A sign painted on a wall in Ushuaia reads "Ushuaia, the end of the world and the beginning of everything". Hmmmm... maybe we were supposed to do our trip in the other direction?...
Hamburgers on Christmas Eve (actually, they really hit the spot), but yesterday offered more excitement and fun. After a long ride in a van to Tierra del Fuego´s first settlement, a ranch near the mouth of the Beagle Channel, a passageway which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without having to go around the more-exposed Cape Horn, we hopped on a small boat and were taken to an island that is covered with penguins. As we landed on the beach, you could see the little black and white guys all along the beach, in the water, and a few coming up to our boat to check it out. The more you looked, the more you saw that there were penguins everywhere! Two kinds, and lots of newborn. The penguins were a bit hard to photograph as they always seem to be moving, whether it is waddling back and forth with mouthfuls of grass for building nests, flapping their wings and lifting their heads skyward to make mating calls, or clicking beaks with each other as part of mating rituals.
Today we toured the vacant prison that was the original reason for establishing the town of Ushuaia. Prisoners that committed crimes repeatedly were sent away to this undeveloped "nowhere" at the end of the world. The prison had cells but no walls around its yard. If prisoners escaped, there was nowhere for them to go.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Okay, further south still...
Went to El Chalten, Argentina to see Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, some highly sought-after prizes for climbers. We could see them from the bus and from town as we drove in. The other tourists were snapping photos like mad, even from the bus. I thought "wait until you're off the bus for a better picture; heck, wait until you hike up closer to it and the shot will just get better". Well, I guess the other tourists knew what I didn't: these mountains live in the clouds most of the time. In the afternoon, the mountains disappeared. We tried hiking to a viewpoint looking toward Cerro Torre the next day, but couldn't see anything and the day was mostly an opportunity to test the quality of our rain gear. On the next day, I tried hiking toward Fitz Roy but quickly decided it wasn't getting better, so I turned back to spend the day with Veronica, who had already concluded that it wouldn't be possible to see anything. It was a good thing that Veronica snapped some photos on the day we arrived.
So I guess the moral of the story is to take advantage of what you have available to you in the moment. Hmmm... there's probably a good metaphor for life within that...
So, we got skunked out by the weather in the El Chelten area. Still, the trails were quite pretty, and the views on the day we arrived were quite nice. Add to this a great waffleria, a good brew pub and some great fresh pasta, and life was still quite good.
Feeling like we had had our fill of hiking anyway after all the backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park, we were itching for something different. We grabbed some plane tickets and are now in Ushuaia - about as far south as you can go. Everyone here is madly shopping for Christmas, while we were racing to hit the grocery store before it closes. With most things closed tomorrow, we have filled the little fridge in our little cabin with roasted chicken so that we don't starve on Christmas day. We also have an electric kettle so we will be able to prepare some instant mashed potatoes, and really live it up.
Being nearly the "end of the road", the town is filled with lots of people who are just finishing cycling, motorcycling or RV'ing from Alaska to the tip of South America.
Tomorrow will probably be a quiet day, a chance to relax and read, and on Saturday we will be taken out to an island where we will get to walk around amongst the many penguins that live there. Should be good.
So I guess the moral of the story is to take advantage of what you have available to you in the moment. Hmmm... there's probably a good metaphor for life within that...
So, we got skunked out by the weather in the El Chelten area. Still, the trails were quite pretty, and the views on the day we arrived were quite nice. Add to this a great waffleria, a good brew pub and some great fresh pasta, and life was still quite good.
Feeling like we had had our fill of hiking anyway after all the backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park, we were itching for something different. We grabbed some plane tickets and are now in Ushuaia - about as far south as you can go. Everyone here is madly shopping for Christmas, while we were racing to hit the grocery store before it closes. With most things closed tomorrow, we have filled the little fridge in our little cabin with roasted chicken so that we don't starve on Christmas day. We also have an electric kettle so we will be able to prepare some instant mashed potatoes, and really live it up.
Being nearly the "end of the road", the town is filled with lots of people who are just finishing cycling, motorcycling or RV'ing from Alaska to the tip of South America.
Tomorrow will probably be a quiet day, a chance to relax and read, and on Saturday we will be taken out to an island where we will get to walk around amongst the many penguins that live there. Should be good.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
And then we went south, waaaaay south
After exploring next to the equator in the Galapagos and in Quito, Ecuador, we hopped a series of flights and were soon all the way down past 50 degrees South in Chile, headed for Patagonia, the land of amazing mountains, glaciers, and legendary wind and cold.
We made our way to the little town of Puerto Natales and stocked up as best we could on a Sunday (all the shops were closed). We found some decent camping gear to rent and bought some basic supplies at the grocery store. With 10 days of oatmeal, a few days of pasta (we would buy some more food along the way) and just a couple of shirts each (9 days, 2 shirts!), we headed for Torres del Paine National Park and its Circuito Grande, a 7 to 10 day trek that takes you all the way around the famous Towers. We were ready for the cold and wind that Patagonia is famous for, and were caught off-guard: the first two days were sunny and hot. Neither of us bothered to pack shorts, and we had minimal sunscreen (we expected to be covered by warm clothing, except for our faces), so we soon felt overheated. We picked our way through a less-than-glamourous first day that followed a double-track road past endless piles of cow manure to get to our first windy campground. There, I was immediately treated to the free opinions of the German "smart asses" (who soon became great friends of ours for the rest of the trek) who loved to comment on how I was setting up our rental tent. Lutz and Frank soon became both the source and target of much sarcastic wit and humourous insult that flew back and forth for 9 days. We also met some other Canadians, one of whom was carrying the biggest, heaviest pack on the trail, yet was faster than anyone. The other, Jenny, was the grateful recipient of a birthday chocolate bar during the trek, complete with a couple of wooden matches as candles on the "cake". And finally, we met a Chilean local who twisted his knee on the first day and then decided to go for the rest of the 9 day circuit. Campgrounds varied from windy to unlevel to mosquito-infested to sometimes pleasant. Hot showers at a few campgrounds were a pleasant surprise. The scenery was always spectactular (except for the cow manure day) and the variety was incredible. Rolling hills, forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, and more. While the Torres steal the main credit, the biggest highlights of doing the full circuit (most people just hike the front side) were the great scenery in the cirque at the top of the Valle del Frances (amazing mountains in every direction) and the mind-blowing view when you reach the top of Gardner Pass and see the entire massive Grey Glacier open up below you. The glacier is huge, and to see a glacier from above is a really spectacular vantage point. The glacier was always below us off one side of the trail for about 2 days. Everywhere you looked, you could see a blue colour in the ice that truly seems unnatural, impossible, absolutely beautiful. And from the campground just past the toe of the glacier, you could look off the shore and see huge icebergs floating by on the lake, ice that you had just heard break off the glacier minutes ago.
The packs were heavy, especially with the rental gear and food that weren't ultralight. We supplemented our food supplies from a few small food kiosks along the way, but by the end of the trip, we probably won't crave salami or pasta for quite a while. Still, it was well worth it to enjoy the views over Glacier Grey and enjoy the solitude of the less-travelled back of the circuit.
After the trek, we were treated to a ride all the way back to Puerto Natales with Lutz and Frank in their rental car. An interesting sight, considering this Fiat would barely fit the two of them and their backpacks, nevermind four people and four packs. After some clever packing, we all fit in, but for the drive out of the park, Veronica got to see the scenery from one side of the car and I could see out the other side, but the stack of backpacks between us in the back seat prevented any other views. We would pass the camera back and forth over the piles of packs to show the other person what they were missing...
We made our way to the little town of Puerto Natales and stocked up as best we could on a Sunday (all the shops were closed). We found some decent camping gear to rent and bought some basic supplies at the grocery store. With 10 days of oatmeal, a few days of pasta (we would buy some more food along the way) and just a couple of shirts each (9 days, 2 shirts!), we headed for Torres del Paine National Park and its Circuito Grande, a 7 to 10 day trek that takes you all the way around the famous Towers. We were ready for the cold and wind that Patagonia is famous for, and were caught off-guard: the first two days were sunny and hot. Neither of us bothered to pack shorts, and we had minimal sunscreen (we expected to be covered by warm clothing, except for our faces), so we soon felt overheated. We picked our way through a less-than-glamourous first day that followed a double-track road past endless piles of cow manure to get to our first windy campground. There, I was immediately treated to the free opinions of the German "smart asses" (who soon became great friends of ours for the rest of the trek) who loved to comment on how I was setting up our rental tent. Lutz and Frank soon became both the source and target of much sarcastic wit and humourous insult that flew back and forth for 9 days. We also met some other Canadians, one of whom was carrying the biggest, heaviest pack on the trail, yet was faster than anyone. The other, Jenny, was the grateful recipient of a birthday chocolate bar during the trek, complete with a couple of wooden matches as candles on the "cake". And finally, we met a Chilean local who twisted his knee on the first day and then decided to go for the rest of the 9 day circuit. Campgrounds varied from windy to unlevel to mosquito-infested to sometimes pleasant. Hot showers at a few campgrounds were a pleasant surprise. The scenery was always spectactular (except for the cow manure day) and the variety was incredible. Rolling hills, forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, and more. While the Torres steal the main credit, the biggest highlights of doing the full circuit (most people just hike the front side) were the great scenery in the cirque at the top of the Valle del Frances (amazing mountains in every direction) and the mind-blowing view when you reach the top of Gardner Pass and see the entire massive Grey Glacier open up below you. The glacier is huge, and to see a glacier from above is a really spectacular vantage point. The glacier was always below us off one side of the trail for about 2 days. Everywhere you looked, you could see a blue colour in the ice that truly seems unnatural, impossible, absolutely beautiful. And from the campground just past the toe of the glacier, you could look off the shore and see huge icebergs floating by on the lake, ice that you had just heard break off the glacier minutes ago.
The packs were heavy, especially with the rental gear and food that weren't ultralight. We supplemented our food supplies from a few small food kiosks along the way, but by the end of the trip, we probably won't crave salami or pasta for quite a while. Still, it was well worth it to enjoy the views over Glacier Grey and enjoy the solitude of the less-travelled back of the circuit.
After the trek, we were treated to a ride all the way back to Puerto Natales with Lutz and Frank in their rental car. An interesting sight, considering this Fiat would barely fit the two of them and their backpacks, nevermind four people and four packs. After some clever packing, we all fit in, but for the drive out of the park, Veronica got to see the scenery from one side of the car and I could see out the other side, but the stack of backpacks between us in the back seat prevented any other views. We would pass the camera back and forth over the piles of packs to show the other person what they were missing...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
More Galapagos photos
A little cake for a special occasion on the sailboat,
Some bluefooted boobies hanging out by the waves at the end of the day,
A Magnificent Frigatebird puffing up to impress a mate,
A giant land tortoise having a stretch.
Some bluefooted boobies hanging out by the waves at the end of the day,
A Magnificent Frigatebird puffing up to impress a mate,
A giant land tortoise having a stretch.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
More Galapagos photos... and more to come...
Here are a few more Galapagos photos:
Veronica hanging out on the beach with several noisy sea lion friends
One of the famous giant tortoises
Penguins, yes penguins in the tropics!
A huge marine iguana, warming up on the rocks
the great scenery from the top of the tiny island of Bartolome
We'll try to post some more later...
Veronica hanging out on the beach with several noisy sea lion friends
One of the famous giant tortoises
Penguins, yes penguins in the tropics!
A huge marine iguana, warming up on the rocks
the great scenery from the top of the tiny island of Bartolome
We'll try to post some more later...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
No posts, and stay tuned for photos...
We leave tomorrow to begin about 10 days of backpacking through Torres del Paine National Park, doing the circuit around the "Towers". So, no blog postings for a while.
A couple of other Galapagos photos...
The internet connection here is really struggling with photos. Here are a couple of the Galapagos photos, and we will upload more when we get to somewhere with a faster connection.
Friday, December 4, 2009
More Galapagos in Swedish and English
More Galapagos (Swedish)
Den första eftermiddagen seglade vi inte så långt och gick i land på våran första ö. Lanskapet som mötte oss var fantastiskt! En vit strand med sjölejon och en bakgrund av lava sten och torrväxt. Klipporna längs stranden var full av Blue Footed Boobies, Pengviner och Sally Lightfoot Crabs. Vi hade till och med turen att få see en ”feeding frenzy” med alla möjliga fåglar; Blue Footed Boobies, Pelicans, Frigate Birds, Gulls och fler. De dök i flock ned i vattnet för att fånga fisk och allt annat som rörde sig. Längre ned för stranden så upptäckte vi stora sköldpaddespår (sea turtle). Det är parningstid för dem nu och mammorna kravlar upp för stränderna för att lägga sina ägg. De gräver en stor grop för äggen och en stor grop bredvid för att använda sanden till att täcka äggen. Det här är det enda tillfället en sköldpadda tar sig ur vattnet i sitt livs tid och den lägger runt 300ägg för att hoppas att en eller två små paddor lyckas att ta sig till vattnet när äggen kläcks. Äggen kläcks på natten och vi såg små spår av de små padorna i sanden. Mot kvällen såg vi hur fåglar började samlas runt äggroparna för att invänta nattens måltid. Som avslutning fick vi även se en art av iguana som bara finns på Galapagos (Marine Iguana). Det är en stor och fin vegetarisk ödla som har utvecklat konsten att simma och skaffa föda från havsbotten. Väldigt coola faktiskt! De ligger på högar på stränder och klippor för att värma sig mellan varven i vattnet. I mellanåt så snyter de ut en loska salt från näsan och vilar lungt vidare.
Våran guide, Juan Carlos var helt suverän! Han berättade om öarnas och djurens naturhistoria, hur de är unika och hur ekosystemen på Galapagos utvecklades och hur de fungerar idag. Varje dag fick vi gå i land två gånger för att studera naturlivet.
Galapagos är mycket känt för sina sköldpaddor, både havspaddan och landpaddan. Båda sorterna är enormt stora och vackra att se på. Parningstiden för havspaddan pågick när vi var på Galapagos och vid flera tillfällen hade vi turen att se två sköldpaddor tilsammans. Sköldpaddan som hittas på land är enormt stor och finns att hitta på ett par ställen, dels i vilt tillstånd och dels på uppfödningsgårdar där de har haft stor framgång att föda fram dem. Landpaddan lever till 300 år och i bland mer.
Det var även parningstiden för andra kända Galapagosdjur, som sjölejonet och det var fullt med små lejon på stränder och i vattnet. Sjölejon gillar att roa sig och leker gärna med dykare och snorklare om de får tillfälle. De snurrar runt en och ibland dyker de rakt emot en för att i sista sekund väja undan. På stränderna så gillar de att komma upp i närheten och utforska vad vi är för figurer. Vi hade vid flera tillfällen sjölejon ombord på båten. De tog sig upp och lade sig tillrätta på däck. Väldigt gulligt!
Fåglar är både unika och många på öarna. Waved Albatross, Blue Footed Boobie och Magnificent och Great Frigate Bird är de mest berömda. Alla var i full gång med att föröka sig och vi fick se beteenden som bara förekommer vid den här tidpunkten och det var hur fint som helst att se små fågelungar sitta lite var som helst och titta på oss när vi kom gående. The Blue Footed Boobie har ett roligt parningsbeteende där hanen står i sitt bo och väntar på att en hona ska flyga förbi. När hon kommer så lyfter hanen på sina klumsiga blåa fötter och visar henne hur fina de är. När hon är nöjd så dansar de tilsammans och visar sina fötter för varandra. Om det ändå var så enkelt!
Vi såg även hajar av olika slag. Oftast när vi snorklade, men även under ett av våra dyk. Den haj som alla vill se är the Hammer Head och vi hade turen på vår sida. Manta Rays, Spotted Rays, Marble Rays, Eagle Ray och andra sorter fick vi också chansen att se (kommer inte ihåg vad de heter på Svenska).
Pengvinerna på Galapagos är världens mest nordliga pengvin. Den är liten och jätte snabb i vattnet! Valar var synliga från båten vid flera tillfällen och som jag nämnde tidigare såg vi stora Manta Ray som flög upp ur vattnet för att plaska ned i vattnet igen.
Varje dag var fylld av nya naturupplevelser och även av en hel del skoj på båten! Våran guide berättade om öarna för oss på kvällarna och våran kapten ledde oss på snorklingturerna. Seglingen var även en upplevelse den. Ett par nätter så hade vi litte större sjögång och en del hade svårt att sova. Mike och jag klarade oss bra och dagarna var lugna så alla kunde njuta fullt ut.
Den sista kvällen tyckte Mike och jag att Galapagos skulle vara ett fint ställe att knyta våra band lite mer och bad kapten att hålla en liten cermoni för oss. Barfota och med shorts och t-shirt så lovade vi att sköta om varandra i framtiden....det är i alla fall vad jag tror att kaptenen sa...min spanska hängde inte riktigt med så vem vet :)
Galapagos är ett ställe som jag önskar att alla kunde få uppleva. Det är så enormt att se allt liv på öarna och hur det har utvecklats. En stor skillnad mellan Galapagos och den övriga världen är att djuren inte är skygga för människor, vilket tillåter oss att komma nära varandras liv, om bara för en stund. Om någon undrar vart ni ska åka härnäst på semester så kan jag utan tvekan föreslå en Galapagoskryssing på en utav båtarna där.
More Galapagos (English)
We didn’t sail too far on our first afternoon and set foot on our first island. The landscape that met us was fantastic. A white beach with sea lions and a background of lava rock and dry brush. The rocks along the shore were covered in Blue Footed Boobies, Penguins and Sally Lightfoot Crabs. We even had the fortune to walk right up to a feeding frenzy with all kinds of birds; Blue Footed Boobies, Pelicans, Frigate Birds, Gulls and others. They were diving in flocks to catch fish and anything else that moved. Further down the beach we discovered huge sea turtle tracks. It is mating season for the sea turtles and the mama turtle comes out and lays her eggs in a big hole that she digs. This is the only time in her life that she comes out of the water. She lays about 300 eggs, hoping that at least one or two will safely make it down to the water when the eggs hatch. The eggs hatch at night and we saw many mini turtle tracks on the beach. At dusk, birds were gathering around the holes to await their next meal. To end the evening walk we got to see the Marine Iguanas. They are unique to the Galapagos and are the only iguana to have evolved to feed in the sea. It’s a very large and cool looking lizard! In between feedings they lie around warming up, while every now and then snorting out a string of salt through their nose. This behaviour is an adaption which has allowed this creature to eject the excessive amounts of salt it receives from its underwater diet.
Our guide Juan Carlos was superb! He told of the islands’ and animals’ natural history, how they are unique and how they evolved to what they are today. Every day we were treated to two landings on different islands to study the natural wonders.
Galapagos is very known for its sea turtles and its tortoises. Both are very large in size and very beautiful. Because the mating season for the sea turtle was underway, we were lucky to see many turtles mate in the water. The tortoise found on land is found in the wild as well as in breeding centers where they have successfully released hundreds of young tortoises on the islands. A tortoise can live to be 300+ years.
It was also the mating season for other well known Galapagos animals, such as the sea lion, and everywhere we ran into new baby lions that were just adorable! Sea lions like to play, especially when people snorkel or dive. They spin around you and make pretend dashes right towards your face just to turn at the last second. Several times we had sea lions visit the boat. They found their way up and made themselves comfortable on deck. Very cute!
Birds are both unique and plentiful on the islands. Waved Albatross, Blue Footed Boobie and Magnificent and Great Frigate Bird are some of the known ones. All were in full mating season and we were privileged to see some very special behaviour as a result. The Blue Footed Boobie is especially cute. The male stands on the ground waiting for a female to fly overhead. When she does he starts lifting his clumsy and blue feet up in the air to show her how beautiful he is. When she has picked her mate, the two of them dance together, showing each other their beautiful blue feet. I wish it was that simple…
We also spotted many different sharks of different sizes. Often when we snorkeled, but also on one of our dives. The shark that most people are looking to see in the Galapagos is the Hammerhead Shark and we had luck on our side. Manta Rays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Marble Rays, Golden Cowhead Rays and other Rays also came out to show us how very cool they are!
The Penguins on the Galapagos are the world’s most northerly penguin. It is a small one and very quick in the water. Whales and large Manta Rays were seen from our boat on several occasions
Every day was filled with new natural wonders and also with a bunch of fun on the boat. Each evening our guide would hold little sessions about what we could expect from the following day and our captain led us on several snorkeling adventures. The sailing was also an experience! A couple of nights the seas were a little bit rough and some people had trouble sleeping. Mike and I were fine and the days were usually really calm so everyone could enjoy to the fullest.
The last night on the boat was pretty special for Mike and I. We had such a wonderful time in the Galapagos and we thought it would be a wonderful place to tie our knots a little tighter. We asked the captain to hold a little ceremony for us and barefoot, with shorts and t-shirts we promised each other to take care of each other in the future….at least that is what we think the captain said….my Spanish couldn’t quite keep up, so who knows :)
Galapagos is a place I wish everyone could experience. It is so enormous to see all the wildlife on the islands and learn how it evolved. One big difference between the Galapagos and the rest of the world is that the wildlife on the Galapagos is not afraid of people so for short moments, the wildlife and the humans can get very close to each other. If someone out there is looking for a place to go, I can without a doubt recommend a Galapagos cruise!
Den första eftermiddagen seglade vi inte så långt och gick i land på våran första ö. Lanskapet som mötte oss var fantastiskt! En vit strand med sjölejon och en bakgrund av lava sten och torrväxt. Klipporna längs stranden var full av Blue Footed Boobies, Pengviner och Sally Lightfoot Crabs. Vi hade till och med turen att få see en ”feeding frenzy” med alla möjliga fåglar; Blue Footed Boobies, Pelicans, Frigate Birds, Gulls och fler. De dök i flock ned i vattnet för att fånga fisk och allt annat som rörde sig. Längre ned för stranden så upptäckte vi stora sköldpaddespår (sea turtle). Det är parningstid för dem nu och mammorna kravlar upp för stränderna för att lägga sina ägg. De gräver en stor grop för äggen och en stor grop bredvid för att använda sanden till att täcka äggen. Det här är det enda tillfället en sköldpadda tar sig ur vattnet i sitt livs tid och den lägger runt 300ägg för att hoppas att en eller två små paddor lyckas att ta sig till vattnet när äggen kläcks. Äggen kläcks på natten och vi såg små spår av de små padorna i sanden. Mot kvällen såg vi hur fåglar började samlas runt äggroparna för att invänta nattens måltid. Som avslutning fick vi även se en art av iguana som bara finns på Galapagos (Marine Iguana). Det är en stor och fin vegetarisk ödla som har utvecklat konsten att simma och skaffa föda från havsbotten. Väldigt coola faktiskt! De ligger på högar på stränder och klippor för att värma sig mellan varven i vattnet. I mellanåt så snyter de ut en loska salt från näsan och vilar lungt vidare.
Våran guide, Juan Carlos var helt suverän! Han berättade om öarnas och djurens naturhistoria, hur de är unika och hur ekosystemen på Galapagos utvecklades och hur de fungerar idag. Varje dag fick vi gå i land två gånger för att studera naturlivet.
Galapagos är mycket känt för sina sköldpaddor, både havspaddan och landpaddan. Båda sorterna är enormt stora och vackra att se på. Parningstiden för havspaddan pågick när vi var på Galapagos och vid flera tillfällen hade vi turen att se två sköldpaddor tilsammans. Sköldpaddan som hittas på land är enormt stor och finns att hitta på ett par ställen, dels i vilt tillstånd och dels på uppfödningsgårdar där de har haft stor framgång att föda fram dem. Landpaddan lever till 300 år och i bland mer.
Det var även parningstiden för andra kända Galapagosdjur, som sjölejonet och det var fullt med små lejon på stränder och i vattnet. Sjölejon gillar att roa sig och leker gärna med dykare och snorklare om de får tillfälle. De snurrar runt en och ibland dyker de rakt emot en för att i sista sekund väja undan. På stränderna så gillar de att komma upp i närheten och utforska vad vi är för figurer. Vi hade vid flera tillfällen sjölejon ombord på båten. De tog sig upp och lade sig tillrätta på däck. Väldigt gulligt!
Fåglar är både unika och många på öarna. Waved Albatross, Blue Footed Boobie och Magnificent och Great Frigate Bird är de mest berömda. Alla var i full gång med att föröka sig och vi fick se beteenden som bara förekommer vid den här tidpunkten och det var hur fint som helst att se små fågelungar sitta lite var som helst och titta på oss när vi kom gående. The Blue Footed Boobie har ett roligt parningsbeteende där hanen står i sitt bo och väntar på att en hona ska flyga förbi. När hon kommer så lyfter hanen på sina klumsiga blåa fötter och visar henne hur fina de är. När hon är nöjd så dansar de tilsammans och visar sina fötter för varandra. Om det ändå var så enkelt!
Vi såg även hajar av olika slag. Oftast när vi snorklade, men även under ett av våra dyk. Den haj som alla vill se är the Hammer Head och vi hade turen på vår sida. Manta Rays, Spotted Rays, Marble Rays, Eagle Ray och andra sorter fick vi också chansen att se (kommer inte ihåg vad de heter på Svenska).
Pengvinerna på Galapagos är världens mest nordliga pengvin. Den är liten och jätte snabb i vattnet! Valar var synliga från båten vid flera tillfällen och som jag nämnde tidigare såg vi stora Manta Ray som flög upp ur vattnet för att plaska ned i vattnet igen.
Varje dag var fylld av nya naturupplevelser och även av en hel del skoj på båten! Våran guide berättade om öarna för oss på kvällarna och våran kapten ledde oss på snorklingturerna. Seglingen var även en upplevelse den. Ett par nätter så hade vi litte större sjögång och en del hade svårt att sova. Mike och jag klarade oss bra och dagarna var lugna så alla kunde njuta fullt ut.
Den sista kvällen tyckte Mike och jag att Galapagos skulle vara ett fint ställe att knyta våra band lite mer och bad kapten att hålla en liten cermoni för oss. Barfota och med shorts och t-shirt så lovade vi att sköta om varandra i framtiden....det är i alla fall vad jag tror att kaptenen sa...min spanska hängde inte riktigt med så vem vet :)
Galapagos är ett ställe som jag önskar att alla kunde få uppleva. Det är så enormt att se allt liv på öarna och hur det har utvecklats. En stor skillnad mellan Galapagos och den övriga världen är att djuren inte är skygga för människor, vilket tillåter oss att komma nära varandras liv, om bara för en stund. Om någon undrar vart ni ska åka härnäst på semester så kan jag utan tvekan föreslå en Galapagoskryssing på en utav båtarna där.
More Galapagos (English)
We didn’t sail too far on our first afternoon and set foot on our first island. The landscape that met us was fantastic. A white beach with sea lions and a background of lava rock and dry brush. The rocks along the shore were covered in Blue Footed Boobies, Penguins and Sally Lightfoot Crabs. We even had the fortune to walk right up to a feeding frenzy with all kinds of birds; Blue Footed Boobies, Pelicans, Frigate Birds, Gulls and others. They were diving in flocks to catch fish and anything else that moved. Further down the beach we discovered huge sea turtle tracks. It is mating season for the sea turtles and the mama turtle comes out and lays her eggs in a big hole that she digs. This is the only time in her life that she comes out of the water. She lays about 300 eggs, hoping that at least one or two will safely make it down to the water when the eggs hatch. The eggs hatch at night and we saw many mini turtle tracks on the beach. At dusk, birds were gathering around the holes to await their next meal. To end the evening walk we got to see the Marine Iguanas. They are unique to the Galapagos and are the only iguana to have evolved to feed in the sea. It’s a very large and cool looking lizard! In between feedings they lie around warming up, while every now and then snorting out a string of salt through their nose. This behaviour is an adaption which has allowed this creature to eject the excessive amounts of salt it receives from its underwater diet.
Our guide Juan Carlos was superb! He told of the islands’ and animals’ natural history, how they are unique and how they evolved to what they are today. Every day we were treated to two landings on different islands to study the natural wonders.
Galapagos is very known for its sea turtles and its tortoises. Both are very large in size and very beautiful. Because the mating season for the sea turtle was underway, we were lucky to see many turtles mate in the water. The tortoise found on land is found in the wild as well as in breeding centers where they have successfully released hundreds of young tortoises on the islands. A tortoise can live to be 300+ years.
It was also the mating season for other well known Galapagos animals, such as the sea lion, and everywhere we ran into new baby lions that were just adorable! Sea lions like to play, especially when people snorkel or dive. They spin around you and make pretend dashes right towards your face just to turn at the last second. Several times we had sea lions visit the boat. They found their way up and made themselves comfortable on deck. Very cute!
Birds are both unique and plentiful on the islands. Waved Albatross, Blue Footed Boobie and Magnificent and Great Frigate Bird are some of the known ones. All were in full mating season and we were privileged to see some very special behaviour as a result. The Blue Footed Boobie is especially cute. The male stands on the ground waiting for a female to fly overhead. When she does he starts lifting his clumsy and blue feet up in the air to show her how beautiful he is. When she has picked her mate, the two of them dance together, showing each other their beautiful blue feet. I wish it was that simple…
We also spotted many different sharks of different sizes. Often when we snorkeled, but also on one of our dives. The shark that most people are looking to see in the Galapagos is the Hammerhead Shark and we had luck on our side. Manta Rays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Marble Rays, Golden Cowhead Rays and other Rays also came out to show us how very cool they are!
The Penguins on the Galapagos are the world’s most northerly penguin. It is a small one and very quick in the water. Whales and large Manta Rays were seen from our boat on several occasions
Every day was filled with new natural wonders and also with a bunch of fun on the boat. Each evening our guide would hold little sessions about what we could expect from the following day and our captain led us on several snorkeling adventures. The sailing was also an experience! A couple of nights the seas were a little bit rough and some people had trouble sleeping. Mike and I were fine and the days were usually really calm so everyone could enjoy to the fullest.
The last night on the boat was pretty special for Mike and I. We had such a wonderful time in the Galapagos and we thought it would be a wonderful place to tie our knots a little tighter. We asked the captain to hold a little ceremony for us and barefoot, with shorts and t-shirts we promised each other to take care of each other in the future….at least that is what we think the captain said….my Spanish couldn’t quite keep up, so who knows :)
Galapagos is a place I wish everyone could experience. It is so enormous to see all the wildlife on the islands and learn how it evolved. One big difference between the Galapagos and the rest of the world is that the wildlife on the Galapagos is not afraid of people so for short moments, the wildlife and the humans can get very close to each other. If someone out there is looking for a place to go, I can without a doubt recommend a Galapagos cruise!
First couple of photos from the Galapagos sailing trip....
The boat: the Nemo II, a 76-foot sailing catamaran (has 9 cabins plus a kitchen, takes 12 tourists plus crew)
Some locals were already hogging the benches at the pier while we awaited our panga dinghy to take us out to the catamaran.
The wildlife viewing at the pier (not even on the boat yet!) continues with penguin sightings in the water below. (better photo coming later...)
Plenty of nice fish hanging around the boat
Plenty of not-so-nice fish (sharks) hanging around the boat
The lounge area inside the catamaran
The dining area on the back deck. The scene of the crime for the weight gain that has happened.
Galapagos Part 1 Swedish and English
Galapagos Del 1 (Svenska)
Galapagos öarna ligger 1000km väster om Ecuadors fastland. Det är en skärgård med öar som har sprungit upp av vulkaner för mellan 1 - 8 miljoner år sedan. Vulkaner är fortfarande aktiva och öar formas långsamt med tiden. Eftersom öarna ligger på en tektoniskt platta som sakta rör sig mot fastlandet och under den plattan som fastlandet ligger på så betyder det att öarna så småning om sjunker. Som ni kanske vet var det här som Darwin spenderade 5 veckor på båten Beagle och senare utvecklade sina teorier om evolution.
Vi hade en resa bokad med en katamaran som heter Amazonia (Nemo II). Båten tar 12 passagerare och har 7 personer i personalen (guide, kapten, kock, seglare, reperatör, gummibåtsförare och en allt i allo). Vi hade ombetts att ha på oss klistermärken med båtens namn när vi anlände på flygplatsen så att våran guide skulle känna igen oss.Vi försökte i smyg att lista ut om några andra på vårat flyg skulle med samma båt och såg flera par med samma klistermärken. Vi log lite till varandra och hejade i kön genom tullen. Vi undrade naturligtvis om vi skulle komma överens, vilken under resan skulle visa sig att inte vara några problem. Under landningen så hade vi sett en liten vik med båtar förtöjda. Även en katamaran låg förtöjd där. Vi undrade naturligtvis om det kunde vara den båten vi skulle åka med!
Ecuador har tagit många steg för att beskydda sina öar, vildmark och djure. De desinfekterar väskor och skor när man anländer så att man inte ska föra in något som kan slå sig till ro på öarna och innan man åker ifrån fastlandet så gås alla väskor igenom för att se till att inget olämpligt förs in.
Våran natur guide, Juan Carlos, mötte oss på flygplatsen med ett stort leende varmt välkomnande och från den stunden så var vi omhändertagna som kungar och drottningar! Vi behövde inte ens bära våra väskor till bussen som väntade på oss. Turen ned till viken tog bara 5 minuter och det visade sig att den båten vi sett från flygplanet vare den vi skulle segla med! Gissa om vi alla var uppspelta! Oj, oj, oj! Bussen släppte av oss vid en liten kaj där vi fick några minuters väntan på våran ”panga” (gummibåt) som skulle ta oss till Nemo II. Och gissa vad vi såg redan vid kajen!!! Sjölejon låg på några soffbänkar och latade sig, en pingvin och en iguana simmade i vattnet, och pelikaner och andra fåglar flög runt omkring!!!! Alla turister blev som tokiga och vi tog massor av kort....vilket våran guide senare gjorde narr av eftersom djurlivet blir så enormt bättre när man kommer ifrån hamnen. Alla turister är sig lika!
De tokiga turisterna var Susan och Pete från Wales, Carmen och Miguel från Spanien, Saskia och Heike från Tyskland, Jamie och Annabelle från Nederländerna och Mathieu och Ellenor från Frankrike. Och så vi då.
Våran panga tog oss över till båten där vi välkomnades ombord av resten av personalen. Vi fick se våra hytter och vi fick en kall fruktjuice medan personalen bar in vårat bagage. Båten var otroligt fin. En 24 meter lång och 13 år gammal katamaran med en matsal i aktern, ett vardagsrum med en härlig soffa och några hytter i mitten och med fler hytter i fören.
Innan vi drog upp ankaret den första dagen så var det lite för personalen att stå i. Vi tog chansen att utforska båten och vattnet runt omkring. Medan vi satt och njöt av utsikten fick vi se våra första hajar. De var alla Galapagos Haj och en utav dem var riktigt stor....lite nervig blev jag nog eftersom vi skulle snorkla och dyka i det här vattnet hela veckan!
Galapagos Part 1 (English)
The Galapagos islands are located 1000km west of Ecuador’s mainland. It’s an archipelago of islands that were formed by volcanic activity 1-8 million years ago. Volcanoes are still active on the islands and new islands are continuously being formed. The islands are located on a big tectonic plate that slowly moves toward the mainland, forcing the islands underwater with time. As you probably already know, this is where Darwin spent 5 weeks on the ship “the Beagle” conducting biological research, which later on laid the foundation for his theories of evolution.
We had a trip booked on a catamaran named Amazonia (Nemo II). The boat is able to take 12 passengers and 7 staff (guide, captain, chef, sailor, repair man, panga (dinghy) driver and a jack of all trades). We had been asked to wear a sticker with our boat’s name upon arrival so that the guide would recognize us. As we were going through customs, we tried to spot other passengers and as we did we gave a smile and hello. Of course what we were quietly wondering is whether we would get along with each other, which later on would prove not to be an issue. During our landing we had spotted a bay with a number of boats anchored. One of them was a catamaran and we were wondering if this would be our boat.
Ecuador has taken many steps to ensure that the wilderness and wildlife on the islands remain intact. Our bags and shoes were disinfected upon arrival to ensure that we didn’t drag something in that could potentially set root, and before we left the mainland our bags were investigated for harmful material.
Our guide, Juan Carlos, met us at the airport with a big smile and a warm welcome, and from that moment on we were taken care of like kings and queens. We didn’t even carry our own luggage to the waiting bus! The bus ride down to the bay took 5 minutes and it turned out that the boat that we had seen from our flight indeed was the boat we would sail on! Were we ever excited! Wow! The bus dropped us off at a little pier where we had to wait a few minutes for our “panga” (rubber dingy), and guess what we saw from here??? Sea lions were relaxing on the park benches, a penguin and iguana were swimming in the water and pelicans and other birds were flying all over!!! The tourists (ourselves included) went nuts taking photos…which our guide later would make quite a bit of fun of since the wildlife is nothing in the harbour compared to the rest of the islands. All tourists are alike!
The other travellers were Susan and Pete from Wales, Carmen and Miguel from Spain, Saskia and Heike from Germany, Jamie and Annabelle from the Netherlands, and Mathieu and Ellenor from France. And us!
Our panga took us to our boat where we were welcomed by the rest of the staff. We got to see our cabins and received a nice cold fruit juice while the staff brought our luggage. The boat was incredibly nice. A 24 meter long and 13 year old catamaran with a dining room in the stern, a hangout room and cabins in the middle, and more cabins in the bow.
Before we set sail the first day, the staff had some things to attend to. This gave us an opportunity to investigate the boat and the waters around us. While enjoying the view from deck, we spotted out first sharks. They were all Galapagos Sharks and one of them was quite large….which was a bit unnerving since we would spend the next week snorkeling and scuba diving in this water!
Galapagos öarna ligger 1000km väster om Ecuadors fastland. Det är en skärgård med öar som har sprungit upp av vulkaner för mellan 1 - 8 miljoner år sedan. Vulkaner är fortfarande aktiva och öar formas långsamt med tiden. Eftersom öarna ligger på en tektoniskt platta som sakta rör sig mot fastlandet och under den plattan som fastlandet ligger på så betyder det att öarna så småning om sjunker. Som ni kanske vet var det här som Darwin spenderade 5 veckor på båten Beagle och senare utvecklade sina teorier om evolution.
Vi hade en resa bokad med en katamaran som heter Amazonia (Nemo II). Båten tar 12 passagerare och har 7 personer i personalen (guide, kapten, kock, seglare, reperatör, gummibåtsförare och en allt i allo). Vi hade ombetts att ha på oss klistermärken med båtens namn när vi anlände på flygplatsen så att våran guide skulle känna igen oss.Vi försökte i smyg att lista ut om några andra på vårat flyg skulle med samma båt och såg flera par med samma klistermärken. Vi log lite till varandra och hejade i kön genom tullen. Vi undrade naturligtvis om vi skulle komma överens, vilken under resan skulle visa sig att inte vara några problem. Under landningen så hade vi sett en liten vik med båtar förtöjda. Även en katamaran låg förtöjd där. Vi undrade naturligtvis om det kunde vara den båten vi skulle åka med!
Ecuador har tagit många steg för att beskydda sina öar, vildmark och djure. De desinfekterar väskor och skor när man anländer så att man inte ska föra in något som kan slå sig till ro på öarna och innan man åker ifrån fastlandet så gås alla väskor igenom för att se till att inget olämpligt förs in.
Våran natur guide, Juan Carlos, mötte oss på flygplatsen med ett stort leende varmt välkomnande och från den stunden så var vi omhändertagna som kungar och drottningar! Vi behövde inte ens bära våra väskor till bussen som väntade på oss. Turen ned till viken tog bara 5 minuter och det visade sig att den båten vi sett från flygplanet vare den vi skulle segla med! Gissa om vi alla var uppspelta! Oj, oj, oj! Bussen släppte av oss vid en liten kaj där vi fick några minuters väntan på våran ”panga” (gummibåt) som skulle ta oss till Nemo II. Och gissa vad vi såg redan vid kajen!!! Sjölejon låg på några soffbänkar och latade sig, en pingvin och en iguana simmade i vattnet, och pelikaner och andra fåglar flög runt omkring!!!! Alla turister blev som tokiga och vi tog massor av kort....vilket våran guide senare gjorde narr av eftersom djurlivet blir så enormt bättre när man kommer ifrån hamnen. Alla turister är sig lika!
De tokiga turisterna var Susan och Pete från Wales, Carmen och Miguel från Spanien, Saskia och Heike från Tyskland, Jamie och Annabelle från Nederländerna och Mathieu och Ellenor från Frankrike. Och så vi då.
Våran panga tog oss över till båten där vi välkomnades ombord av resten av personalen. Vi fick se våra hytter och vi fick en kall fruktjuice medan personalen bar in vårat bagage. Båten var otroligt fin. En 24 meter lång och 13 år gammal katamaran med en matsal i aktern, ett vardagsrum med en härlig soffa och några hytter i mitten och med fler hytter i fören.
Innan vi drog upp ankaret den första dagen så var det lite för personalen att stå i. Vi tog chansen att utforska båten och vattnet runt omkring. Medan vi satt och njöt av utsikten fick vi se våra första hajar. De var alla Galapagos Haj och en utav dem var riktigt stor....lite nervig blev jag nog eftersom vi skulle snorkla och dyka i det här vattnet hela veckan!
Galapagos Part 1 (English)
The Galapagos islands are located 1000km west of Ecuador’s mainland. It’s an archipelago of islands that were formed by volcanic activity 1-8 million years ago. Volcanoes are still active on the islands and new islands are continuously being formed. The islands are located on a big tectonic plate that slowly moves toward the mainland, forcing the islands underwater with time. As you probably already know, this is where Darwin spent 5 weeks on the ship “the Beagle” conducting biological research, which later on laid the foundation for his theories of evolution.
We had a trip booked on a catamaran named Amazonia (Nemo II). The boat is able to take 12 passengers and 7 staff (guide, captain, chef, sailor, repair man, panga (dinghy) driver and a jack of all trades). We had been asked to wear a sticker with our boat’s name upon arrival so that the guide would recognize us. As we were going through customs, we tried to spot other passengers and as we did we gave a smile and hello. Of course what we were quietly wondering is whether we would get along with each other, which later on would prove not to be an issue. During our landing we had spotted a bay with a number of boats anchored. One of them was a catamaran and we were wondering if this would be our boat.
Ecuador has taken many steps to ensure that the wilderness and wildlife on the islands remain intact. Our bags and shoes were disinfected upon arrival to ensure that we didn’t drag something in that could potentially set root, and before we left the mainland our bags were investigated for harmful material.
Our guide, Juan Carlos, met us at the airport with a big smile and a warm welcome, and from that moment on we were taken care of like kings and queens. We didn’t even carry our own luggage to the waiting bus! The bus ride down to the bay took 5 minutes and it turned out that the boat that we had seen from our flight indeed was the boat we would sail on! Were we ever excited! Wow! The bus dropped us off at a little pier where we had to wait a few minutes for our “panga” (rubber dingy), and guess what we saw from here??? Sea lions were relaxing on the park benches, a penguin and iguana were swimming in the water and pelicans and other birds were flying all over!!! The tourists (ourselves included) went nuts taking photos…which our guide later would make quite a bit of fun of since the wildlife is nothing in the harbour compared to the rest of the islands. All tourists are alike!
The other travellers were Susan and Pete from Wales, Carmen and Miguel from Spain, Saskia and Heike from Germany, Jamie and Annabelle from the Netherlands, and Mathieu and Ellenor from France. And us!
Our panga took us to our boat where we were welcomed by the rest of the staff. We got to see our cabins and received a nice cold fruit juice while the staff brought our luggage. The boat was incredibly nice. A 24 meter long and 13 year old catamaran with a dining room in the stern, a hangout room and cabins in the middle, and more cabins in the bow.
Before we set sail the first day, the staff had some things to attend to. This gave us an opportunity to investigate the boat and the waters around us. While enjoying the view from deck, we spotted out first sharks. They were all Galapagos Sharks and one of them was quite large….which was a bit unnerving since we would spend the next week snorkeling and scuba diving in this water!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
How to begin writing about the best place you have ever visited? A beautiful sailboat, great company, amazing guides and wildlife beyond your imagination! This place is really enchanted! We are looking forward to telling all the stories when we find a computer that is more efficient than the ones on the island. We arrive in Chile in a couple of days and hopefully we will find some time there to write.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Out of touch
We head to the Galapagos tomorrow and will be out of touch (on a sailboat) until the following Sunday. Talk to you later!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Drawing a line in the sand
Thanks to some very nice big reclining leather VIP seats on a very first-class bus, VJ was convinced to endure about 7 hours of bus ride each way, for one 30-minute fly-over of the Nazca lines.
The Nazca lines are a strange mystery located in the desert of western Peru, near the town of Nazca. Throughout the desert, gigantic figures (100 metres +) have been drawn on the desert floor, by the Nazca civilization over a thousand years ago. They take the form of hummingbirds, condors, monkeys, whales, and many are done with such precision that lines continue for 100 metres, perfectly straight and parallel. There are also hundreds of large geometric shapes (mostly long triangles) and straight lines that extend for kilometres, perfectly. What is even more mind-boggling is that the figures are so large that they can not even be seen or comprehended from ground level. They were not even discovered until this century when flights started travelling over the area. In fact, the PanAmerican highway runs right over some of the figures because they didn't realize they were there.
Not only does it make you wonder how they were able to draw these figures and do it so precisely, it also makes you wonder WHO or WHAT they did it for? If the pictures can only be understood from above, who were they for?
A woman from Germany devoted 40 years of her life to trying to figure this out. She looked at relationships between the lines and the patterns of the sun, stars, etc., but never did come up with an answer.
Veronica and I took to the air in a little 4-seater plane to get a good look at the figures. The pilot was an excellent guide who made sure that all 3 tourists got the ideal view of each figure. He would bank the small plane completely on to its side and do an entire circle around the figure, only to then quickly whip the plane onto its other side, saying "and now on the right side of the plane"....
After half an hour of this over and over again, VJ and I were pretty green but managed to make it back to the ground without using the plastic bags....
We hung out in our hotel room for about an hour before we felt ready to go out again.
The Nazca lines are a strange mystery located in the desert of western Peru, near the town of Nazca. Throughout the desert, gigantic figures (100 metres +) have been drawn on the desert floor, by the Nazca civilization over a thousand years ago. They take the form of hummingbirds, condors, monkeys, whales, and many are done with such precision that lines continue for 100 metres, perfectly straight and parallel. There are also hundreds of large geometric shapes (mostly long triangles) and straight lines that extend for kilometres, perfectly. What is even more mind-boggling is that the figures are so large that they can not even be seen or comprehended from ground level. They were not even discovered until this century when flights started travelling over the area. In fact, the PanAmerican highway runs right over some of the figures because they didn't realize they were there.
Not only does it make you wonder how they were able to draw these figures and do it so precisely, it also makes you wonder WHO or WHAT they did it for? If the pictures can only be understood from above, who were they for?
A woman from Germany devoted 40 years of her life to trying to figure this out. She looked at relationships between the lines and the patterns of the sun, stars, etc., but never did come up with an answer.
Veronica and I took to the air in a little 4-seater plane to get a good look at the figures. The pilot was an excellent guide who made sure that all 3 tourists got the ideal view of each figure. He would bank the small plane completely on to its side and do an entire circle around the figure, only to then quickly whip the plane onto its other side, saying "and now on the right side of the plane"....
After half an hour of this over and over again, VJ and I were pretty green but managed to make it back to the ground without using the plastic bags....
We hung out in our hotel room for about an hour before we felt ready to go out again.
Lima - life in the big city
Normally we're not fans of big cities when we travel. They all seem the same. But Lima grew on us a little and the city had a few cool sites. First was the monastery of San Francisco. Even though we're also not big fans of churches (Latin America has A LOT of them and you can tire of them all after a while), this one had something extra that we were interested in: catacombs! After a tour of the monestary and some cool history of what it was like to be a Franciscan Monk, we headed underground. We were soon greeted by the sight of deep piles of femurs and skulls from 25,000 bodies! And if this weren't enough, someone at some point in history went to the "artistic" effort of arranging them if various patterns: sometimes rows of femurs all aligned and then arrays of skulls, and one circular holding area where the femurs and skulls each formed alternating elegant concentric circles to fill the entire holding space.
After that, we took advantage of being close to Chinatown to indulge in what was the best Chinese food we have had ANYWHERE. Who would have thought we'd find it in Peru...
It was a nice change from the Peruvian food.
After lunch, it was off to the Musuem of the Spanish Inquisition. Yes, Lima was one of three cities in the Americas that was host to the Spanish Inquisition tribunals. The tour started in the actual room where the trials were held. From there, we walked past displays that provided history, toured the prison cells and showed some of the examples of the tortures that were delivered to people who were found guilty of not being good Catholics (including those who practised forms of Christianity other than Catholicism) and made to repent. About 30 people were punished to death in Peru (much much less than in Europe, where it is estimated that 1000-2000 people were executed). Being burned at the stake was a typical method.
The Inquisitions, however, only had jurisdiction over baptized Christians. This saved the indigenous people of Peru from being tried. The Spaniards viewed the indigenous people as being equivalent to animals and without a soul, thus they were not held responsible for their wrong-doings.
After that, we took advantage of being close to Chinatown to indulge in what was the best Chinese food we have had ANYWHERE. Who would have thought we'd find it in Peru...
It was a nice change from the Peruvian food.
After lunch, it was off to the Musuem of the Spanish Inquisition. Yes, Lima was one of three cities in the Americas that was host to the Spanish Inquisition tribunals. The tour started in the actual room where the trials were held. From there, we walked past displays that provided history, toured the prison cells and showed some of the examples of the tortures that were delivered to people who were found guilty of not being good Catholics (including those who practised forms of Christianity other than Catholicism) and made to repent. About 30 people were punished to death in Peru (much much less than in Europe, where it is estimated that 1000-2000 people were executed). Being burned at the stake was a typical method.
The Inquisitions, however, only had jurisdiction over baptized Christians. This saved the indigenous people of Peru from being tried. The Spaniards viewed the indigenous people as being equivalent to animals and without a soul, thus they were not held responsible for their wrong-doings.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Giant lilypads, almost 2 metres in diameter.
Some of the canoes at the lodge, and the vegetation that fills all of the ponds and rivers.
Going for a swim in the Amazon river, where the pink dolphins were swimming.
The amount of current was surprising, so after a few minutes of treading water, you asked for a life jacket....
Finding a tarantula on a trek near the lodge
(when you're decorated with war paint like a local tribal warrior, you feel confident enough to do anything)
Another big catch during a morning of piranha fishing in the Amazon. There were a few BIG bites on the line but we didn't manage to get the big ones out of the water.
The chef at the lodge cooked these up for us. The meat is tasty enough, but there are a lot of bones in a piranha.
Still, it's great fun trying to catch these guys and pull them out of the water, but they are reeeeaaaalllly good at eating all of the bait off your hook without getting caught.
Our hut in the Amazon. The stilts are necessary for when the water level gets higher.
A Fer de Lance, a very poisonous snake.
Touring around in the boat at night, looking for caimans on the Amazon.
Finding an armoured millipede during one of our jungle walks.
Djungel Boken
Vi är tillbaka från vårat besök till Amazon floden och dess djungel. Och vilken resa! Det är svårt att beskriva känslorna man har när man får uppleva ett ställe man aldrig trodde att man skulle få se.
Våran djungel lodge låg 140 km upp för floden från staden Iquitos och det tog oss 3.5 timmar med båt att ta oss dit. Vi blev hälsade välkomna med ett kallt glas juice av lodge chefen och sedan fick vi en buffe lunch. Efter lunchen gav vi oss ut på en liten upptäcktsfärd i djungeln precis bakom våran lodge. Det var inte en särskilt lång vandring, men vi hade turen att se flera olika apor, insekter, fåglar, och en tarantula spindel. En utav aporna var en "Howler Monkey". Vet inte vad den heter på Svenska, skrikande eller gapande apa kanske. Den låter som ett stort lejon, men är inte särskilt stor. Våran guide gillade verkligen att se dem, eftersom de är ganska skygga och ofta drar sig undan när människor kommer. Våran guide var rätt så förtjust i att härma djur för att försöka locka dem till sig...men det funkade naturligtvis aldrig!
Vi han med två till tre upptäcktsfärder om dagen. Vi gick på längre djungel turer, båt turer och simturer. Vi såg jätte många olika apor, fåglar, ormar, fiskar, insekter, spindlar, ett trögdjur (sloth), caymans och mycket mer. En av ormarna var en Ter De Lance, områdets mest giftiga orm. Vi blev även påminda att alla spindlar är giftiga, även de minsta.
En båttur för att fiska pirana fiskar blev avbruten av ett oväder. Regn och åska kom farande men en himla fart! Vi vände båten för att åka tillbaka men blev fast i ovädret. Två blixtar slog ned framför båten och man kände hur håret reste sig och kroppen kändes konstig. Motorn slogs av och båtföraren hade lite svårt att få igång den igen. Vi satt hukade på golvet så gott vi kunde och hoppades att vi skulle slippa undan fler blixtnedslag. Som tur var tog vi oss fram till våran brygga oskadda och vi kunde pusta ut. Vi sköt upp fiskandet till nästa dag!
Vi fick flera piranafiskar var nästa dag och jag fick även en annan kostig fisk. Kockarna på lodgen lagade till dem till lunch och de var jätte goda! Samma dag fick vi även se näckrosblad som var 2-3m i diameter (de når sin maxstorlek på bara 8 veckor!) och vi fick simma med delfiner i Amazonfloden. Det finns två typer av delfiner där, en rosa och en grå delfin. Vi såg båda två. Vattnet var ganska strömt så vi hade flytvästar på oss när vi badade.
Det är slutet på den torra perioden i Amazonen just nu så vattnet var ganska lågt. Under regnperioden som börjar i slutet på November så stiger vattnet med 8-12 meters. Skulle vara kul att se floden då.
För dem som gillar fåglar så är det här ett paradis. Vi såg så mycket olika fåglar varje dag. De flesta hade man aldrig hört talas om men en hel del kände man igen som papegoja, toucon, häger och hök. En del fåglar såg ut som regnbågar och en annan liten fågel gav ifrån sig ett jätte lustigt ljud. Det lät som om en stor vattendroppe föll ur en kran (plopp). Och den lyfte alltid på skjärten när den ploppade.
Vi har varit i Lima en dag nu. Var på museum och i ett stort kloster med katakomber i morse, men det bästa i dag var kinamaten vi åt till lunch!! I morgon ska vi ta en buss ned till Nazca för att se Nazca linjerna.
Våran djungel lodge låg 140 km upp för floden från staden Iquitos och det tog oss 3.5 timmar med båt att ta oss dit. Vi blev hälsade välkomna med ett kallt glas juice av lodge chefen och sedan fick vi en buffe lunch. Efter lunchen gav vi oss ut på en liten upptäcktsfärd i djungeln precis bakom våran lodge. Det var inte en särskilt lång vandring, men vi hade turen att se flera olika apor, insekter, fåglar, och en tarantula spindel. En utav aporna var en "Howler Monkey". Vet inte vad den heter på Svenska, skrikande eller gapande apa kanske. Den låter som ett stort lejon, men är inte särskilt stor. Våran guide gillade verkligen att se dem, eftersom de är ganska skygga och ofta drar sig undan när människor kommer. Våran guide var rätt så förtjust i att härma djur för att försöka locka dem till sig...men det funkade naturligtvis aldrig!
Vi han med två till tre upptäcktsfärder om dagen. Vi gick på längre djungel turer, båt turer och simturer. Vi såg jätte många olika apor, fåglar, ormar, fiskar, insekter, spindlar, ett trögdjur (sloth), caymans och mycket mer. En av ormarna var en Ter De Lance, områdets mest giftiga orm. Vi blev även påminda att alla spindlar är giftiga, även de minsta.
En båttur för att fiska pirana fiskar blev avbruten av ett oväder. Regn och åska kom farande men en himla fart! Vi vände båten för att åka tillbaka men blev fast i ovädret. Två blixtar slog ned framför båten och man kände hur håret reste sig och kroppen kändes konstig. Motorn slogs av och båtföraren hade lite svårt att få igång den igen. Vi satt hukade på golvet så gott vi kunde och hoppades att vi skulle slippa undan fler blixtnedslag. Som tur var tog vi oss fram till våran brygga oskadda och vi kunde pusta ut. Vi sköt upp fiskandet till nästa dag!
Vi fick flera piranafiskar var nästa dag och jag fick även en annan kostig fisk. Kockarna på lodgen lagade till dem till lunch och de var jätte goda! Samma dag fick vi även se näckrosblad som var 2-3m i diameter (de når sin maxstorlek på bara 8 veckor!) och vi fick simma med delfiner i Amazonfloden. Det finns två typer av delfiner där, en rosa och en grå delfin. Vi såg båda två. Vattnet var ganska strömt så vi hade flytvästar på oss när vi badade.
Det är slutet på den torra perioden i Amazonen just nu så vattnet var ganska lågt. Under regnperioden som börjar i slutet på November så stiger vattnet med 8-12 meters. Skulle vara kul att se floden då.
För dem som gillar fåglar så är det här ett paradis. Vi såg så mycket olika fåglar varje dag. De flesta hade man aldrig hört talas om men en hel del kände man igen som papegoja, toucon, häger och hök. En del fåglar såg ut som regnbågar och en annan liten fågel gav ifrån sig ett jätte lustigt ljud. Det lät som om en stor vattendroppe föll ur en kran (plopp). Och den lyfte alltid på skjärten när den ploppade.
Vi har varit i Lima en dag nu. Var på museum och i ett stort kloster med katakomber i morse, men det bästa i dag var kinamaten vi åt till lunch!! I morgon ska vi ta en buss ned till Nazca för att se Nazca linjerna.
One of the locals in the village of Colchani, helping his family process and bag salt from the salt flats
The locals bagging up the salt. Once they bag 50 of these 1-kilogram bags, they sell that batch for 8 Bolivianos, just over a dollar. (that's after gathering, drying, treating and iodizing)
Veronica crossing the border from Peru to Bolivia
The floating islands (made of reeds from the lake), reed huts and a reed boat on Lake Titicaca, Peru
Hanging out with the Inka king in Cusco, Peru
Jungle Fever
Wow, what an amazing trip into the Amazon!!! After spending a day in Iquitos fighting the extreme heat and humidity, we escaped 140km upriver on the Amazon to a jungle lodge called Muyuna Lodge. The lodge complex was sitting on a side arm off of the Amazon right in the middle of the jungle and it was absolutely stunning! We had a little jungle hut with our own private bathroom and our own hammock to ourselves. The entire thing was covered in mosquito net to keep the gringos safe from the creepy crawlies (and there were a lot of them, trust me!).
Upon arrival we were greeted by the manager with a cold juice while some lodge staff took our bags to our hut. Immediately after lunch we set off on our first jungle trek. This was a shorter hike that took us in behind the lodge, but we managed to see and hear more than some people see in their entire stay at the lodge. Several spieces of monkies, including the famous Howler Monkey and the smallest monkey in the world, the Marmoset Monkey, lots of birds, a tarantula spider, bullet ants and a bunch of other insects and plants. Our guide Julio was quite excited by the Howler Monkeys and when they stopped making the howler sound, he quickly took over and made his own howling sound. Not sure why it is that most natural guides think they can attract the animals by trying to imitate their sounds....it never works!
We met a bunch of other lodge visitors over our buffet dinner and in the evening we were all treated to a night ride in the boat looking for nocturnal life. Again we were super lucky and managed to catch a Caiman. Caimans in the Amazon can live up to 70 years and grow up to 7 meters long. The one we caught was about 3 years old and roughly 1 -1.5 meters long. We all took turns holding it. Very, very cool!
The following couple of days we made excursions of various sorts, looking for wildlife in the area. Another jungle trek which was more remote and a bit longer than the first one had us discovering more monkeys and snakes. One of the snakes that we saw is the most poisonous land snake of the area, the Fer De Lance. It was sitting on a log by the water's edge and it had a serious cut on its body. Our guide thinks that a hawk must have grabbed it and then dropped it. Lucky for the snake to have survived! We also saw an aquatic Fer De Lance.
We made an attempt to go Piranha fishing but a severe rain and thunder stormed moved in on us. We got caught in the storm on the water trying to rush back to the lodge. The rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see where we were going. Two lightning bolts hit the water right in front of our boat making us all feel tingly and strange....and very scared. One of them killed our motor and the driver had to work pretty hard to get us moving again. Very strange that it didn't hit us since our boat was made of aluminum or something similar. I had a moment of "Hmm, this is why I was so afraid of thunder as a kid - I'm going to die from lightning", but thankfully we managed to get back to the lodge. We were all pretty shaken up and decided to go fishing the next day instead. Piranha fishing was super fun. We both caught a bunch and I also caught something else fun and weird. The chefs at the lodge cooked them up for us for lunch and they were all very tasty. We also had a chance to see giant Lily pads, prehistoric birds and river dolphins. There are two kinds of river dolphins in the Amazon, the pink dolphin and the gray dolphin. During the dolphin searching we also got a chance to jump in and swim around in the Amazon! Pretty amazing! But also a bit weird since the last few days had been spend getting information about all the poisonous and dangerous stuff that lives in the jungle and in the river.
This place would be heaven for any bird lover. Every morning we would wake up to a very loud concert of birds hanging out in the trees outside the hut. When on the river we would see so many different birds that it was hard to keep track. Parrots, Toucans, Herons, Hawks, Vultures, and so many birds native to the area that I can't remember the name of. One of them was especially fun. It would sit down and make a sound like a big waterdrop was dripping out of a huge tap (blooop), and while making the sound it would flip the bum feathers up in the air and expose the bum.
On the last night after a rain storm had blown through I was hanging out in our hammock and really enjoying the cool air moving in. I thought that if the air gets this cool, I could easily enjoy living here. As the evening went on I kept getting cooler and I keep thinking that "this is great", but after a couple of hours I found myself in bed with a big fleece blanked wrapped around me and I realized that the air was not getting colder....I was having a fever! It was over in a couple of hours and then I felt fine again. I probably reacted to the very hot weather and might have been a bit dehydrated.
It was hard to leave the lodge. We had so much fun exploring the jungle and the river and all the people at the lodge were super fun to hang around. I would very much recommend anyone who would like to see the Amazon to visit the Muyuna Lodge. The staff makes the entire trip super easy. You can be met at the airport in Iquitos and be taken care of from there on. Seeing the Amazon is an experience unlike any other! A very special trip!
Upon arrival we were greeted by the manager with a cold juice while some lodge staff took our bags to our hut. Immediately after lunch we set off on our first jungle trek. This was a shorter hike that took us in behind the lodge, but we managed to see and hear more than some people see in their entire stay at the lodge. Several spieces of monkies, including the famous Howler Monkey and the smallest monkey in the world, the Marmoset Monkey, lots of birds, a tarantula spider, bullet ants and a bunch of other insects and plants. Our guide Julio was quite excited by the Howler Monkeys and when they stopped making the howler sound, he quickly took over and made his own howling sound. Not sure why it is that most natural guides think they can attract the animals by trying to imitate their sounds....it never works!
We met a bunch of other lodge visitors over our buffet dinner and in the evening we were all treated to a night ride in the boat looking for nocturnal life. Again we were super lucky and managed to catch a Caiman. Caimans in the Amazon can live up to 70 years and grow up to 7 meters long. The one we caught was about 3 years old and roughly 1 -1.5 meters long. We all took turns holding it. Very, very cool!
The following couple of days we made excursions of various sorts, looking for wildlife in the area. Another jungle trek which was more remote and a bit longer than the first one had us discovering more monkeys and snakes. One of the snakes that we saw is the most poisonous land snake of the area, the Fer De Lance. It was sitting on a log by the water's edge and it had a serious cut on its body. Our guide thinks that a hawk must have grabbed it and then dropped it. Lucky for the snake to have survived! We also saw an aquatic Fer De Lance.
We made an attempt to go Piranha fishing but a severe rain and thunder stormed moved in on us. We got caught in the storm on the water trying to rush back to the lodge. The rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see where we were going. Two lightning bolts hit the water right in front of our boat making us all feel tingly and strange....and very scared. One of them killed our motor and the driver had to work pretty hard to get us moving again. Very strange that it didn't hit us since our boat was made of aluminum or something similar. I had a moment of "Hmm, this is why I was so afraid of thunder as a kid - I'm going to die from lightning", but thankfully we managed to get back to the lodge. We were all pretty shaken up and decided to go fishing the next day instead. Piranha fishing was super fun. We both caught a bunch and I also caught something else fun and weird. The chefs at the lodge cooked them up for us for lunch and they were all very tasty. We also had a chance to see giant Lily pads, prehistoric birds and river dolphins. There are two kinds of river dolphins in the Amazon, the pink dolphin and the gray dolphin. During the dolphin searching we also got a chance to jump in and swim around in the Amazon! Pretty amazing! But also a bit weird since the last few days had been spend getting information about all the poisonous and dangerous stuff that lives in the jungle and in the river.
This place would be heaven for any bird lover. Every morning we would wake up to a very loud concert of birds hanging out in the trees outside the hut. When on the river we would see so many different birds that it was hard to keep track. Parrots, Toucans, Herons, Hawks, Vultures, and so many birds native to the area that I can't remember the name of. One of them was especially fun. It would sit down and make a sound like a big waterdrop was dripping out of a huge tap (blooop), and while making the sound it would flip the bum feathers up in the air and expose the bum.
On the last night after a rain storm had blown through I was hanging out in our hammock and really enjoying the cool air moving in. I thought that if the air gets this cool, I could easily enjoy living here. As the evening went on I kept getting cooler and I keep thinking that "this is great", but after a couple of hours I found myself in bed with a big fleece blanked wrapped around me and I realized that the air was not getting colder....I was having a fever! It was over in a couple of hours and then I felt fine again. I probably reacted to the very hot weather and might have been a bit dehydrated.
It was hard to leave the lodge. We had so much fun exploring the jungle and the river and all the people at the lodge were super fun to hang around. I would very much recommend anyone who would like to see the Amazon to visit the Muyuna Lodge. The staff makes the entire trip super easy. You can be met at the airport in Iquitos and be taken care of from there on. Seeing the Amazon is an experience unlike any other! A very special trip!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Random observations...
We´ve returned from the Amazon and have plenty of great stories to tell about that. We´ll save that for tomorrow when we have some more time. Also, hopefully we will find a good internet connection so that we can upload some more photos; uploading photos is almost impossible when the connections are slow. We're now in Lima and I can assure you that the hostel we are staying in is better than our first introduction to Lima....
Here's just a random observation or two about South America or travel in general....
is it just me, or does anyone else find it strange/unnerving that:
...your shower is heated by an electrical shower head. Soooo.... you are standing there, soaking wet, underneath 220 volts of electricity, and the wiring has clearly been twisted together by hand and is barely covered by some cheap electrical tape that is peeling away... I'm sure that this is similar to how they executed people before they invented the electric chair... (we actually did meet one girl who had been electrocuted twice so far on her trip)
...you walk down the street and are politely greeted by some really big guy who asks you, in a very official manner, whether you would like to change some money. He is holding a huge wad of local currency that he proudly shows you, and seems to be just standing on the curb, doing business...
... everywhere in Bolivia seemed to require a bus ride that was about 10 to 13 hours long, even though the distances were only about 250 to 450 kilometers. Most of these buses ran at night which meant that if you don't sleep well on buses, you were a wreck by the time you arrived.
... everyone in South America seems to have at least 2 cell phones. I'm still trying to figure out why...
Here's just a random observation or two about South America or travel in general....
is it just me, or does anyone else find it strange/unnerving that:
...your shower is heated by an electrical shower head. Soooo.... you are standing there, soaking wet, underneath 220 volts of electricity, and the wiring has clearly been twisted together by hand and is barely covered by some cheap electrical tape that is peeling away... I'm sure that this is similar to how they executed people before they invented the electric chair... (we actually did meet one girl who had been electrocuted twice so far on her trip)
...you walk down the street and are politely greeted by some really big guy who asks you, in a very official manner, whether you would like to change some money. He is holding a huge wad of local currency that he proudly shows you, and seems to be just standing on the curb, doing business...
... everywhere in Bolivia seemed to require a bus ride that was about 10 to 13 hours long, even though the distances were only about 250 to 450 kilometers. Most of these buses ran at night which meant that if you don't sleep well on buses, you were a wreck by the time you arrived.
... everyone in South America seems to have at least 2 cell phones. I'm still trying to figure out why...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Amazon
The Swedish keyboard doesn't work here so a Swedish post will have to wait.
We arrived in Iquitos (north east Peru) yesterday evening while a very cool thunder storm was displaying some neat lightning at the edge of the city. As soon as we stepped off the plane we knew that we were in the tropics with a humid heat hitting us like a blanket. We had some trouble finding a hotel room since many places were booked full but finally found a nice place with AC and clean rooms....a huge step up from the place we stayed at in Lima (a really bad place that had not been cleaned for a while -- used condoms on the floor, dirty bathroom and dirty sheets).
Iquitos is a town that can only be reached by air or by river. No roads lead here and it feels like you are dropped in the middle of nowhere, which I guess you are. Surprisingly, there are lots of cars and motorcycles in town. Must be expensive to get a car delivered here.
We had an awesome Chinese dinner last night and the lunch today was even better with fish and rice. We seem to be staying healthy now too which is a bonus :). We even dared to have some ice cream in Lima before our flight. It was sooooo gooood!
Tomorow we head into the jungle on a 4 day Amazon trip. We will stay at a jungle lodge about 140 km upriver from Iquitos and from there we will explore the area. Lots of fun stuff like seeing river dolphins, hunting for spiders and snakes and fishing for Piranhas. We will also get to swim in the Amazon River.....hopefully we will not catch some weird parasite! Ironically, we have TV in our current hotel and this morning we watched a show on Discovery about parasites....the majority of them South and Central American! Bumps on the head that were some fly larvae and lung problems that were eggs of some other type of flying insect.....yikes!
We arrived in Iquitos (north east Peru) yesterday evening while a very cool thunder storm was displaying some neat lightning at the edge of the city. As soon as we stepped off the plane we knew that we were in the tropics with a humid heat hitting us like a blanket. We had some trouble finding a hotel room since many places were booked full but finally found a nice place with AC and clean rooms....a huge step up from the place we stayed at in Lima (a really bad place that had not been cleaned for a while -- used condoms on the floor, dirty bathroom and dirty sheets).
Iquitos is a town that can only be reached by air or by river. No roads lead here and it feels like you are dropped in the middle of nowhere, which I guess you are. Surprisingly, there are lots of cars and motorcycles in town. Must be expensive to get a car delivered here.
We had an awesome Chinese dinner last night and the lunch today was even better with fish and rice. We seem to be staying healthy now too which is a bonus :). We even dared to have some ice cream in Lima before our flight. It was sooooo gooood!
Tomorow we head into the jungle on a 4 day Amazon trip. We will stay at a jungle lodge about 140 km upriver from Iquitos and from there we will explore the area. Lots of fun stuff like seeing river dolphins, hunting for spiders and snakes and fishing for Piranhas. We will also get to swim in the Amazon River.....hopefully we will not catch some weird parasite! Ironically, we have TV in our current hotel and this morning we watched a show on Discovery about parasites....the majority of them South and Central American! Bumps on the head that were some fly larvae and lung problems that were eggs of some other type of flying insect.....yikes!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The job from hell...
After recuperating in our fancy $35 US hotel room that we spoiled ourselves with, I felt ready to do a tour of the mines at Potosi.
No one is certain how much silver the Spanish colonists took from the mountain next to Potosi, but it is claimed that the Spanish could have built a bridge from Potosi all the way to Spain, completely made from silver, and still had silver left to carry across it! The population reached 200,000, making it one of the largest cities in the Americas in its day. The mining was done by indigenous slaves, most of whom died either in accidents or due to silicosis pneumonia. Eventually, the Spaniards had to bring in African slaves by the millions to augment the labour force. It has also been said that with the bones of the slaves that died in the mines, you could build another bridge all the way to Spain (one estimate claims that 8 million lives were sacrificed).
The silver is now almost entirely gone, but there are traces of tin and zinc that can still be found, in tiny amounts. The locals have set up cooperatives, whereby they continue to work the mine for the few minerals they can find and the small amount of money it provides. Veronica and I were kitted out in miner´s pants, jackets, helmets, lamps and boots, and headed in to see what the working conditions are like. With scarfs over our faces, it was so hard to breath but you didn´t dare pull the scarf down because the amount of dust was horrible, nevermind knowing what it can do to you. Silica dust, arsenic gas, cyanide and asbestos were just a few of the substances that our guide, a former miner, mentioned. The tour agencies warn that anyone with asthma or even any doubts about their medical condition should not go, and the waiver you have to sign is pretty extensive (including risk of mine cave-in etc.). We dropped down through 4 levels of the mine, and the heat just got worse. Most places required you to hunch over as you walked, while several places required you to crawl on your hands, noting the colours of what you were placing your hands on after the guide explained: yellow is sulfur, green is copper, white is arsenic... There seemed to be a white coating everywhere....
The typical worker dies within about 10-15 years of entering the mines, due to silicosis pneumonia. In addition to that, Ronaldo (our guide) explained that 45 people were killed in mine cave-ins during last year alone. As if that weren't dangerous enough, the workers are all continually chewing huge wads of Coca leaves. They insist this is not a drug, but also boast that when chewing coca, they have more energy and don't need to eat, drink water or go to the washroom. Further, they drink 96-proof alcohol in large amounts. They believe that the more pure the alcohol, the more pure the minerals they will find. Hmmm.... Coca, wickedly strong alcohol,.... oh yeah, and they buy dynamite for $3 and use it to open up new faces of the rock underground....
After about an hour underground, gasping for air due to trying to breathe through a scarf, the intense heat, and the elevation (4200m, even at the deepest points), Ronaldo would often ask "so, would you like to be a miner?". Hell no. I typically love any tour I'm on and always wish it were longer, but 15 minutes in this mine would have been more than enough. I couldn't wait to get out. Near the end, we took another break to catch our breath and Ronaldo explained that from here, we only had a 6 minute walk to get to the exit. Upon hearing that, everyone replied 'then what the hell are we waiting for?' and got up and started walking quickly. The fresh air couldn't come soon enough.
On a lighter note, once we were outside of the mine, we got to play with something we picked up at the miner's market: anyone who wanted to could purchase their own dynamite kit for $3 ("un completo" = a stick of dynamite, a fuse, and a bag of ammonium nitrate to give it even more power). Ronaldo showed us how to prep it all, then lit the fuses and handed them to us and said "take a photo", with no sense of urgency. While he was completely comfortable with the 2-minute fuse, we were all happy to give them to him to run away with. He went about 100 metres, left them on the ground and we waited. When they went off, each one of them felt like a shot to the chest, even from that distance!
No one is certain how much silver the Spanish colonists took from the mountain next to Potosi, but it is claimed that the Spanish could have built a bridge from Potosi all the way to Spain, completely made from silver, and still had silver left to carry across it! The population reached 200,000, making it one of the largest cities in the Americas in its day. The mining was done by indigenous slaves, most of whom died either in accidents or due to silicosis pneumonia. Eventually, the Spaniards had to bring in African slaves by the millions to augment the labour force. It has also been said that with the bones of the slaves that died in the mines, you could build another bridge all the way to Spain (one estimate claims that 8 million lives were sacrificed).
The silver is now almost entirely gone, but there are traces of tin and zinc that can still be found, in tiny amounts. The locals have set up cooperatives, whereby they continue to work the mine for the few minerals they can find and the small amount of money it provides. Veronica and I were kitted out in miner´s pants, jackets, helmets, lamps and boots, and headed in to see what the working conditions are like. With scarfs over our faces, it was so hard to breath but you didn´t dare pull the scarf down because the amount of dust was horrible, nevermind knowing what it can do to you. Silica dust, arsenic gas, cyanide and asbestos were just a few of the substances that our guide, a former miner, mentioned. The tour agencies warn that anyone with asthma or even any doubts about their medical condition should not go, and the waiver you have to sign is pretty extensive (including risk of mine cave-in etc.). We dropped down through 4 levels of the mine, and the heat just got worse. Most places required you to hunch over as you walked, while several places required you to crawl on your hands, noting the colours of what you were placing your hands on after the guide explained: yellow is sulfur, green is copper, white is arsenic... There seemed to be a white coating everywhere....
The typical worker dies within about 10-15 years of entering the mines, due to silicosis pneumonia. In addition to that, Ronaldo (our guide) explained that 45 people were killed in mine cave-ins during last year alone. As if that weren't dangerous enough, the workers are all continually chewing huge wads of Coca leaves. They insist this is not a drug, but also boast that when chewing coca, they have more energy and don't need to eat, drink water or go to the washroom. Further, they drink 96-proof alcohol in large amounts. They believe that the more pure the alcohol, the more pure the minerals they will find. Hmmm.... Coca, wickedly strong alcohol,.... oh yeah, and they buy dynamite for $3 and use it to open up new faces of the rock underground....
After about an hour underground, gasping for air due to trying to breathe through a scarf, the intense heat, and the elevation (4200m, even at the deepest points), Ronaldo would often ask "so, would you like to be a miner?". Hell no. I typically love any tour I'm on and always wish it were longer, but 15 minutes in this mine would have been more than enough. I couldn't wait to get out. Near the end, we took another break to catch our breath and Ronaldo explained that from here, we only had a 6 minute walk to get to the exit. Upon hearing that, everyone replied 'then what the hell are we waiting for?' and got up and started walking quickly. The fresh air couldn't come soon enough.
On a lighter note, once we were outside of the mine, we got to play with something we picked up at the miner's market: anyone who wanted to could purchase their own dynamite kit for $3 ("un completo" = a stick of dynamite, a fuse, and a bag of ammonium nitrate to give it even more power). Ronaldo showed us how to prep it all, then lit the fuses and handed them to us and said "take a photo", with no sense of urgency. While he was completely comfortable with the 2-minute fuse, we were all happy to give them to him to run away with. He went about 100 metres, left them on the ground and we waited. When they went off, each one of them felt like a shot to the chest, even from that distance!
Bussar, bussar och bussar
Efter 11 timmar på en nattbuss från La Paz så kom vi fram till staden Uyuni i södra Peru. Bussfärden liknade mer en rallytävling än en bussfärd, med grus och sandvägar genom öknen som ibland var så smala och gropiga att jag inte rigtigt förstår hur bussen kunde ta sig fram. Det var skönt att åka på natten för det var så mycket svalare ute då, men jag sov inte särskilt bra på bussen så dagen efter blev lite seg.
Uyuni ligger precis på kanten av världens största saltplatta, eller saltöken (vet inte riktigt vad det heter på Svenska). För många mång årtusenden sedan så låg området under 400 meter vatten och när vattnet sinade upp så lämnades en saltöken med flera öar som nu består av förstelnad korall och en del fossiler. Öarna är även täckta av kaktus.
Uner en lång och intensiv dag så utforskade vi saltplattan med hjälp av en jeep och en guide. Vi fick tillfälle att se hur lokalbefolkningen tillverkar olika typer av salt, inkl. bordssalt. Mot en liten slant fick vi även packetera en egen påse av salt. Man var inte exakt lika effektiv som de som jobbade där kan man säga!
Vi besökte flera öar och fick en god lunch på en av dem. Vid ett tillfälle så fick vi vandra upp på sidan av en vulkan och gå in i en grotta där flera mumier ligger begravda. De ligger precis som de var begravda för 400 år sedan. Det kändes lite olustuigt att kliva in i grottan och störa, men vilket tillfälle på samma gång! Annars har man ju bara sett mumier på museum. Bland mumierna, hade två små barn blivit begravda och de dog gråtande vilket man kunde se på deras käkar som hade stelnat i stvå stora gap. Kusligt!
På slutet av dagen fick vi se solnedgången över saltplattan vilket var fint. Trots att det är en lång bussfärd från La Paz till Uyuni, så är jag jätte glad att vi åktde dit! Det var otroligt att se en sådan udda natur! Vi tog jätte många foton, så vi ska ladda upp dem snart.
Efter besöket i Uyuni så blev det ännu en lång bussfärd till Potosi. 7 timmar tog det med en skumpig lokalbuss över bergen till gruvstaden österut. Nu var det Mikes tur att inte må så bra. När vi kom fram och hade kommit tillrätta på hotellet så blev Mike magsjuk. Han sov inte mycket den natten men verkade skapligt återhämtad på morgonen. Tillräckligt återhämtad för en stor frukost och en guidad tur till gruvorna. Gruvarbetet är grunden till att staden ligger där den ligger. Mycket silver togs fram här under årets gång, men nu är det inte mycket kvar i berget. Trots det så jobbar gruvarbetare här dag ut och dag in under gräsliga förhållanden. Giftiga gaser andas in av gruvarbetarna genom dammet som rörs upp när de arbetar och de som går i gruvarbete lever oftast bara 10-15 år efter det att de började sitt arbete. Runt 8 miljoner personer har dött här under årens gång. Många dog av blyförgiftning då det användes i arbetet men under senare år så är det mest gruvras och sjukdom som tar de flesta liven. Förra året dog 46 arbetare i gruvras. För att uthärda sitt arbete så tuggas cocablad av arbetarna. Kinderna är fulla av cocablad och en hel del 96% alkohol dricks också. Ju starkare alkoholen är desto mer chans att hitta värdefulla metaller sägs det. Coca gör att hunger och trötthet inte känns av och överallt i Bolivia och Peru tuggas det och lokalbefolkningen säger att man inte blir beroende av drogen...jo, jo....Munnarna och tänderna på de som tuggar coca är super äckliga! Grön-svart slem rinner ur munnen och tänderna är förruttnade.
Vi fick oss en tur in i gruvan på tre plan och det var inte det lättaste. Gruvan ligger på 4200 meters höjd och det är varmt och klibbigt inne i gruvan. Dessutom är det väldigt dammigt, och dammet är inte bra att andas in, vilket gör det väldigt kväljande att vara där inne. När vi hade gått in och nått en offerstaty i en tunnel så var jag helt slut. Jag valde att gå ut medan Mike fortsatte djupare in i gruvan med guiden, vilket han ångrade några minuter senare då det blev ännu värre. Dagen vi var där så var gruvarbetarna lediga. Det var allahelgona här och jag tror att det var tur för oss. Det hade varit väldigt stressigt att gå omkring med de som arbetar där eftersom det inte är helt ofarligt till att börja med. Väl ute ur gruvan upptäckte jag att ingången till gruvan var täckt i något svart. Våran guide berättade att de offrar Lama djur till gudarna lite titt som tätt för då tror de att mindre människoliv tas i gruvan. Jag måste säga att det är helt otroligt att folk jobbar under sådana förhållanden fortfarande!!! Som en liten final fick vi tända på våran egen dynamit och se hur den exploderade. Vem som helst kan köpa dynamit är för runt 15kr pinnen!
En lång nattbuss till och vi har nu anlänt i La Paz igen. Här väntar vi på ett flyg som ska ta oss upp till Lima ikväll. Imorgon ska vi fortsätta upp mot Iquitos där vi ska ta oss en färd in i Amazondjungeln. Förmodligen blir det en färd som tar runt en vecka. Spännande!
Uyuni ligger precis på kanten av världens största saltplatta, eller saltöken (vet inte riktigt vad det heter på Svenska). För många mång årtusenden sedan så låg området under 400 meter vatten och när vattnet sinade upp så lämnades en saltöken med flera öar som nu består av förstelnad korall och en del fossiler. Öarna är även täckta av kaktus.
Uner en lång och intensiv dag så utforskade vi saltplattan med hjälp av en jeep och en guide. Vi fick tillfälle att se hur lokalbefolkningen tillverkar olika typer av salt, inkl. bordssalt. Mot en liten slant fick vi även packetera en egen påse av salt. Man var inte exakt lika effektiv som de som jobbade där kan man säga!
Vi besökte flera öar och fick en god lunch på en av dem. Vid ett tillfälle så fick vi vandra upp på sidan av en vulkan och gå in i en grotta där flera mumier ligger begravda. De ligger precis som de var begravda för 400 år sedan. Det kändes lite olustuigt att kliva in i grottan och störa, men vilket tillfälle på samma gång! Annars har man ju bara sett mumier på museum. Bland mumierna, hade två små barn blivit begravda och de dog gråtande vilket man kunde se på deras käkar som hade stelnat i stvå stora gap. Kusligt!
På slutet av dagen fick vi se solnedgången över saltplattan vilket var fint. Trots att det är en lång bussfärd från La Paz till Uyuni, så är jag jätte glad att vi åktde dit! Det var otroligt att se en sådan udda natur! Vi tog jätte många foton, så vi ska ladda upp dem snart.
Efter besöket i Uyuni så blev det ännu en lång bussfärd till Potosi. 7 timmar tog det med en skumpig lokalbuss över bergen till gruvstaden österut. Nu var det Mikes tur att inte må så bra. När vi kom fram och hade kommit tillrätta på hotellet så blev Mike magsjuk. Han sov inte mycket den natten men verkade skapligt återhämtad på morgonen. Tillräckligt återhämtad för en stor frukost och en guidad tur till gruvorna. Gruvarbetet är grunden till att staden ligger där den ligger. Mycket silver togs fram här under årets gång, men nu är det inte mycket kvar i berget. Trots det så jobbar gruvarbetare här dag ut och dag in under gräsliga förhållanden. Giftiga gaser andas in av gruvarbetarna genom dammet som rörs upp när de arbetar och de som går i gruvarbete lever oftast bara 10-15 år efter det att de började sitt arbete. Runt 8 miljoner personer har dött här under årens gång. Många dog av blyförgiftning då det användes i arbetet men under senare år så är det mest gruvras och sjukdom som tar de flesta liven. Förra året dog 46 arbetare i gruvras. För att uthärda sitt arbete så tuggas cocablad av arbetarna. Kinderna är fulla av cocablad och en hel del 96% alkohol dricks också. Ju starkare alkoholen är desto mer chans att hitta värdefulla metaller sägs det. Coca gör att hunger och trötthet inte känns av och överallt i Bolivia och Peru tuggas det och lokalbefolkningen säger att man inte blir beroende av drogen...jo, jo....Munnarna och tänderna på de som tuggar coca är super äckliga! Grön-svart slem rinner ur munnen och tänderna är förruttnade.
Vi fick oss en tur in i gruvan på tre plan och det var inte det lättaste. Gruvan ligger på 4200 meters höjd och det är varmt och klibbigt inne i gruvan. Dessutom är det väldigt dammigt, och dammet är inte bra att andas in, vilket gör det väldigt kväljande att vara där inne. När vi hade gått in och nått en offerstaty i en tunnel så var jag helt slut. Jag valde att gå ut medan Mike fortsatte djupare in i gruvan med guiden, vilket han ångrade några minuter senare då det blev ännu värre. Dagen vi var där så var gruvarbetarna lediga. Det var allahelgona här och jag tror att det var tur för oss. Det hade varit väldigt stressigt att gå omkring med de som arbetar där eftersom det inte är helt ofarligt till att börja med. Väl ute ur gruvan upptäckte jag att ingången till gruvan var täckt i något svart. Våran guide berättade att de offrar Lama djur till gudarna lite titt som tätt för då tror de att mindre människoliv tas i gruvan. Jag måste säga att det är helt otroligt att folk jobbar under sådana förhållanden fortfarande!!! Som en liten final fick vi tända på våran egen dynamit och se hur den exploderade. Vem som helst kan köpa dynamit är för runt 15kr pinnen!
En lång nattbuss till och vi har nu anlänt i La Paz igen. Här väntar vi på ett flyg som ska ta oss upp till Lima ikväll. Imorgon ska vi fortsätta upp mot Iquitos där vi ska ta oss en färd in i Amazondjungeln. Förmodligen blir det en färd som tar runt en vecka. Spännande!
Salty!
After an 11 hour night bus from La Paz, Bolivia, over some very rough roads (often it seemed like we were just driving across desert, with no actual road, VJ insisted she would love to come back here with the Subaru and rally race that stretch!), we arrived at the edge of Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world. We set up a custom tour such that it was just us, the driver/guide and our Toyota LandCruiser, and a custom itinerary that enabled us to pack in more than the usual tour.
We started at a ¨train cemetery¨filled with lots of old rusted-out steam locomotives, and stories from our guide about how Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had fled all the way down to Bolivia to escape the law. Also, with all of the silver mining and lucrative business going on in the area, it was yet another great place for these two outlaws. Or so they thought. Bolivia proudly boasts that they are the country that finally captured and killed these two banditos.
We then continued on to the edge of the salt flats to see how the salt is ¨mined¨, processed, bagged and sold. We got the chance to visit a local home and bag some salt with them.
Then, it got REALLY good..... we hopped in the LandCruiser and drove out into the middle of the blinding white salt flat that extends forever....
In total, Salar de Uyuni is over 12,000 square kilometers, so once you are in the middle of it, the blinding white extends to every horizon. Apparently, Neil Armstrong said he could see it from the moon. The salt surface is then cracked into an endless and fascinating number of polygons, as the moisture below the salt cracks the surface in an attempt to escape. Also, the continuous flat white surface really plays tricks with your sense of perspective, and as a result, you are able to do some really fun photography tricks (we´ll try to upload some soon).
We grilled up lunch (llama steak) at one of the islands, a coral reef leftover from when this was all 400 metres underwater, complete with huge cacti. Then, our driver treated us to a different vantage point: he invited us onto the roof of the truck where he ¨secured¨us with a large rubber strap he called a Bolivian Seatbelt. He then drove around one of the islands, but we were mostly focused on the new view of the salt flat and enjoying the breeze.
After that, we drove to a volcano on the edge of the salt flat where we saw some flamingoes and then hiked to a cave that contains some mummies. We´ve seen a few mummies in museums now, but seeing them ¨for real¨up close and in the open (close enough and open enough to touch) was strange.
We finished off by driving out into the middle of the salt flat again to see the sunset.
An amazing day! The salt flats are a bit out of the way and tough to get to, but really worth it! It´s hard to describe the incredible sight of the endless miles of blinding white salt! We´ll see if some of our photos do it justice.
We started at a ¨train cemetery¨filled with lots of old rusted-out steam locomotives, and stories from our guide about how Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had fled all the way down to Bolivia to escape the law. Also, with all of the silver mining and lucrative business going on in the area, it was yet another great place for these two outlaws. Or so they thought. Bolivia proudly boasts that they are the country that finally captured and killed these two banditos.
We then continued on to the edge of the salt flats to see how the salt is ¨mined¨, processed, bagged and sold. We got the chance to visit a local home and bag some salt with them.
Then, it got REALLY good..... we hopped in the LandCruiser and drove out into the middle of the blinding white salt flat that extends forever....
In total, Salar de Uyuni is over 12,000 square kilometers, so once you are in the middle of it, the blinding white extends to every horizon. Apparently, Neil Armstrong said he could see it from the moon. The salt surface is then cracked into an endless and fascinating number of polygons, as the moisture below the salt cracks the surface in an attempt to escape. Also, the continuous flat white surface really plays tricks with your sense of perspective, and as a result, you are able to do some really fun photography tricks (we´ll try to upload some soon).
We grilled up lunch (llama steak) at one of the islands, a coral reef leftover from when this was all 400 metres underwater, complete with huge cacti. Then, our driver treated us to a different vantage point: he invited us onto the roof of the truck where he ¨secured¨us with a large rubber strap he called a Bolivian Seatbelt. He then drove around one of the islands, but we were mostly focused on the new view of the salt flat and enjoying the breeze.
After that, we drove to a volcano on the edge of the salt flat where we saw some flamingoes and then hiked to a cave that contains some mummies. We´ve seen a few mummies in museums now, but seeing them ¨for real¨up close and in the open (close enough and open enough to touch) was strange.
We finished off by driving out into the middle of the salt flat again to see the sunset.
An amazing day! The salt flats are a bit out of the way and tough to get to, but really worth it! It´s hard to describe the incredible sight of the endless miles of blinding white salt! We´ll see if some of our photos do it justice.
And then it was Mike´s turn
It was either something I ate (can´t remember what), or I got overheated on the day bus from Uyuni to Potosi. Now it was my turn to be the sick one. To make it worse, we arrived in Potosi Bolivia on the ¨Day of the Dead¨ (day after Halloween) holiday and everything was closed. After a hot 6 hour bus ride and nothing to eat since breakfast, we then got to wander the streets looking for food and NOTHING was open. I was about to add my own statistic to the Day of the Dead....
After about an hour of walking, at 4000 metres elevation, we found somewhere. We downed some food, any my stomach immediately reacted.... badly.
Oh well. A day later we were back in action and signed up for our mine tour.
More on the tours around Uyuni and Potosi in the next blogs...
After about an hour of walking, at 4000 metres elevation, we found somewhere. We downed some food, any my stomach immediately reacted.... badly.
Oh well. A day later we were back in action and signed up for our mine tour.
More on the tours around Uyuni and Potosi in the next blogs...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Back up and running
The "bug" didn't keep me down for too long and thanks to Mike running around buying me gatorade and starchy foods, I recovered within the day. Lost a little weight making me a good race weight! We headed to La Paz, Bolivia, yesterday on a bus that transferred in Copacabana. Nice bus ride along Lake Titicaca and I really think the nicest part of the lake was on the Bolivian side. At one point we had to cross the lake and instead of having a proper car ferry they had us all get off the bus and take a little motor boat across while they transported the bus across on this floating wooden platform.....I bet there are a number of cars and busses on the bottom of that bay!
Once in La Paz we set up some bus tickets to Uyuni for the following day (tonight) and after that we had a huge dinner. It was so nice to stuff myself after a couple of days of not eating much. Our hotel was kind of spooky. It was an entire apartment and several of the windows would make weird flapping noices in the night as if we had ghosts running through the place. Mike got the creeps after a few hours and got up and fixed them. I didn't really notice since I was completely asleep!
Swedish:
Nu mår jag bättre igen! Magproblemet varade inte så länge som tur var. Mike såg till att jag drack mycket och att jag åt så mycket jag kunde. Igår tog vi en buss till Bolivia och La Paz. även La Paz ligger högt uppe på 3600 meter så man känner lite av höjden när man tar i. I dag ska vi ta en busstur runt stan innan vi ikväll åker med nattbuss till Uyuni där vi ska besöka Salt öknen. Ska bli spännande. Vårat hotel här i La Paz var lite kusligt. Vi hade en hel lägenhet för oss själva och fönstren i flera av rummen stod och skrammlade och skrapade på natten. Mike blev lite nervös av det hela och gick up och fixade en del av dem mitt i natten. Jag märkte ingenting för jag sov som en stock!
Jag ringde hem till mamma och pappa idag och det var kul! Känns konstigt att kunna göra det från ställen man tycker känns så avlägsna.
Once in La Paz we set up some bus tickets to Uyuni for the following day (tonight) and after that we had a huge dinner. It was so nice to stuff myself after a couple of days of not eating much. Our hotel was kind of spooky. It was an entire apartment and several of the windows would make weird flapping noices in the night as if we had ghosts running through the place. Mike got the creeps after a few hours and got up and fixed them. I didn't really notice since I was completely asleep!
Swedish:
Nu mår jag bättre igen! Magproblemet varade inte så länge som tur var. Mike såg till att jag drack mycket och att jag åt så mycket jag kunde. Igår tog vi en buss till Bolivia och La Paz. även La Paz ligger högt uppe på 3600 meter så man känner lite av höjden när man tar i. I dag ska vi ta en busstur runt stan innan vi ikväll åker med nattbuss till Uyuni där vi ska besöka Salt öknen. Ska bli spännande. Vårat hotel här i La Paz var lite kusligt. Vi hade en hel lägenhet för oss själva och fönstren i flera av rummen stod och skrammlade och skrapade på natten. Mike blev lite nervös av det hela och gick up och fixade en del av dem mitt i natten. Jag märkte ingenting för jag sov som en stock!
Jag ringde hem till mamma och pappa idag och det var kul! Känns konstigt att kunna göra det från ställen man tycker känns så avlägsna.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
It was inevitable...
On a trip like this, you have to expect a couple of days here and there where your stomach isn't happy or you eat something you shouldn't have. VJ had a rough night last night and we were in no shape to sit on buses all day today. So, we're hanging out for another day in Puno, Peru while VJ takes in some Gatorade to rehydrate and then tries some starchy food. She's starting to feel better. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll feel up for the bus rides to La Paz, Bolivia.
It's all part of the adventure.
It's all part of the adventure.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Floating Islands
Spent the day in Puno, Peru where we visited the Uros Islands. They are islands built by sea straw/grass and house about 2000 people on Lake Titicaca. The tour itself was quite "touristy", but it's not that hard to uderstand how difficult it is to live on these islands. Originally the people escaped out on the lake to hide from the Inkas in order to keep their culture and avoid war. They have remained on the lake ever since (500+ years). It's a very cold and damp environment (the lake is situated at 3800 meters) and many people develop rheumatism (sp?) before the age of 50 which makes them unable to work.
We met a couple from Quebec today. They started travelling by bike from Calgary 15 months ago and have biked all the way down here! Very impressive considering that a lot of the recent biking would have been at very high altitude. They will continue to bike until April of 2010 and then they will return to "normal life".
Tomorow morning we are heading to Bolivia. Hopefully we can connect a bunch of busses that will take us all the way down to Potosi or Uyuni, but we might have to spend a day in La Paz.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the Salt Flats!
We met a couple from Quebec today. They started travelling by bike from Calgary 15 months ago and have biked all the way down here! Very impressive considering that a lot of the recent biking would have been at very high altitude. They will continue to bike until April of 2010 and then they will return to "normal life".
Tomorow morning we are heading to Bolivia. Hopefully we can connect a bunch of busses that will take us all the way down to Potosi or Uyuni, but we might have to spend a day in La Paz.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the Salt Flats!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Arequipa - home of the ice mummy
We spent a quick day in Arequipa, mostly for the purpose of meeting "Juanita, the ice maiden". This girl, aged about 13, was selected to be sacrified by the Incas about 500 years ago in order to appease the mountain gods. A child was considered the ultimate sacrifice. She would have been selected from birth, and raised for this purpose, knowing that this day would come. She was dressed in very fine clothing, paraded to important cities like Cusco where the Inca king lived, and then taken to the top of one of the higher mountains near Arequipa, fed a drink of fermented corn, then struck on the head to kill her, and buried with a few fancy funeral objects.
About 15 years ago, she was discovered and recovered by a climber and made all the headlines around the world, National Geographic, etc. Due to being frozen so soon after her death, she has been perfectly preserved. She is now in a museum in Arequipa where you can view her. Her skin, hair, fingernails, etc are all still intact. Researchers have been able to get loads of information from her that have given insight into the Inca times. Because all of her organs are so well preserved, they are able to understand any diseases she may have been exposed to in her lifetime, assess her diet, etc. Even her last meal was still preserved in her stomach and could be analyzed.
We were also thinking of doing a 2-day trip out to an area where condors can be spotted. We really wanted to see a condor, but didn't want to give up those days that we will use for other things later in the trip. We had lunch at a nice balcony overlooking the main square in Arequipa, and were suddenly treated to a massive condor that, for some reason, decided to fly over the main square in town a few times.
About 15 years ago, she was discovered and recovered by a climber and made all the headlines around the world, National Geographic, etc. Due to being frozen so soon after her death, she has been perfectly preserved. She is now in a museum in Arequipa where you can view her. Her skin, hair, fingernails, etc are all still intact. Researchers have been able to get loads of information from her that have given insight into the Inca times. Because all of her organs are so well preserved, they are able to understand any diseases she may have been exposed to in her lifetime, assess her diet, etc. Even her last meal was still preserved in her stomach and could be analyzed.
We were also thinking of doing a 2-day trip out to an area where condors can be spotted. We really wanted to see a condor, but didn't want to give up those days that we will use for other things later in the trip. We had lunch at a nice balcony overlooking the main square in Arequipa, and were suddenly treated to a massive condor that, for some reason, decided to fly over the main square in town a few times.
About the photos....
Here's a bit of info about the last batch of photos:
That's me trying the local delicacy. The locals go absolutely nuts over this, but the one I tried was a little tough. For all of you friends of furry creatures, stop reading now...
(Yes, it's guinea pig. I've tried it once more and it was more tender, but it sure doesn't fill you up. I'll stick to the alpaca steak which is excellent. Also, ironically, we came all the way to Peru to dine on Canadian trout, which many of the lakes have been stocked with.)
Some of the examples of stone work done by the Incas are absolutely amazing. The blocks are shaped so perfectly that they fit exactly and don't use any mortar or clay.
Our superstar team of porters in red, all devoted to these two spoiled tourists.
The view from our tent at our high camp (abuot 4800 metres) just below Salkantay Pass.
VJ, Mike and our guide Javier at the top of Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.
The little blue tent is our own personal little outhouse around our pit on the trail.
Machu Picchu in the clouds in the morning, and emerging from the clouds a little later in the day.
That's me trying the local delicacy. The locals go absolutely nuts over this, but the one I tried was a little tough. For all of you friends of furry creatures, stop reading now...
(Yes, it's guinea pig. I've tried it once more and it was more tender, but it sure doesn't fill you up. I'll stick to the alpaca steak which is excellent. Also, ironically, we came all the way to Peru to dine on Canadian trout, which many of the lakes have been stocked with.)
Some of the examples of stone work done by the Incas are absolutely amazing. The blocks are shaped so perfectly that they fit exactly and don't use any mortar or clay.
Our superstar team of porters in red, all devoted to these two spoiled tourists.
The view from our tent at our high camp (abuot 4800 metres) just below Salkantay Pass.
VJ, Mike and our guide Javier at the top of Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.
The little blue tent is our own personal little outhouse around our pit on the trail.
Machu Picchu in the clouds in the morning, and emerging from the clouds a little later in the day.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Inka Leden
Nu kan jag skriva med alla möjliga prickar över bokstäverna! Hoppas det inte blir så många stavfel....
Våran vandring på Salkantay leden och Inka leden var fantastisk! Vi började vid en liten by som heter Mollepata med våran guide Javier och våra kockar Cecilio och Paoblo. De första dagarna hade vi även 5 hästar som bar all utrustning. Vilket lyx för en camping trip!
Varje kväll fick vi en fyrarättersmåltid som var bättre än maten i övriga Peru hittills. Vitlöksbröd, soppor, ris, potatis, kött, kyckling, tårta, pudding, grönsaker etc. Innan varje måltid så hade vi även "happy hour" med popcorn och varm choklad. Man gick aldrig hungrig kan jag säga! Både på kvällen och på morgonen fick vi en balja med varmt vatten och en kopp varm dryck så att vi kunde fräsha till oss. Ett par dagar hade vi tur och campade vid sidan av bäckar så att vi kunde tvätta av oss lite bättre.
De första dagarna var vi i stort sätt själva. Vi vandrade runt 15-20km om dagen och gick upp till 5100möh som högst. Naturen var storslagen! De högre bergen var täckta av gräs och kor och får betade högt upp mot topparna. Glaciärer och snötäckta toppar syntes i alla vädersträck. Dag två så gick vi upp till en fin bergssjö, men annars så följde vi stigen mot Inka leden mer direkt. Salkantay berget är runt 6200meter högt och en kväll så campade vi precis under ett bergspass vid Salkantay. Underbar utsikt men solsken och klart väder. Vi sov inte så jätte bra på höjden men kände oss annars helt okay (lite trögt att andas kanke,men inte så farligt). Morgonen därefter så var vi fast i ett stort moln och fick tyvärr ingen större utsikt att skryta med när vi vandrade över passet. Men det var fint ändå.
På vägen mot Inka leden så träffade vi en del lokalbefolkning som slet med sitt arbete på sina gårdar. Våran guide var suverän på landets kultur och historia. Vi lärde oss nya saker runt varje krök.
Den tredje dagen stötte vi på de första Inka ruinerna. Eftersom vi var alldeles själva så tog vi en lång stund på oss att utforska området.
Dag fyra kom vi in på Inka leden och därmed så var vi mitt bland många andra turister. Naturen ändrades under vägen och det blev varmare och grönare. Stigen ändrades även den och bestod mer och mer av Inka sten och långa branta trappor både upp och ned. Dag fyra var den svåraste dagen för de vandrare som bara gick Inka leden. Stigen tog oss upp för ett pass på 4200möh. En del såg ut som om de inte skulle överleva äventyret. Mike och jag mådde jätte bra eftersom vi redan hade varit upp på en högre höjd. Det hjälper naturligtvis att vara i bra form också. Vi kom upp för passet långt före de flesta andra vandrare trots att vi startade senare på morgonen. Vid passet inväntade vi våran guide (vi gick lite för fort för honom tror jag) och våra bärare. Hästar är inte illåtna på Inka leden så de blev ersatta av 5 bärare. Det kändes väldigt konstigt att inte bära sin egen utrustning som vi är vana vid, men eftersom man inte får gå Inka leden utan guide så är det som det är.
Vid Inkaledens gång så ligger jätte många Inka ruiner. En som var särskilt intressant var en som användes av Inka springare. Det var budbärare som sprang sträckor på 20km var med viktiga budskap. Helt otroligt kunde de springa upp och ned för dessa branta stigar och trappor med en medelhastighet på 10-12 km/tim! Springarna var väldigt betydliga och vaktades med krigare för att inget ont skulle hända dem.
Den 6e dagen var vi så långt före alla andra vandrare att det kändes som om vi var ensamma igen. Härliga vyer och fler Inka ruiner för oss själva gjorde dagen till en av de bästa. Dessutom hade kocken gjort en Condor (fågel) av en gurka och satt mitt på middagsbordet - vem kan slå det!
Den sista dagen var trots allt den största då vi fick vandra till Machu Picchu! En tidig morgon började redan vid 3.30 då vi satt oss vid porten till Inka leden med våra pannlampor för att försöka komma så tidigt som möjligt till området (för att kanske få se soluppgången över ruinen), men tyvärr så var det mulet och allt låg i dis. Nu gjorde inte det något alls för det var otroligt vackert att se ruinerna i dimman och under morgonen se molnet lyfta och sakta ge väg för hela Inka staden. Det är svårt att förklara hur stort det kändes att vara där. Vykort och böcker kan inte ersätta känslan av att se Machu Picchu i verkligheten.
Vi spenderade dagen med att utforska alla hörn av staden och även från höjden Huayna Picchu. Mot slutet av eftermiddagen så satt vi ned och bara njöt av utsikten och sedan tog vi oss ned till Aguas Caliente där vi stannade för natten.
Nu är vi tillbaka i Cusco och ska ta oss söderut till Arequipa med en nattbuss där det väntar fler äventyr!
Foton kommer snart!
Våran vandring på Salkantay leden och Inka leden var fantastisk! Vi började vid en liten by som heter Mollepata med våran guide Javier och våra kockar Cecilio och Paoblo. De första dagarna hade vi även 5 hästar som bar all utrustning. Vilket lyx för en camping trip!
Varje kväll fick vi en fyrarättersmåltid som var bättre än maten i övriga Peru hittills. Vitlöksbröd, soppor, ris, potatis, kött, kyckling, tårta, pudding, grönsaker etc. Innan varje måltid så hade vi även "happy hour" med popcorn och varm choklad. Man gick aldrig hungrig kan jag säga! Både på kvällen och på morgonen fick vi en balja med varmt vatten och en kopp varm dryck så att vi kunde fräsha till oss. Ett par dagar hade vi tur och campade vid sidan av bäckar så att vi kunde tvätta av oss lite bättre.
De första dagarna var vi i stort sätt själva. Vi vandrade runt 15-20km om dagen och gick upp till 5100möh som högst. Naturen var storslagen! De högre bergen var täckta av gräs och kor och får betade högt upp mot topparna. Glaciärer och snötäckta toppar syntes i alla vädersträck. Dag två så gick vi upp till en fin bergssjö, men annars så följde vi stigen mot Inka leden mer direkt. Salkantay berget är runt 6200meter högt och en kväll så campade vi precis under ett bergspass vid Salkantay. Underbar utsikt men solsken och klart väder. Vi sov inte så jätte bra på höjden men kände oss annars helt okay (lite trögt att andas kanke,men inte så farligt). Morgonen därefter så var vi fast i ett stort moln och fick tyvärr ingen större utsikt att skryta med när vi vandrade över passet. Men det var fint ändå.
På vägen mot Inka leden så träffade vi en del lokalbefolkning som slet med sitt arbete på sina gårdar. Våran guide var suverän på landets kultur och historia. Vi lärde oss nya saker runt varje krök.
Den tredje dagen stötte vi på de första Inka ruinerna. Eftersom vi var alldeles själva så tog vi en lång stund på oss att utforska området.
Dag fyra kom vi in på Inka leden och därmed så var vi mitt bland många andra turister. Naturen ändrades under vägen och det blev varmare och grönare. Stigen ändrades även den och bestod mer och mer av Inka sten och långa branta trappor både upp och ned. Dag fyra var den svåraste dagen för de vandrare som bara gick Inka leden. Stigen tog oss upp för ett pass på 4200möh. En del såg ut som om de inte skulle överleva äventyret. Mike och jag mådde jätte bra eftersom vi redan hade varit upp på en högre höjd. Det hjälper naturligtvis att vara i bra form också. Vi kom upp för passet långt före de flesta andra vandrare trots att vi startade senare på morgonen. Vid passet inväntade vi våran guide (vi gick lite för fort för honom tror jag) och våra bärare. Hästar är inte illåtna på Inka leden så de blev ersatta av 5 bärare. Det kändes väldigt konstigt att inte bära sin egen utrustning som vi är vana vid, men eftersom man inte får gå Inka leden utan guide så är det som det är.
Vid Inkaledens gång så ligger jätte många Inka ruiner. En som var särskilt intressant var en som användes av Inka springare. Det var budbärare som sprang sträckor på 20km var med viktiga budskap. Helt otroligt kunde de springa upp och ned för dessa branta stigar och trappor med en medelhastighet på 10-12 km/tim! Springarna var väldigt betydliga och vaktades med krigare för att inget ont skulle hända dem.
Den 6e dagen var vi så långt före alla andra vandrare att det kändes som om vi var ensamma igen. Härliga vyer och fler Inka ruiner för oss själva gjorde dagen till en av de bästa. Dessutom hade kocken gjort en Condor (fågel) av en gurka och satt mitt på middagsbordet - vem kan slå det!
Den sista dagen var trots allt den största då vi fick vandra till Machu Picchu! En tidig morgon började redan vid 3.30 då vi satt oss vid porten till Inka leden med våra pannlampor för att försöka komma så tidigt som möjligt till området (för att kanske få se soluppgången över ruinen), men tyvärr så var det mulet och allt låg i dis. Nu gjorde inte det något alls för det var otroligt vackert att se ruinerna i dimman och under morgonen se molnet lyfta och sakta ge väg för hela Inka staden. Det är svårt att förklara hur stort det kändes att vara där. Vykort och böcker kan inte ersätta känslan av att se Machu Picchu i verkligheten.
Vi spenderade dagen med att utforska alla hörn av staden och även från höjden Huayna Picchu. Mot slutet av eftermiddagen så satt vi ned och bara njöt av utsikten och sedan tog vi oss ned till Aguas Caliente där vi stannade för natten.
Nu är vi tillbaka i Cusco och ska ta oss söderut till Arequipa med en nattbuss där det väntar fler äventyr!
Foton kommer snart!
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