Photos to Follow

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This is my 5 month sabbatical. No office. No timesheets. No email.

I will arrive in Buenos Aires on Feb 13th and head south to Tierra Del Fuego. On 24th Feb I sail from Ushuaia for Elephant Island, Antarctica and back via South Georgia, covering Shackleton's route in 1916. Hoping for penguins, icebergs, glaciers and natural grandeur, but most of all for a reasonably steady crossing, After Antarctica I plan to spend some time trekking in Southern Patagonia. I will travel north through Argentina, mainly keeping The Andes on the left. Stopping in Bariloche for more trekking, lakes and chocolate. Next heading to Mendoza for vineyards and cycling tours. Heading North to Salta, for colonial splendour, epic scenery and folk music (?!). Into Bolivia via Chile and the Atacama Desert to Uyuni and the Salt Flats on the Alto Plano. Walking in the Central Highlands around Sucre. Onto La Paz, Inca trails and dangerous (but on the plus side downhill) roads. On into Peru via Lake Titicaca. Until recently Peru was the country I'd pass through to get to Ecuador. Given time and the sufficient encouragement my plans for Peru may expand.... Come what may on into Ecuador for Cotopaxi, which first set me thinking about this trip. ( If the trip has a goal it is reach the summit of Cotopaxi). Meet up with friends. Go to Cuenca - more colonial splendour (more folk music?). Onto Galapagos for the evolution of the species (so much easier just to pop down Down House), before finishing on the beach in Colombia. Finally back home and probably very much in need of a holiday.

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