My travelling adventures...

Howdy!  Just thought I´d write a quick hello before I leave Sucre (and the free internet) - off to Potosi for one night tomorrow - going to be going down the silver mine tomorrow arvo which is meant to be a really good tour... and then off to Uyuni and the salt flats for a few days of 4w-driving around - cant wait!
Went to see the world´s best dinosaur footprints this afternoon - you were a distance away but could still see them really well - and they had done the parks up with real-size dino replicas - complete with sounds etc - was pretty cool.  most of the prints were from a brontosaurous and from this other carnivore - cant remember his name - that was like the t-rex but had two horn-bumps on the front of his head...  They are hoping to make it a UNESCO site this year... and hopefully have the mtn covered in latex (which is going to cost about $8million).  And this morning we went to a school - we bought some supplies for them... - was pretty sad -lots of the kids were orphans... and they got so exicted about getting a lead pencil! 
Well later gators!

Woohoo!  Made it back safe n sound :)  Was fantastically brilliant!  Very nice and peaceful ´flying´up there...
We had about 1.5hr drive up to the takeoff strip (about 1hr of which was on dirt road)... I was the third (out of 4) to take off... - was getting quite nervous...  The car broke down as it was driving Jo and the instructor (the 2nd to take flight) back up to the top of the hill - so that made it worse wondering what had happened to them... And then on take off i get told to run, run run, and then STOP as the wind changed - so was skidding along the ground nearing the edge wondering if we were going to stop in time but it was all good.  Soon after that I was able to run straight off the cliff, sit back, relax and enjoy the flight :)  it was so peaceful up there - very relaxing and serene :) ...  had about 10mins up there just flying around, doing a few little swirlies to catch thermals etc - went really high (up higher than the take off point) (about 450m).  Had a nice bum landing as well which was good.
Got a bit bitten up on the mountain where we were waiting by some little yellow bug things that sucked your blood - hmmm lovely!

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Hi...

How is it all going?  In Sucre at the mo... but back to La Paz for a minute as I always forget to write everything... at a few of the zebra crossings in La Paz they have (people dressed as) zebras - pretty funny...  There were gunshots going all night... and about 2am some fireworks (didnt get up to watch tho).   And got to say the hotel was beautiful - very fancy...
The flight to Sucre today was ok - got given a goodie bag before boarding that had a roll (ham and cheese of course) and a sweet bun... - exciting stuff :)
The rest of the group were already at the airport when we arrived (they had flown from Santa Cruz)... There are 15 in the group (incl me)... all are from teh uk (and a few in their gap year) apart from Carmela (from the patagonian tour - from melbourne) and an irish newly web couple... The tour leader Juan-Louis... not a terribly fantastic first impression (bit too relaxed about it all) - but still should be a good tour.  (We are getting a new tour leader when we get to La Paz for the Peru section).
Carmela, Jo and I did a city tour after we did a group lunch... Our guide was brilliant - got some good history of the place... Went to the textile museum, a castle, a few of the city parks and the local markets.  Some little interesting bolivian facts: There are over 5000 kinds of potatoes across the Andes (over 500 in Sucre - 50 in season at the moment)...  In Colonial Sucre there is a law that all the houses have to be painted white too!  And the government pays for all the kids uniforms and school books to promote eduction - pretty good.
You will never guess what I am doing tomorrow... PARAGLIDING! Should be interesting considering my fear of heights etc...  but looks like the views will be amazing... - hopefully I am able to bring myself to run off the cliff with the instructor.  It is an early start so just about to get a quick meal and get the rest of our breakfast (we got some custard apple from the local market - delic).  Then visiting a local school on Friday and then to see some dinosaur footprints in the afternoon.  On Sat morning we leave for Potosi....

Anyway talk to you again soon (hopefully! ;)  )
 Valley of the Moon

 Zoo bear
 Condor
Bolivan lady at the zoo
 View of colonial Sucre
 Mini Eiffel tower in the city park (Carmela, Jo and I) - we climbed up -scary stuff - it wobbled and half the steps were corroding away - but we made it
Castillo de la Glorieta

Hi!  I have had a good day... slept in and then checked into the new hotel at 11...  Jo (from Sheffield, UK) was already in the room which was good as then we were able to hang out for the day... We eventually made it to Valley of the Moon - tried finding the local minibus but ended up getting a taxi there...  But it was pretty cool up there... then we walked down to the zoo - we were expecting tiny cages etc but it ended up being pretty good - saw some llamas, condors (ugly birds!) , heaps of other colourful birds, monkeys, bears, snakes etc... and we managed to find the minibus to get back down to La Paz...Then found a restaurant that was recommended to me last night for the to-die-for chocolate mouse that is part of their 3-course set menu (which works out to be about $3.50) - it was pretty tasty!  Loving it tho as pretty darn cheap - that lunch/dinner today was classed as expensive!  Think i will do some shopping when come back thru La paz and send stuff home - everyone will be getting alpacca goodies for xmas!
Then did a bit of shopping ont eh way back to the hotel... as i posted my scarf back to oz had to buy a new one (alpacca of course!) for less than $2 - as it is meant to be pretty chilly out on the salt flats... we got some breakkie for tomorrow morning, incl a banana! and i got some ibuprofin from the chemist - which i thought was pretty exciting as the chemist understood what i wanted and you can just buy a few tablets at a time... - i got them as still have a headache which apparently can be attributed to the altitude and your brain swelling or something - not sure about that - i know my brain isnt working too good tho!
There have been weird gun-shot noises going off in La Paz the past couple of days... bit freaky... but all seems safe enough...  and the bolivian ladies - they have like bowler hats on - apparently in Peru their hats are like frying pans - so same but different :)
I am making use of the free - and relatively fast - internet while i can... not sure what it is going to be like in the ´wilds´of Bolivia... we are hitting Sucre tomorrow - have 10am flight there to join the rest of the tour group...
Actually just met 2 other girls on the tour while here on the net - travelling together from the UK...
Couldnt upload photos here so will have to wait til another time... :)
Well hope all is well...

Later!

aren't you lucky!  Had a nice time wandering around La Paz... did the LP walking tour which was pretty good.  Had one of those set menus (a bit by accident cos I didnt understand the sign outside the restaurant but worked out ok - had bread and tuna, soup, beef and rice and a 'iced lolly' for dessert - all for about $1.50!) Some nice old buildings around here.  Oodles of market stalls  - trying so hard just to window shop!  There are short wide ladies everywhere >) - doing their stalls, sweeping the streets etc - in their funny little hats (look perivian)...   Am hoping to get to Valley of the Moon tomorrow - just finished toalking to a lovely tour operator.  I didnt really want to get up early (tour started at 7.30!) so she told me how to get there by myself (none of the other tour operators that i spoke to did) so pretty excited about that.
the hotel tomorrow night - Hotel Rossario - looks pretty fancy - has a little bellman to open the door for you... bit worried about the effort it is going to take to walk up the hill tho to get there with my backpack on - takes a bit just walking myself up there!
Anyhoo I will say goodbye for now...
Keep up the emails - altho i dont always get to reply I do enjoy reading them!
X

Howdy folks!  I have arrived in La Paz...
Last night went out to dinner with Sebastian's new tour group last night in Santiago - at a revolving restaurant - very swish! And up early this morning for the 4 hr flight - stopped off in some place along the way - not sure where! 
La Paz is a whole of little red brick square houses nestled in a valley between lots of the mtns... - reminds me of an inca town... the airport is at the top of a mtn - and felt a bit of altitude there (well that is what i think the  shortness of breath was from - ok now)... but seems like an alright city - definitely different standard compared to Santiago and B. Aires.
Splurged for a taxi to the hotel (rather than bus) and the hotel is pretty good.  1 night here then tomorrow night join the tour.  Just chilled out in the room for an hour or so watching the tele and am about to wander round town and get something to eat...
Later!

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Well i had my 'easter' at easter island :) (actually had to leave on the saturday but anyway - had started clouding over so probably a good day to go)...  Did the night dive - there wree 2 guides and another girl and I - and fantastic as nearly a full moon so was like there was a torch shining behind you the whole time - highlight was seeing an octopus sleeping.
We got scooters again on my final full day at the island - went up to the beach at the north of the island - very carribean with some moai dudes, then went to the quarry where they carved the moai's red 'hats'...  Then Jimmy and I ewere invited to go for a drive with some Chileans to visit some local cave.  Was hilarious - 5 of us squeezed into a little suzuki for 1/2hr 4wd ride and then only 1 torch between us - but was all good...  Then went for a speedy trip up to the crater near the village and the reconstructed village - Orongo.  My eyes were streaming from the dust and the sun in my eyes on the way back (had to rush as the scooters were due back) - but had a great time.
Didn't get up to too much on the final morning... Had a good flight back (4.5hrs) - had some good movies to choose from.
Then in Santiago, Sebastian (tour leader from Patagonia tour) has a tour starting today - so got a lift from the airport with him and he was able to get me a good rate at the gap hotel in Santiago (4 * - bit of a splurge) for the 2 nights before i leave for La Paz where i have a couple of days before starting my 'Antiplano and Amazon' tour of Bolivia and Peru (exciting stuff - Amazon, Cuzco, Inca Trail here I come!!!).  just wandered around Santiago today - seems more 'modern' compared to B. Aires... Has a nice feel to the city - few parks and stuff around the place.
Flight is at 6.45am tomorrow - blugh! but go a good hostel booked at the other end near the Gap hotel so should all be good - and i am getting into this siesta thing! :)
Later gators!

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ahhh life is good.... nah better than that - it is flippin´brilliant!  Have had a fantastic couple of days!
There is a 2hr difference between mainland Chile and Easter Is - so arrived around 1pm Tuesday.  There were a few of us that arrived on the same plane (got a lovely flower necklace on arrival :) that were staying at the same hostel... so just took it easy in the afternoon and sat round chatting... went to some of the moais to watch the sunset - very nice... Then had a BBQ that night.
The next days mission was to hire a scooter to go around the island (did this with Jimmy from Holland and John from Ireland)... You are meant to have your motorbike licence for them (they go up to 80km/hr) but if you ask enough people you find someone that is willing to do the dodge...  Was nervous about driving one, and worried that I was going to hold the guys up... but it was fantastic!!!!! I kept pace with them most of the time - just lagged a bit on the dirt roads sometimes - and only had a couple of incidents - I am not too good at starting up and doing a 360 (went over a small rock wall and ran into a parked 4wd teehee - all was ok - just a slight scratch on the front guard of the scooter).  Anyway it was a fantastic day (praline in fact! :) ) zooming along the roads, stopping to say gday to the moai dudes along the way... went to the volcanic crater where they were cut from the rock - saw them in different stages (went inside the crater).  most of moais look inland (oversee the villages)  - only one group looks out to sea.  There are 900 of them scattered across the island (some burried etc).  Had a brilliant day...  So glad we persisted to find scooters...  Had homemade empanadas that night at the hostel.
Today I had a brilliant dive off one of the rock pinnacles at the top of the island.  Over 50m visibility!! unbeleivable!!! - was over 50m deep and could see the coral and fish at the bottom when you were at the surface.   the water was a lovely 25 degrees and only slight current.  not heaps of fish life, but still a great cruisy dive.  Hoping to do a night dive tonight. Just have to make sure that there are enough people interested...
Easter Island is great - expensive yeah - but not so much more than mainland Chile...  But has a great nice relaxed and friendly atmosphere and the moai dudes everyone are pretty cool!  I am having trouble uploading photos... hopefully will be able to from the ´mainland´, but here are a few from antarctica to keep you going :)

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howdy folks!  well antarctica seems like it was a dream - doesnt seem  real at  all - until i look at my pcitures and realise i was actually there!  it was amazing!  had a brilliant time...  WHere to start tho (esp as there is a link up for the internet..)

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Well I just said goodbye to my Patagonia group - bit sad seeing them all go... they have got my blog address so got to be careful what i say about them ;)  Seriously tho - they were all fantastic (incl the tour leader) and everyone got on well together... and saw so many beautiful things so had a brilliant tour...
Yesterday a few of us went up to the National Park and did a ´little´walk along the coastal trail (about 8km) - was gorgeous scenery - crystal clear blue water, ´secret garden´type forest :) and all the mtns in the background...  Did our last group dinner last night at a fancy restaurant from where I could see ´my´boat - exciting stuff.
Am about to go up and pack (and hopefully my handwashed jumper will be dry) to drop my bags off at another hotel at 10am for Antarctica!  Apparently the boat is now full (after they were advertising $2000 off tickets in travel agents down here) with 68 passengers...
So I´d better get to it!
Taker care!

... if life is like a box of chocolates then the few days camping in Torres del Paine was definitely praline (mmm my favourite!) - it was fabulous - spectacular scenery and definitely luxury camping! - you come back from a full day walking and someone has put up your tent - you just have to go have a nice hot shower before they have the dinner cooked for you!  The main hassle is packing up the sleeping bag abck into its stuff sack the following morning!  Feel like i have been on holidays for ages (good feeling!) (altho that doesn´t mean I am ready to come back yet!)
The first day walk was to the ´towers´- unfortunately the weather was ... well typical patagonian - boiling hot, mist, sleet, wind, full-on gales (winds in patagonia get up to 150km/hr) so we didn´t go the last uphill battle which would have taken an extra hour (was about 3.5hr each way) as it was very foggy and rainy at the end, but the walk was still great... The frist walk at El Chalten was definitely the ahrdest of all the walks - bbut the others were still a bit of a challenge at times...  The first night camping was the best - our group was at a site by ourselves and we had this little hut with wood fire - had a pisco sour and soup to start, with some patagonian beef in gravy and loads of veggies and salad, then this cinnamon dessert... We all had to sing our national anthem after dinner - but Camela and I are shocking Oz-ians so sung the vegemite song instead :)
The second day we caught a ferry to another section of the national park and took a 16km walk in French Valley - gorgeous views again.  Had a big group camp site, so not as cosy as the first night, but still good - great views of the mtns...  On our final day did a short 4hr walk to Grey Glacier - nice and easy.

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