Trekking Tierra Del Fuego

This will be our last entry before we head to Antarctica on Wednesday for 11 days. We have spent another couple of very active days trekking almost every available hike in the Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

On Friday, after being mobbed by several eager operators, we took a minibus from Ushuaia into the National Park and walked Sendo Costera, an 8km hike along the coast of the Bahia Ensanada, and then trekked all over Lapataia Island on the Argentine/Chilean border. It was a beautiful day, warm and very clear, and we were able to take some great photos of the beautiful scenery. Yesterday, we indulged our taste for mountain climbing and ascended Cerro Guanaco, a mountain similar in height to Snowdon. We were really lucky with the weather again and had a really sunny day for the climb. We were also fortunate to see some indigenous wildlife... llamas, birds of prey, and a very inquisitive fox that was particularly interested in our lunch!


Today we are having a deservedly lazy day, and have gotten sorted for Antarctica, hiring the big red parkas and getting a load of laundry done.... Bianca has never been so happy to see clean clothes! We've also been enjoying the local food. We cook for ourselves most nights in the hostel which is good for the budget (and the waistline!). We are managing to make a really good lunch and dinner for both of us for about 2 pounds 50 a day! We went out for a meal on Saturday; Ash ate pounds of pork, beef, lamb and chicken in one sitting (so most of the farmyard)... it really is a meat lovers paradise here! Bi unfortunately has to stick to the salads, but she is pleased on the effect it is having on her waistline!

We are really enjoying hostel life. It is very laid back and sociable, and there are so many different people here, all with one shared passion, and this is travelling. Ushuaia is also a beautifully situated town to just chill out, and is quite homely and safe, and so we have really enjoyed our time here. Our travels so far have been a really good experience and we have seen so much in such a short space of time, whilst also managing to sit and relax on the odd few days. We are really relishing the whole experience and are so excited about Antarctica. Ash will be walking like kingpin down to the boat posing in his red parka for sure!

The Land of Fire

We have had a fairly active last 3 days, here in the most southerly inhabited part of the world. We are in Tierra Del Fuego National Park, the 'Land of Fire' and it is absolutely beautiful. It is such a contrast from where we have been in the last 2 weeks. From 37oC 4 days ago, we now having sweeping views of mountains, ice fields, glaciers and the Beagle Channel. It is closer to 7oC!

Yesterday we took a trip in a little boat out into the Beagle Channel, to see the lighthouse at the end of the world (an inspiration for Jules Verne), and visited lots of different islands to look at the flora and fauna. Seals, sea-lions, nesting cormorants were all on display, and we got right up close. Man did they stink! We also took a trek on one of the islands to get some superb views of Tierra Del Fuego NP. A nice precursor to Antarctica, and hopefully helping us get our sea legs for the reputedly very rough 620 mile crossing over the Drake Passage.

Today we walked a looong way (about 25km) from Ushuaia up into the National Park, and trekked up a mountain behind the city to see the Martial Glacier, where we had superb views of the glacier, the whole valley and the channel below us. We came back to a well deserved sticky bun and cuppa.... just like home from home!

We have found a lovely friendly hostel in Ushuaia with views of the Beagle Channel from every room. Ash has been burning the candles at both ends a bit, drinking mate (pronounced 'mattay') with the locals and taking all their money from them in the hostel poker tournament. Bi has been happy mooching around in her jarmies but made a special effort for a Caipirinha party last night! It's very homely here... completely what we are used to, so we are happy to be here for the next few days, relaxing, enjoying the views and going on walks in the National Park.

Antarctica here we come

The most awesome thing ever... we have arrived in Ushuaia and spent the morning going from travel agent to travel agent trying to get a last minute place to Antarctica. We found a fantastic lady who operates a small agency out of her house, and she has booked us on a 11 day Antarctica cruise with GAP adventures, widely regarded as one of the best operators and the people we are doing our trip to the Galapagos with. We have a twin room with private bathroom and porthole in the middle of the ship (the best for the rough crossing), and it is almost half the cost of booking from the UK, which we were told was sold out. The boat takes 68 people which is great news for more frequent landings on the continent, and is an expedition boat that also carries naturalists, scientists who give regular lectures. In short.... WOOOHOOO!!!! We are SOOOOO excited albeit nervous about crossing the Drake passage which takes about 2 days. We leave on the 27th Feb so plenty of time to relax and trek around the national parks here at the tip of the Andes, which are beautiful.

Hasta La Huego Buenos Aires

It's our fourth and final evening in Buenos Aires. We have enjoyed our time in the city, but in truth it doesn't match the excitement and buzz that is to be found in Rio. We saw all the major sights over the weekend, went to a fantastic tango show at a little cafe/bar, wandered through the famous antiques market at San Telmo, and today we have been to Tigre, a lush sub-tropical delta 25km outside the city, where we took a really leisurely boat trip along the river.

One of the key purposes for visiting BA was to try the world famous steaks, and visit a paradilla or grilled meat restaurant. Considering we have both at some point in the last few days been exclusive members of the 'Cannot live without Imodium' club, we decided yesterday that with only 24 hours left in the city this was an opportunity we simply could not pass up. As such, we went to the highly recommended Siga La Vaca (or 'Follow the Cow') in Puerto Madero, a pretty renovated docklands area in the city. Wow, it was fantastic! We have never seen so much meat in all our lives. There was a huge huge barbeque, a salad counter that had Bi's eyes popping out of her head, all in endless supply together with an endless stream of french fries. We indulged ourselves rather gluttinously with Bi even tasting a morsel of steak. Ash had every different type of meat under the sun, including a new first for him... pig's intestines, which he thought was delicious and tasted like crispy sausages (he had two helpings). All of this was washed down with pitchers of beer (coke for Bi... lightweight!) and cost a grand total of 7 quid each!

Tomorrow, we catch a very early flight to Ushuaia, the most southerly city in Argentina, and indeed the whole world. We hope to get on a boat to Antarctica, so this may (fingers, toes and all limbs crossed!) be the last post for a couple of weeks. Will upload a load of photos when we get to a hostel with a better pc!

Buenos Dias from Buenos Aires!

We arrived safely at Buenos Aires Aeroparque domestic airport yesterday morning after an hour delay because 'the toilet was broken' on the aeroplane. It was funny watching the German tour group hop up and down about the situation (literally!). We killed ourselves laughing at one point. There had grown a huge queue for the one working toilet on the plane, and the pilot suddenly turned on the seatbelts light, and all the very anxious looking German tourists were ushered back to their seats. 30 seconds later, he turned the seatbelt sign off! You had to be there to enjoy it as much as we did ha ha! I think as newly initiated 'backpackers' it is a bit fun to see the 5* tour groups suffer sometimes!

All the same, we got to BA fine and took a 45 minute bus trip into town. The people really are lovely here, so helpful and pleasant. When we got on the bus, we didn't realise we could only pay with coins (we only had notes), so a kind girl simply paid our bus fare, and then wouldn't accept any offer we could make. And then, on the same bus, Ash chatted (in pigeon Spanish!) with an older chap and he helped us work out where our hostel was.

Our hostel really is great. It's more like an apartment! We have a huge air-conditioned room, a big patio area, large kitchen and it's in a 17th Century building in the city centre. Not bad for 8 quid a night.

Buenos Aires itself is a pretty European-feeling city, but is quite polluted, made worse in the heat. We explored a bit yesterday, and saw the main parliament building (and the balcony from which Eva Peron addressed her nation), the restored docklands, and walked down Av. Florida, the main pedestrianised shopping street, and watched a tango street show along the way.

Today we took a bus down to Recoleta, a pretty and wealthy district in BA, and visited the famous cemetery where, amongst many important Argentinian presidents, politicians, poets and scholars, Eva Peron is buried. The cemetery was huge in size and was filled with lines and lines of grand mausoleums, so much so that we both said it looked a bit like a 'city for the dead'. There were cats everywhere, which Ash said are the keepers of the dead... creepy! Eva Peron's mausoleum was tucked away, and was a small and understated building.

After our visit, we toured around the local handicraft market, had a fantastic fresh juice, and we found Bi a nice silver 'traveller's' engagement ring, so she has something to wear! We were laughing because even though it cost 1/1000th of the cost of her 'real' engagement ring, Bi'll probably love it just as much! We then walked to the Japanese Gardens, which happened to be perhaps the least tranquil gardens we've seen.... amok with screaming kids and the sounds of the road! So, quickly leaving, we walked a few blocks north and visited the much prettier and more serene Botanical Gardens. Caught the very old metro system back (wooden carriages!), which was quite fun, and now we're just chilling for the rest of the day. I (Ash) have a touch of traveller's tummy, brought on by a bit too many exciting foods and the heat, so am on the flat coke, bread and omelette diet for the next 2 days. Even so, I'm not expecting much sympathy being on a 13 month holiday!

The Brazilian Iguaçu Falls

Today was a little less active day today, we went back into Brazil to see the overview of the Iguaçu falls from a greater distance, and to get some better views of Garganta del Diablo, the biggest falls. The two sides compliment each other perfectly and offer quite different views of the falls. The Argentine side is very 'up close and personal' whereas from the Brazilian side you get grand, sweeping vistas of the falls.

There was also an amazing walkway that had been constructed at the foot of the falls that gave some amazing views, as well as a thorough soaking from all the spray! We had a great picnic of breads and olives overlooking the falls, whilst admiring lots of the wildlife that is around today: hummingbirds, big lizards, insects we've never seen before, and butterflies everywhere. The views were still as breathtaking, even on the second day!

Tomorrow, we're off to Buenos Aires for the Gauchos, Tango and the biggest bluest steak Ash has ever eaten. Oh, and here's a picture of Ash updating the blog. By the way, Bianca is dictating this blog from her hammock in the front of this picture!

The Argentinian Iguazu Falls

Well, wow is the word that comes to mind about today. The arduous bus ride yesterday became all suddenly worth it.

We were up at the crack of dawn, a cool but clear morning in the tropics, and had a really nice local breakfast of fresh smoothie, coffee, yoghurt and breads. We legged it for the bus having run a little late enjoying the food (you know us!), and jumped on to the bus marked Cataratas (Spanish for 'Waterfalls') and a half hour later we arrived at the largest and most famous waterfalls in South America, the Iguazu Falls. A little train took us through the jungle and to Garganta del Diablo, the largest fall here, otherwise known as the Devil's Throat. The size and scale of the falls was just amazing, and a catwalk took us right up close, which became our first soaking of the day! We stayed there a while and just took in the whole grandeur of the falls and left for the next section further downstream.

We walked the lower and upper trails through the jungle which gave various up close and distant perspectives from the falls. We must be getting a bit snap happy because we took 300 photos between us! At the bottom of the lower trail we boarded a jetboat and took an extremely close up view of the falls. In fact so close, we actually went UNDER the falls, which was hilarious fun, and nice and cooling in the 37oC heat!! Getting back, we ate lunch overlooking the falls sharing some of our banana with an inquisitive lizard.

After finishing with the falls we decided to take a more remote jungle walk. We were greeted with a sign saying 'Keep children close, you may encounter dangerous animals', i.e. jaguar, venomous snakes and spiders etc. Well that was it. Bianca promptly packed it, and in her lovely unimitable way decided to brave it, then 3km in had an almighty hissy fit because she thought she heard a growl! More likely some leaves rustling love. Anyway, we high-tailed it out in a bid not to risk becoming a tasty snack.

Blood pressures lowered when we got back to the main path, and we wandered back to the main site down a dusty track, took the bus home and celebrated a fantastic day with a budget busting ice cream!

Journey to Iguazu Falls

The last 36 hours may have been the least inactive of our entire life! Armed to the hilt with our heavy packs we baked in the soaring Rio heat as we waited nearly an hour to catch our first bus (it was pushing 40oC yesterday) to Rodoviario Novo Rio - the international bus station which was to be our way out of Brazil and into Argentina. The bus went through some very down and out areas, and as Bi and I grew increasingly nervous, we suddenly arrived at the station but it was much safer as it was full of fellow backpackers, all getting on glitzy coaches.

After a short wait our coach materialised. My heart sank! This rusty 15 year old hulk of a so-called 'coach' was to be our home for the next 22 hours. The air con was dodgy, the suspension non existent, and it came with a complimentary nutcase driver, who must have still thought he was driving his Ford Escort. The bus stopped every 2 hours, even throughout the night, and amen for taking the BA eyemask and a bumper bottle of anti-bacterial wash. We even had to get out at Sao Paolo in the middle of the night for about an hour whilst they took on extra passengers. When we woke up this morning the packed bus felt damp and really smelled bad, as the air con wasn't working properly and we were breathing some pretty stale air! Yuk!

Our breakfast this morning was in a very tiny service station in the middle of nowhere. We were starving so decided to get some cake for both of us. We took it and sat down and it turned out to be crawling throughout with insects, but only after Bianca had taken a big mouthful. For those of you who know her, you can imagine the panic/disgust/near-violence that ensued!

Anyway we got here safely, which is what counts and took a taxi across the border into Argentina, as we were pig-sick of buses! We arrived in the quiet, hot town of Puerto Iguazu and found our hostel easily, checking in to our first dorm room, which is surprisingly comfortable. We spent of the rest of the day exploring the town and planning our visit to the falls tomorrow.

I write this in the glorious tropical heat, in a little wood cabin with palm trees outside, hummingbirds buzzing about and am about to go and drink a beer and lie in a hammock, so it's not all that bad! Tomorrow, we visit the giant Iguazu falls.

Hang gliding and beach parties!

The weekend has just felt like one big party. Yesterday, we fulfilled our adrenaline junkie requirements by hang-gliding off Pedra Bonita, one of large peaks at the back of Rio. We're not sure if it was the most sane thing we've done but it was fantastic fun and a first for both of us. We were taken to the top of the cliff and could see the whole city and bay below us. Ash went first so he could get some pictures of Bianca coming in to land. We wore protective overalls and were harnessed into the hang-glider, before an instructor came over to and strapped himself in behind us. We had to litterally run off a 700m cliff with only a large triangular shaped piece of silk attached to the top of us by a flimsy metal frame - it was not something that came naturally, and we had to put a lot of faith in the equipment and our instructors!!!. Needless to say, it was great fun! We swooped and soared over Rio, the jungle and the high rise hotels for about 10 minutes and it was amazing to take in the views and enjoy the ride - we can imagine now what it feels like to be free as a bird! We both came in to land, flying over the hotels on the seafront and out to sea before doubling back towards the beach. It felt like we were coming in super fast, before the instructor pulled the hang-glider back and we 'dropped' gently onto the beach (with lots of tourists watching us). Ash got lots of photos of Bianca coming in - it was a great experience!


We relaxed for the rest of the day, with Bianca tucking in to one of her beloved chilled coconut juices on the beach front. She has become a little addicted to them - there are lots of beachfront huts where the locals are selling whole coconuts kept in a big vat full of iced water. For a very small amount, you can buy one and they'll use a big machete to hack off the top, and then they put in a straw for you to drink the ice-cold coconut milk. Then when you're done you can take it back and they'll cut the coconut up so you can eat the soft flesh inside, using a little spoon they make for you from the coconut outer crust. It's delicious! Ash likes his, unsurprisingly, with a little spot of rum in it!

In the afternoon we took a long walk around the lake at the back of Ipanema and on the way home got caught up in a huge samba beach party on the beach. There were thousands of people everywhere, dancing, singing and playing games on the beach - the mood was electric! We sat and took in the party and watched the sun set spectacularly, drinking Caipirinhas and listening to the music. It's our last day in Rio today and we've both loved the city. It's so full of life, vibrance and is a genuinely happy city. It's been all and more than we expected. The people are really friendly, fun loving and just love a good party... we feel we've really started off on the right foot. May the good times roll!

Rio de Janeiro

Well, it's been a fascinating and amazing time since our last post. Yesterday, we explored the beachfront some more and walked in the other direction towards Copacabana beach. It was amazing walking along all the white sand beaches, with the large waves crashing down - such a total contrast to the cold and grey weather back home. We went for a quick dip in the sea (independently, taking it in turn to guard our belongings!) but the waves were so big Bianca kept being bowled over! We carried on walking down to Copacabana beach and saw the market stalls on the front selling an array of exotic fish, fruits and producing sugar cane juice to drink.

We stopped to try a Caipirinhas - a Brazilian cocktail similar to a Mojito, just made with Cashasa instead of Rum. Bi has taken quite a liking to them, so after our second cocktail we walked home sloooowly (well, Bi did).

The afternoon could not have been more of a comparison.

We decided to go and visit one of the favelas that Rio is famous for. We joined a local tour which took us into the heart of one of Rio's 700 favelas, called Rocinha, with a population of 300,000 people. We took a particularly mad motorbike ride a couple of miles to to the top of the favela (no helmet!), whizzing through the streets, dodging buses and flying around blind bends. We're glad we took out that extra travel insurance! The favela was unbelievable, a real sight to behold.

The level of poverty and corruption was quite staggering, and our guide recounted the stories behind the favela. This one we were visiting was responsible for handling over US$2 million a month of drugs. It was run by a 22 year old so-called 'drug king', who had 7 'Golden Boys' aged between 14-17 working for him. They were given this title because they all kept a gold plated pistol, to mark their superiority out in the favela. In a strange way, they kept peace in the favela and were the equivalent of police (who apparently never come near the place). Bizarrely, the experience never felt unsafe. We were clearly very welcome and the street children were absolutely over-awed to have us 'gringos' take their photos. We made our way down through the filthy narrow streets and just took the whole thing in. Along the way we stopped in an art gallery and viewed some of the beautiful paintings some of the locals had created. We also stopped into several 'homes' and stores, as well as a school that had been set up by a charity to assist education in the favela. It was amazing how these 'houses' were stacked on top of each other, sometimes 3 or 4 on top of each other. With limited space, the only way to build is up! They all also had free electricity and telephones, having hacked into the main lines and routed the power down into the favela. It was a different world, with rubbish and sewage tumbling down through the streets. Without trying to sound trite, we really did begin to value the things we have at home.... it was an experience we won't forget.

Today, we have visited two major landmarks, Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf mountain. We took the bus this morning through the streets of Rio to the small train that wound it's way up through the jungly vegetation to one of Rio's highest points, where the famous Christ the Redeemer statue is perched on top as guardian, overlooking the city. The views from the summit were incredible and we spent a long time taking pictures of both the statue and the views, and simply stood their taking it all in. We could see for miles and from the height we were at, could make out the whole city, nestled in between the surrounding hills, mountains and coastline.

After taking the train back down and grabbing a bite to eat we took a bus over towards Sugar Loaf Mountain at the other end of the city. Unfortunately, and with our limited understanding of Spanish, the bus started to go away from our destination and so we had to jump off and make our way by foot, which was extremely nerve-wracking as Rio is a notoriously dangerous city. With no taxis to be seen we moved quickly in the direction of Sugar Loaf Mountain and finally entered an upmarket area and began to relax. We finally made it and took the cable car up to the beautiful Sugar Loaf Mountain, which is a large 'cake' shaped mountain that rises spectacularly from the sea. Like this morning, the views were simply superb and offered a different perspective on the city. We could see the bay stretching away in both directions and off towards the mountains in front -we could also make out the Christ the Redeemer statue in the distance. After a while, some clouds rolled in and it became very cold, despite the blasting sun, so we made our way back down and took a taxi home, eating dinner locally near our hostel in Ipanema. Ash has burnt feet this evening... ouch, but it won't stop him for tomorrow!

We've Landed!

Well, our first day of 13 months of travels is officially concluded!

After saying goodbye to our families last night, we arrived in Rio (via a brief stop in Sao Paulo) at 10am this morning. We got into a massive panic at the airport when we couldn't withdraw a penny of money from any of the 7 or 8 different ATMs we tried. Rio airport is not exactly the friendliesy or safest airport to be hanging around, and despite asking a number of officials, no-one could help us until two Swedish tourists appeared, so we pounced on them. They had happened to find the only ATM out of about 20 that was working, so we followed them and withdrew money as planned... relief! And then it struck us... we have arrived in South America!

We took perhaps what seemed the world's longest bus journey the full 12km from the airport and arrived just after lunch. Going past the 'favelas' (the shanty towns of Rio) was completely eye opening. We plan to take a guided visit later on and experience the true Rio. We checked into our first hostel of our trip, the 'Lighthouse Hostel' in the pleasant, upmarket beachfront district of Ipanema, and set out to explore shortly afterwards. We had a great lunch (Bianca 'mobbed' the salad bar), and then took a lovely long leisurely stroll down Ipanema and Leblon beach. So, we have set the bar, I think! We did a litle planning in the afternoon and have some exciting trips booked for the rest of the week, before we head off to Iguazu Falls in the jungle on Monday.

Finishing Touches

After weeks of organisation, boxing up and bubble wrapping almost everything we own we're finally done. Hurrah! It's been a real slog, but everyone who's done a trip like this says the two weeks leading up to going are a real nightmare, the worst part, but so so worth it. I hope so!

Things are becoming very real now. We both had our final day at work on Friday, then worked like dogs all day yesterday to pack up and clean our flat, do all the last bits of boxing up, and transport it to our storage unit (picture for evidence!), arriving at Ash's parents house late last night. One too many 'thank God we've finished' late night drinks has led to the need for nurofen this morning.

Bi has just left to take the van back to the rental place, and to spend time with her UK family for the last 48hrs before we leave. It was very amusing seeing her little head appearing only just above the steering wheel as she drove away!

Next stop, Heathrow airport on Tuesday night!