27th December

Christmas greetings from Patagonia.

Where did we spend Christmas?

In Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia. The park is vast, 40% covered in ice fields from which 13 major glaciers descend into two great lakes, Lago Argentino and Largo Viedma. The town of El Calafate is on the shore of Lago Argetino and is the gateway town to Los Glaciares. From El Calafate we took a day long extension to Glaciar Perito Moreno, one of the few glaciers in the world still advancing. Its 5km frontage is 60 meters in height above the water line of the lake. A series of walkways allow you a close view of the glacier frontage, and it was only a matter of minutes before we heard a thunderous crack and ice splintered from the glacier hitting the lake. The glacier is intensely blue in places, (where the ice is most compacted), and the lake water an amazing shade caused by glacier milk (minerals ground into the water by the glacier, sitting in suspension). I stood open mouthed. To see a glacier at its work, carving through the mountains was an awesome sight.

Above: Perito Mereno glacier

We crossed the lake, walked alongside the glacier for an hour or so, fixed crampons to our boots and set off for our trek. Walking like stiff baby ducks, we traversed icy peaks, absailed, climbed inside ice caves (for a very quick look in my case), lunched by a glacier lagoon and stood nervously on the edge of eternal drains (giant holes leading from glacier surface, 160 meters down - you don't want to fall in there). In true Patagonia fashion, we experienced bright sunshine through to snow storms during our 6 hour trek. It was a fantastic experience, a little scary at times. I was glad to get the whisky (on the rocks - glacier ice of course) down me at the end of our adventure and enjoyed a long warm shower - brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

We transferred by bus to El Chalten, a tiny new town, at the north of Los glaciares Park. Our 9 hour trek on Christmas eve, to Laguna de Los Tres, the base of Mount Fitzroy, was quite stunning. We were very lucky with the weather as the day remained fairly clear and we had a great view of the full Fitzroy range during our lunch stop. On Christmas eve we dined in a fantastic little restaurant and ate our way through a delicious five course dinner.

Above: On the way to Laguna de Los Tres and views of Fitzroy range

On Christmas Day, after Adam had settled down following receipt of his Birthday penguin book mark, we headed to Laguna Torre. Our guide seemed a little quiet and it wasn't until our first incline that he excused himself, muttering, `too much lamb` and was quite unwell. I am sure that it had nothing to do with what he was washed it down with. I felt very bad for him. Adam had absolutely no sympathy, saying no one cared when he was at work voming through a hangover. Fair point I suppose. We walked through a tree filled glacier valley and were knocked sideways by the breeze as we reached the Laguna Torre. That evening we enjoyed a hearty dinner, washed down by Chrimbo champers and fell into bed by 10pm. Lovely Christmas. As good as it can be without our friends and family.

Above: Enjoying a rest at the end of our Christmas Day walk

On Boxing Day, we traveled back to El Calafate and spent a night in a lovely hotel overlooking Lago Argentino. Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, ohhhh, I mean Adam. Hee hee. (Where is that budget sheet - eeeeeeeeeeekkkk, maybe home sooner than we thought at this rate. Made up for our extravagance by stealing food from breakfast buffet.

From La China, to Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn

Following our relaxing days on the farm, we traveled to Puerto Madryn and Pennisular Valdes. We were in Puerto Madryn for five days and enjoyed its long sweeping beach. We took a day long excursion to the peninsula. The wind swept landscape is baron (trees unable to grow) but rich with wildlife. A three hour boat trip rewarded us with a very close encounter with four Southern Right whales, mothers with their babies. They were in the shallows enjoying the warm waters, before their migration South. Right whales were so named because whalers thought they were the "right" whale to hunt. 40% of a right whale's body weight is blubber, which is of relatively low density. Consequently, unlike many other species of whale, deceased right whales float. Combined with the right whale's slowness through water they were easy to catch even for whalers equipped only with wooden boats and hand-held harpoons.

We visited an elephant seal colony and sat alongside for 45 minutes as they basked in the sun. The elephant seals are the largest of their species. Their favorite food is giant squid. They, along with Sperm whales, dive up to 1,000 meters for this delicacy.

From Puerto Madryn we took a further trip to Punta Tombo and the Magellanic penguin colony. Penguins as far as you could see, plenty of babies, the result of 175,000 breeding couples that occupy the colony. Shame about the tourists!!

19th December

First things first

I would like to thank you for keeping an eye on us. It is so nice to receive comments and emails. You all know how much I am missing family and friends and it makes a big difference to know you are with us, virtually anyway.

Occassionally over the years I have questioned my career choice. What difference has my hard work really made to the world? Very little, many would say :-) However, we are witnessing first hand how the internet is changing life in the most remote places. We have seen school kids chatting over MSN in tiny, rural villages and teachers hosting long-distance lectures in internet cafes. So, keep working hard all you Juniper kids and anything you can do to improve the internet speed in Patagonia would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, enough of that, please keep watching our blogs!!

Home on the Farm, La China

If you were a taxi driver and the size of Hagrid and giant, would a VW Golf be your vehicle of choice? Apparantly so for the charming driver that transported us from Buenos Aires to the calm of Magdelana in The Pampas region. For nearly 3 hours we sweated, as Hagrid swerved, over took lorries at high speed, shouted into his mobile, in between asking for directions at every service station on route. I was crushed with 2 inches of leg room and feared that every time we braked my rucksack would fly from the make shift parcel shelf and crush my skull. Adam, clutched his tennis ball sized elbow, and we tried to concentrate on the lovely view from the window of cattle pastures and endless sky.

We were collected from a very remote petrol station by our hostess from La China, the lovely Cecilia. On arrival at the estancia (farm / ranch) we met Cecilia´s daughter, 13 year old Julia and the friendly dog, Hucka. Set in eucalyptus woods, the farm house, adobe built in the 1930´s, has been lovingly restored by Cecilia and family. We were showed to our gorgeous room and had a great evening chatting with Cecilia and Julia whilst enjoying a fabulous dinner.

Cecilia, Marcelo, Julia and Hucka the dog

Relaxation, gastranomic delights and wonderful company is the best way to summarise our few days on the farm.

The countryside is very flat in the Pampas but quite beautiful. Adam and I were invited to take a horse for a ride around the farm. Once Cecilia spotted us in paddock (completely out of control on ponies she described as statue horses as they are so placid and well behaved), she thought it were best that Cocqui, the very cool ´gaucho´of the farm accompanied us. We enjoyed our ride, even when half way around the farm, Manso my 25 year old horse, decided it was time to head home and cantered back to the stable with me clinging to his mane. Adam was trotting close behind, his family jewels getting a violent bashing. Cocqui was highly amused. All very well for him. He does not actually require a saddle or stirrups :-) Adam and I discussed over dinner the merits of investing in horse riding lessons!

Delicious food consumed, included:

For dinner, home made ravioli, empandanas (Argentinean pasties) and mondongo (stew with beans, beef, bacon and corn).

For lunch, fresh from the barbeque; steak (many different cuts of beef), chicken, chirizo.

To satisfy my sweet tooth; lemon cake, black cakes (sugary buns), tart, fruit, jams and honey all fresh from the farm.

All washed down by a fine selection of Argentian wine (Malbecs from Mendoza region) and liquors.

Above: We rode a horse and trap which was great fun. Cocqui, the farm manager in very typical dress. Click here to learn more about Gauchos (cowboys). La China, meaning cow girl, is Cecilia´s nick name and the name of the farm.

We visited the nearby El Destino, a UNESCO reserve in the grounds of the now uninhabited Santa Rosa estancia. Here we enjoyed a stroll, the beautiful views of the river and the tradition of taking mate (pronounced mah-tey), with Cecilia and her husband, Marcelo. By the way, Antony Hopkins (+ Director James Ivory) will be filming a new movie at El Destino during the coming weeks.

Above: At El Destino Nature Reserve

Mate is a very common custom in Argentina and surrouding countries. You drink mate with friends, from a shared cup with a metal straw. The drink is an infusion of yerba mate, a species of holly. Hot water is added to the yerba leaves. The cup is passed to the right, when finished is passed back, water is topped up again and passed to the next person. If you have had enough, you say, thank you. If you would like another helping, you simply pass back and await your turn. The drink tastes like a very grassy tea and is quite bitter. It is very good for the digestion and I can´t help but think the Argentine custom and their high consumption of meat must be linked. It is very common to see people carrying thermos flasks of hot water and the mate cups filled with yerba leaves.

Senor Tarantula

During my stay at La China, I had another run in with a very large and hairy spider. He made his first appearance whilst we were enjoying dinner on evening one, suspended on the ceiling of the sitting room. I was reassured that the chicken spider of the tarantula family (which I assume meant it ate a dozen chickens a day) was completley harmless. I felt slightly unsettled, and again on evening two, Senor Tarantula hovered above. On evening three I glanced upwards and commented that my new friend was missing. Aparantly he wanted to say goodbye personally, as soon after I noticed his front two giant hairy legs resting gently on my thigh. I am sure my screech disturbed the cattle, Cecilia lept up screaming and Marcelo came running with a broom. Poor Senor Tarantula was crushed and swept into the fire. I am no closer to cracking this phopia!

Other highlights included watching the cup final between La Boca of Buenos Aires and Estudiantes of La Plata. Cecilia and family live in La Plata and are life long fans of Estudiantes, the underdogs of the game. Tension was high, Estudiantes were leading 2-1 with 3 minutes to go, and then we had a power cut. Julia and Cecilia were nervous wrecks and we ran to the car to listen to the final minutes on the radio. Estudiantes won the championship for the first time in 23 years, Cecilia and Julia cried, Adam and I joined the group hugs. Can you believe it - me getting emotional over football, Argentinian football. I can see Jim my brother-in-law shaking his head in disgust!! Talking of footy, Maradonna is no longer a real Argentine hero. People here also consider him a fat, junky who is a bad example to kids!! The town of La Plata, including all of Cecilia´s family celebrated all night long.

From the The Pampas to Puerto Madryn and the Pennisular Valdes

18 hours by bus. Entertainment included a game of bingo. Adam and I were most impressed with our grasp of Spanish numbers. The buses in Argentina are very comfy, seats that recline generously, movies etc. The journey flew by (believe it or not) and we arrived in Puerto Madryn, in time for brekky. Nobody seemed to be bothered that there were gail force winds blowing.

17th December

Above: View from hotel balcony

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Oh I say, I don't believe I packed my high heels and little black number. What shall I wear? We are in civilization once again!

Arrived at the Hotel Marbella feeling a little weary following a night flight from Lima. It seems the world over that airline crew insist in trying to feed you at the most unsociable times, in this case at 2.30am! We are immediately struck by the contrast to Lima. The city has wide avenues and Parisian style architecture, which gives it an immediate European feel. Many of the cars on the road would also probably pass an MOT, except for the omissions part. The pollution of the city, enhanced by temperatures in the 90´s was a little stifling.

We spent four wonderful days exploring the city, mainly on foot.

We took in the following sights:

The parks of Palermo district, including the Botanical Gardens, (home to hundreds of long legged stray cats), and the beautiful Rose Gardens.

Plaza de Mayo - The square famed for it´s political rallies, houses Casa Rosada. It was on a balcony at Casa Rosada that the crowds cheered for Eva Peron (Evita = ´Little Eva´) and appealed for her to take her place as Vice President of Argentina in 1951. This square is still active today with protestors, a sad sign of the troubled times past and present.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_economic_crisis_(1999-2002)

San Martin Plaza - A very attractive square. We visited the large memorial to Argentinean soldiers killed during the Falklands War.

La Boca - Home of artists and the Boca Juniors (Note for the girls: Boca Juniors are a famous football team, their most famous player being Diego Maradona - I had never heard of them). The area was originally built around the Ria Chuelo, where Italian immigrants were attracted by employment at the thriving shipyards. At the heart of La Boca is Caminito Street. The buildings here and in the surrounding area are formed of sheet metal and painted in vibrant colours. Today the buildings are used as studios by local artists. Tango dancers can be found performing on every street corner.

Puerto Madero - This recently developed area is compared to London Docklands and is full of classy restaurants and bars.

Memories from Buenos Aires:

• Beautiful Parisian architecture (really the English can be thanked for this, as we kindly flattened BA in the 1800´s which made way for the city´s redesign)
• Eating fabulous Freddo´s ice cream in the sunshine
• Tango on the street corners
• Tea and cake, barbqued steak and freshly squeezed orange juice (as you may have guessed, all poundage dropped in Peru has been regained)
• Dog walkers struggling to control up to 10 dogs each - very comical
• Parrots
• Nicely dressed ladies (except for me)
• Turning corner into Plaza de Mayo at middnight and coming face to face with riot police due to 3 day political rally
• The tango show at La Ventana - hours of dance and musical entertainment, stunning frocks, beautiful women and of course, a fabulous rendition of ´Don´t cry for me Argentina´
• The generous Argentinean measures which had us slurring over dinner

• 

As much as we loved the city and although Hotel Marbella in Buenos Aires was extremely good value for money at 15 pounds a night, I was still very excited about our next stop. Igassu Falls, one of South America´s greatest natural wonders and the Sheraton Igassu Hotel, a man-made wonder of five star luxury. Yipppee.

The Sheraton Hotel is situated inside the national park and has stunning views. Our room overlooked the sub-tropical rainforest and the Garganta del Diablo falls. From the balcony we watched giant toucans (I was beside myself) in nearby trees, vultures, falcons and swifts circling over the falls.

During our three days at the national park we completed the many trails through the rainforest, took a canoe trip along a calm river tributary and enjoyed a thrilling speed boat ride which travelled through rapids before dunking us under the falls. Stunning natural beauty from all angles.

Shame about;
- nasty bats which terrified me circling around the swimming pool at high speed - another romantic evening stroll suggested with Filby ended in disaster :-( ie. me running and screaming, waving imaginary bats out of my hair.

- me thinking we were experiencing an earthquake as I noticed a loud rumbling noise and large windows of hotel restaurant starting to rattle. It was in fact the vibrations of the falls and I was left quite embarassed as the waiter reassured me we werent about to be crushed by the 5 story hotel above us.

- Adam being bitten by a tropical insect which caused his elbow to swell to the size of a tennis ball, and required yet another trip to the doctore. In true efficient South American style, they pulled down his pants, gave him a steroid injection and a course of anti inflammatories. All is well again now.

16th December

Machu Picchu

Following our sprint to the Sun Gate, we took a more leisurely stroll to Machu Picchu city. Machu Picchi is a complete Inca city which for centuries was buried in a jungle, until its discovery in 1911 by Hiram Bingham III. Bingham was an American historian, then employed as a lecturer at Yale University. He collected around 5,000 artifacts from Machu Picchu to be kept in Yale's care until such time as the Peruvian government requested their return. Recently, the Peruvian government requested the return of all cultural material, and at the refusal of Yale University to do so, is now considering legal action!

The ruins include staircases, terraces, temples, places, fountains etc. For our final physical challenge we climbed Huayna Pichhu, the mountain overlooking the city. It was a precarious climb of an hour or so, but well worth it. After a soak in the smelly thermal baths, we boarded the steam train at Aqua Calientes and made our way back to Cusco. Ahhhh, 30 minutes under the shower and to bed, to reflect on this truly magical experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu

Interesting snippet:

If under the weather, many older generation Peruvians will consult an Andean priest rather than seeing a doctor. Stripped to undies, the priest will rub a live guinea pig over the the patients body. The guinea pig is then sacrificed and by investigating the innards of the poor thing, the priest will give the prognosis. Modern medicine, who needs it?

White water rafting

Following our night of recovery in a proper bed, we headed off to the Cusco valley for an afternoon of white water rafting. We rode the grade 2 and 3 rapids without loosing anyone over board. Filby set off with his normal gusto at the front of the boat and exhausted himself by rapid number 4. Our guide was very strict but did encourage us to high five our paddles following the safe navigation of each rapid - not very British. By the end of 2 hours I could barely lift the paddle above my head, let alone whoop. Finished our day by celebrating with a glass / bottle of wine. This led to happy hour at the Irish bar and ended in Mystique night club, where I danced in my disco bubble with Madonna like finesse, (or so I believed). After Siobhan, Bridget and I hit the deck, we knew it was time to go. Must have been the altitude!

Ohhhhhhh, vile hangover and we are off to the jungle!!

After an internal flight to Puerto Maldonado, we transferred to motorized canoe and traveled for an hour and a half along the Tambopata River to our lodge. Feeling HOT HOT HOT. We were most impressed with the path illuminated with flaming torches and the very plush bungalow accommodation. Following dinner by candle light, we headed out on our night trek. I clasped my two torches as we entered the jungle and caught sight of various large and revolting insects. That night, I lay under my mosquito net listening to the sounds of the jungle (and Adam snoring) and convinced myself I would be eaten alive by a giant praying mantis. After 45 seconds sleep, headed for breakfast at 5am. We trekked through the jungle for 2 hours to reach an oxbow lake. On route, Hugo our guide, successfully managed to coax a tarantula out of its burrow. Ekkkkkkkkk. Even more sweat poured from beneath my very unfashionable Mrs Winn hat as the giant hairy creature crawled on the jungle floor (the spider that is, not Adam).

After learning that the oxbow lake contained anacondas, piranhas and caimans (all non-aggressive varieties of course), we were asked if we fancied a swim. In unison, the group declined. Spotted some very nice bird life, including nesting blue-yellow macaws and giant stinky birds. That evening, following a nature lecture, we went out on the river in search of caimans. Spotted a few small white caiman hiding in the reeds and really enjoyed absorbing the atmosphere and sounds of the jungle by moonlight.

Arrived back in Lima and enjoyed a few days in Miraflores, the tourist district of the city. We said our goodbyes to the group we had traveled with for 21 days. It was a great crowd and made the trip even more enjoyable. After having a fantastic trouble-free time in Peru, experienced a most terrifying taxi journey to the airport. Adam and I were convinced we were being taken down the city back streets to be mugged. As Adam fumbled for a weapon in his ruck sack, we popped out from the squalid inner city onto the highway. Our taxi driver had been taking a short cut. In the airport I then found myself surrounded by nasty gypsy kids eyeing up my bag. GET ME OUT OF LIMA! Argentina here we come!

Above: Francisco, know as Frisky, our randy tour guide. We learnt a lot from Frisky, nothing relating to Peruvian history and culture, more along the lines of chat-up lines and drinking games. He was however, a great tour leader and we could not fault his tour management and fabulous attitude.

Peru, the good, bad and ugly

Good:

• Diverse and wonderful landscape
• The sacred valley of the incas
• Traditional dress found throughout Peru
• Coca tea
• Llamas and Al Pacas
• Immaculate town squares
• Tourist doctors

Bad:

• Using sewage water to irrigate crops, leading to constant ill health

Ugly:

• Downtown Lima and its thieving gypsies

4th December

Puno - Floating reed islands

Visited the Uros people of the floating reed islands. The Uros began their unusal floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the Colla and Inca tribes. Today about 300 families live on the islands. The totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake are used for making everything from the islands themselves to the model boats the islanders sell. We were also encouraged to see how tasty the reeds were. I could not believe it when I turned to see Adam with a big mouthful of reed and Titicaca lake water, just as his stomach was settling down! Couple of observations from our visit. If the Uros people eat fish and reeds, why are the women as wide as they are tall? (must be something to do with the altitude). Also, were they really solar panels hidden around the back of those reed houses?

We were reunited with our group on the reed islands after their night homestay with local hill tribe people. Sadly I was unable to join them due to altitude sickness! There was certainly some mixed feedback from the group, some questioning the general hygene, particularly as the livestock peed on the kitchen floor during dinner time.

Puno to Cuzco

Travelled for six or so hours and arrived in Cusco at 9.30pm. The city has a tranquil feel due to the fact that honking horns is illegal. Thank goodness, enjoyed a peaceful nights sleep.

Cuzco is the continent´s oldest continuously inhabited city and it is steeped in history, tradition and legend. We learnt how the Spanish, yet again trashed the place, nicked all the gold and realised that it was quite sensible to use the Inca´s sturdy brick work as foundations for their numerous churches.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Adam and I set off on a bus crammed full of Peruvians for our tour of the sacred valley. The scenery itself was breath taking and there are a huge number Inca sites throughout the valley. We visited Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Chinchero. Whist admiring the sun temples, mountain-side terracing, and shadows cast in sacred fountains of Ollantaytambo, we observed a film crew, and who strutted out of the market full of apaca sweaters, but Jamie Theakston. He had a fag hanging out of his mouth and looked in a bit of a mood! Sort of ruined the tranquility of the moment.

The Inca Trail
Were collected at 6am for our transfer to the start of the Inca trail. Not quite knowing what was in store, we clutched our immodium, comedy ponchos and bags loaded with a maximum of 7kg worth of possessions.

Our guide Nanci, a local girl from Cusco, was a lively character with a very cheeky laugh. We set off at Kilometer 82 (as they train travels) at 9am, all wearing far too many clothes. Within 5 minutes we were striping off layers as the sun shone down on us. This Inca trail is easy we all thought (for the first flat-pathed hour or so).

The Inca Trail is a 40 km (25 mile) hike, with 3 high passes, one of which reaches an elevation of 4,200 m (13,776 ft). The trail is often steep and paths are uneven (still in pretty good condition considering the Incas were not really planning for the thousands of tourists that pound the trail every year).

Without going into boring detail, a few points of interest from the trek:

Day 2 of the trek was most grueling as we climbed for 5 hours to reach the summit of Warmiwanusca (or Dead Womens pass). I may have been a dead women myself, if it were not for the magical coca. I was so paranoid about getting altitude sickness again, that I packed my cheeks full of the stuff, and with the fabulous West Life tune filling my head, was flying without wings, and was first to reach the summit. Shame about the next 4 hours downhill which I hobbled downhill thanks to knackered old lady knees.

Photo - Group at top of Dead Womens Pass

Camp - on arrival at our lunch sites or over night camping spots, we were amazed by the luxurious set up. We were greeted by applauding porters (who had walked the trail in flip flops, carrying 25kg back packs and done so in half the time we had). We had a three course lunch and dinner - the best quality grub of the trip so far, all local and very tasty. Our tents were erected and a hot water wash bowl awaited us.

In case of emergency - The only way down the trail is on the back of a mountain rescue donkey.

Facilities - Not one to grumble, but the only good thing you could say about the loos were that they flushed (most of the time). Combine tummy troubles, camping and squatting toilets by torch light - ummmm.

Wild life on route included humming birds, andean falcons and butterflies galore.

Above - camp site in the clouds, day 2

Below - breakfast, early day 3

Best views - We were lucky to reach the City Above the Clouds on a clear day.

The final push - We awoke very early, 4.00am on day 4 for our final hike to Machu Picchu. What should have been a calm, easy trek turned into an adrenelin filled race to the sun gate. We were camped close to the final check point, and it became evident that all groups of campers wanted to be first to the sun gate. Our guide took full advantage of our small sized group and camping position and got our group to pole position at the checkpoint. We waited there for 30 minutes or so as hundreds of people queued behind us. We set off at a cracking pace, with Christine (the German police officer, shouting ´COME ON´up front and her brother at the rear shouting, ´ZEY ARE COMING´which set us off squealing and jogging. We were sadly caught by a few very aggressive, very fit poeple that managed to pass without tripping over my stick that accidently blocked the path. We were however the first group of the day to reach the sun gate and as we wheezed up the final staircase, soaked in sweat, we were very happy to get our first view of Machu Picchu. A fantastic experience!!