http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/steve-and-viks-fantastic-travels/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from steve and viks fantastic travels en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:00:56 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:00:56 +0000 Steves grubbingsThe city of Cordoba its grand old churches residing over a city full of all the trappings of a modern working metropolis coffee shops icecream bars homeless people... and lots of McDonalds. We soon escaped the city setting off for the hills first came a day trip to Alta Gracia. The childhood home of the great Che Guevara and oddly once visited by JFK. Ches former home is no http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-449209.html Vik's bitIguau a spectacular mass of overwhelmingly beautiful waterfalls apparently created by a God in a rage after his betrothed took off with some other bloke in a canoe. Pretty furius the God spliced the river in half condemning them to fall forever. Or something like that. We entered first on the Brazilian side where the 275 separate falls combine into one seeming whole of thunderin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Corrientes/Mercedes/blog-449202.html Steve's wordsAnother great border crossing into Paraguay the locals just catch the boat non locals catch a series of local buses to a bridge with big rusty holes in it then wade through some mud dodge our way past hundreds of people exchanging money passport stamped then onto a tiny bus with far too many people on and we're in. Asuncion the capital of Paraguay the words of the lonely plan http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Paraguay/Ciudad-del-Este/blog-445306.html Vik's bitI have never seen so many cows. They're everywhere. Wandering the Argentinian streets chilling in the plazas packing out the fields. Slightly reminiscent of India in terms of sharing the roads but unlike India they are only sacred here once they land on the plate. Beef and some gloopy carameltype sauce they call 'Dulce de Leche' both seem to whip up unprecedented amounts of http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Salta/blog-439731.html Steves mumblingsInto Sucre hotly persued by Jon and Alex the amiable Aussies. A super white city crammed full of colonialmezito architecture grand plaza and impressive array of churches. The Andean indigenous folk make a return bowler hats massive skirts... and a bit of attitude. The smell of meat on stick and small shops packed full of ramdon stuff. Hot showers... heated by gas A m http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Tarija-Department/Tarija/blog-436765.html From VikAnd so into the land of just about 'the highest' everything...highest capital city highest noncapital city highest football stadium highest other stadiums highest vineyards highest volcanoes highest animals on volcanoes and so the list goes on as you can start to imagine. But would you believe it Ian Shell NOT the highest largest navigable lake. Allegedly there are other m http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-430284.html The Steve bit.Landing in Santiago Chile was one of our more simple arrivals. Chile presented itself as a wellorganised and clean country and then we found out how much accommodation costs So one night then on the bus we set off into the Atacama desert 30hrs of vast mountain ranges of desert and every now and then a cactus to look at. Chilean cuisine seems mostly centred around the Hot Dog http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/blog-420078.html ian's bitWe were high as kites for well over two weeks. So high at first that my head spun I was breathless and was forced to lie down. We all agreed over one of our many three course breakfasts that this was as high as we'd ever been. And as Vik approached and then passed her 30th birthday I know at her age. But then you kind of get used to the altitude and don't really notice it. Although http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/blog-415739.html Viks versionAnd so we made our flight. Only just. And our final few hours in SE Asia were a little less calm than anticipated a hasty Pad Thai as we motored through the streets of Bangkok in the midday heat and no time for a farewell Chang just a rapid dash for the airport. And then the problems really started. Our delight at arriving at the checkin desk soon subsided when the exceptional http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-410241.html Vik's bitSo the compulsory border shananigans particularly enjoyable when you're surfacing from yet another overnight bus journey and we arrived bright as buttons in what must certainly be the quietest capital in the world Vientiane. So much so that by Day 3 Steve and I were beginning to wonder if there had been a military coup and we had missed it. But as there seemed no immediate t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-400691.html Steve's rumblingsOur arrival in Phnom Penh was full of mixed feelings having recently read 'First they Killed my Father' good tip Bickford the dark empty streets seemed ominous. However this may have been due to really poor street lighting and the new year which is celebrated here by going home for which most people head for the countryside perhaps one of the remnants of the Khmer Rouge er http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-393413.html Vik's accountAnd if you know you're history it's enough to make your heart go wohohohoh...Tell me ma me ma we don't want know tea no tea we're going to Wembley... We tried to spot you on the tele Ian Steve was certain you would have backcombed your hair and dyed it black for the occassion Maybe for the final Anyway... We continued to plunge southward through Vietnam via what tur http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-392587.html From Steve We arrived on a night boat 60 people crammed onto effectivley two very long beds then bounced around on fairly rough seas for 9hrs...another great form of transport. Ko Tao was an island of two halves seperated by an almost vertical 300 mtr hill. On the one side quiet empty bays with palm trees and crystal clear water on the other Blackpool in the sun...kiss me quick hats and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-386923.html From VikThree countries and Steve is almost through yet another beard cycle since we last typed. Our arrival in Singapore was like consuming a postIndia recovery drink everything went so swimmingly it was a bit like being part of some hugely efficient virtual world. We spent two days lurching from one airconditioned shopping mall to the next with the highlight undoubtedly being the fabulous http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Sok-NP/blog-381628.html Steve's bitIt turns out india is not great for internet cafes We decided to stay in the Himalaya for 9 days it was so restful. The air was clean often cold when the wind blew from the moutains or warm from the plains. The skies were full of birds of prey the higher we went the larger they were. The days seem to fly by mostly filled with walks and momos. My beard grew until in a blinding moment http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-377202.html Vik'sOur move to Amritsar took us out of Rajasthan and into the state of Punjab the dusty browns became fertile greens and the waterways flowed rather than stagnated. With this as our introduction it came as something of a surprise when we exited the railway station Steve's technique for avoiding the army of awaiting rickshaw drivers to take us to best hotel is really developing into somethi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Mcleod-Ganj/blog-370610.html From VikI can confirm that following several bus journeys now the train is most certainly a superior mode of transport here. The overnight bus to Jodhpur was a shaky experience to say the least. No snorers not that we would have heard them behind our perspex wall in the roof of the bus but the time in hours that we spent with our entire bodies lifted from the floor matches roughly the time http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Bikaner/blog-368696.html The overnight train from Delhi was fun one man in the opposite bunk managed to impersonate a mating water buffalo all night whilst appearing to be asleep...which was nice. Last few days have been much more peaceful Udaipur is far less hectic the open sewage system seems to work much better so less bad smells and more pleasant aromas fill the air. The trees are full of life palm squirrels ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Udaipur/blog-366281.html Vik's version Said goodbye to the freezing fog and the relative calm of the UK and journeyed south to arrive in the hazy smog and utter chaos of Delhi.I was quite sure that a previous trip here would have left me more travel savvy do people actually use that word and robust but I don't think anything actually prepares you even a hint of familarity for the onslaught.Even when you come wi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/blog-365019.html