got the rental car from scotties today @ about 12. all went smoothly, i guess those reports we read on the lonely planet forum were fraud entries from competitors. car is a beaut! it's a corolla station wagon 1991 with 250k kilometers on the clock! 1st reaction when i saw it was bollox, but it's feckin deadly! not a car i'd like to own, but perfect for a road trip - pretty economical, automatic (for laziness) and a huge boot, which will come in handy when sue arrives. the legroom aint too bad either. we've named her bertha, because she has got a big ass. she got a serious case of junk in the trunk. oh yeah. i went there.
drove about 2 or 3 hours inland to arthur's pass. it's in the middle of the NZ alps. they've spent loads of dosh here making lots of nature paths and reserves/national parks, so there is loads of great walks and tramping. we headed to a walk called the devil's bowl but it was closed for renovations, so we took the bridal veil walk instead. 45 mins to end, 45 mins back. lovely sunny day (seems like we are catching great weather here - it only rains every 4 or 5 days). the nature is just beatiful with waterfalls all over the shop.
we're gonna head on another short walk tomorrow morning, then head off to franz josef (glacier!)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
24/02/2007
13 hour flight to auckland was not too bad considering the seats were seriously cramped. tablets helped as usual, but we have now ran out of them - susan better bring more over coz i'm getting withdrawl already... watched little miss sunshine on the plane - was good. worth a lookee. got to NZ @ 4am local time and relished over buying english magazines in the airport!
there was a section of the airport with loads of leaflets & free maps and i swear to god, my carry-on bag now weighs more than me, with all the maps we yoinked! we also bought a good NZ map which is similar to the dublin street guide in layout. we should be sorted for the driving now - although i'd love to get one of those GPS yolkies...
just chowed down an egg mcmuffin and we're heading off to christchurch @ 7.50am. we'll be back in auckland at a later stage to enjoy the place and collect sue when she lands. 3 weeks in the south island & 2 weeks in the north island.
there was a section of the airport with loads of leaflets & free maps and i swear to god, my carry-on bag now weighs more than me, with all the maps we yoinked! we also bought a good NZ map which is similar to the dublin street guide in layout. we should be sorted for the driving now - although i'd love to get one of those GPS yolkies...
just chowed down an egg mcmuffin and we're heading off to christchurch @ 7.50am. we'll be back in auckland at a later stage to enjoy the place and collect sue when she lands. 3 weeks in the south island & 2 weeks in the north island.
22/02/2007
have not been using the blog (or the internet) as much since we left south america, as it is very expensive here in comparison (like everything else). anyhoo... catching up on a few entries now.
santiago. we were meant to be picked up @ our hostel @ 2pm to go on a tour of a local winery to be returned back to the hostel for about 7 or 8pm. waiting... waiting... waiting... 3pm, and no show! the hostel had called the tour company in the meantime, and they "got their dates mixed up". either the hostel or the tour company messed up, but the result was that we just fecked about for the day instead.
hopped on the airport bus @ about 8pm as our flight was @ 11pm. said farewell to the andes...
santiago. we were meant to be picked up @ our hostel @ 2pm to go on a tour of a local winery to be returned back to the hostel for about 7 or 8pm. waiting... waiting... waiting... 3pm, and no show! the hostel had called the tour company in the meantime, and they "got their dates mixed up". either the hostel or the tour company messed up, but the result was that we just fecked about for the day instead.
hopped on the airport bus @ about 8pm as our flight was @ 11pm. said farewell to the andes...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
some pics 12
chilean merlot. but i actually bought it in chile! for less than €1.50! and it went down lovely. and i was piddled! woo hoo!
21/02/2007
hopped on the underground today and headed out to the parque metropolitano. we went on the cable cars that hover over the park. very nice views. when you get to the top, there is a short walk to the summit of the mountain in the middle of the park. near the top is an open air church with alter etc, i´d say the holy-molyies go crazy for that stuff. at the peak of the mountain is a huge statue of mary, and a panoramic view of the whole of santiago. very, very large city. and smoggy. you can see the andes though the smog that hem in the city.
heading off to a vineyard tomorrow for the day, then getting a plane to NZ @ about midnight. 14 hour plane trip, so travel tablets and vodka will be had a-plenty! once we land in auckland, we hop straight onto a 2 hour flight to christchurch to begin our adventure of the south island. renting a car there aswell, so a return to normality. woo hoo!
heading off to a vineyard tomorrow for the day, then getting a plane to NZ @ about midnight. 14 hour plane trip, so travel tablets and vodka will be had a-plenty! once we land in auckland, we hop straight onto a 2 hour flight to christchurch to begin our adventure of the south island. renting a car there aswell, so a return to normality. woo hoo!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
19/02/2007
been staying in a hostel called el rincon marino in valparaiso for the last 3 nights. not been up to too much, so haven´t made any blog entries. we headed to a neighbouring area called vina del mar yesterday to go chill on the beach for the day. was nice... well, as nice as a beach can be as there is sand there which is not good. why couldn´t beaches have sponges instead of sand? that way you´d still have the soft feeling on your feet, but no sand in your crack at the end of the day... i smell a business opportunity!!!
dee has been sick with a cold the last few days, and seems to be getting worse, so we´ve been trying to take it easy. i haven´t got the cold yet, but it´s only a matter of time. final notes: got a killer steak the other day, i was convinced they didn´t know how to cook steak outside argentina, but hey - kudos to chile.
dee has been sick with a cold the last few days, and seems to be getting worse, so we´ve been trying to take it easy. i haven´t got the cold yet, but it´s only a matter of time. final notes: got a killer steak the other day, i was convinced they didn´t know how to cook steak outside argentina, but hey - kudos to chile.
Friday, February 16, 2007
16/07/2007
kidneys feeling better today, let´s hope it lasts. looking out for cranberry juice in the meantime (i sound like my gran).
15/07/2007
left @ 8.30am to go to the valle del elqui day trip. on the trip we went to see papaya plantations, pisco manufacturing factories, small local villages, and the huse of some nobel prise winning dead poet (wow). pisco is the chilean national drink and is a spirit made by condensing the vapours from boiling white wine. it can be made to strengths from 30-45% alcohol. they mix it with lime, or papaya jiuce, or there is even a creamy baileys version. when i tasted it, it was very very strong - wuld take getting used to (just like any other spirit i suppose).
after a tyring day on a cramped bus made for latino munchkins, we opted for a TV night with pizza and beer. niiiice. my kidneys are killing me again, i had a similar problem just before i left on my trip in ireland. i must see doc about it when i get back. heading to valpariso tomorrow @ 1.30pm. should take about 6 or 7 hours. the only available bus was salon cama standard, which basically is almost top of the range with full reclinability - i´m expecting steak dinners, a facial massage, and a lap dance for the amount it cost us!
after a tyring day on a cramped bus made for latino munchkins, we opted for a TV night with pizza and beer. niiiice. my kidneys are killing me again, i had a similar problem just before i left on my trip in ireland. i must see doc about it when i get back. heading to valpariso tomorrow @ 1.30pm. should take about 6 or 7 hours. the only available bus was salon cama standard, which basically is almost top of the range with full reclinability - i´m expecting steak dinners, a facial massage, and a lap dance for the amount it cost us!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
some pics 9
went to japanese gardens in la serena
the last pic is of me eating a hot dog in pastry (instead of a bun). very nice. and cheap!
the last pic is of me eating a hot dog in pastry (instead of a bun). very nice. and cheap!
14/02/2007
because of heavy traffic and delays, our bus journey took 14 hours to get from antofagasta to la serena! the travel tablets knocked me out again, i´m still recovering - they´re great! got in early this morning and reached hostal punto. run by a german couple. it´s like the hostal we stayed in, in cusco - very cosy. there is a restaurant there from 5pm to 10pm, and you can get beers, sandwiches and cakes. gonna chill there tonight. cable TV again! they didn´t have a double room for us for tonight, so we are sleeping in the yoga room! it´s a big big room and we´re sleeping in the corner. they`ll have a proper room for us tomorrow night.
la serena reminds me of san diego. good roads, well developed, large shopping malls, etc. the plaza armas is lovely and we´re gonna check out the beach later. dee rang ray today as it´s his birthday (won´t mention ages, but he`s really really old). hehe.
la serena reminds me of san diego. good roads, well developed, large shopping malls, etc. the plaza armas is lovely and we´re gonna check out the beach later. dee rang ray today as it´s his birthday (won´t mention ages, but he`s really really old). hehe.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
13/02/2007
stayed in hotel brazil last night in antofagasta. big city. hotel was the noisiest place on earth this morning. i think the guests and staff were trying to demolish the building using herrings (ref: python).
from what we´ve noticed so far there seems to be far less indigeneous or quesuan looking people in chile as apposed to peru. they look more like spaniards/colonials. the cities have less culture aswell. my uneducated guess is that chile was totally dominated when pizarro and the spanish arrived.
getting night bus (12 hours...) today @ 10pm. not looking forward to it, but we´re running out of time, so we have to speed things up. we´re planning the old travel tablets and vodka cocktail trick again for the trip to knock us out. we´re forced to wander around antofagasta all day today as the hostel kick you out @ 12. we left our bags in the hostel and will collect them before we go to the bus station.
from what we´ve noticed so far there seems to be far less indigeneous or quesuan looking people in chile as apposed to peru. they look more like spaniards/colonials. the cities have less culture aswell. my uneducated guess is that chile was totally dominated when pizarro and the spanish arrived.
getting night bus (12 hours...) today @ 10pm. not looking forward to it, but we´re running out of time, so we have to speed things up. we´re planning the old travel tablets and vodka cocktail trick again for the trip to knock us out. we´re forced to wander around antofagasta all day today as the hostel kick you out @ 12. we left our bags in the hostel and will collect them before we go to the bus station.
12/02/2007
got a bus from iquique to antofagasta @ 1pm today. took 6.5 hours to get there. posh bus with fancy reclining seats. got to antofagasta and headed out for grub. had a manky burger & chips, and a beer that made up for it.
collapsed into hotel brazil for a well needed kip.
collapsed into hotel brazil for a well needed kip.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
11/02/2007
nothing major to report over the last few days. in iquique now - more importantly, in chile!
now that i´ve been in chile a couple of days i can really see the difference between it and peru. it is a much more developed country, and as a result things cost on average about 30% more than peru here. it does mean that the cities are bigger, cars newer, and there is more homeless people. there are far less people living off tourism by selling you postcards/chewing gum/garments by bothering tourists on the street. they are far stricter about travelling and borders, etc aswell. not sure i like it as much, but i´m looking forward to getting to santiago as i hear it´s cool.
staying in hostel li-ming in the centre of iquique. it´s ok. kind of expensive, but i guess i gotta get used to chile´s prices. the last 3 hostels we have stayed in have cable TV, so i´m kind of getting used to having it - i´m like a backpacker toff!
heading to antofagasta tomorrow morning, i heard it aint great, so we are only staying one night, then heading on towards la serena - should be nice beaches there.
now that i´ve been in chile a couple of days i can really see the difference between it and peru. it is a much more developed country, and as a result things cost on average about 30% more than peru here. it does mean that the cities are bigger, cars newer, and there is more homeless people. there are far less people living off tourism by selling you postcards/chewing gum/garments by bothering tourists on the street. they are far stricter about travelling and borders, etc aswell. not sure i like it as much, but i´m looking forward to getting to santiago as i hear it´s cool.
staying in hostel li-ming in the centre of iquique. it´s ok. kind of expensive, but i guess i gotta get used to chile´s prices. the last 3 hostels we have stayed in have cable TV, so i´m kind of getting used to having it - i´m like a backpacker toff!
heading to antofagasta tomorrow morning, i heard it aint great, so we are only staying one night, then heading on towards la serena - should be nice beaches there.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
07/02/2007
had a lazy day today. walked down to the main square. even though arequipa is a bigger city that cusco and puno, it is really nice. we went into a convent that is over 500 years old today - santa catalina, although i vowed that the last church i´d go to was in cusco (as they all start to look the same after a while) i really enjoyed this one. it is huge! it´s like a city within the main city.
got a omlette baguette an hour ago and now can´t move i´m so stuffed. love it!
heading back to the hostel in a bit to continue our lazy day. not much planned for tonight. going on a guided city tour tomorrow. trying to plan our remaining days in south america... it´s going to be very tight on time. we might get an internal flight from iquique to la serena to speed things up if we can find a cheap flight.
got a omlette baguette an hour ago and now can´t move i´m so stuffed. love it!
heading back to the hostel in a bit to continue our lazy day. not much planned for tonight. going on a guided city tour tomorrow. trying to plan our remaining days in south america... it´s going to be very tight on time. we might get an internal flight from iquique to la serena to speed things up if we can find a cheap flight.
06/02/2007
floating islands on lake titcaca were cool, i´ll put up some pics when i get a chance (most of the PCs in south america are so old, they don´t have USB!). there are about 30 floating islands in total and the tourist ones survive on selling the alpaca (like a llama) weavings and embroideries.
got burned again on my hand on the boat, i must have missed a spot. the burn was on a spot that was already burned, so it´s now so red that it looks like a birthmark! i also have a massive cold sore that only started in the morning, but by the time we got to arequipa it had covered half my lip. i think it´s the sun or something... anyway, i now look like a scabby homeless knacker, as i´m peeling from everywhere, have a birthmark on my hand, a massive coldsore and haven´t shaved in a while. but on the brightside, my belly is feeling great!
we were wrecked after the 5 or 6 hour bus trip from puno to arequipa (we used julsa buss - very good and cheap - about €6), so when we arrived at casa de avila hostel we were well chuffed. it is a beatutiful hostel and has everything you´d need - en suite, cable TV!!, free brekkie, hot shower, etc. we desperately needed a chill night, so we ordered pizza and coke and watched CSI all night! it was the first proper meal we had both eaten in days so we went to bed with a big smile on our faces. also, it´s the 1st hostel that isn´t like sleeping in the middle of the red cow roundabout with noise and beeping - made a nice change. staying here 3 nights and looking forward to it.
got burned again on my hand on the boat, i must have missed a spot. the burn was on a spot that was already burned, so it´s now so red that it looks like a birthmark! i also have a massive cold sore that only started in the morning, but by the time we got to arequipa it had covered half my lip. i think it´s the sun or something... anyway, i now look like a scabby homeless knacker, as i´m peeling from everywhere, have a birthmark on my hand, a massive coldsore and haven´t shaved in a while. but on the brightside, my belly is feeling great!
we were wrecked after the 5 or 6 hour bus trip from puno to arequipa (we used julsa buss - very good and cheap - about €6), so when we arrived at casa de avila hostel we were well chuffed. it is a beatutiful hostel and has everything you´d need - en suite, cable TV!!, free brekkie, hot shower, etc. we desperately needed a chill night, so we ordered pizza and coke and watched CSI all night! it was the first proper meal we had both eaten in days so we went to bed with a big smile on our faces. also, it´s the 1st hostel that isn´t like sleeping in the middle of the red cow roundabout with noise and beeping - made a nice change. staying here 3 nights and looking forward to it.
Monday, February 05, 2007
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