Highlights

I said in an earlier posting that both while we were travelling, and since we have been back, we frequently have been asked which was our favourite country or place.  I also said that I find it impossible to give a single answer to that question as I don't feel I can reduce such a fabulous year down to just one 'best' thing.

So instead, we have come up with a short-list of our highlights from this first year.  In no particular order, it would have to include:
* laid back and gastronomically fabulous Palermo area of Buenos Aires, not least for its cafes, cakes, steak and wine.
* amazing scenery on the Bolivian Altiplano between the Atacama Desert and the Uyuni Salt Flats;
* satisfaction at managing a proper conversation in Spanish with our home stay host in Raqchi, even if our teacher would have been horrified at all of the mistakes;
* exhilaration of adventure activities, such as ziplining, white water rafting and sand boarding;
* relief that we all made it safely out of the fire at Shangri-la
* unconditional friendliness from Colombians who were so pleased to welcome us as tourists to their country;
* seeing the moai left as they were abandoned in the quarry on Easter Island;
* watching - and more particularly hearing - chunks of ice cleaving off the vast and beautiful Perito Moreno glacier;
* grandeur of the fjords, lakes, mountains and volcanoes of southern Chile;
* experiencing the strange feeling of being in a village in England despite being 8000 miles away in the Falkland Islands and having the chance to talk to the islanders first hand about how they feel about the question of their nationality;
* being pecked by penguins and watching their comical antics in the Falklands and Antarctica;
* simply being in Antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest, and highest place on earth;
* getting wet at the spectacular Iguassu Falls;
* meeting some fabulous people, some fleetingly, some who have become friends and we will hopefully be seeing again sometime, somewhere in the world!

Over the coming weeks I may add a few posts about some of these highlights and what made each of them so special.

Bolivian Altiplano

Bolivian Altiplano

After the sewage smell of the campsite, no-one was sorry to leave.  Not so keen on the 7:30am start though, especially as I was on the cook group for breakfast, which meant I had to be up at 6am!

Bolivian Altiplano



The first day’s journey was only about 150km, but it took us all day.  And as this was the day when we hit our highest altitude, a couple of our group got quite ill.

Bolivian Altiplano



However for the rest of us the journey was a real highlight.  We all have i-pods, books, playing cards etc to keep us amused on long trips, but we spent most of the time just staring out of the window, not wanting to miss the next spectacular view.

Bolivian Altiplano







Our first stop was a white lake, which is white because of the calcium carbonate (chalk) in the water. It looked amazing.  A nearby mountain hosted NASA scientists for a couple of years because it apparently has a similar structure to that of Mars. 

Bolivian Altiplano



Close by was the Laguna Verde (Green Lagoon), which as you can  

probably guess is green.  This lake is lifeless, because it contains magnesium, calcium and arsenic, which makes it poisonous to all wildlife.  Nearby was Llicancahur, a 5,868m high volcano.

Bolivian Altiplano





Bolivian Altiplano



Bolivian Altiplano



We then passed through the Dali desert, which featured in one of Dali’s paintings, before stopping for lunch at Polques, on another lake that had some thermal springs, where a few of the group decided to take a dip.





 



Bolivian Altiplano



Bolivian Altiplano



We then wound our way up to 5,000 metres to the top of Sol de Manana, which is an an area of constant volcanic activity, emitting sulphurous gases, steam and geysers that can reach 150°c.  Our guide led us around this area very carefully as a wrongly placed foot can go through the thin surface and create a new steam hole right under you.

Bolivian Altiplano



Bolivian Altiplano



Our next stop was the Laguna Colorada, which is a 45km² red lake.  This has to be seen to be believed as it just seems so unlikely.  But it is really very red and really very beautiful.  The colour is caused by algae, similar to that which makes flamingos pink.





Mallcu, Villa Mar, Bolivian Altiplano



From there we made our way to Mallcu, Villa Mar, where we were to spend the night in a very basic stone lodge.  The walls were a bit like unclad breeze blocks and there was no heating, so we were prepared for it to be very cold indeed and layered up accordingly.  But in fact the thick bedding that they gave us was very effective, and we ended up having to take layers back off during the night.  That was all the more impressive given that when we were ready to leave the next day, Cameron’s water tank was frozen and unusable.  As drinking a lot of water is important at altitude, we made use of our steripen to purify some local water for the group until the tank defrosted.

Valle del Brocas, Bolivian Altiplano



In the morning we set off again, thankfully with most of our group feeling much better.  Our next stop was in the Valle del Brocas – the valley of rocks, which consists of many volcanic rock formations that are 25,000 years old.  Our guide showed us around and pointed out the rocks that, with a bit of imagination, looked like people, condors and parrots.







Flamingoes on Bolivian Altiplano



He told us about a strange plant that was growing on some of the rocks.  It looks like a light green moss, but is rock hard except for its tiny red flowers.  It grows only one centimetre per year.  Inside it is a bit like burnt wood and is used for fuel.  It is also a medicinal plant as they crush it into a resin and then use it to make a liquid to treat pain.

 

Bolivian Altiplano



The rocks here also act as home to the local chinchillas so we waited patiently while our guide, with the aid of an apple, coaxed one of them out of its sleep.  It is like a large rabbit but with a long tail, and timid though it was, it did give in to the temptation of the apple, so we all got to see it. 





Cameron and friends



 Driving along, as well as the usual llamas and vicuna, we also saw a rhea, which is like an emu.  It decided to challenge Cameron and ran alongside us.  It did OK for a bit but soon ran out of puff and gave up.



Llama



We finished the day in Uyuni, which will be the subject of a new posting, but though we were all tired from two long days of travel over rough terrain, we all agreed that the journey had been amazing for the sheer magnificence of the scenery.