Backpacking

We have a overnight stay here, just prior to the Inca Trail hike. We just managed to see the impressive ruins situationed right next to the town.

The Inca engineering is very impressive. Especially when they didn´t use the wheel for any practical purposes and we´re still in the bronze age.

Their sophisticated calendars and knowledge of agricultural is also impressive.

Cusco is a lovelly small city, in Central Peru. The form ancient captial of the Inca Empire, it has built over the top of ancient Inca buildings by the Spanish. It has a strong Spanish Colonial feel and look even today.

Like most of Peru and indeed South America -- there are many Catholic Churches.

We had little time to explored today, as we are off to do a very short visit to the Sacred Valley), prior to starting the Inca Trail hike.

After the Inca Trail hike, we return to Cusco for three nights - two days.

More about Cusco soon...

Yes, finally -- the Inca trail 4 day hike is over!

First, let me say that I enjoyed the hike very much -- overall. There was a couple of times when I felt sick and unwell to a point when I thought I wouldn´t make it to the final day.

Machu Picchu was fantastic! Although, after three and 2 hours of hiking...you are pretty tired. So a little dazed by the time you get their early on the fourth day. But, I still managed to take a few photos and some video footage...something that I didn´t do on day two of the hike much (for reasons outlined below).

It was great fun when I was not felling sick. On the first day, in the late afternoon I was feeling a little sick. The next morning I was sufferring from nausea and had no energy. I had little to eat for breakfast and was half-dead when I got to ¨Dead women´s pass¨.

The afternoon of the second day, I was much better, but the weather turned nasty -- very wet and cold too. Climbing up approximately 1,000 metres plus in the cold and wet is not fun! But, I carried on up to the summit...when I reached it I was very cold and had to put more warm clothes on, as the descent down was slippery and the weather was very cold. Going downhill, although much much easier, was very tricky and highly dangerous, as one small slip could mean that you could have and nasty accident -- very easily a fatal one down deep cliff or a long steep rocky slope!

Because I was feeling poorly and the weather so wet, I didn´t take many photos. I didn´t take any video footage either. My Digital SLR cameras got a little wet in the downpour too...but I managed to dry it out...no damage (it´s still working fine!).

The third day was much easier for me...as I was happier and healthier. So there were no problems. Mostly downhill, we drop some 1,000 metres to the final basecamp and it´s the spot where all the Inca Trail hikers and converge prior to gettings to Machu Picchu.

Oh, I do like the little stamp they put into your passport at the beginning and end of your hike...a nice reminder of those good and not so good times on the trail!

Well, I've been in Argentina in 16 days today. Tomorrow, I fly to Lima, Peru via Buenos Aires.

I've done LOTS of walking, as I expected, as I am on a hiking holiday. Camping in small tents isn't that fun in cold and wet conditions (or windy, for that matter)! But it's all part of the experience! I have enjoyed it a lot.

We went to Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile, after El Chalten. It was a long bus trip. Strangely, the border crossing is in some rural outpost with a large gap between the respective border posts of Chile and Argentina. Maybe this reflects the historical conflicts between the two nations over the years. Specifically the disputes of the borders between the two nations.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good for time in Torres Del Paine (Chile). But it was still fun! A little cold, a little wet and very windy at times.

We hiked up to see Grey Glacier, at first it was very windy and cold - or so we thought! It wasn't a good start, but two hours later over the usual rocky and muddy (but well defined) trail - we found the first of several viewpoints of Lake Grey and Grey Glacier. It is a huge glacier....I have some photos to upload, which I will do later. (When I find a decent computer to do so, a rare find in Argentina, so far!).

Not long after we reached one of the better Grey Glacier viewpoints, we took some photos and I took some video footage - the sky got darker and the very cold north-westerly winds blew over the massive chunk of ice that is the Grey Glacier and on to us poor weary and hungry hikers!

We all huddled in what little shelter we could find - a small hallow in the rock and got out our infamous packed lunches...a bottle of water, a couple of small chocolates, a snack bar and the usual ham and cheese in a rather thick breadroll. Many of us had come to loath the bread (and some it's contents). But when you've been walking for ours (and you're usually sweating on the uphill legs, under the layers of clothing meant to keep you warm).

After Torres del Paine National Park, we travelled via mini-bus to a overnight farmstay on Argentinan-side of the the island of Tierra Del Fuego (which is at the tip of South America). The Chilean side was largely unpaved. It´s somewhat odd to have an island divided between two countries...but I guess it kinda works...it´s a big place.

After some 12+ hours in the mini bus (with a few stops along the way), we arrived at our overnight farmstay, just outside Rio Grande.

It was a smallish farm, still in operational. They had a modest dining room and toilet block...and yes...tents for us to sleep in!

The BBQ lamb and fresh vegetables were great! Especially, as everyone was tried and hungry from our very long trip today.

After a nice breakfast, we were given a demonstration of a sheep herding, with dogs and sheep shearing. Kinda interesting, but I´d seen it all before. We were back on the bus for another couple of hours and stayed in a lodge (bunk beds) overnight. That same day we had a night lunch and headed out for the afternoon to explore the local peat bogs, laguna and small glacier. The interesting part was the damaged that the imported Beavers had done to the fragile ecology.

Originally imported to farm their fur, the warm climate of the Tierra del Fuego soon meant that wasn´t going to be feasible. Hence, the Canadian imports can deciminated tracks of forrests near rivers. As the soils is so thin, the impact is far worse that in their native land.

Anyway, must go and will write a bit about Ushuaia in detail soon.

I am Southern Patagonia in Argentina. El Chalten, to be exact...it´s Thursday 8th March and it´s 12pm local time.

Just had three nights of camping in freezing cold (below zero) weather (at night)...whilsts sleeping in a tent...but the flipside is that the weather has been fantastic! The days were nice and warm, but not too so that it made hiking too hot.

The hiking wasn´t too hard, some days were long though. The paths not too tricky or difficult too! As they told us before, it was moderate hiking.

Both the scenery and the weather is fantastic...I cannot complain about it at all. The place, although it looks isolated and remote (which it is) is well travelled with many tourist - both from overseas and Argentina. Everyone is friendly and obviously it is full of similar like-minded and hardly people who like long walks in the national parks...:-)

At least we got hot food each night and a hot breakfast. The food isn´t that great, but it fills you up...at least we don´t have too good it...they have ´camp assistants´to look after the campsites and cool the food and prepare our ´packed lunches´ (do the dishes, make us tea & coffee & hot chocolate).

I went for walk on a glacier yesterday...it was a very long day too. We (it was an optional excursion) spent some 11 hours or so walking...thankfully, it ended in a hosteria (budget hotel) with a hot shower and a nice warm comfy double bed. I am lucky that I don´t have share with anyone!

Thank god I had a shower...the first in three days. With most of it wearing the same same clothes too. I took change of clothes though (socks and undies too). Wet & cold weather gear was essential too.

The first night back in the hosteria was a mixed blessing...the room was warm and comfy. Too warm in fact. The room was okay, but hey this is a budget hotel...so you can´t complain. The whole group had dinner in the hosteria I stayed in. Some people stayed in the hostel acrossed the road...they had 4-6 people per bunk room. Apparrently not great, but us in the hosteria paid extra for that privillege. I can tell you that I was pleased I did.

I´ve taken over 300 photos in the past four days. Some good ones too. I hope to post some of the good ones to my webshots website soon.

It was hard and great fun. The first day walking was wet and then got cold. We were all a more than a little concerned about the next few days was going to be exactly the same.

Our guides - both the ones for the local part of the tour (in El Chalten - Fitz Roy and Torre) were excellent. But much was lost in the translation from Spanish to English.

Most of my tour group were English speaking. The majority from the UK, the rest from Australia. This tour group was twice the size of the usual group. The result of a group of confused people, at times (well, most of the time!).
We are off back to El Calafate for two nights. We will be visiting the Moreno Glacier...but no glacier walk this time.

Time to go. Hopefully I will get a chance to upload the photos...today is our day off hiking. I am wondering this tiny town...this part of Patagonia is very dry ..it is usually windy too...but is a perfect day - warming and dry...not windy.

That´s it for now...my next posting is from El Calafate.