the saga continues

Well we did finally make it to Iguazu falls in Argentina. Our flight from Santiago de Chile to Buenos Aires was delayed somewhat, meaning we missed our connection to Iguazu. We somehow managed to break through the thick wall that is Aerolineas Argentinas customer relations and got them to put us on the first flight out the next morning, and put us up in a hotel for the night. Overall the experience was fairly satisfactory - except for the whole aspect of being delayed and having deposits on hostel bookings forfeited and so forth.

The Iguazu Falls themselves are amazing. Diverting the flow for about 20 minutes to Australia somehow would likely relieve all of Brisbane´s water woes, and likely half of Sydney's as well.

...That may not actually be exactly true, but the flow of water there is stupendous. Our first afternoon there we went to the top of the 'Gargantuan del Diablo', falls so large, high and of such volume that the mist and splashback produced obscures most of itself from view and is capable of drenching onlookers at the slightest change of breeze.

The next morning we returned and took the boat underneath the falls. The view up from below is incredible to the point of oppresiveness, a point exceeded when the boat drives *into* the falls. Needless to say we got drenched, and left little puddles behind whenever we sat down for most of the rest of the day, a phenomenon fortunatly concluded by the time we boarded our flights back to Buenos Aires.

From what we´ve seen of Buenos, the main adjective capable of describing it is 'huge'. It stretches of in every direction, street after suburb after district of straight streets and slightly crumbling art deco apartment blocks. We have to rest of today here and then tomorrow - and then we fly home! Though the trip has been surpassingly excellent we all feel it will be good to get home.

Anyway, The photos: Iguazu Falls, ArgentinaIguazu Falls, Argnetina

The Two Amigos, Atacama Desert, near San Pedro, Chile

Villacamba Volcano, near Pucon, Chile.

Anyway, theres a good chance this will be our last entry before we get back to Australia. We would like to thank you all for reading and showing such an interest in our adventures, your comments were a little touch of home that was of great comfort. No doubt we'll have some kind of extended period of adding photos and so forth once we return, so stay tuned!

-chao

Old Photos

From back in La Paz, the 'Death Road'.

Photos!

First three are of hydrospeed in Pucon last Monday.

Pucon

So just spent another night on a bus, this one was only 10 hours long...and we´re going straight back tomorrow! We´re in the Lakes district of Chile, in a touristy town at the bottom of a very impressive volcan, killing a bit of time before heading to Argentina. You may have seen in the news a volcano erupting in Chile recently, it was about 100km north of here so no need to worry. The one here constantly smokes and 'puffs' though so...who knows? :). Since entering Chile we have gone from off season to on, and it is very busy here. Chilenos actually have enough money to travel! (Unlike those of Peru and Bolivia) We were very lucky to walk in on a hostel run by a couple of english guys thats been open just 10 days, con vacancies and with pillows that are actually comfortable!

We spent the day poking around town before heading off to some class 3+ rapids and diving down them clutching to a few pieces of foam. We had a guide and apparently its an actual sport, though I can't recall the name. Great fun, and most likely pictures to come though for now, as it is I...nada!

The volcano looks very tempting to climb and is apparently incredible, though the 35mil price tag ($70US)...for the cheapest companies, is swaying us against. Going to be cheap and just do some walking or riding around the forest valleys tomorrow most likely.

On a side note, the major airport in Buenos Aires has been particularly bad this last week, having all international flights out of it cancelled two days in a row so...here´s to hoping we get home in time!

Lo siento for lack of photos once more. I'm still taking many, just have to wait until Aus to pick up a cheap cable th'll actually work (Santiago is expensive!). This town has quite a fast connection though so when one of the other two arrive some photos may be uploaded.

That's all for now,
Steven.

Not dead, just lazy

Hey all
Despite having been peacefully resting up at Dad's apartment in Santiago de Chile for the past several days we have completely failed to update this blog in any substantial way, or in fact, any way at all. Tomorrow we leave for Pucon in the south of Chile for a few days. We aren't really sure what to expect except high prices and lots of Chilano tourists - apparently it is one of the main domestic tourism destinations. On offer are a variety of 'adventure' style activities, as well as bushwalking and the like. We plan on attempting white water rafting and perhaps something else. We'll see.
Since we last wrote from San Pedro, we have:
visited the worlds highest geyser field (except Luke)
stood in a river in the middle of the driest desert in the world (except Luke)
Seen a 1200 year old cactus (except Luke)
Mountain biked through the desert to see a sunset in the Valle de la Luna
Riden a horse through the desert, in some Good, Bad and Ugly country
sandboarded after horseriding
travelled 2000km and 22hrs by bus. In a row.
chao

Chile again

Hey all, sorry it's been a while since we wrote but we've been in the sticks - and since these are Bolivian sticks, they've even more remote than you may expect. We visited the mines at Potosi - well desrving of their nickname of 'Hell (the miners even pay tribute to a kind of devil figure). We then spent 3 days in a jeep rattling across an enormous Salt Flat, and subsequent lagoons and geysers, complete with flamingos and sulfurous smells. We're back in Chile now but the net here is awful and overpriced. We should be back in Santiago by the weekend, we'll put up many photos and such then.
Oh yeah, and we're all still alive. It was touch and go there in the jeep for a while (my knees hurt so much), but it's all good.
chao

Altitude Record

So yesterday we broke our altitude record again. Took a day trip to 'Chacaltay'(spelling?). Started the day in La Paz (3600m, highest capitol city in the world) then drove up out of the crater to reach El Alto (4000m). Now...this translates to 'The High'. We contiued driving until we reached 5300m...looking a long way down on The High!}! A short walk to the top and our record of 5444m was set. So...little...oxygen.
We're heading out to Tihuanico ruins tomorrow near Lake Titicaca, massive remains of a pre-Inca civilisation. That'll tie us over til new years when we head off south to the mines of Potosi (refered to generally as 'Hell') and then the salt flats of Uyuni!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year,
Steven.