Author: billrider2013

Canterbury to Rome Day 3

billrider2013Leave a comment

Boulogne Wind

Heading South

My original plan was to have ridden from Calais to Boulogne on my first day in France. I decide that I was still going to ride to Boulogne and from there head west to Aaras. My host in Tunbridge Well recommend it as a place to visit.

My first task was to find something to eat. I had been told by the manager of the campsite that next town was 3 klms away. When I arrived I found a restaurant and asked what they had for breakfast. I was told that all they had was coffee. I was incredulous – “what not even a croissant?” “No   I am sorry there is nowhere here to buy food and this time”, came the reply.

Wind

As I headed off, the wind started to pick up. It was really strong and blowing directly into my face. It made the riding very difficult and slow.

It was close to midday when I found a place to get some food. It was a rather up market restaurant. I ordered an apple tart and a coffee. When I paid by credit card the waitress walked out of the restaurant and almost on to road. She explained that it was that place where she could get an internet signal.

Lunch

About an hour later I decided I need lunch. I came across a restaurant in a small town called Wimereux. I ordered sole. It was very well presented and very tasty. It is so good to be eating French food again.

More Wind

The wind really slowed me down as I headed on to Boulogne.

I had brief stop in the centre of the city near the docks. It seemed like a reasonable place, if somewhat shabby.

Camping Site

The wind had really go to me as I continued to head south. I decided to stop at the first camp site that I found.

The place I found was close to the beach in Equihen – Plage and looked impressive from the outside. I have become to expect that most large French campsite have all the facilities you need including a café and more than likely, a licenced restaurant. This place was missing these two.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHskfPWD3G

Garmin Link

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/827284835

Canterbury to Rome Days 1 & 2

billrider2013Leave a comment

Dover

Canterbury to Rome Day 1 and 2

I spent a couple of days in Royal Tunbridge Wells before heading back to Canterbury.

I stayed at Neal’s Farm again. This is a great place to camp. It is a working farm only about 3 klms from the centre of the city with a licence for camping over the summer months.

South to Deal

The route down to south coast took me through Sandwich. I decided to have lunch there – a Salmon sandwich.

I then continued on to Deal. I had booked into the Kingsdown International Camping Centre which is about 4 klms from the town. It turned out to be a great place, with spectacular views over the English Channel. I decided to stay a few days. There were ongoing issues with immigrants causing the port in Calais to be periodically closed and I needed sort out some ‘administrative, stuff. This looked like a good place to do it.

Good Library

Next day, I walked into Deal along the sea front. The area is a very popular place to retire. I felt really young. It also must have one of the highest rates of dog ownership on the planet.

Deal has a really good public library.

Three Pubs

Back in Kingsdown, I decided to check out the pubs. The Zetland Arms, which is on the beach was recommended, the manager to the campsite, as the place to eat. He was right, it is very good.

I also checked out the Rising Sun (owned by the same people as the Zetland) and the Kings Heads. The latter is a traditional ‘public house’, frequented by people from the village.

To Dover

On Monday, it was time to leave for France. I headed to Dover along the coast. I have been to Dover a number of times, put not from this direction. The best place to view the ‘white cliffs’ is from on the eastern side of the town.

On the Ferry

The Dover docks are undergoing a redevelopment. There are temporary barriers all over the place. Whoever is responsible, clearly does not have the cyclists in mind. The cycle path was blocked at several points and I was forced to take the lane used by cars and trucks. This was not fun.

Calais and South

I dropped into the Tourist Centre in Calais. They provided me with a couple of maps, including one detailing the ‘velo’ (cycling) routes in the area. A good old paper map has its advantages over a google map. It is certainly better than using the Garmin.

Early Stop

I headed south towards Boulogne. I noticed a sign to campsite. The place looked good and I decided to stop.

I will head to Escalles on the coast and on to Boulogne.

Flickr Links

https://flic.kr/s/aHskf435hY

Garmin Links

To Dover

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/825418602

From Calais

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/825418643

Back in London June 2015

billrider2013Leave a comment

London June 2015

The flight from Lima to Schiphol was not the greatest. Albeit I booked through Air France the plane was KLM. That was not a problem in itself, except that it was extremely cramped.

I did have an interesting chat with a retired Dutch doctor who was sitting next to me. She was as serious traveller. I made that comment that the Dutch are on a per capita basis, the most widely travelled nationality on the planet. She responded that that could be true, “however if you only meet Dutch people outside of Holland, then by definition they are travellers.” She went on to say there are a lot of Dutch people that rarely move outside the country.

Landing at City Airport
After landing in Schiphol I changed planes for the short flight to London. Schiphol is a very large, but very efficient airport. I was able to make the connecting flight with ease.
I have never been to the City Airport before. It only takes small aircraft that cope with the small run way.

The experience was excellent. I swapped passports (Australian for British) and walked through the automatic gates. My luggage had already arrived and in no time on was on the DLR train having discovered that I had over GBP 15 on my Oyster Card.
After months of having to deal with new places and unfamiliar transport systems and foreign languages, it was great to be back in familiar territory.

Couple of days near The Tower London
I stayed in hostel over the weekend. My SW18 hosts were fully booked. This is not a surprise. They have a very high occupancy rate, particularly at this time of the year.

Back in SW18
After the weekend, I headed out to SW18 and my London host’s place.
It was great to be back in such familiar place and to be in ‘my room again’.

Collecting the Bike
The next I went out to Northwest London to collect my bike. I had given it to the shipping company in Sydney back in January just before I flew to Japan.
It was great to see it again.

Kinks Musical
On Tuesday I got a ticket to the musical ‘Sunday Afternoon’. It is based on the story of the Kinks. It is not simply a ‘Juke Box’ musical like ‘Let it Be’ – there is a story.

Elgar Concert
I also when to Sunday Afternoon concert and the Royal Albert Hall. This is my favourite concert venue. The programme included. His cello concerto that was made famous by

Flickr Links
London June 2015
https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/6pDJJ8
Elgar Concert
https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/dHt5S3
Garmin Link
On the bike again – Northwest London to SW18
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/799642377
Jacqueline Du Pre YouTube Link
https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=du+pre+concerto&fr=ymyy-t-999&fr2=p%3Amy%2Cm%3Asb

The Galapagos Islands

billrider2013Leave a comment

Galapagos

In the second week of May I decided that I would have time to go to the Galapagos Islands and still be able to arrive in London on the first week of June. I searched the net for a flight. There are only two airlines that fly to the islands. They seem to know what that duopoly power gives them as far as pricing is concerned. Anyway I found a reasonable return fare from Lima.

Trip to the Airport

The taxis ride from the hostel in Mirafores to the airport was interesting. The route took us through back streets of what is clearly a very poor part of Lima. The driver was on his mobile phone for the whole journey, steering with one hand. I was very relieved to arrive at the airport.

Guayaquil

The first leg of journey was a flight to Guayaquil. I was one of the last to get off the plane and was near the end of the queue to get through immigration. The bloke standing next to me told me to expect a long wait. He was right. It took nearly two hours.   It was after three in the morning when I was finally through.

My flight on to the Galapagos was due to leave at 9.30 a.m. I was able to catch some sleep on a bench chair departure area,

Getting a Pass to the Islands

When I was checking in for the flight to Baltra, I was told that you have to purchase a pass to for the islands prior to boarding the plane.

The process of purchasing the pass turned out to be a real circus. The que hardly moved. Some English blokes that were ahead of me, and on an earlier flight, went to the head of the que to investigate. They said that it seemed to take a long for the staff to enter information into the computer.

After a long wait I got to the point where I was processed. The information being entered into the computer turned out to be your passport details – name and number. The problem was that the blokes entering the information had the computer skills of a giant tortoise – one finger and the inability to remember more than one character at a time. With USD 20 paid, I was given a pass.

The next step was to have my luggage scanned. This again, was a slow process.

Finally I was on the flight west to the islands.

More Processing

Once landed, the passengers we greeted to more processing. This time we had to buy another pass for USD 100.

Even more surprising, our bags were scanned again.

Extraordinary bureaucracy to say the least. Adding USD 120 to the prices of the airline tickets and the scanning of luggage in Guayaquil would seem simpler.

 Hostel

I was booked into the Best Homestay Hostel in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz. Getting there involved a short bus ride to a ferry across a canal and another bus ride.

I stayed awake as long as I could before deciding to give up and going to sleep.

Checking out nearby Sights

In the morning I headed off to check out the local sights. These included the Charles Darwin centre, where the Giant Tortoises are breed. It is also the where Lonesome George was brought to live. He was that last of a particular species of Giant Tortoise. Check out the link.

I also look a long walk to a beach which is the home of a large number of marine Iguanas. I also took time to check out the various operators of island tours, finally selecting one for a 3 night- 4 day tour.

The next day I took a short harbour cruise which included a stop at a canyon.

Meeting others on the Trip

The tour was due to start around mid-day. I meet the others that were on the tour on the wharf. As it turned out there were only four others – two young New Zealand girls and an English bloke and his New Zealand girlfriend.

The young girls were on a gap year before starting university. They were doing volunteer work with disabled children in Ecuador. This involved living with host families.

The couple had been living in Sydney and were returning to London.

Trip still on Santa Cruz

Rather than boarding the boat, the first part of the trip involved travelling inland on the Island of Santa Cruz. First stop was a farm were we could see some of the giant tortoises in the wild.   Our guide was very knowledgeable of the tortoises and other wildlife.

We also saw some ‘lava’ caves on the farm. These were caused by the lava flows from the volcanoes that formed the island.

Next stop were some ‘sink holes’ that were also caused by the volcanoes.

On to the Sea King

Late in the afternoon, we finally boarded the boat. We were provided with an excellent meal and shortly after we headed out to sea.

I was in a cabin with two bunk beds. I took the bottom one which was very cramped and took a lot of getting into. I don’t think I would have been capable of getting into the top bunk.

The sea was quite rough and the little boat bounced around a bit.

Isabella

We awoke in the morning to find ourselves moored off the island of Isabella. After breakfast we took our small motorised rubber dingy to the island. We were met by a bloke in a 4WD who drove us to the foot of a large volcano. The plan was to walk to the top of the volcano to see its very large crater. It was pouring with rain.

The walk up to the crater was very wet and muddy. When we got to top all we could see was a lot of cloud.

Snorkelling

Back on the boat we had lunch.   In the afternoon to took the dingy to an area in the bay where we had our first go at snorkelling.

It wasn’t long before we were met by sea lions and penguins. One of the New Zealand girls was using a GoPro. A penguin swam straight at her and pecked the screen with its beak. It made a great video. Hopefully she will be able to send me a link to the video.

Short Overnight Trip

Late in the evening we headed off towards Santa Cruz.

In the morning we did some more snorkelling. I managed to get a video of a reef shark. We also saw some small stingrays which I also managed to video. There were a number of sea lions, wherever because they are so quick, I didn’t manage to get a good shot of them.

We went ashore for a short walk. This wasn’t particularly interesting apart from an extraordinary large number of spiders.

We did some more snorkelling in the afternoon before dinner.

Last Night on the Boat

Another short trip over night brought us off North Seymour.

After breakfast we headed onshore. This placed turned out to be very interesting. It has a lot of land based Iguanas. They are golden in colour and as they get older their colours become more vivid. It is also where the Blue Footed Booby and Frigate birds mate and nest. They mate at this time of the year.  We walked through the area where both species had their nests.

Back into Puerto Ayora

It was late in the morning when the New Zealand girls and I were drop off on South Seymour Island near the Baltra Airport. The other were staying on the boat for another couple of days.

It took a couple hours to get back into Puerto Ayora on three buses.

Fight back to Lima

I had to wake up very early to catch my flight back to the mainland. My route to Lima was via Quito and Guayaquil. It wasn’t to late evening before I final arrived back in downtown Lima.

Lonesome George Link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonesome_George

 

Flickr Links

Photos

https://flic.kr/s/aHskd3kHTt

Videos

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk9vm1ye

Garmin Links

Isabella Island

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/790267572

NW Corner of Isa Santa Cruz

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/790267682

Machu Picchu

billrider2013Leave a comment

Machu Picchu

I spent a couple of days in Cusco, not doing much. I tried to get on am excursion that included some mountain bike riding. To my frustration, there were not enough takers so the operator cancelled the excursions. Anyway, it was good to a have a pit of break from constant travelling. I spent a bit of time in the Norton Pub which overlooks the main square. This is a bit of a happening place. The owner is a British Motorcycle enthusiast, hence the name of the pub. There is a lot of memorabilia on the walls, including old posters, of Nortons, Triumphs, Matchlesses etc.

On one afternoon the place was packed with soccer fans watching a European Champions’ Cup match between Barcelona and Juventus. Even I impressed with the skill of the players, especially the bloke called Messi.

Mach Picchu

It would have been really good to walk the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu. Unfortunately it is so popular you have to book months in advance. I had to do with a 2 day trip by bus and train.

The first stage was a mini bus to a town called Ollantaytambo from there is about a 2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes which is the town at the foot of Machu Picchu.

As I waited for my train, a really fancy train out into the station. It looked like what I expect the Orient Express carriages to look like – with plush seats and silver service dining cars.

After that train left, my train arrived. Even through it wasn’t as fancy as the other one, it was pretty flash.

Chat with Californian couple

The train was full. As it rattled off, the couple sitting opposite introduced themselves. They were from California and were serious travellers. It was very interesting to chat them. It became pretty obvious that they were your classic ‘Californian Liberals’ – pro universal health care, renewable energy and very embarrassed that George Bush had been President.

The trains passed through some very spectacular countryside.

After arriving in Aguas Calientes I found my hostel, which is located by the river. The sound of the water rushing by was amazing – so close and so loud.

Aguas is the classis tourist town. It seem that every shop is either a restaurant, tourist gift shop or tour operator.   I had a bit of a wander around before have a meal and an early night.

Early wake up

I woke up very early to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu in the morning. As it turned out there were hundreds of other people with the same plan. The queue to get a bus was very long. Notwithstanding the numbers, the queue moved fairly quickly and it wasn’t long before I was on a bus and heading up the very steep and winding road up to Machu Picchu.

Very Enthusiastic Guide

After getting through the entrance gate, I was put into a group of English speakers and we were introduced to our guide. As we walked up the path a tall girl asked me if I was Dutch. I told her that I wasn’t. She said she “thought I was an actor she had seen at Schiphol Airport”. He seemed very disappointed that I was retired Australian.

I must say Machu Picchu is one of those places that is more spectacular than the photos suggest. It is truly  remarkable. The guide was very enthusiastic and had a lot to say about the history of the place and the Inca people that lived there. We were taken to various points of the site the features were explained.

Long walk to the Sun Gate

It the end of the tour, I walked to the sun gate which is about 2 kilometre away. If you take the Inca trail, this is place where you get your first sight of Machu Picchu.

As I approached the Sun Gate, a huge blob of cloud suddenly appeared. I have a great photo of Peruvian cloud behind which is a great view of Machu Picchu.

I head back down the track. After about 300 metres, the cloud lifted and I got a slightly different photo.

Walk for the park entrance to the town

When I got back to park entrance I decided to take the path that leads down to Aguas Calientes. The walk is not long, but it is very steep. Check out the Garmin link and the videos on Flickr.

Lunch in the square

I had a lunch in one of the very touristy restaurants I the town square. I had become accustomed to the Peruvian practice of automatically adding a 10 or 15% ‘service fee’ to restaurants bills. This seems fair enough to me.

As I sat eating my meal, I witnessed that bizarre sight of an American couple complaining that the service charged was added to bill. I challenged them to name a restaurant in their country where you could eat without being forced to pay a ‘tip’.

Train back

As it turned out that my train back to Ollantaytambo was one of the last to leave. It was dark when it arrived. There was mad rush to get on to the mini buses to Cusco. The bus that I got aboard ended up with only me a young couple. After a long wait the driver announced that he wasn’t going.

The young bloke was furious and started yelling at the driver in Spanish. The driver left the bus and the girl told me in broken English that he was going to get a taxis for us. As we waited she told me that they were from Columbia.

The taxis arrived and we climbed aboard. There was another animated conversation. The Columbia bloke clearly didn’t agree with the fare the taxis driver was proposing. Finally a fare was agreed – SOL 20 per person.

It took nearly two hours to get to Cusco. As far as I was concerned that was a very cheap fare.

Based on this experience, I would be very wary of upsetting a Columbian.

Flickr Links

Photos

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/8y41tv

Videos

https://flic.kr/s/aHskctq5sS

Garmin Link

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/778166841

[Ma1]

Death Road MTB Ride Bolivia

billrider20131 Comment

Death Road

One of the major, if not the major, tourist attractions in La Pas is the Death Road. The Wikipedia piece below explains what it is all about.

As the piece notes, the road gets its name as a result of the number of deaths that occur from trucks and other vehicles going over the edge each year – between 200 to 300 fatalities per year.

A number of operators

It is now a very popular route for mountain bike (MTB) riders. I booked an excursion with a company called Altitude. There were a number of people in the hostel that were booked with same company.

We loaded into a mini bus and headed out of La Pas. It is a seriously congested city and it look us ages to travel out of the built up area. Finally we were clear of the city and climbing quickly. We passed a hydroelectricity dam and some small farms with lamas being tended over by shepherds (or whatever people how look after lamas are called).

Very cold and snowing

We finally arrived at point where the driving stopped and the riding was to begin. This was next to a natural lake. It was very cold with snow flurries. Our guides gave us a safety briefing and we put on our protective clothing. Unsurprisingly it took some time to find a helmet that could accommodate my very large head.

The only Oldie

Our bus was joined by two others, making up about thirty in our group. Looking around, I realised that I was the only person over thirty. In fact, nearly everyone was in their early twenties.

Tarmac road

We headed off. The first part of the ride was on tarmac road. The snow turned to fine drizzle and then into quite heavy rain. Riding on this ride gave me the opportunity to lock into my brain that the right brake lever controls the rear brake. This is the reverse of my bike.

After about 15 kilometres we stopped for some breakfast. We also had to pay 25 boliviano for a park entrance fee. Why this was not simply included in the price of the excursion, I will never know.

After breakfast, we got back into the mini bus for a short ride up a bit of a hill.

On the actual Death Road

We had finally arrived at the start of the Death Road’. This required another safety briefing, including the sensible advise that: “if you have to stop any reason, put your foot on the hill side of the bike”.

Lots of trucks and vans

As we ventured off, we came across a relatively large number of trucks and cars. At one point we all had to press up against the side of the cliff as two trucks passed us. Check out the Flickr link.

There were also bikes from other Altitude groups and other operators. Throw in a few motorbikes, and we had one very busy road.

It is easy to see how large trucks and other motor vehicle fall off the edge.

Stop to take photos

After a while we stopped for photos. This is a point where cliff is sheer. It is a great photo opportunity, however, on this day, the weather was not too flash. We sat on the side of the road with our legs over the cliff for a group shot. A German bloke sitting near to me didn’t like this at all. He suffered from vertigo and was close to fainting.

Girl takes a fall

Not long after the photos, we came across a fallen rider from another group. It was a girl, who had fallen heavily and managed to bite her lip. There was a lot of blood and tears.

Check point

We made very good pace to a checkpoint, where we had yet another stop. The temperature had increased dramatically. We had dropped a lot of metres over the 50 or so kilometres that we had travelled so far.

Steep downhill

From the check point we took and much rougher road that at points, was close to being ‘single’ track. It was much steeper than the previous part of the road and there were no trucks or cars. Albeit it was steep, the drops on the side were not sheer. From and riding point of view, this was the best part of the trip.

Group Photos

Again the pace was good as we made our decent. Some of the party were a bit slow, but that didn’t slow the rest of us down.

It was not long before was reached the end of the ride. It was a relief to take off the protective clothing in the heat.

We were given out T shirts and assembled for group photos.

Late Lunch and Showers at Hotel

Next stop was a hotel where we were able to take a shower.

We were also given lunch, which was pretty good.

It was interesting talking to the other riders. They had some very interesting things to say about their experiences travelling in central and South America. I found their comments on ‘so illicit drugs, including cocaine, very interesting. One newly graduated Swedish Doctor, clearly did believe in the war on drugs.

Very long trip back to La Pas

The trip back to La Pas was on the ‘new’ road. It is all tarmac, but very busy. The 95 kilometres took for ever.

As we entered the city, the traffic was worse than we left. We found out that cause was a football match. Playing football at such a high altitude must take some doing.

Check out the Garmin Link for the details of the descent.

The Flickr videos and photos are courtesy of the tour operator. They use a basic camera, but you get an idea of what the ride is like.

Flickr Links

Video

To be included when the internet speeds permit.

Photos

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/5d6dDb

Garmin Link

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/768552887

Wikipedia Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road

Atacama Desert

billrider2013Leave a comment

Atacarma Desert

It was still dark when I woke up on the morning for my trip into Bolivia.

Because my hostel was in a very small lane, I had agreed to be picked up in a slightly larger lane a couple of blocks away. I made my way there as the sky become slowly lighter. It was somewhat surreal, there were a number of travellers like myself positioned a various points along the lane obviously also waiting to be picked up. There were also the inevitable street dogs wandering around either by themselves or in groups of two or three. They came up to me and the other travellers, I assume looking for food. Mini buses travelled up and down the lane stopping a various points to pick up passengers. Finally mine arrived and I climbed on board.

I recognised two couples I had seen on the bus from La Serena. This was to be expected, given we were all heading in the same direction. I was to find out that two of the four were brother and sister originally from Benalla in north east Victoria. They were travelling with their respective husband and wife.

Big Climb

Our mini bus made a couple more stops before heading out of town and towards the border with Bolivia. The road was very steep.

After about an hour, we stopped. This was the point where we met the drivers of the Toyota Land cruises that were to take us across the desert.

The biggest shock when we got out of the mini-van was the temperature. It was freezing – minus 10 centigrade. We were all shocked. Some people were wearing shorts. Even with gloves, my hands started to freeze. This was made worse as we stood around eating breakfast.

Meeting my Travelling Companions

There were 18 people in the min-bus and we were split groups of six to ride in the Toyotas. My group consisted on three Russian blokes and a couple from Brazil. This was going to be interesting as it become immediately obvious that only one of the Russians had any command of English or Spanish and the Brazilian could speak very little English and only rudimentary Spanish.

My Russian is non-existent apart from a couple of phrases that you certainly wouldn’t use speaking to three blokes.

Crossing into Bolivia

After a long breakfast, during which we almost froze to death, we finally piled into the Toyotas and headed to the Bolivian border. I can add this one to the list of interesting border crossings I have made in my time in South America.

First Lake

We were now into the crossing of the desert. Rather than a single road, there are many tracks heading in same direction. It appeared that the drivers simply decided which one they preferred. As well as the company that I was with, there were a number of other operators with multiple 4WDs travelling on this day. At times there would be up to 10 vehicles travelling close together. At other times we appeared to be alone in the desert.

After a couple of hours. We came to a large lake. Check out the photos – they say it all. According to my Garmin we were almost at 5,000 metres. This highest I have been while still having my feet on terra firma.

As we continued north we passed an active volcano. It wasn’t doing much.

Overnight

Our first overnight stop was at Laguna Colorada. A feature of this lake was a large number of flamingos. Some are really pink.

As we were establishing ourselves in our accommodation, I noticed some cyclists arriving. I had a chat with them. They turned out be young Swiss blokes. They told me that they had ridden 50 klms that day, however it had taken them nearly 10 hours. They were clearly as fit as buggery, however even they were struggling with the effects of the altitude.

The accommodation was very basic. The building consisted on a large number of rooms. Each of the tour parties appear to be allocated a room with all the occupants of the 4WD, the exception of the drivers, sleeping in the same room. It was very cold.

A bit about the Russian Blokes

Over dinner, I was able to glean from the Russian blokes that they had been constantly travelling for six years. The bloke who could speak English said that he used to run a ‘finance business’ and the other two used to work for him. One, a very large bloke with an interesting nose (clearly having been broken more than once), was his driver. The English speaker said that he “would not be returning to Russia as long as Putin was in power”.

Tree Stone

It was freezing when we headed off in the morning. The scenery was spectacular. We stopped in area with some very interesting rock formations, including one that looked like a tree.

More Flamingos

We stopped for lunch at a lake with more flamingos. If you like flamingos there are heaps of photos on Flickr.

Second Hotel

It was quite late when we arrived at our second hotel. It was a real surprise. It looked quite dodgy from the outside. However, inside it was quite luxurious. I had my own room with an en-suite bathroom. That was all very well, the only problem being there was no water.

Very early start

Our last day in the desert involved a very early start. The reason was that we going to see the sun rise on the salt flats.

This turned out to be highlight of the whole trip. The photos say it all.

After watching the sun rise, we speed across the lake. The surface is remarkably hard. Check out the patterns. The Garmin shows the route and the speeds we achieved.

Funny Photos and Videos

One of the things to do on the salt flats is the take photos and make videos that take advantage of the ‘optical illusions’ caused by the flat surface on the lake.

Examples of what you can do are on Flickr. These include arranging the camera and an object, like an avocado to give the appearance that a person is sitting on the object. Other examples include making a video that gives that appearance that people are running out of tube or a bottle.

Cactus Island

After the photo and video making we headed across the lake, to an ‘island’. This is a rocky outcrop rising about 200 metres above the lake. A feature of the island are cactuses (or is that cacti). Anyway the island is great place to view the lake which spreads out for many kilometres in all directions.

Hotel

Near to the edge of the lake we stopped briefly a hotel that is made from salt cut from the lake. It isn’t very interesting. However I was amused to find a model of ‘salt and pepper’ schnauzer dog.

Train Cemetery

Our last stop on the tour was train cemetery. The trains are what remains of a large fleet that was used to transport minerals up until the mid 20th century. It is an obvious reminder that mining is not a sustainable industry.

Overnight in Uyuni

We arrived in Uyuni in the early afternoon. I had made reservation at hostel. The couples mentioned above had planned their trip a bit better than me. They had already determined that Uyuni wasn’t a place to stay for longer than necessary. One of the couples had booked on a train heading north that was leaving at 1.30 a.m. the next morning. The others were taking a bus directly to La Paz.

Whenever I get a chance, I like to take a train. I bought a ticket. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep in the hostel before we headed to the station.

The train was slow, but reasonably comfortable. For some reason the line does not go as far as La Paz an stops in Oruro. From there you have to take a bus into La Paz.

We arrived in La Paz in mid-afternoon and I made my way to the Wild Rover Hostel.

Flickr Photos

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/W4041P

Flickr Videos

https://flic.kr/s/aHskd6KL4P

 A bit about the Desert

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert

Garmin Links

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/768117385

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/768117570

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/768117732

San Pedro

billrider2013Leave a comment

 San Pedro

I arrived in San Pedro at about 9.00 am. Even though it is a small place it took me a while to find my hostel. It was a bit away from the main part of the town.

After checking in, I headed off into the town. The main street consisted of restaurants, some outdoors shops, a couple of mini markets and dozens of tour operators offering trips across the Atacama Desert into Bolivia.

Lots of Tour Operators

There were a lots of fellow travellers wandering up and down the streets checking out the prices offered by the various operators.   I ran into a Dutch girl and her Mexican boyfriend who had been on two of the buses I was on travelling from Santiago. Despite her tender age, she was a seriously skilled traveller. She seemed to be conversant in many languages, including English, Spanish, German and French. She and boyfriend had already collected the details of five of the operators and their prices. They were heading off to check some more before going back to their hostel to look at the reviews for each operator on TripAdvisor.

I went to operator that the Manager at the hostel recommended. They were only slightly more expensive than the operators that the Dutch girl had investigated, so I decided to book with them.

Moon Valley

In the afternoon I look a short tour to the Moon Valley. It was only a few kilometres from town, but very spectacular. The tour ended with a view of the sunset. The change in the colours of the landscape as the sun went down was pretty amazing.

Hostel

I had a really good night’s sleep back in the hostel. You really appreciate a good bed after an overnight bus ride.

In the morning I had excellent breakfast offered by the hostel. Unfortunately I could only stay in this hostel for one night due it being fully booked. That was no surprise as it was really good. When I checked out, I had a long chat with the manager. She told me that she had worked with the owner to make the hostel the best in town.

As you can see from the Flickr photos the building in San Pedro are very ‘third world’. However these guys have managed to establish a really good hostel. The bathroom and toilets are spotlessly clean, the beds are good and the breakfast is excellent with fresh fruit, yoghurt and cereals. These are simple ideas that make that a difference.

Even though I had checked out, I was able to stay in the hostel to do some stuff on the internet (albeit it was slow – no fault of the hostel) and write up some of my blog.

Changed Hostel and Early Night

In the afternoon, I headed into town to a new hostel. I was a very strange place. I posted a picture of it on Facebook and got some interesting comments.

I had a late lunch in a very good restaurant. As I left, I look a video. It gives an indication of the remarkable contrast of the interiors and exteriors of the buildings.

Some Adventure Bikes

As walked back to my hostel I came across some BMW GS’s. They are very good, however, I am still looking at Triumph Tigers. My Canberra host take note.

I had an early night as I was due to leave for Bolivia before dawn the next morning.

Flickr Link

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twwilko_photos/sets/72157651511000623

 

La Serena

billrider2013Leave a comment

La Serena

It is a long way from Valparaiso to San Pedro. The manager of my hostel in Valparaiso suggested that I broke my journey in La Serena.

Hostel

I arrived in the city late in the afternoon. It took me a while to find the hostel. To be more precise it took me awhile to get into the hostel. I walked past it a couple of times before I realised that I had found it. The place is just a regular house.

Old and New

La Serena is one of the oldest cities in Chile. It is also one of the fastest growing cities. As a result it is place of two distinct parts: the original old town, and the newly developed areas.

The old town is quiet pleasant, with narrow streets and some very restaurants and cafes.

The new part of the city is not far away. There are two huge shopping centres. One in particular houses the largest supermarket I have ever seen.

Tour to Marine Park

There is not too much to see or do in La Serena. The manager of the hostel suggested that I take a tour on a Marine National Park to the north of the city.

The bus came to collect me quite early. There were only five people of the tour- a young English girl, an American women and a Chilean couple. The American woman turned out to be an Astronomer working for NASA. She was visiting one of the telescopes near to La Serena. She explained she really got to see a telescope. Most of her work involved programing a computer to enhance images of space that were sent to her over the internet.

She seemed to be very pleased to be able to travel anywhere. She explained that she, like many Americans got only two weeks holiday a year.

As we travelled north to the Marine Park, the astronomer took photographer and an extraordinary rate. This clearly amused that young English girl.

After almost 2 hours travelling we finally arrived at the marine park where we joined another couple of tour parties on a boat. The boat took us out to an island where we saw sea lions, penguins and sea otters. We then saw a pod of dolphins. This turned out to be the highlight of the trip.

It was very late when we finally made it back to La Serena

Heading North Again

My bus north to San Pedro left in the late afternoon the next day. This gave me the opportunity to do some much needed laundry.

Flickr Link

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twwilko_photos/sets/72157652282147435

Valparaiso

billrider2013Leave a comment

 Valparaiso

The English girl who is working as freelance journalist in Santiago told me that I must visit Valparaiso. I took her advice.

Interesting Hostel

I arrived in the city late in the afternoon. The instructions on how to get to the hostel were simple: take a mini bus to a stop near a Shell petrol station, walk up the hill and following the green footsteps painted on the pavement.

I did just that. The hostel in located in very funky area of this very funky city.

After checking in I found a very good restaurant and had an excellent fish meal.

Back in the hostel, I had an interesting conversation with a French girl would was on a 6 month tour of South America. She was speaking perfect ‘Peter Sellers’.

Walking Tour

Next day I decided to take a walking tour. The guide was very enthusiastic.   It is worth checking out the video at the Flickr link.

The main feature of the city is the street art. I think that probably took too many photos, however they do give an idea of what the place is like. The main part of the old part of the city has been declared a UNESCO heritage site. This is good and bad in that the old buildings are being retained, however the restrictions on development are such that many buildings are falling into disrepair

Rugby Fan

After the tour, had a meal at an ‘Irish Pub’ near the hostel. The owner is a huge Rugby fan. As I was eating he disappeared, only to reappear wearing a Wallabies jersey. His command of English was at the level of my command of Spanish. I only thing I understood was that he was huge fan of Stirling Mortlock.

Poet’s House

Next day, I took a long walk to the house where a famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda lived. It seemed like a real character.

Flickr Link

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twwilko_photos/sets/72157652269413801

Interesting Poet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Neruda