Hi all,
I have to say I was very lazy in New Zealand as we bombed our way around clocking 8,000 kilometres in 7 weeks! (not bad!!). I didnt really get time to update the blog but have provided links (for those of you who are interested) to some of the places we visited. Just scroll down the right-hand bar and click on them! Enjoy!
After a few days staying with my cousin Justin, in Santiago, Gemma and I headed across the Andes towards Argentina!! The route across the mountains was nothing short of spectacular, and as we left the bustling early morning traffic of Santiago, we headed across the rural outskirts of the city, scattered with small vineyards and single storey brick huts.
The landscape began to change very quickly as we headed up the side of the mammoth Andes range, and soon we had left the sunny warm climate of the Santiago lowlands, and were approaching the snow line. As we arrived at the border crossing, the weather wasnt the only thing that was frosty (!), the atmosphere between the Chileans and the Argentinians also matching the temperatures outside! We walked through Argentinian immigration, which was very ordered and quick (for a change!), and walked out into the snowy wilderness of the Andes, just as snow began to fall around us.
We didnt have long before we were back on the bus, and we quickly descended below the snow line and past the highest mountain in the Southern and Western hemispheres; the mighty Aconcagua, at 6959 metres!!! Puts Ben Nevis to shame really!! The landscape quickly changed as we made our way down towards the city of Mendoza, Argentina´s 4th largest city and capital of wine production in the country, where a very good bottle of their speciality, Malbec sets you back a whopping 12 pesos (around 2 quid!!). We were soon heading through the frontal mountains of the Andes, and the views resembled more of a desert than anything else, with cacti growing on the parched, copper coloured rock.
We were soon rolling into Mendoza bus station, and being careful with our bags (reports of bag snatching here are rife!), we jumped into a taxi for the short trip to the Lagares hostel on Corrientes street, our abode for the next 4 nights. Now we had read that Argentina has a much worse road safety record than in any other South American country, and this was proved true approximately 30 seconds into our taxi ride, as (thankfully) another taxi just ahead of us was completely cut up by another car and rammed into a tree!! Luckily everyone was well, but we had our warning to watch the traffic here!!!
Mendoza had a very European feel, particularly due to the beautiful plazas, reminiscent of Barcelona, with old men falling asleep on benches in the afternoon sun, and kids running around playing without the threat of being mown down by a crazy driver!! It was clearly South America though, with the omnipresent Andes above the skyline, and every other male walking around in an Argentinian football shirt! They really do love their football here!!
We spent our first day taking a wander through the city centre, where we checked out the Mercado Central, where you could purchase a traditional parilla full of every cut of beef you could name, from the intestines right up to the prime topside cuts and fillets. Something we had to try at some point. Italian-style food seemed to be everywhere as well, due primarily to the number of Italian descendants now resident in Argentina.
No visit to Mendoza would be complete, either, without a visit to one or more of the 1,000 or so vineyards (or Bodega) in the surrounding area. We managed to fit in 4 on a day long tour, which took us to four completely different types of vineyard; a large Industrial vineyard with vines that seemed to go on forever to the foot of the Andes; an organic winery where everything was obviously done without any chemicals or artificial methods; and two in the small town of Maipu, just outside of the city of Mendoza.
The industrial vineyard exported mainly to the US, where a bottle is no doubt more pricey than in Mendoza, and we learnt about how French oak barrels give a much different taste to the American oak barrels that produce a more acidic taste. The most important part was of course the tastings, and we got to try a Chardonnay (nice, light, good with cheese apparently!), and a Cabernet Sauvignon (a bit dry and acidic for me). It was alcohol at 11am though in 35 degree heat, so I was happy!!
The organic Bodega was next and was probably my favourite, as the building where all the magic was played out was a lovely old farmstead, and everything seemed much more natural and real. Not surprising giving it was the organic vineyard!!
Finally we stopped for lunch in Maipu, and I have never seen such an amazing spread of food (bearing in mind we had paid around 25 pounds for the package of 4 vineyards and lunch!). The appetisers filled the entire table, which we were sharing with 10 or so others on the tour. There was everything from the entrails of cows (I tried it and dint like it!), through to tasty cheeses, salamis, and fresh bread and veg in herb sauces. The waiters didnt let us go thirsty either, topping up our glass with Malbec as quickly as we could drink it!!! Excellent value.
Before we left Mendoza, we topped up with the lovely Malbec and headed off towards San Carlos de Bariloche in Patagonia, a 17-hour bus journey away!!!
I have updated the wikipedia links on the right hand bar of the screen!!!
Gemma and I arrived in Santiago, Chile on the 5th November following an 11-hour flight across the vast expanse that is the Pacific Ocean. The entire flight, bar the first and last 30 minutes was across water, the flight map on the TV screen (usually very interesting for a geography geek like me!) rendered useless as it showed a huge expanse of blue below the small metal transporter we were aboard. Exciting but made me feel even smaller than usual!
Although our flight was 11 hours, we crossed the date line, leaving at 5pm Auckland time on Thursday and arriving at midday THE SAME DAY (!) in Santiago De Chile. The vastness of the Pacific quickly gave way to the lowlands of coastal Chile and the sky-piercing peeks of the Andes range as we slowly descended across Chile´s green plains on the way into Santiago´s international airport.
We were very fortunate to be staying with my older cousin, a Headteacher at a very good private school in one of Santiago´s more affluent districts, for our first few nights. His villa overlooked the central city from a vantage point on a hill surrounding the flat plains of the downtown area. From here we attempted to get over our severe jetlag, sleeping 18 hours on our first night, followed by an almost sleepless 2nd night!!
No matter though, we were in South America, and ready to make use of our Spanish we had been learning throughout our stay in New Zealand (ipods are brilliant!). Through broken Spanish we accomplished our first task; buying dinner from the local supermarket! There is something quite liberating about conducting your first conversation in another language, and although basic, we managed to make the checkout girl smile (probably at my porr Spanish!) as we purchased some food and asked how her day had been.
The city of Santiago was calling after a few days relaxing, and we headed in on our second full day, a little nervous (due to the many warnings of muggings and bag-snatchings!) but very excited about our first experience of South America.
Before starting our tour of the city we purchased our bus tickets to Mendoza, Argentina, for a few days´time, again surprising ourselves by managing to conduct the transaction in (broken!) Spanish. We then headed through one of the recently gentrified areas of the city by the name of ´Barrio Brasil´, a very quaint neighbourhood given its close proximity to the downtown, and full of cobbled streets, old terraced buildings, and small plazas; very like Barcelona. It was 10am, but the residents were still only just getting up, and siesta was only a few hours away!!
We made our way into the downtown soon afterwards, and headed to the Plac De La Constitucion, where the whitewashed presidential palace stands, guarded by a variety of Cabineros and the army. The building could have been lifted straight out of Rome, its renaissance architecture contadicting the newer (and uglier!) tower blocks nearby! The Chilean flags flew proudly and it was difficult to imagine the chaos that surrounded the militar coup in 1973 which brought the dictator, General Pinochet to power.
We headed into the centre after a stop at the Museo Precolumbino, where we were able to view a variety of artifacts recovered from Latin America from the vas number of civilizations that have prospered over the last 3-4,000 years. I always believed that the Incas and Aztecs were the main movers and shakers in Latin America, but we discovered a variety of other groups that had found riches and fought for them during this time. The history of this area is as vast as the Pacific Ocean we had passed over a few days before.
The Mercado Central (Central Market) was an interesting place, full of huge fish counters (not a counter full of just big fish!) and smaller restaurants attempting to draw in the tourists. It was the only overtly touristy area we saw in the city, and the cast-iron building was made in Birmingham, UK!!
The afternoon saw us visit the Santa Lucia hill, a steep climb in the city centre, full of snogging couples and affording fantastic views over the sun drenched centre of Santiago, and beyond the the peaks of the Andes in the distance.
The Bella Vista neighbourhood was our spot for lunch, where for the equivalent of 4 pounds we were able to have a plato principal, postre, and 100% Colombian coffee! Bargain. The area was full of chanting footie supporters as well swigging the local brew, Cristal, and we sat and enjoyed lunch whilst watching the Santiago life go by.
Our day finished with a trip on the funicular railway up the hill of San Cristobal, where we were afforded even greater views of the Santiago metropolis, before we headed home for a well earned rest!
The city reminde me very much of the city of Barcelona, with its pretty open plazas and ease of movement throughout the city centre. A very relaxing place for a capital city, with the amazing backdrop of the Andes.
We were blessed with amazing wetaher for the time of year during our first couple of weeks in New Zealand. It was unusually warm for the year, so much so that there were forest rires south of Christchurch!
Before we left the Banks Peninsula, we embarked on our first activity in New Zealand, as we headed out of the relative safety of Akaroa harbour into the Pacific Ocean looking for the world’s smallest dolphin, the Hector. The ocean was mercifully calm, and the crusie on the catamaran was only a little bumpy at times. We were given a good rundown of the geography of the peninsula (great for a Geography geek like myself!), which basically rose out of the Pacific following a huge volcanic eruption not long ago. The peninsula looks like one huge lava flow from above.
We soon were able to see the lovely Hector’s dolphins, up to 40, following a fishing trawler before they headed over to see what these strange looking creatures were staring from the catamaran!! It was a brilliant sight to behold, as they peeked out of the waves just in front of the bow of the catamaran. A great experience.
We then drove from the Banks Peninsula to a small village where we slept the night in a pub car park!!
We then headed along the Canterbury Plains; about the only large flat area in New Zealand (!) as we headed towards Mount Cook Village!! The drive was around 4 hours, and we passed through the small town of Ashburton before heading through the lower hills towards the lovely little town of Geraldine. From here we would embark on a beautiful drive…
Well, after the luxury of South East Asia, we arrived in New Zealand over the snow-capped Southern Alps ready to take on the rugged South Island in a tiny campervan!!! So after a few nights in the amazingly atmospheric ‘Jailhouse’ in Christchurch (an old Jail decommissioned in 1991), we picked up our ‘JUCY CRUIZA’, which would be our home for the next 7 weeks!!! The vehicle is pretty nifty, with a nice big double bed, as well as a tiny fridge, microwave, heater, and portable DVD player to keep us entertained. The beauty of travelling around in the ca,pervan is the ability to move on exactly when you want to, and not having to rely on waiting for a coach or train.
The first few days were spent exploring the Banks Peninsula, a huge volcano-induced mass of rolling hills and beautiful isolated bays. We had been expecting terrible weather, but the gods were looking down on us, and we had three days of warm sunshine. We were new to this campervanning lark, but had heard that it is quite feasable to ‘free camp’, as long as there is a public toliet within weeing distance!!! So we parked up in a tiny bay near to a small village by the name of ‘Governor’s Bay’ where we nervouly spent our first night, hoping not to get moved on!! We didnt and instead awoke to beautiful sunshine in the bay before heading off on the winding roads of the Banks Peninsula, with beautiful views across the bay to the town of Lyttleton, where the ‘3 ships’ arrived to populate Christchurch back in the 1800s.
The Banks Peninsula has a number of French named settlements, and we learned that the French actually landed in the area before the British, but failing to claim sovereignty, us Brits beat them to it by around a week!!! Having travelled all that way though, the French stayed on and made their home in the beautiful seaside bay town of Akaroa, as well as other places such as Duvauchelle. The French flag still flies here and the names of the streets are mainly French. An interesting piece of history which I was unaware of on my first visit.
Its a little while since I last wrote, but we have been far too busy being lazy here in the Thai islands!!!
In any case, we began our time in Thailand travelling on the overnight express train from the capital of Laos – Vientiane – to the metropolis of Bangkok. A visit to Thailand really isnt complete without visiting Bangkok, and whether you love it or loathe it, you cannot deny that the city is so alive. Wherever you look, something is going on, and I have to say that visiting here for the fifth time was as good as it was the first.
We stayed in Bangkok for three nights, spending one night on the colourful backpacker haven of the Khao San Road, before I was treated to two nights of bliss by Gemma in the 4-star Radisson in a different district for my 29th birthday. It was good to see a different neighbourhood of Bangkok, and not get pigeon-holed into always staying in the backpacker district of Baglamphu. During our stay we managed to visit the amazing 63rd floor ‘Vertigo’ bar at the 5-star Banyan Tree Hotel near the go-go girl district of Patpong, with stunning views of the city as dusk passed and night set in, and also of impending thunderstorms (just as we left the heavens opened, with waiters rushing down stairs into the safety of the indoor restaurant, trying to balance plates and drinks). The same night we headed to the Bed Supper Club, one of the swankiest bar/clubs in Thailand, with instead of chairs, beds provided a place to rest weary dancing shoes!
Our next stop was Ko Samui, the island that most people have heard of when they think of Thailand. I was unsure how I would like Ko Samui, having heard that it was overdeveloped. I have to say that this is a little bit off the mark, as there are some places which resemble the centre of Bangkok (Chaweng) but far more places that show why this island is still so popular with us farangs. We stayed at a small bay called Choeng Mon, and if anyone is thinking of visiting, after scooting around the island on a moped for one of our days, i would certainly recommend Choeng Mon beach, which was clean and relaxed, with lovely views across the emerald sea to Ko Phan Ngan.
We had four days in Ko Samui, spending two of them being lazy on the beach, and then the other two visiting the Ang Thong National Park – an archipelago of islands between Samui and the mainland that offer amazing snorkelling and scenery – and circumnavigating the island on a moped.
The Ang Thong National Park was a great day out, cruising across the Gulf of Thailand on a speedboat to the archipelago before making a number of stops for swimming and snorkelling, climbing ridiculous ladders to viewpoints – at one of which a Russian woman decided to breast feed her baby whilst people tried to take photos of the glorious scenery (!) – and stopping at the only settlement on the islands (a small fishing village) for lunch. Tourists are not allowed to stay on the islands, which is a good thing after seeing how developed places like Chaweng are.
Following our stay at Samui, we headed over to the Andaman coast and the Krabi region. Here we decided to visit Ao Nang (jumping off point for most of Krabi’s resorts and islands), Railay (a top climbing destination cut off from the mainland due to the limestone cliffs that soar around the beaches), Ko Phi Phi (home of Maya Beach of film ‘The Beach’ fame, as well as a ridiculous array of glorious scenery), tiny Ko Jum (1500 inhabitants, mainly Muslim), and finally Ko Lanta (a relaxed island to the south of the Krabi region, less developed than a number of the islands) – where we are now and where I will complete this post later…
For the past 5 days we have been enjoying the capital of Laos, Vientiane. The city is set on the banks of the Mekong river, and only a stone’s throw away is Thailand, so Vientiane appears to be a transport hub for a lot of travellers either entering Laos, leaving, or heading onto Cambodia, Vietnam, and even China. So the place has quite a cosmopolitan vibe about it, and has lots of things to keep you occupied.
Whilst we have been here, we have been meditating with Buddhist monks, sat in a traditional herbal sauna (quite why this is traditional in such a hot and humid place, I will never understand!), and watched some spectacular thunderstorms sweep in from Thailand over the Mekong river.
The sauna was quite an experience, set in the ground of one of the many Buddhist Wats in and around the city. The sauna was located in what appeared to be a two-storey timber shack, which looked as if it could quite easily collapse at any given moment! When we arrived we were handed sarongs and told in no uncertain terms to get naked, and cover up with the sarong. It was the into the dark, humid atmosphere of the sauna (which more resembled a steam room), and as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we tried our best not to trip over the benches inside! The steam itself was lovely, the vapour smelling of hundreds of herbs and spices grown in and around the grounds.
After the sauna it was time for a traditional Lao massage, and we were thrown about all over the place, our bones creaking and cracking for an hour! It was a lovely massage though, and for an hour only cost 35,000 Kip (approximately 2 quid!), so an absolute bargain!!
We also managed to visit a number of beautiful Wats in and around the city including the national symbol of Laos, Pa That Luang, an amazing gold coloured monument that dates back centuries. Several festivals are held here each year to celebrate various important dates in the Lao calendar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pha_That_Luang
THA PHAT LUANG
After visiting Luang Prabang and Phonsovanh, Gemma and I headed down to the tiny riverside town of Vang Vieng. The town is located next to the Nam Xong river, a much smaller river than the mighty Mekong, but no less picturesque. The town has grown from a small village on the main highway to the capital, Vientiane, and has an old runway beside it that was used during the American/Vietnam war. The town has grown basically due to its beautiful location, next to the Nam Xong, across from which are huge limestone mountains which literally rise vertically and have created some of the best rock climbing destinations in the world. So Vang Vieng was a place to either adventure, or relax. We did a bit of both, but more relaxing than adventure…
Vang Vieng has become synonymous with travellers as it was initially founded and developed by a few backpackers who saw the potential of its beautiful location, and one of the things to ‘tick off the list’ so to speak, is to float down the Nam Xong on an inner tube, with a Beer Laos in hand whilst taking in the beautiful scenery. For a few quid, the ‘jumbos’ as they are called (basically a motorbike with a people carrier on the back) will escort you up the Nam Xong to a point where you jump in the inner tube and cruise down the river, stopping at strategically located ‘bars’ where you can get anything from a Beer Laos to an Opium Tea (!). The bar owners chuck you a rope and then pull you into the shore, and then its time to pick your refreshment of choice before watching hapless ‘tubers’ crusie past, and laugh at those that manage to drop their beer in the river, or capsize themselves!!! One of the bars had a guy standing out the front advertising a ‘Bob Marley Joint’ with a big handheld placard. What he meant I could only imagine…
Our ‘float’ down the Nam Xong ended in hilarity, as Gemma got herself wedged on a rock in the middle of the river, before missing the exit point onto a small island where the ‘end of tubing’ bars are. I have never seen such a look of despair as she was swept past me. However, in true British James bond fashin, I managed to salvage the tube that she had allowed to float away in her despair, thus saving us a few quid on our deposit!! A good day was had by all, followed by a few Beer Laos’!
Whilst in Vang Vieng we also took the opportunity to visit the Organic farm located to the north of the town, where we were able to sample their speciality, Mulberry pancakes!!! The one thing that strikes you in somewhere like Laos is that the food is SO fresh, and there is hardly anything with the artificial preservatives that we have at home. Nothing is frozen, it is either cooked straight away or is lost. One of my favourite things here is a mixed fruit shake, which for around 70p, includes Mango, Dragon Fruit, Banana, Pineapple, Apple, and Lychees. They are simply gorgeous, and have no additives whatsoever.
After Vang Vieng, the next stop was the capital, Vientiane…
Hi folks!
Well, Gemma and I have just got to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, smack bang on the border with Thailand and next to the mighty Mekong River. We have been in the country for around 20 days now, travelling from the old colonial town of Luang Prabang, down through Phonsovanh, high up in the mountains towards the Vietnam border, down to the small riverside town (and adventure capital) of Vang Vieng, and now to the capital.
What can I tell you about Laos? I will try to make it a) interesting, and b) not too exhaustive! The country is land-locked and so struggles to grow economically at the rate that im sure it would like to, but tourism is taking hold here, mainly in the form of smelly, poor backpackers, but also an increasing amount of ‘adventure’ tourists, as Laos is one of the prime locations on the planet for rock climbing, jungle-trekking, and eco-tourism.
However, the country has one problem that wont go away and is killing people regularly. It is the single most heavily bombed country EVER!!! The US carried out a secret war here, completely against the Geneva accords of 1962 (Laos had declared itself neutral), and literally caused carnage (the statistic is something like 500,000 sorties over 8 years – one every 8 minutes or so). More bombs were dropped on the country than on Japan and Germany in the Second World War. The legacy remains in Laos, and after visiting the town of Phosovanh, high up in the mountains, I learned that it is expected to take up to 100 years to rid the land of the ‘bombies’ that did not explode (up to 30% of all dropped did not explode). Bombies are around the size of tennis balls and a single cluster bomb would encase hundreds of bombies, which when released would hit the ground and unleash ball bearings at over 2200 ft per second. They were designed to kill people, and that is what they still do here in Laos, when unsuspecting kids pick them up, or farmers accidently disturb them when carrying out the ploughing of the land – something they have to do to grow the food to survive. Visit http://www.maginternational.org/laopdr/ and maybe donate a bit of cash to this worthy cause. They do nice t-shirts as well!!!
So, Laos has its fair share of problems. But it is also a beautifully unspoilt country, with little development and not a high-rise hotel to be seen (apart from maybe one in Vientiane!). Luang Prabang is a charming colonial town on the banks of the Mekong River, complete with old French architecture, and the influence of their colonial masters in the form of several very nice bakeries. The local street-vendors also do amazing coffee – it is available through Free Trade – as well as tasty baguettes for around 70p (10,000 Lao kip). Luang Prabang also has several beautiful Wat’s, or Buddhist temples. Some of the temples are hundreds of years old and are still working, with young Monks living in the quarters. One morning wegot up at the ridiculous hour of 5am to give alms to the monks. This basically involved lining the street with other local people (and the odd bleary-eyed tourist!) to hand out food to the monks as they walked through the streets. It was a very humbling experience and a very traditional custom here. Unfortunately the occasional tourist does his bsst to spoil it, as it is not correct to stick a camera right in their faces, or to stand so your head is above them (no problem for me then!!), but the morning we were there it all went very calmly and was very interesting.
We spent 5 days in Luang Prabang before heading up into the mountains to Phonsovanh to see the crazy ‘Plain of Jars’. It was probably the windiest road ive ever experienced, but after 7 hours we made it there, after driving through beautiful mountain scenery. The Plain of jars literally is just that – several different areas of ancient jars that have survived the heavy bombing by the US during the American/Vietnam War. The jars are huge, and the story behind them is a complete mystery. Some believe they were made for a king, some think they are an alternative to coffins. One thing is for sure though, they are not going to be stolen as they weigh tonnes. However, a few people have made off with the lids when they were first discovered (I didnt manage to fit one in my backpack unfortunately!!). We visited 3 sites out of over 20, some of which are not cleared of the Unexploded Ordnance referred to above and so are not safe to visit. The sites we did visit has strict guidelines concerning where you could and couldnt step. I wasnt about to start weaving away from the well-trodden path… Phonsovanh and the Plain of Jars are surrounded by hills and mountains, but unlike the vast majority of Laos, these hills are bare of trees, with HUGE bomb craters visible in all directions. The legacy is a long one…
On our second day in Phonsovanh we visited the SOS school on the edge of the town. The SOS group of schools was set up by an Austrian fella and provides a safe and educational environment for the children that have unfortuanetly lost one or both parents due to the UXO (Unexploded Ordnance). We did our bit and took some bilingual books for the children, who are aged between 1 and 18. The children are placed into bungalows of up to 10 kids, and each bungalow has a ‘mother’ – a local lady who looks after them and keeps them in order. We met one household who seemed quite inquisitive but also a little shy to see two westerners. The kids just stared at us (probably my mullet). But it was a good experience and made us feel that we were at least doing something to help the poorest kids in this lovely country. http://www.sos-schools.org/laos.htm
