Buenos Aires

All good things come to an end. Four months had flown by and, suddenly, we were on board our last bus back to Buenos Aires for our final week of the trip. We had decided to devote this time to getting to know the city, which we had fallen in love with last time we were there. 

It felt as though we reallt had to make the most of our final few days, so we got straight to it when we arrived. We spent the first day exploring a part of the city we hadn't been to before: Palermo. This pretty neighbourhood is the centre for good restaurants, bars and shops and is also home to some of the best parks in the city. It was a warm day, bright and sunny day and so it was perfect to be able to wander around the busy green spaces, which were packed with families also enjoying the lovely weather. There were a couple of places of interest in the parks, such as a art museum and a Japanese garden which kept us quite busy. 

That evening we headed out to a music night which had even recommended to us by many people called Bomba el Tiempo. Its a performance every Monday night by a percussion band, which turned out to be just as good as we had been told. The whole crowd is drawn into the rhythm created by the fantastic performers and the atmosphere was excellent. As we left, more artists were performing outside the venue, who then set off for the after party. This lead to a line of people following them through the streets, dancing and cheering until we reached the chosen bar! It was great fun!

The following day we devoted to leather shopping, one of the most important activities when visiting Buenos Aires. There is a particular street in Palmero called Calle Murillo, which is filled with leather outlet shops. While at first we felt as though we were being rather unsuccessful, just as I was ready to give up any hope of finding anything I particularly liked, we walked into a shop selling leather biker jackets. It was not really the place I thought I would find the simple design I was searching for, but the leather was incredibly soft, and the styles fitted very well. In fact, Tanya and I fell in love with the same jacket and I ended up buying it, with Tanya placing an order for another one to be made for her for the end of the week! This just shows how local and small scale the production is, and we now the lucky owners of beautiful Argentinan leather jackets. 

We decided to celebrate our purchases and headed out that evening. Firstly, we went to a restaurant which we had heard has a "happy hour", which entitles you to 40% off the bill, between 7 and 8 which is aimed at tourists as locals would never eat so early. It was perhaps one of the first steaks we'd had here which we were really happy with, although the speed at which you have to eat it is a little off putting. The discount made the meal very reasonable for a reataurant with such excellent food and reputation. After leaving the restaurant, we stumbled across an excellent wine shop, whose owner was extremely chatty. We ended up staying there for nearly an hour, learning about wine and their makers. This is really one of the things which I love about this city: the friendliness of the people and their ability to chat endlessly. We then carried on the evening when we arrived back at the hostel after meeting two travellers from Luxembourg who, it transpired, went to the European School there! 

Predictably, as Argentinan nights start late and end late, we needed a short lie in the next day. We were out by late morning however, Tanya with sketch book in hand. She wanted to go back to the cemetery in Recoleta which we ha visited on our last stop in the city, in order to make some sketches of the stunning architecture. Meanwhile, I took the time to visit a few museums, including the church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar museum, which features some interesting religious art, and the Palais de Glace for the second time (it was there that the war photo journalist photos were up which I mentioned in a previous post) where the exhibitions had changed. One of the exhibitions was particularly interesting. Supported by Amnesty International, it displayed photos of various Argentinian women who had had an abortion (which remains illegal here), along with a brief story. Additionally, I learnt of the history of the building which, as its name suggests, was once an ice rink, followed by a theatre, before finally an exhibition centre. I also had ample time to explore the fine art museum which includes woks by Monet, Van Gogh and Goya. 

That evening we had tickets for the Marriage of Figaro at Teatro Colon, voted one of the best theatres for its acoustics in the world. We somehow managed to use the few last pieces of decent clothes we had left to make ourselves vaguely presentable and set out for what was to be a fantastic evening. We had excellent seats, high up but with a great view and the performance was top class. We went to bed that night tired, but happy. 

It was back to sightseeing the next day, and we were intent on fitting in as much as possible of the areas of the city we had not yet visited. With this is in mind, we set out on a long walk, starting with a wander down the prett cobbled streets of San Telmo, which are teeming with antique shops and bars famous for impromptu tango nights. From there we walked over to one of the most well known areas internationally thanks to it being home to the most famous Argentinian football team: Boca. We walked past the stadium and carried on towards what we were far more interested in seeing, a little street called La Caminata. This street became famous when it inspired a famous tango writer to use it as the setting for a tango. The reason for his fascination with the street is due to the incredible bright colours of the houses. The story goes that the residents of the street, although very poor, used to beg paint off the boats which pulled into the nearby port to brighten up their houses. Nowadays it is purely a tourist destination, with tango dancers posing or photos and figurines of characters in the tango hanging out of balconies but its definitely a sight to behold. 

We then carried on our tour of the port area, heading down to the equivalent of the City in London. Here we had one of the best lunches, in an excellent all-you-can-eat place were you can choose food off an incredible salad bar, including cold meats and cheese, the grill, included the best steak I had in Argentina (so tender!), a bottle of wine each and a dessert. We could barely move afterwards and only just about managed to roll ourselves home! 

The following day we headed out of the city for a getaway to a nearby town on the Delta, the river networks in the surrounding area. Tigre can be described as Argentina's Henley. Most of the property down along the river seems to be owned by the Buenos Airwa Rowing Club, and the rest are holiday homes for the wealthy city folk. Many of the pretty riverside houses are on stilts, to prevent damage from flooding. We started the day with a visit to the Museum of Mate, the tea which is drunk in incredible quantities in Argentina. It is drunk out of a single mate gourd, shared around the group and filled up from a thermos of hot water over the Yerba (herb or tea). The gourd has a metal straw with a filter on the end which keeps the leaves out as you drink it. Wherever an Argentinan travels, chances are he will have a little shoulder bag with a thermos, a mate gourd and some Yerba, ready for when he needs a pick me up!

We then wandered down past the naval museum and the beautiful building which houses the fine art museum before heading off to find some lunch in the Puerto de Frutos market. After lunch, we took a boat down the river, hopping off to have a walk around a little neighbourhood on the delta. The houses were enchanting, and you can see why this is a favourite holiday destination for Porteños. 

It was back to the leather shopping street the next day to pick up Tanya's jacket and a few last souvenirs. We had an excellent lunch in a little restaurant in the area, where I had my pasta and cheese cravings cured with an enormous plate of gnocchi (spelt ñoquis here!) in a cheese sauce. Not needing dinner that evening after that, we set out for the city's exhibition centre to catch a show at the Tango World Cup and Festival, which was on the week we were in the city. Unfortunately, that night's show was cancelled due to a force majeur, however we were happy to browse the stalls selling beautiful tango shoes and dresses and watch the large group of people dancing impromptu dances on the large dancefloor in the centre. We vowed that we would come again the next night for the show as the atmosphere was so good. 

Our final day in Buenos Aires, and indeed in South America, was a Sunday. We spent it as Sundays should be spent: wandering around the antique market in San Telmo, having a last steak lunch and walking through the ecological reserve on the edge of town. We returned to the tango festival that evening and saw a fantastic show which told the history of tango in various scenes. The dancers included on of tango's great modern heroes: Juan Carlos Cepos who was instrumental in creating the modern tango show concept and the worldwide revival of the dance. It was a truly special night and we could not have planned a better way to end our trip than being present at such an iconic Buenos Aries event. 

I am currently sitting at the international airport in Buenos Aires. I cannot quite believe I am going home, but I'm sure it'll sink in when I board the plane. I hope you have enjoyed my updates as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Perhaps I will carry on posting when I am lucky enough to travel again. I just hope it's not in the too distant future as I have many places in mind which I wish to visit! Here's to planning and to future posts! Thank you for reading. 

Lots of love,

Emma

The Iguazu falls

Although we didn't start this trip with a definite plan in terms of the precise destinations we were going to visit, the Iguazu falls, along with handful of other places, were always on our list. There are 275 waterfalls, between 62 and 80 m high and steed over 2.7 km and are considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was certainly not to be missed! 

We arrived in Puerto Iguazu, the nearest town to the Argentinian side of the falls, early in the afternoon and set about organising ourselves to visit the national park the following day. We then wandered down to the Hito Argentino, an obelisk painted in the colours of the Argentinian flag, which is situated near the edge of the Iguazu river at the point where both Brazil and Paraguay are visible. The two other countries mirror the obelisk with ones of their own.

The following day we were on a bus heading to the national park by 9 o'clock in the morning. The park is quite large, with several circuits which you walk around offering different views of the falls. The immense size and power of the water, cascading down waterfall after waterfall was mind boggling. Additionally, throughout the morning the sun shines directly on the water, creating stunning rainbows which only add to the beauty of the place. 

You can get right up close to a few of them, and we felt the spray and the power up close. We were therefore very glad that the weather so far north is much more pleasant during the day, reaching 25 degrees during the day. The heat was especially appreciated after we finished a boat ride on the river, where they take you directly under two of the falls. We were completely soaked, but the experience was like no other. Additionally, this allowed us a view of more of the falls from the river, which are normally viewable from an island reached by a boat from the main land. Unfortunately, the island was closed during our visit due to high water levels. On the bright side, this meant the falls were at their most impressive, which can be hit and miss during the dryer months of winter. 

We ate lunch in the sun on the lawn of the Sheraton hotel on the complex (imagine staying in the national park!), far away as possible from the thieving coatis! These small mammals, related to the raccoon, are notorious for stealing food and bothering tourists. They had already tried to grab a sandwich out of Tanya's bag as she took some photos, and there were warnings everywhere that they could become quite dangerous (on the Brazilian side, the warnings also included that they might transmit rabies!). 

During the afternoon, we jumped on the train which leads to the "pièce de résistance" of the argentinan side: an incredible view over the "Garganta del Diablo" or "Devil's Throat". At this point half of the river's flow converge at one point ibto several falls and there is so much water that all you can see as you look down is white froth and foam. Again we were soaked and unfortunately this was the last straw for my camera, which now refused to close it's zoom! This is a little annoying for the rest of trip, as we now do not have a camera, however iPhone will have to do for the last week! 

We finished the day walking the "Sendero Macuco", a path which leads to a small hidden waterfall set apart from the main strip. The real reason for the walk however is for the wildlife you see along the way. We spied several colourful birds, butterflies and a few interesting mammals. Of the latter, the most common were, as a fellow walker so eloquently put it, like gigantic rats! They had large, round ears and no tail, but besides that the description was very accurate. Most interestingly, we caught sight of a tapir in the under growth, and as we left the trail at the end of the day, as if they'd been placed there on purpose, there was a group of monkeys swinging the in trees above us. 

We were very excited the next day to set off for the Brazilian national park. From what we'd heard, you get a completely different view of the falls, it's much more panoramic. Additionally, it would give us a very brief taste of Brazil, a country we would have loved to have devoted some time to but which we'd had to leave off the list. It was very strange to suddenly be in a country with a different language, and it made me realise how "at home" I'd become in Spanish speaking South America! 

The views from Brazil are indeed more panoramic, and you get the sense for the scale of the place. As you walk along the trail past the falls, the views seem to become more impressive with every turn. At the end of the walk, you can walk out on to a platform which mirrors the platform on the Argentinan side of the Gargana del Diablo. Once again, the morning sun played tricks on the water, and several rainbows were often visible at a time, reaching out over the water. 

The park on the Brazilian side of the falls is significantly smaller, and we completed it with a couple of short hours. We therefore had ample time to visit the excellent "Parque das Aves" (bird park), across the road from the national park. Here we were able to get up close to some amazing species, including the colourful toucans and macaws. The park is laid out with avairies you can walk through for excellent views and photo opportunities. All the birds in the park have been rescued and are very used to human contact. They don't even mind if you stroke them as they sit on the banisters of the walkways through the aviary! The macaw cage is particularly fun as they fly around quite oblivious to the people inside, meaning that often you have to duck to get out of their way!  We were able to hold a bird on our shoulders for an obligatory tourist snap (which ended badly for me as my macaw decided the charms on my bracelet looked very tasty and bit my wrist!). In addition to the birds, the park had a butterfly enclosure with several gorgeous species as well as adorable hummingbirds flying all around as you walked through. 

We decided to make the most of our very short stay in Brazil and take a look around the local town of Foz do Iguaçu. Here we tried the local cheese bread balls, accompanied by fresh fruit juice, and soaked up the culture of the country and it's extrovert residents. It was then back over the border at the end of another wonderful day, filled with beautiful sights. With all this border hopping, we now have 7 stamps from Argentinan immigration! 

We spent the evening in the company of an Argentina couple who currently live in Brazil, who introduced us to some of Argentina's comedy scene via YouTube. Highlights included a long lived advert about "la llama que llama" (the llama who talks) which was very amusing. The next day, we were able, for the first time in a while, to get up when we liked and to spend the day catching the rays by the pool and lunching in the local market. 

We'd thoroughly enjoyed our time in Iguazu, but it was soon time to head back to Buenos Aires for our final week. I hope to have my last post of the trip up by Monday next week, just before we board out plane home. What a strange thought!

Lots of love,

Emma 

Cordoba and Salta

By late morning of the day we reached Cordoba, we were out and about hitting up as many museums as possible! The city is home to many, and they are generally of excellent quality. Additionally, the "Manzana Jesuita" or Jesuit quarter, is home to many beautiful and impressive buildings ranging from churches to school and university buildings. One of the countries most important university is in Cordoba, and the student population brings art, science and culture to life in the city. We visited many student exhibitions during our time there, and that first afternoon we checked out the fine art museum housed in an old palace, as well as the contemporary art museum on the same square. The latter had some particularly interesting exhibitions, my favourite being a photography exhibition of frozen flowers from the region. 

The next day, Tanya fulfilled one of her dreams: she jumped out of a plane at 3000m! I'm so happy for her, as I know that this was something she really wanted to do on this trip. She has a video of the jump, which I cannot wait to see, and came back looking super happy! I personally have no desire to try this particular adrenalin rush (I suffer from a fear induced by watching a TV programme which followed a storyline involving a parachuting accident!), therefore I amused myself taking in another couple of museums that morning. I learnt about the history of the city in the Municipal Building's museum, and took some (hopefully) pretty photos of the cathedral in the sunshine. I also visited the "Museo de la Memoria" a chilling museum which chronicles the arrests made by the secret police, the D2, during the "Dirty War" in the 1970's. It was very well done, and indeed I returned in the afternoon in order for Tanya to visit it too. A couple of final art museums later, we rounded off the day lying in the sunshine in the park. 

Having satisfied our hunger for museums, we jumped on a bus to the nearby town of Carlos Paz for our final day in the region. We got some good exercise in there by climbing to the top of a hill over looking the city. All along the pathway up, the story of Jesus carrying the cross is told in stages ending with a huge cross at the top of the hill. We had a picnic lunch at the top, making the most of the incredible view of the town and the river. 

We spent the rest of the day walking down by the river side, which slowly turns into a lake. The day was very windy and we enjoyed watching the dinghies, windsurfers and kite surfers out on the water. After a well deserved ice cream, it was time to get back to the city and catch our bus heading for our next stop.  

Salta is in the north of the county, not far off the Bolivian border. There are perceivable differences between the people and culture of the north and the south. For example, many of the people, understandably, bear a stronge resemblance to those from Bolivia and we were once again surrounded by Coca leaf sellers and stalls laden with alpaca goods. 

The weather on our first day in the city was blissful. We quickly changed into shorts and tshirts, and after a tasty lunch in the sun on the square, we hiked up to the town's mirador for the excellent view over the city. We spent the rest of the afternoon dozing in the heat at the top of the hill, finally getting the sunshine we have been craving for some time now! 

The next day we were picked up at 10 o'clock by a gaucho who drove us out to a ranch outside of the city for a riding tour we had organised the day before. The horses were rounded up and tacked up when we arrived, and I took the oppurtunity to ask about the local tack,particularly the saddles. Although I have ridden in South American saddles before, I have never had a chance before to properly see how they are made and used, and was very interested. We spent the morning riding through the dry, mountain region, which, our guide explained, is green and fertile during the summer, but during the winter they have little grass to speak of. The horses were a little on the thin side, which I put down to this vast difference in precipitation between the seasons. During the summer, they put on plenty of weight on the lush grass, which sees them through the harsh winter. When I asked, it was explained that the horses are corralled during the day but roam freely at night, and they were clearly well cared for and fed with what was available. 

We finished the ride through the plains at the foot of the hills, where we even had a few races! After all the rides we have been on on this trip, Tanya is getting very good! She rises perfectly to the trot and has excellent balance. I have a couple of videos of the races (one of which I think captures the moment when my horse took advantage of my preoccupation with the video to crash through some trees... I always get the silly ones!). The loser was supposed to buy all the drinks for the winner, but I think the guide decided to drop that idea after what would have been a photo finish between me and him...!

The tour was rounded off with a great barbecue, complete with salad and potatoes and, of course, lots of red wine from Salta. There were four playful kittens on the ranch which begged for ever scrap we left. It was a lovely end to the tour, only to be completed by a gorgeous Italian ice cream when we returned to Salta. 

We timed our stay in Salta perfectly as, having enjoyed two days of perfect sunshine, the following day the clouds hung low over the city and the temperature dropped radically. We therefore visited the churches the city has to offer, including a beautiful one painted sky blue and pink. It was then on to the museums which included the contemporary art musem, which houses some interesting exhibits mostly by South American artists, and the Musuem of the High Mountains. The second museum was very well presented displays including its highlight: three mummies of Incan child sacrifices discovered and excavated from the Llullaillaco Volcano, which stands at 6739m. They are excellently preserved, and although only one is displayed at any one time, the explanations of the sacrifices and the displays of the objects buried with them fully make up for it. During our visit the "lightening girl" was on display. She was only about six years old when she was chosen to make a pilgrimage to Cuzco and symbolically "marry" the son of another important family from a different region within the Incan empire, before travelling back to her region and being drugged and buried alive at the summit of the volcano. These sacrifices aimed to united families and regions, as well as appease "Mama Huaca" or Mother Earth.    Her name comes from the discolouring on her face from a lightning strike which occurred at some point during the 500 years she lay in her tomb. 

As the day drew to an end, we once again packed up our bags, which really do seem to be getting heavier and heavier, and made our way to the bus station, trying to mentally prepare for the next 24.5 hours which we had to spend on buses across most of the country's length to Peurto Iguazu. The beauty of the falls which awaited us there made the long hours bearable, and when we arrived we checked quickly into a hostel to get ready to visit them the next day. Keep an eye out for the next post to see how we got on! 

Lots of love, 

Emma

South Eastern Argentina and Uruguay

We left Patagonia one afternoon and fourteen hours later woke up to find that we appeared to have arrived home in England. The views from the bus showed expanses of farmland, mostly cows in lush fields, and it was raining, well drizzling, just like at home! Ironically, we were actually arriving at the most popular beach destination of the porteños (the people of Buenos Aires), however we were completely out of season. Mar del Plata (which translates as Sea of Silver) is a large, bustling place and its main attraction is the long sea front whose beaches are packed in the summer (in fact the guide book recommended a visit in the summer simply to never be able to say that a beach is packed again!). We checked into a hostel and into a room with a lady and her young daughter, whom we promptly found out were running from the father with whom the mother was in a custody battle over the daughter. We do meet some interesting people on our travels! 

We tried to make the most out of the city, despite the drizzle and the cloud. As we wandered down the beach front, it was easy to see why it is so popular with holidaymakers in the summer months. There is plenty of lovely sand to lie on and there are restaurants, bars and clubs abound. There are also supposedly some good swells for surfing just along the coast. However convienent it may be, the whole city/beach set up just made me nostalgic for childhood holidays on country beaches in Cornwall. The beaches may get crowded there too, but I have to admit, the traffic and the general hustle of Mar del Plata did not inspire me. As there seemed little point in hanging around too long out of season, we spent the evening at the cinema (a proper rainy day activity!) and were up bright and early the next day, en route to Buenos Aires. 

Although it was still a little drizzly when we arrive in BA, the city had a great feel form the start. When we checked into our hostel, we found out that there was a free tango lesson that night in the bar. It was only short and covered just the basic steps, but it was good fun and ticked one of the must do activities in Argentina off our list. The next day we spent in a mall out of nessecity as we had both run out of trousers through wear and tear! 

We were therefore keen to get lots of sightseeing in the following day. Our first stop was the Retiro district, where we wandered through a Saturday market. This is also where the city's famous cemetery is and it's fascinating to walk around it to marvel at the splendour of the tombs. Many of the country's famous personalities are buried here, including Evita whose tomb was definitely the most visited. Wandering through the surrounding area, we stumbled across an interesting photo exhibition, containing in the most part photos taking by war photo-journalists in Syria. It was haunting but very interesting. We wandered back into the centre of town via one of the most uptown streets in the city, which lead us past the Teatro Colon, the city's opera house. We had been thinking about going to see a performance, as it is acoustically cconsidered to be among the five best concert houses in the world. We obtained some information on performances and have subsequently bought tickets for when we return to the city for our flight home to see the Marriage of Figaro, which we are very much looking forward to. 

Our last visit of the day was to the "Casa Roja" or "Pink House", Argentina's equivalent of the White House (although the president does not live there, only works there). After wandering around looking at the exhibition of paintings of South American heroes, we decided to take the tour of the building as it only runs at weekends. It quickly became apparent why, as we were taken through the rooms used to welcome visiting officials, to inaugurate new officials and even the President's office itself! We learnt that the iconic pink hue of the building's exterior was due to the type of paint used when it was built. They used to use a mixture of limestone and animal fat, in order to offer some protection from the weather. The animal fat often had some blood left in it, hence the pink colour. There were several further interesting rooms, such as that which was dedicated to the most influential women from Argentina, and the room which contained Evita's desk, and from which lead to the balcony she used for her speeches. We were unable to go out onto that balcony, but we did go out onto the neighbouring one, which afforded us a fanatic view of the main square below. 

The next day we ventured out into one of the cities outlying districts, where each Sunday a "gaucho" (the equivalent of a cowboy in Argentina) market. We had a wonderful time wandering through the stalls selling everything from nic-nacs, to everyday clothes, leather goods and artisanal products. There was a stage in the main square of the area where local music was being performed as well as improvised music down little streets and on one of the smaller squares. This produced a fanatic atmosphere with impromptu dancing and clapping. There was even a mechanical bull and Shetlands dressed up in full western gear for children to have their photo taken on (of course I got my pony fix with a few cuddles!). We feasted on Choripan (a chorizo sandwich), Dulce de Leche filled pancakes and candy floss. Additionally, later that evening upon our return to the centre, we went out for a genuine Argentinean steak. This is certainly not the country to be trying to diet in! 

We were back on the road the next day, or, more accurately, back on the water! We took a ferry across the river to Colonia in Uruguay, which we found to be a picturesque small town, bordered on three sides by the river. We were starving by the time we arrived at three in the afternoon having not had a chance to eat lunch yet. We settled therefore for an all you can eat "asado" or meat grill. It included sausages, black pudding, ribs, pork steak, chicken and offal. We ate (probably more than) our full and subsequently felt revived for an explore. We wandered down by the river side and eventually settled down to watch the incredible sunset from a look out over the water. 

More exploring followed the next day. We climbed the lighthouse which gave us some great views of the leafy plaza below and of the surrounding river. The town is full of old cars, most of which look totally abandoned, but try provided some fantastic photo opportunities! They ranged from little Renaults, to American muscle cars, to black beasts you could see mafia bosses in! The cobbled streets made me nostalgic for my childhood, and the narrow streets and sheltering trees complete the charm of the place. After lunch, we regretfully left on a bus bound for the capital: Montevideo. We arrived too late to do much more than cook and head to bed, however we did walk through the large main square on our way to the hostel, which peaked our interest for sightseeing the next day. 

We only planned to stay one day in the city, therefore we set off early the next morning in order to squeeze in as much of the city's sights as possible. I think we did remarkably well. Our first stop was back to the Plaza de Independencia, which had looked so impressive the night before and it did not disappoint during the day. It is dominated on one side by the Palacio Salvo, finished in 1928 and which, at 100m, was the tallest building in South America for decades. We wandered around the "Ciudad Vieja" (Old City), taking in the various churches, plazas and palaces eventually reaching the port where stands the dark and ominous port customs building. On the other side if the road lies the Mercado del Puerto, a market which is filled with one parilla (grill) restaurant after another. We were offered a glass of "medio y medio", the local drink containing have white wine, half sparkling wine. The grills were already laden with meat and vegetables and we were sorely tempted to return to eat there later in the day. We finally decided however to head to the less touristy (and therefore better value) Mercado de la Abundancia. Here we had yet another steak, washed down with some wine and finished off with a pudding for under ten dollars. It is worth noting at this point that we are still searching for a truly excellent steak, as although up until this point they have been tasty, we are yet to be completely blown away by them. We have a couple of recommendations for restaurants in BA however, and are looking forward to trying them out when we return! 

In the afternoon we took the time to visit a couple of museums: the History of Art Museum and the Automobile Museum. The former was interesting and extensive by South American standards, but lacked an abundance in original prices. It's saving grace was the original Egyptian mummy on display. It was bought originally by a wealthy Uruguayan before eventually being gifted to the museum. Owning to our aforementioned fascination with the number of old cars in the country, the latter was a perfect end to the day. It included examples of the first cars (one allegedly built in Belgium!) through to Ferraris and huge American muscle cars. 

That evening we boarded yet another night bus back across the border, our short adventure in Uruguay over. We were heading to Cordoba, known as Argentina's cultural centre. I will make sure to keep you up to speed soon with all the culture we amass there, and what comes next!

Lots of love, 

Emma

The Lakes District

Over 18 hours after leaving Mendoza, we finally arrived in Pucon, Chile and I felt at home straight away. It felt like a little ski village in the Alpes, but "South American-ised". Lots of wooden chalets lined the definite blocked streets with ski rental shops and tour agents occupying a large number of them. The whole town is in the shadow of the impressive Villarrica volcano, which we were lucky enough to see at sunrise the morning we arrived. It also lays on the shore of the Villarrica Lake. A quick stroll around the lake and it is easy to see why this place has become one of the lost important tourist destinations in southern Chile. The sand is black, as it comes from volcanic rock, which might not make the best sunbathing surface, but the views are really very special. 

The town was completely deserted when we arrived. At about 9 o'clock we finally found a restaurant whose owner, although they were still closed, was up and about. He kindly let us in for a coffee and to figure out somewhere to stay. We found a hostel called Emafequen, run by perhaps the nicest hostel owner we have come across so far (and her name was Ema!). We ended up with a cabin on the property, with our own room and a kitchen, bathroom and (most appreciated) a sitting room complete with a TV and a wood burning stove which we shared with some lovely holidaying Brazilians. It was fantastic to have a place which seemed almost like a home for a few days, and we made full use of it kicking back each evening to watch films and even toast marshmallows over the fire! 

An ascension of the volcano is one of Pucon's most popular tourist attraction. Having recovered from Huyana Potosí, we were keen to get the top of a volcano, as we had heard that you could see right into the crater. However after speaking to several tour agents, it became apparent that reaching the top in the middle of winter was rare: the ice during the last stages of the climb is so hard that crampons and ice picks cannot pierce it. Eventually, we decided that the money would be better spent elsewhere. We therefore spent out days trekking through the incredible landscape, including a day in the Huerquehue National Park. The hike involves a few hours of uphill walking to reach to top of a ridge. From there, you reach a series of lakes: the Lagunas Chico, Toro and Verde. The are beautiful, made perhaps more picturesque by the snow and ice laying atop them.  The hike itself was also stunning as the path wound its way through the snowy forest. It was a veritable winter wonderland! 

It was difficult leaving our lovely cabin in order to move on to our next stop, however keeping up a good pace is key to travelling the way we are! Therefore, it was back on a bus even further south to what is known as the gateway to Patagonia: Puerto Montt. The town itself is rather drab and grey, but the lodging was cheap and it was only a short bus ride away from Puerto Varas which is much more geared towards tourism and outdoor pursuits. From there we spent a day hiking to another jaw droppingly gorgeous lake and a set of awe inpiring waterfalls. They were by no means the largest, tallest or even the most powerful falls I've seen, however they all fell together to make the water coming out of the falls pure white against the incredibly clear, turquoise water of the river. 

This was to be our last stop on Chile, and it seemed like our time there really flew past! It's an amazing country, and even though we were there a few weeks, we went to the desert, skied and boarded on a mountain, we went to the beach and walked the shores of lakes surrounded by volcanoes. My preconceived notion of a country which has everything was not tainted, and I had a fantastic time there. However, we wanted to give enough time to our last two countries, Argentina and Uruguay and with only a month left, it was time to move on. 

The first city on our list was Bariloche on the edge of Patagonia. In the winter, tourists flock here from far afield primarily to ski at one of the largest and modern of South America's resorts called Cerro Catedral. It is particularly popular with Brazilians, who, as we were informed by a Brazilian we meet on the bus into town, jokingly call it Braziloche as you are more likely to run into a Brazilian than an Argentinian! 

On a bit of a whim, and using the money we had set aside for the volcano in Pucon which we never climbed, we decided to head up on the hill! We knew that money would come in handy somewhere! This time, instead of skis, I joined Tanya on a snowboard. We had a brilliant day and were again lucky with the weather. I was particularly grateful for this, as the views were first class, and certainly the best I have even seen from a ski resort. Two lakes are visible from the top of the mountain, as well as the city below and the mountain range behind. I am struggling to find the words to describe just how wonderful the scenery was, and there were times when you felt like you were boarding into the void of the lake. Simply beautiful. 

We spent our second day in Bariloche cycling around the "Circuito Chico", a popular bike ride around a peninsula which juts out into on the lakes. The views were even better than the lake views we had seen so far, and the 28km flew by in a blur of pine trees and clear, blue water. There were several viewpoints along the way and we were hopefully able to capture some of the beauty on the camera. We also made a couple of stops on the way, one to a smokery where we were able to try smoked venison, cheese, salmon and trout; and one to a path over a "roman bridge" (built in the 1930's) which also lead to the Laguna Escondida (Hidden Lake), where the reflection of the mountain behind shone perfectly in the middle of the clear water. That night we ate a cheese fondue which, amusingly, included hot dog sausages, apple pieces and potato balls to dip in the cheese alongside the usual bread! 

We left our big bags at the hostel the next day and headed off for a two day excursion to San Martin de Los Andea. The bus over follows the "Ruta de los Siete Lagos" (the Route of the 7 Lakes), which, as the name implies, provides incredible views of (more) beautiful lakes. We only had a few of hours of daylight left once we arrived in the town, so we walked a couple of hours up to a mirador which had great views over the town and the lake. On our way we passed through a little village where we saw a farmer driving his oxen and cart home, with a chainsaw in the back suggesting that he had been logging. That evening we pottered around the town for a while, sticking out heads into some of the exquisite chocolate shops the region is well known for. After telling the owner of one shop that I was from Belgian, we even scored a sample of a delicious Ducle de Leche filled chocolate. Yum!

The next day we managed to hitch a ride with a family headed to Villa la Angostura, the next town on the way back to Bariloche. They had some brilliant anecdotes about the surrounding area, for example one of the rivers which adjoins two of the lakes is know as the shortest river in the world, being only 100m long! It was also great to see the views of the Ruta de Los Siete Lagos from a car rather than a bus as it was easier to strain a look at the various lakes. 

From Villa la Angostura we entered the

Arrayanes National Park and hiked the 26km round trip to the "Bosque de los Arrayanes", a wood dominated by the Arrayane tree. We had already come across this unusual species, easily identifiable by its orange coloured, peeling bark, but this wood was dominated by these particular trees. Allegedly, the Arranyanes forests of the region were visited by Walt Disney and inspired the scenery for Bambi. The other side of the wood there were some fabulous views over one of the surrounding lakes. The day was drawing quickly to an end however and we had to make the return journey at a swift pace in order to be back before dark. We made it to a viewpoint over the lake for sunset, which made the hard, fast walking completely worth it! Back in the town, we managed to scoff a rather large pizza each before jumping on a bus back to Bariloche. 

The following day, our adventure on the edge of Patagonia came to an end, as we were keen to move up north for the chief reason that we wanted to escape the bitter cold! It was another day and night on a bus, all the way to Mar del Plata. I will leave our stories from there and beyond to the next post as I fear I may have gone on a bit with the current one. However, I hope you enjoyed it and rememeber to keep an eye out for the next! 

Lots of love,

Emma 

Mendoza

Once again we were on a bus heading towards a border crossing. This time however, only for a short hop over to Argentina before heading back to Chile within a few days. After having consulted a map, we realised it would make more sense to tick Mendoza off our list from Santiago, with it only being 8 short hours away. Therefore, we set off for wine country, only to find that the bus journey alone was almost worth the journey for the views it offered. The pass between Chile and Argentina at this longitude climbs straight over the Andes (something which was to cause us some hassle later on).  At one point, I looked up and saw a chair lift climbing steadily right above our heads, and we went past several other ski resorts on the way. At the border crossing itself it became apparent that we had arrived in Argentina as the only snack available was a Milanese, which in Argentina means a sandwich filled with steak (of course), cheese, ham and salad. 

We arrived in Mendoza just as dusk was falling and had some trouble finding a room, as the local holidays were still on. However, when we did find a hostel, we found it to be a friendly place and we meet some people from Buenos Aires. They took us out to some bars where, to our delight, they played rock music of all types. This made a big change from the usual mix of Spanish/American hip hop/rap and Andean music, which was getting rather old!

The next day we spent walking around the town, which turned out to have a beautiful park. It reminded me of European parks, half way between Hyde Park and the Retiro in Madrid. We spent the entire afternoon there, finally reaching the Cerro de Gloria, from the top of which we had a fantastic of the city, even though the day was slightly grey. Right at the top of the hill, there is an enormous statue, with everything from horsemen to mythical creatures to dinner party scenes depicted in the form of bronze statutes and murals. We also stumbled unwittingly across the art museum, which was exhibiting some Joan Miró paintings, with free entrance for the holiday period. The rest of the day was taken up with boring errands, mainly surrounding out attempts at buying bus tickets back to Chile. The problem was that there was heavy snow over the pass back over, and the company could not guarantee that we would make the journey without having to turn back. 

This worry nagged us for the next two nights but we put it to the back of our minds for the following day's excursion to the wineries which Mendoza is famous for. The typical tourist trail which we followed is generally done in the summer, as it involves hiring a bike and cycling several kilometres between the "Bodegas". The girl in the tourist office seemed genuinely surprised that we were willing to attempt it in the cold (until we explained that we were English and were used to the cold!). 

We meet an English couple on the bus over to Maipu, the base town for the tour, and joined up with them for the afternoon, with our first stop being a small olive oil manufacturer. We learnt about olive and olive oil production but the best part of the tour was the tasting session! We dipped bread into different oils, vinegars as well as tapenades. We then had a chance to try the farm's homemade jams and spirits. We sampled chocolate vodka, with chocolate chips floating around, as well as Dulce de Leche with banana and finally absinthe. 

Our second stop was the Familigia de Tomasi winery, founded by Italian migrants. There we learnt much about wine production and the processes involved, especially about the ageing processes and how it can change the character and flavour of wines. After the tour was the tasting, which included, among others, a Malbec (of course), an a delicious dessert wine. We visited one further winery, which was founded just under feb years ago by a French ex-pat. He had been working in Mendoza for an international company and simply decided to retire and set up a wine making business! There again we sampled some gorgeous wine, and learnt more about how to appreciate the sublte differences between them. 

Bright and early the next morning, we made out way to the bus station not sure if the pass would be open and whether the journey back was possible or not. After several hours of waiting, they sent us on our way and, thankfully, the journey went as planned. The scenery was even more beautiful that the way out, with the new snow making everything look fresh and clean. After that 8 hour journey, it was onto another (12 hour!) bus from Santiago as we headed south into the lake districts. Pucon was our first destination, and I will be sure to have you updates soon with news of our adventures on the edge of Patagonia! 

Lots of love, 

Emma 

Santiago and Valparasio

We arrived in Santiago one rather grey morning and quickly settled into our lodgings, and got ready for the activity we were most excited about based from the city: skiing and snowboarding. My godfather Steven deserves a special mention at this point, as we were afraid that this sport was going to be beyond our budget on this trip however he was incredibly generous and offered to gift the excursion to us. It was certainly one of the things highest on my list to do in South America, being a little obsessed with snowsports, therefore I would like to take this opportunity to thank him once again: thank you Steven! 

The mountains, including the resort we were to go to, Valle Nevado, are just a short two hour drive from Santiago, and we booked up for two full days on the slopes leaving each morning from the city and returning at night. It seems amazing that this is possible and the perks of Chile's capital were beginning to become apparent to me! That afternoon we were also able to squeeze in a little bit of sightseeing, taking in the beautiful main square and the old/new architectural contrasts.   

We awoke early the next day, very excited to be heading off up the hill. The scenery on the way was amazing in itself: never have I driven past cacti in the hills on the road up to the ski slopes before! As we climbed we also drove past small herds of cows, donkeys and horses which would occasionally wander across the road, seemingly unaware of the distress they were causing to the drivers on the road. About two thirds of the way up, snow started to appear on the ground and before we knew it (and just about at the point where we thought the driver's terrible taste in music might have driven us crazy!), the resort appeared in front of us. The main building was very modern and included the entrance to Chile's first gondola type ski lift. We were kitted out in there with much better equipment than I had expected and headed out into the snow! The snow this year has been less good than what was hoped. After a very good start to the season, they have had little more to top up, however the base layer is solid and there is enough to get round a lot of the mountain. On the (very) bright side, the weather was absolutely fantastic, there was not a cloud in the sky either day and it was just cold enough that the snow was not turning to slush but not cold enough to need more than a few layers. By Southern Hemisphere standards, the resort is large, and there was certainly enough to keep us more than occupied over the two days. The resort boasts an excellent variety of runs, nothing super challenging bit mostly sweeping and wide which is perfect for a short trip. I cannot explain how amazing it was to be back out on skis, especially, as we kept noting with disbelief, as it was July - so strange for us, coming from the Northern Hemisphere!

The two days came and went far too quickly, however we knew there was plenty more that Santiago had on offer so the next day (albeit after a bit of a lie in!), we went in search for some sights and culture. The rather grey picture we had perceived the first day was shattered under a glorious sun. As we walked through the centre of the city, we saw more beautiful buildings, such as the national theatre and many stunning modern glass structures. We then came to the Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Hill) and climbed right to the Castillo at the top for wonderful views over Santiago. We also visited both the National Fine Art gallery and that of Modern Art. The former was certainly better at the time of our visit, as the latter was having some building works which only left onlu one exhibition on display. That evening we sampled what the city had on offer in terms of a nightlife. This included trying the infamous drink known as a Terremoto, or Earthquake, made up of a concoction of pineapple juice, wine,  Fernet (a herby dark liquor) and a couple of scoops of ice cream on the top! We spent on final day in Santiago the following day, resting up and making plans for our next stages.

First on our list was the holiday playground of the wealthy of Santiago: Valparasio and neighbouring Viña del Mar. We arrived with just enough time in the afternoon to take a walk around the latter, past casinos and castles built by the wealthy of the past and present. We finished off the day watching the sun set over the sea on a beach packed with holidaying Chileans (it being the winter holiday period) with an ice cream. It was perfect. 

The next day also involves lots of walking as we took in the sites of Valparasio. The walls of the main tourist and residential "hill" neighbourhoods are covered with intricate and, mostly, beautiful graffiti. The Cerro Bellavista (Bellavista Hill), even has a Museo de Cielo Abierto or "Open Sky Museum" of wall paintings by previous students of the art museum, some now well known artists. In the same neighbourhood we visited one of the houses which previously belonged to the Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, from which there is a wonderful view over the bay. The view from the, otherwise somewhat disappointing, Museo del Mar de Lord Cochrane was also superb, looking directly over the main square. We also rode in one of the infamous elevators which take you up to the various hills and lunched on seafood soup. I've never seen so many different types of seafood in one dish! 

That evening we sat watching the world go by, on some steps near our hostel looking at a beautiful view over the sea and drinking mate (herbal tea) with two Argentian girls. The hostel, as we have found in more and more Chilean hostels, had more Chileans and Argentinians, which means we are practicing our Spanish more and more! We spent the evening therefore chatting with the other residents over piscocolas (pisco mixed with coke) and beer. 

Early the next morning we left on a bus bound for Mendoza, Argentina - yet another country on our list. We plan to return to Chile after our visit there, as geographically it makes more sense on our route. I look forward to telling all about this area famous for its wine production in the next instalment!

Lots of love,

Emma

Northern Chile

Soon after completing our mountain mission, it was finally time to move on from Bolivia, and into Chile. We took a bus all the way from La Paz down to the coastal town of Arica, where we spent a night in the grimmest and dirtiest guesthouse I have ever stepped into! Our neighbour spent a good hour as we were trying to get to sleep making so much noise that the only thing I could imagine he was doing was breaking up all the furniture in his room! However, the town was pretty, and even boasts a church designed by Gustave Eiffel and constructed in separate units in his Paris studio, before being sent out to be assembled in situ. It was lovely to be by the sea again, and the weather was certainly much milder than in La Paz! The sea itself was wild, and we spent the afternoon walking down the beaches watching the waves crash against the rocks.

That evening, we took a short five hour bus ride down to the larger town of Iquique, which also sits along the sea. The waves here were even bigger, and we were informed that surfers were even being fined for attempting to go in the water as the coast guard considered it too dangerous. It was incredible to watch those brave or stupid enough to head out though!

Iquique is home to a duty free mall, and we were excited at the prospect of finding some cheap electronics. Disappointingly however, the prices seemed the same if not inflated from those at home! We also visited the abandoned nitrate processing plant and associated village in the desert just outside Iquique, called Humberstone. It was an eerie place, filled with huge empty warehouses and some of the old machinery, including several steam engines. Surrounding the factory was an entire small town, where the workers and their families lived. There were two schools, two squares, quite a large hotel and a swimming pool, so it had been no small village. It was very interesting to see the different types of dwellings for the overseers and the workers, which you could still see furnished as they would have been. 

From Iquique, we headed to one of Chile's most important tourist destination: San Pedro de Atacama, in the middle of the Atacama desert. The town itself is small and rather uninteresting, built to cater solely for tourists. We found a quaint residencial run by a French lady and her Chilean partner, who is a musician. The house was constantly filled with music, with the whole family and friends practicing and performing all through the day and night. It was lovely to stay in a less faceless and emotionless place than a lot of the hostels we pass through. 

There are countless travel agents in San Pedro which run many tours in the surrounding area. Our first outing consisted of hiring some bikes and cycling throug the Valle de la Luna (the Valley of the Moon), so named for the moon like appearance of the landscape produced by the solidification of the sand in strange structures, and covered by a dusting of salt. We stopped off at various view points through the park, and even went through a few caves under the sand. At sunset, we walked up to the top of a dune for an amazing view over the while area. The only flaw in this plan was the lack of lights on our bikes for the hour long cycle back to the town, but thankfully we made it back alive! 

The second tour we took was to the SPACE observatory that very evening, where an excellent astronomer guide gave us a talk on astronomy in general and specifically the sky you see in the Southern Hemisphere. We even had a chance to look through the teb telescopes they had set up, and saw some incredible sights such as clusters of stars which shone like gems in different colours, and a pair of stars orbiting around a point together. The best of all however was a perfect view of Saturn, complete with its ring. It was so clear, it simply looked like a cartoon drawing! To round off the night, we sat around wrapped up in blankets with hot chocolate asking any last minute questions about the sky, stars, suns, moons and planets. It was certainly an eye opener, and I am so glad that we had the chance to see the beautiful sky, full of so many stars, in a place with so little light pollution. 

The next day, we woke up at 4am to head out into the highlands and see the Tatio Geysers. Due to having missed the geysers on the salt flat tour thanks to the blizzard (see two posts previous), we were very keen to see those near to San Pedro, and we were not disappointed! After the two hour drive up to the altiplano from San Pedro, the sight of the tall columns of steam rising up from the ground in the early morning light was something to behold. We spent a couple of hours listening to the explanations of the various type of geysers and how they are formed from our guide. We had a lovely breakfast out of the back of our jeep and even took a dip in a natural thermal pool fed from the geysers. The morning ended with a visit to a tiny indigenous village, where only about eight people live at any one time to tend to the llamas, while the other fifteen or so inhabitants live down the valley in order for the kids to be able to go to school. 

After a couple of fantastic days in San Pedro, it was time to keep moving south. We took a night bus to Calama, from where we traveled to the tiny beach resort of Bahia Inglesa for the day. We had a lovely, relaxing day, and it was even warm enough (for us tough English girls!) to sunbathe for a while. We treated ourselves to a scrumptious seafood meal, sampling local scallops and sea snails, which were surprisingly good! In the afternoon, we meet some hippies who were setting up a drug rehabilitation centre in the bay, and ate more scallops and a gorgeous home made soup. One of them was a jewellery artist, and we bought a couple pairs of lovely earrings from him. That evening, we hopped on another bus, this time with destination Santiago, from where I write this post. There are several things to do and places we'd like to visit around here, and I will be sure keep you updated on our progress in the next post. 

Lots of love,

Emma 

Huyana PotosÍ

This post will quite likely be very short, as it only covers the events of three days, however they were so tough and they mean so much to me, I thought they deserved a post of their own. We had decided to attempt to climb a mountain, and had chosen Huyana Potosí (6088m). If we achieved it, we bagged our first 6000m peak, which is about 1800m higher than the highest mountain I've climbed before. I knew that the snow and the altitude would make it difficult but I had no idea how much it would take out of us. I think it might be the hardest physical effort I have ever undertaken.

We arrived at base camp on the first day, freshly kitted out with our (rather old and badly fitting) equipment. We spent that afternoon learning to use the crampons and ice picks on a glacier an hours hike from camp. The altitude (around 4800m) was already making is breathe heavily, and the idea of going so much higher was already a little concerning! 

The next day, the real challenge began. We had a three hour hike up to high camp, which sounded like nothing. However, we had to carry all the gear we would need for the final climb, including the crampons and ice picks, helmets and gloves, sleeping bags and warmer clothes. The altitude really started kicking in, and walking uphill in snow, with crampons for the last two hours, was hard. We made it up, but we were worried for the next day. We went to bed early, at about 6, as we were to get up at 1.30 to start the final ascent. 

I'm not quite sure how to describe the final 4/5 hours of walking up to the top. They really were hellish. We were tied in a line together, with the guide in the guide in the front, followed by Tanya and finally myself. I hadn't really eaten, having not felt very well in the morning, and it was struggle to take more than 10 paces at a time. My eyes were closing involuntarily. There were parts which were so steep we had to use our ice picks and climb up with our crampons. We even had to jump over a couple of narrow, buy extremely deep crevasses! At 5800m, with so little left to go, I began really struggling. However, our guide then pointed out the 100m up to 6000m and finally up to the summit itself. This gave us the push we needed to carry on. Once we reached 6000m, the final ascent followed a narrow ridge, in certain areas so narrow one couldn't place both feet next to each other! This final part was perhaps my favourite, as it was actually less steep, and the sun was slowly rising revealing incredible views of other mountains, La Paz itself and mountain lakes (including Lake Titicaca!). Tanya was perhaps a little more peturbed by this part, having a small fear of heights, but she did fantastically and eventually, after all the mental and physical exertion, we finally made it to the summit! It was a fanatastic feeling, and the views were superlative. The reality hasn't really set it, but we had made it! 

The way down the mountain was in some ways worse than the way up. We were so tired and still so hungry and the guide was pushing us to hurry as the snow was melting increasing the avalanche risk. By the time we reached high camp we were at the end of our tethers. I wasn't sure we'd make it down any further! A couple of Oreo biscuits later and our guide was again edging us on down. To cap it all off, Tanya's knee started to hurt, and we once again had heavy packs to carry. However, somehow, very slowly, we finally reached base camp, nine hours after leaving high camp that morning. I was done, I couldn't even eat, and I slept most of the way back to La Paz. 

Even a couple of days later we are still recovering and suffering with coughs, sore throats and extreme tiredness. Apparently, on average, 30% of a group do not make it up to the top and all of ours did. The mental and physical effort was huge, but the feeling of achievement was worth every moment. I'm so glad we took the challenge and succeeded, however we certainly need a rest before our next trek or other physical trip! We are now heading for Chile, and aim to find a beach! The weather won't be warm, but certainly warmer than up a snowy mountain! I will keep you updated soon with our first days in another new country. 

Lots of love, 

Emma 

Tupiza and the 4x4 tour up to the Uyuni salt flats

Leaving Potosí proved to be more difficult than we first expected, as the driver of the bus we had booked decided that there were too few passengers to make the journey worthwhile. The company neglected to tell us, the passengers, of this decision, resulting in a wasted hour at the bus station. In the end, we took a shared taxi with another couple of travellers, and the comfort was certainly appreciated. The addition of the aforementioned travellers, two lovely Irish guys, bought out little party up to six, as we were already travelling down with an English guy we had met in La Paz, and a Swiss girl we had originally met whilst swimming with the dolphins in the pampas, and whom we'd run into again in Potosí. 

It turned out to be a fantastic group, and the first night and day in Tupiza were great fun. The highlight for me, of course, was the five hour horse ride through the incredible red rock scenery which provided the backdrop for the final days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Unfortunately, accessing the actual scene of their final moments would have meant a much longer, camping, tour however I feel that we certainly got the feel for the area, which included incredible canons and vast colour changes - from the red rock to green rock all punctuated with stunning cacti. We were even given chaps and sombreros to wear so we felt very western! I was given a lovely little grey mare who flew like the wind (though not as fast as Ginger!). As we were having a gallop up ahead on our own, she even took me down a path with a little jump cheeky pony, and I surprised several hikers and a goat herder as we careered round a corner in a cloud of dust, with my hat almost flying off! 

The following day, the six of us joined three further tourists on a four day tour in a 4x4 up through fantastic scenery first through the area surrounding Tupiza, then through the Altiplano (high planes) and ending at one of the largest salt flats in the world outside Uyuni. 

We ended up having really quite an adventure! The first day passed as expected as we drove along a very bendy road flagged by deep canons (Mum would have hated the trip already), until the scenery changed into the bare landscape of te Altiplano. Here, the temperature dropped fast and we were already faced with snow and icey rivers to cross. We stopped often to take pictures of the wonderful views, which included a slightly creepy derelict village which was apparently abandoned due to a haunting! We stayed the night in very basic accommodation, where the temperatures inside was about -8 degrees which was cold but nothing compared for what we were in for next! 

The next day we were back in the jeep early heading to our first destination: the strange rock formation called L'Arbol de Piedra or "Rock Tree". This does have a remarkable resemblance to a tree, and the general scenery was still making us look twice. I never tired of watching the llamas and wild vicuñas grazing the bleak plains, and we saw plenty more wildlife including ostriches and at the end of the second morning, a lake full of flamengos. We stopped early for lunch and had some free time to soak in a hot spring. I was slightly apprehensive at first, as it was actually snowing outside by this time, however once we were in it was wonderful. We even got out and rolled in the snow and jumped back in! 

After too short a time, it was time to dry off and head in for lunch. Then the real adventure began! We plan for the afternoon was to head to the Laguna Verde, or "Green Lake", and then on to see the geysers. Unfortunately, we never made to it to either as we were caught in a blizzard. We ended up in a convoy of about a dozen other jeeps, driving through the snow for about 5 hours. The drivers simply couldn't find a way through, and I suspect they were rather lost at some points as well. A helpful Canadian tourist even tried to help by lending his GPS system to them, though it seemed to me that they might have been lacking a map, so I'm not sure how much help that would have been. After several close calls, where jeeps were stuck in snow up hills, and several loops of the same area, finally the snow started to abate and the last planned stop for the day, the Laguna Colorada (Coloured Lake), appeared in front of us. It was the perfect time to see it, just at sunset and it was spectacular, and we felt as if it hadn't been a day lost. It was very cold however so we didn't stay long but headed swiftly on to our stop for the night. The temperature dropped to -15 degrees inside there and we coped by burning dried fungus and making hot whiskeys with honey and lemon to keep the chill out! 

The third day was centred around a line of lakes, where we were reassured that we would have plenty of opportunities to capture photos of flamengos especially. We were not disappointed, there were more flamengos at each lake, as well as opportunities for some incredible shots of vicuñas, and even both animals together. It's hard to explain how beautiful the surroundings were - the gorgeous lakes surrounded by snowy peaks were the perfect background for such wonderful creatures. 

We had lunch outside served out of the back of the jeep in the company of several mountain chinchillas which were adorable. In the afternoon, we drove to a ancient burial site, which also served as a mirador over the very edge of the salt flats. We were nearing the main attraction of this trip, the Uyuni salt flats, among the largest in the world. That night, we stayed in a hostel made entirely of salt. We would visit the first of its type the next day, but those built on the salt flats itself have been outlawed for environmental reasons. However, the hostel was fantastic (not least because it had hot showers, a luxury we had not had for the last 2 nights!), as everything was indeed made out of salt. The walls were made out of salt bricks, as were the tables and chairs, and even the floors! We whiled away the evening happily accompanied by a couple of magnums of red wine which a cholita (traditionally dressed lady) was selling in the hostel! 

We awoke before dawn the next day in order to drive out onto the salt flats and see the breathtaking sunrise from there. We had breakfast on one of the five islands in the flats, Inka Wasi, or the Inca's Home. The island was covered in cacti and was amazing to wander around. We then drove out into the salt flats again and spent a good two hours taking hundreds of the stereotypical perspective pictures which the flats lend themselves so well to. I have to say, we got some good ones, and I hope to share them with you all at some point! We did see the original salt hotel, though I was a little underwhelmed after our excellent salt hostel, and we ended the morning at a train cemetery, which is exactly what it is described as! All the old spanish steam trains are simply abandoned on the outskirts of Uyuni, which again makes for great photos! 

Uyuni itself is possibly one of the most depressing places I have ever visited. We had a few hours to kill before our bus back to La Paz, and it was a few hours too long. However, it was back to La Paz we were heading, as next on our list was to attempt to climb out first peak over 6000m,Huyana Potosí (6088m), which towers over the city. I hope to let you know how we get on soon in another post. 

Lots of love, 

Emma 

Bolivia continued

The evening in which we returned from the Death Road we spent with some friends whom we'd meet just before out pampas tour. The group grew, and we meet a group of guys who had just graduated from Durham. It was fun chatting to them about my old university town, and what had changed in the time is been gone. We also established fairly quickly that one of them is actually the cousin of one of our classmates from school! These "7 degrees of separation" type encounters are becoming more common.

The next evening, after one last day of wandering around La Paz, we jumped on a night bus bound for Sucre. All was going well, until we were only about 30km outside of the city, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, where the bus stopped, and the engine was turned off. Another British guy on the bus got out and went to see why was happening only to come back and report that there was a rally and we would be stopped until at least early afternoon. After an initial panic that he meant a protest rally, I realised with relief that it was actually a national Rally Car race blocking the route! Therefore, our plan for sightseeing in Sucre was forcefully placed on the back burner, and we spent the day sitting in the sun, watching the race. I've certainly heard of worst delays in Bolivia, where strike road blocks are not uncommon. 

It was late afternoon therefore by the time we reached Sucre, which only really left us enough time to settle into a hostel and go to dinner with some new Scottish friends from our bus. The next day, we managed to meet up with some other friends from La Paz, and together we took the "Dino Bus", an open air double decker, to the Cretaceous Park, a museum based around an enormous mined out cliff which displays some of the best dinosaur prints in the world. Other attractions include life size replicas of dinosaurs and fossils. Although it was a touristy and, to be honest, a little naff, we had a great time. 

We spent our final full day in Sucre, wandering happily about the beautiful "White City" (apparently, yearly white washing is mandatory), taking in the amazing parks, churches and the mirador which provides spectacular views. We also visited a couple of indigenous museums, which were both very interesting. One explained the ins and outs of weaving, and weaving patterns as well as local music and dance. It also had a collection of artefacts from an excavation complete with preserved clothes and a skull with a viable depression from, apparently, voluntary deformation. The second museums was based around a village whose population had been reduced to just 170 at one point in time, but recovered and now has a population over 2000. There was also a collection of ceremonial masks, some of which were terrifying! 

We left the warm weather of Sucre (which we had been so grateful for after La Paz!) for Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world at 4090 metres. The temperature difference incredible when one considers that it's only a three hour journey between the two cities. Potosí was once one of the richest cities in South America due to the Cerro Rico, or "Rich Mountain", a mountain which was once rich in silver ore. The silver has now been depleted, however the mining industry remains the most important for the city, with minerals such as zinc and copper. The biggest tourist attraction of the city therefore is a tour of the mineral refineries, miner's market and, finally, the mines themselves. It is advertised as a tour of a "non-tourist" mine, and indeed that is what it is. Tanya decided to give it a miss, however a friend we are travelling with currently persuaded me that I would never get another oppurtunity like it again, so I gave it a go. There are thousands of men working in the mines, and as we descended the narrow, low shafts, the first ones we came in contact with were those pulling and pushing a tonne of rocks up through the mine in carts on narrow tracks. As we carried on down the mine, we meet miners performing different tasks, including hauling up rocks from lower levels, and wheel-barrowing them over a cart, and even drilling holes in the wall for the dynamite explosions (I even had a go using the drill myself!). They gratefully received gifts of juice, water and coco leaves (which keeps them going on their long shifts) which we had bought in the miner's market. Overall, the experience can only be described as haunting, terrifying and extremely uncomfortable. There were certain places where the ceiling was so low we were forced to crawl on our stomachs. However for me personally, the worst of it was the dust in the air which was full of the smell of sulphur and made my throat and eyes hurt. We only stayed down there for a couple of hours, and our guide told us that the miners could work as many hours a day which they wanted up for 20 hours. I came out of the mine full of relief that I was out in the fresh air, and respect for the miners who go down there every day. 

We are now planning on heading down to Tupiza, which is listed in the guide books as reminiscent of the Wild West. We are looking into riding tour through the canyon scenery, which of course I am very excited about! After that, it is on to the salt flats in Uyuni, which is supposed to be spectacular! I hope to write another update soon after that tour. 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx

Moving on to Bolivia

It seemed to me that our time in Peru flew by and before I knew it, we were organising crossing the border over into Bolivia. The journey itself was perhaps the worst yet for myself as I fell under the clutches of the dreaded stomach bug. However, we somehow made made it in one piece to the small town of Copacabana (yes, like the song!) on the shore of Lake Titicaca, which is considered the world's largest high altitude lake. 

By this point, we were slowly crashing after a month and half travelling at a fairly swift pace. It was a rather spectacular place to recover, with the incredible views of the giant lake, flagged by the Cordilleras mountains, some of which are even snow capped. We took a boat (though unfortunately not one of the small traditional reed boats!) from Copacabana over to the Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the sun in Incan mythology. There we witnessed one of the most spectacular sun-set and subsequent -rise I have ever seen, the latter right over the lake from the window of our bedroom. In the morning, we hiked the length of the island from the south, where we had stayed the night, to the north, taking in the scenery and the ruins which are scattered across the island. Observing the life of the locals, who are mainly involved in agriculture, was also interesting. We sampled local (farmed) lake trout at a charming restaurant while the little girl of the place sucked us into a game of cards for her amusement! 

Back on the mainland the next day, we made the trek over to Playa Blanca, or White Beach, where several "Floating Islands", traditional large jetties made of the reeds which grow in the shores of the lake, are linked together with small rock islands just off the coast. This aspect was pleasing and pretty, exactly what you picture when reading up on Lake Titicaca. The beach itself is in need of a community clean-up project however, and I can't help but wonder how tourism and growth will change this place: perhaps for the better eventually but in the present pollution seems to pose a major threat.  

From Copacabana, we hopped on a bus to La Paz, which was to be our base for several trips in the area surrounding the city. Amazingly, we meet a chap on the little ferry boat we had to take across the lake on who had been in the year above us in school! We hadn't known him well, but considering the small size of our school, it was really quite a coincidence! 

When we arrived in La Paz we finally gave in to exhaustion and illness. We allowed ourselves two days to recover, but no more as by the second day we were busily scoping out agencies for various adventures from La Paz. And so by day three, we were busy packing for a boat trip in the Bolivian "pampas". 

Out trip started with an early start to La Paz airport (which, interestingly, is very small due to the fact that international departures are so difficult thanks to the altitude playing havoc with the fuel reserves). From there we boarded the smallest commercial plane I have ever seen. There was just a single seat either side of the aisle, and the ceiling was so low that even I, at 5'1, couldn't stand up straight!  The views, however, made up for the size of the plane. The mountains surrounding La Paz were beautiful in the morning light, and the scenery slowly changed, though mountain lakes until finally jungle was spread out in front of us. 

We arrived in Rurrenabaque, the small jungle town which serves as the base for jungle and pampas tours in the area, and jumped straight into a van which drove us the three hours to Santa Rosa, a village on the edge of the national park where our tour was to take place. The road was awful, especially after the recently, unseasonal, rain however the scenery was incredible: cattle and horses lined the way, both on the side of the road and within the many ranches which I was surprised to find in a jungle setting. After lunch in Santa Rosa, we met out guide at the point where our motorised canoe was moored on the river Beni. 

The next three hours were filled with our first taste of the amazing diversity of wildlife we were going to see over the next three days. Within minutes, we had spied turtles, alligators and a veritable menagerie of birds. The bird life included cormorants, kingfishers, egrets, stalks, eagles, vultures (a strange, small species of the family), and many more. Perhaps the strangest were the Huapsin, a prehistoric bird with red eyes and a blue head lined with spike in what can only be described as resembling a Mohican. 

Out of the reptiles, the black caiman was certainly the most impressive. They grow up to 6-8 m long, and are capably of inflicting real damage in defence. We had one lying right on the edge of our lodge, where we stayed two nights and managed to take some fantastic pictures right up close to it! However, the sheer number of alligators which we saw is also very impressive, and it was very interesting watching their temperature regulation methods (sunbathing; opening their mouths; and submersion in the water). 

When we first arrived in the camp, we had a lovely surprise as a group of monkeys were lining the trees, as if to meet us! They really are incredible creatures, the way they are able to jump so gracefully between the branches. They seemed less special the following morning when a Howler Monkey woke us up at 5am! Another incredible land based mammal we saw was the capybara which is like an oversized guinea pig! 

We watched the sunset from a specific post each night we spent in the pampas and they were really beautiful. One morning we also awoke early to catch the sun rise, which all agreed, strangely, to be reminiscent of the opening scene of the Lion King! On the way back from our sunset location, we were able to spot the eyes of the reptiles lying in wait using torches which make them shine brightly.

We spent most of the trip cruising up and down the river letting the scenery sink in and watching the wildlife. One morning however was spent hiking through the pampas itself in wellies searching for anacondas. We were extremely lucky (as I heard that other groups were not) and our guide was able to find and catch one of the snakes. The was only little however we were able to appreciate how soft the skin was (after "washing" our hands in the filty pampas water in order to remove the harmful sun cream and DEET insect repellent stuck to them).

Perhaps the most exciting part of our trip however involved climbing into the thick, brown water of the river and swimming around with a group of pink river dolphins. They too were surprisingly soft, and very playful! It was my first time swimming with any type of dolphin, an one I will certainly not forget. I was concerned about touching them, and harming them however thy came straight up to us. I did not condone the actions of some of the other tourists, who went as far as catching and holding their tails for pictures! 

All too soon, it was time to head back to Rurrenabaque. The van ride back was even worse than the one out, as we had rain en route. The 180 degree skids were particularly fun! We made it back safe and sound however and were able to enjoy a shower after the oppressive stickiness of the pampas. 

We spent one night in Rurrenabaque before jumping on the plane back to La Paz, and the cold! Unfortunately, we then had another illness scare (specifically a suspected, but eventually ruled out DVT in me), which delayed our next adventure by another day. However, we missed awful weather and eventually survived cycling down the so called "Death Road". The ride was fantastic, lots of down hill with fun corners and the road is very bumby the whole way. The full suspension on the bikes was very much appreciated! We saw the place where the Top Gear team got two cars to pass alongside each other and I have to say, I don't know how they did it! It really was an incredible thing to have accomplished, and I am so glad we did it! 

We are now planning our trip down through Bolivia, with Sucre firmly in our sights. I hope to keep you posted soon of our next movements. 

Lots of love, Emma xxx

Cusco and Machu Picchu

By the last week in May we arrived in Cusco, perhaps one of the most iconic of Peru's cities. I fell in love at first sight. It is the kind of place which I could imagine myself coming back to for a holiday: it is packed full of architectural marvels, effortlessly blending Incan and Spanish styles together, weaving in and out of steeped cobbled streets. Good restaurants and expensive shops line the main streets, especially around the Plaza de Armas, the main square, while cheaper, wholesome eateries are available off side streets. There's a fantastic market, complete with a cheese section which definitely made my mouth water!  The religious buildings, with the grand cathedral at their centre are the most prominent Spanish features while a short walk to the outskirts of the city brings you to Incan ruins high on the hill surrounding the modern centre. 

Amazingly, within hours of arriving in Cusco, I walked into our hostel's bar and ran straight into a couple of English girls we'd met on the Galapagos and seen again on the coast of Ecuador. We spent a couple of fun nights with them, and met some more interesting people in the hostel including a couple of Chilean guys who insisted we compared Chilean and Peruvian pisco (because, of course, they insisted Chilean was the original and is the best). One of them is in the Chilean ski team and we were able to get a couple of tips for skiing in Chile which is excellent, as it's something I'm really keen to fit in our trip. 

It was great to catch up with the girls and hear their stories from the Machu Picchu trek that they'd just completed. In fact, their enthusiasm for the trek encouraged us to do the same one! We therefore had a hunt around for a good price and booked ourselves up for the Salkantay Trek - allegedly rated in the top 25 best treks by National Geographic. It didn't disappoint. Our group was fantastic, which I think can make all the difference on a trek. We set out very early Monday morning for 5 days and 4 nights. The hike on the first day was gentle enough although already the high altitude was apparent and we were glad to have had some acclimatisation in Arequipa. The first night we spent in a tent at 4100m - it was cold! The next day we set off early for the toughest section of the trip - up to 4600m on the Salkantay pass in the shadow of the great mountain itself (6271m). It is actually still officially unknown if anyone has ever scaled Salkantay, although there are rumours that one American man has managed it. The views from the pass were incredible and it felt great to be in the mountains again. From there however, we started descending and before we pitched camp again that evening we were in the cloud forest, and by the next day, we were into the jungle. The contrast between the different zones was fascinating and it really was strange to be almost at the snow line one day, and picking wild strawberries and avocados on the trail the next. Our final night camping was in the town of Santa Theresa, where we were finally able to soak and wash after the long days of hiking at the local hot springs, followed by a little camp fire party at the camp site. The following day, we took the option of zip-lining across the canyons which turned out to be an amazing experience! We reached speeds of up to 60km/h, taking in the incredible birds's eye views of the canyons below. We even tried out the "Spider-Man" position ( hanging upside down on the line) and the "Superman" position (flying with your arms out in front of you) holding hands on parallel lines. I have a video of the latter and hopefully I will be able to share it with some of you at some point. It was then onto the final part of the trek to Aguas Calientes, also know as Machu Picchu  Peublo, the town at the foot of the famous site. We hiked along the train tracks and saw the infamous Hiram Bingham (who discovered the Incan site) train, which costs 600 dollars for a round trip from Cusco. Once we had arrived in Aguas Calientes, the realisation that the following day we were going to be in Machu  Picchu hit home. The toll of the trek had taken over the previous days so completely that it was as though we'd almost forgotten out end goal! 

Therefore it was with great excitement that we got up before 4am the next morning (although getting out of the first bed we had seen for 4 days was a little hard, I have to admit!) to hike up the last hour or so to the site entrance. Tanya and I were determined, and we practically ran up the steep steeps, no mean feat at altitude and in the dark! I was very proud to have beat another group of hikers we'd seen along the Salkantay trail whom we'd nicknamed the "Spandex" group for all the kit they had on - including Equipe de France sports jackets. The final physical push paid off as we were among the first people who gained access to Machu Picchu that morning which allowed us to take some amazing photos of a deserted site, with the sun just coming up over the surrounding mountains. However cheesy it might sound, it was quite emotional to have in ally made it to the iconic site, and have it for just a few minutes to ourselves and just a handful of other equally keen people.

After a brief but interesting tour of the site from our guide, we were free to spend the whole day in the ancient city. It's a fascinating place, once an important religious centre but also a place of community, trade and agriculture. They now still have a few llamas roaming around, entirely for the benefit of the tourists but along with the mountain chinchillas which can be spotted from time to time, they add to the fun of the place. 

Perhaps ignoring the fact that we had been trekking 8 to 10 hours a day for the last four days, we had purchased tickets to climb up Machu Picchu Mountain, the highest mountain on the site. The hour and a half uphill climb was strenuous but 100% worth it for the view at the top. The entire city was laid out in front of us, with the other main mountain of the site,  Huayna Picchu, behind it. We had a well deserved packed lunch (including the avocados we'd picked up on the trek!) at the top and soaked up the view. Finally, as the day drew to a close, we completed on last short trek up to the famous sun gate, where those on the Inca Trail come through first thing in the morning, and even had a short wander down the famous trail. Before we knew it, it was 5pm and the city was closing. By the time we'd walked back down to the village we'd been on our feet for well over 12 hours and ready for dinner, followed by a 2 hour train ride and similar length bus ride back to Cusco, and bed. 

It's amazing that such a small part of out trip has taken up such a large post of this blog, however I think it reflects how incredible this trek really was. I hope you have enjoyed reading this update and keep an eye open for my next post as we head out of the Peru (how it has flown by!) into Bolivia! 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx