Utrecht Travels

Pitcairn to Henderson adventure

2009-04-08T12:30:32Z

Just a quick update on my travels to the most remote country in the world: it looks like we might visit Henderson Island after all. Jack the mechanic has been working on the boat for the last 5 or 6 days and it seems the engines are quite ok again. Well, you never really know but Kurt called me and asked me if I was ready to go on the luxury cruiser Bounty Bay haha...Austrian humor I guess. So we are leaving Pitcairn tomorrow morning, spend the next day wandering around Henderson Island (the island is a Unesco World Heritage Site by the way) to see some endemic bird species, do some snorkelling and what else comes up to do and see. We do come back to Pitcairn to pick up some food, booze and cigarettes though which the locals are buying for us tomorrow when a small cruiseship comes in.

Nothing much more to tell now, apart from my strenuous hike to the Highest Point and enjoying the magnificent views for the last time. We have a small birthday party this evening so last time to say hello and goodbye to all these people. The whole country is invited!

Cheers and thanks for reading about my adventures and we might see or read eachother during some other travels!
Michael.

Pitcairn to Henderson adventure remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Typical Pitcairn: Whisky from a whales' tooth

2009-04-08T12:11:43Z

I have been on Pitcairn for almost a week now and as it looks right now we leave somewhere late tomorrow or maybe the day after. There is no rush anyhow because we will go straight back to the French Polynesian islands so we better spend as much time possible here on Pitcairn, as there is just a very small chance I will probably visit this island again. That's the disadvantage of remote places I guess.

So, what did I do more on Pitcairn after the first 3 or 4 days?
On Friday nigth we went out for dinner and some beers at Steve Christian's Cafe and met him as well by the way. If you order a plate of fish, beef or sausage here, you will definately be sure of a good bottom in your stomach before heading to Pawl's house to play darts until very very late...or early, depending on how you interpretate things...;-)
Pawl is a big rough guy...well, that's how he looks, but inside he is just like most people here, a very friendly fellow who just wants to have some fun. And he sure makes his guests feel like home in his house aka bar. We did have some beers, but the absolute island famous highlight of a visit to Pawl is his way of hospitality: he offers you whisky. Ok, whisky....not from a glass though, but you have to drink it out of a spermwhales' tooth! Makes it just a little more special, and so is the hangover the other day.

That's why I spend a lot of that following day sitting, staring and thinking while watching the view from my favorite spot along the Eco Trail. Although during the late afternoon the whole family where me and my cousin stay went up to the highest point (called Highest Point remember?) to have a BBQ and just sit, talk and relax a bit. The whole family is almost 20 people, so over a third of the population. It become a bit surrealistic if you realise you are having a picknick with almost half of a country's inhabitants. Oh, and yesterday was also a bit of a day where you finally here some more things about the recent past of Pitcairn. Just don't start it yourself, they will finally bring things up a bit, although it depends where you are staying and who you are talking with. Let's just say that there are different opinions and experiences from different people. Like anywhere else in the world. That's about all I can and want to say, because I won't mention people and (to me rather shocking, just google a bit) details. There has been enough said by others, and who am I to say or judge about anything at all. I can only thank many people here for having a great time.

Today I will hike to the top of Pitcairn to sweat out some food and booze of the last day or so. I lost a few kilos on board, but gained more over here that's for sure. So I go by myself, pack some lunch and enjoy to be the only traveller here on Pitcairn, because the other are going to dive.....so boring..;-)
Oh, and let's not forget about tomorrow when a (relatively small, thank god) cruiseship is anchoring somewhere off the coast of Pitcairn. Either some people come ashore or we go on board....yeah! Living the real life over here! Looking forward to sell those luxurious travellers some stuff. We are also going to stock up on some alcohol and cigarettes for the way back, because we are running out of them rapidly now.
It's the last ship of the season which runs from September to March, when around 10 ships anchor here for a day (this one from 7 am until 3 pm like we heard on one of the general anouncements on channel 16 here). Only a few will be able to come ashore though. So, should I tell them I am a Pitcairner or a Dutchie?
Bye bye boys and girls, talk to you (much) later.

Typical Pitcairn: Whisky from a whales' tooth remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Temporarily living the Pitcairn life

2009-04-08T12:18:14Z

I might not be an official inhabitant of Pitcairn, officially I might even not be a temporary inhabitant, but as a visitor staying at a homestay on Pitcairn surely feels close to it. At least much much closer than you would in any other country on the world. If you would stay in another country at a homestay you might get to know some people, but the last 3 or 4 days I have met the majority of people living in this fantastic remote little country. And that's what makes Pitcairn just a lot different from remote compatitors worldwide. In those 3 or 4 days I have also seen and done most things, and I just start all over again and visit some favorite places. One of these is the Eco Trail, a nice walk west of Adamstown where at the end there is a bench with a million dollar view of the Pacific Ocean, parts of Adamstown and the slopes of the hills descending into that same ocean and covered with palmtrees and other lush and green vegetation. And let's not forget the beautiful birds like the snowy white terns towering above the trees and my head.

Today is my 4th day and I probably might add a few days more, as we are not in a hurry as the plane from Mangareva doesn't leave within 10 days. Tonight is kinda party night, going out to have dinner, a beer and a good laugh while playing darts. We will see how things work out to be. Although a few other go diving tomorrow morning, of course I am going to church on Saturday which is the official resting day at the Seventh Day Adventist Church. I might just soak up the religious atmosphere as well while I am here.
I know things have been written down in the past about Pitcairn, and some things might even have been negative, but my experience is just positive, both regarding the natural beauty of the island itself as well as the magnificent people that live here. So hearby I declare all people who wrote negative about it totall fools and blind as well. We might just call someone Dea Bitchett....people know what I mean, at least the Pitcairners.

So, could I live here? Well, yes and no. I would miss a lot of people in the Netherlands, miss the space and miss the opportunity to just get into my car and start driving for an hour or so. Other than that, nothing is to be missed here.
To all Pitcairners....cheers for a great time here on the island. Let's just hope our days on board the Bounty Bay back to French Polynesia will be just as memorable....in a positive way that is....;-)
Michael.

Temporarily living the Pitcairn life remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Pitcairn Party and everyday life

2009-04-08T12:21:10Z

To start with: all the Pitcairners I have met are just fantastic. Just come out here and see for yourself, life is good here and I hope this fantastic community will be here in the very far future as well. Just let me hope that tourism is not going to spoil the island, most people like it the way it is. And as there are almost no possibilities and plans to built and airport, I think things will be just fine here. Still, I can imagine that Pitcairners do want to have the opportunity to leave the island more easily and quicker if possible.

The three of us, Tom, my cousin Eric, and myself, all stay in different homes. Tom stays at the famous Tom and Betty's place, Eric at Carol and Jay's house and myself at their daughter's place, Darallyn and her man Turi. On top of that I have met several dozens of people, including the youngest one (only 4 months now) and the second oldest one (Emma). People here really make you feel like you are at home, and they take so good care for me, with nice food, transportation on their quad bikes, and finally a really good big bed to recover from the harsh conditions on the Bouncy Bounty.
Almost anyone here on Pitcairn has at least one job, or rather is a multitasker, because really they can do just about everything themselves. Just over 50 Pitcairners live here, and about 15 or so people living here temporarily, like a social worker and police officer from New Zealand.

Yesterday, by coincidence, with had a little party at Andrew's place (remember Andrew? the 7th generation Christian, crew member on board). The reason for this party can sound a little strange to some of you readers, but I just think it is a fantastic thing: his dad died on the 18th of March 2004 and from then on he has a nice little party on that same day every year. So now we had a 5th anniversary celebration...so to speak. He did show an impressive slideshow with photos of his dad and family members which even me gave me some goosebumps. But the main thing was having a good drink (including home made honey liquor....thanks for the headache Andrew haha), talk and meet some more Pitcairners and dance the evenening away. Andrew has built a new house, the highest on the island and it is quite luxurious, including a nice hot tub outside and a big 50 inch screen on the wall where he showed the videos of the music we were dancing on. Sitting down was not an option, we were kindly forced to dance as well and loved it. We didn't leave very late though, so I guess that officially makes me a Pitcairn Party Pooper for leaving early. But hey, people had to work and Friday is another pubnight here on Pitcairn. Hopefully I will still be here by then, because we are still not sure when we go back on that piece of crab. I'd rather go with a dinghy haha. Let's hope we will leave Saturday or later...I heard there is even a dart competition and I wouldn't want to miss that for sure.

Love from all Pitcairners and myself to anyone taking the time to read my basic English blog..;-)

Pitcairn Party and everyday life remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Pitcairn Island, I have made it....finally!

2009-04-08T12:23:21Z

Well, after a long trip on the Bounty Bay (aka Bouncy Bay), I finally managed to go on land early in the morning of Tuesday the 17th of March. Solid ground just feels so good after a rough trip at sea and finally reaching my goal of setting food on Pitcairn Island, after dreaming to here for at least 15 years, made me feel a very happy but also lucky guy.
So, before I tell you something about the everyday life here on Pitcairn (or at least how I experienced things), it is time for me to teach you some geography lessons. The reason why is that I was actually quite surprised that a lot of people back home who travel themselves didn't even know where Pitcairn was located and they never heard of the name and not even about the mutiny on the Bounty back in 1789. Well, I can't blame them of course, maybe it is just me and my strange destinations I want to travel to.

The Pitcairn Islands are located in the southern parts of the Pacific, in between French Polynesia and Easter Island (Chile). Apart from the main island, Pitcairn, there are (from east to west) Ducie Island, Henderson Island (both of which I am not going to visit unfortunately, because of all sorts of problems on that bloody Bounty Bay) and Oeno Atoll (which I did visit, fantastic place). But for me the main reason was to visit Pitcairn Island itself, to see how people live, how they are, what they do etc. etc. Pitcairn is just about 4,5 square kilometers big, but it feels bigger, as there are quite some places to go around the island, and it's rather hilly almost anywhere. Also, there is a more extensive road system than I expected, most of them gravel (a kilometer or so is concrete, from the wharf to the public square) and by a quad bike you can go everywhere, which I did yesterday. Some names of places to visit with beautiful names: Ted Side, Blowing Hole, Highest Point (which indeed is the highest point at around 337 meters above the sea), Down Rope (there is no rope though, to watch out to go down that cliff towards the only beach on the island), St. Paul's (natural pool over there, again watch out, this time for the waves), Ship Landing Point and The Edge. Lots of other places to visit include a bounty anchor, a bounty canon, John Adams grave (the last surviving mutineer of the Bounty) and the museum with some excellent stuff over there, including stamps and more Bounty stuff of course.

Pitcairn Island, I have made it....finally! remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Rules and life on board of a 15 meter long vessel

2009-04-08T12:25:38Z

Ok, what is the ship like?
It is small for sure, but now that we are only with 6 people we do have enough room for us and our luggage. A great thanks to the 4 guys who weren't ready for a real expedition haha!
There are 12 berths, 6 on each side of the boat, 3 upper bunks and 3 lower bunks. I have to admit, the beds are quite ok although it can get a little damped down there. The lower deck has some chairs to sit on and a lot of 200 liter tanks of water! And then there is the upper deck, or sun deck so you want, though when the boat is out at open sea it is not advice to go there actually. There is small kitchen and a few seats inside and of course the main place for the skipper, with that traditional steering wheel and dozens of instruments.
Rules on board:
1. The skipper is alway right.
2. If the skipper is not right, automatically rule number 1 applies!

Well, time to leave and go out to the open sea. We reached open sea probably several hours after we have left, so time for those seasickness pills. And yes, they do there job quite well. I usually took on in the early morning and one late afternoon, so I was allright until around midnight, when my watching shift had ended and it was time for my bumpy sleep. We all have two hour watching shift between 6 in the evening and 6 in the morning....ship time that is. Man, I am totally unaware of time. Mangareva is one hour ahead of Tahiti, Pitcairn is again one hour ahead of Mangareva, while shiptime is half an hour in between Tahiti and Mangareva time. Hello, still there?

So, the plan is to go to the main island, Pitcairn, and arrive there in roughly 60 hours, so late on Friday the 13th! Unfortunately for us, winds were getting rougher each day and on Thursday the skipper decided we headed for Oeno atoll first, which is the northwestern most island of the Pitcairn Islands. On top of that, we did have quite some problems with the engines and some other stuff, but mechanic Jack (called Check by us) was always there with his skills, and not less important: his extreme patience!
So the next few days were at sea, waking up at around 7 or so, have breakfast, sit on deck and talk, have a mid morning nap, lunch, mid afternoon nap, and diner basically. After a while you really get used to the waves and the rhythm of the sea and boat. And then finally after at least 50 hours of travelling: land! Oeno, the holiday island of the Pitcairners, though during recent years not many people have been there at all.

Now, approaching Oeno is one thing, but getting ashore is another. Oeno is totally surrounded by a reef and only one tiny stretch of that is actually suitable to go through...by a small rubber boat, a dinghy, that is! And that is exactly what we did on Saturday. Andrew took the 3 of us and some luggage right through the dangerous reef and waves. It nearly went wrong when the dinghy was about the flip over at an angle of at least 45 degrees, but then he suddenly flipped the motor again and we were back to normal again...well, almost, because the motor stopped! And that was not a good thing at all. Fortunately, it was just the fuel line that was loose, so we discovered. If that motor really broke, we had a huge problem going back the next day. Well, it wouldn't have been possible at all. We almost became a modern Robinson over there.

Ok, Oeno is small, you walk around it in an hour or so, but it is fantastic. Just imagine the world most remote uninhabited island, with a turquoise lagoon, fine white sand, palm trees and clear blue skies. Awesome!. And we stayed there for the night on top of that, just sleeping on the beach, receiving sand in body openings you didn't know you had them!

Next day, after a coffee with the best view ever, we went back in the dinghy, right across the lagoon and again hitting the waves of the reef extremely hard. What and adrenaline rush that was..o my lord! We got soaked!
Again aboard the Bounty Bay, both mechanical problems and winds avoided us from leaving that same day. We left early morning on Monday though for our 75 mile (nautical mile that is, about 1800 meters) trip to Pitcairn Island. To give an idea: the average speed is just about 5 knots (nautical miles again) and hour, and even less during the next hours. It took us another 18 or 19 hours to approach Pitcairn. After my shift, I went outside, smoked a cigarette and in the near distance, about 9 miles further away, lit by the moon and the stars, I saw the contours of the rugged hills of Pitcairn. And well, that is where I am now, staying at a local home with a great family. Only around 50 travellers a year get to actually stay on the island, mainly going with the Bounty Bay vessel. So, yeah, it does feel quite unique and rewarding to have reached the most isolated country (well, semi-independent) in the world, with the lowest number of permanent inhabitants (just under 50) as well.
Again, for me, it doesn't get (or have to be) any more adventurous than this and it just feels extremely....WOW!
Ok, guys and girls, time to have a shave and a shower after spending most of the week at sea or remote beaches. Get back to you later with more details about life on Pitcairn. Will be here for another 4 days probably, so plenty of time to meet all people of this tiny piece of land in the Southern Pacific.
Cheers!

Rules and life on board of a 15 meter long vessel remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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On the Bounty with a 7th generation Christian

2009-04-08T12:27:58Z

I hear you think: are you on some kinda religious trip? No, a Christian in this case refers to the last name of one of the mutineers of the Bounty, back during the late 18th century. And now history repeats because I am on a boat called Bounty Bay with Andrew Christian, 7th generation of Fletcher Christian, the mutiny leader on the original Bounty. Luckily for me peace was kept on this boat.
So now I finally reached Pitcairn Island on one of the most adventurous trips I have ever taken and will probably ever take anyhow. Getting here from Europe requires at least 3 to 4 full days of travelling which is almost unheard of nowadays with all those airplanes being able to fly to every corner in the world.
I left Holland on Saturday the 7th of March and after a night at the airport I was ready for my marathon flight from Amsterdam via Paris and Los Angeles to Tahiti, which took a massive 29 hours. Still, due to the time difference we managed to arrive there the same day. After a good 14 hour sleep there wasn't much more I wished to do on Monday, but relax and drink a icecold Hinano Tahiti beer...or two.
On Tuesday, an early flight took me to Mangareva in the Gambier Archipelago, in the southeastern corner of French Polynesia. From the airport, a shuttle boat went to the main harbor where the captain of the Bounty Bay, Austrian Kurt, picked us up. Us in this case meant me and my cousin Eric (erodrigo on TP!), 4 Americans and a guy from Norway.

And from then on adventure started already. The Bounty Bay really is a basic boat! On top of that 3 of the Americans and the Norwegian guy were surprised that this wasn't a trip where diving was the main thing to do. So, well, after a while they just took off and were about to contact the owner, Dr. Graham, to get some clarification. Basically, my opinion is that they just weren't informed quite well....although everything is on the internet! Because of all this hassle we were not able to leave Mangareva on Tuesday anymore, so we spend the night on board, did some groceries (meaning beer) in the morning and finally took off early morning on Wednesday the 11th of March. So in this case, we meant only one American guy called Tom (great person!), my cousin and me, Kurt, Andrew and last but not least: Jack, the mechanic from Tuvalu. His skills were going to be of extreme importance during the next days. More about that in the next chapter!

Pitcairn, here I come!

On the Bounty with a 7th generation Christian remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Island Fever

2008-12-30T09:31:55Z

Yes, it does exist, island fever. Well, at least in one's mind. Right now I am in between two trips to several of the world's most beautiful islands.

I spend the whole month of November in the Caribbean and although most people go there on a cruise or spend a week doing close to nothing on a package holiday, basically the best way to travel around is arrange your flights between the islands (with LIAT..Leaves Island Any Time) and see what happens next. There really is a wide choice but the best islands are the ones which lack beaches or just have a few. Not surprisingly, these islands don't have any direct flights from North America or Europe, so it's just heaven there. Because yes, for the average person no beaches means no fun. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a few days at beaches myself, especially Maho Beach where the big airplanes land on Sint Maarten. And finding yourself all alone with your girlfriend on one of the few beaches on Dominica where parts of ' Pirates Of The Caribbean' has been filmed, is just awesome.

Dominica must be the most beautiful island in the region. Amazingly green, quiet and friendly with dozens of waterfalls, thousands of palm trees covering the mountain slopes and colourful villages and people.
Although a little less spectacular, Saba and Montserrat are definately two of my other favourites. So small, you can actually see the whole country at once if you place yourself on the right position on the island. And that is the great thing about these places called small islands: you can actually see and do everything that is possible.

So, one down, one to go. Another trip lasting about a month to one of the most off the beaten track island nations in the world: the Pitcairn Islands. I'll be heading there in March with a catamaran called 'Bounty Bay', leaving from Mangareva, French Polynesia. Getting to Mangareva alone is a long (and expensive!) series of flights from Amsterdam to Paris to LA to Tahiti to Mangareva, probably around 25 hours of flying time. But Mangareva has the airport which is nearest to Pitcairn, about 600 kilometers! There aren't many nations in the world which are so difficult to reach. This might just be the most difficult one, and together with the history regarding the mutiny on the Bounty, that is just the reason to go there. The destination is important, but just the travelling part is much nicer. Well, at least if I don't get seasick too much....

And did you know that the Pitcairn Islands actually consist of 4 islands. Of course there Pitcairn where the busload of people live but there is also Oeno, Henderson (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and totally off the beaten track Ducie. I'll be visiting all of these islands and Ducie is visited by just a few dozens of people every year. YEAH!!!

Island Fever remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Polders and Gouda cheese

2007-08-05T19:59:20Z

.....so today I visited that friend I mentioned earlier. He lives in Gouda for about a year now, so it became time to finally visit him.
But first I drove for a while in my car without airconditioning when temperatures were hitting a tropical 30 degrees Celcius. Not real fun, as it's just to hot to be honest. I decided to drive through the Dutch polders, more specifically the Alblasserwaard, a typical Dutch lowland area, with pictoresque places, canals and people enjoying a good bike ride or canoing that same canals. Of course, lots of windmills wich make the perfect postcard complete. It is just about half an hour from Utrecht and every day when I drive to work in Breda, I pass this area by just a few kilometers, driving the highway. Basically, it is a very small area between the cities of Utrecht, Gorinchem and Dordrecht, south of the city of Gouda where I went afterwards. First I had to cross a small river by boat, where people were having a good time on some very small beaches. After the crossing which probably took 2 minutes, it was jus a 15 minute drive before reaching one of the best known historic cities in the Netherlands, Gouda. Just like other cities as Edam or Alkmaar, it's known internationally because of its cheese and this is exactly the thing you see when walking across its small but beautifully presevered historic hart, with a central square and the town hall right in the middle of it. Also Gouda is just about half an hour from where I live, but I hadn't been there my entire life!
After a great meal and some refreshing drinks I turned home again. I had a great weekend, being a traveller in my home city and home country. Maybe I should do this more often.....but tomorrow there is work again to be done first.
Cheers! Michael

Polders and Gouda cheese remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Utrecht

2007-08-04T19:14:41Z

Sometimes you forget things. Not to say though that Mr. Alzheimer or Mr. Korsakov has paid a visit, it's just a way to speak. Sometimes you forget to really appreciate your own environment and surroundings. I travelled a fair bit during the last 5 or 6 years since I have enough time and money to see the world. Whether it's Australia, Africa or Cuba, the world is a beautiful place to visit and comparable to a book: if you don't travel you only read one page.
But today I really enjoyed being a traveller in my home city. I have been living in Utrecht for about 12 years now since I started my study here. That first year I found my way around the city, knowing places, visiting certain areas interesting for travellers from all over the world. But later on, it is just the city you study in, partying and finishing the same study so you have something to hold onto in life. Afterwards, you start to work, buy a house and like I said earlier, see this massive and fantastic planet earth.
But again, today I actually became a traveller at home. As the other half of my small family is in Prague right know and coincidentally the Dutch enjoyed one of the first true warm and sunny days today, I decided to just walk around the city, from my house, for the whole afternoon. Ok, I had a quick break for some cappucino and a glas of water (hey, it was warmer than I was used to!) but apart from that I just walked and kept on walking. True, Utrecht is more beautiful on a warm and sunny summerday, but any time of year is a good time to visit and enjoy the old canals and wharves, dotted with boats of all sorts (waterbikes, yaughts, tour boats), the windmill, the Dom tower, church and square and the small hidden backstreets and small squares. Combined with numerous terraces where people enjoy a good whitebeer. I must have taken at least 50 photos today, some of them to be uploaded later, so be patient dear reader...
As the Dutch summer is finally here and is going to reach another high tomorrow with temperatures up to 30 degrees, I might just fit in some other places nearby. I got a friend in Gouda......

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Machu Picchu and more Inca stuff

2006-12-12T13:41:27Z

Well everybody,
This will be my final travelblog of this trip.
The last couple of days I have seen more Inca temples than I needed to see actually. But Machu Picchu is really amazing though. It`s not the ruins itself but the stunningly beautiful setting it is in, surrounded by high mountains, peaks and a very green and lush vegetation. Butterflies, birds and other colourful animals surround you, as well as some orchids.
You can just sit up there for hours and soak it all in, trying to imagine how people lived here, and more important, how they build it. Discoverd relatively recent in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, it now is one of the most characteristic icons of south america and probably of the world. And visiting it is surely worth every penny or minute of travelling.
After Machu Picchu I also visited the Sacred Valley between Cuzco and Ollantaytambo, with more Inca temples in for example Pisac and Ollantaytambo itself. Although again very impressive and set in a mountain background, it`s the same as with asian temples....after a couple you have seen it actually. And of course, because there is so little known about the Inca period (they did not have any writings useful for scientific research), part of visiting the sites goes together with insecure theories and lots of `we think` and `possibly` quotes. So history goes along with rather vague theories, which of course makes you wonder a lot more and keeps it a secret as well. And maybe that is the real charme of visiting this Inca area, not knowing all the details about their history.
And saying this, I thank you all for reading and some for their comments on my travel blogs.
Cheers, Michael.

Machu Picchu and more Inca stuff remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Cuzco

2006-12-12T13:40:44Z

Hey,
2 days ago I arrived on what should be a comfortable 6 hour bustrip from Puno. Unfortunetaly, me and some other travellers were put on a very basic and slow bus full of peruvians and even more full with their stuff. Some people even asked me and others to put away some of their stuff, because on the road there are checkpoints and people need to pay tax for that....? Now, that`s strange for just a domestic bus ride isn`t it?
Well, all in all it was some experience and later that day I finally arrived in Cuzco, probably the oldest inhabited city in South America.
In contrast to that horrible hostal in Puno, I know stay in a decent place close to Plaza de Armas.
So what about Cuzco? Well, it`s a very welcoming and lovely place to walk, visit some (rather boring) museums, the beautifully decorated cathedral and other churches and plazas. But actually, after about 2 days I am glad to visit Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley the next days.
Cuzco isn`t that big, most churches look very much alike (same building style and colour) and I am really getting tired of people who want to clean my shoes, sell me postcards, drag in me into restaurants, asking for money, or sell me stuff that they imported from Taiwan. The city does seem to absorb the tourists quite well on the other hand.
Maybe I am just staying here as a starting point for Machu Pichu I don`t know, but it certainly is not nicer than the former places I have been to during this trip. Actually, since Uyuni most cities are rather boring and I liked Buenos Aires, Colonia, Salta or Tupiza better. Also the landscapes in northwest argentina and southwest bolivia were more beautiful. So yeah, probably I am just here to visit Machu Pichu.
More about that to come in the near future....cheers, Michael.

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Lake Titicaca

2006-12-12T13:40:22Z

Hi,
The last couple of days were nice as usual. On sunday I took a bus from La Paz to Copacobana at Lake Titicaca. The sky was clear and after spending some time in a sunday morning traffic jam in El Alto, the famous la pazian suburb, the mountains above La Paz showed all their beauty. Snow capped peaks towering more than 6000 meters high above the city is really an amazing thing to see. These mountains stayed with me for the whole trip and you could still see them rising out of the water at Lake Titicaca near Copacobana.
In this little hippies town in Bolivia I had my lunchbreak, before heading to Puno in Peru, also at Lake Titicaca. Copacobana is really nice, it even has its own beach, although less inviting at this altitude than the beach with the same name in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately I did not have time to spend some days here, because in less than a week I have to fly home again. That´s why I switched buses in Copacobana and headed for Puno. The main reason to go here, was to see the floating islands of the uros indians. More important than fishing, nowadays tourism is their main income. But actually I didn´t find it too crowded with people and the fact of the floating islands themselves is really unique in the world I guess. So my half day trip up on the lake was really ok and the sun even at een altitude of 3800 meters made it comfortable as well.
Cheers from Peru, Michael.

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La Paz

2006-12-12T13:40:00Z

Hi all,
I am in La Paz right now, not the capital of Bolivia (that`s Sucre) but surely the most important Bolivian city. I arrived here yesterday after a tiring trip from Uyuni by train and bus. The trip was very nice and not that bumpy though. And of course there was that traditional block that are part of life in Bolivia. I was lucky that it had only just begun and the bus could take a short cut. The roads from Oruro to Cochabamba and some to La Paz have bee blocked for days now.
Arriving in La Paz is probably the nicest part of a stay here. The view from El Alto at 4000 metres down to the city centre, surrounded by peaks up to 6500 metres is really impressive.
The city itself is very colourful, lively and a bit overwhelming as well. In general there is not so much to see and do in the city itself, although I found Plaza Pedro Murillo and the oldest part of La Paz around Calle Jaen with some terrific colonial style buildings, pleasant enough for a day of strolling.
So tomorrow I leave again, to Puno in Peru, after a brief stop in Copacobana at Lake Titicaca.
You here from me in Peru again!
Cheers, Michael.

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Rough but rewarding

2006-12-12T13:39:42Z

Hi,
It has been a while since you heard anything of me.

Last saturday I took the bus from Salta to the argentinian-bolivian border at La quica-villazon. From there I took the train to Tupiza, which was actually quite comfortable. Tupiza is nice to stay a day or so which I did. The city itself isn´t that much, a central plaza and some streets. But the countryside around Tupiza is very beautiful with some wild west landscapes, consisting of canyons and cacti. That´s why I took a afternoon stroll out of town to escape the boring town on a sunday.

On monday I started a 4 day tour in the southwestern part of Bolivia, which was really amazing, if not a little bit tiring as well, but that´s travelling as well.
The first day took us, me, 3 australians and an english girl, to the canyons and mountains from tupiza to san antonio de lipez, which is nothing more than a really small dusty village at about 4200 metres altitude. At night it cooled of quickly after it got dark, during the day it was actually quite nice.
The second day we drove along some deserted places and stunning landscapes, like Laguna Verde, a perfectly green lake. The lake is actually full of arsenicum and other deadly metals, and because of this there are no animals found here and the lake stays liquid even at temperatures of -20 degrees celcius. Highlight of the day were probably the geisers at an altiude of almost 5000 meters. Lots of boiling mudpooles and sulfur fumeroles which really made it unearthly and literally breathtaking. Although I haven´t suffered any altitude sickness as a matter of fact. Just breathing is more difficult and some tingling fingers but that was it. Maybe it was because I slowly got used to the altitude by staying in Tupiza at 3000 meters, or maybe because I am a smoker, already used to a lack of oxygen...
We also passed the dali desert, with some rock formations placed by salvador dali himself (just as his famous paiting). We slept at Laguna Colorada, a red lake because of the algue and full with flamingos as well. It got really cold here, probably around -10 degrees celcius with some winds.
The 3rd day we first went to the red lake itself, after that we drove to some desert landscapes to much photographed stone tree. After that it was a long day of driving before we arrived at the edge of the salar de uyuni, the biggest saltflat in the world and 40 meters thick as well!
Today we started pretty early at 5 o´clock to see the sun rise at the salar de uyuni. After that we went to the Isla de Pescado, were we had this amazing view across the saltflats and the cacti on the island itself. After breakfast we drove along the big saltflats to uyuni, visting the train cementary.

And now I am actually dead tired so I am going for a sleep, because my train from uyuni to oruro leaves at 2 am this night! In Oruro I will take the bus to La Paz, so hope to update my blog overthere.

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Cactus and Quebrada

2006-12-12T13:39:16Z

Hi,
The last few days were amazing. I did some daytrips west and south of Salta and the countryside is really terrific.
The first trip was to the west, going up to 3350 meters from where I had an amazing view over the Andes mountains. After that I went to the Los Cardones national park, with thousands of cactus up to 8 meters high. They have the shape of a candle...cardones for that reason. Then on to Cachi, a sleepy mountain village with a nice central plaza, like most south american cities have.
Today was even more beatiful as I went south to Cafayate, tasting some very nice wines over there. But before I reached Cafayate there is the Quebrada de Cafayate, a canyon shaped landscape with colours and rock shapes in all possbile ways. A frog, a monkey, the titanic, a submarine, indian face, a priest, a duck. And it really looked like it as well, I did´nt even had to look 12 times before I saw that shape.
By the way, the argentines drive like mad cows which adds to the adventure of course, well to a certain limit that is. But the good thing is that for a carnivore like me, there is always a nice restaurant waiting with lamb or baby goat that goes right into my stomach.
Two great but tiring days, so it´s time for a beer and a good night sleep, because tomorrow I will have a long day of travelling, across the border into Bolivia and hopefully I reach Tupiza the same day.
Cheers, Michael.

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Salta

2006-12-12T13:38:54Z

Well, hi everyone,
Just a short update of my travelling so far. I had a flight from Buenos Aires to Salta last tuesday.
So by know I have seen most of Salta, as it´s not that big. It has a really nice charm, and in contrast with buenos aires, you see more people with indian blood, which makes the city more colourful. The city itself is colourful as well, with it´s art deco coloured churches and cathedrals. These are really the highlights of the city, as for the rest it´s just relaxed but nothing spectactular. With the teleferico I went up to about 1500 metres for a view of salta and the andes. Well, at least salta, because of the hazy wheather conditions you couldn´t see much more than let´s say 10 or 15 kilometres. Well, I will see that mountains the next few weeks a lot I think....probably will be looking forward to flat holland after that!
By the way, Argentina is much cheaper than 5 years ago when I was there. The reason is probably that the peso and dollar aren´t connected anymore, as now you get more than 3 pesos a dollar, almost 4 for a euro. Well, I don´t mind, but life has´nt become better these days for lots of argentinian people, especially outside buenos aires and here in the north.
But still, it´s an amazing country and the next few days I will be exploring the landscapes around Salta. Keep you updated!
Cheers, Michael.

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Daytrip to Uruguay

2006-12-12T13:38:19Z

Hi everybody who may ever read this,

After a hard day of work, that is walking around hectic buenos aires, i found my luggage on my room in the evening. thank god that it was there, i was starting to become to smelly..
Today i changed hectic buenos aires for a day to quiet colonia del sacramento. With a fast boat, around 70km/hour it´s just about an hour to that town. I spend about 5 hours of walking there, which actually is more than enough. But it´s a very nice and relaxing place, slow going in general, and compared to for example trinidad in cuba, not that touristy, but also less beautiful by the way. I know, i should´nt compare things, but i do it anyway..
Buenos aires, although hectic, is a really nice and big city. But tomorrow I am changing it for Salta, as my starting point for my overland travel to Cuzco, Peru, through Bolivia.

Well, I would say cheers, as I am going for a nice cold beer now, it´s really warm here for winter time!
Michael.

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Lost luggage

2006-12-12T13:37:59Z

Hi everybody,

Well, I arrived in Buenos Aires yesterdag evening, but unfortunately, my backpack wanted to stay in Amsterdam. It doesn´t like the cold belly of the plane I guess. But he has to pay: now he has to fly at night, when it´s even colder...at least the Iberia help desh said the bagage will come in the morning. Probably I will see it when I get back from my day stroll in Buenos Aires.
It´s sunday so it´s relatively quiet in this 14 million inhabitants city. Shops were just opening on the central pedestrian Florida avenue.
Did some relaxing at the Plaza the Mayo, where the presidential palace is. After that I took a walk around the main east-west corridor, Avenue de Mayo, crossing what is probably the widest boulevard in the world, 6 de julio. It has 10 lanes...each direction. The obelisk which is here is a clear landmark, and getting lost in BA is almost impossible.
Well, that´s it for now, I hope I will be reunited with my luggage today.

Michael.

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Less than two weeks to go..

2006-12-12T13:42:08Z

Still have to work two weeks before taking the plane to South America.
I have been doing some reading the last few weeks and some highlights really shouldn't be missed.
Probably will go to Colonia, Uruguay from Buenos Aires...for the colonial stuff.
The southwest circuit in bolivia, with altiplano, lakes and salt flats is on my list as well.
Of course I want to stay in La Paz for a while and hope to do the downhill mountainbike track to Coroico. Any readers done this...any recommendations would be welcome.
And of course Machu Pichu, but that's the major thing in south america and although probably very very touristy I really want to see it.
Well, still preparing some things the next days. Next entry will ben somewhere in Buenos Aires I think.

Michael.

Less than two weeks to go.. remains copyright of the author Utrecht, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Off to Buenos Aires in 4 weeks

2006-12-12T13:42:24Z

Well hi everybody,

Less than 4 weeks to go before I fly from Amsterdam to Madrid and on to Buenos Aires. Staying there for several days I will go on to Salta and start my overland trip through Bolivia and on to Machu Pichu.
I am really looking forward to see Buenos Aires, the southwest circle in Bolivia, La Paz and of course Machu Pichu.
Hope to see a lo more of course, recommendations by anyone are appreciated.

I am still in doubt about buying a warm sleeping bag for the cold nights and how may picture memory I will take with me. But that's the fun before you go right.

Cheers, Michael.

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