http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Willow/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Willow en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:22:10 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:22:10 +0000 'Couldn't find a room in a hostel so I've checked into the Radisson....' OK so perhaps not the exact words of the text Shirley sent me but they're pretty close At the time I was sat at a truck stop halfway through a 24 hour bus journey from Cusco to Lima and facing the usual dilemma of biscuits vs. crisps for breakfast everything else on offer being well meat meat meat or.... i.e. not very v http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lambayeque/Chiclayo/blog-441751.html The small friendly town of Ollantaytambo was easily my favourite stop along the Sacred Valley with its impressive Inca fortress stunning views and grid like Inca town planning it was a fascinating place to spend a day. The Inca Emperor Pachacuti built a town and ceremonial centre here when he conquered the region in the mid15th century and the rebellion leader Manco Inca later retreated here in http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-441280.html With just a few days to explore the historic city of Cuzco I discovered rather controversially that I didn't like it all that much And yes I'm pretty certain that'll be the complete opposite view to everyone else who's ever been there. I found my disappointment compounded by the fact I'd looked forward to coming for so long really ever since I'd visited the Mayan sites of Mexico and Guatemala http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-439192.html In keeping with the bad habit I fast seemed be developing and seriously needed to lose it was dark by the time we finally pulled into Puno bus station. OK so we hadn't helped ourselves by having a lazy morning not leaving Arequipa until lunchtime for what I already knew from experience to be at least a 7hour journey but on the upside at least this time I had company We pretty much jumped http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-436505.html Having woken up early and with a sudden burst of enthusiasm I decided to see if I could make it to Arequipa Peru from where I was staying in Sorata Bolivia that same day 14 hours 5 buses a rather uneventful border crossing later and we finally rounded a corner to see the lights of Arequipa brightening up the dark sky ahead. Of course we arrived late just the 3 hours mind not pulling into http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/Colca-Canyon/blog-433876.html 'Hold onto your bags' At least I think that's the message the lady from the bus company was trying to give as she waved us onto the night bus from Uyuni to Potosi a trip memorable only for the record breaking number of potholes that we jarred and bounced our way across during the next 8 hours I think there were actually more potholes than road But the lady was really sweet and seemed quite d http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Sorata/blog-433300.html When I'd booked the back to back overnight trains that would take me from Hampi straight down to Kerala with a day to do Bangalore it'd seemed like a great idea saving time which I was fast running out of and money on accomodation etc etc but by the time we eventually reached Varkala down on the south west coast of India I'd had plenty of opportunity to rethink that decision Fortunately http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Kochi-/blog-433281.html Excuse me are you Max Loitering on the street whilst trying not to look tooo dodgy we'd already accosted two or three likely targets each guy looking slightly bemused before making a hasty retreat down the road. Our target was a 19 year old Scottish bloke by the name of Max and our reason for stalking him to suss out how much Spanish he spoke and whether he'd mind translating on a Salar de http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Salar-de-Uyuni/blog-431350.html I had just two weeks left in India and was torn between whether to stay north and see more of the forts and palaces of Rajasthan or head south I'd met heaps of people who'd raved about the south and how different it was and I was keen to see it for myself. In the end what tipped it was probably visiting the fort at Kumbalgarh I really didn't think anything would be able to top it. But then as http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Hampi/blog-430453.html I really shouldn't complain considering that ALL the buses I've taken in Bolivia have been far better than any I had the pleasure of 'experiencing' in Africa or India. I mean in Bolivia I've not been on one where it seems everyone but me is puking some into a receptacle others not... I've not sat next to a young girl with diarrhoea and a bus driver who refuses to stop for her I'll let your im http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Tupiza/blog-429936.html The city of La Paz varies in altitude between 3000m 4100m a fact that was enough to blow my mind even without the altitude sickness I was suffering from OK so perhaps travelling here from sea level in just one day hadn't been the best idea ever but experience told me my first few days at altitude were going to be pretty evil regardless and there really hadn't been anywhere else to stop in bet http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Tiwanaku/blog-429035.html Iquique hadn't featured on my original plan and I'd rather ended up here by accident. Or you might call it a lack of planning 0 Basically I hadn't booked the bus from San Pedro to Salta in Argentina in time even though I knew it only went 3 times a week derrr didn't want to wait a few days for the next one and decided a loop around Bolivia instead sounded like a much better idea. Look at a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Tarapaca/Iquique/blog-427954.html The way north from La Serena to San Pedro de Atacama was long but pretty uneventful except that for once the movie was shown in English not Spanish volume still turned up to max of course so for a change I didn't need to play the 'make the story up' game although I've discovered that sometimes the made up version is better than the original Most of the 18plus hours passed with me peering o http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Atacama/blog-423147.html Facebook sometimes I love it sometimes I hate it especially when I'm sat in a hostel with free Internet and the person using it decides to spend 5 years uploading photos or more annoyingly flicking through someone else's when all I want to do is quickly check email..... grrrrr. This time though it meant I unexpectedly met up with Chantal and Jeremy two friends I'd first met whilst squashed i http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Valparaiso-Region/Valparaiso/blog-420826.html Down the steps onto the runway at Rapa Nui airport and my first thought was.... at last heat Don't get me wrong Patagonia had been stunning and I'd loved it but I was also thrilled at the thought of being able to put my fleece away for a few days The owner of the hostel I'd booked greeted me with a garland of lovely bright flowers and I was whisked off to the hostel to meet up with Ann Gordon http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Easter-Island/blog-415953.html Where were those darn elephant seals hiding 45mins of bumping and skidding along the cliff top at Punta Ninfas in our poor little silver hire car stopping to peer gingerly over the edge whilst trying not to be swept over by the wind and we were still none the wiser. OK so you might argue that a seal is a seal and I'd already seen plenty in Antarctica but those weren't Elephant seals the larg http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-414079.html OK so watching glaciers might not sound like the most thrilling thing ever and when we first checked out the bus times I'll admit that I was slightly concerned that 5 hours out at the Perito Mereno glacier might drive me mad. But actually it was great fun. Located in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina this is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. And its huge t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Santa-Cruz/Los-Glaciares-National-Park-/blog-412653.html To be honest there weren't many lows... apart from the fifth day when I had a slight sense of humour failure but more on that laterFrom the little I'd seen of Patagonia the scenery was stunning and the drive from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park was no different distant snow capped peaks Guanaco lowland wild Llamas munching on grass by the roadside flamingos wading at the wa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Torres-del-Paine/blog-408258.html In the end we had 4 days of landings on the Antarctic Peninsular and islands our very first landing at Neko Harbour had been amazing simply because wow we're standing on Antarctica But for me the highlight of the trip was the time we spent cruising icebergs in the zodiacs and our very last landing at Dorian Bay. The iceberg cruise was the second tour we'd done in the zodiacs. I'd found the f http://www.travelblog.org/Antarctica/Antarctica/blog-406596.html The plan was to write just one blog on Antarctica at least it was until I started looking at my photos. OK so there's probably only so many ice and penguin photo's you want to see but looking at them again months after the trip has reminded me that it's still the most amazing thing I've ever done. So here goes blog 2 out of 3I woke up early on our second day at the peninsular the breakfast ca http://www.travelblog.org/Antarctica/Antarctica/blog-406171.html