Homeward bound

16th Jan: I wake up early, leaving Mandy asleep. I am on a mission as there is one place I want to go and take some photos of before we get our taxi to the airport at 11am. I am keen to get to this place before the masses of tourists arrive and before the pickpockets turn up.

I walk out of the hotel, down to the main road near the docks and get on a bus to La Boca barrio. I have been told that I should take a cab, but want to experience the bus ride as well as make myself less obvious a tourist. Not quite sure where I am going so have to keep referring to a small map as we travel along. Only takes 15 mins to get to my destination. La Caminito is a collection of 3-4 streets of brightly painted buildings, not too far from the Boca Juniors football stadium. La Boca is a relatively poor area of the city, with a large rural/immigrant population, with the higher crime levels often associated with it. I am just in jeans and t-shirt with camera stuffed in pocket.

I arrive at the main intersection to see the view I am after. Whilst I have been walking around the centre over the last few days I have seen a panoramic poster of the area that I am keen to recreate. Unfortunately, the sun is actually too bright and I struggle to get the image I am after. Should have been here around 6am! I am accosted by an old bloke who is wearing a fire dept cap. He explains that he is a retired fireman and is selling caps, badges etc to raise money for local firemen, and points out a statue dedicated to fire service. Seems like there was a big fire here in the past. I walk around taking a few photos, and am warned by one guy not to go out of the little triangle of streets. Luckily there are no tourists around so I get some shots, but the contrast due to the sun is too strong to give me the images I really want.

As I walk back to the bus stop I have a dog follow me. Stop to take some photos of the docks and it decides to keep me company. Eventually gets the hint that I don't have any food nor am I going to take it with me on the bus. Can't afford to take an Alsation home with me. The bus journey back is more interesting as more people are getting on going to work.

Back at the hotel, I join Mandy for breakfast and finish packing then settle up the bill before we get the taxi to the airport, where the only hassle is queuing to pay for the departure tax. So pleased we checked in online. Do try and buy some wine in duty free but it is pointed out that once we get to Madrid, it will not be allowed to be taken on to the flight to Heathrow. Bloody regulations!

Back home, hate the 4 degree temp after leaving BA at 40 deg. Luckily it is sunny. I get the bus to Harrow, dump my gear, grab my hockey kit, play up near Rickmansworth, rush home, change and then into Central London for a friend's birthday party. Back into the quiet routine....

Chile seems so long ago. I wasn't ready to come back :(

A quiet day in BA

15th Jan: This was planned to be another busy day, doing some sightseeing in the local nature reserve and going to the area known as La Boca. In reality we don't surface till after 12pm. Both Mandy and I are feeling a little the worse for wear, which is not a surprise.

Head out to a little French restaurant near the hotel and enjoy the plat du jour, with a glass of nice rose, which is surprisingly refreshing. We walk around the area a bit. Buy a copy of a local paper, for Mandy's uncle, who was here a good few years ago as a sailor. We are still feeling a bit wiped out so back to the hotel for some more R&R.

We have arranged to meet Tim & Colin in Palermo, the trendy area in which they have rented a flat for 5 days. Jump in a cab, for what turns out to be a good 45 min ride in the rush hour. Not quite as bad as London, but not much better. Taxi driver evidently not that familiar with the area as he drops us off a couple of blocks from where we asked. Not an issue as this is very much a lively happening area with loads of cool, hip people out and about. This is clearly an affluent area, with trendy boutiques, eateries etc. We slowly walk up to the agreed meeting point popping into a number of shops, the highlight of which is a paper shop. This isn't a newspaper shop, but one of those rare places that sells a variety of writing papers. Suffice to say Mandy is on a bit of a high in here, she being a writer.

Meet the guys and find ourselves a table overlooking the main square. In reality the plaza is a roundabout in the centre of which many people are meeting and greeting. Also a little play area for kids. We get a couple of large bottles of beer and order up a platter to share. It is a combination of lots of meat slices and more processed cheeses. We are entertained by some drummers, who are trying to get the crowds going, but without any real success. This area is evidently a key travellers meeting place, from the large groups of tourists frequenting the bars around the plaza. As the sun sets we agree we need to go and try some of the famed ice-cream so head off to a little place down the road. The place looks like part of a chain, but the ice-cream is indeed very tasty. The double scoop of almond and toffee flavours goes down well. By the time we have finished, the sun has well set, but there are still a lot of people around. Mandy and I grab a cab back to our hotel.

On our return, we are not ready for bed so I check out the details of a tango club from a card given to us by the taxi driver last night. It is not too far away from the hotel. As we head down we realise that there is a whole street area, within 15 mins walk of our hotel, that we were unaware of. Lots of bars/restaurants down the road called Chile. We find the tango bar that we are after, which is a small intimate looking place, with a small dance floor in front of a number of dining tables. It is close to 11pm and the waiter outside is trying to get us to take a table, but there is no one else in the place and no musicians setting up so we politely decline. Agree that it would have been a great location, but we don't really have the time to hang around too long as we have a relatively early start in the morning. So we slowly walk back to the hotel, soaking up the ambience.

Colourful Buenos Aires

14th Jan 09: Another leisurely start to the day. It is sunny outside but nice and dark in the corridor outside the bedroom. There are shutters on the outside of the glass panelled doors, and then there is a big white canopy hanging under the open corridor, that diffuses the light. A simple but tasty breakfast, with lovely warm bread. We then head off to have a look around the area we are staying in, the barrio of San Telmo. This is one of the oldest areas of BA, with a load of relatively narrow streets named after latin american countries. We are on Peru and slowly make our way to what is supposed to be the heart of the barrio, Plaza Dorrego. Walk along the streets admiring the balconies and the individuality of the different houses.


Stop off to admire a little tobacco shop. Tempted to invest in a cigar or two, but stick to taking photos instead. Then we are passed by the first of a number of dog walkers. These men and women seem to be well sorted, hanging onto the mass of mutts and carrying lots of bottles of water. Even see one on a bicycle.


We arrive at the Plaza, which is pretty quiet at this time of the morning. Just a few people sitting drinking coffee. Assume that the famous tango sessions only occur on a weekend. The square is surrounded by a few hotels and some quirky shops, evidently aimed at the tourists, but not too tacky.
Have a short walk around the area, popping in to look at some of the curiosity/antiques shops.


We then head back past the hotel into the main central area of BA. Arrive at the Plaza De Mayo with the sun at its height. It is now pretty hot and I am starting to struggle a bit. As we stand by an orange juice stall, Mandy and I decide to go our separate ways for a while, this being the first time we feel we need time to ourselves, which isn't bad going considering we are both strong characters and we have been pretty much living out of each others pockets for the best part of 3 weeks.

I decide to head up Avenida De Mayo, slowly meandering up the wide avenue, admiring the architecture. Have a look in Cafe Tortini, which is a recommended sight, being an old tango haunt. Have to say that it looks magnificent indoors, but is full of tourists, so I carry on. I head up to the Congress Building, where I sit in the shade for a while, watching the world go by, well apart from the load of workers etc, kipping in the park.


I then carry on to the house which was the home of Carlos Gardel, the most famous Tango singer in Argentine history. He was actually Spanish, but spent most of his life in BA. The house is on a small street and is full of curiosities and a small screen playing some of his old hollywood black and white movies. Then it is back down towards El Centro to admire the Casa Rosada, the place where the Perons made their big speeches to the masses. This is also the area where the mothers of the missing come once a month to demonstrate. It is evidently a place where there are a number of demonstrations, from the presence of riot police.

Just as I am leaving the square, I spot a doorway with a sign above indicating that this is the entrance to one of the oldest buildings in BA, so in I head. Initially I am faced with a long thin room full of little stalls of old bits and bobs, from lamps, through plates to swords etc. But I step out into a sunny courtyard. There is no one here apart from some young woman having a siesta.


In the alcoves on the far side are a couple of workshops, in which artists are working away. One is a workshop for guitar makers. What a cool environment to ply one's trade.

Back to the hotel, where I find Mandy snoozing away. Chill out for a little while before getting changed and making our way back down to the docks again. It is a bit of a walk to find the restaurant Las Lamas, which was recommended to us by Roshin and Eddie, the Irish couple at Ecocamp. We have arranged to meet Colin and Tim from the Ecocamp. In the end it is just Tim that turns up to what is evidently one of the more upmarket restaurtants in BA, La Lilas. This is one of my rare occasions where I try some meat. I have to say that the tenderlion steak does not disappoint, especially when washed down with a lovely Malbec. In fact the wine is so good we have a second. To finish off we are offered some lemoncello and grappa. The others have the lemoncello and I proceed to have a few glasses of grappa. I don't know what it is about this stuff, which most people hate, but I do have a strange attraction to it. We then pile into a taxi and head off to a Tango club.

The club is a big place, above a restaurant, in the north side of El Centro. We pay our £5 to get in and grab ourselves a table. There are not that many people in the place, but then again it is only 10pm, so a little early. Within the next 45 mins the place does fill up, but not by much. think the guide book has sold us a bit of a bum deal. There are at most half a dozen couples dancing.

Most of the guys are pretty old, one or two with that Bobby Charlton throw over haircut. They are dancing with relatively much younger women, most of whom are on their own. In a lot of cases the guys are shorter than the women, so there is hope for me yet.

We order up a bottle of the most expensive wine... OK so there are only 2 options and neither costs more than £10 but have to say it is a bit dire! However, drinking it is not a problem after having already consumed a fair bit of alcohol during the evening. I spend a lot of time trying to get some arty shots of the dancers and the 3 piece band, but the small camera and my shaky hands are not a good combination. We get an American woman sat on her own behind us, Maria to join us. She is a doctor from New York. I do know that I spent some time chatting to her and even had a dance (more salsa than anything else) but I admit I don't remember much about it. It is 2am when we stagger outside and pile into taxis. Bed/sleep comes easily......

Why do I look the worse for wear????

Travel over the Andes to Argentina

Not much to say about today, apart from it being a leisurely start at 9, taxi journey to the airport. Concern as to whether our bags will make the transfer at Santiago, onto the flight for Buenos Aires. We do see some great scenery from the plane. Having a window seat allows me to try out the panoramic facility of the volcanic peaks that are protruding through the clouds as we fly back up from P.Arenas to Santiago and then onto Buenos Aires. We land in BA late afternoon on a pleasant sunny day.

BA is hot, and it is just late afternoon. I wonder what it will be like at midday. We are staying in a quaint looking B&B in one of the older parts of BA, known as San Telmo.

http://www.posadaluna.com/eng/index1.html Have to admit that the website makes the place look nicer than it actually is. Saying that, it isn't too bad. The only problem is that they have our room set up as a double. This means that I am on the settee in the room for the 1st night and they will rearrange tomorrow.

We freshen up and then head out for a walk to orienteer ourselves. It is dark as we walk down to the new docklands area. By docklands I mean the trendy area that once was the docklands. There are a lot of people walking along the attractive, stylish area, which also has a few security/police dotted around. What catches my eye are the colourfully lit old derricks. We just treat ourselves to a dessert before slowly walking back to the hotel. Although we have been sat for most of the day, do feel tired so sleep comes easily.

Arenas - More Anus of Chile

I think there is a quote from Michael Palin that he used to think that Scunthorpe was the pits of the earth until he came to P. Arenas. Well I have to say that I agree with him. Maybe I was spolt from all the wonderful experiences I had had prior to our arrival here.

Mandy & I were not too quick off the mark in terms of getting up, but then again, we hadn't got any definite plans for today. We checked out breakfast in the B&B and decided to head out and find a cafe instead. It was a relatively cool day as we shuffle around to find a cafe that does a decent breakfast. Doesn't take too long to find one around the corner from our Hostel. It is a locals place where we have crepes. Still get caught out that people smoke in restaurants/cafes, although some have segregated areas. We then go for a wander around the centre of the city, not that it is much more than a town in reality. There are a few nice colonial style buildings around the central square, many originally built as town residences for local landowners. There is a tourist market in the central square, selling woollen goods, lapis jewelery and some tat. Suffice to say nothing really grabs my attention. Don't get me wrong, happy to buy something different/original and a bit unique, but none of that here. We are surrounded by a lot of older tourists, who have evidently come in on a cruise ship.

After leaving the square, we wander down to the docks. Pass an interesting statue of Bernado O'Higgins, who is a bit of a hero in these parts. Looks a bit like Napoleon i.e. short of stature. Wikipedia states "As noted in his certificate of baptism, he was the illegitimate son of Ambrosio O'Higgins", Marquis of Osorno, a Spanish officer born in County Sligo in Ireland, who became governor of Chile and later viceroy of Peru". Evidently Bernado wasn't too in with his dad as he helped overthrow the Spanish in Chile and was the 1st head of an independent Chile.

The area around the docks wasn't particularly attractive. There were a couple of cruise ships harboured in the bay with small boats ferrying passengers too and fro. They were then getting aboard buses to be taken the mile into the main square! I try to be openminded about cruises, but it is a concept that I just can't accept. It is not as though the people interact with the locals at all, well only with the stall holders in the market!

We walk past the docks to an area that looks to be going through some regeneration. There are workers in bright fluorescent orange bibs working away on a new pavement and road. There are a couple of old jetties that are decaying, and their only use is as a perch for the flocks of guls and cormorants.

We are joined by a lovely looking spaniel who unfortunately has a damaged back leg. He (could have been a she but I didn't check) Anyway, he was picking up stones and wanted me to through them so he could bring them back. Now this game is fine when you are just with the dog, but it becomes a distraction when I am trying to get photos of the birds landing. Normally I would have got the photos I wanted fairly quickly, but using a basic camera that I am not that familiar with means it is a long drawn out affair. After a while the poor dog gets bored and goes to keep Mandy company, who is sat reading, then he heads off down the beach.

We walk down, past a house that is brightly painted. When I mean painted, not only are the walls a nice set of colours, but someone has also painted in a street, and some windows and doors. I assume that this was supported by the local council as someone has subsequently come along and sprayed their tag line over it. They wouldn't have done it if it was a Banksy image.

Get to the end of the shore, where a small river stops you from going further. There is a small shrine which at first glnce has a small statue of Christ inside it. On closer inspection it turns out to be an ancient Chinese nobleman! Weird.....

We walk back slowly to our hostel, through a few non-descript streets. We just chill out in our room until we go for a bite for late lunch at a cool looking place across the road, which was recommended to us by the waitress in the cafe. http://www.laluna.cl/ Have a beer and the recommedned fish dish, which is like a fish stew covered in a rich cheese topping. Heavy is an understatement, but it was delicious. And yes it is on O'Higgins as is our hostel.

We then go to see what other highlights this place holds. The honest answer is none! We go for a walk along the main drag, a real mix of shops, inc the ever present Northface. These shops seem to be everywhere and aren't cheap, just seem out of place alonside the mobile shops, food stalls and phramacies. There is an amazing looking chocolate shop, that sells hot chocolate but apart from that there isn't much else to shout about. So it is back to the hostel and freshen up before going out to dinner. We finally get to eat at the restaurant that had been recommended to us. All the staff are smartly dressed. As we haven't booked a table, we are escorted to a small table against the back wall. Crisp white tablecloth, pristine cutlery and spotless glasses imply a sense of attention to detail. We start off with Pisco Sours, which go down very well. They go down so well that we order up more and do without any wine. The meal is very tasty, but do feel somewhat ignored at certain points, maybe because we are not dressed as smartly as most of the other clientele. By the time we leave, the place is packed and the noise level has risen significantly. Still haven't gotten used to eating after 10pm, which is the norm over here.

It's a relatively early night as we have a early start to get to the airport in the morning. Someone has commented about how much time I have spent eating and drinking on this trip. In P. Arenas, I have to say that the restaurants/cafes we tried all served lovely food, shame there isn't much else that is positive to say about the place.

Goodbye Patagonia

11th Jan

It is a easy start today as we have to wait for a minivan to take us back to Punta Arenas. The minivan had taken Mima and Richard to the Argentinian border as they are getting the bus to go up to the Moreno Glacier. Tim, Colin and Roshenda leave before us as they have planes to catch in P Arenas. We pile into our minibus around 10:30am and head back to P. Natales. I feel sad as we drive away, looking back as we drive over the London made bridge and along a lake which has a lovely reflection of the the Torres. No opportunity to stop and take photos though. We have a short stop at the place where we saw the sheep on the way in before continuing on to Natales. There we pick up the bag we left in storage then go back to the naff restaurant for lunch. Tim, Colin & Rochenda are there, finishing off their lunch which has taken some time to come. It is evident that Chenda is irritating the 2 guys. How do I know, well Tim goes to the loo and then sends me a txt to say how much she is pi**ing them off. Although when we were here last time we walked back to the offices, not allowed to do that this time so have to wait for everyone to finish and then get the minivan back. It is around 2pm when we hit the road for the long drive back to Arenas. Just put on my music and watch the world go by. Do watch the scenery change as we head south. The Mountains reduce in height than we are left with flat fields, with the odd herd of cattle but more flocks of sheep.

After the unenjoyable experience of Tres Hermanos B&B on our way in to Patagonia, we have changed our booking and are now staying at Hostel Del Mundo in P. Arenas. We arrive there around 4pm. Book in and dump our stuff, get some stuff in to be laundered and then go out to grab a bite to eat. We had planned to go to a stylish restaurant recommended by our guide at the ecocamp. However, it is closed so we just walk a bit further to another stylish looking place where we plan to indulge. The food is good, but we only get some wine after the third time the waitress takes our order. They seem to have a reduced supply even though the wine list is long and there are masses of bottles in the rack shaped like a boat, built into the wall. There is a glass sided BBQ at the back of the seating area containing a huge piece of Mutton. There is also a photographer walking around with tripod and flash taking photos of the BBQ. We realised after reading my guide book that the restaurant has evidently been recently renovated and they are still sorting out some marketing. They also need to do something about the service. We were pretty much ignored. OK we were not quite in our best attire, but we had showered and freshened up. Although we were the 1st people in there, others came in shortly after us. The restaurant was pretty full within an hour. The most amusing character was some French guy who was in a group 6, with only one other male. However, he just dominated the situation telling everyone where they should sit!

After the meal we head the 100m back to the hostel to relax, read and do some stuff on the internet. There is very little going on around us on this quiet Sunday evening. The only photo I take is of the telephone cables, but I like it.

The Towers (Torres)

10th Jan - The Towers,

It is another lovely sunny morning. Feeling relatively fresh as I head for breakfast. Make sure I fill my boots as well as making some mean sandwiches from the excellent spread. We hit the road around 9am, walking straight from the camp rather than being transferred in a van. Initially we are walking along a road for 30+mins, past the eyesore of a hotel that sits at the base of the mountain range. This hotel is on private land so there was no control over hotel design etc. Some people have no idea of style and integration into the environment.

We cross over a small river before the long climb ahead of us. There are quite a few people walking, many out just for the day but some with tents etc evidently doing the 8 day circuit or 5 day W routes. During our briefing last night, we were told that there was a long climb ahead of us to get up to a ridge. The climb starts gently enough then gets steeper. We take regular stops for water as it is getting pretty hot. It is interesting seeing the attire of a few people who have apparently come into the park for a day. We end up zig zagging for a while till we get to the ridge. The wind is blowing pretty strongly, so all the layers we stripped off as we climbed go straight back on. Ironically, after a further 5 mins along the path the wind drops and the sun warms us up again. From here it is pretty much a gentle undulating hike to our snack stop at a place known as the Chilean Refugio. This is a pretty busy place with people camping out the back of the lodge. This is understandable as it is the only accomodation/toilets enroute. One of the girls goes to check out the toilets and comes back saying she would rather use the bushes! Suffice to say, I decide to find a bush. We see some people coming up on horseback, not sure whether I feel jealousy or irritation.....

Roshenda is about 30 mins behind us. She joins us and decides that the pain from her boots is too much for her to go on. Impressed that she has got there, but can understand her decision to turn round and go back. After the 30 min break the rest of us continue on. The terrain changes rapidly as we walk along the side of the river. Whereas the intial scenery was open hillsides with a few bushes, after the ridge the path went along the mountainside, which was made up of dark volcanic type rocks and scree. After the lodge we are walking through dense trees, which line the sides of the valley. The river has that deep blue grey colour so characteristic of those eminating from snow capped mountains. The next 90 mins are an undulating gentle climb trough the trees to the base of the morraine, that leads up to the towers that dominate this part of the National Park. The Irish couple are still walking like maniacs at the front, they seem to be on some sort of mission. They have complained a little over the last few days about the photo stops. I have to wonder what they get out of the walks as they really don't seem to be appreciating the scenery/environment.

We get to a point where the route splits. To the right is a short walk that allows you to look up to the towers. To the left is the climb up the morraine to the bottom of the of the actual towers. Our female guide tells us at this point that she will not be climbing up the morraine as it is that time of the month. Mandy also knows her limitations and decides to just walk to the lookout. So we have a bite to eat. The rest of us then head for the climb up the morraine. For those not sure of what a morraine is, it is basically rubble made up of large rocks, formed at the front of a glacier that moved down the valley. The glacier melted many centuries ago, but the rubble is still there. Some of it is easly stepped up on, other rocks need you to clamber/climb up.

The sign at the bottom of the morraine says 45 mins up. Yea, right, if you are a mountain goat. It is now pretty hot and even though I am close behind the Irish couple, it still takes the best part of an hour to climb up. However, I can not complain as once you get to a ridge there in front is an emerald green lake with the towers behind - breathtaking. There are quite a few people up in the crater, but whilst we sit having a bite to eat, most leave, letting us savour the quietness for a while.

The clamber back down is more demanding on the knees, with more bouncing off rocks as we decend, but the sun is shining and I have a seriously well being feeling as we head back. The warmth means we are walking in t-shirts, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, green hillsides, with more dead trees and the odd waterfall. All very relaxing. There is a bounce in my step after the hard climb up. Doesn't take us that long to get back to the Chilean Refugio, where we stop for a snack. More fruit and nut mixes.

Tim and I hold back to take some pictures of some more people on horseback crossing the river before walking back up to the windy ridge, which isn't as windy as it was on the way up. The sky now just has a few clouds and we get to see another Condor. No easy way of getting a photo with the equipment I have :(


As we descend back to the flatness, along the still used Gaucho (local cowboy) trail we pass a few climbers on their way up to the refugio. They look seriously hot and sweaty, carrying heavy backpacks.


I end up walking at the back chating to Mima, about life, the universe and everything. We miss the path others are taking back to the eco camp and end up having to paddle through a stream, which is pleasantly cooling on the feet. It is the short steep climb up the bank at the back of the ecocamp that is sapping. In the end we have been out for 9 hours and I am feeling pretty tired. Am glad to get out of my gear, have a much needed shower and get into some clean clothes in preperation for our last supper, which is a BBQ. They have a large animal on a spit out back, with a nice smell waftting around. We head for the smaller communal pod for Pisco sours and nibbles. There is a newly arrived American couple in there who are slightly bemused by our presence. They are here not to even walk and help themselves to our nibbles and drinks, producing a little bit of an atmosphere. Eventually, they sort of realise they are intruding and head off. We head in and settle down for dinner. The others get BBQ'ed lamb and I get a nice piece of Salmon.

The wine and conversation flows, and the Irish couple provide me with details of a few places to visit whilst in Buenos Aires, as that is where they came from on their way here. at the end of the evening it is just myself, the irish couple and Richard sat drinking away. Stagger to bed after 10pm, although the sun hasn't quite set, it is getting dark. Sleep comes quickly.....