El Calafate

I flew into southern Patagonia on the 15th June. There was low cloud but the mountains were poking through like icebergs. Descending to land in El Calafate, I saw wilderness with the huge lake of Lake Argentina. I caught a shuttle to the town of El Calafate. I have been staying at yet another lovely hostel - this one feels like a hotel- MarcoPolo Suites.
Glacier boat trip
On the 16th, it was an early start for me. It was an hour´s journey by shuttle to the port on Lake Argentina. I boarded a huge catamaran, along with lots of other passengers. This was a boat to view the Glaciers - in of course, the Glaciers National Park. At around 9.30 a.m, just as it was becoming light, we set off. The shapes of the surrounding mountains became visible. We moved up close to view an iceberg where everyone posed excitedely for pics. We were also lucky enough to see a condor perching high up on some rocky cliffs. Sailing across the lake was an enjoyable, serene experience. We sailed up close to Upsala glacier and finally, Perito Moreno. They are huge cliffs of ice, towering above the boat. Naturally, we kept a safe distance ...

Walk to Perito Moreno
The next day I joined a bus trip to view Perito Moreno by land. It is the only glacier here that can be reached overland, therefor the most popular one to visit.As we drove across the Patagonian steppes, our guide Paula described the vegetation, the glaciers, the fauna etc.. It was a sunny day and probably a few degrees above zero (overnight probably as much as minus 10). In the National Park, there is a site on the Magellan Peninsula, from where you can view Perito moreno close up.It is spectacular to see it from here and gives a different experience asnd perspective from seeing it on the boat. Looking down on it, you can see the massive ice-field. I was rewarded with the creaking and cracking ice and seeing large slabs sliding into the lake.

It´s snowing!!

Tomorrow I fly back to Buenos Aires and then on Thurs 24th fly back to London.
See you all soon back in the U.K!

Bariloche, Lake District of Argentina

I arrived in northern Patagonia on the 11th June. On the morning of my arrival I had a beautiful view from the window of the top deck of my bus.There were vistas of mountains and lakes. The town is set on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. It's currently out of season with the ski season starting the end of June. I was happy with my room with a view - of the lake - from TangoInnDowntown. The 1st hostel I have encountered with a jacuzzi. Thankfully, also with central heating.
On my 1st morning there - Sat- I watched the Argentina-Nigeria game with the young Argentinian women working at the hostel. There was an air of anticipation and we settled in to enjoy the game. After their victory, the town was awash with cheering supporters waving large blue and white flags.
On the Sunday, the sun was out, although cold. I caught a local bus along the shores of the Lake to the stop at Cerro Campanaria (cerro = mountain top). I caught the ski lift to the top, enjoying the sound of birds and looking over the forest. It was definitley chillier up top, probably 5 deg. From here mountains and lakes unfolded in all directions. Most of the mountain tops were covered in snow. I continued to admire the view from inside the restaurant with a cup of hot chocolate.

Cordoba and Mendoza

Cordoba

The bus journeys are getting even longer: from Puerto Iguazu to Cordoba was 24 hrs. It would have been 22 hrs but there were road blocks.. fortunately I slept well and we stopped to eat at a service station restaurant. In Cordoba I checked into Cordoba Backpackers which I had booked through the hostel in Iguazu. It was conveniently situated downtown. I enjoyed spending a few days in Cordoba just chilling out. I walked around admiring the buildings - the old University, the Cabildo (city hall), Cathedral and some of the Jesuit churches. I also visited a little museum not far from the Cathedral which is a memorial to the Disappeared and those detained in the late 70's. In this little place had been a secret detention centre. Outside were black and white photos of the youngsters who had disappeared.

Cordoba is a lively, friendly city. It was sunny during the day and not too cold but definitely chilly at night. I took the opportunity to buy some winter clothes. I also had time to go the movies - quite fun to be watching Robin Hood from over here.

I moved on by bus to Mendoza - ten hours this time on a very comfortable bus. I have been staying at a friendly comfortable hostel, Mendoza international. It is in a quiet area and just a few blocks from the centre. best of all, they have a fire going in the lounge/dining room.
I went on an amazing trip to visit the Andes. We drove towards the mountains. We stopped to view the volcano that is on the border between Chile and Argentina. We had a look at a picturesque stone bridge (reconstructed) that the liberator San Martin had used to take his troops over the river. We passed through the pretty resort of Uspallata where they filmed some of the scenes for "Seven years in Tibet". A lovely site was "Puente del Inca" or "Bridge of the Incas". This is a natural formation with yellow/sulphorous colouring: a bridge had been created by a glacier and an avalanche and used by the Inca in their trail south.
The best came last: we walked in the Aconcagua National Park.
It was a  sunny day with clear views on Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas (6962m).
One of my trip was a bike tour to the wineries. It was great fun being in a group and cycling even though it was a cold, cloudy day.
It was a pity not to be able to see the mountain views but the vineyards are a russet colour. We did some tasting at 3 vineyards/bodegas - mmm, you can't go wrong with a Malbec. To finish off we visited a little family run business that makes chocolate and liquers, mmm, liked the chocolate mint liqueur.
I have had a relaxing few days in Mendoza and it's hard to leave but I am off to Bariloche tonight. A 22 hr journey south.... Will be a lot colder and probably snowing...

IGUAZU FALLS, ARGENTINA AND IGUACU, BRAZIL

My first long-dist bus journey in Argentina. About 20 hrs from B.A to Puerto Iguazu. Took "cama" which is a seat that is almost like a bed when fully reclined. Plus the "Singer" service provided a blanket and refreshment. being a fri the bus was full. We made several stops along the way. In the morning I jumped out and got my luggage - only to be told we weren´t there yet! Good thing I wasn't left behind at Dorada. I found a good hostel about 2 blocks from the bus terminal, Hostel Iguazu Falls (part of hostel international). After checking in and having a shower, i went in search of a much-needed meal. After that I thought I would have a siesta and spend a full day at the falls the next day when i would be feeling invigorated.
On Sun I caught a local bus to the Falls,in Argentina, about 30 min from town. We passed lots of smart hotels and were not far from the airport.
You have to pay an entrance into the national Park. From nearby you catch a small train that takes you to the walkways to view the falls. I started with "The Upper Circuit" - a steel walkway takes you to the edge of the Falls and you look at them cascading from beneath you - utterly incredible and breathtaking! One view after another unfolds as you walk along the path. Rainwater and spray come down on you - it helped to purchase a poncho. Every now and then the sun came out and there were rainbows over the falls. I could not get enough! Then on I went to "The Lower Circuit" which I loved even more. You get even closer to the falls and you see them pouring down towards you. Even more spray! I watched the boats below going up past San Martin Island and heading into the swirling water below the falls; they also go below the Devil's Throat. The boats look so tiny. I couldn't wait to do it myself - had already bought my ticket. I walked down the steep rocky path (signs: no pregnant women/no heart problems) and came onto the path just above the level of the water. Before getting on the boat, I was given a lifejacket (not that it would have helped I don't think) and a dry bag for my backpack, camera etc.. Once on the boat we moved slowly towards the falls, in awe of their force. Then - a warning that we were going to get wet - and in we went! Cool sharp water came cascading down on us. So much so that I lost my contact lenses and my vision was a blur ( or thought I'd lost them - they'd floated up). Then we came out for a breather and went back in. It was so exhilarating and intense. And suddenly over - 30 min felt like 5.
Fortunately the sun came out enough for me to dry off.
Later in the aftrenoon I got the train to "The Devil's Throat Circuit". On the way you walk over the upper river and see rocky islands. The catwalk takes you to a horse-shoe where the waters are boiling and foaming and sending up clouds of spray: the waters of the Devil's Throat go pouring down below. Cold and tired i had a hot chocolate before going back to the hostel.
On Monday I caught a bus to the Falls, in Brazil (yes, Brazil for a day!). We exited Argentina passport control and entered Brazil without any problems. After paying to go into the Brazilian National Park, you get on a bus that takes you to the trail from where you can view the falls. The advantage of the brazilian side is that it gives you a panoramic view of the falls (now on the opposite side). This time a catwalk takes you to the bottom of The devil's Throat where you can get wet (or not). You can also go up in elevators with glass sides giving you a spectacular view of the falls. Viewing the falls is so addictive. Eventually I tore myself away and got the last bus home at 5 p.m

GALAPAGOS D3, Bartolome

GALAPAGOS D2, Genovesa

GALAPAGOS D1, Baltra and Santa Cruz

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Viva la revolucion !
By a stroke of luck, I arrived in Argentina in time to celebrate 200 years of the revolution of the 25th of May.
Buenos Aires knows how to party and they have had 4 days of celebrating. On Mon 24th and Tues the 25th I visited the area set aside for the celebrations. The Avenue of the 9th July was closed and 2 streets leading up to the square where the "Pink House" or "Government House" is. Argentinian football shirts and flags where every where. Added to this celebration is the anticipation of the world cup! I watched the T.V football match of Argentina beating Canada 5:0.
More news later...

GALAPAGOS

I spent a wonderful week on a Galapagos cruise. I flew direct from Quito to Baltra on Fri 14th.
I and some others were met by the crew from Golondrina, a lovely 70 foot motorised yacht. In all, there were 16 passengers. I shared a cabin with a young woman, Nina, from Denmark. we had our own bathroom which was very convenient. For the whole week I enjoyed superb meals. I met a great group of people although half of them left after 4 days and another bunch of equally nice people joined the boat.
Our 1st visit on fri afternoon was Bachus beach,  prev a WW11 site manned by the U.S. It was so exciting to see our 1st sealions, marine iguanas and seabirds. Later on we went snorkelling and were treated to an array of tropical fish (sorry don´t have my diary so can´t tell you their names....).
On fri night we sailed to Genovesa and awoke in the morning  (Sat) to find ourselves in a bay that was previously a volcanic crater.
Visiting the Galapagos is like being at the dawn of time - seeing old volcanoes (and not so old...) and seeing species that evolved in this unique environment (altho galapagos is relatively young compared to the age of the earth). On Genovesa we saw nesting red-footed boobies - they nest in trees whereas other boobies nest on the ground. We also saw the amazing male great frigates who have a red ballon like pouch in their necks in the breeding season - what the male of the species does to attract attention!
On Genoves and other islands we we saw the white or masked booby. They outnumber the blue and red-footed boobies.
Overnight we sailed and in the morning found ourselves at Bartolome with the wondrous site of Pinnacle rock.
I have lost track of the sequence of events but we visited a number of islands, each one different. I loved the dance of the blue boobies - they both shuffle about in a courting dance and the male bows and whistles (guys, why can´t you be more like birds?). We could not get enough of the sea-lions - they lie on the beach undisturbed and grunt and bark and socilaise. the pups crawl about in search of mum who is usually out fishing. They remind me of dogs. Of course, you are not allowed to touch them.
Occasionally, when we were snorkelling we were joined by some curious sealions. as long as it was no the alpha male, you were okay. He usually patrols the territory protecting the large family.
We had several snorkels, sometimes 2 a day. These were awesome - I did see some parrot fish, angel fish, moor fish, trumpet fish, white selma -sometimes huge schools of fish. Once or twice i saw a white tipped shark - we would call out "shark" and the other snorkellers woulñd swim over, not away. It was great on 2 occasions seeing turtles in the water. we aslo saw golden rays and the spotty eagle-faced ray. One of the best snorkels was in the devil´s Cauldron (?Española) - lovely clear water and swimming over the old crater.
I had fun with the other passenegers on board, among them, a number of people from the U.k. Hopefully we will get together later in the year.
It was such a full 7 days and I was reluctant to leave .. but as they say, all good things come to an end...

ECUADOR

After crossing into Ecuador, I travelled 3 hrs by bus to Otavalo. The bus travelled through picturesque scenery but it was difficult to see from the aisle seat. It was also very distracting as they were showing an extremely violent ninja type movie (heads/limbs being chopped off, blood everywhere) and extremely loud music. It was hot and crowded on the bus. I can´t complain though as it was only 3 dollars and it was convenient. I found a lovely hotel in Otavalo, the Hotel Riviera Sucre. It is a pretty and welcoming place.
Being a Saturday I was just in time to see the renowned market. One of the main streets, in addition to Poncho Plaza (yes, it is called that - Artisans´market), had numerous stalls selling brightly coloured bags, scarves, jumpers, ponchos, blankets (alpaca of course). It was great just to walk around and look but I was too tired to bargain/buy. I found a little place where I had a meal of the day. The next morning I wandered around Poncho Plaza and enjoyed buying a few things. As I am up in the mountains and heading into cooler weather, I bought myself a scarf.
On Monday I caught the bus to Quito (2 hrs and unfortunately, another violent martial arts movie). I am staying at Hostal LÁuberge Inn which is a great place. It has a little restaurant and also a travel agency (very handy). It is conveniently situated within walking distance of the historic centre and a short taxi ride to La Mariscal where all the restaurants, bars are.In the afternoon I wandered around the Old Town of Quito which has lots of majestic buildings and an abundance of grand churches. I also took in the view of the city from the hilltop where the staue of the Virgin of Quito is.Quito is surrounded by mountains/volcanoes and is a huge city. Today I visited La Mitad del Mundo or the Equator. As well as posing with one foot in each hemisphere, it was fun to watch people doing all kinds of antics for the camera (jumping, sitting, striding the equatorial line).
On Friday I am off to the Galapagos for 8 days. Can´t wait to tell you all about it!

Post-script: As much as I liked Quito, I have to tell you about an unpleasant incident. No harm done to me but I had my camera/bag stolen in a scam (similar to waht they warn you about in the guide books). I was having lunch at The Chicken Grill on Avenida Colombia (not far from hostel I was staying at, also not far from Hospital Eugenio Espejo). I was sitting in a corner hungrily devouring my chicken. I sensed someone nearby but didn´t pay attention. A man stooped near me and pointed to some keys on the floor - I looked down then checked my pocket to see that they weren´t mine - as I did this, his accomplice took my bag with my camera in it - I didn´t notice until the waitress rushed across to tell me I had been robbed. Rather annoying  especially as my Colombian photos of the last 2 weeks were in my camera. But as I say, I was unharmed and my passport etc safe in the hostel. I later met someone who had tomato sauce squirted on them and their bag but they were alert enough to refuse"help" and the bag was not stolen. A friend who was travelling with me had laptop, camera etc... stolen in the south of Ecuador. So, yes , be careful in Ecuador !
But apart from this incident, I did enjoy Ecuador and its people.
And of course, I needed to get a new camera for my Galapagos trip!

Cali, Popayan, Pasto

Cali is the home of salsa and well worth a visit. I stayed in the barrio of San Antonio which is the old part of Cali. It has some lovely old houses containing artisans workshops and there are lots of interesting little restaurants. I stayed at cafe Tostaky, a lovely little hostel. I was there on 2 week nights when it was quiet but I think it is more lively at weekends when the restaurant is open.www.cafetostaky.blogspot.com
I enjoyed walking to the nearby city centre and discovering lovely old buildings and exploring shops. It isn´t a touristy place and it´s great to just wander about and see people going about their normal business.
I took a taxi to the shopping mall of Chipichape. It´s a large, modern mall with lots of designer, as well as other shops, food hall and cinema.
Fom Cali I caught a bus to popayan. This is a pretty coloial city where most of the buildings are white.
Agai, it´s fun to explore the streets, admiring old buildings with solid wooden doors and intriguing coutyards.
There are plenty of diversions near Popayan - going mountain biking or visiting Tierra Dentro (pre-Colombian tombs) but I wanted to keep moving south to Ecuador. I stayed at the hosteltrail.com, on of the original Colombian trail hostels. It´s well worth a visit and you can get a lot of travel info, including how to cross the Colombia-Ecuador border. I took yet another bus south, to Pasto, the capital of Nariño province.
This area was liberated by general Nariño - the people wanted to belong to Ecuador but had no choice in the matter of being included in Colombia. It is a big, bustling town. I stayed overnight at the hostel, Koala Inn. Once you´ve stayed at a hostel, they grow on you. It´s great for getting travel advice and meeting other travels. And it´s good for the budget.
I was up early on Sat 8th May to get another bus, this time to Ipiales near the border. This was a 2 hr bus journey hurtling through the mountains (not unlike the journey fom Popayan to pasto). I think the driver´s challenge is to see how many passengers throw up, how fast to take a bend signposted "dangerous curves",
how many blind rises to overtake on in a trip.... They do the trip every day so their driving skills must be good, mustn´t they ...?
From Ipiales, I took a taxi to Rumichaca at the border. It was straightforward leaving Colombia and entering Ecuador. Then a taxi ride to Tulcan where I caught a bus to Otavalo. The bus picked up numerous passenegers on the way and there was hardly standing room. It was somewhat difficult to manoever myself and my large backpack off... So I arived at Otavalo in time to see the big Saturday market.

ZONA CAFETERA/COFFEE ZONE - Salento

From Medellin it was about another 6 hr bus journey in the direction of Armenia in the Zona Cafetera.
The bus conductor kindly dropped us off before Armenia and there was small bus which took us into Salento. salento is a beautiful little town set in the mountains.It is such a tranquil place to visit and there are several hiking options. (including the Valley of Cocora to see the wax tree palms). One of the best options ... which is what I did for several days... is to do absolutely nothing. The only effort extended was to vivit a coffee farm. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at The Plantation house (www.plantationhousesalento.com) run by Tim and his wife Chris. It was hard to leave but after 4 nights I moved on to Cali.

MEDELLIN

I think I am suffering from bus fatigue. I have made so many journeys in the last 10 days.
Colombia is a huge country with extensive mountain ranges to cross. It makes for beautiful viewing but slow travelling. On 26 April I went south from Cartagena. I travelled with Ben who had come across with La Esmeralda. It was good to have some company and took some stress out of catching early morning buses and finding accommodation. We took a 6 hr bus to Monteria which is en route to medellin. It is not a tourist town but was pleasant to visit. I can recommend a stroll along the River Sinu . We did get caught in the rain but dried out afterwards in a nearby coffee shop.A local woman had recommended Hotel Kimari in the town centre and this was agood place to stay.
Early the next day we were on the road to Medellin. The views enroute of mountains and rivers was spectacular.
Medellin is a bustling city. I stayed at Casa Blanca, just down the road from the Black Sheep hostel, both in  avery nice residential area. Park Lieras is a great place to visit for restaurants and music.
A ride on the metro and then up the cable car gives wonderful views of the city. You can go higher still by buying another ticket which takes you over cloud forest to Park Arvi.

Cartagena de Indias, COLOMBIA

Cartagena is a beautiful,old city contained within wide, protective stone walls.It was well/defended against those plunderers of the seas, the English Pirates. It is a journey of discovery wandering down one narrow street after another.There are grand buildings, cathedral, churches, convents, and of course, Bolivar Square with its staue of the Liberator.. The buildings have wooden balconies which contain splashes of colour.   Eventually the heat and the humidity drive you indoors. In the early evening it is pleasant to venture out and enjoy the breeze as you walk on top of the city walls.

SAN BLAS TO CARTAGENA, Sailing trip

The boat was due to leve from Puerto Lindo which was where we spent the night. A pleasant little hostel (Wunderbar); it was a hot and sticky Caribbean night. In the morning the 4 of us -Geoff and Rose, Ben and myself went down to the dockside at 7 a.m.. Our 5th member, Cecilia, would join us the next day from one of the San Blas islands.The San Blas is an extraordinary archipelago strung out along the eastern caribbean coast. They belong to the Kuna people who manage their own territory.
Our captian, Oliver, met us dockside and we loaded up our launcher to take us to "La Esmeralda", a 42 foot yacht. She was made in China and has a lovely bow (and big backside) and teak decks. With a name like esmeralda, she had to be green (well, the hull was). Geoff and Rose's bikes were securely strapped on the foredeck and our big packs stowed in the hold. There was hardly a whisper of wind so we left under motor.The sea was a lovely blue with gentle swells and we looked back on the coastline with its pretty little bays and rocky islands. It took a while to get my sealegs but for the most part my appetite ws undeterred. I found I was better as long as I didn't go below decks. Late afternoon we arrived at one of the San Blas islands that was home to a small community.Oliver was on good terms with the village and we were invited to walk around the island. It is a lovely way of life, with the community at its heart. Whilst we were waiting for our freshly caught yellow fin tuna, the children played around us and seemed highly amused by our attempts at spanish. Back on the boat we retired to our berths after a nightcap of red wine. The night was humid but it was so peaceful waking in the morning hearing the dinghy squeaking against the boat and the water gently lapping.The sounds of village life and the Sunday service drifted across. Cecilia joined us and after breakfast we set off for about 2 hours to a set of islands sparsely inhabited: turquoise waters surrounded white sandy beaches. There were one or two Kuna houses set amongst the coconut trees. We anchored in a protected spot: between two islands and near some refs, rocky and coral. This was an idyllic seting for the next 2days - we swam and snorkelled and sunned ourselves. The snorkelling amongst the coral refs made for beautiful viewing: different shapes of coral, colourful tropical fish. nearby were cone shells and on the sandy sea bed very large starfish (dinner plate-sized). I caught a glimpse of a ray skimming along the bottom. On our 3rd day, the captian took our passports to immigracion on the Island of Porvenir. ( A slight mishap when my passport was baptised in the sea - but no matter it dried out and makes me look like  a seasoned traveller). We chose to remain at anchor where we were and enjoyed more time snorkelling.
On our 4th day we sailed for Cartagena. Initially we sailed east and for most of the day could see the coast. By late afternoon we could no longer see land. From 9 p.m onwards we shared watches of 2 hours each. The capatin was readily available should we need him e.g change in wind or seeing other vessels. My watch from 9 p.m to 11 p.m was peaceful and enjoyable - a halfmoon flitting in and out of the clouds and a scattering of stars. On our 5th day we saw a school of dolphins. For a while they swam in the wave from the bow. Lat afternoon the sea was choppy due to the meeting of 2 currents. the captain was anticipating a rougher night and so it was. I admit I was feeling seqsick and looking forward to arriving at Cartagena! Late morning on the 6th day we entered the calm waters in the bay of Cartagena. It was great to see the old city and the high rise towrs of la Boca Grande. We disembarked and booked into a hotel in the old walled city. Later that evening we met up with Oliver who had arranged our entry into Colombia - all was well.