Loading...
Maps
People
Photos
Talk
My Stuff
Sam_C
7 Blog Entries
1 Trip
78 Photos
Send email to Sam_C
add Sam_C to my buddy list
Trips:
Epic Detour
Shorthand link:
http://www.blogabond.com/Sam_C
The Last of Peru
Puno
,
Peru
The day after I got back from the Inca trail, I started lessons at a Spanish school in Cusco. The school was pretty cool, with a roof terrace where students could chat to each other (if you managed to catch the sunny part of the day, usually in the morning). I had two weeks of one on one lessons, and learnt quite a lot.
Rafting
During the weekend between my two weeks of classes, I decided I should do something interesting. Since I'd had my fill of archaeological sites, I figured I'd go rafting. Having never done it before, I was a bit nervous, but also excited to try something new. As it was still the dry season, the section of the Urubamba river we were rafting has only level 2 & 3 rapids. In the wet season, it gets up to 5, but the dry season rapids are still pretty technical and shallow.
It was a 2.5 hour trip, and mostly a lot of fun... until we were traversing the most dangerous rapid, and our raft flipped over, with most of us ending in up in the water. The girl next to me landed on top of me, keeping me under for a few seconds. When I emerged, I was well away from the raft, moving alarmingly quickly downstream, and struggling to stay afloat. A guide from another boat threw ropes to me and another guy, which we grabbed. But mine was snagged on a rock. So I had to let go, and float a few metres further down to grab onto one of the kayaks. He paddled me to safety. I was seriously out of breath, but otherwise unharmed. I had to clamber over some rocks to the other side of the river, where my raft (now with everyone else back on board) picked me up.
The rest of the trip was uneventful (well, I did fall out once more, but grabbed onto the side of the raft this time). By the time I got back to Cusco in the evening, I was pretty exhausted, but still managed to go out for a few drinks for someone's 30th birthday. I'm still contemplating whether I'd be up for another rafting trip.
Arequipa
Once my Spanish lessons were over, I was pretty keen to get out of Cusco, having been there for about 3 weeks. I headed to Arequipa, one of the southern most towns in Peru. I found a really nice hostel, with a back yard to take advantage of the eternally sunny days. Arequipa itself is probably the nicest city in Peru. It's called the “white city”, because of the stone used in most of its buildings. It's not really touristy, like Cusco, but it does feel very wealthy, especially compared to everything else I'd seen in Peru.
A soaring condor
One of the main attractions in the area (other than the frozen mummy and colonial monastry in Arequipa itself) is Culca Canyon, once thought to be the deepest canyon in the world, but now holding the title of second deepest (the deepest is also in the region). The best way to see it is to trek it, so I once again strapped on my hiking boots (trying to cover the blisters I still had from the Inca trail), and headed out on a 2 day hike.
Culca Canyon
After waking up at about 2.30am to get the bus, we stopped at “Cruz del Condor” to catch some snaps of soaring Condors. Then we set off on a 7 hour hike mostly downhill into the canyon. Our group of 7 was all pretty young, so we set off at a fairly decent pace. By the end of it, I was wondering how I'd managed to forget the lesson of the Inca trail – I was shattered. We spent the night in the “Oasis”, a purpose-built area at the bottom of the canyon, with a freezing cold swimming pool, and huts with comfortable enough beds.
The next day was straight up the side of the canyon – about 7km. The legs were hurting from the day before, but we managed to make it in fairly decent time (some faster than others). On the way back to Arequipa, we stopped at some hot springs. I'd been a little sceptical about the quality of these, but the pools were sparkling clean, and the temperature went up to 40 degrees. Just what we needed for our aching legs!
An Alpaca
I'd spent nearly a week in Arequipa, so it was definitely time to move on. The next stop was Puno, on Lake Titicaca. I arrived there along with an Irish couple and an American guy who'd been on my trek, as well as an Aussie girl and Kiwi guy – Kim & Eric - who'd been in the hostel in Arequipa. Puno wasn't the nicest town, especially when compared to Arequipa, but it's a popular stop on the Gringo trail because of it's access to the islands, in particular the “floating islands” made of reeds. Along with Kim & Eric, I decided to do a one day tour there, while the others opted for two.
Huts on the floating islands, one with a solar panel
We got into an extremely slow (but pretty seaworthy) boat, and headed to the reed islands. On arrival, we were greeted by several enthusiastic locals, shown how the islands were made, and even allowed to taste the Totora reed used to make the islands. It was a bit touristy, but interesting. Afterwards, we took an even longer trip out to a further island, where we had lunch, and were given a demonstration of a local dance. For some reason, out of the entire group of 20 or so, I was the only one selected to dance with them. I managed to get through it without tripping over, or otherwise making a complete fool of myself.
Floating Islands
We got back to Puno, and booked a bus to Copacobana, Bolivia. After about 6 weeks, I was finally about to leave Peru. It was a slightly odd feeling to be leaving, but I was still looking forward to checking out a new country. And I wasn't disappointed – I've already had some “interesting times” in Bolivia. But that'll have to wait for my next entry.
View from island near Puno
written by
Sam_C
on November 7
from
Puno
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
The Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
Aguas Calientes
,
Peru
There are plenty of other ruins besides MP on the way
Trekking the Inca trail – like my trip to the Galapagos – is another hard-to-describe experience. It started early (5am) but I seem to be getting used to these early morning wake up calls. I was fairly rested by this stage anyway, as I'd been in Cusco a few nights. I'd needed to chill out after my quick dash through northern Peru.
At the top of the highest pass - 4200m
I was picked up from my hostel, and we took the 3 hour bus trip to the start of the trail. We had breakfast, and checked in to the trail (they have strict controls on the number of people allowed to trek it). As we had our photos taken under the sign at the beginning of the trail, the train taking a load of tourists directly to Machu Picchu breezed past. I don't think I was the only one in the group wondering why I wasn't aboard, instead of spending 4 days walking there.
There were 14 other tourists in the group, from the UK, Aus, US and Canada (I was the token Kiwi). There were also two guides, and lot of porters (more than 20, including the chef). Each porter carries up to 20kg, including all the tents, equipment, and a dining table (!). That left the rest of us to carry our own clothes, sleeping bag and bedroll (unless you want to pay for an extra porter, and only carry water, but I figured I'd rather carry something myself). I'd packed pretty light, and all up was carrying not a lot more than 5kg.
The third day was the most picturesque
The first day was pretty easy. There were a few hills to get us prepared for what was to come. Although they were short, they were pretty steep (usually with steps), and at that altitude (well above 3000m), most of us were breathless by the top. As we reached our picturesque lunch site, the porters applauded us for our fantastic achievement. Kind of embarrassing, given they'd got there far enough ahead of us to setup two tents, the dining table, and cook the food for us, not to mention the fact they were carrying 4-5 times as much as we were.
After a 3 course lunch, we trekked a few more hours to our campsite, and got an early night. It'd been a long day, and we all knew the second day was the hardest: 5 hours walking uphill, going from our campsite at 3700m to the highest peak of the trek at 4200m.
More Stairs
So, after a good night's sleep, we were awoken to a brilliant sunrise, and got ready to take on the mountain. The first half was relatively easy, partly because the altitude wasn't too high, and partly because we were in the cloud forest, and covered from the strong sun. The second half of the day was a lot tougher, above the tree line. I was definitely starting to feel the altitude at this point, and had to stop every few hundred metres to catch my breath. But I made it to the top in good time, and we stopped long enough to enjoy the view and get a group photo.
Another ruins
Until that point, we'd mostly been enjoying the natural scenery (besides a bird's eye view of a spectacular ruins on the first day), but the third day was littered with the remains of many different Incan buildings. Both the natural and man-made sites on this day were amazing, making the hard work of the day before worthwhile. We also got our first view of Machu Picchu mountain, from where the ruins takes its name.
The "Gringo Killer"
That day we'd had to traverse the “Gringo Killer”, a long and steep downhill section. I actually found this a lot easier than the uphill, although some people find the opposite. It was all easy for the porters, however, who ran. Actually, they ran whether the path was flat, uphill or downhill. It made the gringos who treated the trail as a race (and there are a few) look pretty stupid.
Urubamba Valley
The third day's campsite was one of our favourites, as it had a bar. We all had a couple of beers, although not too many, as we had an 4am start the next day. (The bar was only open until 11pm anyway – in previous years it'd been open all night, causing a few issues for some trekkers who'd needed to get up early as well).
Terraces not far from MP
Our final day, though much easier than the former 3, was still a 2 hour trek to Machu Picchu. And this was the first day where we'd had rain during the day (although we'd had some heavy downpours overnight). It wasn't too bad until just after we got to the Sun Gate, the first view of Machu Picchu. We had just long enough to snap some photos before the clouds rolled in, and the skies began to open. By the time we got to Machu Picchu, we were all cold, wet and tired.
Machu Picchu
We huddled under the umbrellas of the cafe for about an hour, hoping the weather would clear. Luckily it did, and our guide took us around the ruins as we slowly regained some body heat. It was interesting to see the difference between us, and the large groups of 50 that'd come for the day. By this stage, the group had gelled really well, so we were cracking jokes, etc. while the big groups seemed to be having much less fun. I was definitely glad I hadn't just taken the train.
Just to prove I was actually there
After our tour, we had some free time to wander around. I found a spot away from the legions of tourists, and took a moment to take in the scenery. It's not hard to see why the Incas built a city here. It's surrounded by many beautiful mountain peaks, and encrusted with clouds. It was very peaceful, and it must have been even more so for the Incas, who believed the mountains were gods.
Machu Picchu
As I was staying an extra night in Aguas Caliente, the town near Machu Picchu, I needed a clean t-shirt for after my much needed hot shower. For next to nothing, I found one proclaiming “I survived the Inca trail”. So for once, I've done something and literally bought the t-shirt.
written by
Sam_C
on October 19
from
Aguas Calientes
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
2 comments...
On the archaeological trail
Cusco
,
Peru
Kuelap
I got into Chachapoyas about 6.30am, after a fairly comfortable journey on a night bus (my first – but by no means last - of the trip). It was a significant detour on my route towards Lima, and then Cusco, but there was a ruins called “Kuelap” I wanted to check out. I didn't have a lot of time to mess around (as I had a date with the Inca trail), so I had a nap, and jumped on a day tour run by the hotel I was in, leaving at 8.30am. It was a 3.5 hour trip from Chachapoyas to Kuelap, and I was struggling to stay awake for most of it.
Kuelap is a mountain fortress, often likened to Machu Picchu, but without the tourists. It's about 1500 years old, and was occupied by the Chachapoyas people, until they were conquered by the Incas just before the Spanish arrived. Despite the fact that our guide only spoke Spanish, I was able to understand most of the tour, with a bit of help from the three other tourists – one of who was Chilean – who translated a few phrases. Overall I was a little underwhelmed by the site – it was very beautiful, but quite small, and nowhere near as jaw-dropping as some of the information had made it out to be. Still, it was worth the trip.
Main square in Trujillo
On the way back, we stopped for a traditional lunch. The car had been pretty quiet in the morning, but we were all a bit more talkative on the return trip. The Chilean guy told us how he'd just recovered from malaria. He'd apparently gone into the jungle, and joined a commune with travellers from all over the world. They wanted to live like the natives, so ran around naked, and tried to catch their own food. Not surprisingly, a lot of them ended up getting sick, as they weren't using insect repellent, or taking anti-malarials. Those who were well ended up spending time looking after those who were sick, and so got sick themselves. Sounded a bit crazy to me – like something out of the beach.
Huaca del Sol
I spent the next day chilling out in Chachapoyas (not that there was much to do), before jumping on a night bus to Trujillo, one of the bigger towns in the northern part of Peru. I only lingered here long enough to check out another site, this one from the Moche civilisation (there are many different civilisations that pre-date the Incas).
Original bricks from Huaca de la Luna, with individual symbols
This time, it was a short drive from town, to two large pyramids called “Huacas del Sol y de la Luna”. The site was very impressive, with plenty of the original artwork in tact, and a lot of excavation continuing. The guide explained how the Moche civilisation had collapsed, due to a severe El Nino year, causing massive flooding. This led the priests to demand more sacrifices (food, clothing, ceramics, etc.), which made the situation worse, eventually causing the people to revolt. The “Huacas” site – the Moche's capital – was abandonded.
Inside the Huaca de la Luna
Having some time to kill before yet another night bus, I found one of the few museums open on a Sunday afternoon in Trujillo. It was a privately owned collection of ceramics, mostly from the Moche period. There were about 2000 pieces, in perfect condition, all crammed in the basement of a petrol station, a few minutes walk from the centre of town. The quality of the work was pretty astonishing, with depictions of animals, aspects of everyday life, including illness, coca chewing, and very graphic sexual acts (these were hidden behind a door, which the guide opened for me - “not for the children”). A lot of these were several thousand years old. I met the owner, who was 90 years old, and had been collecting for 70.
The musem in Trujillo
My final stop before Lima was Huaraz, often called the Switzerland of Peru. Not surprisingly, it's nestled amongst a large mountain range. I found an excellent hostel, with a stunning view of the mountains. My main reason for visiting, other than the views, was another archaeological site – Chavin de Huantar, the second oldest in South America.
View from the hostel in Huaraz
The day I arrived, it was closed, so I ended up doing a short trek with an Australian couple, a Dutch girl and and English guy. They were trying to acclimatise to the altitude before attempting a tough five day trek, with no guide, porters, or even a donkey. I was secretly glad to be on a timetable, so I could leave them to it.
View during the trek in Huaraz
The next day, I took another long mini-bus trip to Chavin. Besides being around 3000 years old, the Chavin culture is interesting, because of their temple. Inside, it's a series of labyrinthine tunnels, where water was piped nearby to create loud ambient noises. The theory is, the priests administered hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus to the people, and made them walk through the tunnels, in an attempt to induce fear and awe. I'm sure it would have worked.
The tunnels at Chavin
Until 2003, Chavin was actually thought to be the oldest site in South America. But then, a site near Lima called “Caral”, was found to be much older. In fact, it's about 5000 years old, which places it on a par with the Egyptians and Babylonians. I had wanted to visit this site too, but by the time I got to Lima, I was a little bit jaded from the night buses, and constant long day trips. It's also not the easiest site to get to, so I decided to skip it.
I breezed through Lima (stopping long enough to check out the catacombs), and headed to Cusco, where I found a comfortable hostel, and decided to chill out for a few days before attempting the Inca trail.
Actually, as I write, I've already completed the trail, and am back in Cusco beginning a couple of weeks worth of Spanish lessons. Admittedly, I'm a bit behind on the blog, but hopefully I'll now have a bit of time to catch up.
written by
Sam_C
on October 10
from
Cusco
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
1 comment...
Guayaquil, and on to Peru
Chiclayo
,
Peru
Malecon (Waterfront) at Guayaqil
I arrived in Guayaquil late afternoon after a delayed flight from the Galapagos. It was a bit of a shock to be back in a big city (Guayaquil is 2 million people). The fact that the hostel was pretty empty, and a bit out of the way probably didn't help. I wasn't too interested in staying there, other than to do laundry (which I didn't get done in the end, because of the laundries wanting to take forever to get it back to me), and to chill out.
That said, I figured I'd take the $0.25 bus ride into town and have a look around. The hostel's not far from the centre, and I'd just jumped on the bus, when we came across a gang of about ten police in camo gear who pulled the bus over. One of them got on board and announced something to the passengers which I couldn't understand. I soon figured it out when all the men started leaving the bus. We were lined up, our bags checked and given a light pat down. I think they were really just making their presence felt, rather than doing anything actually useful. I could imagine the civil rights outcry if the police attempted anything like this in a western country.
I left Guayaquil, wanting to head into Peru, aiming to get to Mancora, a beach-side town, and mandatory Gringo stop. Unfortunately, that meant traversing what's supposed to be the worst border in South America, with a gap of a couple of kms between countries which is a lawless no-mans land. But after doing a bit of research and talking to a guy in the hostel (a professional poker player from the US who'd been living in Peru for a year), I decided it was fine if I got a bus all the way, rather than just to the border - having to get across the border myself - which is what most of the cheaper companies offered.
Mancora Beach
I got to the station at around 11am, but couldn't find anything to Mancora till late in the afternoon. Instead I booked a bus to Tumbes, just the other side of the border and en route to Mancora. I figured I could either stay the night there, or find another bus to complete the journey. We crossed the border safely enough, only having to get off to get stamps from the Ecuadorian and Peruvian authorities. I was glad to pass through no-mans land in the safety of the bus. Actually it was only myself and another woman who crossed – the bus had been full (including the entire aisle) for parts of the trip, but we were the only two who hadn't got off in Ecuador.
Sunset at Los Organos
As we arrived at Tumbes, we were greeted by several guys trying to get us to into their taxis, stay at their hotels, or take their buses to the next town. I attempted to ignore them by walking off, but as we hadn't arrived anywhere near the centre of town, I walked in completely the wrong direction. It was dark by this stage, and as I walked back towards the bus office (where the men were still waiting for me), the other woman who'd been on board called me over. She'd obviously taken pity on me, and had found a safe taxi driver (vetted by the bus office – something I probably should've done in hindsight). Her name was Jenny, a Peruvian with decent English, who was on her yearly holiday. She was also heading to Mancora, so we found a bus and spent the next two hours practising our respective second languages (although admittedly there was a lot more English than Spanish spoken).
I hung out with Jenny for a day in Mancora, and the next beach along Los Organas, where she had some friends. We ended up at their house, watching (inexplicably) home videos of their son's christening from 10 years ago (actually, I think they were wanting to show me some of Arequipa). Later, they drove us to watch the sun set, where they insisted on taking several photos of me posing with the sun in my hand, behind my head, etc. etc. Jenny had to leave that night, so we exchanged details (I think I've got a free tour guide when I get to Arequipa), and said our goodbyes.
Jenny and me at Los Organos
Beach at Pimentel, near Chiclayo
I stayed another day in Mancora in another good hostel, trying not to get sun burnt. A lot of people stay there for more than a week, but I needed to push on (I've got a date with the Inca Trail), so I got a bus down to Chiclayo. There's not too much to see there (other than a day trip to a beach, which was nice although a bit windy), but it was a reasonable stopping point before heading to Chachapoyas, where there's at least one ruined city I wanted to check out. Plus I still hadn't managed to get any laundry done, and this situation was beginning to get desperate.
written by
Sam_C
on September 29
from
Chiclayo
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Galapagos
Puerto Ayora
,
Ecuador
A blue footed boobie posing for the papparizzi
In my last post, I said my expectations were unreasonably high for visiting the Galapagos. But there was nothing to worry about, there was no way I could have been let down. It's pretty hard to put an experience like that into words, but if I was going to sum it up, I'd say it was a real life wildlife documentary. No exaggeration.
I guess most of you know at least a bit about the Galapagos (if not, watch a documentary, now!). Yes, the animals have no fear of humans, especially away from the larger settlements. Yes, the whole place is crawling with life, you have to be careful not to step on any. Yes, you can get within a metre of the animals, sometimes a lot closer (altho you can't touch them). Yes, the impact of even the small amount of humans living there is obvious. Yes, there are too many people visiting the islands. Yes, I was lucky to go when I did, as the entrance fee is doubling, and the numbers are being restricted next year. Yes, Charles Darwin visited on the Beagle, and ate turtles. And tied marine iguanas to rocks to see how long they could hold their breath underwater (about an hour, for the record).
The Amigo, where I spent 8 days crusing around the islands
I spent most of my time on the islands on the "Amigo", a smaller boat with a capcity of 16 passengers. For the first few days it was full. I forked out for the full 8 day tour (which is really 6 + 2 half days), which was not cheap. The other passengers were a fairly deverse lot, but all interesting people. Each night, we'd motor to a new destination (which was usually rough enough to require sea sickness pills), and in the morning, have breakfast and jump in the dingy (or "panga") to do an excursion to one of the islands. Our guide "Pepe" was a local (quite rare, a lot of the people working there are acutally from the mainland), and explained a lot to us about the wildlife. Most of the excusions were packed with animals, and we'd spend a lot of time just observing their behavour.
A couple of blue footed boobies doing a mating dance.
The blue footed boobies were one of the most interesting to watch - they do a mating dance where they move their feet up and down, slowly and rhytmically, and then raise their wings in the air in unison (see photo). They also spend a long time preparing their nest, collecting the right sticks, etc - another important ritual for them. Besides their striking blue feet, they also hunt in a spectacular way, by dive-bombing into the water - straight down - from a good 10 meters high. They often do this in groups - it's awesome to watch. I never thought I could be so interested in an odd-looking bird!
A turtle comes up for air...
After the land excusions we'd often do some snorkelling. I was a little nervous the first time, as I hadn't done a lot of snorkelling, and our first go was a deep water one (directly from the panga) and with a strong current. But I jumped in, and it was amazing! Plenty of fish, good visibility, a bit cold but well worth it. As I left, a Sea Lion swam right up to me, and circled around me, looking right into my face as if it was expecting me to play with him.
Marine Iguana swiming in the surf... humans are not allowed to swim here, but Iguanas are very good swimmers
Another of my favourites are the marine iguanas - they're evolved from land iguanas, which arrived on the islands millions of years ago, but adapted to find food underwater (mainly algae). But they still look more or less like land creatures, and it's odd to see them swimming and diving, sometimes in strong surf.
It's especially cool when you get to see them while snorkelling. Not to mention the variety of fish, turtles, penguins, eagle rays and sharks. Well, I didn't get to see a shark personally while snorkelling (other people did), but at one point the ship's cook threw some food over the side, and a white tipped shark (a metre and a half in length) surfaced to snatch it. (By the way, the food on board was excellent).
A juvenile frigate bird gives us a show when trying to fly into a headwind, going no where. We took photos as he hovered above us.
A few other brief highlights: seeing frigate birds court (the males puffing up their red chest), seeing turtles mating in the middle of the sea (it takes several hours, and the female has to swim for both of them), being harrassed by mockingbirds for water on the beach, seeing the boat swarmed by frigate birds, pelicans and fish on a daily basis as they picked up our food scraps (not sure if that's a breach of park rules or not), and seeing day old baby sea lions.
A Galapagos penguin... they would swim with us when we were snorkelling
We also saw the world's second largest albatross. Apparently, New Zealand has the largest, the wandering albatross. Something I didn't know, much to the disgust of our guide. I was also ignorant of the fact that New Zealand has the smallest penguin (the Galapagos is the second smallest): the blue penguin. Remember these facts, and if you ever go, you can be sure to impress your guide.
Marine Iguanas hanging out
Actually, visiting the Galapagos made me realise how a lot of people must feel when they visit New Zealand - a once in a life time opportunity. The natural history of the two is fairly similar - humans only arrived in NZ 1000 years ago, so the wildlife must have been similar in a lot of ways, and some of the remnants of that are still around today. I guess it's true way they say about travel making it easier to appreciate where you come from.
About half way through the cruise, all the other passengers got off, as they were only doing 5 days, or finishing up their 8 day stint. The new arrivals were a Swiss family who were spending a year volunteering in Ecuador, a young Canadian couple, and a girl from Malaysia - Premala. Although the first group were really cool, I really clicked with the smaller group, and had a lot of fun.
At the end of the trip, the Canadians, Premala and me all got off in Puerto Ayora (the largest town in the Galapagos, about 12,000 population) rather than going straight to the airport, as was usual. I had a couple more days to fill in before flying back, and it was cool to hang out with them - a few days on a boat had turned us into best mates.
Tortises
The next day, the Candians flew to the mainland, Premala went diving (she got to see hammerheads!), and I took a trip up to the lava caves, a 1 km long tunnel. I had a somewhat confusing conversation with the guy in charge there, where I think he was asking if I wanted the electric lights turned off. I didn't know there even were any, and even if I did, why I would want them turned off - the whole thing was a bit beyond my Spanish. In the end, the lights stayed on - probably a good thing, as there were parts of the cave where the rocks had fallen off the roof and you had to clamber over them. Still, it was very cool.
Beautiful Beach, sheltered by mangroves
So, after 10 days in the Galapagos, I had to fly back to the mainland, where I'm attempting to adjust to "normal" travelling. It was a pretty amazing experience, one of the best places I've ever been. I'd love to go back one day - I only hope the conservation efforts are enough to preserve it. It's one of the last places in the world that can still be saved.
So I'm now in Guayaquil (which I'll blog about another day). I'm itching for some beach time, so planning to head into Peru shortly to find some.
Check out all the photos here:
http://www.blogabond.com/Photos/PhotoBrowse.aspx?UserID=8478
written by
Sam_C
on September 21
from
Puerto Ayora
,
Ecuador
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
1 comment...
High on Quito
Quito
,
Ecuador
Park in Quito
I arrived in Quito late at night after a long flight from Buenos Aires. The flight actually went by fairly quickly, and I had a bit of a chat with an Ecuadorian guy sitting next to me (some of it was even in Spanish!).
View from the hostel
I got up early the next day to have a look around the city. But first, I had breakfast at the hostel, which has an outdoor terrace with an amazing view of the city (see the photos). Quito is about 2800 metres high, and is surrounded by even higher peaks, so there are plenty of views to be had. The old town has plenty of architecture, and a chilled out feel. A lot more South American than B.A. And despite it's reputation, I feel completely safe walking around the streets, and there's a surprisingly small amount of hassle.
View from TeleferiQo
I was a bit worried that I'd run out of things to do here, as I'm in Quito for 6 nights (I usually find most cities get boring after 3 or 4 days, if you're lucky), but that hasn't been a problem. Other than just chilling out in one of the parks, there's heaps of stuff to do, like the TeleferiQo, which is a 2.5km cable car, going to a peak about 4100m high. Needless to say, the views are stunning.
The hostel I'm in is another good one, very social, and they serve dinner, which is pretty convenient (and probably a bit healthier than most other cheap options). The only worry is everything (including beer) goes on a tab, so it might be pretty expensive when I cash up. Still, I'm starting to think my daily budget is a lot more than most other people's, (and probably more than I need).
The town is safe, but the guy with shotguns probably help that
Today has been the best day so far weather wise, sunny and around 20 degrees. I'd heard there was a festival in a park near the hostel, so I walked up the couple of hundred steps (not easy at altitude!) to have a look. I was expecting some sort of folk or traditional music, but instead discovered it was a heavy metal festival! The setup was good – it could have been a festival in any western country, except that it was free to get in, and no alcohol served. All the bands were locals, and everyone was wearing Metallica and Iron Maiden t-shirts. Who knew there was a metaller scene in Ecuador? I didn't stay too long, but did watch a bit of the moshing action, which ended up in one guy getting stretchered off by an ambulance crew. Not the sort of thing I was expecting to find in Quito, but definitely interesting.
I've now got one more day in Quito before another flight, leaving at stupid o'clock. But since this one is to the Galapagos, I think I can handle it. I've got an 8 day boat cruise, and then another couple of days on the islands before flying back to mainland Ecuador. You're unlikely to hear much from me until then. Everyone I've met who's been has said it was their highlight of South America. Expectations now unreasonably high.
written by
Sam_C
on September 11
from
Quito
,
Ecuador
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Off the mark
Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
Argentina
Steak!
Well, here I am, almost at the end of the first leg of this Epic Detour. I'm into my fourth day in Buenos Aires, and it's been a very enjoyable start to the trip. B.A. is a huge, very metropolitan city. I was expecting something a lot more third world and impoverished, but here you have pretty much every convenience you need. The cliche that it's more like a European city (many say Paris) rings true for me, although the street layout reminds me a lot of New York.
I spent the first couple of nights in a hotel to try to get over some mild jet lag, and get a good night's sleep after the 18 hour flight (we got an extra 2 hours, as they heard a "loud banging" coming from the freight compartment in London before take off, and had to wait for them to check it out. Turned out it was some loose freight, so it was probably a good thing they found it). The hotel was nice enough, although I had to move rooms after the first night, as my original room flooded. Luckily, nothing important (e.g. laptop) got wet.
Yesterday, I moved into a very social hostel down the road. Made plenty of friends here, and we went to the pub last night to watch Argentina play Brazil in a World Cup qualifier. The home team lost, but the locals here seemed to take it pretty well, even though it means they might not qualify for the WC. Pretty different to the response New Zealanders have to the ABs losing.
I guess they have good taste in music in BA
I spent today wandering through the Sunday markets, which are massive (actually, I think I've seen enough market stalls for the rest of the trip). But there were plenty of street performers (the guy doing a tango with a dummy was a highlight) and had a huge steak for lunch.
Tomorrow I have another long flight to Quito, Ecuador (slightly strange route, I know, but that's down to some somewhat poor planning), before heading off to the
Galapagos
for a boat cruise.
Photos to come soonish.
written by
Sam_C
on September 6
from
Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
Argentina
from the travel blog:
Epic Detour
Send a Compliment
1 comment...
Viewing 1 - 7 of 7 Entries
first
|
previous
|
next
|
last
author feed
author kml
view stats
del.icio.us
digg
reddit
twiddla
Navigate
Home
Find Blogs
Find People
Find Places
Find Photos
Browse Tags
Make Maps
Write a Blog Entry
search
Login
go
create a new account
Blogabond v2.40.58.80
© 2009
Expat Software Consulting Services
about
:
press
:
rss
:
privacy
Maps
People
Photos
Talk
My Stuff
author feed
author kml
view stats
del.icio.us
digg
reddit
twiddla