Louise's Travel Fix

To Buenos Aires and Beyond – My 15 Months in Latin America

2008-10-16T17:46:00.002+01:00

Click here for a larger version of this map.
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Welcome to my travel blog! It documents my 15 months living and traveling in Latin America from Jan 2006 to May 2008.

In the right-hand sidebar are the ARCHIVES, listed by month. Here is a list of what you’ll find under each month:

LIVING IN BUENOS AIRES – JANUARY-OCTOBER 2006:
Including La Boca match (Apr), Luisa la Gaucha, the World Cup and Architecture (Jun), Feria de los Mataderos, World Tango Championships, Café de los Maestros at Teatro Colon (Aug), My Last Tango in Buenos Aires, My Last Days in Buenos Aires (Oct)

Trips from Buenos Aires:
MARCH 2006
Uruguay –Punta del Este, Cabo Polonio, Montevideo
Argentina –Pampas Road trip along the east coast down to Peninsula Valdes
Brazil – Rio Carnaval + Ilha Grande + Parati
APRIL 2006
Argentina – Delta Paraná and San Isidro
MAY 2006
Uruguay – Colonia, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Cabo Polonio
JUNE 2006
Argentina – San Antonio de Areco
AUGUST 2006
Uruguay – Montevideo
Argentina –Esteros del Iberá
SEPTEMBER 2006
Brazil/Argentina – Iguazu Falls + La Plata
OCTOBER 2006
Argentina – Oktoberfest in Villa Gral. Belgrano
NOVEMBER 2006
Uruguay - Living with Sacha in Montevideo for 2 Months

BACKPACKING – 15 MONTHS IN LATIN AMERICA:

FEBRUARY 2007
Argentina – Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia
Argentina – Perito Moreno glacier and El Calafate
MARCH 2007
Chile – Torres del Paine
Chile – Puerto Natales
Chile – Navimag Cruise of the Patagonian Channels
Argentina – Rafting in Bariloche
Argentina – Visiting friends in Neuquen
Argentina – Guest at the Vendimia in Mendoza
Chile – Pucon and Villarica
Chile – Visiting friends in Santiago
Chile – Trip to Valparaiso (and Quintero) with Esteban
APRIL 2007
Argentina – Santiago, across the Andes to Tafi del Valle
Argentina – Quilmes ruins
Argentina – Cafayate canyon
Argentina – Salta
Argentina – Humahuaca, Iruya, San Isidro, Maimara
Argentina – Purmamarca, Hill of the Seven Colours
Argentina – Jujuy
MAY 2007
Chile – San Pedro Atacama
Chile – Pica (oasis village)
Chile – Iquique
JUNE 2007
Chile – Arica with friends
Chile – Lauca National Park
Peru – Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail
JULY 2007
Peru – Cusco: the town
Peru – Cusco: Saqsaywamán and Inti Raymi
Peru – Cusco: the Sacred Valley and Cusco surrounds
AUGUST 2007
Peru – Arequipa
Chile – Santiago
Chile – Concepción
SEPTEMBER 2007
Bolivia –Uyuni Salt flats and stunning red, green and white lagoons
Bolivia – Potosi
Bolivia – Sucre
Bolivia – La Paz and Tiwanaku ruins
Bolivia – Lake Titicaca, Copacabana and Isla del Sol
Peru – Lake Titicaca, floating reed islands of the Uros
Bolivia – Rurenabaque, the Bolivian Amazon
OCTOBER 2007
Bolivia – Visiting friends in Cochabamba
Bolivia – Visiting friends in Santa Cruz
Bolivia – Samaipata with friends
Bolivia – Chiquitos region and its Jesuit Missions
NOVEMBER 2007
Bolivia – Villa Tunari
Chile – Back to friends in Arica
Peru – La Paz to Lima
Peru – Huanchaco and Chan Chan ruins
Peru – Sipan ruins and Pimentel, near Chiclayo
Peru – Miraflores district of Lima
DECEMBER 2007
Mexico – Mexico City
Mexico – Teotihuacan ruins
Mexico – Mexico City and Luis Barragan
Mexico – Oaxaca and Monte Alban ruins
Mexico – Mayan highlands of Chiapas region
Mexico – Palenque ruins and Aguas Azules
JANUARY 2008
Guatemala – Quezaltenango (Xela)
Guatemala – San Pedro de Atitlan
Guatemala – Antigua and active Volcano Pacaya
Guatemala – Lake Atitlan
Guatemala – Quezaltenango and Viejo Palmar
Mexico –Puerto Arista
FEBRUARY 2008
Honduras - Copan ruins
Honduras – Omoa
Honduras – Scuba Diving off Utila, Bay Islands
MARCH 2008
Guatemala – Livingston and Rio Dulce
Guatemala – San Pedro de Atitlan
Guatemala - Tikal ruins
Belize – Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, San Ignacio
Belize – Hopkins, Garifuna village
APRIL 2008
Belize – Caye Caulker and the Blue Hole
Mexico – Tulum ruins and diving the sink holes
Mexico – Chichen Itza ruins
Mexico – Holbox
Cuba overview - A Refreshingly Different Experience in Latin America
Cuba – Havana
Cuba – Trinidad
Cuba - Santa Clara
MAY 2008
Cuba – Santiago
Cuba - Baracoa

East Coast Village of Baracoa

2008-05-01T21:44:00.001+01:00

Streetlife in pretty Baracoa
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Baracoa was one of the highlights of my stay in Cuba. The journey itself was beautiful and interesting as it passed the town of Guantanamo (near the US Naval Base) and long stretches of coastal road before finally turning inland and winding up into the mountains before descending rapidly into a lush tropical landscape of palm trees, banana plantations, colourful cacti and traditional palm-leaf-roof huts. And then the road leads on to Baracoa, a very picturesque, laid back seaside town, where people seem to hang around in the shade all day long until late evening when the village is aroused from its lethargy by the sounds of live salsa resonating from various directions.

One day was spent strolling along the nearby black sand beach. I following a path into the mangrove where I reached a quaint river crossing. On the other side of this rickety old bridge a tiny fishermen's village of modest huts and fishing boats captured my curiosity, where on closer examination I discovered children fishing, colourful laundry hanging out on the palm trees, a delicious sugar cane drink and some stunning views over the bay back towards Baracoa village.

Another day was spent at a gorgeous, unspoilt beach to the north of Baracoa. I almost had the beach to myself. There must have been no more than five other people on the beach plus a large family of pigs, with four hungry piglets! I lunched exquisitely on lobster at a makeshift table in the shade of the mangrove. It didn't even occur to me that it might be illegal to serve lobster in Cuba and therefore necessary to hide me away in the mangrove!

Baracoa was a delightful town with interesting people, most of which were very keen to express opinions about their country. It was a good place to end my stay in Cuba and my two years and two months in Latin America.

Cuba to London
From here I was to begin my long 3-day journey back to London. Baracoa-Santiago, Santiago-Havana, Havana-Cancun, Cancun-London. Unfortunately the first leg by plane (Santiago-Havana) with Cubana Airlines was to give me one last memorable experience of Cuba: the flight was subject to a 20 hour delay, meaning I missed my Havana-Cancun flight and seemingly my Cancun-London flight too. I was relieved to hear that Cubana Airlines would take full responsibility for getting me back to London without any additional cost to me, but little did I know that these were lies. The 20 hours in Santiago airport were both heaven and hell. Hell because the airport had no facilities for communicating to Havana, Cancun or London, no internet, only local calls, absurd as that may sound for an airport! Heaven because they whisked us off to a 5-star hotel so that we could relax, eat, swim, use internet, while they washed their hair of us until they had completed their shifts! We eventually got on a plane. And what a plane! I cannot tell what model this propeller-driven craft was, but it was very old and probably ex-Soviet Union. There were no windows and the interior surfaces were sheet metal nailed together, which rattled scarily on landing and take off! It felt like flying in a sardine can and I prayed constantly during the two-hour flight. To my delight, in Havana I discovered that there was one flight that could get me to Cancun in time for my London flight. The Cuban representative of Mexicana Airlines deserves all the praise for having saved my bacon, and for having made my very last experience on Cuban territory a positive one.

Click here for the last photos of this mammoth trip!

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 36,000 KM / 22,000MILES

Santiago de Cuba

2008-05-01T19:58:00.001+01:00

Typical Cuban bookshop, selling approved literature.
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Santiago is the second largest city in Cuba and is 860km east of Havana. My first impressions were of suffocating heat and narrow exhaust-fume filled streets, but was soon smiling again with a live salsa show, a delicious ice cream and a wander around the fascinating old bookshops. But there was little to hold me in this town so I was soon on my way again to the tropical east coast of Cuba.

Here are a few photos of Santiago.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 35,450 KM

Santa Clara

2008-05-01T01:11:00.002+01:00

Che Guevara monument
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

The main attractions in Santa Clara are the Che Guevara memorials, which were very interesting and exciting to visit. Che's body was eventually removed from Bolivia, where he had been shot by a firing squad of the US-backed Bolivian army in the 1960s, and buried here in the mausoleum below the memorial pictured. I was impressed by the memorial, the beautifully designed mausoleum of local stone and timber and the museum dedicated to Che's life. To me he is more than a cult figure, more than an icon appearing on t-shirts all over the world. Having travelled most of Latin America and seen at first hand the desperate poverty of most indiginous people, the stark inequality of wealth and the constant US meddling in the politics of each Latin American country, I have come to highly respect Che's aims, although would never have joined a guerilla army had I been alive and in Latin America then.

The other memorial is a monument to Che's capture of the armoured and troop train of the Battista army in Santa Clara. The original train is displayed and houses documents concerning the successful operation whereby the track was damaged so that the train derailed and the troops were forced into open combat. It enabled the capture of Santa Clara and then of Havana.

Here are a few photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 34,945 KM

Trinidad

2008-05-01T00:44:00.001+01:00

Trinidad, World Heritage Site
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Trinidad is a World Heritage site, a quaint town similar to most Latin American colonial towns. But this was still Cuba, with the familiar sites of ration queues, street pizza, kids playing baseball in the streets with a piece of wood and plastic bottle lids (with great skill!).

Having left Havana the first thing that struck me was that we hardly passed another vehicle on the road during the 7-hour journey by bus. And public transport in Trinidad was varied, some local busses looked more like cattle trucks than human transport. Trinidad was a great place for tourists and locals to mix. The police presence was far less visible, there were nightly live salsa events where locals danced with tourists. But here you could also see a larger wealth gap between the average local and those involved in tourism: there are less black market and “inventive earning” opportunities here, it's a tiny village where tourism is enormous, so those in tourism earn around US$200/month while those working for the state earn just US$10-25/month. Here the requests were almost only for clothes, plastic bags and cooking oil, virtually no one asked for money. This is where I decided to donate a few items of clothings and other helpful bits and pieces.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 34,865 KM

Havana

2008-04-30T23:51:00.007+01:00

Me on the Malecon, Havana
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

The city of Havana fulfilled every one of my romantic expectations of Cuba and its capital city; the narrow streets with worn, painted facades supporting endless balconies that showcase laundry and often the owners themselves, leaning out onto the street watching the world go by; the sound of salsa, son or trova on every corner, in every bar and restaurant, strolling along tuning out of one song as you pass and tuning in as you approach the next, a momentary glimpse through a door or a front porch reveals a couple dancing salsa, or perhaps just a flash of a foot or an arm; tall, elegantly dressed Caribbean men smoking their cigars, ladies with their umbrellas, taking shade from the strong midday sun. These are images that will remain in my mind alongside those of the very visible poverty, the big queues in front of the ration shops, the pizza ovens in doorways of homes filled with some gooey dough topped with a sweet tomato sauce and cheese for 5 pesos (US$0.20c), the constant requests for anything at all that I might be able to give; clothes, a cigarette, a biro, a sweet, a drink, anything. The hissing of men trying to get my attention, either to offer a taxi, help in return for a tip, to offer themselves as a date, as a husband, etc. But Cuba has one of the best levels of education in Latin America - illiteracy was eliminated by Fidel -, the highest life expectancy and the lowest crime figures. These people are used to finding ingenious and inventive ways to make ends meet or to get what they want and will not hesitate to try out clever scams on unsuspecting tourists like myself.

On my first day in Havana I fell prey to a couple of jineteras - girls that try to cream you for whatever they can. They befriended me as we walked in the same direction for a while then suggested we take a look at a nearby bar, a famous haunt of Che Guevara, they told me. I made it crystal clear that I couldn't afford to buy any drinks in this touristy place (Cuba cannot be travelled anywhere near as cheaply as the rest of Latin America and was taking me to the limits of my budget). We agreed that I would take a quick picture and we'd leave, but while I took my pictures they ordered 3 mojitos that cost me the equivalent of US$12. I was frustrated, as they had taken advantage of me AND they were still after more, and all this when I had made it very clear that I don't have the money to pay for it. I left them after explaining that they would have benefited much more from a couple of dollars each than from a mojito consumed quickly with an awkward atmosphere. Now that I knew the kind of scams I was facing I was well prepared for the rest of my stay, and this actually was a reassuring feeling.

I was blessed with the ideal hostess in Havana and the timing couldn't have been any better, as these were my first days in Cuba. Maria is in her 60s, she's a true revolucionista, a Fidelist, not brainwashed, not without criticism, an intelligent lady that could weigh up the pros and cons. She laments the state of the nation with its poverty (caused by US embargos, collapse of the Soviet Union), the overpriced food and products, the concessions made by Fidel out of necessity that have compromised the ideology and caused the younger generations to seek materialism, capitalism. She understands that her liberties are limited, but argues that capitalist countries are also not completely free. She has visited relatives in the US and was shocked by the lack of freedom due to laws, laws governing your property, your children's education, your ability to smoke in public, etc.. She felt that the US churns out more propaganda about US history, foreign policy and about Cuba, etc. than Cuba does about its own history and about the US. Maria, like me, is a good talker, so I learnt a lot from her, I listened hard, I didn't debate much, I took it or I left it, but it was all valuable information about the country, its politics and public opinion. I met her ex-husband and her daughter, all professionals, all Fidelists. What they said made sense, was well argued, but was very biased. I may respect a lot of the communist values and a number of them may well be lived out successfully here in Cuba (for example there is no juxtaposition of excessive wealth and poverty, like in the rest of Latin America), but that does not change the fact that there is no free press, no elections, no internet access to the general public or in homes, no leaving the country unless for a legitimate and agreed purpose and with a limited stay.

So, my days were spent alone, walking around this huge town, wandering around Revolution memorials, strolling along the Malecon (8km seawall), sitting in parks talking to the locals, dancing salsa at matinee live shows, fighting off irritating or sometimes totally charming jineteros and jineteras, eating gooey street pizza or fried rice served in a cardboard box with a cardboard spoon cut-out, drinking the national Tu-cola. I loved it loads, loathed it just a little.

Here are the photos of Havana. Enjoy!

Cuba - a Refreshingly Different Experience in Latin America!

2008-04-30T23:35:00.001+01:00

Fidel and Raul!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

After travelling in Latin America for so long, experiencing more than once virtually every kind of beautiful landscape, fauna, climate, etc., you eventually find yourself slightly underawed by “yet another” jungle, lake or mountain or yet another Caribbean coral reef. However, Cuba, one of the world's few bastions of communism, would definitely offer me a fresh experience, demanding all of the experience and skills acquired over the last 2 years in Latin America.

Before I write specific posts on Cuba, here's a quick introduction to the country:

Cuba has survived manifold crippling US embargos over the years and near-to famine in the early 90s, caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union, its former saviour trading partner. However, the communist ideology has been harder to enforce and is indeed harder to recognise in society these days, given Fidel Castro's essential emergency concessions over the years, such as permitting selected workers (builders, mechanics, tourist B&B owners) to offer private, freelance services, the opening of Cuba to tourism and the introduction of a second currency, the convertible – or 'tourist' - peso (24 times stronger than the national peso and roughly equivalent to one US Dollar). The state pays fixed salaries equivalent to approx. US$20-25/month to professionals and US$10-15/month to non-professionals. A mechanic or B&B owner can easily earn US$200/month after (heavy) tax. Whereas the non-professional has the possibility to earn tips (and in the very fortunate cases of those getting tips in convertible pesos they can multiply their monthly salary by up to 10 times!) the professional is truly restricted to their monthly salary. So in a country where the fantastic free healthcare and education cause a state-school-educated Brit like me to turn green with envy, you have professionals struggling to provide clothing and food for their family.

Given the above-mentioned salaries I was shocked to discover that certain necessities such as deodorant, clothing, oil, washing powder respectively cost around 20% of a monthly state salary. So, as you can imagine, Cubans' best bet to avoid starvation is their own chicanery and the thriving black market. And the tourist, spending per day what a Cuban earns in 2-6 months, is constantly subject to and wearied by the begging for money, clothes, plastic bags (scarce), pens, basically anything at all. And both young men and women see tourists as an opportunity to get a quick tip for 'help' (usually unwanted help), or an opportunity to be treated to the luxury of a free drink, a night out, or a way to leave the country (by marriage). You'll often see a middle-aged or elderly tourist out with an attractive young Cuban.

Apart from the constant struggle to get by financially, young people in Cuba are ambitious, curious about the outside world, they want the standard commodities and gadgets that their fellow Latinos enjoy, such as mobile phones, computers. Raul Castro has now made it legal to buy such equipment, but who in Cuba can afford such luxuries, and what's the point of a computer if you can't legally access the internet, can't afford its maintenance, etc. The only Cubans that own such items, wear brand-named clothes or get to leave the country are those with relatives living abroad, relatives that are classed as traitors by the Cuban government and are only allowed to return to Cuba on a limited-stay tourist visa.

So what do Cubans think about Fidel, Raul, communism and the state of their country? Well the opinions are quite forthcoming and varied....... well, as long as there are no police nearby! They could be arrested for speaking to foreigners! All Cubans agree that life is hard in their country, some feel that it is because of communism and Fidel, others think it is because of the US and the fall of communism internationally. Most seem to view Fidel's Revolution as positive, as the overthrow of a murderous tyrant. They are proud of the standard of education in Cuba, the healthcare and expect to be compared to the most developed of Latin American countries, not the poorest. It is mainly the younger generations that want change, they are fed up with the propaganda (endless documentaries, news stories about the Revolution, Che Guevara and Fidel), they want more freedoms, although cannot legally demand it, they have high ambitions that they want to be able to live out. Raul Castro is generally viewed as more liberal than Fidel, and I sensed some hope in Cubans, but they do not believe things will change any time soon.

See my next blogs specific to La Havana and other Cuban towns and villages.

The Beautiful and Tranquil Island of Holbox

2008-04-27T22:09:00.001+01:00

Beach on Holbox
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

From Chichen Itza I travelled on to Merida, an attractive city, but I was eager to spend a few days away from the hustle and bustle before heading off to Cuba, which I knew would be a challenging experience. So I headed east in a bus and took a boat across to the lovely and peaceful island of Holbox. Here I spent two days reading on the beach or in my hammock at the hostel, and one day on a dolphin safari, where I spotted a group of bottlenose dolphins that hung around the boat for a while. I was a little disappointed that I was not permitted to enter the water, because they certainly looked in a playful mood!

Here are a few photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 34,360 KM

Chichen Itza

2008-04-03T02:18:00.001+01:00

Chichen Itza
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I have seen all three of America´s Wonders of the Modern World:

Peru´s Machu Picchu
Brazil´s statue of Christ the Redeemer
… and now Mexico´s Chichen Itza.

It was an excruciatingly hot day, but it was worth it to walk around this well restored site comprising the impressive pyramid, the haunting ball court (where losing captain was sacrificed to the gods), the conch building and a whole host of other beautiful and highly decorated structures.

Here are the photos.

Tulum Ruins and Diving the Sink Holes

2008-04-03T01:57:00.001+01:00

Valladolid sinkhole
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Hurrah! Back in a Spanish speaking land! (I´ll have enough English when I get home!) I crossed over the border into the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico and stayed overnight in the border town of Chetumal, in order to visit the infamous Mayan Museum there. It was a beautifully designed and well organized museum, for a change, and the exhibits were well worth the effort made to house them. I had the fortune to see a small art exposition by a local artist who depicts the cultural Mayan-Spanish mix of the Mexican people in his work. (I have included a few photos of his paintings in the photo link below.)

Tulum is famous for three things: its beach-front Mayan ruins, its Caribbean beaches and its sinkholes (openings in the ground connecting to underground/underwater passages and water holes, usually decorated with stalactite and limestone formations). I took advantage of all three, visiting the ruins, the beach and diving three sinkholes. The sinkholes had to be the highlight; after having dived 19 Caribbean reefs I was starting to get Caribbean reef fatigue. The sinkholes are an amazing new environment to dive in, where you jump into the waterhole from a tiny hole in the rocky ground and dive down into a new world of tunnels, passages, mazes, with weird and wonderful formations and then emerging into caves. The most fascinating was one called Calavera, which boasts both a thermocline (a distinct layer in water where the temperature changes notably) and a halocline (a distinct layer in the water where there is a change from fresh to salt water). The halocline came as a shock, as I was expecting a thin layer, not the two metres of blurry, low visibility water that I passed into and out of. Prior to entering the halocline I was having trouble with my mask, unable to loosen it, resulting in a headache, and then entering the blurry halocline I thought for a moment I was about to faint! All in all a strange but exciting experience!

Unfortunately only one of the underwater sinkhole photos came out, so sadly you won´t get an idea of what a truly magical experience it is to dive in sinkholes, to see from the depths the sunlight shining on a given area of water above you, or the mysterious underwater world of stalactite, stalagmite and limestone formations.

Click here for the Tulum photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 34,200 KM

Caye Caulker and The Blue Hole

2008-04-02T23:36:00.001+01:00

Me at the Blue Hole
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Next stop – the super touristy island of Caye Caulker. Needless to say that I was not in my element, surrounded by the typical beach tourists, but I made the most of being stuck on this paradise island during a wind storm and over Easter. I dove the Blue Hole, albeit under the worst conditions imaginable: a three hour boat trip with 5m waves, with most of the passengers vomiting and soaking wet. The visibility was poor, as you might imagine, and the overall experience was disappointing, however it was saved by a pretty lengthy dive with 5 nurse sharks (2-5m) and about seven giant groupers (1m). The Blue Hole itself is best observed from the surface; a 300m-diametre circular reef with a hole in the centre that goes to depths of 120m. The dark reef makes the surrounding turquoise water appear even brighter. On the dive you follow the reef wall down to 40m where there is an undercut with large stalactites hanging down like columns, giving the overall impression of swimming through an arcade or colonnade.

I spent the rest of the trip snorkeling (with southern rays, turtles, etc.), manatee (sea cow) watching, reading, sunbathing on the hostel dock and just taking it easy. What else could a non-beach bum do?

Here are the photos, including the handful of disposable underwater camera photos that came out.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 33,800 KM

A Wholly Garifuna Experience in Hopkins

2008-03-25T03:53:00.001Z

Sunrise from my cabana
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I had been disappointed with the vague Garifuna culture in Livingston, Guatemala, so when I reached this tiny, laidback Caribbean seaside town of Hopkins, with its almost exclusively Black Caribb population and their proud cultural heritage I was so enthused. Although the beach was lovely and my cabana overlooking the sea was a dream, the most impacting part was hearing the resident Garifuna Punta drummers in my hostel-cum-drumming-school, Lebeha.

First of all the music really appealed to me, reminding me of a more complicated Samba or even Uruguayan Candombe rhythm, secondly the drummers are so very talented, drumming at an unbelievably fast pace, maintaining a highly melodic rhythm throughout and enjoying themselves thoroughly. (The two most talented drummers were just 16 and 17 years old!!) The interaction between drummers was fascinating, especially when one stopped drumming and danced in direct ´conversation` with the drumming.

The music is contagious. Of course I got up and joined in dancing, but my bum, used to the sideward movement of salsa, could not manage the up and down movement. However, according to the flattery of the drummers I still managed to outdance one of the local Garifuna boys with my poor Samba-cum-Salsa moves! Ha ha!

I regret that after just 24 hours in Hopkins I had to move on without any videos or photos of the Punta performance. I wanted to go back before leaving Belize, but the country was just too expensive for me!

Here are a few photos of Hopkins.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 33,620 KM

Indiana Jones and the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, Belize

2008-03-25T03:20:00.001Z

Calcite-encrusted remains of a Mayan woman
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Those of you that still do not think that I´m adventurous after two years of traveling Latin America might now concede….. After Tikal I crossed the border leaving Guatemala for Belize, a British Commonwealth country. Suddenly I was in an English speaking environment again, well, Creole. Arr-ait! (See next post for more about Belize itself.)

I had heard about the Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulcher) tour near San Ignacio and decided to give it a try. No regrets! It was probably one of the most exciting, most adventurous and dangerous tours I have done yet.

The cave has appeared in numerous NatGeo/GEO editions and documentaries. The cave is located in a jungle and was seen by the Mayans as a dark and sacred place where they made food and human sacrifices to their gods in times of dispair. Strangely all of the artifacts and human remains are still in their original places and the cave is open for conservation-conscious guided tours.

Entering the cave, with the odd bat flying by, you are immersed in water and then must climb over, under, in between flowstone rock formations with water gushing through them. We were treated to amazing stalagmites growing up from the caves and calcium-carbonate stalactites dripping from the ceiling. The formations are incredible. We then climbed up to a massive opening where hundreds of pottery vessels and even human remains are still in their original positions. One of the remains is encrusted with calcite, hence “Cave of the Stone Sepulcher”. I have photographs of everything described above.

Here are the photos. There are more to come – when I receive them from other tour group members.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 33,450 KM

No Longer an Arachnophobic?

2008-03-25T02:54:00.001Z

How scared do I look?!!!?
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Anyone who knows me will be stunned by these photos. I did it! I have (pretty much) overcome my fear!!!

Click here for more proof.

Mayan Jungle Ruins of Tikal

2008-03-25T02:50:00.002Z

View from Temple IV
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I needed something impressive to help take my mind off my heartbreak. And this was certainly it! The ruins of Tikal are in themselves stunning, but the jungle environment within which they lie, in my opinion, raises Tikal way above all other Mayan sites. As you walk around this enormous site, with its huge temples separated by jungle paths, you are literally surrounded on all sides by nature, and if you do not immediately see wildlife you are constantly aware of its presence; the howler monkeys have their name for a reason. To an unfamiliar ear the loud roaring of these primates, eerily echoing across the jungle could easily be mistaken for the roaring of a pack of jaguars. And the wonderful diversity of exotic birds in and around the sites was a real treat. I spotted two species of toucan, hundreds of parakeets, a strange peacock and a whole host of birds that I cannot name. And then there was the tarantula……. See my next boastful post for a good laugh or possibly a shock!

Here are the photos of Tikal and Flores, the attractive lake island where I was based near Tikal.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 33,340 KM

Another Tearful Goodbye to Esteban

2008-03-25T02:37:00.002Z

Esteban and I on a "Boose Cruise" with Altons
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

After Livingston and Rio Dulce Esteban and I headed back to our beloved San Pedro de la Laguna on Lake Atitlan for his last two weeks before returning to Chile. On 10 March we separated at Guatemala City Airport with heavy hearts. I zipped through dangerous Guatemala City in a taxi and took the first bus north towards the Mayan ruins of Tikal.

I have added the new San Pedro photos to the old Lake Atitlan set. Click here to see them.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 32,790 KM

Livingston and Rio Dulce, Guatemala

2008-03-08T22:00:00.001Z

Along Rio Dulce
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Livingston is Guatemala´s only claim to Caribbean culture and is only one of two towns on Guatemala`s tiny Atlantic coast. It claims a fascinating Garifuna culture with some nice beaches. Unfortunately our experience did not live up to our expectations. After the cultural experience in Utila, Livingston pales in comparison; there was very little evident Caribbean culture, the town is quite dirty and smelly and the beaches were a joke.

So we quickly moved on to Rio Dulce town, on a boat trip along the river of the same name, stopping off at a remote jungle community, some caves and thermal springs on the way. The trip was nice enough, although not as beautiful as fellow travellers had led me to believe. But Rio Dulce proved a much more interesting stop. The town is based on two sides of Rio Dulce, but most of the tourist accommodation is within the swampy jungle deltas. We spent two days in one of the traditional style straw-roofed cabanas of Casa Perico, which comprises basically a hostel, restaurant and bar completely surrounded by jungle swamps, and the only way to get around is to use the hostel´s kayaks or pay for a boat ride into town. We spent those two days nearby the hostel, swimming in the river and kayaking. One day, during a water fight in the kayak I managed to capsize it (on purpose, of course). While I was up to my neck in swampy water, with mud up to my knees saving our things, Esteban was rescuing the kayak and bailing out water!! We headed back to the hostel in hysterics!! A fun experience, that was until our last night, when on returning to the cabana I spotted an enormous spider (10cm) on my backpack. Esteban froze on the spot and I was left to kill the blighter. It took all my courage to get close and splat the thing (that was actually bigger then the shoe I used). After 5 minutes of nerves and trembling I recovered, only to discover a similar sized one on the wall beams near our beds. With no chance of killing this one we rushed into the safety of our mosquito nets and tried to sleep…… of course I was too scared to sleep!

Here are the photos, including one of the spider!

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 32,190 KM

Scuba Diving off the Island of Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

2008-02-26T23:21:00.003Z

Poor fish - hope we don`t scare them off!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Esteban and I are now qualified as advanced scuba divers with NAUI!!

We arrived on the island of Utila with the intention of doing only the Open Water Diver course, one of the cheapest places in the world to do it, but this qualification only allows you to go to 18m. Most of the best diving in the world is at greater depths and having learnt about the additional dangers at depth (nitrogen narcosis, etc.) we wanted to be better prepared. The NAUI Advanced course includes diving to 40m, wreck diving and diving at night and was definitely the most exciting course of the two, especially given that we had more dives off the island.

So, about the course: in contrast to Esteban (who took to diving like a `crab´ to water) it was a hairy start for me, as I discovered I had problems breathing solely with my mouth through the regulator - I had the tendency to also breathe in and out through my nose. It caused a great deal of concern at first, not least because if I had not overcome the problem I could never have completed the course, but also it was causing me to panic under water, especially when we had to perform skills like taking off the mask and replacing it under water. (Our instructors at Altons Dive School, Rob and Chris, were very professional and helped me through my little problem. I can only sing the praises of the school and courses.) But my first dive away from the shallows of the school dock proved that the breathing was no longer a problem: on seeing the beauty of the reef, the abundance of weird and wonderful marine life, thousands of pretty fish, turtles, eagle rays - and YES, we saw a 11m whale shark! – I was cured! Wow, what an experience. And I did get narcked (nitrogen narcosis) on my first deeper dive (30m) during our wreck dive, where I had to draw plans of 2 floors of the wrecked boat. This was very funny afterwards, as I had been so intoxicated (like being drunk) that I couldn´t draw a thing – on viewing my plans later our instructor just looked puzzled! Thankfully it gets better the more often you dive at depth, so the next day when we had to do the deep dive, to 40m, I was a little anxious, but all was fine, not the slightest sign of narcosis this time! The other great dive was the night dive, where we all felt like detectives with our torches trying to discover the nocturnal life. We spotted some lobsters, strange starfish and lots of red shrimps.

The island itself warrants a mention. The two languages of the locals are Spanish and a strange sounding Caribbean English (sounded to me like a mix of Jamaican, Irish and Texan!). It was fascinating to hear them speak and to learn about their history. There are three main cultures living together; the Hondurans, black Caribbs (originally from the Island of San Vicent) and the white descendents of the British colonies. Most of the Hondurans speak some English, but the later two cultures are bilingual. Food shopping in Utila was like a nostalgia trip for me, discovering pork and beans (baked beans), peanut butter, macaroni cheese, all things that I had not seen for a long time! The only negative about the island was the constant attack from sandflies, tiny flies that you can barely see that would find the one place you had forgotten to put repellent and bite you there 5 times!

I hope you enjoy these photos. We hired an digital camera with 40m-depth waterproof casing, so there are lots of diving photos, but we obviously still have a lot to learn about underwater photography! Enjoy.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 31,770 KM

Caribbean Seaside Village of Omoa

2008-02-25T23:36:00.001Z

Beach of Omoa
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Finally we arrived at the Caribbean, and the very familiar Latino and indigenous cultures were now coloured with a vivid Caribbean hue. A new experience of Latin America for both Esteban and me. We whiled away the days on the beach, relaxing in the beautiful gardens of our hostel, watching the iguanas, geckos, beautiful tropical birds and butterflies go about their business. We also visited Fort San Fernando, built by the Spaniards in 1759 to protect their cargo boats laden with silver from the British pirates.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 31,500 KM

Mayan Ruins of Copan, Honduras

2008-02-25T23:26:00.001Z

Grand staircase under restoration
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Finishing in Mexico we headed back to Guatemala, spent a couple of days relaxing in Xela before another long journey on to Honduras. Although covering smaller distances than in Argentina or Chile, travelling in Guatemala seems so much more of an effort. The chicken busses (ex-US school busses) are uncomfortable and packed, the road conditions poor and there are few long distance busses. So we set off towards the border with Honduras, our journey taking us via dangerous Guatemala City (with a quick-as-possible connection) and with a couple of days in the Guatemalan town of Chiquimula, using the hotel pool to cool down from the intense heat of this region. We then crossed over the border into Honduras and quickly discovered a country that was relatively more developed than Guatemala (Guatemala being definitely the most underdeveloped of Latin American countries), despite having the same serious crime problems caused principally by the Mara (mafia style gangs). Police, security guards and the army are all employed to protect banks, shops, petrol stations, etc., and all of whom wield M-16s or sub-machine guns!! It certainly made us more aware of the crime problems in this part of Central America.

We arrived into the pretty little village of Copan Ruinas and spent a lovely afternoon visiting the ruins, which, although not as architecturally interesting or well preserved as other big sites, offered great examples of Mayan architectural decoration and stelae.

Take a look at the pictures, here.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 31,250 KM

Puerto Arista, Pacific Coast of Mexico

2008-01-27T01:46:00.001Z

Esteban watching the big waves
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

We had planned that it would take us an entire day to reach our destination in Mexico, the quiet Pacific coastal village of Puerto Arista in Mexico. In fact it took us more than 7 hours just to get from Xela to the largest town over the Mexican border (Tapachulas) and then another 4 hours on a bus to Tonala. On arrival in Tonala it was obviously too late to continue on to the final destination and so we had to find accommodation for the night. Little did we expect that we`d bump into a lovely Mexican called Octavio who offered us a room in his apartment with his family for a very economical price. Not only did he make us feel completely at home but he also prepared breakfast and an early lunch for us before we set off, without accepting any compensation. We decided that we would stay at his again on our return. Arriving in Puerto Arista in the hot midday sun we quickly found accommodation (cabanas) and headed off for the beach. There we discovered that we were perhaps the only foreigners in the whole village and had the beach, restaurants, etc. to ourselves. And how beautiful the beach, warm the sea, great fun the rough waves and kind the people. We spent 3 days enjoying the sea and on the last day we hired a Quadbike and drove up the beach towards the turtle sanctuary. Before arriving we discovered a mother turtle digging a hole in which to lay her eggs. We informed the people of the sanctuary and watched as they collected the eggs for incubation. The eggs are a delicacy in this region and can be sold for a good price, therefore the eggs were not safe there on the beach. Also a group of vultures were loitering with intent!

Generally Mexico is more expensive than Guatemala but the sleepy village of Puerto Arista was far more expensive than we had imagined, and Esteban was charged a surprise fee to enter Mexico. All this left a big hole in our pockets so we had to head back to Guatemala after this short but sweet stay. We stopped off at Octavio`s on the way back and spent a great evening with him and his friends before setting off the following morning on our very long trip back to Xela (15 hours in all).

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 30,890KM

Xela (Quezaltenango) and the Ghost Village of Viejo Palmar

2008-01-27T00:49:00.001Z

Ruins of the Palmar church (both sides)
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Esteban and I reluctantly moved on from warm Lake Atitlan to the cold mountain town of Xela. I took him to the hot springs that I`ve mentioned in my previous Xela post. On the way there we almost gave up and turned back as we were being overcharged for transport, that was until 3 young Guatemalan`s offered to give us a lift there for free. So we spent a relaxing afternoon there with our new friends and walked part of the way back to the next town through misty hills, fields being harvested, passing local women carrying huge heavy stacks of firewood uphill, until we hitched a lift on a pickup truck.

A highlight of our stay in Xela was our visit to a ghost village I had heard about near to the sub-tropical lowlands of Reu. Viejo Palmar (Old Palmar) is located at the foot of an active volcano and is sometimes subject to lava flows, but in the 90s it suffered relentless volcanic and earthquake damage, forcing the villagers to flee to the nearby villages and to found the new village of Nuevo Palmar. The main draw was to see the spectacular and rare site of 30m ravine running through what was the village centre (caused by a lava flow), with the remains of the village church on both sides of the ravine. A subsequent earthquake caused a local river to divert its course and now runs through this ravine and in between the two extremities of the church. It was a fascinating day trip from Xela, made even better by having got to know some locals; I even got to ride a horse bareback for 5 minutes – about as much as my boney bottom could bear!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 30,090KM

Lake Atitlan

2008-01-09T01:13:00.001Z

Lake Atitlan
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Having already been to Lake Atitlan for Christmas I was able to show Esteban all that I had discovered, which was not at all boring, as I´d been a little bored here alone and so being able to do it all again with Esteban made for a much richer experience.

In the photos you´ll see the traditional (Mayan) but touristy market of Chichicastenango and lakeside villages of Panajachel, San Marcos and San Pedro, with its beaches and coffee plantations in amongst the gringo bars, restaurants and hotels.

Here are our pictures.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 29,890KM

Happy New Year from Antigua, Guatemala!

2008-01-09T00:59:00.000Z

This is how I spent New Year´s Eve, with Esteban in Antigua, Guatemala. I wish you all the best for 2008!

In Antigua with Esteban

2008-01-09T00:55:00.001Z

Guatamala City behind us
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Between Christmas and New Year´s Eve I picked up Esteban from the Airport in Guatemala City and we headed straight for the UNESCO protected city of Antigua, where I had spent the previous days awaiting his arrival. Initially, Antigua was for me just another very attractive colonial town, but with Esteban´s arrival it immediately became a very special place, where we spent some lovely days together, including New Year´s Eve (see next blog) and doing a guided tour of the active Volcano Pacaya (this photo), with its constant lava flow and regular activity.

Here are our photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 29,700KM

Merry Christmas from Summery Guatemala!

2008-01-09T00:46:00.001Z

My first summertime Christmas
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I spent Christmas in San Pedro on the stunning Lake Atitlan, where I had a traditional English Christmas dinner listening to Christmas carols to get me in the spirit, a spirit that had been lacking up until that day, due to the heat, swimming in the lake, sunbathing, all things that a Brit does not easily associate with Christmas!

Here are a few more (funny) pics.

Into Guatemala and to Quezaltenango (locally known as Xela)

2008-01-09T00:39:00.001Z

Guatemalan intercity busses
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Crossing the border into Guatemala was both a stressful but rewarding experience: firstly with my 20kilo backpack and a 8kilo rucksack I had to take 2 minibusses to get to the Mexican border, then a taxi over to the Guatemalan border, where I had to charm the customs officers into not charging me an unofficial, unreceipted payment to enter the country (I was warned about this in advance). From there I took a tuc tuc (motorbike taxi) through a very crowded market to the bus terminal, where I had to squash myself into a Blue Bird (ex US school bus) for a 3hr trip to the next big town of Huehuetenango (Hue-hue-ten-ango). But on setting off I noticed the promising landscape into which we were driving – lush mountains, volcanos and rich in traditional (Mayan) culture. From Huehue (a traditional village in the north-west) I moved south to Quezaltenango (Xela); a more wealthy, modern town, close to some interesting Mayan villages, where I spent a few days visiting volcanic thermal springs and just relaxing.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 29,206KM

Mayan Site of Palenque and the Waterfalls of Aguas Azules and Misol-ha

2007-12-14T02:48:00.001Z

Palenque
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

In order to save time I took a hard-going one-day tour to Palenque, one of the principal Mayan ruins in Mexico. The tour also stopped off on route at Aguas Azules (blue waters) and the waterfall of Misol-ha. Aguas Azules was a wonderful surprise – stunning turquoise water pools as you ascend between mini waterfalls.

As with all tour agency excursions they never leave you enough time at the destination. Palenque was no exception. We rushed around with our guide in 2 hours, understood very little about the Mayan culture or the ruins, but managed at least to see this awesome site emerging from the undergrowth and to walk around it.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 28,878KM

The Mayan Highlands of the Chiapas Region

2007-12-14T02:41:00.001Z

Me modelling the traditional dress of San Lorenzo Zinacantán
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Suddenly it felt like I was back in Bolivia or in Cusco, but this time it was not Inca or Aymaran customs but Mayan. San Cristobal de las Casas is another colourful and attractive modern town but with the influences of the strong traditions of the region. Half of the inhabitants wear jeans, football shirts, etc., while the other half (mainly from the nearby villages) wear beautifully crafted traditional clothes, the womens´ mainly consisting of long, heavy-weight skirts, folded vertically at the waist and held up with wide decorative belts with intricately decorated shirts with square necklines and a shawl of thick material that rests over the shoulders and is also decorated in great detail. This is a very attractive and feminine look, which was not necessarily the case in Peru and Bolivia with their short puffy skirts and their bowler hats, often appearing a few sizes too small for the head.

I visited two Tzozil (Mayan language) villages; in one the dress was particularly fetching, and the artisans allowed you into their homes to see how they work and to see their wares. In the other village it was market day and the whole village was out in their traditional clothes, especially because this was the Sunday leading up to the day of the Virgen de Guadalupe. I was rather surprised on entering the prettily coloured Temple to witness an extreme example of the mix of Catholicism and Mayan forms of worship. The villagers were knelt down on the pine needle covered floor in front of the image of their particular saint (there were at least 20 statues, some elaborately lit, others with simple flowers) and added their dozen or so candles to the existing collection. Here they worshipped their saint, singing and praying while some even sacrificed chickens (no blood, necks were broken) after having waved them over the candle flames. The sounds coming from the chickens at this point were quite startling! So why am I giving you so much detail? Well it is strictly prohibited to take photographs in the temple and of people (unless the people give you permission).

The people of these Chiapan villages are fiercely independent of the state and protective of their traditions, therefore caution is recommended to tourists. I will not go into the history of the Zapatista movement, but those of you who know a little about it will understand their reasons. I was very careful to understand what is not culturally acceptable there before arriving. However, this did not stop me committing a cultural faux pas: while waiting for more passengers for my taxi from Zinacantán a Mexican couple kindly offered me a lift back to San Cristobal. I politely refused, saying that I had already spoken to the taxi driver, but they insisted, saying that I might be waiting for a while and that it´s a free world. I reluctantly got up, apologised to the taxi driver and got into the car, thinking, well it would be nice to get to know some more Mexicans. Suddenly all 10 taxis that were waiting in line in the square quickly drove in front of us to block our way. They demanded a fine of 150pesos (equiv. $15). I speedily got out of the car, apologised profusely to the taxi driver and explained that I had no way of knowing it was not permitted. None of the passengers nor the driver spoke to me all the way back to San Cristobal, and I felt annoyed with myself for my unusual lack of cultural intuition.

I also visited a canyon near San Cristobal, which was nice and involved seeing a few North American crocodiles.

Click here to see all the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 28,498KM

Oaxaca and the Ruins of Monte Alban

2007-12-14T02:25:00.001Z

Me with Oaxaca below
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Oaxaca is a very colourful and quaint town with a beautiful cathedral and a very lively main square, with umpteen Mariachis playing to the restaurant clientele, and at present is very Christmassy, packed with red Poinsettas and Christmas lights.

Monte Alban is a Zapotec site from around 500 BC – perhaps it is not the most exciting in Mexico but it was quite interesting to see the petroglyphs of supposedly captured enemies with their genitals removed and replaced with a flower – representing the flow of blood.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 27,598KM

Mexico City - Luis Barragan

2007-12-07T01:07:00.001Z

Barragan´s Satellite Towers
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I have been a big fan of Luis Barragan´s work ever since being introduced to it at David Chipperfield Architects, so I took 2 entire days to visit most of his works, including the Casa Luis Barragan (the architect´s home), Casa Gillardi (a private home), the stunning Chapel of the Capuchinas, the Satellite Towers and the water features in Las Arboledas. His use of natural light in the first three projects is truly ingenious, providing ample light (sometimes only through the smallest openings) even on cloudy days. The light falls in varying intensities onto the brightly coloured surfaces, producing a whole spectrum of hues to stunning effect.

Unfortunately one is not permitted to photograph the private buildings, but here are my photos of mainly the public works.

Mexico City - Teotihuacan

2007-12-07T01:02:00.001Z

Teotihuacan
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

After so many Inca and Tihuanacu sites in South America it was exciting to see a different type of indigenous architecture, and so well preserved and restored. Here are the photos.

Mexico City

2007-12-07T00:56:00.001Z

Government Palace, Mexico City
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

This was a fresh and positive new start after an unfortunately bad last few weeks in South America. Mexico City was an exciting experience, a new culture, environment, different food and very friendly people. I visited the Aztec temple ruins in the historic centre of Mexico City, the ruins of Teotihuacan outside of town (see next post), went out dancing with a wonderful group of Mexican friends and visited every project by my favourite architect, Luis Barragan in Mexico City (see following post).

Here are the photos of Mexico City.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 27,133KM

Hotfooting it back to Lima!

2007-11-30T01:25:00.001Z

Me in Miraflores
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I should never have left the beach! I undertook a really long, uncomfortable and complicated journey into the mountains in the north of Peru, hoping to go to Kuelap, a pre-Inka site that had been highly recommended to me. Well, I got within a stone´s throw..... after a 6 hour then 13 hour bus journey from hell (I admit I chose the rough route) during which I´d gotten ill, too ill to visit Kuelap....so I hotfooted it back to Lima on a 24 hour bus! A toughening up experience!

So, back in Lima I decided to stay in the weathy district of Miraflores, high up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I had heard mixed reviews about this district, but it seems the sun makes all the difference in Miraflores - I loved it!

Here are the photos of Miraflores. (Those of the mountains in the north are not worth showing.)

Next blog post from Mexico City!!

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 27,133KM

The Ruins of Sipan and Pimentel

2007-11-22T22:06:00.001Z

Archaelogical finds from the Sipan
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I headed further north along the coast to the relatively affluent town of Chiclayo from where I visited the Sipan ruins (Moche 200 BC to AD 850), the pyramids and tomb of a royal Moche, now referred to as the Lord of Sipan. My photos of the tomb were taken in a rush, as phototaking was not permitted (slap wrist), but it is a replica that shows exactly what they found in the tombs and I wanted to share it with you….. you realise that I´m implicating all of you in my crime! (;

After visiting the ruins I went for a stroll into the village of Sipan where I was greeted warmly by all the villagers and was invited to join a family for fried fish and chicha (a traditional drink made of yellow maize). We chatted and laughed for hours until I realised that I should be getting back. It was quite a touching experience - these were very poor people and wanted nothing in return, only to learn about my country and to leave me with a good impression of its people. The sister of Eugenio had contracted Yellow Fever as a child due to not having been properly vaccinated. She has been paralised from the waist down ever since she was 4 years old. However this hasn´t stopped her from having her own little shop and being a very positive person! I was deeply impressed by the whole experience! I only wished I could have offered them more in return than buying a few practical things from their shop and the very modest keepsakes that I whipped out from nowhere (just plain hairbands for the two women and a lighter for the man). I had nothing else with me. They appreciated them anyway.

I hadn´t yet had enough of the beach and the ceviche so headed off for the coastal village of Pimentel, where my very-keen-to-impress hostel owner treated me to a room upgrade with a stunning view of the ocean. I could have stayed a whole lot longer than just one night!

Click here for the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 25,782KM

Huanchaco and Ruins of Chan Chan

2007-11-22T21:35:00.001Z

Caballito (´little horse´) boats drying in the sun
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Happy to have left Lima behind me I arrived in Trujillo, I wandered this rather uninteresting village and decided to head off for the beach at Huanchaco. I arrived to find an attractive and traditional fishing village with a lovely stretch of beach with Caballito boats lined up along it. These boats are made of totora reed, like on the Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca, but are different in appearance; these remind you of enormous pixie boots, long, thin and curled up at the front. The fishermen sail these boats with such skill, on their knees, taking on the big waves, whilst maintaining perfect balance – it´s fascinating to watch them! Whilst here I relaxed on the beach, ate delicious Ceviche, a national dish made of raw fish and seafood ´cooked` in lemon juice and visited the ruins of Chan Chan (Chimu empire AD 850-1470).

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 25,563KM

La Paz to Lima

2007-11-22T21:08:00.001Z

Main Square, Lima
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Flying from La Paz to Lima I took a last nostalgic glance at Bolivia from the air, at Chile behind the Andes and then spent the rest of the flight wishing I´d sat on the other side of the plane for the stunning views of Lake Titicaca from above! However, I did get a quick glance at the Colca Canyon, which I hadn´t managed to visit.

In Lima I spent a day walking around the centre, but honestly I was looking forward to moving on to the north of Peru for my last two weeks before flying to Mexico. But I did manage to see the main square, do some necessary clothes shopping and visit the Inquisition Museum of Lima, where the Spanish Inquisition in the New World had its seat.

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELLED (OVERLAND) SINCE USHUAIA: 24,992KM

Goodbye Visit to my Friends in Arica

2007-11-14T01:26:00.001Z

Seeing off Jano at the bus station (he works in 12hrs away)
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Before my flight to Mexico I wanted to visit Ale, Jano, Chulo, Nico, Cristóbal and Ferni one last time in Arica. The bus journey took me past Lauca National Park once again, which was a lovely reminder of the friends I was about to see again. After many freezing hours at the Bolivia-Chile border (at approx. 5,000m.a.s.l.) I eventually arrived 4 hours late, at 2am. But I was received with tea and big hugs from Ale, Jano and Chulo. The next morning I was awoken by the three children, desperate to welcome me! It was such a wonderful reunion, such a wonderful week in Arica that the farewell was all the more difficult.

Here are the photos of my fun week with my very wonderful and beloved friends!

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 24,432KM

Villa Tunari

2007-11-14T01:11:00.001Z

Villa Tunari
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

To break up my long journey (856km) from Santa Cruz back to La Paz I decided to stop off on route in Villa Tunari, a village in the jungle region of El Chaco, famous for its cocaine production. I spent two days there, one relaxing in the jungle streams and the second at Parque Machia: a refuge for maltreated animals (ex-circus, or in the case of the pumas ex pets of coca lords). This second day was great fun. The previous evening I had gotten to know all of the foreign volunteers working at the park at a Halloween party. They had promised me a private tour of the park, so I spent the day with some volunteers taking their puma for “walkies” and then being harassed and cuddled by a bunch of capuchin monkeys and a big fat spider monkey. The capuchin monkeys were very funny: one lounged on my shoulders while I walked around the park, another grabbed my lips trying to open my mouth to get my chewing gum, another purposely made me drink my water only in order that he could spill it over me and drink from my chin! The spider monkey was a different story – he was a big fat male that sat on my lap with his tail around my neck while I studied with fascination the palms of his three-fingered hands and the third “palm” at the tip of his tail.

I very cleverly dropped my camera in the river on my first day there, so I have no further photos of Villa Tunari except this one. (Thankfully, though, my camera is working again now.)

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 23,432KM

Chiquitos Region and its Jesuit Missions

2007-11-01T00:46:00.001Z

Jesuit Mission of San Rafael
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I knew in advance that this trip was going to be an adventure. The east of Bolivia is still little visited by tourists, mainly because the west holds a density of attractions that are also within close reach of those in Peru (Macchu Picchu and Lake Titicaca) and in Chile (San Pedro de Atacama), whilst the east of Bolivia neighbours onto the immense Brasilian Pantanal and the generally less touristy Paraguay and Formosa region of Argentina. Another significant factor is that the tourist infrastructure in this region of Bolivia is infamously poor, meaning for example that the gem of a national park, Noel Kempff, which I had hoped to visit, is struggle-and-a-half to access and so regretfully had to strike it off my itinerary.

So, prepared as far as possible for the intense heat, mosquitos and with the best available information on bus schedules and allowing extra time in case of delays I headed off from the luxury of the ventilated and mosquito-meshed home of Rodrigo and Paola into the sweltering heat of the culturally rich lowlands of Chiquitos. My first stop was Concepcion, a village of beautiful houses with tiled roofs extending down to provide columned arcades at street level, where the intense red soil of the roads and green vegetation dominate the streetscape and not to mention the Mission-immitation murals on the building frontages. To be honest, once you´ve seen one of these mission villages you´ve pretty much seen them all, but I wanted to check the majority just to make sure, since they are all close by, so I visited 5 of these villages. However, getting between these immediately proved very difficult with each village receiving a small quota of seats on the one daily bus from Santa Cruz that serves the whole mission circuit. It was a real fight to get on them!

So, about the Missions: these Missions of Bolivia are actually the true location where the story depicted in “The Mission” with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro occurred. I suppose the filmmakers thought that Iguazu Falls would make for a more dramatic setting, and in fact it is close to the Jesuit Missions in Argentina, which also faced a similar fate. The churches are simply breathtaking. They were originally very provisional structures of white coated adobe walls painted with simple murals of local flora and fauna with beautifully crafted timber columns bearing the straw roofing. The interior was lavishly adorned with decorative carpentry and elaborate golden alterpieces. The restored churchs all have tiled timber roofing including a number of structural alterations in suiting with their now permanent status. I´ll save you further details, apart from the following: the majority of the churches were designed between 1721 and 1767 by a Swiss architect, musician and Jesuit by the name of Martin Schmidt. Very recently the churches have been restored by the ex-Jesuit architect Hans Roth. They are now run by Franciscans.

Apart from the beauty of the churches and the struggle to get from A to B, probably the most memorable part of this trip will the be the friendship I struck with a San Rafael couple, Marie and Eduardo, Ibi, Willman and Fernando. I arrived in San Rafael just in time to join the celebrations for this Mission town´s anniversary. I attended mass along with the entirety of the village, I followed the religious-cultural procession around the square and then at lunch met my new friends, with whom I shared a few beers and then a whole lot of dances (cumbia, salsa, folkdancing, etc) at great live music event. What a wonderful surprise that was to a gringa that loves to dance, especially to Latin music! And I think I surprised the locals too with my ability to pick up their dances so quickly! I even danced with the rather inebriated mayor, which caused a great deal of laughs all round! And in the end, Marie, Eduardo and Ibi were begging me to stay on a few more days, which unfortunately my itinerary couldn´t allow for.

On leaving Chiquitos the only regret I had was that I was not able to witness a live concert by one of the Mission orchestras, famed for their musical and vocal talent. However, on my return to Santa Cruz I discovered that one of the Missions were to give a free concert in Santa Cruz, so of course I attended. A video will shortly be uploaded - so watch this space for a new link.

Click here for the photographs.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 23,120KM

Samaipata with Rodrigo and Paola

2007-11-01T00:01:00.001Z

Rodrigo and Paola.
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Paola and Rodrigo took me for a wonderful two-day trip to Samaipata where we stayed in a cabana in a pretty valley surrounded by a national park, spending the days taking in the tropical hill and valley landscapes, visiting the mystical Inca (or seemingly Inca-inherited) fortress carved into a solid rock, waterfalls, a stunning lake resort atop a mountain and the pretty village of Samaipata, all to the sound of Aerosmith, the one CD we happened to have in the car!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 21,840KM

In Santa Cruz with Paola and Rodrigo

2007-10-31T23:44:00.001Z

Barbeque at Rodrigo and Paola´s
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I had already suspected from our many phone calls prior to arriving in Santa Cruz that I would get on very well with Paola and Rodrigo and I already knew that they would be excellent hosts (especially after they allowed me to stay at their home in Cochabamba for two weeks before even meeting me). So when we finally met at the bus station it was lovely to see that they were indeed as warm and chatty as I had imagined them to be – they had even been following my blog avidly! They are so easy to talk to and we have talked at length about a lot of very interesting subjects, especially about Bolivia, its history, its people and it´s current politics. Also, they have shown me such generosity, going out of their way for me, making sacrifices and driving me around in order to show me as much as possible of their town and the surrounding areas. They even took me away for the weekend to Samaipata (see next blog), a mountain retreat that I´d been planning on visiting anyway, and they organised a barbeque so that I could meet their friends. I really believe that they had thought of everything! I was having such a good time that I forget to get my camera out, so unfortunately I have very few photos.

Paola and Rodrigo belong to, nationally speaking, an ever-decreasing minority of successful young professionals remaining in Bolivia. They have made a real success of themselves in Santa Cruz, this east Bolivian haven of business, commerce, luxury goods (and beauty pageants!), whilst most of their intellectual equivalents have sought work abroad, due to the anti-foreign-investment politics of Evo Morales and his “re-tipping the balance” of opportunities for the indigenous and ´white` populations.

They live just outside of Santa Cruz surrounded by wild tropical vegetation within a very luxurious residential estate full of luxury houses, pretty gardens and mango trees, which drop their fruit for all (especially me!) to take advantage of. Their gorgeous and spacious home was architect-designed and built and I was surprised to learn that the plot and the building would at sale be worth not much more than my parents´ three-bedroom terrace house on the outskirts of London – not surprising therefore that a great deal of their neighbours are wealthy foreigners who can easily afford a plot and a professionally-designed home.

Here is a great big THANK YOU to Paola and Rodrigo for their overwhelming generosity, great company and friendship!

And here are the photos of my time with Paola and Rodrigo, of my visit to the zoo (in a last and desperate attempt to see some of the animals I had hoped to see in the jungle) and a lakeside butterfly and orchard park.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 21,600KM

Cochabamba and the Gonzalez Family

2007-10-19T03:40:00.001+01:00

The beautiful home of the Gonzalez family
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I arrived in Cochabamba slightly nervous, as I was to be met and hosted by the father of Rodrigo, who is an acquaintance from Santa Cruz (see next blog) that even him I had not yet met. Rodrigo´s partner Paola is the sister of Martha, my great friend in Neuquen, Argentina, who I spent two weeks with back in March (Martha´s husband, Hector, was one of my students of English in Buenos Aires). But this mild apprehension was soon replaced with great ease on discovering a lovely, generous and fantastically hospitable Bolivian, José who showed me the large house (belonging to his son, Rodrigo) within his property that I was to have all to myself for two weeks, and made me feel completely at home.

In the next couple of days I met his other children, Andrea, Miguel and Sergio, who all took great effort to get to know me and make me feel at home. Andrea also went out of her way to show me the nightlife, which was great fun! One evening karaoke, another cinema, the next a tour of the best nightclubs – my first night out dancing in a really long time! I danced to cumbia (a sort of Latino techno), reggaeton (a Latino reggae) – both of which I knew from Argentina and Chile -, English-language classics and then some folkdances, including the carnival dance of Bolivia! A great night in great company!

A good part of my 2 weeks in Cochabamba was spent translating for Chipperfields, but once that was done I managed to spend a bit of time walking around the centre of this attractive and quite westernised town (compared to the very traditional west of Bolivia).

To Jose, Andrea, Miguel, Sergio, and especially Rodrigo, a big thank you very much for a lovely two weeks in Cochabamba, in which I was able to experience a place in Bolivia from a local perspective for a change!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 21,147

The Bolivian Amazon

2007-09-30T22:32:00.001+01:00

Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I´ve just returned from the part of my travels that I was most nervous about. The journey started with a very bumpy bus journey of 20 hours (including the Most Dangerous Road in the World) from La Paz at 3,660m.a.s.l and about 10degrees to the jungle town of Rurrenabaque at sea level and arriving at 6am to 28degrees of heat and lots of enormous bugs and mosquitos. Midday temperatures reached 38degrees of infernal heat that day, which was pretty unbearable. I organised my Pampas (wetland savannas wildlife tour) and the jungle excursions, walked around this very typical jungle town of pretty houses and tropical vegetation until the heat became unbearable then took a 4 hour siesta in one of the many hammocks in my hotel garden. Here are the photos of Rurrenabaque.

Thankfully that night it rained heavily and cleared the muggy air and left us with a very bearable 20 to 25 degrees for the Pampas tour. Here my tour group and I managed to see many caimans, capybaras, kingfishers, storks, cranes, jabirus, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, piranhas, and finally my whole reason for going….PINK RIVER DOLPHINS! The dolphins are actually very difficult to see as the water is so murky and they barely emerge above the surface, but we got a few glimpses of their beaks, their dorsal finless backs, their tails and their lovely pinkish grey colour. I even got to jump in and swim with them for a while, which was a little scary, given that there were caiman nearby and given that the previous day we´d been fishing for piranhas in the same river, and had eaten them for dinner! The dolphins were quite playful, but didn´t get close, only to tease me into following them, at which point they swam further away! Here are the photos of the Pampas.

I then headed off for the jungle for 2 days and one night, equipped with 2 bottles of repellent (to which I owe having got just 2 single bites) a big hat (to stop spiders and ticks falling on my head) and lots of water. The moment we got there and started walking through the very dense jungle I became so very nervous, what with spiders´ webs in my face every few seconds! But I had come to the jungle to try to overcome my arachnophobia, or at least to prove to myself that I can control it. I managed not to complain too much and battled through, and found myself completely relieved to be back in camp. I asked to see some tarantulas that the guides told me live in the camp and was happy to shine my torch and at tarantulas living in trees, etc., but then I was told that one lives in the camp toilet, which of course freaked me out completely!

The second day I was a lot calmer, especially having surprised myself in the early morning when we heard monkeys nearby and went for a quick dash through the jungle to catch up with them. Not only was I wearing sandals and no hat and no long sleeved tshirt but also no glasses, so was less able to spot spiders´ webs! But all in all it was an interesting jungle tour, understanding more about the medicinal purposes of the plants, how they grow, etc. There were very few animals to be seen though, just some beautiful butterflies and a large venomous spider. Here are the pictures of the jungle.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 20,342KM

Lago Titicaca (Peruvian Side) – Puno, Sillustani & The Floating Reed Islands of the Uros

2007-09-19T18:49:00.001+01:00

Reed Island
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Arriving in Puno I discovered a town that was far more attractive and safe than I had been lead to believe by other travellers. I spent a day visiting Sillustani, one of the largest necropolises in the world, comprising many stone “Chullpas” or stone funerary towers of the pre-Inca Kolla culture (1200-1450AD). This was quite impressive, although I felt the information given by the guide was a bit dubious.

I then headed of on an excursion to the Floading Reed Islands of the Uros, just beyond the bay of Puno. The Uros people made their floating homes on Lake Titicaca to avoid being dominated by the expansionist Tiwanakus and Incas and then the Conquistadores. We visited some islands, received an explanation about how the islands are constructed: in shallow waters the “Quile”, earth dense with totora reed roots, is cut in large thick sections, which surprisingly float, and are bound together and then anchored with rocks, above which is placed layer upon layer of totora reeds. The houses, furniture (beds, benches, tables etc) and boats are constructed purely of totora reed. The islands last about 40 years, with plenty of upkeep, replacing the surface, after which they must start afresh, letting the previous island sink to the bottom of the lake. Dispite living from tourism they still continue the traditional self-sufficient subsistance living of their ancesters, consisting of fishing, collecting Coot eggs, hunting ducks (salting and drying them for preservation). Once a week they take their wares to a market near Puno where they exchange them for rice, potatoes, etc. Each island holds an entire family, i.e. the chief, his wife, his children and their families and his siblings and their families. (Until recently they were very incestuous community, until the outside world encourage them to interbreed with other Uros familes and even with the Aymara speaking mainlanders.) The first sign of modern life infiltrating their islands were the solar panels (allowing them electricity, TVs and radios) a hospital and school, all gifts from former President, Fujimori, now facing extradition from Chile to Peru to face charges for crimes against humanity during his rule. The inhabitants of the Islands are of course very big fans of Fujimori for having – in their eyes - improved their lifestyles.

So, now to my personal experience during my 24 hours on the island of “Taypi Quile” (Aymara for: central “quile”, or floating island base) with my hosts, Efraín and Elsa, and their relatives. They automatically made me feel welcome, showing me my accommodation, one of the older traditional house types (pointed), as they are more waterproof, and the whole family came out to greet me, curious to ask questions, find out my name and where I´m from, what I think of their island, etc. We spoke for a few hours, me asking many questions about their way of life, etc. I shared my enormous, watermelon-sized papaya with the family and delivered my gifts of rice and sugar. I was surprised to discover that they had never tried papaya and the other delicious fruits of the mainland – this is because they only eat the calcium-rich white lower part of the reed as fruit. I helped Rob improve his very basic English with a gramma lesson and some useful phrases to help in his dealings with tourists. Then suddenly the island seemed abandoned. I presumed they were out fishing but actually most were in their houses watching TV! It took a turn around the small island, finding out that there was not much more to discover, well, apart from the reason for them going barefoot: some parts of the island are very spongy and your foot sinks and gets wet. Anyway I was left to play with the children who were very entertained with the games on my fosil of a mobile phone, my torch (which Harry tried to make off with!), my playing cards, etc. Suddenly it dawned on me that it was getting dark (5.30pm) and I hadn´t eaten. Although I´d been promised meals when arranging the visit from the mainland, it seemed that that was not going to be possible. I was very hungry, having had nothing but a few chocolate biscuits for lunch, so went to Efrain´s house to ask if he could take me to another island where I could get food (as he promised), but he and the family were already tucked away in bed for the night. I returned to my house in semi-darkness, ate the remaining half pack of oatmeal crackers and went to bed. This was obviously a cultural incident and my fault – I had no idea that they would go to bed so early, given that they prefer to fish at night.

After a fairly cold night on a very comfortable reed bed, the new day was heralded by the sunrise at 5.30am. I spent a few hours playing with the children, before they went off to school, and chatting with one of the older members of the community, who perched herself at my door. After constantly being called “amigo” by the children and correcting them (“amiga”) to no avail I discovered that without a skirt and no plaited hair I looked more like a man to them, so I plaited my hair, borrowed the attractive, but heavy wollen pompoms for my plaits and suddenly I seemed to make more sense to the kids! The ladies of the island invited me to join them for a coca tea with lots of sugar which did wonders for my hunger! They spoke in Aymara together, so I was a little shut out of the conversations, but I was promised lunch of rice and chips, which I was very happy for, and managed to survive until then! I observed my hosts as the tourists arrived, I helped watch little Alex while his parents dealt with the tourists and made myself useful translating for them to tourists interested in their crafts. I even taught the community a song in English that they could sing to the tourists as they leave – I thought “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” was an apt choice! I then said a quick goodbye as the tourist boat came to collect me and returned me abruptly to the familiar world of the backpacker!

Here are the photos. Enjoy!

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 19,220KM

Lake Titicaca (Bolivian Side) - Copacabana & Isla Del Sol

2007-09-17T01:16:00.001+01:00

Challa´pampa, mi paradise on Isla Del Sol
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

It was such a pleasure leaving polluted La Paz for Lake Titicaca, passing tiny adobe and straw house villages along the waterfront and arriving in the pretty lakeside village of Copacabana, with its Greek style church and beautiful views. I stayed a couple of days to adapt to the calm, albeit rather too touristy, lifestyle, eating rainbow trout and kingfish and enjoying some live Afro-Jazz-Funk. Some types of Bolivian music have been quite grating, so this was such pleasure!

I then headed off for the even more remote and tranquil Isla Del Sol, where I spent 3 wonderful days, especially in the north part, visiting Inca and pre-Inca sites, talking to the locals, reading on the beach and watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Click here for the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 19,075KM

La Paz and Tiwanaku Ruins

2007-09-17T01:07:00.001+01:00

La Paz
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Arriving in La Paz I was shocked to discover that the scale of the City was nothing like what I´d imagined. La Paz is at an altitude of 3,900m.a.s.l with its centre covering the tiny valley floor and the hills surrounding it. The rest of the city sprawls out for miles in all directions up hills and down into valleys. It is incredibly difficult to get around the narrow, steep roads full of traffic, pollution and with barely enough pavement for one big gringo like me. It is also not a particularly attractive town, with a mix of architectural styles. My hostel was close to the witches market, so had to pass it a number of times, each time cringing at the dead armadillos, llama foetus´ and other strange things hanging up for all to see. There are a few photos for those of you that are curious!

For me the best thing about La Paz was the excursion to Tiwanaku, the pre-Inca ruins of the Tiwanaku indians (1500BC-1200AD). Ruins is not really a apt term, as there is virtually nothing left but a well-restored subterranean hall with stone faces representing the cultures dominated by the Tiwanaku and a museum of monoliths, but despite its small scale it made for a very informative excursion. Click here for the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 18.920KM

Sucre

2007-09-17T00:56:00.001+01:00

DSC01880
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

I arrived in Sucre, Bolivia´s official capital, knowing that in 6 day´s time the new (and first indiginous) president, Evo Morales, was rumoured to be ´sending´ 10,000 of his coca-growing countrymen to Sucre in retaliation to a recent quite riotous demonstration of the people of Sucre. This demonstration was in reaction to the government´s apparent unwillingness to discuss the possible return of parliament to Sucre while they rewrite the Bolivian Constitution – people of Sucre believe this refusal signals a step away from democracy.

So in this context I presumed I had a day or two in Sucre before things heated up. I was wrong! I spend a peaceful first day wandering this well-preserved Colonial city, which felt more like a little town, with plenty of ladies in traditional dress, everything within walking distance, etc. Early evening I even listened to a folklore concert in the main square before heading off for an early night. At about 11pm the nearby churchbells started ringing continuously (finally stopping a 8am!) which was shortly followed by the sound of chanting demonstrators, bangers exploding and a whole lot of shouting. I spent a sleepless night (even with my ear plugs in) hoping that this demonstration was getting them somewhere. I awoke and discovered from my two Belgian friends that the bangers had in fact been dinamite and tear gas and that full blown riots had been going on right in front of my hostel! The streets were still smoking from the burning tyres located at pretty much every road junction. The town, including the airport, had been blockaded to stop all incoming and outgoing traffic and various locals warned that we might be here for a number of days.

Grabbing the first opportunity to escape that was offered to me, I took a taxi with my two Belgian friends, Tomas and Laurent, towards La Paz. After getting past the blockages we spent 10hours snug and warm in our air-conditioned taxi travelling through altiplano snow blizzards! Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 18,200KM

Potosí

2007-09-07T20:02:00.001+01:00

Potosí, with San Fransisco Church and the Cerro Rico in the background
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

From Uyuni I continued on with the group from my excursion to Potosí. They recommended that I joined them at their hostel, a former convent, which turned out to be one of the nicest places I´ve stayed, in terms of helpful owners, location, amenities and price. Potosí is an attractive town, where the evidence of its former colonial wealth is found in the many beautiful churches and colonial buildings. It was so tranquil that I was happy to spend 4 days there.

The main attraction in Potosí is the Cerro Rico, the mountain where historically (colonial times) the silver mined there made both Bolivia and Spain quite rich, to the detriment of the slaves that mined it, many of which died due to the terrible conditions and poor safety. But times have changed, and silver is still mined there. The miners are by no means slaves, some even make quite a packet depending on their situation and whether the quality, or ´veins´, are good, but the conditions are impressively poor. I know because I entered the mines – I did a tour, fortunately with actual miners as guides. The first thing that affected me was the size of the tunnels, so very narrow and low that bent over double I couldn´t even get through, secondly the smell of sulphur, thirdly the densely dusty air and finally the intense heat once you get further in. Thankfully I don´t suffer from claustrophobia (my mum wouldn´t have been able to do the tour!) but still, the closeness and depth to which we entered, together with all of the other factors mentioned, made for a pretty uncomfortable stay inside the mines.

Another point regarding conditions: legally boys of 15 are allowed to be miners and there are supposedly some 200 minors working for the Cooperative (a law they´re looking to amend, which has its positives and negatives for the mining community. Some of these boys are the only breadwinners in their families). The minors we saw were generally pretty happy down there (apparently after their 12-24hr shifts some miners don´t even want to leave). We first met them outside having their 4-hourly break (which they time based on the moment in which the coca leaves they are ´chewing´ turn bitter. This, apparently, is an almost minute-perfect timer). They were happily drinking their pure alcohol and teasing me about my height – I suppose they already knew what was coming to me. While in the mine two of the guys sped past us in a mining cart, both hanging out of the cart and grinning from ear to ear, cheeks stuffed with leaves. Despite the stories of some big earner miners, I can only say that I would sooner clean toilets than do their job – my back and neck is still suffering from my short experience! We finished the tour by detonating some dynamite outside the mine. Click here to see the pictures, including that of me with the lit dynamite in my hands!

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 18,035KM

Uyuni Salt Flats and Lagunas

2007-09-07T19:50:00.001+01:00

My Jamiroquai jump!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

After literally dragging myself away from Esteban and travelling 1,325km (26hrs) to familiar San Pedro de Atacama I booked myself on an excursion to the coloured lagunas and Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. Despite having left my heart in Santiago I was excited to discover some as yet unknown landscapes and wildlife. The tour took us to the White Laguna (coloured by borax), the Green Laguna (coloured by copper and arsenic) and the flamingo filled Red Laguna (algae) all at between 3,000-4,500m.a.s.l. We spent a freezing night (I without sleep) at a refuge without heating or hot water and then moved on towards the Uyuni Salt Flats; a day of desert landscapes, passing many strange, dalíesque views and formations including the stone tree (see photo). The following day we went to the Salt Flats, and drove across this seemingly never-ending expanse of whiteness, where the white salt meets the perfect blue sky at the horizon. This uniform white and blue environment offered ideal conditions for some pretty funny photos.

Here they are.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 17,875KM

Family visit to Concepcion

2007-08-15T00:18:00.001+01:00

Talcahuano Port, Conception
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

For the birthday of one of Esteban´s aunts the whole family from Santiago travelled 500km south to Conception. We had a very fun weekend with lots of dancing and singing - karaoke is not usually my idea of fun, but they both got me up doing it and actually enjoying myself! We also got to visit the neighbouring port town of Talcahuano, sample the freshly caught seafood and visit the historic monitor ship, the Huascar, which the Chileans captured from the Peruvians during the War of the Pacific 1879-1883. Unsurprisingly it was a British built ship!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 16,100KM

Wintry Santiago

2007-08-15T00:02:00.001+01:00

Playing in the snow
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Yes, it´s freezing here in Santiago! But this is actually a photo up in the Santiago mountains.

Although Santiago is cold and wintry (a shock after warm sunshine in Cusco) it´s been lovely spending time with Esteban, and also his family. We´ve been very busy, what with Esteban´s birthday, visiting relatives in Conception (see next blog), going to an amusement park, a football match in the National Stadium, to the beautiful snowy Santiago mountains, etc. Of course all of this with the incredible warmth and generosity I´ve come to associate with Chileans.

Again, it will be very difficult when I come to leave this weekend for Bolivia. I´ll miss Esteban and his mum, Ivonne, very much.

Here are more photos.

My 3,000km haul from Cusco to Santiago

2007-08-14T19:56:00.001+01:00

Arequipa Main Square
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Before leaving Arica for Cusco Esteban and I agreed to meet up again one last time in Arica (just 900km from Cusco) for his birthday. Unfortunately, due to a family crisis it was not possible for him to leave Santiago, so I decided to make the long haul trip south to support him.

The journey was complicated, due to strikes in the south of Peru that meant that roads were closed. The only way to leave Cusco for the south was via a dirt road through the Andes on a bus without heating. The 8hr overnight trip ended up taking 15hrs, reaching the freezing temperature of minus 5. As you can imagine we were all dressed up like Michelin men with the condensation frozen on the windows!

I arrived in Arequipa with 8hrs to spare before my onward travel, so spent a lovely afternoon in this pretty town (see photos). I arrived at midnight in familiar Tacna, the Peruvian frontier town with Chile, and the following morning made my way over the border to my fantastic friends in Arica (1hr).

Arriving in Arica I was welcomed enthusiastically by Cristóbal, Ferni and Nico, all running up to hug me. What a lovely welcome! I was so happy to be able to spend 5 more lovely days with Ale and the kids, playing, chatting, shopping and walking along the beaches!

Then came the dreaded 26hr (2,000km) bus journey through the almost entirely desert landscape of northern Chile. It reminded me of travelling through the Argentine Pampas, with its very subtle changes that only an enthusiastic backpacker like me would notice!

Knowing that Esteban and Ivonne would be there at the other end to meet me was all the encouragement I needed. Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 14,993KM
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED IN SOUTH AMERICA SO FAR: 27,000KM
INCLUDING FLIGHTS: 84,000KM

The Sacred Valley and other Ruins in the Cusco Region

2007-07-19T21:06:00.001+01:00

Ollyantaytambo ruins
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Here are a selection of photos from my trip to the Sacred Valley and to other Inca and pre-Inca ruins in the Cusco region.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 11,994KM

Cusco II - Saqsaywamán and the Yearly Reenactment of Inti Raymi

2007-07-19T20:58:00.001+01:00

Inti Raymi - Inca Sun Festival
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

The ruins of Saqsaywamán comprise a religious centre and military base where the Incas fought off the Conquistadores before eventually being defeated in a very bloody battle, hence the Quechua name meaning ¨satisfied falcon´, referring to the swarms of carrion-eating condors that scavenged the battlefield. The 9th Inca king, Pachacutec, envisioned Cusco in the shape of a puma and Saqsaywamán´s 3-tiered zigzagged walls form the teeth. The ruins are the stage for the yearly reenactment of Inti Raymi, the Inca Sun Festival.

Here are the photos of this very colourful event, performed in the Quechuan language and viewed by thousands of Cuscan locals and tourists alike.

Cusco I - The Town

2007-07-19T20:43:00.001+01:00

View of Cusco´s Plaza de Armas from my hostel
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Beautiful Cusco (Qosco in Quechua, meaning naval – of the Inca Empire), at a literally breathtaking 3300m.a.s.l, was my home for a month and my base for the Inca Trail/Machu Picchu and for discovering the many ruins around the Cusco region and the Sacred Valley. This town was not only one of the most beautiful towns I have ever visited, but also one of the richest in terms of culture, history and architecture. Most of the old town´s colonial buildings were built on top of the Inca walls, which are famed for their precisely fit stonework and without mortar to hold them in place. You really cannot fit a piece of paper between the stones, and they have outlived the many earthquakes that have demolished so much of the colonial architecture.

Peru certainly feels like a different world when coming from Chile and Argentina, where people of indigenous origin make up just a tiny proportion of the nation. In Peru, and especially Cusco, on the other hand this group makes up the vast majority and they afford the country such a colourful favour and richness of culture, dress, dance and language (Quechua and Aymara) that I was overwhelmed by finally reaching that part of Latin America that I had always dreamed of discovering! And with my now very fluent Spanish I was able to chat to the locals, even trying out my little Quechua! Most of the locals are country dwellers, trying to make a living by selling their crafts, postcards, shoe shine, paintings, etc. Unfortunately there are so very many people trying, pleading insistently to sell you something that it becomes impossible to just sit and read a newspaper in the square without being hassled every 2 minutes with broken English: ¨Where you from?¨, ¨Capital London¨. ¨Please, I hungry, buy postcard¨

Even if like me you´re lucky enough not to suffer from altitude sickness, living at this altitude certainly has its affect on the body: shortness of breath (especially when climbing the steep streets of Cusco), the ´Cusco Cough´ and almost constant nose bleeds. So when it came to leaving, my heart was very heavy by at least my lungs were alieviated!

Here are a few photos.

Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail

2007-06-17T16:53:00.001+01:00

Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

A dream come true! Finally I can say that I´ve experienced Machu Picchu, and it was every bit as fascinating and beautiful as I had imagined! And although grueling at most times, taking the Inka Trail (4 days) to get there was both attractive and an informative preparation for the final destination.

Day One (Monday)
After spending 2 days preparing for the trail and getting used to the altitude of Cuzco (3400m.a.s.l.) on Monday morning at 5.30am the adventure finally started. I was picked up from my hostel and our group was transported to Ollyantaytambo, an Inka village on route, where we had breakfast and where those of us that had not already arranged a personal porter bottled out of carrying our stuff and paid up, or at least for the 1400m ascent of the second day. We continued on to KM82 (distance by train from Cuzco) where the trek starts (2600m.a.s.l). The first day was pretty easy going with a few ascents that caused us all to breath quite heavily and prepared our legs for the next day. We also stopped off to look down on the Patallacta ruin, where Washington gave one of his informative, though very biased talks about the Inkas. We got to camp (3100m.a.s.l.) ahead of schedule and were treated to a delicious early dinner by our cook, served by the porters. After dinner we were introduced to the porters, which I was very happy about, as we´d seen them gliding past us, lugging between 15 and 20kilos on their backs but with relative ease, and anyway, after two nights in Cuzco in a Gringo hostel I was looking forward to meeting some locals and chatting with them. We even learnt to greet them in Quechua “Alyiyanchu” (phonetically written), which I made good use of and greeted all and sundry the following day!!! Haha!! But I certainly got a lot of happy smiles as a result – it appeared I was one of the few Gringos that actually bothered to try.

Day Two (Tuesday)
I didn´t sleep a wink – discomfort, cold and altitude all contributed, but I was raring to go and get the hard bit over with. We had a hearty breakfast served again by the porters. We left them behind in the camp while they cleared up. The ascent started immediately, but was bearable until we got to the steps; they were steep and went on and on. We could see the dreaded first pass ahead, Dead Woman´s Pass, and very much above us, so I took it easy, went it alone, chewing coca leaves to give energy, stopping and starting, etc. I owe a lot to the coca leaves – if I think how much more I would have struggled without them…. but I must take my hat off to the porters, carrying our tents, the huge dinner and cooking tents, the gas canisters to cook our food, the food, the drink, etc. Most of them had already passed us after an hour of climbing, and at such a speed that they appeared to be superhuman. With only coca leaves to help them they ascended without water, food or any of the energy snacks we equipped ourselves with. I was determined to greet each of them as they passed and they appreciated that. It felt great to finally arrive at Dead Woman´s Pass (at 4200m.a.s.l – a 1100m ascent) and especially when I found out that I was not the last, but in fact the 7th of our group of 16, and the 2nd girl! When finally we got to camp (3500m.a.s.l. – a steep descent of 800m in 30mins) at 1pm - 2 hours earlier than Washington had forecast - I managed to spend some time chatting to most of the porters talking about London and learning a lot about their villages, their work as porters. I was pleased to have confirmation that they were indeed treated well by their employers, or at least better than most. I chose this tour company for that reason alone. After a big lunch I tried to have a siesta, but again I couldn´t sleep. We then had tea and biscuits, followed by dinner and I went straight to bed. It was cold at this altitude and the temperature was going to drop to about minus 10 during the night. I took some herbal sleeping tablets and slept for 2 hours, awoke and could get back to sleep.

Day Three (Wednesday)
This day was quite tough too: mostly ascent and descent. We started at 6am and finished at 4pm, the longest day by far. We started by climbing 450m to the 2nd Pass, then descended 300m into the cloud forest and jungle for lunch at the 3rd Pass. We had passed 3 ruins on route, Runkuracay, Sayacmarca (particularly well preserved – see pics) and Concha Marka and we were starting to recognise typical Inka architecture styles and engineering elements from certain Inka periods. The vegetation was turning from very orangey-yellow and dry at altitude to lush, green as we descended into the jungle. At the 3rd Pass, where we had lunch, we got our first view of Machu Picchu Mountain, with the MP ruins hidden behind it. We were getting excited and continued on quickly stopping off at the ruins of Intipata (sun temple) and then descending 1000m in just 2hrs to our final camp of Wiñay Wayna (2700m.a.s.l.) where we had our first hot shower of the trek. Washington took us to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna which was definitely one of the most impressive sites so far: a huge amphitheatre-like agricultural terrace formation with a temple of the sun at the top with a string of fountains leading down one side of the terraces to the residential area at the bottom. The fully functioning aquaduct was certainly very impressive and the views from this ruin are spectacular. After a delicious last dinner and a rather frustrating struggle within the group to sort out tips for the porters and cook I went to bed and slept quite well, finally at a lower and warmer altitude.

Day Four (Thursday)
We awoke at 4.15 to be at the camp ticket office before 5am, so that hopefully we´d be first to arrive at Machu Picchu. Washington hyped us up and we were under the impression it would be a fight to hold first position. Well it was a little difficult, especially as about 3 people were intent on pushing past us dangerously with precipices to one side of us. So therefore we were hurrying along at a stupidly fast pace not wanting to let our group down, when we approached a 30min steep ascent of steps. Without stopping we threw ourselves into it and got to the top gasping for air and hardly able to appreciate that we had finally arrived at the Sun Gate and had our first view of Machu Picchu. I was sweating so much that I couldn´t see for a few moments for the sweat in my eyes! We took in the view quickly before heading down towards MP, which was still quite dark as the sun had not yet appeared above the mountains. We arrived at a good viewpoint for the sunrise and took pictures. When the sun appeared on MP the grey-white stone ruins and the lush green grass became vibrant and the whole site came to life. Awesome! Just two or three buildings had the thatching reconstructed, which enables you to imagine how the whole village might have looked with roofs, and how the village might have been full of life with colourfully-clad Inkas busily working. Unfortunately it wasn´t long before that image disappeared as over a thousand colourfully-clad and very loud tourists arrived at about 10.30 having taken the first train from Cuzco. But thankfully before that happened Washington spent 2 hours showing us the site, stopping at the most important architectural and religious ruins and giving us a fantastic and informative (but as usual biased) talk about them. (I have added details to my pictures to illustrate the architectural and cultural elements, for those interested.)

The group dispersed (end of the trek) and we said our goodbyes to Washington and each other. I spent happy hours wandering the ruins alone, I had a little nap on the grass until the masses left for the last train back to Cuzco then went up to the higher ground to see the sun disappear behind the mountains. I stayed overnight in Aguas Calientes (now known as Machu Picchu Village) - as the name suggests it has thermal baths and is very touristy.

Day Five (Friday)
At 6.30 am I was back at an eerily misty Machu Picchu, to climb Waynapicchu, the mountain opposite MP Mountain. It was 30 minutes of agony – steps far steeper than anything we had done on the Inka trail, but I got to the top and watched the sun rise over a cloudy MP. The cloud rose eventually (after 3hrs) and I got my clear picture and climbed down, legs wobbling terribly. I spent another 2hrs walking around my favourite parts then returned to Aguas Calientes to relax for an hour or two before taking the train back to beautiful Cuzco.

Here are the photos of the Inka Trail and MP. There are quite a few and most MP photos have notes and tags explaining them - enjoy.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 11,754KM

Lauca National Park

2007-06-17T00:32:00.001+01:00

Esteban and I
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Before I left Arica we tried to hire a 4x4 van to do an excursion to Lauca National Park with the kids. The hire fell through but Jano managed to borrow a van from his aunt in Arica and so off we went, all 8 of us to the Altiplano. We headed for Putre, an Altiplano village at about 3400 metres above sea level, and stayed there overnight. On the way we passed some petroglyphs of giants and camelids in the hills before ascending through some stunning desert mountains, and after dark almost hitting an Alpaca that threw itself in front of us. Putre is a pretty village of thatched houses with stunning snowcapped volcanos as a backdrop. The altitude barely affected us at this point so the following morning we continued on into the park which covers heights of between 3400 and 6000m above sea level. The landscape changed from desert mountains to lush Altiplano with yellow and orange grasslands, bofedal (marshy moss) and icy rockfaces with the Park´s volcanos drawing closer and closer. We saw many vicuñas, llamas and vizcachas on the trip. We managed to go to the far end of the park, close to the foot of one of the volcanos and stop off at the thermal springs and bathe in both the outdoor natural pool and the little man-made baths inside a tiny thatched hut. Heavenly. This was all at a height above sea level of 5,500 and the altitude took its toll after bathing. Both Esteban and he children had headaches. Esteban wasn´t well enough to drive for a while until we had descended a fair bit. Unfortunately Cristòbal failed to recover, even back in Putre, so as soon as the sun rose the following morning we returned to Arica, and within 1500m of descent Cristóbal was thankfully back to his usual happy self.

Despite the altitude problems we all had a great time and saw some beautiful sites – what was lovely was seeing the children experiencing the fauna and volcanos for the first time.

Here are the photos

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 10,600KM

Fantastic New Friends in Arica

2007-06-17T00:22:00.001+01:00

Esteban, Jano, Ale, Nico, Ferni and Cristóbal
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

Arica is one of Chile´s northern-most towns, a coastal border town with Peru, just 1.5hrs from Tacna, the equivalent border town in Peru. Arica is an attractive and charming town with lovely beaches, it´s an oasis in the desert and is the site of one of the most famous battles of the War of the Pacific. Like in the most of Chile, Arica is subject to regular tremors and the odd earthquake. Thankfully the only tremor during my stay was so mild that I didn’t even notice it!

So how do you begin to thank a family so very warm and generous for allowing you to stay for a whole month in their home, giving up their room for you, feeding you every day, showing you their town and a good time and simply being great friends? I can only say I am touched and so grateful for their generosity, and am honoured to have met them. Who am I talking about? Jano, Esteban´s cousin, and his wife Alejandra are two fantastic and chilled people who shared a month of their lives with us, also sharing with us their three wonderful children, Nico (10), Cristòbal (8) and Ferni (6). Jano´s brother, Chulo, lives with them and is studying history. Jano is an engineer working in a chemical factory in Calama, 12hrs bus ride from Arica, and has the very difficult lifestyle of being away from his family for 4-6 days at a time before returning to them for 3-4 days. Although he wasn´t around all of the time, when he was we got to know him well and had great fun and laughs together. Alejandra is studying biology in Arica while also being Supermum! We immediately hit it off, she´s so chilled and I can´t imagine that there is anyone on this earth that would not warm to her straight away! We had so much in common, she´s a woman after my own heart and I respect and admire her greatly. She and Jano made us feel so at home in their house and in their company, and for so long. Nico, Cristòbal and Ferni are so incredibly charming and good-natured, but with such wonderfully different characters and I couldn´t help falling love with each of them. Esteban and I spend hours playing games with them, drawing, helping with homework (and probably distracting them from it!!!), practicing English (they go to the North American College, where they learn English from an early age).

While in Arica we got to know the town, played with the kids, went to the beaches (even camped on the beach!), visited the War Museum on the hill and the Archaeological Museum with pre-Columbian exhibits including 6 indigenous mummies. We visited Tacna (Peru) a number of times and went on a 3-day excursion to Lauca National Park (see next blog post) in the Altiplano (3-6000 metres above sea level).

While holding the most amazing memories, Arica was a town of very emotional goodbyes. Firstly saying goodbye to our generous hosts was difficult, but to make it worse I also had to say goodbye to my beloved Esteban…..again. He accompanied me to Tacna, Peru, where he saw me off on my bus to Cuzco – a tearful goodbye. I miss him terribly and we have arranged to meet up once again next month in Arica before I continue on with my travels, and this time he will be accompanied by my dear friend (and his mum) Yvonne! So we will all - Esteban, Yvonne, Jano, Ale, Chulo and the children – be reunited again in Arica! Hurrah!

Here are the photos of Arica, plus a few of a beautiful Monument to the Fallen (Plaza de la Alianza) in the desert hills of Tacna, Peru.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 10,230KM

Iquique

2007-05-18T00:27:00.001+01:00

DSC09417
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

We traveled on to the seaside resort of Iquique, which we approached from a mountain road that offered spectacular views of the town and ocean as we descended past huge dunes and hills. We spent 8 nights here as it was so attractive, relaxing and relatively cheap. We spent our days on the beach, visiting interesting military, naval and historic museums, mainly documenting the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), where a then much smaller Chile was forced into a war with then powerful allied countries of Peru and Bolivia and ended up winning and claiming land from both countries and famously cutting off Bolivia´s access to the sea. So here are the photos of Iquique

One day we hired a 4x4 and headed east towards the border with Bolivia to visit a volcano and some Aymara villages in the altiplano. The desert scenery was a stunning mix of mountains, hills, canyons, yellow, red, orange and green landscapes, sulphur-rich streams teeming with red algae, and plenty of llamas. Here are the photos of our day trip.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 9,914KM

Oasis village Pica, Chile

2007-05-18T00:09:00.001+01:00

Pica main square
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

On our way north from San Pedro we stopped off in the desert town of Calama (2hrs from San Pedro - and the nearest big town) and stayed with Esteban´s cousin Claudia, her husband Julio and their baby,Maloy, for one night. She was so generous and offered us a bed although they clearly didn´t have room. Many thanks Claudia! We then travelled on to Pica (12hrs north, near Iquique). This oasis village provided a relaxing stop over with thermal baths with caves (from which you can work off mud for a great face pack) and a beautiful square full of humming birds, flowers and shaded benches, decorated with pink ironwork. Here are a few photos.

San Pedro de Atacama - Tatio Geysers

2007-05-02T03:03:00.001+01:00

Tatio Geysers
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Finally, no trip to San Pedro de Atacama is complete without a visit to the Tatio Geysers. The excursion started at 4am with a 2 hour drive to the geysers, at the border with Bolivia. With a temperature of minus 6 degrees we watched the sun rise within this sulphuric environment of steaming geysers, colourful algae and mineral deposits.
Here are the photos.

And here is a video which I think gives you a good idea of the place, except for the bitter cold we felt!

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 8,695KM

San Pedro de Atacama - Valley of the Moon and the Fortifications

2007-05-02T02:58:00.001+01:00

Valley of the Moon
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

When Esteban arrived we hired some bikes and went to an indigenous fortification, offering fantastic views over the desert, the hills, the sand dunes and oases that make up the Atacama Basin. The follow day we cycled to the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) and took in some of the most spectacular lunar scenery.

Here are the photos of both trips.

San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) - The Salt Flats

2007-05-02T02:52:00.001+01:00

Me at the Atacama Salt flats
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

After an emotional departure from Argentina I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama (a tiny village within the vast, dry Atacama Desert) where I met up with Esteban. Previous to his arrival I went to the Atacama Salt Flats, which provided a surreal snowy-like landscape of a vast crusty salt floor in part covered with a shallow film of water and surrounded by hills.

Here are the photos of the salt flats and the salty laguna we visited on route, plus some photos of San Pedro itself and my journey from Argentina across the Andes to Chile.

Jujuy

2007-04-18T20:07:00.001+01:00

Jujuy Cathedral
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

I continued my journey south, and back to Salta via the provincial capital of Jujuy, a town that many had described to me as ugly. Well, in comparison to Salta it can be described as ugly, but I found some beauty beneath its rough surface, as I think these photos bear testimony.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,966KM

Purmamarca and the Hill of the Seven Colours

2007-04-18T20:05:00.001+01:00

Hill of the Seven Colours, Purmamarca
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Here I spent 5 restful days, enjoying the luxury of having the most stunning landscape omnipresent in the village. Here I made friends with a lovely group of Argentines, Laura (who I´d originally met in Iruya, then bumped into again in Tilcara), Matias, Diana and about another 6 guys, whose names I can´t remembe - sorry guys. I spent the days wandering from mirador to mirador drinking mate, eating traditional food (including llama!! humitas and empanadas) and attending performances of folk music. An amazing place!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,898KM

Humahuaca - Iruya - San Isidro - Maimara

2007-04-18T20:00:00.001+01:00

In San Isidro
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

I am mortified that most of my best photos of this part of Argentina were deleted while trying to upload them. I´m sorry not to be able to share those particular photos with you, but even sadder to not have them to remind me of the wonderful past 2 weeks.

To the north of Salta and Jujuy I found myself in another world: a world that I had long hoped to experience, a world of small, poor indigenous villages, immensely rich in culture, folkmusic and nature. From Salta I traveled north through the Humahuaca Canyon country, passing many picturesque villages that I visited on my route back south.

My first stop was Humahuaca village. It was slightly more touristy than I had imagined but I found myself wandering dusty dirt streets filled with dark-skinned, Andean people in their typically colourful clothes, carrying babies in blankets on their backs, selling coca leaves and all sorts of Andean arts and crafts, and felt that I was finally experiencing some of the Andean lifestyle that I had hoped for. All too aware of the touristy nature of Humahuaca I decided to head north to a remote village in the mountains for Holy Week (Easter), 3hrs drive on gravel roads. I was invited to go by car with 4 lovely Porteños, Carolina, Mauro, Alberto and Lucio. This was a great opportunity to take some pictures on route, which is impossible when travelling by coach, of course. They also proved great company!

Iruya is a tiny remote village, as yet unused to tourism. Its inhabitants are understandably wary of tourists, who seem to have no conscience when desperate for their photographic evidence of their “indigenous experience”. The village is high up in startlingly colourful mountains, and is accessed via a steep cobbled road that leads to a circular plaza in front of the church that offers spectacular views all around the valley and village, which is where most of the village culminates to chat, chew coca and stare back at the tourists, often followed by the odd donkey, horse or stray dog. I spent hours here. Once beyond the central 4 blocks the rest of the village is made up of very basic adobe houses.

From Iruya I went with a guide to the next village (even more remote) of San Isidro, where, alter a gruelling 2hr walk over rocks and crossing the same river about 10 times on route we arrived to the most serene and peaceful place I have ever been. It was again high up in the mountains, with just tiny paths connecting up the adobe houses, where their inhabitants worked at their subsistance living, whether it be tending their tiny herd of horses or donkeys, drying meat or who knows what else. I spent an afternoon, a night and the following morning here and felt so happy to be away from it all in such attractive surroundings. I also had the pleasure of being well accompanied by 3 Porteños, Fede, Nacho and Nicolas and their guide Ricardo, who produced an asado for us that evening. Alter this delicious feast of freshly slaughtered beef and salad we took our torches and went up to the mirador to watch the stars, just in time to see the moon rising over the mountains. A fun experience in great company.

After a very relaxed morning in San Isidro alone I made my way back to Iruya on horseback. I was lucky to find a local about to leave for Iruya for the Easter gaucho “sorteo” a competition in which the riders have to display their equestrian skills.

I then left Iruya for Humahuaca, where I stayed just one night, took some great photos (which I stupidly deleted accidently) and then left for Tilcara. Tilcara is another rather touristy village with some ruins of an indiginous fort settlement. I also (without too much regret in this instance) deleted my entire photos of this area. I associate this village with two misfortunes, one was food poisoning and the other was a case of clumsy Louise drops here camera over a precipice and trys to recover it by climbing up a rather steep hill, cutting and scratching herself on the way, not to mention the hundreds of cactus spines…… ouch!

I then moved on to Purmamarca. Given that Purmamarca (along with Iruya/San Isidro) was my favourite village in the Humahuaca Canyon area, and I have great photos of it, I have dedicated the next post entirely to this village.

Here are the photos of Humahuaca-Iruya-San Isidro-Maimara.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,821KM

Salta

2007-04-18T04:43:00.001+01:00

Franciscan church
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

The beautiful town of Salta, known for its beauty and its folkmusic was a delight to visit, although I hoped to have more time here. Anyway, here are the photos from my all too short visit.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,441KM

Cafayate Canyon

2007-04-04T05:45:00.001+01:00

Cafayate Canyon
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

This has to be one of the most impressive displays of what both minerals and weather can do to a sandstone landscape. Minerals: the red is iron; the green is copper; the yellow is clay; and the white is plaster. Weather: the rain softens the sandstone, allowing the wind to form interesting shapes; heavy rains cause the river to swell and form the canyons and their outlandish forms, including The Ampitheatre, The Castles, The Obelisk, The Devil´s Throat.

My words can´t do this stunning landscape justice – I`ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,258KM

Ruins of Quilmes Indian Settlement

2007-04-04T05:42:00.001+01:00

Me at the Quilmes Ruins
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

In Tafi del Valle I met a nice group of Argentines from Cordoba: Matias, Emmanuel, Facundo, Badim and Rodrigo, and we happened to be on the same bus the following morning to Quilmes to see the ruins, together with a Porteña, Maria. The ruins actually provided a very good taster for my Machu Picchu trip in June. The settlement was founded in around 800DC and was eventually used as a fortress to protect themselves from the Inca invasions. They managed to fight off their aggressors, but unfortunately didn`t survive the Conquistadores. Those that weren´t killed in defending themselves were sent to Buenos Aires and either died of European diseases, to which they had little natural resistance or refused to accept these conditions of submission. The layout of this hillside settlement is still clearly visible, thanks to the restoration, and you can make out the cooking quarters (round) and the living quarters (rectangular) and all of this in fantastic mountainous and cactus spotted surroundings.

Here are the photos.

Santiago (Chile) to Tafi del Valle (Argentina)

2007-04-04T05:39:00.001+01:00

A very windy ascent through the Andes
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

OK, I´ve been busy. With autumn approaching in Santiago I headed over the Andes to Mendoza and then northwards to Tucuman and directly on to Tafi del Valle. In 3 days (including a night and a whole day in rainy Mendoza) I travelled approximately 1000km!

Here are some very rough photos, mainly taken from the buses.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 7,123KM

Valparaiso and Quintero

2007-03-30T23:34:00.001+01:00

Valparaiso
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

This was my first experience of the Pacific coast. Esteban took me to a family holiday cottage overlooking the Ocean in the small coastal village of Quintero, about 30mins from Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. On arrival we went to a mirador to watch the huge waves crashing against the rocks – impressive! We walked along a coastal path until we reached a spot to watch the sun set. We spent an afternoon on a nearby beach and a day visiting Valparaiso. Valparaiso, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a seaport city founded in 1542 and built on a series of steep hills with the bay directly at the foot of these hills. On arrival in Valparaiso we met up with one of Esteban´s friends, Javier, who is lucky to be studying there, and he kindly gave us an informed tour of the town, driving us up many of its hills to show us views of the bay and to see up close the prettily coloured and densly stacked old houses. We even stopped off at Pablo Neruda`s Valparaiso home – taking in the view from there it was obvious where he got the inspiration for some of his poems!

Here are the photos

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 5,736KM

Visiting my New Chilean Friends in Santiago

2007-03-30T23:28:00.001+01:00

Fun in the kitchen with Ivonne and Esteban
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

After being charmed by the warm and enchanting Silva family (Ivonne, Esteban snr., Esteban jnr., and Patricio) on the Patagonian Channel cruise in February, I couldn´t resist taking them up on their warm and generous invitation to visit them in Santiago. Given that I was already 2 weeks behind in my itinerary I had only planned to stay for 4 or 5 days, but I was unable to leave so quickly: 5 days easily became 11. Something very special happened: I bonded strongly and grew very close to them, especially to the son Esteban.

Ivonne´s passion for cooking and desire to show me the Chilean culinary delights (sopa de porotos, sopaypilla, mote con huesillo, humitas, empanadas, kuchen) enabled me to spend some wonderful (and very funny) hours under her direction attemping to reproduce them, mainly sucessfully, but sometimes with interesting results (see photos of the humitas – sweetcorn leaf parcels packed with the delicious sweetcorn, basil and onion filling). Thank you Ivonne, you have enriched my gastronomic reportoire and I miss your company!

Esteban snr. (in all his patience with me and my poor understanding of Chilean Spanish) engaged me in very interesting and informative conversations about Chile, South America, Europe, mainly from a historic, cultural and political angle. I only wish I could express myself better in Spanish. Although I am fluent in Spanish I lack the sophisticated vocabularly that I needed to get my points across.

I also very much enjoyed meeting Ivonne`s daughter, Vanessa, her boyfriend, Cristian, and their son, Sebastian. Such a lovely family, so friendly and we got on immediately. I even bonded with little Sebastian, who I´m told is usually quite cautious of strangers. Esteban and I went out dancing with Vanessa and Cristian, which was a fun, but also interesting experience for me: a dance-freak with a very independent attitude to dancing. In Chile it is unheard of to dance alone: all dancing is done in couples, whether it be techno, pop, or latino music (like cumbia, reggeton, merengue, salsa, etc). As you might imagine, I found it hard to shake off my independent nature! I must thank Vanessa again for giving me the amazing experience of visiting a class (approx. 10 years old) in the school she works at (in a relatively impoverished neighbourhood in Santiago). I had the honour of meeting the director, who gave me a clear indication of the particularly low social class of the majority of the pupils in this school by showing me the weapons that she had confiscated from some pupils. Startling! On arrival in the school I was surprised by the amount of physical affection that the teachers were showing the pupils, but it quickly became evident that this was indeed an apt approach to dealing with social poverty of the pupils. In fact, most of the staff, including the director (former education secretary for the municipality), had previously worked in very well-respected schools and positions, but had chosen the challenge in order to improve the lives of these less fortunate Chileans. I was received in the classroom with a rapturous applause and a lot of curious faces. The teacher, a former exile from Chile having lived most of his life in Vienna, tried to control the unruly, but enchanting class, while I spoke a bit about England and answered the storm of questions, about my experiences in Chile, about England, about music and dancing, about football, etc. The entire class stayed behind during their break to bombard me with further questions and to give and receive affection and to get my autograph in their school books. It was a high-impact experience and one that I would like to repeat again in other parts of Latin America.

Esteban deserves a special mention! He made every effort to show me as much as possible of Santiago, the surroundings and the coast (see next post). He took me to the impressive Templo of Maipu (Catholic church), where there was a special religious festival (Dia de la Virgin) with groups of dancers in beautiful and elaborate, colourful costumes dancing to upbeat music provided by bands. (I was gutted that I didn´t bring my camara.) We toured Santiago: La Moneda (government building), an exhibition of indiginous art, the Cerro de San Cristóbal, a huge hill in the centre of Santiago affording beautiful views over the City, which we drove up as the sun was setting, affording the surrounding mountains and the ever looming smog of the City a rich orange hue. We climbed the smaller Cerro Santa Lucia, with its classical architecture, colonnades, statues and fountains and views over the City. He took me to the Pacific coast to experience the stunning, UNESCO protected town of Valparaiso (see next post). As the days passed and we bonded further and our affection grew beyond friendship. Esteban is an amazing person: he has to be, as anything less would not have captivated my independent backpacker heart!

Want to see the photos? Click here for the first lot - more to follow shortly...

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 5,316KM

Pucon and Villarica

2007-03-30T22:03:00.001+01:00

Pucon port
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

On my way from Neuquen (Arg) to Santiago de Chile I stopped off in the lake district in Villarica and Pucon. Both are beautiful, tranquil villages set in a landscape of Lake Villarica, mountains and Volcano Villarica. I spent just a day in both, relaxing and enjoying the sun, the lake beach and some pretty walks. Here are the pictures.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 4,556

Mendoza - Vendimia (Wine Harvest Festival)

2007-03-15T12:31:00.001Z

Bodega Catena Zapata
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Another example of the great generosity of Hector and YPF (the national oil company of which he is a director) was the invitation to join him and Martha on a business trip by chartered jet to Mendoza for the Vendimia (wine harvest festival) in which there are various processions demonstrating the typical produce and rich traditions of each region, culminating in a huge event of folk dance and music where the elected beauty queens of all regions of the state of Mendoza compete to be the overall queen of Mendoza.

The city of Mendoza is beautiful, with lovely green squares, one of which is furnished with mosaic-clad benches, fountains and a monument to the founding of the city. The most striking feature of the region is that despite its climatic limitations – exceedingly dry climate directly to the east of the Andes – it channels the little available water into Mendoza`s streets and the vineyards and orchards, providing ideal conditions for wine growing and the beautiful tree-lined streets of Mendoza.

Check out these photos.

Visiting my Former English Student and his Family in Neuquen

2007-03-15T12:27:00.001Z

My Argentine family! Hector, Martha and Tina
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

On Thursday 1 March I arrived in Neuquén and was received with the greatest generosity by Hector (my ex student) and his wife, Martha. They welcomed me into their home immediately and I automatically felt like an new member of the family. Martha and I hit it off immediately, she introduced me to all of her friends.

Hector had invited me to stay in his home to offer me the opportunity to experience real life in the Argentine interior, after having heard my minor laments in Buenos Aires about the all-too-familiar European lifestyle I was experiencing both within my flatshare and in the Capital generally. Here in Neuquén Hector and I continued where we had left off in Buenos Aires with our interesting conversations about culture, history, Argentina, Europe, the oil business, etc.

I spent two wonderful weeks in their beautiful home, a new house in a new neighbourhood, located in a secluded valley within the undulating landscape of the outskirts of this small town, Neuquen. The landscape can be described as red-soiled, rugged, desert-like on the one hand, and on the other as lush with vegetation and various tree types where the enlightened engineering of Cipolletti has allowed the river Rio Negro to be channeled to villages and orchards. (A neighbouring town is named after him and is where I spent many a sunny morning drinking coffee and chatting with Martha and her friends.)

I hope these words sufficiently express my gratitude to Martha, Hector, their daughter Tina, their domestic help Paola and their friends.

GRACIAS POR TODO MARTHA Y HECTOR!!! QUE BUENAS PERSONAS SON!!

Here are the photos.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 3,896KM

Rafting in Bariloche

2007-03-12T19:26:00.001Z

Ready to go rafting!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Unfortunately I only had one full day in gorgeous Bariloche, but since it`s very similar to Switzerland I didn`t feel too sad about the lack of time to explore the vast National Park and the Siete Lagos (Seven Lakes).

I decided to spend this one day doing something I`d never tried before: RAFTING! Here are the pictures of Illimani and I plus just a couple of photos of beautiful Bariloche.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 3,436KM

Murder on the Gulf of Corcovado (ha ha!)

2007-03-06T20:23:00.001Z

Murder on the Corcovado Canal....(ha ha)
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

A Holly-Go-Lightly pose!

2007-03-06T20:22:00.001Z

A Holly-Go-Lightly pose!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Cruise in the Patagonian Channels

2007-03-06T20:20:00.001Z

Chilean Cruise
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Where to begin to describe the pleasure this trip gave me? Well, we embarked the evening before setting sail. I made friends with a lovely Brazilian guy called Illimani (after a mountain named by an indigenous tribe where his mother was born).

Day 1
Despite the short bed and the noisy night of cargo loading, I set the alarm for the next morning at 6.00 in the hope of seeing us leave the port with a stunning sunrise, but unfortunately there was low cloud and rain, but I stayed up on deck until breakfast and then for most of the day, braving the rain and wind. There I scanned the waters for dolphins! Unfortunately I missed their only appearance while having lunch. ):

While drinking my mate and chatting to my great new friend Illimani on the deck we had the great pleasure of meeting a lovely Chilean couple, Ivonne and Esteban, their son Esteban and another Chilean, Ramon (furniture designer and restorer). We discussed Chilean, Latin American and European politics and history, whilst admiring the fjords, a glaciar and the wildlife (seals, albatrosses, etc). Since this was my first real experience of hearing Chilean Spanish I did struggle to understand them, but this didn`t stop us from becoming very fond of each other`s company and we pretty much spent the whole cruise up on top deck chatting, drinking mate, etc. Esteban and I bonded and we spent many hours chatting.

Day 2
At 3pm came the anxiously-awaited choppy Pacific Ocean stretch (my first encounter with the Pacific!!) which would last 15 hours. We were told there could be 8m high waves and were recommended to take the sea sickness tablets, but of course I`m now a fearless backpacker and wanted to see whether I take after my mother (prone to sea sickness) or my father (with his firm sea legs!). So what happened next.......

Thankfully there were no 8m high waves, but still Ramon and I were the only 2 people on the top deck all afternoon without any signs of sea sickness! We chatted away for hours. Little did I know that when I went in for dinner, no longer having the ocean in view and suffering the foul smell of a pretty awful spaghetti bolognese, my stomach turned and I had to take a tablet immediately. The drowsiness caused by the tablet made me almost fall asleep in my spaghetti! I had an early night and slept right through to breakfast!

Day 3
By far the best day weatherwise. Pure blue skies all day! At 7am we had arrived a our one stop off point: Puerto Eden, home to the last Kaweskar indians (didn`t see any - they must have been hiding from us!), a small village of circa 100 people on Wellington Island. It was fascinating to walk around and see how the people live, construct and repair their houses, fish, etc. I was fortunate to have Esteban as a guide, who had been there before.

We returned to the boat for breakfast and I spent the afternoon whale watching while enjoying the company of my Chilean and Brazilian friends, the sunshine and watching the Andes pass by. I also got to know the other passengers (mainly Europeans), including a 65 year old German that had cycled from Alaska to Ushuaia!! That evening was the farewell party. It started off with bingo, where I embarrassingly found myself elected as a candidate for a dance off. The music was cumbia, similar to merengue, which basically involves moving your hips a lot. With half of the passengers as friends and therefore supporters I won their vote and became the proud owner of a set of nautical knots in a A3 size frame! Ha ha! I could see that fitting into my backpack snuggly!?! Well, I managed trade my knots for a bottle for very good Chilean wine, which I shared with my Chilean friends. (Thanks again Esteban! I`m still not convinced that you actually wanted the knots! (;

The next morning (after 1hr of sleep and almost sleeping through breakfast), we disembarked and said our goodbyes, very heavy-hearted. I promised to go and visit Esteban and his family in Santiago, and plan to do so in about 10 days.

Illimani and I continued on together in Puerto Montt and on to Bariloche. As much as I love being on boats, dolphin watching, etc., I think the fantastic Chilean and Brazilian company made this a very memorable experience that will never leave my thoughts. Just writing this fills me with nostagia. I´m sure you`ve noticed my enthusiasm…….. this is one of the longests posts yet!!
Here are the pics, also of Puerto Montt (the port of arrival).

And here is a link to the route that the boat took.

KM TRAVELED AS A BACKPACKER SINCE USHUAIA: 3,006KM

Port village of Puerto Natales

2007-03-06T19:27:00.001Z

Puerto Natales
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

I liked Puerto Natales a lot, although I had too little time there: 2 nights and 2 half days in which I organised myself for both Torres del Paine and then for the cruise. I made friends with a nice guy, Lucho, at El Refugio hostel, cooked, relaxed, hired a bike – really nice. I´d like to have stayed longer in this tranquil port town. Here are the pictures.

BUT, little did I know that the cruise was going to be such a fantastic experience. See next post….

Torres del Paine

2007-03-06T18:08:00.001Z

Torres del Paine
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

So I left Argentina for Chile and had 2 days to spare in Puerto Natales before the Patagonian Channels cruise and decided to spend them in the Torres del Paine Nacional Park, which was well worth the visit. I rented a tent, took the bus to the park, set up camp directing my tent towards the beautiful view of the Torres (you can imagine how wonderful it was to wake up in the morning with the sun falling directly onto this lovely granite and rock mountain range!). The only down side was that I had a 7 hour trek to get to the mirador (viewing point) and back before dusk. With this in mind I started off in a hurry to find the first hour the most grueling part; all uphill with a very steep gradient and in the midday sun – I had to change from jeans to shorts on route! Then 2hrs of relatively easy hiking followed by a last hour of climbing bolders, which although difficult going up was certainly quite hair-raising coming down. The trek was well worth it! The next day I joined an excursion that semicirled the edge of the Park, taking in the glaciar Lago Grey and icebergs.

Click here for the photos.

KM TRAVELED AS A BACKPACKER SINCE USHUAIA: 1,456

Advancing Glacier, Perito Moreno and the Town of El Calafate

2007-02-19T01:03:00.001Z

Glaciar Perito Moreno
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

This is more like it!!! The Glacier Perito Moreno is an awesome sight, so vast, dense and therefore intense blue in places, and very noisy as the it advances, cracking like rifle fire or rumbling like thunder. I could have spent days watching and listening! El Calafate is another expensive town, but so charming and beautifully set surrounded by hills, mountains and two stunning turquoise lakes. I´ve already extended my stay by 2 days and will be sad to leave tomorrow.

Click here for a few photos, none of which do either the glacier or El Calafate justice.

And Now I`m just spoiling you: here`s a video showing the moment when huge piece of the glacier fell away. Unfortunately I can´t rotate it. Sorry .

KM TRAVELED AS A BACKPACKER SINCE USHUAIA: 870KM

Ushuaia aka The End Of The World

2007-02-19T00:52:00.002Z

Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

So I´m now officially on the road with my home on my back! The beginning of a long journey! And where best to start than The End of the World? Having left the Island of Tierra del Fuego, the Beagle Channel and the Straits of Magallanes I can share these photos with you. I was a little disappointed with Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego: its over-marketed status as the Fin del Mundo and its remoteness made it extremely expensive, very touristy and quite an anticlimax. I spent an afternoon walking up to a viewpoint over the town and Beagle Channel and another day at the Tierra del Fuego National Park and decided to leave alter that. It was attractive, don´t get me wrong, but perhaps not worth the long and complicated journey. My experience would most likely have been a more exciting one had I taken one of the many boat trips, ranging from a 4 hour trip to a nearby island to a week long cruise to the Antarctic, non of which I wanted to take, given that I´ll be on a cruise of the Chilean fjords from this Thursday! I think for me the highlight, albeit a very shortlived one, was seeing a couple of porpoises on the 15minute crossing over the narrowest part of the Straits of Magallanes!

SUMMARY OF KM COVERED IN LATIN AMERICA SO FAR:
57,000km = air travel
12,000km = by car, bus or boat

Isn't she lovely!!!

2007-01-23T13:13:00.001Z

04290092
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

This one's for me more than for anyone else! But isn't she gorgeous!!

Here are 3 more stunning photos....

Louise meets Maisy!!

2006-12-28T20:35:00.000Z

FINALLY: Lou Lou and Maisy!!!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Hi there my friends, I wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It's great to be back home, spending time with my niece Maisy and the rest of my family and friends! For those that are interested here are some photos.

My niece is absolutely amazing, so charming, affectionate and full of character, facial expressions, noises, etc. I'm loving every moment with her! (:

With love to you all.... Louise

2006-11-23T22:41:00.000Z

MONTEVIDEO PART IV: CARNIVAL CANDOMBE

First of all I have to say a great big THANK YOU to Gabriel for being such a star and showing me all of the cultural and traditional treats that Montevideo has to offer! So exciting!!! UN BESO GRANDE!!

Here you can see my friend, Gabriel in the red cap leading the Candombe through the streets of Montevideo. The dancers are at the front. (I was dancing at the back and hiding!!).

Click here for a few more photos. Click here for a video of these guys (including the dancers) and click here for a candombe group auditioning for the carnival in February with spectacular lead dancers. You would be right if you thought that the dance is very similar to Samba - both have African origins, and with the pounding drumbeat (approx.40 drummers) you just have to move to it!!!!

I promise you shortly a video of me dancing candombe at the back, where I thought I was out of sight. If I had known that someone was videoing me I'd never have danced!!!! According to Gabriel and his friends I am a natural!!! (:

2006-11-23T22:29:00.000Z

MONTEVIDEO PART I

My Montevideo stay can be split into 4 parts:

Part I = Montevideo: Friends
Click here for some fun photos of my fantastic friends who I miss a lot!!

Part II = Montevideo: Sun, Sea, Sunsets
see next posts
Part III = Montevideo: Carnival Murga
see next posts
Part IV = Montevideo: Carnival Candombe
see next posts

2006-11-23T22:13:00.000Z

MONTEVIDEO PART III: MURGA

Murga is the dramatical-political part of Uruguay's carnival. It consists of a group of say 10 singers that chant political satire in an a capella style, accompanied by 2 or 3 drummers. The members of each Murga wear the same costume and have the most elaborate and impressive make-up. Each Murga's performance lasts about 20 minutes and is very much like a drama sketch.

Click here for photos. Click here for a video. I apologise for the quality of some of the photos - I couldn't get close enough from the front and it was dark!! If anyone wants to give me a lesson in how to use my camera when I'm back in London this Christmas, I'd appreciate it!!!

2006-11-23T22:01:00.000Z

MONTEVIDEO PART II: SUN, SEA, SUNSETS

Unfortunately I haven't had much work here in Montevideo, so I've been forced to expose myself to lots of sun, sea, beach and sunsets! (: Here are some photos of Montevideo and of Pocitos beach where I live with Sacha.

My Last Days in Buenos Aires

2006-10-27T16:53:00.000+01:00

DSC04860.JPG
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

My last days in Buenos Aires were spent with good friends! I had a great dinner with my friends Mario, Julio and Edu (pictured) with lots of folkdancing and singing - great fun! I then threw a party, which was nice, despite a lot of missing friends.

Here's a selection of photos from my last days with those friends, my students, etc. that I managed to catch up with.

Last Tango in Buenos Aires

2006-10-17T20:45:00.000+01:00

OK, I admit it's pose!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Yes, I know, I could have smiled, especially in the arms of such a handsome teacher! (:

Click here for a video of me dancing with my teacher, Pablo.

Oktoberfest Argentina 2006

2006-10-17T20:32:00.000+01:00

Oktoberfest Villa Gral. Belgrano 2006
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

I was offered the chance to go to the Argentine Oktoberfest 2006 with a great bunch of Argentines. How could I say no?

The event takes place in a former German settlement in the sierras of Cordoba (province). When I arrived it felt like (my German) home, the Black Forest region of Germany, but by the time we got to the Oktoberfest itself, with everyone walking around with Bavarian hats, wigs, fancy dress and wielding huge beer mugs it felt a bit like toytown!

We had a great time and my new friends (left to right) Federico, Pablo, Lucia and Juan opened up their school-mate circle to let me in, making me feel really welcome and showing me a great time! Thanks guys!!

Click here for more photos.

Jesús visits me in Argentina! Buenos Aires/Iguazu/Le Corbusier in La Plata

2006-09-29T04:19:00.000+01:00

Iguazu from the Brazilian side
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Part I - Buenos Aires

I was really looking forward to Jesús' visit. It was an opportunity to show a friend around the town that I've grown to love and am sad to be leaving shortly (mid October). We had a great time: sightseeing, architecture, theatre, tango, lots of clubbing and also eating lots of Argentine meat at asados and parillas! We were both invited to the 50th Birthday party of a friend of mine, Julio, which was out in the province and included a traditional barbeque, lots of mate drinking and a whole host of music to dance to from Argentine folk to tango and even Dixieland Jazz! It was a lovely event and we were both shown how to dance the Chamame, which is something I always wanted to try! I didn't take many photos in Buenos Aires, but click here for just a taster.

Part II - Iguazu Falls

Already from the plane we were treated to great views of the Falls, but we were aware that there had been a drought over the previous months, so the Falls were very much reduced. We first went to the Brazilian side (Foz do Iguazu), where the panorama views of the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) are breathtaking. However, the lesser falls were almost non-existent. The second day we went to the Argentine side, starting at the principal falls, the Garganta del Diablo. The sound as you approach is already impressive and when you finally get to the viewpoint and look over the Garganta del Diablo you are lost in amazement. The sheer amount of water and crashing down, so that the spray rises like thick smoke. Then you see below hundreds of swallows darting about through the spray, as if it were a game of dares. Little did we know that during that evening there would be a tremendous thunderstorm and heavy rainfall, increasing the quantity of water at the falls by perhaps three times! We went straight back to the Garganta, on the way seeing the muddy swelling river and excited by the prospect of an even more powerful impression. And of course we were stunned by the difference! We also got a good soaking from the spray. We spent the rest of the day retracing our steps of the previous day along the trails around the lesser falls, which were now a lot more than just a trickle. The dense, lush vegetation and wildlife were enough to keep this enthusiast alert and scanning the surroundings with my mil ojos (thousand eyes). I wasn't disappointed. We saw some beautiful birds, lizards, coatis, caimans and a taiidae. Click here for the photos and here for a video of the falls.

Part II - Le Corbusier in La Plata

We took a bus out to La Plata on Jesus last day to see the Le Corbusier building, Casa Curutchet. Here are my photos of the building and the town.

Wildlife heaven!

2006-08-28T23:55:00.000+01:00

This caiman was growling at us for coming so close!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

This morning I got back from a pretty amazing weekend in the northern Argentine province of Corrientes (close to the borders with Paraguay and Brazil). The reason for the trip was to visit the Parque National Esteros del Iberá (Iberá Wetlands Wildlife Reserve).

The trip started on Friday evening with a 12 hour coach trip to a little village called Mercedes. I arrived at 7am and went straight to the tourist office (in Hostel Delicias) where they informed me that I was unlikely to get to the park, as the only bus that goes there had been cancelled for the next 3 days. They were sweet and tried to accommodate me as best as possible. I had to wait around town for about 7 hours, so had a walk around the village, where near the main square I met the lovely owners and friends of Cafe Piccolo and a few blocks away I got to see the poorer part of town. Back at the tourist office I was offered a rather expensive all-inclusive excursion, which included the 3hr journey along the 100km dirt track that leads to the park, one-night's accommodation, all meals, a walk in the tropical forests where there's a group of black howler monkeys and a 2hr boat trip to the wetland marshes where there are hundreds of bird species, marsh deer and plenty of capybara to see.

Unfortunately the weather was quite bad for most of the time there, but what with the great company I had found myself in (a family from nearby Corrientes) and a short burst of sunshine during our boat trip I finally felt like my luck was changing, as we were able to see plenty of wildlife, such as: caimans (broad-snouted + spectacled), capybara, marsh deer, herons (white-necked), egrets (great + snowy), storks, ibis, southern screamers, vultures, kites, caracaras, kingfishers, lapwings, giant wood-rail and many more. I bought a book with pictures so I could remember the names!! (:

So I hope you enjoy the pictures. Here they are.

Cafe de los Maestros (Tango)

2006-08-25T21:55:00.000+01:00

Cafe de los Maestros (Tango)
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

The Cafe de los Maestros concert at Teatro Colon was a one-off reunion of the biggest tango maestros. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to go to the Colon for the first time and see such an exciting event with my lovely friend Ana. I've really fallen in love with tango music since I've been here and have bought lots of CDs, including the old maestros such as D'Arienzo, Pugliese, Piazzolla. I was also very impressed by an Argentine film documentary "Si Sos Brujo" about Balcarce, a composer and bandoneonist, so I was very excited to discover that he would feature in the event, together with other maestros that were influenced by and worked with the above. So, below you have 4 videos that I took and photos:

Photos of the maestros performing + of the beautiful Teatro Colon
Video 1 is a tango "Orgullo Criollo" composed and performed by the pianist and composer, Atilio Stampone.
Video 2 is a piece composed by Horacio Salgán, who appeared at the end for a bow
Video 3 is a tango "Retrato de Julio Ahumada" composed and performed (bandeon) by Leopoldo Federico and with Aníbal Arias playing the guitar.
Finally Video 4 is "Si Sos Brujo" composed and conducted by Emilio Balcarce.

IV Campeonato Mundial de Tango

2006-08-25T21:53:00.000+01:00

IV Campeonato Mundial de Tango
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

So, finally I have uploaded the videos. Video 1 features the winning milonga dancers from the Metropolitan Championship (in association with the World Tango Championships). See the very young couple with the girl in a green dress. Video 2 shows the tango singer that entertained us while the jury made their decision. Video 3 shows one of the quarter final heats for the World Tango Championships in the Salon Tango category. (Tango de Salon is the more classical tango that you dance at milongas, whereas Tango de Escenario is the more elaborate, showy style. And finally, video 4 features a famous young couple that has developed a tango style of their own.

2006-08-23T20:23:00.000+01:00

Feria de los Mataderos, Buenos Aires

This is a fair on the outskirts of town, where gauchos and locals gather every Sunday to enjoy cultural events, the market, the local food, etc. It has a great atmosphere.

I know that the llama makes this place seem really touristy, but it's not. The llama was the only picture I took. Click here and here for the videos, which give a much better idea of the atmosphere than any photo could.

Back to Montevideo to see my gorgeous friends!

2006-08-23T20:08:00.000+01:00

Outside Mercado Del Puerto
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Another great visit to Montevideo! Good fun and relaxing too!

So many wonderful friends: Sacha, the 3 Gus's, Maca, Silvana + Fabio, Gaby, Lilian, Ana. I haven't laughed so much since I was last there! Sacha was as fantastic as ever, organising lots of gatherings, dinners, dancing - even whisky tasting! - with everyone I know.

Here are the photos - maybe they're a bit repetitive, unless of course you know or are the people in the photos!

More posts to follow soon:
- International Tango Championships, Buenos Aires
- Feria de los Mataderos - Market with traditional folk music + dancing
- National Reserve: Esteros del Iberá (wildlife park north-east Arg.)
- Jesús Donaire (ex-DCA) is coming to visit me in September!!! (: So there should be loads of photos towards the end of next month!

Some news:
1: I love the Uruguayan friends (especially Sacha!) so much that I'd like to spend October + November there.
2: I'll return to the UK for Christmas on 7 December to see my niece and family + friends.
3: I'll be starting my backpacking tour of South America in February 07! The current plan is the following:
Starting in Calafate (south Arg.) working my way north (2months) along the Andes, then into Chile (1 week) and then spend about 2 months in Bolivia and 2 months in Peru, then on to Ecuador and possibly Venezuela + Colombia if I find someone to join me there, then through Brazil (2 months) and flying back home from Brazil, hopefully having spent carnival 2007 in Salta/Jujuy (Arg.) and 2008 in Bahia (Brazil). Of course I'd love to get up to Mexico and Cuba, but I doubt the savings will cover that. I'll just have to come back!

Maisy, my gorgeous little niece!

2006-07-16T01:18:00.000+01:00

Maisy, my gorgeous little niece!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter.

Click here for a compilation of fantastic photos of the most beautiful little creature I have ever seen - my niece Maisy! And click here for an adorable video.

I have a melancholy heart .... I am missing out on her baby months and when I get back from South America she'll already be a toddler! I'll have a lot to make up for.

p.s. The last say 15 photos of this album won't look good in the slideshow mode in flickr, as they are very low resolution. They will only appear in focus as thumbnails. Sorry!