Peru - Sacred Valley

We left Cusco this morning for a tour through the Sacred Valley. This valley has been formed by the Urubamba River and was very important to the Inca Empire for its natural wealth and agricultural properties. It encompasses all that lies between Calca and Lamay, Pisac and Ollantayambo, and is still responsible for producing 4 different types of corn and thousands of different types of potatoes. 

Our first stop was the “Sexy Mama” Incan ruins and lookout point which gave us a view over the Incan capital of Cusco. We then stopped at an animal rescue centre which has rescued multiple different animals primarily from the black market as well as injured animals. It houses Condors, Macau’s, two juvenile Pumas, Andean Deers, Alpacas, a Mountain Cat, a Falcon, a few Turtles, and two Peruvian Dogs. We were able to enter the cage with the Condors which was a fabulous experience to be able to get so close to these massive birds.

Our next stop was at the lookout over the Sacred Valley giving us fantastic photo opportunities. The view was spectacular. We then drove into the Valley and stopped at Pisac ruins and then Pisac town to explore the extensive markets. The ruins were very cool. The classic Incan terraces scattered over the hillsides were amazing.

We arrived at Ollantaytambo at the far end of the valley in the late afternoon and explored the Incan ruins here before going to our home stay style bed and breakfast lodging for the night. The community of Ollantaytambo have a certain number of these style of lodgings where the family have rooms and welcome tourists into their homes for the night. By sharing the load between different families it is the community’s way of improving the life of the families involved.  

Peru - Cusco

We bid farewell to the jungle this morning after breakfast and flew back to Cusco to prepare for our trek to Machu Picchu.

Our afternoon was spent wandering around Cusco centre exploring the local markets and the multitude of artisan shops. We also enjoyed one of the best iced coffees we have had in a very long time!

Peru - Amazon Jungle

We were woken early this morning in order to go for a walk into the jungle to see The Lost Lagoon. We first boarded a little wooden boat and travelled to the start site of the walk. The walk was along a well trodden path which had been built from leaves and mud but the jungle on each side was thick, and even though the heat was oppressive (even at 7am) and the mosquitoes dense, it was great to be in a jungle again.

During our walk we saw lots of awesome trees including one that was over 500yrs old with a base that was about 7m wide and some cool crawling critters, including a large Tarantula. Apparently Tarantulas can grow to be approximately 10cm across in the body, the one we saw was only about 4cm but was big enough! We also took a 3km boat ride in a wooden row boat which a little concerning as by the time we reached the end we had a fair amount of water at our feet. During the boat ride we saw a number of birds including a Woodpecker and a Vulture.

Our first stop was a lookout which was 30m in height and allowed us to see a 360º panorama across the jungle. This was interesting because on one side was all palm trees and the other side had a more common jungle appearance. While we were up at the top of the lookout we were lucky enough to see a family of Howler Monkeys come into the nearby trees for some playtime. It was gorgeous to see. From the lookout we walked into the Lost Lagoon where we took another boat similar to our first one but thankfully a little drier, especially because during this boat ride we saw a 5m Anaconda! We also saw some very cute Turtles sunning themselves on old dead logs.

After the Lost Lagoon we had a 5km walk back to the river, Madre de Dios, where we boarded a boat to return to our lodge. The walk was really nice, well, again except for the humidity and heat. Around halfway we crossed a beautiful lagoon that was full of water lilies and also had a small Caiman that popped his head up to say hi. 

After a few hours rest, lunch, and a cold shower, we went out again down one of the tributaries of Madre De Dios for some Piranha fishing! We spent an hour or so relaxing in the boat with fresh meat on our hooks but didn’t manage to catch anything! A little disappointing but still a fun afternoon.

Peru - Amazon Jungle

Today we flew to Peurto Maldonado, a small town on the banks of Madre de Dios, a river tributary of the Amazon River. We had a quick look around town before boarding our transfer boat which would take us to our Eco Lodge in the Amazon Jungle. We also said hello to our new group members, two who would join us for the next week or so and a family of three who would join us just for the next couple of days in the jungle.

Our amazing first lunch at the lodge was chicken and risotto wrapped in a large leaf similar to a banana leaf. After lunch we went across the river to Monkey Island. This is an island that is owned by the lodge and is used as a rescue centre for monkeys that were being sold on the black market and also those that had been illegally kept by locals as pets. Whilst here we gave the monkeys a little snack of bananas and enjoyed watching them play. There were four breeds of monkeys, Black Spider Monkeys, Black and White Capuchin and Saddleback Tamarinds They were all very cute.

After dinner we went Caiman spotting. We travelled up the river with spotlight and saw a number of Caimans sitting on the river edge. The biggest they grow is around 2m but none we saw were even close to that size. 

Caimans are the South American version of the crocodile but are nowhere near as big, aggressive or exciting.

Peru - Cusco

Another bus trip today, this time from Puno to Cusco. The trip was 7h but the bus was very comfortable. The scenery was also beautiful.

We arrived in the cool city of Cusco around 3pm and after settling into our hotel we went on a small walking tour with our guide around the old centre. Cusco is a small city with a lot of character, hopefully we get enough time to explore it properly.

Peru - Lake Titicaca

After breakfast we said good bye and thank-you to our families and boarded the boat again to head back to Puno.

On our way back we stopped at the nearby island of Taquile where we took a very scenic walk up and around the mountain that the town is situated to the main square. With its ancient customs and strong cultural and ethnic traditions, Taquile is famous for its textiles and fine craftsmanship. We explored this little town before enjoying yet another delicious lunch of fresh Trout overlooking the spectacular bay.

After lunch we boarded our boat again for our 3h return journey to Puno.

Peru - Lake Titicaca

This morning we were met by our guide who was going to take us out onto the lake for the next couple of days. We boarded our boat and met 2 other travel companions and set off bound for the Uros floating islands. The floating islands are man-made islands which have been constructed from reeds and each island is a separate village. We stopped off at one of the islands in the Uros group and met the community who lived there, primarily the women as the men were off fishing. They welcomed us with a few songs and then proceeded to show us their homes which are also built from reeds. The couple of men who were there showed us how the island was built and the structure of the island (by cutting a small section of the island out and lifting it up so we could see). It was fascinating. 

After visiting this island we stopped off at one more and then set off again for our 3h journey to Amantani, the island where we were to spend the night with one of the local Aymaran/ Quechuan families. We arrived around lunch time and were met at the wharf by our families. Our family was a sweet husband and wife and their 13yo daughter, Nellie. Our mama took us to our home and made us a delicious lunch of Quinua (a South American grain similar to rice) and vegetable soup, followed by a delicious fried cheese with rice and potato. Later in the afternoon we all reunited for a soccer match between the local men and the tourists (there were quite a few different groups on the island - thankfully a lot of Europeans). We then walked up the mountain on the island to an area used by the locals to give offerings to Pacha Mama and Mama Qocha(Mother Earth and Mother Lake) for sunset. This walk took us to an altitude of 4160m and gave us an amazing view of the surrounding lake and sunset.  After sunset we made our way back to the village for a hot chocolate with Baileys and then home for dinner. We enjoyed a nice simple dinner with our family and had a great chat with Papa and Nellie in broken Spanish and English, our mama only spoke the local language of which we had just the basics on a phrase sheet. After dinner mama dressed us up in traditional clothes and Nellie took us to the dance that had been organised for us. This was quite fun as we were all there in traditional clothes and dancing traditional dances, it was very amusing.

Peru - Puno

We spent this morning driving the shores of Lake Titicaca on our way to Puno in Peru, a small town on the shores of the lake and our gateway to our home stay. To get to Puno we drove to Estrecho de Tiquina and caught a small ferry across the passage, our bus came across on a separate ferry. From here we drove to Copacabana where we enjoyed fresh Trout for lunch (soup + a whole Trout, rice and salad for $6 AUD!!) and then changed to a Peruvian bus to come across the border.

Lake Titicaca was the most sacred body of water in the Inca Empire, as according to legend, it gave birth to the Incan Civilisation. Being 176km long and 50km wide and sitting at 3810m altitude, it is the highest navigable lake in the world and forms the border between Peru and Bolivia.

Bolivia - La Paz

After breakfast a small group of us were picked up and taken on a tour of La Paz. Firstly we drove to Mallasa, or ‘Moon Valley’ as it is known to tourists, which is just on the outskirts of the city and is an area of natural clay formations which are constantly changing due to erosion. The area was once part of the floor of the sea that connected the Uyuni Salt Flats to Lake Titicaca. It was a very cool landscape especially given it was so close to the city. We then drove through ‘The South’, the most expensive of La Paz’s 3 areas and classes of housing. The South which sits at 3200m altitude and is expensive owing to its warmer climate, Centro which sits at 3600m is around the city centre and is considered a middle class area, and The North which sits at 4000m and is the area built on the surrounding mountains and is the poorest section of La Paz. The South is very Americanised. Driving through the shopping district one could be anywhere in the western world. The houses are mansions and the schools exclusive. It was astounding to see the vast contrast between the 3 regions within the city. On the tour we also saw the main square in the colonial area of La Paz which is located in the Centro region. It has the government house, the main official Catholic church and some other government buildings on its edges. As well, we saw the famous San Pedro Prison (from the book ‘Marching Powder’), and we went to an awesome view point which gave us a 360º view of La Paz. Our last stop was the “witches market” which is not actually for witches but has an eclectic range of things to buy from traditional products used for offerings to the traditional gods to souvenirs and alpaca and llama woollen products. 

Tonight we enjoyed a fabulous Japanese meal at a Thai/Japanese/Indian restaurant for our tour guides birthday.

Bolivia - La Paz

Up early this morning ready for our adventure to the worlds most deadliest road. Yes, thats right we were venturing to “Death Road” in Bolivia, but instead of driving along this deadly road we rode down it on mountain bikes! Our days activities were to ride 64km downhill and drop over 3500m in altitude... and try not to fall off the cliff that is the edge of the road.

The drive to our start point was very scenic but did worry us a little as the higher we went the more snow there was on the edges of the road and on the mountains. The thought of riding through ice was not all that nice... but at least it wasn’t raining like it was last night!

We reached our start point, received our final briefing from our guide and set off. The first section was 22km and actually part of the new road so was sealed. It was a beautiful ride and thankfully, although the ambient temperature was below freezing, there was no ice on the road. The second section was the true ‘Death Road’. It was 34km of downhill dirt road that is, in parts, way too narrow for 2 cars to pass each other. It was a little scary at times but mostly just full of absolutely spectacular scenery. Thankfully since the building of the new road approximately 4yrs ago the amount of vehicle traffic on the old road, which is the ‘Death Road’, consists almost entirely of support vehicles for the mountain bikes and tourists who decide it is a good idea to drive the road... silly! The third section is still the old road but is slightly wider and has a couple of flat sections. We finished in a small village at a very low and warm 1200m altitude and enjoyed a nice cold beer!

Our fantastic day was topped off with a great dinner at an English Pub... yes there is one almost everywhere! We also bid farewell to 2 of our group members tonight as their tour finished which left just 5 of us.

Bolivia - La Paz

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Today we spent around 12 hours in transit. First we travelled from Potosi to Oruro on a local bus which took about 5 hours. We had lunch here and then travelled by another bus to La Paz. Towards the end of our journey we were treated to some spectacular lightening, thunder, and rain. By the time we reached La Paz it was dark, cold, and very wet. We were all exhausted so had a quick dinner at a local fast food restaurant which was conveniently across the road from the hotel and then went to bed.

Bolivia - Potosi

This morning we spent our time exploring the centre of this city. The history of this town is evident in the colonial style buildings and the central square. Exploration was limited to the centre as Potosi sits on a very steep mountain side and the streets are at an amazingly steep gradient. During the morning we visited the San Francisco Cathedral which is the main church of the city, Potosi has 36 churches, and has a very Spanish feel to it. We were shown around by the guard, a Bolivian Police Officer, who only spoke Spanish which tested our comprehension skills significantly but I think we understood the important things :-). He took us up the church tower where we could walk out across the roof and up a smaller tower for an absolutely spectacular 360º panoramic view of the city. We also visited the crypts of the church where the priests are buried and saw the tunnels which connect San Francisco to a couple of the other churches in the city. The church also houses a large collection of 16th century art. It was well worth the visit.

This afternoon we settled in with the group, some wine and snacks, and watched a movie called “The Devils Miner” which is a documentary in Spanish about 2 young boys who are forced to work in the underground mines of Cerro Rico, as well as go to school, because their father has passed away. It talks about the beliefs of the miners including that when they are in the mine they worship “Tio” which is the Devil because they believe that he rules the mine and if they can keep him happy they may not die. It is a common story amongst the poor families of Potosi and was a great insight into the life and hardships the miners face.

Bolivia - Potosi

We travelled to Potosi today by local bus. The trip itself was an experience. It was a seven hour journey with one stop, no toilet and even though there were no empty seats the bus would stop and let more people on. But, we all survived, and at least there were no chickens!

Potosi is a city of about 110,000 people and is the second highest of its size in the world sitting at 4060m altitude. It became a city in 1545 when silver was discovered in Cerro Rico, the hill which overlooks the city. And during the 18th century was the wealthiest city in South America. The city today is still a mining city but mines mainly tin, zinc, and lead instead of silver. 

Bolivia - Uyuni Salt Flats

After a great nights sleep in our salt beds we all rose early to drive out into the salt flats for sunrise, it was beautiful. Covering 12,000 square miles Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flats) is the largest in the world. It was once a sea that extended all the way up to Lake Titicaca but disappeared around 10,000BC leaving this amazing, vast expanse of salt. The salt bed is 11 layers which are each about 10m thick... and it also contains about 9 million tonnes of Lithium... don’t we know about that!

We spent an hour or so taking photos, marvelling in our shadows and the cool perspective photos that we could achieve. We then travelled a little way to Fish Island which is a volcanic expansion in the middle of the salt flats that was once covered in water which means its terrain is made up of fossilised coral. This fantastic island, interestingly, was also covered in cacti. Because it rises seemingly out of the middle of nowhere Fish Island is great for a panoramic view over the infinite white landscape.

After breakfast we travelled further into the flats for more photo opportunities and then to the edge of the salt pan where they are extracting the salt, which they do by hand. It was interesting to see where and how the salt we take for granted arrives on our table.

We said farewell to Salar de Uyuni at this point and drove toward our final destination, a town called Uyuni. As we were leaving the Flats we stopped off in the small rural town of Colchani which sits right on the edge of the pan and comprises of the people who extract the salt and the processing “factories”. We also made a stop at the Train Cemetery outside Uyuni which is essentially a dumping ground for the old steam locomotives that were once the transport system for salt, sliver, and money and were some of the trains that Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid held up. 

Bolivia - Atacama Desert

We continued to drive through the Atacama Desert today enjoying the spectacular scenery. We stopped at four lagoons for photos, some green, and some red. Two of these had large numbers of Flamingoes feeding on the algae and plankton in the lagoons. It was quite cool that we could get within 10m from some of the Flamingoes. We also saw some awesome rock formations that were apparently the inspiration for Salvador Dali, they were beautiful.

Later in the day we bid farewell to the desert and entered the edge of the Uyuni Salt Flats. After not too long we reached our hotel for the night which sits at 3700m. This hotel was very cool because it was constructed entirely of salt! Everything in the hotel was salt except the mattresses on the beds and the bathrooms, it was awesome to see salt being used in such a different way.

Bolivia - Atacama Desert

This morning we woke early to start our journey into the Salt Flats of Bolivia. A few metres out of San Pedro de Atacama was the Chilean immigration office which was relatively uneventful. After this we travelled for an hour, still officially in Chile but really not in Chile, towards the Bolivian border. The Bolivian border sits at 4200m in the middle of the desert surrounded by volcanoes, and the occasional land mine. It was one of the most picturesque border crossings we have been through this year.

For the rest of the day we drove through The Andes and were treated to some absolutely spectacular landscape. Our first stop was Laguna Blanca (The White Lagoon) which is a salt lake and is particularly interesting because it has ice in it all year around. The second highlight was Laguna Verde (The Green Lagoon) which has its colour due to the composition of the water, namely Arsenic, Magnesium, Potassium, and Ulexite. It was spectacular! We then drove over a 5100m mountain pass and stopped at the top for some photos. On our way up we were able to try our first Cocoa leaves which is the traditional South American Altitude Sickness prophylaxis and treatment. It was an interesting experience. Brii gagged quite considerably at the very strong hay flavour but chewed on for a little while before having to spit them out. Jack on the other hand chewed his for quite a long time to ensure he would benefit from all possible effects :-). Unfortunately or fortunately the cocaine component was very small :-). They did work though. The effects of 5100m were not at all like we remembered from Nepal.

We stopped for lunch at Polques Thermal Springs which was beautiful. There was the option to go for a swim but we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to change into bathers when we were standing around in long pants, boots, and jackets. The temperature of the water was a warm 35ºC and those of our group that did venture in thoroughly enjoyed it. After lunch we drove to Laguna Colorada (The Red Lagoon), which, as the name suggests, is red in colour. It is coloured by the mineral composition of the sediment, Tin, Ochre, and Iron. On the way to The Red Lagoon we also visited some geysers in a volcanic crater. This was really awesome as we could see the different stages of evolution from pre-eruption to old and burnt out.

Our accommodation tonight is in “The Barracks”, which is literally a little rectangular building in the middle of the desert. Quite basic but very cool!

Chile - San Pedro de Atacama

This morning we had another sleep in and then went on a bike ride out to the surrounding areas and then through the outer lying areas of the town. It was a really pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Around 4pm we joined another short trip out to Laguna Cejar which is a salt lake not far from town. Laguna Cejar has a high concentration of salt which is similar to The Dead Sea in that one cannot sink. So, even though the temperature of the water was, for us, sub arctic, we braved it and went for a brief swim or float as the case may be. It was absolutely freezing and we had very numb body parts in a short space of time but worth it for the experience :-).

We visited a few other lagoons and then finished at Laguna Auguali for sunset. In true Chilean fashion we enjoyed sunset with a Pisco Sour or two. The Lagoon and surrounding landscape was spectacular especially  in the changing colours of the setting sun.

Chile - San Pedro de Atacama

A sleep in this morning and a late breakfast following quite a late night and an amazing meal last night. In true South American fashion dinner was at 9.30pm.

We spent the morning wandering around this cool town exploring the multitude of Artisan’s shops and all the little streets.

Around 4pm we went on a trip out to Moon Valley which is only about 10min drive from San Pedro de Atacama. Moon Valley is in the Los Flamencos National Reserve and is named as such because it’s rock and salt formations resemble the surface of the moon. First we walked through a system of gorges and caverns through the salt formations. At one point we stopped and listened to the salt crystals expanding in the heat of the sun, quite an eerie sensation. Next we drove on to the Great Sand Dune which is the largest dune in a field of dunes. On the way we briefly stopped at the Three Maries, which are rock formations that are thought to be over one million years old and have been formed by intense erosion processes. Forgetting how much climbing sand dunes hurt, we climbed to the crest for the panoramic view across the valley. The view was worth it! Our final stop in the Valley was a cool place called Coyote Rock, named because it resembles the rock out of the Road Runner cartoon, here we watched the colours change across the landscape as the sun set behind the Andes.

Tonight we enjoyed a traditional South American BBQ. Absolutely delicious!

Chile - San Pedro de Atacama

We travelled again today this time to San Pedro de Atacama. This town is considered an oasis in the desert as it lies in the heart of the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. The drive into the town was very cool. The mountains and sand formations were like nothing we have seen before.

The town itself has a unique character. The streets are mud which have been covered in a salt layer to minimise dust, the houses are also made out of mud, it is fabulous.

Chile - Antofagasta

We woke up on the bus this morning to a completely different scenery. The hills were still everywhere but they were desert. There was absolutely no sign of plant life, gone are the cactuses that were plentiful further south.

Our night bus journey brought us to a town called Antofagasta, the largest city in northern Chile.

The town itself is a copper mining town and was once part of Bolivia. It is coastal and the seaside is quite nice but the town is really not that attractive. We spent the afternoon in the ‘largest shopping mall in South America and relaxing in our hotel.

We went out and enjoyed sunset at La Portada, which means ‘the door’ in Spanish. La Portada is a natural rock formation approximately 15km  from town.

Chile - La Serena

La Serena is one of Chile’s oldest cities and is situated on the coast. It is from here you can access the Elqui Valley and today that’s what we did. A minivan collected us from our hotel at 9am and took us out through the valley. 

The Valley is traditionally extremely dry and the mountains depict this. The unusual aspect of this that in the valley itself are fields and fields of green. The main industry of the area is agriculture. It once also included silver and copper mining but now they grow a variety of fruits and are most famous for their vineyards and Pisco distilleries. The Valley is also well known for its several international astronomical observatories.

Irrigation of the farms was made possible by the building of the Puclaro dam which was one of our stops along the way. We also visited a family owned and run Pisco distillery in the heart of the valley. This was really interesting as we toured the vineyard and the distillery learning the process of Pisco making and ended with a tasting :-) Pisco is made from muscat grapes which are first made into a white wine and then distilled giving a final product of about 40% which is similar to grappa. After the distillery we had lunch at a restaurant which cooks with the sun, the food was delicious. We then drove into some of the small villages which populate the valley. Of note was the village of Monte Grande where Gabriella Mistral was brought up and then worked as a school mistress. Gabriella Mistral was a Chilean poet, born in Vicuna, the ‘capital of the valley’, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945 and to this day is the only female Latin American to have won the Prize.

We returned to La Serena in the early evening and prepared for our overnight bus journey.

Chile - La Serena

Today we travelled to La Serena by bus. The journey was around 8 hours but not too bad. The scenery was very picturesque and the bus very comfortable.

On arrival in La Serena we went for a short walk to orient ourselves with town and then had a delicious Chilean meal for dinner. Our hotel is a quaint guest house run by a group of older ladies, it is very cute.

Chile - Santiago

This morning we took a free walking tour of Santiago. It was a fabulous way to see the city, learn the history, and discover areas that only the locals know about. The tips about where to go, what to do, and where to eat would have been handy two days ago but still useful... for next time :-).

The tour took 4 hours at a relaxed pace and took us from the Cathedral to the house of Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971 and was said at the time to “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language”. We discovered more areas of Bella Vista that we didn’t see yesterday as everything starts to open after lunch, the Telefonica building is actually shaped like a mobile phone (think 1999 Ericsson) and is an important landmark if you get lost because it can help you orient yourself to downtown.

We learnt about the Spanish colonisation in the 16th century and their war with the Inca’s (who had invaded from Peru in the 15th century) and the Mapuche people form the south.

Later today we met our tour guide and our new tour group... a total of seven people... and Jack is the only boy, except our Tour guide Alex.  It is so nice to be back in a small group. We start our new tour tomorrow.

Chile - Santiago

We walked to and then took the funicular up San Cristobal Hill this morning. On our way we passed through Bella Vista which is a funky artistic district full of cafe’s and bars as well as a cool artisan market. 

San Cristobal Hill is a landmark within the city and provides a beautiful panoramic view over Santiago. It is characterised by a statue of the Virgin Mary at its peak and has some beautiful gardens and picnic areas to enjoy. We made our way down the hill on foot which took a while as the maps were not all that clear :-).

After making our way down we explored the more residential area of Santiago we had ended up in. We then stumbled upon a fabulous Sushi restaurant where we enjoyed lunch... not very Chilean but delicious! On our way back to our hotel we discovered a great little artisan’s market where we spent a little time. The walk back also allowed us to see some of the beautiful parks that are scattered throughout central Santiago.

Chile - Santiago

We left Argentina today and flew to Chile. We were not quite sure what to expect with Santiago and have been really pleasantly surprised. 

Santiago is a city of 9 million people but is extremely clean and seemingly ordered. Everyone is so friendly even though our Spanish is ... well... pretty much non existent! Our hotel is in the old centre which is very pretty with some beautiful buildings which we wandered around this evening.

Argentina - Buenos Aires

Today we went on the second free walking tour that BA Free Tours offers. This one explored Avenue de Mayo and spoke more about the history and political side of Argentina as at either end of the Ave are the National Congress and Government House. We learnt about Argentina’s Independence and it’s ride to democracy from the dictatorship that was in power during the late 70’s - early 80’s. It was a very interesting couple of hours which was followed by a coffee and snack in one of the oldest cafe’s in Buenos Aires that has been open since 1858.

Tonight we splurged and went to dinner with a Tango show. We felt a little underdressed in our jeans but enjoyed it just the same. We had our own booth table and were treated to a spectacular 3 course meal and wine which was finished off with a marvellous show. The skill in the dancers was quite spectacular. We were dropped home a little before 1am very happy but quite sleepy :-).

Argentina - Buenos Aires

Another good sleep last night was followed by another morning of waking up a little earlier than we would have liked however we needed to get up and go exploring this beautiful city again.

This morning we boarded the BA hop on-hop off bus to try to get a broader perspective of the lay out of this large city. Our first stop was the historic, colourful suburb of La Boca. La Boca was originally settled and built by Italian immigrants and today is both an artist colony and a working class neighbourhood. The main streets are brightly coloured and very cool. La Boca is also the home to the La Bombonera Stadium which is the home of the Boca Juniors, BA’s favourite soccer team. We next explored Port Madera which was traditionally the trade port for Buenos Aires but has now been developed into apartments and restaurants which reminded us both of Melbourne. After this we stayed on the bus for the remaining sections, travelling through Recoleta and Retiro. Recoleta's cemetery is where the famous Eva (Evita) Peron is buried.

This afternoon we did a walking tour with BA free tours. It was great. The tour took us through Recoleta and Retiro showing us the aristocratic side of BA. We learnt that the reason BA is so European in appearance is because the palaces (which are now embassies) were built by European families who imported all the materials from Europe! There were some other important sites as well, for example, the site of the old Israeli Embassy which is now a memorial site as it was bombed in a terrorist attack, and the Falklands War memorial.

Tonight, for dinner, we walked to an awesome steakhouse, La Brigada, which was recommended by our tour guide from this afternoon. Jack had a T-bone which was the size of his plate and Brii had an Eye fillet that she struggled to finish. The steak was so tender the waiters were literally cutting it with a spoon! It was a delicious meal!

Argentina - Buenos Aires

We both woke early this morning, far earlier than we planned - Doh! But we both did have great sleeps so we  went out to explore this new city and try to decide how we would spend our next few days.

We walked into the city centre and explored the area and its pedestrianised streets. After lunch we made our way back to the hotel to relax and rest as we were both still a little tired. 

Tonight we enjoyed a dinner at a local restaurant and then another early night.

Argentina - Buenos Aires

After a very short sleep we returned to the Johannesburg Airport and boarded our flight to Buenos Aires. The flight was over 11h and well, what can you say about an 11h flight?!

We eventually made it to our hotel in the centre of Beunos Aires after we had some issues with our transfer not showing up. This combined with a significant language barrier and extreme tiredness made for a fun introduction to Argentina. Thankfully, even though Spanish is very different to Italian, most people here can understand a little Italian and probably more than they can English, so the Italian is paying off again :-).

Our hotel is located only a short walk from the very centre of BA which is awesome and extremely convenient. We managed to find a cafe that was willing to serve us dinner at 7pm (instead of the local eating time of 9pm) so we could call it a day and got to bed.

Rwanda - Kigali

Up early this morning to leave Ruhengeri bound for Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. 

We arrived in Kigali around 9am and went straight to the Genocide Museum. The Genocide Museum is a memorial to the horrific genocide that occurred in Rwanda from April to July 1994. It was a well presented museum which told the awful truth about the lead up to the genocide, the genocide itself, and the aftermath, as well as giving a brief history of the other horrific genocides from around the world including Cambodia, Germany, and others. Unfortunately we had to get to the airport so we only had limited time however we were able to experience most of it and definitely shed a few tears, especially in the “Children’s Room” which gave a short account of many children whose shocking fate was known. A heart wrenching experience but an important one which was definitely worth the early morning.

The teary morning ended with some sad goodbyes to our dear friends that had shared the last 40-60 days with us.

Our afternoon was spent in transit between Kigali and Johannesburg with a 4h stopover in Nairobi. We finally arrived in Jo’burg at midnight and made our way to our hotel for a short sleep and a shower.

Rwanda - Ruhengeri

Well, the day finally arrived! We got to see the Gorilla’s today and wow, was it worth it!!

We woke up early and made our way to Volcanoes National Park where the Mountain Gorilla’s are known to reside. There are only 700 Gorilla’s left in the wild but thankfully secondary to a cessation of illegal poaching and careful tracking and research this population is slowly increasing. In Volcanoes National Park there are 13 families, 8 of which are tracked for tourists and 5 are monitored for research. Our trekking group of 8 were given the family named Bwenge. This beautiful family had 11 members including 3 babies, a Blackback, and a large Silverback who was the dominant male in the group - he was awesome! We trekked for an hour and a half through quite thick rainforest with our guides and porters cutting the path with machete’s before we found them. But, when we did it was awesome! We watched the family from a short distance for over an hour, the adults in the group slept for most of the time with some intermittent inquisitive looks and one small charge from one of the mothers, but the babies provided lots of entertainment. They were so inquisitive, playful, cute, and very funny. At the end of the hour the Silverback made some noises to wake the rest up which was very awesome to see and hear. They all rose from their morning slumber and moved around to find some food. An absolutely amazing experience!

On return to our campsite we wandered into town to explore Ruhengeri centre which was a typical African town with a crazy local market full of everything from second hand clothing, electrical appliances, to meat, and fruit and veg. We then finished off a fabulous day with a fantastic group dinner in a local African restaurant.