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Halfway House

31/3/2014

If they were to make a "Shaun Of The Dead II" (outside of the Cornetto Trilogy) I would make a great extra as a zombie and know how to make it look realistic ... by doing a 24hr plus bus journey.

A) prior to bus departure do a power walk up a hill to the bus station at 3600m above sea level as you're running late for the bus

B) embark on a 16 hour bus journey through Bolivia where the seats are a little tight and your legs are way too long to get anywhere near comfortable. Ensure the person sitting next to you likes to push his elbows out when sleeping

C) ensure the bus stops every 3/4 hours to pick up passengers. Whilst at bus stops ensure people arrive with dodgy smelling goods/food that then stinks out the whole bus

D) upon arrival at border control at 8am ensure it takes 3 hrs for customs clearance and 2 passport stamps ... again make sure you have a look of worry that it might run out of space! Plus as you're going from Bolivia to Argentina always worry about the rubber glove treatment

E) jump on another bus for 8 hours to destination

Voila ... arrive smelling bad, with glazed eyes from lack of sleep plus malnourishment as the buses don't have toilets so you don't eat or drink for extended periods!

And I enjoy this because?

As I said before, the last week has been a lot of buses to make tracks to Salta in Northern Argentina for my flight to Buenos Aires tomorrow. Therefore in order to try and see everything I crammed lots in...

- In La Paz, I went to the Moon Valley and did 2 hours of off road motorbiking through beautiful countryside and only 20mins downhill from La Paz. As I was riding relatively quickly this meant I killed time riding through some Bolivian council estates... which meant riding with my legs up to avoid the stray dogs chewing your ankles!! I always love a bit of additional danger...not like riding off-road across mountain passes is safe!!

A cross between a storm trooper and Daft Punk racing through the Bolivian countryside

- Went to the wine region of Cafayate for a speed drinking vineyard tour. I managed 8 across 2 half days. It's famous for its white Torrentes wine...smells sweet but tastes dry...not bad but not a touch on Mendoza Melbec...having said that the settings were beautiful and reminded me of Cape Town vineyards. Just a note if doing it by bicycle - don't wear flip-flops (Jandels to my NZ friends...Japanese Sandels) as after a few wines you feel gun-ho going over bumps and you end up scraping your foot! The drive leading into the town has amazing geology through a colourful gauge...as a drive-by tourist just snapped from the bus but still good.

Wine tasting had it's downside...injury on the bike...plus I felt like I starred in a camp version of ET with my pink girls bike and basket!!

The reason for choosing Salta for this week is the "Tren a las Nubes" or train to the clouds ... now I am not a Malcolm or Nigel and like train spotting, I just enjoy the mode of travel as I can walk around and it is more pleasant than bus. This didn't stop me wearing a parka and having a spotting jotter though! It's the 2nd highest railway in the world!! It has 217km of track, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts and 2 zig-zag and starts at 1187m and rises to 4220m!! It was the opening weekend so we had a marching band to wave us off . It runs weekly and first time of the season had cars of people following us for a glimpse of the train and it's journey! The scenery and engineering are stunning but the train looks more like a Cape Town commuter train than tourist luxury travel hence it was odd to see all these cars wanting to get a glimpse of the train...but then I realised there are no trains in Argentina so there is a novelty element to the journey for them. Singing the national anthem at the top was unique and made me realise how patriotic they are...I didn't mention I was British!

Train to the clouds lived up to its reputation...had snow at the stop!!

- I succumbed to an old trait...I was craving Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with cold milk FOR DINNER!!...I couldn't find any but saw "Honey Graham" instead as a good alternative. It's a bad habit I know but when all you have for breakfast is bread and Dolce De Leche spread I needed cereal and cold milk. I guess it was karma for buying the cereal as I accidentally picked up soya orange juice to go with it!!

- Salta is a nice enough city but want to highlight one museum on the square. MAAM - in 1999 some European geologists went to Volcano Llullaillaco at 6739m which was an Inca sacrifice site...they found 3 fully preserved children from the -20C temperatures with face, skin and clothes all in tact...seeing it was quite remarkable especially as only 15 years ago...imagine how many more are out there!

Salta valley sightseeing...always proud to see the RAC equivalent helping the local motorists...just wish I still had my membership :(

Time for reflection...

Wow ... my 6th month travelling milestone has now been reached. Do you miss me? Even know that I've gone? Remember my name?

For me the time has flown by, but in a fantastic way. My energy for travelling has ebbed and flowed as it naturally would but as I write this blog and now list my highlights it brings a smile to my face and real sense of achievement ... to see what I have seen ... done ... what great characters I have met and what experiences I have shared.

Some highlights so far:
- Quad biking with my 5 year old nephew Rex on my dad's farm in South Africa
- Sharing afternoon tea with my 91 year old Nanna
- Reaching the peak of Africa in Kilimanjaro at 5895m to the most Southerly tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas
- Teaching children in South Africa to read and helping adults to use a computer
- Travelled by plane, train, bus, taxi, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, motorbike, quad bike, bicycle, underground, horse, boat and ferry
- Reconnected with family and friends from all parts of the globe from Sydney, Bali, Cape Town and even Wales
- Swam with whale sharks, held a lemur, seen 200 elephants at a watering hole, had a monkey climb up my leg (not a euphemism) and heard a sea lion roar
- Drank 'mate' with the portenos of Buenos Aires and Melbec with the bodega owners in Mendoza, Argentina
- Driven a 4x4 through the Atacama desert in Chile and cycled down the road of death in Bolivia
- Been overwhelmed by the beauty of Patagonia and the Salar de Uyuni

All in all I have covered 12 countries so far, I have the passport stamps to prove it ... although I cant really say I know Zimbabwe that well!

When I started the trip I wanted to track my progress with daily photos ... this proved harder than planned and has been dropped. What i have got immense pleasure from is this blog, it allows me to think about what I've recently done and put down my experiences and thoughts and will become a permanent record of my sabbatical journey. Amazingly to date I have had 7700 views of my website (7699 of those views from my mum) so thanks for following the story.

When I look at this extensive list it feels great to have taken a 12 month sabbatical and it is a real sense of achievement ... not in a ticking box way but having the impetus to utilise this opportunity and to feel that I am making the most of my life. It has been a time for me to think, share my ideologies with fellow travellers and plan not just for the short term but what I want to get most from life in the long term.

On a bus journey in Peru I was reading via the Longform app an interesting article regarding a child with autism and how he dealt with it via Disney films. They say you read something to share ... hence a quote from Laverne, the gargoyle from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” “Quasi,” he says. “Take it from an old spectator. Life’s not a spectator sport. If watchin’s all you’re gonna do, then you’re gonna watch your life go by without you.”

The exciting thing is I am now only half way...

The 1st April is the start of the next arrival on Palmer Tours ... my mum...3 weeks of Buenos Aires, Igauzu Falls and Peru, which also means no hostels for 3 weeks! After that I'm going to Ecuador, Galápagos Islands, Brazil (for England first game), Venezuela, Columbia and Central America.

It's great to reflect on an amazing 6 months so far but also to now look forward to the next adventures I have installed ... to which an open invite is always there for any of you to come and join me.

Keep reading this blog for future installments ...

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Zig Zag

24/3/2014

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With my friends Ellen and Nikita allowing me to jump on their coat tails and feeling hungover we all ventured to Copacabana and Lake Titicaca (Borders Peru and Bolivia) ... which is the highest lake in the world at 3800m. You begin to realise everything is high around here and not to be forgotten even when walking up stairs!

We checked into our hotel accommodation ... yes a hotel ... it had been a few weeks for me and months for Ellen and Nikita. For $22 we splashed out! Las Olas is essentially an Alice in Wonderland themed place ... we turned down the snail house for the castle ... A 3 story building with a turret on the top overlooking the lake. I got the lower Little Merman shell bed (thanks Phil for the pun!) ... A ginormous suite and the only thing missing was the mirrored ceiling! The hotel also had a guitar for Nikita to serenade us each night with some Ed Sheeran and a hot tub with llama's to enjoy (not in the hot tub - that would be wrong as they can't swim). We had hot water bottles given to us every night and apart from leaving the toilet seat up occasionally I was a perfect room buddy! This was what we all needed after partying very hard in La Paz. It meant we had take aways for the first 2 nights and egg sandwiches for breakkie...a back packer treat! Although did venture out for one night of trout ... the only fish living in the lake.

Copacabana (Brazil's poorer cousin) has numerous islands and villages ... the highlight of which is Isla Del Sol (Island of Sun). A very slow boat ride for 2.5hrs ... swimming was faster! But well worth it, the highlight being the pre-Inca ruins where rituals on virgins were performed due to them believing it was where the sun was born. We also took a taxi tour of the mainland with Miguel to the local villages to get some stunning views of the the lake, Isla Del Sol and Isla Del Luna. The highlight was walking through a mock-English village with cobbled streets called Sampaya. The only thing missing were the scones and jam.

Alice in Wonderland vs Little Mermaid!! Views weren't too bad either!!

Bolivian village life

Isla Del Sol and the pre-inca ruins providing the scenic highlights of Lake Titicaca

My journey at the moment is a little zig-zag in terms of efficiency of routes and bus rides. I headed to Peru for 5 days to Arequipa and Colca Canyon which meant another country but also another stamp in my passport. I should hopefully make it back to London with a spare page otherwise Mr Consulate will be getting a visit - or I am not coming back!

The reason for coming to Peru briefly was that it is not on my trip next month with my mum so as it was only a 6hr bus ride from Copacabana and I heard it was worth visiting...FOMO (Fear of missing out)!

My first bus ride in Peru was special compared to the others, I would like to say that having the toilet locked all the time was new - but no. It was the awful stench from the bus and passengers (mainly coming from the guy next to me and I washed in the morning!) Also during the journey every hour someone comes on to sell you food but gets off 5km later into the wilderness I assume they get a lift back to where they started. To finish the journey off a guy with speakers comes on for 30 mins - I initially thought he was preaching but it turns out he was selling nasal spray! Bizarre...but anyway I bought nothing and learned that I need to ensure a bus has a toilet and good facilities...aka "cama" But this is obviously different in every country you go ... the joys and fun of being on the road!!

Arequipa is Peru 2nd largest city and is surrounded by volcanic mountains and is due a big eruption within a year! Good timing on my behalf! It is a lovely old city with plaza's, cathedral and convents for a bit of history. I had some good meals and nights out... I tried llama and alpaca ... tastes just like chicken! The issue being not many gringos (tourists) were out in the town and the enticement of free drink was enough to keep me out ... despite compliments of "dancing well for a Brit" from a Dutch friend ... the nightclub with 2 people in it (1 attached, the other a lesbian) is not ideal stomping ground so like all Brits on tour I resorted to drinking games to continue the night. Which meant I felt terrible the following day, I'm getting too old for this.

The great thing about travel is stumbling across random things ... I went from Starbucks to eating cheese ice-cream to a convent to a body building championship to a chicken shop to a supermarket selling tuna called "Fanny" all within 2 hours!

Arequipa is famous for having the Colca Canyon and Condors to view within driving distance if you call 4 hours nearby. It was worth seeing although the 2.30am start was not very welcome ... the Condors are big but we were not close enough to do the trip justice. Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and I also threw myself onto a horse for an afternoon...our guide ran this dodgy stables with 15 dogs that also needed a comb. The horses were smaller than UK horses which provided a bit more comfort as my horse 'Nacho' was prone to rearing! The best bit was our trekking guide ... a short plump sleaze who decided to woo the 2 girls at the half way point with Salsa dancing lessons that providing me with much entertainment ... the offer of one-on-one lessons after hours provided us with numerous giggles as we recounted the stories back at the hostel. Needless to say it was very cool to canter along the river with mountain scenery but won't be recommending a visit to the stables unless you're accompanied by someone else!

Zig-zag time continued so I took an overnight bus from Peru to La Paz ... one night in La Paz for a long awaited Ruby Murray and quad biking before another night bus to Argentina and a flight to meet Mrs P in Buenos Aires on 31st March ... oh, did I mention a harvest wine festival in Salta that I have to attend? Life is once again tough being on the road.

Some of the daily scenes from life in Peru

Some of the night scenes of Peru (plus hangover coffee!!)

Many characters and tastes of Inca life...including my special drink - fruit, egg, beer, honey, condensed milk plus other random ingredients that didn't translate...meant I was up for hours!!

Is it a bird...is a plane...no it's an idiotic bloke in desperate need of a haircut...although going for the local llama look!! As you can see condors do exist just a long way away and those that came closer I couldn't snap quick enough.

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Tale of 2 City's

17/3/2014

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The past week i have been in 2 Bolivian cities...certainly a tale of 2 cites...

Started in Sucre which is the capital albeit baby cousin to La Paz. It is where the declaration of independence was signed many years ago. It is a great university town with a nice cafe culture.

Essentially this is where i put the brakes on and took a holiday within a holiday. Did admin of photos, planning, researching and sleeping!! What was needed after the salt flats and noisy dorms. Even managed to hit the cinema and arcades for some retro fun with Double Dragon and Bomberman! Markets always provide a good insight into local eating habits and exotic fruit/veg but also some decent cheap eats!! Thanks to the fertile land the fresh fruit juices are a big draw to any market visitor.

Sucre city...old skool architecture, arcades and way of life

La Paz on the other hand is the louder, bigger and brasher big brother. After an overnight bus where they decided to lock the loo you arrive at the top of La Paz at 4000m (Altiplan) and decent into the city to c.3500m (highest airport and city in the world!). Great views sweeping into the valley. But as you can tell this kind of altitude means you need to take things "Pole Pole" Swahili for slow slow i learned on Kili.

La Paz has a reputation for being a party town so i checked into an Irish party hostel to see what the craic was all about!! Oz guy in my room was going to bed as i arrived and proceeded to sleep all day!! The hostel was full of school leavers called "India" and "Henry" on their Garp Yars with silly haircuts all seeking cheap booze and cocaine (illegal but available...even bars where for sale over the counter)...first time on the trip that felt old but also in a hostel with people on different wavelength.

What better way for me to feel normal than heading to Gustu - a restaurant run by the management that own Noma (was best restaurant in the world!). Went for the 7 course taster menu with accompanying wines...everything is locally obtained except the cutlery and Riedel glasses! Nice way to spend $80...so much so that went again with some other friends! It was pay day after all!

As usual with big cities i do the free walking tour where you pay in tips...great way to familiarise yourself with a city...to be fair after 2 hr walking tour felt as though covered La Paz...not much else here to do.

You may of seen the Top Gear episode where they had the 4x4 in South America and i essentially am following their trip in reverse. One part of their journey involves the Death Road...named most dangerous road in the world! So i decided to mountain bike down it! Decent from 4400m to 1000m over 64km of tar but mainly gravel...if you like adrenaline sports this is one to do...they ask you for your insurance company when signing up! You get what you pay for so i went with the longest and most expensive operator which meant to bikes and superb guide. As you can tell by reading this i made it to the bottom in one piece and didn't help justify its name! The views and scenery are spectacular although we were a little unlucky with the weather.

Finally in La Paz went slightly out of town to some pre-Inca ruins at Tiwanaku with my pals Ellen and Nikita. Try Brits in shorts and T-Shirt we were under prepared for the cold and rain. These sites are interesting but a lot of imagination is required to see what it looked like years ago!!

Yesterday the La Paz marathon was on which started at 3500m upto 4000m and back again...now I need to do a SA marathon to help complete my 7 marathons on 7 continents but this is a step too far!! I helped cheer them on but considering I struggle up stairs here I think a marathon would kill me!!

La Paz City of sprawling urbanisation. Witches market selling baby llamas...to lazy guards...and crazy runners at 4000m. Only way to get cope is with coca tea!

From Death Road to pre-Inca ruins there is always something spectacular to see within a few hours of La Paz.

Gustu Restaurant newest regular patron! 7 courses twice of top notch food, wine and company.

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Carniv...oh!

10/3/2014

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So when you think of South America you think...

a) Football

b) Music / Dancing

c) Carnival

(d) Drugs if thinking of exports

So having not done any of those so far you would think for Fat Tuesday I would at least be able to tick off Carnival...well I failed!! (To be fair this weekend I have seen a few late street processions but poor quality)

I did try to see carnival but to be fair I have seen some of the best scenery out there this past week in the Atacama desert (Chile) and Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia).

Apart from the photos below to show you the scenery they have moved the Dakar rally here...see some stunning footage from stage 8 to give a flavour of what my eyes have marvelled on.

So after a 23hr bus journey with my travel pal Ignacio we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama...the tourist town/western film setting location for the main attractions of the Atacama Desert...it sits at 2,400m a.m.s.l

Few factoids on the desert...driest hot desert and oldest desert on Earth! Essentially the driest place on Earth...and covers 41k sq miles.

So after arriving at our hostel run by table tennis loving potheads we set about planning our time here in Chile and for getting to Bolivia and Salar De Uyuni.

Atacama is known for geysers (the spitting kind not council estate yobo's!), salt plains, thermal springs and stunning scenery. Due to all this it is a fairly active area for seismic activity.

Saw sunrise over the geysers; swam in thermal baths; swam in Dead Sea equivalent (although told not as salty); 4x4 over mountain passes around 5,000m. The scenery is that of Mars and the moon and in fact NASA has used it to test vehicles. It is also known for the star gazing qualities and has the clearest skies in the world...would love to tell you more and get geeky but didn't manage to do the tour.

Highlight for me was Ignacio and I hiring a 4x4 for 2 days to explore ourselves the beautiful landscapes this place has to offer...essentially an awesome road trip listening to tunes, racing up dunes, improving my truckers tan and nearly hitting a duck!! My driving bravado nearly got us stuck in the sand but fortunately Ignacio didn't have to push and get a mouthful of sand! Sitting out in the desert eating a sandwich overlooking some stunning lakes and salt flats was a good alternative to Carnival!

About this town for anyone that goes...there are 25 operators of tours to Salar De Uyuni...price differences of $20 for a 3 day trip...all have mixed reviews...all put you in alright accommodation...all follow the same route. Makes decision making confusing and the topic of conversation with all travellers. My business hat says guarantee top accommodation, food and 4x4 then people will gladly pay more...nobody has entered the middle ground of backpackers with cash who want a top experience. Unfortunately my Chilean Dragons Den application did not come back!!

Thankfully Ignacio speaks Spanish as his parents are Cuban so has come to the rescue many times...most memorable was me asking the Cambio to change 4 days into Boliviano's the required currency. The laughter from all in the shop made me realise "quatro-dias" is not 40!

Some unusual creatures were spotted in all types of strange locations!

Road trip!! Meant some amazing places and views that were jaw dropping...some even inspired Salvador Dali!

Flamingo porn! After a while it becomes "not another bright coloured lake with flamingos"

Salar De Uyuni and 3 days in a 4x4 with 4 other randoms was the next stop on my global tour...the highlight of anyone visiting SA...essentially in most people bucket list. Well the 4 randoms turned out to be great people from UK and Denmark...the Danes have a great sense of humour!

Few factoids of Salar De Uyuni...worlds largest salt flat at 4k sq miles.

Anyway the scenery is fantastic and don't think my photos do it justice!! We saw many lakes of greens, whites, blues and reds. Numerous flamingos...well too many to be honest!! But the highlight of the tour being the salt flats themselves for sunrise. This was the last day so a great build up to get there. Had a great laugh in the car watching the mountain and volcanic scenery fly by...sharing travelling stories and listening to music. The accommodation was basic and the 2nd night our hotel was made of salt...although rather annoyingly the floor was loose salt which meant salt got everywhere!! In terms of remoteness there is no phone reception and the hot water (and the water) lasted about 30 mins...luckily I made it before the 30 mins was up!! Martin in our group was mid hair wash so was not a happy camper!!

Most important thing to note about this trip is the altitude...now as a seasoned pro at altitude thanks to Kilimanjaro I was not worried but sleeping at 4,400m was the same as my highest sleep at Kili...therefore really had to watch out when walking around the lakes/hostel. Means it gets cold at night to below freezing in summer. Just shows you what a barren and harsh landscape it is...all the more impressive when you see llama and flamingo surviving at this altitude.

The main draw obviously is the salt flat which at this time of year is impressive. Still a little water so has great reflective properties of the mountains but means get to drive across the salt plains at speed to find our spot to do the famous perspective photos...google image Salar de Uyuni and you will see what I mean. Meant many hours on the salt plains having fun and playing around.

As I said at the start these 2 places are stunningly beautiful. Patagonia in the South is mountainous and meant more physical exertion...these are amazing in their own way due to the expansive vistas, coloured lakes and scenery like you don't get anywhere else on Earth.

Team Salar De Uyuni!! A place that didn't disappoint...reflection and expanse meant a great time of year to explore

Lake after lake after lake...

Pantone colour scale got a lot of inspiration from here! Majestic pink...

Sometimes the altitude makes you go loopy!!

Now I am firmly in Bolivia planning the next few weeks of the trip. Jaguars, death roads, ancient ruins and jungle are all on the list!! Bolivia is a great country so far and the people friendly...probably due to all the coca they eat/drink! Also very cheap...decided to check myself into a B&B single room with en-suite to catch up on sleep (dude in hostel last night was a snorer), do some admin, some washing plus the breakfasts here are bacon and eggs!! So splashing out in Bolivia terms here is $17 a night...yup the travelling playboy of luxury i have become!

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Halfway House

Zig Zag

Tale of 2 City's

Carniv...oh!

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