Travels with Gma

Canada - Vancouver

lyn — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 23:57:00 GMT

I love Vancouver!!

I arrived about 2 weeks before Canada's 150th birthday celebrations, so there was a buzz of expectation in the air, but even so, I found so much to do in Vancouver that I didn't get to do everything before I had to move on.

Vancouver is a very easy city to negotiate if you don't have a car. The public transport system is very good (and relatively cheap), especially the fully automated, driverless Sky Train system. I was able to get to some very out-of-the-way places easily using buses and/or trains, although I did a lot of walking because that's what I like to do.

I stayed out of the city, in Collingwood, about 8 Sky Train stations from the waterfront, but that wasn't a problem because the trains ran about every 5 mins, so if you missed one you didn't have to wait too long. No problems with timetables, either. Love it!

On my first day, I walked around the sea wall from Waterfront up to the Lions Gate bridge, then up the hill into Stanley Gardens. What a great place to walk. It feels as though you're out in the forest, but it's a stone's throw from the city. I spent about 4 hours walking through the many trails just soaking up the pleasure of the surroundings.

I'd been advised by a young girl in Flagstaff that I shouldn't miss Lynn Canyon. Well, if Stanley Gardens was great, then Lynn Canyon was fabulous. This time the subtropical rainforest was for real, with walking trails that passed beside and across a fast flowing river/stream, with a suspension bridge, crystal clear pools, waterfalls and Rice Lake. They used to log this area for Red Cedar and float the logs in the lake before moving them down to Vancouver. The 5 hours I spent walking was one of the highlights of my stay in Vancouver.

I'd also been told that I mustn't miss the markets at Granville Island. I'm not really into markets, but I decided that I'd go along and see what the fuss was all about. As I said, I'm not into markets, so I didn't get much from it at all. I walked around and looked for about half an hour and then left again, but if it's your go, then it would be the place to spend hours. The best thing for me was the walk across the Burrand bridge to the markets and then back to the city again across the Granville Street bridge.

I spent a lot of time walking and exploring in Vancouver, but one day I decided to go to Whistler.

Photos: Cusco

lyn — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 05:38:00 GMT

Photos: Punta Arenas

lyn — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 05:16:00 GMT

Arizona US - Grand Canyon

lyn — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 06:50:00 GMT

What can I say about the Grand Canyon except that it's a bloody big hole! Seeing the Grand Canyon was the one thing I had always said I wanted to do before I die.

Well, I've seen it.

Sure, it's extraordinary in size and scope and has a grandeur that is probably unique to it, but to be perfectly honest, it left me quite underwhelmed!

I was impressed, but not more than many other sites.

Even allowing time (about 4 weeks) to temper my thoughts, I still feel the same way

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I wouldn't bother going back unless I lived in Arizona and it was nearby.

I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona minus my luggage, which the airline had left in Cusco for some reason, so being dressed for 15 degrees celcius in Cusco, and arriving to 39 degrees at 7pm, I had to walk to the nearest Walmart the next morning at 7.30am, because it was already in the 30s, to buy a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. My bag arrived the next day, so all was ok.

From Phoenix, I bussed to Flagstaff where I was staying in a hostel. The following day I took a day tour to the Canyon, and stopped on the way to see Indian pueblo ruins from the 1200s, which I found almost as interesting as the Canyon itself.

Two days later, I had booked a helicopter flight over the Canyon, but the day was a windy as all get out. I was being taken to the heliport on a tour bus, which was going on to the Canyon again, but when I got to there, I was told that all flights had been cancelled for the day, so I continued on with the tour bus to the Canyon again.

This time we stopped at different places to the other tour, so at least I wasn't doing exactly the same thing over again.

Just as a BTW, from time to time, there is a guy at one of the viewing areas who has been involved in movies and he will take photos for you free of charge, using small models of Star Wars characters or dinosaurs so it looks as though you are interacting with them. A novel Grand Canyon pic, adding a bit of interest to the excursion.

The rest of the time I was there, I spent exploring Flagstaff (not that there's much to explore) before bussing to Phoenix airport for my flight to Vancouver.

Photos: Torres del Paine National Park

lyn — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 02:21:00 GMT

Photos: Rapa Nui

lyn — Fri, 9 Jun 2017 07:04:00 GMT

Macchu Picchu

lyn — Fri, 2 Jun 2017 05:26:00 GMT

There aren't enough words to describe Macchu Picchu - incredible, amazing, stupendous, fascinating ..... choose your own superlative!

I left my hotel at 6.30am to catch the bus up the mountain to Macchu Picchu. The queue was long, but not as long as peak season, I believe, and the buses left every couple of minutes, so we moved along quickly.

The bus trip up is windy, bumpy and narrow, so I was glad the driver had done it plenty of times before.

When we got there, we went through an entrance gate, and then you were on your own to investigate and wander at will. I'd picked up another guide in the morning, who stayed with me for 2 hours explaining and showing me everything, and then I was on my own for as long as I wanted, except that I had to be back down the mountain to catch my return train by 2pm.

You need to go to Macchu Picchu while you are relatively fit and your knees and back are able to cope. It's a gruelling experience, not only because of the altitude, but the size of the site and the fact that the Incas didn't seem to have any concept of uniformity of step rises. Some were comfortable, but some were uncomfortably high and all were rocky and uneven.

I didn't have any problem with altitude sickness, but there were many people, old and young, who were huffing and puffing and looking pale. They were really suffering from the exertion needed to negotiate the site.

I was surprised at just how big the site is, and the fact that the terracing goes down the mountain on both sides. It was certainly an amazing building feat.

Cusco

lyn — Wed, 31 May 2017 06:49:00 GMT

Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire, and there is still plenty of evidence such as walls, streets, buildings and drainage channels throughout the city. It was conquered and plundered by the Spanish in the 1500s.

My guide during my stay in Cusco was Freddie, a delightful young man, and we got on like a house on fire. He lives in Cusco, so knows all the sights and history of the area.

He took me to the church built by the Spaniards on the site of the Inca Sun Temple, where there are still some walls standing which show the amazing craftsmanship of the builders. One large block of stone has 14 corners which fit perfectly into the surrounding stones, without the use of mortar. Incredible work.

Originally, the whole of the Sun Temple was covered in 22-24 carat gold, but the Spaniards took it all away and used some in the churches they built in the city, and the rest went back to Spain. We went into the cathedral and saw where it had been used in altars, fittings, and altar pieces. What an overwhelming sight - all that pure gold glistening under the lights. No photographs are allowed in the cathedral, so you'll have to go and see for yourself.

We also sat in the plaza for a while, watching the school children perform their dancing - a mixture of Peruvian and Incan - in preparation for the festivities around the winter solstice. That's a very big deal in Peru, and we got caught up a couple of times when villages were having very colourful and noisy parades through the streets.

Freddie took me through the markets to see an amazing array of food, hand made goods, and all sorts of other things. We stopped for a juice and I tasted lucuma, a Peruvian fruit much like a mango. Delicious! We also bought a snack (forgotten the name) which was made up of roasted Peruvian corn, bite sized bits of roasted pork, and crackling. It was handed to us in a small piece of paper, and we nibbled on it as we walked.

Later in the day, we went into the mountains to see more Inca ruins. It rained for about 10 minutes while we were up there, and I was able to get a photo of a rainbow going from the top of the mountains straight down into the centre of Cusco. Freddie had never seen that before, and got really excited, sending photos to his friends.

The next morning we set off for Ollantaytambo, through the Sacred Valley (named by the Spaniards, not the Incas). This is a large, fertile, flat valley with a river running through it, about 100kms long, where all kinds of produce are grown except citrus fruits. Freddie says they are grown up north. Peru has dozens of different types of potatoes and of corn, and they are all grown here, as well as lots of other things.

It's a stunning sight to come over the mountain and have a first view of the valley down below.

Along the road is a "blink and you miss it" town called Lamay, which is famous for its roasted guinea pig, a delicacy in Peru. Well, I couldn't go past that, could I? We stopped at a roadside stall with an open fire and a girl about 12 years old doing her weekend job of turning a guinea pig, complete with head and tiny gnawing teeth, on a long stick over the open fire. We ordered and were served the guinea pig along with potatoes. I must admit, I couldn't come at the head, so Freddie jumped at the opportunity, broke it in pieces, and scooped out the brains with a finger and, yummm. I don't think I'm ready for that yet!! It's a bit like quail in that there are a lot of little bones and not much meat, which means a lot of work for little reward, but it is very tasty, especially the crispy skin.

At the end of the 100kms, the valley tapers and becomes very narrow and this is where Ollantaytambo is located. The road stops there, and further travel is by train. It is another Inca site, with terraces and buildings in the side of the mountain, and the ruins of a town on the flats.

Freddie said climbing the terraces was practice for Macchu Picchu tomorrow, but it was nowhere as big as Macchu Picchu.

After looking around and investigating the site, I said goodbye to Freddie and boarded the train for the ride to Macchu Picchu town.

Punta Arenas

lyn — Sat, 27 May 2017 06:52:00 GMT

Punta Arenas is situated on the Straits of Magellan, close to Tierra del Fuego. As to be expected, Magellan's name and image is everywhere - in statues, street names, etc.

One man has taken things to the extreme by hand building a life size replica of one of Magellan's ships, the Noa Victoria, on his property by the water's edge. It's a remarkable achievement, but he didn't stop there. He also built a replica (life size, of course) of the Beagle because Charles Darwin visited there on his voyage, and the small boat used by Shackleton to rescue his stranded men from Elephant Island during his South Pole exploits.

All of these were done from a shed on the property with the help of one or two men.

Even though they are sitting at the water's edge, none of the vessels have been launched because there are no inspectors who are able to certify that they are seaworthy because the standards today are very different from the 1500's. So they remain shore bound, but are open to the public for a small fee.

Punta Arenas is a small town in a beautiful part of the world, but I only had a day or two there. I'd love to get back there and investigate it further.

Patagonia

lyn — Fri, 26 May 2017 06:44:00 GMT

I arrived back in Santiago, and stayed for 2 days before going on to Punta Arenas, situated on the Magellan Strait in Chilean Patagonia. Immediately upon landing, I boarded a bus for the 3 hour trip to Puerto Natales. There is an airport at Puerto Natales, but it is open only during some months of the year, and then only on certain days.

After a good night's sleep, I joined a small group tour to Torres del Paine National Park, about 112 kms north, rugged up because of the cold, and headed off to see the stunning beauty of the towers and the rugged mountains of the park. Our guide, Sofia, was extremely knowledgeable about the geology and history of the area, and gave us so much interesting information.

We travelled through the park, soaking up the majestic beauty of the surroundings and being awed by the mountains and lakes, until we reached Lago Pekoe, where we stopped for lunch before moving on to Lago Gray and the Gray Glacier, flowing down the side of the mountain into the lake. It's difficult to describe the absolute beauty of the park - it is truly breathtaking.

On the way back from the park, we made a stop at the milodon cave, Cueva del Milodon, which is a natural monument. In 1895, the remains of a milodon, a giant sloth over 10,000 years old, was found in the cave in such good condition that it was thought to be a recently deceased animal. A small portion of skin and hair can be seen in the museum in Punta Arenas - the rest is in London (isn't everything?). Later bones of more animals and humans were found in that cave as well as others in the area.

A truly worthwhile excursion for the visitor to Patagonia.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

lyn — Sun, 21 May 2017 18:25:00 GMT

I landed on Rapa Nui on a bright, sunny day with a gentle warm breeze, and that's how it stayed until I left. Who could ask for more?

Rapa Nui is a small island (only 650 square kilometres) and the locals tell me you can drive around it in about one and a half to two hours. So why did I need to take 2 half day tours and a full day tour? Because that's what you need to do if you want to see everything and get the history and information from a local. All guides are islanders who have extensive knowledge about their history.

Rapa Nui is renowned for it's large statues called moai (pronounced mwy by the locals), but I was surprised by just how many there are on the island. When I arrived, I walked down to the waterfront and assumed that the moai there were imitations for the tourists, but I was mistaken - they are the real thing. They may not be in their original positions, but they are genuine carvings.

There are moai all over the island, in various states of repair. They were erected when someone died; the person was buried usually in front, and the spirit was thought to inhabit the moai, so they became objects of reverence. When the missionaries arrived, the locals were ordered to knock them down because they represented ancestor worship, however more recently they have been restored where possible and remounted on their platforms. Because restoration has not always been possible, there are many broken moai lying where they fell.

The only unbroken one is that of the first chief of the island, and it's thought that the islanders gently lowered the moai instead of pushing it, out of respect.

One of the most impressive sites is Tongariki, a site right beside the sea with an expansive flat area in front where the chiefs used to meet for gatherings. At the solstice, the sun rose at that point. Between the sea and the flats is an enormous platform with 15 moai. Originally there were another 7 moai on each side, but they were too damaged to be restored. The sight of 29 huge moai at solstice sunrise with the sea behind must have been extraordinary.

Apart from moai, there are petroglyphs and remnants of dwelling areas, as well as natural phenomena such as the caldera at Rano Kau, a volcanic crater 1.5kms across at the top. Because it is a volcanic island, Rapa Nui doesn't have the wide sandy beaches you might associate with Pacific islands. There are only two beaches on the island with only one safe for swimming, but the rugged black volcanic coastline is beautiful.

Rapa Nui has only one town, Hanga Roa, with the airport about 20 minutes walk from the centre. It is virtually unspoilt and you feel more like a visitor than a tourist. In fact, there is very little allowance for tourists except for tours and car/motorbike/quadbike/bicycle hire. Don't go there looking for five star hotels. The hotels are clean and tidy, but basic. The rooms don't have tea or coffee making facilities (something I really missed) and there's no TV.

Most visitors come from Chile or other Latin American countries, so a smattering of Spanish would help, although there are enough people with some knowlege of English to be able to get by. I only saw one restaurant advertising that they had an English menu.

I must mention the dogs and chooks. Large dogs, such as German Shepherds, roam at will around the town, sometimes you have to step over them when you're walking down the street. But they're all very friendly. Once I was waiting outside my hotel when a German Shepherd sauntered up, lay down at my feet and stayed there till my minivan came. The chooks aren't so obvious because they spend their time in the scrub around the houses, but it's not unusual to see them run across the road to a better patch.

But there's a down side. The dogs bark and howl at each other during the night and you can hear them all over town, and around 5.30am the roosters start to try to outdo each other. I guess the locals are used to it, but the first couple of nights were a bit iffy. In fact, on the flight out at 11.30am, I've never seen so many passengers asleep almost as soon as we took off. I guess it wasn't just me.

I really enjoyed my stay in Rapa Nui, but two half days and three full days were plenty to see everything and spend time doing some independent investigating.

beginnings

lyn — Thu, 4 May 2017 13:46:00 GMT

It's 8 May 2017, and in just under 2 weeks, I'll be flying out of Sydney for Chile - the beginning of my extended holiday. I'm looking forward to seeing new places and meeting new people, and I'll keep you updated on where I am and what I'm doing. I hope to be able to share with you lots of exciting and interesting places and events.