Travel Adventure - Backpacking Latin America's Gringo Trail

Flying home from Santiago and the end of our amazing adventure

sheree — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:43:00 GMT

I just woke up from only having 4 hours sleep. We booked this hostel because the beds looked good and private so we could have a decent nights sleep before our flight today. The beds are good, although a little springy but private but our room is situated at the front of the house on the road, right next to the entrance. Because they have wooden floors you could hear everyone walk past, there were people drinking and laughing outside our window, cars driving past, doorbell and phone ringing at reception, a loud snorer and people coming in to our room our room at 1am, talking and watching videos or playing music on their phones. I don't understand that. It's 1am people are clearly sleeping, why would you start playing things loudly on your phone? Don't they have consideration for others? Anyway I guess not. I didn't get to sleep until around 2am and woke up a 7am :-/ as Matt said, sleeping is for when we get home haha well that's one thing I'm definitely looking forward to is sleeping in my own bed and having my own space! Majority of our hostels have been amazing and I don't mind sharing but whenever wee had private rooms it's been so nice, mai ly just to have our own space. We just got an emAil from the tenant in our unit yesterday. She was looking at extending for another three weeks, but she just found a new place so we will be moving back this weekend. Soo excited! I love our little unit and can't wait to move back in there. It will be summer too so a short walk to the beach and although I haven't mind living out of just one bag, with minimal possessions (I've realised how much stuff we all accumulate and how much we only need, fits in to a backpack! I did not think at all, oh I wish I brought this, I barley wore make up, I think I wore it 5 or 6 times the whole trip and kind of couldn't wait to get it off my face) not having to travel from place to place constantly on 8-22 hour long bus rides or lug around an 18kg backpack plus hand bags and getting lost with terrible directions and getting the shits at each other trying to find our accommodation haha. It will be good to just breathe and relax in one space and have something to come home to. I can't wait to have a shower that I know will run hot water and not have to share it with other people. It will be so good to have things that just work and flow and be organised in Oz. Latin America still has developing countries and it's definitely a more basic and half done way of building things etc. I guess just coz they don't have the economy for infrastructure etc. it will be so good to drink water out of the tap for free! Instead of spending money on it every day as it adds up. We probably would have spent $300 just on water! It will be good to speak English and people actually understand what we are saying. Not having to converse in Spanglish and know exactly what we are ordering from the menu.

In saying that these things are minor to the big crazy/fun adventure we've had and I wouldn't change any of it. Change is good for us and being in these situations help us grow. The 'bad' things at the time (which were really not at all bad and just a part of travelling and life) we will learn from and grow stronger from and the good/amazing/breathtaking/incredible/fun far outweigh any of it. I am going to miss the cool hostels we've stayed in, getting free buffet breakfast made for us every morning, meeting new people along the way and hearing their stories, feeling like its a holiday ever day, things costing so cheap, not worrying about going to work, not knowing what day it is, the excitement of going to a new country and City and exploring and taking in all it has to offer and seeing doing some of the most amazing things. We've definitely become used to traveller life and have loved being a nomad for the last 4 months.

I can't believe that we discussed this idea probably 2 years ago that we wanted to travel and do a big trip. So we started saving for a year not knowing exactly where we would be going or where this would lead us. We were considering Europe as my brother, his wife and nephew were living there at the time so we could visit and Matt has a British passport and had always wanted to go. I had done Europe twice so was indecisive. A roadtrip across the USA was high on the list, I would have loved this but again I had seen some of US and once we got talking to my cousin who's husband is from Brazil and they were going there at the end of the year, the timing all worked out and our money would go further in South America meaning we could stay longer. We had both never been and Macchu Picchu etc has always been on my bucket list. It would be an adventure and I think a good place to go while we are young. It started that we would go for two months, then we extended to three. Then Matt said he always wanted to do Central America and I had wanted to see more of Mexico. OK we'll do that too and go for 4 months! I finish my graphic design course (which I ended up having to extend for 6 weeks when I get back) mid year and that's when it will be quiet in matts industry to take time off work. It quite possibly might of extended longer, even lived for a bit somewhere but I had a friends wedding I needed to be home for. Ok so Latin America it is! We booked the flights at end of 2015 and couldn't wait! We needed to start saving more. I quit my job and was earning cash in hand at a cafe but not enough so got a second job. Although I felt like I missed out on social things sometimes it also stopped me from spending money as I worked all weekends pretty much for 6 months before we left. We started organising everything, visas, needles, travel money cards, booking Macchu Picchu and mapping out the route we would go and things we definitely wanted to see and not miss out on. It was a crazy time as I was also studying by correspondence and had a few events I was organising on the side and I have a wedding when I get back so was trying to pre plan as much of that as I could as I only get back 6 weeks before to finish everything off! My head was all over the shop. I couldn't wait to go away. So it didn't just happen over night, it took a while to save and organise but I'm so happy we made an idea come to life together and worked hard to make it happen. I can't believe after all the months of planning and saving when I looked at our itinerary and map and all these places and countries were yet to be visited and all the possibilities and adventure that lay before us, we have now visited them all and our adventure is now complete. I'm so happy to have experienced it as places are never as you imagined in real life you have a thought about what they will be like from the pictures you see and the stories you hear but you never get the real impression until your there. Some places I liked more that others and some where way different to what I expected them to be and everyone's experiences and opinions of them are different. I can't believe it's over but It's weird because Cuba, the first country we visited feels like a lifetime ago and Mexico, just a distance memory even though it was only a couple of months ago. I can't believe how much we have seen and done in only 4 months time! It was a lot of travel and we covered so much ground. When we spoke to people they were gobsmacked by how much and how far we were travelling in just 4 months. We were on the go the whole time but I would not change the way we've done it as we saw so much and did everything we set out to do. I have also loved the way we've done it, without much of a plan only a route to follow. It's made it more exciting not know where we'll end up tomorrow and more freedom to pick and choose where we want to go and staying longer places we like and leaving places we don't. It was so easy just to chat to other travellers and get there recommendations and hear there stories to decide what we want to do next, it was usually the best way of finding a good place to go and stay etc. it all just seemed to unfold as we went along and we saw everything we wanted plus more! I have absolutely loved this unforgettable journey.

Although I am a little devastated for this journey to end as it's definitely been a trip of a lifetime. I'm also a little nervous to be going back to reality and not getting stuck or stressed from societies pressures. But we all must go back to our jobs etc at some point along the way but I hope I have learnt a few lessons and can take a few things back with me on the way I live my life and how I want to live it. I definitely want to live a more focused, relaxed, flexible, mindful, heart filled life when I'm home, still with plenty more overseas trips and adventures included! I'm excited for the future that lays before me. I'm also excited to share it with Matt. If we can survive this, we can survive anything right!? Haha I am most excited to see all my friends and family back home and catch up on all that I've missed in the last 4 months and share stories. I also can't wait to finally meet my new nephew Felix!

Last Facebook post:

Wow! After 4 months backpacking through 13 different countries in the diverse and absolutely impressive Latin America and covering a distance of over 50,000km of travel... we're finally coming home!

What a truly incredible and unforgettable adventure we have been on! We have visited so many amazing places, seen so many amazing things and had so many amazing experiences, there's too many to count them all. It's been unbelievable! From hiking mountains through the Andes in Peru to snorkelling through shipwrecks with colourful fish in magical turquoise water of the San Blas Islands in Panama! We've created some wonderful memories and met so many kind and fun people along the way. Thank you to all who have made our journey come to life, it's been an absolute adventure of a lifetime and something we'll always remember and keep with us for years to come!!

A massive thank you to my favourite travel buddy Matt! I wouldn't have been able to do this trip without you and even though we've faced some slightly difficult situations (travel is never always smooth sailing in foreign countries, especially not being able to speak the language) we've got through them together and now we have so many great/funny stories we can always look back on. Most of all I've had the best time travelling and exploring the world with you. I'm so happy for this amazing journey we've been on and I hope it's the first of many more to come. Thank you for being my personal bag putter onerer when it was too heavy to lift, taking charge of asking 'cuanto?' and paying for things with our money coz I never understood the amount they replied and the conversions and currencies go straight over my head, making me laugh on delirious 20 hour long bus rides and just being by my side the whole way. It's definitely one of the best things I've ever done and I'm so happy I could share it with you.

A little sad that the trip has come to an end but I can't wait to see family and friends when we arrive home. See you soon Sydney! Xx

Thank you for following my blog. I hope you have enjoyed following our adventure and reading the stories! I can't wait to read back over it when I'm home to jog the memory and in years to come to remember all the crazy and amazing things we did.

Also anyone who is thinking of travelling to Central or South America... DO IT! It has so much to offer with breathtaking landscapes, animals, people and a huge diversity of things to see and do. We did not feel in danger at all, our whole trip! We didn't even get mugged, unlike when I went to Barcelona and New York! You hear stories about this part of the world and yes I was even a little apprehensive before leaving but things can happen anywhere. It's safe if you are smart and sensible and we certainly didn't miss out doing some of the most amazing things! Travel is one of the best things you can do and you are missing out if you don't. You only live once so go out there and experience this great big world we live in!

Wineries and horse back riding through vinyards in Mendoza

sheree — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:41:00 GMT

We got up the next morning about 6am to get to the bus stop to get a local bus to the bus station. We bought some empanadas for brekky and waited for our semi carma double decker bus to go to Mendoza. It was about a 7-8 hour bus ride and I didn't realise at the time but we were crossing right over the Andes! I've fallen in love with these mountains being in South America and after hiking them and flying over them in Peru we were now driving through them and it was incredible. Witnessing the snow capped mountain range in the distance as we drove closer and closer then finally started driving over them, up the road on one of it's mountains and great views of the other mountains surrounding. When we were right in the thick of it the mountains were covered in snow! There were even two ski fields we passed on the mountains and drove under a chair lift taking skiers and boarders up the top! Our seats were at the very front of the bus so we had a panoramic view of the whole thing and there was even light snowflakes falling on the window in front of us! The Andes are truly majestic and magnificent!

We crossed the border from Chile back to Argentina in the middle of Los Andes, what a place to have a border crossing in the snow on top of a mountain! When we arrived in Mendoza the lovely couple who's B&B we were staying at were waiting for us with a hand made sign saying Attention: Matt. It was so nice to have someone pick us up rather than figuring out where our hostel. They greeted us with a kiss on the cheek and helped us with our bags before taking us to their hostel, it felt like they were family or friends welcoming us to their home. Their names were Augustino and Maria. He was Argentinian, from Mendoza and she was French and they were a lot younger than I thought they would be. We asked them later and he was 28 and she was 25. We arrived at the house which was just a bit out of Mendoza in an area called Maipu. The house was surrounded by vinyards and wineries and when we got out of the car an amazing view across the road of the Andes from their front gate! We walked in and were so impressed with their house. It was a gorgeous, old house over 100 years old that they had done up to look very rustic/shabby chic. They used recycled materials, restored them, gave them new life and handmade a lot of the furniture and decor. It had so much character and it had so many nice details. They were still adding more and more details, building a bathroom outside etc and hoped to have it all complete by November. There were 4 bedrooms 2 for the two couplesand 2 bedrooms for guests. There was a cottage style kitchen and a large living room and the length of the house backed on to a lovely backyard which had a vegetable garden and chickens. They had more rustic/handmade details out in the garden and were talking about how they want to put a beer garden here as they have a friend who crafts his own beer and want to sell it to travellers. They could also add their boutique beer garden to the DIY bike tour map for travellers to stop by their beer garden. They also had a cute black and white cat with green eyes who was 6 months old and very playful. His named was Messi (after a professional Argentinian soccer player). They did a work away (a volunteer program for travellers) where travellers can stay and I think have breakfast for free etc. if they volunteer with the program, in this case helping build the house. They started working on it in June and took them 3 months to have it ready with two spare bedrooms as accommodation for a B&B. There were two couples who owned it (Augustino, Maria and another couple who is also their friends - Juan from Argentina and Anna from Germany who were in their early 30s and have a cute 1 year old boy named Milo) have done a lot of travelling and invited travellers to help build the home and all have their input for future travellers to stay. A labour of love by travellers for travellers. The house was perfect in an imperfect way and Matt and I were in love with it. The hosts definitely added to it. They were lovely and sweet and made us feel very welcome in their home and were very accommodating. We didn't feel like strangers at all and it was only $50AUS for both of us per night, including a home cooked breakfast each morning and Juan is a chef, so the breakfasts were delicious! It was quite funny and ironic as Matt and I were talking and made a 'wishlist' (as soon as we started writing the song Wishlist by Pearl Jam came on to our iPod - synchronicity!) of what we want for our dream future home. We were both very much on the same page for what we want and when we stepped inside this house their were so many elements, even some of the tiny details, which we had included on our list. It was weird and amazing and like it was meant to be and kind of like we had come full circle with our trip! Maybe it all is written in the stars and we have already been where we are supposed to go, like the beliefs of the Peruvians and the ritual we did on the Inca Trail! Just a matter of time before it eventuates. Maria even said the dream would be to inspire people that they can do something like this too and if one person does then it will be the best thing about this house.

They bought huge 5 litre bottles of wine from the winery close by which only costs them approx $5US and offer it free for the guests. We sat in their garden, drinking red wine and talking to Augustino and Maria about their house and our travels (yep they even spoke English, which we were a little worried about they would only be able to speak Spanish. Makes things a lot easier when we can speak the same language and not Spanglish!). They had also travelled for 4 months from Mexico to Argentina about 2 years ago! We met the other couple, Juan and Anna about an hour later when they came home with their baby Milo.

We decided to go in to the town of Maipu for dinner and Augustino and Maria were heading out so were lovely enough to drop us in there. It was about a 10 minute drive. There was a band and dancers on stage with lots of people around at a night market. We walked through the markets to the restaurant they recommended called Don Tomas. Argentinians don't eat dinner until like 9:30/10pm and when we arrived around 8:30, the waitresses were still setting up! It was a nice restaurant and good waitresses but the pasta I had was very bland and tasted like packet pasta. Matt liked his steak though. We shared a bottle of wine which was equivalent to $7 in a restaurant and as we left, that's when groups of people started walking in. Maria wrote down how to catch the bus back and what to say to the bus driver but we couldn't really work out where the bus stop was so we walked home. It took about an hour and I didn't mind the walk but was just tired so wanted to get to sleep. We had a bit of trouble with the lock and key coming back in to the house. We knocked on the door but no one woke up, we thought we might have to sleep outside for the night haha but we finally got it in the end.

We woke in the morning to an amazing spread of home cooked brekky Juan and Anna had prepared. There was fresh bread, slices of salami/meats and cheeses, avocado and tomatoes, dulce de leche, honey and jam spreads, scrambled eggs cooked with eggs picked fresh from the chickens that morning. Along with delicious mini pasties/sweets bought from a local bakery down the road and tea and coffee. It was amazing, eating in their little cottage kitchen. It was a Sunday today and we realised that most of the wineries were shut to do a bike tour :( we also wanted to do a horseback ride so Juan called a company and booked us in for the evening at 6pm. They also recommended an organic winery that was open close by we could go for lunch. Done, that was our day planned! We had to go in to Mendoza to change money and book our bus for the way back to Santiago. We wanted to wait until we were in Argentina to book our bus back, instead of buying a return so we could change money again on the black market and buy it for a cheaper price from exchanging the good rate. The bus took about 45 minutes to get to the town of Mendoza and coz it was a Sunday nothing was open. Which I was a little surprised as Mendoza was a lot bigger city than I imagined. I was also a bit worried there would be nobody around exchanging money coz it was a Sunday. It looked grim at the start, thinking we'd have to pay double the price without changing money with the good rate but we found someone in front of the office of where we were purchasing our bus tickets so worked out well. We then waited for our bus to come past to go back to Maipu but it was taking ages for one to come past. I was getting a bit edgy coz I felt we had wasted our morning coming in to town to run errands and I knew how long the bus took to get back. I really wanted to have lunch at the recommended winery and knew they shut early on a Sunday. There wasn't much else close by to just quickly walk to, to grab something to eat either. We ended up getting in a cab back to our B&B which only cost around $10 and was a lot quicker than the bus to get back. It was almost 2pm so Juan called them to see if they could fit us in and they said they would call us back. Dam what if we miss out. When Juan called back they said we could come now and there will be a table for us. Yay!

It was about a 20 minute walk to get to Cechina, 10 minutes to the property, then 10 minutes through the vinyards to get to this gorgeous winery or in Spanish bodega. There was a quaint restaurant with a couple of outdoor tables and a bigger building where they would make all the wines. It was surrounded with rustic/countryside/winery decor of wine barrels etc. there was a large table, maybe an Argentinian family sitting inside and since it was a nice sunny afternoon we decided to sit outside. The waitress didn't speak any English but said she would be back in a moment. It was taking a while for us to be served. There was only one waitress so it must ah e been busy for her but we weren't even given a menu and another table of 4 came in straight after us and were being served before us. Finally she came and we it was surprising we actually knew a little more Spanish (not much) than she knew English. We then understood that there were no menus and she explained the dishes to us. I think it was a sharing type thing but because I'm vegetarian I ordered a pasta and Matt a steak again. Coz we bought food and its a winery we were given free Malbec (a popular red Argentinian wine from Mendoza) with lunch! I usually drink white because I like it better and the couple of times I've had it (even just after one glass) I've felt like crap the next day. Since being with Matt, I've tasted his reds when he's ordered them and have liked the taste of some of them so thought I'd give the Malbec a go and see how I feel. I had it yesterday and I felt fine today. Plus they drink it a lot cooler here than we do back in Oz which is a lot nicer I think. I think I've finally converted to red! The chef came out and asked in Spanish if I wanted something in my dish. I didn't know what he was asking so he bought out a bunch of basil and asked again. That's service from the chef! 'Si' I replied. When our dishes came out Matts chunk of steak was huge and he said it tasted amazing. My pasta was also delicious (A LOT better than last nights). I didn't know what pasta I was getting but it was a cheese tortellini with mushroom, basil, creme sauce and parmasen cheese on top. It was so fresh and yum. It was such a lovely relaxing afternoon in Argentina's most well known wine country sitting in the sun, drinking wine and eating a delicious meal in a gorgeous winery. A car came and a couple of men bought in acoustic guitars and bongo drums and met with the family inside. They all sat around the table playing music and singing together. It was magic! What a beautiful thing to be surrounded by.

We then walked back through the vinyards to our B&B. Juan offered to drive us to the ranch for our horseback ride which was so nice. You definitely don't get that type of service at a hostel. But was good because not everything was walking distance here. We arrived at the small ranch with about 10 horses in the stables and a couple of horse saddled up, ready for our ride. We were greeted by Cesar the owner of the ranch and who would also be our guide. We waited for another family of 4 before we hopped on our horses to start our ride. My horses name was Noches (night) and was good riding because he wanted to be at the front but I don't think liked the other horses coz he kept biting them. Matts ones name was Indio and was lazy and slow haha. Matt was always lagging at the back and his horse kept stopping to eat the plants along the track. For the first hour we walked through the vinyards in our horses which was beautiful. We had a little go at trotting too but I don't think my stirrup was adjusted right and my foot kept coming out. The family then went back to the ranch with Cesar's nephew while Matt and I continued on for another hour with Cesar and had a private tour. We continued along through the vinyards to a view point. We came up to an incredible view of the Andes mountains and the sun setting behind them. Wow! Cesar told us that he enjoys photography and took a couple of pics of us. We then continued on and he told us that there was going to be a red moon tonight. I assumed he meant a red moon was going to rise like the one we saw sailing the San Blas. I saw the moon through the trees and although it wasn't red it was full and bright and low as it was beginning to rise. Cesar said if we hurried along we would see the moon. We started to trot and even crossed a river to get a good glance at the beautiful bright round moon and Cesar got an amazing shot of us on his camera! Wow what an incredible way to end the day and way of finishing our trip. Horseback in the middle of Argentinian vinyards with the sun setting behind the Andes on our right and the full moon rising on our left. Amazing! We rode back to the ranch and as it was getting dark it was starting to get a bit cold. It seems to be hot during the day here and freezing at night. Cesar's nephew had a BBQ fire going and was cooking up an Argentinian BBQ for us. There was a selection of meats for Matt including chorizo, ribs and blood sausage. He was cooking me eggplants, sweet potato and capsicum filled with egg, herbs and cheese. He also made a potato salad and garden salad. He poured us some red wine from his friends vinyard and I got warm near the fire as they finished cooking the BBQ. The nephew went home and we sat with Cesar in his home having an Argentinian BBQ with wine and talking about horses and told him about Phar Lap and googled pics and facts about how big and fast he was. Cesar was quite interested. Argentinians are so hospitable! And have the right idea about good food and wine! Juan picked us up about 9:30 and took us back to the house.

We were getting ready for bed and Juan came in and said something about the eclipse. We didn't really know what he was talking about but went out to the garden to see the start of a lunar eclipse taking place! Wow! I'd never seen one before and it was a perfectly clear night. I thought they were really quick but it was moving very slowly. Juan, Anna and I were trying to take photos of it, but not very successful without a tripod etc. All 6 of us sat there and watched it as the shadow of the Earth slowly moved over the moon and once it was fully covered turned this deep dark red with a glowing circle around it. It was such an amazing sight! Now I know what Cesar was talking about with the red moon! A total lunar eclipse! Can we get any luckier!?Mendoza definitely put on a show for us! I was freezing and even though it was late, needed a shower to warm up, then to bed to get a good nights sleep.

When we woke Matt had a blocked nose and wasn't feeling very well. No good for the last day of our trip (well last proper day before two days of travel). Augustino and Maria had another amazing spread ready for us for breakfast. This time with fresh boiled eggs and a freshly squeezed orange juice (good for matts cold). It was another nice sunny day and since today the wineries were open we decided to do a DIY bike tour of all the surrounding wineries. Anna gave us a map and pointed out where to go. She showed us a good loop to do which led us back home, the streets we also all very flat. We got on our bikes and rode to the first one. It looked cute but it didn't look open, even though it was 10:30 and most of them opened at 10am. There was a man putting stuff in the back of his truck so asked arbiato? (Not sure how to spell) he spoke to us in Spanish. He said tardes so we assumed he meant come back this afternoon? Anyway we decided to go to the next one and maybe come back later. I hoped there would be some English speaking people at the next wineries to give the tours :-/ We continued on to a very nice looking winery called Florio. There was a Spanish looking Canadian girl who greeted us. She was very lovely and could speak English. Yes :) She gave us a tour of the vineyard, the winery where all the wine is made and then finally the tastings. We weren't really sure how it would work but it was awesome you just go in and they give you a private tour and tastings and in this case you just paid 50 pesos each ($5 each!). I'd never been to a winery before so it was quite interesting. Unfortunately coz it's the wrong season the vines aren't in bloom or green so all the vineyards look kind of brown and dead and isn't really like the rolling green hills of what I imagine the Hunter Valley etc in Australia look like. She took us through the winery and explained it was founded by an Italian man over 100 years ago. It is a boutique winery, nothing is mass produced and all the bottles and labels etc are manually assembled. She showed us where the red grapes are made in to red wine on one side and the White grapes into white wine on the other. Then the where they are left to ferment and finally bottled. We then sat down for the tastings. This winery produces wines that are a bit outside of the box and she explained a story and details about the wines for each one. All the wines she poured were served cold. We tried a champagne which was quite light on the bubbles which was good, not too fizzy. A carbonated red wine which had bubbles and was very unique. I had never heard of that before. We tried a liquorice wine, a moscato and a rose. They were all really nice, I liked them all! We were contemplating buying a couple of these bottles as they were a bit different t but because it was our first stop, decided to wait. Feeling a little tipsy we got back on our bike to the next winery. We took a detour/took the wrong turn and went down a dirt path past acres of vineyards and green weeping willow type trees hanging over the road once we got back on track. The next winery was a lovely family owned one since the 1860s by an Italian family who passed on the secrets through generations. It was a bit smaller than the last but definitely had an intimate family vibe to it. They also had restaurant you could have lunch at. We did another tour here with a young guy showing us around. This time we walked through their vineyard and he showed us how they grow the grapes etc. We then walked through the winery which was so old and vintage, it was really cool! The wine pools were made from brick, the bottom where they ferment the wine and the top where they store the bottles. We then walked through one underground and were explained how they are stored in barrels and kept cool in natural temperatures. We then walked back upstairs for our tastings. We tried a Malbec, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay. They had very woody, chocolatey and earthy flavours. I didn't like these ones as much as the previous winery (maybe coz they were reds) but Matt preferred these ones. We continued on to our next stop called Mevi which apparently had an amazing view. We rode through the vineyard and parked our bike and walked up the stairs to the winery. We walked out on to their balcony and the map was right it had an amazing view overlooking their olive tree vineyard and the snow capped Andes in the background. The owners spoke Spanish and did not do tours but thought this balcony would be the perfect spot to have lunch. We ordered a wine tasting each and a cheese platter. They laid down a paper place mat with circles for the wine glasses to go and descriptions of each wine in Spanish and English underneath. A good way to do the tastings for us since they didn't speak English. I selected two whites and a rose and Matt selected 3 reds. We both really enjoyed all our wines and especially with a cheese platter relaxing in the sun on the balcony with the spectacular view of the vineyards and The Andes. We bought a couple of bottles to take home with us from this winery. The lady boxed them up and we put them on the back of my bike which had one of those flat guards and Matt and I swapped bikes. It was afternoon and headed to a beer garden for our next stop. This ride was a little longer and we detoured a little here aswell. The beer garden was really cute with a restaurant and rustic outdoor tables and chairs with coloured bunting, wine barrels, succulents and plants in coloured pots etc. Matt ordered a beer (I haven't converted to beer yet!) and I ordered a wine. They gave a bowl of free popcorn and we ordered a couple of empanadas each. The pastries were really delicious. I had a caprese one and an onion one and Matt had a chicken and meat one. We sat on small lounges outside and relaxed, giving cheers to our last day of our trip and what an amazing way to spend it.

We went to get back on our bikes and I realised the bike had a very flat tire. We tried to pump it using the pump they gave us but couldn't figure out how to use it. Very annoying as we were probably a two hour walk back home. Maybe not a great way to finish our day.... but what were we to do? We started walking back home. We hadn't gotten too far when a policeman on a motorbike pulled over on the side of the road. Great, now to end the day really well, we were going to be booked by a cop. Although I don't know what he could book us for, we were t doing anything wrong. He asked where we were from and where we were staying. He pointed at the bike Matt was wheeling and said popped? Yes the tyre had popped. We pulled out our map and showed him where we were trying to get back to. He said wait a moment and we will take you home! ... Really!? Matt and I were astonished! Wow, that would never happen in Australia! The local cops would have booked us for not wearing a helmet or something silly. He called someone on his phone and soon a police ute pulled up for us to put our bikes in the back. They were so nice and casual about it. Not like the police in Sydney where they are serious and looking for what you've done wrong not actually looking out for you. We hopped in the back seat with our box of wine and were so relieved and thankful we got a lift home. It would have been a very long walk otherwise! When we reached the house Anna was making bunting in the backyard and the boys were building benches and seats for the backyard too. We told them about our great day and how the bike tyre popped and the police picked us up and dropped us home. Anna said coz we are tourists and know we are drinking on the wine tours they look out for us and have a duty of care. It was about 7pm so we showered and relaxed for the evening. Matt still wasn't feeling the best and neither of us could be bothered to go get dinner even though I was slightly hungry, I knew there would be a big breakfast for us in the morning! We both fell asleep.

In the morning it was cloudy. Luckily we had two beautiful sunny days for our stay. The weather has been pretty much perfect for our whole trip! Florianopolis was the only place we were rained out and even through Central America when it was supposed to be their wet season and we would be rained on all the way, we had pretty much sunshine the whole time! Another delicious spread was waiting for us in the kitchen for breakfast. Juan even made us homemade waffles this morning and ran down the shop to buy a new tub of dulce de leche for us, as the other one had run out. My gosh this was service and they completely took care of us. After we had breakfast and chatted for a bit, until about 10am we went and packed our bags and tried to wrap the bottles of wine and fit them in to our already full bags. Somehow we did. When there is a will, there is a way! Especially when it comes to wine haha. We would have love to have brought more home but only allowed 3 bottles each back in to Australia and can't take any on carry on. At 12pm Augustino drove us back to the bus terminal. Anna and Juan weren't there but gave Maria a hug and kiss goodbye and said thank you. We gave them a tip as it wouldn't have been worth exchanging it back (a pretty big tip from backpackers and they were quite surprised) and to show our appreciation for our stay. They were so lovely and accommodating and had worked so hard to get the house up and running and put their heart and soul in to this gorgeous house. It was beyond what we expected and it definitely made our stay in not only Mendoza but added to the perfect ending of our whole 4 month journey! They are lovely, courageous young people who follow their heart and take pride in hard work, being creative and the simple things with giving back to people and the environment. They are humble, giving people and nothing was too much to ask of them. They were just like normal everyday people but were very inspiring to me and I wish them all the best with their new venture and I'm sure it will continue to flourish for lots of people to enjoy and they get a whole lot of satisfaction from it for themselves. I would love to revisit them and their B&B in a couple of years time to see how much it's grown.

We bought some snacks and drove back through the Andes and crossed the border back into Chile to Santiago. We caught the subway to our hostel (not without the last bit of tension between Matt and I trying to figure out the directions - they really need to be more specific considering no one would have been to these cities before and wouldn't have a clue where anything is) Anyway, it was night time and we walked down a street which was very lively with lots of bars, nightclubs and restaurants on it. It seemed like a pretty cool area. We got to our hostel which was also really cool, shame we were only staying one night. There was a pizza joint/restaurant which backed on to our hostel and since it was 9pm decided for convenience reason to eat there. The waitress was lovely and it was an easy/nice dinner for the last night of our trip, sharing pizza and a glass of wine! I am now in bed writing this and will be boarding a plane tomorrow back to Sydney!

Street art in the city of Valparaiso

sheree — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:39:00 GMT

Our plane landed in Santiago airport and by the time we cleared customs and collected our bags etc. it was about 12am. We had booked a hostel but decided on the plane we were just gonna sleep in the airport! Funds were getting low on the last part of our journey, haha! It would save money and also save the hassle of finding the bus, then walking around trying to find the hostel in the middle of the night, just to sleep a couple of hours to get up early in the morning to then catch a bus to Valparaiso which is where we were aiming to get to. And what's backpacking without sleeping in the airport at least once! We got a trolley to put our bags on, which was a lot easier to push than carry and walked around the airport a couple of times to try to find a good lounge. I think we were so tired and delirious it took us a while to make a decision as we were a bit like zombies. We went to the rest area where there were a few seats and a couple of people waiting around. It was a little cold in the section so we rugged up with jumpers, socks, beanies and I pulled out my large sarong I bought on Rio beach and used as my blanket. We were back to Andes cold weather which was probably about 0 degrees outside after coming from Rio which was 37 degrees as we left the airport. It wasn't the comfiest and I woke up a couple of times but at least we got a bit of sleep. We got up at about 6am and went upstairs to a breakfast buffet place and tried to use their wifi to book a hostel for tonight in Valparaiso but we couldn't log on. We then went to the info desk and asked how to catch the bus to the main bus terminal. She explained where to go and what stop to get off at but by the time we got to the bus, I couldn't remember the name of the station, so I asked the drivers assistant (who I thought was speaking English) where to get off. He said to take it all the way to Downtown which was the last stop. As we started travelling and going past bus stations, I think he may have mislead us. When we got to the last stop we asked the driver where the bus terminal was and he didn't have a clue what I was saying. It was a bit annoying as we only have a day in Valparaiso and wanted to get there as early as possible. We started walking and I went in to a hotel to ask for help with directions. He was very nice and spoke English and guided us where to go after 3 stops on the subway. We were there! Finally and booked a bus to Valparaiso leaving at 9am. It was only a 2 hour bus ride and when we got off at the station we went to the tourist desk to ask for hostel recommendations and we also booked a bus the next day to Mendoza. We jumped on the bus which was fairly simple to catch to our stop and although the street signage was a bit weird it was easy to find the street our hostel was on. As we walked up one street towards it we walked past another which had a huge mural painted on it and looked very cool. I recognised photos of it from HostelWorld called Hostel Po. We rang to door bell and they had availability for the night. We walked up the staircase and also the walls were also covered in cool paintings and artworks. Valparaiso is a very arty place and is known for all of the street art which covers the city. When the girl at reception was showing us around the hostel we bumped in to Connor and Lou again (Bridget's friends from Cusco!) who were also staying at the hostel. I'm gonna miss this traveller life where random things happen, it's easy to make friends and everyone is on these amazing adventures like us. It was now about 12pm so we only had the afternoon. We were thinking of doing the street art/graffiti tour but after speaking to Connor he recommended the walking tour as you see a lot of artwork on this anyway. We got some empanadas across the road for lunch and ate them on our hostel rooftop before going to the plaza to meet our 'Where's Wally' tour guides.

We started by walking to the port where all the boats/ships come in. Valparaiso used to be one of the major cities in Latin America before the Panama Canal was established as it was the time of the gold rush in California and people from Europe had to cross the water as a half way point before then going to USA. We then jumped on to a trolley bus (tram) and had a short ride around the block and along a street. We then stopped to look at a mural on the wall. There is amazing street art everywhere! Some graffiti but mostly fantastic painted artworks and murals covering the walls, buildings and streets of the city. Some huge covering the side of buildings and some small, just a small random artwork on a random seat or something. It's definitely a very visual city to walk through. This particular one we were looking at had three artist paint three different paintings on and were the three most famous in Valparaiso and showed off their three distinct styles so we could recognise them around the streets . One was of a hummingbird by artist Charqui Punk, the other of a portrait of a woman, with a signature pink nose by La Robot de Mabera and the other of a doll which looked very abstract and Peruvian style by an artist named Inti who is apparently Chilean's favourite artist. I really liked his style. We were now going up to the hills and caught a little carriage that took us up. From far away these buildings kind of look like the favelas in Rio as they were all colourful and scattered over the hill but walking through the streets the buildings were beautiful and it was a really lovely area. I think there are about 45 hills which are mostly residential and where the local Valparaiso people live. We were in a part just above the flat area and this area of the hills was mainly touristy with beautiful boutique hotels and restaurants etc. we got a good view looking back over the hills and all the houses and down to the ocean. There were also three churches which he explained a story about but there was a lot of info I was tuning out for a lot of it and was more captivated by the visual surrounds. I think they were the first churches built in Latin America, with and without a cross on top. The one without the cross was the very first one built but they had to hide that it was a church for some reason. We saw more street art (the streets were just filled with it! ) and were explained how it originated because of political reasons by Frida Kahlo's husband (the Mexican folk artist who's museum we saw in the very first city we stopped in on our trip, all that time ago in Mexico City!). We saw a guy play the guitar and sung a song for us and also met one of the street artists who's office is on the street where he paints and sells artwork. I really liked his style aswell, looked abstract using watercolours and black outlines. He then explained how people in the hills have a tight community and help each other out as it's far to get the flat area and a long walk back up. We were going to meet a guy who lived in the hills. We walked up some stairs through an alleyway and knocked on a door. A man came out and we had to say 'Hola (his name, which I've forgot and don't think I pronounced right when we met him anyway)' and he came out with homemade traditional biscuits for us to try that were coated in chocolate and had dulce de leche in the centre. Yum! A lot of the buildings had really beautiful, interesting architecture and the guide also explained why some of the buildings were covered in iron sheets. They collected from old ships that came in from the port which helped stabilise the house during earthquakes. Because iron rusts they then painted the iron to protect them from the weather and used paints that the ships used which were all bright colours so they could be seen at sea. Hence why a lot of the buildings are colourful and make the city look very pretty. We ended the tour in a building a famous architect designed back in the day. The interiors were grand inside but we're now looking quite old and run down. Here the guide gave us a typical drink to try called chi Cha! It was like a very sweet wine. I didn't mind it. A good tour and great way to see the city considering we only had the afternoon to see Valparaiso.

We need to get US money to hopefully exchange again on the black market when we go to Mendoza and back to Argentina. All the banks were shut by the time our tour ended and the ATMs didn't disperse US currency. We were worried (especially Matt) we wouldn't be able to get any out as the rate was so much better with this exchange. We ended up finding a money exchange place and withdrew Chilean pesos to change in to $US. It was now dinner time so asked the receptionist where a close place to eat. She said to just walk up the hill the end of our street our hostel is on and there were a few restaurants to choose from there. We went to a Chilean Restaurant which was nice and warm inside. The service and food was really good. Matt got cerviche and loved his and I had a vegetable gratin. Even though it was a nice restaurant we had to leave after a short dinner coz we still needed to book Mendoza accommodation and get some sleep for an early wake up to catch the bus there. We wanted to find some thing a bit nicer for our last destination and get a private room. A lot of the boutique vinyard accommodation was cheaper but too expensive for our traveller budget. We thought we would just book a private room in a nicer hostel, then Matt came across a cheap B&B but on the photos looked really nice. Situated a little out of the main town (but we are there for the vinyards and wine tours anyway) but I think it was on a small vinyard. Anyway we booked one night and it was getting late and just wanted to go to bed and then of we do t like it we can go somewhere else but hopefully we do because it will be nice to relax for the next 2 and 1/2 days instead of having to move around. After sleeping on airport seats last night I was excited to get some sleep in a proper bed. There was even no one else booked in to our 6 bed dorm so we had it all to ourselves, although we weren't really in there much. It would have been great to stay another day in Valparaiso instead of rushing it but lots of travellers we met talked it up (we actually didn't know about it before we left or were originally even going there ) we thought we'd better check it out for one day since it's so close to Santiago and then we can go straight to Mendoza from there afterwards. I'm glad we did, it was a very cool city and our hostel was really cool too :)

A slice of paradise on the island of Ilha Grande

sheree — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 11:35:00 GMT

We woke up early at 6:30am so we could pack our bags and get ready for our shuttle they may or may not be picking us up this morning. We'd left booking Ilha Grande a little last minute as we wanted to leave today but only emailed a company late yesterday (on a Sunday) and the nicer hostels we wanted to stay at and were emailing during the week as we were originally going to be 4 persons as Bree and Steve said they wanted to come but changed their mind, were booked out. We waited for the 8-9am pick up time but they never showed and we never received a confirmation email from the company. We really wanted to make a move so we could spend 3 days down there, plus we had been in Rio for 9 days, the longest amount of time we'd spent anywhere yet and were ready to move on. It was weird, out of our whole trip it had felt we had spent the longest time here but done the least. It was good to relax at the beach for a couple of days but I wish we had done/seen more like we usually would in each country/city. So anyway we started emailing lots of different company's who do transfers down there. No replies. We went out and got breakfast of acai bowls (Brazilian fruit) with Bree and Steve, then Matt and I went to a hostel nearby to see if they could help us out with booking a transfer to Ilha Grande for us. They were helpful but only organised day trips there and only on certain days because it's low season. We went back to the unit and a few of the companies had written back and the first company we first wrote to (which was the cheapest) had availability on their last transfer that day at the 2-3pm pick up. Sweet at least we are booked in and we know what we are doing. There were now only three hostels left to choose from so we just picked the best of the bunch and one night at the nicer one as it had availability for our last night. After righting off the morning trying to organise that we headed down the beach for one last go on Ipanema (I was actually hoping to sneak in Sugar Loaf to finally see a view but it was gonna take too long for how little time we now had left). We saw Bree and Steve there and just our luck it came over cloudy once we got down there. Oh well we'd had plenty of sunshine that week anyway. We got some takeaway sandwiches from the juice bar then waited at our apartment for pick up. We said goodbye to Bree and Steve as they went off and did all the touristy things we still hadn't done. Matt and I started to get a bit worried as it came to 3pm and our shuttle still hadn't arrived. Far out.. Imagine if this doesn't show and we still haven't got anywhere. I ran upstairs to get wifi and email the company and ask of their whereabouts. They finally arrived at 3:20 and were very blasé about their lateness and didn't speak much English... ahh back to the traveller/backpacker life! It was a nice shuttle, the driver was a maniac and flew down the streets, dodging traffic, as I think all Brazilian drivers must be. It took about 2 hours or less to arrive at the port where a boat picked us up to take us to Ilha Grande. We all boarded with music blaring and when we took off something happened with the motor and we didn't get anywhere (just our luck again!) so another boat came over and we had to all jump across to that one while in mid water! Yep we are definitely back to traveller life and only in Central/South America! We seemed to be flying on the boat too I almost thought it was going to flip!

We arrived on Ilha Grande.. Finally! It had a really relaxed, nice vibe about it as soon as we stepped off on to the pier. We walked along and to our left there were restaurants with chairs and tables on the sand and lanterns in the trees. We said to each other we'll have to come back and have drinks or eat here. We followed the directions on HostelWorld to our hostel which was apparently located 'out of the way', with not he best directions. They weren't very good directions but we managed to find our hostel along a long dark path... it was now about 7:30/8pm by the time we reached the hostel. A lovely English girl from London checked us in and then took us down to the main road and showed us a couple of cheap places to go to eat. We ate at a pizza place and had a deal for a large 45cm pizza (which was huge!) with two different toppings, a small 30cm dessert pizza (banana and cinnamon) and two drinks for 45real (less than $20). Apparently it takes about 15 minutes to walk around the whole of the main town. So it's very small. Although the island seemed a lot bigger than I was imagining, with a lot more infrastructure and things to do. There are no cars on this island and no banks or ATMs, so I assumed it would be a really quite island where you would do nothing and relax. Although it was bigger than I thought, it was still very relaxed but with plenty of things to do... I kind of wish we had more time!

We awoke the next morning at our very hippy hostel situated near the jungle and the sound of birds. It was like a sanctuary. Although I did get woken during the night by something tip toeing on my legs and when I woke suddenly I realised it was the resident cat who was asleep and curled up at my feet in the morning. The hostel prepared a huge spread of fruits, breads, spreads, tea, coffee, biscuits, cake for breakfast which all the guests sat at a communal table and shared. We decided to go to Lopez Medes beach today which was a 2.5hour walk to get to. As there are no cars, the only mode of transport is to walk or to get a boat. We met a French girl at the hostel who wanted to come with us. She was very nice. It was a really nice walk, through bush and jungle. The middle of the island is quite mountainous/hilly and all jungle with beaches and small towns dotted around the shores of the island. Because of this sometime the clouds sit very low over the mountain and is quite temperamental to cloudy/good weather. Today it was cloudy :( We saw butterflies and lots of little monkeys jumping through the trees, even one with a little baby on its back. The roar of the howler monkeys in the distance was so fierce it was almost scary. At first I thought it was a car but then realised there were no cars on the island. It sounded like a crowd people yelling at a a football match! We came across one beach along the way where Elise showed off her incredible balance skills on a slack rope. It was impressive, she could walk backwards, turn and even sit on it! Matt and I have had a go on a couple of these along our trip and only make it about three or four steps at the most before falling. It was then another hour and we came to one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen! It had a long stretch of yellow sand, barely any people on it, surrounded by lush tropical forest and gorgeous turquoise water that just gently lapped the shore. It was serene! There was a bar built on stilts out on the water too, playing Bob Marley. We continued walking along the track for 15minutes to Lopez Mendes beach. It was a long stretch of white sand which was so soft on your feet. There was a bit of a small wave probably good for body boarders. Unfortunately it was completely cloudy so couldn't really see the Aqua blue water which its known for. It was also a bit windy and surf was choppy, I kind of liked the other beach we walked past better as it was protected and very calm. We walked all this way though so found a spot to lay down and relax and swim and eat our left over pizza from last night for lunch. Matt fell asleep and we were there for about 3 hours when we thought we better walk back coz it will be late by the time we get back. It did feel like a fairly long time walking back but the sun was now out so the water on the previous two beaches and the views looking out to the ocean was gorgeous. When we got back to the main town we walked past one of the bars/restaurants on the beach so decided to get a cocktail and watch the sunset. We chatted there for a while then it started to get a bit cold so we walked back to our hostel to have a shower and Elise decided to get some food now and then she would just go back to the hostel to sleep. We walked through the town which had a very relaxed vibe and lots of people out and about going out for drinks and dinners or looking in a couple of shopes that were still open. We saw a Brazilian BBQ place that looked cool but there weren't any tables vacant so we walked around for a bit and decided we liked the place we were just in - Cafe del Mar so decided to go back there. The food was good. Matt had swordfish and I had a spinach and cheese pasta which was delish. We really liked the ambiance with cruisey beats and toes sunk in sand while eating dinner/having a cocktail by the sea under the lantern lit tree.

The next day we checked out of our hostel. We booked our last night at the original hostel we were emailing called Che Legato. It was a chain company, had good reviews and was situated right on the water! We walked with our big bags (which seemed to have gotten heavier - maybe after not carrying them around for a week and I had accumulated another bag of stuff) along the beach to check in to our new hostel. The balcony overlooking the water looked like the perfect spot! There was a hike we were recommended to do at sunrise called parrots peak which had an awesome view of the whole island. I think we were over hiking, already doing plenty this trip and just wanted to relax so gave it a miss, although I'm sure the views would have been incredible! We decided instead to book a half day speed boat ride of the island, stopping at two lagoons to go snorkelling and a couple of beaches. There were many more beaches to see on the island but we had to choose what we wanted to do. We did want to walk again since we did that yesterday so thought the boat would be a good way to see a lot of the island and suited our budget costing only $40. It was a sunny day which was great so a great day to go out on a boat and meant the water would be showing its beautiful colours. We were with a group of Spanish people, maybe coz we booked late this was the only one with spots left. It was so much fun riding fast along the water on the speed boat and seeing more of the island! Our first stop was at the blue lagoon called Lagoa Azul and the water was absolutely stunning. There were a few other boats parked here and people snorkelling. We put our snorkels on and jumped in to the water. There were so many fish!! I'd never swum so close to such a large school of fish before with their scales glistening under the water. I felt like I was a fish swimming with them too! The water was so clear, it was beautiful. We hopped back on the boat and cruised around to the next lagoon called Lagoa Verde (you guessed it! - the green lagoon). This water was gorgeous aswell, so turquoise and clear. Again we snorkelled around here and saw this cool rock fish that blended in to the rocks and had these fins that would come out to the side and scavenge the rocks. We then went to a beach which had a restaurant on it so we could have some lunch. It was a basic restaurant but was good to chill in the sunshine. After everyone ate a crowd started to form at the pier nearby. Matt and I were curious as to what everyone was looking at so we walked down. We soon realised that they were looking at turtles! There were lots of fish swimming about and I think about three large turtles swimming about. I have never seen turtles in the wild before so I was pretty stoked to see them! One of the boat drivers had some fish and was feeding them so they were swimming up to eat it. The driver was standing on a platform and was trying to bring the turtle close enough so it would sit on the platform and people could pat it. The turtles were fast at swimming and would quickly turn away when they knew they were getting too close but also wanted the food. A couple of times though they would get up on the platform and whoever was standing nearby got to pat them. They were so cute and once most of the crowd left I got down on the platform to hopefully pat one too. They kept swimming up but would turn away. He had his last bit of fish and the turtle was up on the platform for a second so I reached out and tried to pat it but he swum away too quickly. I just missed my chance on patting it but was pretty happy to see some wild turtles swimming playfully in the water. They are gorgeous mammals, especially when they would poke their little head up out of the water and look around :) as you can tell, I'm an animal lover!

We got back on the boat and cruised around on the water. We were going fast and over ripples in the water which made it bounce and was a lot of fun! We then stopped at a small beach as the afternoon sun was getting low. We laid out our towels and just relaxed on the sand. Apparently there is a small waterfall along the path to this beach from the main town. We wanted to walk it a check out the waterfall but we wouldn't have enough time. We got back on the boat and headed back to the main pier. When we got back to the hostel we had showers and got changed and headed back to Cafe del Mar for dinner! They were doing a Brazilian BBQ, which Matt was pretty happy about. It was good, he ordered his meat skewers and I ordered haloumi cheese and veggie skewers, we had a cocktail each and enjoyed a romantic dinner on our last night in paradise! We had a couple of caprinhas with a 3 for $25R ($10) back on our hostel balcony which again made me feel very drunk! I had one and Matt had to have the other two.

I woke early the next morning so went down to the balcony to sit and relax and enjoy the view on the water. No one else from the hostel was up yet and the sun was out with not a cloud in the sky! It was just me and the serenity and the sound of the water lapping at the shore and birds twittering and flittering about to the morning sun. This was seriously paradise! Unfortunately we had to leave today, I could have stayed a week to relax and explore the island! We had the free buffet breakfast of cereals, breads and spreads, fruit, cake, tea and coffee before walking back along the beach with our bags to the pier where a boat was taking us back to the main land. It was a slower boat this time and took about half hour or so and it was so beautiful to cross back over this beautiful water I felt I could reach over and gather it up in my hands like silk, it looked so inviting! The company we went through was the same on the way down (same maniac driver!) and made it very convenient to transfer to the island and it was dropping us straight to the airport so we could board our flight to Santiago. Waiting at the airport and can't believe we are on our way to the very last leg of our journey! It seems surreal and almost like a dream that what we had planned and saved for for so long is now almost complete. Looking back I can't believe all that we've done and the amazing journey we've had. We really don't want it to end, it's been incredible. We were always on the go and there was always so much to look forward to and so many more places to visit along our journey's route. Now we have visited them all... apart from one... ending in wine country Argentina at a place called Mendoza will be a great way to unwind with a wine tour to finish off our trip!

A week in Rio de Janeiro

sheree — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 11:30:00 GMT

SUNDAY

We arrived in Rio after an 18 hour bus ride from Florianopolis to rain.. have I arrived in London?We were meeting my cousin Loz and her husband Marcio, who is from Rio, at Marcio's parents place in a part of Rio called Barra. We took the bus and a taxi and the elevator up to the top floor of their gated, Sky rise apartment. Both Loz and Marcios mum, Sonia welcomed us with open arms. It was exciting to see a familiar face and Sonia gave us towels, so we could shower and even made a brekky spread for us. A very nice welcome coming off an overnight bus, it felt great. We chatted and caught up on our travels and life back home and met Loz and Marcio's new baby, Sophia, who was born the day after we left. She is so cute with the most chubby cheeks and is a very good, sweet, placid baby. Marcio came home about midday with his kids, then took us to his apartment in Leblon where they offered us to stay for the night and then we're taking us to view Marcio's friend named Ricardo, apartment the next day. He was going to give us a good rate if we liked it and wanted to stay their for our time in Rio. Marcio's apartment was nice and very spacious in a nice part of Rio. Matt and I even got to sleep in their super king bed which was huge and so comfy! We just went out and bought a bottle of wine and take away pizza, ate in and chatted all night catching up on stories.

MONDAY

The next morning Loz was awake early with Sophia and had bought us these breaded cheese balls for breakfast (I've forgotten what they're called). We then walked to Marcio's friend's apartment in Ipanema to check it out. When he opened the door we realised it was not Ricardo but my sister and her boyfriend were standing waiting inside to surprise us!! Matt was gobsmacked. I heard Bree's voice and her say 'surprise!' before I saw them so was less shocked. I also had an inclining a couple of weeks ago as Bree had messaged me a couple of times asking when we'd be in Buenos Aires and didn't really know why she cared about that and just thought it made sense with Steve as he said he wasn't going to Europe anymore and we'd mentioned to him a couple of times to come meet us over here. Also they would be easily able to organise something with Loz and Marcio being here. Anyway I still wasn't thinking they'd be in Rio and literally thought we were meeting Marcio's mate Ricardo. We gave some excited hugs then went out to get some breakfast and stopped at a pub looking place that was doing a buffet. We were used to this style of eating from all the hostels we'd been staying at and was fairly cheap and lots to choose from. We chatted and caught up on stories from home and our trip. It was good to be with everyone. We must have gone back to our apartment and Marcio soon met us there. He then took us to a bar nearby and everyone tried Chopp - a Brazilian beer (I had a caprinha with cassacha.. Not sure how to spell?? A Brazilian alcohol they put in the Brazilian cocktail instead of the typical vodka one they serve in Australia.. It was very strong and had a more smokey flavour - like the Mezcal in Mexico). He also ordered a few sharing Brazilian dishes for us to try. It was great we also had someone with us that could speak Portugese! Finally getting by with our Spanish, it was like we had to start all over agin with Portugese. We thought it would be similar and although there are similar words it's completely different and the pronunciation is different again. Although we can't string a sentence together to have a conversation, we realised how many Spanish words we'd picked up to get by.

Loz and Marcio went back to Marcio's parents apartment where they are staying and Bree, Steve, Matt and I went to the grocery store to buy breakfast foods for the week and some nibblies and wine to have at home and just stay in for the night. It was good catching up with them.

TUESDAY

Today we had a bit of a sleep in and ate our yoghurt and granola for breakfast. We hadn't really checked out our surroundings yet or even seen the beach! Today's weather was clearing, maybe still a little cloudy but definitely better than the last two days of rain. So we walked along the promenade of Ipanema Beach, a one minute walk from the apartment Bree and Steve rented, it was in a really good spot! And then along to the headland and around to Copacabana beach. Rio has some very lively beaches! Skyrise apartments and hotels line the beachfront. and look like Australian beaches with long stretches of yellow sand and there was even a bit of surf. But the people are a lot more eccentric! There is a bike lane next to the promenade for bike riders, skateboarders and rollerbladers. Women are in bikinis and joggers walking along the promenade or wearing weird and colourful clothes, tight and skimpy and a full face of makeup while exercising. Guys are playing volleyball and soccer on the nets permanently set up and people are selling sarongs, jewellery and handicrafts. We had lunch at a shitty Italian place. There wasn't much vego options so I got a bowl of fried cheese balls and a side of veggies and matts tuna was just tinned tuna (not even drained) on a plate with potato salad.

At 2pm we booked a tour of the favelas. A mini van came and picked us up with 5 other people on our tour and a very informative, knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide. In the van on the way to the favelas he spoke about Rio's history and how the Portugese invaded, how they brought over 2.2 million slaves in a certain amount of years, the division between working class and the rich and the crime and fighting between the police and the gangsters who used to rule the favelas. Apparently the area has been cleaned up a lot, things are better and the favelas have come along in the past 10 years and is now safe to go through them. Well these ones anyway, apparently there are still some around where there is still violence happening and it's dangerous to go there. It's amazing how one side of the road there are rich hotels and apartments and then right on the other side there are the slums and poor people living in favelas. First we stopped at a place were we could buy artwork or handicrafts off some of the people who live in the favelas. Then we continued up the hill to get a great view looking back over at all the favelas. This one we were at was the biggest favelas and all the houses were built one on top of the other and as many squeezed in beside the mountain. The guide was saying that a lot of the favela houses are illegal as they have just been built on top of another and they don't have a legal address. There are other methods they use to distribute the mail. Also that the majority of the working class now live in these favelas and they are usually labour workers so their houses are pretty good and mended and fixed by themselves as they are handy men. They used to all be brown houses but some are now being painted and the favelas look quite colourful. There are schools, hospitals etc all now being places inside the favelas. Proof how much development and change has been going on in the last 10 years. We then went further down and could have a walk around. We could see the power lines were all tangled and most of the electricity here was being stolen. The area wasn't actually as dangerous or scary as I thought it would be. It also didn't seem 'that' poor. It actually looked more 'rich' than some of the places in Central America we had been. Although as our guide said it has developed a lot in the last 10 years so I'm sure it used to be much more dangerous. It was definitely a developing area which is fascinating considering just the road are rich people's houses! That contrast was surreal. Our guide then took us to a school which was actually funded by this tour company so it was good to know that our money was going back in to the community. We went in to one of the classrooms, which had colourful paintings/artworks all over the walls and there were a couple of kids playing outside. We all bought some traditional homemade chocolate balls (can't remember the name of them) which were yum! We then walked through some of the houses and you could really see how on top of each other they were all built. As you kept walking through it was so built up a lot of the favelas would see no sunlight and it seems very damp. The walkways were very narrow and the houses very small. We then ordered some caprinhas a apparently 'the best' in Rio! ... they were actually pretty good and then the shuttle took us back to our hostel. It was a very interesting tour! We walked along the promenade as the sun was setting and there were lots of people still about and on the beach so we sat and had some more caprinhas at a bar right in the beach. It was a beautiful rich sunset behind the mountains. A good day, seeing a bit more of what Rio is about and catching up with Bree and Steve over drinks. That night we had a nice dinner and all you can eat sushi at a Japanese restaurant. We got to try lots of different dishes and also ordered a bottle of sake and drank it out of square cups which was pretty funny sipping it up.

WEDNESDAY

Today the sun was shining, it was in its 30 degrees and we finally got some amazing Rio weather! Perfect for a beach day! We had breakfast at a nice cafe called Cafeina, rated highly on TripAdvisor then met Loz, Marcio and baby Sophia out the front at Ipanema beach, which is a bit nicer than Copacabana. Walking down the beach people come at you from all directions selling you an umbrella and beach chair to pay to sit on. When you do though they service you while you're sitting on the beach. They'll bring you drinks, beers or coconuts and you don't have to move a muscle! Mind you there a so many guys walking around selling things like drinks, globos (a weird chip thing that Loz and Brazilians live and got us to try but they are grose haha), ice creams, queijo on a stick and they fry it in a little pan thing, sarongs! Sunnies etc. they walk up and down the beach all day yelling out what they are selling... I don't know how they do it everyday in that heat and sun. It was so nice to have a beach day and be out in the sun again! The water was a little cool but refreshing and nice to go swimming again too! It's also a whole lot of fun just watching the people go past - 90% of males wearing the euro trunks (which is usually 10% in Oz) and 90% of females wearing g string, Brazilian cut skimpy bikinis (again in Oz the other way around). They have no shame and the body types come in all different sizes and ages, if they look good in a bikini/trunks or not. Majority of women wear makeup everywhere, including the beach. The rich wives are laying on their Louis Vuitton towels while their maids carry down their bags and look after their kids. It's crazy but so much fun!

We then went to a place for lunch called Tropicana which Loz and Marcio recommended. Cheap and you choose what different salads etc you want and they dish it up for you. It was really good food! We then went back to our apartments, had a rest and then showered and got ready to go out for drinks. Another lovely sunset as we walked along the promenade to the bar. It was a really nice bar right on the beach front. The lay out actually reminded me of Northies but a lot nicer and it was table service with really good waiters! We sat at the front bit outside under cover. We all got cocktails to start with. I started with a caprinhas but it was so potent I had to get something else, lychee, ginger and mint I think it was. As we had a late lunch we just ordered small appetisers and nibbles to share and we're all delicious. We ordered bottles of wine and beers and had a great time catching up. Even baby Sophia joined us at the table and slept through the whole thing, she's a very good baby! I hope my baby is like that! :) I ordered a bottle of white as everyone else was drinking red and thought I'd just take home what I didn't finish... I finished the whole thing! It was a great night and Loz, Bree and I, especially were very drunk by the end of it.

THURSDAY

Well as you can imagine we woke up with very sore heads this morning. Loz came to the door and was feeling exactly the same. We decided to head back to Cafeina for breakfast. I just had a juice and at the end decided to try one of the Nutella cakes that were sitting in the display. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as it looked. We then went back to the beach, the swim was good to get rid of the hangover. We also went back to Tropicana for lunch coz it was so good yesterday and knew now how the ordering system worked. Loz and Marcio went back to the parents apartment and we just chilled back at our apartment for a bit. I was hoping to do something touristy like see Christ the Redeemer this afternoon coz felt like we hadn't done/seen much of Rio yet since we'd been here and usually Matt and I are on the go at seeing all we can but I don't think everyone was feeling up to it. We were up for just a casual dinner tonight since we weren't feeling the best. Steve's friend recommended a place called Peace & Love. We walked through a really lively street with nice restaurants and bars on it to get there but this restaurant we went to was pretty basic and the food was too. I think it was fairly cheap though.

FRIDAY

This morning Bree and Steve went hang gliding. Matt and I chilled for the morning then went back down the beach - the weather was being very good to us and it was super hot today. We were meeting Aly and Riley who we met white water rafting in Costa Rica messaged us to let us know that they were arriving in Rio and to meet up. They asked where we recommended to eat (we realised we actually hadn't been many places) so went back to Tropicana to meet them. It was good to catch up and hear their travel stories, especially of Venezuela and the Galapagos which looked incredible in their photos. We then went down and sat on the beach for a bit and Aly and Riley experienced Rio beach for the first time! I felt like I was charred from this morning so hired an umbrella to sit under the shade and the boys had beers. Their friend they were meeting in Rio made a spreadsheet itinery for them to follow and we both realised that a night out in Lapa was on the cards for both of us so we decided to meet up with them later on. We saw Bree and Steve back at the apartment after their hang gliding, they had a good time and their photos looked pretty cool. We decided to get cheese and crackers and nibblies again and make homemade caprinhas at the apartment before heading to Lapa. I was already feeling tipsy before we left. I realised that caprinhas are made from muddled limes with sugar, ice and casasha only! We took a cab to Lapa. On our way we saw Christ the Redeemer illuminated with a blue light. Coz its on top of a mountain and it was night time, it looked like it was just floating in mid air, pretty cool! We arrived in Lapa and the streets were packed!! I had never seen that many people poured out on to the streets, heading out on the town. I think people didn't necessarily go in the clubs and bars but just hung out on the street. It made for a really good vibe. We were meeting Aly and Riley at a bar but when we got in there we couldn't find them. We were a bit late from our loose meeting time. We sat and had a drunk and waited for them and got on to wifi to message them (the joys of being overseas and having no phone makes meeting people a bit harder!) they eventually came over, they had gone over the road to get some food. We then continued on to a popular bar where they have a live jazz type band playing. Everyone was dancing. We sat and had a few drinks and chatted before getting up and dancing ourselves. After many drinks later, our dance moves seemed to have improved! Again we were very drunk on our cab ride home but another fun night.

SATURDAY

Oh my god! My hangover today was worse than the other day... I didn't get up till about 12pm and Bree and Steve had already gone out and got breakfast and come back. Matt and I just had our yoghurt and granola then we dragged ourselves to yep you guessed it the beach again haha. I actually felt like sitting in the apartment all day today in the aircon. It was a Saturday, another nice day and the beach was absolutely packed! I'd never seen anything like it and it wasn't even Summer yet! It was hard to find a spare spot on the sand and you could barely make your way past all the Brazilian bums! We found a spot closer to the water and I got an umbrella coz I didn't feel like being out in the hot sun. I laid there uncomfortable for about an hour before I had to go back to the apartment and lay in the aircon. It was hot, noisy, crowded and people kept on treading on me as they walked past. The hangover didn't make it any better! We did see someone almost get punched by another guy right in front of us as one of the guys selling stuff tried to pick pocket his phone. Steve and Matt saw the whole scenario unfold and apparently there was another fight/pick pocket as they were walking back to the apartment. They bought roast pork buns from a little bar/shop for lunch on their way home. I was starving so Matt came with me to get Burger King coz it was the easiest option and I wanted something greasy. The service was soo slow and I couldn't speak Portugese so didn't realise I had to tell them I wanted my dulce de leche sundae now as most people eat and then order their dessert, even though I ordered take away? A girl beside me thankfully helped me out with the language barrier. I really wasn't in the mood for the slow service though. Being a waitress, it bugs me when they stand around doing nothing :-/

We were getting picked up by Marcio at 4pm at his parents had invited us to a party they were having at their apartment for the kids birthdays when their dad goes back home. We witnessed Rio's crazy congested traffic as it took over an hour to get to say from Cronulla to Sutho and only half an hour on the way back. We went upstairs to where they have a pool on the rooftop so we could have a swim. It was fairly late now so I didn't go in but the boys did. We just chatted and looked over the amazing view you could see of Rio up here. A festival called Rock in Rio was on with an amazing line up of Rod Stewart, Elton John, Queen, Rhianna and loads more were playing at. Loz mentioned it to us ages ago before we had even bought our plane tickets about going to it if we were in Rio at the same. We didn't really think twice about it coz we just didn't think we'd be there at the same time. Just so happens we were! And you could hear the music playing and see the lights from the stadium it was playing at from the rooftop of their apartment! That was pretty cool. We also witnessed a glowing sunset over the mountains. What a way to spend the afternoon. We then went downstairs to the courtyard where they were throwing the 'crap' party. We joked about it coz the way they say crepe in the Portugese accent sounds like crap to us. Marcio's family were there and they had waiters serving alcohol and drinks and a cook making the crepes and we could select whatever toppings we liked. It was a great idea and the crepes were really good. They were small so you could try a selection. And they even had some sweet crepes of dulce de leche and we tried a traditional one with a tart guava type fruit which was like a jam with cream cheese. It was delicious! I felt a bit rude as it was a party for his kids but Marcio left to drop us back to our apartment when we were ready. I was ready for bed as soon as we got home coz I knew in the morning I wouldn't have this hangover anymore. No more excessive alcohol for the rest of the trip!

SUNDAY

It was our last day in Rio and we hadn't really done anything touristy. I felt like we hadn't seen Rio at all. I don't know what we did all week.. Went to the beach! Haha so we got up early to catch the first train up to Christ the Redeemer. Steve woke up and said Bree wasn't feeling well so they weren't going to come. Matt and I caught a cab to the bottom of the mountain where the train station was. As we were driving there was cloud covering the mountain where Christ is on top of and you couldn't see him... Uh oh! Just our luck we were buying tickets and the lady informed us that there was zero visibility... what were we to do? It was our last day. We could wait till later but it still might not clear. Was it worth going up now? We could try Sugar Loaf mountain instead but it was early morning when clouds are usually hanging about so would there be visibility there anyway? Maybe the early morning idea wasn't so good. Matt and I had a tense talk about what to do and decided we were here so let's just go up and we were early so there wouldn't be much of a crowd. We would at least see Christ right, just not the view? Anyway we had bought tickets so jumped on the train. It took us right up the mountain, which was a treat instead of having to hike up it like we usually do with most sins these days! The train actually reminded me of the one you catch in the Blue Mountains, although I haven't been on that one since I was a kid. It was cloudy but you could see a glimpse of a view as we ascended.. Maybe we'll see a bit of a view at the top!? We kept ascending and past through thick cloud, it was a complete white out.. We won't be seeing any view :( when we got to the top we walked up the stairs and we saw the back of Christ with his arms wide open amongst the white mist of the clouds. It was a little creepy but quite a sight, he was massive! We kept walking up and saw him front on. I was quite impressed by his sheer size and up close you can see the tiny Mosaic tiles he's made from. We took the classic Christ the Redeemer photos and then read some facts about the construction etc. on a screen which was interesting but jammed so couldn't read any more. Apparently there are things inside the statue like a heart which has the names of all the people who helped construct him! As there wasn't any view to look at, which I was a little disappointed about we caught the train back down.

We then caught a cab to the Selaron Steps. This was really cool. A large outdoor staircase which was covered in coloured tiles designed by an artist. There was a tile for each country and it was fun to walk up and check out each tile and spot Australia! We took some cool photos here, much to Matt's delight. Maybe it a boy thing but he hates photos, taking them and being in them, where as I have to capture everything and I like a bit of amateur photography. We decided to walk back to Ipanema. Not sure if this was a good idea or not. It was a nice walk once we got off the road and along the beach but ended up taking over 2 hours! Along the way we saw a guy yelling at a tranny (a typical sight I think in Rio!), a cyclists at the start of a race and the road was blocked off so not sure if it was due to this? A rollerblading group. We walked along another beach and had a good view looking front on of Sugar Loaf. I really wanted to climb Sugar Loaf this afternoon to see a view since we didn't see one at Christ and Marcio's sister recommended a nice place below it on the hill to have sunset drinks. We rounded on to a bay and saw a good view of Christ who was now perfectly clear with no clouds surrounding it at all. We should have waited and gone to see him later. Oh well, everything is good in hindsight! We were getting pretty buggered now from all the walking and hungry aswell. We felt like a juice so we're looking at places to have one on the beach at Copacabana. Again it was a Sunday so there were loads of people about, a religious parade going down the street, cool sandcastles and street artists drawing pictures in chalk on the road. We bumped in to Bree and Steve who were going for a walk and they said the juice bar near us was good so we decided to keep walking till there. They were right. We got sandwiches and juices and they were really fresh. We met Bree and Steve back at the apartment and Bree was feeling better which was good as we booked a nice dinner for tonight at a place called ZaZa for our last night and to say thanks to Bree and Steve for letting us stay in their apartment for free. They let us know that they didn't want to come to Ilha Grande anymore which we were going to tomorrow and made sense they didn't want to for one night coz they would be too rushed before their flight home the next day. So Matt and I started to email companies on how we could get down there, leaving that a little late. I wanted to do Sugar Loaf this afternoon but everyone ended up falling asleep and when they woke up and we all got ready it would have been too late. We walked down the beach and caught the last of the sunset. A guy was playing guitar, a bit of Pink Floyd while we had some caprinhas at the bar on the beach. We then walked to the restaurant and had a nice last dinner in Rio together. Everyone's food was delicious. I ordered a beetroot tortellini with baked watercress, cream cheese and almonds. We also shared 3 desserts at the end which wasn't as good as the mains. It was a nice dinner to end our stay in Rio. So surreal Bree and Steve were there and joined us on part of our journey! It was awesome to catch up with family, especially holidaying overseas together but it kind of brought reality even closer and seemed to hit home that we are not far off from finishing our trip and we will be home so soon!

Photos: Brazil

sheree — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 05:38:00 GMT

Days of rain in the surf/beach town of Florianopolis

sheree — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 05:18:00 GMT

I don't think it's matters how long the bus ride is for if its a good ride or not, I think it matters if its comfy or not. It was a shorter ride from Iguazu to Florianopolis than BA to Iguazu but so much worse because our seats didn't recline all the way to get a good sleep etc. We did pay for a cheaper bus though (as semi cama was all that was available) so I guess you get what you pay for too. As we arrived near Floripa (the locals call it for short as the word is just so long) we saw the beautiful, blue ocean, we hadn't seen it in so long! The cities we were stopping at to drop people off before Floripa had huge skyrisers and hotels on the beach and reminded me of the Gold Coast. When we arrived in Floripa it was cloudy and not the nicest weather. Unfortunate, because it is a beach, surfy town and the first time we have had bad weather all trip! We got to our hostel, finally, after the directions completely didn't match up to what was written in HostelWorld. We somehow got there through a guy speaking Portugese and helping us on the bus and pure fluke. The hostel was called The View and it definitely suited its name because it was situated on top of a hill and had a really good view of the ocean on our right and the lagoon on our left which the window of our room opened out to. Not only did we have a private room to ourselves, we had the whole hostel to ourselves! No one else was booked in! Not sure if it was the shitty weather and maybe it was low season or that it was just a fluke. It was cool, it kind of felt like we were away for the weekend in a holiday house/shack down the coast and it was nice and quiet, which we needed to relax but it was also a bit weird being the only ones in the hostel, kind of eerie at night and the guy at reception, who seemed like he had smoked too much weed slept in the dorm room adjoining ours and we had a shared bathroom with him.

Anyway, it wasn't beach weather, instead cold, grey and windy and all we had had was Oreos for breakfast on the bus so we were after some food. The guy at reception said to just walk down the hill and there are plenty of places on the Main Street of the lagoon. There were lots of restaurants but they kind of looked a bit dodgy and there was no one about. The place was deserted, which was weird coz we'd heard so many good things about Florianopolis. I guess everyone was hibernating because of the weather. We came across a restaurant that had a few people in there and was nice and warm inside. Even though we were just after a cheap kind of lunch, it had a TripAdvisor recommendation sign and looked like it would be a nice restaurant. The waiter spoke Portugese but was really nice. It's funny how much we didn't know what was being said, now knowing some Spanish words which we usually could get by on. We shared bruschetta with some delicious dips and also a shrimp, mushroom pasta with a cream sauce (they sold lots of seafood here so I just picked it out) which was also really tasty. Half way through our meal Matt realised there were these tiny bug/worm things in the pasta. He picked out about 4 so I started looking through my bowl and realised I had them too. They must have been weevils or something that were in the pasta or dried mushrooms and cooked up in our dish. It didn't matter too much as we were almost finished (we must have already eaten about 10 little weevils each already) but it was a shame coz it was really delicious and didn't really want to eat any more after spotting them. We let our waiter know. Which was a bit hard and awkward not speaking Portugese but he said we didn't have to pay for our whole meal. We definitely didn't expect that, nor was it what we were intending but he insisted and we couldn't really communicate with him every well so when we left we just put some money on the table to at least pay for half of what we ate.

There wasn't a lot for us to do this afternoon as it was raining so we kind of just relaxed in our room, checked the Internet etc tried to buy bus tickets to Rio which was t accepting our card online and just chilled out. First time the weather was stopping us from doing things but as mentioned before it was good just to have our own space and do absolutely nothing for the first time in ages. By the time it was dark and we went outside to get dinner it had started storming. There was another hostel on the hill we had seen on trip advisor which had a restaurant in it, it was close to get to in the rain and they would speak English we would assume so went there. We got a drink each. Matt didn't like his Brazilian beer and I felt like something sweet and sugary so got a strawberry daiquiri which I ought would be frozen but it wasn't and had fresh muddled strawberries, it was really yum! The drinks took a little while to be served then there was a loud bang and flash of light and all the power went off as everyone screamed. The hostel had been struck by lightning. It was pretty crazy. They took a little bit to get the power back up and running and it was ages by the time we got our hamburgers! We walked home in the rain and got some sleep. Coz we hadn't shared a bed in so long, it actually felt weird to sleep together in the same bed but it was nice to cuddle again and fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next day the weather hadn't cleared up for us. It wasn't raining but it was still really cloudy, cold and windy. I found out the news that my cousin Rachel and Rhys had a baby boy named Marley. The photo of him is so cute. Although he does have two pretty good looking parents so I'm sure he'll be a heartbreaker when he's older. So many baby's in my life now and 3 now I am still yet to meet, although I get to meet Sophia in a couple of days now :) We got breakfast from a bakery house down the bottom of the hill. I don't even know how to say cheese/queso in Portugese so the stuffed buns we ordered were good but had meat in them, so Matt had lots for breakfast coz he was getting what I thought was cheese but couldn't end up eating and I pretty much had two profiteroles for breakfast which were pretty good! We then went on a small hike/bush walk over the hill. The track was a bit muddy from the rain and I was wearing thongs but it was a really nice walk with some good views looking back over Praia Mole beach. It reminded me of walking through the National Park to Era beach or down the coast through the bush back home. The beaches in Brazil are very similar to the ones we have in Australia. Beautiful, blue ocean with surf and yellow sand and rocks. Maybe Brazil is a bit more mountainous than Oz. It was about an hour walk and we got to a small secluded beach around the headland with only one little house on the hill and a boat shed. It was awesome to come across a gorgeous little haven but it was so windy and it looked like the clouds were rolling over we quickly walked back. Otherwise if was sunny the water in this little cove would have had the bluest water and we would have had this little beach all to ourselves to relax on and go swimming. So happy it's going to be coming in to Summer and beach days when we get back to Cronulla.We then went for a walk along Praia Mole beach and we could definitely see the potential of this place in the Summer. It would be an ideal spot. A surfboard rental place, maybe a club house with like a takeaway shop. There were even about 5 bars/restaurants along the dunes with outdoor lounges which would have people sipping on cocktails and drinking beers and relaxing in the sun. I so wished it was summer time coz it would have been amazing to have lunch on this beach and have a couple of afternoon cocktails. Instead we were the only ones on the beach, we were cold and there was sand whip lashing on to the backs of our ankles as we walked. On our way back we did spot two small owls on the dunes which was pretty cute. I took a few snaps. Not really sure what they were doing up since they are nocturnal... we decided since it wasn't really a day for the beach we would catch the bus past the lagoon over the bridge to town. There were some cool surf shops and cafes etc. over here and a bit more people about and again could really see how cool this place would be in Summer. We had lunch in a nice cafe and warmed up with some good coffee and hot chocolates. We connected on to wifi coz we now had none in our hostel because of the storm. We are meeting Loz and Marcio in Rio which I can't wait to catch up with them and meet their new baby Sophia. Loz also Facebooked messaged to let us know that Marcios apartment in Rio is vacant for the next couple of days and we can stay with them! That's exciting and will be so good to stay with them. It will also help a lot they can speak Portugese and know all the local hotspots! We walked back along the lagoon to our hostel and had a lazy afternoon in our room relaxing, chatting and listening to Pearl Jam. Again it was so good to have our own room and have nothing to do. For dinner we walked to a Japanese sushi restaurant on the hill. The waiters are great around here and we ordered missou soup and sushi which were also really nice and felt fresh and light to eat. A shame the weather wasn't better for us in Florianopolis but we ended up making the most of our stay and enjoyed what felt like a relaxing weekend away from our big adventure.

The sun was shining as we woke up this morning. Trust it to be a nice day as today we had to leave. We checked out and caught the bus back to Centro. The water looked so blue and it was a Saturday so people were today out and about and riding canoes in the lagoon etc. there were three Argentinian street performers catching the same bus who helped me with my bag and struck up a conversation with Matt and I. Well as much as we could converse with none of us knowing much of each other's languages. They seemed pretty cool, nomad, gypsy kind of guys and were carrying juggling sticks and a drum in a bag. They were really trying to chat to us and I guess practise English and asking lots of questions etc. it probably made the scenario even better that somehow we all communicated with each other and had a crazy bus ride with three Argentinian street performers in broken English/Spanish. We arrived at the bus terminal and luckily there were spots left to book on the overnight bus to Rio! We thought there would be wifi as some bus terminals have free wifi to message Loz and also get her address. Oh well it was time to get on the bus so hopefully the bus terminal in Rio has wifi or we will figure out how to get it somewhere and get the address. Can't wait to see them and so excited we'll be catching up in Rio!

Photos: Iguazu Falls

sheree — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 05:42:00 GMT

Photos: Buenos Aires, Argentina

sheree — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 05:42:00 GMT

Amazing wine and cheese/meat bar in Salta.. Oh and a rainbow rock

sheree — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 01:03:00 GMT

We caught a 10 hour day bus from San Pedro, Chile to Salta in Argentina. Border crossings are just a bit of a hassle more than anything these days but with the Argentinian visa we had to purchase online it actually made the border crossing fairly smooth, only having to get out once to stamp passports etc. We lacked Chilean pesos (and didn't need to withdraw any more and be charged an ATM fee) so couldn't buy breakfast before we left but we were getting fed two snacks on the bus. By the time they served it, it was after the border crossing and around 1pm so I was starving! I was excited for the packet of chips, poppa, muesli bar and chocolate they gave to us in a little lunch pack. We didn't know much about Salta but was a main destination in Argentina and easy for us to check out coming from San Pedro and break up the journey to Buenos Aires. We realised when we got there there was a lot to do around the outside of Salta such as ruins, mountains, a rainbow rock, white water rafting, horse riding and wine tours. When we entered Argentina and neared Salta, it became quite mountainous winding down the road (as you can tell by all my journal entries, there are lots of mountains in South America!) There is apparently a well known rock formation you can visit called Rainbow Rock or Rainbow Mountain or something but apparently you past it on the bus. We drove through some beautifully coloured mountainsides. The rocks were like looking at an opal and had colours of pink, blues, purples, yellows, greens etc running through it. It was quite pretty! I'm not sure what caused it.

We arrived in the late afternoon to Salta. It was also a larger city than I expected (I thought it would be a small town), although not as big as La Paz. The streets seemed more European and the people more western here. The streets seemed a bit dull and bit shitty here, not sure if that was the fact that there were lots of trees in the park with no leaves on them considering it was Winter, maybe it would look more pretty in the Summer. There were a couple of purple jacaranda trees around which was nice. We had to walk 9 blocks to our hostel, which was quite basic. We asked the hostel worker where a place to eat was. What kind of food? Something cheap and easy. Which shouldn't be a surprising answer, coming from a backpacker. He kind of looked at me funny and said Cheap? In Argentina? He proceeded to circle a BBQ place, a vegan and empanada place on the map.

We had been told about exchanging money on the black market. Apparently at one stage Argentina tried to increase their currency or something so they printed off a heap or their money but it didn't really work so now there is too much of their money which isn't really worth much. We withdrew $600US in La Paz and Matt exchanged it with one of they guys standing on the street on the black market. I didn't really understand how it worked but when we paid for dinner, because we had exchanged our currency on the black market with US instead of just withdrawing Argentinian pesos from the ATM, we got a way better exchange rate and dinner, instead of costing us equivalent to $60AUS it only cost about $30AUS! I don't know how it all works but we were saving about half our money! Dinner was really good too! We tried to find the vegan place for something a bit more relaxed but it was closed so went round the corner to the recommended BBQ place. It looked a bit fancy with wine glasses (hadn't seen them waiting on the dining table for a while!) and professional waiters, white table cloths etc. but the menu wasn't too expensive (and after working out at the end how much we paid it was really cheap!) We ordered some wine. We both tried Malbec which is apparently Argentina's best wine from the wine region of Mendoza. I had white and Matt had red. I didn't love mine, it tasted a bit Chardonnay tasting, which I don't really like. Matt ordered his first steak p, which he was waiting until Argentina to try so he hadn't had any steak for the last three months. It was quite thick but it didn't have any sauce (I think that's how they eat it, with nothing on it) and Matt just ordered a side of mash potatoes with it. He said it was good but I think I would have preferred a sauce or it marinated in something. I just had a creme pasta, which was cooked well and nice but all it was was pasta and sauce so it got a bit boring and full after a while I couldn't finish it. It began to get pretty busy as we were towards the end of our meal. I think they eat quite late here. A good first dinner in Argentina though.

I was looking forward to a good nights sleep and finally a sleep in. We weren't really planning on doing much here and we're gonna book a bus the day after next to Buenos Aires. We were in a 6 bed dorm and half way through the night someone came in to our room loudly moving about, slamming the door behind them. They got in to bed, the one below my bunk and were mumbling and fidgeting around. The bunks weren't very good so the whole frame was shaking with this person fidgeting or scratching or something in their bed and moving my bed on top. I thought there might of been two people in the bed having sex or something there was so much notice and movement. But then I instantly heard loud snoring and talking in their sleep. They got up again went out the door came back in mumbling, fidgeting in their best and snoring so loudly. It was soooo annoying and frustrating to get to sleep. Eventually I did but woke again in the morning to the same person moving loudly about the room and slamming the door behind them. What the fuck was he doing? Matt and the other guy in our room both heard it too. Let's hope he was gone the next night. I was annoyed I didn't get my good night sleep I was hoping for. We had the free breakfast at the hostel which was pretty basic - bread with jam or dulce de leche (which I'm now obsessed with, I'm gonna buy a jar to bring home with me!) and tea or coffee. We then walked to the bus terminal to book our overnight bus which left tomorrow at 4:30pm so we had two days to kill. We had a quick walk through some pretty crappy markets then went to get some empanadas for lunch at a local place. They were actually really good and the cheese one had potato, seasoning and onion in it. I had another thing which was like mashed up corn in a corn leaf. Matt were good too, he tried a few different ones. We had about 10 empanadas, plus my corn thing and a drink each and it all cost about $10AUS! And who said Argentina was expensive!? It probably would be if we didn't change our money on the black market...

Afterwards we went to a museum which was recommended in TripAdvisor. It was actually quite interesting. I learnt that the Incan empire actually originated in Salta. There were facts about the mountains surrounding Salta, the Incan's, how they used to live and their beliefs, spiritual offerings and ceremonies etc. The museum showcases artefacts found in these mountains from the Incan's. There were things like pots, combs, sandals, clothing etc. they even had images of three children mummies that were found in the mountains and blurbs about how they were adorned and offered to the PachaMama in ceremonies. There was even a really well preserved mummy of one of the children. It was a little bit creepy/sad and a little weird but this mummy was so well preserved it looked like there was a young 6 year old Incan boy sitting in front of us, frozen in time and still dressed in all the clothes he was dressed in for the offering. We walked around for a little bit and saw a really cool looking antique bottle shop which looked like an old school bar down the back and you could buy wines and cheeses and condiments etc. we had to come back here later on for pre dinner! We walked back to the hostel and just chilled out on our beds and relaxed for the rest of the arvo, Matt fell asleep for a bit.

We then showered and got ready for dinner. We got a little lost trying to relocate the place we saw today but soon found it. It was called Moderna Casa. We weren't sure what the deal was as there was no one sitting at the bar now. The guy behind the register spoke English and said to sit down and they offered tapas style cheese plates with wine or beer. It was so cool! It was a massive warehouse looking place with a huge collection of beer, wine and spirits on the walls. There was a ladder you had to climb to reach the antique ones! There were cabinets at the front selling deli style meats and cheeses and condiments. We got the one person tasting plate with two cheeses and 3 meats with breads. I wouldn't eat the meats so just had the cheese which were so tasty. One kind of like a Swiss cheese and the other like a Gouda. Matt had a Salta beer and I had a white wine. This one was a lot fruitier than the one I had last night and I liked it a lot more. Wine and cheese is my vice back home and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting there indulging in this fabulous wine and cheese! We got up to pay and the guy asked if we liked Salta, I said this has been our highlight. Matt asked how long this place has been here? The guy was actually the son of the owners and it had been around for over 100 years! It began in 1904 and was originally in the corner of the main square and a few years ago it moved along this street. It must have been a family run business and this family was now pretty well off! He asked us where we were from and when we said Australia he said he loved Australia and used to live in Melbourne for 3 years. He loved Sydney but said it was a pretty busy place and Melbourne is a lot easier to live, especially when moving from an overseas country. He also asked where we were heading next and wrote down all these recommendations of places to eat and things to do in Buenos Aires. His sister lives there so visits quite regularly. Wow! He was so nice and it was such a cool place, it definitely heightened my experience of Salta! We then went to the vegan place we were going to go to last night. We were now not feeling that hungry so just shared a lasagne which was more like a veggie stack and absolutely delicious! Unfortunately I didn't get a good nights sleep again as the guy (who was actually a girl) did the exact same thing as last night, I don't know what her deal was. Her alarm just kept ringing in the morning aswell and she didn't turn it off or get up. Just kept putting it on snooze. Whenever we saw her around the hostel she was on the computer playing games or on Facebook, singing loudly and just being weird in general. I don't k ow what she would do with her day.

Anyway, the next day our bus left at 4:30 so we kind of had the day to kill. We had our free breakfast, then about 10:30 we just went for a walk around the streets for an hour, we played in the park equipment, we got a McClurry which had dulce de leche sauce and chopped up chokis! A bit of window shopping. We went back to the empanada place and had lunch and then on our way back to the hostel we saw an arcade which has racing cars, air hockey, shooting games, shooting the basketball in the hoop games, hit the crocodile on the head game.. All like tilt! So we played a few games there and then chatted to the French guy who was in our room and heading to Iguazu next and also ran in the the English guy in our hostel who we bike rides with to Devils Throat. So that took up our day before we went to the bus terminal to get on our overnight bus. This bus was even better than our last one from La Paz! It was a double decker and full cama which meant the seats reclined all the way back so you could lay down with this little foot thing that came out. The seats were quite spacious and only three in each row. There was a waiter guy who gave us a blanket and pillow and lollies on arrival. We were served snacks and even a hot meal and wine for dinner! It was like being in what I can only imagine first class would be like on a plane! It was pretty good and meant for a pretty good nights sleep considering we were on a bus travelling all night. I actually think I got a better nights sleep being on a bus than being in that hostel room with that girl!

Tango in the colourful streets of Buenos Aires

sheree — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 01:03:00 GMT

The worst part about arriving in a new city or place is figuring out where the hell you are and how to get to your hostel. It always calls for a little tension between Matt and I, trying to figure out directions and maps, trying to speak Spanish to locals and carrying around massive bags of all our possessions on our backs! Until we get to our hostel, then we can drop our bags and be happy and excited for being in a new place again! Buenos Aires is a very large city and after our longest bus ride yet - 20hours, we had to catch the subway to our hostel. We booked through Milhouse hostel (the same one we stayed at in Cusco) as they organise soccer tickets to some of the games and we thought it might be fun to go. When we checked it the girl at reception was really chatty and friendly (it gave a good first impression of Argentinian people and we soon came to find out that all of them seemed really nice and helpful), she chatted to us for about half an hour until our check in time at 2pm about Argentina, the hostel, what's good to do, what tours they run and asking questions about us, our trip and Australia (everyone thinks all Aussies are laid back tanned surfers with kangaroos in our back yard and the weather is eternally sunny!) we found out then how much tickets were to the game which was on Sunday - approx $170 each on our good exchange and over $300 each on the normal exchange. We only exchange $600US so we didn't really that much money on the good rate and if we were to buy with cash that would be all it spent. It's all kind of relevant in the end and we ummed and arrred for the next couple of days as this would be our only chance to see a South American soccer game and is apparently supposed to be a good match between two local teams in a well known stadium - Bocas Juniors. It would be sold out and the atmosphere would be crazy! We decided it was too expensive and we might catch a cheaper game in Rio with Loz and Marcio in the World Cup stadium!

We met Tim (the NZ guy we were hanging out with in Milhouse, Cusco) at our hostel coz we bumped in to him in Salta and figured out we were both going to Buenos Aires next and wanting to see a soccer game and that Milhouse was organising tickets. He ended purchasing a ticket and going to the game! Anyway it was afternoon and we hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning on the bus so we decided to get some food with Tim. Buenos Aires is apparently know for pizza! Which was a bit weird but decided to try a pizza place the restaurant owner from Salta and the guy at reception recommended. I loved the feel of Buenos Aires and the vibe walking the streets. The city streets were very European. It had been described as resembling Paris, which I could very much see and I also thought it had a bit of a New York vibe too. Lots of grand historic buildings also still made up the facade of the city aesthetics. It was completely different to every other city we'd been to in Central and South America. More westernised and the people seemed less traditional, a bit more Spanish looking and young and trendy. The street we were walking down to the pizza reminded me a little of around Times Square, NY on a way less hectic scale. It was a busy street with theatres, advertisements for Tango shows and live performances and cheap and cheerful restaurants and pizzerias. We found the one we were recommended and it was quite busy with lots of locals. They were all standing eating their pizzas, kind of like the coffee shops of Italy! We were ushered to the back by a waiter where we could find a seat. The pizza servings were also New York style where you just order one big slice for really cheap. The guy at reception said the onion pizzas were really good, which sounded pretty grose but I decided to try and a Napolitana pizza. The onion one had nothing going for it, not sure why the guy liked it but all the rest we ordered were pretty good! We got back to our hostel and had a couple of drinks with the two for one hostel deals and our name down for the Argentinian BBQ/party they were having at the other Milhouse hostel down the road. When we got there there were a few people there but we thought it would be an outdoor thing with a BBQ happening and you would help yourself to sides, breads and salads etc. instead it was in the communal area/foyer of the hostel and you handed your ticket stub to the kitchen who cooked you up a plate and called your name when it was ready. We had a drink while we waited and the food they served was pretty good! Matt and Tim had three different types of meat - chorizo, sausage and steak I think on a plate with chips, salads and sides and mine was replaced with BBQed eggplant, zucchini and tomato etc. I don't what's happened to me lately, it must be my old age (I can't really blame it on altitude anymore) but I had two drinks and again I was feeling soo drunk! I could barely keep my eyes open and I even got the hiccups! Maybe it's the spirits and I think the hostels aren't stingey on the alcohol but still I usually can handle a lot more than that, I thought! Haha

The next day we had our free breakfast in the morning, which was even better than the one in Cusco! 4 different cereals, 4 different fruits, banana cake, scrambled eggs, tea, coffee, bread with jam and/ or dulce de leche! A caramel sauce which I love and have been getting it wherever I can. I think it's usually served with sweet dessert but sure, I'll have it for breakfast! There were lots of city walking tours on offer, which probably would be good but they all seemed really expensive. So set off with Tim to do a DIY with the guidance of the walk that the guy in Salta recommended. It led us down the Parisian like streets, through a wealthy area to a nice plaza with market stalls set up. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were people sitting on the grass in the sun. We bought some street/market food (mine was like a pizza pocket bun with cheese, tomato and basil and Matt had a pork bun) and I bought a cute present from these markets. There was a nice white church and next to it a famous cemetery where Evita (Don't cry for me Argentina) is buried. This cemetery is like nothing I've ever seen before. It is like a neighbourhood of the dead with these huge shrine tombstones and the coffins are laid within the doors. You can walk in to them and some have stairs going under ground and an alter is at the top. They are very grand with sculptures of angels and some have statues of the dead person. The very rich would be buried here and some have built these beautiful grave/tombstones for their whole family to be buried in. Some are ridiculously big and so much money spent on them it's quite baffling. We saw where Evita was buried, which was one of the smaller ones and had flowers on it and lots of people taking photos. After doing something a little sad we thought we'd do something to cheer us up since we were still living and get some ice cream! We went to a place called Freddo which must of been a chain coz it had lots of other places in Buenos Aires too. I ordered a cup with dulce de leche with brownie, coconut dulce de leche and Freddo special chocolate. Oh my god! The best ice cream I have ever eaten! It was delicious and definitely cheered us up! We continued walking through the lively streets of Buenos Aires. We went past a youth band playing on the steps in front of a University and a metal sculpture of a flower whose petals opened and closed during the day with a water hydraulic system. We then arrived at the Japanese gardens. The guy from Salta recommended going there so we walked around the ponds and bonsais. It was nice coz I had never walked through a Japanese gardens before but Matt said he'd been to the one in Sydney which is really good and this one was quite close to the road and very busy with tourists so was not that peaceful. We were getting pretty tired from walking all day and my feet were starting to kill me we walked to an area where the streets got very trendy and reminded me of a Surry Hills/Potts Point kind of area. It was really cool and had some really good shops, cafes/restaurants and even a hip little market set up in one section of the road. We walked around trying to find a place for an early dinner, it was around 5:30/6pm. And maybe start off with a cheese platter and bottle of wine. Not everywhere did cheese platters but we soon found a place that did. It was a trendy little place with a authentic, wholesome feel to it. We ordered a bottle of white and a cheese platter. There was about 8 different cheeses on it and an olive tapenade and a tomato/onion dip and the cheeses had been baked so we're half melting on a hot plate. We weren't expecting that but thought we'd give it s try and it was actually really good. I don't usually like blue cheese but it was actually my favourite out of the selection. The wine was good too! We went for mid range, which was still really cheap. We then had mains, the boys both ordered steak - as you do in Argentina and I had a cannelloni with cheese, tomato and basil. It was really good but I felt very cheesed out afterwards. We then got the subway back to our hostel.

The next day we were doing another DIY walking tour to another part of the city. This was a famous part known for its colourful buildings and tango on the street. Although we left earlyish (the whole city doesn't seem to wake up until 10am which is weird for a busy city) and to get to that part of town you have to go through a dodgy kind of area which is known for lots of muggings. We couldn't work out where to buy a bus ticket from. The one we were told to go to was shut and the subway seemed a lot easier so we caught the subway half way there and then walked through the dodge area. It seemed a bit more run down but it was ok for us. The soccer match was on tonight so there were banners hanging up in the streets and people walking around with the blue and yellow jerseys on, cheering and cooking BBQs in the street. There were even houses painted in blue and yellow! The streets with the colourful buildings were not far off and really cool and the cafes were open and a couple of market type places selling souvenirs etc. It was a bit of a touristy area though. We thought we would see couples dancing tango in the street but they were just dressed up trying to get a photo opportunity with the tourists to pay them money. People were also selling artwork etc aswell. We then continued along and found ourselves in I think the biggest antiques market in the world! It was one long street, like they shut of the length of George Street in Sydney and had all these antique and handicraft stores set up. It was pretty cool. I even got lost from the boys for about 5 or 10 minutes coz of the crowd but knew they wouldn't walk past an Argentinian BBQ on the side of the road so was reunited with them there. There were about 3 BBQs sizzling and an Argentinian band playing music. Matt and Tim were quite satisfied after their Argentinian sausage sandwich. I had a dulce de leche crepe, which was already pre made so wasn't the best but then found another crepe stand and had a fresh savoury crepe which was delicious. The crepe guy was trying to chat to us about Australia etc too but we could converse much back with our lack of Spanish which is a bit of a shame really. The antique market street led right back to Plaza de Mayo (has the government buildings and bank etc and some huge, grand old buildings which were quite impressive) which connects right on to our hostel street. Tim had to get ready for the soccer match which he was leaving for at 3pm and Matt and I were so tired from walking everywhere in the last two days, we had an afternoon sleep before we had a dinner and Tango show that night and were being picked up at 6:45.

I decided to get a little bit dressed up for the tango show. Not that I had much dressy clothes or heels. Black jeans, that I've worn for like the 10th day without being washed and pretty sure had a few scuffy White marks, a black lace top, sandals which I wore once in Cuba and I put on makeup, which I've only done twice before on this whole trip! It felt a bit strange and I've actually got used to not wearing it and feeling better and more fresh without it rather than rubbing shit all over my face. But it is nice to put it on occasionally for dressy occasions. I wanted to put a bit of red lippy on aswell to get in to the tango feel, which I'm pretty sure I packed but couldn't find it. All the part of travelling in a back pack! Make do with what you got! We were picked up in a bus and a lot of the girls were wearing dresses, heels and red lippy! It will be nice when I'm home to be able to dress up again, especially since I have Andrea's wedding the weekend after I get home. The girls are actually all talking about getting their hair and Makeup done professionally for it but I definitely won't have money in the bank account to get all that done when I'm back. A bit of a shame coz it would have been fun to do together.

We arrived and it was in a nice building but a little bit of we are not sure what's going on. Some of the group were led in to a room and we were shown to the stage area where they have tables set up around for dinner. We were put on a really long table and probably the worst table in the place, underneath where the orchestra played on a mezzanine above. We decided to get the two seats at the very end, closest to the stage which was ok. It wasn't a huge room. About half the room was filled and they bought out a bottle of red and white for Matt and I (it was an open bar so we could have as much as we wanted). We assumed the rest of the room was doing their tango lesson but we weren't sure when we would be doing ours of when the show would start. A guy sat down on our table. He was a chemical engineer from South Korea on a business trip. He was actually really sweet and nice (as most Asians tend to be). We ordered our 3 course dinner which was included in the ticket price along with the all you can drink wine and beer and the lesson and show ($50AUS each). I had a caprese salad and Matt had a small meat pie thing - they were both average but both our mains were really good. Matt had steak with veggies and I had a yum pumpkin ravioli in a creme and mushroom sauce. After we ate our mains it was our turn to do the lesson. I think Matt was a bit nervous but he actually did really well. It was a very basic class, only learning 8 steps but the teacher was pretty funny and made for a bit of fun with the large group. He would split the girls and guys up on either side of the room, then teach one side 4 steps, then the other side 4 steps. Then we would partner up and do it to together. We did pretty well considering Matt does not like to dance at all. Then he taught us the next 4 steps, then partnered up again. It was fun. We then could go back to our seats to enjoy the show and drink more wine and eat our dessert. Matt got poached pears and I got a traditional homemade flan with dulce de leche (of course) and creme. Haha that so funny.. I'm starting to spell words wrong coz I've seen them in Spanish so much. I mean cream! An Australian lady from Brisbane had also joined our table, so we were chatting to her too. She was also very lovely and had started her trip of South America with her daughter and doing the rest of it by herself. Good on her! The lights went off and then the show started. It went for a longer than I expected which was good coz it meant we got our money's worth and was a really good performance with 6 dancers and all the costume changes and lights and theatrics to go with it. There was an live orchestra and singer aswell! They even got some of the audience involved too. It probably went for about an hour. It was really good and makes me wish I could dance like that! The bus the. Took us back to our hostel, we got home about 12pm. It was a very entertaining and fun night and what better place to learn and watch the art of Tango!

This morning we had hostel brekky, then packed and checked out. We left our bags in the storage room then had bit of a walk outside. I think it had been raining outside and the temperature had dropped a lot since the last two days. It was quite cold outside and neither of us had jackets on but we were t walking far coz we had to be back at 1:30 for our overnight bus. We walked to a newish part of BA we hadn't been to yet. It was the port and all the old docks had been turned in to new restaurants etc. it kind of looked like Pyrmont in Sydney although there were not many people about. There was a new famous bridge built in 2001 which was kind of cool. White and simplistic and had one pint up which kind of looked like a sail. We then saw an old navy ship docked to the side of the port. It had been turned in to a museum so we paid the $1 to go on and have a look. It was pretty cool, being able to walk on deck and underneath it. There were guns and bullets, captains and sailors uniforms, maps and photos of the voyages the captains did etc.

Afterwards we had a quick lunch at the hostel before getting our bags and heading to the bus station to get on our overnight bus to go to Iguazu Falls! It was another full cama sleeper bus with food and drink service etc.

The magnificent Iguazu Falls

sheree — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 01:03:00 GMT

Argentinian side

We arrived at the bus station in Peurto Iguazu at about 7:30am. It was raining. We figured out how to get the the falls from the station and how we would then get to Brazil. Both buses left from this bus station, which was a lot easier than I thought. I thought we would have to try to navigate how to get to another bus station etc. The guy at the tourist desk spoke English and was very helpful which was good. We got changed in the bathrooms, boots and our North Face knock off jackets ready for the rain and brushed our teeth etc., got a day bag ready and then put our big bags in a locker. We hopped on a bus which would take us to the falls. It got very jungly and reminded me of being back in the Amazon. When we got to the entrance of the National Park we had to get on a small train would take us to Devil's Throat. There were lots of people about and you had to walk along a walkway for about 10min which was built above a plateau, wetland type area. The rain had actually stopped here and the sun was shining through the clouds. There were birds and butterflies flying about the trees. We then got to the viewing platform and looked over the incredible Devil's Throat of the Iguazu Falls. It was outrageously huge! The water was just pouring over the edge of the cliff and mist was rising back above because it was just so heavy and so much water. It was spraying all the people taking photos and selfies with themselves and this beastly movement of water. I have never seen so much water in my life and it dropped I think about 1100m in to the river below but as mentioned before, there was just so much of it the spray most caused a whiteout to view anything underneath it. There was also a flock of black birds spiralling down in to the water and darting back up. It was quite a site and I was very taken aback by its sheer magnificence. After seeing Devil's Throat we walked back to the train which dropped us to a point where we could walk along two trails of the upper and lower falls. We decided to walk the upper one first. Along the way we saw a group of little possum like creatures but with a long pig snout called coatis. There were lots of signs about saying don't feed the monkeys and coatis as they can scratch and bite. A couple were rummaging in rubbish bins and just walking past us so I think they had grown accustomed to humans being around and were even considered pests in the National Park. This part of the walk you could see more of the falls front on. I didn't realise how big they were, there were countless waterfalls streaming off the side of the cliff. The upper trail let you walk on top of all the falls and look down at them. It was pretty cool to be so close. The rocks and cliffs were also covered in a rich green moss which made the scenery quite beautiful. The only thing was that there were that many tourists walking these trails (including us hehe) it was so hard to get a good photo. The back of the balding head of the big American guy would somehow photo bomb your shot or the two European girls with a selfie stick, making sure their hair and lipstick is just perfect. Or a group of little old Spanish women would push past you to get a better glimpse for themselves, not caring who's way they were in. There was an island in the middle of the river that the Iguazu Falls surrounded which reminded me of Jurassic Park or something. Usually you could catch a boat to the island and walk around for another aspect of the falls but because of the recent rain, the tide was too high and rough so they were not running the boats today. You could also catch a speed, raft boat thing in the river and ride underneath the waterfalls, which we were recommended to do but it cost a lot so we decided against it.

We then walked the lower trail. On our way down we saw two monkeys quite close up in the trees. We also saw a pretty royal bluey/black coloured bird with a crown feathers on its head. It was sitting on the arm railing looking at me and letting me take a couple of photos. The lower trail allowed for a better view of the stretch of waterfalls front on. It also let us get close to one particular one where it felt like you were standing underneath it and looked right up at the water gushing down. It also let you see the wet rocks and green moss up close and apparently the birds that fly overhead of the falls also nest on the side of these rocks. We couldn't spot any though. It was about 1 or 2pm so took a good 4 or 5 hours to walk around the whole Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian side and we were now pretty hungry. We went to the food area which had lots of people and the coatis rummaging around. Sandwiches etc were ridiculously priced - about $20AUD for one sand which so we tried to look elsewhere. We went to another area which had a Subway counter inside the shop and was ok priced so got a sandwich from there instead. When we are it outside, we had a stick and had to keep scaring off the coatis who were not afraid to come close to try to get your food. We had a quick walk through the museum at the end which was quite interesting before jumping back on the bus back to the bus station. We got our bags from the lockers and then got on the bus to cross the Brazilian border - our last new country of our trip :) :( the crossing was fairly simple - I don't think the woman at the border security even checked the Brazilian visa in our passports that Matt and I had to get and pay for at the Brazilian consulate in Sydney before we left. That was a hassle when planning our trip at home that we had to fill out applications online, get recent passport photos taken, get money orders from the post office only and took half days off work 3 times to go all the way in the city to apply for this visa at the Brazilian Consulate in Sydney. It was a hassle and costly and the people that worked there were rude. The border security also didn't ask for the yellow card which shows proof of getting our Yellow fever needles, which was a requirement to enter the country. Thinking about it, it was a hectic time before we had to leave. The visa, Going to the doctors three times for different rounds of needles, including yellow fever, hep A and B etc., organising travel money card, buying things to take away, packing, moving out of our apartment and cleaning it thoroughly before the tenant moved in. I also had three events to style right before I went, in between working two jobs and catch up dinners/lunches with everyone before we left. I wouldn't say my trip has been entirely relaxing since I've been away either with the constant travel and doing so many things. But it's been absolutely amazing so far and I feel more relaxed, I guess coz I'm doing things I want to do rather than all the things I had to do before I left. Anyway we finally arrived in Brazil and crossed in to Foz, a small city on the Brazilian side of the falls. Most people we spoke to before our travels said to go to both sides. When we asked what was best people either had differing opinions on what they preferred or just told us we needed to see both, so that's what we were doing. We got to our hostel after catching another local bus and it was quiet, nice hostel, good for one night. It looked like it had previously been someone's huge house with a driveway, pool, backyard and balcony but now converted in to a hostel and had quite a homely feel to it. We were pretty buggered after a big day walking around, coming off an overnight bus so rested in our room for a little before sorting out money and dinner. We had a bit of trouble trying to get money out as none of the ATMs we tried were accepting our card. We finally found one that did. We then went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner that the hostel recommended. We didn't have high expectations coz Foz wasn't the nicest city and the area we were in wasn't the best but it actually turned out pretty good! My quesadilla was huge and delicious with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Matts chicken tacos were good too. We even got free margaritas through a voucher pamphlet the hostel had which were also good! We also ordered churros with dulce de leche and ice cream for dessert! Brazilians speak Portuguese so just as we could get by with Spanish we now had to learn a new language. This was now tested at our first restaurant and there were some similar words to Spanish but we knew nothing, not even what thank you was. I felt a bit rude and kept saying Gracias or Spanish words which meant nothing to the waiter haha. This is how we must have started out in Cuba! After dinner we got some rest for our second day of visiting the falls tomorrow.

Brazilian side

We took it easy this morning and went to have our free hostel brekky when we woke up which was also a good selection of fruit, make your own toasties with ham, cheese and bread, coconut and chocolate cake and tea/coffee etc. We then packed up our stuff, checked out and walked to the bus stop down the road to catch the bus back to the Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side. We were kind of not as excited today and a bit more casual about it as we had already seen it from the Argentinian side yesterday. But we were very glad we could experience both sides of the falls as you will find out they both have completely different things to offer. This time it was an open air bus, instead of a train that drove us to the start of the falls. We walked down to the first view point and saw the falls from more of a panoramic view of what we saw yesterday. It is quite spectacular seeing the vast scenery and all the waterfalls cascading over the cliffs down to the river. You could see a better view of the length of the river on this side. We continued walking. This time, instead of lots of different trails, it was just the one path you walked along. It was definitely a different view and seeing more falls and things you couldn't see yesterday. A good spot where you saw multiple falls flowing in to a large Rockpool/plateau and then running off again into the river. A couple of rainbows were popping up here aswell. Looking up the river you could again see Devil's Throat. We continued walking to it where there was another platform we could walk out to get a better view. You couldn't see from the Argentinian side how the falls kept continuing around along the cliff from Devil's Throat forming a gigantic and powerful waterfall. It was amazing! This platform was was built on top of a cliff below and it felt like you were walking along the waterfall with the water gushing underneath you and near enough to the cliff where you could see the water tumbling over the edge. Again we were getting sprayed with water coz we were so close. It was packed with people on the platform, I did a good job at just pushing past this time, considering that's what everyone else does. And wow! What a view!! There was just all these waterfalls dropping in to the river surrounding Devil's Throat. The mist was rising back up but this time you were at a far enough distance to see a spectacular view and also a brilliant rainbow cast from one side of the river to the other below. So so so amazing!! I've never witnessed such magnificence! The Iguazu Falls was a real beauty, absolutely enormous and truly impressive! We tried to get a few snaps amongst the crowd and without getting the camera too wet. This walk was a lot quicker. We were now at the end so went up the elevator to the observation deck which wasn't that great a view as what we had already seen and then got some lunch at the food court which was situated right next to the wetland/plateau area and prices were a bit more reasonable than the Argentinian side. Afterwards, we got back on the two buses to our hostel. We stopped at the supermarket on the way to get some snacks for our overnight bus to Florianopolis, as this one was only a semi cama bus and we weren't being served food. We chilled at our hostel for about 2 hours and booked our Florianopolis accommodation (private room which I was excited about coz we haven't had one in so long!) before getting a taxi to the bus station and boarding our overnight bus :)

Photos: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

sheree — Fri, 4 Sep 2015 02:04:00 GMT

Moon Valley and stargazing in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama

sheree — Fri, 4 Sep 2015 02:02:00 GMT

it was kind of strange to drive in to a town after day after day of incredible, expanse landscapes. San Pedro is a town in the Atacama Desert so it was very red. It was also really hot and dry, which we kind of weren't expecting since we had been in the desert for the last 3 days in Bolivia and it was cold, but we were now lower in altitude. It seemed like a bohemian, hippy kind of town and the buildings were all low and looked like they were made from clay or something. It was pretty cool! So weird you wake up in the morning in Bolivia, then by lunch your in Chile!

After the bus dropped us at the bus terminal we walked to our hostel. It was a cool little homely kind of hostel with an outdoor area with fire pit and nice communal kitchen. We rested for a little bit, we were pretty tired from the last three days on the move then walked to the main square, which had a parade with a band and dancers in colourful costumes. There were also lots of cute dogs around. I'm not sure if they were strays or peoples pets but they were bigger dogs like German shepards, retrievers etc and they would just be chilling on the streets and walking in and out of shops and cafes etc. Pretty funny/cute. We needed to get Chilean money out, put a load of laundry in (neither of us had any socks left from wearing boots and shoes all the time lately), get some food and figure out what tours we wanted to do here. A lot offered tours seeing the salt flats and lots of things we had already seen in Bolivia or similar sights in Chile. We researched that Moon Vally (Valle de la Luna) was a must do and also a stargazing tour. San Pedro is the place for some of the best stargazing in the world because of its clear and cloudless nights (it only gets 50mm of rain per year) so you're able to see incredible amounts of stars. Even NASA has telescopes etc set up here. I really wanted to do some stargazing here but as we found out (and didn't realise) that tours don't run on a full moon and a few days before and after because it's too bright and you can barely see any stars. Full moon was last night so we were screwed tonight and weren't sure if we would be able to go on one tomorrow either as we would probably want to leave the day after.

Tour companies ran afternoon/sunset Moon Valley tours so we decided to book one for this afternoon, even though we were pretty tired but if we happened to get a stargazing tour we could do that tomorrow. We grabbed some take away empanadas and got on to the tour bus and it was only about 20min out of town to the entrance of Moon Valley where we had to pay a small fee to assist in the preservation of the area. We drove further and got out to do a 30 min walk up the 'big dune'. It was really impressive! Red earth and rock formations. It got its name because the area resembled what looks like the moon, a very red moon! It did seem like we had stepped on to another planet. At the top of this sandy red dune - Cronulla sand dunes on steroids! ;) we looked back down to a flat which had white salt washed through it. Similar to what we had seen in the salt flats. Our guide was a young Chilean skater guy and was pretty funny. For some reason reminded me of Borat. He gave a brief explanation then we could walk further up the ridge which reminded me of a dinosaurs back. It was extremely hot and instead of humid, coz we were in the desert, a very dry heat. After this we drove to a part in the Moon Valley called Las Tres Marias, three rock formations which apparently resembles three arms praying to the Andes and were told a story about a guy using this formation to try to persuade people to believe in God and join the Christian religion. We walked a bit through Moon Valley then got back on the bus to go to Death Valley (Valle de la Morte). This was very similar to Moon Valley but apparently got its name, not from people dying in this valley etc. but because someone who came here thought it looked like Mars and couldn't speak very good Spanish and pronounced Mars in Spanish wrong and instead said Morte - Death, hence why it's now called Death Valley.

We then drove to Coyotes Rock to watch sunset. There was an amazing view over Moon Valley which meant some great photo taking opportunities for everyone. This is where everyone comes to watch the sunset over the mountains and it ended up getting really packed but our guide said as the sun was about the go under the horizon to turn the other way and watch the opposite horizon where the moon rises over the Andes and the sky turns purple for a better view. It was pretty (and got really windy as soon as the sun set) but not as beautiful as the one I saw this morning in Bolivia. The moon hadn't risen yet when we had to leave.

We had a shower, finally! when we got back to the hostel and even though the hostel owner said they have limited hot water, this shower water was boiling hot! It was even hotter than Wild Rover! I was in ecstasy standing under it. We then walked to town to get dinner. We were trying to find a place TripAdvisor recommended called Roots but I don't think we could be bothered to go searching for it so went to one called Lola de Luna or something. It had a fireplace at the entrance so was very inviting and had a cool interior (we came to realise all the buildings had this which was a clay like interior). It ended up being really bad service, I don't know if the waiter was new or something but it was really awkward for some reason and he just kept avoiding us. I ordered a quesadilla which wasn't too bad but Matt said his lamb pizza was terrible with no flavour at all. We were pretty keen for bed and a sleep in tomorrow morning.

We didn't really get a sleep in, one - coz I think we were used to getting up early from the past few days and two - the three people in our dorm got up at 7:30 to do a bike ride to Devils Throat, which I had been told about was supposed to be a good ride, not far from town. We laid in bed for a bit but then decided we needed breakfast and had to do a couple of things before we decided we would do Devils Throat. I was pretty keen to do nothing today but at the same time I wanted to see as much as possible. We were going to book a bus to Salta, Argentina for tomorrow, breakfast, change some left over Bolivianos we had, pay for a stargazing tour called SPACE I emailed (and was highly recommended on TripAdvisor) and ended up getting a reservation for tonight and then find somewhere to hire bikes for our ride. We changed the money and had breakfast at Roots (the one we were going to go to last night). It was really cool with a black and white photo wall of all famous people like Bob Marley, Janis Joplin etc etc. and sold Bob Marley coffee, with a sign saying 'Stir It Up'. The 'Roots' breakfast was really good too. Yummy fruit, granola and yogurt, bread with homemade jam and eggs how you like it and a fresh juice. We then paid for our tour which was confirmed for 9pm. Tonight was the first day they were running again after 6 days off coz of the full moon. We then hired bikes and rode to the bus terminal to book our bus to Salta tomorrow. There were spots left for us, but we needed our passports to reserve. We had to ride back to our hostel get our passports and ride back. We then had to show proof of this Argentinian visa Matt had bought over the Internet in La Paz for us but we hadn't printed yet. We asked to use her computer to access it on our email but the attachment wasn't there and we couldn't figure out what the website was to log in to the account to access it. Matt gets extremely frustrated in situations like this, which doesn't really help the situation. We ended up getting on to the site with the help of the bus ticket lady and then continued to process the booking. She didn't accept card so we had to pay cash but we didn't have enough cash on us. So Matt had to ride back to the main square to get more money out and then ride back to the terminal to pay while I went back to the hostel to print out the visa form. Heavy sigh!

So after a bit of a speed bump to our morning plans, we didn't end up leaving for our ride until around 1pm.

It was hot, I think our map was wrong and Matt and I got the shits at each other coz we were slightly lost and we were only about 10 minutes in to the ride. I went in to a shop to ask someone for directions. He spoke English, had a cute Labrador puppy and explained where to go. We got on to a main track and Matt and I had different ideas on which direction we were supposed to be going when another cyclist came past, we stopped him to ask for help. He was from England and riding to Devils Throat aswell. We were saved! We would just follow him and have another person to chat to on the way. It was about an hours ride to the entrance of Devils Throat. The land here, because it is so red actually reminded me of the desert in the middle of Australia and the rocks also reminded me of Ayers Rock. Same colours there was just more rock in San Pedro where as in NT there's just one big red rock with lots of land around. We got to the entrance of Devils Throat which is a part where the rocks form in to a cave. It was really cool riding through the cave and actually lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. We rode for about 45min until we got to the end. Finally! I had water coz it was so hot and then we climbed to the top of the highest rock which gave a good view back over Devils Throat and also of San Pedro and the Andes over the other side in the distance. It was a lot quicker heading back (probably 20min) than in coz I think it was slightly down hill. We cruised home, now that we knew the way and saw two dogs herding a herd of sheep along the road. When we got back to town we took our bikes back to the place we hired them from and decided to sit down as we were buggered after the hot ride, to have a refreshing glass of water and a drink as we had a bit of time up our sleeves before we had our stargazing tour in the night. It was a cool outdoor pub /bar/restaurant, Matt tried a beer from Mendoza and I had a caprioska. I don't know if it was the heat, I hadn't eaten since breakfast, the long ride or my drink was really strong but I felt so drunk off that one drink! I started talking crap to Matt and he looked so tired haha.

We went back to our hostel to shower and rug up, as we would be outside looking at the stars all night. We walked the streets which were quite lively and funky at night and picked a restaurant called Abode. We were glad we did coz the atmosphere and service was really good and the food was probably up there with the best we've had all trip. The restaurant was indoor but a section of it had a wide open roof that you could see all the stars through and an outdoor fire pit in the middle. They had a Chilean band playing and it was a nice cosy setting, again with the clay like interiors. Matt ordered a hot pot with chicken, garlic, chilli and potato in it and I couldn't choose out of a quinoa and mushroom risotto with sweet tomato and Parmesan or a Julian vegetable salad with pear, baked ricotta, nuts and a caramel balsamic, olive oil dressing. So I got both and Matt and I shared the salad. It was all so good!

We then had to meet at the office of the stargazing tour and waited for a bus to pick us up that would drive us about 20min South of town to where there was no light pollution and an observatory. As soon as we left San Pedro the night sky was full of stars it was pretty spectacular. Our guide was a Canadian astronomer, with a very thick Canadian accent and made lots of 'Dad' jokes which made the tour quite entertaining. First we looked at the night sky through the naked eye and our guide gave us an explanation of how people used to look at stars back in the day, not really knowing what they were, how they formed the constellations and facts about stars, planets etc and the universe. The moon was 2 nights off being a full moon and hadn't risen yet so it was really dark and you could see millions of stars in the sky in one the best places on earth to see them! A particularly good view of the Milky Way. We also were pointed out with a crazy huge lazer pointer Scorpio, the signet, Saturn, the southern Cross, the teapot and a few other stars and constellations, I can't remember now. He was very knowledgeable and shared lots of mind blowing facts about how big, hot and far away in light years a lot of these stars were etc. and how really we are only such a small spec in this universe. How humans always want meaning behind everything so the star constellations were made up (also to help them prepare for harvest each winter etc) and also how astrology is also made up (in case you didn't already know that ;) but quite fun and interesting how the zodiac is laid out in the night sky and how certain stars and planets etc. revolve around the earth/sun etc. at the same time each day/month/year etc. It was about 9:30ish when the moon rose. Unfortunately as it was so full it was extremely bright and flooded out a lot of the stars around it. But it was an extremely impressive sight seeing this big bright round ball slowly rise above the silhouette of the Andes. After looking at the sky with our naked eye and the guides large green lazer pointer, we then walked over to the telescopes set up to look at 10 stars and planets up close. I had never looked through a telescope before so it was pretty cool and surreal to be looking at the night sky so close up. We saw constellations such as the colourful jewellery box, one that looked like a butterfly and another which had a cluster of millions stars all together (this was through a telescope which was the largest in the world for public viewing). We saw a dead star which had exploded and just looked like a grey smudge in the sky through the telescope. We saw Saturn with its rings around it and did not look like the detailed image you see in pics and what I thought it was going to look like... and a pretty clear look at the moon, especially since it was almost full, you could see the craters and hills on the moon! It was quite remarkable. They even had a telescope set up where we could take these detailed pictures of the moon which was pretty cool. Although coz we had to line up to take a photo most people started heading in to the room where we were given hot chocolate and Q&A time with our astronomer guide. Coz we were the last to take the photo we were last to get to the room and as soon as we sat down we barely heard the answer to the last question then everyone clapped and got up to get back on the bus to go back to town while Matt and I had to quickly skull our hot chocolates. I didn't think that was very fair since the Q&A is part of the tour for everyone and they didn't wait for us. I think Matt and I need to be a bit more pushy so we get the best of everything instead of being polite and letting everyone before us haha. But anyway it was a really awesome experience and the guide was really good so was definitely worth it.

Photos: Salt Flats Tour through the desert to Chile

sheree — Thu, 3 Sep 2015 04:39:00 GMT

Photos: La Paz/Death Road, Bolivia

sheree — Thu, 3 Sep 2015 04:06:00 GMT

Salt Flats Tour through the desert and otherworldly landscapes to Chile

sheree — Thu, 3 Sep 2015 04:00:00 GMT

Day 1

A lady from our tour company was waiting at the bus station with a sign with our names on it. Soon a car came to pick us up and take us to their office. Here we freshened up, brushed our teeth and got changed etc. we then grabbed breKfast from a pretty cool place around the corner which reminded me of looking like a snow dome but it had a solid fire place etc in it. We had pancakes with dulce de leche which was so yummy and also an oats with milk and cinnamon which we had had on the trek, but wasn't as good as the chef's on the trek. We waited around for a little bit at the office before we were ready to go in a 4WD. Our driver packed the top with our bags and picked up 4 other people who were going to be on our tour with us. A Romanian couple, a guy from Potugal and a girl from Spain. We were the only ones who couldn't speak Spanish but luckily they all (apart from the driver could speak English) so the Romanian couple translated some things for us. Not that he explained much, pretty much was just telling us how long we had at each place.

The first stop was at a train cemetery. Old rusted steam train abandoned near the town of Uyuni. It made for some cool photos. Next we stopped at a place where they sold local handicrafts and there was a small museum with salt statues. We then started driving across the landscape to the salt flats. The area was so expanse with nothing for miles and in the very distance you could see some small collections of mountains. Sometimes with the way the sun reflected, it looked like there was water on the horizon or some parts of the landscape would disappear and maybe the mountains looked like they were floating. Wasn't sure what caused it but it looked pretty cool. Once we got on to the start of the salt flats we jumped out of the land cruiser to look at the salt flats up close and see the mounds of salt which they apparently dig up and leave as mounds so they dry out until ready to be taken to the nearest village for salt. The ground was hard and the salt earth glistened in the sun. The ground was also shaped like hexagons. We then stopped at a place were there were small waterholes which were bubbling. Not sure why this was, maybe a reaction of the salt on the earths surface. Will need to google that one after the tour. Don't think I will be learning that much on this tour without speaking Spanish. We stopped briefly at a place where they do the rally car driving and also a salt hotel which is no longer in use but some groups were eating here. It looked like an igloo melted in to the snow. We continued on and stopped 'on the side of the road' to have lunch which was packed in the 4WD of salad, quinoa, an omelette for me and another vego girl and meat for everyone else. He stopped at a place where it was just us and the never ending salt flats and it was a bit more white and we took the classic salt flat photos. It was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be but a few of the pics turned out pretty funny and distorted. This is where some of the group would have had a good driver who would have helped set up and take their photos, considering this is one of the main reason people come to the salt flats. Instead, our driver seemed uninterested and seemed to want to hurry us along.

It seemed as the roads led to nowhere on the salt flats, they were incredibly huge expanse of nothingness. But soon we would arrive at our next destination, which was a random island thing in the middle of the salt flats with these huge furry looking cactuses on it. You could pay to go to the top but Matt and I already got some cool pics staying below so waited for everyone else. We got a little bored here as we had to wait another 20minutes before the driver wanted to start driving again as we would watch the sunset and it would get cold so wanted to stay in the sun as long as possible. We started driving again and stopped when the sun started setting. It was freezing out of the car, so we layered up. The moon rising behind us with the purple, blue horizon above the never ending salt flats actually looked better than the sunset. After we took a few photos we jumped back in the car to get warm again. We drove for a while in the dark, but the driver knew the roads well and we got to our accommodation which was pretty basic but also pretty cool coz it was made from salt bricks and salt on the ground! They were private rooms, so Matt and I had our own room which was nice, I feel like we haven't had a private room in ages, although we were tired so fell straight to sleep after dinner (which was also pretty basic) in our single beds. You had to pay extra (not much) if you wanted a hot shower, but it was so cold Matt and I were just going to stink it out for the next couple of day. Not that we were using much energy and not that we hadn't done it before!

Day 2

My stomach wasn't feeling very well the next morning. I got ready and went to have breakfast with our group but felt worse. I started feeling nauseous and felt like I was going to pass out at the table. I thought I better lay down so got up to make my way back to our room. Falling into the walls, I thought I was going to be sick so went to the bathrooms instead, but was dry reaching instead. I laid down in bed. Maybe it was the omelette I had last night and I had food poisoning? Matt came in to check on me and asked if i wanted him to bring me any breakfast. I didn't really feel like eating so asked just for a tea and a piece of bread with butter. Which was a shame coz they had dulce de leche and pancakes which I would have much preferred!

Feeling a little better we got in to the land cruiser to start our day. The scenery was a lot more interested today and we were the first car the leave so got many of the landmarks to ourselves before everyone else arrived. We crossed over old train tracks in the middle of the desert. This was the continuation of the old train tracks we saw on the first day in Uyuni at the train graveyard. The train tracks led to Chile. We stopped to get some photos on here and the guide told us this road was used a lot of drug trafficking. We then stopped at an area where there was cool rock formations. I didn't feel very well so didn't get out to look. Matt wandered around with the others and took photos. We drove on passing through incredible wide open landscapes which was red earth desert and mountains and glaziers in the distance. It seemed like we were on another planet, I'm sure what resembles something like Mars. We arrived at a large lagoon which had flamingoes in it! At first we thought the driver was going to go straight past but he ended up driving further to a better spot where there were more flamingoes and the snow capped mountain behind the lagoon. I was excited to see the flamingoes so got out to take a closer look. As we walked closer to them they walked further away from us. I think they were a bit camera shy. I tired to get a few photos but they were pretty far away, even with the zoom or would fly away. The ground was quite white and salty here so the pink feathers that came off the flamingoes were bright and really pretty to see on the ground.

Unfortunately I was still feeling sick. I wasn't quite sure what it was but was beginning to think it was altitude. I didn't realise how high we were coz everything was so flat but apparently we were between 4000-5000m throughout this tour. Just a general unwell feeling and started to get a bit of a head ache. I felt really drowsy and tired so just tried to sleep when we were travelling.

Our next stop was another site with some more rock formations. These ones were more of a light grey rock colour and scattered on the flat ground. They were large and one was a really weird shape, a tall thin bottom and flattened out larger at the top. I got out but just sat on the ground coz I felt like I had little energy and Matt took some photos. Next stop was lunch at a lagoon, which was pretty but I didn't feel like eating so just slept in the car. A bit of the shame I couldn't enjoy the nice lunch stop.

We continued on and had to pay an entrance fee to the national park we were entering. Here the scenery and landscapes were really impressive! We past a mountain with green shrubs at the foot and a pack of llamas grazing below. We drove through a small village and had to stop for some sheep to cross then arrived at this huge lagoon which was a rich red colour and flickers of blue reflecting from the sky. There were so many flamingoes here and they looked bright pink against the red lagoon colour. Again I thought the driver was going to keep driving but took us to the best spot to get out and take photos. This scenery was beautiful so I had to get out for a closer look. The flamingoes here weren't as camera shy but still a bit far away I had to zoom. But I think I got some better flamingo photos here. They made a pretty chirping sound and had long legs and lovely pink feathers. They were flocking about, drinking the lagoon water or flying mid height with their long necks jutted out. They were a bit smaller than I thought they would be but a pretty cool bird to see in real life.

When we arrived at our accommodation around 3:30pm, I was really not feeling well. We were in a dorm room with the 6 of us of our group in one room. I laid down and my head was pounding with the worse migraine/headache I've ever experienced. I thought my head was going to explode. It must be altitude sickness. I drank some coca tea to see if it would help but it didn't do too much, was just nice to drink a hot drink coz it became cold as the sun began to set. I laid back down and decided to have some Panadol with dinner. Dinner was served and the headache eased straight away when I took one tablet. We were also given a bottle of red with dinner. Coz I don't really drink red wine and I wasn't feeling well I only had a sip but it was a good way to finish the night with our group. It was supposed to be a really cold night so we layered up to go to bed and the beds had three blankets on them which was good so we were actually toasty warm all night until our 4am wake up to start the next day.

Day 3

I was feeling much better today. A slight headache but nothing like yesterday and I seemed to have more energy again. We had breakfast, this time I could have to dulce de leche pancakes! I had some more coca tea just in case, then we gave the packet to the tour company to use because I'm not sure if you can get them through to Chile or if we would be able to get them in back in Australia. Plus we didn't have any more high altitude after this so wouldn't really need them any more. We were the first car to leave again and at 5am when we went to the car it was dark and freezing outside! I think it was -10degrees. Our driver said one of the water bottles left in the car had frozen overnight but had melted again this morning. We left early to get the sunrise. On our way our driver pointed to a car in a ditch next to the side of the road. The car had its headlights off but you could see a faint light of where he was talking about and apparently were drug dealers. Next minute a police car was in front of us and pulled us over to search our car for drugs. A little scary when you hear the stories of Bolivian police and they had massive machine guns/assault rifles in their belts. But as the driver said this is a main road for drug trafficking I'm sure plenty of cars are pulled over and searched all the time.

We neared the mountain where the sunrise was happening but beforehand we came across these awesome geysers which we stopped to take a closer look and take photos. They were really awesome. There was one artificial one which had so much steam coming from the earth and was shooting straight up in the air. The full moon shine brightly behind it. There were real ones a bit further along which weren't as powerful but more misty and lots of it, coming from craters on the ground and the sun was rising up behind them. It was absolutely freezing cold outside the car as it was still dark outside. I don't think I've ever been that cold before so after we took photos we quickly jumped back in the car. We continued along in the 4WD up the mountain as the sun was coming up. I looked behind us and I saw the most picturesque scenery I have ever seen in my life. Snow capped mountains rose up with the sky a beautiful blue/purple horizon, the mountains almost looked a moody purple because of the morning light with the contrasting white snow on top. The full moon shone brightly just sitting above the shoulder of one of the mountains. This is stunning scenery, surely we'll stop for a photo of this at the height of the mountain we were driving up. You couldn't really get a good photo from the car window and usually I doubt the driver but he ends up stopping in the best spot to get out and take photos. Unfortunately this time he kept driving. I was a bit bummed I missed a photo of probably the most picture perfect landscape I think I'll ever see. It was even this magnificent full moon which doesn't happen every morning! Coz I can't speak Spanish and I thought he might have just been driving to a good location, I didn't ask him to stop either. Oh well as Matt said don't be disappointed you missed a photo of it, just appreciate that you saw it. I think I've learnt on this trip that you can't capture everything.

We came over the other side of the mountain and the sun was bright and rising. It wasn't much of a sun rise because there were no clouds around to make it colourful but at least it was warming the earth up from the freezing morning it was. We soon arrived at the hot springs and we were the first car to get there. Because it was so cold outside, we weren't sure wether stripping off our clothes would be a good idea but we were glad we did because the hot springs were so hot (30-35degrees), it actually burned when you first got in because of the differing temperatures from outside to in, but so so nice to sit and relax in with steam floating up beside us. We thought it would be freezing hopping back out but it actually wasn't too bad coz we were so warmed up by the springs, we got changed and continued driving in the 4WD. Passing through more incredible landscapes and mountains etc. we headed towards our last site of the tour. It was called Laguna Verde known for its beautiful blue/green colour but when we arrived it just looked like another lagoon. Unfortunately because it was still and not windy it was giving off the incredible colour. The mountains surrounding were quite spectacular though. More snow capped peaks but all around. From this point we were standing in Bolivia and you could see the Andes mountains to the left where lies Argentina and to the right was Chile! Pretty cool being at the standing point of three different countries all in sight! We then drove a bit further to the Chilean border where our tour ended and we stamped our passport and got on to another bus to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

This was a really good way to see the salt flats and the impressive landscapes and scenery of Bolivia. And to transit to our next destination in Chile. It probably would have been better with an English speaking guide, but it probably would have been better if I didn't get sick too. Everything isn't always ideal. We saved money and we still saw all the incredible sights. The landscapes were expanse and arid. They seemed quite harsh with jagged mountain terrains, rock formations and flat, hard desert. Peculiar and otherworldly but also very interesting. Over the 3 days we passed through many diverse landscapes of white salt flats which were never ending, red earth and rocks, rolling mountains and snow capped glaziers, volcanoes, dry sandy desert, green shrubbery at the base of huge mountains, jagged rocks, dry cactus, glistening and rich coloured lagoons and mythical like birds and animals. A very amazing part of the world with some of the most magnificent scenery!

La Paz and Death Road

sheree — Thu, 3 Sep 2015 03:53:00 GMT

We arrived in La Paz at night time and I didn't realise it was such a big city. I was imagining it to be similar to the more humble, lovely city of Cusco. We were dropped to our hostel - Wild Rover - Bridget was staying here too and said it wasn't as rowdy as the one in Cusco and it had really good hot showers which were apparently hard to find in most of the hostels and something you need in La Paz coz it's so cold. La Paz is the highest city in the world (I think around 4600?) The driver was really nice and gave Matt the number of his doctor in case his ankle got any worse tomorrow. After we checked in, we were pretty tired from the long day so jumped straight in to bed. The bed was so comfy with a big, comfy blanket and pillow.

In the morning we showered (Bridget was right, the shower was the hottest shower I've had yet!) had our free breakfast then set off to join the Free City Walking Tour. We stopped at the pharmacy to get something for matts ankle as it was still swollen and a bit tender. La Paz is a very brown, dirty looking city with multiple power-lines in a shambles hanging twisted above. It is also quite hilly which makes breathing a bit hard walking up the hills combined with the altitude. Although it was sunny today and a lot less cold than I thought it would be, especially since we were walking around all day it actually got quite hot.

Our tour started in San Pedro plaza which directly behind it was San Pedro prison - the prison written about in Marching Powder and South Americas strangest gaol. It was pretty random, I wasn't expecting to see it right in the middle of the city and just looking like a normal building with a couple of guards standing in front of the entrance. I read the book about 10 years ago now so it was good for the tour guide to go over the strange stories that happen behind the walls. It's like a mini town and inmates need to pay entry in to the prison then pay for their room inside. Inmates run restaurants and businesses inside the prison and if some inmates can't afford their rooms etc they have to work for the other inmates businesses. Families also live inside the prison and are allowed to come and go whenever they want. And the main supply of cocaine comes from within San Pedro prison. It's either then smuggled outside the prison or sold to inmates within the prison. In the book there was a cat called Crack Cat who was also addicted to cocaine. One of the inmates which Marching Powder is about used to give tours to backpackers inside the prison. Word spread and it was even featured in the Lonely Planet guide. It started to become too dangerous with passports being lost and people having to pay the guards to get back out, women getting raped etc so these tours do not run anymore (apparently).

We were then taken through a huge outdoor food market and were told about the cholitas (the women selling food in their traditional dress). After, we went to the witches markets where they sell handicrafts, handmade fleeces, magic potions, charms and even llama foetuses!? We were told about the superstitions and beliefs in La Paz/Bolivia and how they hang llama foetuses in new homes etc as a sign of fertility and good omens. There is also an urban legend about when they build new buildings they perform an offering to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) with coca leaves, flowers, stones, potions etc and also a human body. They find a homeless or drunk person, someone nobody is going to miss much and offer them a drink that debilitates them, take them to the offering still half alive and the offering is now ready for good luck for the new building then the cement foundations are laid on top. Of course this is a crime in Bolivia and an urban legend. If you ask a builder/worker if this has ever happened they would say no... then they would add but I know a friend of a friend... There are apparently human remains under some buildings that have been knocked down and there was also a book someone wrote about escaping this offering! Pretty crazy/interesting stories!

We then went to a plaza which had the government buildings around it.

The guides told us that they have had the most amount of leaders in the shortest period of time, the corruption of their government and bizzare stories of past and current presidents. In 2002 I think it was there was also a civil war and 60 people died in the plaza we were sitting in. One president who actually did good work for the country (but the rich people didn't like him) was hung from the light post we were sitting in front of. Hmmm maybe we should be scared of visiting Bolivia! They then took us to a new part which was supposed to be indoor markets etc but didn't really work so now there's a bit of a monstrosity of a building not being utilised. The locals didn't like it. Inside were a couple of flower and food stalls. We tried stuffed potatoes from one stall which were pretty good. We finished the tour at a bar with a free shot some Bolivian alcohol. So many interesting stories, this was probably my favourite walking tour so far.

Afterwards we researched and booked our Death Road tour - mountain biking down the deadliest road in the world. We heard Gravity was the best tour company to go with. Professional, good bikes etc. we had also heard about another company called Barracuda. It had really good reviews on TripAdvisor and was $40AUS cheaper. It was a bit of a risk as most people say it's worth it to pay more money for things such as these but we later found out that Barracuda is Gravity's budget company. It's owned by the same guy from New Zealand, the guides are ex Gravity guides and they just use Gravity's older bikes etc. but still just as good!

We were told about some amazing empanadas near our hostel so we asked at reception where to go. She said there is one around the corner but only opened at breakfast time/morning. So told us about another one. They were so good. I had a cheese one and a queso con picante which was cheese, spinach, onion and a slightly chilli sauce. Matt had one of the ones with the pulled meat inside.

We then met Bridget and a couple of girls she had met back at the bar at Wild Rover. She was leaving the next morning so it was our last night we'd see her, which was a little sad. We had dinner, a few drinks and chatted. We were all waking up early the next morning so didn't have a big one. It's been good having someone to catch up with throughout our travels and it feels like we have been friends since home. We will miss her. Hopefully we catch up again either in Perth or Sydney back in Oz.

Death Road

We walked to the meeting point which was an English Pub for breakfast at 6:30am. After brekky we jumped in to the van with bikes on top with the rest of the group. Our guide gave a briefing of the day as we travelled an hour to the starting point and explained why this road was named the deadliest in the world. The road used to be the main road for cars to get to La Paz. It's sheer drop offs, narrow road, loose terrain, fog and mixture of weather such as heavy rain etc. made it very dangerous and caused many accidents and deaths every year. In recent years a new road was built for cars to travel by although our guide also mentioned problems with this road such as landslide etc. They closed 'Death Road' when the new road was built and bike riding tours began to open up, although deaths still occur each year from tourists cyclists. They have also opened the road back up for some cars to pass through. If a car came past we were to ride cliff side. Matt was really excited and I was slightly nervous... We jumped off the van and it was freezing at the start of the track, there were glaziers surrounding us. We got in to our gear of jacket, pants, helmet and gloves and were assigned our bikes. We had a little test run just around the top before our guide explained how to use the bikes and safety rules along Death Road. We then did a little ritual to Pacha Mamma with a bottle of 98% alcohol to wish us luck and safety on our ride. We spilt a little on the ground, a little on our front tyre then had to take a little swig. My god that was potent.. and I only had the tiniest sip.

We were then ready to start our ride. The first part was on the new road and along smooth asphalt. We were going pretty dam fast down the hill and since it was the new road there was a fair bit of traffic. The scenery was breathtaking though, riding surrounded by snow capped mountains. We stopped for a photo of the view. As we had to concentrate on the road though it was hard to really appreciate the amazing scenery. One girl came off her bike already on this first part. I think she put her brakes on suddenly and went over the handle bars. We spoke to a girl the day before who had also come off over her handle bars. She thinks she was going around a corner and hit a rock and came off. She was really bruised down one side and she was lucky she was wearing a full faced helmet because she said she landed on her face.

We were given a snack of a banana and chocolate bar and driven an uphill section to begin on Death Road. I opted for the full face helmet for this part because I didn't want to lose my teeth if I came off and my other helmet felt too small anyway. Although I knew it wouldn't save me if i fell off the edge. This section was a LOT more bumpy than the asphalt because it was a dirt road. I hung at the back and was the last to come down at each meeting point. Matt was the first. I wasn't really scared, I was too focused on the road in front of me to noticed if there was a 400m drop beside me. I guess it was my first time mountain biking and I didn't want to go too fast (coz people die on this road) so was breaking the whole way down and I was also trying to avoid every single rock coz I think the girl who had come off the day before had freaked me out about rocks. After I built up a bit of confidence I realised that I couldn't avoid every single rock because that's what the road was made of and I just had to avoid the ones they called baby's heads, which were the larger, loose rocks along the road. I started going a bit faster but I was still at the back of the group. We stopped along the way for snacks, water and photos. As we continued down it got hotter and hotter and we had to delayer at each stopped. The scenery was amazing and changed as we went down. It started off as mountainous glaziers, then in to rainforest climate with greenery and we rode through waterfalls then at the end it became a bit more arid and then we passed through villages with chickens chasing our wheels and rode through stoney creeks until we got to the end. It was about a 4-5hour ride and I was happy to finish. Again not coz I was scared but I don't think I was riding properly so wasn't going very fast, not much adrenaline and my arms hurt from braking all the way and I found it a little boring. It was a really cool road and I'm glad I did it but I figured out mountain bike riding isn't really my thing. On the other hand Matt loved it and it was another one of his highlights, which I'm glad he did. And also glad that we did both survived the deadliest road in the world!

There was a restaurant and river at the finish line so we had a dip in the river which was so refreshing and my favourite part of the ride haha and then had pasta and salad for lunch at the restaurant. We were given a survivors shirt by our guide and he told us stories that we probably didn't want to hear before we started the ride. He had seen many accidents, broken jaws etc and had witness one death where she fell from the side. There were no signs of braking so they weren't sure whether it was too foggy and she couldn't see or she was trying to adjust her goggles or take them off and she lost sight of the road. It's pretty crazy!

It was then a 4 hour drive back up the new road (which I was just as nervous as travelling on than Death Road) and dropped back to our hostels. We were pretty knackered so had showers then went to bed.

The next day it took us all morning to sort stuff out. We had to pack up and check out and also book our overnight bus to Uyuni and tour to the Salt Flats. We had heard Red Planet was the best company to go through. Even though you paid a little bit extra, they had English speaking guides, good drivers, the cars were safe, you were looked after and they also knew how to set up your photos for you. We had heard to pay a bit extra because some tour companies cars break down or their driver gets drunk so you have to drive the car for them :-/ I wrote emails to Red Planet that morning but they never responded so we went to the travel agent across the road who called them for us and said they didn't have any room for tomorrow's tour. We could either wait until the next day or go with another company they recommended, it would be cheaper but it would be with a Spanish speaking guide. We decided to take the risk after reading a couple of good reviews about this tour company Tunupa on TripAdvisor as we were on the move and didn't want to wait around in La Paz another day, plus it would be cheaper on our budget. Let's hope the reviews are right! We then had lunch at a recommended vegan restaurant which was kind of like the same concept as Green Point. Really cheap set menus and delicious food. We had a green salad, a soup, a main of pasta/chickpeas and a chocolate/chai tea. It was really good and I was really full after! We then went to the witches markets to buy a few things as everyone said to wait to La Paz as its all the same handicrafts and fleeces etc. but a lot cheaper. We ended up having to rush dinner at our hostel a little bit because it took longer than expected and we had to get a taxi to the bus station for our overnight bus to Uyuni. It was a double decker bus and the first full reclining seats for an overnight bus we'd had yet. We were told that the buses throughout South America were a lot better than Central. It made for a much more comfortable sleep.

Photos: Lake Titicaca

sheree — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:49:00 GMT

Bolivia hop via Lake Titicaca

sheree — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:42:00 GMT

A bus picked us up from Ollyantambo and we arrived back in Cusco around 10 or11pm. We said our goodbyes and raced back to our hostel in the cold, I was in desperate need of some sleep. It felt like home when we checked back in to Milhouse and even though we hadn't showered in 4 days we just had to jump in to bed.

The next morning I was awake fairly early, probably because we had bee waking fairly early on our trek. It felt so nice to have a shower and wash my hair. The shower was pretty hot too, I just wanted to stand understand forever. Matt was still sleeping so went upstairs to have breakfast and connect back on to wifi. I learnt some wonderful news that my friend Sophie and Leon got engaged while holidaying in Mexico. Very exciting, and since Matt and I are kind of on the countdown now which is slightly a bit devastating coz I wish I could travel forever and we are just loving this journey so much and seriously on an adventure of a lifetime. I am also excited to see all my friends and family and catch up with everyone. Especially to see this ring of Sophie's and hear how Leon proposed! I will also have lots of new babies to meet including my new nephew Felix :)

It was also my mums birthday yesterday in Australia. It was 11pm back home and I was so awake and excited to tell her all about the Inca Trail, I tried to catch her on viber while it was still her birthday but she was already in bed. After catching up on Facebook and hanging around our hostel for a bit we gave a load of washing to the laundry mat of all our stinky trekking clothes and booked our overnight bus to Bolivia for that night. We were starting to feel quite exhausted, I think the last couple. Of days had taken it out of us. So we walked around to find somewhere to eat lunch then treated ourselves and visited the chocolate museum. They gave us free samples of chocolate and cocoa (not coca) tea, then we sat down on their balcony and watched the town below whilst eating a delicious chocolate cheesecake and a yummy hot chocolate with honey and chilli.

We played some ping pong and pool, hung around the hostel and spoke to mum and dad on viber as it was now morning back home for the afternoon. We really were so tired we just wanted to lounge around on the comfy beanbags. Matt also realised that his ankle had swollen like a balloon. There were these tiny Mosquitos on the 3rd day of our trek and they were little buggers. As soon as they hit you they drew blood and you couldn't get them coz they were so tiny, like sand flies. One of the symptoms was the swelling and it's exactly what matts ankle did. If it didn't go down in a couple of days we'd get something for it. Our laundry was ready at 5pm and it was so nice to have a load of fresh clothes back. We got our bags ready and just shared a veggie burger and fries at our hostel restaurant for dinner coz we weren't that hungry before getting on our bus at 9pm.

The bus arrived in Puno in the morning where we got off and had a pretty shitty breakfast for really cheap. We then went to the jetty on Lake Titicaca where a small boat took us to one of the floating reed islands. I seen photos on the Internet of these and they looked really cool. I read you could do home stays too and see a day in the life of the people who live on these islands. I wanted to do a home stay but Matt didn't. We hadn't met anyone who had done one and reading blogs it was a bit of a hit and miss, so we decided not to. We had also heard that not many people enjoyed the Peru side of Lake Titicaca as they found it full of tourists and a bit set up. I think people who do the home stays would have an authentic experience if they stayed with a nice family but just doing two hours it's going to be a bit set up as this one of the main ways these people make money is through tourists.

Anyway we arrived pretty early around 7am so we were one of the first people visiting so it wasn't busy with tourists at all for us. Stepping off on to one of the islands was really cool, you were literally walking across spungy reeds and the huts that were the people's homes were also made from dry reeds and were really cool teepee shaped huts. Even their boats were made with reeds a were like a big canoe with swirls up tails at the front and back. They used oars to paddle them. We sat down and listened to the president of this island (apparently each island has its own president) talk to us in his native language (they don't speak Spanish) while the guide translated about how they build the islands with what look like blocks of dry soil and tie the, all together. This is what makes them float on the lake, then they stack the reeds on top in a Criss cross way to make the ground. The huts and everything are then put on top. Apparently they started living on these islands on the lake as they were slaves and fled from the mainland to the lake. It's quite interesting we had time to have a look at their homes and buy handicrafts from them. We could then get on one of he reed woven boats and be taken to the next island, although we had to go on the normal boat coz Matt forgot the wallet so we didn't have any money to pay them the 1 sole. The next island was much like the last but a bit bigger. We then went back to shore to hop back on the bus to the Bolivian border where the company helped us cross. We ran in to Bridget's Irish friends Connor and Lou which was a coincidence. They were staying a couple of nights at the next stop Copacabana so we didn't really get to chat to them. When we arrived at Copacabana, which is a pretty chilled out town on the shores of Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian side (the lake was much more pretty from this side, I was glistening in the sun and it was so big it looked like an ocean - apparently Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world) we hopped on a boat to do a tour of Isla del Sol a small quiet island on the lake. We walked over the hill to the other side of the island. There wasn't much on this island - farmers with sheep and donkeys and a couple of restaurants and hostels but the view from the top looking over the lake and other islands with glaziers in the distance was a really pretty view. You could opt to stay a night on this island which some people we chatted to on our travels recommended to do but coz we hadn't booked any accommodation (which the company would have helped you out with but I didn't have enough convincing power for Matt) we weren't really sure where to stay etc so decided not to. Although when we were there it would have been so nice to have one night on this pretty island to relax, coming off our trek and a night bus and a big day today. But we continued on to La Paz and as we left Lake Titicaca we saw the most beautiful rich sunset over the lake. It was stunning and I imagined me and Matt with a bottle of wine at the top of the hill watching the sunset to finish our day - perfect but instead we watched glimpses of it out the bus window haha. Everything happens for a reason though and if we did stay that night we would have missed saying goodbye to Bridget as she was leaving the next day. Continuing our drive in to Bolivia (they showed Me, Myself and Irene in English! Usually most buses show in Spanish!) we drove through quite an arid but beautiful mountainous landscape with glaziers in the distance and the sun setting on Lake Titicaca behind us. I stared out the window until night fell.