Our time on the estancia involved a bit of relaxation…
some new activities....
and a few new friends…
some of which we ate! In fact, it is thought that Rory single-handedly consumed an entire cow. 
Monday, 5 November 2007
On the Ranch
Just to mix it up a bit, we’ve just spent the past few days in the pampa húmeda region (south-west of Buenos Aires) staying on a working cattle ranch (yeehaaw!), or “estancia”, to get an insight into the life and culture of the traditional Argentinean gaucho.
Our time on the estancia involved a bit of relaxation…
some new activities....
and a few new friends…
some of which we ate! In fact, it is thought that Rory single-handedly consumed an entire cow.
Our time on the estancia involved a bit of relaxation… some new activities.... and a few new friends… some of which we ate! In fact, it is thought that Rory single-handedly consumed an entire cow. 
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Water and wine
After chilling in Chile (sorry couldn't resist) we headed over the Andes (past Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in S. America at nearly 7000m) to Mendoza, the capital of the Argentinean wine industry. It would have been very easy not to move much in Mendoza - it is a beautiful city, with tree lined streets, classy squares, a European cafe culture and Mediterranean weather - but as we had no more excuses after a relaxing time in Santiago, we felt we needed to spice things up ...
We of course participated in the obligatory wine tour, but rather than sitting in the back of bus we got our legs going and cycled around instead (approx 30kms), enjoying great weather, views and tasting some fun wine. Malbec is big in the region, but it doesn't have enough bite for us. So we discovered that when it is mixed with a Cab Sav you get a sweet combination which we were able to fully enjoy in the BYO restaurants!
We of course participated in the obligatory wine tour, but rather than sitting in the back of bus we got our legs going and cycled around instead (approx 30kms), enjoying great weather, views and tasting some fun wine. Malbec is big in the region, but it doesn't have enough bite for us. So we discovered that when it is mixed with a Cab Sav you get a sweet combination which we were able to fully enjoy in the BYO restaurants!
On our last day we left the comfort of land for some white water rafting on the Rio Mendoza. This was the first time for both of us, but it also turned out to be the first time for one of the kayakers...
...and we soon found ourselves part of a rescue mission! We noted with some mischief that two hours after we had got back, the poor chap was still shaking.
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Santiago: the Peruvian antidote ...
After 15 consecutive days of pre-6am get-ups, money belts, cramped Peruvian buses, no make-up (for Amy!), subsisting on packets of biscuits and brushing our teeth with bottled water (and still being inflicted with a dose of Delhi Belly) and the high altitude issue of hyperventilating if we so much as had to tie our shoelaces, it's fair to say we were relieved to be in Chile!
All-in-all, Santiago made a great city break. Fun and cosmopolitan (has a very European feel), with great weather, restaurants and the wine regions just under an hour away, it was a great way to relax before getting back to the action-packed adventure style travelling that awaits us in Argentina.
All-in-all, Santiago made a great city break. Fun and cosmopolitan (has a very European feel), with great weather, restaurants and the wine regions just under an hour away, it was a great way to relax before getting back to the action-packed adventure style travelling that awaits us in Argentina.
Saturday, 27 October 2007
The Lost City of the Incas
Halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle above the Urubamba River lies a city in the clouds known as Machu Picchu – bizarrely 'lost' for over three centuries, but now probably the most famous symbol of the Inca Empire, just voted one of New Seven Wonders of the World and raved about by every person we know who has visited it. Despite all this, we couldn’t help wonder whether it would live up to expectations. The truth is, it smashed our expectations out of the ball park, and we’re sorry to say that words and photos won’t be able to do it justice.
In terms of getting there, our new found hiking ability (cf. Italian Lakes) and the fact that we now own all the gear (and, some might say, no idea!), coupled with the reality that we despise tents, sleeping bags, drop toilets and all things camping, left us with a dilemma – to trek or not to trek? We decided to compromise and do a 2-day (rather than 4-day) trek of the Inca Trail known as the "Camino Real de los Incas", which involved a hostel, 2 very lovely porters to carry our food and a slightly lower altitude – sounded good to us!
At the end of the first day we reached Machu Picchu, and we were ecstatic - it really is unlike any other ancient site we have ever visited. Full credit to the Incas – they really were impressive architects, stoneworkers, astronomers and environmentalists!
Day two involved a heck of a lot of climbing – a 400m vertical challenge to the peak of Wayna Picchu mountain (the one that rises over Machu Picchu, 2720m above sea level). At the summit we were rewarded with unmatched views of the Machu Picchu city and the feeling of being on top of the world. And Rory’s desire to re-live his mountain biking days resulted in a sprint down to the bottom. I’m not sure that our knees will ever be the same again.
In terms of getting there, our new found hiking ability (cf. Italian Lakes) and the fact that we now own all the gear (and, some might say, no idea!), coupled with the reality that we despise tents, sleeping bags, drop toilets and all things camping, left us with a dilemma – to trek or not to trek? We decided to compromise and do a 2-day (rather than 4-day) trek of the Inca Trail known as the "Camino Real de los Incas", which involved a hostel, 2 very lovely porters to carry our food and a slightly lower altitude – sounded good to us!
At the end of the first day we reached Machu Picchu, and we were ecstatic - it really is unlike any other ancient site we have ever visited. Full credit to the Incas – they really were impressive architects, stoneworkers, astronomers and environmentalists!
Day two involved a heck of a lot of climbing – a 400m vertical challenge to the peak of Wayna Picchu mountain (the one that rises over Machu Picchu, 2720m above sea level). At the summit we were rewarded with unmatched views of the Machu Picchu city and the feeling of being on top of the world. And Rory’s desire to re-live his mountain biking days resulted in a sprint down to the bottom. I’m not sure that our knees will ever be the same again. 
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Illusive condors and floating islands
Since leaving Lima last week, we have been on a real high … on several occasions over 5000m (16,400 ft). First up, we flew to Peru’s second city, Arequipa, which was the base for a 2-day tour of the Colca valley.
The Colca valley is famed for many things, not least its sheer scale (being twice as deep as the Grand Canyon) and its breath taking beauty. It was also one of the key agricultural areas for the Incas, who created the tiered fields throughout the valley. The second day involved getting up at the crack-of-dawn, which we were told would be worth it due to the dozens of condors we would see gliding through the canyon. It seems, however, that the condors had other engagements, although after 90mins a total of three decided to grace us with their presence. Hmmph…
The next highlight (pun intended) on our ‘gringo trail’ was Puno, the main Peruvian city on the huge Lake Titicaca (nearly 10,000 sq Km) which is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3900m! Its shores and islands are home to some of Peru’s oldest people and we visited the people of Uros who actually live on floating islands made of reeds. The reeds are also used to build their houses and boats and even as food! Overall it was very cool - Rory managed to alight the boat onto the island without sinking the whole thing, and Amy made a couple of new friends …
The Colca valley is famed for many things, not least its sheer scale (being twice as deep as the Grand Canyon) and its breath taking beauty. It was also one of the key agricultural areas for the Incas, who created the tiered fields throughout the valley. The second day involved getting up at the crack-of-dawn, which we were told would be worth it due to the dozens of condors we would see gliding through the canyon. It seems, however, that the condors had other engagements, although after 90mins a total of three decided to grace us with their presence. Hmmph…
The next highlight (pun intended) on our ‘gringo trail’ was Puno, the main Peruvian city on the huge Lake Titicaca (nearly 10,000 sq Km) which is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3900m! Its shores and islands are home to some of Peru’s oldest people and we visited the people of Uros who actually live on floating islands made of reeds. The reeds are also used to build their houses and boats and even as food! Overall it was very cool - Rory managed to alight the boat onto the island without sinking the whole thing, and Amy made a couple of new friends … 
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
The great Peruvian adventure begins ...
With a cancelled flight, missed connection in Miami and a likelihood of arriving in Lima too late to catch our pre-booked tour of the Nazca Lines and Ballestas Islands, Peru did not look like it was going to start off well for us … So we are still baffled as to how we found ourselves sitting in business class seats on a direct flight with Delta, arriving in Lima (complete with our luggage – the mystery continues) 15 minutes prior to the flight we should have been on, all at the expense of American Airlines. Absolute result!
After all that drama, we only had 2 hours to rest our weary cankles (I’ve convinced myself that even Kate Moss gets those after a day of flying) before our 3.30am pick-up for our adventures around the Peruvian “Galapagos Islands” (or the Ballestas as they are technically known). The 250 Km drive (most of which we slept, as our kind hosts had brought us pillows!) to get to the region was well worth it and it was hard to believe that less than 24hrs previously we were stuck in the sprawling metropolis of Atlanta.
After our tour of the Ballestas, it was a further 250 Km south to Nazca, home of the famous Nazca Lines. These are not only lines and geometrical figures, but also designs such as a dog, monkey, birds - one with a wing span of over 100m - a spider, a tree and an astronaut (!), which were thought to have been etched into the stony desert between 900BC and 600AD. The lines can really only be seen from the air - fortunately , we had the ‘luxury’ of a 5 seater Cessna to get the big picture! 
After all that drama, we only had 2 hours to rest our weary cankles (I’ve convinced myself that even Kate Moss gets those after a day of flying) before our 3.30am pick-up for our adventures around the Peruvian “Galapagos Islands” (or the Ballestas as they are technically known). The 250 Km drive (most of which we slept, as our kind hosts had brought us pillows!) to get to the region was well worth it and it was hard to believe that less than 24hrs previously we were stuck in the sprawling metropolis of Atlanta.
After our tour of the Ballestas, it was a further 250 Km south to Nazca, home of the famous Nazca Lines. These are not only lines and geometrical figures, but also designs such as a dog, monkey, birds - one with a wing span of over 100m - a spider, a tree and an astronaut (!), which were thought to have been etched into the stony desert between 900BC and 600AD. The lines can really only be seen from the air - fortunately , we had the ‘luxury’ of a 5 seater Cessna to get the big picture! 
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