Tuesday 2 November 2010

The final chat of south America.

So guys this is it, the end of the first chapter of our world adventure, the first 8 weeks tallyed off, pumped up for nz!

My last post took us upto getting back to la Paz, well it was an interesting few days there, everyone seemed to follow us from Loki in cusco and before we knew it we were up dancing on the bars again! Although this time there was no 7shot challenge, just the familiar shouts of "bloodbomb!!!" to get us going!

Salt flats
Sharing a room with possibly the most arrogant guy on the planet, he began to grief me and Adam that he was actually doing stuff whilst me and Adam were drinking and sleeping, however as I promptly reminded him we were socialising whilst the nicest thing people could say about him was that he was a prick! 
But anyway not taking inspiration from him, we did however book the 3 day salt flat tour from uyuni, I'm sure many of you have seen the photos from this place before but now it was our turn, leaving quite late at night we had been forwarned about the last 6 hours of unmade gravel road and how it's imposible to sleep...that is until andy meadowcroft walked into a pharmasist and did the sleeping action with my hands an head...what's that they just gave me some random tablets...good one, wikipedia even informed me that these tablets are illegal to posess in most European countires without a prescription, either way I slept like a baby that had been gently rocked to sleep, Adam however refusing to take these chill pills, didn't sleep and was feeling rough!

The first day of the tour with our amazing non English quide! Took us onto the salt flats themselves where it is just simply incredible the sheer vastness of them. Just endless flat White salt plains where beyond the horizon is just more salt. Naturally everyone tries taking the distorted photos between the foregroud and the background,( there a lot harder than you think to do) but we had some fun and eventually found ourselves at a hostel for the night that was made out of...yes you guessed it...salt! 

The second day took us to higher altitudes amougst the volcanic regions, seeing endless blue and red lagoons all swarming with wild flamingos, pretty cool to see, although the smell of the sulpher from the volcanic springs was almost as unbarable as the smells that leak from Adam!

Staying at an altitude of 4900ms the final night was a struggle. Getting hot and cold flushes, stomach cramps and a racing heart was not what I had signed up for, I had a resting heart beat of 120bpm! Altitude sickness? No...just another dose of Andean food poisioning! Fortunately I wasn't in it alone, the two Ozzie lasses got hit pretty hard, waking up for half 4 had never felt such a tourture. 

The final day was meant for seeing hot geizas and being rewarded with natural hit springs and watching the sun rise, unfortunately the only hot spring I felt was what was coming from my insides! Not nice and I didn't leave the jeep until we got to our drop off point on the chillean boarder!

24 hour bus ride...easy, arriving in San pedro in northern chile we eventually managed to book a bus from here to Santiago in preperation for out departure, just another 24 hour bus ride...simples

Santiago! Probably the least south American place we have been to, a real modern high class place, very few stray dog, clean streets, qwerky shops and bars, expensive! Everything south America hasn't been in places! We've got a nice hostel in the middle of the drinking district, kind of what eccy road is to sheff but a lot nicer. Me and Adam found ourselves smashing 720ml bottles of corona in a random Mexican bar.

South America reflection
So here it is guys the last 8 weeks have flown...so for budding people what is my summary message
•worst quote heard "I never met many brazilians before I came to south America"-some random Ozzie guy-idiot!
•food poisioning is fun- Andean food isn't a delicacy just basic stuff that ruins you
•iguazu falls still remains one of the coolest natural things I have ever seen
•the death road is not that scary
•the inca trail is one of my greatest achievements
•rich southners who travel are arse holes
•south America will always be about the people we have met rather than the things we saw
•the 7 shot challenge will never be beat and a part of me is left in cusco!
•my Spanish has grown beautifully to the point I can count to 100, ask for the bill, the time, how much something costs, order beer and speak shit when I'm drunk.
•me and Adam have been labelled the cool version of dick and Dom, and have met some amazing people, 
•not being allowed to flush your toilet roll is rubbish and we welcome the advanced sewer systems of Australasia!
•lopez mendez on Ilah grande will always remain the best hidden gem discovered by talking to other travelers.
•the lonely planet quides are for people scared of nto knowing what to expect and only ruin the eye opening experience.
•finally, me and Adam have made it from brazil, through Argentina, Bolivia Peru and found our way into chile- pretty impressed with ourselves and welcome the next challenge! 

No comments:

Post a Comment