We´re still not working the Spanish lingo correctly. The bus back to Santiago was just under 7000 Pesos, being 14US. We got nailed for a short collective (fixed rate taxis), and then a 10 min cab ride in Santiago cost us more than the same 7000 Pesos for a 1.5 hour air-conditioned bus ride. Even funnier, an evening taxi taking 15 mins cost half of the other taxi ride, go figure….. Entonces, we joined for our booked tour, Santiago to Rio via Ushuaia (southern most city in the world) with Dragoman Overland on January 3rd. Both very much looking forward to the Patagonia experience, we listened through the trip intro meeting with guides & drivers Zoe & Hugo. First surprise for Bin was that that contrary to African tours, on this trip there was no majority ... read more

We'll start with the management summary: great pick from Bin to book the Cascades de las Animas (waterfalls of the spirits) for Christmas. Magnificent canyon, with the Maipo river running wildly at the bottom of it. Bit cloudy on arrival, but clear blue skies offsetting the canyon for the next 3 days. Very quiet and comfy room, no facilities, so eating most meals at the restaurant overlooking the Maipo, and plenty of time to relax and take in the fresh air. There was a pool, as the river was too wild, to sandy, and too cold to swim in. The pool was only 2 degrees above very cold, but on the hot days we were there, quite refreshing (once you managed to get into it). We spend 2 afternoons there just relaxing, the day in between ... read more

So the 5 hour overnight express got us into Easter Island quite smoothly. With that once in a lifetime stroke of luck we actually got of the back of the plane, through immigration (almost a manual process by a mere 2 officers), were almost the first to get our bags, almost definitely the first to get our flower necklaces and our booked ride to the accomodation in probably less than 15 minutes.... There might have still been a few people still on the plane.... Entonces.... Anyways. We had booked the Kona Tau hostel ( hostelling international affiliated, but nothing like a hostel). Main reason being it was the cheapest on offer, but at 50US$ a night still not a bargain. With no sleep from my part (Rene) any bed would do, but after a good powernap, ... read more

Just a little interlude here, we've arrived in Santiago, and are trying to adapt to the local mindframe of using telephone, internet, e-mail..... or none of the above. It's quite nice to use any of the above and know that you will arrive somewhere, and will actually have a bed to sleep in. The below is an actual kind hearted reply to a simple e-mail to check for availability. Enjoy.... Hola Hey Fellows, how are you this beautiful friday evening. So, i dont have more availability in my hostel, but i have a full flat with one matrimonial room, kitchen, living room, fernitures, for rent, close to my hostel in Cerro Alegre. Valparaiso. The flat is near to: Yugoeslavian promanade (fireworks) (10 min walking down) Atkinson promanade (fireworks) (13 min walking down) Gervasoni promanade (fireworks) (11 ... read more

What do you do during a 24 hour stop over in French Polynesia (ok, Papeete is better, we did not see much more of Tahiti)? Je ne sais pas. Even better, we flew in on Saturday night, so next day would be Sunday, which in most French dictionaries reads as FERMEE (that´s closed in English, and lacking the accent on top). So we just hooked up with Sunny and Emma (Ireland) for a few pitchers of local brew on the Saturday night, admired the dressing style of the local female basketball team, and headed back to the hotel for a good night´s sleep. Sunday we just got organised, walked through town, had great difficulty finding anything to eat (quite bad pizza´s), and in the late evening got dropped of at the airport again for a red ... read more

Hi guys, Just trying to see if I can get our map on the website.. 2 weeks and counting, as per usual, the last days seem to last the longest. Work gets in the way, and catching up with friends should be a priority anyway right now. Planned Countries Map Not sure if the above link will get you to the world map, but we'll keep updating it anyway! Venezuela I've been to, and seems politically a bit iffy. Paraguay isn't described anywhere as a must see, and we'll have a think about the Guyana's. Hong Kong is part of China these days, which will be the stop over on the hme leg. hasta ! Rene... read more