The Caribbean, Cricket, Cuba Communism and Crashes

I said goodbye to the lads and took a hideous night bus through to Caracas the capital of Venezuela to meet Sam for a month of cricket and Cuba. By the way Venezuela is an incredibly beautiful country. However, Caracas is a complete hole, possibly worth a day but no more, unfortunately due to the beaurocracy of the country it took Sam and I a few days to get things sorted for out tour so had to spend three days there.

Still of the Caribbean we went. The food was brilliant, the sea was fantastic the weather was great, the sand was golden and the cricket was……………poor. We only saw one match that wasn’t one sided when we beat the Windies on the penultimate ball of the match, it was incredible, probably the only time cricket can beat football for tension. And of course the Aussies won, there are head a shoulders above the other teams and totally deserved to win. Just hope that in four years time the other countries have raised their game to standard of the boys in yellow and green.

And so to Cuba, man what a stranger place. I’ve just spent three weeks there but have no idea how it works or what’s going on. Habana has got to be the coolest city I have ever been to, beautiful people awesome but crumbling architecture, great music, we went to Club Tropicana the oldest club in Habana since 1939 for some cabaret and those of you who know your Wham will be pleased to hear that indeed drinks were free.

We went to the coast for diving where we managed to put out hire car into a ditch and then be towed out by a passing bus. When Sam left for London I travelled down to Santa Clara to see the Che memorial and then on to Cienfuegos and Trinidad, one of the prettiest places I’ve visited. But the countries strange, well strange to this westerners eyes. Two bus companies, one for locals and one for gringos, two types of money again same sort of split. Some incredibly lovely people and some total bastards. I think it will take me a while before I get my head round Cuba.

Pics: Our car in a ditch in Cuba, cricket in Grenada, Sun set in Genada, The Cricket World Cup and a Trombonist on the Malecon in Habana Cuba

Colombia

Off the truck again and this time travelling with Ollie, Peter, Clay and Mark from the tour, I headed for Colombia. A lot is thought about Colombia especially that it’s unsafe. Personally I felt completely safe and found the people some of the friendliest in South America. The Andean countries have a certain colour that you don’t find in the rest of South America and Colombia was to prove no different.

We spent a weekend in Bogotá enjoying the night life then headed up to the Caribbean coast by very scary night bus at one point the bus hit one of what seamed like a million pot holes on the road and all the lights went out including the headlamps. Fortunately the headlamps came back on pronto but the film we were watching never recovered.

We ended up in Tanager on the north coast for a weeks diving instruction. Have to say that I am so glad that I’ve learnt to dive. Since, I’ve dived in Cuba and its one of the freest feelings I’ve ever had.

The second part of my time was spent on a Trek up to a once lost city in the jungle above Santa Marta in northern Colombia, its where some tourist were kidnapped a few years ago. Again this was brilliant except for the footwear, believe me a pair of trainers with very little grip is not the ideal way of trying to climb up muddy slippery hills, but it was all worth it in the end as we got to see something that not many see and what was uncovered by westerners for hundreds of years.

Pics: Me and Mark, Me Mark and Peter totally knackered, the lost city

Truck Tour Part Three

Originally my plan was to make my way up the coast of Brasil then over to Colombia but with all good plans they can change and after meeting such a great bunch of people on the way up from Ushuaia I decided to carry on travelling with Dragoman up to Manaus via Brasilia, national parks, the Pantanal and up the Amazon.

Again an awesome time was had except for an mossy bite on my arse that became infected and that I had to have cut open in a hospital in the middle of Brasil The pain of the bite was unreal and I had to lie down in the truck (more like a bus) for two days of travelling. The doctor in the hospital was brilliant and afterwards I could actually sit down, I never want that to happen again.

Pics: Brasilia, the national park and boating on the Amazon

RIO

Quite simply one of the times of my life. There was a great group of people around both on the Drago trip I was one as well as James and Dan being in town and briefly Julian. There was so much to do, street parties very night, football matches at the incredible Maracana stadium and of course the Samba Drome for the parade of samba schools. Not too many pics but take my word for it, its was totally awesome.

Pics: RIO!!!

Truck Tour Part Two

Having enjoyed the first trip from Quito to Cuzco so much I had booked on another Dragoman tour this time from Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world up to Rio via Buenos Aries.

This tour involved far more days of travelling, sometimes pitching tent as late as midnight and then up again very early but it was worth it for the visits to penguin colonies (at last), another welsh tea, travelling in a boat alongside dolphins, seeing caiman in the Argentine Pant anal, visiting the awesome city of Buenos Aires, standing next to widest waterfall at Iguazu and of course RIO.

Pics

Penguins, dolphins, The Welsh and the falls

Pics:

Valley Frances Torres Del Paine

The Julian, Antonia, James, Dan and me at the Torres

Torres Del Paine Trek

Quite simply up there with Galapagos (and to come Rio) as the one of the best things I’ve done since being in South America. Basically it’s a national park in the southern end of the Chilean Andes near the town of Puerto Natales and involved four days of walking with all the gear you’re going to need…food, camping kit, clothes, beers etc

Another experience that wouldn’t have been anyway near the same without the companionship of some great mates so Liz, Dan Julian, Antonia and James thanks for making this a great four days. I don’t think we stopped taking the Mickey out of each other the whole time and I havent laughed so much in years. I’ll let the pics do the rest of the talking.

Navimag

Navimag is the boat company that sails down the Pacific coast of Chile, supplying outlying outposts of the country that have no road link, except through Argentina and relations with them aren’t always what they might be so this link is pretty important for those who live in the communities. So a few years back the company realised there was money to make from taking gringos along for the ride as well as wagons full of supplies.

The journey takes four days and nights and fortunately all but one afternoon and a night is within the protection of the archipelago that protects the Pacific coast. The scenery as one might expect was superb although the weather was a little cool for too much time spent on deck land and seal watching, did see a fantastic glacier tumble towards the sea though. Fortunately there was a ready supply of beer on board and always a school of cards some where.

As for the bad sea and my stomach, well I’m glad to report that I only succumb to feeding the fish once.

Pics

Entering the boat

Glacier

Boats shots

For One Night Only at the end of Blackpool Pier it’s……………… Barry Loche

Well really it’s Barriloche and it’s a pretty little town on the shores of a lake at the top end of Argentine Patagonia but it sort of sounds like a dodgy comedian from a northern working men’s club in England. To be honest it was a bit too touristy for me but yet again met some great folks, some of whom I would travel with later on and enjoyed a fine new year’s eve in that rarity of establishments around the world… an Irish bar.

After Barriloche it was time for a bit of down time and week chilling out in Esquel, a few hours south of Barri which included lots of doing nothing, Welsh teas and ride on a steam train.

Pics

Being entertained on the train

The train

Welsh tea, before and after

Christmas in the Chilean Andes

After a pretty uncomfortable bus ride from Santiago (Chile can learn a thing or two about busses from Argentina) I arrived in this little town called Curacautin. Anyway it was a bit ¨League of Gentlemen¨ local shop for local people and all that jazz but the scenery was awesome. Spent a week at a Swiss run guest house eating great food and walking. Even tried to walk up a snow capped volcano with new Swiss friends, Tommy and Betina who were pretty much expert walkers coming from Switzerland and all that, but got beaten back by high winds and the fact that it was bloody cold. A beautiful place and somewhere to explore more another time.

Pics are:

Chilean Andes

Throwing a snowball on Chrsitmas Day

With Betina near the point we turned back trying to climb the volcano

Felling vey cold up a volcano

Santiago Val Paraiso and Viña Del Mar

With a heavy heart I said good bye to Mendoza and took a superb bus ride over the Andes to meet a friend in Santiago who I was to travel with for a few weeks.

Now a lot of people don’t think much to Santiago de Chile but I thought it was pretty cool. It was good to be back in big city again, I do miss the hustle and bustle London and Santiago had it bucket loads. As a tourist spot I guess it’s not really an A1 location but it does have a teleferico (as all South American capitals seem to have) some decent shops, a cinema (yes it doesn’t take much to please me) and an underground system, we’re talking big cities now!!! Also Pinochet had just died a few days before so the place was a little testy which all added to the fun. Anyway didn’t do much there except watch movies and buy stuff…and go up the teleferico to see the city.

Then we went off to Valparaiso. This is yet another great place, a UNESCO city port full of brightly coloured buildings and some great bars and one of the best hostals in South America where I had one of the best BBQs of my life. Near by is Vina Del Mar with lovely long stretching beaches but incredibly cold sea. My time at Valparaiso was a bit of party due to Jame´s (a lad staying at the hostal) birthday, any excuse. Anyway Valparaiso is cool, go there.

Pics are:

Infront of Jesus in Santiago

A couple of views of Valparaiso

Mendoza

Mendoza is a lovely city near the Andes mountain range that forms the border between Argentina and Chile and I spent a week here at the end of December. To be honest its probably my favourite city that I´ve visited, the sort of place I could easily live. Great climate, long sunny days, clean city with loads of public spaces, great wine, great food and the mountains just a few minutes away.

After the heat humidity and sparseness of Paraguay is was a welcome relief to come somewhere rather more lively. I met many great people who will be friends for life and took part in loads of fun activities, absailing (or as they call it here rappelling), white water rafting and most importantly for the area, wine tasting.

The rafting was quite possibly my most scary experience so far as we all plunged out of the raft on a grade 4 rapid. I hit rapid after rapid gasping for breath and only after whacking my knee (which swelled up like the proverbial balloon) on a submerged rock finally got back into the raft. Fortunately the Spanish for anti inflammatory is anti inflammatory and what with a few pills and a good bottle of Argy wine back at the hostel all was well.

The night life in Mendoza was pretty cool as well, although as I found to my cost when chatting to the local girls, admitting that I was from England wasn’t the best way to make new friends ¨los Malvinas son Argentines¨ was heard more than once with a turn of the back.

Pics are:

Me absailing

Wine barrels

Me wine tasting, well it would have been rude not to.