Lima sights!

Arrived in Lima at 1 am Santiago time. 2 hours behind in Lima, so it was 1100 pm. Cleared customs ok, but our luggage was nowhere to be found. Had to speak to the information desk and then airline staff who eventually located it. Not sure where it was or why it wasnt on the carousel, but thank goodness it hadn't gone elsewhere. Another smooth transfer with driver and tour guide. Tour guide very helpful and suggesting some ideas for sightseeing tomorrow. 30 min trip to hotel. By the time we checked in and got to bed it was 3 am Santiago time or 1 am Lima time.

Up for breakfast by 9.20. Discovered the Camerons had been booked into a different hotel. We decided to walk to Huaca Pucllana, about 15 mins from our hotel. This is a historic archeological site which continues to be excavated to this day. It is a ceremonial site which dates back to 400AD involving the Lima and Wari cultures. An adobe pyramid dominates the site and was constructed in a bookshelf pattern which has resulted in it resisting damage from earthquakes. We toured the site which used to be a dirt bike motorcycle track until excavations commenced in 1981. Definitely the oldest ruins that we've ever seen.

Pre and post-excavation

Still a lot of excavating to do!

While waiting for our lunch companions we sipped on pisco sours at a restaurant which overlooks the site.

We spent the afternoon at the Museo Larco which houses Peru's largest collection of pre-Columbian artefacts. Amazing textiles, jewellery and ceramics, particularly from the Moche era. One of the best museums I've visited.

The X-rated Moche collection is housed in a separate wing of the museum

Sunset drinks at Barranco on the coast and then a light dinner back at Miraflores. 

Hola Santiago!

Went to bed last night at 8 pm, woke several times. Very dehydrated, drinking lots of water which is very unusual for me. A little traffic noise from the street. Eventually woke at 8.20am with the morning sunrise. yes, that's right. 8.20 sunrise! 

Had breakfast and then set off on the city hop on -  hop off turistik bus. Stop 3 very close to our hotel. $40per ticket. Always a nice way to see the city especially from the top deck of a double decker bus. Felt like we were back on the e-e3 bus as simon and jenny reserved the front seat for Jack. 

Stopped at the "burnside village" of santiago, but shopping malls are the same the whole world over. Interesting to compare prices though. Went into a Merrells shop and the hiking shoes were similar prices, not much cheaper than sale prices at home. left them on the shelf. they did have a Starbucks there and I managed to order a coffee, cheesecake and panini. Boarded the bus again and got off at Bellavista. This is a arty bohemian enclave of Santiago. Trendy cafes and shops. Walked around the backstreets - beautiful spanish - influenced architecture, brightly coloured painted dwellings with decorative and ornate wrought iron window grilles. splashes of bright colours-yellows, greens, purples, all the colours of the rainbow. Liquid refreshments to quench the thirst at a bar, gin alexander for me. Nice warm weather again today, 25c.

Back on the bus, next stop - museum of fine arts. entry $1.20. Magnificent domed hall surrounded by marble sculptures by local artists. Exhibition by Finnish artist Kaarina ? - displaying rows of mens and womens shirts suspended from the ceiling of the Grand Hall. Most of the artwork not to my liking, except for 1 beautiful piece depicting a snow or ice covered mountain range with 2 rainbows in the foreground. A mesmerizing piece of work.

Waiting for the next bus, we practiced our Spanish comparing phrases from Simon's Spanish book and our Latin American phrase book. I think ours is a little more accurate for the local gringo lingo. Back at the hotel to check out, trying to use the wi-fi to blog. Busy traffic during the peak hour. Chilean working hours are generally 8.30-6.15 with 1 hour for lunch for businesses. Factory workers work from 5.30-5.30. Mostly flat terrain in the metro area means that cycling is ideal, though many still drive cars or use buses or the subway trains. The main thoroughfares are tree-lined, with numerous monuments and statues, approx 800 in total in Santiago. 

Nestled on a valley between the Andes and another smaller range. These mountains are shrouded in a haze of dust and pollution, but even in autumn, there is snow evident on a couple of the high peaks. Most of the peaks surrounding Santiago are approx. 2000m. Santiago was named after the apostle, James. Roman Catholicism was the official religion until the 1900's.
First scare of the trip- inadvertantly left my purse in the public toilets at the airport departure lounge. Realised after 5 mins, returned to found it gone. Panicking, I started to look in other cubicles when a young woman asked if I had left a cell phone behind. When I replied yes, she said she had found it and handed it in to security. What a stroke of luck!  I thanked her profusely.

Luckily, it was only my phone and a purse with a few non- essential items. All my money and passport being carried on my person in a money belt! 

Now en-route to Peru, with an evening flight to Lima, due to arrive 2310. Adios Chile, Hola Peru!

Day 1 - Up, Off and Away!

Up early for 7am departure from Adelaide - Sydney. 

Trouble checking in as Qantas couldn't find the international connection for me. After fifteen minutes and several phone calls to Qantas admin, finally sorted.

Very pleased with myself with checked in backpack weighing only 8.1kg. Met Jenny and Barb at Sydney International airport.

Smooth transfer for Sydney -Santiago sector. Flight 12 hours duration and with crossing the international dateline, you gain a day and arrive at the same time on the same day you depart!
Managed to snatch a few hours sleep. No problems with customs and immigration and met by our driver for the hotel transfer. Smog prevented a clear view, however the majestic Andes mountain range was still an awe-inspiring sight. Santiago, the capital of Chile is home to about 7 million people, about 40% of the total population. The metropolis is a mix of old and new architecture.  To reduce the effect of jetlag, we spent the afternoon walking and exploring the city centre, taking in a few sights including the Plaza De Armas.

Finished off the day with happy hour drinks at Bellavista sipping on the local favourite, a pisco sour.

Let's Hit the Gringo Trail, Amigos!

Initially this trip was to be in 12 months time.
Then we heard on the grapevine that some friends were planning to trek in Patagonia and then spend sometime in Peru.
It was a great opportunity to share the experience and so plans were hatched.
Not one to rush around and try to see everything in one trip, and with time constraints, the decision was made to choose a few areas and spend a decent amount of time exploring and enjoying each one
35 days - most of it in 3 areas of Peru - Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, Puno and Lake Titicaca, and Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, including Machu Picchu
Nazca, Iquitos, the Cordillera Blanca and Iguazu Falls did not make the cut, this time
I think that there will be a next time, just not sure when....

Darkest Peru - Paddington Bear and Other Things

I am only a few days away from leaving on a trip that I have been dreaming of for many years
As I was contemplating the trip a few days ago, I remembered my first memory of Peru - from my childhood when I used to read the adventures of Paddington Bear. He was from a place called "Darkest Peru" and as a child, South America seemed an exotic place.
And even today, it still does.
I feel like a girl, about to embark on a GAP year holiday....never mind the fact that it is only a five week trip, and that I'm about 30 years older. The backpack is packed, and thanks to my ultralight camping friends, it weighs only 8kg!!
I'm not sure whether I have room for Paddington Bear.....

Second Creek - Torrens to Source

Save the Date ....Sunday November 3, 2013 

 

Last Sunday was my first hike for the New Year - a reconnaissance for a walk planned later this year with my friend Simon. The walk is nostalgic for him as Second Creek runs through the backyard of his childhood home. The rest of the details will be revealed if you book onto his walk.......

This walk coinicided with the first rain of the year, courtesy of a tropical jetstream generated by Cyclone Narelle. I love to walk in the rain - I call it "liquid sunshine".

We met at Tusmore Ave (adjacent to Simon's family home and the local primary school) for a car shuffle up to Hallett Road. From there,with umbrellas up, we set off on foot and discovered Michael Perry Reserve.
Burnside Council have been conducting a regeneration and biodiversity project there since 1996. Channels and resting ponds have been built into rock ramps in the creek to assist rare native fish and other aquatic species to move up and down the creek. Michael Perry Reserve was part of a vast estate established in the 1850's. There are numerous exotic plantings on both sides of the creek imported by the estate owner during late 1800's - enormous Bunya pines, elms, oaks, palms, succulents - just to name a few. This reserve is a real hidden gem.

As we followed the creek upstream, the Stonyfell Quarry prevented any further pedestrian access. We tried to find a break in the boundary fence by exploring other side streets, but commonsense prevailed as it would be trespassing on private property.

I suggested a route up Slapes Gully Road, then Thorpe Court into Greenhill Conservation Park. Simon had forgotten this track, but had used it before for Kokoda training (Read: Killer Hill training!!!).The sky was now clearing and the rain had stopped, so umbrellas were packed away. Views from the top of this climb are rewarding, looking out across the Adelaide Plains to the Gulf. The track heads towards Greenhill, then down into Slapes Gully back to the creek. There is quite a distinct foot track to follow in an easterly direction and here the thick scrub is competing with blackberry bushes. We came upon a water-drop and rake, suggesting that perhaps some eradication work was being done in the area. Not long after, we came across a substantial cairn and beyond that no obvious track. The source of Second Creek is just east of the cairn, located near Ridge Road, Greenhill/Horsnell Gully.Simon was now satisfied that he had found it, at last.

We retraced our steps and found a faint track leading across the dry creek bed, and then it got interesting. The track was very overgrown here and barely passable, more like an animal track. Of course, this only meant one thing - bush bashing! What's a walk with Simon without some serious off-trail bushbashing!

We needed to get some elevation, but the only way to achieve this was to head up-hill. Yes, a hill that was at least a 40degree angle with significant dense undergrowth. I am not one to baulk at a hill-climb challenge - the only way was UP! The climb took close to 30 mins and I invented a new hiking posture whilst scrambling up that hill - "The Turtle". I can only imagine that's what I looked like crawling up this slope on all fours with my backpack on!

At the top, with the overhead powerlines as a navigation guide, Simon reckoned we were at the top of the quarry near Gandy's Gully. We meandered down some tracks and came out near the top of one of the familiar Gandy's tracks. From there, it was downhill to the Gandy's cairn. Having not been past there for nearly 12 months, there were a couple of new additions. The first was a logbook which had been placed there by friends in memory of a mate who had accompanied them on a Kokoda trek and had used the hills of Gandy's to train. Inside the logbook was a poem, titled "The Dragon" - I won't reveal anymore, to entice you to visit the cairn and enjoy reading it yourself.

Then it was more downhill - a little treacherous because of the damp track and also because, oops, we had left our walking poles back in the car.The blackberry bushes in Gandy's, though a curse, look magnificent and their fruit should be ripening in the next few weeks. Seems like a February feast is on the cards!

The sun had now made an appearance and so had the humidity. We headed back to the car and finished the 15km circuit in just over 3 hours. Of course, no walk with Simon is complete without an icecream - his choice, chocolate gelato.

A great day's hiking. Can't wait for the extended version...

Deep Creek

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language” – Henry James 

I came across this quote whilst reading on a lazy afternoon.....

This year we were looking for a getaway experience for New Years Eve. I had already explored ideas of hiking and staying in a Forestry SA hut, but found out they are closed during the fire-ban season. After Xmas, Jack suggested overnight camping in Deep Creek Conservation Park – great idea! 

One of my favourite hiking spots, we had stayed at Goondooloo Cottage previously and I had also stayed at Glenburn Cottage, but had never camped. Not having enough lightweight gear or proper pannier storage for the motorbike, (we can leave that adventure until next time!), we chose car camping. The park has 5 campgrounds, 4 with vehicle access, Eagle Waterhole on the Heysen Trail being the only hike-in site.

Leaving home on New Year’s Eve with a compulsory bakery stop at Yankalilla, we arrived at the Park just after 11am. We were keen to camp at Cobbler Hill due to its accessibility to Blowhole Beach and Cobbler Hill Lookout. It was also the smallest, with only 10 sites available. The campground is surrounded by scrub, mainly pink gum eucalypts and xanthorrhoea. It has toilets and rainwater tanks. (Treat before use). It is first come, first served at the campgrounds, not being able to pre-book sites even in peak holiday periods. We were surprised to find only 3 other groups already there, so were thrilled with our good fortune. We set up camp and were sitting down to a celebratory bevvie by 1215. 

The temptation of a swim was too good to refuse, so we drove down to Cobbler Hill lookout. From there is a 3km 4WD track to Blowhole Beach. Jack decided that he and the Subaru were up to the challenge of negotiating the steep track and the car slowly crawled down the track in first gear, safely avoiding most of the bumpy hazards with just a couple of audible scrapes for the undercarriage. There were several groups of people enjoying the beach – body boarding, picnicking and rock fishing. A stiff on-shore breeze stopped us being lured in to the crystal clear cerulean water.

 

 

There are several short but hard hikes in that area of the Park – the Blowhole Beach hike and the Blowhole Beach – Cobbler Hill - Marrano Creek circuit. No hiking this time - we decided to return to camp and spent a lazy afternoon reading and relaxing. It was also a time for reflecting on the year that was and looking forward with anticipation to another year ahead...
2012 - A hiking fest!

• Peak bagging the three highest summits in NSW, ACT and Vic
• Trekking the Larapinta Trail
• Continuing my second traverse of the Heysen Trail with End-End 5
• Stealth camping and ridge top walking on the eastern rim peaks of Wilpena Pound
• Climbing the iconic Patawarta Hill
• Accompanying friends over the finish line to complete their Heysen Trail experience in the mid-north and the Flinders Ranges

2013 - A long-awaited trip to Machu Picchu!

There was a visit from the Rangers checking on fee payments and to remind campers that sparklers were banned from celebrations later that evening. After a curry dinner, we walked up to the lookout to enjoy the last sunset of 2012 and shared it with a mob of Western Grey Kangaroos foraging on the grasslands.

The campground had filled up during the afternoon mainly with Gen Y campers, who partied on through the night till the wee small hours and festively welcomed in the New Year. My final images of 2012 were of a night sky, full of stars - spying Venus, the Seven Sisters and several satellites

Our New Year’s Resolution? - overnight camp at all campgrounds in Deep Creek in 2013...
1 down – 4 to go!