peterleigh

We had a chilled time in Colonia, wandering around the cobbled streets, soaking up the Uruguayan sun and eating plenty in attractive restaurants and cafes which line the streets (of course including "helado artesan" - homemade ice cream)! On the slow boat back to Buenos Aires we had a fantastic lightening display. The fact we were sitting in a huge tin can was perhaps not the most comforting of ideas, but we enjoyed the show without getting fried! What came next was perhaps the scariest 20 minutes of the whole trip...we were moving hostels in BA (due to a variety of reasons) and had found the street where the next hostel was, only to see that all the doors were closed, and there was no sign of 'Che Telmo Guesthouse'. It was late at night and ... read more

On the bus to El Calafate we managed to pass through 3 police passport checks (more than Peru and Bolivia together). This can take anything upto half an hour depending on the ability of the particular police officer being able to find your name on the bus register. El Calafate itself is a bit like Keswick, but the star attraction is the Perito Moreno glacier, whilch performed quite well by spitting off a nice chunk of ice into the lake. Watching it do this is very satisfying as even a small lump makes a very big crash! From El Calafate we went to El Chalten, the supposed trekking capital of Argentina. We felt particularly underdressed, with our scruffy little rucksacks (a mere 12 l) and lack of trekking poles/soft shells/ LEGGINGS (!), but just about managed ... read more

We thought we were bus veterans. We´ve been on Cruz del Sur in Peru complete with bus attendant, toilet and meals. We´ve been on buses packed with overdressed locals across a pass at 4800 m watching Dances with Wolves in Spanish. We´ve been on Bolivian buses sellotaped together which pick their own way through the rocky desert whilst new patches of road are built. For days we´ve been dreading our 18 hour journey from Salta to Mendoza. We picked Flechabus especially because they looked new and had suspension so were disappointed whenthey palmed us off on the mystery company Ándesmar´. Now this Andesmar is no National Express. Oh no. Its far far superior. We´re talking (almost) full Cama, bus attendant, meals toilet. This sounds like Cruz del Sur in Peru? Wait until I tell you they ... read more

So we had a pretty uneventful border crossing into Bolivia, and Bolivia turns out to be the kind of place that doesn´t even have a sign saying ´Welcome to Bolivia´. Our first stop was Cobacabana, which is on Lake Titicaca and quite a nice little town. However, our first Bolivian stop was marred by the lack of cash machine, meaning we had 26 quid to last us! This wouldn´t be so bad, except we did the tourist thing in Cobacabana and visited Isla del Sol (the birth place of the Inka Gods I think) which had fantastic views of the lake, but where all the locals made us buy tickets to walk across their island. Anyway, we found our emergency euro´s and dollars so resolved our money problems and jumped on a bus to La Paz. ... read more

Our trek started with a very early morning and a cold shower (just in the hostal) then a spectacular drive to the trail head with Mark the Texan, our guide Fredy and our two cooks. Although the last two hours were rather hairy on a very narrow road and a big drop down to the bottom of the valley. The first part of the trail was easy, just a gentle up. The steep up that followed was a whole different kettle of fish, especially with altitude and lack of fitness induced by a dissertation. We had lunch and stopped for the day in a sheltered valley which turned out to be our campsite. We had amazing views of Salkantay mountain which is really close, really high and covered in glaciers. Just looking at it makes you ... read more