Pete+Rochelle

Wed 5th-Sat 8th Jan

Tuesday night we caught, you guessed it, another overnight bus! This time it was a comfortable ten hours only to the picturesque town of Puno. We must have appeased the bus God some how. The toilet worked, we weren’t next to the toilet door, we were given blankets and pillows and the seats went back quite far. Hugging those Christians must have payed off……we thought. The realities of bus travel again came back to kick us in the rear when around 7.30am, after the bus stopped at some small town to let people off, it decided that it didn’t want to start again. The bus had broken down!! After trying to sacrifice a small yet hugely annoying child in order to get our motor running, we excepted our fate. We had to wait in the stuffy fart-ridden bus for three hours while bus driver/mechanic tried to bring the bus back to life. Not a child tantrum too soon, finally the bus company brought in another bus to replace the smelly broken one so we could be on our way. Problem solved? Not really. The bus they brought in was smaller then the original one, so, Pete and I and another couple had to stand in the aisles as there were not enough seats! About half an hour into it, some lovely people all decided to squish together in their seats so we could sit down. After so much bus travel and so many uncomfortable incidences, were hoping that we have our fair share of bus scares to remedy the next potential bout of travel hiccups.

When we did finally make it to Pucon we were four hours over schedule, but still five hours under slept. We did our usual routine and found ourselves a bed and went out to scavenge for a bite. We were starving since we had planned to be in Pucon for breakfast. We then went into one of many travel agencies that organise tours for the many adventurous trips they have on offer in and around Pucon. This is the place to be if you want adrenaline pumping adventure, just don’t forget your wallet. Absolutely free on the other hand and perhaps Pucon’s best attraction is its green fields, flora, lakes and snow capped volcano. The volcano is spectacular. We were fortunate enough to have its beauty staring at us even when we showered. A perfect view of Volcan Villarrica as we looked out of the our bathroom window!

Thursday.

In the afternoon we were booked to do Hydro-Speed. For you people in the dark, its a newly evolved German water-sport which sees its victim hanging on to dear life and a small dolphin-nose shaped piece of foam as they plummet down grade three white-washed rapids! Sounds like fun-we thought so too. On our way to the tour company we anxiously walked around Pucon, had a look at the beach and dipped our toes in the lake. We made it to the tour company and were whisked off in a van to head to a river a bit out of town. There we changed into wetsuits and slipped into our flippers, helmets and piece of foam, which didn’t exactly inspire much confidence. Then flop, we were in the water to get instructions on how to navigate the rapids and how to consume oxygen in the likely event of capsizing. The water was freezing! After practising the moves and getting used to kicking with the flippers, we were off, or should I say the current took us.

There were ten of us in the Hydro-Speed posse in total, of all nationalities. Three brave women and seven giddy men being watched by four guides- three in the water and one in a life raft. Having someone watching us from all angles was reassuring, as was the option to abandon the rapids to retreat to the raft when you felt distressed. In fact the instructors insisted on the policy that if they thought you would drown or that you looked like you weren’t having fun they would pull you out of the water breathing or not.

To begin with the current carried us down stream in its steady, gentle flow. The scenery was gorgeous and it was so peaceful…. then we hit the first rapid. The idea to conquer the rapids was easy, we all had to try and stay in line with the first guide as the currents were trying to pull us in different directions and try to aim for the highest waves which are normally caused by two currents coming together. We had to go head first in to the waves and come out the other side. Easier instructed then done. Trying to see anything with water in your eyes and stealing a breathe before the next wave crashes on your head is tricky. Especially when you’re meant to be making sure your were on the right side of the river and not going to plough head first into a half submerged boulder. We thought ‘what have we signed up for?‘ The river had shallow sections of water which meant your legs would cop a battering. Pete often complained that he had hit a rock or three. After being battered by the first couple of rapids the other two girls and one of guys were out. They were only halfway through the course! As our guides were prepping us for the last rapid, I thought that I wanted out too. The last rapid was a class three, that’s mild in Merrill Streep- River Wild terms, but bigger than any of the ones we had already done. I told one of the instructors that I wanted out, he said, ‘No you’ll be fine!’ He held onto my foam dolphin and rode through the first wave with me. That’s when shit went wrong. I must have breathed in a litre water and spent the next minute choking it back up, while trying to breath in between other waves offering me a drink. Just say I panicked a bit. I finally calmed down towards the end of the rapid, when I caught my breath, then we had a gingerly ride down river to meet up with the tour bus. When we hopped out our toes were so numb we couldn’t feel them, but once out of the water we warmed up pretty quick. We were in a bit of shock but we couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces. It was an experience we will never forget, but after a deep review perhaps not one we are willing to repeat. If you want see the video of my near death experience or pictures of Pete looking more of a dick then usual then check us out on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614946412#!/pages/pucontours/174387067363
Photo section on the left hand side, click on ‘see all’ and find 06 de enero de 2011 for our photos. You’ll see Pete’s face, can’t miss it. Underneath the photo section is where you can find the video, look for 6 enero,noon [HQ] in the ‘see all’ section. It doesn’t last very long, the music is pretty loud though so be warned and wait till the end as you’ll see me not looking very impressed being lead through the last rapid.

Friday.

We awoke early to get ready for our next adventure, a 2847 metre walk to the top of the volcano. Our bodies were a little sore form the day before. Pete’s thigh got a bit of a battering and it was sore when he walked, not good when your about to climb for five hours! We arrived at our meeting point and hopped in a van with six others and was driven to the base camp. From there we got a ski lift which would eliminate 40 mins walk, which our legs didn’t disagree with, then started a slow zigzag walk up the side in the snowy mountain. We stopped a few times for water and a nibble on a chocolate bar or two.

The higher we got the more thick and sludgey the snow was. We had ice picks to help us with balance, but it was still really slow going, though quite funny too. Pete thought he was Sir Edmund Hillary for a minute or two.
Once we reached the top we couldn’t really see into the volcano as it was thick with toxic fumes and eye-watering smoke and it hit our throats pretty hard too. The view at the top looking down was needless to say but I’ll say it anyway, remarkable. (See Pic).

The way down was why we endured the climb to the top. Tobogganing!! We had to put on a layer of protective clothing from head-to-foot, then headed to a section of snow where other tourists had crafted arse-made snow chutes. There we hopped on our little seats and slid our way down. I can’t tell you how much fun this was. When we slid down we really picked up some speed. The only problem was that the people in front of us didn’t dare to go fast and a couple of times there would be pile ups. Pete was getting the shits due to one German bird who always ended up in front of him and who would go real slow. The last slope was a long one and at the end both Pete and I spun out, which was a bit freaky. We were wet through and through, cold, but extremely happy. It was a definite delight highlight.

That evening we had booked to go to another one of Pucon’s attractions: the thermal pools. Our bodies were in need of some good R n’ R. We arrived just as night was falling, which was around quarter past nine. The setting was beautiful. We were dropped off at the top of a hill and had to walk down to the bottom where there were several open rock-pools with trees surrounding them and a flowing stream to the side. We walked down the stairs and found ourselves at the first pool which we thought we would try. It was so hot. It was like trying to hop into a really, really hot bath. Pete loved it and was moving around in it. I had to hop out after a little while, I couldn’t cope!

We tried another one that wasn’t as hot, then sat by the creek with a beer. Some english people came by and had a dip in the cold creek before heading back to the hot pools. I had to give it a go. It was freezing, I ran in, sat down, then ran out to hop back into one of the hot pools. It was lovely to lay back and look at the stars while soaking my sore body in hot water, listening to the stream running over the rocks. Bliss!

Saturday we were up early, much to our bodies disagreement, again to catch a six hour bus to Puerta Montt, our gateway stop over to Isla Grande de Chiloe, that is if the bus gets us there. Will write you then!!! xxx

Wed 15th-Fri 17th Dec
Wednesday
We woke early to pack bags and went to the same restaurant as the night before as the girls said they had a great buffet breakfast. Which they did. I filled up on scrambled eggs and cereal with yoghurt, pancakes and tea. Pete had left over pizza from dinner. We arrived at our tour company to meet the fresh faces that would become our companions for the next three days. After the fog of stuttered spanglish had cleared we found their names were: Jordi and Gemma, a couple form Spain, and Aleksandra and Maria from Poland. Lucky for us they all spoke good english and fortunately ended up being useful translators. Our guide, Waldo, could speak english, but wasn’t very good at it, we could understand the others far better.

We started off our journey with a trip to the Train Cemetery in Uyuni. No surprises here, only a wide open space where all the old steam trains were left to rust. The locals have stripped the trains of their value, now they are ‘protected’ so that all the gringos can come from miles to get their photos jumping over them. We were expecting a few more trains; a bunch of old trains in the middle of the desert wasn’t that exiting, and was off the beaten track.

Our next stop was a small town where they cleaned and refined salt and was also a bano (toilet) stop. Lucky for me there were more markets where I was able to buy a floppy hat! The last one was not from the floppy family and got itself broke.

We drove for a bit and ended up at Salar de Uyuni: the Salt Flats. Situated 3653 meters above sea level and is 12000 square meters in size, it is a massive, bright, white spectacle. There are many resorts situated on the outskirts of the flats, but there were a couple that were actually on the flats that were closed down due to the contamination that they caused to the salt flats. We stopped at one to take photos and met some people who were cycling(!!!)- found out they were on a three year cycling trip. And I thought I was doing okay when I had the gusto to cycle to work!

Interestingly once we were in the middle of this dream-like location, equivalent to a snail’s worst nightmare, we came across a very unassuming volcanic rock island of sorts that was surrounded by a sea of salt. We stopped here for lunch (which was the biggest T-bone steak I had ever seen) and had a walk up and around its summit. It really was amazing to witness a gigantic prickly monolith emerge out of a blinding white haze, and although we thought we were sick of playing eye-spy with the cacti, this desert oasis restored our lost interest we had with the pricks. Easy done considering the local architecture, furniture and even rubbish bins were fashioned from cactus wood. With the free time we were allocated we went back to tourist mode, attempting to pull off the somewhat compulsory ’optical illusion’ photograph which are plastered on every wall, free space in Uyni. Pete really sucked at taking them but the photos he’s in turned out fantastic, due to my technical expertise, you be the judge.

By about four pm we were at our accommodation for the evening, a hotel that was entirely made of salt, apart from the roof that is. It looked like a location you’d expect to see James Bond in the grips of some lame super villain. We had a little problem with the rooms, with the management wanting to pile all of us into the same salty room after we were promised one to ourselves. Thankfully, again, our new found friends spanished our way out of it, saying something to the effect no private rooms we want our money back. On the brightside it was then time to join the six deep line to que for the only hot shower.

After dinner we had a peek at the stars. It was so dark out, save the luna light which by then was almost full. My brain kept tricking me into thinking that we were on a beach for some strange reason- telling me that big empty had to be water!! Maria and I saw a huge shooting star, and the boys went inside, too cold for them. I braved it for a bit eventually giving in to the cold, enjoying the thought of a big salt brick with a mattress laid on top- bed.

Our first day of driving had consisted of 200km, with 110km of those across the salt flats. That equals a lot of driving in next to unbearable conditions, with your knees around your shoulders and your shoulders around someone else’s, dust in your mouth and your tongue being bitten by the bumpy roads.

Thursday

We stirred really early the next morning to watch the sun rise over the salt flats. We bundled into the jeep in the dark drove for fifteen minute to arrive to our own private viewing plane. It was so cold that we all jumped around trying to keep warm. The sun started to rise and place different colours over the sky. It was so peaceful on the salt, again my brain was scrambled by the awesome sight of seeing so much salt that every time I went to say salt, snow or ice would fall out of my mouth instead…figuratively that is.

We went back to the crystal castle hostel to pack our bags and have some breakfast. From there it was more driving through very small towns, another bano stop, and off to a look out to see Ollague, Bolivia’s active volcano. Apparently, it spits out larva that the locals mine and try to sell to gringos, we only saw some smoke rising from it from a safe distance. The stop was amongst some very large boulders and little canyons and there were some small green rocks completely covered in this hard moss- quite pretty.

It was then off to Canapa, our first lagoon of the tour and our first glimpse of the native flamingo!! Maria just about jumped out of the jeep while it was still moving she was so excited. Uniquely, all the lagoons we visited had a lot of different minerals in them, none of which were any good for human consumption, with one lagoon that was so concentrated in sulphur and arsenic that even the animals wisely choose to dip elsewhere. Canapa, in contrast, it was teeming with bird life, with the most common sight being the flamingos chowing down on the plankton in the water. We didn’t realise just how big flamingos actually are, or how god awful they sound when they squawk.

Continuing lagoon hoping we stopped at Hedionda. We had a walk around, took some more photos, Pete peed in the water to then see a sign that said not to (opps). While we were looking around Waldo prepared lunch. The lunches we had on tour were good, either cold meats, salad, pasta or rice. The dinners were average however, and although they did attempt to make us gringos at home by whipping up lasagne, unfortunately it tasted like cooked onion with mouldy cheese. So Carol if you’re reading this, we think we’re in need of your wonderful interpretation of this dish. I have heard so much about it since we excused ourselves from eating its hideous bastard distant relative. Pete said it needs to have a crispy top too xx

Rochelle, Alex, Jordi, Maria, Gemma, Pete

On the road again we another bumpy hour to the majestic ‘Stone Tree’. At Jordi’s recommendation, we did stop for a group photo in the middle of a desert, where we all yelled at the top of lungs, just because we could and because boredom makes you do such things! We had been driving for ages, and getting pretty sleepy and mellow, so it was a great pick me up. We arrived at a bunch of big rocks and yes there was a stone shaped, you guessed it, as a tree….well if you squinted! Erosion had shaped it that way, and it was pretty big. The thing that added to its splendour was that we were out of the jeep actually looking at something besides the featureless dessert. It really was harsh, merciless terrain and I couldn’t help but think of those poor, loco cyclists.

We drove to our last stop for the day- Lagoon Chiarkota. And although Waldo wasn’t a great conversationalist he was great with getting us to locations on time. Importantly so as the lagoon gets a red a tinge to the water in the early afternoon when the sun reflects on it and so many of the tourists we know have missed this spectacle due to tardiness. The minerals in the water are the cause for this colourful chemical reaction, or something technical like that. It was so windy as we were on a hill looking down into the valley that I kept on getting pushed over by the wind. The lagoon is where a national park begins, so there was a look out room with all information on the animals, plants and water in the area.

We paid a small fee to be able to go through the park and went to our next hotel, which was far less interesting then our last. Some of us had a warm beer and we all tried but failed with the bottle of wine we got as part of the tour. Jordi was so disappointed with the taste of the wine, he was looking forward to it all trip making reference to it so often it was almost like it was our seventh passenger. We all opted for an early one as we had just driven 250km in a day and had a big day next. Four am was to be our morning call.

Friday.

In the dark and the cold we all struggled to get to the promising natural hot pool to watch the sun rise. On the way there we stopped at some really big geysers. It was too cold to appreciate them. We all had so many layers on. We would jump out of the jeep, run and take photos, then jump back in the jeep. We were getting pretty good at it by the end!
There are so many tour companies on route, so when you get somewhere there are usually at least a couple of jeeps that have beaten you there and unless you’re on the salt flats you don’t have miles of space to get your own little pocket of special goodness. We managed to beat everyone to the hot springs this morning, so it was lovely to be able to walk around for at least ten minutes in our own company. With the sun starting to come up over the horizon and reflect off the steaming water on the ground it was a stunning sunrise to behold.

Arriving at the hot pool I’m proud to say that I was then the only person in my group to strip down to my bikini and go for a swim at six-freezing-o’clock-in the morning. It was hard, but the water was so good, just as good as a drawn hot bath at home. Once it had warmed me to the core, getting out was relatively painless. Steam was coming off me as I was drying myself. By the time I got out most of the other jeeps had arrived and the little pool was slowly getting full. As I said Waldo had great timing.

After our breakfast of pancakes and caramel sauce (they use it like Nutella) we headed off to Honda, the very last lagoon on the trip. On the way we went past the very smooth and picturesque flats of the Salvidor Dalhi desert. Just as the name suggests, it looked very much like it was missing a couple of melting clocks and strange surreal lobster telephones. Photos could not do it justice at all not even illusionary ones.

Lagoon Honda normal gives off a bright blue colour, but it didn’t that day. Apparently it has something to do with the toxicity of the minerals, the depth of water and the velocity of the wind. When the wind hit’s the water at a certain speed it then stirs the minerals bringing out its colour. We still had a gork and got our last group photo in. Sorry to say that it was a pretty boring finale. For standing on a gigantic mound of volcanic rock peering into a age old valley is was bit of an anticlimax due to the promise of something even more spectacular.

Bolivian immigration

Border crossing

Waldo and the group then took Pete and I too the border of Bolivia/Chile. We were hopping on a bus to take us onward and the guys were heading back to Uyuni- they had to travel 500km back come full circle then had be endure a further seven hours on a train ride into Argentina! We said our goodbyes and Pete and I played the waiting game. This border control building strangely had no seats, no inside seating, and no toilet!! No basic of the basics. More jeeps showed up and we all waited and waited and peed behind an old abandoned bus and finally our bus came to take us over to Chile and San Pedro de Atacama. We said goodbye to chilly Bolivia and Hello to sunny Chile!!

Trips:

Shorthand link:

Our sleepy little stop over.

Puerto Montt, Chile

Action packed adventure.

Pucon, Chile

Our New years trip

Vina del Mar, Chile

Merry Christmas!!!

Santiago, Chile

Finally!! The ocean!!

La Serena, Chile

Welcome to Chile!

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Pass the salt please.

Uyuni, Bolivia

Mind your metal

Uyuni, Bolivia

Never look a gift horse in the mouth- they bite!

Tupiza, Bolivia

Miners town

Potosi, Bolivia

Heading South?