UNITED KINGDOM | Monday, 2 Apr 2012 | Views [431]
It is absolutely amazing what you can do as a volunteer; or maybe not in the current political climate! My local authority has a website dedicated to volunteering so I had a scroll through and found a plethora, a magnificence of opportunities: working ... Read more >
UNITED KINGDOM | Tuesday, 27 Mar 2012 | Views [1464]
Some startling numbers to process: India is about 13 times the size of Wales with 20 times more people than the whole of the UK, yet whilst an average farmer in Wales will have about 100 hectares, most farmers in India have a mere 1 hectare with which ... Read more >
UNITED KINGDOM | Saturday, 17 Mar 2012 | Views [1513]
The excitement is electric; I have heard ‘Delilah’ at least 10 times on the radio this morning and it is only 10.a.m. as I write! Every time the word Wales is said, it is drawn out with two syllables on the A and a slight crescendo. The dragon drapes ... Read more >
ARGENTINA | Saturday, 28 Jan 2012 | Views [417]
Argentina is the country of ice cream; parlours carry about 40 flavours on average and light weights (but not for long, ha ha) may take a cone, whilst the serious Argentinian will buy a tub, which is sold in 1/4, 1/2 or 1 kilo. Considering it my duty ... Read more >
ARGENTINA | Saturday, 28 Jan 2012 | Views [640]
Mate? A tea which EVERONE drinks here. It is drunk from a gourd shaped cup, mimmicking the gourds in which it was originally served, and drunk with a pipe-come-straw. First, pop your pipe into the gourd. The end of the pipe which sits in the cup has ... Read more >
ARGENTINA | Tuesday, 17 Jan 2012 | Views [1668] | Comments [1]
It was by total chance that I spotted a picture of a welsh church on the video loop at the Esquel tourist information office as I stood forlornly in the queue and thus I ended up meeting Mr L of north Wales who moved to Patagonia some 10 years ago, ... Read more >
CHILE | Friday, 13 Jan 2012 | Views [1621]
We have reached the end of the road in Patagonia, literally. The road, never paved, does not even exist in gravel form from here, so its boat or horse or foot to get across to Argentina! Villa O'Higgins, named after the general that defended Chile to ... Read more >
CHILE | Saturday, 7 Jan 2012 | Views [842]
I guess that if you have lived your entire life in a town with a population of 550 you have talked through most matters with all your neighbours, so it must be good to get hold of a tourist to chat to, or certainly that seemed to be our landlady's thought ... Read more >
CHILE | Saturday, 7 Jan 2012 | Views [1311]
Caleta Tortel has no roads; it is an old port town situated in an inlet protecting it from the worst storms of the Pacific, all 550 inhabitants surviving through fishing and these days, tourism from December to February. They have constructed their single ... Read more >
CHILE | Saturday, 7 Jan 2012 | Views [921]
We took a 2 day trip out of Rio Tranquilo to see the San Rafael Glacier. Although the trip ran out of Tranquilo transport is needed to the km 75 marker where you will come across a tiny farm where the guide lives! A short boat ride across the river, ... Read more >
CHILE | Tuesday, 27 Dec 2011 | Views [2194]
We spent Christmas day 2011 hiking across a glacier! We had a car journey of some 90 minutes from the miniscule town of Rio Tranquillo to get to base camp, based in a wood. Then we walked a round trip of 6 hours, the first 45 minutes up through woodland ... Read more >
CHILE | Tuesday, 27 Dec 2011 | Views [1431]
The Carretera Austral, this unpaved pebble stone main road that goes from 2 lanes to 1 somewhere just past Coyhaique is the spine road, the only road, that links the towns of northern Patagonia. It was instigated by Pinoche,t with places like Puyuhuapi ... Read more >
UNITED KINGDOM | Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 | Photo Gallery
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CHILE | Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 | Views [781]
This is a 2 pipe tale so if you don't smoke a pipe, maybe make a cup of tea! Chaiten was a town of over 4,000 people and a central hub for all transport: ferries from the west and all buses north, south and east. But, in May 2008, the volcano that ... Read more >
CHILE | Monday, 19 Dec 2011 | Views [597]
Our 9 hour bus trip south consisted of 3 ferry crossings, as they have no roads in some areas, and during those crossings we saw dolphins, otters, sea lions and penguins! Sure beats the P&O route Dover Calais.
CHILE | Monday, 19 Dec 2011 | Views [743]
The lakes district is too far south to get hot; protected by the volcanoes around from too much wind and cold so never too cold and the same volcanic hills ensure that the rain deluges down all year around, so its a very lush, fertile, green area. Many ... Read more >
CHILE | Monday, 19 Dec 2011 | Views [842]
This is listed as an UNESCO town so just one question, Why?! Is it the promenade along the seafront which you can not walk along as it is used to store the giant containers for long haul industrial shipping? Or is it the huge security fences which ... Read more >
CHILE | Friday, 16 Dec 2011 | Views [479]
Brilliant, helped by the fact that we arrived to a warm, summertime city. Santiago is obviously huge, but seems logically laid out with many, many parks, fountains, statues, green areas to shade, sit and chill for a while and tree lined roads. It has ... Read more >
ECUADOR | Friday, 16 Dec 2011 | Views [487]
The Lonely Planet would have you believe that Quito in particular, and parts of Ecuador in general are the crime centres of South America and though caution may be sound advice in a country which has some social problems, I'm not sure their warnings ... Read more >
ECUADOR | Wednesday, 7 Dec 2011 | Views [547]
La Chiva. No, its not a goat but neither is it just a bus taking tourists along the 'Waterfalls Highway'. The Chiva was very brightly coloured in reds, blues and yellows with lots of orange squiggles which made it a very jolly bus to see the waterfalls, ... Read more >
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