend time with people from Toronto, Israel, Brazil, England, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Slovenia, Texas and Colorado. its been fantastic to get to know these people and here their stories. many of these are people who i know i will continue to stay in touch with and share our adventures of traveling.

friday we woke up to clear, sunny skies in Bariloche....which apparently was unexpected as the weather for the past week or so has been rainy and very cold. along with the 2 british girls, ben and i took a bus to Cerrro Camponario, a relatively small mountain about 30 minutes from Bariloche. Bariloche is the lake district of Argentinian...and its called that for good reason. Cerro Camponario is right on one of the lakes and has a chair lift that takes people to the top for unbelievable views of the area. while taking pictures and enjoying the view from Cerro Camponario we met a fellow traveler (Jackie from Toronto) who then joined our posse. we left Cerro Camponario and walked about 1km down the road to a bike rental place. there is a bike trek that is 35km and takes you around several lakes and offers several impressive viewpoints as well as mini-excursions to mountain peaks and bays. the 2 british girls had a bus to catch in the afternoon to return to buenos aires, so they went on ahead as ben, jackie (the Toronto traveler), and i set out to tackle Circuito Chico (the name of the 35km trek). along the way we stopped at several spots to enjoy view, walk around, and have lunch. the entire trek took us around 5 hours and was well worth the pain i am feeling know.

we returned to Bariloche friday night to find the start of a 3 day car rally that begins in Bariloche. i think every person in Bariloche showed up for the introduction of the racers, packing the streets to the max and requiring desperate onlookers to climb telephone poles and awnings to get views of the cars. it was quite a site. today we are hoping to rent a car and do some more exploring of the lakes and surrounding areas...maybe include a visit to a volcano and waterfall. so far the weather is holding, so we will try to get in our outdoor activities while we can here.

El Chalten (part II) & El Calafate (part II), Argentina

well, the weather did improve a bit. we woke up tuesday morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground. we started our hike to see the Fitz Roy peak around 9:30 in the morning and while it was a little cold, we were dry!!! the snow continued to fall throughout the day, giving our hike and the scenery a very surreal feel. its still hard for me to comprehend that we are down here....its like sleep walking but with so much more colors, smells, and sights. we hiked for about 2.5 hours to a lookout point called poncenot, from which you can see the Fitz Roy on a clear day. unfortunately, the snow and clouds prevented that. but, we were still able to make out the piedra blanca glacier as it was slowly making its way down the mountainside. quite a site! the snow also had fallen enough to cover the path to the lago de los tres and the other lookout point for Fitz Roy, so we hiked on for a bit further to try to get a better view of the piedre blanca glacier....we really didnt get much closer...just a little colder. we decided to turn back around 1pm to ensure we would make it back to El Chalten in time for our 6pm bus back to El Calafate. the snow was still falling as we headed back and there must have been 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground by this time. as we neared El Chalten, we came upon a towering spire of rock that made for a great picture opportunity. however, we got an additional treat when 2 patagonian condors arrived and treating us to an amazing aerial show. we arrived back in town after our 6 hour, 24km hike quite exhausted, but feeling great about our day. in El Chalten we were also able to book our glacier hikes for the next day in El Calafate. i decided to do the 7 hour trek through the glacier while ben opted for the 1.5 hour mini-trek. we couldnt wait. as we boarded our bus for El Calafate, the skies cleared just to tease us and tempt us to stay another night to try to get a view of Fitz Roy. we decided against it and jumped on the bus. over the past day and a half, we had hiked over 35km in rain, sleet, and snow....and i was never colder than i was on that 4 hour bus ride back to El Calafate. it was incredible....the driver pushed cold air out of all the vents the entire time...leaving ben and i to shiver as we tried to sleep and forget about the pain we were in. we arrived in El Calafate around 10:30pm and the snow was falling there as well. we went out for a late night dinner at Rick's, an all you can eat buffet of the finest meats argentina had to offer...and we definitely took advantage. the beef, lamb, salchica, and chorizo were out of this world and ben and i stayed until they kicked us out. and, all for 39 pesos (about $13).

we woke up thursday morning and the snow was still coming down. left for the big ice trek only to arrive at the glacier with over 3 feet of snow on the ground. this prevented us from hiking on the glacier where we normal would have, but we did get a chance to see a small waterfall and then join up with the mini-trekkers and do the 1.5 hour hike on the glacier. because of the immense amounts of snow (it continued coming down all day...i havent see it snow like this since Mammoth '06) it made it difficult to see the glacier and a little dangerous to be walking on it. but, with our fearless guides and our crampons (the mettle spike treads attached to our shoes), we were able to see some incredible blue ice of the perito moreno glacier. during my hike i made some great friends. perry family, you are not going to believe this. i met a guy named evan reider (or reeder) from dartmouth who graduated the same year as paige. he sang in an acapella group called the Airs and he thinks he stayed out our house in RSF. unbelievable! i also met a great brit named John who has been traveling for the past 8 months with his girlfriend through Russia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, India, and now South America (what a life!!!). upon returning to El Calafate after our hike, ben and i met up with john, his girlfriend (lucy), a brazilian girl they met in ushuia (fabiana), a guy from new york who had just been layed off by yahoo (anthony), and two other british girls (rebecca and vicki) for some drinks and a return trip to Rick's for another stuffing of argentinian delights. ben, john, and i then made the unwise decisions to bring 2 bottles of mendoza red wine with us back to the hostel and drink them until about 3:30 in the morning. poor john had a 8am bus this morning to puerto notales in chile to get to torres del paine national park. ben and i are hurting and had to check out of our hostel by 10am this morning. still not thinking real straight. we fly to bariloche this afternoon and we are hoping we can find a hostel since we have made no reservations. but, it shouldnt be a problem...at least thats what we hear from the various people we've met who have come from that area.

patagonia has been unbelievable and my only regret is that we dont have more time to explore the landscape. it is amazing how so little can be so remarkably beautiful and breathtaking. i cant wait to send pictures.

El Chalten, Argentina

Monday:
Today we took an 8am bus from El Calafate to El Chalten, which took about 4 hours on a largely unpaved road. The ride itself was quite interesting though because we stopped about half way at a place called La Leona which is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out for about a month in 1905 after robbing a bank in Chile. We arrived in El Chalten (a town with 600 year round residents) around noon and after checking into our hostel immediately set out to try to see one of the famous peaks in the area, Cerro Torre. The weather continued to be bad and we had to do the 3+ hour hike in the rain and wind. But, it was well worth it. The colors are amazing, with the leaves being shades of yellow, orange, and red. However, we were unable to see Cerro Torre as the fog, rain, and clouds engulfed the valley and blocked all views. We are now settled into our hostel and Im attempting to get this email out on an internet connection that took 17 minutes to connect to my Gmail. So, I am not even going to try to send pictures from here. The internet connection in El Calafate isn't any better, so the pictures will probably have to wait until we get to Bariloche, around April 10th.

Tomorrow we will hopefully hike to a spot where we can see the most famous peak in the area, Fitz Roy, named after the captain of the Beagle, on which Darwin was the naturalist. It is an 8 hour hike, so we hope the weather improves a bit. Tomorrow night we will be returning to El Calafate. On Wednesday, I will be attempting the Big Ice trek on the most famous glacier in Patagonia, Perito Moreno. It is a 7 hour hike through the glacier and it is supposed to be unforgettable. Hopefully we will have better weather when we get back to El Calafate.

The only disappointment I've had so far is not being able to see the Final Four. However, I am happy to miss those games in order to see and do what we have the past few days. I will write more when I can and will send pictures when I am able.

El Calafate, Argentina

Saturday:
We flew from BA to El Calafate, which is in the southern part of Argentina. We stayed in a great hostel that was full of backpackers. We ended up having dinner with a friend of my sister's who happened to be traveling through El Calafate with her boyfriend (Meredith and Patrick). Small world story - Ben, who I am traveling with, grew up 5 minutes from Patrick in Los Angeles. Of course they never met in LA, but ran into each other in the southern tip of Argentina.

Sunday:
Ben and I did an all day boat tour on Lago Argentina, which I believe is the largest lake in South America. The weather was very wet and cold and it only stopped raining for about 10 minutes all day. Regardless, it was an incredible trip and we got to see glaciers that are larger than the city of Buenos Aires. We were also lucky enough to witness several huge pieces of ice breaking off from the glacier and crashing into the lake below. It is an incredible site. Sunday night we met up with Meredith and Patrick again for drinks and dinner at a fantastic place that was half book store and half restaurant/bar.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ben and I are having an unbelievable time down here. I have fallen in love with the country and am starting to fall in love with the language. While being quite different from the Spanish I learned for the past 6 months in Mexico City, it is beautiful (lo siento mis amigos de D.F.). Here is a brief recap of what we have been doing the past few days.

Thursday:
Ben and I had a great steak dinner in Puerto Madero which is on the river in Buenos Aires. We stuffed ourselves on empanadas, black sausage, fanstastic beef, and argentinian wine from mendoza. We explored several parts of the city as well, including the area near the river in Puerto Madero and Florida street in the center of the city. Florida is a pedestrian only street that has tons of restaurants and shops, most of which sell leather goods.

Friday:
In the morning we explored San Telmo which is a very historic area of the city. We had a great lunch there and then headed back to our hostel where we meet up with a guide to take us to a futbol game between Velez and Racing. The game was at the Velez stadium on the western edge of Buenos Aires. On the way to the match, our guide (a young guy named Santiago) told us all about Argentinian soccer, including how the mafia runs the fan base for all of the teams. Because of this, there is sporadic violence at the stadiums. Three weeks ago at the Velez stadium a Velex fan was shot and killed before the game against San Lorenzo. So, when we arrived at the stadium, there were various signs memorializing the man who was named Emmanuel. There was no violence at our game, although it was quite intense. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. After the game, we went to have dinner
in Palermo Soho. We were not able to get a table until about 12:30 and the place stayed packed all night. We ended up meeting a couple local Argentinians who actually thought I was a local. Apparently my hair and the pathetic facial hair Im growing is giving me a good latin american look. We ended up drinking there until 5am, which probably wasnt the best idea since we had a flight the next morning. But, we made some friends and hope to meet back up with them when we return to BA.

South America Arrival

so i have finally made it to south america. my buddy ben and i arrived in buenos aires yesterday morning. we spent yesterday getting ourselves familiarized with the area we are staying in for the next few days.

today we have spent the day walking through the city center and through an area called recoleta. this city is gorgeous. tomorrow afternoon we will be going to a soccer match between Velez and Racing....can´t wait.

on saturday we will be heading south to el calafate to explore patagonia and do some hiking in and on the glaciers. when i can, i will send pictures and more updates.