Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Return of the TongMaster

With such good weather since we have been back, it's no surprise that one of our first purchases has been a brand new spanking BBQ. And it is no rickety Argos cheapo like we got for Rich & Titch's place back in London (though you can't expect much for £50). This is the Broil King Royal 1, somewhat more expensive, but with a lifetime guarantee. Tom & Rae bought the same model (we got a discount for buying two) and we took theirs for a test drive last night, the BK putting on a great spread. I'm looking forward to getting ours up this weekend (moving day tomorrow) and getting that tong-grip back into shape.
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge 2007

Well, maybe hell isn't so bad after all....

As I certainly expected to go there on Saturday. As most of you will know I once again made the crazy decision to compete in the 160km ride around Lake Taupo less than three weeks after returning in the country. In fact, this attempt was even crazier than in 2004, as not only had I not been on a bike in four months, but I also been filling myself out on Argentinian steak and Malbec and had a base fitness of zero.

And the early signs were not good. Picking up the bike on the day we flew back into Auckland from Santiago, the 11km ride back to Rae & Tom's place on the North Shore was much more difficult than it really should have been. But I toughed it out like the stubborn GrandMaster you know me to be, getting on the bike in each of the first five days we were back. But despite the belligerence, I was having serious doubts that maybe I was going too far this time. Last weekend was a big test, heading up to the top of the Waitakeres and back to complete a 100km ride, and though it was in no way easy (the body was very sore for the second half of the ride), completing it did help to repair the confidence. I also managed to follow this up with a 60km ride on the Sunday, hoping that I would have been able to convert 160km over two days the preceding weekend into 160km in one day a week later. Of course, distractions didn't help the preparations either. While it was great having Mike & Iris up for the weekend, the seven pints I had at Galbraiths the night before my 100km probably wasn't. And I am sure Lance never had four pints, a large glass of wine and a dram the Wednesday night before the big event. But then Lance didn't have Tom to lead him astray either....

So driving down to Taupo on Friday, there was no disguising the trepidation I was feeling about the next day. Though I did have the wisdom gained from the training-less ride from three years a go - food, food, and more food. So the reunion with Stu and the rest of the Clan that night was interspersed with quantities of pasta not normally seen outside a Sicilian wedding. Of course, we also couldn't break with training habits - Stu, Steven and I enjoying three beers as we put the legs up (Stu bringing me some choice selections of NZ beers that have brewed their way onto the shelves since I have been away).

After going to bed with the reassuring knowledge that Jim had told us that we wouldn't have any rain the next day, it was somewhat disconcerting hearing the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the roof once I had turned the drone of the alarm off at 6am. But the show must go on, and we dragged ourselves out of bed and started each of our routines for getting prepared - all very different. Stevens banana and maple syrup on toast for breakfast; Stu, always one for extremes, just taking with him 15 shots of leppin squeezy for sustenance of the ride; and me trying to stuff the contents of a Pak'n'Save pallet into my back pockets. After the usual fluffing about, it was of somewhat a relief to us all that we could put the jackets away, with the drizzle having pitter-pattered itself away elsewhere leaving what turned out to be perfect conditions for riding - nice a cool and dead calm.

Cruising down the hill to join the other 10,000 riders at the start line, little did we know that the Clan Father himself was knocking on our door wondering where we had got to. Fortunately I am just a member of the Clan, and not a son of our patriarch, and not the one who said Dave would have left to go down to the start line already. But I didn't have much luck down there either. Obviously not wanting me to be sitting on their wheel around the Lake, Stu and Steven gave me the slip and I found myself heading towards the back of the queue with the type of riders I would normally pay scorn on, but who I was now hoping wouldn't leave me for dead at the first climb.

After crawling up the start line, the wait was finally over and the ride had begun. The first 20kms is generally always the toughest - a slow but consistent climb of 300m while your heart rate hasn't had the chance to settle yet. And though I wasn't charging along, it was very frustrating being surrounded by other riders who didn't understand the benefits of trying to ride in a group or using the downhills. Nevertheless, no one was more surprised than myself to see that at the 80km mark only 2hr40mins has passed on the clock. I wasn't feeling great, but I wasn't near passing out like three years previous, and I also had the knowledge that the second half is easier than the first. And over the second half I seemed to feel stronger and stronger. After the climb over the Kuratau Hill, there is only the infamous Hatepe Hill left and a lot of flat riding around the eastern bays of Lake Taupo. The key here is find a good group and I managed to imbed myself in the middle of a huge pack that, while it wasn't going, made that section of the ride a hell of a lot easier. With 30kms to go and only Hatepe Hill as the only challenge left, I brought out the secret weapons - sugar and caffeine. I knocked the top off my bottle of flat coke and shot back my caffeine gel, and they certainly did the trick, as I felt better going up Hatepe that the time when I did have a training base, passing plenty of riders who must have had hours of training over me. After rewarding myself with a Mars Bar at the top, I let the sugar and caffeine take me home, finding a new source of energy and charging home over the last 25kms at nearly 40kph. Charging over the final 2kms, I got plenty of stares from riders I was passing as I was practically chuckling to myself, incredulous at how good I felt.

Crossing the line in the ridiculous time of 5hr18min, I can't remember having felt so good at the end of such an event. And I still can't believe it now. That is only 10 minutes slower than the first time I did the ride with months of training under my belt, and nearly half an hour faster than my previous effort with no training - though that time I collapsed on the grass and couldn't move, this time I could have jumped back on the bike (though I think that was more in spirit than in body). Of course, the conditions were definitely a factor. You couldn't help but hear other riders around the finish talking about how they had had a personal bests. But this in no way should take away from the achievements of my fellow Clan members. After five previous attempts, Steven and Dave both managed to not only break the 6 hour mark, but smash it. Steven bettering his previous best time by 50 minutes -coming in at 5hr12min, and the Clan Father making it in at 5hr38min - I wouldn't mind being able to do that at 69! But Stu was the star of the day for me, flying around in a blistering 4hr46min.

So there were plenty of grins around the dinner table that night, and where all the talk is usually of whether or not each of us will do it next year, it was how we could go faster next year. Though it would be hard to believe we could get conditions any better. And to celebrate, we told many tales from the course over some more beers and a little whiskey until the early hours of the morning.

Leaving Taupo the next day on a bright and hot sunday (there were a few sighs of relief that we weren't riding out on that morning), I paused to think that I will be back here in just over three months for entirely greater challenge - the Ironman. Now that I've got my cycling legs back, I just need to do the same for the swimming and the running. I've still got a fair bit of weight to lose though, and fitness to gain. But I can't dismiss the huge lift this ride has done for my confidence.

Monday, November 12, 2007

It's a big....task

Can this man complete an Ironman in three and a half months? Stayed tuned to this channel to find out....
P.S. Obviously I hope to have given birth to the twins - Malbec and Bife de Chorizo - before then.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Dieciséis & Ultimo

It’s taken me a while to post the final blog for the South American Chronicles, but it is so exciting being back in NZ it has been hard to find the time. OK, that’s not true, but lets get back to those last fond memories….

It was our last night in Argentina, and what else could possibly be on the agenda than one final Argentinean steak. Though, after treating ourselves to such fine food over the past couple of days, we restricted ourselves to sharing one (massive) Bife de Chorizo. And we were very pleased with our last steak, as it was one of the better Bife de Chorizos we had had.

After a bit of a late night – we only stayed out to 4am, but the bar at the hostel we were staying at, that we were told closed at 2am, kicked on to 6am – we had to get up in the morning to say farewell to Argentina and face the border crossing with Chile once again. And if we thought it was bad three days earlier trying to get into Argentina, it was much worse going the other way. In all, we spent a ridiculous five hours at the border, most of that just sitting in the queue. It was so bad that I actually saw they had a big news bulletin on it the next night. Despite the slowness of the passport control queues (you have to go through both the Argentinean emigration and the Chilean immigration), it is the baggage check that Chile goes through that really slows you down. You would think that with it being the last day of a long weekend where half of Chile went over to Mendoza they would put more than one person on to check all the bags of people traveling on buses and minivans! And then the bag check is ridiculous anyway, as I forgot that I had my backpack at my feet and it never got checked - so what’s the point if they are going to be so useless about it? The only one who looked like he had any brains in the whole outfit was the one with ‘Detective’ on his jacket – and that was the drug-sniffer dog. So after a frustrating day spent waiting high up in the Andes we finally made our back into Chile, the only benefit of the delay being the sunset over all the vineyards as we headed towards Santiago.

Generally, Santiago itself isn’t talked up much, and we only had the one night and the next day there before we flew back to NZ. But after our short time there, we think it doesn’t deserve its bad rap. We found it to be a pretty cool and chilled out city, one where you could easily relax in the good restaurants, bars and cafes that are about. Our last day was beautifully sunny and hot – which always helps – and we had a casual day wandering around the city. There aren’t a lot of tourist sites, but there are plenty of nice areas to just hang out. In the morning we climb up the Cerro Santa Lucia, a 70m high cone of volcanic rock right in the heart of the city, offering superb views of Santiago’s setting right at the base of the Andes, surrounded by mountains and hills and peppered with these volcanic cones of differing heights. Santiago also has some very impressive architecture (Mike, you would be creaming your jeans around here), with what seems to be buildings of every era amidst some impressive skyscraper design. On a high from a Starbucks coffee (sounds lame I know, but it seemed an oasis when we spied it across the road) and sushi for lunch, we had a casual afternoon, not doing too much except taking in the city.

This last afternoon finished most bizarrely however. After spending three months backpacking around South America, we found ourselves relaxing in the plush surroundings of the Santiago Ritz Carlton. By way of explanation, I had been in search of a particular beer – those of the Szot microbrewery – which are the highest rated of Chilean beers. Oddly, the only place to have them in Santiago seems to be either the Sheraton or the Ritz Carlton. So there we were, sitting back in leather chairs in our shorts and sandals, me sipping on the delicious Szot beers and Anna on her Pisco Sours, listening to the sweet sounds of 80s music....I heard more 80s music in Chile and Argentina than I had in a long time. I’m not sure what the fascination is, but it is difficult to picture these Salsa and Tango dancing South Americans grooving away to Simply Red and Tears for Fears (I think I’ve heard enough of that Mick Hucknall to last me a lifetime!).

Our last night in South America finished much in the same spirit of the previous few weeks – gorging ourselves on food and getting drunk. Probably not the best preparation for a 13 hour flight, especially when that flight is delayed five hours! Yes, our ‘luck’ with flying continued right to the end – I worked out that of the 10 flights we had in our journey, only 4 actually went as per schedule (one never left at all). So our last few hours in South America were spent lounging in the Santiago airport, not even being able to make the most of the free food and drink as we had topped out earlier that evening. The only relief being watching the fiery Latin Americans have a go at the poor guys behind the counter and then at each other, and finding out that The Killers were on our same flight and then watching them get more and more pissed as they walked back and forwards from the bar to the smoking lounge.

The flight itself went very smoothly and it probably wasn’t a bad thing touching down back in NZ at 9am rather than 4am. Especially for Tom who came to pick us up! The first few days have felt very strange – made much easier by catching up with Rae & Tom and lots of drinking. We’ve also caught up on all those NZ goodies like Fush’n’Chups, Munce Pies, and the great cafes. We still walk around thinking “where are all the people” (but then see them all sitting in their cars on the motorway). Everyone is so friendly (except when they are in a car again) and we even know what they are saying to us, and the weather has been great. We now just have the fun tasks of finding somewhere to live and returning to work….

What a great three months it was traveling through South America – so many fun times. I can't recommend it to anyone more than enough, especially Argentina, which now battles away with Italy as being our favourite country. I certainly hope we make it back there again.

From my extensive Spanish vocabulary of eight and a half words, this is the South American Chronicles signing off….
Adios
Beer Scene - Chile

As with Argentina, I did have some expectation from the beers that would be on offer in Chile. However, in Chile the quality end of the craft brewing scene was more difficult to get to. This was mostly down to the domination that a few of the bigger craft breweries had over the whole scene - most particularly the Kunstmann Brewery. Not that their success shouldn't be applauded, as it is a welcoming sight to see so many cafes and restaurants offering a craft brewery as the source of their draught beers, rather than a tasteless national brand. But I do think that this might be making it harder for some of the smaller brewers to get their beers out in the public.

Nevertheless, there was plenty of variety on offer in Chile if you searched for it - though there seemed to be less experimentation with different styles than I saw in Argentina. In fact, it wasn't really until my last day in Chile that I was wowed by Chilean beer. And that was due to the magnificent Szot beers. I only had the chance to taste a couple of them, but the Szot Stout has gone down already as one of the finest beers I have ever tasted - it was like drinking black gold. It's a shame they are so difficult to find - I had to go to the Santiago Ritz Carlton to taste these - and even more of a shame that I could only have one.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Beer Scene - Argentina

What a turn up this was. I knew heading south was going to be an improvement on what I had seen and drunk before, but I wasn't quite prepared for the selection and variation of what would be on offer in Argentina.

There are the bigger brands that dominate of course - but even there is quite a bit of competition so that there is some choice. But it is the number and quality of the craft breweries that surprised me, as well as their availability. At many a bar, cafe or restaurant they will have a selection of artesanal cervezas, some more than others. I spent a couple of enjoyable nights at the Antares bar in Buenos Aires, their beers of mixed quality, but the bar itself a very cool and seemingly popular place. But the highlight is most definitely even further south in the Lake District. This is clearly the craft brewing capital on Argentinean with more different breweries than even a commited beer rater like myself could get through. There is a definite German influence in the brewing and I even came across a couple of rauchbiers (smoked beers). And I didn't even get down to the town of El Bolson, where I have been told ever man and his dog brew their own beer. It certainly was a lot of fun trying all the different beers Argentina has to offer and visiting the various brew pubs (like Blest and Berlina) - but best of all, there is plenty of scope for returning and trying many more.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Quince

Just two days now to the big departure, and it is all arriving to fast, as it always does with such things. But we can´t say the three months have gone too fast and there hasn´t much we haven´t done that we wanted to.

So a week ago we departed on the Three Lakes Crossing and did so on a fine and sunny Lakes District morning - much to our relief. It was a bit of a slow start to the day - we had forgot how much we disliked being part of groups - they are so slow to get organised and moving. The highlights of the crossing is of course the three lakes, and it was a pretty awesome way to see them. The first, Lago Nahuel Huapi, is a huge glacier-formed laked, flanked by towering snow-capped peaks and watered by numerous waterfalls after the rainy weather (so there was benefits at least). Anna and I braved the cold and sat up deck for the whole two hour cruise, though frustratingly our fellow voyages seemed more interested in feeding the seagulls than taking in the awesome scenery. I mean, come on people, bloody seagulls are everywhere. But there they all were, taking idiotic photos - or more idiotic video cams - of people holding out crackers to seagulls, and erupting with laughter when a seagull came down and took it. You would think their US$170 would be better donated elsewhere.

After letting the fools head off like lemmings for lunch at the over-priced and rather unappealing buffet, we had our picnic lunch side before departing on what was the highlight of the journey for me. This was the crossing of the very small Lago Frias. This Lake is very remote, and one of the only ways to see it is by this crossing. It is also called the ´Emerald Lake´ on account of its very green waters - apparently caused by the minerals fed into by the waters of the surrounding glaciers. The trip was only 30 minutes, by crossing the still green waters, completed enclosed by the surrounding mountains was unforgettable. And there were no seagulls!

When then had to bus over into Chile, through snow-lined rain forest (a weird combination) before starting the final crossing over Lagos Todos Los Santos. Unfortunately, it was here that they had problems with the boat and we ended up departing over an hour late (Argentina 1 - Chile 0), by which time the weather had turned and we were covered by dark cloud and drizzle (Argentina 2 - Chile 0). It was a real shame, as Todos Los Santos is suppose to be one of the more spectacular lakes in the Chilean Lake District, which green waters and surrounded by three volcanoes. But unfortunately we didn´t have any light to see the waters and the volcanoes were shrouded in cloud. So it was a bit of a disappointing end to the day, but we still enjoyed it.

We spent that night at Puerta Varas, which again is suppose to have great views of a volcano across its lake. But we still got a look around what is a pretty weird area of Chile. Back in the 19th century, about 10000 Germans emigrated to the Chilean Lake District, and their presence is still very obvious. Lots of German architecture and every second street name is Otto-something-or-rather. Every town in the region will also have a German Club (where only German is spoken), a German school, and a Lutheran church - so it is all a bit strange in the middle of South America.

It was big regrets the next morning - and it wasn´t the still dreary weather - when after buying our bus tickets to Valdivia on the Chilean coast, we wandered past a big Oktoberfest tent that had been going on for the past three days. We must have missed it by half a block the night before and now we were due to leave in half an hour. There were some serious thoughts about flagging our bus and staying for another day, but with an ever reducing amount of time left on our trip and had to regrettably leave the Oktoberfest behind.

Valdivia isn´t a huge tourist attraction, and we were mostly using it as a base for exploring the northern part of the Chilean Lake District, but it did have one thing going for it, its seafood. There is a large seafood market there everyday alongside its river (which opens out into the Pacific Ocean), it was an impressive site, especially the huge mussels which were of NZ size (causing much excitement after having been submitted to those pathetic things in Europe). And all around the market are Pelicans, Cormorants, and these huge sea lions, some the size of walruses. Of course, we had to indulge, and in the short time we were in Valdivia we went to the seafood restaurants alongside the market three times - the ceviches being very good.

As I mentioned, from Valdivia we explored the northern part of the Chilean Lake District, hiring a car and heading up there for two nights. Much to our joy, on our drive up there the weather finally started to improve and we got our first glimpse of the renown volcanoes. Along the stretch of the Chilean Lake District there is suppose to be a volcano every 30kms, and now we good see Volcano Villarica towering above the lake of the same name, with another volcano peaking above its shoulder. There are quite awesome sights, perfectly formed conical volcanoes, covered in snow and reflecting off the surrounding lakes. We decided to treat ourselves and spent the two nights in a lakeside cabin, complete with fireplace (which came in handy) and deck overlooking the lake.

The first night we tortured another little car by taking it up into the mountains where there was a natural thermal spring that is open all night. It had two natural rocky pools, one with hot water and one with cold, and we spent a couple of hours hopping between the two - trust me, you needed to go in the cold pool. There was hardly anybody there, and we had the last half an hour or so there completely to ourselves, only the river that runs beside it to keep us company.

The next day we decided it was about time to get ourselves some exercise and planned on making a hike up to three lakes in a nearby National Park. Of course, in typical Sam & Anna fashion we had done no research on what this would involve, or looked at a weather report! So after a late start (it is very hard to get up when you finally have a comfortable bed) and visiting a waterfall on the way in the morning, we didn´t get away on our hike until 1.30pm. But it was warm and sunny and the hike was only suppose to be about a 10km round trip. However, what we didn´t know was that the track would be very muddy and that we would be climbing above the snow line! So after having our picnic lunch halfway up the trail, we still hoped to make it to the first lake, all the time that everybody else was heading the other way, and most were wearing gaiters. Not far from the top of the ridge, the snow that was just covering the track from time to time now was a blanket and there was no more track. It was also at this point that it started to drizzle. There was much umming and arring about whether we should continue, and I finally decided that, ignoring my common sense, I wasn´t going to be defeated by the elements once again. I left the bag and Anna behind and scrambled up a snowy bank, which was more suited to crampons and ice axe than my boots and bare hands. But I was well rewarded, as at the top of the ridge was a narrow alpine lake, surround by the snow and trees and feeding off the cliff in a waterfall. After a couple of quick snaps for posterity sake, I footed back to Anna, mostly sliding back down the aforementioned slope of snow. By this time, the drizzle was now rain and we still had a one and a half hour walk back down to the car in front of us. So we had to negotiate the snow and the mud again, accompanied now by little rivers running down the track. This was a good test for our Goretex jackets and boots - which came out of it really well. By the time we got back to the car though, we were pretty cold and wet - but after settling down in front of our fire back at our cabin we could then reflect on what had been a really good day.

Our final day we spent driving back through the Lake District to Valdivia, where we were catching an overnight bus (in style again, of course) to Santiago. We passed many more picturesque lakes, which would have been even more picturesque if the top of their volcanoes hadn´t been hidden behind cloud again. But is was still enjoyable driving, amidst countryside that has a very strong resemblance to New Zealand, with a lot of the trees, scrubs and ferns looking very similar. Which, I guess, isn´t surprising if you think that millions of years ago these two pieces of land were probably side by side. Arriving back in Valdivia we had time to make a quick drive out to the coast to look over the Pacific Ocean - thinking how strange it is that we would be on the other side of it the same time next week - and one last seafood meal.

Arriving in Santiago, the plan was to jump onto a bus and head across the border again to Mendoza. However, much panic ensued when every bus company or minibus company said they had now free seats to Mendoza that day - and there are a lot of them. It was by chance that we happened to be at a desk of a particular minibus company when they must have decided to put an extra trip on an managed to get ourselves seats. It is a spectacular drive over the Andes, but such enjoyment was cut short when we hit the border crossing. The queue of cars must have stretched for a mile, and though we got to bypass this because we were on a bus/minibus - it still took over two hours to get through! By the time we arrived in Mendoza we were looking forward to dumping our stuff, having a shower and then heading out for some Argentinean steak. We should have known something was up before now, but it wasn´t until we called around for somewhere to stay that we found out that it was a Chilean long weekend and most of Chile comes over to Mendoza. So needless to say, we found it very difficult to find somewhere to stay. We ended up having to take rooms in two different hostels over the three nights we wouldn´t normally stay at.

And now it is our last night in Mendoza, and despite the troubles in getting here we have managed to treat ourselves to good couple of days. Surprisingly Mendoza isn´t a attractive wine town. It is in fact a city, attractive enough in itself with tree-lined streets and many plazas, but most of the actual vineyards are quite far away from the city, and the wineries that are in town are all in what is quite an industrialised area. So, again in typical Sam & Anna fashion, we have ignored the normal touristy things around here like visiting wineries and tours and fine wined and dined ourselves. We have had two of our best lunches ever, yesterday at a restaurant that was voted 7th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine, and today at another which grows all its own produce and ´submitted´us to five courses. We also went to a tasting room where we tasted 10 different wines from the Mendoza region. So while our accommodation hasn´t been up to scratch, we have more than made up for it by food and wine. Though both of us have been feeling very full and have probably added an extra inch or two to stomachs that already didn´t need it. But it is our last few days in Argentina and we are making the most of it (especially when we can convert it back to Pounds - the currency kind that is)!

So tomorrow we head back to Santiago, where I expect we will have to fight the border crossing again, for one night and then one day before flying out on Monday night, arriving back to New Zealand on Wednesday morning, and a whole different world....

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Catorce

The last time I left you I think I was about to be jumping on a bus - Suite Premium again, of course - to San Martin in the Argentinean Lake District. The bus trip went pretty quickly, probably due to the fact that we didn't get any sleep the night before. There wasn't much to see out the bus, the countryside outside of Buenos Aires is incredibly flat, the only features on the landscape being that of a bovine characteristic - but I guess all that steak has to come from somewhere.

So after the 20 hour journey, we were very pleased to see a couple of familiar faces waiting for us at the bus terminal - James & Petra of Salta and Buenos Aires fame. This was of most use to Anna, as it meant she didn't have to carry her manhole-cover to the hostel by herself. San Martin is a quaint little town, seemingly more suited to the Swiss Alps than South American. All log cabins and A-frames, it was a big change from the environments we have been in up to now.

We only stayed at San Martin for two nights, but it felt much longer. The first night, the four of us teamed up with another Aussie couple at out hostel to cook our own BBQ, a nice change from going out all the time. Unfortunately, two Antipodeans and an Englishman were no match for an Argentinean woman as we had to take notes on our to prepare a traditional Parilla. Loss of masculinity aside, we still enjoyed some damn good steak and sausage, and of course the necessary red wine.

The next day we hired a car with James & Petra and went fro a drive out to one of the National Parks. It all started well, it being another stunningly sunny day, driving out into some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed. Incredibly blue lakes surrounded by mountains capped with pure white snow - all so pristine. After a good picnic lakeside, we continued on towards an extinct volcano further along. Anna had been driving up to this point, but now passed the reins onto James. We all laughed when he said he hadn't driven for six months, and everything seemed to be going along fine until a large rock jumped out and bit the front-right tyre of the car - hard to believe I know. The result of this calamity saw us having to change the tyre as the wheel now had a significant dent in it. Nerves a little bit frayed, we enjoyed the rest of the day, though somewhat concerned about what this might add up to. Though fortunately, we needn't be so concerned as the rental guy was really good and the replacement wheel only cost US$50 - a good result considering. Of course, this was cause for much celebration, dining on some local specialities and some local ales.

After our two nights at San Martin, we all traveled down to Bariloche, much more touristy, but the hub of the Argentinean Lake District. Though the town doesn't have the charm of San Martin, it is stunningly set and literally took our breath away when we arrived. The next day was again clear and sunny, and after walking up a nearby hill for some great views, we hired some bikes to ride around the Llau Llau Peninsula. Again we were just amazed by the sheer beauty of the area. After enjoying another great picnic lakeside, we must have tempted fate too much by slapping on the heavy suncream, as no soon as we had set off that out of no where the clear blue sky had been replaced by thick cloud. Fortunately, by the time the worst had set in, we were able to shelter ourselves under the veranda of a roadside kiosk. After about an hour of should we - shouldn't we, we finally gave in and called the bike rental and they rescued us from the freezing rain that had now set in. A shame, but we had still enjoyed the day we were able to get in.

Anna and I had already decided to extend our stay in Bariloche by a couple more nights, so we were hoping that this turn of weather would be brief. Unfortunately, waking up the next morning the rain was heavier and the temperatures even cooler. But fortunately, I had a back up plan. The Lake District of Argentina is blessed with a plethora of craft breweries, and I had spied a couple right next to each other the previous day. So what better option for a rainy day than sit yourself in a couple of brewpubs sampling their wares? The rain persisted, and so did the drinking, and the four of us made the most of a pretty rotten day.

We had already decided that whatever the weather, the next day we would head out and try to accomplish something. We were hoping to do a day trek, but at the very least go for a drive. Unfortunately the weather didn't dawn any better today either. However, we had organised the hire car and drove off down towards another of the National Parks. Again we passed some beautifully set lakes, which we knew were surrounded by mountains, if we could just seem them! After stopping for a picnic lunch, forced inside the car, we had given up on the trek idea by still drove up to the 'Black Glacier' - called so because the top layer of ice is covered with rock and silt. It was very impressive, looking like the glacier was in fact rock rather than ice. Also while we were there, a huge boulder the size of a house decided to detach itself from the mountain side and rolled its way into the lake in front of the glacier. It started with a huge crack and moved with a roar, and must have been a one-in-a-million chance to see. The glacier itself actually made the day and let us forget about the weather, but then we were lucky enough for it to start clearing up, and all the mountains and volcanoes that we unwittingly drove through earlier in the morning were now exposed to us. As I said, just incredible scenery.

So tonight we had to say farewell to James & Petra tonight, great travelling companions over the past couple of weeks - though it isn't long until we will see them again in Auckland when they pass through. After careful consultation of the forecast for tomorrow, we have booked a very expensive tour which takes us through to Chile. It is a bus-boat-bus-boat-bus-boat-bus trip, taking us through some of the most spectacular and difficult to reach scenery in the whole of the Lake District. If the weather is good, it should be amazing. If the weather is bad, we will be very upset. I'm hoping I will have some positive news for you in my next update.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Trece

When Gun'n'Roses wrote `Paradise City` I think they must have been referring to Buenos Aires. The grass is pretty green, but the girls sure are pretty. Stunning in fact! So guys, if you are single and know five and a half words of Spanish, get you arse over here now. And if you are not, well get over here anyway and pick up the most expensive pair of mirrored sunglasses money can buy. It is ridiculous here! But sorry, I`ll just wipe the dribble from my chin and get back to it....

What a great four days we have had back in Buenos Aires - we have now falen in love with the place. Staying around San Telmo was cool, but we have been in the suburb of Palermo this week and it is an awesome place. It is the trendy district, with tree-lined avenues and streets, cool bars, cafes and restaurants, and even cooler people. And the weather here has been brilliant, so we have just been lapping it up. Even having our plans to day-trip over to Uruguay scuppered didn´t concern us, as it meant that we had more time in BA.

We have had some pretty good meals. On our first night we went to a steak restaurant that we couldn´t get into another night because the wait for a table was over half an hour. We managed to sneak in this time and weren´t disappointed. The steak was the best we have had in BA - luckily we had been tipped-off that you only had to order one and share, as it was enormous. You could see plenty of over tables looking incredulously when the steaks they ordered each were delievered. Your steak also came with 14 side dishes, so you didn´t leave this place hungry. By chance, as we were leaving the restaurant, we bumped into Murray, and Aussie guy we have seemed to have followed since San Pedro. Murray and some people from his hostel were going out to a club, so we decided to tag along. Wednesday night is a big clubbing night in BA (go figure?), so we thought we better partake. It was a pretty cool small club and it was pretty busy. And despite it being a school night, the clubs still don`t kick off until after 2am.

Last night we also went clubbing, but this time to one of the big ones - called Crobar. It was a huge night, there was a big Chilean DJ laying and he was very good, and the place was rammed. We didn´t crawl home until around 7am, so today has been a little slow, and we are actually looking forward to getting on our 20 hour bus ride this afternoon.

We have also had a good look around this side of the city. Apart from just wandering the cool little streets of Palermo, we also walked a few of the parks and also went to Recoleta Cemetery, most famous for being the resting place of Eva Peron (Evita). But the whole cemetery is weird, full of huge and ostentatious mausoleums, some could even be the frontages of upmarket boutique shops. We also went to Bodies - The Exhibition, a truely bizarre exhibition showing the different parts of the body, from the veins to dissections of the body. But makes it really bizarre is that it uses real cadavers to do it, and on may of them you can still see hair, eyelashes, etc.

And of course, there has been the shopping. I (probably foolishly) left Anna to it yesteday afternoon when I went to watch the rugby. Luckily we can`t carry a whole lot of stuff or it could have been a lot worse. But we still now have a couple of bags that we are going to have to cart around for the next two and a bit weeks. Should be fun....

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Los Pumas

Just got back from watching the Pumas beat the Frogs in the Rugby World Cup 3rd/4th play-off. A great game and a grat win for the Pumas. Puts the sort of garbage that was written in this article in its place. It is that type of arrogance and ignorance that says what is wrong with NZ rugby at the moment - no wonder Steven Jones writes the type of things he does in response. Pumas rugby might not always get the girls wetting their seats in the stadium, but it is good rugby nevertheless. Forwards who commit themselves to the breakdown and winning the ball (radical stuff), and when there is space, backs who will run the ball (and that`s backs in the backline, not forwards or props - radial stuff again I know). In fact, it is play not all that dissimilar from the successful All Black rugby of the 80s and 90s. I hope that the Pumas do get into an expanded Tri-Nations competition, we might learn something.

Viva Los Pumas

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Doce

The highs and lows in the jungle continue for Anna and I, but more on that later....

First, our initial stint in Buenos Aires. Very different from the colonial Salta and definitely a proper cosmopolitan city. In fact, it feels like you could be in any big European city - Paris, Rome or Madrid. After our ´rain delay´when we first arrived on the Friday we were pretty happy that Saturday dawned nice and sunny, especially as we were going to the football later that day. But before that, we decided to walk down to the La Boca district, not far from where we were staying in San Telmo. La Boca, Buenos Aires´ old docks and home to the famous Boca Juniors is a pretty rough area and the walk wasn´t really very scenic. But down on the docks there are a few streets of old painted tin buildings that were the settlements that the original immigrants built. Walking down, we thought we might be the only tourists there, as there was hardly anyone around. So we were shocked when we finally arrived at these streets to see hoards of tourists. We weren´t sure how they got there - they certainly hadn´t walked the same way as us - and it felt a bit like walking into Disneyland. But the streets and colourful tin houses were worth the walk to come and see, despite all the crappy stalls, etc that attach themselves to these types of touristy spots. I did manage to pick myself up a replica (aka fake) Puma rugby jersey to wear for the weekend though. And we found out how all the tourists got there when we spotted a back street crammed with loads of tour buses. So lame....

Busing (local) it back into the city, we were meeting up with James and Petra for lunch and then to go to the football. We even managed to convince a bar to switch over from another football game so we could watch the first half of England´s rugby semi-final (at least we were with someone with an interest in the world cup) - no small feat in South America I would think. It was strange though, that in a bar only 15 minutes walk from the ground, there were few fellow game-goers having a drink. It was the same after the game, very different from what happens back home. Though we did see the buses of Chilean supporters go past to the ground, complete with police escort.
Arriving at River Plate Stadium, you couldn´t help but be impressed - an oval of two levels fitting 65000 people, of which it wouldn´t have been much short of that afternoon. When we arrived, about 45 minutes before the game, it was already nearly full and pumping with noise. Our seats ended up being in the section in front of the (cordened off) Chilean fans and there was much taunting - mostly good natured - back and forth during the game. It was truly a great atmosphere - and the football itself was superb. Where else in the world can you watch some of the greatest football players on the planet play some sublime football for only 30 pesos (US$10). The skills levels were amazing, especially those of the Argentinean team, who had all their top players (eg. Messi). Riquelme scored from two free kicks in the first half, both where the keeper never even moved. And fortunately for us, both of these were at our end. That was enough for Argentina, who took the game 2-0.

On Sunday we got up late (by account of a few drinks the night before and the late night highway that seemed to be the street outside our room) and went to the Sunday fair that San Telmo is famous for. Before this we had been a bit disappointed by San Telmo, which had a reputation as one of Buenos Aires most interesting superbs (it was one of the original settlements of Buenos Aires and has undergone a Bohemian revival), but this day gave us a real feel for why it has its reputation. Half the city seemed to be there, wandering around the pedestrian-only streets, with most of the shops are open, along with lots of stalls, music and acts. Anna even managed to buy herself a somewhat large and heavy platter-thing (yes, I´m a boy) I have no idea how she is going to cart around and then get home. I just enjoyed watching the Portenas (Buenos Aires locals - of the female variety). We later met up with James and Petra again to watch the Argentina´s rugby semi-final - which they unfortunately didn´t win.

On Monday we flew here to Iguazu, where we left the warm sunshine of Buenos Aires to be greeted by the wet. We have only had two days here though so we have had to brave the weather and still try to make the most of it. On Monday we travelled over to Brazil to visit their side of the falls. The Brazil side was good, but as we were to find out today, has nothing on the Argentinean side. And the fact that we had to walk around in the rain wasn´t much fun either. Also, frustratingly, the pathway for the best view on the Brazil side, right into the heart of the falls, was closed.

And then this morning, I was woken up by the noise of the thundering rain. This rain was on a torrential scale I am not sure I have witnessed before. After delaying getting out of bed, we finally tried to gear ourselves to heading out. This was still with much reluctance, however, as the rain was as heavy as ever and the peals of thunder were lasting for 20-30 seconds. The fact that Anna has developed a full blown cold and me a sore throat made us even less than enthusiastic about heading out in the rain. But eventually we did - this was our only chance to see the Argentinean side of the falls - though I looked an odd sight heading out in togs, singlet, jandals and poncho (reasoning that if I am going to get soaked, I may as well have as little to get soaked as possible).

But it ended up being very much worth it. By the time we had reached the falls and arrived to the first of the walkways, the rain had reduced to a point where we could remove the ponchos (as good as we looked as giant condoms). And the first viewing point, right above the heart of the Falls (Garganta del Diablo or ¨the Devil´s Throat¨), made it all worth while. The force and sheer volume of water going over the walls here was amazing, and at more than 50 metres above the base, we were still being shrouded in the mist created from the waterfall hitting the bottom. Within in the mist, there were also these crazy small birds (which we saw closer up later and that looked like tiny owls) flying around in the mist and then clinging onto the cliffs right next to the waterfalls.
The whole Iguazu Falls is huge, stretching along over 2 kilometres, and we got a much better feel for this on the Argentinean side, where you get to walk on top of and amidst the falls. It was pretty stunning - the camera got a real work out - and we very much enjoyed the afternoon. To finish it, we took a boat ride right into the falls. After getting a sprinkling in one of the smaller falls, you get taken right into the middle of one of the biggest. The force of the water coming down is amazing, it feels like you are getting hit by huge waves and you can´t even open your eyes. We got on the boat first so took the front seats and got a right soaking, but it was a lot of fun. It was wise that we had left this for last, as I wouldn´t have wanted to walk around as wet as we were. It also meant that we left on a real high, very happy now that we had made this side trip (earlier that morning I was wondering whether it was a very expensive mistake).

We head back to Buenos Aires tomorrow morning for another few days there. We may even fit in a day trip to Uruguay as well before we leave. The plan at the moment is to head down on the Saturday night to the Lake District, where at the moment the temperature is only getting as high as 9 degrees (eek) and then make our way up for our imminent departure back to NZ on the 5th (EEK).

Saturday, October 13, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Once

On Monday we picked up our little car - and as it was a VW Polo (called "Gol" over here), it sure was little - and drove off into the north-west Argentinean countryside. We saw some stunning scenery over the newxt three days, but as most of the roads were mostly gravel and/or sand, our little car sure took a beating.

Our first destination was the small town of Cachi, but not before a demanding drive through some stunning scenery. We had to climb nearly 2000m to get over a pass before descending again to Cachi. The drive took us up through a bizarre mountainous landscape, one that I couldn´t decide whether it was more Grand Canyon or more Scottish Glen. A valley of dark wood topped by evergreen leaves gave way to red rock and cacti, which then gave way to towering black rock and tussock-like grass. When we finally made it over the pass, we then had to drive through the "Devil´s Amphitheatre", a 12km dead straight road through a valley full of cacti (the closest thing I think you could ever get to a ´cacti forest´).

Arriving at Cachi, we were greeted by a cute little town with plastered houses and cobblestone streets. Though we got a bit of a shock when most of the accomodation appeared to be either full or had tripled in price since last year´s guidebook. We did eventually find ourselves a place to stay and spent a relaxing evening around the town. This included what must be the best pasta meal either of us have ever eaten (and that includes Italy). We wouldn´t have even found the small restaurant if we hadn´t stayed down the small street where we had finally found accomodation. Walking past it though, we were instantly attracted to the good smells coming from within and just had to investigate. It was just a one room establishment, including the kitchen on one side. It only had pasta and salad on the menu, and even then you only had four choices of different filled pasta and four different sauces ("salsas"), but we were in for a real treat. Upon ordering, from where we sat, we could watch the husband and wife team start from making the pasta, filling it, and then cooking the sauce to accompany it. Though that was reality cooking. And it was delicious! As I said, the best pasta meal I have ever had.

The next day we were driving down to the Cafayate region where we were treating ourselves to a couple of nights at a small winery - La Casa de la Bodega. The drive was again spectacular, following along a river valley, which was the only source of green all around us, with surrounding bare hills set in a deep red of brown against a clear blue sky. As we got closer to Cafayate we passed through some very perculiar rock formations. Huge slabs of pink-grey rock rising out of the sandy ground like missiles or spaceships about to take off. It was an eerie landscape and amazing that they had put a road through there at all. Arriving at our winery retreat, we took a `refreshing` dip in the pool (it was damn cold) before settling in for a relaxing night of drinks and dinner.

The next morning we had a tour of the winery along with tastings of their wine. Setting off with the other (5) guests around the vineyard it seemed that this was to be a Spanish-only tour. Too embaressed to admit our woeful lack of Spanish though, we hung at the back and tried to discern what we may. It was only on our way into the winery itself that we plucked up the courage to ask the Vinter if he had any English. He didn´t, but another of the guests, obviously having not been fooled by our stupid nods and grins over the past half an hour, said that she could translate for us. It was then that we found out quite a bit about the winery. It is very small (they put the labels on their bottles by hand), only producing about 60000 litres a year, and the unique climate of the area - the wind and altitude means that there is nearly zero humidity - means that it doesn´t have any problems with bacteria, etc and have allowed it to be organic (though it is still awaiting certified status - you have to wait five years). And their wines? Very nice. They only produce three - two reds, Malbec and Malbec Cabernet; and a Torrontes, a white wine only grown and made in this region, with a very fruity nose, but dry like a Sauvignon Blanc (and much to our liking). Armed with our new found (and hard fought) knowledge of the local wines, we drove about the rest of the region visiting some of the other wineries. Not finding any other wines that bettered those at our own little winery (though a couple had some fabulous views over the valley), we decided to stay-in for the night and enjoy some more of the Torrontes. It turned out to be a strange night, we being the only guests that night and having the run of the house. Ironically, and fortunately not prophetic, ´The Shining´was on TV that night - we managed to survive the night without any sign of mass murderers and departed the next morning to return to Salta.

It was a most welcome sealed road back to Salta to finish the loop and we made it back in good time. Brining the car back to the rental company, we had a small problem with a broken hub-cap, but it wasn´t expensive and can be forgiven for all we put that little car through (apparently, they often get lots more damage on that route). A quick return to the medical clinic and my last test result confirmed that there isn´t anything obviously wrong with me, and admittedly I am feeling OK again. Just as long as it stays that way now! We had just enough time to drop in to our favourite little empanada place - they´re are so good, just like little pastry pies - before we had to get on our bus to Buesnos Aires. It was a shame to leave Salta behind as we really liked the city. One of those manageable cities that you can imagine yourself living in.

Did I mention that we were travelling to Buenos Aires in style - the Suite Premium bus. This thing was the mac-daddy. In a huge two-story bus there must have been only 20 seats for passengers - you have this huge room to stretch out your seat to make a fold-out bed. We had a hostess that served us, we saw three new release movies, had a ´hot´ dinner (this is quite a treat, trust me) with bottled wine, and then had a night-cap choice of whiskey, tia maria or champagne (I´m quite thankful I went for the tia maria than the whiskey, as she was giving out half-pint sized pours). And the sleep? Well, it is not as good as a real bed, but it sure beats trying to sleep in a seat that only reclines a few degrees, and the few hours I did get were more than I would get in a normal bus trip (or flight for that matter). Now we are just hoping that the same service is available on our other long bus trips.

So arriving in Buenos Aires 18 hours later, not quite refreshed, but at least alive and kicking, we were somewhat disappointed to be greeted by rain. I think I could count on one hand the number of hours (let alone days) that it has rained so far on this trip, so rain always comes as a bit of a shock. Though I guess it is spring here and we should expect a bit more of it as we head south and keep to the coast. But it still feels like we are being a little cheated. So we haven´t got up to too much on our first day here, just wandering around and trying to get our bearings. The good news though is that we have managed to get tickets to the football tomorrow afternoon, a World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Chile. It is not a club game unfortunately (I really wanted to see either Boca Juniors or River Plate), but this should also be good and apparently their were huge queues yesterday for tickets (thanks to James & Petra, who we met in Salta, for picking us up some tickets!). So hopefully Argentina can make it a one-two with the football on Saturday and the rugby on Sunday, it should help to make a party atmosphere in the city on this long weekend (Monday is a South American public holiday celebrating Columbus discovering the Americas). I might be reporting on a few hangovers later in the week....

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Beer Scene - Bolivia

What a surprise this was, after the desert that Ecuador and Peru were of beer choice, Bolivia was like an oasis. OK, it wasn´t anything astounding, but at least the main brewer had more than two beers. In fact, I tasted ten new beers in Bolvia, after only tasting six in Ecuador and Peru combined. The highlight was most definitely the Saya Beers brewed at The Adventure Brew Hostal in La Paz. It was refreshing to drink some differnt style of beers, brewed well. Their English Ale even reminding of drinking back in London. And even the national brewer gets in on the act, with seven different varieties. Though some of them were variations on the same pilsener theme, there was better quality than from most mass-producers.

My faith in brewing has been restored again and my palate feels revitalised heading into Chile & Argentina.

Monday, October 08, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Diez

Hola from a brand new world, we are in a bit of culture shock at the moment - but more on that later.

Our bus trip from San Pedro de Atacama to here in Salta was adventure enough. The bus was very nice, it must have been nearly brand new, but there was plenty of drama when we hit the Chile-Argentinean border. To begin with, when we arrived there was a huge queue at border control as two other buses had got their first - so we were kept waiting in the bus for about half an hour. Going through the actual control was simple enough, but afterwards we were strangely left waiting in the bus. Neither of the bus drivers bothered to tell us anything, but finally someone managed to get out of them that we were "waiting for documents" and we could be "some minutes". However, after about two hours at the border we were finally told "vamos" and to board the bus. And then we saw the "documents" we were waiting for, as two guys in uniform led a handcuffed guy onto the back of our bus (and we´re pretty sure that this guy got on at San Pedro de Atacama with us). Of course, we were given no explanation, though this only allowed us to dream up all fanciful reasons for what was happening. Though strangely, when we stopped at Jujuy, another city an hour out of Salta, the guy got off the bus with his escorts, but now with no handcuffs on and he even shook hands with the drivers as he left!?

The rest of the drive was comparatively uneventful, though we were obviously not going to make it to Salta by 9pm anymore (though the bus drivers went like maniacs to try and do so). The scenery over the Paso de Jama was pretty spectatacular, even though we had seen similar over the past few days on the Uyuni tour and around San Pedro.

We eventually arrived at a hot and sticky Salta just before 11pm and popped out for what we thought would be a late dinner. Not so though, as whole families were arriving for dinner as late as midnight. It doesn´t feel like we have come to a whole new country, it is like we are in a whole new continent. The whole place has a very Mediterranean feel, you could be anywhere in Spain or Italy, or sometimes even home in the UK or NZ. The people even look completely different and sometimes it is difficult to work out who is tourist and who is local. And it is so nice to receive customer service again and not feel like someone is trying to rip you off all the time. Though plastic surgeons must be making a killing around here, there are big boobs and shiny faces everywhere you turn.

It seemed we were heading home early at 1am, but I was feeling very unwell again and we had decided that we would need to track down a medical clinic the next day and get to the bottom of this, once and for all. After a very civilised (an apt term for this country) coffee around the main plaza that morning, we did get to medical clinic and spent the next couple of hours going back and forwards, providing samples (blood, urine, and the "other") and talking to a Doctor who was very helpful - he even jumped out of the gym to see us later that night when we got the blood and urine test results back. So far we still don´t know what is wrong with me and we have to wait for the "other" test results to come back. It´s silly, but when you are not feeling well you don´t want to be told that there is nothing wrong with you, you just want a diagnosis that can be treated somehow. However, the Doctor did give me a diet to follow, but as it has such blasphemies as "well done steak", I can´t see myself following it - come on, "well done steak", I´m in Argentina!

Later in the day it also started to rain in Salta - the Doctor told us it was the first rain here in six months. I´m not sure how we do it, but somehow we have this affect on places. But I guess such weather was appropriate for what happened later that afternoon, and despite the rain the day was obviously anything but "all black". To buoy the spirits, we headed out for our first steak in Argentina at a place I have read many recommendations for the best steak in Argentina - a heady claim. But it proved to be a very good recommendation. We were joined for dinner by an English couple we have met - James & Petra - and we ended up having a fairly big night. In our guidebook it mentions that the restaurant gives you a free glass of champagne when you arrive. We got this, but then a lot more. It seemed that we had an never-ending supply of champagne, and by the end of the night we (groggily) calculatedthat we probably had nearly two bottles of champagne each! I´m not sure whether our waiter was gunning for a good tip (which he most definitely got), but he just kept on leaving 3/4 full bottles of champagne on ourtable. This was even after we had finished ourmeal (which was absolutely delicious by the way), we were there for over two hours after our plates had been cleared away. To say the least, we were all very high from the champagne when we left, though there were some sore heads this morning.

Today has been fine again, and we took the gondala up to the hill that overlooks the city and then cleared the head by walking back down. This was just in time to catch two big sporting events this afternoon - first was the Buenos Aires football derby Boca Juniors vs River Plate, and then Argentina´s World Cup quarter-final against Scotland. The football game, the biggest of the year, had actually been moved to an earlier time so that it didn´t clash with the rugby, which locals told us was unheard of. We had been told that we should look to find a place to watch both the football early, as everywhere would be packed - and they weren´t wrong. We had also been told that the place to watch sport was in the cafeterias - which we were a bit sceptical about. But they weren´t wrong. All the cafeterias were packed, with big screens set up in front of tables - bizarrely, most bars were quiet, despite also having TVs. We managed to find ourselves a spot in a cafe after a bit of wandering around, and the football game didn´t disappoint, River Plate winning 2-0 in a fiery game. Strangely, with their national team about to begin a huge game in the Rugby World Cup, most of the people cleared out of the cafe after the football finished. This just shows the relative importance of football and rugby in this country - a football game between two teams from another city is of more interest than the national rugby team playing a historic match. The River Plate fans (from Salta remember) even paraded around the square as the rugby was on. Though the rugby didn´t disappoint for those who stayed to watch, and we are looking forward to watching the game next weekend in Buenos Aires (and after this weekend, who would be brave enough to say the Argentina can´t make the final).

Of course, not satiated enough last night, we headed out for more steak, this time at a place we were told the locals go for their red meat fix. And it didn´t disappoint, though we way over-ordered, getting a steak each, when each piece was enough to feed a small family. I think we both have iron coming our our ears at the moment.

Tomorrow we are picking up a car to drive a loop south of Salta, checking out the scenery of the Calchaqui Valleys and visiting out the local vineyards. We are both looking forward to the freedom of having a car for a few days. When we get back we are then catching the bus to Buenos Aires, going with the mac-daddy of buses, the Suite Premium - which has fully reclining seats and looks to put even airline first-class to shame. It is a little bit more expensive, but if we are going to have to spend 18 hours on a bus, we may as well do it in style. We are going to have the weekend in Buenos Aires, and then on Monday we have booked flights to the Iguazu Falls for a couple of days (we could have got the bus for less, but with plenty of bus hours in front of us, we thought we would take it easy on at least one leg of the trip). We will then come back to Buesnos Aires for a few more days before heading further south and filling out stomachs with more steak and red wine.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

R.I.P. All Blacks 2007

To those of you who thought I was just being a dickhead - I told you so!

Puma Fan

Friday, October 05, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Nueve

Well, the start of our Salt Flats tour didn´t go well. Turning up outside the office of our tour company we were a bit dismayed to see that the jeep we were told was a "new jeep" wasn´t new at all. Anna let the woman who sold us the tour have it and they tried to sell us the line that the newer jeeps weren´t as good as these models - whatever. Though, as it turned out, there were only a couple of other tour groups with newer jeeps, most had a similar version to ours, and in fact it was one of the newer jeeps that we kept on seeing have engine problems. However, things didn´t look much better when 100 metres down the road we found out that our guide didn´t have any English - even though this was the main selling point that led us to choose this tour. At that stage, that woman sure was lucky we weren´t returning to Uyuni at the end of the trip, as Anna was ready to dissect her piece by piece.

But as things turned out, we had a very good guide. We had a Belgium couple who were able to translate for us, so the non-English thing wasn´t too much of a problem. And he was a very good conservative driver, whereas others we met said their driver was far too aggressive and sometimes dangerous. This also meant that we were often driving by ourselves through the expansive landscape, which felt awesome, and we weren´t choking on other jeeps´dust all the way. Many times we saw the other tour jeeps (of which there were many) driving in big convoys and racing each other to the next stop - which I think would have taken something away from the experience. And best of all, our guide wasn´t a drunk....On the last morning, the other tour group that was staying in the same wing of the hostal as we were had to wake up their guide, as he had been up drinking until 3am in the morning (and drinking their beer)! We overheard him saying it was "no problema", but it was "problema" as apparently he nearly flipped the jeep not that far out on the morning´s drive. An Australian guy in the group ended up having to drive for the rest of the day. So all in all, we probably did OK, but we are a bit sick and tired of being lied to when organising these trips.

And the three days themselves were very good. The first day didn´t entail a lot of driving as we toured around the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats). This is a most bizarre landscape, the white salt being all you can see for miles around you. The salt itself is quite weird, sometimes feeling akin to ice when walking on it. You spend lunch at an "island" in the middle of the Salt Flats - a rocky outcrop with lots of giant cactus on it and some great views of the mountains that surround the Salt Flats in the far off distance. In fact, on the Salt Flats, distance becomes very distorted. What looks like just 5 minutes away is in fact a 30 minute drive. After lunch we had time to play with taking photos. Because of the whiteness of the salt, it removes all perspective when taking photos, and you can play with shots that look like you are standing on a beer can, snickers bar or someone´s hand. It isn´t easy to get right, but you can get some great pics.

That night we drove to the edge of the Salt Flats where we stayed in a Salt Hotel. Similar to the Ice Hotel concept, everything is made of salt bricks - the walls, chairs, tables and bed bases. Somewhat surprisingly, the salt bricks did a good job at insulation. Maybe this is the future for environemental-friendly housing - when you are done with your house, you can just hose it down or just add it to your dinner.

The next day was a big one in the jeep. We started at 6am and didn´t reach our destination for night until close to 5pm - though obviously with stops along the way. And just as well, as the knees and buttock sure felt the rough ride (nothing like the smoothness of driving on the Salt Flats the previous day). This day was spent driving through a plateau admist a volcanic landscape, continuously surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The highlights were stopping at various Lagunas - high altitude lakes made home by numerous Flamingoes. The most dramatic being Laguna Colorado - a biarre mix of black, red and white. It is weird to think that a month ago we saw Flamigoes in the salt lagoons of the Galapagos, and now we see them again 4000 metres higher in the middle of the Andes. The landscape around was also quite stunning, the surrounding mountains so many different shades of reds, browns, greys, black and white - all set against a deep blue sky.

On the third and last day, we had an even earlier start at 5am to drive (with our sober guide) to a thermal area for a walk around the geysers, mud pools and steam as dawn approach - quite surreal. And after that we stopped off for breakfast next to a hot pool you could swim in. It was damn cold (the previous night I had sleep with three layers, in a sleeping bag, and two blankets), so no invitation was need for the swim. It wasn´t "hot hot" (probably about 35 degrees), but it was glorious all the same. In fact, it was so good, Anna and I repeatedly ignored the calls for breakfast, much to the chagrin of our guide. After we finally dragged ourselves out of the pool, we headed down to the final stop of the tour - Laguna Verde. Supposedly, the Laguna is meant to be a deep green colour, but today it had only a tinge of green, only the second time the guide has ever seen it like that. But it was still pretty stunning, with a huge volcano towering above it.

From here, we were dropped off at the Bolivia-Chile border while the rest of our group made the 7 hour return trip to Uyuni in the jeep (happy we weren´t having to do that). From here, we were transported down to San Pedro de Atacama and into a different world. We really enjoyed our time in Bolivia, but we were admittedly looking forward to the greater Westernisation that Chile and Argentina are meant to offer (as lame as that sounds). And we haven´t been disappointed - bread that isn´t 10 days old, balsamic vinegar, paved roads, reliable hot water, tap water that isn´t lethal, toilet paper you can throw into the dunny....

But you have to pay for it all - the prices have been quite a shock. When we rocked up to the first hotel we baulked at the US$50 per night cost - we paid as low as US$8 a night in Bolivia, even only paying US$20 a night in La Paz. But after a tour of some other places, we found out that US$50 was actually quite reasonable and returned to that first hotel. And the cost of everything else is similar here in Chile, being about 3-times the cost of things in Bolivia. But San Pedro is a very nice town, though there isn´t much to it other than what is here for the tourists. And the food here is so good, we are happy to know that we probably won´t have to face chicken and rice ever again.

And this afternoon we thought we were taking a tour to just see the sunset at Luna Valley, but it ended up being so much more. We were taken to some awesome viewpoints, again the scenery here is quite stunning. The shape and colour of the rock formations are truely something out of this world. And finally we picked the right tour, as we seemed to go to locations that other tours didn´t, and we also got to run down this huge sand dune while other tours took a boring route down the road at the bottom (there were plenty of jealous looks). The only downer on the tour was hearing about all the other cool things there are to do around San Pedro. But we have already bought out bus ticket to Salta in Argentina tomorrow - but as I have been saying, "you can´t do everything". And tomorrow the steak and red wine feast will begin, so expect plenty of stories on that front to make you jealous.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Oche

We finally managed to escape Rurrenabaque! We were prepared to sit it out, but then we were hearing predictions of 6 more days of smoke and after another night of being plague by the mozzies, enough was enough. But we still weren´t so keen on the 20 hour bus ride, so instead joined a hired jeep all the way back. It was a fair bit more expensive, but it meant that the trip was only 12 hours and we didn´t have to spend the night on the bus. Not that the jeep ride was any fun, it was cramped, bumpy, dusty, and we had to travel back along those ´dangerous roads´again - though this time in the dark! But it is good to be out of the jungle and back on our way again. Though I will miss the spectacular red moons at night (another affect of the smoke I think).

We just had a brief stop over in La Paz yesterday, we weren´t feeling up to much sight-seeing, so we just watched Argentina beat the Irish in the rugby (go the Argies) and if we are lucky, we might even be in Argentina if the Pumas make the semis (they must be favourites to beat Scotland). The All Blacks picking up the Frogs for the quarter isn´t very fair, but if you are going to play them anywhere, I guess Cardiff is the place to do it. My friendly parasite seems to have returned, and now Anna has got it too. I suspect this time we´ve got Giardia from the river in which we swam with the dolphins. But we´ve picked up ourselves some anti-biotics and hopefully we will have the little buggers flushed out soon (or the Salt Flats tour won´t be much fun).

So last night we made our way down to Uyuni on another bus last night, though this bus was pretty good - hot meal, movie ("this is Sparta" anyone), reclining chairs, and a bar of chocolate I forgot about and melted all through my pocket! Though the bus trip still wasn´t the most comfortable, they put the movie on during the only bit of the road that was smooth and that you had a chance of some good sleep, and the rest of the trip was very bumpy, so sleep was pretty difficult. Arriving in Uyuni this morning we have organised ourselves to get on a Salt Flats tour today as there isn´t much to do around here and we are looking to make up those couple of days we lost in Rurrenabaque. We´ve also changed our plans slightly now and will head straight to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile from our Salt Flats tour and instead of going down the length Chile, we will cross back into Argentina and go Salta-Buenos Aires-Iguazu Falls-Lake District....we think. Has been a lot of umming and arring the last 48 hours about what our best route is from now on.

We also had to say farewell to Rogan yesterday as he headed off in a different direction from La Paz. Apart from losing a great travelling companion, it will also mean that we will be reduced to our limited Spanglish again (and that´s with a silent ´sp´). Rogan will go down in memory as someone who has even a more bottomless pit than I do. So, for us, it will be lots of book reading and euchre once again.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Siete

It´s been over a week since my last update and you may be wondering if I biked off the side of the World´s Most Dangerous Road. Well, I can (obviously) report that I am safe and sound and there are many highs and lows to report from the last week or so.

At the moment, it is a definite low, as we are stuck in Rurrenabaque in the Bolivian Amazon. There is this thick haze caused by a combination of the heat and farmers burning off fields and flights haven´t being going in and out of here for four days now. We were booked for a flight this morning, but there are no flights today and there might not be for another week! The alternative is to take a harrowing 18 bus ride back to La Paz, something I want to avoid like the plague. So at the moment we are sitting tight, hoping that a big storm or wind will come in and clear the sky enough for us to take to the air. But how did we get here....

Where I left off last time we were about to do the bike ride, and that was most definitely a high. We ended up going with the original biking company which was set up by a New Zealander nine years ago (Gravity Assist). They are a bit more expensive than most, but they seemed well organised - something you place some value on when you are going to be on two-wheels just a few centimetres from 1000m drops. You start off the day by getting a bus up to 4700m where we try out the bikes and get the first of many safety briefings. Our guides were a South African girl and a local from La Paz who is supposed to be one of the better mountain-bikers in Bolivia. The first 18km or so are easy enough, all downhill on a paved road. But even here we came across an accident between two buses that had happened earlier in the day and where a bus had rolled down the slope - and we hadn´t even made it to the ´Danegrous Road´yet! After this though came the toughest part of the day, a 400m climb. Normally I wouldn´t find this too difficult, but when you are at over 3000m it is another thing altogether. Not wanting to do it half-arsed, I pushed myself as hard as I could to stick to our Bolivian guide. It was absolutely knackering and my breathing was reduced to ever-so-short gasps. I managed to stick to him most of the way, but at the end I was a wheezing mess and had given my lungs a clean out they took the rest of the day to recover from.

But now we had arrived at the reason for the ride - the World´s Most Dangerous Road. It is all dirt and stones and the sheerness of vertical drops and the thinness of it makes it difficult to believe that someone had the audacity to call this a ´road´. But the bike itself is something else. It takes a little while to get the hang of it, but pretty soon I was tearing down trying to keep up with the guide ahead and trying little jumps (including a spectacular entrance into a river near the end of the day that left me soaking wet). The views are stunning as well, and you had to be careful that you weren´t staring off into the distance while going head long off the side of the road, or be mesmorised by the drop beneath you. It was certainly adrelenin-spiking stuff and a lot of fun. I´m still a roadie though - the bikes were still big, bulkie and slow - but if I could ride down that road every day I could be converted.

For the next two days we stayed down at the bottom of the bike ride (rather than return to La Paz) in the small town of Coroico - a full 3000m below where we started the ride earlier that morning. Coroico´s climate is sub-tropical (a big change from the altitude of La Paz) and is surrounded by groves of orange trees, banana palms and coffee plantations. We spent two nights at what must be our favourite place so far this holiday - Sol y Luna. It sat a 15 minute walk above Coroico and is set amidst its own little sub-tropical garden. We stayed in the small hut ´Jatata´, where our ´room´sat upstairs and had no door but just a zipped up curtain. The trees and plants surrounded us and no other guests or huts were visible. In the morning we could just open up that curtain and take in our spectacular view from our bed, listening to the calls of the birds around us. At night, we could sit in our hammock watching the sun set and the chorus of insects take over and the fireflies come out.

It was with much regret that we had to leave, and if we were to do it all over again we would have stayed there for a week. But we had booked on the jungle boat cruise to Rurrenbaque and were picked up in the morning to be driven the 6 hours to Guanay, where the boat cruise started from. And if we had biked the World´s Most Dangerous Road earlier, this must be the second most dangerous - and the most bumpiest. Travelling in a 1984 Toyota 4WD it wasn´t much fun and already we were reminiscing about our little hut at Sol y Luna. Arriving at Guanay we found out that our boat cruise to Rurrenabaque was now 13 people, which turned out to be far too many, and that the normal guide also wasn´t going. The next two days turned out to be a bit of a regret for us. The boat ride itself was great and the scenery along the river was pretty amazing. But on the second day we went for a jungle trek that was anything but fun. The first hour or so was interesting enough, though the lack of wildlife was evident (except for the insects - who seem to be the kings of the jungle) and it was damn hot. But the next 3 hours was spent walking along a muddy creek - apparently to see more wildlife, though the only thing we saw of note was a boar. It was hard work and not very enjoyable, wading through thick mud and having to swat away numerous insects. This jungle walk was Anna´s ´Cotopaxi´and I don´t think she´ll be making plans to return to the Amazon jungle anytime soon. By the end of it, we had only spotted one monkey and one boar and were all sporting enough insect bites to reignite a smallpox scare (and these are no ordinary bites and more resemble stab wounds from an ice pick). And then on our final night, while camping on the river bed, a big storm came through, turning over some of the clumsily put together tents (fortunately ours stayed together) and making a mess of the campsite. And then the icing on the cake was finding out that my favourite icebreaker top had disappeared overnight (probably blown away). We were definitely regretting this route to Rurrenbaque and if we were reminiscing earlier, we were now craving for our Sol y Luna paradise. But we did pick up a new friend on our cruise - our Scottish spanish-interpreter Rogan - and the three of us have spent the last week together travelling around.

Arriving in Rurrenabaque, we needed to find ourselves a tour of the Pampas - the fertile wetlands that are home to lots of Amazon wildlife. After much investigating we finally plumped with one company as their accomodation looked slightly nicer than the rest (only to find out that those photos were of a completely different camp!). Overall though, the 3-day tour was really good with an amazing array of wildlife to see. Most of the time is spent boating up and down the Yacuma River, which countless number of different animals call their home. There are the strange supersized guinea pigs, the Capybaras; multitudes of alligators and cayman of differing sizes; different species of monkeys; and numerous birds - herons, storks, cormorants, maccaws, and many others. We also swam with Pink Dolphins - who we were reassuring told keep away the alligators and piranha, though it can be a bit disconcerting when you can see the alligators on the banks of the same river you are swimming in. We also went looking for Anacondas and Anna - the ´wildlife spotter´- found one in the first 30 minutes. We looked for more over the next three hours to no avail, but even to find one is quite lucky. It wasn´t a large one (by Anacona standards), but you could definitely feel its grip when handling it.

The three of us came back to Rurrenabaque yesterday afternoon expecting to be flying back this morning to La Paz. But as I have mentioned we are now stuck here, pondering what our next move should be. It´s a Catch-22 - if we take the bus it will probably cost us a couple of days anyway, but obviously if this haze doesn´t clear and the planes can´t fly then that will cost us time as well - and we so want to get away from the mozzies. So it looks like whatever eventuates we might have to reconsider our plans for the next 5 weeks. I guess we just have to put it down to the joys of Bolivian travelling! I´ll let you know how we get on....

Thursday, September 20, 2007

The South America Chronicles - Seis

This report comes from a slightly hungover Sam in La Paz. We arrive here yesterday afternoon and one of my first priorities was to make a visit to a hostal-cum-microbrewery - Adventure Brew Hostal. We had already booked to stay somewhere else in La Paz, but I wasn´t going to pass up the opportunity of tasting some (possibly) good beers. And it didn´t disappoint....hence the hangover. They had 3 different beers - a German Kolsch, an English Ale, and a dark bock. The first two were particularly good, so quite a few were imbibed.

We then took a dinner recommendation from the Scottish guy behind the bar - an Argentinean steak house downtown. The taxi ride down there was an event in itself, travelling through rush hour and the throng of the city, with masses of old (American school bus style) Dodge buses in the traffic. We hadn´t seen the hustle and bustle of a real city since we left London. But this seems a good hustle and bustle, lots of people promenading along the wide avenue that goes through the middle of the city. La Paz certainly seems like a cool city, though bizarrely located. It sits in a huge gorge, with steep slopes climbing on either side of the centre of the city. Arriving, looking down at the city below, you can´t help not ask "why the hell did someone decide to place a city here?" It feels like it is one giant arena, with houses stretching up the gorge on either side. A fascinating place.

And the dinner didn´t disappoint either. For 270 Bolivianos (about 20 quid - I know, we splashed out), Anna and I each had a huge cut of absolutely delicious steak (they must have been around 400g each), an excellent 2004 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, and all the trimmings (chips, beans, salsa, a huge salad bar). This has certainly set our appetite for Argentina.

After our protein fix, Anna demonstrated her Spanish skills but bargaining UP our return taxi ride from 8 Bolivianos to 10! We then headed back to the microbrewery bar for a couple more drinks, and hence the headache this morning.

This is all after a couple days spent at Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. This was certainly a different place to where we have been before - I likened it to the Riveria of Bolivia. When we arrived on the Sunday, the lakefront was packed with locals who must go there for their day out. Lining the lakefront are many kiosks selling fresh trout, which must go down as some of the best fish we have ever had (Lee - you were right). We also stayed at a little hotel on the corner of the bay, which had great views (Daz/Jess - thanks for the tip). Copacabana had a really bohemian feel to it - and strangely, many European travellers and very few English-speaking tourists. There isn´t a whole lot to do in Copacabana, and we just had a relaxing two days, reading, drinking, and eating a lot of trout. On the second day we did take the boat out to the Isla del Sol - by folklore, the birthplace of the Incas. There wasn´t a lot to see there, but it was a pleasant walk along the ridge of the island, getting the boat back in the afternoon.

I don´t think I would say that Copacabana is a must see on any South America itinerary, but it was a relaxing place to stop off for a couple of days. So relaxing, that it wasn´t until we were just about to leave that we realised we weren´t even on Bolivian time! We were in an internet cafe when we noticed that both the time on the computer and the clock on the wall were an hour fast. And then we realised that they weren´t an hour fast at all, but that Bolivian time must be an hour ahead of Peruvian time - and then it all clicked. It explained why the previous morning our hotel owner told us we had to run for the boat to the Isla del Sol, and that when she was saying "no ocho", she didn´t mean that the boat didn´t leave at 8, but that it wasn´t 8 o´clock. And that when we thought it odd that we had to rush to our boat as it left the Isla del Sol an hour early, that it wasn´t leaving early at all. And when we were in our restaurant that night, that the live music didn´t start an hour early, but was on time as advertised. The fact that we survived with having the wrong time for the two days gives you some idea of how laid back Copocabana is. Though we still felt very stupid, and we were fortunate that we noticed at all that morning, as we would have missed our bus to La Paz.

So now we are in La Paz organising our next few days in Bolivia. Tomorrow we will be biking down the world´s most dangerous road, and then we have a couple of days relaxing down in the Yungas, enjoying a bitof warmth. We are then hoping to do a 3-day boat trip through the jungle up to Rurrenbaque, where we will do an Amazon tour. So lots of adventures over the next week or so - Anna is worried about riding off the edge of the cliff, and I am wanting to avoid the infamous `penis fish`. So I won´t be peeing into any waters....

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Beer Scene - Peru

Well fellow ale lovers, I have to report that things on the foamy front have not improved in Peru. The local beers available are again of your standard lager/pilsener type, the only variation on the theme being the ´Malta´version of the dominant Cusquena brand. Unfortunately, this dark beer resembled a cheap cola more than a beer of any note. And then, causing me much distress, the two brewpubs in Cusco that I hoped to visit both appeared to have closed in recent times.

So after collecting just two new ratings in Ecuador, I have only five new ratings to add from Peru - and none of them really of any note, the Cristal being the pick for me but still only scoring a 8/20. I expect Bolivia to be a continuation of the theme. I´m now particularly jealous of those of you still able to get yourself a fresh English pint and already looking forward to my first trip to Galbraiths when back in Auckland.
The South America Chronicles - Cinco

What a day! Had to get up early to take a crappy bus to a crappy Peruvian town. We are in Puno at the moment, a Peruvian city on Lake Titicaca near the Bolivian border. We were hoping to make it all the way through to Copacabana on the Bolivian side, but couldn´t do it, so now we are stuck here for the night. And that was after our "1st class" bus ride from Cusco - which was dirty and stunk of the toilet. Though thankfully the South African couple we met on the bus - who have been travelling for 7 months - told us this was the worst tourist class bus they had been on, so things can only get better.

But how about the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu I am sure you are asking? And if you´re not, you´re gong to hear about it anyway....

Well, we are still in one piece. In fact, it wasn´t nearly the toil that it is made out to be. Instead, it was an awesome four days. It started off getting picked up very early in the morning to get bused off to the start of the trail. We all know that Anna isn´t great in the morning at the best of times, and this early start had her freaking out for the whole bus trip about how she wasn´t going to be able to do it. A thankful distraction was checking out the other 12 trekkers that would be joining us, and in particular, how much gear they were bringing with them. We decided to take the minimalist approach, fitting everything into just a couple of day packs (Jabs - you´d be proud). This was in sharp contrast to some others that nearly required forklifts to get their massive packs onto the bus. The rest of the group might get tired of seeing us in the same clothes day after day, but at least we wouldn´t need to carry a small city up and down the mountains. In the end, we thought we got it about right - OK, we stank at the end of the four days, but we never did work out what some others brought with them, as they stank too.

The trek started fine and clear, something we hoped would continue for the next 4 days. After buying the obligatory walking stick, we were off hiking along the trail. We had two guides, a main guide who leads and an assitance guide who walks with the slow-pokes at the back (which, despite Anna´s fears, was not one of). The first day was in fact fairly simple - only a few hours walking along a fairly flat route, making heaps of stops along the way. This did a lot for Anna´s confidence, especially as she was easily at the front of the group. We also got to see the amazing porters (or ´Cheskys´as our guide liked to call them - it means ´running people´, and with good reason), who carry all the camping and cooking gear along the trail. They are laden up with packs two times their size and who knows how much weight, and tear up the path ahead of us like they aren´t carrying anything at all, some of them in sandals (apparently they don´t like boots as they get blisters). And when we arrive at camp, they already have all the tents up and the meal on the way. The food was also incredible considering we are in the middle of nowhere - all served in a large communal tent with full dining sets and cutlery.

Day 2 is the infamous day where you climb around 1500m to the highest pass on the trek - Dead Womens Pass at 4200m (and no, that isn´t a reference to trekkers that don´t make it, but the silhouette of the pass). But again, this day didn´t quite live up to its reputation. It isn´t easy by any means, but you have lots of stops and once you are in the groove of going up the steps you seem to really chew up the metres.

In fact, it is the third day which is probably the toughest (though, the toughest part of the trek is really the toilets - they are minging, it is difficult to know how people can miss so much - Kel, you would most definitely struggle). Firstly, you spend the night before at 3700m and it is bloody cold - there is no getting up for a midnight widdle that´s for sure. Secondly, it is nearly all downhill, which sounds good, but the guides don´t call it the Gringo killer for nothing. It is made up of lots of little and not-so-little steps, over 2000 in all, and they require a lot of concentration and precise footwork. It is also the longest day - we headed off around 6.30am and didn´t get into the camp at the end of the day until around 4ish. And it was certainly the day that some of our group found the toughest - there were plenty of sore knees at the end, Anna´s included. (I picked up the Chesky technique, which is the run down the steps as quickly as you can - seemed to work as my knees were fine.) But to make up for it, it is also the best day. You visit four different Incan sites on the way, and you go up and down through so many different climates and environments. One minute you are going over a 4000m pass, the next through a jungle valley with lots of bird life, creepers and bamboo. It was constantly changing and I hardly even realised how much we were walking.

The last day obviously has a lot of expectation as it is when you finally make it to Machu Picchu. We had an even earlier start, as you go through the gate to walk the final 3kms to Machu Picchu at 5.30am. But there was much consternation when just as we got up it started to bucket down (it had only rained one other time over the previous 3 days, and that was for about half an hour while we were in the tents). There were some downcast faces as we all put on our wet weather gear and faced the possibility that we wouldn´t even be able to ´see´Machu Picchu when we made it. But, the Incan gods must have been looking favourable on us as just as we were about to set off the rain cleared up completely and we had a spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu and hot and fine weather all day. Running (yep, running) down to Machu Picchu, we made it to the site just after 6am and spent the next hour or so just taking it in from the classic view you would have all seen. Even though we had already seen some great Incan ruins, Machu Picchu definitely topped them all. Our guide took us on a tour through the ruins and then we spent a couple of hours just relaxing and taking it all in. Those Incans were certainly a clever lot - especially when it comes to architecture, building and stonework. You just couldn´t help but be impressed with some these structures they built and that are still standing.

It was such a good 4 days it was with some regret that it ended. Though the thought of a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes were more than enough compensation - OK, I admit it, I absolutely stank! We also weren´t looking forward to the end of the tour as we met some really cool people. There were five of us - the ´trailblazers´I have christened us - who got on really well. We were always at the front of the group, often by ourselves, and had plenty of time to chat, spin some yarns, and have a few laughs. Daz and Jess are Aussies, but they were so cool I could forgive them for that; and Lee is a Manchurian who had the most comical inability to remember names I have ever met. We had an awesome time just the five of us at Machu Picchu that morning and have made promises to keep in touch. They have also given us plenty of tips and advice for the rest of our travels and have really got us looking forward to Bolivia. Our guides were also very good. Our head guide David was very passionate about Incan history and taught us all a lot. And our assistant guide Puma - who we dubbed ´Snoop´, as he looked just like the rapper - was lots of laughs.

So after such great times at Galapagos and the Incan trail, I´m not sure what can top it - certainly not anything here in Puno! But we are about to start the Bolivian leg of our travels and there is a lot to look forward to - biking down the world´s most dangerous road, a trip to the Amazon, and the Uyuni salt flats. So hopefully the good times continue (as well as the good health).

And of course, yesterday I finally caught up with Pepito. Pepito you ask? Pepito was the guinea pig that finally became my lunch yesterday. And how was Pepito? Well, I hate to say it, but he tasted a bit like chicken. There wasn´t much of him - you´d think there would be more meat on the little fellas - but he was tasty enough. So I don´t think Pepito´s cousins will become a regular feature on my table, but it was an experience and a bit of a laugh.