After departing the Navimag in Puerto Natales in the eraly afternoon, we stopped in for a quick lunch with Chuck and Malcolm, 2 of the other motorcyclists we had met on the boat, then it was straight on to Punta Arenas. We had decided to head to Ushuaia for Xmas, which meant that we would return to Puerto Natales later to do some hiking at Torres del Paine. This meant we had a few days spare so we decided to visit some of the sights around Punta Arenas on our way down South.
The wind was bitter on the way down and made riding interesting despite the good roads. After asking at a few of the cheaper hotels in town and finding them all full, we settled on a slightly more expensive place and got comfortable.
The next day we both jumped on Dot and went for a spin down to Fuerte Bulnes and Puerto Humbre. The scenery was beautiful down along the coast and we were relishing being in the cooler weather. We saw a few sea lions on a rock on the way down as well. The fort itself was interesting. It has been partly restored to show what it would have been like. Puerto Humbre is a small settlement that was created in the 1500´s, but the settlers starved because the land was no god for growing crops hence the name, Port Hunger. Now there is very little left except a few stones from the ruins and a monument... with looks strangely like a stone picnic table... interesting.
The next day we packed our gear again, but headed first to Seno Otway where there is a small Magallenic Penguin colony. You had to stay on a boarwalk, but could still get incredibly close to the penguins who were very used to the tourists by now. It seemed stange to me to see the penguins waddling around on the grassy peninsular with theirnests in burrows down in the dirt. There were even some rabbits in amongst them. There were quite a few ¨babies¨that were almost the size of their parents by now, but with a brown and white, fluffy coat as opposed to the sleek black and white of the parents.
Once we´d had enough of the penguins it was back on the bikes and to the ferry from Punta Delgarda to Bahia Azul (on Tierra del Fuego). We arrived to the ferry cold and tired from the relentless wind and the occassional rain shower and were treated to the roughest boat ride I´ve ever been on, made worse by the fact that we had to try to ride our bike around to the other side of the boat while it was moving. We stood there for the rest of the ride clinging to the bikes for fear of them falling over while the ferry soared then crashed down the waves and got sprayed with water as the sea came almost over the top of the front of the ferry. Once we arrived on the other side we headed for the nearest town (Cerro Sombrero), which was little more than a mining community and booked into the only hostel for the night.
The following day saw a long ride on gravel road with high winds and our first border crossing in the Argentinian section of Tierra del Fuego. All went smoothly and we rode most of the day and finally set up camp at an incredibly scenic campsite on Lago Fagnano near Tolhuin.
We woke the next day to relatively calm conditions and set of for the final 100km to Ushuaia... and what a ride it was!! The most scenic I have ever experienced... the beautiful lakes, mountains with patches of snow on the peaks, then a line where the thick forest started and ran right down to the road... stunning! We arrived in Ushuaia on the 22nd and decided, since we were going to be camping for Xmas, we´d splash out and stay in a nice hostel for our first night.
Ushuaia itself was larger than we expected and quite touristy. I guess this should be expected since it is the departure point for all the high priced cruise ships to Antartica. It sits on the beagle channel and is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The weather, however was something else! You could literally have 4 seasons in 1 hour, not 1 day. When it wasn´t windy or raining or hailing or snowing and the sun was out it was nice and warm, but that could all changed in minutes.
After our night of luxury we headed down to Camping Rio Pipo, just a few km´s from the center of town and the meetup spot for motorcycle travellers from around the world. We arrived to find that this was luxury camping... a huge fully equipped kitchen, heated common room, bar, computers with internet... the only reason to go outside was to go to bed (or go check out someone´s motorbike).
We met many other motorcyclers. Surprisingly most were German or Swiss, but there were Americans, Singaporeans, and Italians thrown into the mix. Chuck, our Texan motorcyclist friend from the Navimag also joined us for a German feast with gluwine and all on Xmas eve (that is when the Europeans tend to celbrate Xmas)!! Thanks to all those who were there for a fantastic time! Sara, myself and Chuck also whipped up a BBQ on Xmas day, just for a little taste of home... yummo!
After 3 or so days of lazing around and eating far too much (as you should round Xmas) we decided that a little exercise was in order, so on boxing day, Sara and I headed up the back of Ushuaia and hiked up to the Martial Glacier. The glacier itself wasn´t much to look at as it was covered in snow and up behind some unwalkable rocks, but we greatly enjoyed the walk up allongside the river in the forest and then mucking around in the patches of Snow (including SM´s 1st EVER snowman). The view was also absolutely spectacular when the clouds cleared long enough, back down over Ushuaia and the beagle Channel. It rained most of the way up and even hailed lightly on our way down, but it could not dampen our spirits.
That evening we joined a couple of other bikers in the ride to the National Park and the end of ruta 3. It is obligatory that any motorcyclist visiting Ushuaia make this journey to take a photo at the iconic sign at the end of the road. It was also a beautiful ride and we left feeling like we´d have liked to stay and do some trekking in the park. Our ride back though was the coldest I could remember being and on the way it actually snowed! Yes... that´s right, Sara and I can actually say we have ridden through snow now.
The next day we decided to set off once again and head back to Puerto Natales so that we could do some trekking, so we began 2 days of solid riding. The first morning we were both the COLDEST we had ever been (yes, even colder than the evening before!), the wind and rain combining to make us absolutely freeze. My riding gloves, which allow my hands to get cold in winter in Brisbane, were proving to be of virtually no use against the cold and I practically had to pry my fingers off the handlebars after the first couple of hours when we stopped in Rio Grande. I had visions of us packing it in there for the night, but we pushed on and the afternoon afforded us much better conditions. It was amazing the difference when the sun is out and your riding predominantly with the wind!!!
Anyway, 2 days on and we´re in Puerto Natales and gearing up for the hike at Torres del Paine.
We hope everyone had a fantastic Xmas and gets ridiculously messy for New Years!!!
CIAO!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Feliz Navimag!
So... from Puerto Montt it was onto the Navimag ferry for a little bit o´ trip accelleration down to Puerto Natales. We arrived to find another motorcyclist, Chuck, already preparing to board and he kindly shared his knowledge of the checking in and boarding procedure etc for the bikes. Then it was a quick lunch and back to the boat to board ourselves in the afternoon.
The trip down was absolutely beautiful... the scenery, the people, the chance to sit back for 3 days and not think about where to go next, where to stay, what to eat or anything....
The scenery was AMAZING!! The boat twisted down through fjords and small channels, sometimes with only a few meters clearance on either side of the ship. There were snow capped mountains and waterfalls literally running into the sea. The vegetation incredibly thick, then thinning as we headed further South and the climax when the ship detoured to the Pio XI glacier, the biggest in South America (the face is 5km across and 90m high) and one of the few still advancing. We also saw whales (or at least the spurts from their blowholes), dolphins (the black & white ones) and plenty of seabirds.
We met a few other motorcyclists, a bunch of Aussies 4x4 ing it around Sth America and plenty of others. Notable was one English guy, Rich, that we sat with for a few rounds of Uno. It turns out he has some friends from Brisbane and has been there before. Imagine our surprise when we asked him their names and he came out with Anthony Burke, Damo Ricketts and a few others!! Small world!
The trip ended with a p..a..r..tay!! which consisted of a game of bingo and pletny of boozed dancing to all the classic 80´s tunes like ¨Summer of 69¨... some great photos from that one!
cheers all!
The trip down was absolutely beautiful... the scenery, the people, the chance to sit back for 3 days and not think about where to go next, where to stay, what to eat or anything....
The scenery was AMAZING!! The boat twisted down through fjords and small channels, sometimes with only a few meters clearance on either side of the ship. There were snow capped mountains and waterfalls literally running into the sea. The vegetation incredibly thick, then thinning as we headed further South and the climax when the ship detoured to the Pio XI glacier, the biggest in South America (the face is 5km across and 90m high) and one of the few still advancing. We also saw whales (or at least the spurts from their blowholes), dolphins (the black & white ones) and plenty of seabirds.
We met a few other motorcyclists, a bunch of Aussies 4x4 ing it around Sth America and plenty of others. Notable was one English guy, Rich, that we sat with for a few rounds of Uno. It turns out he has some friends from Brisbane and has been there before. Imagine our surprise when we asked him their names and he came out with Anthony Burke, Damo Ricketts and a few others!! Small world!
The trip ended with a p..a..r..tay!! which consisted of a game of bingo and pletny of boozed dancing to all the classic 80´s tunes like ¨Summer of 69¨... some great photos from that one!
cheers all!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
¨Now we´ve come... to the end of the road...¨
So, after a full day´s riding from Pucon, burning down some highway with the only real break being the 15min ferry ride from Pargua to Chacao (on which we saw penguins and sea lions!), we finally arrived in Castro on the Chilean island of Chiloé.
First impressions were that Chiloé is one of the nicest places we´ve visited... not the most spectacular, not the most exciting, but definitely the nicest. An island of rolling hills, fields full of yellow, white or purple wildflowers, beautiful blue lakes, fat & happy cows and sheep lying around in fields of daisies and small towns on the waters edge. We had read that on the island, if it wasn´t raining, it was drisling or spitting and we were looking forward to a few days in a misty seaside town in the cold after the heat and riding we´d been doing, but... no such luck... where we go, so does the sunshine, the dryness and the heat. Blue skies abounded with the only clouds being the clouds of smoke rising from the several bushfires on the island.
We stayed in a hostel with a deck and view of the water in Castro, the capital of Chiloé for the first 3 nights while we explored the island a little. It was the first chance we´d had to ditch the gear off the bikes and take them for a spin just for fun rather than out of the need to arrive somewhere.
Our first day we headed to the end of the longest highway in the world, the panamericana (Ruta 5) which runs from Alaska to the South of Chile and ends in a town called Quellón on Chiloé. Quellón was not much to look at, so after the obligatory photos of the plaque and monument and the more recognisable ¨Fin de Pavimento¨sign, plus a brief rendition of Boys II Men´s ¨End of the Road¨ on my behalf, we grabbed an ever reliable completo (hot dog with tomato, avocado and mayo) for lunch and headed back.
The following day we went for a spin to the National Reserve which lies on the Western side of Chiloé near Cucao. We wandered through the swampy and beachy scrub, which reminded me a little of home, all the while on high alert for the ever dangerous cow-snake or chicken-snake. (There are some mythological creatures which some people in Chiloé supposedly still believe in and there were some pictures of them at our hostel... I was well amused by the picture of the cow-snake with the head and front legs of a cow and the tail of a snake and the chicken-snake with the body of a snake and the head of a chicken.... ¨oooo don´t peck me mister chicken-snake.... lol!¨) Unfortunately all we saw on our walk was some cow-cows (half cow and, you guessed it, half cow) and some horse-horses. We did, however, enjoy some lunch on possibly the nicest beach we´d seen yet and then wander around lost for a while before making our way back home.
After resting up, we then packed up and headed North, with a brief stopover in the lovely town of Quemchi for some super tasty empanadas then on to Ancud in the North of the island where we set up camp in the most beautiful spot yet, on a bluff on the edge of the sea. That night also aforded us the most amazing view when the full (or near full) moon rose up in BRIGHT red just over the water with the reflection creating a red path on the water seemingly to the moon itslef. As it rose above the dust and smoke the colour faded from red to orange to yellow and eventually white, but still absolutely spectacular.
On our final morning we woke to the most amazing layer of mist (YAY!) over the entire area and after a slow morning we jumped on the bikes back to Puerto Montt where I sit now. In a couple of hours time we´ll be boarding the Navimag (a cargo ship come ferry) to Puerto Natales in Southern Patagonia. Our bikes are loaded, our bags are checked in, I have some seasickness tablets and we´re ready to go!!
catch you all on the other side.
Nick
PS - when I get on a better internet connection I´ll chuck up more photos, otherwise I´ve put links from this page (on the right) to our facebook albums.
First impressions were that Chiloé is one of the nicest places we´ve visited... not the most spectacular, not the most exciting, but definitely the nicest. An island of rolling hills, fields full of yellow, white or purple wildflowers, beautiful blue lakes, fat & happy cows and sheep lying around in fields of daisies and small towns on the waters edge. We had read that on the island, if it wasn´t raining, it was drisling or spitting and we were looking forward to a few days in a misty seaside town in the cold after the heat and riding we´d been doing, but... no such luck... where we go, so does the sunshine, the dryness and the heat. Blue skies abounded with the only clouds being the clouds of smoke rising from the several bushfires on the island.
We stayed in a hostel with a deck and view of the water in Castro, the capital of Chiloé for the first 3 nights while we explored the island a little. It was the first chance we´d had to ditch the gear off the bikes and take them for a spin just for fun rather than out of the need to arrive somewhere.
Our first day we headed to the end of the longest highway in the world, the panamericana (Ruta 5) which runs from Alaska to the South of Chile and ends in a town called Quellón on Chiloé. Quellón was not much to look at, so after the obligatory photos of the plaque and monument and the more recognisable ¨Fin de Pavimento¨sign, plus a brief rendition of Boys II Men´s ¨End of the Road¨ on my behalf, we grabbed an ever reliable completo (hot dog with tomato, avocado and mayo) for lunch and headed back.
The following day we went for a spin to the National Reserve which lies on the Western side of Chiloé near Cucao. We wandered through the swampy and beachy scrub, which reminded me a little of home, all the while on high alert for the ever dangerous cow-snake or chicken-snake. (There are some mythological creatures which some people in Chiloé supposedly still believe in and there were some pictures of them at our hostel... I was well amused by the picture of the cow-snake with the head and front legs of a cow and the tail of a snake and the chicken-snake with the body of a snake and the head of a chicken.... ¨oooo don´t peck me mister chicken-snake.... lol!¨) Unfortunately all we saw on our walk was some cow-cows (half cow and, you guessed it, half cow) and some horse-horses. We did, however, enjoy some lunch on possibly the nicest beach we´d seen yet and then wander around lost for a while before making our way back home.
After resting up, we then packed up and headed North, with a brief stopover in the lovely town of Quemchi for some super tasty empanadas then on to Ancud in the North of the island where we set up camp in the most beautiful spot yet, on a bluff on the edge of the sea. That night also aforded us the most amazing view when the full (or near full) moon rose up in BRIGHT red just over the water with the reflection creating a red path on the water seemingly to the moon itslef. As it rose above the dust and smoke the colour faded from red to orange to yellow and eventually white, but still absolutely spectacular.
On our final morning we woke to the most amazing layer of mist (YAY!) over the entire area and after a slow morning we jumped on the bikes back to Puerto Montt where I sit now. In a couple of hours time we´ll be boarding the Navimag (a cargo ship come ferry) to Puerto Natales in Southern Patagonia. Our bikes are loaded, our bags are checked in, I have some seasickness tablets and we´re ready to go!!
catch you all on the other side.
Nick
PS - when I get on a better internet connection I´ll chuck up more photos, otherwise I´ve put links from this page (on the right) to our facebook albums.
Pucon
After Concepcion we headed inland to Pucon! A very touristy little town it happened to be! Why!??!?! Why all the tourists?!?!??! Cause we all go to Pucon to climb climb climb the volcano! And its not just any volcano...its Volcan Villarrica...and its an ACTIVE volcano!!!! Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :-D
The volcano dominates the landscape for miles around with its perfectly connical form, snowcapped top, and billowing clouds of gas emanating from the crater. And our excitement about the climb grew with each trip outside - because each time you stepped foot outside you were met with a perfect backdrop of smoking volcano against blue skies.
We were up and out early the morning of our climb! And headed striaght to the tourst office to get our kitted up for the climb! The gear we got was so AWESOME! Big steel snow boots, gators, ice picks, crampons, anoraks, snow pants and - most importantly - a plastic butt protector (the reason for which will become apparent a lil farther down the page!)! We hadnt even left the tourist office and I was already happy snapping!
It was a overcast day, with low heavy clouds, and I was a wee bit worried that our climb be cancelled. It wasnt though, (!yay!) and not far into the drive toward the base of the volcano, we drove right on through the clouds and were met with beautiful clear skies and bright sunshine.
Volcan Villarrica is 2847m high. It took Nick and I 3.5 hours to make it to the top. And it was hard going! Snow over a foot deep in some parts, slippery ice in others and butt-burning steep the whole way. I made a mental note on the journey to send a big thankyou to the 50 or so tourists who left their snow steps for me to use. Another big thankyou should also go to the god of the ice pick which saved me from a quick unplanned descent at least a couple of times!
The top of the volcano is a narrow rim of about 300 metres diameter. We stand at the top and look down into the crater. The smell of sulphur is overpowering and you can hear the hissing of the steam released on the wind - it all makes the volcano seem very very alive. A little too alive. You cant see the lava but you can feel it. And the steep drop into the crater is more than enough to make you a little tense and I take an extra safety step back!
The wind up the top was icy. A short lunch stop, a quick walk around, some more happy snaps, and it was time to head back down. YAY! YAY! YAY! And it sounds strange, but going down the volcano was definitely the highlight of the day! BECAUSE after climbing all the way up!up!up! you get to slide all the way down!down!down! to the bottom of the volcano ON YOUR BOTTOM! Haha!
And oh my word it was awesome awesome awesome! So much fun! There are ice troughs that lead all the way down the Volcano! And you put on all your gear, tie on your butt protector, hold your ice pick as keel and brake, and send yourself down the biggest best icy slide in the world! I laughed almost the whole way! Nick shot off like a rocket and got up so much speed he even did a 360 at one point! He had some serious ice slide techinque going on! And Im not sure, but I do think I could hear the faint sound of his voice on the wind "row, row, row the snow".....Haha! 3.5hours up. 30 minutes down. Best fun ever! Smiles all round! Hello happy tourists!
xS
The volcano dominates the landscape for miles around with its perfectly connical form, snowcapped top, and billowing clouds of gas emanating from the crater. And our excitement about the climb grew with each trip outside - because each time you stepped foot outside you were met with a perfect backdrop of smoking volcano against blue skies.
We were up and out early the morning of our climb! And headed striaght to the tourst office to get our kitted up for the climb! The gear we got was so AWESOME! Big steel snow boots, gators, ice picks, crampons, anoraks, snow pants and - most importantly - a plastic butt protector (the reason for which will become apparent a lil farther down the page!)! We hadnt even left the tourist office and I was already happy snapping!
It was a overcast day, with low heavy clouds, and I was a wee bit worried that our climb be cancelled. It wasnt though, (!yay!) and not far into the drive toward the base of the volcano, we drove right on through the clouds and were met with beautiful clear skies and bright sunshine.
Volcan Villarrica is 2847m high. It took Nick and I 3.5 hours to make it to the top. And it was hard going! Snow over a foot deep in some parts, slippery ice in others and butt-burning steep the whole way. I made a mental note on the journey to send a big thankyou to the 50 or so tourists who left their snow steps for me to use. Another big thankyou should also go to the god of the ice pick which saved me from a quick unplanned descent at least a couple of times!
The top of the volcano is a narrow rim of about 300 metres diameter. We stand at the top and look down into the crater. The smell of sulphur is overpowering and you can hear the hissing of the steam released on the wind - it all makes the volcano seem very very alive. A little too alive. You cant see the lava but you can feel it. And the steep drop into the crater is more than enough to make you a little tense and I take an extra safety step back!
The wind up the top was icy. A short lunch stop, a quick walk around, some more happy snaps, and it was time to head back down. YAY! YAY! YAY! And it sounds strange, but going down the volcano was definitely the highlight of the day! BECAUSE after climbing all the way up!up!up! you get to slide all the way down!down!down! to the bottom of the volcano ON YOUR BOTTOM! Haha!
And oh my word it was awesome awesome awesome! So much fun! There are ice troughs that lead all the way down the Volcano! And you put on all your gear, tie on your butt protector, hold your ice pick as keel and brake, and send yourself down the biggest best icy slide in the world! I laughed almost the whole way! Nick shot off like a rocket and got up so much speed he even did a 360 at one point! He had some serious ice slide techinque going on! And Im not sure, but I do think I could hear the faint sound of his voice on the wind "row, row, row the snow".....Haha! 3.5hours up. 30 minutes down. Best fun ever! Smiles all round! Hello happy tourists!
xS
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Way We Ride
The Set Up
Once we have decided on the route, its all Nick! Nick checks out the map, memorises our route, I nod and smile and say ta, and off we go...destination ahoy! Nick rides lead, I follow. Generally, its leader a bit to the left, follower a bit to the right - but not always. When we have a riding day, we have been riding for the entire day - starting around 10am and continuing until 6-7pm. And yes, its a long and tiring day! Our longest day so far was the 505km fwe rode in one day, from Pucon to Castro!
After a high five or a smooch or a ´vamos´(Spanish for ´lets go!´) when we first set out, we often dont talk during the day unless we stop at a service station or the occassional set of lights or if we pull over to discuss a decision we need to make. We stop for lunch around 2pm - a hotdog or something quick and easy - and off we go again! We always wear gloves, jacket, helmet - even if its only 100m we are riding, we always kit up! I also wear my riding pants - a hot!hot!hot! (but extremely safe! yay!) look :-D
The Highway and Roads
Chilean roads have been of a good quality....so far...so good! Ruta 5 - the main highway gets you far, and gets you far, fast! The speed limit is 120km-hr. We always ride at 100km/hr. Both our bikes (and me!) do indeed like this speed! Tis quite umbelievable though, the speed and the frequency with which we are overtaken - one lane, two lanes, oncoming traffic, it doesnt matter, the Chileans love to drive and drive fast!!
Whilst the roads have been of a consistently good quality, the road signs have definitely left quite a deal to be desired. It has been a constant source of amusement, bemusement and frustration.....when your destination suddenly disappears off of road signs, or when the road signs that you are following just suddenly...stop! We have followed road signs to the letter many a time, only to end up heading exactly the opposite direction required or to end up at a t-junction and just had to pick which way to turn! Oh the frustration of it all!
The Best Bits
Off Ruta 5, the roads have been BEAUTIFUL! We have ridden through wine country, over rolling hills of green grass, beside patchwork pastures, along cliffsides and through tall conifer tunnels and between rows of wild flowers! We have ridden next to rushing rivers, still lakes and beaches! Ahhh the countryside and the way it changes is always so impressive. The further south we head - the more green and colourful it gets! Under bright blue skies and under grey skies it is just delifhtful! Riding into Pucon, Volcan Villarrica perfectly positioned at the end of the road was certainly a highlight! So too, the big hairy spiders we passed on the road to Constitution! And we cant forget the big fat happy cows in the fields of bright yellow daisies we have passed!
The Suprises
For me, the most suprising thing thus far, has been the smells encountered on a ride. The smell of the flowers and the forests and the beach and the towns as you pass - the smells are always so unexpected and always so unique! The most best and most suprising (it gives me a bit of a homesick pang everytime!) is the smell of the Eucalypt forests that we ride alongside reasonably frequently over here!
The other thing I do love is the birds that have come to race alongside and in between us. They weave and duck occassionally in between Nick´s bike and my bike - just for 10 seconds or so - just a quick hello! - and then off they fly again! Ahhh its so fun to be a part of!
Chileans
Outside of the big towns, our bikes definitely attract attention! Heads turn, eyes stare, waves are offered, and even the odd person comes to talk to us! We are pretty damn cool over here it seems! Hehe! Concerned hostel owners have organised for us the part our bikes inside of stationary stores and police officers have helped us find accomodation and new friends have given us tours of their cities!
...And this is just week two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xSarax
Once we have decided on the route, its all Nick! Nick checks out the map, memorises our route, I nod and smile and say ta, and off we go...destination ahoy! Nick rides lead, I follow. Generally, its leader a bit to the left, follower a bit to the right - but not always. When we have a riding day, we have been riding for the entire day - starting around 10am and continuing until 6-7pm. And yes, its a long and tiring day! Our longest day so far was the 505km fwe rode in one day, from Pucon to Castro!
After a high five or a smooch or a ´vamos´(Spanish for ´lets go!´) when we first set out, we often dont talk during the day unless we stop at a service station or the occassional set of lights or if we pull over to discuss a decision we need to make. We stop for lunch around 2pm - a hotdog or something quick and easy - and off we go again! We always wear gloves, jacket, helmet - even if its only 100m we are riding, we always kit up! I also wear my riding pants - a hot!hot!hot! (but extremely safe! yay!) look :-D
The Highway and Roads
Chilean roads have been of a good quality....so far...so good! Ruta 5 - the main highway gets you far, and gets you far, fast! The speed limit is 120km-hr. We always ride at 100km/hr. Both our bikes (and me!) do indeed like this speed! Tis quite umbelievable though, the speed and the frequency with which we are overtaken - one lane, two lanes, oncoming traffic, it doesnt matter, the Chileans love to drive and drive fast!!
Whilst the roads have been of a consistently good quality, the road signs have definitely left quite a deal to be desired. It has been a constant source of amusement, bemusement and frustration.....when your destination suddenly disappears off of road signs, or when the road signs that you are following just suddenly...stop! We have followed road signs to the letter many a time, only to end up heading exactly the opposite direction required or to end up at a t-junction and just had to pick which way to turn! Oh the frustration of it all!
The Best Bits
Off Ruta 5, the roads have been BEAUTIFUL! We have ridden through wine country, over rolling hills of green grass, beside patchwork pastures, along cliffsides and through tall conifer tunnels and between rows of wild flowers! We have ridden next to rushing rivers, still lakes and beaches! Ahhh the countryside and the way it changes is always so impressive. The further south we head - the more green and colourful it gets! Under bright blue skies and under grey skies it is just delifhtful! Riding into Pucon, Volcan Villarrica perfectly positioned at the end of the road was certainly a highlight! So too, the big hairy spiders we passed on the road to Constitution! And we cant forget the big fat happy cows in the fields of bright yellow daisies we have passed!
The Suprises
For me, the most suprising thing thus far, has been the smells encountered on a ride. The smell of the flowers and the forests and the beach and the towns as you pass - the smells are always so unexpected and always so unique! The most best and most suprising (it gives me a bit of a homesick pang everytime!) is the smell of the Eucalypt forests that we ride alongside reasonably frequently over here!
The other thing I do love is the birds that have come to race alongside and in between us. They weave and duck occassionally in between Nick´s bike and my bike - just for 10 seconds or so - just a quick hello! - and then off they fly again! Ahhh its so fun to be a part of!
Chileans
Outside of the big towns, our bikes definitely attract attention! Heads turn, eyes stare, waves are offered, and even the odd person comes to talk to us! We are pretty damn cool over here it seems! Hehe! Concerned hostel owners have organised for us the part our bikes inside of stationary stores and police officers have helped us find accomodation and new friends have given us tours of their cities!
...And this is just week two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xSarax
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Valpo: Take Two
Bike biKes BIKES biKes Bikes! Valpo: Take Two was all about the bikes people! A ship arrived, a container ready for opening....adventure codename: Kawasaki! Haha! :-D Wahoo! And we hit the road - both Doug and Dot starting first go after a wee bit o Dawson-style mechanical & electrical good lovin´! Hahhaaaaa! Oh yeah baby!!!!!! Broom brooooooooooooooooooooooooooom broom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (BeePBeeP BeePBeeP YEAH) :-D
Santiago and onward!
Ok, so getting a while behind on the blogging so I´ll give you a run down of the last couple of weeks fairly quickly to catch up.
We arrived back in Santiago on the 18th Nov and spent until the 30th between there and Valparaiso (my favourite city so far by a long stretch... beautiful), recuperating, exploring Valpo with Vanessa and Oliver, preparing for the bikes arrival, waiting for the bikes arrival, collecting the bikes and preparing them for the journey ahead.
The highlight was definitely the weekend spent with Vanessa and Oliver in Valparaiso. A friend of theirs showed a group of us around the city on the Saturday which was fantastic. Sars is gonna add a bit more detail about the city... and we owe another MASSIVE thank you to V & O for their hospitality!! It was great to see you guys again! And a big thanks to Paula for showing us around Valpo too.
We also need to thank Enzo and Martina from Villa Kunterbunt who helped us with clearing the bikes through customs and everything. They made it so easy and were so hospitable! We loved the BBQ too!!
...so... we set off from Santiago on Sun 30th and not a day too soon. It was fantastic to get out of the big city and after a short stint down the highway we were straight off it and onto some interesting gravel roads up into Reserva Nacional Radal Siete Tazas (7 cups). We camped the night in the most beautiful spot on the edge of the very aptly named Rio Claro (Clear river) in the Conifer forests... so stunningly beautiful. The following day we headed straight for the 7 cups. These are 7 waterfalls between cup like pools of rock... it was amazing! I´ve never seen anything like it (will post the photos soon). After looking from the lookout we decided to follow the walking path until it eventually hit the river. We then scrambled back along the rocks to the base of a magnificent waterfall where the green pool of water sat underneath begging to be swum in... how could we resist... so in we went... for about 0.2 of a second... and out we went from the COLDEST DAMN WATER EVER!!! I swear it´s a miracle there wasn´t a layer of ice on top. Despite the temp we managed a few more dips in... very invigorating! :-)
Once we´d had our fill of the beauty it was on our bikes and into Talca for the night, following an amazing dirt road through the foothills of the Andes and the Pine forests and farming land. We had been recommended a place just outside Talca, so the next day we headed there and had a day of relaxing beside the pool in hammocks and a fantastic bbq dinner with a bottle of Camenére (a local Chilean wine) (check out the hostel here: http://www.trekkingchile.com/Casachueca/indexEN.html)... we felt we needed a break after the rush to get everything ready and to leave Santiago.
Next day was back on the bikes and on to Concepcion... well that was the plan, except I may have been a little confused and followed the signs to Constitución... oops!! But the ride was absolutely stunning and Constitución was a good place for lunch. Then just as we were about to head on our way in the afternoon we met Gabriel and his father James and mother Norma (?!? I think that´s right, have to check). They kindly invited us to their house to check out their motos and then Gabriel and James took us on a tour of their city!! It was fantastic riding along the rocky coastline with the beaches and fishing port and then up to the hills with an amazing view of the mouth of the Rio Maule and Constitución. A MASSIVE thanks to Gabriel and his family for taking the time out to show us gringos around their town!!! We really appreciated it and hope we can return the favour some day.
We managed to make it to Cauquenes for a sleep that night, then it was on to Concepcion the next day where we finally managed to sort out international 3rd party insurance for the bikes for the Mercorsur countries. In the afternoon we rode down the coast to Lota. It was an old mining town and they run tours of one of the old coal mines there. We were both interested to see it... a very different type of coal mining from my experience, however we asked in the morning and they only ran tours in Spanish. We decided that it would be a bit of a waste of time and money for us to attempt the Spanish tour, so back on the bikes and a long haul to Pucon which is where I sit right now.
We arrived last night and are relaxing today and enjoying the tiny town wedged between a beautiful lake and a spectacular snow covered (and smoking) volcano. It is understandable that this is such a tourist spot for Chileans as well as the Gringos. Tomorrow we climb the volcano which we can´t wait to do! There´s also much rafting, horse riding, trekking, canopy tours etc etc to do around here, but we´re on a mission to see Chiloé before next Monday (15th) when we catch the Navimag ferry (i.e. container ship) from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales so we might have to head on soon.
that´s us up to date. Will add more pics soon, otherwise you can check out all the albums so far on Facebook.
ciao for now.
We arrived back in Santiago on the 18th Nov and spent until the 30th between there and Valparaiso (my favourite city so far by a long stretch... beautiful), recuperating, exploring Valpo with Vanessa and Oliver, preparing for the bikes arrival, waiting for the bikes arrival, collecting the bikes and preparing them for the journey ahead.
The highlight was definitely the weekend spent with Vanessa and Oliver in Valparaiso. A friend of theirs showed a group of us around the city on the Saturday which was fantastic. Sars is gonna add a bit more detail about the city... and we owe another MASSIVE thank you to V & O for their hospitality!! It was great to see you guys again! And a big thanks to Paula for showing us around Valpo too.
We also need to thank Enzo and Martina from Villa Kunterbunt who helped us with clearing the bikes through customs and everything. They made it so easy and were so hospitable! We loved the BBQ too!!
...so... we set off from Santiago on Sun 30th and not a day too soon. It was fantastic to get out of the big city and after a short stint down the highway we were straight off it and onto some interesting gravel roads up into Reserva Nacional Radal Siete Tazas (7 cups). We camped the night in the most beautiful spot on the edge of the very aptly named Rio Claro (Clear river) in the Conifer forests... so stunningly beautiful. The following day we headed straight for the 7 cups. These are 7 waterfalls between cup like pools of rock... it was amazing! I´ve never seen anything like it (will post the photos soon). After looking from the lookout we decided to follow the walking path until it eventually hit the river. We then scrambled back along the rocks to the base of a magnificent waterfall where the green pool of water sat underneath begging to be swum in... how could we resist... so in we went... for about 0.2 of a second... and out we went from the COLDEST DAMN WATER EVER!!! I swear it´s a miracle there wasn´t a layer of ice on top. Despite the temp we managed a few more dips in... very invigorating! :-)
Once we´d had our fill of the beauty it was on our bikes and into Talca for the night, following an amazing dirt road through the foothills of the Andes and the Pine forests and farming land. We had been recommended a place just outside Talca, so the next day we headed there and had a day of relaxing beside the pool in hammocks and a fantastic bbq dinner with a bottle of Camenére (a local Chilean wine) (check out the hostel here: http://www.trekkingchile.com/Casachueca/indexEN.html)... we felt we needed a break after the rush to get everything ready and to leave Santiago.
Next day was back on the bikes and on to Concepcion... well that was the plan, except I may have been a little confused and followed the signs to Constitución... oops!! But the ride was absolutely stunning and Constitución was a good place for lunch. Then just as we were about to head on our way in the afternoon we met Gabriel and his father James and mother Norma (?!? I think that´s right, have to check). They kindly invited us to their house to check out their motos and then Gabriel and James took us on a tour of their city!! It was fantastic riding along the rocky coastline with the beaches and fishing port and then up to the hills with an amazing view of the mouth of the Rio Maule and Constitución. A MASSIVE thanks to Gabriel and his family for taking the time out to show us gringos around their town!!! We really appreciated it and hope we can return the favour some day.
We managed to make it to Cauquenes for a sleep that night, then it was on to Concepcion the next day where we finally managed to sort out international 3rd party insurance for the bikes for the Mercorsur countries. In the afternoon we rode down the coast to Lota. It was an old mining town and they run tours of one of the old coal mines there. We were both interested to see it... a very different type of coal mining from my experience, however we asked in the morning and they only ran tours in Spanish. We decided that it would be a bit of a waste of time and money for us to attempt the Spanish tour, so back on the bikes and a long haul to Pucon which is where I sit right now.
We arrived last night and are relaxing today and enjoying the tiny town wedged between a beautiful lake and a spectacular snow covered (and smoking) volcano. It is understandable that this is such a tourist spot for Chileans as well as the Gringos. Tomorrow we climb the volcano which we can´t wait to do! There´s also much rafting, horse riding, trekking, canopy tours etc etc to do around here, but we´re on a mission to see Chiloé before next Monday (15th) when we catch the Navimag ferry (i.e. container ship) from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales so we might have to head on soon.
that´s us up to date. Will add more pics soon, otherwise you can check out all the albums so far on Facebook.
ciao for now.
Valpo: Take One
Ahhhh it was a while ago now....almost two weeks, perhaps more....but the weekend we spent discovering the port of Valparaiso was just beautiful. Vanessa, Oliver, Nick and I arrived late one Friday afternoon, booked into our french hostal, La Bicyclette, and let the weekend begin. Immediately, I was enchanted! Valparaiso is bohemian and vibrant and eclectic! It is a brightly coloured patchwork quilt of messy buildings sewn together on steep hillsides by gorgeous cobblestone streets! Murals dot the walls of every street and exploring the labyrinth of hillside alleyways, under a perfect blue sky, was a delight for the eyes, colourful and energetic!
The first night and the first Valpo bar...A small table, a small bar. The walls displaying local paintings and yellowed sheets of poetry. The lightshades were sheet music. Two students playing guitar and violin. The flavoursome garlic bread. Aaaahhh it was pure entertainment for the senses!
The first night and the first Valpo restaurant....An old table, an old seafood restaurant. And as you sit at the table, and look about, a distinct impression floods over you....the wrinkly waiters, the faded menus, the dusty bottles behind the bar, the suited band members, have all been there, each and every night, since the place opened over 30 years ago.
Ahhhhhh it is so glorious visiting places that feel like they have a heartbeat!
The first night and the first Valpo bar...A small table, a small bar. The walls displaying local paintings and yellowed sheets of poetry. The lightshades were sheet music. Two students playing guitar and violin. The flavoursome garlic bread. Aaaahhh it was pure entertainment for the senses!
The first night and the first Valpo restaurant....An old table, an old seafood restaurant. And as you sit at the table, and look about, a distinct impression floods over you....the wrinkly waiters, the faded menus, the dusty bottles behind the bar, the suited band members, have all been there, each and every night, since the place opened over 30 years ago.
Ahhhhhh it is so glorious visiting places that feel like they have a heartbeat!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
We arrived on the afternoon of the 13th November in San Pedro de Atacama absolutely exhausted from the 2 overnight bus trips and ready to stay in the 1 spot for a few days. We new we had until about the 18th to explore this place before we had to head towards Santiago. What a luxury. We checked straight into a hostel and crashed in the heat of the afternoon. We had decided to splash out and rent a car for the few days we were here, so in the afternoon we headed down to the local place and booked it in for the following day.
We spent a bit of time wandering around this amazing little desert town. It was quite incredible the number of tourists packed into such a small town. Practically every building was a hostal, a tour company or a restaurant. All of the building had 8foot high mud brick walls onto the street and we were soon to learn why when the afternoon winds began to whip up the dust and sand. As a strange contrast to most cities we´d been in, this town seemed to be dominated by cats as opposed to dogs, though there were still plenty of dogs to be found wandering the streets.
Street of San Pedro de AtacamaThe following day, we checked out of the hostel as we had decided with the adition of a set of wheels, that we´d go for a spot of desert camping and stay in a small place about 3km out of town called Pozo 3. We went down and pickup up our Nissan Tarrano ute and headed straight to Pozo 3 to check out the huge swimming pool which was constantly filled by a spring. It could have used a creepy-crawly, but we were far beyond being picky and after setting up our camp (the only one in the whole place) we made good use of the pool.
Pozo 3We then set off to find Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). The valley is part of the Cordillera del Sal (Salt) where the red rock is covered in a layer of white salt crytals, supposedly making it look like the moon... I thought it was more like a red mars personally. The first stop was at the salt caves. These were probably the highlight of our time in S Pedro. Exploring and crawling through the pitch black caves with our torch and then popping out into valleys or above the caves was amazing fun. Next we headed to the 3 Marias. Some impressive rock formations formed by wind erosion, then it was on to climb the great dune to watch the sunset. By the time we reached it the wind had really picked up and was intermittently pelting us with dust and sand... not very nice, but we reached the top and watched the orange sunset behind the mountains. What I found more impressive were the 2 distant volcanoes with small clouds perched on the top of each one... purple in the diminishing light.
Mucking around in the salt caves
The 3 Marias
Sara on the Great Dune and views of the sunset and volcanoes in the dimishing light
We returned to our campsite to find the gates locked, so had to go on a bit of a mission to find a way in, then get the caretaker to come and unlock the gates for the car.
The following day we decided to head South from S. Pedro and check out some of the sights that way. First stop was at a small desert town called Toconao and down into the Valle Jere. It was a small valley with a beautifully clear creek running through it. Fruit farms and a few sheep were crammed down into the valley. It was a bizarre contrast to the sand dunes and salt flats just meters away. We went for a walk up along the creek as far as we could and (I think) got in trouble from a local woman with her sheep for going where we weren't supposed to.
Valle Jere
Next stop was the Laguna Chaxa to see the flamingoes. The laguna was a strange salt lagoon in the middle of the salt flats... I say "flats" however the ground in covered in jagged rocks/salt crystals that makes it anything but flat and would be hellish to walk on without the man made paths. It was interesting to see the flamingoes... wierd birds. There were 3 types here, the Andean, Chilean and the James Flamingoes. We didn't stay too long as it was in the heat of the day and there was no shelter out there.
Flamingoes at Laguna Chaxa
Next on the path was the little town of Socaire where we stopped in the pretty little plaza for some lunch. It was interesting the sudden temperature drop between down on the salt flats and then being slightly higher and catching the cold breeze.
Socaire
Finally we headed on into the mountains and to the 2 lagunas Miscanti and Miniques. These are 2 blue/green salt lagoons nestled high in the mountains with volcanoes perched just behind them. Apparently on a still day they mirror the mountains magnificently. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky, but we were entertained by the regular willy willys or mini tornado like swirls of dust and salt kicked up by the wind on the waters edge.
Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques
Finally it was back into S Pedro to pick up some supplies and off to the campsite to make a bbq dinner. Once our bellies were full we backed the ute out to the clearing and lay in the back to watch the stars and enjoy the clear sky that the desert afforded... 9 shooting stars in a short time.
The next day we had planned to take it easy in the morning and go sandboarding in the arfternoon - see my previous blog for the events of that day. We also had to move campsite as Pozo 3 didn't open on Mondays and hence we couldn't camp for Sunday night so we headed back into town and found a place that allowed camping up the back of the hostel. The following day we also did very little as we decided to have a day of rest to recover from the Previous day.
On the Tuesday, 18th November, we got our buts up at 4 in the morning and headed up to the geysers at El Tatio, which are supposed to be most spectacular just pre-dawn. After a very interesting 2 hr drive on rough roads with limited visibility from mist and dust and following the countless tour buses heading that way, we arrived. It was definitely worth the trip to see the steaming, bubbling geysers and the massively tall plumes of gas rising up into the air.
El Tatio Geysers
Once we'd had enough appreciation of the geysers we headed back to S. Pedro, a short snooze, packed our stuff, took the car back and were ready to jump on the 2pm overnight bus to Santiago.... time to go get our bikes!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Puno, Lake Titicaca and Isla Taquile
After arriving back in Cusco from Aguas Calientes, we decided to waste no time and head to Puno the next time, however this time we thought we'd take a suggestion from the guide book and pay a little extra for a tourist bus that stops at a few sights along the way.
We boarded the bus on the morning of Sunday, 9th Nov for the full day trip. We had stops in: Andahuaylillas to see an amazingly ornate church that the locals take turns to guard with spectacular paintings and a gold & silver sculpture on the wall (can't think of the name for it); Raqchi to see the remains of what they think was an Incan temple; La Raya, the highest pass between the 2 cities; and Pukara in the altiplano to visit a museum with some acient pre-Incan sculptures; before finally reaching Puno on the banks of lake Titicaca.
The Church in Andahuaylillas
The Ruins at Raqchi
What amazed me most about the information that we got from this journey was how little is really known about the Cechua (Incan) society even though it existed only a few hundred years ago, the Spanish and particularly the Catholic church really did a superb job of completely erradicating the culture. Down to the fact that the most ornate catholic churches were placed over the ruins of the most important Cechuan temples. Since then it has been a lot of guess work to try to understand what the culture was really like.
Puno was probably the least attractive of the cities we had visited. Most of the houses were incomplete due to the tax laws. You don't have to pay tax on the building, just the land, if it's still under construction, so everyone leaves their buildings unfinished. It has a very industrial feel and is busy and dirty. We did, however find a cosy pub in the main street and settle in for a few cocktails on our first night.
The next morning we headed down to the port and grabbed ourselves a boat which stopped at the floating Uros Islands and then on to Isla Tequile where we planned to spend a night. We jumped aboard and headed off in a little wooden boat with a couple of charming local guys with their beanies with the extra long point and bobble on the end (nightcap style) and their colourful pouches around their waist to keep their cocoa leaves in, at the helm. They blesssed the voyage with their coca leaves and threw a couple over the side, then proceded to shove large handfuls of them into their mouth to chew. Lake Titicaca is the worlds highest navigable lake at 3812m and the coca leaves are supposed to help with the altitude.
I was supprised at how close the floating reed islands are to Puno. We arrived there and departed on a small island of 5 families. 1 of the guys gave a a short talk about the island which we managed to understand a little of with our limited Spanish and the assistance of another Aussie who has been living in Rio de Janeiro for a few years. Apparently these floating islands exist almost purely for the tourist dollar these days and we had to pay an entrance fee to visit. They also make several craft items to sell to the tourists.
The Floating Reed Islands of the Uros (yes, that's a solar panel for to power their tv)
The island itself has some 500 stairs from the port up to the peak in the middle of the island. After arriving we headed straight up and were chased by a young lady who caught us about half way up, offering us a room for the night. We accepted and followed her to her home.
The whole island is cover in terracing and small stone houses. Most of the pathways are made of stone with chaotic stone fences lining them. They also have a love of stone archways which adorn the paths here and there.
Isla Taquile
Finally at about 2pm the following day we jumped back aboard the boat for Puno. Rather than spend another night in Puno, we wasted no time booking an overnight bus to Tacna on the Peruvian border with Chile. Unfortunately, as had been the case before a couple of our long bus trips, my stomach started playing up and I had the contents emptying out of both ends for the first few hours of the bus ride... it's nice to know I left my mark on the Peruvian roads....
After Arriving in Tacna, we jumped in a Collectivo headed for the Chilean border where we sat for 3 hours in the heat to get through customs. We learnt later that Chilean customs have been striking, so it may have been a go-slow or something. Then we arrived in Arica in the early afternoon. We immediately booked another overnight bus to San Pedro de Atacama, then jumped in a taxi to the city centre to explore Arica in the few hours we had. We ended up having a "rocket" of beer (we walked past and couldn't resist... see pic) and then went to the church (built by Eiffel of tower fame) and ended up sitting outside it watching some local skateboarders for most the afternoon.
The Rocket!
Finally it was on an uneventful bus to S. Pedro de Atacama.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Machu Picchu!
Back on track now. It was the 6th November when we set off for Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu).
Now, there are 4 ways to get to Aguas Calientes (excepting chartering a helicopter).
1. take the train from Cusco. Normally there is a backpackers train as well as the ¨Vistadome¨, but it´s still very expensive (over $100 AUS one way).
2. Get to Ollantaytambo and take the train from their... still fairly expensive.
3. Hike the Inka trail. You have to take a tour and book months in advance to do this as they only let certain numbers per day on the trail...
4. Go the locals way, which we found described here: http://travelvice.com/archive/2006/10/machu-picchu-on-shoestring.php
This was ouyr path.
We had arrived in Cusco the day before and had a brief look around and caught up on some sleep before getting up and hauling arse to the Paradero de Paso Santiago to catch one of the local buses to the small town of Santa Maria. We arrived at about 7:45, just in time to grab the 6:45 bus (good old Peruvian time) and the bus set off with many passengers shouting ¨VAMOS!!¨ and banging on the side of the bus.
What a ride. This has to be one of the most fantastic bus journeys I have ever been on. The scenery was amazing. We started going through farming land land with red soil and houses made of the same red mud and, strangely eucalypts everywhere... It could almost have been outback Aus except for the cold and the altitude. We learnt later that eucalypts had been introduced by the Spanish because they grow quickly and are marketable for their oil and as firewood for the many tile factories, but that they are sucking the nutrients out of the ground and damaging the soil in the region.
The views then changed as we dipped into a valley and followed a small stream all the way to it´s mountainous roots. Mountains covered in forest with waterfalls and small creeks running down their side everywhere. Small farms were dotted around on the mountains and the evidence of Incan / pre-Incan terracing was everywhere. As we wound through the endless switchbacks up into the mountains on the beautifully smooth road, I LONGED for my motorbike.... god I can´t wait to see Dot again.
Now, there are 4 ways to get to Aguas Calientes (excepting chartering a helicopter).
1. take the train from Cusco. Normally there is a backpackers train as well as the ¨Vistadome¨, but it´s still very expensive (over $100 AUS one way).
2. Get to Ollantaytambo and take the train from their... still fairly expensive.
3. Hike the Inka trail. You have to take a tour and book months in advance to do this as they only let certain numbers per day on the trail...
4. Go the locals way, which we found described here: http://travelvice.com/archive/2006/10/machu-picchu-on-shoestring.php
This was ouyr path.
We had arrived in Cusco the day before and had a brief look around and caught up on some sleep before getting up and hauling arse to the Paradero de Paso Santiago to catch one of the local buses to the small town of Santa Maria. We arrived at about 7:45, just in time to grab the 6:45 bus (good old Peruvian time) and the bus set off with many passengers shouting ¨VAMOS!!¨ and banging on the side of the bus.
What a ride. This has to be one of the most fantastic bus journeys I have ever been on. The scenery was amazing. We started going through farming land land with red soil and houses made of the same red mud and, strangely eucalypts everywhere... It could almost have been outback Aus except for the cold and the altitude. We learnt later that eucalypts had been introduced by the Spanish because they grow quickly and are marketable for their oil and as firewood for the many tile factories, but that they are sucking the nutrients out of the ground and damaging the soil in the region.
The views then changed as we dipped into a valley and followed a small stream all the way to it´s mountainous roots. Mountains covered in forest with waterfalls and small creeks running down their side everywhere. Small farms were dotted around on the mountains and the evidence of Incan / pre-Incan terracing was everywhere. As we wound through the endless switchbacks up into the mountains on the beautifully smooth road, I LONGED for my motorbike.... god I can´t wait to see Dot again.
Views from the "bus to the clouds"
Lunch Stop!
Eventually we reach the pass, way up in the clouds, then it was down the other side. Past many rockfalls and creeks. Then a short break at a roadside stall where we picked up some chicken and rice for lunch for about $1.50 and on into the valley. We passed through a couple of rough looking little towns at the base of the valley before coming to Santa Maria.
As soon as we arrived, we were offered a collectivo, along with the other 2 gringas that were on the bus, to the Hydroelectric dam which was at the very end of the railway line that passes through Aguas Calientes. This was a somewhat scary ride on a 1 lane dirt road that ran along the side of a cliff, with the river below us.
Once we arrived at the Hydroelectric plant, we had 2 options. Catch the train or walk the tracks, so we strapped on our packs and set off on foot along the railway tracks. We crossed a rickety old railway bridge over the river and caught our first glimps of Machu Picchu perched on top of the mountains above. The hike turned to difficult as we both struggled with the weight of our packs and what we thought was supposed to take about 2 hrs was actually more like 3, but we got there and were proud of our achievement and how cheap it was.
Walking the Tracks
The first view of Aguas Calientes
Our savings were well appreciated when we reallised that the cost of everything in Aguas Calientes was about double of that elsewhere in Peru... the power of the tourist dollar. Luckily for us it was low season, sop many of the restaurants etc were willing to negotiate on prices to get your business.
We checked into a hostel and got settled for the evening. We had decided that we´d grab one of the 1st buses in the morning to Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise up there.
We had found directions on sneaking in (from the previous link) to avoid the extremely expensive admission charge, but there were 3 things that deterred us. 1 - it´s difficult to do in the morning because there are many guards on and to see the sunrise is supposed to be spectacular, 2 - you can´t see Huanyu Picchu, which was high on my list of to do´s and 3 - if we got caught our Spanish skills were definitely not sufficient to talk our way out of trouble. So, buy a ticket we did, and joined the mass of tourists in the morning.
Well... Machu Picchu... WOW!! We arrived with much of the mountains covered in mist and cloud and watched as, for the first hour or so, it lifted off the mountains and out of the valleys... beautiful! The surrounding mountains covered in jungle looked almost as amazing to me as the massive Incan city itself.
The Amazing MP!
Some of the Llamas wandering around MP
Then we made the precarious climb up to Huanyu Picchu, the little peak up behind Machu Picchu which has ruins on the top also. We climbed up the stone steps using the cables bolted into the walls for safety ans through small caves under rocks in the ruinsa itself to the top... OMG WHAT A VIEW!! Not only down over Machu Picchu itself, but the surrounding mountains and the river, all the way round to the hydroelectric plant. Absolutely worth the extra effort!
Yes that's real... the view back to MP from Huanyu Picchu
Huanyu Picchu
Finally we made the slog half way down the mountain, down ladders and stairs to the temple of the moon, or great cave. More amazing ruins... then it was back up to Machu Picchu. We were exhausted from the hike, so instead of hiking down the mountain as planned, we grabbed a $7 cup of coke and jumped on a bus.
The Temple of the Moon (Great Cave)
Some Local Wildlife
We decided to stay this night in Aguas Calientes before attempting the return journey, but decided to sus out the trains as our exhaustion meant were weren´t keen on the hike back to the hydroelectric plant. We managed to find out that the train back there left at 7am, so we crashed for the night and made our way to the tracks early in the morning.
At a bar in Aguas Calientes... no we hadn't been drinking... :-P
We made the return journey fairly smoothly, assisted by a couple of American guys who helped us organise the bus from Santa Maria back to Cusco. It was a whirlwind and tiring few days, but the most amazing we´d had to date in my book.
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