We arrived in Rio early Friday afternoon just in time to kick off Carnaval with a block party in Lapa. It was insanely crowded and public urination appeared to be the norm. Eww. There was no live music but we had fun meeting people from the various Drago trucks. We had a late night and had to be up bright and early to see the Christ the Redeemer. You know the one on the hill that you always see in pictures of Rio. After that we went to a soccer game at the Maracana stadium and roasted in the sun (with non-alcoholic beer, damn). We went out to dinner and called it an early night to save up for the Sambadrome the next night.
Sunday morning we headed down to Copacabana beach, where there were so many people you could barely see the sand. After about 20 min. trying to get down to the water we turned back to hang out on a bench in the shade. With some beer. We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the parade at the Sambadrome. The parade started at 10pm and ended about 7am. With 6 samba schools in the parade. Definitely the most elaborate parade we´ve ever seen. And the crowd was going crazy for 9 hrs straight. We were exhausted and got back to the hotel just in time for breakfast.
After a little bit of sleep we went on a tour of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Also very crowded. There were gorgeous views of the city but we left early to go take a much needed nap. Later we went to a smaller block party near the hotel and went to bed relatively early.
We spent Tuesday morning trying to find costumes for the Gay Ball. However, because it was Carnaval most places were closed, but luckily we found one lady at a stand that had some fun feather head dresses. After chilling a the beach we returned to the hotel for the boat cruise with all the Drago people. The evening boat cruise had nice views and fun dancing. After that we went to dinner and got ready for the Gay Ball!
So we arrived at the Gay Ball and walked down the red carpet which was teeming with travestites and media! How fun. Once inside we saw some very scantily clad men-women. Wow! And 6´7¨ black man with boobs, who could shake it. We spent the night dancing, sweating profusely, and watching the spectacle. We all got separated and when we found each other at 4am we decided to call it a night.
The next morning we moved to a hostel in Copacabana and said our goodbyes to our fellow Drago travelers. Since then we´ve been chilling at the beach. And right now we need to go catch our taxi to the airport. buh bye, farewell, thank you for reading. You know you love us XOXO
C & H
Friday, February 27, 2009
YAY!!! Parati
We arrived in Parati a full day and a half before the others and decided to stay in a hostel for the rest of trip. The campsite was hot and muggy and full of bogs and bugs. Ew. And Callie accidently stole a love interest of some stupid girl on our truck, she was severely unhappy about it and it caused drama, so we didnt feel too bad about our fabulous room with aircon and a private bathroom. Oh and I forgot to mention, a pool. :)
Parati was a wonderful colonial town that was the perfect fix for the badness that was culminating on the truck. The first day we took a boat out to all the small island beaches in the bay and swam around and acted like retards. It was super fun. Heidi bought a floatly toy and we floated around, drank beer, and jumped off our boat. Couldnt have been a more perfect day.
We spent the next day recovering and explored the town. The following day we went diving around some of the islands in the bay and Heidi took some really cool underwater pictures. We also found this really weird Jesus statue underwater and took pictures with it, how strange. Not the best diving in the world but it was definatly worth it. Then we had a BBQ, hung out with some people from the other trucks and just chilled. Then we were off to Rio and just in time for Carnival!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Parati was a wonderful colonial town that was the perfect fix for the badness that was culminating on the truck. The first day we took a boat out to all the small island beaches in the bay and swam around and acted like retards. It was super fun. Heidi bought a floatly toy and we floated around, drank beer, and jumped off our boat. Couldnt have been a more perfect day.
We spent the next day recovering and explored the town. The following day we went diving around some of the islands in the bay and Heidi took some really cool underwater pictures. We also found this really weird Jesus statue underwater and took pictures with it, how strange. Not the best diving in the world but it was definatly worth it. Then we had a BBQ, hung out with some people from the other trucks and just chilled. Then we were off to Rio and just in time for Carnival!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Foz do Içuasu (Brazillian Side)
So after a few days on the Argentinian side of the falls we said goodbye Argentina, HELLO Brazil!!! We spent a few more days at a really nice hostel/campsite with a pool and fun bar. We of course, went back to the falls to visit them from the Brazillian side and I think we actually liked them more from this side than the other. Just a different perspective on them I guess. We also took a helicopter ride over the fall to check out the bird`s eye view, it was a short ride, but absolutly stunning. The river just sinks into this giant hole in the ground, it really is incredible.
The rest of our time was spent BBQing with some of the other trucks that were there, visiting Foz and chasing boys. Oh and of course, drinking Caipirinias by the pool. I know, rough life. Just remember, we did have to sleep in a tent and it was very, very hot ;)
This is were Heidi and I ditched out on our truck and took the overnight bus to Parati to avoid 3 days bush camping and making it to the beach a day and a half early. Oh how happy we were to be at the beach...
The rest of our time was spent BBQing with some of the other trucks that were there, visiting Foz and chasing boys. Oh and of course, drinking Caipirinias by the pool. I know, rough life. Just remember, we did have to sleep in a tent and it was very, very hot ;)
This is were Heidi and I ditched out on our truck and took the overnight bus to Parati to avoid 3 days bush camping and making it to the beach a day and a half early. Oh how happy we were to be at the beach...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls (Argentinian side)
Our first swimming pool for soooo long, felt like we were actually on vacation, yet the weather was Pants, I can say this because some random English block is writing this for us, what a nutter.
Iguazu Falls is absolutly amazing and we could have spent many days there, however the weather was crap the first day and we spent the day completly soaked and we froze our asses off. We took a boat ride actually into the falls and got power washed by them. It was some of the most fun we have ever had!!! But damn, it was cold.
We also visited a bird park that was super cool and saw lots of colorful parrots.
To be continued...
Our first swimming pool for soooo long, felt like we were actually on vacation, yet the weather was Pants, I can say this because some random English block is writing this for us, what a nutter.
Iguazu Falls is absolutly amazing and we could have spent many days there, however the weather was crap the first day and we spent the day completly soaked and we froze our asses off. We took a boat ride actually into the falls and got power washed by them. It was some of the most fun we have ever had!!! But damn, it was cold.
We also visited a bird park that was super cool and saw lots of colorful parrots.
To be continued...
Carlos Peligrini
Carlos Peligrini National Park is a swampland area with lots of colorful birds, caimen (small alligators), capybaras (giant guinea pigs) and weird swamp deer. Why are there deer in the middle of the swamp?
We spent several nights at a really nice campsite drinking too much, taking boat rides to see the wildlife, visiting howler monkeys, and renting tandam bikes. The bike experience was interesting and we made asses of ourselves. We are pretty sure the locals think we are nuts. LOL.
We spent several nights at a really nice campsite drinking too much, taking boat rides to see the wildlife, visiting howler monkeys, and renting tandam bikes. The bike experience was interesting and we made asses of ourselves. We are pretty sure the locals think we are nuts. LOL.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Buenos Aires!!!!!!!!!!!!
Horrah, we are finally in civilization and man are we glad to be here. In fact we were so excited to arrive that we forgot to roll up our window. However, the lovely British lady on our truck kindly reminded us by screaming at the top of her lungs and calling us shit for brains! It was so ridiculous that we merely laughed at her and giggled all the way to our private room away from the others (thank god). What an asshole, Heidi was about to kick her ass.
We spent a few days in BA soaking up some sun and taking in the sights. We did a city tour, went to the really cool cemetary where Eva Peron is buried, went to a fabulous Tango show, some crazy bar and almost died in a taxi ride on the way home. Haha.
BA is crazy, no one starts their night till like 11pm, so we learned to sleep in. Although the bed bugs in our hotel made that a bit difficult. EW!!!
We spent a few days in BA soaking up some sun and taking in the sights. We did a city tour, went to the really cool cemetary where Eva Peron is buried, went to a fabulous Tango show, some crazy bar and almost died in a taxi ride on the way home. Haha.
BA is crazy, no one starts their night till like 11pm, so we learned to sleep in. Although the bed bugs in our hotel made that a bit difficult. EW!!!
Valdes Peninsula
Spent a few nights in Valdes Peninsula visiting Penguin, Elephant and Sea Lion Colonies. This was a very cute town on the coast of northwestern Patagonia. We even got to see a local folk band that weekend and spent some time evading our lovely group. The beach seemed nice, but it was a bit cold and windy. Oh, we also visited a Welsh tea house and ate so many cakes we thought we`d be ill. Fortunatly we went with a girl who is welsh and she tought us how to drink tea and eat too much. Haha we also experienced tea cozies for the first time. How silly, they dress their tea pots. LOL.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Heading North
Jan. 26
We had a late night/early morning the night before so we didn´t get up until 1pm. We headed into town for a boat ride around the Beagle Channel. We got off to a late start since the port was closed due to wind for a while. We then had a 2.5 hour cruise to various islands with Sea Lion and Cormorant colonies and another island with a light house. We headed back to camp afterwards for more napping. I called it a night and Callie headed back into town to celebrate Australia day with a bunch of non-Australians.
Jan. 27-28
Both were long drive days trying to make a dent in the km´s to Buenos Aires. But the temperature is definitely warming up!
Jan. 29
Another long drive day, although we took a break mid afternoon near Camarones, Argentina to see a Magellan Penguin Colony. It was very cool and we were the only people there. The chicks just hatched in December so they still have their gray down feathers. It was an interesting sight to see penguins, guanacos, and flamingos all together in the desert. We also saved a guanoco that had got it´s leg caught in a fence while attempting to jump over it. Hugo cut the top wire of the fence and the guanaco got up and ran away, so hopefully it will be alright.
Jan. 30
We made it to Puerto Madryn last night and are spending a few nights. Today we are hanging out at the beach (it´s really hot) and going to Trelew, to a Welsh tea house in the afternoon. Apparently Trelew has a large Welsh population. Tomorrow we will be spending all day at the Valdes Peninsula hopefully spotting some wildlife.
We had a late night/early morning the night before so we didn´t get up until 1pm. We headed into town for a boat ride around the Beagle Channel. We got off to a late start since the port was closed due to wind for a while. We then had a 2.5 hour cruise to various islands with Sea Lion and Cormorant colonies and another island with a light house. We headed back to camp afterwards for more napping. I called it a night and Callie headed back into town to celebrate Australia day with a bunch of non-Australians.
Jan. 27-28
Both were long drive days trying to make a dent in the km´s to Buenos Aires. But the temperature is definitely warming up!
Jan. 29
Another long drive day, although we took a break mid afternoon near Camarones, Argentina to see a Magellan Penguin Colony. It was very cool and we were the only people there. The chicks just hatched in December so they still have their gray down feathers. It was an interesting sight to see penguins, guanacos, and flamingos all together in the desert. We also saved a guanoco that had got it´s leg caught in a fence while attempting to jump over it. Hugo cut the top wire of the fence and the guanaco got up and ran away, so hopefully it will be alright.
Jan. 30
We made it to Puerto Madryn last night and are spending a few nights. Today we are hanging out at the beach (it´s really hot) and going to Trelew, to a Welsh tea house in the afternoon. Apparently Trelew has a large Welsh population. Tomorrow we will be spending all day at the Valdes Peninsula hopefully spotting some wildlife.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Cold + Wind+ Rain= PATAGONIA
Jan. 18th
Today we are all a bit tired for we had a few drinks the previous night at a really cute library pub where we sat and hungout till like 2am. We are off for an all day excursion to the very famous Moreno glacier. We took the scenic route there and stopped by a rural sheep farm where they had a baby Guanaco (it´s like a small Llama) that was running around the grounds like a pet. It was sooooo cute and we got to bottle it it before we left. The view from the house was amazing and I couldn´t help but be a bit jealous...and then we remembered it was summer and I was still wearing my down jacket.
We took a small boat out to the edge of the glacier to get up close and personal. This glacier moves at a rate of about 2 meters per day so chances of seeing huge chunks of ice break off and fall into the surrounding lake was quite likely. Unforntunatly, we weren´t lucky enough to see any major pieces fall, but we did see a few smaller ones which are also exciting. Even the small pieces create thunderous booms as they crash down the side.
After the boat ride we ate lunch and spent a few hours on the lookout paths trying to get as close as we could from the other side. Our pictures are amazing.
Jan. 19th
Left El Calafate Argentina, crossed the boarder back into Chile and made it to Torres del Paine National Park just in time to cook dinner and go to bed. Heidi and I started to plan our 3 day ¨W¨walk hike in the National Park.
Jan 20th-22nd
The ¨W¨walk
In the Torres del Paine National Park there are many, many hiking trails. One of the most popular circuits is the w walk. It is named so for it takes the shape of the letter W. Most people spend 4-6 days doing this trip of 47 miles but Heidi and I were going to try to tackle it in 3 days. And with out hiking boots. If we didn´t make it back in time, we would be holding up the whole trip...
To save time we shaved off some bits. The first day we hiked to the first Grey Glacier lookout point (without our packs to increase speed), then we continued on to the first loop of the W and our goal was to finish at the middle tip of the W. We arrived at the base of the middle part and couldn´t continue because the wind was too strong. The previous day it had been blowing 90 km/hr. It was so windy that we saw a waterfall get completly blown upwards like it was upside down.
That morning we finished the rest of the middle part wich is called the Frances Valley and we were greatful that the winds had ceased. The valley was absoletly gorgeous and we were very happy the weather was holding out. The hanging glacier to the left of the valley kept losing large chunks of ice that thundered and echoed through the valley as they hit the rocks below and powdered into snow. Too cool. We could have watched it all day. The Frances valley took us 3 hours and we still had 7 hours to go, with our packs...
The rest of day was a bit of a challenge. There were many muddy spots we had to navigate carefully for we had improper shoes for such a hike and at times I wasn´t sure I could force my legs to go any farther but in the end Heidi and I beat our goal time and made it to Camp Torres in 6 hours instead of 7 for a grand total of 9 hours hiking. We were exhausted and felt as though someone had beat our feet with a mallet.
After some difficulty, we found our campsite, ate, and turned in early. Too bad our neighbors didn´t do the same. They were up till 2 am partying until it started to rain. To make matters worse I have a cold again and can´t sleep for more than an hour or so before the coughing starts again. What a night.
The rain continued till mid morning but when it cleared, the skies were brilliant blue and perfect. Our last 8 hour leg had to be canceled because the shuttle that took us to camp came before we could make it back. We were a bit dissapointed but there wasn´t much we could do about it. Instead we set off on another hike...after 30 min. I gave up and went to the tent. I had a fever and wanted to sleep. Heidi quit after 45 cause the trail was a muddy mess. We spent most of the day lying in the grass waiting for our shuttle.
Our crew was quite proud of us and we are still a bit sore...
Jan. 23
We said goodbye to Torres del Paine and hit the road for Ushuaia. That day we crossed the boarder back into Argentina and spent the night bush camping along the side of the road. It was super windy and we are all glad to leave the next morning.
Jan. 24
Horray! We have arrived in Ushuaia. It is early evening and the weather is perfect. Some of us set off to find travel agents to book trips and other set off for Hostels. (The others that had been on the previous trip are quite sick of camping.) Heidi and I booked a trip to go to the Tierra del Fuego (land of fire) National Park for hiking and canoeing as well as a boat trip to go out and see the penquin colonies.
Heidi cooked a delicious dinner of soup, salad and chicken and we drank our Saurus wine that we bought from the cute boy at the wine store in Calafate. Haha my winosaurus is dead, but I saved the sticker. Then we had a bonfire and later a Brazilian chick was trying to teach me Samba. I stumbled back to the tent, almost collapsed it, fell on Heidi twice and giggled myself to sleep.
Jan. 25
Today we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park to go hiking and canoeing. We had a cute guide that took us on an 1.5 hr long hike through the woods, pointing out flora and fauna as we went. Then we canoed for about an hour and ended up in a bay that leads out to the Beagle Channel. Afterwards we ate lunch and visited the ´End of the World.´ Now I have been to the most Northern and Southern tips of both continents. Cool.
Tonight we are going into town for dinner and out for drinks for Burn´s night. We have some Scottish girls here that want to celebrate it. Apparently Burns was a famous Scottish poet so on the night of his death everyone gets drunk, eats haggis and reads his poetry. Later there will be dancing I am sure as well. I am excited.
We hope all is well at home!!!! Sorry for never Spell Checking...it takes too long and internet can be expensive sometimes.
Today we are all a bit tired for we had a few drinks the previous night at a really cute library pub where we sat and hungout till like 2am. We are off for an all day excursion to the very famous Moreno glacier. We took the scenic route there and stopped by a rural sheep farm where they had a baby Guanaco (it´s like a small Llama) that was running around the grounds like a pet. It was sooooo cute and we got to bottle it it before we left. The view from the house was amazing and I couldn´t help but be a bit jealous...and then we remembered it was summer and I was still wearing my down jacket.
We took a small boat out to the edge of the glacier to get up close and personal. This glacier moves at a rate of about 2 meters per day so chances of seeing huge chunks of ice break off and fall into the surrounding lake was quite likely. Unforntunatly, we weren´t lucky enough to see any major pieces fall, but we did see a few smaller ones which are also exciting. Even the small pieces create thunderous booms as they crash down the side.
After the boat ride we ate lunch and spent a few hours on the lookout paths trying to get as close as we could from the other side. Our pictures are amazing.
Jan. 19th
Left El Calafate Argentina, crossed the boarder back into Chile and made it to Torres del Paine National Park just in time to cook dinner and go to bed. Heidi and I started to plan our 3 day ¨W¨walk hike in the National Park.
Jan 20th-22nd
The ¨W¨walk
In the Torres del Paine National Park there are many, many hiking trails. One of the most popular circuits is the w walk. It is named so for it takes the shape of the letter W. Most people spend 4-6 days doing this trip of 47 miles but Heidi and I were going to try to tackle it in 3 days. And with out hiking boots. If we didn´t make it back in time, we would be holding up the whole trip...
To save time we shaved off some bits. The first day we hiked to the first Grey Glacier lookout point (without our packs to increase speed), then we continued on to the first loop of the W and our goal was to finish at the middle tip of the W. We arrived at the base of the middle part and couldn´t continue because the wind was too strong. The previous day it had been blowing 90 km/hr. It was so windy that we saw a waterfall get completly blown upwards like it was upside down.
That morning we finished the rest of the middle part wich is called the Frances Valley and we were greatful that the winds had ceased. The valley was absoletly gorgeous and we were very happy the weather was holding out. The hanging glacier to the left of the valley kept losing large chunks of ice that thundered and echoed through the valley as they hit the rocks below and powdered into snow. Too cool. We could have watched it all day. The Frances valley took us 3 hours and we still had 7 hours to go, with our packs...
The rest of day was a bit of a challenge. There were many muddy spots we had to navigate carefully for we had improper shoes for such a hike and at times I wasn´t sure I could force my legs to go any farther but in the end Heidi and I beat our goal time and made it to Camp Torres in 6 hours instead of 7 for a grand total of 9 hours hiking. We were exhausted and felt as though someone had beat our feet with a mallet.
After some difficulty, we found our campsite, ate, and turned in early. Too bad our neighbors didn´t do the same. They were up till 2 am partying until it started to rain. To make matters worse I have a cold again and can´t sleep for more than an hour or so before the coughing starts again. What a night.
The rain continued till mid morning but when it cleared, the skies were brilliant blue and perfect. Our last 8 hour leg had to be canceled because the shuttle that took us to camp came before we could make it back. We were a bit dissapointed but there wasn´t much we could do about it. Instead we set off on another hike...after 30 min. I gave up and went to the tent. I had a fever and wanted to sleep. Heidi quit after 45 cause the trail was a muddy mess. We spent most of the day lying in the grass waiting for our shuttle.
Our crew was quite proud of us and we are still a bit sore...
Jan. 23
We said goodbye to Torres del Paine and hit the road for Ushuaia. That day we crossed the boarder back into Argentina and spent the night bush camping along the side of the road. It was super windy and we are all glad to leave the next morning.
Jan. 24
Horray! We have arrived in Ushuaia. It is early evening and the weather is perfect. Some of us set off to find travel agents to book trips and other set off for Hostels. (The others that had been on the previous trip are quite sick of camping.) Heidi and I booked a trip to go to the Tierra del Fuego (land of fire) National Park for hiking and canoeing as well as a boat trip to go out and see the penquin colonies.
Heidi cooked a delicious dinner of soup, salad and chicken and we drank our Saurus wine that we bought from the cute boy at the wine store in Calafate. Haha my winosaurus is dead, but I saved the sticker. Then we had a bonfire and later a Brazilian chick was trying to teach me Samba. I stumbled back to the tent, almost collapsed it, fell on Heidi twice and giggled myself to sleep.
Jan. 25
Today we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park to go hiking and canoeing. We had a cute guide that took us on an 1.5 hr long hike through the woods, pointing out flora and fauna as we went. Then we canoed for about an hour and ended up in a bay that leads out to the Beagle Channel. Afterwards we ate lunch and visited the ´End of the World.´ Now I have been to the most Northern and Southern tips of both continents. Cool.
Tonight we are going into town for dinner and out for drinks for Burn´s night. We have some Scottish girls here that want to celebrate it. Apparently Burns was a famous Scottish poet so on the night of his death everyone gets drunk, eats haggis and reads his poetry. Later there will be dancing I am sure as well. I am excited.
We hope all is well at home!!!! Sorry for never Spell Checking...it takes too long and internet can be expensive sometimes.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Things get interesting...
Jan. 15
What a lovely day. El Chalten is not our favorite place at the moment... It is about 30 degrees, it is pouring ass rain and it is so windy that we can barely stand upright at times. Needless to say, most of our tents are drenched along with everything in them. Heidi, Sara, and I spent the day outside, if you can imagine, trying to line up a trip to the nearby glacier. We felt as though it was a futile attempt since the weather was so foul, but we didn´t travel all this way to not at least try. Back at camp, most of our fellow travelers were in rightful foul moods or drunk.
It was a bit of a nightmare getting our trip organized. We needed to rent boots, buy rain pants, buy different gloves etc. All at different stores of course which required going out into the ghastly weather again and again. But in the end, it was all sorted out.
We spent the night in a giant workshop at the edge of town because all of the hostels were full. Most of us were greatly relieved we wouldn´t be stuck on the tuck overnight. Gotta love Patagonian weather. I can´t believe this is summertime...
Jan. 16
Holy shit! We awoke, in our dirty shed, to a glorious morning with bright skies and beautiful mountains that were previously hidden in shrouds of cloud and rain. It was like someone had flipped a switch. We were so excited and greatful that we braved the elements the previous day to book our glacier trip.
We took a boat across a lake to the Viedma glacier for our day excursion of ice trekking. After a short hike, we strapped on our crampons and took to the ice. We took amazing pictures as our guides led us around the glacier. Some people in the group were able to go ice climbing, which is what Heidi and I wanted to do, but it was booked full by the time we got all of our gear lined around. Bastards. We are still a bit bitter about that. Oh well. We had a great time anyways.
After a few hours, the guides gave us a nice cupful of Bailey´s Irish Cream with glacier ice. It was fantastic and we could have been content to spend the rest of the day on the glacier. We then ate lunch back on the boat and headed for shore.
That afternoon we left El Chalten for Calafate where we will visit another glacier and spend a couple of days.
Jan. 17
Arrived in Calafate late the previous night and for some reason the booking at the hostel was not correct. Once again, we have no rooms. Fuck. We ended up spending the night in their new construction site without any ammenities. BUT, we have upgraded from a shop (sleeping on plywood) to an almost hostel (with bunk beds and matresses!).
Today we had a free day in town. We spend the morning showering and pretending to be ¨civilized¨ human beings again. Then we had lunch and found a wine store, wandered around a bit, moved into our real rooms and are now at the internet cafe. I think tonight we shall try some local food and have a few drinks. Who knows, maybe we´ll even convince some people to go dancing!!!
What a lovely day. El Chalten is not our favorite place at the moment... It is about 30 degrees, it is pouring ass rain and it is so windy that we can barely stand upright at times. Needless to say, most of our tents are drenched along with everything in them. Heidi, Sara, and I spent the day outside, if you can imagine, trying to line up a trip to the nearby glacier. We felt as though it was a futile attempt since the weather was so foul, but we didn´t travel all this way to not at least try. Back at camp, most of our fellow travelers were in rightful foul moods or drunk.
It was a bit of a nightmare getting our trip organized. We needed to rent boots, buy rain pants, buy different gloves etc. All at different stores of course which required going out into the ghastly weather again and again. But in the end, it was all sorted out.
We spent the night in a giant workshop at the edge of town because all of the hostels were full. Most of us were greatly relieved we wouldn´t be stuck on the tuck overnight. Gotta love Patagonian weather. I can´t believe this is summertime...
Jan. 16
Holy shit! We awoke, in our dirty shed, to a glorious morning with bright skies and beautiful mountains that were previously hidden in shrouds of cloud and rain. It was like someone had flipped a switch. We were so excited and greatful that we braved the elements the previous day to book our glacier trip.
We took a boat across a lake to the Viedma glacier for our day excursion of ice trekking. After a short hike, we strapped on our crampons and took to the ice. We took amazing pictures as our guides led us around the glacier. Some people in the group were able to go ice climbing, which is what Heidi and I wanted to do, but it was booked full by the time we got all of our gear lined around. Bastards. We are still a bit bitter about that. Oh well. We had a great time anyways.
After a few hours, the guides gave us a nice cupful of Bailey´s Irish Cream with glacier ice. It was fantastic and we could have been content to spend the rest of the day on the glacier. We then ate lunch back on the boat and headed for shore.
That afternoon we left El Chalten for Calafate where we will visit another glacier and spend a couple of days.
Jan. 17
Arrived in Calafate late the previous night and for some reason the booking at the hostel was not correct. Once again, we have no rooms. Fuck. We ended up spending the night in their new construction site without any ammenities. BUT, we have upgraded from a shop (sleeping on plywood) to an almost hostel (with bunk beds and matresses!).
Today we had a free day in town. We spend the morning showering and pretending to be ¨civilized¨ human beings again. Then we had lunch and found a wine store, wandered around a bit, moved into our real rooms and are now at the internet cafe. I think tonight we shall try some local food and have a few drinks. Who knows, maybe we´ll even convince some people to go dancing!!!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Into Patagonia
Jan. 8
We spent the morning at the mall, grocery shopping and buying warm socks. We were then supposed to catch an overnight ferry to Chaitén, however they overbooked it and there was not room for our truck. And the next ferry wasn´t for two more days. So we went back and set up camp again to leave the next morning for a ferry in a different town, setting us back a couple days.
Jan. 9
Got up early to drive to Hornopiren on the Carraterra Austral. We took a 20 min. ferry with nice views and sea lions. We arrived early and hiked "25 min." to a waterfall that took an hour. We had a nice campsite by the river and had our first campfire of the trip.
Jan. 10
Boarded the ferry to Chaitén at 9 am for the 12 hr. ride. After the boredom set in around 1130 am we decided to crack open the wine. Which was finished before lunch. We saw Magellan Penguins and some dolphins. We arrived in Chaitén early and drove around town to see the ash. Chaitén was evacuated in May 2008 because the volcano just behind the town errupted for the first time in 9,000 years, covering the town in ash and causeing the river to flood. We camped at a place close by with hot springs that were really nice.
Jan. 11
We awoke to pack our gear that was now completely covered in ash. We spent most of the drive on the roof seats on top of the truck. It´s chilly but you can get great views of the mountains. We camped in a National Park with a hanging glacier called Ventisquero Colgante. Some of us made the short hike to a view point where you could see the glacier and the massive waterfall coming out below. While we were at the view point the glacier made some noises that sounded like thunder followed by large chunks of ice falling to the valley floor. Coolest thing ever!
Jan. 12
Drove all day around a lake with gorgeous views and ended up bush camping by a river and waterfall. The girls made an awesome bonfire and some German cyclists joined us.
Jan. 13
Made it to the Argentinean border, where we were heckled by the Chilean border control for not having a piece of paper, from the airline, with the exact same stamp that´s already in our passports....assholes. We camped just accross the border near a lake in a crowded campsite...but they had hot water! Yay!
Jan. 14
Got up very early to make a 12 hr drive to Chalten the trekking capital of Argentina. We drove all day accross desert with very high winds. But we saw Guanacos (like llamas), Rheas (mini emu), armadillos, and wild horses. We arrived in Chalten where it is very cold and windy and little bit rainy. We walked around the town, which has a population of 600, and ended up getting a beer in a bar, before returning to our wet tent...in the rain and cold.
Jan. 15
Bad weather, so we´re finally catching up on our blog, laundry, and eating some real food. Have plans to take a boat tomorrow mornging to a glacier to do some hiking and ice climbing, hopefully the weather improves.
We spent the morning at the mall, grocery shopping and buying warm socks. We were then supposed to catch an overnight ferry to Chaitén, however they overbooked it and there was not room for our truck. And the next ferry wasn´t for two more days. So we went back and set up camp again to leave the next morning for a ferry in a different town, setting us back a couple days.
Jan. 9
Got up early to drive to Hornopiren on the Carraterra Austral. We took a 20 min. ferry with nice views and sea lions. We arrived early and hiked "25 min." to a waterfall that took an hour. We had a nice campsite by the river and had our first campfire of the trip.
Jan. 10
Boarded the ferry to Chaitén at 9 am for the 12 hr. ride. After the boredom set in around 1130 am we decided to crack open the wine. Which was finished before lunch. We saw Magellan Penguins and some dolphins. We arrived in Chaitén early and drove around town to see the ash. Chaitén was evacuated in May 2008 because the volcano just behind the town errupted for the first time in 9,000 years, covering the town in ash and causeing the river to flood. We camped at a place close by with hot springs that were really nice.
Jan. 11
We awoke to pack our gear that was now completely covered in ash. We spent most of the drive on the roof seats on top of the truck. It´s chilly but you can get great views of the mountains. We camped in a National Park with a hanging glacier called Ventisquero Colgante. Some of us made the short hike to a view point where you could see the glacier and the massive waterfall coming out below. While we were at the view point the glacier made some noises that sounded like thunder followed by large chunks of ice falling to the valley floor. Coolest thing ever!
Jan. 12
Drove all day around a lake with gorgeous views and ended up bush camping by a river and waterfall. The girls made an awesome bonfire and some German cyclists joined us.
Jan. 13
Made it to the Argentinean border, where we were heckled by the Chilean border control for not having a piece of paper, from the airline, with the exact same stamp that´s already in our passports....assholes. We camped just accross the border near a lake in a crowded campsite...but they had hot water! Yay!
Jan. 14
Got up very early to make a 12 hr drive to Chalten the trekking capital of Argentina. We drove all day accross desert with very high winds. But we saw Guanacos (like llamas), Rheas (mini emu), armadillos, and wild horses. We arrived in Chalten where it is very cold and windy and little bit rainy. We walked around the town, which has a population of 600, and ended up getting a beer in a bar, before returning to our wet tent...in the rain and cold.
Jan. 15
Bad weather, so we´re finally catching up on our blog, laundry, and eating some real food. Have plans to take a boat tomorrow mornging to a glacier to do some hiking and ice climbing, hopefully the weather improves.
Rolling, Rolling Rolling
Sorry it´s been a while. We haven´t been anywhere with the internet in a couple weeks. So we´re just going to do a quick recap to get up to date.
Jan. 2
We had our meeting with Dragoman in the morning an met a few of the people we would be traveling with. After moving into a different hostel we headed off for the Funicular (train like thing) and Teleferico (cable car) with Sara, a Scottish girl on our trip. The Teleferico went to the top of a hill in Santiago and had nice views of the city. We took a break at the biergarten on top of the hill before heading back down. We then proceeded to get lost for about 2 hours, because no taxi knew where the road was that our hostel was on. Finally after buying a map, we made it back and went out to dinner with most of the group...at a viking themed restaurant. It was definitely interesting.
Jan. 3
Today was our frist day on the truck "Mamasita"...she´s a beast. We stopped during the day at the Belduzzi Vineyard for a wine tasting. Where we got try a Carmenere, which is apparently the Chilean specialty. And also where Moss (Australian lady) told Lawrence (pretentious British guy) that she was going to "gangster slap" him if he didn´t stop having such a bad attitude. Ha ha, it was hilarious! We ended our day camping by a river with a huge waterfall. A few of us went swimming in the river, but it was a bit chilly since we didn´t make it in until after 8pm.
Jan. 4
Today we arrived in Pucón, a cute town that is definitely tourist oriented. The weather was really nice so we wandered around town and had some ice cream. And that´s about it...
Jan. 5
Today was the first day of poor weather we´ve had. So we ran some errands to find an adapter and an alarm clock. We finally found one alarm clock in the entire town and it worked exactly one time before breaking. We ate some more ice cream and had an afternoon beer before heading back to the campsite to have a BBQ.
Jan. 6
We got up bright and early to climb Villaricca Volcano, which was just outside of town. We headed to the tour agency to get geared up with ice picks and crampons. We then headed to the bottom of the volcano where the weather was fairly iffy. We started up the mountain in the fog, gale force winds and cold. After about 4 hours we were about 150m from the top when the guides decided to stop because of the weather. Every once in a while the clouds would clear and we´d get a nice view of the lake and town below. Heading down was definitely the best part. There were snow chutes made from people sliding down the volcano. So we clipped some tarp like material on, kind of like a diapper, and sat in these chutes and slide down the volcano. You were supposed to use you ice pick as a brake, but that usually didn´t really work. Once we made it to the bottom with frozen bums, the guide gave a Pisco Sour for our hard work. That night we went out to dinner at "El Rincón de la Carne" that´s Volcano of Meat, for you non Spanish speakers.
Jan. 7
Drove to Puerto Montt, where we got lost and drove around town for a while. Camped by a playground, and drank wine while swinging. Callie had been sick for the last few days and spent the night in the truck because she wasn´t feeling well. However, unknown to Callie one of the girls that had already been on the truck 2 months had started a "relationship" with our guide/truck driver (who never showers...ever, seriously...ewww!) and they sleep on top of the truck. Callie was wondering what he was doing up there to cause the truck to rock so much! Double eww!
Jan. 2
We had our meeting with Dragoman in the morning an met a few of the people we would be traveling with. After moving into a different hostel we headed off for the Funicular (train like thing) and Teleferico (cable car) with Sara, a Scottish girl on our trip. The Teleferico went to the top of a hill in Santiago and had nice views of the city. We took a break at the biergarten on top of the hill before heading back down. We then proceeded to get lost for about 2 hours, because no taxi knew where the road was that our hostel was on. Finally after buying a map, we made it back and went out to dinner with most of the group...at a viking themed restaurant. It was definitely interesting.
Jan. 3
Today was our frist day on the truck "Mamasita"...she´s a beast. We stopped during the day at the Belduzzi Vineyard for a wine tasting. Where we got try a Carmenere, which is apparently the Chilean specialty. And also where Moss (Australian lady) told Lawrence (pretentious British guy) that she was going to "gangster slap" him if he didn´t stop having such a bad attitude. Ha ha, it was hilarious! We ended our day camping by a river with a huge waterfall. A few of us went swimming in the river, but it was a bit chilly since we didn´t make it in until after 8pm.
Jan. 4
Today we arrived in Pucón, a cute town that is definitely tourist oriented. The weather was really nice so we wandered around town and had some ice cream. And that´s about it...
Jan. 5
Today was the first day of poor weather we´ve had. So we ran some errands to find an adapter and an alarm clock. We finally found one alarm clock in the entire town and it worked exactly one time before breaking. We ate some more ice cream and had an afternoon beer before heading back to the campsite to have a BBQ.
Jan. 6
We got up bright and early to climb Villaricca Volcano, which was just outside of town. We headed to the tour agency to get geared up with ice picks and crampons. We then headed to the bottom of the volcano where the weather was fairly iffy. We started up the mountain in the fog, gale force winds and cold. After about 4 hours we were about 150m from the top when the guides decided to stop because of the weather. Every once in a while the clouds would clear and we´d get a nice view of the lake and town below. Heading down was definitely the best part. There were snow chutes made from people sliding down the volcano. So we clipped some tarp like material on, kind of like a diapper, and sat in these chutes and slide down the volcano. You were supposed to use you ice pick as a brake, but that usually didn´t really work. Once we made it to the bottom with frozen bums, the guide gave a Pisco Sour for our hard work. That night we went out to dinner at "El Rincón de la Carne" that´s Volcano of Meat, for you non Spanish speakers.
Jan. 7
Drove to Puerto Montt, where we got lost and drove around town for a while. Camped by a playground, and drank wine while swinging. Callie had been sick for the last few days and spent the night in the truck because she wasn´t feeling well. However, unknown to Callie one of the girls that had already been on the truck 2 months had started a "relationship" with our guide/truck driver (who never showers...ever, seriously...ewww!) and they sleep on top of the truck. Callie was wondering what he was doing up there to cause the truck to rock so much! Double eww!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year´s Extravaganza
This will be brief because we already typed it once and the computer shut down...
We started our New Year´s festivities with a BBQ that we were unimpressed with. So, we made friends with the Swiss girls and headed out to find some beer. This proved to be more difficult than we imagined but we finally settled on some much too expensive beer from a street vendor. Cheers. We returned just in time to eat and drink ourselves into proper New Year´s inibriation.
Slighly before midnight we all left for the big square to watch the fireworks and apparently gain a champagne and confetti shower. People were screaming and cheering and having a grand ole time...a proper way to ring in the new year.
After the fabulous fireworks display, we returned to our hostel for more partying and some reggeton lessons from our drunken receptionist. LOL. The lessons must have gotten us in the dancing mood because before we knew it we were all leaving to go to a club. This is when Heidi lost her ability to read, even in english, and Callie fell down the stairs....twice. Haha.
We danced the night away and made it back just in time for dawn. Today was a national holiday so most things were closed and neither of us were up and living before afternoon anyways. Tomorrow we meet our group and we are very excited. Hope you all had a safe and fabulous New Year´s!!!!!!!!
We started our New Year´s festivities with a BBQ that we were unimpressed with. So, we made friends with the Swiss girls and headed out to find some beer. This proved to be more difficult than we imagined but we finally settled on some much too expensive beer from a street vendor. Cheers. We returned just in time to eat and drink ourselves into proper New Year´s inibriation.
Slighly before midnight we all left for the big square to watch the fireworks and apparently gain a champagne and confetti shower. People were screaming and cheering and having a grand ole time...a proper way to ring in the new year.
After the fabulous fireworks display, we returned to our hostel for more partying and some reggeton lessons from our drunken receptionist. LOL. The lessons must have gotten us in the dancing mood because before we knew it we were all leaving to go to a club. This is when Heidi lost her ability to read, even in english, and Callie fell down the stairs....twice. Haha.
We danced the night away and made it back just in time for dawn. Today was a national holiday so most things were closed and neither of us were up and living before afternoon anyways. Tomorrow we meet our group and we are very excited. Hope you all had a safe and fabulous New Year´s!!!!!!!!
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