Ali Stewart

Uruguay. What can I say? Its a great place. Uruguay manages to combine the laid back, south American lifestyle I've come to expect over the last couple of months with a more European-style approach to services. Add to that beautiful beaches, the friendliest people, fantastic weather and cheap... well, everything. Uruguay is a small country by South American standards, but certainly in South America. Its squeezed out to the east of Argentina and squashed down by Brazil. If you blinked, you'd miss it. I didn't know much about the place before I came here. I knew the football team had won the World Cup twice and throughout history has acquired a reputation for cynical defensive tactics. I seem to recall that a Uruguayan holds the record for the fastest sending off in World Cup history (56 ... read more

After spending last week wrapped in my winter clothing, I've spent the last few days in a relative heatwave in Buenos Aires. Its roasting up here - about 35 degrees every day. Hopefully, with only a 2-3 weeks left living the dream, the fleece and waterproof have now been banished to the bottom of the bag. A lot of people rave about Buenos Aires. I can see why. Its a great city with a lot of character. A variety of characters in fact. I've heard it compared with Paris but I wouldn't really agree with that. I may be splitting hairs but it reminds more more of Madrid. Anyway, its the sort of place you could spend a week and not get bored. The heat has made exploration slow work but with 5 days in town, ... read more

It was with some relief that we boarded the Navimag ferry from Puerto Natales up to Puerto Montt on time. The strong winds were whipping up and I thought a delay might be inevitable. But it wasn't. The weather smiled on me for my birthday and we were off. All in all it was a fantastic trip and a great way to spend my birthday. 3 days and 4 nights on board gave us time ample time to chill out and appreciate the scenery. The ferry itself is an old transport ferry that has been coverted to take passengers on a mini-cruise through the Patagonian fjords. It still carried some cargo, evidenced by the three truckloads full of cows situated on the lower deck. Despite the outward, rather functional appearance, it was actually quite comfortable inside. ... read more

We´ve covered a lot of miles since I last wrote. We decided to change our plans a little and take the Navimag ferry up through the fjords of Chilean Patagonia (check it out on www.navimag.com if you are interested). It wasn't on the list but the trip looked amazing; a four day cruise through untouched scenery was too good to turn down really... especially as it coincides with my birthday. It meant an unscheduled return to Chile (something I thought I'd do some day but not so soon) and a slight change of plans. In order to make the ferry which leaves from Puerto Natales (Google it - its near the bottom) we had to get from Bariloche (somewhere in the middle of Argentina) in about 6 days... and hit a couple of sites along the ... read more

Picture the scene... Its 4am. I'm asleep, obviously. As is Sophie. Piercing through the veil of blackness comes a noise, much like an air raid siren. "Aaaweeeeeee.... aaaweeeeeee". "What's that?" asks Sophie, already knowing the answer. "I think thats the volcano alert" I reply nervously. More on that in a bit..... And so we arrived in the Lake District. No, not the land of flat caps, whippets and pot roasts (which I'm sure is very nice), but the beautiful region that spans Chile and Argentina taking in the Andes in between. I don't mind admitting I've been looking forward to this bit. It has not disappointed. Our first stop in the Lake District was Pucon, on the Chilean side. The Lonely Planet downplayed it: always a good sign. Its a lovely little town on the edge ... read more

We've slowed the pace down (a bit) since my last blog. No mad dashes across countries or fluctuating weather reports. We spent a couple of days pottering around La Serena (the town with the offending mall). Nothing much to report really. Nice enough town but (save for these few lines) nothing to write home about. As reported, we went to a mall, had a KFC and watched Teror a Bordo: Snakes on a Plane to you and me. We haven't watched much telly so it was quite a treat to watch a film... even one as cheesy as that. We also wandered down to the beach. The map on the Lonely Planet suggested it was a short walk away. It wasn't. Oh well, we had nothing better to do. Whilst on the subject, I should provide ... read more

The last week has flown by like an Andean Condor. We have travelled the length of a country, landed in another and seen all manner of things in between. Its currently roasting outside, hence the internet breather. The crazy thing is, only yesterday I had on my entire arsenal of winter gear. We are currently in San Pedro de Atacama which is slap bang in the middle of the dryest desert in the world, the Atacama. I thought that was Death Valley in Colorado but apparently that is the hottest. Clearly there are a lot of 'most ..... in the world' places out there. Even Bristol must have one. Answers on a postcard please. Our manic week started with the all-night bus ride from La Paz to Uyuni. We had about 15 Israelis on board who ... read more

Five star hotel? Luxury spa, (real) french champagne and a jacuzzi bath? What happened to roughing it? We've taken 'flashpacking' to a whole new level..... for one night only. More on that in a minute. My prior grumbles about Bolivia still stand but I'm warming to the place. We've spent about 4 days in La Paz and I must say I like it. I mean, its not Paris, Rome or Bristol(!) but its a nice place to spend a few days. On the down side, there is enough pollution to make a hardened environmentalist cry. But there are plenty of pretty colonial buildings and, with oxygen mask firmly in place, it is a city that is best enjoyed simply wandering around. There are lots of interesting (and horrendously cheap) markets and streets to stroll through and, ... read more

We have just arrived in La Paz after spending a few days at Lake Titicaca, chilling out after the Inca Trail and general rushing about. Its tough work, this travelling! I´ll get the usual geography/history lesson out the way first. At approx 3800 metres above sea level Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. Its 97km wide, 230km long and covers over 9,000 sq km. Which means it is absolutely huge. You cannot see the other side; its literally like a sea. Lake Titicaca spans the border of Peru and Bolivia. The name 'Titicaca' has several meanings depending on the language. The best one is in Spanish (Titi means 'large cat' (or puma), caca means 'sh*t'). The Peruvians say that cat bit refers to them and the other bit to Bolivia. Understandably, the ... read more

I got back from the Ica Trail late yesterday very tired and smelling like a month old football kit. Very satisfied though; it really is all its cracked up to be. Let me dispell a couple of myths straight off. Contrary to some reports, the Inca Trail is not easy. I consider myself pretty fit and I´ve done some tough hikes before in my time. It is only about 35km over 4 days and there are porters to carry the food and tents. On that basis I approached the trip with a certain nonchalance. Two things make the trail a challenge: 1) the altitude and 2) the fact that you are mainly ascending or descending over uneven terrain. There isn´t much flat stuff and the Incas weren't to worried about layying an even surface. Now, I ... read more