http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/El Scook Y Natalia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from El Scook Y Natalia en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:39:44 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:39:44 BST Uyuni Bolivia is a tourist destination in the loosest sense of the world. The only real reason for coming here is to get in a jeep and drive out again to see the nearby Salar de Uyuni the worlds largest Salt Flats. We arrived here on the surprisingly comfortable train from Tupiza sometime after midnight only to be greeted by sub zero temperatures and feral dogs. Originally wed planned to g http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Salar-de-Uyuni/blog-299308.html If you've ever been on one of those machines at the gym that vibrate you violently while you do your crunches in order to give you extra muscle toning power you'll have a good idea of what our bus journey from the Bolivian border was like. Neither road when indeed there were roads nor bus were in very good nick and our skeletons got a good couple of hours of clanking. Unfortunately however http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Tupiza/blog-299173.html Our first set down in the Argentinian Andes was Salta. Salta for me was pleasant enough but it suffers a bit in comparison with the last few towns weve been in Buenos Aires Bariloche and Mendoza. However its a pretty interesting comparison as its nothing like the rest of Argentina. Instead its got more in common with the Andean regions of Peru Bolivia and Ecuador and not just because i http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Jujuy/Quebrada-de-Humahuaca/blog-297518.html Next stop after San Juan was a night in a tiny town called San Agustin de la Valle Fertil where we headed to access the Parque Provincial Ischigualasto also known as the Valley of the Moon. The Park is known for its weird and wonderful moonlike rock formations bleak moonlike appearance moonlike lack of vegetation not much except for a few crazy prickly desert plants and especially th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/San-Juan/Ischigualasto/blog-296225.html Whats red sticky stains most of your clothes and turns a pleasant pootle on a bicycle into a death defying danger sport Well wine of course. More specifically Im referring to Mendozan Malbecs. We arrived in Mendoza from Bariloche grateful for the vast improvement in climate I can feel my fingers I love you fingers and ready to take on the best that the region has to offer... Out http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-295274.html Hola AmigosAfter leaving Iguaz we 'popped' if that is the right word for a 20 hour bus journey back to Buenos Aires to pick up our bags and bid a fond farewell to the city that is a new entrant in my Top Five Cities Of All Time list. We did a bit more shopping visited the restaurant with the best garlic bread in all Latin America Seor Telmo if you're interested and I went for a nice sun http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/San-Carlos-de-Bariloche/blog-292785.html Water We need it. Scientists now estimate that we could be up to 8 water or something. And it's scarce That's right go turn the tap off we need it for things as vital and diverse as Washing the cat Making milk out of milk powder Showering after getting covered in paint when painting the garage door though you may want to use White Spirit first.Yes its important stuff alright and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-290898.html We arrived back into Buenos Aires at 5am on a Saturday morning to temperatures slightly lower than the last time we had been in the city in the middle of summer not quite freezing but it felt it after ColombiaLuckily our hostel was warm. Our room wasn't ready so we both passed out snoring gently on the sofas in the hostel lounge until we felt ready to venture back into the chilly streets to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-290896.html Thursday 12th of June. In the central atrium of the Bogot country club a luxury pool snakes its way under bridges in and out of the geodesic dome. A young english wife sits anxiously in a deck chair awaiting the return of her high flying husband the inscrutable Mr Bean not that one.Inside the conference facility Seor Bean is engaged in a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion pertainin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-286968.html Weve now been away from home for nearly 8 months. In that time I estimate that I have lost over 75 of my worldly belongings the recent dearth of photographs of me is due to the fact that I am reluctant to be seen in a sack cloth packed my bag over 700 times taken over 412 international flights and consumed more omelettes than Robinson Crusoe on Chicken Island the little known sequel.In a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Villa-de-Leyva/blog-285190.html Arriving in Santa Marta on the back of a mototaxiwith the wind blowing through our hair was probably nicer than your run of the mill cab and made a change. Si wanted to take a photo of me on the bike in my tin soldier helmet but Im afraid I wouldnt let him.We spent our afternoon in Santa Marta up to not much. Its the oldest town in Colombia and where Simon Bolivar liberator of northern S http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/San-Gil/blog-283481.html Im not quite sure how it happened but one minute we were out on the town drinking cheap cocktails and eating shit food with the Hendry Joneses then the next minute we wake up in Colombia with but a few fleeting mint flavoured memories of our time with Chris and Caz and an empty bank account. With our brains in no fit state to endure any more Spanish lessons we decided to head back to the fi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Santa-Marta/blog-280422.html What do you think of when you think of Cuba Cigars Castro mojitos the Caribbean architectural faded grandeur old American cars live musicThat would probably have been my summing up before we arrived there and we now have a few more impressions both good and bad... to add into the mix.First up it was amazing to meet up with Chris and Caz and we're hoping we didnt totally kill the rom http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/blog-278800.html Cristobal Colon may well have picked the best of the bunch of Latin American countries to name after himself as Colombia is absolutely amazing.Im tempted to leave it at that really as this isnt going to be a blog of derring do and swashbuckling adventure. Weve been sat on our respective asses its more comfortable that way round for the last two weeks with little to occupy ourselves excep http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Cartagena/blog-274529.html So why do you moan in all your blogs According to Nat Im an incorrigible miserablist.Several thousand years ago some Mongolians decided to cross the Bering Straits and start a new life in the Americas. My own personal theory is that it was the early Mongols most upset with traffic regulations and speed limits that decided to make the epic journey and start new lives as bus drivers. Our tr http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/blog-269391.html Hello one and all how's life treating youWe have had a low key week so here is a low key blog. Fortunately there are some pretty sunset pictures to liven it all up. We've mainly split our time between scratching mozzie bites enduring white knuckle bus rides and bus ride recovery sessions aka lying around in the sunshine which made the bus rides worthwhile.After leaving the jungle we made http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Piura/M-ncora/blog-269373.html They move about seeking food and warmth we dont eat them and they dont take batteries. Youve probably guessed that Im talking about Animals Yes they come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes theres more than a few of them in the Amazon jungle and the other thing they have in common is that most of them have tried to bite me at some point over the last few days.You see bored wit http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/blog-266837.html Of all the things I might have expected to find 3800 metres above sea level a dirty great lake wouldnt have featured highly in that list. Were I lazily scanning Wikipedia articles for facts with which to wow you I might add that Lago de Titicaca comprises 58000 square kilometres and is 190km at its longest point is nearly 300 metres deep in places and has around 40 islands. However I'll s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-264094.html One of the most famous historical sites in the world set 2400m above sea level and surrounded by cloudforest and mountains Machu Picchu and the Inca trail are stunning and definitely deserve their reputation. Construction on the 'lost city of the Incas' began in around 1450. It took approximately 10000 people and 100 years to build and would probably have continued expanding were it not for th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-262792.html The South American Condor is a Very Big Bird but that's about all it's got in common with that big yellow fella who hangs around the New York Bronx teaching kids to read and selling crack on the side. The Condor can live for 50 years or more. It has a wing span of about 3 metres and a seriously bad attitude. This is one nihilistic avian the teenage hoodie of the bird world. Too pissed off http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/blog-262788.html