I am writing to you from the southern-most city in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina.
Over the last couple weeks, I have enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of Buenos Aires with my girlfriend, Sara. I arrived in BA on a Saturday afternoon and headed to a hostel that I knew of, stopping on the way to get some cash from the bank. I had been previously advised by travellers to keep my bank receipts in Argentina because they have a reputation of giving out counterfeit cash. As luck would have it, I would be blessed with two 100 peso bills of this counterfeit nature (200 pesos = $65 CAD). I hit the pub that night with a couple people from the hostel and because I had not slept my last night in La Paz, my body was beginning to wear down. I spent the next two days lying in bed and sipping tea and soup and eventually made a full recovery.
On Tuesday, I checked into an apartment that Sara and I rented for the duration of her stay. It was a studio apartment located on Reconquista, which is a pedestrian street in the heart of the business district. Think one of the cobblestone walkways that intersects Bay street. It is quite a trendy area and the people of Buenos Aires are very beautiful. We were wearing T-shirts and sandals and looked well out of place as they were all wearing their leather boots and winter jackets. We spent most days trekking the city sites and sipping fine (yet cheap, price-wise) Malbec wines. Visited such famed spots as the Recoletta cemetery, where Evita is buried. Evita Duarte was the Charismatic wife of Juan Peron, who presided as president over Argentina twice in the 50´s, once as a decent president and another as a dictator, after Evita had passed away. Evita was a champion of women´s rights and Human rights and gave a friendlier face to the not-so-friendly government of that time. We also strolled past the courthouses, where we stood in awe of the architecture. Think rennaissance period French/Spanish architecture meets Latin American flare and style. La Casa Rosa (The Pink House), which houses the government. The famous Oblisqua in the centre of town. Puerto Madero. The city has lots of green space oncluding a very cool Botanical Garden with French and Japanese gardens contained in it.
We wanted to go to a Boca Juniors football game, but were advised against it by our concierge due to the surrounding ghetto of La Boca, not being very tourist friendly. I did not want to listen to him, as everything I had been told about cities being dangerous for tourists so far along my trip (ie. La Paz, Bolivia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has been complete and total bullshit. Granted, there are certain parts of every major city that you simply do not go. As long as you are not acting up, speak the language and don´t go looking for trouble, you will be fine. In any case, we didn´t go. Good thing too as they got spanked by Huanacu and have spiralled down the standings. The fans surely were not happy and it sould have been a little messy when leaving the stadium with everyone looking to takeout their frustration.
I saw Sara off at the airport last Sunday and got on a flight the next day bound for Ushuaia, Argentina: The southern-most city in the world. It sits in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the very south of Argentina. All Antarctic expeditions and major shipping boats pass by here. The city is beautiful. The quaint harbour is surrounded by awesome snow-peaked mountains in the backdrop. My hostel has great view of both the harbour and the surrounding mountains. There is not much going on in the way of tours and expeditions this time of year as it is on the verge of winter here. Fly fishing, off-road expeditions, canoeing, boat cruises to the Antarctic, etc. all cease to run in April. I indulged in a few whiskeys at the world´s southern-most Irish pub the last couple nights as the city - And the rest of the country for that matter - was pretty much shut down for 4 days celebrating the Bi-Centennial of Argentina´s independence. Tomorrow I depart, heading north for El Calafate, where the world´s only advancing glacier is located, el glaciar Perito Moreno. There I hope to climb the glacier and see this awesome display of nature from up close. From there, I head north again, stopping in El Chalten and Bariloche, which is a tourist hub in Patagonia. Continuing north, I will stop into Mendoza to take in some of the wine it´s vineyards have to offer... Hoping I can maybe get some camping in while in the Lake District as well, but that will be weather permitting.
Hasta Lluego
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
La Paz & Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
Hello again friends, fam and foes.
Giving you the low-down on the last months' work from Rurrenabaque, Bolivia, which is located in the southwest arm of the Amazon basin. I have now been here over a month and I cannot believe how fast it has gone.
Ben, Daan and I spent 3 days in La Paz, just touring the city and booking flights to Rurre. We left on a Monday evening for Rurre, but their airport was closed due to weather - more to come from the weather. We landed at Reyes, which is about an hours' drive from Rurre and got a shuttle into Rurre. Booked into a hostel that night and spent the next day figuring out which jungle expedition company to travel with. Ben and Daan only had 3 days, so they booked a short Pampas tour. Las Pampas are the wetlands. Tour here offer you a stay in an eco-lodge, three meals, and wildlife treks up and down the river. I decided to go with a 10-day jungle expedition by myself with Mogli tours. The history of Mogli tours is an interesting one.
About 15 years ago, a native man, Mogli & Faizar's father, was trekking through the jungle in search of a lost Isreali man that had been lost in the jungle for three weeks. On one of the final nights of their search, Mogli and Faizar's father heard a cry, which the Gringo (the lost man's friend) thought was a wolf crying out in the night. Faizar's dad flew into the jungle with a torch in hand telling the man that what he heard was no wolf, but a human cry. After searching for less than an hour, they came upon the lost friend. Faizar, who was my guide for the 10 days in the jungle, told me that the man was delusional after spending three weeks alone in the jungle with wounds all over from mosquito, sandflies and all the other critters that would feast on you without a net. They built a camp that night and gave the man some food to eat. The next day, they slowly made their way back to Faizar's home where they rested again. The man eventually regained his health and was able to return to Isreal. Two years later, he returned to find Faizar's father and did. He told him, we have to start a tour company that gives people guided expeditions into La Selva (the jungle). Mogli tours became the spearheading company offering guided jungle expeditions. Nowadays, the town lives off this tourism trade.
On our first day, we took a motorboat up the river about three hours. We disembarqued and headed straight into the jungle with a sleeping bag, mosquito net, food for the journey, and our two native guides, Faizar and Miguel. We hiked about 3-4 hours on our first day, arriving at a stony river which would serve as our resting point for the night. Within one hour, we had cleared an area about 20x20 ft and erected a bambo frame covering for our mosquito nets. Dinner that night was amazing... Spaghetti Bolognese with cabbage salad and fried steak. Yeah, fried steak, mmm. Faizar then performed for us a jungle ritual ceremony for La Pachamama. Pachamama is the god that natives here (Quechua, Tacana, Chimani, and another people which I cannot recall) worship. The Pacha signifies the sky/sun and the Mama signifies mother earth. This was such a cool experience. He asked her to keep us safe, give us luck, and keep the jaguargs away while we treek through her jungle. She was very gracious to us indeed.
For the next 5 days, we hiked about 5-6 hours per day through unmarked, thick jungle territory, encountering numerous animals and amazing trees and plants. Our visitors included chancho (pig), cayman (aligator) that Faizar hooked with a pirhana he caught on a fishing line, lol; We subdued a turantula by blowing smoke in her face and basically getting her high. Once she was relaxed, we all took turns getting placed on our heads and she would walk across our face. We also saw lots of monkeys, snake, owl, eagle, parrots and capibara. I caught a 25 pound Pacu (salmon) on the 6th night. Biggest catch I have ever landed.
Each night, Faizar and I would sit either by the river or the fire and he would share stories with us. He is 27 years old - my age - And he has lived in the jungle most of his life. His father and grandfather showed him their skills that their parents passed down to them. This has gone on for many, many generations in these parts. School for these people is La Selva. I can't possible tell you all of the stories he shared as there were so many, funny and not so funny, but I do have to tell you that I felt a strong connection to Faizar. He is my age, but I saw a wisdom in him that far surpasses anything possessed by anyone I have ever met before. I have met a lot of interesting people along my travels so far, but Faizar is really the one that I have learned the most from. I now have a much deeper appreciation for the natural world around us and what Pachamama gives us everybody so we can survive - food, water, shelter, and each other.
After my incredible experience in the jungle, I couldn't leave Rurre. I found out there is an animal refuge association that is opening its newest park, Jacj Cuisi, across the river from here. Inti Warra Yassi is the name of the association. Jane Goodall (AKA The Ape Lady), has commended the association with their efforts as one of Jane Goodall's Heroes awards. They take in orphaned, injured, and mistreated animals and try to give them the best life possible. Release is usually not possible due to their contact with humans and lacklustre hunting skills, but it is possible that this will happen in the future. Volunteering with Jacj Cuisi costs you 50Bolivianos per day ($7CAD) and that includes your accomodation and three meals per day. During my stay, there was also a group of English, Aussie, and South Africans, on a Qwest trip. Qwest is a travel association that takes kids to travel and volunteer on projects in South America and Africa. For the days they spent at the park, we hauled 30-50kg bags of sand, cement, and stone up through the jungle to build a new enclosure for Luna, a female puma coming to the park in a few months. Usually those working on construction do not see the cats that live up in the jungle as the volunteers that work with the cats work with them for at least a month. This establishes trust with the cat and limits the zoo-like contact with humans in order to give the best life they can. On my last day at the park, carting my last bag of cement up the hill I ran into Lishou, the biggest male puma they have. What a sight. He is about 3 feet tall, 90kgs, with a beautiful grey coat and absolutely monstrous paws - They are related to the lion family I am told and they are also known as the cougar or mountain lion in North America. His shoulders went up and he growled like a lion, shining his teeth at me as well. He came over to give me a smell, but wasn't interested in me. I guess that is a good thing, as many of the volunteers have some pretty bad marks on them from being jumped. The cats are only playing, but they are still big cats and can cause some damage.
I got back to Rurre Sunday afternoon, booked a hostel and went for lunch. After lunch, I set out on a mission to get myself to La Paz. Well, holy shit. There has been a road blockade between here and La Paz for about 10 days now. Buses cannot pass and no one knows when it will end. The blockade is apparently over a citrus fruit processing plant. Either people don't want it there as it will kill local farmer's markets (which is my guess) or they were promised the factory (ie. jobs, etc.) and then the company decided to move it elsewhere. And there is no dialect between them and the government at all. So, the only way out of town is to fly, which costs about $75 instead of $10 on the overnight bus. The only available flight was Wednesday morning at 9:50. And why am I writing to you while I should be in the air, you ask? Well, since Pachamama decided to rain down a monstrous load of water the other night, the grass landing strip in Rurre is still to wet to be used. All flights have been pushed back one day - Hopefully only one day!
So, I fly tomorrow evening - fingers crossed - to La Paz for 2 days and then I can find a cheap flight to Buenos Aires. Sara is meeting me there on May 12th... Can't wait to soak up some of the paris of the South, as they say.
Until next time.
Giving you the low-down on the last months' work from Rurrenabaque, Bolivia, which is located in the southwest arm of the Amazon basin. I have now been here over a month and I cannot believe how fast it has gone.
Ben, Daan and I spent 3 days in La Paz, just touring the city and booking flights to Rurre. We left on a Monday evening for Rurre, but their airport was closed due to weather - more to come from the weather. We landed at Reyes, which is about an hours' drive from Rurre and got a shuttle into Rurre. Booked into a hostel that night and spent the next day figuring out which jungle expedition company to travel with. Ben and Daan only had 3 days, so they booked a short Pampas tour. Las Pampas are the wetlands. Tour here offer you a stay in an eco-lodge, three meals, and wildlife treks up and down the river. I decided to go with a 10-day jungle expedition by myself with Mogli tours. The history of Mogli tours is an interesting one.
About 15 years ago, a native man, Mogli & Faizar's father, was trekking through the jungle in search of a lost Isreali man that had been lost in the jungle for three weeks. On one of the final nights of their search, Mogli and Faizar's father heard a cry, which the Gringo (the lost man's friend) thought was a wolf crying out in the night. Faizar's dad flew into the jungle with a torch in hand telling the man that what he heard was no wolf, but a human cry. After searching for less than an hour, they came upon the lost friend. Faizar, who was my guide for the 10 days in the jungle, told me that the man was delusional after spending three weeks alone in the jungle with wounds all over from mosquito, sandflies and all the other critters that would feast on you without a net. They built a camp that night and gave the man some food to eat. The next day, they slowly made their way back to Faizar's home where they rested again. The man eventually regained his health and was able to return to Isreal. Two years later, he returned to find Faizar's father and did. He told him, we have to start a tour company that gives people guided expeditions into La Selva (the jungle). Mogli tours became the spearheading company offering guided jungle expeditions. Nowadays, the town lives off this tourism trade.
On our first day, we took a motorboat up the river about three hours. We disembarqued and headed straight into the jungle with a sleeping bag, mosquito net, food for the journey, and our two native guides, Faizar and Miguel. We hiked about 3-4 hours on our first day, arriving at a stony river which would serve as our resting point for the night. Within one hour, we had cleared an area about 20x20 ft and erected a bambo frame covering for our mosquito nets. Dinner that night was amazing... Spaghetti Bolognese with cabbage salad and fried steak. Yeah, fried steak, mmm. Faizar then performed for us a jungle ritual ceremony for La Pachamama. Pachamama is the god that natives here (Quechua, Tacana, Chimani, and another people which I cannot recall) worship. The Pacha signifies the sky/sun and the Mama signifies mother earth. This was such a cool experience. He asked her to keep us safe, give us luck, and keep the jaguargs away while we treek through her jungle. She was very gracious to us indeed.
For the next 5 days, we hiked about 5-6 hours per day through unmarked, thick jungle territory, encountering numerous animals and amazing trees and plants. Our visitors included chancho (pig), cayman (aligator) that Faizar hooked with a pirhana he caught on a fishing line, lol; We subdued a turantula by blowing smoke in her face and basically getting her high. Once she was relaxed, we all took turns getting placed on our heads and she would walk across our face. We also saw lots of monkeys, snake, owl, eagle, parrots and capibara. I caught a 25 pound Pacu (salmon) on the 6th night. Biggest catch I have ever landed.
Each night, Faizar and I would sit either by the river or the fire and he would share stories with us. He is 27 years old - my age - And he has lived in the jungle most of his life. His father and grandfather showed him their skills that their parents passed down to them. This has gone on for many, many generations in these parts. School for these people is La Selva. I can't possible tell you all of the stories he shared as there were so many, funny and not so funny, but I do have to tell you that I felt a strong connection to Faizar. He is my age, but I saw a wisdom in him that far surpasses anything possessed by anyone I have ever met before. I have met a lot of interesting people along my travels so far, but Faizar is really the one that I have learned the most from. I now have a much deeper appreciation for the natural world around us and what Pachamama gives us everybody so we can survive - food, water, shelter, and each other.
After my incredible experience in the jungle, I couldn't leave Rurre. I found out there is an animal refuge association that is opening its newest park, Jacj Cuisi, across the river from here. Inti Warra Yassi is the name of the association. Jane Goodall (AKA The Ape Lady), has commended the association with their efforts as one of Jane Goodall's Heroes awards. They take in orphaned, injured, and mistreated animals and try to give them the best life possible. Release is usually not possible due to their contact with humans and lacklustre hunting skills, but it is possible that this will happen in the future. Volunteering with Jacj Cuisi costs you 50Bolivianos per day ($7CAD) and that includes your accomodation and three meals per day. During my stay, there was also a group of English, Aussie, and South Africans, on a Qwest trip. Qwest is a travel association that takes kids to travel and volunteer on projects in South America and Africa. For the days they spent at the park, we hauled 30-50kg bags of sand, cement, and stone up through the jungle to build a new enclosure for Luna, a female puma coming to the park in a few months. Usually those working on construction do not see the cats that live up in the jungle as the volunteers that work with the cats work with them for at least a month. This establishes trust with the cat and limits the zoo-like contact with humans in order to give the best life they can. On my last day at the park, carting my last bag of cement up the hill I ran into Lishou, the biggest male puma they have. What a sight. He is about 3 feet tall, 90kgs, with a beautiful grey coat and absolutely monstrous paws - They are related to the lion family I am told and they are also known as the cougar or mountain lion in North America. His shoulders went up and he growled like a lion, shining his teeth at me as well. He came over to give me a smell, but wasn't interested in me. I guess that is a good thing, as many of the volunteers have some pretty bad marks on them from being jumped. The cats are only playing, but they are still big cats and can cause some damage.
I got back to Rurre Sunday afternoon, booked a hostel and went for lunch. After lunch, I set out on a mission to get myself to La Paz. Well, holy shit. There has been a road blockade between here and La Paz for about 10 days now. Buses cannot pass and no one knows when it will end. The blockade is apparently over a citrus fruit processing plant. Either people don't want it there as it will kill local farmer's markets (which is my guess) or they were promised the factory (ie. jobs, etc.) and then the company decided to move it elsewhere. And there is no dialect between them and the government at all. So, the only way out of town is to fly, which costs about $75 instead of $10 on the overnight bus. The only available flight was Wednesday morning at 9:50. And why am I writing to you while I should be in the air, you ask? Well, since Pachamama decided to rain down a monstrous load of water the other night, the grass landing strip in Rurre is still to wet to be used. All flights have been pushed back one day - Hopefully only one day!
So, I fly tomorrow evening - fingers crossed - to La Paz for 2 days and then I can find a cheap flight to Buenos Aires. Sara is meeting me there on May 12th... Can't wait to soak up some of the paris of the South, as they say.
Until next time.
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