A year in the world

This is the end my friends

2011-01-20T17:21:00.001-08:00

Well, I’ve reached the end of my year and the end of my South American journey. The last week was in glorious Buenos Aires with the tango and steaks off the parilla. The city was exciting and vibrant with dancers, musicians and vendors in the streets. Lots of activity going on all day and night. I hit a street market in San Telmo and finally got to buy a few trinkets as I wouldn’t have to be carrying my backpack anymore.There is a great combination of the colonial… The modern… and the unique here in BA

I hit it off with a great lady, Annette, at my hotel and we went to a few tango shows and dinners together.

I made it to most of the highlights of the city and even stood on the balcony where Eva and Juan Peron addressed the masses. My last delicious steak was in colourful Boca alongside tango in the street and then I was on my way back to Canada. My world is wet and cold once again but it’s nice to see family and to sleep in the same bed for more than a few nights.

Top 10 List of my South America trip

Trekking the Puerto Moreno glacier in Patagonia
Driving across the Uyuni salt flats in Boliva with random sightings of bright pink flamingos, vicunas and chinchillas
Spending a day climbing in and around Machu Picchu, Peru
Paragliding off the cliffs in Lima
Riding a boat under the Iguazu Falls
Horseback riding in some of the best scenery imaginable
Walking with penguins on Christmas day
Flaky croissants, creamy ice-cream, cheap but pretty good wine and thick juicy steaks in Argentina
Four days on the Navimag boat navigating through the fiords of Patagonia complete with dolphins, glaciers and rainbows
Every lovely person who patiently listened and interpreted my pigeon Spanish.

Mendoza and Iguazu

2011-01-06T13:43:00.001-08:00

Well, I’m heading down the final stretch and only have a few days left but I’m still enjoying Argentina. Spent a few days in Mendoza which is the wine capital of the country and met some lovely ladies on a wine tasting tour. We went out for a little tasting of our own as well as some delicious steak.

I flew to Puerto Iguazu and spent all day today in the park. It’s absolutely fantastic. Filled with kilometres of jungle and animals as well as a new waterfall around every corner. One of these little guys stole my lunch…couldn’t catch him. Butterflies were everywhereLots of fantastic birds Reptiles and, of course, the falls. This was taken from a zodiac type boat that took us right up under the water. It was like being under a fire hose but a pretty good way to cool down in the humidity. There are so many waterfalls that it took all day to walk to them all. Luckily, the park has a great series of boardwalks, paths and trains to get you around. It was possible to walk around the bottom and over the top as well.

San Carlos de Bariloche

2011-01-02T07:58:00.001-08:00

On my way north and, finally, into some hot weather. I actually wore sandals yesterday. I got onto a bus that I thought was 18 hours but turned out to be 30 hours and ended up in Bariloche, a pretty little town on the edge of Lake Huapi. It’s famous for skiing in winter and outdoor sports in summer but it’s also just nice for walking around.See…pretty

I hiked up to a cave that archaeologists say has had inhabitants for the past 8000 years. It was quite the hike but the view was worth it. There were some cool cave paintings that the local guide explained might be a rudimentary map of the area. Then, I started the New Year out on horseback. We got to go through fields, forests and mountains until reaching a beautiful waterfall. This is my guide, Marie from France. I’m really hoping that this means 2011 will be the start of a new adventure and not a year filled with sore bums :) Happy New Year to everyone still reading.

Ushuaia, El Calafate and the Holidays

2010-12-29T03:57:00.001-08:00

I wanted to do something fun on Christmas day to make up for missing all the festivities at home so I spent the day at the end of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina with the wildlife.

Found out that sea lions are called ‘lions’ because the males have a mane…learn something new everyday. These aren’t males, just pregnant females. Went walking with penguins. They sure do walk funny. It was on a wildlife preserve so we could get really close…you can see the mommy and baby right behind me.

After an 18 hour, four border crossing bus ride, I’m up in El Calafate which is a pretty little town with lots of cafes and shops. The main draw here is the Puerto Moreno Glacier which I visited yesterday. It’s ridiculously beautiful. Our tour started out by walking along kilometres of balconies across from the glacier where we could eat lunch and watch huge chunks fall into the lake. The sounds of cracking and thundering were amazing. Then we hopped on a boat to get closer.

We walked through a lush forest…... and went trekking on the glacier for about 90 minutes. The trek ended with glacier ice in whiskey.

So far, the holidays are shaping up pretty well. :)

Torres Del Paine

2010-12-24T07:20:00.001-08:00

I spent the day in the famous Torres Del Paine Park. I was going to spend a couple of days and do some easy hiking but the weather didn’t co-operate and I just went the one day. It’s an incredible place with over 200kms of trails and views that just don’t stop. Started out looking at Los Torres

The (towers) del Paine really are quite impressive. They were formed when magma entered under the rocks and forced then up into jagged peaks so there are layers of volcanic and granite mixed together. Saw some really cool animals like the flightless nandu, a relative of the ostrich and who, according to locals, produces delicious eggs that are the size of a dozen chicken eggs. and I finally got to see the forth member of the camel family, the guanaco. This is a baby.

The whole place used to be a sheep ranch until 1959 but now, at the base of these amazing towers of rock, are rolling hills of grass and trees with rivers, lakes and waterfalls.

The last part of the day was spent hiking up to a lookout for the Grey Glacier in the drizzling rain. There was a huge variety of flowers in the forest which made up for the lack of view once we got there.

There were some beautiful icebergs floating around.

I got back to the hotel very wet and very glad that I had taken a one day tour instead of camping out there.

The Navimag

2010-12-20T13:04:00.001-08:00

What, you ask, is the Navimag? It’s part ferry, part cargo ship and part cruise ship that travels between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales in Chilean Patagonia. We boarded on a beautiful day and watched the volcanoes of the lake district disappear

As we sailed off into the sunset

That was the last time I saw the sun as we hit rough weather in the open seas.

A lot of people were tossing their cookies but I had motion sickness pills for my roomies so we were mostly okay.

Julia, Elizabeth and Jenny, who not only didn’t snore, but turned out to be a lot of fun. The next day, we got to take a hike at a national park and through a small village.

We also visited the biggest glacier in South America, Pio XI

Where it was bloody cold but also incredibleThe weather became a crazy thing that tormented and amazed us with freezing rain and heavy clouds…. stray shafts of sunlight

and rainbows

It was a great trip that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of the weather. The crew was fantastic, food was tasty and plentiful, the entertainment was great and the wine wasn’t too expensive, although, you could bring your own bottle to the pub. They also gave lectures on the wildlife that we would see, Chilean phrases, glaciers and National Parks but mostly, we just watched the fiords of Patagonia slip by our decks.

Puerto Varas

2010-12-17T06:14:00.001-08:00

I got a little tired of traveling so I spent the last week hanging out in a sleepy little pueblo by the lake. Walked around a lot, ate good food and went horseback riding.

The Cochamo Valley was incredibly beautiful and I had a nice day out in the sun with a trail guide and my horse.

Perfect day…

I’m on the road again and will catch a 4 day cargo ship ride down to Puerto Natales in Southern Patagonia. Hoping for good weather as a lot of people get seasick on this journey…

Santiago

2010-12-09T13:04:00.001-08:00

I’ve finally found a South American city that I would want to live in…it’s great here! The city is a mixture of colonial and new architecture, has lots of green spaces and it’s wonderfully clean and vibrant.

My hotel is across the street from the most interesting park/ cultural space/ church/ archaeological park.

I spent a whole day wandering up and down the tree lined streets but don’t worry I made sure to keep myself hydrated and well-fed. I ate fish and chips at the seafood market where they bring in all the catches of the day…a little smelly but at least you know it’s fresh.

Lot’s of police presence especially around the government buildings , but they mostly seem to give directions and look pretty.

It’s interesting to note that there is absolutely no ‘traditional’ culture here. It’s completely modern city with none of the woven bracelets/hats etc. seen in Peru and Bolivia. The people look much more European too.

First few days in Chile

2010-12-08T16:49:00.001-08:00

Well, it really was like entering civilization again. As soon as we crossed the border from Bolivia, we hit paved road again. The Chilean border crossing was very professional and efficient and we didn’t get ripped off by the guards, who actually put our stuff through a pretty thorough examination. San Pedro de Cama was the entry city and I spent one night there. Had a great goodbye dinner with my friends from the desert trip. (Richard, Sara, and Lucy), only to find out that we all booked the same overnight bus out the next day and didn’t have to say goodbye quite yet. I got off in the cutest place called La Serena and took a few tours into the Elqui Valley where they grow grapes for Pisco (brandy) They grow everything there, including walnuts.

and copau, which tastes like a kiwi but grows on a cactus.One of the most interesting things I learned in the valley was about Gabriela Mistral who is a national hero (has her face on money) but she also wrote the charter of children’s rights for the UN and, seems to be responsible for Chile’s success as she forced education along before other South American countries. My favourite tour was a great couple of hours at an observatory with an astronomy guide who showed us galaxies, planets and explained how to find your way by the Southern Cross. They have the biggest and best observatories Chile due to weather and clean air.

The Altiplano

2010-12-02T12:13:00.001-08:00

I’ve just come out of three days in the high desert of the Bolivian Altiplano and I will never take running water for granted again! All the books say that this journey is a crazy mess and you have to be prepared for the unexpected and they were all right. Here’s a picture of our 9 hour bus ride into the region turning into a 14 hour bus ride with a busted axel. We all had a good time joking about who we were going to eat if the stranding went on long enough. Here’s our jeep with the hood up because Shorlando, our guide, kept having to fill up the radiator along the way. It proved to be tough enough to climb over volcanoes, around mineralized lagoons and through an amazing variety of terrains including, the salt flats. We actually sat here and ate our lunch of grilled Vicuna (llama’s cousin) and quinoa (superfood that cooks like rice) We also had a little fun with perspective on the flats and toilet paper.

Next, we trekked up an incredible coral island in the middle of the salts.

There were even coral caves to explore. Next, we happened upon drying salt lagoons and flamingos. All around us, the scenery was stunning. That night we slept in a little village. No water but the food was good. By now, our group had become friendly enough to joke about how badly we were going to be smelling over the next few days. Here we all are having lunch the second day. We fed the leftovers to some chinchillas hopping around the rocks. The second night found us in concrete bunkers with six beds to a room. Not a restful night especially as we got up at 4:00am to see the sunrise over the volcanic geysers. It was a great trip but now that I’m in Chile, I’m really going to enjoy sleeping alone and having a toilet with running water.

La Paz

2010-11-29T15:40:00.001-08:00

Think of a canyon teaming with cars, trucks, buses, scurrying people, sidewalk stalls and thick smoggy air up to the rims on all sides and you’ve imagined La Paz. It’s insane here with no place to walk and people crushing from all sides. It’s also pretty interesting with tons of shops to look in, winding alleyways to explore and lots of good food to eat.

Of course, there were the obligatory ruins to visit…these being the Tiwanaku, the ancestors to the Incans. One of my favorite things was the Luche Libre wrestling.

Lake Titicaca

2010-11-25T17:11:00.001-08:00

After I had a snicker at the name of this place, I needed to take deep calming breaths because I was at 4000 meters and the breathing ain’t easy up here, never mind the snickering. Of course, the first thing I did was sign up for a tour where I was expected to climb a mountain to see ancient funerary tombs. I swear, somewhere, buried deep in my genes is a tiny strand of Incan DNA just dying to get closer to its gods. Sillustani was pretty interesting once I decided my heart wasn’t going to actually leap out of my chest. For over a thousand years, different civilizations built their tombs here and you can see the development of architecture as they became more proficient. These Incan tombs are some of the last ones built.

We also got to stop at a local ‘farm’ to check out their lifestyle. No electricity, no gas, no running water and dirt floors seem to be the norm. It was pretty sad as the kids automatically put their hands out for tips. I’m going to be a little more careful about booking tours after seeing the impact that tourism has here.Check out the bones hanging from above the doorway.

The next day I went out on the lake, thinking that I was in for a lazy day of cruising. It was pretty easy in the morning as we visited the floating islands of Uros. The islands, the houses and even the beds are made from reeds that grow around them. Whole communities float around and live unique, separate lives from the people on shore. We got to take a ride on this matrimonial boat. The newly wed couple would sit up top and go from island to island. We spent another two hours peacefully chugging out to Isla Tacile (the boats use recycled bus engines). The island reminded me the Aegean near Turkey but with more sheep and no goats. After a breathless hike 400 meters straight up the side of the island, we were fed some delicious trout (which I came to regret some hours later) and then 500 steps down the other side of the island to catch our boat and we were on our way back. These high altitude climbs might kill me but I’m getting a good workout.

I’m in Copacobana, Bolivia now but I can see Peru across the glittering lake. I’m sad to say goodbye as it was a great country to travel through but tomorrow I hit La Paz and a new place to explore.

Machu Picchu

2010-11-19T14:01:00.001-08:00

Up at 4:00am and on the train. Sliding through the misty Andean mountains. The terrain changes as we enter the Amazon and the sun comes up. Bromeliads roost on massive branches hanging over the train.Finally, our destination…wait, we have to take a bus up the crazy switchback dirt road and then hike up the side of the mountain. But then… Incredible…Astonishing…Around every corner is a new discovery. And more… I met my friend Marjorie and we spent the afternoon wandering and exploring.

It was totally amazing and worth the 4:00am start.

The Sacred Valley

2010-11-17T13:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I took a day tour of the Sacred Valley to see three different villages and their Incan Ruins. It was only $13 for the whole day with a tour guide. What the tour company left out was the fact that, in order to live closer to their gods, the Incans built everything on the tops of the mountains. Can you say stairs…big perilously uneven, steep stone stairs with loose crumbling rocks. It was a good workout but, as you can see, totally worth it.The green down at the bottom is corn which will be harvested in January. Their corn has giant kernels that make our kernels look puny and pathetic. They also grow over 900 varieties of potatoes here. This was the beginning of the trip so I was very impressed with how lovely the Andean Mountains were…how innocent I was!

The ruins at Pisac…they used these terraces until very recently and the irrigation systems still work after 600 years.

Look at the view from the top….taking lots of pictures was a good excuse to stop climbing for a bit. One of the great things about Peru is that there are no ropes or signs that say “don’t touch” so we could clamber all over the ruins and follow narrow passageways to our hearts’ content…that is if your heart hadn’t given out by then. This is Ollantatamba which looks totally different with the large cut stone because it was a temple. All those large rocks would have been covered with sheets of silver and gold before the Spanish came and stole it all. 240 steps to the top…at least that’s what the guide said, none of us could keep count. After the ruins, we went to a high mountain village that specializes in traditional weaving. It’s not unusual to see women dressed like this even in the city. High Andean plateau lake. The farmers here are all still using teams of oxen to plough their fields.

Cuzco

2010-11-15T18:10:00.001-08:00

My new favourite place in Peru is Cuzco. I’m not going to say anymore…just look at the pictures.

The Colca Canyon

2010-11-13T19:42:00.001-08:00

To plan my two trip into the Colca Canyon, I went to a travel agent. Our conversation went something like this;

"I would like to visit the Colca Canyon."

"You have several different options." He says with a big smile. "The first option, we will pick you up at 3:00am."

"In the morning!!!" I exclaimed in horror.

He kept smiling while shuffling his papers. "The second option is a two day trek. You know the Colca Canyon is very beautiful and also is the second deepest canyon in the world."

"Uh, how deep is it?"

"Approximately 4000 meters but don't worry, you will only climb around 2000 meters." He brightens his smile.

"Yeah, um, I don't think that's going to work out me. What's option number three?"

"Well, you will take a minibus with 14 other passengers. On the first day you will relax in the mountain hot springs and have a buffet lunch. There will be entertainment that evening...."

At this point, I'm wondering why he didn't lead with this option and quickly stop him to say, "Where do I sign", before he terrifies me with herding llamas over the edge of the cliffs.

Two days with bus, tour guide and hotel cost $50 and yes, there were hot springs but absolutely no llama herding.

Check out the adorable llama and lady…the way she’s wearing her hat down in the front indicates that she’s married…presumably not to the llama. These are vicunas which are the softer cousin to the llama…very rare and protected by the government. A kilo of their hair goes for $500…guess I won’t be getting one of those sweaters.

Bizarrely, after driving through kilometres of dust and more dust, a huge bog appeared. This is where all the cool critters hang out, including pink flamingos and, apparently, pumas. The tour guide very skilfully avoided answering my question on how many of these pumas might be wandering around.

This farming technique comes from before the Incas but they improved the irrigation system so that they could terrace way up the sides. I wouldn’t want to be the unlucky farmer that got stuck up the side of the mountain. Talk about a crap commute! The canyon was breathtakingly beautiful and we got to trek along side the edge for awhile. We did see a few of the giant condors (3 meter wingspan) but they’re so damn fast and I was busy standing there with a stupid grin on my face so I don’t have a photo.

So, after eating about a ton of dust and a few guinea pig chunks (at the buffet), I’m back in Arequipa and bound for Cusco tomorrow.

From Nazca to Arequipa

2010-11-11T17:06:00.001-08:00

Well, my ten hour overnight bus turned out fantastic. I said goodbye to my new friends, Mark and Nat and was almost asleep before we hit the highway.Natasha, Mark and I in front of the Nazca people’s aqueducts.

I really like Arequipa. It’s a sunny place and all the buildings are made with white stone from the surrounding mountains or painted with bright colors. I visited the colonial mayors’ house and heard all about their lifestyle. They had two chapels. One of which was put to use as a place to lock their crazy son away until he died of dehydration….the irony of this was not lost on me. I also went to the most famous tourist draw in the city which was the Convent. It’s really a small city with tons of cool passageways, tiny houses for the nuns and countless other nooks and crannies to explore. The tour guide kept stressing how the slaves did everything while the nuns devoted themselves to prayer and, apparently sewing fancy clothes for the priests. I wasn’t sure if she was condemning or praising them so I just kept smiling and nodding my head. My last stop for the day was the museum of Archaeology to see Juanita the Ice Mummy. They showed a very touching video of how she might have been sacrificed and then a guide showed us all the things that were discovered with her. Finally, we got to view her tiny wrapped body. Poor little thing was only 12 or 13 years old and had been chosen from birth for the privilege of getting her head smashed in (they know this because her umbilical cord was found with her) but I think the museum did a great job in showing how she and her family probably thought of it as an honour. They confiscated our cameras at the front door so here’s a link to see what she looks like.

Nazca Lines

2010-11-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Over 10,000 lines and 100 geoglyphs cover the Nazca dessert area of 500 sq. miles so I was rather surprised to learn from my tour guide that the local school kids don't even really know about them...I wonder what they think all the tourists are flying around looking at?

So, this is how it works. You pay for a flight and they bring you out to the airport at 6:30am where you wait and wait and wait until the kilograms per airplane load work out for you to get on a flight. Apparently it used to be easier but the planes kept crashing and killing all the tourists so now they only let a few 'certified' airlines operate....come to think of it, that wait wasn't really so long.

Then you fly around for 35 minutes straining to see the figures out your window. It was actually pretty cool but some passengers got sick from the dipping and rolling of the plane. I got to practice my Spanish as the pilot shouted out the names and then I tried to figure out what I was looking at. Surprisingly, astronaut is the same in both languages.

Paracas

2010-11-08T19:25:00.001-08:00

Caught a very early bus out of Lima to Paracas. It was an interesting process as all passengers were scanned and videoed before departure. I had been worried about the quality of buses but was pleasantly surprised to be sitting on the luxury second floor with wifi access and a lunch served. There was also an onboard toilet which I’m going to be very happy about on my up coming 12 hour trip.

Hit Paracas in the morning and was asked by the bus company representative, Maria Elena, if I wanted to take a look at their new hotel (next door).

Brand new and only S/35 ($10) with a five minute walk to the downtown (note that downtown means the one street malecon). I would recommend Zarcillo Tourism after all their advice and help with everything in town. Walked around town and took in the sights. It’s mostly a fishing town with a sideline of tourism. I met a nice couple (Lara and Dominic) from Australia to hang out with and we all signed up for the next days’ tour.

This is the local specialty, cebiche (raw seafood marinated in lime) and chicharones (fried seafood). It was pretty good and some of the raw fish just melted in my mouth and bonus, it didn't kill me. A must try for the Peruvian coast. Started the next day out in a speed boat. This is the famous ‘candelabra’ which is probably a representation of a cactus or a tree, or a map to buried treasure or a landing pad for aliens. 184m tall and 50cm deep in the hard packed dirt. It’s been there for hundreds, if not thousands, of years due to the extreme lack of rain. Apparently Martians (the peruvian term for crazy people) have been walking on it so it's now a federal offence to go anywhere near it. Next, the Islas Ballastas (the crossbow islands) otherwise known as the Peruvian or poor mans' Galapagos. Tons of birds, including penguins, pelicans, vultures, boobies and seagulls but the sea lions were the best. We also saw dolphins hoping around while we waited for the boat.

In the afternoon, we went on a tour of The Paracas National Reserve. The driest place on the earth (other than Antarctica), it was incredibly stark but beautiful.

The road you see going through the picture is made of salt which is found in great big chunks all over the place. Our guide, Luis, got us out of the bus to prove it, He smashed some rocks on the road and we could taste the pieces…I was just glad he didn’t make us lick the road.

This beach behind me has red sand from the iron in the nearby rocks. It’s currently the icon of the park.

Next stop, Nazca.

Last days in Lima

2010-11-08T19:14:00.001-08:00

Finished my classes and had a celebratory lunch with the ladies.

Had a great day on Thursday. Went paragliding with Matilda. It was S/150 ($50) for ten minutes over the cliffs of Lima. Sooo much fun!!! We couldn’t stop smiling on our way to have beer. You can see me coming in for a landing here.

Stumbled upon a fantastic dance performance after our beer. I’ve noticed that this is a very musical country with bands performing in parks, shopping centers, restaurants and on the street.Heading out of town tomorrow.

Halloween in Lima

2010-10-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

Our school had a Halloween party on Friday night. They served ‘pisco sours’ which is a local cocktail that I’m going to be spending a lot of time investigating…just to support the local economy, of course. We also had tiny baked potatoes and beef heart on skewers…sounds odd but it was tasty.

So, Lima doesn’t have a city bus system. What they do have is several minibus companies which careen recklessly through the streets, disregarding everyone’s safety, including the touts hanging out the doors incomprehensibly hollering out the bus’s destination. This seemed like a lot of fun so yesterday, my classmate, Matilda, and I took a couple of these minibuses out to see the nearby ruins of Pachecama. They weren’t much to see but it was a gorgeous day.

Matilda

The hairless Peruvian dog. They live at the site and you can see what they think of the Incan gods that were worshipped here.

There’s not much to see here as earthquakes and time have pretty much destroyed everything but it’s on the ocean and the two hour walk was great.

Those Incan priests had all the best views even if they did have to share with the condors.

First week in Lima

2010-10-28T13:16:00.001-07:00

So I took a tour of Lima city this past weekend. It was four hours and cost $28. Kind of expensive considering that my hotel costs $25 per night and lunch is usually $2 or $3. It did give me a quick look at the different parts of the city including the slums climbing the surrounding hills and the historic areas.

As with any tour, there is the obligatory museum rush through. Found out that the oldest civilization discovered in Peru is around 5000 years old. Every civilization has practiced human sacrifice and they cultivated the first potatoes…over three thousand varieties exist in Peru and I’ve already eaten a few.

La Plaza de Armas is the main square and is flanked by government buildings and a huge cathedral…it’s the same layout in every Latin American town. Got to watch the changing of the guard which was very musical but behind big thick bars and a line of riot police.

The police presence is heavy everywhere thanks to high crime rates and the history with the Shining Path Terrorists. Every business has iron gates that you have to be buzzed into before entering and all high end shops have a security guard, even Starbucks.

This cool fountain in the center of the Plaza gets filled up with the local alcohol, Pisco one day a year and everyone can drink for free.

Lovers Park, not far from my hostel holds a ‘longest kiss’ contest every Valentine’s Day.

I’ve started my Spanish classes this week and, although they’re not as good as the ones in Mexico, I’ve met some nice people and have a traveling partner for the first week or so of my trip in Peru.

First weekend in Lima

2010-10-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

So I finally made it to Lima. I’m staying in a cool neighbourhood called Miraflores (look at the flowers) in a hotel a block from the 80 metre high cliffs that overlook the beach. So far, I really like Lima. The people are friendly and it feels quite safe here.

In the main plaza, there is a book fair going on and people here seem to read a lot in the coffee shops.

Along the paths of the main plaza park there is an exhibition raising awareness of poverty in the city.

Look closely and you can see all the cats. People put plates of food out for them and there are even a bunch of cat beds.

Check out the cheap deals. T-shirts for three dollars (they’re good t-shirts)

I stood and watched these guys from the shopping mall high on the cliffs and then I ate some gelato….life is pretty good.

Heading out again

2010-10-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

I’m heading back out on the road again this week. Spent over two hundred dollars in vaccinations but I know have a ‘star trek’ quality shield around my whole body…nothing can touch me.

First stop; Lima, Peru. I’m staying there for two or three weeks to update my Spanish before heading out to see the rest of the country and more.

Nicole and Christine's Excellent Adventure

2010-10-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Bowen Island

2010-09-09T17:12:00.001-07:00

Took the twenty minute ferry ride over to Bowen Island today. $10 for the ferry and $12 to park. We trekked up the highway to see the different parts of town and met up with a family of deer on a side road. They let us get really close and hang out with them. I guess they were used to us tourists.

Lots of nice paths to walk through the forest and presumably meet more of the local fauna. Stayed for a nice lunch and back on the ferry. If you don't care much about decor, I would recommend Snug's near the ferry for it's yummy food.

Been hanging out with the nieces. Asia had her first day of Kindergarden and gymnastics class and is all raring to go. Emerson is pretty blase about the whole grade four thing.

Last days of summer

2010-09-02T21:10:00.001-07:00

The last days of summer are here and I've been getting out as much as possible.

Had a great whole day at the PNE. Shockingly expensive nowadays...$20 to get in unless you buy your ticket online for $16.50.

Highlights were the pig races (little buggers are faster than you would think), the lumberjack show (not as good as the old competion days but still pretty entertaining), Dal Richards and his orchestra (92 years old and still enthusiastically putting two shows on a day at the PNE), The Peking Acrobats (worth waiting in line for) and the marketplace building where we saw all kinds of home appliance demonstrations...those knives really are sharp.

Ate mini-donuts ($5 now but just as delicious)and drank lemonade (the cheapest thing to drink at $3). Brought the $5 cotton candy home. Must recommend the fish and chips at Sea Lovers.

Rented bikes and did the Stanley Park seawall. Had a lovely bruised bum the next day but it was totally worth it. We went with Bayshore rentals on Denman ($18 for 4 hours) and they were great but discovered that other companies rent the cruiser bikes with the big fat seats on them for a little more money...next time I'll go for the comfort.

The new bike/walk path all along coal harbor is great.

the PNE parade

2010-08-21T00:42:00.001-07:00

The Pacific National Exibition kicks off tomorrow but the opening parade was downtown tonight. A beautiful setting on English bay as the sun set behind us and lots of floats, giant balloons, local celebs, bands, horses and dancing troups...my favorite was the 100 or so Elvis impersonator kids...lord all mighty!

Back in Canada

2010-08-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

I'm back in Vancouver for the rest of the summer and loving the great weather. Spent the last few days in the great outdoors where Canada is at its best.

Went hiking at Golden Ears park. Had fun climbing on all the rocks and wading in the glacier fed stream.

Emerson trying to decide if it is hot enough to dive in the freezing cold water.

Asia as a forest nymph

The whole family at the lake. Much swimming was had by all.

Ice cream on the way home...best ever!

The Rain

2010-07-21T22:09:00.001-07:00

So, it's the rainy season here in Puerto Vallarta but that sentence doesn't really convey what's happening on a daily basis.

We've got an exciting new sport in white water rafting except there's no raft and it takes place in all the downtown roads which flood up to and over the sidwalks. Catching a bus is a level 5 on the danger scale but the taxi drivers are willing to take anyone who washes up on the banks.

All of the lovely white buildings now have a new shade of moss green...so do all my clothes and any food that gets left out for more than a couple of hours.

Melissa and I just spent an hour mopping our floor because there are several..um...issues with walls and their solidity.

On the plus side, I don't have do laundry anymore and I'm considering giving up showers. Plus, the pool is always full.

San Christobal and Oaxaca

2010-07-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in Puerto Vallarta for my last week in Mexico. I had a great last few days on the road. Took a couple of night buses which was interesting. It was easy to sleep except that they had numerous police checks...I even had to produce my passport. This was in the region of the Zapatista rebels so the police presence is supposed to stop their activities but it just seemed like a movie to me. I would be sleeping and then a man would be asking me for identification.

The home of the Zapatistas, San Christobal. They seemed to be more interested in selling Che Gueuvera t-shirts and as you can see, Buddhism has come to the area.

Oaxaca is the cultural center of the country, or so I'm told. It was a pretty place with lots of wide open spaces and churches. Everytime I went around a corner, there were musicians, markets, sidewalk cafes...it felt relaxed and cozy with the possibility of excitement.

Took a tour to see some Zapatec weavers which was really cool. Learned how they get the colors and weave the rugs. Of course, all the work is done by women while the men herd the sheep.

I spent a lot of time in the main square, watching people and drinking delicious Oaxacan chocolate. Every two minutes, another person would come up and ask if I wanted to buy something but they went away with a polite 'no, gracias'.

It's good to be out of hotels now so I'm going to relax for a few days and hit the beach.

Campeche

2010-07-11T15:20:00.001-07:00

I spent the day in Campeche waiting for a night bus to San Cristobel. It's a pretty UNESCO world heritage town on the carribean with high fortress walls that protected them from pirates back in the day. It took being sacked several times before getting around to building the huge stone walls.

I was able to spend Saturday night on the square and got to watch some...interesting performances as well as their own brand of bingo being played at large tables. I found out the next day that the 'bingo' was started by a cigarette company and was so popular that it has become a weekly obsession.

I ate tamales, Mayan style, wrapped in leaves and then for dessert, I had a frozen coconut drink/shake/sundae that I have no idea what to call...I just asked for what the woman in front of me had and got it...delicious.

The 'bingo' cards with bottle caps to mark the called squares

The Saturday night bingo game on the square

A look inside a 17th century Spanish merchant home

What a pretty town with blocks and blocks of these colourful buildings...a peak behind the facades reveals a tired and worn place that looks its 400 year old age

Chichen Itza

2010-07-09T18:02:00.001-07:00

Got on an early local bus to beat the tour buses and made it out to Chichen Itza this morning. It was hot and humid but the site was like walking in a park with trees conveniently lining all the paths. I have to say that I was impressed. It was better than Egyptian pyramids but not quite as good as Angkor Wat. It would have been a bit better if there hadn't been ropes around almost every ruin but I had gotten my fill of climbing the day before so I was content to sneak around listening to other group's guides and take pictures.

Got lucky with the weather in the morning but just before I was leaving the thunder and lightening started up. Thought I would be clever and video a bit of it and got caught in a downpour that turn the whole place into a lake. My clothes were soaked through in less than two minutes and the $3 raincoat I bought was 'too little too late' to save me. It was kind of funny standing under the trees, watching the lighting strike and the tourists scamper behind their guides.

Jaguar Temple

Temple of a thousand pillars...for real

The big honking deal

Ek Bakam

2010-07-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

So, Cancun was flooded and gross so I got out of there as fast as I could get on a bus. I'm in Valladolid, which is a cute little town near Chichen Itza. My hotel has a pool so I'm pretty happy.

You can see that they like color here in town. The wide streets are nice and breezy which is absolutely necessary in the humidity. I'm not sure why but there is a cop on every single corner...I walked back out of the tourist area to see if they would be there too and they were...I practiced my Spanish by asking a bunch of them for directions.

I had a interesting desert in the town square. A crispy crepe with melted cheese and caramel sauce. You could get it with chocolate/cheese and nutella/cheese too.

I hit a lesser known set of ruins called Ek Balam this morning. Very cool with almost no people and the jungle encroaching from all sides. The walk up the big temple was tough but the walk down almost killed me...way too high and steep.

In the afternoon I cooled off by swimming at this cool cenote...the water was so clear that you could see the rock formation way below your feet and the cute little fishes swimming around.

Chihuahua

2010-07-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last two days looking for those yappy chihuahuas in Chihuahua but couldn't find a single one until I went in for a manicure and they had a puppy mascot in the shop...now I can believe that I'm in Chihuahua.

This place is full of parks, tree-lined streets and statues...statues of angels, of statesmen, of rebels and of animals or half people half animals. It's cooler than the pacific coast and the air is dry and clean so I could walk forever and take pictures of all the statues.

This is also the home of Pancho Villa and you can see the bullet riddled car he died in at his actual home. He was a real bad guy that history seems to have turned into a revolutionary. At the time of his death, 25 of his wives claimed ownership of his house but the guy has bronze statues and paintings from one end of town to the other.

People are very friendly. I've had some really nice english/spanish conversations with people.

Creel

2010-07-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Creel is my favorite place so far. It's high up in the mountains and the air is cool and pine-scented. The whole place feels fresh and looks like a park. I stayed in a log cabin guest house and rented a scooter to get around. I could easily see myself living there (except for the lack of jobs and shopping).

The local indios are called Raramuri and the women still wear their colorful traditional clothing for everyday life. Almost all the men look like cowboys with hats and boots. They are primarily farmers but a lot of the women and children sell handmade crafts to the tourists. It was a bit sad to see the runny nosed little kids hawking their necklaces but everyone looks very healthy and I think their lives aren't too bad.

The whole area is filled with bizzare rock formations and incredible vistas...I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I was riding around. I actually wanted to go on a horseback riding tour but they needed a minimum number and I would have had to wait for a day or two. In the end, it didn't matter how I got around because the views were just so incredible.

For those of you in the know about my 'phalic' photo wall, you'll see that I really hit paydirt here.

Copper Canyon

2010-07-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Up at 4:30am and on the train before 6:00 to roll into Copper Canyon for a 10 hour ride to Creel up high in the mountains. Interesting fact, there isn't actually any copper in the canyon. The Spanards saw the green moss on the rocks and thought it was copper so it got misnamed....those Spaniards with their killing the indios, stealing their land and misnaming everything really have a bad rep historically speaking.

The canyon was pretty cool but not as spectactular as advertized. Passengers could stand in the fresh air in between cars and take photos and the conductor (complete with little cap and vest) came through the cars to tell us when something photo worthy was coming. Unfortunatly, it started raining half way through so things kind of disappeared into the fog.

Mazatlan

2010-07-01T17:30:00.001-07:00

The scenery has started to flatten out and there are more cacti as I go north. It was kind of scary at the military check point when we all had to get of while they searched the bus and all of our bags...lots of machine guns and tough looking men. After the realative harmlessness of Korean police, the battle hardened soldiers and police I'm seeing here are a real shocker.

I hit Mazatlan and was pleasantly surprised by it's wide open streets and multitudes of beaches. Walked from one end of town to the other and then took a ferry to an island for a beer on the beach below.

Squid fishermen diving off the rocks and climbing back up with innertubes filled with their catches

Great surf! I got the crap pounded out me and had a blast.

Mexicans eat five or six meals a day so there is food everywhere...life is good :)

Mazatlan style taxis..a total rip off but a nice way to see town

Town square was a great place for breakfast

On the road again

2010-07-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

So, I'm on the road again, this time in Mexico with my brand spanking new Spanish skills...I'm really hoping I don't get myself dead or in jail.

I started the trip off in the sleepy little fishing village of San Blas. It's main claim to fame is the eco tours in the swamp/river. I did the tour and it was pretty cool. Lots of bizzare birds, crocodiles and the relaxed feeling of being out of the city with the wind in my hair as we cruised.

walking in paradise

2010-06-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing, taking a daily walk in Puerto Vallarta is a bit of a pain. It's blistering hot and humid. The sidewalks are little more than obstacle courses and pretty much everything is up a bloody hill or down a bloody hill but then you look around and this is what you see.

2010-06-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tengo una semana buena. En la clase, aprendo el presente progresivo y lo uso con conductores del autobús y otra gente. Esta semana, la escuela esta tieniendo un partido el miércoles por la noche. Abajo son algunos cuadros del partido. Ayer, mi compañero de clase, Witch (Vincent) y yo bebimos unas cervezas y miramos el juego de México Francia en una bar en el Malecon. La gente en la bar está muy excitada. Muchos gritos y dar brincos
I am having a good week. In class, I am learning present progressive and I am using it with bus drivers and other people. This week, the school had a party on Wednesday night. Below are some pictures of the party. Yesterday, my classmate, Witch (Vincent) and I drank a few beers and watched Mexico beat France at a bar on the Malecon. The people were really excited when Mexico scored a goal. Lots of shouting and jumping up and down.

tiros de tequilla Tequilla shots at school...what a great school :)

Oliver, Mitch, Frida, Claudia, Witch and me

Vincent y su novia hermosa, Ismerelda Witch and his beautiful girlfriend, Ismerelda

Mi maestra muy gracioso y agradable, Claudia My very funny and nice teacher, Claudia

México gana y bebemos en el malecon Mexico is winning and we are drinking on the Malecon.

2010-06-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Puerto Vallarta is pretty cool. I've been saving the .70cent bus fare and walking most places so I'm getting familiar with the layout and where some stuff is. I've also completed my first week of Las Clases de Espanol and I can now say things like; La pluma esta en la mesa (the pen is on the taable) and Lavo mis manos todos las dias (I wash my hands every day).

Here are a few images from my walk home after class on Friday.

A typical street.

The malecon (boardwalk)

Cool sandcastles for tips

My classmate and I enjoying a Dos Equis beer after class

Chapter, the next

2010-05-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not homeless anymore. I've rented an apartment in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the next two months. It's a block from the beach and a five minute bus ride into the center of town. It's a little third-world and took two bottles of bleach to get clean but I feel pretty good now.

I've also started my Spanish lessons. There are just myself and a Dutch guy in the class and it's all memorization and repetition which is just about killing me after spending all these years teaching teachers not to do that but at least I know my alphabet now...oh yeah, and I can ask where the bathroom is.

Now, I've just got to get that best seller written so I don't have to ever get another job...

The view from my balcony

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South Florida

2010-04-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way back to Vancouver tomorrow but I've had a great few days in southern Florida.

Key West was a blast....spent most of the day walking around the quaint little historical area but I managed to spend a few hours on a sailboat in the afternoon and then again for the sunset.

I had a day to visit the Everglades and see wild animals as well as soak up the humid heat. I did one of those airboat rides but really had a better time walking along the boardwalks reading the little informative signs about the glades.

I also returned for another day at Kennedy and took the tour. Saw a cool re-creation of the Apollo landings as well as the booster rockets being prepared for the next shuttle launch in May. I also met a real astronaut and talked with him about the feeling of environmentalism created by his experiences in space.

So, my trip is finished but here are a few observations;

- New Jersey has the worst roads and the worst drivers..seriously, flying over huge potholes with reckless abandon is a state sport
- What I thought meant 'don't walk' actually means 'do any damn thing you want in the road' in New York
- South Carolina is the friendliest state and has the best pralines which I may have to figure out how to mainline to get my fix
- Washington has the best metro system as well as being the most contrary with messages of equality and fairness engraved everywhere in stone but completely ignored by current politicians
- Americans are obsessed with both psychics and Jesus...very weird with the zodiacs in neon right along side with the crosses!
- MacDonalds are the real overlords of America and Dick Cheney was just a convenient patsy

Orlando

2010-04-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

I spent quite a bit of time investigating all the attractions in Orlando like Universal studios, Epcot Centre, Seaworld, Holy Land (no shit) and Disneyland but so far I've only made it as far as my hotel's palm tree lined swimming pool. It's bloody fantastic here!

The Launch!

2010-04-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

I made a good choice going with a tour company because the whole experience from pick up at my hotel to drop off was smooth and worry-free.

We had three hours to explore Kennedy Space Center before the launch and I was really impressed. New exhibits for future projects like this lunar module were done to full scale with the creative process all laid out. The spacesuits are attached to the outside so that the astronauts just slip into them.

Each building had a different theme with cool interactive displays. This was the 'future explorers' but they also had NASA history with a mock up of the real ground control and real artifacts of past missions.

The Rocket Garden beat the hell out of any normal garden.

We could also tour a full sized shuttle. There was a cool simulated launch that really made you feel like you were getting the 'G-force' and I'm not sure how, but I felt weightless when we hit orbit. Best diet ever!

So about about two hours before the launch, millions of us trooped out to the causeway, which is six miles from the shuttle, in long lines of buses

As a special treat, the space station flew overhead minutes before the launch and the crowds burst out into cheers as it traveled inches from the moon in the sky.

Then the count down. First, we could see the smoke and then the entire sky lit up as if it were on fire. The roar and rumble hit next and everyone started shouting and thousands of cameras started clicking.

This is the NASA photo of the twilight launch as my photos sucked.

Savannah again

2010-04-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm eating a Georgia peach after strolling through Savannah for the day. It's a beautiful city with a really laid-back feel.

There was an arts festival going on in town so I got the chance to see a different face to the city.

I ate down at the river which was also having another festival....when isn't this city having a festival...it hit 89 degrees so, while most of us chose to drink beer, some others choose a more direct method.

2010-04-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, August and I are leaving DC tomorrow but we did and saw as much as humanly possible. I'm pretty sure we wore out the bottoms of our feet and overloaded our brains but it's been good.

The Space and Air Museum...this is the actual Apollo 11 capsule that I'm looking up at...the seats were tiny and it must have been bloody uncomfortable coming down.

This was my favorite painting at the national portrait gallery. The woman who introduced Girl Scouts to America.

We walked the whole mall as the sun set and got to the Lincoln memorial as dark came on. A very impressive statue but the two speaches engraved on the insides were more impressive to me.

Arlington was kind of a detached experience until our tour stopped in dead silence as a marine funeral went by with the horse drawn casem. Up to 27 military funerals per day.

The cherry blossom festival is in full swing this week and we've been lucky enough to enjoy it all over town.

This is the National Cathedral which was impressive and the choir was practicing for Easter Sunday so we got the full impact of the atmostphere. Wish we had more time to walk around the grounds.

The American History museum was pretty incredible with Judy Garland's ruby slippers, Julia Child's full kitchen and this, Stanley, the very first fully automated driving car. It can 'see' it's surroundings and drive in accordance. Very cool!

This Alexandria which is full of great restaurants and we ate here a few times.

George Washington's house at Mount Vernon and this is the view from his porch. Totally interesting place and it was very educational regarding the times as well as his life.

Hershey chocolates

2010-03-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, Hershey, PA ia quaint little country town and they give out free chocolate so I've finally found my retirement location....just gotta save the money.

The Tropicana Hotel on the boardwalk in Atlantic city...they provided a lovely place to rest my head and loose my money at the poker table.

August and I are doing the Smithsonian in DC right now...so much to see that our heads are spinning. The biggest problem we're having is choosing from the gazillions of restaurants.

New York

2010-03-25T08:13:00.001-07:00

A lovely corn beef on rye with a deli pickle is a clue to this posting's location...

So, here I am in New York. Pretty cool place but I'm worn out from walking for four days. If you can't guess, this is a photo from Brooklyn of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan.

The first time I walked through 'the Park' it was rainy and grey but on my last day I got lucky and spent some time strolling and sitting with New Yorkers enjoying early spring. Lots of dogs.

Ground Zero construction...apparently it's going to be a shopping center in most part so New Yorkers are pissed.

The 'village' Lots of activism history here.

View from the Empire State Building which was pretty cool.

Went to see Chicago on Broadway. I had front row tickets and it was really good...and all that jazz.

Times Square which I must have walked or driven through 20 times as it's really the center of things in the city.

This is what it looked like when I walked over the Brooklyn bridge the first day...not so nice but some how, it seemed very New York all grey and misty.

I could have used a couple more days here but I visited four of the five boroughs, rode the subway and the Staten Island ferry, ate hot pretzels, walked through the Guggenheim and wore out my feet.

2010-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Spent the day at Colonial Williamsburg, hearing the sound of canons firing and drums beating faintly in the background. It was a cool place with a kind of mixture of dramatic theater and real people who live there. I can't imagine coming out of your home to see reenactments of the revolution going on down the street in full costumes but it sure is a beautiful place.

I was rather alarmed to hear how excited they all were about the 'blood shed' (literal quote) and the 'nobility' of war. If this is the kind of rhetoric that people are raised on, no wonder the American military is so well funded.

South Carolina

2010-03-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

So, here's where you get your Civil War History (or War Between the States as Bubba, my tour guide, explained to me). By the way, Bubba means 'brother' down here.

This is Fort Sumter, in Charleston's harbor, where the first shots of the Civil war were actually shot. The two opposing commanders were best friends and Beauregard allowed the Yankees to 'evacuate' rather than surrender so that his friend wouldn't get killed. The only death occurred during the 50 gun salute as they were leaving when a canon exploded and shredded a private.

Here is where I want to live after I win the lottery. They watched the Fort Sumter battle from the third balcony. It sold for 10 million a couple of years ago.

The whole city of Charleston is just beautiful and filled with a feeling of lushness.

Enough history, lets get to Myrtle Beach for some sun.

Wildlife count - Coyote in Florida, big black buzzards in Georgia and dolphins in South Carolina.

Georgia

2010-03-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Savannah, Georgia, a grand sedate old lady of the south...unless you show up on St. Patrick's Day in which case you will find the citizens reeling drunkenly through the streets dressed in every shade of green imaginable.

I went around and looked at some of the historical monuments although a few of them were decorated with green garland and surrounded by stages or beer stands. I counted seven stages around town and heard Sweet Home Alabama played three times... Everyone was friendly and wanted to chat. The one's I spoke with thought it was funny that a tourist had shown up on the only day of the year where the tourism offices and tours are closed but thought that the cheap beer would make up for it. Sadly, I had to drive.

Even the riverboats got into the festival by spraying green water into the air. Some of the fountains around town also had green water.

After walking the streets of Ireland-reborn for a couple of hours, I got back on the road to catch my first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean on Hilton Head Island; an exclusive getaway for the very wealthy. I went to the swankest Starbucks I've ever seen and took my coffee to a desserted windswept beach for a walk.

The Paralympics

2010-03-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Went downtown to see the Olympic flame which is going to remain as a permanent fixture at the harbor. It was chilly and raining as is usual for March in Vancouver but McDonalds is giving away free coffee this week so we kept warm as we walked all over the city. You can see the living roof on the convention centre behind the flame which is just one of many all over the city and actually got us featured in National Geographic.

In an ironic note, the elevator for disable persons was out of order so no one with a chair or serious walking impediment would be able to get up for this view of the flame during the 'paralympics'.

-Sam, I'm sorry that there is no picture of the coffee or the Tim Horton's apple fritter that I ate.

Planes

2010-03-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

So, my sister gets her pilot's licence and here we are flying around the lower mainland. Apparently the goal for all pilots is to fly from airport to airport to test out their restaurants so that's what we did.

Now my dad has decided that flying is so much fun, he's bought himself a little plane. I might go for my license next year if I have any money left over.

By the way, for those of you in colder climates, check out my front yard cherry blossoms this week :)

Olympic winners

2010-03-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Went to the Richmond venue for the Olympics and saw Clara Hughes, our bronze medal speed skater. She's the only woman to win medals in both winter and summer olympics. She donated her money ($10,000) to Right To Play which she's worked with for years. Very inspiring speech which seems to prompted other winners to donate their 20, 15 or 10 thousand dollar prizes too.

Other exibits around town included a lot of tourism for Canada, Native Canadian art and culture and multi-culturism. I learned that Vancouver is 40% ethnic Chinese and 11% ethnic East Indian.

It's good to know where you are

A lot of totems around town

It's the year of the tiger

Starting out at the 2010 Olympics

2010-03-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am in Vancouver hanging out at the Olympics. Downtown is an absolute crush with random crazies singing the national anthem, people wearing flags as capes and red mittens and jerseys everywhere. The energy is incredible.

There are several fun things you can do downtown including visiting 'houses' of various nations to learn about their culture and eat their food. One of the most popular activities is the zipline which lets you fly over the crowds but the line ups are usually over five hours long.