andy and jenny

england

2010-06-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

back in london! we just couldn't pass up the opportunity for a twelve day stop over just to say hello/goodbye one last time. luckily we landed about ten hours before all flights were grounded due to the volcanic ash cloud. whew.

after meeting up with ma, we stroll around hamstead and the heath.

on top parliament hill for a packed lunch.

kenwood house.

signs of spring...

snap happy dinnendahls.

odd tree trimming.

inside tate britian...

...?

daffodils in bloom in green park.

newly renovated stockwell skatepark.

peter henry stuart hambly.

busy portobello market...

...and an equally busy borough market for lunch.

lincoln's inn fields across from the fascinating sir john soane's museum.

curry with jenny and carla!

drinks with harry!

double decker...front row.

the british museum...

...and the parthenon marbles that belong in athens...not here.

on the thames for a quick cruise.

above trafalgar square.

royal albert hall for some symphony...

outside of london we visit the beautiful cotswolds with auntie maria.

thatched roof.

tea time in bourton-on-the-water.

the very cute lower slaughter.

typical cotwold stone fence.

oxford!

radcliffe camera.

inside the divinity school within the bodleian library...one of the oldest in europe.

up the tower of university church, st mary's.

bridge of sighs.

dinner at shanghai 30's to celebrate auntie maria's birthday.

back in london and off the check out the 'eye'.

up we go.

trafalgar square and nelson's column in the centre.

south london.

westminster bridge and the clock tower.

the inner courtyard at the victoria and albert museum...

fine wine and cheese at gordon's wine bar...

...followed by the entertaining musical 'wicked'.

and just because we can...a day trip to paris.

the musee d'orsay...

baguette!

the oldest planned square in paris, and one of our favourite spots in paris...place des vosges.

back in london, and the good weather continues.

we visit shanna...and meet super cute india.

tea in the park.

india with dad...andrew.

to the seaside to meet my old work-mates in brighton.

thom, martyn and mitch.

dave, adam and dan...

meanwhile in london jenny visits with her old work-mates anne and rachel.

ben and sarah...whose wedding we attended before leaving london...nearly two years ago.

more curry with adam and emma.

at heathrow...

...in australia.

we arrive unannounced...and here we are just moments before waking up the parents.

trip over! thats 690 days from london to london to melbourne.

thanks for checking out the blog!

feel free to to come down and visit us anytime...you're always welcome at ours.

and for the next adventure? parenthood.

argentina

2010-05-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

we approach glaciar perito moreno in parque nacional los glaciares...

the glaciar descends into lago argentino...at some points 60m above the water and some 5km wide.

on a boat for a close look...

...and the view from above.

occasionally pieces break off and float off as icebergs...

impressive.

the trekking continues. now outside the town of el chalten and walking below the peaks of the fitz roy massif.

pointy cerro torre and laguna torre.

heading towards our next camp, just beyond laguna hija.

another camp, another kitchen.

monte fitz roy.

monte fitz roy's reflection in laguna de los tres.

with our backs to fitz roy we look down towards el chalten town.

back at camp for an afternoon nap.

scrambling through white granite boulders to reach laguna piedras blancas...

...below glaciar piedras blancas.

yet another view of monte fitz roy, this time from the shores of laguna sucia.

luckily we were able to use this 'climbers cabin' when the weather got bad...and it got awful with rain/snow/wind gusts. still sleeping in our tent, we passed the day in the shelter by reading.

moving on...our campsite next to laguna capri.

glaciar piedras blanca from a distance.

one last glance at fitz roy...

nearly back at el chalten and the view down valle rio de las vueltas.

all the basics are so much better after camping...hot showers, soft bed, and home cooked meals at albergue patagonia.

a photo of a photo showing part of the ice mass known as hielo sur just beyond monte fitz roy.

the lovely couple that kindly drove us to the town of esquel.

el bolson and its popular market.

finally we make it to bariloche on the north shore of lago nahuel huapi in the lake district. the view from our hostel was spectacular.

our good friends mark and jenny from london join us for the adventure.

we head out for the day west of bariloche to the viewpoint atop cerro campanario.

cold home-brew beers at cerveceria blest.

more trekking...

we venture up through lenga forests from the ski village of villa catedral.

up towards more rocky surroundings.

laguna tonchek and the peaks of cordon catedral.

the pointy columns around cerro catedral.

steep steep up...

...and more up...above laguna schmoll.

a quick stop on top cancha de futbol.

then going down the other side.

steep steep down.

and up again on paso brecha negra...

...and down to our campsite at laguna jakob.

set up.

with some time to spare before nightfall we check out laguna los tempanos.

definitely not a secure bridge. mark hangs on.

back in bariloche.

now weore in wine country outside mendoza. we hire bikes, cruise around, tour wineries and sample wines.

bodega familia di tomaso, one of the oldest wineries in argentina. founded 1869.

easter sunday...

...out for a stroll and picnic in plaza independencia.

another winery tour and museum at bodega la rural.

next stop...and our last on the continent...super cool buenos aires.

the very old lift in our lift in our hostel's building.

laura and mark, on their way back to the uk from new zealand, stop by for drinks.

a maze of tombs in cementerio de la recoleta.

just a touch?

a big metal flower in plaza de las naciones unidas. the pedals open at dawn and close at dusk.

old theater turned book shop.

mmm steak and wine.

tango mural along our walk from san telmo to la boca.

one of many many maradonas

the port district of la boca.

brightly coloured tin and wooden houses along caminito.

puerto madero dock...19th century warehouses are now restaurants and bars and apartments.

back in san telmo for some drinks...

soda and grenadine.

mesmerized by the steps and music of the tango...

palacio del congreso.

more wine...

the widest avenue in south america, avenida 9 de julio and plaza de la republica and obelisk.

our last day and its a busy one. its sunday so the famous antiques market in san telmo is on in plaza dorrego.

loads of interesting stuff to look at...

one last argentinian steak...

...and then football. boca juniors.

...and drinks with carli and augustina, friends we met in bolivia.

now...the trip is over. well...nearly over. before we head to australia we have to make just one more stop...

chile

2010-05-05T19:24:00.001-07:00

34 hours by bus and we are transported to modern santiago. a world of difference from bolivia.

out with mates from england, jemma and alfonso...and their chilean friends.

ladies and gentlemen, the band.

we enjoy many piscolas...

alfonso!

frida!

about 2 hours drive and we are on the coast for a gathering at a mates of alfonso's. this cabin/house is amazing...

...and the location, stunning.

alf and jemma!

constantly something meaty on the bbq...

jemma serves it up.

porch jam session.

a short walk and you're on the private beach...

...down we go.

farewell dinner...jemma's fish pie, mmmm. thanks for havin' us alfonso and jemma!

now much further south, into parque nacional torres del paine in patagonia. we set of to circumnavigate the paine massif, seen here.

day 1!

rio paine.

cerro almirante nieto.

our riverside campsite.

day 2. windy viewpoint overlooking lago paine.

a further 2 hours and we arrive at the greyish greenish waters of lago dickson.

and further still to laguna de los perros where we'll camp.

jenny's kitchen.

day 3. going up and getting increasingly windy, we look back at our route...

its so windy at this point its difficult to stand still. as we walk, gusts nearly blow us over. luckily there is this wind shelter.

the view of the enormous glaciar grey opens up before us as we continue. wow.

day 4. glaciar grey meets lago grey.

considering the position of that tree, probably not the best spot to pitch a tent?

day 5. grazing ducks by turquoise lago pehoe.

towering above us, cuernos del paine.

we venture up valle de frances to our campsite.

setting up the kitchen/dining area.

ice formed 'horns' on the peak of cerro paine grande.

day 6. looking down valle de frances over lago pehoe.

ice chucks noisily fall off glaciar frances.

the scenery continues to impress...postcard perfect.

tediously beautiful...

a massive massive ice chunk dislodges...thunderous noise.

a luxurious campsite with a table! our new friend helen joins us.

dayt 8. an early start to see torres del paine at dawn.

on the move again and now in central patagonia. rainy weather halts our trekking plans, so we take our time 'village hoping' slowly making our way north along the carretera austral. here we are in puerto tranquilo on lago buenos aires, the second largest natural lake in south america.

villa cerro castillo.

we travel with andy and julia (germany) and hiro (japan) for a couple of days...

near the village is an ancient rock-art site, painted by ancestors of the tehuelche people...perhaps 6000 years ago?

we were being watched...

also known as the 'southern highway'.

a 'huaso'...a chilean cowboy.

scenic puyuhuapi, on the puyuhuapi fjord.

our lovely hosts, who always had the fire going for us.

slatted wood church in futaleufu...

no buses running into argentina today...

...so with our new friend olivia, we attempt to hitchhike but end up walking the 10km to the border.

bolivia part four - volunteering

2010-03-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

after some successful fund raising and planning, david (cedesol founder/director) and i fly to trinidad (...bolivia) in the amazon basin to implement our project. here 14 rocket stoves and one solar cooker are loaded up and ready to be delivered.

we drive to ibiato county (2 hours from trinidad) and visit 3 communities. heres village number 1.

the traditional cooking methods involve an open fire indoors...which leads to many health complications and deaths.

black soot covers surfaces around the kitchen area.

interested villagers listen to david explain the solar cooker. thankfully we had a sunny day.

plantains and chicken on the rocket stove.

village kids cooling off.

the rocket stoves in village number 3.

keen villagers helping with the construction of a rocket stove.

hugo, director of environmental issues of counties surrounding trinidad on my left, village leader on my right.

we take a boat trip with local officials to asses aid and requirements for families displaced by the flooding. here are temporary shelters along the highway.

one family's shelter deep in the jungle, only accessible by boat.

speeding through flooded rainforest.

the main square in trinidad.

as i sit on a park bench, a sloth makes its way down the tree opposite me and starts to venture across the busy street. i walk with it (as it crawls slowly) so no cars hit it. one car stops...guy gets out and simply picks it up and puts it back in the tree...where it climbs back up. ???

kids armed and ready with their water balloons...waiting for passing motorbikes and cars.

an overall success. the 14 rocket stoves and 1 solar cooker were distributed amongst families in the 3 villages. below is our amateur video of the days events. thanks again to all the generous people who helped out and donated. cheers!!!

bolivia part three - cochabamba

2010-03-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

the 'city of eternal spring'...cochabamba. here we'll settle for one month and get involved in some volunteering.

up the hill not far from our house sits 'cristo de la concordia', bigger than the one in rio.

our house as seen from the cristo.

our spacious and comfy abode (which we found through the sustainable bolivia organization), complete with fantastic flatmates.

we start volunteering at cedesol which makes and distributes low carbon emission stove and solar cookers. here the solar cooker cooking some chicken and plantains.

a gathering to celebrate the closing of the kyoto twist urban project in which 100 families took part in the solar cooker trial. all that food was cooked in solar cookers. tasty.

flatmate brid (centre) make us all lasagna to celebrate her 21st.

solar cookers under construction in the cedesol workshop.

helping freddy and miguel with some construction...as i will be building one for us to use in australia.

all done.

jenny cooking for 13 at our fund raising dinner...many thanks to those who attended and helped out!

the dinner went great.

erik (founder of sustainable bolivia), me, mirka, and corrine out to celebrate rachel's 30th.

birthday girl rachel and steff.

cochabamba's wilstermann vs. la paz's 'the strongest'.

riot police create a shelter so that the visiting team can take corners without getting showered by projectiles. hilarious.

getting down to an afro-bolivian beat.

dalphine and brid.

jazz band at the irish pub.

out on a late night stencil mission with mirka and local artist 'matte arte'.

mirka goes to work...

matte arte's finished piece...

my mark.

mirka's spaceman...

rosia and jenny prepare cake mixture...

...for solar cake baking.

la cancha market, maybe the biggest market in south america. anything you need, you'll find there...but you will also get lost.

our cedesol farewell lunch...

...so long rosia, lupe, christine, and david (founder).

the build up to carnaval...the thursday before is 'comadres' (womens night out)...virtually all restaurants, bars, clubs are filled only with women. similarly, the thurday before comadres in 'compadres' for all the men.

jenny with flatmates brid and rafaela.

julia and dalphine shoot...

and off we go to carnaval in oruro. 36 hours of madness.

sustainable bolivia legend gary.

the party is on...

on the saturday before ash wednesday each year, los carnavales de oruro's main event and celebrations is held in the streets. the parade of incredible costumes and marching bands winds around the city starting at 8am and continuing until early the following day.

all ages participate...

i should mention that as we admire and cheer all the passing groups, we engage in water fights with the people in the stands opposite. fun...but water balloons can also be quite painful.

about 30 of us slept here...in 2 rooms...well not everybody slept.

back in cochabamba...a farewell party for mirka.

brid, oscar, jenny, and mirka!

the waterfights continue in cochabamba.

our last dinner...so long...

bolivia part two

2010-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

nestled beneath the massive illampu (6400m) the tranquil town of sorata.

our balcony.

on an afternoon walk, we rise above sorata.

high altitude football.

we make it to sucre (bolivia's 'white city') just in time for new years...

...with friends brad and sarah we had met way back in ecuador.

woooo...

24 hours later and this guy finally gets some sleep, on a bar stool.

off we go on our 3 day 4wd tour of salar de uyuni and the reserva eduardo avaroa. first stop of the tour...the train cemetery.

young resident of the salt-processing village of colchani, on the edge of the salar...

...and onto the otherworldy landscape of the salar.

in parts a thin layer of water covers the surface.

on isla de pescado. cacti everywhere (some over 10m tall) and amazing views of the immense expanse of the salt plain.

lucky to see some flowering cacti...in the following weeks many more would be in bloom.

that layer of water creates brilliant reflections...mountains appear to float on the horizon.

some people get quite inventive with these shots...we kept it basic.

holding up our international travel group...france, russia new zealand, argentina, and australia.

our salt brick hotel and replica llama.

more amazing electrical storms.

as we head further south, the landscape continues to impress...

one of a few mineral-laden lakes with algae, a good food source for the thousands of flamingos.

funny creatures.

a relative of the llama...the endangered vicuna.

oddly shaped rock formations.

sandblasted by howling winds over the years...the weirdly shaped arbol de piedra (stone tree).

we go for a short walk outside our accommodation...cold wind, high altitude...and not much else...

...but a spectacular sunset.

we set off before 5am to check out sol de manana geyser, set within a grater at 5000m.

then down to laguna polques to enjoy the hot springs.

further south into a martian landscape.

and our most southern point, by the chilean border, laguna verde.

now the journey back to uyuni...

back in sucre to relax a bit.

our colonial hotel courtyard.

one of many intricate weavings at the museo de arte indigena. two local indigenous groups who live outside sucre have textiles on display. this one a typical jalg'a design.

our hotel rooftop.

and onto potosi...the highest city in the world at 4100m. thanks to cerro rico (the conical mountain in the background) potosi was once one of the richest cities in the world.

the amazing carve stone facade of the iglesia de san lorenzo de carangas.

after centuries of mining cerra rico, the silver is pretty much exhausted. but there are still miners (even kids) working the thousands of shafts (in horrible, primitive conditions) around the mountain.

'contemporary graffiti' fills the dining room in pub la casona.

el mascaron at the casa real de la moneda, or royal mint. a vast collection of original machinery used in the minting process, colonial art, coins, banknotes, and archeological artefacts...all within a massive colonial building.

bolivia part one

2010-01-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

only a few kilometers across the border and we settle in the very relaxed town of copacabana on lago titicaca (3800m).

we sit back, eat some trout and enjoy the sunset...

...followed by a spectacular electrical storm.

a short boat ride 12 kilometers northwest of copacabana and we find ourselves on isla del sol (island of the sun). our intent was to have a day trip, but we liked the village of challapampa and its white sandy beach so much we stayed the whole afternoon and night.

looks a bit mediterranean doesn't it?

the following day we walk the length of the island (its not that big).

the busy port near the village of yumani for both locals and tourists going to and coming from copacabana.

just barely in view...the mountains of the cordillera apolobamba.

ready mixed cuba libre (rum and coke) with super trekking/travel mates molly and ryan.

copacabana cathedral.

cloud covered huayna potosi (6088m)

happy to have some snow in december.

just outside la paz is chacaltaya, bolivia's only developed ski slope and also the highest in the world at over 5000m. no skiing anymore though, due to global warming the glacier now looks like a little patch of snow.

after returning to la paz and getting organized we set off on the takesi trail.

crossing the cordillera real, we walk on 20km of some of the best remaining pre-columbian paved roads in south america.

another trek, another pass. from here its all downhill.

we managed to set up camp and have dinner just before the rain started...which turned into sleet...then snow and strong cold winds. all night.

waking up to frosty temperatures and snowy mountains not seen the day before due to clouds.

to the left is where we will descend...into the lush and warm yungas.

a bit of llama.

more perfectly laid stones with fully operational water canals.

now much more greener and colourful at lower altitudes.

back in busy la paz.

the massive illimani (6439m) stands over la paz.

after 20 hours by bus from la paz...up and over the mountains via some less than ideal roads, we arrive at rurrenabaque in the amazon basin.

the rio beni.

off we go on our jungle trip, up the rio beni by boat for 4 hours into madidi national park.

the cheerful boat drivers daughter.

parakeet.

jungle abode.

in we go...trekking into the lush and hot jungle for 6 days.

fresh jaguar tracks.

mucky business...

jenny successfully catches a little catfish...which we cut up and use for bait, hoping for something bigger.

our great and knowledgeable guide eric. he ate termites.

our sleeping arrangement (with sleeping mats and under mosquito nets). we pass the rainy time by making jewelery from wild mango coconuts and other nuts/seeds.

our soaking wet camp.

migel the super cook with our fish cooked inside bamboo shoots.

very very tasty.

migel and a 3kg catfish.

here is a parasite vine that slowly over time takes over every tree within reach.

best shot i could take of a tarantula...it was big.

fungi.

a 'walking' palm tree...

...and its self defence spikes.

dinner. salmon, piranha and plantains.

our jungle crew. we made it back...at times we thought we weren't going to make it. because of the large amounts of rainfall...rivers swelled. one stream we crossed on day one which was about 20cm deep raised roughly 2m...now a powerful river. unbelievable. we had to swim and use trees for bridges...very dramatic stuff. no photo evidence...there was just too much rain.

apparently i look like chuck norris...its my new bolivian nickname.

back down the rio beni (also at a much higher level) to rurrenabaque.

on the bus back to la paz and as we go higher we see the flat expanse of the amazon basin.

merry christmas eve lebanese dinner. would have tasted much better without strep throat.

peru part two

2009-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

the dry and volcanic landscape outside peru’s second largest city, arequipa.

one of the world’s deepest canyons, canon del colca.

here we spend three days walkin’/relaxin’.

our friendly host in the bottom canyon village of san juan de chuccho.

a very steep and dusty three hour ascent back up.

la cathedral, plaza de armas, in arequipa.

a photo of a photo showing the volcanic rock called ‘sillar’ which many of arequipa’s colonial buildings were constructed with.

plaza de armas. nice.

gourmet birthday dinner. very very tasty.

happy birthday jenny!

the peak of chachani looms over the city. in ten hours I’ll be up there.

base camp.

we leave camp at 1am, walking slowly with our headlamps…stopping to watch the sunrise.

on the top at 6075m and feeling lightheaded/dizzy/ nauseous from the altitude.

great views though…

some of over 4000 varieties of potatoes available in peru.

inside the amazing monasterio de santa catalina. like a miniature city within arequipa with maze-like passages, flower filled courtyards, cute living quarters, and even an interesting history (for a nunnery).

initially only nuns came here from upper class spanish families. in this privileged nunnery each nun and one to four slaves…and would live it up with parties.

the centre of the inca empire (and mega tourist destination), cuzco.

llama.

overlooking cuzco.

plaza de armas from above.

iglesia de la compania de jesus.

huh?

a brilliant collection of artifacts at the museo de arte precolombino.

the moches peoples (200bc to 850ad) ceramics being the most impressive artistically and technically.

a local woman weaving the traditional way.

colourful textiles.

masterful inca stonework at qorikancha, the richest temple of the empire, and at one point the walls were lined with gold.

down the sacred valley from cuzco, we head to ollantaytambo. an inca fortress sits above the village on the right.

ollantaytambo is the best surviving example of inca city planning with a grid of narrow cobblestone streets.

on the train to aquas calientes, aka machu picchu pueblo.

THE VIEW. machu picchu its every bit as impressive as you would think. wayna picchu is the mound/peak top centre at the back of the ruins…which also has amazing views of the site.

the steep western side of the ruins with the rio urubamba far below.

looking up at where the ‘inca trail’ enters the site.

the view from atop wayna picchu.

grazin’ llamas.

on our way back to cuzco we stop in the village of pisac to check out the bustling sunday market.

back in cuzco.

on the bus to bolivia through some more beautiful scenery...