phileasdogg

In the beginning...
Delhi, India
Sooo, Delhi. Cows roaming the street? Check. Traffic everywhere but no discernible highway code? Check. Stifling humidity? Check. People (mainly but not exclusively men) relieving themselves against walls? Check.
The taxi ride from the airport was a bit of a nerve-jangler to start things off. Think the driver was auditioning for the role of Keanu Reeves in Speed 3: Taxi Suicide. The most surreal bit was when he started to dismantle the steering wheel while driving down a busy street at about 50mph. He was trying to get the horn to work (almost as essential a part of the car as the steering wheel in India).
Anyway, he got me to my luxury accommodation. When I say luxury, I mean it had a flushing toilet. And that's about it. Although I did push the boat out and fork out an extra 2 quid (can't find pound sign) a night for aircon. Oh, the profligacy.
In India, white face = cash register. Everyone wants to be your friend. And polite refusals don't work. Someone told me the Urdu for "go away" yesterday, but I forgot it. It's a more vital phrase than Hello, Goodbye, Yes or No. Must find out what it is again. Might also try to find out what the more persuasive alternative means too in case of emergency.
But anyway, in spite of all that, I'm not really feeling particularly stressed. Must be mellowing in my old age. There's a lot of pestering but I haven't felt remotely threatened. And early experience of the food is encouraging too. A) it's staying down, and b) it tastes pretty good too.
So I've done a few of the tourist spots and completed my Indian initiation over the past couple of days. Tomorrow it's on to the Temple of Love. That's not 160 Holland Road, it's Agra, and the Taj Mahal.
From Delhi, with love.
written by  phileasdogg on September 10, 2008 from Delhi, India
from the travel blog: Planes, Trains & Taxiwallahs

A teardrop on the face of eternity
Agra, India
Not my words, someone else's (can't remember who now).
Caught the train from Delhi to Agra on the Kerala Express this morning which takes about 3 hours. It seems every train is a Something Express, but there's nothing very express about them - you can tell it was the British who set up their rail infrastructure. But it was a good journey on old 1930s rolling stock with the 4-berth cabins that turn into bunks at night. I felt like I was in Brief Encounter.
Agra is altogether more relaxing than Delhi (although New York would be more relaxing than Delhi). Fewer cows, fewer scam merchants, less beeping etc. And the accommodation is a whole lot better too - I've even got my own private bathroom here. Ambassador, you really spoiling us.
Now all beautiful things never look as good in photos as they do in real life, and the Taj Mahal is no exception. It is truly spectacular. The first thing that hits you is the colour - Bright white marble against a backdrop of pure blue sky. Then it's the setting, on the bank of the River Yamana, in beautifully landscaped gardens, with very little noise, in stark contrast to Delhi. Then you wonder how the hell they managed to build something like that in the 1630s. Shucks, I'm gushing. But it is magnificent, all the better for the absence of a sulky Diana in the foreground.
And then sundowners on a rooftop restaurant overlooking it this evening. All very pleasant, until the rains came. Off to see Agra Fort in the morning, then it's a train to Jaipur later in the day.
written by  phileasdogg on September 11, 2008 from Agra, India
from the travel blog: Planes, Trains & Taxiwallahs

Bomb avoidance
Jaipur, India
Blimey, those bombs in Delhi were a bit close for comfort. I was in Connaught Place and India Gate 3 days ago. Hey ho.
Here's how a typical conversation with an autorickshaw driver goes...
Me: I'd like to go to (insert place).
Driver: Sure.
Me: How much?
Driver: 100 rupees.
Me (looking shocked): That's ridiculous, it's only just down the road. I'll give you 40.
Driver (looking shocked): (Insert elaborate story about how it looks short on a map but is actually much further than that, followed by) I'll take 80.
Me: 50. Final offer.
Driver: No. Is too cheap.
Me: (Start to walk away)
Driver: OK, 50.
It's OK the first two or three times, but gets a bit tedious after that. It's tempting to just pay what they want as it's sod-all in pounds, but other Indians say we shouldn't do that, because it means they'll hike their rates for everyone else. So the pantomime goes on.
Anyway, stayed an extra night in the comparative calm of Agra and got an early (6am) train to Jaipur this morning. The train actually departed at 7am which counts as on time in India. Jaipur is pretty similar to Delhi in noise and smell terms but the Old City is a bit more interesting and attractive. But I'm getting a bit bored of cities now, so looking forward to getting out to the desert of Jaisalmer and the lakes of Mt Abu and Udaipur over the next week or so.
I saw a coming together of two buses this afternoon, nothing serious just a bit of a crunch that blocked the road. 3 Indians all tugged excitedly on my shirt saying "Accident, accident". I replied to one that I imagined that was a fairly regular occurrence and he just looked back, slightly aghast, and said "No. Roads very safe in India." I beg to differ, but didn't like to hurt his feelings any more.
Accommodation is getting increasingly luxurious. The place I'm in tonight has soap, towels and, shock horror, bog roll. The rate I'm going I'll have an Elizabeth Shaw mint on my pillow by Mumbai.
Jodhpur tomorrow.
written by  phileasdogg on September 13, 2008 from Jaipur, India
from the travel blog: Planes, Trains & Taxiwallahs

It's the fort that counts
Jodhpur, India
Long old day yesterday. Finally succumbed to an autorickshaw driver offering to take me round all day, but he was good value for it. So went up to the Amber Fort just outside Jaipur, then took in a few more sights, and finally to the train station for the 5.5 hour ride to Jodhpur. I don't know whether it was the journey, or food, or sapping heat or just general exhaustion, but I felt pretty rough by the time I got to my hotel in Jodhpur at 11pm. Thought some food might help but my stomach said "erm, no thanks" and sent it back from whence it came! Not the best way to ingratiate myself with my new hosts.
Jodhpur is a town that sprung up on an old trade route, and is dominated by an impressive fort that looms over it on a big hill. The Indians love their forts. In fact, given that they're so heavily fortified, it's surprising that the British were able to just waltz in and take over in the 1600s. It wasn't even the British military, but the East India Company, a commercial trading company. "Right chaps, surrender your independence or we'll, erm, audit you."
Jaisalmer tomorrow, and you've guessed it, another fort. But also some camel trekking in the desert. A chance to live out the Arabian Nights fantasy that I, er, never had. And also a chance to see how effective the ciprofloxacin is on the 5 hour bus ride!
written by  phileasdogg on September 15, 2008 from Jodhpur, India

Camel Happy
Jaisalmer, India
Ah, peace at last. All my previous stops have had populations of at least 800,000, and within 24 hours you feel like you've been approached by every one of them. Jaisalmer only has 58,000 and they were all waiting at the bus stand when I arrived, so once I'd got through that melee, it got a whole lot better.
It's (another) fort-dominated town in the desert of western Rajasthan, and having once been a major trade route town, it now relies on tourism dollars, and specifically, camel safari dollars. So against my inherent unwillingness to be a typical tourist, I'm joining the throng of desert-trekkers tomorrow, with the promise of rolling sand dunes, and sleeping out under star-laden skies.
The 5-hour bus ride here was disappointingly incident-free. I'd been promised that I would fear for my life at least once every hour, but there was only one minor brake/swerve action caused by an errant bullock. I was in more danger getting off the bus - as the only white face on board I was besieged by a gaggle of teenagers eager to get my accommodation business. I now have some understanding of what it must be like to be a celebrity, but rather than flashbulbs, I was confronted by a sea of suspiciously amateurish business cards carrying such testimonials as "Hotel Jaisal View - most bestest hotel in hole of Rajasthan". Thankfully I'd booked in advance, though was slightly concerned on arrival to see that my hotel was next door to Hotel Swastika. As far as I know none of the Third Reich hail from Jaisalmer, but one can't be too careful.
written by  phileasdogg on September 16, 2008 from Jaisalmer, India

Saddle Sore
Jaisalmer, India
Hmm, don't think I'll be investing in a camel when I come back to London, they're not the most comfortable mode of transport. My backside hasn't been this sore since I left public school.
My Swiss co-rider Stephanie and I were driven out into the desert by jeep where we met our trusty steeds and two camel drivers. We then trekked about 20kms through the desert, but it's no Turkish Delight setting of rolling sand dunes and tumbleweeds, more like a cross between arable farm land and scrub, so not especially exciting. We had a 4-hour lunch stop because it's just too hot in the middle of the day, then trekked a further 10kms until we finally hit the sand dunes we'd been promised, and very impressive they were too. For about the last hour, sipping occasionally on hot water, I just couldn't stop thinking about a cold beer. It was like torture, but when we reached our destination the camel driver whipped out a few bottles of Kingfisher that he'd somehow managed to keep relatively cool. I can't begin to describe how good that tasted. So we cooked up some dinner over a fire and for the first time in 10 days just appreciated some complete silence. We just slept out on blankets on the dunes, and then trekked for another couple of hours in the morning to meet the jeep. I wasn't sorry to see the back of that camel (jokes to the usual address please).
Spent most of yesterday looking round Jaisalmer with a great Slovenian couple from Trieste, and have given myself a day of rest today before a gruelling 12-hour bus ride to Mt Abu tomorrow.
PS. Lest there be any ambiguity, the statement about public school was a joke!
written by  phileasdogg on September 19, 2008 from Jaisalmer, India

Another fort
Jaisalmer, India
This one of the Jaisalmer variety, as viewed from my hotel.
written by  phileasdogg on September 19, 2008 from Jaisalmer, India

Rules & Regulations
Note to self - must stop misusing drinking water.

Scaffolding, Indian-stylee
Sooner you than me buddy...

Buses. Lots of them.
Abu Road, India
Mount Abu is a bit like the Blackpool of Rajasthan, a weekend retreat for Indians complete with ice cream, candy floss, pedaloes and amusement arcades. It's on a hilly plateau 1200m up, and the winding drive up the mountain felt more Alpine than Indian. Not that I was spending much time admiring the scenery. It was the final leg of a torturous 4-bus, 14-hour journey from Jaisalmer. When it comes to public transport, there's no room for politeness here. I was a bit too British in boarding the final bus amid the flailing arms and legs of the locals, so ended up in a cramped space in the driver's cabin. With 5 other people. And all our luggage. Not good.
What I really wanted on arrival was a slap-up feed and a beer. Sadly Mt Abu is on the border of Gujarat state, and 90% of Gujuratis are vegetarian and teetotal. But to my great surprise, the non-descript looking restaurant next to the hotel served up comfortably the best meal I've had out here. It was a thali, a meal made up of rice, chapatis, poppadums, salad, dry veg, curried veg, dhal and various relishes. Waiters just kept bringing the various component parts and ladling them onto my tray until I admitted defeat. It was fantastic. And the price of this princely feast? 70 rupees. About 90p. And I even managed to get a couple of beers to smuggle back to my room. Result.
written by  phileasdogg on September 22, 2008 from Abu Road, India

Trekking. Or maybe not.
Abu Road, India
Mt Abu is a major pilgrimage centre, but because of its remote, forested location, also offers good walking and wildlife spotting opportunities including bears, cobras, wild boars and hyenas. So I went to see the local trekking guru, the improbably-named Charles, and he said he'd take me out in the morning for a few hours. He was going through the drill when I picked out some line about "don't bring any valuables, local tribe murdered a tourist in February." Perhaps sensing my apprehension, another guy smiled and said "Tourist was not with Charles, tourist was lonely. You are being safe with Charles." No disrespect to Charles, but he's about 5ft 3 and 9 Stone dripping wet. It would be like being protected by Paul Daniels, and at least he might be able to turn my would-be assailant into a rabbit. Anyway, the rains came and we couldn't go out anyway.
Udaipur tomorrow, a mere 4-5 hours away by bus.
written by  phileasdogg on September 22, 2008 from Abu Road, India

Venice. Not.
Udaipur, India
Udaipur. The Venice of the East. Just without the gondolas. Or canals. Or Cornettos. But it's actually quite nice. Fairly peaceful (these things are all relative) and a bit cooler. The focal point is Lake Pichola, and the two man-made islands on it. One is Jagmandir Island, which is home to a royal palace built by the Maharaja in 1620. And the other is Jagniwas Island, upon which stands the outstanding Lake Palace hotel, where one can sip Cristal by a white marble pool underneath a mango tree for a trifling US$450 a night (cheapest room). And impressive enough for parts of Octopussy to be filmed there. And boy do you know about it. Just about every hotel in town shows screenings of Octopussy. Every night. I don't want to rain on their parade, but it wasn't even a good Bond movie. Roger was knocking on a bit. "Bond. James Bond. Licence to suck on a Werther's Original."
The journey here took 6 hours by bus, and I kid you not, three-quarters of it was on a road that was still being built. And it was in its early stages. So essentially it was 4 hours driving on a buiding site. And today I've got 16 hours on a sleeper bus to Bombay. Please can I have some tarmac for that one.
Met up with a great pair of Aussies for dinner the other day and we decided to give Indian wine a bash. A cheeky little number, with shades of balsamic vinegar washing over the palate fused with hints of Dettol and Toilet Duck. Think I'll stick to the Kingfisher from here on in.
written by  phileasdogg on September 25, 2008 from Udaipur, India

Animals
Udaipur, India
Not sure why, but it suddenly occurred to me last night that there was one animal I haven't seen since being here. I've seen most creatures that stepped onto Noah's Ark in the last couple of weeks - camels, elephants, deer, assorted rodents, enough dogs to feed China for a month, and thousands of cows. But not one cat. Maybe that's related to the fact that there's a malnourished feral dog on every street corner, but it still seemed odd. Still, I'm sure I'll struggle through the next few weeks sans mog.
And speaking of animals, the whole cow thing is just surreal. They are literally everywhere. Wandering aimlessly around markets, on main roads, up alleyways, everywhere. Now I know they're sacred to Hindus so can't be killed or harmed, but frankly they're such emaciated, disease-ridden, hapless looking creatures that it would be far kinder to take a bolt gun to them. Not that I'd be carving a steak off them. "Would monsieur like ze fillet steak? Our cows come from ze inner city of Delhi, feeding off a diet of cardboard and plastic waste, and drinking from ze open sewers." I think I'll have the omelette thanks garcon.
written by  phileasdogg on September 25, 2008 from Udaipur, India

Taboo or not taboo
Udaipur, India
There aren't many conversational taboos out here. Strangers will happily ask how old I am, how much money I earn, but they seem most interested in my relationship status. Here's a verbatim conversation that a local guy struck up with me in a cafe yesterday.
Him: So you are married?
Me: No, I'm single.
Him: But you have girlfriend?
Me: No, no girlfriend.
Him: So you have boyfriend?
Me: Not one of them either.
Him: How long you stay in India?
Me: About 7 weeks.
Him: And you are making sex with Indian girls?
Me: Excuse me?
Him: You are looking to make lots of sex with Indian girls?
Me: Erm, it's not exactly top of my list of priorities.
Him: I am liking to make sex with white girls, but they are not liking Indian men so much.
Me: Uh-huh (not wishing to point out that it was more likely his absence of teeth and direct approach that they found off-putting)
Him: From which country girls are you most liking making sex with?
Me: Waiter, bill please.
written by  phileasdogg on September 25, 2008 from Udaipur, India

The old colony
Mumbai, India
Remind me NEVER to take a sleeper bus in India again. 16 hours from Udaipur to Mumbai on the top bunk of an aging Volvo bus on bumpy roads with the driver either sounding the horn or braking sharply (more often both) every 5 minutes.
Anyway, Mumbai is positively space age compared to most of Rajasthan. I've seen shops with glass fronts, a dog that's actually owned by someone, cars that look like they might pass an MOT, and I even experienced a hot shower. Crazy. There's certainly a strong colonial feel to it, with Victorian architecture all over the place, albeit in a slightly delapidated state. I was told I MUST see Victoria Terminus, the main train station (with 2.5 million people a day going through it), but frankly it looked like St Pancras after a battering with cannons and assorted light weapons.
So I'm joining up with an overland truck tour here that takes me round to Chennai over the course of the next 3 weeks. I'm about ready for someone else to take responsibility for travel and accommodation arrangements, and early signs are that it's a good group, although the truck is not in the greatest of health. It's a 25-year-old Mercedes that has done a few too many Miles and on the last leg from Delhi to Mumbai the transmission and one of the springs gave up. So the drivers are having a spare part flown in from England and limping the truck down to Goa to fit it while we all have to take the train. Great! Just when I thought I'd seen the last of Indian public transport. Ah well...
written by  phileasdogg on September 30, 2008 from Mumbai, India

Peace at last
Goa, India
Ah, this is more like it. Empty beach, warm sea, cold beer and fresh seafood. After another snail ride on public transport (320 Miles in 14 hours) we docked in Goa, and managed to find a quiet resort away from the main tourist areas. It's right at the start of the season anyway so fairly quiet but this place is great - just have to share the beach with local fishermen and a herd of cows. There weren't enough rooms for us on the first night so me and Londoner Gary chivalrously offered to pitch a tent on the beach and kip there. The theory of beach camping is better than the reality but hey, those brownie points can be redeemed later.
Went into the nearest tourist town yesterday but very glad to not be staying there - full of Westerners with dreadlocks, Henna tattoos and beards (not the women) who are just, like, loving the way these Indian dudes are just like, so in touch with their inner spirituality man. I suspect what they really like is that they can get stoned every day for about 50 rupees.
Anyway, there's high excitement within the team today. Not only has the spare part for the truck arrived in Delhi, but we're having a pig roast on the beach tonight. Woohoo. Strangely the two vegetarians are less excited about this, but they can have the crackling - that's not meat.
written by  phileasdogg on October 3, 2008 from Goa, India

You're gonna need a bigger boat
Goa, India
There I was, just innocently frolicking in the surf at Goa, when I stepped down and something moved beneath my foot. And then bit it. Hard. It damn well hurt. Having got back to shore there was a reasonably steady flow of blood spouting forth from the wound, so after a splendid spot of bandaging administered by Nina, one of my fellow truck riders, we decided to sample the Indian healthcare system. Apart from waiting for a ridiculously long time at Casualty check-in desk (well, there was one other patient), it was a thoroughly impressive performance. A couple of nurses cleaned it up then in came a doctor in flip-flops, anaesthetized it, cleaned it up and put a stitch in, then the nurse bandaged it up and we were on our way. With a bill for 15 quid. Bargain. Although it was agony when the anaesthetic wore off – I was writhing around on my bed wimpering like a baby. Anyway, all well now.
The same can’t be said of the truck sadly. Needless to say the part being flown from the UK still hasn’t arrived and the Indian mechanics working on it in Goa made such a mess of putting the rear suspension back together that after 180 kms to Jog Falls a couple of bolts had popped out and one strut was hanging considerably lower than the other. According to driver Dan it was putting a lot of pressure on the rear axle and it could have snapped which would have caused the truck to roll. So that’s good!
written by  phileasdogg on October 4, 2008 from Goa, India

Back on the road
Sagar, India
So after 6 days on this overland truck trip I finally get a ride on the truck. And in spite of it being 25 years old with dodgy suspension and the roads being like Swiss cheese (except it's tarmac instead of cheese and craters instead of holes) it was actually quite a comfortable 180km ride to Jog Falls, India's highest waterfall. Though that's a bit like saying Holland's highest mountain. No, that's a bit unfair, they were quite high and I imagine in monsoon season they'd be quite impressive. But there wasn't much water coming off it today. I've rinsed my toothbrush in more ferocious cascades. And the small community serving it seems to consist of 5 omelette shops and little else. The menu on the omelette shop that I went for was...
Plain omelette
Omelette with tomato
Omelette with onions
Omelette with tomato and onions
A limited menu, but boy they knew how to cook their omelettes. It was so good I had two. Indulgent I know, but I am on holiday.
written by  phileasdogg on October 5, 2008 from Sagar, India

Day of rest
Hassan, India
Plan was to go on to Mysore for some temple viewing today but apparently there's a 10-day festival on there and as we all remember from our nativity plays, if you don't book in advance, you don't get accommodation. And Mysore has no mangers. So we've driven to Hassan, about 40km from Mysore and the eager templephiles among us can do a day trip there. I'm not one of them. I'm templed out. So it's a day of rest for me and about half of the party. Hassan is a thoroughly unremarkable town of 120,000. I can't think of a single thing to say about it so I won't. All I will say is that 250km in a day is too much on Indian roads. Left at 10am and arrived at 8pm. Driver Dan is doing a top job - seems to have boundless energy for a man who exists on Sprite and Marlboro Lights.
Onwards towards Kerala tomorrow.
CORRECTION - there is something (vaguely) interesting about Hassan. The name of this hotel.
written by  phileasdogg on October 7, 2008 from Hassan, India

The long and grinding road
Coimbatore, India
OK, so I was wrong about 250km being too much in a day. Yesterday we set off at 7am, and 16 hours and 540km later arrived in Coimbatore. Then spent the next hour wandering around the ghost town trying to find anywhere open to get food, or beer, or soft drinks, or even water. Finally managed to get some Sprite, so that was a tasty dinner! For those who were up for it, there was then a 4-hour round trip to a tea Plantation starting at 7am, but I just couldn't face it, especially as we've got another 220km to do in the truck this afternoon. So it's TV, book and food for me. Exciting times.
written by  phileasdogg on October 9, 2008 from Coimbatore, India

Driving and stuff
Cochin, India
Hooray. Kerala. Another island of tranquility in a sea of chaos. And no need to get back on the truck for 4 days. By which time it will hopefully be fixed and we'll be reunited with our other driver.
In his absence I've been riding up front with Dan for the past few days and so have had a chance to observe Indian driving close up. And we've come to the conclusion that it's not reckless, or even suicidal. It's homicidal. Because when they crash (and it's surely just a matter of time) they're almost certainly going to take out plenty of others. The overtaking method (particularly popular among the decrepit state run buses) is to just pull out and move past the target vehicle (ignoring minor details like blind bends or brows of hills) and when something comes the other way just flash your lights and sound your horn and hope he stops or gets off the road. When you combine that technique with bloody awful road surfaces and drivers who only use full beams after dark, it makes for a fairly draining ride. Dan hasn't flipped yet but I sense that the camel's back can only take a few more straws!
written by  phileasdogg on October 10, 2008 from Cochin, India

On the water
Alleppey, India
Kerala feels a bit like another country from the rest of India - altogether a bit more relaxed. Which is very welcome. Still rubbish roads and driving, but a bit less chaos, litter, spitting, and the smell of sewers is not so prominent, or maybe my nose has just got used to it. Anyway, our still-crippled rig rolled into Alleppey today and we were deposited onto a houseboat for an overnight tour of the famous Keralan backwaters. I was kind of imagining an Indian version of a meandering canal boat ride along the Grand Union through central and northern England, but actually it was a bit dull. The waterways are very wide and quite busy with boat loads of other tourists and freight, and although the palm-fringed banks were quiet attractive, the scenery really didn't change at all. The Lonely Planet has it as one of their top 10 things to do before you die. All I can say is that if I shuffle off my mortal coil with that on my Top 10 list, I'll be asking St Peter for my money back. It was a perfectly pleasant trip, with a very impressive thunderstorm, but I just don't think I'll be waxing lyrical about it 6 months down the line.
written by  phileasdogg on October 14, 2008 from Alleppey, India

Sun, sand and Swedes
Kovalam, India
Back to the beach. Hooray. After winding our way inland since Goa, we've returned to the Arabian Sea and Varkala, a rather pleasant, albeit tourist-heavy clifftop resort near the southern tip of India. But a nice place to spend a couple of days - had breakfast this morning watching dolphins frolicking in the surf, followed by a long stroll along the cliff and an afternoon swim. And just about to go and meet up with a 19 and 21-year-old pair of Swedish sisters courtesy of my smooth-talking Londoner roommate Gary. The ugly one looks like Helena Christensen. So all-in-all a pretty good day really.
written by  phileasdogg on October 16, 2008 from Kovalam, India

Niceness
Madurai, India
Left Varkala with some disappointment this morning (not just caused by the Swedes) for another long drive. Headed for Cape Comorin, which is the most southerly point in India. Lonely Planet says it's the Blackpool of India, but there was no rollercoaster, no knotted hankies, no donkeys and no penny arcades. Most disappointing. Not even a big plaque saying "this is the most southerly point in India", so couldn't even take the obligatory photo. Well I did, and will just have to photoshop a sign in later.
Anyway, we had the option of overnighting there or rolling on to Madurai, and the group took about 5 minutes to agree that we'd rather spend a night in Basra than Cape Comorin, so on we went.
It's tempting in India to reckon that everyone just wants to extort rupees out of you, but actually there is an underlying friendliness to the people here. We got into Madurai at 7pm without having booked ahead, and the first couple of hotels were fully booked. I explained our predicament to a local guy who first offered directions to a couple of hotels, then offered to get in the truck and come with us. While on board he phoned a couple of his mates and got them on the case, calling and visiting various hotels to see if they had room. After a while he decided it was impractical to be driving the big truck around the narrow streets, so told us to park up while he went off scouting on a motorbike. 20 mins later he returned and led us to a perfectly acceptable hotel. And was there again in the morning to take a couple of our group round the local temple. And didn't want any payment. What a man. This one's for you Charles.
written by  phileasdogg on October 18, 2008 from Madurai, India

Drivers Reunited
Tiruchchirappalli, India
Trichy. Famous for a couple of temples. And for having the loudest sodding buses in the world. Our hotel was right near a major road and the sound of rumbling diesel engines and air horns was incessant. In the end my roommate Gary and I barricaded ourselves in our room armed with a bottle of rum, some pineapple juice, a few beers and some travel iPod speakers, a combination that did a marvellous job at blotting out the din. Though the 6am wake-up call the following morning was painful.
But at least driver Dan is a happy man. We've finally been reunited with co-driver Jim and the transmission part sent from the UK 3 weeks ago, he was in an air-con room, and Chelsea were playing on ESPN. Happy days.
written by  phileasdogg on October 19, 2008 from Tiruchchirappalli, India

Vive la France
Pondicherry, India
As the tour winds its way towards my final port of Chennai, we came across a rather surreal outpost of France in the middle of India. Pondicherry is a former French colony that was surrendered by the French about 50 years ago, but still has a mildly Gallic air. I was sooo hoping to see Indians riding about on bicycles in stripy tops wearing berets and onions and smoking Gauloises, but sadly the influence doesn't stretch that far. But a lot of the road signs are French, and a few people were shouting Bonjour at the truck as we drove through. But there's not a great deal to see here, so just a one night stop.
written by  phileasdogg on October 20, 2008 from Pondicherry, India

Rain. Lots of it.
Mamallapuram, India
Ugh, Sod's law. Arrive in Mamallapuram to the best accommodation of the trip, complete with swimming pool and a beach, only for it to be like an April day in England. It's been raining for about 5 hours now. Nice little town though, with a noticeable and welcome absence of horns being blared. It's a world heritage site due to the presence of an intricately carved Stone temple dating from the 700s. Well, it was intricately carved but 1300 years of weathering and the 2004 tsunami have turned it into more of an amorphous Stone blob, but it's nonetheless impressive. Though the fact that I found the clean, 20m hotel pool more impressive either means I'm a cultural heathen or am in severe need of some exercise/peace! Or possibly both.
Anyway, starting to turn my thoughts to China now, where I will find myself deposited in less than 48 hours. Goodbye curry, hello sweet and sour dachshund.
written by  phileasdogg on October 21, 2008 from Mamallapuram, India

End of Chapter 1
Chennai, India
Here endeth the first lesson. We rolled into Chennai this morning on another very wet day, and that marks the end of this leg of the truck's circumnavigation of India, and also the end of my stay here. There is absolutely nothing of interest to say about Chennai (even the ever-optimistic Lonely Planet says it's dull as ditchwater) so I'll save my musings for the whole Indian experience instead.
A few people told me before I arrived that India was like Marmite - you either love it or hate it. I wouldn't say that I was at either end of those extremes, but it is a difficult country to enjoy, especially if like me, you're not religiously or spiritually inclined. The infrastructure is poor, there appears to be no semblance of order to anything, and yet in spite of that the bureaucracy is overwhelming. Perhaps most frustratingly they don't seem to attach any great value to their culture and history. I'm sure they do, and I'm just measuring it by Western standards, but it's a shame to see so much litter, pollution, sewage and the like everywhere. One of their major problems is that the population is growing faster than the country can support (half a billion more people in the last 50 years) and it's hard to see them becoming a global superpower (as seems to be frequently predicted) until they can address that.
On the plus side, the food has been great, the prices are fantastic if you're a Westerner, and the people are unfailingly friendly, generous and optimistic. It won't be a country I'll rush back to, but I'm glad I came. Now to tackle the other emerging superpower, China.
written by  phileasdogg on October 22, 2008 from Chennai, India

A new frontier
Beijing, China
Arriving in Beijing Airport, the contrast with India couldn't have been more stark. The place positively reeked of cleanliness, efficiency and modernity. Even the tarmac in the car park was gleaming and I didn't see one piece of litter or cigarette butt anywhere. Admittedly this is an airport that was built for the Olympics so is brand spanking new, but it was still impressive. As was the fact that people seem to actually understand the Highway Code out here, a phenomenon I haven't experienced in the last 7 weeks!
Unfortunately, another contrast with India is that it's dropped about 20 degrees in temperature, so have had to dig the fleece out of my rucksack. Think my carefully manufactured tan is going to disappear very rapidly.
Wandered around the Forbidden City today, the best preserved area in the whole of China, where the rulers of the Ming and Qing dynasties spent their time, only venturing outside its walls when absolutely necessary. It's beautifully preserved and hugely impressive. Had planned to go to Tiananmen Square afterwards but it was 5pm by the time I'd finished looking round, so will do that tomorrow instead.
But so far, so good.
written by  phileasdogg on October 24, 2008 from Beijing, China

Peking luck
Beijing, China
Sod's law. Manage to get round India for 7 weeks with only a couple of minor skirmishes with Delhi Belly, then get struck down within a couple of days of getting to China! And pick up a damn cold to boot. And met up with my new tour group for the next 3 weeks and find I'm rooming with a 50-year-old gay Californian whose snoring actually shakes the bed! But other than that it's all good!
Had a look round the Olympic stadia a couple of days ago and the Bird's Nest stadium is fantastic. Also went to see Tiananmen Square which is just, erm, a very big square. With a lot of CCTV cameras. And had a 2 hour drive outside of Beijing yesterday to climb about a million steps (or so it seemed) to get up to the Great Wall and then climb along it. It's hard enough to get to, so building the thing is a pretty impressive achievement. But it was a beautiful autumnal day and the views were fantastic. And followed that up with a trip to the theatre to see 'The Legend of Kung Fu'' which was part fictional story, part acrobatics and part kung fu, and was actually highly entertaining.
Now off for some Peking duck and then it's the night train to Xian.
written by  phileasdogg on October 26, 2008 from Beijing, China

Garden gnomes
Xi'an, China
Took the overnight train from Beijing to Xi'an last night and already the group has divided into two halves - the Fun Gang and the No Fun Gang. Thankfully I'm in the former supported by a British couple, Jo and Jay, Aussie Jodie and American Richard. So we did the beer and cards thing while the others read and slept and generally looked on disapprovingly. But the beer is only about 3.3% ABV here so the chances of us getting up to any alcohol-fuelled high jinx was fairly limited.
Anyway, got to the very nice city of Xi'an which was once China's capital city, and went to see the Terracotta Warriors, a vast underground network of 6000 lifesize soldiers protecting the tomb of the first Emperor of China in about 200BC I think, but only discovered in 1974. The scale of it is immense and must have taken tens of thousands of men to complete. Each individual piece is unique and manufactured to a very high standard, probably because if the craftsmanship wasn't up to scratch then the poor craftsman risked having his head lopped off. Anyway, all very impressive and worthy of its "Eighth Wonder of the World" tag.
Also went for a bike ride around the 14km city wall surrounding Xi'an. Nice city, shame we've only got one night here really.
written by  phileasdogg on October 27, 2008 from Xi'an, China

Aaaahhhh
Chengdu, China
Baby pandas. Bless. Had another overnight train ride from Xi'an to Chengdu (similar activities to the last one) then went to visit the Panda Breeding Centre nearby the following morning. I thought they would just sit there in their enclosures munching on bamboo but they were quite active - two of them had climbed up a tree and were trying their best to displace each other from the top perch. Needless to say the 6 babies in the panda incubator were very cute. Apparently pandas aren't the most maternal creatures so the cubs often need to be taken away from their mothers for their own safety until they're a bit older.
Slight issue within the tour group emerging. The female half of the Canadian couple is a feisty little one and as she keeps reminding us all, has done 12 trips with this tour company before. Anyway, she reckons a couple of the entry fees that we've been charged for should be included within the overall cost but the way she puts this to our Chinese tour leader David has all the subtlety of a knee in the crotch. It says in our tour notes that one of the worst things you can do to a Chinese person is disrespect them in public, but that doesn't stop her from shouting her mouth off to him in front of the rest of us. He seems a pretty easy going guy but I wouldn't blame him for slipping some superstrength laxative into her noodles.
written by  phileasdogg on October 29, 2008 from Chengdu, China

Back to basics
Leshan, China
So after the pandas we took a bus on to Leshan, which is most famous for having a great big Buddha carved into a cliff face, Mt Rushmore style. Quite who thought that was a good idea I don't know, but it seems like a lot of hard work for something that actually looks more comic than anything else. But it doesn't stop busloads of Chinese rocking up for a quick pray and to get their mugshots taken in front of it. Anyway, from there it was on to Emeishan, where the rural leg of the tour really starts. We're staying in a working monastery at the foot of Mt Emei, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. It's a stunning setting, and makes a nice change from the blandness of most hotel rooms. The monks, as you would expect, have the stereotyped shaved heads and robes, but less expectedly most of them seem to have state of the art mobiles clamped to their ears most of the day. And I'm having doubts about the old adage of "cleanliness is close to godliness". The toilet facilities in the monastery are, erm, rudimentary. The smell is on a whole new level from what I got in India. Thankfully Jo has fashioned a poo scarf, consisting of a standard scarf scented with perfume, to be wrapped around the face before entering said facilities.
Anyway, we climbed up Mt Emei today, where we were promised spectacular views from the summit. Sadly, we could barely see each other by then, thanks to the persistent rain and mist. Hey ho. All good training for a longer 2-day trek next week.
written by  phileasdogg on November 2, 2008 from Leshan, China

Noodles and Absolut
Kunming, China
Yet another overnight train down to Kunming in Yunnan province. More beers, more cards but the novelty of sleeper trains has definitely worn off. Particularly when you're woken at 7am by some Chinese dude giving a rasping hawk and gobbing into the bin in your cabin! Hawking and spitting is an ever-present in China but it doesn't matter how much you hear/see it, it doesn't get any better.
Anyway, Kunming is an intermediate stop before getting into some of the prettier, more traditional Chinese towns and villages in southern China. Everyone was starving by the time we arrived at 2pm, so tour leader David took us to a local restaurant for cross-the-bridge noodles - you get a big bowl of boiling chicken soup and then raw noodles, meat and veg, stick it all together, and get busy with your chopsticks. It was pretty good. But then we had 5 new members join the tour today so did the sociable thing and went for a group meal about 4 hours later. David took us to a different place and we told him we just wanted something light, so he rabbited away at the waitress in Mandarin and what should turn up 5 minutes later but exactly the same dish we were still digesting. You can have too much of a good thing. There was also some weird performance going on while we were eating which appeared to consist of Chinese people dressing in different world costumes (cowboy, Mexican etc.) and singing badly. So we repaired to a nearby bar and got stuck into a bottle of Absolut vodka. Everything seemed much better then.
written by  phileasdogg on November 3, 2008 from Kunming, China

Another post
Dali, China
Another bus ride on to Dali, a very agreeable little town nestled between a mountain and a lake. Went up the mountain on day 1, then got on the bikes and went around some local villages on day 2. Saw some great local markets and had a taste of Chinese pizza from a street vendor - that should definitely be imported. Sadly the weather took a turn for the worse by midday. There's been loads of rain here the last few weeks and there was evidence of flooding everywhere. There was a landslide in a nearby village yesterday that killed 40 people. So the journey home wasn't much fun - think a grey, drizzly November day in England and that's about it. They don't really do heating in China it seems, so took quite a while to warm up again. Needless to say the process was aided by some alcohol. It's a beautiful town though, and really feels like proper China, complete with centuries old buildings, narrow little streets, outdoor food vendors and traditional craftsmen. Apparently the next stop Lijiang is even more beautiful, so just hoping for better weather there.
written by  phileasdogg on November 4, 2008 from Dali, China

Climb every mountain
Lijiang, China
Lijiang is beautiful. It's like a picture postcard Chinese town, nestled in the mountains with streams coming straight down off the mountain and running through the maze of cobbled streets, lined with traditional craft shops, guesthouses and Chinese and Tibetan restaurants. We're staying in a brilliant little guesthouse built around a courtyard and although it gets distinctly cold at night, the days have been clear and sunny.
Lijiang was the base for our 2-day trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge, about 2 hours away by bus. As its name would suggest, the Yangtze River surges through a Canyon in the mountainous terrain, and we trekked high above it along mountain paths for about 17kms, overnighting in a guesthouse halfway along. The views were spectacular, and it felt a bit surreal playing cards and having a couple of beers as the sun set on that landscape, with a couple of the Danish boys in our group playing their harmonicas. Think Sound of Music meets Deliverance!
All in all a very enjoyable few days. In fact the last week has been great, and it really feels like we're seeing proper China now. Yangshuo is our next stop, and promises more of the same, so fingers crossed.
written by  phileasdogg on November 8, 2008 from Lijiang, China

Final port
Yangshuo, China
I was sorry to leave Lijiang, it was a beautiful town in a great setting, but all good things must come to an end. So we took a couple of local flights to Guilin then a bus to Yangshuo, the last stop in China. The weather has been getting progressively better the further south we've come (the Beijing fleece has long since been discarded) and it was a distinctly balmy 25 degrees in Yangshuo. It's another beautiful landscape, one unlike anything I've seen before. There are about 20,000 karsts dotted across the region, cylindrical or steep pyramid limestone formations ranging from 100m to 300m tall. They give the landscape a magical, ethereal feel, particularly in the early morning mist. We went out for a bike ride a couple of days ago which was just great - unlike the one in Dali, this was proper off-road biking, through little villages and paddy fields being harvested (all by non-mechanical means). Then in the evening we went to see a light show at one of the lakes in town, choreographed by the guy who designed the light show at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It featured a cast of hundreds, many of whom were local fishermen or farmers, and was highly impressive, aided by the stunning backdrop.
Then yesterday a few of us went kayaking down the Li River which was good fun and a nice peaceful way to appreciate the landscape. It's been good to have 3 full days here - the town itself is not as pretty as Lijiang but is still a very enjoyable place to stay (in spite of a rat running across the floor of our restaurant yesterday!) In fact the last week or so has been brilliant - I'll be sorry to leave China when I get on the overnight train to Hong Kong tonight.
written by  phileasdogg on November 13, 2008 from Yangshuo, China

Another colony
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Honkers. Yet another ex-colony. With one of the more interesting stories behind it. China was a net exporter via HK in the mid-19th century thanks to the spice trade, but that soon changed once the British started importing opium from India, which the Chinese took to with some relish. Due to the adverse effect this had on both the economy and the workforce, the Chinese attacked and destroyed a British shipment of opium, the British retaliated and the first opium war was started, which resulted in the Chinese ceding Hong Kong to Her Maj "in perpetuity". 50-odd years later we got hold of the New Territories (Kowloon etc) as well on a 99-year lease. When that expired in 1997, Britain decided it was probably right to hand back Honkers as well. Anyway, that started a 50 year period where Hong Kong is treated as a special economic and political zone (though still controlled by central Chinese government) before being fully reintegrated in 2047. Here endeth the history lesson.
That all gives it a very different feel to the rest of China, but the disappointing thing (apart from the cost of everything) is that if you're not into shopping, there doesn't seem to be a great deal to do here. Once you've been down to the harbour and admired the skyscraper-laden vista, and been up Victoria Peak, there doesn't seem to be much left. And at 6 quid a pint, even drinking doesn't hold the same appeal as it did on the mainland! Though that didn't stop a few of us going into Soho on HK Island to celebrate Richard's upcoming 50th birthday with several long island iced teas at a live jazz club. Nice.
Anyway, overall I've really enjoyed China. It still has some major political and social issues to sort out but as a visitor I've found it to be a country with a proud and fascinating history, the food has been great, the scenery beautiful and the people hospitable. If they would just stop spitting everywhere it would be even better! My tour group have been great for the most part too, with the exception of the demanding Canadian and the slightly spooky guy from the Isle of Man. So it's with a slightly heavy heart that I move on, lightened by the fact that my next stop is in Penang where I'm meeting my mum and her husband Bob for a few days of R&R in a 5-star hotel.
written by  phileasdogg on November 17, 2008 from Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Feet up
Batu Feringgi, Malaysia
Ah. A bit of 5-star comfort after the trials of India and China. (Actually the accommodation in China was very good). But still nice to be at a beach in Malaysia with nothing to do for 4 nights. And good to catch up with my mum and Bob.
There isn't actually a huge amount to do in Penang, and the weather has been a bit variable, so 4 nights is probably enough. Did a tour of the island a couple of days ago, and then took the ferry over to Langkawi yesterday and toured around there. Well I say toured, the guide was bloody useless, preferring to use gestures to words (obviously a fan of legendary 80s quiz show Give Us A Clue), and opted not to take us to Underwater World because "it's school holidays and it will be too busy" (in mime) so took us to the Malaysian version of TK Maxx instead. Thanks, I really sat on a ferry for 2 hours to buy a discounted pair of socks.
Anyway, nice hotel, though between Hong Kong and Penang I've now spanked more cash than I did in 7 weeks in India. Possibly.
Oh, and as a footnote, I think my parents have started regressing in age since hitting 60. My mum went parasailing today and I got an email from my dad saying he'd been to a Madonna concert in Vegas! Whatever happened to knitting needles and Werthers Originals?
written by  phileasdogg on November 20, 2008 from Batu Feringgi, Malaysia

Defective aircraft
Christchurch, New Zealand
What a sodding journey that was. Let me take you through it...
Friday 10am - leave hotel in Penang
1pm - flight to Singapore
3pm - arrive Singapore
8pm - flight to Sydney
Saturday 6am - arrive Sydney, for 9am flight to Christchurch (so far, so good)
9am - announcement that there's a problem with our plane's engine, and they need to find another aircraft. Should take 4 hours.
1pm - board new aircraft and taxi to runway. Pilot then announces there's a problem with the take-off flaps and we need to go back to the gate and get it checked
3pm - told that the flight is cancelled and we'll overnight in Sydney and catch the 9am flight tomorrow
Sunday 9am - taxi to runway. Pilot announces there's a problem with the flaps and we need to go back to the gate and get it checked (seriously)
11.30am - not a major problem (thank god) and we finally take-off
4pm - arrive in Christchurch
So that was fun. Thanks Qantas. They were all very nice with free food vouchers and use of their lounge etc. but what they really need is to get some planes that aren't held together with sticky tape.
Anyway, finally on NZ soil. Christchurch is a very nice city, with a substantial English feel to it. And I don't mean it's full of hoodlums spilling out of pubs and vomiting in the gutter, or 15-year-old girls smacking their crisp-wielding offspring. It's green, has a charming punt-filled river running through it, and has statues of Captains Cook & Scott and Queen Victoria. Quite right too. And the weather is distinctly English, with the suggestion of rain at any time, though the heavens haven't opened yet. But I'm not staying here long. Got a bus ride to Dunedin in the morning then going to do a 150km bike ride towards Queenstown over the next 2 days. It's along a disused railway line and is supposed to offer some beautiful scenery. So fingers crossed the rain holds off.
written by  phileasdogg on November 22, 2008 from Christchurch, New Zealand

Onwards...
Dunedin, New Zealand
So I caught the bus down to Dunedin today and had half a day there. Which was about a quarter of a day more than I needed. Admittedly it just rained for the whole time I was there which didn't improve my image of the town. But even with good weather it would still be a bit of a dreary provincial town, reminiscent of what I imagine small towns in the mid-west of America to look like. Functional. But with limited character. Somehow my brother and his wife managed to spend a whole year working at the hospital here - I can only imagine they achieved this by spending as little time outside of work in the town. Looking forward to getting on two wheels tomorrow and pedalling as fast as possible outta here!
written by  phileasdogg on November 25, 2008 from Dunedin, New Zealand

Solitude
Queenstown, New Zealand
Had a very pleasant 2-day journey between Dunedin and Queenstown. On Wednesday morning I took the Taieri Gorge railway from Dunedin to Middlemarch. It's one of the world's most scenic train rides and was indeed quite beautiful. And then I picked up my mountain bike and took to the Otago Rail Trail, a 150km route to Clyde that follows the route of the old railway line. It's a beautifully scenic ride for the most part, interspersed with some long, mainly agricultural stretches, but is still relatively unknown outside of New Zealand - I must have passed no more than 30 other bikers for the whole two days. I overnighted in a hotel in Ranfurly which called itself an 'Art Deco' hotel, but it quickly became apparent that that just meant it hadn't been refurbished since 1930. But it had food and a bed so that did the job. 92km on day 2 was a bit of a push - definitely some saddle soreness towards the end of that stretch. But a very nice ride. Then a shuttle bus took me on the Queenstown, New Zealand's 'adventure playground', where I'm meeting up with the legend that is Keith Graham Potter, of DHL Vauxhall fame.
written by  phileasdogg on November 27, 2008 from Queenstown, New Zealand

KP
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a beautiful town, on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded on all sides by towering mountains. And it was made even better by the arrival on Friday of my old mate from the Rose of the Shires, now resident in Auckland, Keith Potter. In spite of hearing from a lot of people that all the "adrenaline" activities in Queenstown are better done in other parts of the country, we felt we had to do something, and as a bungy was out of the question after KP had a ledge bail-out at the one in Lake Taupo, we opted for whitewater rafting on the Shotover River. It was pretty tame to be honest, not a patch on the Zambezi. The scariest thing about it was the drive to the river along a narrow ledge in the mountains with nothing between the bus and a very long drop down into the gorge.
That was followed by a long evening in the many bars of Queenstown, biding time until the England-NZ rugby match kicked off at 3.30am. The less said about the game the better. But it probably wasn't such a great move to hike up Ben Lomond the next day after KP had left. But in spite of a rather sore head I made it up there, and it was worth it for the view from the top. There's no doubt there are some beautiful landscapes in this country - just hope I don't get scenery fatigue too soon!
Off to Te Anau tomorrow, the main access point for Milford Sound.
written by  phileasdogg on December 1, 2008 from Queenstown, New Zealand

Inclement weather
Te Anau, New Zealand
Te Anau is a sleepy little town on the shore of Lake Te Anau, with a permanent population of just 2500. But that more than doubles during high tourist season, because it's the entry point to Fiordland, home of the Milford Track and Milford Sound. Milford Sounds is one of a number of fiords along the south-west coast, but is the most spectacular. It was uncharacteristically missed twice by Captain Cook when he circumnavigated New Zealand in 1770 and 1773, and was only discovered in the early 1800s by a Welsh sealer who named it after his (and my dad's) home town of Milford Haven.
Sadly it was a very English day weather-wise when I went out on a cruise there - grey skies, mist and persistent rain. It did mean there were a lot more waterfalls in full flow, and you still got a sense of the scale of the towering mountains all around it, but I imagine it would look stunning on a sunnier day. The mountains rise straight up by between 5500 and 6500 feet on either side of the water, and descend for 1000 feet below it, but you have to see it to get a sense of the scale of the place - photos don't really do it justice.
This part of the world is also famous for the Milford Track, a 56km path from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound that takes 4 days to walk. I didn't have time for that, so just did a day trek along the first section. It's mainly a bush walk through rainforest, and is beautiful. The forest is really dense, and about 10 people a year wander off the track and are never seen again. All a bit Blair Witch.
Also received the splendid news yesterday that I'm an uncle for the third time, to Oliver Walter Jones.
written by  phileasdogg on December 3, 2008 from Te Anau, New Zealand

Ice cubes
Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
One of the problems with NZ being a fairly large, mountainous country with not many people is that public transport doesn't run especially frequently. So even though it's only quite a short distance as the crow flies, it's taken me two days to get from Te Anau to Franz Josef, via Queenstown. The plus side is that the 8-hour coach ride from Queenstown to Franz Josef was a beautiful drive up the west coast past mountains, lakes and rainforests. And the coach driver gives a running commentary, and makes regular stops for photo opportunities. Can't really seeing that happening on the National Express from London to Newcastle - "and if you look to your left you can see a Moto Services, famous for being the site of the first Little Chef in England..."
I'm now in Glacier country, and spent the day out at Franz Josef Glacier. Recent rain meant I couldn't hike on it, but it was pretty impressive just to walk up to the face of it. Apparently it's very unusual to get a Glacier in a temperate, rainforest-heavy landscape, but it makes for a spectacular sight. They've had 3 water surges in the past 10 days, where a build-up of water bursts through the front of the Glacier, so our guide was a bit nervous, but you get about 10 minutes warning between a booming sound and the water coming through, so there's enough time to get to higher ground. Nothing happened anyway.
written by  phileasdogg on December 5, 2008 from Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

Horatio
Nelson, New Zealand
Looong day's drive to Nelson in the north-west of the north island, gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park. Pretty rubbish weather, but went out for a day of kayaking round the coast followed by trekking along the coastal path anyway, which was all very good. Although my knees are giving me a bit of grief - don't think they've fully recovered from the 2-day bike ride a couple of weeks ago. Ageing, it's a terrible thing.
There seem to be an inordinate number of Germans in New Zealand at the moment. Even a German guy said to me that Germany must be empty at the moment. Not that it's a big problem, they're not strutting around barking orders, and most of them seem to be travelling in buses rather than Panzers, it's just a bit of a change from the usual travelling crowd of Brits, Aussies and Americans.
written by  phileasdogg on December 7, 2008 from Nelson, New Zealand

Repetition
Picton, New Zealand
Hmm, these blog entries are starting to get a bit repetitive. Travel somewhere, admire scenery via foot/bike/kayak, move on. I guess that's the thing with NZ - beautiful country though it is, there's not a great deal beyond that. And because I've been doing the south island on my own, I haven't got any particularly amusing anecdotes about fellow travellers either, because you only really have time to talk to people long enough to establish country of origin, time away from home, places visited/to visit, and a few other bits and pieces. Anyway, that'll all change when I meet up with KP in Wellington to tour the north island - he's always good value for a few stories.
So Picton was my last stop in the north island. Just time for a day's mountain biking on the Queen Charlotte Track before jumping on the ferry. It was great biking though, with some great single-track downhills (obviously preceded by rather unpleasant climbs).
written by  phileasdogg on December 9, 2008 from Picton, New Zealand

Windy Welly
Wellington, New Zealand
Came across to Wellington on the ferry a couple of days ago. The journey out of Picton through the Marlborough Sounds is beautiful. And I've finally found somewhere in New Zealand that has a bit of dynamism and vibrancy to it (admittedly that's what people normally come here to get away from). Although Auckland is the commercial centre of NZ, Wellington is its cultural capital, and it's got a nice feel to it - some cool bars and cafes, a nice waterfront strip. Still can't get a sit-down meal between 2pm and 6pm though. NZ opening hours are a bit archaic!
Met up with Sophie a couple of days ago, an ex-colleague from Leo Burnett, and she showed me round the sights of Welly accompanied by 9-week-old Monty. Then the legend that is Keith Graham Potter arrived from Auckland yesterday, so we hit the city bars and pubs for a Saturday night out, NZ-stylee. From what I can remember it was a highly entertaining evening. We've now got 8 days to do the north island before KP has to be back at work, so it's back on the road today - after bussing round the south island, it's good to have a more flexible transport option. And a chauffeur to boot. Music selection is poor though - he's only got 6 CDs, 3 of which are 'Best of 80s'. Not good.
written by  phileasdogg on December 12, 2008 from Wellington, New Zealand

Ghost town
Napier, New Zealand
Had a fairly long drive up the east coast yesterday to Napier, a city that was flattened by an earthquake in 1931, and has subsequently reinvented itself as "the world's leading art deco city" as a result of the rebuilding style. I don't know whether they're expecting another earthquake imminently, but there was nobody here as we drove into town. We expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across the road and saloon doors swinging in the breeze. Even when we went out for dinner there was nobody bar a couple of waitresses in any of the restaurants. But in spite of that all accommodation options seemed to be fully booked. Very strange. So we ended up staying in Napier Prison, which thankfully has been converted to lodgings now. Although sleeping in a cell less than 20 metres from where 4 people were hanged didn't make for the most peaceful night's sleep. Anyway, it is the most architecturally attractive town I've seen in NZ, not that it's got any stiff competition for that mantle.
Hired some bikes this morning and headed out round some of the Hawke's Bay wine estates to sample their wares. At the first place we visited, it didn't take our host long to figure out we were no connoisseurs but did know our cricket and rugby, so he proceeded to regale us with tales of his playing days, and how many famous sportsmen he knew etc. Thankfully accompanied by several wines. The bikes weren't looking such a good idea. But managed to wobble our way around another 3 estates.
written by  phileasdogg on December 14, 2008 from Napier, New Zealand

Weather issues
Waiouru, New Zealand
The plan today was to do the Tongariro Crossing, supposedly the best one-day hike in NZ, and judging from the photos, a pretty spectacular one around volcano craters and Bright blue pools. So we got dropped at one end of the trail and set off in sunshine. But as we climbed the edge of the volcano the mist started to descend and the winds got up. Then about 2-3 hours in we hit a Ridge between two craters where the wind was whistling across at about 40mph. Everyone on the trail ground to a halt for about 20 mins hoping it would clear, but to no avail. And as nobody was prepared to be the Guinea pig and see if they could make it across in one piece, we had to decide that discretion was the better part of valour and go back the way we'd come. Which was a bit of a sod as all the best scenery was on the second half of the trail! I've got to say that considering this is supposed to be summer, the weather out here has been bloody awful. If you were leaving the UK to escape the weather there, I wouldn't be heading to NZ - it's exactly the same here.
So onwards to Lake Taupo, where hopefully we'll get better weather, and might even see more than 5 people in a pub at one time.
written by  phileasdogg on December 16, 2008 from Waiouru, New Zealand

Golf and parachutes
Taupo, New Zealand
Taupo is a nice town, kind of like the Queenstown of the north island. Huge lake in the middle, and not quite as mountainous as Queenstown, but still pretty rugged terrain around. KP came here a few weeks ago and managed to get himself to the edge of a bungee platform but no further. However, he clearly remembers the town more for the golf challenge, a floating platform about 150 yards out into the lake with a hole in it that you have to try to send a ball into from the shore. In spite of the impossibility of this task, it didn't stop him from pulling in every time we passed it to send 10 balls into the water, including one occasion where it was blowing such a gale that even the proprietor suggested that "you might be lucky to hit the platform today mate".
Anyway, Taupo is also the skydiving capital of New Zealand, and for some strange reason, I saw fit to hurl myself out of a perfectly good aircraft at 15,000ft strapped to someone else who thankfully seemed to know more about the art of opening a parachute than I did. It was great fun, although the 60 seconds of freefall went in a flash. And the view of the lake and surrounding countryside from that angle is incredible.
written by  phileasdogg on December 18, 2008 from Taupo, New Zealand

Snappers. Small ones.
Whitianga, New Zealand
At last. A couple of days that could be classified as summer. In succession. We're up in the Coromandel Peninsula which is a very attractive area filled with bays, quiet beaches and forest that the whole of Auckland descends on in January. So we decided to go out for a spot of fishing in the bay, courtesy of local man Roy, a septuagenarian who clearly enjoyed his catches, and frankly looked like he might keel over at some point. So having established which was the emergency radio channel, he took us out to a few spots that were "reliable" for fish, and over the course of the next 3 hours, KP and I managed to bag the sum total of one small snapper each, both well below the minimum permitted catch size. Fishermen we are not. But nevertheless it was good to get out on the water for an afternoon, and even better that Roy managed to get us back to shore with his heart still ticking.
written by  phileasdogg on December 19, 2008 from Whitianga, New Zealand

People. Weird.
Auckland, New Zealand
Back to Auckland on Saturday - KP has to go back to work on Monday. I felt a bit like a prisoner who's been in solitary confinement for a month coming out, blinded by the light and unfamiliar with social interaction. Because there's quite a lot of people here. We had to wait at junctions before pulling out. I even had to queue at a bar for a drink. Strange. And it doesn't feel like we're in a 1980s time warp here. Went out in the evening with KP's flatmate, and met up with Geddington CC's former overseas professional Brad and his wife, who invited us over for brunch on Xmas Day.
Also met up with my mum's cousin who has done a load of research into our family history. There's all sorts in there, including convicts and bounders, aristocrats and (possibly) royalty. But of most interest is the large amount of cash and country manors there seemed to be in the family 100-200 years ago. Where the hell have they gone? Why am I still working for a living? (Not that I am right now, but you get the point). Who's squandered the loot?
written by  phileasdogg on December 20, 2008 from Auckland, New Zealand

Home from home
Paihia, New Zealand
Since KP had to work for the few days before Christmas, thought I´d head up to the Bay of Islands for a bit of time out on the water. Sun, swimming, sailing, snorkelling, kayaking etc. All very relaxing and enjoyable. Big mistake. It was OK when I arrived in mid-afternoon. Caught the ferry over to Russell (NZ´s oldest white settlement and first capital) and had a look round there which was all very nice. But the next morning woke up to find low grey cloud and persistent drizzle. Very English weather. And it didn´t stop all...sodding...day. So replace sailing and snorkelling with reading and DVDs. Which didn´t really justify a 6-hour bus ride each way. I could have done that in KP´s flat! So the NZ ´summer´weather has succeeded in ruining Milford Sound, Tongariro Crossing and Bay of Islands which according to my Rough Guide are 3 of the best things about New Zealand. Great! Santiago here I come...
written by  phileasdogg on December 24, 2008 from Paihia, New Zealand

End of chapter 3
Auckland, New Zealand
As if to rub my nose in it, Christmas Day in Auckland was an absolute blinder, in the high 20s. Went round to Brad´s place in the morning for a top-drawer Xmas brunch, then KP dropped me at the airport for the flight to Santiago.
New Zealand has been good. The scenery is undeniably spectacular, Auckland and Wellington are both friendly, unintimidating cities, and the people are very friendly too. But I think my expectations of NZ might have been a bit high - everyone I know who´s been has loved it, and it didn´t quite hit those heights for me. The weather hasn´t helped - frankly it´s no better than the English climate, but I think the bigger thing for me is that, with only 150 years of history since Europeans arrived, there´s just not much character or soul to any of the places we visited - most towns seemed carbon copies of each other - just a bunch of prefabricated, box-shaped houses and shops set along a thoroughly practical street layout. And with only 4 million people in the whole country, a lot of the places I stayed at seemed virtually deserted. It´s that more than its geography that gives it a sense (for me) of overwhelming remoteness.
But in spite of that I´ve had a good time here, especially the north island with KP. But I´m ready to move on to the final, and longest leg of the expedition, South America, with stops in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Now there´s a place that shouldn´t be short on character. Where´s that Spanish phrasebook?
written by  phileasdogg on December 25, 2008 from Auckland, New Zealand

Christmas. Again.
Santiago, Chile
So because I crossed the international date line, I had the strange experience of leaving Auckland at 5pm on Xmas Day, and arriving in Santiago at midday on Xmas Day. And it was a bit of a chalk and cheese experience. NZ - nice brunch with KP, Brad and his family; Chile - in a bedroom that resembled a jail cell, no shops open so nothing to eat, and seemingly nobody who could speak English! Sniff, sniff.
It´s clear straight away that my Spanish is going to have to improve. Very quickly. Which shouldn´t be difficult seeing as I´m starting from a base of three words - Hola, Gracias and Que (and the third one is only thanks to Fawlty Towers). It´s not like being in Europe where you can be fairly sure that most people will know a bit of English, at least in the cities. Here, they don´t know any. So even the British method of just talking in English slower and louder is going to present problems. So I spent most of the second half of Christmas listening to Michel Thomas language tapes on my iPod and poring over the Lonely Planet Spanish phrasebook. Not necessarily one of my most memorable Christmas days, but needs must. And on the plus side, I´d learned enough after a few hours to book myself a bus journey over the Andes into Mendoza in Argentina tomorrow. At least I think I did. If no more blog posts follow this one then I obviously buggered it up!
written by  phileasdogg on December 26, 2008 from Santiago, Chile

Travel lethargy
Mendoza, Argentina
Well I managed to negotiate my way on to the correct bus to Mendoza, and it was a spectacular ride up over the Andes. Although on some of the narrower roads with sheer drops on one side, it was a bit disconcerting to see small memorials erected seemingly every 500 metres or so!
I´ve been here for 3 nights, and although it´s been good to find some other English speakers, I actually haven´t done that much apart from reading and watching DVDs. Been suffering from jet lag, and have woken up at 3am every morning since arriving in South America, so been pretty tired during the day. And on top of that, I seem to have picked up some sort of infection on my lower back, with a swelling under the skin that´s quite painful to sit or lie on. I got a doctor to come out and he prescribed some antibiotics (that was a fun conversation with the chemist!) so hopefully it should sort itself out in a few days. So all in all not the greatest start to the great South American adventure!
Mendoza is Argentinian wine country, so I did manage to get out on a wine tour for half a day, but a shame to miss out on some of the hiking opportunities around here. Still, plenty of those opportunities later in the trip. And I did manage to get my first (of many) Argentinian steaks. And when you order steak, that´s just what you get - a big lump of meat on a plate. And very tasty it was too. Anyway, it´s back to Santiago today, then a flight to Rio tomorrow where I meet up with Caroline, a friend from London who I´m travelling with for the next 5 weeks. And another language to learn - my Portuguese makes me look fluent in Spanish!
written by  phileasdogg on December 29, 2008 from Mendoza, Argentina

At the Copa, Copacabana...
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ever since arriving in Rio I haven´t been able to get that damn Barry Manilow song out of my head. I thought they´d be playing it everywhere, but for some reason it´s all samba and rumba. Unbelievable!
Anyway, Rio is a naturally beautiful city with its mountains and beaches, but there´s been some fairly unsympathetic urban planning over the past 100 years or so, so the urban sprawl does detract a bit from the natural beauty in a way that it doesn´t in Cape Town, a similarly-sited city. Admittedly Rio´s population is much bigger than Cape Town´s. And Copacabana, where we´re staying, may have the reputation but as with Bondi in Australia, that doesn´t necessarily make it the best area. It´s choked with traffic, the beach is really crowded and it has a bit of a seedy feel to it. Ipanema, the next beach along is a much nicer area.
But anyway, Copacabana is where it all goes down on New Year´s Eve, so that´s where we headed, along with a couple of Caroline´s friends who are also out here on holiday. And it was a great night. There were about a million people down there, and all along the beach front there were street vendors selling all types of food and drink, including copious quantites of caipirinha, a drink that´s more likely to cause you to collapse through sugar OD rather than alcohol! And there was some great Latino live music going on too. The fireworks display at midnight was incredible, made even more spectacular by the presence of 7 ocean liners lined up off the coast, all lit up themselves.
In spite of the jet lag, we pushed through until 3am, then called it a night. Needless to say the following day was activity-free, though in the few days I´ve been here I´ve managed to get up the Sugar Loaf, and Corcovado which is home to the statue of Christ, and more importantly, affords a great view over the city. But perhaps the greatest thing about Rio is the juice bars which are all over Copacabana and Ipanema. They sell all manner of freshly made juices and smoothies for not much more than a pound each. I´ve come to the conclusion that a freshly squeezed mango juice with ice on a muggy afternoon in the tropics is an even better rehydrator than a cold beer, or dare I say it, a cup of English Breakfast tea!
Next stop is Paraty, a coastal resort about 250km south of Rio. Although now that it´s Brazilian holiday time, it might resemble the Costa del Sol in mid-August. Just without the fried egg and chips, or copies of the Mirror.
written by  phileasdogg on January 3, 2009 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

More precipitation
Parati, Brazil
It seems my weather luck has followed me from NZ to South America! Arrived into Paraty yesterday afternoon to glorious sunshine, so went straight down to book up a day´s sailing for the following day. Needless to say the following morning produced grey clouds, which finally deposited their load mid-afternoon. The snorkelling and lazing on beaches just weren´t quite so appealing as they´d been 24 hours earlier!
So having decided that we might be better on land than water, we hired some bikes the following day and ventured a few kilometres out of town to see some waterfalls nearby. Again, having reached the furthest point out from town, the heavens opened. So got thoroughly soaked on the homeward journey. Hey ho. The waterfalls were lovely!
Paraty itself is an attractive old colonial town, with some beautiful old buildings arranged on a grid system along cobbled, traffic-free streets in the old town area. It´s a major tourist resort, so is fairly easy to get by without speaking Portuguese here. And although the weather has been a let-down, it´s been a relaxing few days here, just what was needed before the next leg of the journey - two successive overnight buses, one from Paraty to Sao Paulo and one from Sao Paulo to Foz de Iguazu. Not good.
As a slight aside, I´ve noticed South Americans make the French look positively uptight when it comes to PDAs (public displays of affection). Everywhere you go there are couples draped all over each other, engaging in most acts of affection bar actually stripping off and getting down to it. I can assure you that there´s nothing that ruins an appetite quite so much as seeing a pair of septuagenarians nibbling each other´s ears at the neighbouring table!
written by  phileasdogg on January 7, 2009 from Parati, Brazil

Bus boredom
Sao Paulo, Brazil
So the first overnight bus trip deposited us into Sao Paulo at 5am. And the next one isn´t until 8.30pm. Hmm, what to do? The bus was actually fairly comfortable, with seats that reclined 45 degrees, enough to make you think you should be able to sleep, but not quite enough to convince the brain that it´s a bed. So not much sleep was had.
Anyway, refreshed with a juice/granola breakfast snack (not quite up to Rio´s standards) we ventured forth to see the sights of Sao Paulo. And 15 hours was more than enough to see them! It´s not that it´s a particularly unattractive or unpleasant city, it just doesn´t seem to have much in the way of sights. There´s a lot of churches. And a lot of slab-sided skyscrapers that would get Prince Charles´s aesthetic radar twitching. But there´s no discernible centre to the city, just a bunch of areas loosely strung together. In the end it was quite a relief to get back on a bus, and I didn´t think I´d be saying that 15 hours earlier. Although the previous journey was only 5 hours, and this one is 16. Sooo glad we´ve booked a couple of flights for later on in the trip. I´ve had my fill of long-distance bus and train journeys on this trip!
written by  phileasdogg on January 8, 2009 from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Muchos agua
Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
Another overnight bus trip, this one taking 18 hours. I actually slept pretty well, probably because I was so knackered from the night before. Anyway, reached the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls, where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay all meet on a baking hot day. They're spectacular for their range rather than their height or water flow. They stretch like one long curtain for what must have been well over a kilometre. Really very impressive. Couldn't hang around too long because it was so hot, but thankfully the place we were staying had a swimming pool. Also good to be able to sleep in a horizontal position for a change!
written by  phileasdogg on January 9, 2009 from Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

El otro, erm, side
Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Apparently you've got to see the Falls from both sides to really appreciate them, so we hopped over the border into Argentina yesterday and took a boat ride out to the bottom of the Falls. Obviously got completely soaked but it's a great perspective. However, nothing else to do here, so straight on to Buenos Aires tomorrow courtesy of, yep, you guessed it, an overnight bus. The Argentinian buses are allegedly very comfortable. We'll see...
written by  phileasdogg on January 15, 2009 from Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

No hablo espanol
Buenos Aires, Argentina
So we´ve had a full week in Buenos Aires now, and apart from the searing heat, it´s been great. Strangely it seems to be hottest at around 4pm in the afternoon, and got up to 38 degrees the other day. The city reminds me a bit of Paris, with its wide boulevards and beautiful architecture (in places). In order to improve the old espanol I registered for beginners Spanish classes from 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday, and they were good fun. It was a good group of students (including Dolly Parton´s cousin!) and although I couldn´t be called fluent at the end of the week, I can probably now make myself understood in a restaurant which lessens the likelihood of ordering an intestine and anchovy pizza.
Spent one evening down at Cafe Tortoni, an Argentinian institution incorporating a restaurant upstairs and a tango show downstairs. I´m not sure where it stood on the tourist vs authentic axis, but it was an entertaining night out nonetheless. The body clock needs adjusting a bit out here. It seems nobody goes out before 10pm, and when we went for a night out on Saturday in Palermo, there was virtually nobody in the bar we were in until 1am. We were being escorted round by a guy from Buenos Aires, and by the time it got to 4am he told us we should go to this bar that would just be getting going! He seemed surprised when I explained that back home people would normally be passed out on their sofas with pieces of kebab stuck to their shirts.
There are some great street markets here, with impromptu entertainers performing all over the place (a higher quality variety than their South Bank equivalents) and the food has been good too. Although it´s difficult to get what you´d call a balanced meal here. If you order meat, you get a plate of meat, and if you order salad you get a huge bowl of salad. It doesn´t seem possible to get a steak and chips with a side salad. It´s one thing or the other. But the steaks are great! We went out for a day to a town in the Pampas which is Argentinian gaucho (cowboy) territory. Hoped to see poncho-clad gauchos on horseback lassoing errant cows, but sadly it was a bit tamer than that. But enough to get a sense of Argentinian history prior to the importing of culture from Europe in the 19th century.
Impressive city though it is, it is still a city with all the dirt and noise that goes with that, so it´ll be good to get down to Patagonia in a few days and get back to a bit of nature.
written by  phileasdogg on January 18, 2009 from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Coffee & TV - Blur
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
It may have come to your attention that I´ve been running out of interesting entry titles for my blog posts for a while now, so I´m now going to headline them with whatever song is in my head, usually the last one that I listened to on my iPod!
Decided to get out of the hustle and bustle of BA for a couple of days, so took a one-hour ferry ride over to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It´s an attractive seaside town that apparently used to be a key base for the Portuguese to smuggle goods into the Spanish colonies. Or something like that. Anyway, it has the feel of a Greek island with it s cobbled streets, green plazas with pavement cafes and Mediterranean-influenced architecture. For some reason there are also a lot of very old cars parked along the streets that don´t look like they´ve been moved for many years. But it´s a town with a lot of character and is a welcome refuge from the heat and crowds of BA. We haven´t done much here apart from take a bike ride out to some of the beaches nearby (on possibly the worst bike I´ve ridden since I was 10 - no gears, steel frame and a saddle that might as well have not been there).
written by  phileasdogg on January 20, 2009 from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Sally Cinnamon - The Stone Roses
El Calafate, Argentina
So after a long and generally very pleasant stay in Buenos Aires, we flew down to El Calafate in Patagonia to see the Glaciers. And it´s been brilliant - one of the most beautiful natural spectacles I´ve ever seen. The landscape around El Calafate is fairly bleak, looking a bit like a lunar landscape, and obviously it´s a lot cooler down here than in BA, but it´s all about the Glaciers. We took a boat ride out yesterday to get up close to three of the Glaciers - Upsala, Spegazzini and the most famous one, Perito Moreno. The ride out to them was fantastic, dodging icebergs in varying shades of white and blue, but getting up close to the Glacier face is the best part. They´re huge, much bigger than the ones in New Zealand and the sound of them creaking and groaning really gets the hairs on the back of the neck going. Then every 20 minutes or so a chunk of ice will shear off and crash into the water below accompanied by a sound like thunder. It´s quite an experience.
Then today we went out for a trek on the Perito Moreno Glacier itself. Clearly it´s in a fairly safe part of the Glacier a long way from the face, but there are still deep crevasses all over it, so it pays to watch your step. There are impossibly blue small lakes and mini-waterfalls all over the Glacier (I think the colour has something to do with the density of the compacted ice) but it was brilliant to be out there on such a vast, constantly shifting ice Field.
It´s definitely been a highlight of the trip so far, and it´s a shame we´ve got a non-changeable flight to Bariloche tomorrow as I´d have like to spent a couple of days trekking in Torres del Paine, but hey ho...
written by  phileasdogg on January 24, 2009 from El Calafate, Argentina

End of the Line - Travelling Wilburys
San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
Last stop on the Argentinian leg is San Carlos de Bariloche in the Argentinian Lake District. We had two days of perfect weather in El Calafate, and have been lucky with another three great days here. It´s absolutely beautiful, and much as it pains me to say it, is probably more impressive than the English Lake District. The mountains are bigger and the lakes are deep blue and very clear. We did a great bike ride round the Circuito Chico - a 25km circuit that offers some fantastic views over the lakes, and also climbed up Cerro Lopez which was a tough climb but worth it for the views from the top.
Argentina has been great - Buenos Aires is a vibrant, cultured city, and the natural and diverse beauty of the glaciers, the Lake District and the Iguazu Falls have got to make it one of the most naturally beautiful countries in the world. And the steaks have been great too! It´s almost enough to make you forgive the Falklands and the Hand of God. But not quite.
written by  phileasdogg on January 28, 2009 from San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

Munich - Maximo Park
Puerto Varas, Chile
Arrived in Puerto Varas a few days ago, which is just over the Andes from Bariloche, and is in Chile´s version of the Lake District. Not quite as beautiful as Bariloche, but still very nice. Did the now obligatory bike ride and also took a kayak out on one of the lakes for a day trip which was all very good. But the highlight was definitely the canyoning. It basically involves getting dressed head-to-toe in a rubber suit (yeah, OK, that was the only reason I wanted to do it), then climbing up through a forest to a mountain river, then getting back to the bottom through a combination of jumping into pools, sliding down waterfalls and abseiling. It was cold, but great fun.
I also parted company with Caroline here, so after 5 weeks of having a highly efficient organiser to tell me where to be at what time, I´ve now got a few days of trying to keep myself alive before joining a 6-week tour in Santiago that takes in Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
written by  phileasdogg on February 3, 2009 from Puerto Varas, Chile

Getting Away With It - Electronic
Santiago, Chile
So back to Santiago where the South American adventure started. Met up with my 14 tour buddies for the next 6 weeks who seem a decent enough bunch. Slightly concerned about the Greek guy who thinks he´s too cool for school, and the young Canadian girl who he seems to have partnered up with - she´s very loud and opinionated for a 23-year-old. But I´ll reserve full judgement until later.
There´s really not a great deal to do in Santiago so after making some cursory gestures towards exploring local culture by visiting a couple of museums I took in two movies, which I can justify by claiming they improve my Spanish - they´re English language with Spanish subtitles.
It´s up to La Serena tomorrow, a coastal resort about 6 hours drive from Santiago.
written by  phileasdogg on February 5, 2009 from Santiago, Chile

A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
La Serena, Chile
Hmm, not the greatest coach ride from Santiago to La Serena, Chile´s third largest city. We arrived at the coach station at Santiago about 8am, and within about 3 minutes Ash, our tour leader, had had her daypack swiped by some thieving sod. It had her laptop, camera, iPod and about US$4000, so she wasn´t happy. And then about 3 hours into the journey, the transmission on our coach, which had been making some strange noises, packed up terminally. So we had to wait for other buses with spare space to come by and pick us up from the side of the highway.
Anyway, made it in the end. There´s not a great deal to do or see in La Serena itself, so a few of us made the 3-hour trek up the coast to do some whale watching. Or as it transpired, whale searching. We went out in a 10-man boat that looked like something out of Moby Dick, but couldn´t find so much as a spurt of water in 2 hours. However, all was not lost as we did get a school of dolphins playing alongside the boat, and also saw sea otters, sealions, an elephant seal, pelicans and penguins. So I reckon we probably got our 28,000 pesos worth there (about 28 quid).
There´s also a big observatory nearby where regular punters can go along and look through a big telescope at Orion´s Belt, the Northern Cross, Saturn etc. Actually more interesting than it sounds, helped by the fact that lack of light pollution means Chile gets some spectacular starscapes.
Hopefully a less stressful trip to San Pedro de Atacama tomorrow, though it´s an overnight bus which doesn´t bode well. A few of our tour group did an overnight bus in Brazil that got hijacked. Fingers crossed...
written by  phileasdogg on February 7, 2009 from La Serena, Chile

Black & White Town - Doves
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
A fairly uneventful bus journey thankfully, apart from the expected lack of sleep. We´re starting to climb now. San Pedro is at 2400m, and you can feel yourself breathing a little harder after fairly mundane activities like tying shoelaces! It´s a pretty remote town in the heart of the northern Chilean desert and is completely dominated by tourism. There´s good hiking and biking options here, and it´s also the launchpad for 4WD excursions into the Bolivian desert and salt flats, which we´ll be doing in a couple of days.
But in the meantime it´s a nice chilled-out place to relax for a couple of days. We hired some bikes and went off to some nearby sand dunes to try our hands at sand boarding. It quickly became apparent that snowboarding techniques aren´t so great on sand - there´s too much friction. But after some experimentation I managed to get down the dune in one go, and it was actually really good fun, if a touch painful on landing. Also biked out to see some pre-Columbian ruins, that were little more than a few piles of mud. But then they were 2800 years old (allegedly).
The tour group are a good group all told. Still have some doubts about my roommate, a rock-bothering know-it-all geologist, who seems reticent to flush the toilet and has a penchant for getting up at 6.30am and rustling plastic bags for 20 minutes. Each to their own I guess.
written by  phileasdogg on February 9, 2009 from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Cars & Girls - Prefab Sprout
Uyuni, Bolivia
We´ve just arrived in Uyuni, Bolivia after a fantastic 3-day crossing of the desert and salt flats in Toyota Landcruisers. It was desert and mountains for the first two days, interspersed with mineral-laden lakes filled with flamingos, boiling geysers and a whole lot of brown sand. We were steadily climbing to a maximum altitude of 4000m, where even tying your shoelaces leaves you short of breath. Quite a few of our group suffered from altitude sickness, with migraines and vomiting being the most common complaints. I was one of the lucky few who escaped any symptoms. We´d been told to expect temperatures as low as minus 10 at night, but in fact it was nowhere near as cold as that, and the two places we stopped at were pretty comfortable, albeit showerless, so we didn´t smell too sweet by Day 3!
But the highlight was definitely the salt flat at Salar de Uyuni on Day 3. It´s the world´s largest salt flat at over 10,000 square kilometres and is the remains of a giant prehistoric lake, Lake Minchin, which existed here about 40,000 years ago. Driving across the middle of it where all you can see is white ground and blue sky was a fantastic experience. And our cooks and drivers were brilliant - the food and service was better than most of what I´ve had in South America to date.
Uyuni itself is a fairly humdrum town, and the difference in affluence between Chile and Bolivia was immediately obvious. And with Carnival coming up in a week or so, the local kids took great delight in pelting the gringos with water balloons as we walked down the main street. I think we´re going to have to arm ourselves. It´s a dog eat dog world out there.
written by  phileasdogg on February 13, 2009 from Uyuni, Bolivia

Perfect Skin - Lloyd Cole
Potosi, Bolivia
So the tour rolls into Potosi, allegedly the highest city in the world at 4090m, and once one of the world´s largest and richest cities due to the silver mining that sprang up here in the 1550s. About 45,000 tons of pure silver were mined here between the 1550s and 1780s, but sadly the silver ran out and it´s now a fairly bleak, poor town, with shades of its former glory reflected in some impressive but run-down architecture.
Mining is still the dominant industry in the town, though it´s now lead, tin and other less precious minerals. The conditions in the mines have always been appalling - the Spanish conquistadors initially used indigenous labour to work the mines but as they quickly died they were replaced by imported African slaves who didn´t fare much better - an estimated 8 million miners have died since mining started in Potosi, either in the mines or from silicosis.
We did a tour into one of the mines to see the conditions for ourselves and it was pretty depressing. The miners work in very cramped conditions, chipping away at the rock face with hammer and chisel, with rock dust going into their eyes and mouths (goggles are too expensive and they can´t breathe with masks on). They typically work 12-hour shifts for the equivalent of about US$6. The most depressing sight was kids working down there - we saw one who was 11 years old, dragging a heavy sack of rocks out of the mine shaft. Usually their fathers have died in the mines, so they have to work to support their families. There was a film made about the children miners of Potosi a few years ago called The Devil´s Miner which we watched, but it´s not one to watch if your mood needs improving!
Anyway, we took the miners a "gift pack" each, consisting of crackers, cigarettes, coca leaves, dynamite and a detonator. A slightly surreal assortment of gifts but they seemed to be well appreciated.
written by  phileasdogg on February 15, 2009 from Potosi, Bolivia

Worried About Ray - The Hoosiers
Sucre, Bolivia
Sucre is officially the capital of Bolivia, although unofficially it's La Paz, since that's the main political and commercial commercial centre now. But it's by far the most attractive city we've visited in Bolivia so far, and the nicest hotel too, which is good since we have 3 nights here. Had a cultural tour of the city, taking in a few museums, including the old mint which thanks to its proximity to the silver mines of Potosi, used to produce coins for the majority of the Spanish empire. It's a sign of the country's decline since then that their currency is now produced in France!
And a few of us went mountain biking too. Now I've probably lost a bit of fitness in the past 6 months, but I still don't think I'm in bad shape, but the 3km climb to get out of the city nearly killed me. At 4000m, you just can't seem to get the oxygen into your lungs that your body is begging for. I was reassured to see the local tour guide gasping for breath too, and thankfully the next 20km was downhill, where we met a bus to take us back to the city.
Carnival atmosphere is stepping up, with water pistols and bombs seemingly around every corner now. I think we'll need to arm ourselves for the carnival parade in La Paz.
written by  phileasdogg on February 19, 2009 from Sucre, Bolivia

Tonight Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
La Paz, Bolivia
Hmm, Saturday really wasn't a good day. Our hotel was right on a busy market street, with most stalls selling costumes and other carnival-related paraphernalia. So we went and joined the throng in the morning to get our outfits and weapons. I had my hand on my wallet in my pocket when some guy squirted foam in my ear while shouting "Carnival". I gave him my best good-natured smile, wiped my ear and continued on my way. Anyway 2 minutes later I reached for my wallet and... yep, you're ahead of me. Git! He played exactly the same trick on another guy in our group and relieved him of his camera. I only had about 7 quid in local currency but it also contained both my credit cards, so getting hold of cash will be tricky for the next few weeks. This is where it really helps to be travelling in a group. Another couple offered me the spare card to their account, so I just needed to transfer money in and I was on my way again. Really good of them.
Anyway, that kind of dampened the carnival spirit, but we decided to go and join in anyway. So we donned our clown outfits, loaded up on water bombs and foam sprays and joined the mob. And I do mean mob. A bunch of gringos in the parade was like a red rag to the locals. There was water and foam raining in from all angles. And completely indiscriminate. Foam in the eyes, water bombs thrown at full force from point blank, it was like a war zone. And as if that wasn't enough, some people had what can only be described as golf balls in socks, which were used to whip victims across the back and legs. Seriously, if this happened in Europe there would be riots. And there was nearly one here, as one of our group took exception to one whipping and piled into his assailants. There were considerably more of them than us, so we dragged him out and bobbed and weaved our way back to the hotel. Needless to say La Paz, and Bolivia in general lost its appeal after that.
Thankfully we're moving on to Peru next with a new tour leader, Jennifer, who appears to be missing the fairly basic tour leader requirement of being able to communicate verbally. Every detail of our future plans so far has had to be painstakingly prised out of her. Oh well, things can only get better as D:REAM once reminded us. Although we then got 10 years of Tony Blair.
written by  phileasdogg on February 22, 2009 from La Paz, Bolivia