Cotopaxi

So, after some time in Quito we get a visit from the lovely Vicky and Adam that we met in Argentina.  It’s so great to catch up and the British humour is fantastic!  Love the dryness!  We get to hang out and eat curry and drink beer just like home.

As Vicky and Adam are both incredibly athletic and we seem to end up being active together all the time we somehow decide that our next physical challenge will be to climb Cotopaxi.  Cotopaxi is a volcano that is 5897meters high.  I feel quite worried after the mountain in Bolivia but at the same time I think that this time I’m better acclimatised as I run every other day here in Quito (2800m) and I’ve been taking iron tablets to increase my haemoglobin for transporting oxygen!  At altitude your body has to work incredibly hard because the air is so thin and I remember from my last experience how awful it is when you just can’t get any air into your lungs (or any O2 at least).

We make our plans and we end up with a group of 8, Pablo and me, Adam and Vicky, Kevin, Ali (a friend of Vicky and Adams from home who is over travelling and  is lovely also) and two American guys, AJ and Andy.  We book with a company that we feel comfortable with and we have one guide between two people.

The weekend gets off to a typically Ecuadorian start with our guides arriving late and it taking ages to organise equipment!  Vicky has to get boots from another company but after loads of pfaffing we’re on our way to Cotopaxi.  We arrive at the car park and it seems like the refugio that we’re staying at is just up a wee hill.  Now, although it is only 300m higher it terms of altitude we are loaded down with kit and have to stop multiple times- I am extremely worried that if I’m struggling to get to the refugio how on earth am I going to get to the summit?!  My boots hurt and I’m struggling to breath- not a promising start.  Also, once we take all our stuff out our bags we realise that we have forgotten our camera, grrr.

After we’re organised we head off to a nearby glacier to practice using our crampons and ice axes.  This is much easier and we get to spend more time with our guides who we like.  The weather is nice and bright and we feel much more positive after some time rolling about in the snow practising catching ourselves with the axes.  We head back to the refugio (freezing by the way) for some food then it’s off to bed to about 6pm as we’re getting up at midnight to start the climb.

After a couple of hours fitful sleep, where I’m woken on mulitple occasions gasping for air, we get up.  Everyone feels a bit sick and not very positive about the upcoming ordeal.  We try to eat something but stomachs are churning.

Eventually we head off into the night, it is pitch black and absolutely freezing.  We’re all wearing about 10 layers of clothing but the cold is cutting through.  The first hour we all walk together until we hit the ice.  At that point we separate into groups of two plus one guide ad we don our crampons and attach our ropes.  Here comes the hard part.  Pablo and I manage to get our favourite guide, a man named Segundo.  I had warmed to him soon after meeting him as he complimented my spanish!  Also he has a very patient manner and seems to be very tolerant when I’ve been slow earlier in the day.  It turns out we have absolutely chosen the correct guide as he’s incredibly patient and happy to walk at my pace (read- incredibly slowly!).  For the first couple of hours we walk with no problems but after about 5300m altitude we start to feel a bit rough.  Even P starts to feel a bit sick and he has previously never had problems at altitude.  We continue on as we don’t want to quit after spending money and we think that Vicky and Adam are just behind us.  Kevin and one of the Amerian guys charged past early at a cracking pace.  The wind gets stronger and stronger the higher we go and we feel weaker and weaker.  Segundo is fantastic and slows when  we need and rests when we need.  We continue on for another couple of hours before we really struggle.  At that point we start discussing turning back.  We can see lights in the distance of the other walkers and they seem to be miles away.  The mountain is so steep that we’re having to stop frequently and we’re both struggling to breath.  Pablo tells me afterwards that the whole time he was thinking “break, break woman!” so we could turn back.  Segundo continues to encourage us to do a wee bit more everytime we collapse near tears.  I am so tired that my eyes are closing and all I can think about is hypothermia, fortunately the sun starts to come up at this point and that really helps us.  When it’s pitch black you can’t see where you are and how far you’ve come.   Eventually after what seems like hours we meet Kevin coming back down.  As P and I are lying on the ground gasping for air Kevin brightly tells us that we’re only about 20mins from the summit (somehow he’s completely unaffected by the altitude- his guide tells them it’s the fastest he’s ever got to the top with tourists.  At this point I really hate him- and everyone really.).  Anyway, P and I pull ourselves together and battle on for the last bit until finally we reach the summit.

It is amazing.  There are 360 degree views and it is beautiful- mountains all around and Quito in the distance.  There is also the crater of the volcano which is both impressive and bit disconcerting at the same time.  It is absolutely freezing so we’re not able to stay long.  After some celebratory hugs and a couple fo photos taken by another guide who is at the top with another group we start the painful descent down.

After about 5 and a half hours to get up we are exhausted but all we want is to go to bed so we start to head down the mountain quite quickly, it absolutely kills my knees but P is really not feeling well and we both just want to get down son we push through and head down in about 3 hours.  We meet Vicky and Adam on the way but it sems their guide got sick so they had to head down for about an hour until they found another guide then come back up so they are exhausted when we see them.  They give it their best try but after their additional exertion they have nothing left to get to the summit.  Ali was incredibly badly affeceted by the altitude so she had to be carried down the mountain and was really unwell.  From the 8 that started the climb only 4 got to the top whcih seems to be average statsistics.  Lonely Planet advises that even fit, experienced, acclimatised climbers wil only manage one out of two attempts so considering our lack of experience I’m pleased with our group attempt.  P tells me that although the Bolivia mountain was more technical he found Cotopaxi more difficult overall.

Back at the refugio we are all in loads of pain although extremely high about our acheivement.  P and I try to sleep but my sleeping bag is so cold that it actually hurts my skin.  We have some tea and once everyone returns we head back to Quito for some well deserved pizza and DVDs!  Amazing experience, made all the more special for the people we shared it with.

Ecuador, other trips

While we’re in Quito we are lucky to be able to visit some great places as the buses are so incredibly cheap and fast (about $1 for an hours travel).

We get to visit Vicky and some other friends from Kamala in May which is lovely and makes me feel a bit sad that we didn’t get work in Guayaquil which is only a couple of hours away.  The weather is great and we get to go surfing again.  Bizarrely we also meet a friend of Pablos, called Neil from Edinburgh plus a couple of his friends.  I love how close and small Montanita is, it feels great to walk down the street and know people.  It is really great to see Vicky and see how happy she is here.

We go to Banyos with Kevin one weekend which is loads of fun.  Banyos is town near the jungle with some great natural features like waterfalls and thermal baths.  Our first day we go  to the thermal baths and have loads to eat and drink.  The town is lovely and we enjoy walking about until the skies open and it’s time to take refuge in a bar!  In the evening we head to a viewpoint where we can see the town and also the nearby volcano.

The next day we go canyoning which is essentailly abseiling down waterfalls.  We get absolutely destroyed by mosquitos but it’s lots of fun and the final waterfall particularly is incrediby lovely and very humourous when Kevins rope gets stuck and he is rescued by the guide.

After that we fall into a temporary insanity and decide to do a swing jump- this is essentially a bungee jump but you don’t bounce at the bottom you swing instead.  The bridge that we select is 100m high.  Pablo steps up to go first but after loads of hesitation I start to get nervous so volunteer to go first in order to get it over and done with.  On with the harness, onto to tiny ledge, countdown 1..2..3.   the is absolutely no way I can jump myself as every fibre in my body is screaming- don’t jump you fool!- so I politely ask the guy to push me and I’m off- flying off a bridge!  Quite an experience, not one I’m eager to repeat but I’m glad I’ve done it.  P goes next and after some more hesitation he manages to go then finally Kevin, again some hesitation then he goes off backwards.  We head for some well deserved drinks after that!

On my birthday in July Pablo and I head to Mindo, a nearby town in the cloud forest.  We get to go walking which is fantastic, we’ve really missed that from Patagonia.  We also do some ziplining and horseriding.  The food in Mindo is excellent but there isn’t much nightlife so we have a chilled weekend together.   I find it funny to realise how accustomed to Quito I’ve become.  There is absolutely loads of robbery in Quito so when we’re meant to leave out boots outside our room in Mindo we’re both unable to do so!  Even in a town of about 50 people we don’t trust anyone!

Ecuador, Quito

Quito

So, I get offered a job from Southern Cross, the company that we did our CELTA with and so we head up to Quito after a day in Guayaquil.  We go up with mixed feelings about working again.  It’s been a good while since we have worked and we don’t really want to stop travelling but I want to improve my Spanish and it will be great to have our own kitchen and bathroom again!  Also we want to put what we’ve learned into practice before we forget everything!  Kevin comes up with us as he’s also decided to stay in Ecuador.  From the rest of the group Jessie and Justin go to Guayaquil as they have friends there, Tim heads to Columbia and the others head to their respective homes.

Work turns out be quite good and Pablo and Kevin quickly get jobs too.  Unfortunately Pablo and I are both working long hours so we have limited time together.

We find a huge apartment that we share with 3 people that we met in Montanita, an Ecuadorian girl Myra, a Spanish (Basque) girl, Amaia and a Swedish girl, Sabina.   We also live with Sabinas wee puppy Bob who is super cute although not fully toilet trained!

The apartment is huge and amazingly cheap so we’re very lucky to have found it.  The girls are lovely and the best thing is that we all speak spanish together which is exactly what I need to imrpove my spanish.  I also have classes once a week, would be better to have more but as usual money is the problem.

We try to spend our free time well and today we went to a football match.  I didn’t watch too much of the game to be honest and just took in the atmosphere, there were drums and chanting and banter.  Was a great day and I ended by finally updating the blog which i will now endevour to do more frequently!

NB- more photos to follow!

Ecuador, CELTA

Montanita

So, it is with great trepidation that P and I arrive in Montanita.  We are feeling like we know nothing about English or how to teach it (true) so why did we think we could manage to do our CELTA certification (well respected certificate in teaching English- also known to be very intense and difficult)?.  Also, we want to keep travelling and we are feeling a bit wary of what the other students might be like as we’re going to be stuck with each other for the next 5 weeks.  We are in the first course to be held at this beachside location, near Montanita as usually the courses are held in Guayaquil, a nearby big city.  It was billed as CELTA in paradise but we were warned by the main trainer that it would be a rustic setting with lots of insects and other natural irritations!

We arrive in Kamala eco resort and immediately feel better when we are greeted by Pablo and Raul, two brothers who own Kamala.  They’re both really friendly and relaxed and we are shown to our huge cabana.  It is brand new and although pretty basic we think we’ll be comfortable enough for the next wee while.  The manager is Santiago, an absolutely lovely guy from Quito who helps us with everything!

One by one we meet the other people we will be spending the next 5 weeks with, our main tutor is an American man called Jaem whi is hilarious and super interesting.   He is training Vicky who is also an experienced trainer in the UK and will be runningh the course after the first session.   Vicky is lovely and after the first week it becomes clear that we’re going to get on well as she’s so amazingly helpful and has a brilliant British sense of humour. The third trainer is Ellen, an American woman who has worked in 17 countries in her life and is also so easy to get on with.  So far so good, the trainers are great.

The other students are;

From America; Kevin, Kat, Jessie, Justin, Tim, (all early 20s, Jessie and Justin are married)

From England, Matt, Mandy (cousins both early 20s)

From Sweden, John (has travelled loads, about my age)

From Ecuador, Karina, Theresa (super sweet chicas in their 30s)

Everyone has really distinct and different personalities and on paper it would seem that we wouldn’t get on.  However, we are immediately brought together as a group by all the many problems of the course ie, probs with water, electricity, internet, crappy printers that won’t print, intial poor meals, not enough cabanas built for everyone etc, etc.  The guys at Kamala work hard to fix these problems and soon we’re eating well at least.  Although these things are a pain in the arse we all get on really well with each other and the social aspect of the course is fantastic.  Although we’re in a gorgeous location we don’t get much time to enjoy it as we’re working so hard.  Fortuantely at the weekends we can blow off steam in nearby Montanita where there are $2 cocktails and great places for dancing.  We also have a salsa class one night which is loads of fun, with incredibly gorgeous teachers.  Our students are really good fun too and we have a couple of great nights out with them.  P quietly celebrates his birthday with cocktails and burgers in the town.

We also have a day trip to Isla de la Plata (poor mans Galapagos) and we get to go surfing again which is just so much fun!

I try to go running on the beach most mornings and the two dogs in Kamala adopt me and Pablo and sometimes come running too.  They are amazingly sweet but smelly, we fall in love with them and as always miss Ben!  There are also a selection of very cute kittens at kamala and often we get visits from horses and giant cow beasts!

The academic aspect nearly kills me and before my first lesson i have a wee melt down- thanks again for your help Vicky!  The course is incredibly tough and we are all stressed.  Sadly John decides to leave and at the end Tim also does.  Mandy also leaves near the end of the course but plans to continue in England.  Eventually 9 people pass the course and the majority with a Pass B which is only obtained by about 25% of the people who take the course internationally.  We’re incredibly pleased and proud of ourselves.  Now it’s time to work and earn some money again!

Peru

a Paz to Cuzco

It was finally time to leave Bolivia, an intersting but challenging place.

Pablo, Jules, Grant and I arrived at the bus station in La Paz to catch our bus.  We were extremely pleased to find that our bus was luxurious and clean, unlike our other Bolivia bus experiences!  We settle into our fully reclining seats and prepare for a great journey.

However, the bus stalls, and stalls again, the engine just will not catch and it seems that this jounrey will not be as we expeceted.  Eventually all 50 passengers get out and after many many attempts we manage to get the bus to start from rolling.

We make it through the night with just a few more mishaps but in the morning it all goes wrong when the bus breaks down and will not start again.  Unfortuantely to make matters worse we are now in the middle of a flooded road with water streaming off the hills and slowly pushing the whole bus towards a large ditch.  The bus driver tells us all to stay where we are but one older Peruvian gentleman is freaking out and is desperately trying to get off the bus before we tip over the edge.  Eventually the bus driver lets us off as the bus slowly vibrates towards the edge.  The water is icy cold, up past my knees and flowing really strongly, I hold onto Jules, properly worried that I am also going to be swept away!  We grab our backpacks from underneath the bus and struggle to get out of the flooded area, loosing shoes as we go.

Once we’re out of the danger area, it turns out that our bus has gone over the edge of the ditch.  Pablo goes back to help people whon are desperately trying to save things from their homes.  He saves someones dog and by the time he gets back our lift onto Cuenca has been organised.

One of the police or military guys that is trying to organise the traffic had flagged a dump truck (literally one of the trucks with a huge bucket on the back) to take all of the passengers onto Cuzco, which is a couple of hours away.  We clamber in, some Brazilian guys help everyone to get their bags on and we are off!

Cuzco

So we arrive in Cuzco to find that the floods that we have seen all over the roads are not just an exception, everywhere is flooded. All out plans need to be changed as  Machu Pichu, Cochequira, all the places we wanted to go to are unreachable.  We are potentially stuck and there is nothing to see.  Everyday we see helicopters flying over to collect people who are stranded in the town next to Machu Pichu.  We hear from people who returned that hotels and restaurants there all doubled their prices and the police were taking bribes to allow people onto the helicopters.  Completely different to the dump truck driver who took us to Cuzco.  He had refused any form of payment, telling us that he hoped that if any of his family were in the same situation somone would help them.

We decide to stay until after Australia day and we enjoy the lovely city that Cuzco is.  It’s expensive but with good food and drink promos we manage to enjoy ourselves, and Jules collects a new friend on the way!

As we cannot do any of the activities we’d planned we decide it’s time to head to the beach, Jules and I are dying for some sun!  As Grant is running out of time he decides to take a flight so he can catch up with the friends that he started out with in South America.

The three of us catch a bus from Cusco to Lima.  Unfortuantely more bus disasters await us as the bus that we catch quickly breaks down, we pull into a bus station where they try to replace our luxury bus with a smaller, crappier one but the passengers are extremely unhappy so we have to wait until they can find a suitable replacement.  Eventually we’re on the road again and after some time we are driving through a city street lined with trees.  I hear Pablo say, “that’s a big tree branch…” then BANG the tree hits the front of the bus and smashes the front window, we’re a few seats back and luckily the guy in front throws himself in front if his girlfriend so they’re ok.  It is now time for a third bus which they promptly fill with drunk Peruvians and after just 31 hours we arrive in Lima.

Lima

Lima is actually a very nice city and it’s warm!  We immediately head out into the sun and spend a really nice day just enjoying the town.

From Lima it is definitely time to head to the beach.  We get on the bus to Trujillo full of trepidation, waiting for crashes, break downs, naturual disasters, drunks or other mishaps but actually it is completely safe and comfortable.  I spend the second half of the journey with my head poking out of the window sniffing the sea air like a puppy.

Huanchaco

We arrive in Trujillo then onto Huanchaco.  Huanchaco is surfing town, the weather is gorgeous, there are loads of places to eat for all the surf tourists although the nightlife is generally quiet.  The first thing that we do is head to the beach.  The sun is amazing and I can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve properly enjoyed it in South America.  As we have spent so mcuh time in cities or at altitude this is probably the first time that we have been able to enjoy the beach.  It’s amazing, all three of us are so happy!

We quickly settle into the lifestyle here, it is so chilled.  We generally get up, have a healthy breakfast of  musli, fruit and yogurt then head off for a surf.  Time for more food then a wee nap then if we feel up to it a second surf.

After the first couple of lessons we rent boards for two weeks so we can go as often as we like. Pablo can’t go for the first couple of days as he is recovering from a car accident (someone opened a car door onto his leg when he was running in Cuzco) but soon he and one of our friends Jonas (awesome Swedish guy) are able to take lessons too and of course Pablo is a total natural!  I try hard but of course am rubbish so I have a couple of extra lessons to try to imrove as I feel myself getting grumpy when P and Jules are effortlessly catching waves!

Surfing is loads of fun and although I spend loads of time falling in I feel like I’m slowly improving.  The other people like to laugh at me though as when I fall in, I hold my nose!  The waves are quite small in Huanchaco so we need to paddle hard to get onto waves so it is hard work. The guys at our surf rental place are great and I would totally recommend Huamanchaco surf place to anyone!

While we’re in Huanchaco we meet loads of great people, including a guy called Gregor from near Stonehaven who knows some of the same people as me!  His wife is a gorgeous, entertaining American called Judith.  Stranger still, we all lived in Edinburgh at the same time and went to the same gym!  Small world and we have fun all hanging out together.  Although the nightlife is quiet we meet really great people and we’re feeling sad that it’s nearly time to go and start our course.  We mange to catch up briefly with Grant  and Sam and Lydia and Glen and others and we meet loads of great people, too many to name here but we hope to catch up with folks again.  Huanchaco has treated us well except for one wee incident when some sneaky fecker stole my bag on a night out!

I’m particularly sad about leaving Jules as after over a month traveling together we’re all really close and she has become a great friend. Have loads in common, including most of our wardrobne and we have an uncanny knack of appearing in the same outfits!  She is heading home soon after we leave to see all the family and her beloved in Australia.  When we separate it is with firm plans to meet again in Australia or New Zealand next year.

We leave and after a wee stop in Mancora, another surf town we head into Ecuador

Bolivia- Jungle

Alena;

So i’m writing this way after it happened so this might not be exactly accurate.  It is now May and I’m just getting round to a wee update!

Anyway, after Huani Potosi we headed back to La Paz  and decided our next trip would be much calmer!  We decided to go on a jungle tour to the Amazon basin which promised to involve watching wildlife and floating down the river.  So we get on our rickety bus to travel overnight to get to the starting point of rurrenabaque.  On the bus we meet Jules and Grant, two fantastic aussies who will be our travel companions for the next month!  The bus ride is a real trip along a crazy curved cliff side road and all along the way you can see places where cars and buses have gone over the side.  Inexplicable we seem to be driving on the wrong side of the road and everytime we overtake we see our lives flash before our eyes.  At one point we reverse nearly off the road.  On the plus side the scenery and wildlife are amazing.

We arrive in Rurrenabaque and it turns out we are all on the same tour, along with two Australian guys and one Australian girl.   We leave for the jungle and quickly realise that the mosquitos here are no joke!  I am absolutely destroyed within the first day and my arms and legs end up huge and swollen.  We spend our days floating down the river getting eaten alive but seeing some really amazing animals. It is also a really good laugh hanging out with the others in our tour, especially Jules and Grant.   They are not a couple, just traveling together and we have loads in common.  By the end of the trip we’ve decided to head up north together.

The weather is really not good during the trip which we should have anticipated with it being the wet season and all but it defintely puts a dampner on things as we can’t do the things that we had planned.  We went swimming with pink dolphins but they tried to run away and then we went fishing for piranhas.  Obviously I didn’t fish but instead sat in the boat and got destroyed by mozzies- seriously got back to the hut and Pablo nearly passed out when he saw my legs- really scary stuff.  I’d put up a photo but I don’t think that it’s fair to those with sensitive stomachs!

Anyway, apart from that, we had fun saw some amazing animals and had a good laugh.   However, after all the suffering and the crap weather we made a group decison to head up north and get to the beach.  First though we wanted to see Machu Pichu…….

6089 Meters

Pablo: Huayni Potosi 6089 meters of pure mountain outside La Paz, Bolivia. Alena and I join a cool German guy Ralph for our adventure and start our way to the mountain via taxi. The roads in Bolivia are not exactly smooth and taking a taxi to a huge mountain proved to be a bit of a mistake, we got a flat along the way but we’re able to get a great photo of the task that lay ahead of us, and for the first time I truly realised what we were about to attempt!

We sure look confident dont we!

Look at that mean bastard!

We arrived early afternoon to the first base camp where no time was wasted getting us all geared up and trekking to the Old Glacier to practice ice walking with crampons and an ice axe whilst all tied together. The walk to the Old Glacier was only about 45 minutes but it absolutely ruined us. The air at this altitude is so hard to catch hold of and makes even the simplest tasks most difficult. Alena really struggles to keep up and feels unwell as a result of her lack of 02. Once on the glacier we get some brief instruction and then head straight off to learn by doing. I somehow end up going first in line which means I have to test our gear first, and the only way to do that is to head straight up and then straight down a few different ice cliffs…….really scary stuff, especially since I only recently over came my fear of heights. Lucky for us our equipment is up for the task, whether or not we are is another thing, but we successfully manage and after an hours practice we head back to base camp. Our guide isn’t the most patient, and leaves us behind when we head back to base camp, and considering that Alena is clearly struggling it’s not the most inspiring. Back at base camp we get fed an early dinner and head off to sleep……it’s only 6PM, and the others are nackered but I can’t sleep, so I stay up wiezing into the night while reading!

Man aren’t we quite the proffesionals!

Not your average sunday afternoon…

Day 2 sees us up at 6AM, fed watered and geared up (this includes all our ice walking stuff plus our heavy packs…….) We start today early as we plan on walking for a few hours then resting before pushing on for the final accent at midnight, no rest for the wicked and this is beginning to prove very evil indeed. The weather is also against us today, the snow is falling thick and fast making the going both slower and more difficult. Our guide again lacks the patience required to walk with those who do not have experience and he goes blistering ahead with no regard to the weather or the fact that the snow is covering the scarce path making it next to impossible to discern which direction to head in……….but push on. Alena is near her breaking point here, the air making it a complete slog for her, but she battles along taking plenty of breaks allowing herself some chance to catch her breathe. I too am struggling to breathe and am finding the heavy pack a bit much, tonights climb will be next to impossible are the only thouhgts going through my head……. After 2 hrs and 15mins we reach Rock Base Camp 5130 meters…..it felt like it took us all day but we make exhausted and spent.

On our way to Rock Base Camp.

Speaks for itself, really!

View from the Rock Base Camp!

More Views!

We all immediately get out of our soaking wet gear and get into our sleeping bags, but sleep is unmanageable as we cant breathe but get something between sleep and an asthma attack. We have an early dinner as we set off again at midnight and then attempt to sleep but I have no luck, just fast breathing like a dog on a hot summers day!

Day 3ish, midnight comes all to fast at its time to get all geared again to make our final accent, 7hrs of ice, snow, rocks and heights…..

The group making last minute preparations.

I find myself all ready to go and then have to start laughing as all I have for light is coming from a small head torch I use to read with at night….its all a bit surreal. We start off climbing and after an hour of ice axe hicking and walking at some crazy steep angle I realise that it sure is better to be doing this in the dark rather than when it was light out, there was something so comforting from only being able to see 10 feet in front of you! Being that blind while attempting something like this for the first was the main reason for my making it to the top; I spent so much effort in focusing on taking the next step that it sort of tuned out most of my fear and reluctance.

Well and truly on our way!

The one thing that I couldn’t forget or tune out was how thin the air was. I was constantly breathing fast and heavy at the slightest exersion and it was only intensifying as I continued the climb. 5 ½ hours in and I’m staring at the last 89 meters before me and I truly feel as though I might not be up to it and that oh yeah, I agreed to climb this rediculously high mountain and I’ve only just over-come my fear of heights…….

Last 89 Meters

The last part was 89 meters of ridge walking on a 2 ½ foot ledge with fresh snow and ice underneath, I’m not an expert but lets just call it the most feared and toughest ridge walks in the world, and I got to go first. I was really shitting it at this point, not only is this type of thing normal to me I also have the added responsibility of leading the way (ok so maybe my guide went first followed but me but hey some stretching is allowed)!  BUT, I managed mostly powered by thoughts of doing it for Alena and making sure we got a brilliant photo! The top was just stunning, never have I felt like that before, sat so high above the world and looking out at it, I was completely and totally at peace until after about ten minutes I realised that I still had to make it all the way down…………………………

At the TOP!

Bolivia, Salar de uyuni

Alena;

So as P described Bolivia did not get off to an auspicius start but after chilling in Tupiza we were ready to start our first tour.  After all the independent travel in Chile and Argentina it’s difficult  to contemplate a tour as it smacks of package holidays but actually once we get going it’s really nice to just be looked after and to switch our brains off and relax!

Although generally Bolivia is cheaper than the rest of South America there are loads of amazing tours that we want to do and lots of hidden wee costs (ie, you need to pay to use the horrible toilets, leave bus stations, etc).  It seems easier to just pay for tours rather than try to battle with public transport and national parks.

We are on a 4 day tour in a 4×4 with a lovely couple from finland, Daniel and Eva.  The views are incredible from day 1, really different to Patagonias snow covered mountains.  This area is high altitude with loads of cacti and llamas crossing the roads.  There are mulitcoloured mountains and crazy rock formations.  We see several lagunas which would previously have had 4metres of water and now only have 20cm for the flamingos and other wildlife that inhabit them.  It’s crazy to think that while stonehaven floods bolivia is in such drought, climate change is undeniable here.

Our cook and guide are amazing and look after me when I become unwell on the 4th day with special tea and warm blankets!

poor me!

We get to play with photography on the salt plains which is really fun and we think our next expenditure may be an SLR camera but god knows when we’ll be able to afford that!

Accomodation on the tour is basic but the second night is especially eventful when we are worken by an unidentified animal falling from a hole in the thatch roof onto Pablos head!!  really did not make for a restful night.

Thanks to Ps organisation we have a bus booked out of uyuni and we are soon on our way to La Paz.

la Paz is actually not as bad as we’d expected after hearing loads of tales of robberies and other scams and we end up staying in an irish hostel where we meet some great people, we don’t get to speak spanish but the food is good!

In a mad moment we book a trip to the Huayni potosi which is a 6089m mountian (higher that mount everest base camp!).  We head up quite nervous after hearing stories of hospitalised backpackers and altitude sickness.

The first day I find really difficult and am beginning to think I won’t make it.  My extrmely unhelpful guide tells me that this is quite normal for vegetarians which woulds have been nice to know before we paid all that money!  I don’t fel too unwell but any exertion kills me.  For the medically inclined I’d say my resting O2 sats were 80% dropping to about 12% on minimal exertion!!!

By the end of the second day after stopping on the mountain to cry I decide that I won’t mange the final section and kleave it to P to fly the flag for Scotland (Madi, Jen, you know how much that killed me, grrr).  p is a total hero on the mountian but I’ll let him tell his own story…

Bolivia: Border Crossing to Tupiza

Pablo:  Alena and I leave Salta heading for Villazon, Bolivia on a midnight bus (not heading to Georgia) and arrive to what is possibly the longest and most unorganised border crossing in the wolrd.  On the Argentinian side the line stretches back for about 1/2 mile and takes as long as it looks to finally get through, only to have to re-que on the Bolivian side, joy!  We were doing ok on the Bolivian side until they ran out of custom forms for the thousands of tourists waiting, so shut the border for 4 hours until some more forms arrive from god knows where……but finally after 6 1/2 hours of waiting in the raging hot sun with no food, water or anything we arrive only to find ourselves in one of the most depressing border towns in the world.  The place is abuzz with illegal everything, people selling all types of currency at scandalous rates and even some wicked looking Bolivian passports (what their good for I’ll never know).  We get ourselves the a couple of bus tickets for Tupiza leaving later that night but have to bare the depression, grimness and filth that is Villazon for a further 6 hours, thank god for plaza’s and beer!

Tupiza seems like a shinning beacon off in the horizon compared to Villazon and we disembark our bus and run with excitement and dreams of hot showers, friendly people and a safe place to stay…..we got 2 out of 3 not bad really, just not the friendliest bunch……an example being when Alena and I went down for our supposed included breakfast we were greated by a 16 yr old boy/man demanding 10 Bolivianos ( Bolivian money), not a good morning, how you, did you sleep well, nothing just 10 Bolivianos.  Oh well, guess you can’t get it all!  Alena and I head out to book our Salt Flat/National Park tours in town from the thousands of providers but after tiring hearing the same thing over and over again we go for the tour company whose owner reminds us of my mum!  We leave the following morning for a 4 day 3 night adventure!  But before we’re ready to go we need to pay, seems simple enough but there’s no cash machine here, or in any of the neighboring towns, and we begin to get nervous before someone tells us about cash advances via credit cards at the local bank………thank god for mastercard!

The Bolivians seem a good bunch, they all seem to find me hilarious and even point, stare and laugh at me, I try to ask why this is but when ever I bring it up they simply laugh and walk away…….  Besides that, they really seem a likeable bunch, always smiling, the women here wear some really amazing coloured traditional clothing with bowler hats (just like the one Odd Job wore in James Bond) and they work incredibly hard, while the men seem to be more careless in both their attire and work ethic………

We decide to treat ourselves to one last restaurant cooked meal before heading on our tour and treat ourselves to Pizza and 80′s music, awesome!  Why do third world countries love the 80′s, its a mystery but they do……..

Christmas new year 09/10

Alena

Bariloche, what a place!  The sun is shining when we arrive and when we pull up at the hostel Lucia comes running out to meet us with hugs and incomprehensible spanish!  She basically runs the hostel and is so amazingly welcoming and helpful that she’s really the main reason we went back.  I’m pleased to find that my spanish has improved in the month I’ve been away and it is much easier to communicate this time.

the lovely Lucia

The hostel is filled with friendly people from all over the world and we get to know each other other food and drinks.  I decide to go out for a run at one point and bump into our friends Vicky and Adam from the Torres del Paine!  they are also spending xmas in Bariloche so make plans to meet up later.  After some probs using phones we all meet again in the street that evening, how small is this town?! As it’s nearly xmas, we can’t find anywhere that’s open just for drinks so head back to hostel for pool with Vicky, Adam, Tom and Breida (cool south african/ irish couple who met in Vietnam and have a motorbike to travel on!).  We are joined by a gorgeous furry dog, who is probably a stray that has made his way into the hostel. We hang out for a while then p and I head off to meet lucia for a drink at a local pub.  Bt this time it’s about 1am and the streets are really filling up, all the Argentinians are obviously finished with the family commitments and have headed out to meet friends.  There are fireworks everywhere and the bar we go to is packed with happy festive people.

Pablos amazing pool skills

Christmas Day in south america! We wake up fairly bright and early so that we don’t miss the free breakfast.  Everyone is making plans for the day but we are super lazy and decide to stay in and complete our usual routine of champagne and stuffing our faces!

Christmas toast!

We manage to speak to our families which is great and we have a nice chilled day together. Eventually everyone returns tot he hostel for a huge table full of food and loads of vino!  We have loads of laughs and exchange stories.  Later in the evening we’re joined by our 4 friends and we have a crazy night playing games which are hilarious and ridiculously complex.

Adam using interpretative dance to describe George bush!

After a fab christmas we decied we must stop being so lazy and actually get some exercise so we are joined by an Australian named Rory and we go to hire bikes.  it is really nice to stretch the legs and we’re treated to some lovely views on the way.  I think this is  a great way to see some more of the area before we head off again.  We have loved patagonia but it is now time to leave and head north so we go to organise more buses.

We decide to head through Mendoza in the north where we spend an uneventful day.  The weather is gorgeous but the streets are sort of crowded and I’m not really loving it.  Fortunately the big man knows me well and I feel much better after some lunch wine!

We head off on another overnight bus for Salta where we are lucky enough to find a great value hostel with an all you can eat barbeque happening that night!  This is a great opportunity to meet some of the other people in the hostel, Sam and Lydia from England and Cole from America.  It’s a fun night and somehow we wake up feeling not to bad after all the wine.

Encouraged by the crazy athletetism of Cole, Pablo and I join him for a run up to the top of a big hill in the middle of the city.  Fortunately for us it’s raining so that keeps us quite cool as we climb the 1050 steps to the gym at the top!  We are joined by a super friendly dog that we name Ben Mach 2 for his resemblance to our favourite wee guy.  He runs all the way with us and it’s a bit heartbreaking to leave him at the door to the hostel.

Hogmany, Argentinian style!  After our run and a wee nap we start to make dinner in preparation for the night of festivities ahead. Everyone in the hostel is having drinks including our friends form the other night and also Neil from Wales, Janet from USA and Emma and Frank from England.  we drink champagne and toast the new year to the sound of fireworks.

I try hard with my spanish chatting to a couple of Argentinian girls.  Everyone is really patient and I’m finally feeling like I’m a bit more fluent when we head out without P (who has an early night for once in his life!) and I have to speak for the group.

speaking spanglish

We hang out in a bar for a while then onto a club for a bit of dancing.  Loads of fun but really messy and spend all the next day sleeping and suffering!

Today, the 2nd, I woke up bright and raring to go, so nice to not feel hungover!  Frustratingly, when a group of us went out to run up the hill again i took 2 steps and pulled something in my calf! Grrrr.  Especially since Ben mach 2 joins the boys for a second time!  So, have spent the day putting up photos, using skyp and refreshing this blog to tie up our Argentinian adventure.  We now have another barbeque tonight before heading off to Bolivia tomorrow.  It looks like lots of our new pals are heading that way too so hopefully we’ll all see each other again.

Me, Lydia, Sam, Neil

I have absolutely loved my time in the country, the people are amazing and the country is so diverse and beautiful.  This has been an amazing adventure and we’re ready for the next part, the north!