We are sooo original!
Roman Manuel Alok & Me
Roman Manuel Alok & Me .
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You don`t see it here but I`m scared s***less!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Argentina
Busses seem to cause a Party bug in me! The night before leaving Chile me and Manuel went to some secret party in the middle of no where outside of San Pedro, at first we had planned to go to the observatorium to watch the stars but we got stuck in some bar on the way warming up. Manuel is used to see me in unflattering clothes and my hair in a practical due (tied back) and was quite surprised to see me dressed up getting all the attention in the world. I was almost willing to let him think this is always the case when I go out!
But this time we did catch the bus, but only barely... we were tempted to take the bus the next day but the busses only leave every couple of days. But we survived a 12 hour bus ride on 2 hours of sleep and now we are in Salta, Argentina. Tomorrow awaits us a painful 22 hours of bus again to Buenes Aires.... yipiiie!
But this time we did catch the bus, but only barely... we were tempted to take the bus the next day but the busses only leave every couple of days. But we survived a 12 hour bus ride on 2 hours of sleep and now we are in Salta, Argentina. Tomorrow awaits us a painful 22 hours of bus again to Buenes Aires.... yipiiie!
Friday, May 26, 2006
Chile
After almost 30 years of dreaming about it I`m finally here. Chile!!!!! I got here 5 hours ago and I love it already! But I`m leaving on Sunday already, have to get to Buenes Aires before the end of the month for Natalias birthday. But I will return to Chile in September for workso I`m cool about it.
I just did the salt-flats, flamincos, active volcanoes (with a quick dip in the hot springs) and the Salvador Dali Desert (it`s a scam, never come here just to see it). Nice scenery but it was way too much 4-wheeling in the jeep and too little contact with nature (except for my frequent nature visits behind rocks). I had a great trip though but mostly thanks to an amazingly fun group. The day before leaving me and Manuel adopted a buzzed out 19-year old german boy who brought out the craziest in all of us. But the driver didn`t need much help, he was crazy enough as it was. We did best in not trying to get his attention during the trip cause when he turned around he found it best to let go of the wheel. Then there were three englishmen that won our hearts more and more during the trip.
But me and Manuel are continuing on to Argentina so we desided to do so hopping off at the Bolivian-Chilean border. Great idea, just too bad his luggage was left on the wrong jeep. So we got stuck in the middle of the desert for two days in an usertain wait. On top of it all Manuel was sick as a dog, leaving my hyperactive self alone in total silence. I had some nice long walks along the lake and got chased by some segulls (what the heck are segulls doing at 4.200 meter??????)
But Chile... we`re in a great , beautful , nice and very touristy but mystic village called San Pedro de Atacama.
Then about 35 hours of bus to Buenes Aires. Yippeah! Then I have to decide if I will rush up to join my friends in the Bolivian jungle where you can stay and take care of animals that have been rescued from zoos and the like (like the monkey in the restaurant on my earlier photos) and then placed in (more) natural habitats. But then I will have to rush back to Lima in time to catch my flight back home and I won`t have time for any meetings in Lima and there are things there that still aren`t taken care of... and even if I`m not obliged to do take care of them... I think that maybe I should...
dilemma dilemma... what do YOU think?!
I just did the salt-flats, flamincos, active volcanoes (with a quick dip in the hot springs) and the Salvador Dali Desert (it`s a scam, never come here just to see it). Nice scenery but it was way too much 4-wheeling in the jeep and too little contact with nature (except for my frequent nature visits behind rocks). I had a great trip though but mostly thanks to an amazingly fun group. The day before leaving me and Manuel adopted a buzzed out 19-year old german boy who brought out the craziest in all of us. But the driver didn`t need much help, he was crazy enough as it was. We did best in not trying to get his attention during the trip cause when he turned around he found it best to let go of the wheel. Then there were three englishmen that won our hearts more and more during the trip.
But me and Manuel are continuing on to Argentina so we desided to do so hopping off at the Bolivian-Chilean border. Great idea, just too bad his luggage was left on the wrong jeep. So we got stuck in the middle of the desert for two days in an usertain wait. On top of it all Manuel was sick as a dog, leaving my hyperactive self alone in total silence. I had some nice long walks along the lake and got chased by some segulls (what the heck are segulls doing at 4.200 meter??????)
But Chile... we`re in a great , beautful , nice and very touristy but mystic village called San Pedro de Atacama.
Then about 35 hours of bus to Buenes Aires. Yippeah! Then I have to decide if I will rush up to join my friends in the Bolivian jungle where you can stay and take care of animals that have been rescued from zoos and the like (like the monkey in the restaurant on my earlier photos) and then placed in (more) natural habitats. But then I will have to rush back to Lima in time to catch my flight back home and I won`t have time for any meetings in Lima and there are things there that still aren`t taken care of... and even if I`m not obliged to do take care of them... I think that maybe I should...
dilemma dilemma... what do YOU think?!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Loser!
I got there but I didn´t make it to the top :-( With about 150-200 meters to go I got sick and had to return. Alok made it just to the last peak and that`s where he got sick. Manuel pushed on to the very end, but once he got to the top he realized that he had left his camera with Alok. Go figure! So now we`ve befriended a Candian guy who got up there with no problems... and his camara... and tomorrow he might come with us to the absurdly beautiful salty deserts in Uyuni
On afterthought it was a great climb. I have never done anything like it. But I was so scared though! The third and last days of climbing we got up att midnight (!) to make it to the top in time to see the sunrise. The whole way up I felt like crying and for each step I took I wanted to give up and turn around. It was the first time in a very very long time that I`ve felt overpowered like that. Especially when I looked up a 200 meter ice wall that i would have to climb up, knowing that we had only gotten half way, that there were at least two more walls like that... and that I would have to climb them down again. But I did it... or the first two walls at least. I had barely slept at all the two nights camping, my mind was going on a high! And when you think about it it`s quite absurd to climb 1000 meters in a few hours. And even more absurd that you will have to climb down all the way to the bottom of the mountain that same day, first down the glaciers and later on an uneven rock and pebble trail with all your gear and camping stuff. Maybe I thought about it too much or maybe I was still too sick to do the climb... or maybe I`m just not cut out for such adventures. So I got sick. I didn`t know if I felt sick because I still wasn`t fully recovered, because of the altitude, or because of my fear.
But I`m happy for doing it, and once I`m fully recovered I might try doing it again.
On afterthought it was a great climb. I have never done anything like it. But I was so scared though! The third and last days of climbing we got up att midnight (!) to make it to the top in time to see the sunrise. The whole way up I felt like crying and for each step I took I wanted to give up and turn around. It was the first time in a very very long time that I`ve felt overpowered like that. Especially when I looked up a 200 meter ice wall that i would have to climb up, knowing that we had only gotten half way, that there were at least two more walls like that... and that I would have to climb them down again. But I did it... or the first two walls at least. I had barely slept at all the two nights camping, my mind was going on a high! And when you think about it it`s quite absurd to climb 1000 meters in a few hours. And even more absurd that you will have to climb down all the way to the bottom of the mountain that same day, first down the glaciers and later on an uneven rock and pebble trail with all your gear and camping stuff. Maybe I thought about it too much or maybe I was still too sick to do the climb... or maybe I`m just not cut out for such adventures. So I got sick. I didn`t know if I felt sick because I still wasn`t fully recovered, because of the altitude, or because of my fear.
But I`m happy for doing it, and once I`m fully recovered I might try doing it again.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Huayna Potosì
This is what I`ll be doing for the next couple of days. Guess who`s having her 30-year crisis?!
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The death road that I biked down just before getting sick... it was quite a thrill, but also quite the turist trap. On our way back home there was a large truck, similar to the one on the photo that was about to fall off, it had one wheel hanging in the air and it took 4 hours to get it back on the road. The driver was quite pale.
Well, seems that the spanish is affecting my English! I have my strength back (or my forces.... ha ha) at least somewhat... It`s a piller thriller story and I will have a small pharmacy with me on my mountain expedition. Equiped with ice haches and snow boots me, Alok and Manuél will spend the next couple of days climbing to 6088 meters. I`m still a bit nausiated after spending the last 5 days throwing up absolutely everything I`ve been able to eat but I don`t think there will be any worries. I will chew plenty of cocaleaves so I won`t get the nasty altitude sickness. And once again. Coca leaves are NOT a drug. It`s a herb... as long as it`s not chemically processed.
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Other than that I`ve managed to stay away from the caraokee bars. But yesterday (after the doctor`s office) we went to the circus. It was a strange ordeal. No animals, thank god, but a bunch of youngsters bending, hopping and doing I-don`t-know-what crazy stunts. But the last 30 minutes was a laim reenactment of Star Wars a là Ed Wood.
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Oh, my travelling buddies at the moment are Alok, from Inidia, and Manuél from France. Earlier we had the company of Shu (China/Canada) and Bev (Jersey... an island outside of France that is but isn`t part of England or something like that). We were all travelling alone and ended up on La isla de Sol at the same time. We are very compatible travelpartners, strangely enough. Every one gets a long with everyone and we even have quite the same ideas about what it is we want to do every day. Well, it helps that "let`s go for a coffee" always is an appreciated sugestion. Today we cruized some strange desert with rockformations that reminded Gus Van Sant`s "Gerry" and I didn`t like it at all when Alok claims (always with the same certainty) that the trail definately must be to be found just around the next bend. I`m not trying to say that he`s to be blamed for all the times we`ve gotten lost the last 2 weeks... but it sure hasn`t helped! Good thing that he`s always equiped with flashlights and other survival gear and I`m always carrying a crazy amount of food and clothes... (is anybody surprised). Funny how fast one feels like a family with people you`ve just met... and somehow I always get the "mommy" label. What`s even more surprising is that I like it (I guess it`s part of my 30-year crisis). But it was nice travelling Natalia, she was the one keeping track of me.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Bolivia
Hey, using my last forces to write something in the blog. I`m stuck in La Paz, Bolivia. The connection is too slow to post pictures so that will have to wait until I get to Argentina. Things have been great, I am travelling with a great group of people that I met in Copacabana after I left Puno. Today we were supposed to climb to 6080 meters, with icehackers and all. It`d be a 3 day trip but because I`ve been puking my guts out for the last couple of days. Tomorrow I will try to see a doctor. Nothing serious, I just have to keep at least some of the food that I put in to myself. So... I will tell you all about my new found friends, us climbing, crawling, stumbeling in the dark getting lost on our little excursions on Lake Titicaca, Isla del Sol, the Death Road and La Paz. So no personal emails for a few days... but I will let you know if I end up climbig Huaina Potasì or not.
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