We are now in Antafogasta, the second largest city in Chile. We leave tomorrow for Chañaral, a small town close to Parque National Pan de Azucar, where we hope to camp and hike for a few days (even the stadtfrau has had enough of the city for a while.) The climate is nice here, but we´ve about had it with sand and sun (no pity, please) and are ready to move on to the forrest. Our next stop is still in the desert, but more of a mediterranean climate (so says Lonely Planet) and soon after we´ll be in wine country. Hmmmm, wonder what we´ll do there....
The ride between Iquique and Antafogasta was particularly beautiful - the whole way along the coast. We have had fun visiting fishing ports and watching the sea lions and pelicans eat the fish guts thrown out by the fishermen. Yum.
Update: We didn't go to Pan de Azucar - it seemed too much of a hassle just to find a campsite in the desert. So, we have landed in in La Serena, where all the fresh seafood has started to catch up with Matthias (he has quite an upset stomach) I wonder if he's faking it so he doesn't have to go to the beach for the New Year's festivities or even stay up until midnight. Anyway, the nice people at our hostal are having a barbeque, so I won't be alone either way. La Serena is probably the nicest Chilean city we have seen so far; we haven't been to the beach yet, but the town has a lovely plaza and some great colonial architecture. And, it's not as run down as some of the cities we've seen - probably because it's a top tourist destination.
On the 1st or 2nd, we're heading to the Elqui Valley, where they are supposed to have some nice camping and hiking areas, so probably no internet updates for a while.
Hope everyone has a happy new year
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Pictures!
For some reason I was having trouble uploading photos to this website. These are from Lake Titicaca and Isla Del Sol. Until I figure it out how to do this better, the pictures are in Yahoo photos...
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jrosenyc/album?.dir=55fb&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jrosenyc/my_photos
Friday, December 23, 2005
Feliz Hanukkah y Navidad
Hello from Arica, Chile. We took a little bit longer than expected to get here as we took a couple of "sick days" in La Paz. Matthias and I both got sick from something we ate in Coroico, and we were afraid to make the 8-hour bus ride to Arica while we were still under the weather. Matthias even had a hard time with the ride up from Coroico - he had a fever and could barely sit up straight. I was okay, and we´re both much better now.We just spent an extra day in La Paz to be sure. And, fortunately, our hotel had cable TV and a comfortable bed, so we recuperated in style, watching movies on HBO and CNN World. Hope those of you in NYC were able to cope with the transit strike (and to think, I was worried about being stuck in La Paz following the Bolivian elections because of strikes or road blockades!) It feels a little strange not to have been in NYC - unlike the blackout of 2003 or blizzard of 1996 (was it?) I won´t get to say "I was there when....."
Back to Chile. The bus ride from La Paz was comfortable and nice. We passed over the Chilean border at about 5,000 Meters above sea level, seeing snow-capped peaks and lakes filled with flamingos. Then down through the dessert. They served breakfast and lunch on the bus and even showed movies (if anyone saw "The Others" with Nicole Kidman, please tell me the point - I fell asleep toward then end. Were they dead the whole time or what?) We arrived in Arica around 2PM and found our friendly hotel (yes, prices have gone up to US$16 per night.) The town is nice, right on the Pacific, with some cute beaches and rocky coastlines. Fortunately for me, there aren´t too many hiking opportunities, but there is a hill (I would call it a mountain) that we´re going to climb today for the views and to visit a Spanish fortress on the top. I´m gearing up for it.
We´re planning to stay here until Sunday. We figure that a bus ride on the 25th will give us something to do that day when everything is closed. Next stop is Iquique, another city on the Pacific coast about four hours away.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Election Day
Well, we decided to stay in Coroico for another few days, wait out the election, and head back to La Paz and then Chile next week. The weather here is pretty perfect, though it usually rains in the morning, it is sunny and warm by noon and cool and comforable in the evenings. Matthias said that if we headed any further down toward the Amazon basin it would be uncomforably hot, so I'm happy to stay here.
There is no bus service today because of the election, but I can't notice any difference otherwise. I haven't found out much from local people about the race, but there is some info on bbc world at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4531446.stm.
Yesterday, we took a hike down toward the river. I say toward the river because I was too chicken to go all the way down (about 500 meters down.) Yes, after two hours of hiking downhill and going probably more than two-thirds of the way, I begged Matthias to let me turn around and go back for fear that I wouldn't be able to make it back up. To his credit, Matthias was sympathetic, if not completely understanding, and we climbed slowly back up the hill, after which I jumped in the hotel pool. Oh yes, we switched hotels and took a more "budget" location for the past few days. This one's only about $9 including breakfast, has an awesome view, and is more secluded and quieter. As of last night, we were the only tourists in the hotel. The night before, we shared the hotel with a young French couple.
Speaking of young, though there are not many foreign tourists at all here, practically all are below the age of 22. I guess that's when most people travel to places like this. I'm not sure whether to feel lucky that I'm doing it at this age or to wish I had done it back then. Either way, I now realize that when the Lonely Planet book says "an easy 1 hour hike" they are talking to an energetic 20-year-old, not an out-of-shape 38-year-old. And then, as Matthias would say, sitting in front of the computer at an Internet cafe isn't helping me to get in shape. Yeah, yeah, guess I better go hike back to the hotel.
Next entry should be from Chile, where, hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures.
There is no bus service today because of the election, but I can't notice any difference otherwise. I haven't found out much from local people about the race, but there is some info on bbc world at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4531446.stm.
Yesterday, we took a hike down toward the river. I say toward the river because I was too chicken to go all the way down (about 500 meters down.) Yes, after two hours of hiking downhill and going probably more than two-thirds of the way, I begged Matthias to let me turn around and go back for fear that I wouldn't be able to make it back up. To his credit, Matthias was sympathetic, if not completely understanding, and we climbed slowly back up the hill, after which I jumped in the hotel pool. Oh yes, we switched hotels and took a more "budget" location for the past few days. This one's only about $9 including breakfast, has an awesome view, and is more secluded and quieter. As of last night, we were the only tourists in the hotel. The night before, we shared the hotel with a young French couple.
Speaking of young, though there are not many foreign tourists at all here, practically all are below the age of 22. I guess that's when most people travel to places like this. I'm not sure whether to feel lucky that I'm doing it at this age or to wish I had done it back then. Either way, I now realize that when the Lonely Planet book says "an easy 1 hour hike" they are talking to an energetic 20-year-old, not an out-of-shape 38-year-old. And then, as Matthias would say, sitting in front of the computer at an Internet cafe isn't helping me to get in shape. Yeah, yeah, guess I better go hike back to the hotel.
Next entry should be from Chile, where, hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Me Encanta Bolivia
Bolivia continues to awe and inspire - it's beautiful! We have decided that we should probably slow down a bit and take it easy if we're to avoid burning out too early. Okay, but for Matthias, relaxing means waking up at 6AM and heading out on an all day hike by 9:00! So, I sent him off by himself today, to climb a mountain for some pretty views, while I use the Internet and laze on the hotel terrace. Unfortunately, it's raining today, but the weather here changes mighty quickly, so it could be sunny by noon.
We are in Coroico, a beautiful resort town north of La Paz. We have splurged on our hotel (US $12.50 per night!) but have beautiful room with a REAL hot/warm shower, huge terrace overlooking the mountains, and a swimming pool with greenish water. Wish I could share pictures, but they probably wouldn't do justice to the scenery. Each morning, the fog fills the valleys, then rises up to cover the town, which is on a plateau. (one good reason to get up at 6AM is to witness this.) The ride down here was an adventure in itself - down what's known as the world's most dangerous road, which is a dirt road only wide enough for one car. The scenery was fantastic, but I was a bit too scared to enjoy it. Going up should be better, as uphill traffic gets to take the inside track when passing cars/buses/trucks coming down. I wish I could describe this better.
Yesterday, we hiked along a mountainside to some cascades about 5km away. The waterfalls weren't too fantastic, but the walk was wonderful. We passed through jungle-like areas, saw a hummingbird, butterflies, toucans, coca fields and spectacular valley views. We also had two stray dogs as guides...they traveled with us to the end of the trail and back. Minor injuries to report: I walked into a rock and got a monster bruise on my leg (duh!); Matthias got bit by one (or more) mountain mosquito(s) and his arms are covered with itchy welts. Oh, and my bottom lip has sprouted an unprecedented number of herpes sores (probably from exposure to the sun.) Otherwise, we're feeling fine. I can't blame the altitude anymore for my lack of ability to hike up a hill without stopping to rest...we've descended to an altitude of 1750 meters above sea level (okay, guess that's still pretty high.)
Not sure what our next step will be. Either back to La Paz for a bus to Arica, Chile, or down further into the valley. Guess we'll decide tonight over a bottle of wine on the hotel terrace. :-)
Thanks to everyone for your fun comments and emails!
We are in Coroico, a beautiful resort town north of La Paz. We have splurged on our hotel (US $12.50 per night!) but have beautiful room with a REAL hot/warm shower, huge terrace overlooking the mountains, and a swimming pool with greenish water. Wish I could share pictures, but they probably wouldn't do justice to the scenery. Each morning, the fog fills the valleys, then rises up to cover the town, which is on a plateau. (one good reason to get up at 6AM is to witness this.) The ride down here was an adventure in itself - down what's known as the world's most dangerous road, which is a dirt road only wide enough for one car. The scenery was fantastic, but I was a bit too scared to enjoy it. Going up should be better, as uphill traffic gets to take the inside track when passing cars/buses/trucks coming down. I wish I could describe this better.
Yesterday, we hiked along a mountainside to some cascades about 5km away. The waterfalls weren't too fantastic, but the walk was wonderful. We passed through jungle-like areas, saw a hummingbird, butterflies, toucans, coca fields and spectacular valley views. We also had two stray dogs as guides...they traveled with us to the end of the trail and back. Minor injuries to report: I walked into a rock and got a monster bruise on my leg (duh!); Matthias got bit by one (or more) mountain mosquito(s) and his arms are covered with itchy welts. Oh, and my bottom lip has sprouted an unprecedented number of herpes sores (probably from exposure to the sun.) Otherwise, we're feeling fine. I can't blame the altitude anymore for my lack of ability to hike up a hill without stopping to rest...we've descended to an altitude of 1750 meters above sea level (okay, guess that's still pretty high.)
Not sure what our next step will be. Either back to La Paz for a bus to Arica, Chile, or down further into the valley. Guess we'll decide tonight over a bottle of wine on the hotel terrace. :-)
Thanks to everyone for your fun comments and emails!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Lake Titicaca
I'm going to try the first entry from abroad - excuse the spelling, grammar and punctuation as the keyboard here is the pits. I also don't think I'll be able to post any pictures until I find a better connection
Lake Titicaca and Isla Del Sol surpassed our expectations. We arrived in La Paz on 6 Dec and left immediately for Copacabana on Lake Titicaca - a 3.5 hour bus ride, including a ferry across the lake (passengers on one boat, the bus on the other.) Tried to sleep during the bus ride, but the huge bumps made it impossible. Plus, when we got to Copacabana, we both had to deal with altitude sickness (all better now.)
After two nights in Copacabana, we struck out on our first hike with our HEAVY backpacks. I did okay at first, but started to fade in the middle. Fortunately, we were found by a kid who offered to row us to the island. It took him about 1.5 hours and cost about $6 US. When we got to the island, we camped at the bottom of the hill where the boat left us off (there was no way I was hiking up to the top at that point!)
The night was cold, but the next morning was gorgeous and sunny, and we hiked up the mountain to a great hotel overlooking the sea (US$5 per night). Obviously, we decided to stay two nights. There are no cars on the island, but lots of donkeys to carry supplies up and down from the boats. And the scenery is like looking at the Agean Sea from Crete, only less developed, so maybe even more beautiful. The next day, we took a long day hike (sans backpacks) around the island to see the inca ruins and admire the beauty It was fantastic. The days are hot, because we are so close to the sun, but the nights are cold. We've been going to bed early (Matthias' regular bedtime) because there's not much to do on the island after sundown.
Now we're back in Copacabana and have our first day of rain. Tomorrow we leave for La Paz and then to Coroico in the Yungas (fog forest of the Andes.) Will probably do another update next week.
Lake Titicaca and Isla Del Sol surpassed our expectations. We arrived in La Paz on 6 Dec and left immediately for Copacabana on Lake Titicaca - a 3.5 hour bus ride, including a ferry across the lake (passengers on one boat, the bus on the other.) Tried to sleep during the bus ride, but the huge bumps made it impossible. Plus, when we got to Copacabana, we both had to deal with altitude sickness (all better now.)
After two nights in Copacabana, we struck out on our first hike with our HEAVY backpacks. I did okay at first, but started to fade in the middle. Fortunately, we were found by a kid who offered to row us to the island. It took him about 1.5 hours and cost about $6 US. When we got to the island, we camped at the bottom of the hill where the boat left us off (there was no way I was hiking up to the top at that point!)
The night was cold, but the next morning was gorgeous and sunny, and we hiked up the mountain to a great hotel overlooking the sea (US$5 per night). Obviously, we decided to stay two nights. There are no cars on the island, but lots of donkeys to carry supplies up and down from the boats. And the scenery is like looking at the Agean Sea from Crete, only less developed, so maybe even more beautiful. The next day, we took a long day hike (sans backpacks) around the island to see the inca ruins and admire the beauty It was fantastic. The days are hot, because we are so close to the sun, but the nights are cold. We've been going to bed early (Matthias' regular bedtime) because there's not much to do on the island after sundown.
Now we're back in Copacabana and have our first day of rain. Tomorrow we leave for La Paz and then to Coroico in the Yungas (fog forest of the Andes.) Will probably do another update next week.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
The Adventure Begins (tomorrow)
We finally made it to the end of our stint in Florida and will hop our flight to La Paz (via Miami) tomorrow - December 5th. Stay tuned for periodic updates on the trip - hopefully I'll be able to add pictures along the way as well.
In the meantime, here are some more pictures from Florida, including a couple of cranes in the neighborhood, the sunset festival at Siesta Key, and our bike ride to the park on Lido Key.
In the meantime, here are some more pictures from Florida, including a couple of cranes in the neighborhood, the sunset festival at Siesta Key, and our bike ride to the park on Lido Key.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Family Time
Some photos of the time spent with the family in Florida.
Matthias, dad and pelican on Longboat Key
Matthias, dad and pelican on Longboat Key
Mom, dad and Josh at the Ritz Carlton in Naples
Eating the meal Matthias cooked for us
Mom, dad, and Matthias on the beach on Longboat Key
Natural Florida
Still waiting for December 5th to arrive, when we leave for La Paz. Meanwhile, we are keeping busy exploring the Sarasota area - mostly by bike. Last week, we rode out to Myakka State Park (in lieu of driving all the way down to the everglades) to see some gators, which, at last, we did. The park was great, as was the ride itself - about 15 miles each way. Here we are picnicing at upper Myakka Lake.
We have also found some wildlife closer to home, including a multitude of birds (pelicans, vultures, etc.) closer to home, and an aligator in one of the lagoons of the housing development.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)