http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Lukas-Pieter/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Lukas Pieter en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:50:36 +0000 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:50:36 +0000 Just few hours here and I knew I was going to love the city not sure why so many tourists donrsquot show much affection for it. Whether in the trendy Miraflores the business center San Isidro or the historic center the capital seemed to have the buzz diversity and culture I had been craving on my trip and frankly had not seen since leaving Buenos Aires. While the museums and theaters http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/blog-171835.html Like I was already in the ocean my ears were completely plugged from the change of air pressure as I stepped out of the bus that took me here from the mountains. It was foggy and cold in Trujillo too cold for a beach town close to the equator. I immediately took a cab to Huanchaco a small fishing and nowadays also surfing village just 15 km north since it was told to have great waves and lai http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/La-Libertad/Trujillo/blog-171832.html Hiking in this mountainous region was fantastic exhausting but deeply satisfying. However Huaraz gave me mixed feelings. This town arguably the trekkersrsquo capital in Peru located in the proximity of perhaps two dozen 6000 m peaks including Huascaran the Peruvian highest mountain and Alpamayo supposedly voted for as the most beautiful mountain in the world seemed in a disrepair. The http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Huaraz/blog-168231.html Before heading to this deepest canyon in the world yes deeper than the famous Grand Canyon in the US but admittedly less spectacular I had an afternoon and evening to rest in Arequipa Perursquos second largest city. Again I was surprised by how nice and clean the city was. In fact it is called the ldquoWhite City of Perurdquo given the use of strikingly white stone of volcanic orig http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/Colca-Canyon/blog-164952.html We stocked up on food rented hiking poles and left Cuzco briskly at 600 am. We had a private transportation to Mollepata the starting point for our 6day hike around Salkantay at 6200 m the 3rd highest mountain in Peru and later joining the classical Inca trail leading to Machu Picchu. Strangely our tour agency arranged a midsize bus for just the two of us. Even more strangely we had 4 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-164706.html I decided to arrive to Cuzco early four days ahead of my scheduled departure for the Inca Trail to take a rest before the trip and to soak in the atmosphere of the city. This former capital of Incas was not surprisingly said to offer a variety of culture restaurants and nightlife all in a stunning setting of mountains and lush forests enough to substantiate a longer stop in my journey. Al http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-164704.html Shared between Bolivia and Peru and with 8500 sq m Lago Titicaca is the largest highaltitude lake in the world slightly larger than the Lake Tahoe in California but smaller than the incredible salt flats in South West Bolivia measuring 10000 sq m. The 4 rivers flowing into the lake from the Peruvian side provide enough water circulation to make it a freshwater lake supporting a healthy http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-160135.html Whoever came up with the idea to bike down the ldquoDeath Roadrdquo officially the worldrsquos most dangerous road connecting La Paz with the jungle was a genius. Imagine being taken to an overpass 4000 m high surrounded by snowcapped mountains hanging in the clouds only to descend on a bike to a jungle in just 1000 m in altitude. An unbelievable adrenalinerich experience. We http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-160134.html When we learned that our flight to Rurrenabaque was to be canceled for the third time we lost patience and decided to take the much longer and also adventurous bus ride there. Distances or rather driving times are mind boggling in Bolivia. A bus ride to Rurrenabaque generally takes 18 hours while flying the same distance takes just 30 minutes. Well in our instance it took 33 hours to get ther http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-158125.html Another long journey ahead of us this time overnight from Potosi to La Paz. Surprisingly even here they had a movie service showing a movie with Arnie Schwarzenegger my favorite childhood hero. We arrived to La Paz at 6 am and crashed in the closest hostel to catch up on the lost sleep. The Bolivian capital has a truly spectacular setting it is situated in the attitude of 3500 m and surrou http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-158124.html What a beautiful and strange town The old colonial architecture mixed up with new office buildings and factories processing metals all just hundreds meters from the Cerro Rico once the richest silver mine in the world. The mine is still operating in fact 15000 miners every day enter the dusty gassy and extremely narrow shafts to make their living... The bus journey to Potosi the highe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Potosi/blog-155507.html Finally in Bolivia The overnight journey from Salta in Argentina to the border town was the prediction of what was to await us in Bolivia. Bumpy roads people shuffling seats on the bus and cold nights. I was first seated next to a young female tourist but ended up not sure how and why being seated next to an overweight but friendly Bolivian in his 60s. Right as we met he very proudly mentio http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Uyuni/blog-155506.html The bus ride to Salta took 20 hours. I have never seen that many action movies bad ones might I add in my life. The bus companies in this country seem to love Hollywood trash. Our last movie was directed by based on a screenplay of and with the main actor being Steve Segal. Do I need to add more We arrived on Friday afternoon and were quickly enamored by Saltarsquos beauty. This Northwest http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/blog-152947.html Next morning we took a bus to San Ignacio home to the largest and best maintained of the old Jesuit ruins in Argentina. These were not just religious settlements but rather complete economic cells providing accommodation education and work to indigenous people and also European settlers. Their success caused their sudden death the Spanish crown was afraid of their growing influence and so http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/San-Ignacio/blog-152945.html I departed Buenos Aires quite sad again leaving my friends behind but I was also extremely excited about the journey ahead of us. I was heading to Iguazu with Nick from Scotland. We happened to book the Inca trail in Peru for the same week end of May and so we are heading there together through northwest Argentina and Bolivia. We found a rather standard hostel in Port Iguazu Argentina and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-152943.html The arrival to Buenos Aires was an experience on its own. Just before landing a storm took upon us and we had to stay in the air for two hours waiting for the storm to leave. In the middle of the clouds flashes everywhere It was 2 in the morning when we finally arrived to the city. By then my host family was surely sleeping and so I decided to go to the hostel instead. When I gave him the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/blog-144797.html By the time I reached Ushuaia I had had enough of fast travel. I had been up by 6 am every day for a week moving from one place to another or catching the sunrise. I was ready to chill out and I chose end of the world for it. Thatrsquos how Ushuaia the southernmost city of the continent and the world is advertised the end of the world. In reality not quite so I though as I arrived and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Tierra-del-Fuego/Ushuaia/blog-144793.html As we drove south from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas the landscape changed quite dramatically from deserted land to woods. Many trees beautifully covered with lichens guanacos and sheep freely roaming in between them. In Punta Arenas I met with Pedro a friend from the boat and Tine one of the German girls that we hiked with and we went to see the local cemetery. Why you might wonder. Th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Punta-Arenas/blog-144791.html Back to Puerto Natales get cleaned up and a nice dinner in the city finally letting go the sausages and stinky cheese we were eating in the mountains. Next morning we headed to Calafate in Argentina to see one of the last advancing glaciers in the world Glaciar Perito Moreno. The sight is truly impressive albeit too touristy for my liking with the ice wall reaching 70 meters in height be http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Santa-Cruz/Perito-Moreno-Glacier/blog-144790.html Here we go on the mainland again For two days I still felt like I was on the boat my body leaning from left to right awaiting the waves. In couple hours we were heading to the national park Torres Del Paine the hikers paradise. It was me Michael Judith Isabella and Tine. First night was quite disappointing we stayed in a camp with a screaming group of Israeli tourists and I was wishi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Puerto-Natales/blog-144788.html