Lincoln, UK 14th October '05 - 14/10/2005
Good Afternoon!!
We have been meaning to send an e-mail out for ages but with rushing around the country like mad things and job hunting time has escaped us once again.
Our biggest piece of news for the last few months is being reunited with our faithful steed. Lolly duly arrived at Tilbury back at the beginning of September (have been meaning to write since then!) on time which wasnt bad since she sat for 2 weeks on Seattle docks awaiting customs clearance! She sailed through UK customs and was cleared electronically so all the time put into out vast itinerary and copious amounts of documentation paid off.
We arrived in Tilbury docks on a wet and miserable Monday morning to find her already unloaded and awaiting collection. It turns out they were expecting us on Friday and we were expecting her to be unloaded in front of us! Good to see the communication is no better here than anywhere else!
After a quick look under the bonnet John fired her up and she started first time as if shed been driven yesterday. The new injectors were working well just a shame about the oil leak and who knows where we would have been if wed stayed in the US!
No journey in Lolly would be the same without some roadside repairs and she didnt disappoint. John was following behind Linz as she navigated to a fuel station. She thought it was odd that John wasnt indicating to follow her. Once pulled over the problem became clear the indicators didnt work! We had, had this problem intermittently through the whole trip but try as he might all Johns little tricks didnt work. We managed to locate the problem to a broken hazard light switch which fell apart in Johns hand as he took it out! This left us with no hazards but at least the indicators worked. It was a long way back to Lincoln if they didnt and without road tax, MOT and insurance we were running the gauntlet anyway!!
The rest of the trip was uneventful and Lolly swung into Linzs Mums drive through the newly widened gateway in her honour with no hassles! It was great to have her back but it did bring a note of finality with it. The trip was definitely over. At times the whole thing seems a little surreal as reality was quick to set in but all we have to do is look out the window and see Lolly parked there with her map and her stickers and think we really did do all of that.
So we have been home nearly 3 months and boy has the time flown. Weve driven round the country several times catching up with family and friends and meeting the new additions to families that have arrived in our absence. We still havent managed to see everyone but were working on it! We even fitted in a trip to Spain to see our very good friends Chris and Lil tie the knot. The bride looked stunning and the groom less nervous once the bride arrived at the church and it was a fantastically drunken over indulging weekend!
On the job front Linz has finally found employment after major hassles with the new criminal check that the UK has brought in. Not that shes a criminal but they are very pedantic about their paperwork! Its easier to get a job in Oz than in the UK! She has in fact got 2 jobs after having nothing for ages. One job is with the local hospital bank and the other is with an agency. She started this week so the bank balance will start to look a little rosier from next week!
John has had one interview in the Oxford area and is waiting to see if he goes for a second. Hes got another application in and is waiting to hear. Hes not been short of work though helping out as an electrician, painter and chicken mover! Not to mention, garden fencer, earth mover and renovator!
The wedding plans have picked up pace now that were home and things seem to be falling into place.
We hope that everyone is well in their respective corners of the world. From a very Autumnal Lincoln its cheerio for now but keep an eye out for the next adventures of Lolly Pop as there will be more once she has had a well earned rest and extensive TLC!!
Love,
Linz, John and a temporarily retired Lolly Pop
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Lincoln, UK 8th August '05 - 08/08/2005
Hello There!
Well what a month (and a bit)! We made it to Seattle although not entirely under our own steam! We left the campsite knowing we had a leaking injector pipe but had everything crossed it would hold out until Seattle. We had to do a ferry crossing and prayed that no-body would notice the expanding pool of diesel under Lolly! We made it to the outskirts of Seattle where the pipe eventually gave out and we were stranded yet again on the hard shoulder of the I5! So close and yet so far. John tried another roadside repair but to no avail. We were just wondering what our options were when our saviour appeared in the form of Jeff Walker.
Jeff had seen us on the roadside and turned around to come and see if there was anything he could do. As it turned out Jeff has a 1970s series Land Rover and his son had just bought an ex-military Land Rover identical to Lolly although left hand drive. Its times like these that restore your faith in humanity. Jeff used his AAA (US equivalent to the AA or RAC) card to have us towed (that makes 5!) for no cost to Marks house where we were staying. Our rescue package from Nath arrived an hour before we did! Hows that for timing!
We spent the ensuing week in Seattle being shown round by an excellent tour guide aka Mark and making regular trips to the local Land Rover Garage. John got to know the owner Gordon very well and between them they were able to get Lolly running the best shed run in a long time. She had new injectors, 1 new injector pipe, a new water pump and another new crank shaft seal. This seal had been replaced in Belize but when John & Gordon took off the front of the engine lo and behold what did they find but a leaking seal and that the timing belt had been fitted incorrectly! No wonder we had an unhappy Lolly Pop! Everything that we paid Belize to do has now been re-done!
After a very relaxing week we waved goodbye to everyone and crossed into our 18th and final country of Canada. We spent 2 days in Vancouver in an RV park right underneath the Lions Gate Bridge and walked into Stanley Park and then on into town where we visited the Gas Town steam clock and feasted on Dim Sums in China Town.
From Vancouver we travelled east overnighting in Kamloops before travelling through Revelstoke, Glacier and Yoho National Parks. We had mixed weather but it did not deter us from driving up Mount Revelstoke and exploring the Wildflower meadow at the top or strolling around Emerald Lake for which we did get some sunshine.
As we arrived in Lake Louise we saw a grizzly bear shortly followed by 2 grazing Elk on the roadside! Lake Louise was not a town as we had envisioned but a purpose built town which mainly consisted of a very large campsite surrounded by electrical fence to keep out the bears!
We drove up the Icefields parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper. It was a stunning drive and we were surrounded by glaciers, green forests and shimmering lakes. We took a short walk on the Athabasca Glacier and rubbed shoulders with Mountain Goats who were looking quite raggedy as they shed their thick winter coats. Jasper was very much how we would imagine a Swiss Alpine town to be and was full of wooden fronted buildings and an old steam train. It had spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
We spent that night at a National Forest campsite and just as wed finished dinner a white overlanding Toyota pulled in driven by a German couple. Harold and Petra were only 7 weeks on the road and were driving up to Alaska and down to Tierra del Fuego. As you can imagine we had lots to talk about!! It made us want to go back to the beginning and start all over again!
We spent a lovely day driving back to Lake Louise visiting all the waterfalls, Glaciers and Canyons we had missed the day before.
The weather the next day was dreadful it rained and rained and rained and not gently either! Lolly leaked like a sieve and since our heater had packed up we had no way of drying out the floor pans! Thankfully by the time we arrived in Calgary it had stopped raining but the wind had started up and our RV Park had very little shelter despite being parked between 2 huge buses!
We managed to catch the last day of the Calgary Stampede a huge Rodeo event held every year where people from all over North America come to compete. As it was the last day we got to see all the finals. It was amazing and the atmosphere electric. When the crowd were asked if there was anyone from the UK Linz embarrassed John by being the only one in their section to whoop and holler! She got some very strange looks!! We even got to meet some Canadian Mounties and picked up a new mascot called Mervyn the Mountie Moose!
We drove south down the cowboy trail through ranch country and visited a place called Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump. We had to go as it was such a bizarre name. It is in fact the best preserved buffalo jump site in North America. It was where the Indians many, many years ago used to stampede the Buffalo off the cliff for their meat and furs. Linz expected there to be a big pile of bones sitting under the cliff and was most disappointed when there wasnt! The reason for the name Head Smashed In is apparently a young brave wanted to watch the buffalo jump and stood on a ledge beneath the cliff and when the Indians came to butcher the Buffalos they found the young brave under the Buffalo with his head smashed in so there you go!!
We crossed back into the USA and into the state of Montana and visited the Glacier National Park there. We drove across the Going to the Sun road which was beautiful and took us right through the heart of the park past Lakes and Glaciers. It was here, as John was doing his routine morning oil and water checks that he found another engine oil leak.
The same seal which had been replaced twice all ready had gone again in less than 2000kms. We thought long and hard about it and weighed up our options. We could keep going and find a place to stay, get the parts to us and then find somewhere for John to do the work. Although since the seal had all ready gone twice there was no guarantee that it wouldnt go again or that nothing else would go wrong. Our second option was to say weve had a really good run and maybe its time to call it a day. We were also only 900km from Seattle where we had friends and a place to stay but 5800km from the East coast and our intended end point.
We chose the latter option and drove 2 days back to Seattle where Mark once again put us up.
Once the decision had been made things moved really quickly. We arrived back in Seattle on a Thursday, spent the weekend cleaning Lolly from top to bottom and inside out and loaded her on the Monday morning. We were told it would take 72 hours for customs to clear her so she would be on the following weeks boat.
With all of that organised and flights booked we were able to relax and enjoy our last few days of the trip which included visiting a winery where Steven one of Marks friends worked and indulge in some wine tasting straight from the barrel. We also cheered on Marks football team the Molecular Warriors who won their game 5-3 to finish 2nd in their league! It was all the cheering we did that did it!! Were sure the locals were thinking bloody English hooligans!
We landed back in the UK on the 29th and have been rushing around the country and scaring the hell out of people since no-one knew we were back! For those that we havent got to see yet we will as soon as we can, theres just a small matter of money jobs, car, house etc. You know all that stuff you need in the real world!! Lolly at the time of writing was still sitting on Seattle docks waiting for customs clearance despite the fact shes been sitting there 2 weeks! 72 hours our !!
We had a fantastic 16 months on the road and despite the problems we had with Lolly we would do it again in a heartbeat. We hope you enjoyed travelling with us and thank you to everyone who has sent us e-mails along the way.
We want to thank many people for making this trip such an amazing experience however we cant name them all, but there are a few who we must. First of all Nath without whos tremendous help, getting Landy parts to far flung corners of the world, this trip would probably have finished ages ago. Martin for doing a sterling job on the website and helping us not to break it. David and Amy for being our friends and translators in Brazil without whom we would probably still be there, Luis and Lucia who took us into their home in Santos and looked after us. The Sao Paulo Land Rover Club and especially Joaquim & Miguel who took us under their wings helped us by telephone when we were stuck and showed us the Sao Paulo nightlife. Ross in Arica for everything; the best hostel ever, help with Landy Parts and general good advice, Jeff for rescuing us off the Seattle highway and finding a home for many of the hazardous materials we couldnt ship home, Gordon for letting us use his garage and for helping Lolly purr again, Mark for putting us up twice and being a fantastic host. Land Rio and BM Point Land Rover Garages in Brazil who put us back onto the road and last but certainly not least our parents for supporting us in achieving a dream while trying not to worry too much!
Finally to all the overlanders we met who shared the same dream; for those of you that are home good luck settling in and to those of you still on the road enjoy it as the time goes all too quickly!
Love,
John, Linz and Lolly (who will ride again though maybe not soon!)
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Port Angeles, USA 1st July '05 - 01/07/2005
Howdy Partners!
Well another month rushes by at lightening speed, we were just re-reading our last email and it seems a long time ago! It has been an eventful month and we are getting the distinct impression that Miss Lolly maybe a little tired and wanting to go home!
The month began with mechanical issues and never really recovered. We spent two days in Acapulco, which reminded us of Rio de Janeiro, so that John could overhaul the clutch master cylinder (again). One evening we were there we did manage to see the Clavadistas (Cliff Divers) made famous by the Elvis Presley movie. Quite incredible to see them in action diving up to 30 meters from the rocks into the swell below and if they get the timing wrong they end up with one hell of a headache!
Our north westwards drive up the coast took us through the beautiful beaches of Playa Maruata and Sayulita before we headed inland again and north to the border with the USA at Nogales.
This was one border crossing we had been dreading but it turned out to be one of the easiest that we have done. The most difficult part was finding Mexican Immigration to get our exit stamps!! The US border guards were more perplexed than anything else and once four different dogs had established we werent carrying anything dodgy we were allowed on our way without even fingerprinting or mugshots.
Our first stop in the USA was Tucson a pleasant little town although very hot. Arriving in the US was overwhelming to say the least from the speed and number of vehicles, the quantity and size of the shopping malls and the choice when it came to food! John was stumped when given the choice of four different types of tomato and if you think thats bad enough you should see the choice of milks! The other shock to the system was having to pump our own fuel and do our own laundry!!
Tucson was meant to be our next service point but we were rudely awakened to life in western society again when informed by the camp ground owners that due to EPA regulations (environmental protection agency) it is not allowed for anyone to carry out their own oil changes. So it was off to a Jiffy Lube (youve got to love that name) where the guys couldnt quite believe Lolly or our trip and ended up giving us a hefty discount.
From Tucson we travelled up to the Grand Canyon (and boy was it up to 7000ft) which is awe inspiring. We spent two nights on the rim and were lucky enough to see it in sun, rain, hail and lightening. The latter wasnt scary until we read the lightening warning leaflet on our return to the visitor centre. This informs you that in the event of an electrical storm you should get away from the rim and into a car or nearby building. This was just after we had been standing on the rim and watching the lightening hit around and in the Canyon! Ignorance is bliss!!
On a number of peoples recommendations we took a detour to Bryce Canyon which took us past Lake Powell. Bryce is as stunning as the Grand Canyon but not for its size rather the colours and rock formations or Hoodoos. An Indian legend says that the Hoodoos were bad people that the Coyote turned into stone which is why you can make out figures and faces in the rocks. One of the more famous formations is a rock that looks just like Queen Victoria in profile!
The campground in Bryce also had a Rodeo the second night we were there and so we got to watch men being thrown like rag dolls from horses and bulls. They say they do this for fun!
Next stop was the glittering lights of Las Vegas where we were able to camp on The Strip. We didnt win anything and were disappointed to find that the slot machines now only accept notes rather than coins. Thats inflation for you! Its a place you have to visit to believe but its the epitome of excess. While in the vicinity we had to drive Lolly over the Hoover Dam which is an engineering marvel and beautiful to boot.
From the heat of Vegas we dropped down into the scorching depths of Death Valley to the lowest point in the USA at 280 metres below sea level. It was an incredible place that we didnt quite get to make the most of due to road works (that are repairing the huge damage caused by flash floods in 2004) and Lolly deciding that it was far too hot and she needed a rest. This led to our fourth and most expensive tow from the depths of Death Valley to the nearest sizeable town of Ridgecrest 100 miles away! We can recommend NOT breaking down in 50 degree heat!
Lollys woes were traced to our first bad lot of fuel in 14 months picked up in the USA! With some help from a local diesel specialist we were mobile again but Lolly is not well as was proved the day we left Ridgecrest when we were pulled over by a Sheriff because he had received a report of a car travelling on the highway being on fire. Apparently that was us. Yes officer I know my car is smoking badly!! He let us go when we promised that we were going to have it looked at in San Francisco.
That night was spent near Mono Lake which is on the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park. It is known for its Tufa Towers which are formed when calcium bearing fresh water bubbles up through the alkaline lake. As the lake level has dropped these towers have been left high and dry. The lake is also an important staging post for migratory birds.
Due to unseasonably late snow the pass into Yosemite and much of the north eastern end of the park is still closed. This led to us having to drive much further north to get across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Along the way we stopped in at Bodie a gold mining era ghost town. It was founded in 1859 and its final few residents gave it to the state in 1962. The final owner requested it be kept in a state of arrested decay i.e. they dont build anything new or change any existing building but will repair roofs and strengthen foundations to withstand the heavy winter snows they receive.
We spent two days exploring Yosemite National Park which is stunning albeit very busy due to it being summer holidays and partly due to only part of the park being open. To get away from the crowds you really need to back country hike for three or four days. The views from Glacier point and our walk in the Giant Sequoia grove have to be highlights as well as the two different sightings of Black Bears.
Our route then took us back to the coast and San Francisco for a couple of nights. We got to explore down town, lunched in Union Square and took the ferry out to Alcatraz. The prison tour was an eerie experience and one can understand why it has inspired so many books and films. The day we were there the guest author was a lady who has written three books about the island, however hers is an interesting perspective as she was the daughter of the assistant warden and therefore grew up on the island. Lolly did make it across the Golden Gate bridge although it was shrouded in mist which seems to have followed us ever since.
Since then we have been following the Californian, Oregon and Washington coast lines. We have seen the mighty Redwood forests, whose trees can grow to over 250ft high and live for 2000 years, the windswept Oregon dunes, trees laden with mosses and the beautiful Roosevelt Elk. So far our wildlife tally stands at 2 bears, several Elk, plenty of deer (especially beside major highways), a coyote, a racoon (one live and many road kill) and lots of chipmunk/squirrelly things. For Amy and David we have also spotted the elusive river elk but boy is it difficult to get a picture!
Since our breakdown in Death Valley we have been dogged by fuel/injector problems and have had a number of roadside repairs. Our long suffering Land Rover parts specialist AKA Nath, is in action again putting together another rescue package that will hopefully meet us in Seattle.
So we are Seattle bound as long as Lolly keeps chugging and we dont have anymore inquisitive Sheriffs! We wonder if Lolly could be classed as an environmental hazard!
Lolly and especially the roof tent have attracted a lot of attention and it has been commented on that we are really roughing it! Here we were thinking we were living in the lap of luxury but then when you look at our next door neighbour in the camp ground that has a 40+ ft long bus (its the only word for it) with leather recliners as driving seats, a bigger flat screen TV than we had in our house (ours was never a flat screen), air conditioning, cable or satellite TV and electrically expanding compartments which make the bus wider and longer when parked. We suppose you could say we are roughing it!
Hope this finds everyone well
Love
John, Linz and a grumbley Lolly
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Oaxaca, Mexico 29th May ´05 - 29/05/2005
Feliz Cumpleanos
Well another month has gone by in a whirlwind of broken clutches, sticking starter motors, our first English speaking country in thirteen months and enough Mayan ruins to fill several photo albums! We actually started writing this 5 days ago but hit a snag as you will discover further down the page!
Before leaving Antigua, where we left you last, we spent a very interesting evening with Elizabeth Bell, an American who has made Antigua her home for the last 35 years and gives a very informative talk on the history, art and culture of the city. We can understand why she fell in love with the city.
The road from Antigua took us to Quetzaltenango where we sought out a house that two friends of ours (Helen and Tim) worked on while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Thanks to an excellent hand drawn map they emailed to us we found the house which is now complete. After a slightly bizarre conversation with the builders who are working on the next house (we think they thought we had arrived to volunteer!) we took some photos and headed off. Our route then took us up into the hills in north western Guatemala to a small hill town of Todos Santos. The town still continues with its Mayan traditions including the traditional dress of the men which is red and white striped trousers and purple or white striped shirts with embroidered collars.
Based on a recommendation from Helen and Tim we took the lesser used road through the highlands to Coban. A stunning drive through rural Guatemala and for a dirt road most of it was in relatively good shape. A short drive the following day took us to Lanquin where we explored the Lanquin caves at sunset and sat at the cave mouth while the bats flew past our ears. We also visited Semuc Champey a natural limestone bridge which has five crystal clear swimming pools on top of the bridge.
Our next stop was Tikal, the most famous of the Guatemalan Mayan ruins. We arrived just in time to enter the park and climb one of the temples to see sunset. As we sat atop the temple the Howler Monkeys were yelling to each other loudly. The park ranger with us said that it indicated rain on the way but one of the other tourists said they had done similarly the night before and not a drop of rain. However, we had just started cooking and the wind began to pick up. Within in an hour we had been subjected to the worst storm we have had on this trip and watched a nearby tree split in half due to the wind. Thankfully our tent withstood the onslaught and Linz managed to finish supper despite being hit by a flying tent peg! The next morning we were up at 4am and on top of Temple IV (used in one of the Star Wars films) to see sunrise, a magical experience! We then spent 5 hours exploring the rest of the 2.5 square kilometre site including climbing to the top off all the temples. These are probably the highest temples (up to 210ft high and have 33ft thick walls at the top) we have seen at any of the sites and gave you wonderful views of the plazas and the jungle top.
After a short drive from Tikal we spent one night at El Remate which sits on the side of beautiful Lago Peten Itza. Whilst opening a window shutter in our Cabana Linz came face to face with her first scorpion which was then helped out of the room by Johns sandal. From here we continued east towards Belize but on the way to the border Lolly had a small hiccup. First an injector pipe went spraying the entire engine bay with diesel (annoying as we had only just changed these pipes but thankfully had kept the old ones in reserve!) and then a very strange noise from the gearbox which seemed to sort itself. After a relatively easy but bizarre border crossing we were into Belize. Bizarre because we hadnt been spoken to in English before on a border and when John was asked what the number plate was (in English) proceeded to tell them in Spanish numerals and letters much to their amusement. We stopped a short way down the road in a lovely campsite so that John could check Lolly over. The injector appeared fixed; however there was an oil leak from an engine seal into the timing belt housing - not good! So the next day we decided to head to Belize City where there was a Land Rover garage. We didnt get more than 20ft outside the campsite and the clutch went again. We tried bleeding the system which appeared to solve the problem and we drove just over 100 kms to Belize City. We were within 3 miles (another strange point in Belize everything is in miles and a very young looking Queen is on all the bank notes) of the Land Rover garage when the clutch finally gave up. This led to Lollys first every piggy back on a break down truck.
We were forced to spend more days that we would have liked in Belize City while the garage stripped out the gearbox, replaced the clutch friction plate and did the engine seals. Thank fully the parts were available in Belize City. When we left the other garages in Brazil it was with confidence of a job well done but when we left here we were very sceptical about their work. Before we left the garage John found the expansion tank not refilled and they hadnt resprung the gear lever or set the hi/lo box ratio correctly! We finally left Belize City and drove the short distance to Orange Walk where we were to visit the ruins of Lamanai. The best bit of this trip was the hour an a half boat ride to the ruins where we saw lots of bird life. The ruins are also interesting from a historical point of view as they are the longest continuously inhabited Mayan city (over three millennia) including occupation by the Spanish and then the British. Our guide also turned out to be a Land Rover and Camel Trophy fanatic and managed to dig out a Mundo Maya 1995 Camel Trophy sticker which competed in this area.
We crossed out of Belize and Central America and into Mexico. Our first stop was Tulum however we nearly spent the night outside a fruit and veg store as Lollys starter motor decided to stick. We got her running and made it to a campsite on the beach but John spent the evening rectifying things the garage hadnt done like re-tightening bolts on the bell housing a rather important thing as it holds the gear box together! The next morning saw us visiting the Mayan site of Tulum which is the only Mayan site on a coastal setting. The beautiful white sand beach and turquoise water make a wonderful back drop to this fortified port city. Lollys starter motor behaved itself enough for us to get to Playa del Carmen, a nicer alternative to Cancun. We treated ourselves to a lovely hotel right on the beach and started Johns birthday early. We spent 3 days here so John could do his diving in the Cenotes, a set of naturally formed caverns in the limestone of the peninsular. The one remarkable thing about the Cenotes is they run horizontally rather than vertically as they were formed by fresh water sitting on top of salt water which caused pressure to build up forcing the water outwards. They are unique to the Yucutan peninsular and Mexico. John had a fantastic time and didnt stop grinning for 2 days. Hes now contemplating doing his cave diving certificate! Linz meanwhile soaked up a few rays on the beach and by the pool.
As we left Playa del Carmen we called in for fuel and the starter motor stuck again. We couldnt unstick it and after a failed push start we resigned ourselves to another roadside repair. John had to remove the starter motor, clean and regrease it. It seemed to do the trick and we finally got on our way to Piste and Chichen Itza ruins. This set of ruins has the biggest ball court of all the Mayan sites and has a plaza quite aptly called the Plaza of a 1000 columns. There was a lot more stone carving here and even had a platform used for sacrifice which had skulls carved around the sides.
We drove down to a little place called Santa Elena and a great little trailer park before visiting Uxmal ruins. These were incredible; the buildings were just covered in carvings of birds and serpents and were built in quadrangles which are again different to the other ruins we had seen so far. We had perfect timing once again and were leaving as the hordes arrived. We spent the night on the coast and had a long drive to Calakmul and more ruins. We walked around the ruins that afternoon and saw not one other person in the whole place. It was magical! The ruins were quite widespread and did not have the stone carving on the buildings but had instead lots of stellaes (these are big carved stone slabs normally stood upright on the ground and can be over two metres high) with carved figures on. Structure two was the largest one we had seen in a while and was a combination temple and living quarters. Usually they are distinctly separate.
We spent the night by the guardeparque listening to the wild turkeys making their bizarre sounds. As we left Calakmul we called in at a small and less visited site called Balamku which was only found in 1990 so extensive restoration is still going on. The reason for visiting was to see the frieze that they had found in one of the temples which is unlike anything else in the Mayan world we had seen. It was beautifully carved and had rounded edges rather than square ones and still retained some of its natural colour. It was truly amazing and well worth a visit.
We drove down to Palenque and our last set of Mayan ruins (we saw a set every day for 5 days!). We were rained out that night as a huge storm just kept returning. Thankfully the next day it was clear skies and sunshine again. Palenque was an incredible site. It had huge buildings that were full of carvings and intricate stone work on them. The palatial building was a maze of courtyards and underground rooms. We managed to get round them before it got too busy.
We had a long upwards drive to our next destination of San Cristobal de Las Casas, made interesting by 2 groups of roadside sellers pulling a rope across the road to make you stop to but their goods. We nearly stopped at the first one not realising what it was but were wise to it the second time. The lady either dropped the rope or got rope burn! They dont seem to realise that the more they try to make people stop the less likely they are to stop. We were pleased to see the locals not paying attention to them either.
We reached San Cristobal and another great campsite which we had to ourselves. The temperature also dropped several degrees and we went from shorts and t-shirt to jumpers, trousers and fleeces! We had 2 nights here while we caught up with washing and shopping. We then had a 2 day drive from here to Oaxaca (pronounced wahaca go figure!) On the second day we had pulled into a stop to let Lolly cool (we were going up again!) and a guy pulled in behind us who turned out to be a Land Rover nut with a Discovery and a Series 1 (1948). The rest of the trip was uneventful until John was parking Lolly around the corner from our hostel, when the clutch went with a bang quite literally and she was stuck in the middle of the car park in gear!
We managed to get her out of gear and pushed her out of the way but John was at a loss as to what the problem was. What we did know was that she wasnt going anywhere! We spent poor Johns 30th birthday (yes thats right folks the big 30!!) running around trying to sort out a garage so John could work on Lolly. Having spent so much in Belize for bad workmanship we A. really needed to save money and B. John was loathe to let anyone else work on her. The very helpful tourist office put us in contact with a service called the green angels, like the RAC but for tourists. They sent out a couple of very nice chaps who couldnt really help us but Felipe had an Uncle who had a garage where he thought we would be able to work on Lolly. We went to visit him and it was perfect and even had an engine hoist which we needed to remove the engine. We had to get 2 engine brackets made up so we could hoist the engine as John had taken them off in Oz and never put them back and they are now in a box in the UK!!
As it was Johns birthday, and not quite the day we had planned we went out for a lovely meal and several drinks including a bottle of bubbly before we left! Luckily we didnt feel too ropey the next day. We went back to the tourist info who helped us book a tow truck to take Lolly out to the garage which was just out of the centre. John rang Linz at 11am after having Lolly towed out to the garage to say the Uncle had been called out of town and we couldnt use the garage anymore: howevere he did let us borrow his engine hoist! Sometimes it feels like we are constantly paddling upstream! Linz spent 2 hours trying to find another garage while our new friend Felipe also tried for us. After getting drenched in a downpour Linz as a last ditch attempt tried a garage round the corner from the hostel. The guys were lovely and said we could use a space in their garage and even gave her a towel to dry off! It probably helped that she was a dripping wet female a definite damsel in distress!
So John organised another tow truck (30USD a time) to get Lolly towed back to the city where she now sits only 200 yards from where she started out but travelled 15km in the meantime!
Herman, the garage owner borrowed a lifting frame for the engine from a friend for us so we could remove the engine to see what the problem was. As soon as the engine was removed the problem was apparent. To keep it simple the lever that engages and disengages the clutch was partially broken. Luckily we were in a clutch and break specialist garage and they were able to weld and repair it for us ( anyone who wants the finer details can e-mail John and he can write you a 3 page e-mail on it!). As we went to put the slave cylinder back in we noted that at some stage it had been cross threaded (not mentioning any Land Rover garage names in Belize) so we spent 2 hours re-threading the hole and drilling new bolt holes in the cylinder. Herman and his guys were superb and helped out far more than was expected of them. Herman also celebrated his 60th birthday one of the days we were there and moonlights as a religious artist!
Herman very kindly let us go in on a Sunday so we could get the job finished and six hours later saw us starting Lolly up again and fingers crossed everything seems to be working!
So now its coastal bound again with our next stop in Acapulco and then on up the coast to the USA. We hope this finds everyone well and having fewer car problems than we are!
Lots of love
John, Linz and a rebuilt Lolly Pop.
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Antigua, Guatemala 26th April '05 - 26/04/2005
Hola Amigos
Before we launch into another escapade of adventures in a Land Rover a couple of things we omitted from the last e-mail. Somebody very wisely pointed out that we didnt actually explain what a resplendent quetzal is! Sorry about that it is in fact a bird, a rather resplendent one as the name suggests! If anyone is interested to see what it looks like a web search on resplendent quetzals brings up some interesting sites one of which has a great picture.
Our other omission involved Lolly. After having recently been rescued herself she thought it prudent to stop and assist a taxi driver out of a ditch (in CostaRica) that hed put himself in after blasting his way past several cars including us. As we rounded a corner it was obvious hed tried to do another bypass of the huge traffic queues and not surprisingly met someone coming the other way and it was the ditch or a queue of traffic. We were quite surprised how many people stopped to help but it was Lolly who saved the day and pulled the guy out. His passenger did not look at all impressed, we hope he gave her a discount!! He did actually try to pay us but we kindly refused and said it was no bother.
So now weve updated you on the bits we forgot its onto the next jam packed month of excitement and mayhem in the never ending saga of our travels. Sitting down to write this global weve realised how much weve covered in the last 4 weeks. Weve travelled through 5 countries, 2 flat tyres, a stubborn oil filter and more border crossings than we care to remember.
So well start at the beginning, as all good yarns should. After spending an extra day than planned in Alajuela, Costa Rica doing all the mundane, washing, gas refills etc, we drove up to Volcan Poas a mere 37km from Alajuela and still very much active. We were 2 of the first people into the park and were blessed with a clear view into the crater which did not require a lengthy hike to get up. As we were leaving the hordes were arriving so we timed it perfectly!
The same day we arrived in Fortuna and another volcano. Volcan Arenal is also still very active, evident when we walked in the park and we could here constant rumblings and see rocks falling down its slopes. Its more famous for its night shows when lava can be seen shooting up from its peak. Unfortunately our campsite was the wrong side and we didnt see any shooting lava.
From the Volcanoes we hit the beach on Peninsular Nicoya at Playa Tamarindo a favourite with American retirees and holiday makers. We found it far too touristy and westernised for our tastes and only stayed long enough to enjoy a cold beer and a sunset. We ventured down the peninsular along a beautiful coast road through a lot of rural Costa Rica. Our goal for the day was a turtle sanctuary at Playa Ostional but when we got there the lady said it was the wrong season so we drove back up to the top of the peninsular and another beach, Playa del Coco. Much more our style, less tourists and a fab ice cream parlour.
The next day we crossed into Nicaragua, an easy crossing but not cheap. We even had to pay customs to do their job which we thought was a bit much but they have you by the short and curlies! We drove a short distance to San Jorge where we would catch the ferry to Isla Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. On the way there we were stopped at a police checkpoint where the policeman told us it was illegal to drive in Nicaragua in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. Wed heard this before and gave the usual spiel of it being English etc. He was not to be deterred and pulled out his rule book to show us. Rule number 165 states that you cannot drive a right hand drive car in Nicaragua and that to do so you need a special permit! We were a bit surprised this had not been brought up at the border but as the policeman rightly explained they are not road police. We came to the conclusion he probably wanted money but we played the dumb tourist and he eventually waved us on. Thankfully this was our only police checkpoint in the country otherwise it could have got very wearing!
To get to Isla Ometepe we had to use the car ferry which did not turn out to be cheap. First we had to pay to get into the dock area then there was the ferry cost for Lolly and us (the driver also has to pay!) then we had to pay taxes on top of that and then the best bit was paying to use the miniscule piece of concrete to drive onto the boat! Classic!! Eventually we were on the ferry and off to the island. It was an incredibly rough crossing and poor Lolly was rocked from side to side. We had visions of her disappearing over the sides as there were no chocks or lashings to hold her in! We all made it safely although very windswept. Isla Ometepe is actually 2 volcanoes that are joined by an isthmus of lava flow. Its a beautiful spot and still unspoilt by tourism. We stayed at Finca Magdalena a working coffee plantation. Its ancient farmhouse had stunning views over the island and towards Volcan Concepcion. We climbed Volcan Maderas, the extinct one of the 2, to see the exquisitely beautiful crater lake. Unfortunately the day we climbed the crater was full of mist and we couldnt see further than a couple of meters! The climb was good exercise albeit muddy and we did get a view from half way up across the island.
Leaving the island we became angels of mercy for a couple we met at the finca. He badly sprained his ankle to the extent he couldnt put any weight on it. John being John fashioned a couple of crutches out of wood lying around the farm and we gave them a lift down to the ferry. His cordless power drill came in handy again! (Thanks Scott and Hol!)
Once off the island ( a calm crossing this time) we drove up to Granada, described to us as the best town in Central America. It was certainly beautiful and we found a great hostel to relax in for a few days. We hit a major milestone while we were here our 365th day on the road. This of course required a celebration so we went to Dona Conchis an excellent Spanish restaurant with a lovely candlelit courtyard. After a couple of glasses of sangria, a bottle of wine and a nightcap and the staff cleaning up round us we called it a night!
Leaving Granada we called in at Volcan Masaya where we could drive Lolly all the way to the crater rim. We spent the night in Jinotega aptly named the city of mists before crossing into Honduras. This had to be our most expensive crossing yet. We had to pay to get our passports stamped, a thing not too uncommon over here we have discovered, and then it cost us $42US for Lollys permit! Thank goodness we didnt have to pay in South America with all the borders we crossed there wed have been home months ago!
We bypassed the capital in favour of La Tigra national park. It was an interesting drive up, yes it was definitely up, and we were allowed to camp by the visitors centre. At an altitude of 2270m it required a few more layers than wed been used to for a while! We took a walk early the next day to the Cascada. There wasnt much water as it was dry season but the walk there was lovely through the cloud forest. There were a few mines left over from the old mining days which we could have a poke about in but not having a flash light we didnt venture too far.
We treated ourselves that night to a stay in a cabana run by a German couple. It was built on the side of the hill below the national park and when its not smokey and misty you get great views (apparently!).
We drove across country to La Union and La Muralla national park. Supposed to be a real gem as its not easy to get to so theres not many tourists. We met a German motorcyclist on the way up who said the park was lovely but that the police had warned him not to stay at the park because it was dangerous. When we reached the park it looked very closed, all the buildings were shut up and there was no-one around. We decided not to risk staying there and on the way down we passed a truck load of armed locals on their way up so we think we made the right choice! We spent that night in the hospitality of the Honduran police who were very friendly and we felt much safer!
The next day we had an interesting drive across country again to meet up with the main road. The road we travelled was not on the map or the GPS so we relied on the road continuing and the compass! It was a lovely drive but there were many areas that had been de-forested and some were still burning. This was the cause of the constant haze that wed been subjected to. We found out later that they always burn before the wet season starts which is in May and its not just Honduras but Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. We are also in Sugar Cane harvest time and they are burning off all the stubble!
We reached the Caribbean coast at La Ceiba where we opted for a jungle lodge next to the Rio Cangrejal. It was a great place to stay and John had lots of space to do a service on Lolly. He also needed lots of time as a 5 minute job of removing the old oil filter took him an entire day! The reason for this was in Arica, Chile the oil filter was changed by a garage to make sure it was the correct one. The guy who did it over tightened it to the extent that John had to remove the entire filter housing, put the filter in a vice and attach a meter long piece of angle iron to get enough leverage to undo it! As you can imagine he was not a happy bunny! Linz meanwhile had a very enjoyable ride on the beach that involved lots of galloping!
We finally managed to tear ourselves away from the lodge where we had got quite comfortable and drove along the coast to Omoa. A sleepy seaside town on the Caribbean coast where we enjoyed our first Caribbean sunset. We also met a German couple here also travelling in a Land Rover (bit newer than ours!) and theyve been on the road for 3 and a half years!
From Omoa we drove down to Copan Ruinas only 12km from the Guatemalan border and our first set of Mayan ruins. On the way there we suffered a blow-out due to a very nasty pothole. Luckily no damage was done to the tyre but the rim had a bit of a dent in it. We found a tyre place in Copan which was able to change the inner tube for us despite none of his equipment working properly. He ended up standing on the tyre to get it back onto the rim!
The Copan ruins were amazing. We were the first people into the park with a young American called Brooke who we shared a guide with. We had the whole place to ourselves for nearly 2 hours and it was great. The buildings themselves werent overly impressive they didnt use the size of rocks that the Incas did but their carvings and sculptures are incredible. To think theyve lasted more than 2000 years is just mind boggling.
We spent an afternoon on a coffee finca with Carlos an American trained Agronomist but native Honduran. They were in the middle of Cardamom harvest so we learnt all about Cardamom and also what they do with their coffee. We managed to pick up a host of ticks walking through the fields and spent the next 3 days double checking each other to make sure wed got all the little critters! Despite that it was a great experience and the food was fantastic. We camped at their guest house that night and woke the next day to another flat tyre the same one wed had fixed so we had a delayed start while John changed it.
We crossed over to El Salvador which has to be by far the cheapest crossing at 65 cents but it was probably the longest. It took 4 guys 20 minutes to change a printer cartridge and we had to get lots of photocopying done. They insist on having a photocopy of your passport with the entry stamp in it.
We drove up to Suchitoto an old colonial town near the Lake Suchititlan. We arrived late due to the prolonged border crossing and had a spot of trouble finding the hotel we were going to stay in. We passed a very posh looking one and called in. It was too stunning not to stay so we treated ourselves. It even had a bath which we havent seen in months and hot water which was an added bonus! We dined in the restaurant and generally lapped up the exquisite surroundings and faultless service. We almost stayed another day but decided wed better not and drove across to Santa Ana the second largest city in El Salvador. We again bypassed the capital, neither of us being that fond of the big cities. The reason for visiting Santa Ana was food shopping and a tyre place. We found a great place with all equipment working and very friendly people. They discovered that the last guy who changed the inner tube had left one of the weights inside the tyre which had not surprisingly caused a puncture! It was quickly mended and the tyres rebalanced and we left sporting a new sticker on the side of Lolly.
Next stop was the Cerro Verde national park which has 3 volcanoes in its vicinity. We camped up at a small place in the shadows of Volcan Santa Ana. We couldnt see the volcano due to the mist that surrounded us. We went from shorts and t-shirt to trousers, jumpers and fleeces! The next morning the mist hadnt really lifted and after a friendly local couple telling us to be really careful in the park and the guide book saying it was better now they had armed police patrolling the area we decided not to bother. The point of walking in the park was the views out over the Lago Coatepeque which we couldnt see for mist!
We drove up along the Ruta de Las Flores, named for its abundance of wildflowers. It was the wrong season for the flowers but the drive was beautiful all the same and there were lots of roadside stalls selling exquisitely carved wooden and wicker furniture. We stopped in at one of the local towns where we could see them weaving fabric on huge looms. As it was still so early we crossed over into Guatemala. We loved El Salvador and the people. The crossing was hassle free and were so well trained now we dont need the border helpers. It wasnt too expensive either at $5US.
We drove down to the coast with the plan of going to Monterrico. We were a bit surprised when the road literally ran out. On closer inspection of the guide book it did mention having to get a car ferry to Monterrico. Thatll teach us to read the book properly! The ferry, we use that term loosely took us through the mangrove swamps of the Chiquimulilla canal to Monterrico. We have to say we were very disappointed. It wasnt at all what we expected, it was dirty and crowded. Having caught the ferry across we decided we might as well stay. We persuaded a hotel to let us camp in their parking lot and made the best of it. Several beers later it didnt seem too bad. The beers also helped us sleep through the disco that pumped away until 2am!
The next morning we went to visit the turtle sanctuary where they raise and release different varieties of turtles. It was the wrong season (are you picking up a trend here!) and there was one solitary turtle swimming in a rather small pool. We hot footed it out of there and drove up (yes up again) to Antigua. We bypassed the capital again. Antigua is the Granada of Guatemala. It has cobbled streets and terra cotta tiled houses. There a few tourists around but not too many and the ladies wear traditional dress which is beautifully embroidered.
So in a nutshell (probably coconut rather than walnut!) thats what weve been up to over the last few weeks. We have a couple more days in Antigua doing the usual washing and catching up and then well head for Lago Atitlan and the Guatemalan highlands before crossing to Belize and onto Mexico.
We hope everyone is well, keep the e-mails coming its great to hear from you.
Love,
Linz, John and the lady of leisure (for now) Lolly
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Alajuela, Costa Rica 28th March ´05 - 28/03/2005
Bienvenidos a Centro America
SUPPRISE, were early!!
The last few weeks have been dogged by Central American bureaucracy, muddy holes and the onset of the rainy season (which is early!).
Before we left South America we did visit the Mitad del Mundo, monument to the equatorial line. We had some fun here balancing eggs and watching water run down the plug hole different ways after moving a basin 6ft either side of the line. Quito old city is beautiful but the new city is very touristy and expensive.
After an incredibly early start our flight to our next continent was uneventful and entering Panama, at least for us, was easy! The biggest change to get used to was the rise in temperature which hit you as soon as you got off the plane. We spent our first afternoon siesta-ring in the air conditioning of our hotel room! We changed hotels after our first night to a nice but cheaper option. Perhaps the price was related to the short stay clients who frequented the hotel!
While in Panama city we took in the sights of the original city which was sacked by the British pirate Morgan. It is still possible to see the ruins of many of the Churches and houses of the wealthy and there are views back to the modern down town. We also visited the old city which was a fortified town built after the pirate attack. Many of the old colonial buildings are being restored to their former glory and its a nice place to wander through. A visit to Panama wouldnt be complete without a visit to the Canal for which it is famous. This has to be one of the worlds greatest engineering feats, to build a canal which links two oceans taking 10 years and 75,000 workers. The canal is 82 kms long, requires the ships to be raised 26 metres above sea level and takes the majority of the 30 to 40 ships a day about 8-10 hours. Each ship requires 52 million gallons of fresh water to pass through the three sets of locks. Anyone using the canal pays based on their displacement. The highest cost is somewhere over 250,000 USD but the more amusing is the lowest fee payed by a swimmer who paid 36 US cents for the transit.
Of course the main reason for being in Panama city was to receive Lolly. We contacted the Panama end of Maersk by email on Wednesday, however having not heard anything by Friday we rang only to be told that although the ship was arriving that day there was nothing they could do till Monday. On Monday morning we rang again and kept ringing until finally at about 12pm they said we needed to be at their offices for 2pm with the sum of 750 US dollars (which is three quarters of what we had paid for the whole shipping in Ecuador). Being British we arrived on time and then sat for an hour until finally when they started ringing around trying to find our paperwork (having ignored us) we interrupted and told them we already had all the papers necessary! (Thank goodness our Spanish has improved a bit!!) The agent then took us to customs but because it was too late in the day we were told the paperwork would not be completed before 11am on Tuesday (this is after the agent had said we would have Lolly by first thing Tuesday morning).
The following morning our customs agent picked us up only 20 minutes late! Arriving at the port we found that Maersk had arranged for the container to be emptied on Wednesday despite the fact we had told them to arrange for Tuesday. However thanks to a very nice lady in the port office, who spoke some English, an extra unpacking (they only do two a day) was arranged for late that afternoon. Maersk then excelled themselves because they had not informed the port that they were accepting all costs (we had already paid Maersk) so followed a round of phone calls where nobody seemed able to contact our agent at Maersk. The funny thing is that as soon as John phoned he got straight through!! Our customs agent gave up and left us which was probably a good thing as we seemed to be doing well on our own! Finally at 2.30pm (bear in mind that we arrived at the port at 12pm) Lollys container finally hove into view. However they werent done yet. The fumigation crew moved in and smoked Lolly like a kipper for three quarters of an hour, then they had to leave the doors of the container open for half an hour for ventilation. (If this is a non toxic substance one wonders why the operators were wearing gas masks and elbow length gloves!) Finally the unloading crew were allowed in by their supervisor and the 50 dollar chocks were removed and Lolly rolled out onto a new continent. Still not done customs decided they wanted all the boxes out and the tent opened completely. We finally left the docks at 4.30 pm thoroughly exhausted by Central American bureaucracy. One wonders what we paid Maersk and our customs agent for!!
We left Panama city the following morning with the idea of a quick trip to the Caribbean coast a few hundred kilometres towards the Darien gap. The drive took us up and over the continental divide on a rutted dirt track through some wonderful jungle scenery. The trip came to an abrupt holt when Lolly disagreed with a muddy hole and it won! For those that understand these things John forgot about the take off angle of a 110 Land Rover. For those that dont if your front goes up your back goes down and if theres ground in the way Lolly stops!!! Basically with the back wedged and the rear tyres off a firm surface we werent going forwards or backwards. Despite four hours of digging, jacking, packing and unpacking Lolly (including removing the tent) the light beat us and we set up camp on the track. The following morning early we started again but before we got too muddy some locals appeared around the corner with a Toyota equipped with a winch. With not too much ado they managed to pull Lolly free and then put down the bridging ladders that they us. Apparently they used to leave these over the gap but somebody nicked a pair so now they hide them up in the jungle!! After repacking Lolly and making use of our shower we returned to the Pan American highway and turned north. We passed back through Panama city and stayed the night in a small piece of America, a true blue RV park run by an American couple.
We didnt travel far on the Pan American before turning south onto the Peninsula Azuero. We followed the coast of this peninsula to its most southerly point where we camped on a beach. The peninsula is famous for its little Spanish villages and towns with many beautiful churches. The Cathedral in Chitre is one of the most spectacular. Very simple but beautiful with a huge single span wooden roof and a wood and gold plated altar.
After returning to the Pan American we continued north west to Playas Las Lajas another amazing pacific coast beach where we camped. Wonderful sunset and almost empty beach to ourselves only slightly marred by little black biting bugs!
Next we headed up into the mountains for a respite from the heat and the chance to visit the area around Volcan Baru. True to form on this trip we never saw the top of the volcano as it was shrouded in cloud and we didnt get to explore around the volcano as the road was closed but we did enjoy the cooler climate in the little town of Boquete. We travelled from Boquete to the other side of the Volcano via the coast and were able to camp in the Armistad park which is in both Panama and Costa Rica. During the day we also visited an orchid sanctuary where they have over 2,500 species of orchid (there are only 3,000 known in the world). The owner started the place 30 years ago as a hobby knowing nothing about orchids and is now considered an expert and his sanctuary and laboratory is ranked 7th in the world!
In the park we spent a wonderful evening and early morning walking in the cloud forest but the main reason for coming here was to see the Resplendent Quetzale which we finally found in the morning. Stunning!!
Crossing the border into Costa Rica the next day was interesting. The Panamanian side can only be described as pandemonium with all the officials residing in temporary wooden huts spread out across a couple of acres with no signs to direct you. The Costa Rican side in comparison was tranquil and with our self appointed helper we managed to clear the border in an hour and a half.
We drove straight up into the highlands to the little town of San Vito, which has strong Italian ties, where they have the world renowned Wilson Botanical Gardens. These are set in 360 hectares of forest reserve with over 5,000 species of tropical plants and 331 resident bird species. The walks through the gardens are beautiful and teeming with wildlife as well as plant life. From the highlands it was back to the beach and Golfito where we spent two days so John could give Lolly some well needed TLC. We shared our camping facilities with a family of bats as well as assorted frogs and geckos.
Heading south from the Pan American again we drove out to the Corcovado national park at the southern tip of Peninsula Oso. Our main reason for coming was to see the Scarlet Macaws as this is the biggest colony in Costa Rica. There is a lot of other animal and bird life and we found a very photogenic iguana.
We are now in Alajuela just north of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose. Main reason for coming is showers and laundry as well as gas for the cooker and email access. From here we are hoping to visit two volcanos including Arenal which has been continuously active since 1968.
Thanks for all the emails and keep them coming. Hope everyone is well
Love
John, Linz and a muddy Lolly!
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Quito, Ecuador 6th March ´05 - 06/03/2005
Hola Nuestros Amigos
We know we are late again but the last six weeks has been a mix of delays and mad drives including three countries and some very interesting roads at least thats what the South Americans call them!
Our few days in Arica turned into two and a half weeks while we waited for an errant parcel from the UK and spare parts from Santiago de Chile. To elaborate our very good friend Nathan, who is a part time Land Rover spare parts specialist although he might argue its a full time job (!), had sent a box of spare parts out to us, which owing to the joys of UK Parcel Force must have been routed by Timbuktu and failed to arrived within the 10 days they said it would. It in fact took more than 6 weeks but the funniest part was that it had a tracking number that only worked while the parcel was still in the UK. Our elongated stay in Arica was also due to John finally discovering what the loud clunking noise was every time we changed gear. A small but very crucial part of the rear suspension had worn out, however at this point our luck returned and we managed to get the part from Santiago within two days.
While we waited for the part to arrive we took the chance to visit Parque Nacional Lauca which is a high altitude park ringed by snowy volcanos and contains several lakes which are home to over 140 species of bird, so Linz got to use her binoculars. The park is also home to Lolly the Llama who our friends Mark and Lara became well acquainted with. On the day we returned to Arica we started in snow and ended in brilliant sunshine, four seasons in one day!
We finally made the decision to leave Arica without our parcel and headed northwards crossing into Peru. This has to be one of the worst border crossings in South America and took us at least two hours to clear the formalities most of that on the Peruvian side where we needed six different stamps before we were cleared to enter!
Our first stop in Peru was Arequipa and we spent a very interesting day visiting the Santa Catalina Convent which only opened to the public in the 1970s after four centuries of seclusion. It covers a two hectare site, in the centre of the city and is a small town within its own walls, including 80 houses for the nuns, a central square, gardens a church and a number of cloisters. Originally the nuns entered at around 12 years of age and never left as they were buried within the walls. The only exception was dire medical emergency! While in Arequipa we visited the museum that houses the Ice Maiden which is the best preserved Incan Mummy found in South America and more incredibly was found on top of a volcano. It is thought that she was an offering to the gods.
Leaving Arequipa we took a good road up to the Colca Canyon which is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The roads on the edge of the Canyon are at around 4,000 meters. Its an incredible sight due to the pre-Columbian terracing that clings to the side of the canyon walls and in some places stretches from the rim to the edge of the river at the bottom. We spent a night in Chivay one of the local towns that was in the middle of its celebration for the local virgin. That evening the plaza was full of music and dancing focused on four fully grown trees that they had erected that afternoon and decorated with household objects and balloons. The trees were then ceremoniously cut down towards the end of the evening.
The next morning we were up early to visit the Cruz del Condor where we waited for two hours to see the condors which remained elusive. However the drive was well worth while giving stunning views over the canyon. We chose the lesser travelled route out of the Canyon and by 4pm had realised why it was the lesser travelled.
Our next stop was Nazca but on the way there we stoped at Puerto Inca which was apparently the Incan port for Cuzco. Many of the drying and store houses can still be seen as well as one of the temples and a faint outline of the Incan road to Cuzco 240 kms away. Apparently a message could get from one end to the other in 24 hours using a system of runners staged every 7kms, amazing when you consider the altitude gain that is necessary.
Nazca was all we hoped it would be and the flight over the lines was incredible, even with John feeling slightly sick as the pilot stood the plane on one wing tip and then the other! The most amazing thing is the sheer scale of the pictures and lines and the fact that they have lasted thousands of years. For instance one of the birds has a wing span of over 100 meters. The lines are not the only attraction in the vicinity there are also other ruins which we spent a couple of days visiting including underground aquifers built by the Nazcans and still used by todays farmers
Further up the coast we stopped at Paracas National Reserve which is a marine reserve with one of the highest concentrations of marine birds anywhere in the world. It is also home to a huge population of sea lions which had there young pups in attendance at this time of year.
Leaving the coast behind we headed inland and up with a brief stop at Tambo Colarado which is one of the best preserved Incan ruins in costal Peru. It is still possible to see the original colours painted on the walls. Our destination was Huaraz which apparently is ringed by snowy peaks but due to it being the rainy season most of the time we just saw cloud. We did brave the elements for a mornings horse riding and were rewarded with a fleeting glimpse of the mountains.
On the way to Huaraz Linz fell foul of the local law who decided we were speeding and dealt us a hefty fine. The fact that you couldnt see the speed limit sign due to a well placed telegraph pole was not seen as a defence and so 100 dollars later we were allowed on our way. We were so relieved that Linz didnt lose her licence that we forgot to ask for a receipt and Linz is sure that she could see them dividing the money up between them in her rear view mirror!! You live and learn!!
The drive north from Huaraz took us through Canyon del Pato, whos main claim to fame is the 36 tunnels that you pass through. Quite an engineering feet and a wonderful drive! Back on the coast we continued north stopping at a beach resort for one night and then back up into the highlands to Jaen. The drive up was challenging and beautiful as we went from the beach to cloud forest and into thick cloud before dropping into the Jaen valley and sunshine. This area is Perus major rice growing area and it was paddies as far as the eye could see.
Our main reason for coming up this way was to visit the little town of Chachapoyas and the ruins of Kuelap. This incredible fortress took 200 years to build and contains more stone that the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. The approach track to the fortress clings to a number of hillsides and valleys and made for an interesting but slow mornings drive.
We stayed up in the mountains and crossed to Ecuador via the lesser used route. Much of this road especially in Ecuador is a deeply rutted mud track high up in the cloud forest, stunningly beautiful but treacherous and desperately slow. It took us the best part of 12 hours to cover the 312 kilometres. We ended up arriving in Vilcabamba in the dark, something we try to avoid at all costs. Thankfully the border formalities were straight forward with the only issue being that of finding the Immigration persons house where he was having lunch!
We loved Vilcabamba, a very chilled, relaxed little town nestled amongst hills covered in cloud forest. After two nights there, a relaxed day and a slight spot of food poisoning for Linz we left and made our way up to Cuenca, a beautiful colonial town with stunning houses and churches many of which are constructed of the local marble.
The final drive into Guayaquil saw us drop 11,000 ft in one go much of the decent in cloud. Thank goodness for the white lines on the road!! We arrived in Guayaquil on the Sunday afternoon ready to begin shipping preparations on the Monday.
The shipping was less of a saga than expected due mainly to a helpful guy at P&O who put us in touch with his friend at Maersk who turned out to be their Head of Logistics. Despite having his help and the help of his customs agent it still took four days. The final loading started at 2.30pm on Thursday and finished after 7.30pm. Lolly was violated by the Narcotics Police who conducted a strip search of Lolly and used three different dogs. We must have looked very dodgy!! We then had to negotiate the cost of having Lolly packed in her container. Their starting price was 100 US$ for four bits of rope, 8 blocks of wood and three guys help. As it ended up John did much of the work with his own tools and they got paid 50 US$. There was also the Non Obligatory, from our hearts payment to the police officer for doing his job but he was cheap at only 5US$.
All in all it wasnt as bad or as expensive as it could have been and we managed to catch our flight to Quito on Friday. We had considered taking a bus but the difference between 8 hours on a bus and three quarters of an hour on a plane plus our travel agent saying she wouldnt go near the bus station helped make our decision to fly!
So here we are in Quito with Lolly leaving Guayaquil on the 8th March, the same day we fly to Panama. So if you would all like to keep your fingers crossed that she makes it in one piece and on time we would appreciate it!
Hopefully before we leave Quito we will visit the Mitad del Mundo where the equatorial line is located just north of here.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying 2005. We will be in touch from a new continent next time. Promise we will try not to leave it so long.
Love
John, Linz and a sea bound Lolly Pop
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Arica, Chile 24th January ´05 - 24/01/2005
Feliz Nuevo Ano!!
Apologies for the tardiness of the first instalment for 2005. We decided to wait until we were staying somewhere for longer than 5 minutes so we could gather our thoughts! So here we are back in Arica,Chile where we are staying for a few days while we tend to Lollypop but more about that later.
We left you just before Christmas on the wet and soggy Isle of Chiloe. Back on the mainland the weather did not improve much, although the day we left Chiloe the weather was dry. We spent the night in Ensenada on the eastern edge of Lake Llanquihue and the following morning the heavens opened and it deluged for the entire day so we sought refuge in Puerto Varas. Christmas eve we took Lolly off roading to visit a lake described as an emerald green gem. We never found the lake as the road ran out and we decided not to push our luck but Lolly thoroughly enjoyed herself!! It turned into a glorious afternoon and we finally saw the Osorno Volcano that had been eluding us for the past week.
We camped in Puerto Octay Christmas Eve night as our hostel was full. We woke Christmas day to blue skies and sunshine, an English fry up and the requisite bottle of bubbly! We donned our Santa hats ( a great source of amusement for the locals!) and opened our pressies before heading off to the hostel. Christmas day was a very chilled day, sitting in the sun reading the books wed bought each other. Our host cooked us a fabulous dinner although it wasnt a roast turkey which we both craved.
From Puerto Octay we drove up through the Lake District visiting a set of amazing falls carved through volcanic rock along the way and into Villarica National Park. We drove in from the south which was definite 4WD territory it was the most demanding piece of off roading weve done since Tierra del Fuego and Lolly was definitely tested!
We arrived in Pucon at a traditional Mapuche house where we would spend New Year and the weather beat us again. We had planned to climb the local Volcano and do some horse riding but it rained solidly for 2 days. The day before New Years Eve the cloud lifted slightly so we braved the weather and went out for a half day ride through the surrounding hills. It was a lovely ride and we didnt get wet! We tentatively booked the Volcano climb for New Years Eve in the hope the weather would improve. We woke early that morning to suss out the weather situation and were greeted by thin low level cloud rather than thick grey heavy ones so we quickly packed and headed off.
The climb was fantastic and not too strenuous despite the fact we were hiking in snow. The cloud closed in slightly but we were soon above that and the views from the top were incredible but not as amazing as seeing the lava shooting out of the top of the Volcano. The smell is unlike anything weve ever encountered, it made you gag and your eyes water.
Coming down was the best part. Thank goodness for the padded waterproof trousers! Although that only kept out some of the wetness. Yes you guessed it we came down on our butts using the ice axe as a brake! It was 3 1/2 hours up and one hour down!!
We had another fantastic meal that night and our fireworks were the shooting of the lava from the Volcano while we sipped our bubbly.
New Years day we spent soothing our aching muscles in some thermal pools and slept in a Tipi.
Into the New Year meant we were northward bound. We left the Chilean Lake District and crossed back into Argentina for the last time. Our first stop was Laguna Blanca National Park renowned for its migratory birds which Linz was itching to test out her new binoculars on. Unfortunately theyd all migrated away apart from the local black necked swans and flamingos.
Next stop was the little town of Caviahue near the Chilean border which had a 70m waterfall into a volcanic pool and a series of seven waterfalls that had its source up near the local volcano. The road up to them petered out after the 5th one so we turned back.
In the town of Andacollo we met 2 lovely Argentinean couples in the campsite who were on their holidays. They were very interested in what we were doing and we ended up having a traditional Argentinean asado with them. It was here we ran into a small problem. Lolly had a peculiar noise coming from underneath and on investigation John discovered that the UJ joint on the rear drive shaft had gone AGAIN!! Those that have been with us for a while will remember we had the same problem in Mineiros in Brazil. So we spent an extra day in Andacollo while John did the repairs.
We drove up to Mendoza through the Canyon del Atul a fantastic narrow gorge with about 7 hydroelectric stations in its bottom. Mendoza itself is a lovely relaxed town which still closes down for siesta which we found unusual in a big town.
While we were there we invested in a new digital camera. Our old one took a tumble at Christmas. It survived a couple of weeks on life support but was eventually pronounced deceased. So there will be a gap in our photos when we didnt have a digital camera.
The province of Mendoza is Argentinas wine capital so we indulged in some wine tasting. There were some very nice wines there and some of the wineries ship to the UK so keep your eyes out for them!
We took a little detour from Mendoza to the west to the Puente del Inca a natural stone bridge with a thermal spring under it. The surrounding rocks were dyed vivid yellows and oranges due to the high sulphur content of the water. There are stalls here selling items that they had put into the water and turned the colours of the rock. We declined the tempting offer of an old sulphurised boot!!
Nearby was the peak of Aconcagua the highest mountain in the western and southern hemispheres.
Our final crossing between Argentina and Chile was the Paso Agua Negra. It was a beautiful pass up a narrow ravine which was good as we had lots of time to look at the scenery. Lolly struggled a bit up this pass. The ambient temperature is in the mid 30s most days now, couple that with altitude and she doesnt fare well. Our first resort was to jam the bonnet open to allow more air in while boiling ourselves gently with the heaters on full blast. That didnt work, we were still stopping every kilometre to let her cool down so the last resort was to take the bonnet off and strap to the roof! This eventually worked once we were high enough to catch a cool breeze! Due to the length of time it took us to get over the pass it was really late by the time we got to the other side so we decided to camp up and go to the border first thing in the morning.
About midnight theres a loud knocking on the side of the landy. John looks out to see a gendarmerie guy holding a rather large machine gun! It turns out they had come looking for us as we hadnt presented at the border that day and they wanted to make sure we were ok! The guys at the border the next day thought it was very amusing and asked us if we had slept well!!
Over the border we had an historic moment when we closed our circle of South America just outside the town of Vicuna in the Elqui Valley. The next historic moment was when we arrived in La Serena 9 months to the day we were there the last time!!
From there we had a marathon drive to reach Arica where we are now. Along the way we met another mad English bloke in a Land Rover whos doing our Americas trip but the opposite way round so we were able to swap advice and tips. His journey is twice as long as ours and made us green with envy!! Were still looking for someone to sponsor us to travel! Any offers?!!
We will be here for a few days while John gives Lolly some serious tending to. Due to the number of kilometres we have covered (over 32,000 since we were last here!) she is due some major servicing including new tyres .We had to swap one the other day as it had split down to the metal wires inside!
From here we will farewell Chile and cross to Peru and into Ecuador where we will ship to Panama, hopefully, so who knows where the next instalment will come from!
Several people have asked us how our time scale is going and if it is the same as we originally planned. Hopefully we will get to see as much as we planned in the north but we will be back for Christmas this year. We both decided we quite liked the idea of Christmas at home this year (our first for 5 years!!) and it gives us 6 months before the wedding to finalise all the nitty gritty. So make sure you have your party hats at the ready for then!
We hope everyone is well and that 2005 is shaping up well for everyone.
Take care,
Love,
John, Linz and a pampered Lolly Pop
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Chiloe Chile 21st December ´04 - 21/12/2004
Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)
Well we made it before Christmas, just!! This last month and a bit has included glaciers, national parks, raspberry beer and chocolate!! We have also seen more rain in that time than in the preceding 7 months but we still managed to do everything we wanted to.
Our last email was sent from El Calafate and in the following few days we did a boat trip to five different glaciers which included the Upsala Glacier which is considered to be the largest in South America. However, the highlight was visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier partly due to the scale of its front wall and being only a few meters from it and partly because we spent two hours hiking on it visiting ice caves and sink holes. We spent one night in a camp site about 7kms from the glacier and we could still hear creaking and groaning like an old man!
Further up the Ruta 40 is the windswept town of El Chalten in the most northern part of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares but the only reason for going there is the trekking around the Fitzroy Massif. We intended to camp but due to wind, rain and general Patagonian weather we opted for the warmer option of a hostel. We managed to do some walking and did see Fitzroy as the rain clouds parted briefly!
Our route then took us to the Parque Nacional Perito Moreno which is no where near either the glacier or the town of the same names! The park is a well kept secret which is a shame as it is one of the best run and organised of all the parks we have visited. Maybe we just liked it as no one else was there! It is really only accessible for people with their own vehicle and even then it really needs to be 4WD.
We continued our trip up the Ruta 40 with one night at Estancia Telken one of the farms in this area that resorted to tourism after the eruption of Volcan Hudson in 1991 which buried the area in ash and killed millions of sheep and other live stock. The farm is still running and their hospitality is wonderful. In the area is Cueva de las Manos (Cave of hands) which has hand prints from over 10,000 years ago.
We passed through the town of Perito Moreno on our way to the border crossing at Chile Chico and Chile. We had a beautiful two day drive along the edge of Lago General Carrera (or Lago Buenos Aires in Argentina) to reach the Carretera Austral. This road is meant to be one of the most expensive to build in the whole of Chile and you can understand why as the road is blasted from solid rock and clings to the cliff sides. The next few days we drove the central part of the Carretera Austral which is stunning through scenery which is reminiscent of the Alps. Green, hilly and the odd snow capped mountain! The end point for this section was Coyhaique.
We ended up spending 10 days in Coyhaique as John needed to have a medical check up. He had been losing weight (and as we all know he doesnt carry much). Anyway the outcome was a heavy dose of antibiotics to remove the parasitic hitch hiker! John is now feeling a lot better and reckons he is putting weight on although Linz is yet to work out where!
After our enforced rest stop our road took us north through Parque Nacional Queulat where we visited a small but spectacular hanging glacier and then to the most northern point of the Carretera Austral (on the main land) in Parque Pumalin. This is an interesting park that was set up by an American billionaire (the owner of Esprit clothing line) and is seen as one of the most important conservation projects in the world. It has some of the oldest Alerce trees in South America and these giant trees are really old, some even reaching 4000 years!
We back tracked slightly to go over the pass at Futaleufu and return to Argentina briefly. Our three stops were the Parque Nacional los Alerces (more old trees), El Bolson and Bariloche. El Bolson is an old hippy town but now famous for its artesanal beer which we spent a happy hour tasting including raspberry, honey, smoked and many others. The ice cream they produce isnt bad either! Bariloche is the capital of chocolate in South America and it would have been rude not to stop and partake.
Back into Chile through the southern part of the famous Lake District. We spent one night in the hostel where we are spending Christmas which is distinctive for its grass roof. Then further south to the island of Chiloe. The weather finally gave out on Chiloe and in the week that we have been here we have seen a lot of rain and even more cloud. However, we have still managed to visit the national park and watch the large Pacific rollers thundering onto the beach, as well as visit a few of the 16 churches that are so characteristic to this island that they have received UNESCO World Heritage status.
We are now at the north of the island in the town of Ancud where it is raining. Yesterday we did manage a trip in beautiful sunshine to the coast where one of the interesting sights is watching the locals gather and then dry sea weed which is destined for Japan.
The next few weeks will hopefully see us return to the mainland for Christmas in our grass roofed hostel and then the New Year in Pucon where we hope to climb a volcano (if the weather is kind) and also do some horse trekking.
Where ever you are for Christmas and New Year have a great time and we hope that 2005 is a good year for all of you.
Love
John, Linz and a Christmassy Lolly Pop
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El Calafate, Argentina 19th November '04 - 19/11/2004
Doesnt time fly when you are having fun? Well thats our excuse for being late with this global!!
This last month and a half has seen us reach our most southerly point and go trekking in some spectacular scenery, but to continue from where we left off.
After having our fill of Welsh tea we set off in search of more penguins and we werent to be disappointed. At Punta Tombo on the Argentinean east coast there is another large colony (for large read noisy) of Magallenic penguins where we spent a few hours watching these amusing creatures. Every where you looked there were black and white blobs on the horizon many of them sitting on their nests which at this time of year have 1-3 eggs in. We caught up with our overlanding friends and the six of us found an excellent wild camping spot on the beach. The next morning after spending a few hours burning CDs (once upon a time you swapped books with those you met now most of the overlanders are carrying lap tops so swapping music is the norm!!!) we continued our dirt road adventure down the coast to Cabo dos Bahias where there were (youve guessed) more penguins!! The real reason for coming here though was to try and see the fur seals which we saw but the Hubble telescope would have been useful given how far away they were! After another night wild camping with our friends (and it was a wild night, at 4am we had to give up and close the roof tent and retire to the front of Lolly due to gale force winds not uncommon in Patagonia) we bid farewell to our overlanding friends (and their wonderful heater!) who were heading west.
Our southerly course now took us past the Bosque Petrificardo (Petrified Forest) which is an area of trees that were buried by volcanic ash several thousand years ago and have now in effect turned to stone and slowly become uncovered as the landscape changes. It is quite an incredible landscape and the trees were obviously huge.
The next stop on our route was Puerto Deseado which in fact involved a slight back track. Our time here was spent sheltering from the wind and off roading. The first trip we did from here was up to a light house where we finally got to see our fur seals up close. The second trip involved more interesting driving through a series of canyons to find quite a rare species of cormorant. Easily identified by its bright red legs and beak. We were lucky enough to find a nesting colony of them.
We took the lesser used route out of Puerto Deseado and after seeing no one all day we arrived in Puerto San Julian which is a good place to see the Commerson Dolphin. The divas of the dolphin world, with their black and white colouration they look very like a baby killer whale!
One very long day of driving saw us reach Rio Gallegos. Long not just for the distance but also due to winds which for most of the afternoon were strong enough to push a 3 ton Land Rover all over the road and when parked on a hill the wind held us without brakes! In Rio Gallegos we spent a frustrating few hours trying to find accommodation out of the wind but every man and his dog had obviously arrived there that day as there was no accommodation. We ended up camping but using our other tent and sheltering behind a very thick hedge! This was our last stop on the main land and we crossed from just south of here to the north of Tierra Del Fuego and back into Chile.
Our first four days on Tierra Del Fuego were spent exploring the western (Chilean) side. It was during this time that Lolly came the closest she has been to being stuck but with determination born of desperation due to the knowledge that there was no other 4WD for at least 50 miles we got clear and turned back. During this time we also visited two spectacular lakes, Lago Blanco and Lago Deseado which are well of the beaten track only really known to the local fishermen. Here we played in the snow and had our closest encounter with the Andean Condor yet.
We crossed to the Argentinean side of Tierra Del Fuego and made our way to our most southerly town of Ushuaia. We loved Ushuaia and ended up staying two weeks. The campsite owner came to know us well (Fernando dos noches mas por favor) to the extent that on our final night Fernando cooked us a traditional Argentinean Asado (BBQ) with his family. The two weeks werent all spent in Ushuaia as we also visited the national park nearby where we did some beautiful walks and saw beavers. These were introduced here by a thoughtful north American for their fur and for sport!! We also visited Estantia Harberton which is the oldest farm on Tierra Del Fuego still owned by the original English family.
We crossed back to the main land via Provenir and the ferry to Punta Arenas, Chiles most southerly mainland town. It was on the road south of here to visit an old wood fort that we had our first flat tyre. Not bad in over 7 months and over 25,000kms. Schumaker wont be hiring us for his tyre team but we were back on the road pretty quick.
We had a quick stop in Puerto Natales where Lolly got a general service which she was due and then it was on to the Torres Del Paine national park in rain! We overheard someone in the park nicknaming the place Torres Del Rain. We were very fortunate that although we walked up and down the Torres in cloud and rain, the clouds parted for a brief hour when we walked up for sunrise. However the following day the weather cleared and we spent the rest of our time in the park with blue skies and sunshine. The highpoint of these last three days was Glacier Grey.
That brings us to El Calafate and Argentina again where we have celebrated Linzs birthday. The next few days we are hoping for a continuation of good weather as we are trekking on the Perito Moreno glacier and visiting some of the surrounding glaciers by boat.
Thanks to our friend Martins invaluable help (i.e. he did all the work) we have finally got around to setting up a proper web site. Its still a work in progress as Martin battles to make it idiot friendly (i.e. so that John cant break it) however please have a look. The address is www.lollysglobaltrek.co.uk.
Hope you are all well and enjoying jobs and life in general. We will endeavour to get another global out before Christmas but if we dont manage it we wish you all a Merry Christmas where ever you are and all the best for the New Year.
Lots of love
John, Linz and Lolly
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Gaiman, Argentina 11th October 04 - 11/10/2004
Como estan nuestros amigos?
(John never thought hed be glad to be back in a Spanish speaking country)
So here we are again one month (almost) and two countries later. We also passed another milestone last week when we reached six months on the road. Scary it doesnt feel like that long!
Lolly was released from intensive care in Porto Alegre which meant we could finally leave Brazil (with only a week left on our three month visas) and cross into Uruguay. It was sad to be leaving Brazil where we have spent far more time than any other country so far and where we have met many wonderful people and made some great friends. It is also a country of so many parts that we have seen jungle, beaches, wetland and highland areas.
Uruguay had to be a whistle stop tour but given its the size of a postage stamp (or as the Brazilians are fond of pointing out its smaller than their smallest state) we still managed to see at least half of the country.
We crossed the border at the southern most point of Brazil and spent our first half an hour in Uruguay answering a tourism questionnaire for the Brazilian tourist board! We spent the first night in the Santa Teresa park which is also home to an enormous fort which the Portuguese started to build and the Spanish kicked them out and finished it. After finally getting Lolly sorted our stove chose this moment to pack up and even with much tinkering by John it was pronounce DOA.
Driving in Uruguay is like driving in one huge National Park as all the road verges seem to be nicely kept and there are very few cars, let alone lorries on the road. What cars there are, are mainly 1920s American gas guzzlers which are being held together by string and luck! There are also many Land Rovers here but mainly of the series one and two variety i.e made in the 1940s!!
Our second night was spent in Minas whose claim to fame is that it has the largest mounted horseman statue in the world. The campsite we stayed in also had some of the most tame Rheas (like Ostriches) who decided that Johns bowl of frosties looked very appetising. The road south and west from here led us to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. We arrived just in time for the Dia del Patrimonio and although we arent sure what this is in aid of it meant that there was a party like atmosphere and all the museums were free. After the Brazilian cities, Montevideo was a dream to drive and walk around and it is quite beautiful.
The next town along the coast was Colonia which is a beautiful colonial walled town which boasts the oldest church in Uruguay. It also does a pretty mean hot chocolate although as you will hear it lost this accolade to an Argentinean town a week later. From Colonia we drove north to Fray Bentos and the San Martin International Bridge which links Uruguay and Argentina over the river Plate. Its a beautiful and extremely long bridge. It was at the border crossing that we discovered that somewhere in the preceding three days we had changed time zones and had been blissfully unaware of it. Luckily Argentina is on the same time zone as south Brazil so we left our watches alone.
After one quick overnight stop outside Buenos Aires we made it into the capital of Argentina and managed to navigate our way across the widest avenue of any city in the world (9th de Julio). We spent a lovely week with Linzs Dad and Philippa exploring the sites and night life of BA. One of the highlights of this was going to a concert in Teatro Colon which is as sumptuously decorated inside as it is architecturally impressive on the outside. Afterwards while on a guided tour of Teatro Colon we found out that we had been sitting in the Presidential suite which is used by him on state occasions. Not a bad place to celebrate Linzs Nans 90th birthday.
During this week we also spent a night on an estantia in a small town just north of BA which has THE best chocolate shop this side of Switzerland and amazing hot chocolate! Our visit to BA would not have been complete without a visit to the local Land Rover garage so we could buy a new clutch master cylinder which John has now fitted!!
After bidding our farewells we continued south on the Ruta three which will now carry us all the way to Tierra del Fuego with just a few side trips. The first of these was to Sierra de la Ventana where we wanted to climb the peak which gives the range its name as it has a collapsed cave which forms a perfect window. However the weather beat us and we were forced to do some lower level walking.
The second side trip was to Las Grutas which is a series of caves in sand stone cliffs but more interesting are the parrots that burrow into the cliffs to nest. Noisy little beggers!!
The third and definitely the best so far was our trip out to Peninsula Valdes which is home to the Southern Right Whale as well as the only continental colony of elephant seals. We spent three days on the peninsula and got within meters of elephant seals as well as the whales and with feet of the Magellanic penguins that nest at the north of the peninsula. Here Lolly had a close encounter with a very curious Armadillo. While camping on the peninsula we also saw our first overlanders since La Paz including one couple who we met in La Paz. However, one of the new couples is driving another Land Rover so at least John knows where to get parts when he needs them!!
So that brings us to Gaiman, home of the Welsh tea. It is an area that was settled by the Welsh in the 1800s and the teas are rightly famous. Today it had a definite Welsh feel with low cloud and rain.
From here our road leads south through Patagonia to the southern most city in the world.
Hope everyone is well and thanks for all the news from home.
Love
John, Linz and Miss L Pop
Kilometres travelled: 22,627
Litres of diesel burnt: 3,006
Number of Land Rover garages visited 4 and still counting
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Porto Alegre, Brazil 10th September 04 - 10/09/2004
Bom Dia, Todo Bien? (our Portuguese is slightly improving)
The fact that this is slightly less than a month has a lot to do with the fact that once again Lolly is under going major surgery. If the last could be likened to knee surgery then this is much more like open heart surgery. For this one John hung up his surgical overalls and called in the professionals (if your unsure why, have a look at the photos). It was touch and go for a while but we have been assured she will make a full recovery. For those in the know one of the key pats of the transfer box (similar to the gearbox) has decided to wear out requiring the complete removal and dismantle of the transfer box. At one point yesterday Linz was heard to remark does it go into any more bits!! as the mechanic continued to dismantle in a frenzy of activity.
But, to return to where we left you in Rio, Linzs mum and auntie Jean did return to the hotel after missing their flights so we had a bonus afternoon and evening before they left early the following morning. We also left Rio that day and drove a short way down the coast to Paraty which is a beautiful small colonial coastal town set on the edge of a bay full of islands. The town centre has been declared a national historic monument in its entirety and has the interesting feature of flooding at high tide in parts. We had stunning weather and the first day there was spent sailing around the islands on a schooner, visiting various beaches and bays. The weekend that we were there also coincided with the national Pinga (local firewater) festival which tended to kick off each evening at 11pm and finish around 4am!!
Feeling slightly sleep deprived we left Paraty and headed to Praia Baleia (whales beach) where friends from Santos have a beautiful holiday house 30 seconds walk off the beach. We spent the weekend with them there before following them to Santos. The weather decided to deteriorate and so Santos was seen in the rain however it is still a lovely city and we had two lovely days with them and their sons.
Next stop was Sao Paulo to meet up with the rest of our friends from the Land Rover club we met in the Pantanal. A lovely if some what boozy evening was spent with them and we also spent a day exploring the old centre of Sao Paulo which has some lovely buildings. However, Sao Paulo is a very large city with a lot of poverty and, due to imminent elections, many road improvements (requiring large holes to be dug in main roads!!) We also visited the Land Rover garage in Sao Paulo but this time only for some extra parts to replace those used up.
Returning to the coast to go further south to Cananeia and more importantly Ilha Comprida which has a 90 km beach which its possible to drive on, which of course had to be done! Long straight beach and water was far to inviting for John who had to take Lolly for a paddle! The only slight concern came on the return journey when an incoming tide meant some interesting off roading through dunes and waterways!!
A short distance further south was Ilha do Mel where no vehicles are allowed so we reverted to foot transport and after being adopted by two lovely dogs we walked up the island to the fort, Fortaleza da Barra that controlled the straights leading to the major port of the region. It was meant to stop invaders and marauders (mainly the English). That night after a few hours driving we spent the night in a pousada run by a Brazilian/German couple who have built it along the lines of an English B&B but the building has a replica light house at the top affording incredible views along the coast.
An even shorter drive the following day saw us arriving in the beautiful coastal town of Porto Belo and one of the best campsites we have been in so far. We spent a very chilled afternoon here before a final days drive to Florianopolis. If Rio is the party capital of Brazil and Sao Paulo is the power house then Florianopolis is the surfers paradise with over 170 beaches! We spent an afternoon driving around the island and it was amazing how quickly you left the city behind and were in rural country side again especially in the centre of the island.
Leaving Florianopolis also meant leaving the coast for the first time in about a month as we climbed up into the costal range to visit the only area of Brazil which receives snow. They were having an unseasonal hot spell while we were there and so we managed to visit Brazils wine region and two national parks in beautiful sunshine. Some sampling of the wines was done and the wine makers encourage you to really test their produce by giving you full glasses of each wine you want to taste. Needless to say by the end of two wineries the walk home was far more enjoyable! The first park was the Parque Estadual do Caracol which has a 130 metre waterfall where the Caracol river tumbles out of thick forest. The second park contains the Itaimbezinho Canyon which is 7.8kms long and 720 metres deep.
It was while we were staying in a campsite near one of the national parks that John discovered that Lolly was in need of professional assistance and so a previously unscheduled stop was planned in Porto Alegre where there is another Land Rover garage. This means that we have now visited the entire Land Rover dealer network in southern Brazil!
So that brings us to Porto Alegre where Lolly is being worked on as we type and the rain is really coming down hard. We shall have a brief visit to Uruguay on our way down to Buenos Airies to meet Linzs Dad.
Hope this finds you all well and enjoying life. Enjoy the photos and thanks for all the emails.
Love
John, Linz and a recovering Lolly.
Kilometres travelled: 18,700
Litres of diesel burnt: 2,451
Number of Land Rover garages visited 3 and counting
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 17th August 04 - 17/08/2004
Greetings from Rio
Yes we did make it eventually! It is nearly another month since our last email and a lot seems to have happened!! We left you in Minieros with a poorly Lolly. We are pleased to inform you that after major surgery she made a complete recovery.
We finally left Minieros after 7 days and joined Amy and David (our new friends and Lollys angels) in a Pousada about 100kms further up the road. The Pousada is set in its own private park and it was here that we got our first glimpse of a large ant eater although he was definitely camera shy. The park also houses some 11,000 year old cave paintings which are in excellent condition.
After dropping Amy and David to catch a bus back to the wonderful Minieros we carried on towards Brasilia. One further overnight stop and we finally made it into the capital city. Its a strange city, for any of you that have been to Canberra there are striking similarities. It is also the most frustrating town to navigate around, however it does have some beautiful buildings. One of our favourites was the Dom Bosco church whose walls are almost totally made of blue glass giving an amazing light inside. After so much trouble to get here, we were quite glad to leave but it was worth the trip. A bonus of the trip to Brasilia was Linz sighting a giant ant eater and a baby on its back! In fact she was so excited that she couldnt even remember the name of the animal and just shouted Stop which sent John into heart failure!!
From Brasilia we headed south for the 17th century gold town of Ouro Preto via another small town called Tres Marias. Ouro Preto was lovely, built in rolling hills with very, very steep (Lolly in low box) cobbled streets. The gold boom brought a lot of money some of which was used to build some stunning churches and many large mansions. Almost all of the centre of the town has been preserved and is now considered a UNESCO heritage site.
Very close to the town of Ouro Preto is Caraca which is the site of a 16th century Monastery set in the heart of its own park. The Monastery was beautiful and there were many walks through the parkland. The big attraction though was the Maned Wolves which they feed on the steps of the Monastery each night after Mass. Its an incredible sight as they look quite like our English fox except that they stand nearly a metre tall. While walking in the park we also managed to see two different types of monkeys, the Common Marmoset and the endangered Southern Masked Titi.
We spent one more night in Ouro Preto before continuing south to Rio. We stopped at a place called Juiz de Fora where there was supposed to be a campsite. We did eventually find it however it was closed, hence the complete lack of signs but again the Brazilian hospitality came to the fore and we were allowed to stay for the night. No running water but lovely views over the lake.
The next day we finally made it into Rio which was a lot easier to navigate than we expected but once again our helpful web site of camping grounds was completely inaccurate and we spent nearly 3 hours before finally finding a place to stay. The only benefit of this circuitous drive was that we stumbled on a Land Rover dealership which we investigated the following day. The people at the sales room werent particularly helpful however they sent us to their workshop where we found three English speakers and the entire staff were intrigued by our journey and Lolly Pop. They gave us a quote for the work that we needed that was far to good to be missed and so Lolly went in the following week and came back sparkling both inside and out. She probably hasnt been that clean since she was repainted in Oz!!
Rio has been interesting and a lot of fun partly due to meeting up with friends and family. First we saw Amy and David who were on their way back to the States. We were then joined by Linzs mum and aunt and while they were here we also had an evening with Luke (another travel friend) who was passing through on his way to the States and then Europe. We have spent a week in Rio staying in Copacabana and have managed to see all the sights as well as going to an evening show that gave us an idea of what Carnival must be like.
We were invited to join Linzs mum and aunt on their trip to Amazonia and have had an amazing five days up there with them. We have seen many more monkeys, birds as well as the cultural side of that area of the amazon by visiting the villages near our lodge. The place we stayed was built entirely on stilts on the edge of the Negro river. One of the most special activities was an hour spent feeding and then swimming with the pink river dolphins. They came up and took fish out of our hands! Our final day included a visit to the meeting of the two rivers that then form the Amazon. This is an amazing sight as the Negro is a black river where as the Solimoes is a very light coloured river and they do not mix for nearly 11 kms due to differences in pH, speed and temperature.
We are now back in Rio and have said our first good bye to Linzs mum and aunt, however due to a slight mix up with flight times we are sitting here expecting them back at the hotel very soon! More tears tomorrow!!
Tomorrow we will make our way towards Sao Paulo with a few stops on the way down the coast.
Rio has of course one very special memory because we got engaged last week and were able to celebrate with family and friends. To answer the questions that we know are being asked hopefully you will find a picture of the ring attached which is an Imperial Topaz (very rare and only found in one mine in the world which is in Brazil), we havent set a date but we will let you know when we do.
So until next time, we hope everyone is well and you will find some more pictures on the site.
Love
Linz, John and a much better Lolly Pop
Kilometres travelled: 15,662
Litres of diesel burnt: 2,106
Insect bites: Lost count in the Amazon!!
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Mineiros, Brazil 21st July 04 - 21/07/2004
Bom Dia (Portuguese is not improving!)
Now no-body faint with shock that weve e-mailed so soon! There is a very good reason were basically stuck in a town where theres not much to do but they have 3 e-mail cafes!
So we thought we might as well update you on what weve been up to over the last couple of weeks
From Bonito we travelled slightly north to another campsite run by a lovely man called Jose. We had the place to ourselves, water views and the monkeys playing in the trees behind his house! They were very comical and quite cute. He was feeding them oranges and bread and it seemed to be a competition to see who could carry the most stuff back into the trees.
From here we kept going north we were going to take one of the less travelled routes back to the main road but Jose said the road was really, really bad so we opted against it. We passed by Camp Grande where we had stayed before and kept going. It was on this stretch of road we met another land rover driver. He followed us for a way with his son out the window videoing us then he overtook and flagged us down he didnt speak any English but there was lots more picture taking and videoing. He gave us his card and it turns out he owns a restaurant in Sao Paulo so well have to pay him a visit when were there. We reached a town called Coxim where Jose said there was a campsite but we never found it. We had spotted a sign 5km out of town for a fazenda with camping so we gave it a shot. The family were lovely and again we had the place to ourselves by the river. We were the first foreigners they had, had to stay so we were a bit of a novelty and there was lots of picture taking (were getting used to this!)
In the morning they brought us freshly cooked cheesy bread which was delicious.
The weather that day was foul it rained all day hard. At one point we were stuck for an hour at an accident which closed the whole road. Not surprising when you see how they drive. Lorry drivers are the worst they overtake on blind corners and summits!!
We followed a couple of cars who seemed to know a way around which was straight through a farmers field! But we got round and on the other side of the crash was a 5km tail back of trucks!
Despite this we made our destination of Cuiaba that night though it was quite late by the time we got to the hostel. It wasnt the best of places it cost the same for a double, prefabricated room as it did in a decent hotel and they tried to charge for use of the kitchen! Correct us if were wrong but isnt the whole point of staying in hostels because its supposed to be cheaper and you can cook!! Anyway when we checked out they hadnt charged us for the internet or the beer wed had. Linz felt guilty about the beer but we conveniently forgot about the internet!!
Cuiaba was not as nice as Campo Grande and is supposed to be the gateway to the north Pantanal but there is no tourist information and all the tour companies we had in our guide book were non-existent! It was a very frustrating day but we found a guide listed who also ran a hostel where we tried to stay but there was no parking. He was very helpful and told us of a couple of places that had camping. That night we treated ourselves to a very nice chinese meal with wine and spirits which came to a grand total of 20 pounds!!
The north Pantanal was just as beautiful as the south, though a bit larger. We got up early on our first morning there to try and see some of the nocturnal animals. We didnt see them but we did see an amazing sight. Hundreds of birds were gathered at this one spot of wetland, roseat spoonbills, great egrets, Jabiru stork to name but a few and the water was alive with fish jumping it was really incredible. We pootled along for the rest of the day seeing lots more birds and the odd abuti (like a giant rat but with no tail!).
We hit another tail back at one of the bridges where a bus had gone over but hadnt lined himself up properly so hed gone through the bridge and his rear drivers side wheel (for us) was in mid-air! It had obviously happened a while ago as there were lots of people around and theres not that much traffic on the road. There was a lot of beer drinking and gesticulating and the phrase too many cooks leapt to mind! John tried to help but with little Portuguese it was a tad difficult and Linz in true Brit fashion made a cup of tea!! It took an hour while we were there for them to get the bus off the bridge to a great cheer and the people wasted no time moving on.
The bridges after this one got worse and worse with big holes in them and some looked like they were part of a rollercoaster ride with the decks of the bridge on slants from side to side but we made it safely through.
We stopped at the first campsite we got to and 5 mins later our friendly land rover driver from a few days ago drove in, very bizarre. He disappeared and 5 mins later returned with some friends who were very interested in Lolly so again more picture taking. One of the guys spoke some Spanish which made things a little easier. They knew of a better campsite 500m down the road so we followed them across and it was much nicer and there were fewer mossies! Then the strangest thing happened, we were setting up camp when a load of cars drove in the gate. Linz said to John a couple of those look like land rovers. We stood and watched 20 land rovers drive through the gates! It turned out to be a land rover club from Sao Paulo on holiday for 10 days. We were put out on their radios and over the next few days we had many visitors who were fascinated with Lolly and our trip. Most of them spoke English which was great and we have many contacts and new friends for when we get to Sao Paulo. Despite them being complete strangers there was a sense of familiarity and we immediately part of their family and all because of the car we drive!!
They passed us the following day on the road to Chapada dos Guimeres a town and national park north of Cuiaba and invited us for drinks that night at their hotel. We decided it would be easier to stay where they were so we did and it was very nice!
We spent 3 days in Chapada which is very like the Blue Mountains in Sydney for those who know it. The only thing about national parks in Brazil is you cant see them without a guide and as we only have 2 seats we cant take one and they dont have transport. This problem was solved when we met a couple at our campsite who invited us along one day to visit a part of the park. It turned out his Dad works for the national parks so he had a key to the areas where you normally need a guide. It was beautiful day and Linz went swimming in the waterfalls.
After Chapada we headed to another national park which was off the road to Brasilia near a town called Mineiros. We turned up in the hope we could camp and see the park. Again we needed a guide and there was no camping. The guy who was there said come back tomorrow and Ill take you. We were a bit dubious but we returned the next day and after we woke him up he took us round the park. It was a misty morning which gave the park a mystical air. We spent 6 hours there and saw lots of wildlife including an Armadillo! The giant anteaters and wolves still eluded us though.
During our trip round the park Lolly had developed a worse clunking than she already had so on return John investigated. This was not good the joint at the rear prop shaft was broken. No problem John had the parts and although it took a day he managed to fix it. It was as he was putting that back into place he noticed oil on the back of one of the front wheels this was not good. He investigated thinking it was the hub oil seal that had gone which was bad but again we have the parts and John can fix it. It turned out to be worse. Not only had the hub oil seals and bearings gone but also the swivel pin housing seal had gone which we dont have the parts for. We thought it was going to be a shipment from the UK job but thanks to Nath in the UK and our new friends in Sao Paulo we have found a dealership in the next town to us who have most of the parts we need and will deliver them here which is great. Its also thanks to our American friends who weve met staying in the same hotel who have translated for us.
So here we are in Mineiros where we will be for another couple of days while we get the parts and put Lolly back together.
And here we were thinking wed got heaps of time before we needed to be in Rio!! After here hopefully we will make it to Brasilia we know we keep saying it but it may still happen! And after there hopefully to a Monastery where they feed the maned wolves at night.
We hope everyone there is well keep the e-mails coming its great to hear from people and hear the goss.
Take care,
Love,
Linz, John and a very poorly Lolly
Kilometres travelled: 13,051
Litres of diesel burnt: 1,765.64
Insect bites: Not as many but still itching!
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Bonito, Brazil 6th July 04 - 06/07/2004
Bom Dia (this is the only bit of Portuguese that we know!)
Before any of you say anything it isnt quite a month since we last wrote, there is at least two more days!! This last month has taught us that you shouldnt drive through green lights at least not in Argentina (more about this later), Brazilians love sleeping policemen especially ones the size of small mountains on major highways and you dont get old you just become advanced!!
Well the road blocks didnt abate in Bolivia in fact they appeared to be getting worse, so we cut our losses and headed out of Bolivia through Peru and into Chile. The only time that we have crossed two international borders and been in three countries in one day, and boy was it a long day. John slightly lost his sense of humour on the Peruvian/Chilean border at 8.30pm at night when customs asked him to empty the entire Land Rover (if you go back to the beginning of the pictures you will see just how much you really can pack in a Land Rover). After swearing under his breath (or so he thought) the senior Chilean in very good English said that it would all be ok and we ended up only taking out a few of the boxes. This all goes to prove that you should stick to the lessons you learn and not try to cross borders late at night when you are tired!! That night we made it to Arica and a lovely hostel run by a Kiwi called Ross. Ross was well known to us as he had helped a couple of friends who had nick named him Dad after all the help he gave. Little did he know he was going to take on this mantle again and end up taking us to the same workshops that he visited with them!! We ended up spending three days in Arica while John overhauled the rear brakes which were both leaking and had the water tank re-welded.
From here we drove and drove and drove! We crossed Chile back to San Pedro de Atacarma (which is where we started our trip into Bolivia) and then crossed the Paso Jama into Argentina. The first night back in Argentina is memorable as it was perishingly cold with us wearing our thermals to bed and our drink in the tent turning to slush puppy!! The next day we followed the main road, which turned into a farm track (including going through someones back garden!!) until we eventually asked a farmer who pointed out the beautifully tarmac road about 500 metres to our right! Never trust a GPS!! That night was spent in the back of a petrol station which was very comfortable.
The third day in Argentina we took the low road (as friends had told us that they aged twenty years on the high road). We drove nearly 600kms that day (which at an average of 60km/hr is a long day) and three blocks from the campsite we were going to stay at John made a fundamental driving error after turning left through a green light. Now I know that most countries allow you to proceed on green but not when you are driving a foreign plated vehicle in Argentina in front of two Argentinean police! We were pulled over by two men on a moped, who informed us that we had committed an infraction (a word we were going to come to love and understand) by going through a red light (given our Spanish this took us a little time to understand). They wrote us a ticket and then proceeded to tell us we had to follow them to pay our fine. What it all boiled down to was that they wanted money and once we got them to start the negotiations we parted with twenty US (half of what they wanted) and they became our best friends!! Five minutes later we were in the campsite and drinking a cold beer. We would like to say that this is not a true reflection of the majority of the Argentinean people who have been really nice and helpful.
From here we made a brief stop in Formosa before crossing into Paraguay. Again here we found our newly acquired word of the week infraction came in handy. We were stoped at a police check point, of which there are many, and the officer took our paper work over to the Captain. Then he called me over and informed us that we had an infraction (theres that word again). Linz shouted from Lolly Why? and after about five minutes I finally understood that he was saying we werent carrying two warning triangles (this was a feat as he hadnt even opened lolly at this point). Ah ha I said and went over to Lolly and produced two triangles, ah ha said the police man you dont have a first aid kit, ah ha I said producing our beautiful first aid kit, ah ha said the police man you dont have a fire extinguisher, and with a grand flourish I produced a fire extinguisher, ahhhh said the police man and waved us on our way!! One beaten twenty thousand to go!
Following this we spent three wonderful days on a ranch in Paraguay where our every whim was catered to. The manager spoke no English which made life interesting on the first night (but we managed) but the next morning he had roped in the services of a peace corp volunteer, an American girl working nearby. She ended up acting as a translator and second guide.
Our next destination was Puerta Iguazu, back in Argentina and this time we did have to unpack most of the Landy and put it all through a scanner. When Linz explained to the man we were only staying two days he relented and didnt insist on unpacking everything including the roof tent! Puerta Iguazu is the Argentinean gateway to the Iguazu Falls. We spent a whole day in the national park and shot a lot of film. They are stunning. We got right up close, in fact literally underneath one of the main falls, on a boat!!
After the Argentinean side we went to the Brazilian side and it promptly started to rain (it wouldnt stop for another five days). We spent one day washed out in the campsite (see photos) and then decided to brave the weather and visit the falls. The weather stopped raining for about 2 hours, enough time to see the falls through the mist.
Now back in Brazil we headed north and spent a night at a beautiful campsite which was actually open but the owner took pity and let us stay for free and brought us bottle of home made Absinth (about 59% proof) to ward off the chills! Having struggled with our Spanish we are now struggling even more with our lack of Portuguese. John was even heard to remark that he would be glad to be back in a Spanish speaking country!!
Our next stop was Campo Grande which was our entry to the Brazilian Pantanal a huge wet land area, which has few roads. We spent three days and nights camping at a place called Passo do Lontra which is another working farm plus hotel and camp ground. We saw loads of wildlife including iguanas, toucans, water pigs (which are 70kg guinea pigs), caimans, ant eaters (see the photo of him in his yoda pose) and heaps of bird life. Unfortunately where there is water and wildlife there are mosquitos by the million and so we came to Bonito for a break and to let our bites heal. Whilst here we have visited some caves including one which had a stunning blue lake in the bottom.
Our plan now is to head north and see the northern pantanal before heading east to Brasilia (which is like Canberra, a purpose built capital city) in the shape of a bow and arrow! Then from there we will head to Rio, so it may be another month before we speak to you all again.
We hope you are all well and enjoying life.
Love Linz, John and Lolly Pop.
Facts:
Kilometres travelled: 10,200
Litres of diesel burnt: 1,464
Insect bites: Too many to count!!
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Copacabana, Bolivia 9th June 04 - 09/06/2004
Hola,
Apologies for our rather slack communication (weve just noticed its exactly a month since we wrote the last group email). Since then we have come almost full circle and decided that Peruvian road signs are not much better than Bolivian, however both countries pedestrians need to have suicidal tendencies! Pedestrians DO NOT have right of way!
We made it to La Paz with little difficulty only stopping on route at Ouroro which was a fairly insignificant place, although we did sample our first South American Chinese which wasnt bad.
La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, is an amazing sight as you drive down into the crater. Its suburbs cling to the surrounding mountain side and have a back drop of snowy peaks (when you can see them for the smog). Our three abiding memories of La Paz will be street demonstrations every day by different groups, the llama foetuses in the witches market and the most dangerous road in the world.
The latter of these we decided to cycle down with a company called Gravity. The road starts from a height of 4,700m and falls (quite literally) 3,800m over a distance of just under 70km. The first 26km is tarmac but from then on it is single track dirt road which is used in both directions by lorries, buses, cars and of course us cyclists. The scenery is stunning, when you can spare it a glance, and we needed the beer at the bottom. Just to prove its not all sales hype, a friend of ours about a week later came off his bike and smashed his shoulder and has had to return to NZ to recuperate.
From La Paz we headed north west to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. From here we visited the Isla Del Sol, which is the site of the main Inca creation myth. A beautiful island and a lovely days walking.
Due to unrest in Ilave (a Peruvian town between Copacabana and Puno) we decided to go up the east side of Lake Titicaca. Not a well travelled route (there are no buses) and for that reason very unspoilt. It was a beautiful drive only marred by the fact that there is no immigration for either Bolivia or Peru on this side of the lake. There is however customs for both countries (work that out if you can). Due to this we had to detour to Puno to try and sort our immigration status. Peru was no problem, however the Bolivian consulate wanted nothing to do with us and told us we had to return to the border (via Ilave). At this point we rang the British consulate in Cuzco who told us not to go near Ilave but to come to Cuzco, which we duly did.
Once in Cuzco we started looking around for the Inca Trail a four day trek to Machu Picchu. However, to our dismay the earliest we could get on a trek was June 10th (two weeks later). We found a tour company which was offering a new alternative trek which still ended at Machu Picchu but took seven days (six full days of trekking and a full day at Machu Picchu).
The trek was considerably harder than we had bargained for covering 130km in six days but with a pass to climb each day often meaning a loss and gain of at least 1000m per day. The highest pass on day five was over 4,660m. However, due to the newness of this trek we saw no other tour groups and we did see some stunning scenery and Condors or the second day. We also visited another set of Inca ruins which although not as famous as Machu Picchu are thought to be considerably larger. The trek was made even more enjoyable because we had a good group consisting of an Argentinean family who live in Switzerland and an Australian from Melbourne.
Machu Picchu was even more amazing than the photos that we had seen. Apart from a couple of hours in the middle of the day there werent that many people around the ruins and in fact in the early evening we were quite alone.
After our return to Cuzco we booked a horse trek to see some other ruins nearer to the city. We decided that we had done enough walking. Linz had a horse that was definitely spirited, the first sight we had of it was as it ran down the road away from the guy trying to saddle it. Johns horse on the other hand had two speeds, dead slow and stop. Getting from one to the other required its owners as it paid no attention to anything John did!
The following day we visited some more ruins at Pisac and Tipon with a well rested Lolly Pop. Tipon was interesting as it appears to have been an agricultural laboratory for the Incas.
From Cuzco we have headed south again back to Bolivia down the west side of Lake Titicaca as the problems in Ilave have now abated. However, on reaching Copacabana we have found that the road is blocked by protesters, although as yet we have no idea what it is that they are protesting about. We have been told that the military may be going in to clear up tomorrow but we shall wait and see. If the road remains blocked then we may have to go around via Chile. Still there are worse places to be stuck!
Our aim if we can get through is to head to Cochabamba and then on to the animal refuge where we hope to work as volunteers for a couple of weeks. From there we head to Brazil and an area called the Pantanal which is meant to be full of wild life. From there it will be Rio de Janiero to meet Linzs mum and aunt.
Hope this finds you all well and enjoying life.
Speak to you all again soon, well try not to let there be such a big gap between emails. You should find some new photos on the web.
Love
John, Linz and a well rested Lolly Pop
Facts:
Kilometres travelled: 5,794
Highest Point on Foot: 4,668m
Insect bites: 55 (Linz whilst trekking)
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Potosi, Bolivia 9th May 04 - 09/05/2004
Buenos Tardes
Welcome to the next instalment of The Continuing Adventures of Lolly Pop. Since our last instalment we have discovered that the national pastime of at least three South American countries is sweeping, Bolivians dont believe in road or street signs and the Southern Altiplano rocks (see the new photos on the website).
But to start where we left off we didnt end up sampling many wines due to an elongated bike ride to see a river that is a trickle in the dry season (which is now). We did find one winery open which is the oldest in the valley of Cafayate. Their quality wines were introduced to us by a lovely, lovely man who then proceeded to show us around the museum. The wines were excellent!
From Cafayate we drove to Salta through some stunning scenery including the Quebrada de Cafayate where there are a number of named rock formations including the toad (see pics). Salta is a beautiful city and while we were there we treated ourselves to an extremely nice hotel owned by one of the wine families from Cafayate. We were only going to stay one night but somehow that became two!! One other distinguishing feature of the hotel was its waiter who was an older version of Manuel (aka Faulty Towers) who chatted away to us in Spanish as if we were natives.
Our next stop was Antonio de los Cobres which is a mining town up at 12,600ft however this first required us to cross the Abra Blanca pass at 14,600ft. The only reason for stopping here was that we had shelter from the biting wind and cold. The following day we crossed over the Paso Sico and back into Chile. To quote the Footprints guide the road on the Argentine side is good and on the Chilean side .. it may be bad between Socaire and Toconao. This is the largest pile of bull weve read yet. Just to prove this the bit between Socaire and Toconao is actually the best bit as its paved! The rest of the road can only be described as driving over a continuous cattle grid which required our average speed to be below 30km/hr if we wished to remain intact.
We did find an amazing campsite on the Chilean side which had panoramic views of snowy capped mountains. We know they were snow capped as it was snowing on us as well as them. It was a little chilly!! Linz was disappointed to wake up and find no white blanket around Lolly.
Our destination from this crossing was San Pedro de Atacama which is a strange little town in the middle of no where which appears to purely exist for tourism and not just backpackers. It is one of the major gateways to Bolivia and the Southern Altiplano. This fact gave rise to an interesting conversation with the customs agent. When John was asked by the customs agent where we were going (remembering that this is the entrance to Chile from Argentina and Bolivia) replied Bolivia which left the gentlemen perplexed. Linz came to the rescue with Spanish explaining we were staying six days in Chile first.
We saw more backpackers in San Pedro in four days than we had seen in the previous four weeks. After stocking up in San Pedro and discussing the possibility of following one of the tours going across the Altiplano to Uyuni with the owner of one of the companies we set off early one morning. Unbeknownst to us the owner had organised for the guides to wait for us at the Bolivian border and make sure we got safely to Uyuni. This was made very clear when the guide drove a Bolivian vehicle into Chile to come and find where we had got to. Lolly was struggling with the long climb to the border.
The next three days can only be described as scenically stunning but testing for man and machine. The road/track or complete lack of it led to some of the most extreme off roading that we have so far encountered. However, the pictures will show you it was a worthwhile trip and our only casualty was the exhaust which now sounds like a V8!! Our means of navigation was by map (very poor), GPS (not much help without a map) and dust trail (Bolivian guides have two speeds fast and supersonic). The best piece of driving of the three days was across the salt plain (Salar de Uyuni) which is the highest and largest (12,000 sq km) in the world. Even doing our top speed of 80km/hr across the salt plain our guide still became a distant speck!
Not much to say about Uyuni as it was a recuperation point however there is a pizza restaurant run by an American and his Bolivian wife who make the best pizzas this side of Italy (it gives Trattorias in Balmain a run for its money)!
From Uyuni we have driven North East to Potosi over slightly better roads. Potosi is famous for the silver mines that the Spanish started in the 16th Century and that are still going today. It is said that enough silver has been removed from this one mountain to pave a road from here to Madrid. It is also said that over 8 million miners have died in or on the mountain in the last five centuries.
We took a tour into the mines to see how it all works. Not much has changed in the last five centuries! Much of the work is still done by hand in extremely cramped conditions. John has decided that the underground mines in New Zealand and Australia arent such a bad place. (For those of you at Jamiesons I will be recommending that David and Ivan make a sales visit down here!) The finale of the tour was blowing two large holes in the ground with Dynamite, now theres a real boys toy!!
The town of Potosi consists of a maze of narrow, cobbled and unnamed streets which requires a psychic ability to navigate as was proved the other day after an hour of circling the city until we stumbled upon the road we wanted.
From Potosi we are heading for La Paz, Lake Titicaca and Cuzco.
Until next time, hope you enjoy the photos and thanks to everyone for their emails. We will try to send more personal replies we promise. Hope you are all well.
Love
John, Linz and a slightly bruised Lolly Pop.
Facts:
Kilometres travelled: 3,374
Highest Point: 16,100 ft (across the Southern Altiplano)
Mossi bites: 3 (all John)
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Cafayate, Argentina 23rd April 04 - 23/04/2004
Buenos Dias Nuestros Amigos
Since we last spoke to you we have changed countries, proved both people and cars can get altitude sickness and appeared on the local news!
But to start at the beginning we left Santiago about a week ago and headed north on the Pan American Highway (boring but fast, well as fast as a three ton land rover goes). Linz wanted a beachfront camp for her first night but after leaving the Pan American and searching she had to settle for a dirt road in the bush beside the highway.
We decided due to the boredom factor of the highway that we would go cross country to the Elqui valley well known for the production of the local fire water called Pisco. The road turned out to be more cross country than we first thought which deteriorated from a bad tarmac to gravel track to goats track!! We found an excellent campsite just outside La Fundina in the middle of nowhere. It was at this campsite that we discovered we had nearly set light to both Lolly and ourselves due to a permanently engaged car cigarette lighter in the rear of Lolly. Thankfully this only resulted in melted plastic and blown fuses in the fridge (soon fixed).
From here we visited the village of Pisco Elqui, passed through Vicuna which is where three of the largest observatories in South America are (the night skys were amazing) and ended up in La Serena. However, before we could reach our destination we were held up in a goat jam while trying to negotiate a tunnel. Who said anything was simple!!
The highlight of La Serena was our hostel run by a lovely Chilean lady called Maria who basically just wanted to mother everyone and make them tea! Lolly received some much needed TLC on her breaks before we attempted the pass over to Argentina.
From La Serena we headed north to Copaipo and the beginning of the San Francisco pass. Linz proved that her Spanish lessons had not been in vain when she managed to get directions for a Cambio de change and then found said cambio!! Here we managed to procure some Argentinean pesos which we thought might be useful on the other side of the border.
The road up to the pass was dirt but had been nicely compacted by the mine vehicles who use this road (thats right John still managed to find a mine). After we passed the mine there were few people and fewer vehicles. After passing through 10,000 ft Lolly began to struggle. The symptoms of altitude sickness in Land Rovers are clouds of black smoke similar to a large tyre factory on fire, high temperature and overall inertia. Shortly after passing through Chilean customs (which was easy) John smelt burning and on investigation found one of the cooling fans had burnt out from excessive use. Not what you need when you still have several thousand feet to climb!
We finally made it to Leguna Verde after a very slow journey. A beautiful spot (as you will see from the web) but very very windy and very very very cold. Required fleeces, down jackets, beanies and gloves (and that was to sleep in). Our campsite was at 14,300 ft.
After an atrocious nights sleep we headed up over the pass (15,000 ft+) and down through Argentinean customs (which was again no problem) to Fiambala. A lovely spot with its own thermal springs. In fact Leguna Verde had thermal springs but nothing was going to convince John or Linz to take clothes off!!
We got up the following morning to find the local TV crew waiting to interview us. John declined this celebrity status however Linz rose to the occasion and gave a performance worthy of an oscar using Spinglish! We are not sure who tipped them off but as Linz remarked later a large red and white Land Rover with foreign plates and a map on the side needs little to give it away. Next stop Hollywood perhaps Driving Miss Lolly Pop.
At present we are in Cafayate and about to sample a few local wines for which it is renowned. From here we head to Salta and then over another pass to Chile (yes we are gluttons for punishment)
Hope this finds everyone well and enjoying life. Well speak to you again soon maybe Chile, maybe Bolivia, who knows.
Love
John, Linz (and a tired) Lolly Pop.
xx
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