HOLA Buenos Aires

We were in the worlds southern most ¨Fin del Mundo´ Ushuaia, Argentina and had a rendezvous with our other two travelling companions in Puerto Mont, some 2500km and another country away in ten days time. From Tierra del Fuego apart from Antartica, there is only one direction in which to head, so before the break of dawn we boardered a bus Nth to the worlds southern most city, as Chile will have you know across the sea to Punta Arenas. It was an unpleasant journey, I had hoped that it wold be quite scenic but nothing much grows down there in the cold and wind. Apart from the ferry crossing where we saw penguins, the landscape is exceptionally bland and to begin with, freezing. Just as the sun came up we stopped at a bakery in a town where the bakery is the only thing it has going for it. Soon after the bus became hot and stuffy. Opening the two vents in the roof meant inviting clouds of dust onboard. Looking out either window all one could see was miles of straw coloured grass and the occasional llama. There were also quite a few birds. I remember opening my eyes at one point and wishing that I was an orthinology enthusiast so I could find some interest in my surrounds.

Punta Arenas does not offer a lot for the traveller but it is a nice enough town to visit for a couple of days. It must be as there were a hell of a lot of tourists there. We are definetly traveling the gringo trail. We would bump into people we had seen in other towns and in many cases the last place we were and fill each other in on where we had been and what we had done and where we were going. It soon became apparent that people expected that we were going to Puerto Natales, next town on the map, to ´do´ the Torres del Paine. I knew that this was Chiles most famous National Park and wanted to visit but we weren´t planning or even sure how to do it.

We were advised to go to ErraticRock hostel in Puerto Natales and attend the ¨talk¨that will give you the lowdown and fill you in on everything you need to know about TDP. We went thinking we might spend one night camping in the park, Tricia not being that enthused. We left with a list of things that we would need to get our hands on before starting our four day camping expedition. It wasn´t to be quite the walk in the park we had imagined. 24hours later we had eached packed our backpacks with tent, sleeping mats and bags, gas stove, pot one change of clothes and four days worth of food.

Tricia who had never done anything else like this before for the sole reason that she has never wanted to wasn´t shall we say excited. I decided best not to let on that I shared her doubts as to whether we would be warm enough, or if our rented tent would stand up to the elements or if we could handle carrying our packs for the 40km trek. Insted I maintained that the trekking I had done on school camp in Tongariro National Park had equipt me with all the experience neccesary to undertake the independent expedition before us.

Day one went well. We got to camp without exhausting ourselves, the gas stove worked, the tent had enough pegs and the two minute noodles were cooked to perfection. We saw a nights sky with more stars than I have evr seen before anywhere. It was like looking at another galaxy. The next day was pretty easy as well. we didn´t have to do much walking with our packs so that was a nice break. Camp Curnos was where we spent our second night. We arrived late afternoon and unfortunately this meant that we didn´t get our pick of the best campsite. Option one was a little far from the refugio (facilities building), a nice grassy area, slight slope but nothing to lose sleep over and completely exposed to the wind and rain. The second, and only other option was sheltered in a popular part of the camp ground, close to indoors and on a bed of rocks. Fearing for tents ability to withstand the rain should it not let up and the wind should it pick up, we reluctantly opted for the rocks.

Day three started well and it was just as well as day three was when we were sceduled to cover the most kilometers. We enjoyed sunshine and beutiful vistas and were making good time. The weather so pleasant in fact that by 10am I had to strip my thermal and wear just a tshirt and reapply sunscreen. As the day went on and we rounded a mountain it got a little cooler. One game hiker did decide that it was still nice enough to take a skinny dip inthe lake that marked the turning off point for Campomento Chileano. It would have been frezing but I´ll admit that I was a tad envious and a little tempted to join him. Prob. somthing to do with having not showered in 3 days. I stopped for lunch at one still wearing a Tshirt and waited 15mins for Tricia to catch up. We sat for another ten mins or so and in the space of that time the weather did a full turnaround and we were walking into a storm. The rain was coming at us almost horizontally whipping at our faces with such ferocity that made me wonder if the wind was picking up scree from the mountainside on which we walked and throwing small stones at our faces.

On seeing a sign that said Campomento Chileano was only a half hr away I put my head down and ran the remainder of the path. I wanted to be out of that weather asap. Chileano was not where we were planning on spending night three. That was Camp Torres, a further hr up the mountain. We considered our options once Tricia arrived and figured we had a couple of hrs to see if the rain and wind would subside and if we should continue or pitch our tent at Chileano. The advantage of camping at Torres is that you are then only an hr from the summit where sunset over the Torres is best viewed, from Chileano it is two which means rising at 0430. When it became clear that waiting the storm out wasn´t an option Tricia and I met at the recpetion simultaneously deciding to spluge and fork out the 19000 pesos to secure ourselves the final few beds available inside the refugio. That came complete with a towel and hot shower!

So the last night of our Southern Patagonian adventure and our attempt to last the elements was a bit of a cop out. But I did rise at 0430 and with two men from Quebec and one spaniard in the pitch black we scaled the mountain, torch in hand, to see Sunrise over the Torres. It was freezing, we lost the trail and climbed up scree. Cloud obscured the Torres on arrival and it snowed. I couldn´t feel my hands, which I am sure would have been paining from gripping to lose gravel and my lips were so numb I couldn´t speak properly. It cleared enough though to see a beutiful pink hue on the bas eof the Torres making it all worth while. We were back at camp by 0830 in time for a hot shower and b´fast before the 0930 checkout.

At the hostel I am staying at there are some printouts in Portuguese with pictures of pretty places you can walk to nearby where we are. With lots of sign language and the aid of a map Jeff the Ausie and I head we hope in the direction of a small waterfall and swimming hole supposedly only 15minutes away. Three points were clear from our instructions, we had to cross the bridge, turn right and walk through the jungle.

It was a pretty walk but with all the sunshine, what at times of the year may have been a spectacular cascade of agua had been reduced to a trickle but we bounded on upwards over boulders hoping to find it anyway. The jungle was decorated with giant butterflies and minature birds, both brilliantly blue and the canopy of trees provided cool relief from the blazing sun.

After close to an hr we decided we weren´t going to find what we had come in search of. We turned back jumping from rock to rock at twice the speed we had ascended. We reached a bit of a clearing where a large lab of stone stretched out in front of us and the sun filtered through. In the light I saw its two toned shinning skin, slithering across where I was but moments from landing my next step. I near shat myself and as though in rewind
retraced my steps letting a small scream escape but not for one moment taking my eyes from the two tiny, beady yellow eyesleading the long body casually over the stone.

I had retreated behind Jeff who had established the cause of my fear and while I was really hoping, needing him to be, the next Steve Irwin he was getting his camera out and stating `Snake! Jeez its a biggun´Not what I needed to hear. Small, harmless, more scared of us than we are of it would have been better. I was paralysed with fear and just as I was thinking how I was going to continue for the 20 or so minutes we had remaining before clearing the jungle, a large group of people appeared and I figured safety in numbers and positioned myself in the middle of the pack to make my way out.

I love Brasil! Arrived at Florianapolis at 0415am, my 7hr bus only took 4 hrs so was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Sat in the terminal for a while, got a coffee and eventually mustered the energy to work out where I was and how I was going to get to where I wanted to be. A couple of hours later the sun was rising and I was standing on one of the most beautiful coasts in the world, Ihla Santa Catarina, Florianpolis Brasil.

Ran into a bit of difficulty finding a room but eventually found somewhere to dump my pack. I always ask to seee a room first but for the life of me I don´t know why b/c I hate to imagine how gross it would be for me to turn it down. I have stayed in some pretty rough places and this one ranks right up there with what has to be the worst hotel in Paraghanj, New Delhi and it is a complete with a fellow dweller who´s insistent coughing rivals that of the Walrus that Patricia, Tamara and I had to share the backpackers in Kings Cross with. Nothing quality earplugs couldn´t fix though and I could afford quality b/c the `Favela,` as my rooms mates and I have dubbed our far from lovely abode costs only R$12!

The beautiful beach five minutes from my door makes up for it being a total dump. Have done a few daytrips to neighbouring beaches by bus and bike. Yesterday went to the Nth of the island and found a spot with a beach bar busting out Black Eyed Peas and a bar tender that made a mean Caipirinha. Needless to say I was in Paradise. Came complete with company of a samba band.

Montevideo turned out not to be just another city afterall. I was roaming the streets and losing patience, looking for somewhere not tooexpensive to stay about to give up and book into one of th hotels on the main drag when a woman yelled out to me and pointed me in the direction of Hostel Montevideo which is a clean and spacious place close to the city centre that provides breakfast free and beer for a few pesos. I got talking to a Sweede and a Yank who convinced me to have a beer. Soon we were joined by a Frenchman an Aregentine and four Brasileros and I noticed at some stage during the night we gained an Italian too. We sat outside on the street dringking Patricia Lager until it wa late enough for someone to suggest that we go into town. I was quite happy where I was but understood the guys wanting to go seeeming as I was the only girl and I wasn´t going round.So We head a few blocks seaward to B. Mitre where bars buddy up next to each other for the pubgoers convenience and drink and dance and eat pizza.

The next day, believe it or not, I didn´t quite feel up to rising early and making transport arrangements to get myself to Punta del Diablo, a beach town 4 hours Nth so it was just aswell that there was a Cranaval taking place on 18 de Julio Montevideo that night and I had best hang around.

It was a pretty much repeat of the night before which is a good thing. The Carnaval was a bit moe grass roots than Gualeguaychu, not as flash but much fun.

Got up and on a bus the next day heading for Punta del Diablo but on arrival I asked if there was an ATM in town which no one understood. So I gave my Spanish a whirl and was informed that there was not. Hadn´t bought much cash, only 1000 Ur. Pesos, that will last you a couple of days tops. So got back on the bus and headed to the boarder town of Chuy or Chui if you are on the Brazilian side.

One side of the main street is Uruguay and the other is Brazil. We (another girl on the bus was in the same predicament as me) didn´t notice at first and actually just crossed the road to Brazil and booked into a hotel. This is entirely acceptable. There are immigration formalities on respective outskirts of town. Got a little bit excited when I worked it out.
Chuy.
Chui.
Uruguay.
Brazil.
Had to explain to the girl from the united states that we didn´t have boarders in NZ.

Decided that while here I would arrange my onward travel to Brazil and did so for tonight at 11, giving me toay to head back and enjoy the beach at Punta del Diablo. Diablo means shark, luckily my lack of espanol meant I remained ignorant to this little piece of information until after I had taken my first swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Actually my espanol has made a lot of progress in the last week. Bummer that as of tomorrow everybody is going to be speaking Portuguese. Damn it.

So am killing time and Uruguay pesos until my bus arrives for the 7 hr journey to Porto Alegre.

After a lovely relaxing time with Natalia´s family in BA I headed to
Guayeguaychu a few hrs up stream for a wee Carnaval with Dani. Slightly overwhelmed by the volume of mosquitos present on the green pastures divided by rivers but well worth induring them sand smelling like deet to experience my first taste of Carnaval. I´m guessing the Cranaval that they have there is just a tourist draw card and nothing like what I will experience in Salvador but all the same it was a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of leathers and floats. he costumes and floats are amazing, as is the time and effort that goes into making them. We went to a warehouse before the event to see trailers hung with feathers from all sorts of birds.

Was originally planning to get the bus from Gualeguaycho to Uruguay, there is a bridge across the river there but the boarder is closed due to protesters protesting about a new paper mill on the Uruguay side of the river that is going to cause pollution. So returned to BA for a night and the next morning got a ferry to Uruguay.

Colonia Del Sacramento seems like the most peaceful place on earth
after arriving form busy BA. It is a really small quiet town with cobbled streets and the best bit is that it smells like honey. How nice is that everywhere you walk, smells like honey.

Met some nice people at the hostel I was staying at. Met a Brazilian
family from Porto Alegre and when I said I was heading that way they enquired about my schedule and exclaiumed that it was such a shame that they wouldn´t be back b/c otherwise I could have stayed with them. And I think they were serious too. They made a huge meal for lots of people staying in the hostel, Complete with Caipirinhas )))) The next night they made a caipirinha but replaced cachaça with red wine. I thought it would be way gross but was actually delicious.

Colonia is a nice place to walk around but it rained in the afternoon
and I was bored with my book so decided to have a siesta actually. But after that went to the gym and did a step class. When I went earlier to enquire about time and price I got talking to ( as much as you can get talking to someone when you don´t have a language in common) to a fireman who was just finishing his workout. I said I was coming back later and I guess he understood that well enoiugh b/c he was there when I finished the class. He walked me around the corner back to the hostel and managed enough English to
ask me out. It is really hard to decline someone when you speak
limited lingo. If in English I could just make up some excuse to save saying NO outright. He suggested he come round at ten and pick me up for a beer. My espanol enabled me to say I am having dinner with friends to which he suggested "midnight then?" Shite. On second thoughts 10 was fine by me. Now the two Irish pple in my dorm room had been out the night prior , gotten well and truely sloshed and spent the entire day in sliumber so I knew they
wouldn´t be keen to accompany. Fortunately for me though. Two Isrealis had arrived and were keen for a beer. The Fireman was a bit shall we say surprised when I said I had friends coming too. Decided that he would go and get a friend too but maybe he couldn´t find one b/c we waited a while and he didn´t come back So we went for a beer without him which was prob. better b/c really whats a date like when you can´t communicate with the person?

Got to MOntevideo today. It´s a nice city but it´s a city so tomoroow I´m back on the bus heading to Punta Del Diablo for some sun and surf.

Hope you are all good. Ka kite, Boot