Having had so many days of rain and cold it was soooo nice to pull up in Huanchaco and pitch the tent in a pretty well organised camp site / hostal, ditch the coats and boots and spend three days sitting on the beach doing pretty much nothing. What can I say, it was a great beach, the restaurant near by brought you beers and food so you never had to leave the beach and the hostal was a 100m walk away and did great food. Oh yeah, there was a nearby town (Trujillo) that had some pretty cool cultural stuff so we felt obligated to check that out for about half a day.
The only thing that happened out of the ordinary here was that it was our first experience of someone trying to steal something from us. Fortunately they were unsuccessful, but it did make me feel a bit cross. It happened as we were walking towards the bus station, in the middle of the day, to buy some tickets out. I was holding my purse (very small, with a band that wraps around my wrist) in my hand. Next thing, this guy runs by and I thought at the time, hit me on the arse. I was quite speechless but managed some sign language to indicate my displeasure but when I told Tim about it he pointed out that probably this guy was trying to steal my purse. Nonetheless, it reminded us how careful you have to be as well as how lucky we were that we had come this far without anything serious happening.
We left Huanchaco and still not having had enough of the beach we headed to Mancora (local Peruanas say this is the best beach) and spent another three days sitting on the beach, enjoying the sun, seafood and local cocktails. What can I say, we deserved a break, travelling is hard work!! (I know, I can feel your pity from here!). One day we did feel like it was important to see more than the beach in front of our hostel and so we jumped in a `tuk tuk` type taxi and headed to another local beach and walked back to the hostel at the end of the day.
And other than to say the beaches and people were truly lovely, there isn`t much more that happened in that week.
So, on a hot and sunny afternoon we boarded another bus and made our way to the border and across into Ecuadar, which requires many blogs of its own.
Hope you are all well
Take care
Tim and Tracey
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Lima and Huaraz- 3 April 2009
Arrived in Lima at a decent hour, got accosted by taxi drivers at the bus terminal but got lucky - our taxi driver took us to a pretty decent hostel, with helpful staff and not to expensive - this truly never happens! Our time in Lima was really about relaxing, quickly checking out the city and moving on so that is exactly what we did.
Basing ourselves in Miraflores (which is a wee bit nicer than Lima central) we checked out the lovely beach, the nice restaurants and pretty up market shopping centre (even when travelling you do need to spoil yourself sometimes!). Now, many of you may have heard of a website called `couchsurfing` that is essentially a site that brings travellers together through sharing accomdation, meeting up for a drink etc. Whilst we were in Lima we ran into a guy we had met on the nightmarish Ruta 40 trip out of El Chalten who is quite an active member and who had arranged to meet some people in Lima. For us, this was quite a cool experience. That night, we met up with a couple of girls who then took us on to one of their friends housewarming parties, followed by a trip to one of the local nightclubs. The next day we met them again and went to a beach a couple of hours outside of town, which we wouldn`t have even found if we hadn`t met this girl. It was a really good experience and allowed us to see some things we wouldn`t have seen had we just stayed on the `gringo trail`.
Still, after a couple of days, we boarded our night bus and headed off to Huaraz for some walking, trekking, mountains and ultimately lots and lots of rain!!
The thing about Huaraz is that it is known for its amazing scenery and very cool hiking opportunities so we were quite looking forward to this after having been in cities for a while. We arrived early one morning and wandered around town until some local tour guide took pity on us and showed us to an early morning cafe where we could get tea and breakfast. As soon as was reasonable we made contact with someone we had linked with (again through couch surfing) and he was able to give us some local information and showed us to the hostel that was to become our home for the next few days.
Our first day in Huaraz was quite wet and so we wandered about, checked out the town and got some information on what to do and where to go. Day two was also really quite wet so we spent the day hanging around the hostel and updating the blog. Day three dawned wet once again but we optimistically donned our coats and headed out for a day trek to a pretty beautiful spot - Laguna 69, which sits at about 4500m. There were only a few other people there that day (did I mention it was raining?) and although the walk was really tough, particularly being at altitude again, as you came around the final bend the veiw of the lake seriously took your breath away. Out of all these rocks emerged this stunningly blue lake, ice cold and completely untouched by pollution.
As the weather was closing in again we started the walk back and were very lucky to hitch a ride back with a German couple who had hired a taxi to take them out. The true benefit of this must be understood in contrast with the bus ride out. We got there at about 8.30am for the bus that was to leave in about 10 minutes. 30 minutes later the bus was as full as I thought it could get and pulled out. Not long after we started, we stopped to load in several more people and then again to load in a few more and a few more ... Eventually, there were no more people and we started the very slow, very crowded, very smelly 2 hour ride to our destination. To put this into perspective, I thought it might be helpful to give some details. In the back seat of this mini-van (a seat built for 3) were Tim and I, two local lads and one of the boys` sister. Next row, had two women who had obviously just got off the night shift at a greasy spoon cafe (you know, that smell really does linger), a young girl sitting on the floor and finally a mother with her very young baby who, of course, required feeding and a nappy change during the journey. In the third row up, there was an older local couple and a child along with a man perched in the aisle and and older man in the next seat. In the front row, there were three in a seat for two and then in front of them, sitting on the little ledge behind the driver were two other tourists and three locals and standing somehow between all this was the guy who jumps on and off accosting new passengers. Along with the driver, there were another 3 people in the front. Now, keep in mind that all these people had a minimum of at least one backpack each. I think you get the picture ...
Anyway, as I said, the lake was stunning.
The following day, the rain continued and we made a rather sad decision that we really couldn`t spend any more time waiting for the rain to stop and the condition of the treks was such that many of the high passes were closed due to snow and the forecast was not looking good.
And so, yet another night bus, this time, to the ocean!!!!!
More adventures from the ocean soon
Hope you are all well and healthy
take care
Tim and Tracey
Basing ourselves in Miraflores (which is a wee bit nicer than Lima central) we checked out the lovely beach, the nice restaurants and pretty up market shopping centre (even when travelling you do need to spoil yourself sometimes!). Now, many of you may have heard of a website called `couchsurfing` that is essentially a site that brings travellers together through sharing accomdation, meeting up for a drink etc. Whilst we were in Lima we ran into a guy we had met on the nightmarish Ruta 40 trip out of El Chalten who is quite an active member and who had arranged to meet some people in Lima. For us, this was quite a cool experience. That night, we met up with a couple of girls who then took us on to one of their friends housewarming parties, followed by a trip to one of the local nightclubs. The next day we met them again and went to a beach a couple of hours outside of town, which we wouldn`t have even found if we hadn`t met this girl. It was a really good experience and allowed us to see some things we wouldn`t have seen had we just stayed on the `gringo trail`.
Still, after a couple of days, we boarded our night bus and headed off to Huaraz for some walking, trekking, mountains and ultimately lots and lots of rain!!
The thing about Huaraz is that it is known for its amazing scenery and very cool hiking opportunities so we were quite looking forward to this after having been in cities for a while. We arrived early one morning and wandered around town until some local tour guide took pity on us and showed us to an early morning cafe where we could get tea and breakfast. As soon as was reasonable we made contact with someone we had linked with (again through couch surfing) and he was able to give us some local information and showed us to the hostel that was to become our home for the next few days.
Our first day in Huaraz was quite wet and so we wandered about, checked out the town and got some information on what to do and where to go. Day two was also really quite wet so we spent the day hanging around the hostel and updating the blog. Day three dawned wet once again but we optimistically donned our coats and headed out for a day trek to a pretty beautiful spot - Laguna 69, which sits at about 4500m. There were only a few other people there that day (did I mention it was raining?) and although the walk was really tough, particularly being at altitude again, as you came around the final bend the veiw of the lake seriously took your breath away. Out of all these rocks emerged this stunningly blue lake, ice cold and completely untouched by pollution.
As the weather was closing in again we started the walk back and were very lucky to hitch a ride back with a German couple who had hired a taxi to take them out. The true benefit of this must be understood in contrast with the bus ride out. We got there at about 8.30am for the bus that was to leave in about 10 minutes. 30 minutes later the bus was as full as I thought it could get and pulled out. Not long after we started, we stopped to load in several more people and then again to load in a few more and a few more ... Eventually, there were no more people and we started the very slow, very crowded, very smelly 2 hour ride to our destination. To put this into perspective, I thought it might be helpful to give some details. In the back seat of this mini-van (a seat built for 3) were Tim and I, two local lads and one of the boys` sister. Next row, had two women who had obviously just got off the night shift at a greasy spoon cafe (you know, that smell really does linger), a young girl sitting on the floor and finally a mother with her very young baby who, of course, required feeding and a nappy change during the journey. In the third row up, there was an older local couple and a child along with a man perched in the aisle and and older man in the next seat. In the front row, there were three in a seat for two and then in front of them, sitting on the little ledge behind the driver were two other tourists and three locals and standing somehow between all this was the guy who jumps on and off accosting new passengers. Along with the driver, there were another 3 people in the front. Now, keep in mind that all these people had a minimum of at least one backpack each. I think you get the picture ...
Anyway, as I said, the lake was stunning.
The following day, the rain continued and we made a rather sad decision that we really couldn`t spend any more time waiting for the rain to stop and the condition of the treks was such that many of the high passes were closed due to snow and the forecast was not looking good.
And so, yet another night bus, this time, to the ocean!!!!!
More adventures from the ocean soon
Hope you are all well and healthy
take care
Tim and Tracey
Rurrenabaque - the Pampas and the Jungle - 23 March 2009
Okay dear blog, it has been a while but I really have been busy. I apologise and promise to try and do better! Anyway, last time I checked in we had just come back to La Paz from Uyuni and were planning on spending just one day more in La Paz while we waited to head to Rurrenabaque. Having enjoyed an evening of the nightlife offered in La Paz, the following day we headed out to enjoy an afternoon of wrestling. Yes, truly, wrestling in La Paz - the Cholitas. And what an experience this was. Indigenous women in their traditional clothes, men in various costumes and midgets (yes, I know this may not be the correct term but it is the word they used) and the grand finale 4 men, two dressed in black outfits and two dressed in butchers outfits, complete with big slabs of meat that they were hitting each other (and sometimes members of the audience) with. Difficult to explain how truly spectacular this was but hopefully the photos will do what words cannot. (Tim really should be working on the photos now but since we got in quite early this morning he is having a little rest).
Anyway, with the fun and frivolity out of the way, Monday morning we boarded a bus to Rurrenabaque to begin our exploration of the jungle. Now, before we boarded the bus we knew what was ahead of us given that the bus ride takes in the `most dangerous rode in the world` but my heart still stopped a few times when you looked down and could only see a sheer drop through the jungle several hunderd meters down. Shortly before I made Tim swap seats (I was by the window), we came to a pretty sharp corner and I began to wonder why the driver had stopped all of a sudden and started going backwards - turns out he had misjudged the corner and not all of the bus had remained on the road. What did make me giggle though, was the small house by this corner with the man standing on the verandah - I am sure his sole job in life is to report in when a bus driver doesn`t realise he had taken the corner to wide! Anyway, as I said, I made Tim swap seats, put my ipod on and hoped for the best.
We arrived (safe and sound) in Rurrenabaque at 7.15am the next morning (only 15 minutes behind schedule). What was surprising about this was that we had a flat tire at about midnight that needed to be taken off, repaired and replaced and then ran out of fuel that required another hour delay. I am just glad I slept through it all!
I will begin Rurrenabaque by saying that this was a very nice, small, jungle town. It was hot, humid, wet and full of mossies but had a really great feel to it - luckily. Morning 1 we joined a 4 day Pampas tour along with a Dutch guy (Ramco), a Swiss guy (Rafael) and two girls and a guy from England. Now, I know that theoretically anyone can read this so all I will say is that it wasn`t the best group ever but it probably wasn`t the worst ever. So, we began with a three hour `jeep` journey out to the river, taking in some quite ungraded roads (every jeep had at least one flat tire and some of the potholes required some fairly careful negotiation). Lunch was also in interesting affair, shared with a pig as a footrest and a monkey who enjoyed stealing our food. After lunch entertainment had us watching the monkey `play` with the puppies, who had little chance of escape from the monkeys very long arms, legs and tail!
The rest of the tour passed relatively uneventfully, but allowed us to experience seeing various species of monkeys up close and personal, swimming with dolphins, getting very close to the caimons (each accomodation area has their own resident caimon!), so many amazing varieties of birds that I lost count, including the biggest bird ever who makes its nest in highest tree it can find (the jabiru). Probably one of the most interesting experiences though was hunting for anocondas in swamp water that at times went over your knees. I am still not sure if I feel lucky or not that we didn`t find anything! After 4 days of the heat, humidity and bugs we headed back into Rurrenabaque thinking that we would head back to La Paz and continue our journery onwards to Peru.
As with all good plans though, this one failed to come to fruition. Having experienced the bus ride to Rurre, I was somewhat reluctant to make the return trip and so suggested to Tim that it may be worth giving some thought to flying back. The difficulty, however, with flying from Rurre is that planes don`t go when it is too early, too late, too wet, too windy ... you get the picture. After a couple of days of hanging around we decided that we might as well take off into the jungle for a couple of days and so, along with Ramco and Rafael, we loaded ourselves into one of the local guides boats and went and stayed with his family for a few days in the jungle. Sadly, we didn`t get to see much in the way of animals and other creatures, but we got to visit the local school, spend time with our guides family and sleep in hammocks and we did go on some jungle walks and saw some quite cool scenery.
Arriving back in Rurre we again took our chances on the plane and were again thwarted by the pouring rain. Finally, several days later just as we were down to our last rations (there is no bank in Rurre) we made the last plane out. And back to La Paz. Unfortunately our time in La Paz was again extended for an extra couple of days as I seemed to become affected by altitude sickness. Slightly odd as we had been at altitude for some time and the only thing we could put it down to was the quick assent back from sea level. Anyway, having spent several days in bed with a diet of energy drinks, chicken soup and fresh fruit drinks (La Paz makes the best juices in the world!) we finally made it out of Bolivia and welcomed in April in Lima.
Anyway, with the fun and frivolity out of the way, Monday morning we boarded a bus to Rurrenabaque to begin our exploration of the jungle. Now, before we boarded the bus we knew what was ahead of us given that the bus ride takes in the `most dangerous rode in the world` but my heart still stopped a few times when you looked down and could only see a sheer drop through the jungle several hunderd meters down. Shortly before I made Tim swap seats (I was by the window), we came to a pretty sharp corner and I began to wonder why the driver had stopped all of a sudden and started going backwards - turns out he had misjudged the corner and not all of the bus had remained on the road. What did make me giggle though, was the small house by this corner with the man standing on the verandah - I am sure his sole job in life is to report in when a bus driver doesn`t realise he had taken the corner to wide! Anyway, as I said, I made Tim swap seats, put my ipod on and hoped for the best.
We arrived (safe and sound) in Rurrenabaque at 7.15am the next morning (only 15 minutes behind schedule). What was surprising about this was that we had a flat tire at about midnight that needed to be taken off, repaired and replaced and then ran out of fuel that required another hour delay. I am just glad I slept through it all!
I will begin Rurrenabaque by saying that this was a very nice, small, jungle town. It was hot, humid, wet and full of mossies but had a really great feel to it - luckily. Morning 1 we joined a 4 day Pampas tour along with a Dutch guy (Ramco), a Swiss guy (Rafael) and two girls and a guy from England. Now, I know that theoretically anyone can read this so all I will say is that it wasn`t the best group ever but it probably wasn`t the worst ever. So, we began with a three hour `jeep` journey out to the river, taking in some quite ungraded roads (every jeep had at least one flat tire and some of the potholes required some fairly careful negotiation). Lunch was also in interesting affair, shared with a pig as a footrest and a monkey who enjoyed stealing our food. After lunch entertainment had us watching the monkey `play` with the puppies, who had little chance of escape from the monkeys very long arms, legs and tail!
The rest of the tour passed relatively uneventfully, but allowed us to experience seeing various species of monkeys up close and personal, swimming with dolphins, getting very close to the caimons (each accomodation area has their own resident caimon!), so many amazing varieties of birds that I lost count, including the biggest bird ever who makes its nest in highest tree it can find (the jabiru). Probably one of the most interesting experiences though was hunting for anocondas in swamp water that at times went over your knees. I am still not sure if I feel lucky or not that we didn`t find anything! After 4 days of the heat, humidity and bugs we headed back into Rurrenabaque thinking that we would head back to La Paz and continue our journery onwards to Peru.
As with all good plans though, this one failed to come to fruition. Having experienced the bus ride to Rurre, I was somewhat reluctant to make the return trip and so suggested to Tim that it may be worth giving some thought to flying back. The difficulty, however, with flying from Rurre is that planes don`t go when it is too early, too late, too wet, too windy ... you get the picture. After a couple of days of hanging around we decided that we might as well take off into the jungle for a couple of days and so, along with Ramco and Rafael, we loaded ourselves into one of the local guides boats and went and stayed with his family for a few days in the jungle. Sadly, we didn`t get to see much in the way of animals and other creatures, but we got to visit the local school, spend time with our guides family and sleep in hammocks and we did go on some jungle walks and saw some quite cool scenery.
Arriving back in Rurre we again took our chances on the plane and were again thwarted by the pouring rain. Finally, several days later just as we were down to our last rations (there is no bank in Rurre) we made the last plane out. And back to La Paz. Unfortunately our time in La Paz was again extended for an extra couple of days as I seemed to become affected by altitude sickness. Slightly odd as we had been at altitude for some time and the only thing we could put it down to was the quick assent back from sea level. Anyway, having spent several days in bed with a diet of energy drinks, chicken soup and fresh fruit drinks (La Paz makes the best juices in the world!) we finally made it out of Bolivia and welcomed in April in Lima.
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