Panamericana (english version)

Switzerland

2007-06-06T03:54:00.000-07:00

S W I T Z E R L A N D
W E
A R E
B A C K
!!!!

A little later as expected we arrived at the airport Zurich. We were surprised how many family members and friends were at the airport. After 2 years it was nice to see all those people. Of course, we had a little party afterwards.

We were so exited about our new apartment. Our own bathroom, for us that's heaven. All our family members brought something; For example some fresh delicious Swiss food. Despite of our long journey we both were not tired. Even it was late after midnight. We thought a bit Fernet con Coca was something may could help sleeping. It did not solve our sleeping problem of course, but it was good although. A few days after we arrived Peter "tried" to play Icehockey. He was not bad !?, but afterwards I can tell he was exhausted.

In the evening Simone’s family organised a surprise party with all our close friends and family members. Not only in such moments we can feel how much we missed them. However next few days we were really busy.

Next few days we had a bit sleeping disorder. Sometimes we couldn’t sleep almost the whole night. However there was a lot to do. Unpack our stuff, screw our furniture to getter or going through our paperwork. Peter started working soon after we were back in Switzerland and I spent a lot of time at furniture stores to find new “cheap” furnitures.

After 6 months both of us are working and back at "real" life. In spite of working we are happy to be back. We definately are thinking a lot about our friends overseas. We just like to say thank you for all nice people we met, especially in Argentina and the US. We miss you guys. On the other hand after seeing such different landscape on our journey we really appreciate the scenery here. Especially because it is summer and we could ride our new bikes a few times. May someday we can tell more stories about new travel experiences, but first we are enjoying Switzerland.

Costa Rica

2006-11-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

We flew from Quito to San Jose through Miami (600$ cheaper¿?). We had a stop over for 7 hours. However time was flying by because of those several security checks. What we do not understand, that we had to go through the Immigration, even if you just are in transit. (Does that make any sense???) Because of that we could not meet Simone's parents. They were at the same time at the Miami Airport. However we were very excited to meet Simone’s parents at last in San Jose. Of course we chatted till very late. Next day we didn’t bother when it was raining, we still had to tell each other a lot of things.

Early in the morning the following day a small bus picked us up and we drove to the Caribbean Side where a boat was waiting for us. We had a little stopover at a banana plantation. People there are poor and work a lot. The Samoa Lodge was very nice, what a luxury for Peter and I. No more shared bathrooms and cheap accommodations. The lodge was located on a river. We really enjoyed being at Samoa Lodge, there we could observe a lot of wildlife and we had enough free time to relax. Parque Nacional Tortuguero is situated on a broad flood plain, that is home to some of the greatest biodiversity in Costa Rica. The park is mainly known as the most important Caribbean breeding site of the green turtle. Unfortunately nesting season was over however we saw some small turtles trying to reach the ocean.

With a rental car we drove to Puerto Viejo, which lies also on the Caribbean Side. We visited this small town where they sell a lot of crafts and art works. However we also did some hiking in the nearby Reserva Nacional de Vida Silvestre. It was nice walking through the jungle and we did some rest at lovely lonely beaches. We left the beach and drove further into the mountains to Turialba. We were able to spot some Colibiris. And it was amazing to watch them from our balcony. It was difficult to take some pictures from the feeding birds. They are so small and nervose. However it was a joy to watch them anyway. We visited also Poas Volcano, which is a must for anyone who wants to peer into an active vulcano. On a beautiful day we saw the crater which is 1.3km across and 300m deep. Small eruptions take place periodically. We also did one of the nature trails, which leads through forest to another nearby volcanic crater containing a pretty lake.

We also went to the waterfall LA PAZ where we could hav a close look at butterflies, frogs, snakes and a lot of birds including the small colibris. This blue butterfly is one of the most famous ones in Costa Rica.

Our next stop was in Fortuna, which is the nearest village to the spectacular Volcano Arenal. In 1968 huge explosions triggered lava flows that killed nearly 80 people. It retains its almost perfect conical shape and the activity of the volcan varies from week to week. We were pleased to see how the lava flow during our stay. we almost had no clouds around the volcano which is rare. We spend some time in several pools at the hotel and watched what this volcano was doing. Especially at nightfall the pools offered a spectacular view to the volcano. The absolutely highlight was in the pool bar, where we had a few opportunities to watch red-hot lava flows. Even the barman was astonished and he told us we really were lucky.

During the day we did some hiking on Canopy's. This hanging bridges are going through the top of the trees. We saw monkeys, leaf cutting ants, birds and sloths.

In Monte Verde we enjoyed a hike in the cloud forest. Unfortunately it was raining, however rain happens in rainforest, doesn't it? Evenings we, especially Peter and I, enjoyed delicious Swiss Food. We even could listen to Swiss harmonica. We almost felt home and this reminded us that we only had a few weeks left until we flew home.

We did another stop in another rainforest in Bijagua. The lodge was more basic but really nice. Not as a tourist place as the other ones. Till now some cabins do not have electricity, which makes this place unique. The food from the fire pots was delicious. However the best thing was the river pool, which was heated with fire. On a exhausting hike we had opportunities to take a bath in different natural hot pools. The National Park Tenerio is famous for Rio Celeste. Because of a chemical reaction this river Celeste changes its colours.

Our last stop was in a touristy village named Tamarindo. Our hotel was located directly at the beach. Where we enjoyed swimming, walking and reading. It was so relaxing. We hoped it will never end. It was the perfect ending of our huge trip. After a week relaxing we flew with a small airplane back to San Jose. And soon afterwards we flew back to Switzerland. Unfortunalely through Miami. Never through the States again. At the immigration (we just were in transit for an hours) they took Simone's father away for more than 3 hours. My mother, without money, credit card and house key, was nervouse, of course. She asked to meet with my father, because of no paper and money, they refused. Only because our flight was 4 hours delayed, my father could fly with us. We dont now how it would have ended if my father wouldn't have been on the flight. We guess without paper and money it is also difficult to take our flight or even going through the Swiss imigration. However finally we made it home. This is another storie, which follows soon.

Ecuador

2006-10-31T13:58:00.000-08:00

Back in Quito we slowly recovered from our virus. We heard that also those who weren’t sick on the boat, got sick afterwards. Therefore nobody was untroubled by this virus.

We spent 2 days in Quito because we were still tired and weak. Nevertheless we did some sightseeing. Koemi from Japan joined us. We visited old town were most of the interesting sights are located. Our first stop was at "Plaza de la Independencia". Practically every main square in South America is very nice and well maintained. The government building and the cathedral are located around this square. The "La Compañia" was impressive. Almost everything is covered with gold, even the altar. San Francisco church is the oldest catholic church in South America and also worth a visit. This church had been started building in 1553.

In spite of enjoying nightlive in Quito, we thought it was time to leave. We drove south along the "Avenida Vulcano" to Latacunga. This road is famous for its many vulcanoes which are lying on the way. Especially Cotopaxi with its 5'897 meter was impressive. It is the biggest active Vulcan in the world. Because of our weakness, we decided not to climb it. Also the weather wasn’t that great either. Next day we caugth a bus which headed to Quilotoa-Circuit particularly there was nothing to do in Latacunga. We read in our guidebook, that this Quilotoa-Circuit is on of the poorest but also one of the nicest areas in Ecuador. We decided to take the further way via Zumbahua to Chugchilan. Locals told us the bus ride will take approximately 4 hours. We do have more than 250 hours experience of bus rides in South Ameria, but this ride we will never forget. It was one of the worst. Because of presidential elections almost every Ecuadorian was on the move. It is the law, that every Ecuadorian has to vote and everybody can only vote were he/she was born. Our bus was so overcrowded it was almost unbelievable. Every cm/inch was occupied. When we say every, we mean every. On this account the controller of the bus didn’t have room and was kept to hang outside the bus. Not only it was pouring down we also stayed on an altitude of 4000 meter (feet). People had mercy and lent him their scarves because of ice-formation in his face.

We were so thankful, when we finally arrived at the hostel Cloud Forest, which we can recommend. Especially because of a cozy warm living room and a nice helpful family. Actually in the evening local girls entertained us with a few dances. Next day the owner of the hostel drove us to the Quilota Crater. We hiked from the Quilotoa crater lake back to Chugchilan. The crater lake on a sunny day is almost turquoise. First it was a bit cloudy but we were lucky and the fog cleared up as soon as we were on the crater. We had bit problems to find the way down, but finally with local help we made it to a small town. (We are still hillbillies) We could feel, that the locals do not meet a lot of “gringos”. However they were very nice. We guess, they don’t understand why people voluntary walk through mountains. The hike was beautiful and we gained a bit insight how people are living. We were happy to get back to a warm.

By the way, no new president was chosen by the elections. We are happy that the next voting is as recently as in November. Even if we wonder who is going to win; the rich Noboa or the populist Correa. However most locals don’t think anything is going to change. How can something change, if there will be the 7th president within 10 years.

After Chuchiglan we went further to Baños, which is also a vacation destination for locals. We knew that the vulcan Tungurahua is active. However it was frightening to see its huge cloud of ash coming out of the top. The vulcan erupted in August and since then this volcano is spitting lava from time to time. Despite of that we stayed some days in Baños. If you are lucky you can see lava at night. However it was too cloudy. We didn’t spent some time in the pools although Baños is famous for it. As soon as we saw the “brown” water and the crowd we decided not to go for a swim here.

After Baños we went to Riobamba, which is famous for the train ride to Alausi. This ride is really special, due to the fact that passenger are sitting on the roof. Which is fun however we were lucky with the weather though. We had a good few to "Chimborazo", a 6'310 meter high Vulcan. Actually it is the “highest” mountain in the world. Due to the bulge at the equator Chimborazo's peak reaches furthest into the all. (If you measure it from the centre of the earth) After almost 6 hours and several switchbacks we reached devils nose. It was a nice ride but after 7 hours we definitely had enough.

In Alausi we only had a stopover for an hour and caught the next bus to Cuenca. We arrived Cuenca exhausted in the evening. Cuenca it told to be the nicest town in Ecuador. We spent 3 days relaxing and planning our trip to the Amazonas as well as another Spanish class in Quito. Yes we are crazy enough to do another Spanish class. We also visited a shop (which also provides a small museum) where they make the famous panama huts. Yes, they are from Ecuador and not from Panama. We also met Koemi from Japan again, which was really nice.

After another few days city life we went further to the Amazonas through Baños. The route via Macas was too tediously and we were not in the mood to stay more hours in a bus as necessary. We were happy when we finally reached Liana Lodge http://www.lianalodge.ec/ . The lodge is located about 1 1/2 hours away from Tena. We were surprised how nice our cabin was. We didn’t expect this kind of luxury in the jungle. We had our own bathroom and even a hammock on our balcony. Also there are no mosquitoes at night. Do we really need something more? Yes good food, and we got plenty of it.

It was not cheap but on the other hand it was really relaxing. The Lodge is a Non-Profit-Organization. They invest their profit in other projects. During our stay we could learn more about all those projects.

Angelika (CH/D) und Remigio (Ecuadorian) give all their efforts to save the rainforest and animals in danger. It's amazing what they have been doing. On the first day we visited Amazoonico. http://www.selvaviva.ec/amazoonico/ We learnt a lot about animals who are living in the jungle. It was so humid and hot for this reason we were looking forward to jump in the cool river. It was relaxing to swim back on swim tubes.

We also learned about plants and how people live in the jungle. Our guide showed us which plants can be used for what. Without doing something we were sweating. Especially on the 5 hour hike up to the mirador. Luckily we could relax another time on the swim tube after the hike. This was great. Also we were looking forward to have a cold drink as well. We definitely can recommend this place.

After 5 days we went back to Quito where it was much colder than in the Amazonas. We had Spanish classes in the morning, where we refreshed Grammar and “Subjontivo”. Baeh. There was always a thunder storm in the afternoon. We didn't care. Our hostel was nice and we had a nice living room and kitchen therefore we spent some time at "home". It was also nice to meet Nick, our Galapagos guide, again.

For our last weekend we went to Otovalo. This town is very nice. It is famous for its market. They sell textiles, art crafts and even animals. It would have been nice to spent more time in this area however our time in Ecuador came close to an end. Therefore we had to go back to Quito.

The era in South America is over. Despite of all prejudice (crime etc.) we never felt insecure in the whole 7 months we spend down here. On the contrary we not only enjoyed the landscape but also the friendly locals, who were very hospitable. Even travelling around was easier than we first thought. We are looking back to a very good time. Luckily we still have 3 weeks left on our trip. We are looking forward to the warmth in Costa Rica.

Galapagos

2006-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Our flight from Denver to Quito, Ecuador was early in the morning. Adi & Tamara, our friends from Switzerland, took a lot of our spare stuff to Switzerland. Therefore we can travel much lighter, thanks. We had a short stop over in Miami before we arrived in Quito. Our Spanish has to improve though, but we do have time the next few weeks.

Following day we flew with Nick, our Guide from New Zealand, and other tourists to the Galapagos Islands. Our group was really good. Lisa and Helen from England were lovely, also Koemi from Japan and Boris from the States. Our first stop was on San Cristobal Island. Soon after lunch we went for a bike ride. After that we got good information in the Interpretation Center.

Next day we visited Islas Lobos (Sea lion Island), were we observed a lot of Sea lions very close. It is amazing; those animals do not fear humans. Also, there where Iguanos (lizards) and Blue Footed Bobbies (They really have blue feeds). Of course, we couldn't resist jumping into the cold water. The sea lions were so playful and they also enjoyed swimming with us. After a short boat ride we arrived at Kickers Rock, which were formed from a Vulcan eruption. The ocean here was very rough, but we didn't care and jumped another time in the ocean. And we can tell it was worth to do it. We saw a lot of rays, sharks, even hammerhead sharks. Although, we were happy afterwards, when we went in calmer sea. We relaxed a bit at the Cerro Brujo Beach and observed Sea lions, Pelicans and Lizards, which it seemed they enjoyed the quite beach as well.

We got four more people on board, next day. Especially Manolo, from Spain, was a fun person. The crossing to Floreana Island und Isabela Island was very rough. However we saw some albatrosses, Dolphins and even whales, which lightened our trip a bit.

The Wall of Tears was impressive; however it was built from convicts under extreme hard circumstances. A lot died under exhaustion or they got killed. After that we walked back to the village we stayed. On the way back we saw a lot Footed Boobies and lizards. In the afternoon almost everybody went for a kayaking tour where they could see some penguins. Helen and I spent the time with fever and stomach ache in the bed. But soon after the kayak tour more got sick, including Peter. Its not funny to share a bathroom if both are sick. It seemed 11 out of 13 (also the Crew) got a virus. Just a few could climb the Sierra Negra Vulcan next day. In Quito we heard the rest of our group had at latest problem back in Quito as well. Therefore everybody had some problem, some a bit more, some a bit less.

Luckily everybody felt a bit better and we could continue to Santa Cruz Island. In our opinion this Island is too crowded. But on the other hand to see this tortouise in there natural habitat was very impressive. Some of this huge animals are more than 100 years old (!) alt. We walked in the dark through an 800 meter long lava tunnel. It was impressive. The top crust had been cooling, while the liquid lava still had passed trough.

We went further to San Cristobal, which we like more than Santa Cruz. On the way we stopped on a beautiful lagoon where we once again jumped into the water. Again the sea lions played with us. The Macho (See lion male) was not as excited as the females and scared them of. At that time he passed Simone very close. I just can say, this was a huge one, wow. On the last day we enjoyed a stroll on the beach to a lighthouse.

The trip was absolutely perfect. We definitely can recommend this tour with Galakiwi www.galakiwi.com. Nick our guide did a good job and we like to thank him for the good time we had.

Back in Quito we all went to an Argentine restaurant and celebrated the tour. But know are other adventures waiting for us in Ecuador.

USA - Lower 48

2006-09-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

When we crossed the border from Canada to the US, they took all our fresh food products away. We even couldn’t eat it right there. However the officer was very nice though.

We passed Seattle and drove through Washington State, where the landscape changed dramatically. We drove through mountains and a few miles later, there was almost desert. Next day we went further west through Idaho and arrived on a camping ground in Montana, Whitefish. Our Mothers at home found a apartment for us, and therefore we opened a good bottle of wine. In the town where we live it is difficult to find a reasonable apartment, therefore we were very happy.

The six hours hike to the summit of Mt Aeneas is probably the most popular trip in the Jewel Basin. It is also the most strenuous short walk, the hike up the area’s second-highest peak gave a extended view across many of the mountain ranges of the Greater Glacier.

Next day we went to the Glacier National Park. For us it is the most beautiful NP in the States. May it is because of this beautiful lakes, mountains and valleys. We enjoyed the sun at McDonald Lake and spent some time with napping and reading. The "Going to the Sun"- Road, which leads through the park, reminded us of Switzerland. At Logan Pass, atop the Continental Divide, the peaks crowd around as if nearly close enough to touch.

In Mary, east of the park we pitched up our tent. In the night we woke up because wolfs where howling. In the morning a bigger animal was in front of our tent. From bear, moose or horse it could have been everything, but we were afraid and to tired to get up and have a luck.

Of course we wanted to do some exercise at such a nice place. And the weather was perfect for hiking though. Many Glacier, named for the glaciers on surrounding mountains, is a hiker’s Eden and a good place for wildlife viewing. Early in the morning we started for a long day hike up to Swisftcurrent Mountain Lookout. Just about a mile after the parking lot we saw a moose. Soon after that we saw a deer standing on the trail. It seemed we didn’t bother the deer at all, but something else did. As we spotted the grizzly with here cups, we knew why the deer was so nervous.

The altitude difference from 1’200 (3500ft) was exhausting, but the view from the top was breathtaking. There was a guy who lived at the top during summer in a 10m2 (30ft) hut. He watched out for fires around the park. The hike was beautiful, however we were very tired when we arrived at the campsite.

The road to the Yellowstone National Park was a little boring. Because of the huge fires around the Yellowstone National Park the visibility wasn’t that good. Although, we pitched up our tent in the Park. This park is with its Geysers and pools very interesting. We also saw some bears and a lot of buffalos. It was difficult to do some hiking. The hikes do not end on the same spot you parked. It is difficult to get around the park without a car. It seems Swiss Hillbillies look not trustful, nobody gave us a ride. However the most attraction are within a short walking distance. We read in a travel book that in September are only a few people in the park. But it was definitely enough for us, therefore we decided to move on.

We drove through Teton National Park. In our opinion this park is nicer than Yellowstone. But still the visibility wasn’t good. We guess with blue sky it is more impressive.

We went further to Utah. In Salt Lake City we enjoyed the city live a little bit, before we headed southwards. Our first stop was in Zion National Park. This park is very special with its red sand stone. We did a really nice hike up to the Observation Point, where we had a beautiful few into the valley. We were lucky to start early in the morning, because it was very hot in the afternoon.

Actually we wanted to stay a few days due to the fact that we liked it so much. Friends from Zug, our home town in Switzerland, where staying in Zion as well. Unfortunately the receptionist of the hotel our friends were staying, gave us wrong information. He told us, they already checked out. We thought they went to Bryce Canyon. Because of that we left Zion NP and went to Bryce Canyon.

One of the Highlights in Bryce Canyon National Park is the Sunrise. It was freezing when we got up early in the morning. But on the other hand the sunrise was very nice. This sandstone towers looked very nice in the morning. We did a little sightseen before we checked our emails. We were astonished to read, that our friends still stayed at the same place in Zion. This idiot.

We decided to move on to Capitol Reef NP, which is also a very nice National Park. The weather forecast had a huge storm, therefore we checked in a motel. We can tell, we where glad, that we didn’t stay in the tent that night.

Via Glen Canyon we crossed Lake Powel with a ferry before we arrived in the Monument Valley.There we felt as if we would be in a old western movie. We guess here nobody will ever forget John Wayne’s movies.

The two National Parks "Canyonlands" and "Arches" are good places to discover some canyons and gorges. Moab is known for good biking trails. We were also happy to finally find a bottle of wine. Utah has its own rules.

If this rules make any cense everybody can judge by himself. For example in a bar you have to be member and pay a certain amount of money. (around 4$) before you can drink a light beer. (only 3% alcohol is allowed). In a restaurant bar you have to eat something if you like to have a drink with alcohol. Even, if you only order chips for 75 cents. In our opinion this is only to increase sales. Or it isn’t allowed to drink wine at the bar, but on the table right next to the bar it is. That's Weird.

In CanyonLand NP we went on a 4WD-Tour. Peter was happy to drive on this dirt road. It was impressive not only to see the Canyons from the viewpoints above also from the bottom. The descent was "almost" scary. We drove from the plateau down to the Colorado river.

Finally we met Tamara and Adi, our friends from Switzerland. We rented together bikes and went on a nice bike ride. We rode our bikes on the Slick Rock Trail, trough red sand stones. It really was fun, but our butts definitely didn’t like the ride at all.

One day we played carts because the weather wasn’t so great. Next day we went on a hiking trip in the Arches National Park. We spent a few hours in Devils Garden. This arches and gorges are impressive. But after so many red rocks we thought its was time to move on.

Through the Rockies we had a lot of snow. It looked like ski season is not far away. Luckily Denver lies a little lower than the Rockies. We were lucky and could sell our car for a good price. We think it was a good deal for both.

Tamara and Adi arrived soon after us in Denver. We were invited at Christine und Mike house, Americans, who Simone once met in New Zealand. Christine took a half day off and showed us the surroundings. "The garden of the goods". She invited all of us for a delicious barbeque. We had really fun and it was nice talking to them after such a long time. It was 5 years ago, when we last and first met.

In Denver we enjoyed the city life. After only eating and drinking for a few days, we needed some exercise. Therefore we went to the Rocky Mountain National Park and did a nice hike.

We really had a good time in the States. However we are looking forward flying to Quito, Ecuador. There are other adventure waiting for us.

Canada - Yukon, BC, Canadian Rockies

2006-09-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

On one side we didn’t like to say goodbye to Alaska, but on the other hand a beautiful landscape was waiting for us in Canada. We drove through Yukon Territory, British Columbia and visited the National parks Jasper and Banff in the Rocky Mountains.

On the way to the lower 48 we did a side trip to Haines, which belongs to Alaska. Haines is very nice. We saw a lot of bald eagles which are coming to Haines during Wintertime. Unfortunately we didn’t see them as close as in Homer. The Ferry to Skagway was too expensive for us; therefore we had to drive back 250 km (200 miles) to the Alaska Highway. On the way south we could observe a lot of wildlife again.

On the Cascade Highway we did another side trip to Hyder which lies also in Alaska. Only 100 people are living here. Hyder is surrounded by Canada and the only place in the States where it is difficult to pay with US-Dollar. The landscape is beautiful and we had to be careful not to drive into black bears, which where eating berries or grazing on the side of the road.

The landscape from Yukon and British Columbia is beautiful. The changing landscape with those pine trees and nice lakes made our travel nice and pleasant. Soon we reached the Canadian Rockies. Our first stop was in Jasper National Park. We stayed 3 nights and spent some time by with hiking. The weather was good as well.

On the plateau from Edith Carvel we enjoyed the view to a glacier and the surrounding mountains. We pitched our tent up close to Banff National park, therefore we did also a hike there. There were some dark clouds but luckily we stayed dry. Those National parks are a paradise for hikers, although we didn’t see any wildlife. May there are too many tourists around.

Next day we headed over 900 km (570 miles) by crazy weather, from sunshine to tunderstormes, to Vancouver. We really were happy, when we arrived in Vancouver. This city is really nice and worth to stay a few days. By beautiful sunshine we did some easy sightseeing and went to a „few“ nice bars for a drink. Because of the influence of Asian people we decided to go out and eat some Sushi. In Switzerland we can only dream of prices for Sushi like in Canada and the States. Also we had fantastic views over Vancouver from the tower. It is worth to go up, day and night.

We went to Vancouver Island by ferry, were we stayed a few days. Victoria, the capitol city of British Columbia, with its harbour is very nice. The highlight at Vancouver Island are definitely killer whales (Orcas), which are all year around close to the shore. In spring and fall also humpback whales are seen. We booked a tour, but didn’t expect to see a lot. However we were astonished how many Orcas we saw. We observed 30 to 40 whales and this close the shore, amazing. The whales were very playful; our guide told us it is because of plenty of salmon around. It was nice to see this whales jumping out of the water. The trip was definitely worth to do. We also went to the west side of the island, where you can enjoy beaches or mountains.

After 4 days we went back to the mainland and soon crossed the border to the States. We are looking forward to see some National Parks in the lower 48. How it was you will see in our next blog.

Alaska

2006-09-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Alaska always was a destination, we had dreamed of exploring. Finally we got there. Already the first glimpse over the border was breath taking. As far we could see, there was only forest. We saw some wildfires in the distance, which produced some dust at the horizon, however, the sky presented itself from its best side, a deep blue and clear sky. This was a good start, entering our Alaska adventure. Alaska is the biggest State in the US (twice as big as Texas), therefore distances within the State are huge.

Our first stop leaded us to an old mine town, called Chicken. (www.chickenalaska.com). Its original name was Ptarmigan, called after a bird in this area. However, nobody could pronounce it properly, so everybody called it Chicken since. With only 21 inhabitant more a one-horse town, however modern and innovative. In its only Cafe provides wireless. There is also a gas station, a post office and a saloon of course. We headed along the Top of the World Highway toward Fairbanks. On our way we saw some moose and we had a beautiful view to the mountain range in the Denali National Park.

Fairbanks was founded from gold-digger in the time of the Klondike gold-rush. It became quickly the biggest settlement in Alaska. Today, Anchorage is bigger. Between 1975 and 1977 they organized the construction for the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. In the Ice-Museum we learned more about the annually Ice-Sculpture-Competition. Artists, around the globe, form sculptures from huge natural ice chunks. Some of these exponents are in a chilly environment on display. Our “neighbors” at the campground, Kiwis (New Zealanders) gave us some fresh Halibut, which they caught the same day. It was delicious.

We made a side trip to the Chena Hot springs. It was nice and relaxing. The water temperature (38 Grad C/100 degrees F) was almost too hot for the nice and warm weather though. We found a nice spot for camping at a nearby lake. A noise woke us up the following morning and we were surprised to see a moose, grazing, directly in front of our tent. We don’t know who was more surprised, this huge animal or we. The moose jumped into the water though and swam across the lake at the other shore.

We had beautiful weather when we headed to Denali National Park.This Park is about 24.585 km² (6.2 Mio acres) and the only way to visit it is by bus, because of its high number of visitors. We were very lucky, because it seemed we have chosen THE best day in this summer. We had a clear view to Mount Denali (also called McKinnley), without any clouds. Only about 1/5 of the tourists are lucky enough to have a glimpse at it. Mount Denali is the highest Mountain in northern America (you may remember: Mount Anconagua in Argentina is the Continents tallest peak). We were very happy to have this nice view, especially in this year, which, according to the Rangers, summer only lasted about 3 days in Denali NP.

Not only we had a beautiful view to the mountains and surroundings, we also spotted caribous, moose, different kinds of birds and about 7 grizzlies. A Mama-Bear and her 3 cups were laying in the grass near the road. It looked like they were taking a sunbath. We generally support the system with these busses in the park. It reduces traffic and helps to keep wildlife wild. However, why do they still use those old-fashioned school busses? We cannot imagine a less comfortable bus-ride, and we are experienced bus-riders, with more than 200 hours bus-experience in South-America. The bus-systems enabled us to hop-in/out wherever we liked. In Denali NP are no maintained trails. Some parts are closed for hikers, especially in bushy areas.The reason is to avoid encounters with grizzlies or wolves in areas with poor visibility. However, every visitor is advised how to behave with wildlife.

The following day was rainy and our bus was delayed because of Laura Bush, who visited the park as well. (Luckily just her). This was more the Alaskan weather we had expected. However we saw many wild animals, like owls and grizzlies again. Unfortunately it didn’t stop raining the next day either. We attended the Discovery-Hike with a Park-Ranger. This 4 hours walk was nice, even the rain didn’t bother us much. The Ranger was very young and inexperienced therefore we (Swiss-Hillbillies) had to lead the group back to the road. She had no clue where we were. On our way back we saw some bears again. Grizzlies may look droll, however, we got a demonstration how fast (over 40 Miles per hour) they can run. A mother bear with a 1 year old cub was chasing another young bear, which was to close in her territory. The ranger supposed that the other young bear may was her 3 years old cub, which she chased away the spring before.
After 3 interesting days in Denali NP we headed south. On our way to Anchorage we stopped at a famous Musher who attends every year the legendary Iditaroad. This is probably one of the toughest races, 1200 miles thru Alaska’s wilderness with a sled and 12 Husky dogs. Vern Halter www.keloland.com/halter, many times in the top ten, won other races as well. We watched a video about the race itself. He also explained the importance of a perfect organization and that every little detail has to be considered. We learned about the equipment, like sled, clothes and other stuff. After a short stroll with his 3 months old puppies (more than 15 crazy ones) we went for a (wild) ride with 12 Huskies. Wow, such a power. Vern had to slow down; otherwise we would felt of the ATV.

Anchorage has a population of over 270,000, however it looks more like a village. The other day, fisher had spotted 2 black bears near a river, only 6 miles south of Anchorage. The bears were fishing salmon as well. The fishers didn’t care much about the bears. However, we read about an incident, a little bit further south that a black bear broke into a tent. The man was ok, though. A little bit scared, we suppose. This guy may didn’t listen, like many tourists, to the rules in bear-country. Food and any cosmetic items do not belong into a tent. However, we also got a little bit concerned because so fare we are mostly sleeping in a tent as well. In Homer, it started raining again and we were hoping for better weather for our next trip; bear-viewing in Katmai National Park.

Unfortunately it was raining the following morning as well. Luckily it cleared in the afternoon, so we could go for this exciting trip. Before take off, we had time to observe some bald eagles, which hang around the coast. These birds, United States heraldic animal, look very proud.

The one-hour flight across the bay was calm, however the landing on the narrow beach was a little bit scary. Especially after our pilots statement a few minutes before, when he flew a loop to have a look at something. We thought, he was looking for a whale or similar in the water, however he only responded: "Nope, we are missing an airplane since 5 days". Oops.

After only a couple yards we saw the first Grizzly, only 10 Meter (30 feet) away. In this meadow we spotted about 30 to 40.(!!!) grizzlies. They were peacefully snoozing, grazing or trying to catch some fish in the creek. The picturesque panorama with those glaciers, the mountains and the ocean couldn’t have been better. Our group (2 other tourists from Holland and our guide) was sitting in the grass, close to a Grizzly mother with her one-year-old cub and observed them. After a while she decided to move on, to our surprise, in our direction. She passed with her cub only 3 meters (9feeds). Wow, that was exciting, we only can say, our adrenalin went up. But our guide was really calm, so we knew, everything should be fine. The mother bear stopped, looked at us and walked by. We were wondering who is watching whom. We definitely won’t forget this experience.

Next day we went further to Seward, which also lies at the Kenai Peninsula. The first time, since we have left Leesburg, we treated our self with a nice dinner in a restaurant. Of course we tried the famous king crab and couldn’t say “no” for a few fresh oysters. Next day we were amused about a 2.5 miles tunnel, which seems to be a tourist attraction here in Whittier. We were astonished about the safety instructions we got. If we would have to stop at every 2.5 tunnel in Europe and pay 12$, it would ruin us. For example: Switzerland has a 11 miles tunnel, which is for free. (We should collect some money as well).

The 3 hours ride on the Fast-Ferry through the Prince William Sound was very nice. Usually in this area it is always cloudy and rainy, but today we saw only blue sky. In Valdez, the wettest area in Alaska, we enjoyed 2 days perfect weather. The Kayak tour to the glaciers was for our opinion with 200$ (per person) too expensive, so we decided to do a lovely hike instead.

After the Kenai peninsula we went to Wrangell-St. Elias-Nationalpark with 53.320 km² the biggest Nationalpark in the States and bigger than Switzerland. Here are a lot of wildlife diversity, from brown-/black bears, bison, caribous, sea lions, stone sheep, salmon and much more. The hike along the glacier was very nice. We walked a little further than the most tourists through a bushy area and were talking loud to each other, because of bears in the area. Fall of a sudden, a black bear cup ran away scared of us. We only saw some bushes moving very close and this was definitely something bigger. We spoke to the mother bear calm but with a strong voice and walked slowly back. Our adrenalin was high, but on the other hand excited as well. On the way back we passed Kennicott, once the richest cupper mine in the world from 1938. It was still some miles to go, but a cold beer was waiting for us in a bar in McCarty. It turned out, that we stayed not only for one beer. There was open-Mic-night for everybody with or without talent. It was funny and therefore we stayed more than 6 hours in the same saloon.

Next day we drove back to Fairbanks along the gas pipeline.The pipeline is longer than 1250 km (800 miles). We spent a night with rain and next morning, everything around the tent was wet. Luckily inside our tent everything stayed dry. However we decided to stay next night in a motel. (First time since we have left Leesburg)

We flew to Barrow which is the most northern town in the States with 4,400 inhabitants. Barrow lies 500 km (more than 300 miles) north of the polar circle at Beaufort Sea. It was interesting to see how people can live in such environment. The whole summer the temperature goes hardly above freezing point. Therefore nothing grows in the permafrost.Over 65% of the population are Inuits (Eskimos). They live from hunting, including whales, which ensure there survive.

Alaska was definitely one of our highlights on our whole trip. We are happy we didn’t miss this part of our trip. In our opinion, every US-American should visit Alaska at least once in his lifetime. The good weather, the beautiful landscape, this extreme diversity of wildlife we definitely will keep in our minds forever.

Now we are heading back to the lower 48 but on our way back we are going to cross parts of beautiful Canada. This time Yukon and British Columbia.

Into the west

2006-08-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

Back in Leesburg! After 6 months in South America we are back in the States. After 6 months Spanish, we need to get used to the American slang again.

Luis, our friend from Spain, picked us up at the airport and he was so kind, that we could stay at his place. Hootch, the Swiss Bernharder dog, was very excited to get some visitors. To be honest, first we had a bit a culture shock. Not only the language was different, the overload off items in the States as well; big cars, big food packets and also bigger people. We practiced our Spanish when we talked with Luis. Did he understand our “Argentine” accent? It must have sound weird.

At the weekend, of course, we were invited at Beddow’s place. We had a nice party (as always) and they invited some neighbors and friends as well. It really was nice seeing all this friends again. We definitely are going to miss them, especially the Beddow’s kids, Claire, Tyler, Wesley and Tommy. Hopefully we are seeing them soon again.

With the employees from B2E we had lunch at TGI Fridays of course. We have been waiting for those hamburgers for a long time. It took almost a week before we left Leesburg. There was a lot to do on our list. Luis tuned our computer with MapPoint, Wireless, and Skype (Internet phone) and we also can listen to music with our iPot. As soon as our 4Runner was (fully) packed, we were ready to hit the road.

On our first day we crossed Maryland, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) and finally stopped in Ohio, where we pitched up our tent. We were happy, that the air mattress fits into our tent. Therefore we have a lot better sleep.

Afterwards we crossed a lot of farm land in Ohio und Indiana. Soon we found more and more industry. We had a bad timing and passed Chicago on a Friday at rush-hour. Anyhow, we got till Wisconsin, Switzerland of the USA. A lot of green land with a lot of cows, cheese (Swiss Cheese: Made in Wisconsin???) and a New-Glarus. (Canton of Switzerland). On that weekend there was even an „Schützenfest“ (Swiss shooting competition), but we didn’t have time for that.

The landscape changed and everything got flat. In Minnesota, the State with the 10'000 lakes, was very nice but also flat. However, North Dakota was flatter than flat. Flat, boring and flat. We were surprised, that we couldn’t buy any alcohol on Sundays. Does that prevent alcoholic’s keep away from drinking on Sunday???

We crossed the US-Canada border and drove through Saskatchewan, the granery of Canada. It is also very flat. In Edmonton, Alberta, we stopped by the Westend Mall, which is one of the biggest Malls in the World. After 4'200 km (2'750 Miles) and almost a week driving, our “real” adventure began in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We drove the Alaska Highway, through Tundra and the Rocky Mountains. During the World War II, scared of the Japanese, they have built this road under extreme conditions. They have finished it after only 8 months. Nowadays the whole 1,422 Miles (2,275 km) are paved.

Slowly the landscape changed and there were some hills and forest. Now we are in that Canada we thought it would be. We were astonished to see so much wildlife next to the road. First of all there was a Caribou crossing the road. Soon after we saw some Stone Sheep (Dall Sheep) who are leaking minerals on the road.

In Liard River Hot Springs we enjoyed a bath. It really was hot. Unfortunately, there is also a paradise for millions of mosquitoes. They have a good live, every day fresh tourists.

A few miles north we saw our first group of Bison. Bison are big and can weight up to 1500 pounds (750 kg). It was breathtaking to observe those huge animals. The sound was interesting as well. Just imaging how many of them lived in the prairie.

Approximately one mile before our next camp, we saw a black bear on the road. These bears are looking for worms and plants in the grass near the road. Some people saw this bear next morning on the campground. Scary…

In Watson Lake we made a stop for the signpost forest. During the construction of the Alcan-Highway a worker started with this sing post forest. Nowadays everybody can hang up a sign if they wish. We really were surprised, when we saw a sign of our own City in Switzerland. This Zug-Cham sign is huge; we are wondering how it could get to Canada and where it did come from.

Close to Carmack we pitched up our tent, it was once again a beautiful place on a river. This time, we were camping on the Yukon-River, with a campfire, a good steak and a cold beer. What do we need more?

Dawson City had been once THE gold mining town in the Klondike, Yukon area. During this time over 20’000 people who have lived there have tried to become rich. Nowadays only 2’000 people are living here. However the town still looks like in the wild west time. Through „Top of the World“ Highway we reached after 9 days and 6'605 km (4'127 Miles) the border to Alaska. Jupiee!

Peru

2006-07-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

The first bus ride in Peru was the worst on our trip so far and this for 7 hours. We were glad that this chicken bus arrived in one piece and we a live in Arequipa. Next day Line and Patrice, friends from Montreal, Canada joined us. The next 3 weeks we were travelling through Peru together. First we visited to the former “luxury” Monastery de Santa Catalina, which is a paradise for photographers. At the museum Santuarios Andinos we could get some information about „Juanita, the Ice Princess“ – the frozen Inca maiden sacrificed on the summit of Mt Ampato (6288m) over 500 years ago.

We joined a tour to the Colca Canyon, which is 3191 meter deep. Only its neighbour the Cotahuasi Canyon is 163 deeper and is the world’s deepest canyon. The highlight was definitely the viewpoint “Cruz del Condor”. We were lucky and could observe a large family (more than 20 birds) of Andean condors. Those huge birds (3 meter wing wide) were soaring just above our heads. It was a pleasure the watch them gliding in the canyon. Our guide was excited as well, so that means, not every day there are so many condors around. We didn’t go for a hike in this canyon, because we assumed that Line and Patrice will suffer under altitude sickness. Unfortunately they had some problems, but luckily only on the first days. On half of the way back to Arequipa, we catched a bus in middle of nowhere. We were heading to Puno, which lies on the Lake Titicaca.

The small port of Puno is the best departure point for forays to Lake Titicaca’s various islands. We visited the unique Uros islands, (Floating Islands). The islands are built using many layers of the buoyant totora reeds that grow abundantly in the shallows of Lake Titicaca. The islands’ reeds are constantly replenished from the top as they rot away, so the ground is always soft and springy.

By far the best way to see Lake Titicaca is by spending a few days visiting the culturally fascinating island of the lake itself. Therefore we decided to board a local boat and headed to the Taquile Island. The only accommodations are home stay by locals. Beds are basic but clean. After the tour boats left, it was nice and quiet. Time to discover this small island. The locals have a deeply ingrained tradition of weaving. The men folk’s are wearing woollen heats, which they take great pride in knitting themselves.

Soon after the Islands we travelled to Cusco. The beautiful city of Cusco (population 350,000, elevation 3326 m) was once the foremost city of the Inca empire. Massive Inca-built walls line the city’s central streets and form the foundations of both colonial and modern buildings. When the Spaniards had conquest the Inca empire, they destroyed almost everything. However for disgrace in Cusco are still some foundations left.

On 23. June 06, of course we couldn’t miss the Swiss soccer game against South Korea. Switzerland won and we and other Swiss took over the pub into the deep night. We only say that some beers were sold.

Next day we took part of the Inti Raymi (Festival of The Sun). This is the most important festival in Cusco and attracts tourists all over the world. The festival take place at the Sacsayhuaman Inca ruins, which gives an impressive scenery. Around 100 artist where acting and dancing. Next day we visited these ruins again without thousands of other people around. The constructions of the Incas are very impressive.

The 4 days INCA JUNGLE TRAIL TOUR from Cusco to Machu Picchu was worth its money. After a 7 hours bus ride in a “chicken bus” over the Abra Malaga Pass was exciting and also a little scary because of the steep cliffs. We where all happy when we could ride the bikes downhill by our self.The road went through coffee and tee plantations which was fun. In all small villages people where so friendly and almost everybody shouted “HOLA”. We slept in Santa Maria, where we found out, that Switzerland lost their soccer game against Ukraine in penalty shootings. Bye, bye World Cup 2006.

We were the last group who started hiking next day, but soon we passed all other tour groups. We can not deny, that we are hillbillies J. First it was steep and exhausting but in a beautiful landscape with its coffee plantations in its high jungle. On the way we saw some Avocado, papaya trees and pineapple plants. The Inca path went further along steep cliffs. After lunch the path went along the river were we were crossing some shaky bridges. Our guide’s advise “walk in the middle, the wood is rotten” didn’t take away our worries. The crossing with the cable railway was fun though. After so many hours hiking we really enjoyed the bath in the very nice located hot springs between the mountains.

After 12 hours we were glad to arrive in Santa Teresa. However our accommodation was a little too basic and had a lot room for improvement. We just say “we all skipped showering”. The next day hike wasn’t as impressive as the day before but also nice. We hiked along a river and the railway track to Aquas Caliente. Again we where on the way for more than 8 hours and we looked forward for a deserved beer and a shower. At 5 o’clock next day we started our hike up to Machu Picchu. This spectacular and awe-inspiring location is the best-known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. We learnt a lot from our guide about the Inca culture and Machu Picchu itself. About 70% is preserved and only 30% is reconstructed. In 1532 the Spaniards had not discovered this place, therefore it had not been destroyed. The Incas had chosen this location between the mountains because it lies at a strategic spot. Here starts the Amazons river and it is also the border to the jungle and the Andeans. 5 Inca trails are passing Machu Picchu, but unfortunately the tours are sold out for months and cost between 350 to 500 US-$. In our opinion it is way to much, remember we are still in Peru. (Tourist rip of)

With train and bus we commuted back to Cusco. Next day the 15 hours bus ride over the Andeans was not very pleasant and we were happy when we arrived in Nazca. (Americans: Just imagine driving Lombard Street, in SF, for 15 hours in a bus). Spread across an incredible 500 sq km of arid, rock-strewn plain, the mysterious Nazca Lines form a striking network consisting of over 800 lines, 300 figures, and some 70 animal and plant drawings are found in Nazca. There are for example a spider, a spaceman, a monkey, a condor, which can be more than a few hundred meters wide. The best ways to see these lines is a flight with a light aircrafts over the lines, which was very impressive. (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasca_Linien)

In Huacachina a tiny resort is dominated by giant sand dunes and nestles next to a picturesque lagoon. The right place to relax at the pool.

In Pisco we joined a tour to the Ballestas Island. Guano producing birds include the bobby, pelican, Humboldt penguins and sea lions are found there. Impressive was to see so many birds on one place.

In Lima is not a nice city and also not very save for tourists, therefore we only spend a night in the nicer neighbourhood Miraflores. There have to sad goodbye to Line and Patrice. We enjoyed traveling with them. They went back to Canada and we flew to Washington DC. Back to the states, where we are going to pick up our car in order to cross the states and drive up to Alaska. Crazy?? Maybe! :-)

Bolivia

2006-06-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

On the 25.5.06 very early we crossed the border into another world, from Argentina to Bolivia. It is the poorest country in Latin America. Almost 80% is living under poverty level. Whithin our first busride we could see that Bolivia is diffrent than Argentina and Chile.

Our first stop was in Tupiza whit 25'000 inhabitants at 2950 meter above sea level (9850 feet above sea level). This is the right place to get used to the altitude of the altiplano. We booked the "bolivian"-Triathlon for the next day. First we biked 12 km through a colorful valley. Some side-valleys we explored by jeep though. We enjoyed some short hikes before we got a typical lunch. Afterwards we went for a 2 hours horseback riding tour. Even though Peter was very excited with the fast galopp. We explored the Quebrada Seca and the Valle de los Machos (why it is called like that you can see on the picture below).

After 2 hours horse back riding we were happy to get of the horses. Our butts hurted enough. With the jeep we climbed to 3500 meter above sea level (11,600 feet) from where we had a spectactular view. The downhil by bike down to Tupiza was a lot of fun.

The next day we went for the 4 day tour to the SALAR DE UYUNI, one of the highlights in Bolivia. When we boarded a Nissan, Peter already had a bad feeling and was thinking that a Toyota would have been better. With 6 passangers, driver and cook (the drivers wife and the 3 year old daugther) and all this luggage, the jeep was more than full. The tour was rough for our butts. At the beginning of the tour we suffered under altitude sickness, however the coca tee helped a lot.

The first day was going through waste land where a lot of lamas grazed. Life seems to be very hard at this altitude. Our accomodations where very basic but clean. In the night it wasn't as cold as expected. However in the morning the windows were covered with ice. In Aquas Caliente we enjoyed a bath in the hotsprings (86F) surrounded by impressive landscape on 4,000 meter above sea level (13,500 feet). The colors of the Laguna Verde were amazing. Also the Laguna Colorado with its flamingos was impressive as well. The flamingos are sleeping on one leg. The reason for that is, so they are able to crash the ice with their other leg in the morning. We also saw other lakes, geysires and volcans.

By the way, Peter´s concerns about the Nissan where right. We had 4 break downs with the car: 1 flat tire, 2 wheels torned to pieces and a problem with the suspension.

Before dawn we headed for the highlight of the tour, The Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni is with its 4,085 square miles (10,582 square km) the world's largest salt flat at a lofty 3,653 meter above sea level (12,200 feet).
The salt lake is at one part up to 30 meters (90 feet) thick. Also buses and trucks can drive on it. The salt lake itself is huge. The Salar the Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion salt of which is less than 25000 tones is exctracted annualy.

The city Uyuni did not attract us, therefore we chartered (20 persons) a bus to Potosi. It is at an altitude of 4,070 meters (13,500 feet) and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. Millions of laborers were conscripted to work in the mines - both indigenous people and imported African slaves. Conditions were (and remain) appalling, with as many as eight million workers dying from diseases, accidents or contact with toxic chemicals during the three centruries of colonial rule.

Our visit to the mines was demanding, shocking and memorable. Working practices are medieval, safety provisions nearly nonexistent and most shafts are unventilated. Miners, exposed to myriad noxious chemicals, normally die of silicosis pneumonia within 10 years of entering the mines.

La Paz lies at 3.600 meter above sea level (12,000 feet) in a 400 meter (1,350 feet) deep canyon. As higher as people live as lover is the social status. Very nice is the church San Francisco which was built in 1549. Everywhere are markets on the streets. But one market is especialy nice, the market for witches. Unfortunately somtime it was smelling bad. Some people do their business on the street, which stinks. The city is very bustling. We stayed longer than expected. The reason for that was the "bolivian" sickness. Stomach problems are every travellers pain.

We were glad to leave the city for Rurrenabaque (Bolivian Amazonas). We did a 3 days tour to the pampas. The animal diversity was awesome. We saw a lot of aligators and turtles lying on our way on the river by boat. We also could observe kaimanes, different birds and even dolphines. Unfortunately there were many moskitos as well. In the evening we listen to all kinds of noises in the jungle. The next day we were looking for anakondas and were lucky to spot one. Only 2,5 meter big (or small?).

Because of 6 hours delay with the plane we had to spend another night in La Paz. In Copacabana we arrived at the following day. Copacabana lies at the Titicacalake. Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world at 3,812 meter above sea level (12,536 feet). It is also South America's largest freshwater lake, with a surface area of approximately 8372 square kilometers.

Even at this altitude we could enjoy the sun in t-shirts. There are many little and bigger islands which were affected by the Incas. We did a visit to the Isla del Sol (Island of the sun and Isla de la Luna (Island of the moon). The legend says this is the birth place of the inca culture.

Now we are heading further to Peru. There we are going to meet with our friends Line & Patrice from Montreal, Canada. With them we are going to travell for 3 weeks in Peru.

Salta and surroundings

2006-05-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

After another 12 hours busride we arrived in Salta. We enjoyed Salta’s wonderful climate and attractive colonial architecture. We took the gondola up to the Cerro San Bernardo, where we had a spectacular view of Salta. One of Salta's main attraction is the train to the clouds (tren a las nubes), which makes countless switchbacks and spirals up to 4220m (14067 feet) above sea level.

Unfortunately, the train is not working at the moment and this means you need a guided tour. In our opinion it is too expensive. A 4 days tour costs over 350USD per person. (Remember we are still in South America). Therefore we rented a car for 7 days. Compared to the tour we paid only a little bit more than half ot the tour price and we had 3 more days to spend.

The road from Salta to Cafayate slices through the red, yellow and brown colored Quebrada de Cafayate. There we could see distinctive sandstone landforms like the Devil’s Throat, the Amphitheater and the Obelisk. We found a perfect place to stay in Cafayate on 1700m (5667 feet) above sea level. Its dry and sunny climate is responsible for producing some of Argentina’s best wine. The valley with its town and vineyards are surrounded by peaks which makes it really nice and gives this area a lovely charm. Therefore we visited some wineries on the next day on foot.

On the way further north we passed by on houses made of claybriks and dry farmland. The colourful sandstone peaks are breathtaking. Unbelivable, but some people can survive in that dry condition. We saw a lot of goats, sheep and fields where they dry paprica. We spent a night in Cachi which lies on 2880m (9600 feet) above sea level. It is a worthwile stopover with its colonial architecure. We rarly could understand the people because almost everybody chews coca leaves.

Next day we went further descending through moonlandscape and fields of cactuses down the valley. The ascent road goes upwards almost next to the train track up to 3773m (12575 feet) above sea level. Close to the town is a magnificent engineering archievment at 4220m (14067 feet) above sea level, the train viaduct crosses a broad desert canyon. San Antonio de los Cobres is a indigenous town. The hostels there were cold and had bad beds, therefore we headed to the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

Next day we saw the colourful hills right behind our Hostel. We enjoyed the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a painter’s palette of color on barren hillsides, and the little towns. In the morning was a colourful flee market around the main plaza.

We spent a night in San Salvador de Jujuy which is the capital of one of Argentina’s poorest province. We drove back north to the saltlake “Salina Grandes” which lies on 3500m (11666 feet) above sea level. There it was 17 degrees C (65F) and down in the valley only 9 degrees C (48F).

Our impression after 109 days in Argentina and 21 days in Chile is very positiv. Apart from, for Argentina, overpriced tourist attractions and the fact that people tried to cheat us 3 to 4 times, we enjoyed the time here very much. Argentina offers everything for travellers. The diversity of the landscape with its beaches, mountains, glaciers, tropic forests, pampa and desert meets everybody's gusto. The kindness of the people and the european flair gave us always a good feeling and we always felt safe as well. Argentina has a bright culinary diversity. We enjoyed the great meat and the awesome wine.

We are feeling sad to leave Argentina, on the other hand there are new adventures waiting for us in Bolivia and Peru.

Cordoba

2006-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

After 3 1/2 months travelling, getting used to the new environment, pack and unpack our backpackers, organising the next journey etc. we finally have arrived in Cordoba, where we have spent one month. Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina. Originally we didn't plan to visit this University-Town. However we came here to improve our "castellano" (spanish).

We catched the Bus "Rapido" from Mendoza to Cordoba. This trip really was rapido. Almost an hour earlier we arrived alive at the Hostel "La Casona". www.lacasonahostel.com.ar http://www.lacasonahostel.com.ar/ We had to spend the first night in a dorm again. The following day we checked out some spanish schools and luckely found a independent argentine school in the heart of Cordoba.

We enrolled for a semi privat course for 4 weeks. 3 hours a day doesn't sound much, it was very exhausting though. However it was worth to do it. We improved a lot. We studied past forms an started with a new subject "Subjuntivo". The subjuntive does not excist in english and german neither. This makes it more difficult.

We got used to the "Cordoban" live quickly. Here, dinner starts around 10pm. Afterwards we spent time with chatting (in spanish of course) and playing carts. We already are champions in the games "Chingchong" und "15". Usually we didn't go to bed before 3am.

The "Nationaldrink" in Cordoba is Fernet Branca with CocaCola. We knew this dark and bitter Schnaps from home, but only for "medical" reasons, for stomach ache etc. Argentines drink almost 80% of the entire italian production. We guess about 3/4 of the imported bottles are consumed in Cordoba. Unbelievable, but almost everybody drinks "Fernet con Coca" at every occasion, in the meantime we as well.

We feel comfortable in the Hostel "La Casona". We have our own room with TV (incl. american broadcasts, what a luxury). The owners of the hostel, Carlos and Willy are really nice and helpful. They not only help us with our spanish. Because of Willys heartiness and Carlos excuisit cooking, we felt like at home here. For the delicious Asados (Barbeque), Paella and Milaneses (argentinines Wienerschnitzel) we payed it back with a real Swiss Cheese Fondue. (Sounds familiar for some of you, doesn't it).

We spent some great days here with Martin from Buenos Aires. He invited us to the Pre-Qualification Worldcup-Rally in Cordoba. Over 45,000 people attended this spectacle in the stadion of Cordoba. The following day we left very early for the "real" rally in the sierra. It was incredable how fast the race cars speed through the surrounding mountains of Cordoba. It was awesome.

Soon we are heading north for Salta. We like to thank Willy, Carlos, Martin, Isabel, Karina, Valeria, Mariano for the good time in Cordoba.

Bariloche - Mendoza

2006-04-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

After many hours in the bus and at the bus station we arrived tired in Bariloche (Argentina). The city is beautifully situated on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi and is surrounded by snow-dusted mountains. The area reminds us to St. Moritz in Switzerland. We almost got homesick, but just almost. We rented mountainbikes and rode along the lake. It was beautiful, however the crazy argentin drivers made it dangerous for us. Here you can see, many Italian emegrated to Argentina.

The next day we started our multi-day trekking trip. This time we enjoyed beautiful weather.

The 4 hours walk was exhausting. The trail went over rough and smooth mountains up and down. The view though was awesome and soon we forgot our pain. The next day we had to climp the steep slope at Refugio "Frey" up again which we yesterday with an efford descended. At the top we redecended into the next valley. The valley "Rucaco" showed its beauty with the colourful landscape. However, soon the next ascent to the next pass was due. After 6 hours walking we could enjoy a fresh bath in the ice-cold lagoon next to Refugio "Jakob". Next day, we decided to return to Bariloche because the next part is not marked and includes some rockclimbing. Therefore we hiked 5 hours down the diversified valley along the river, through color changing forests, bamboo and "calafate" bushes. After 18 km (12miles) we expected the bus in vain. Thanks our small spanish-knowledge, we could convince a truck driver to give us a lift back to the town. Otherwise we would have to walk another 2-3 hours to the next busstation.

From Bariloche we headed to San Martin de los Andes along the route "Siete Lagos" (Seven Lakes). This trip took us to one of the most beautiful landscape in Patagonia so far. In SM de los Andes we climed to a view point in a Mapuche Reservat, were we enjoyed the view and reading.

With a rental car we headed to Junin de los Andes along the lake "Huechulafquer" into the national park "Lanin". At 3776m (12587 feet), snowcapped Volcan Lanin is the dominating centerpiece of tranquil Parque Nacional Lanin. Clouds orbited around the peak. It looked like the vulcan is wearing a chinese hat.

For Simones Birthday we headed to Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina. What a surprise. By public transportation we took of to a bodega (winery) for wine tasting. After some detours we finally managed to get to the winery. The guided tour was interesting but we were looking forward to the tasting though. However we only got one glass (!?) of the winerys cheapest wine. Luckely it was a good one at least.

For Simones birthday we treated ourselfs with a delicious dinner. We have had one of the best steaks/filet ever. Of course a good bottle of argentines wine was not missing.

Next day we hit the road again with a rental car. Uspallata lies in an exceptionally beautiful valley surrounded by polychrome mountains which served as a location for the Brad Pitt epic "Seven Years in Tibet".

Close to the chilean boarder lies one of Argentina's most striking wonders. Situated 2720m (9067 feet) above sea level, Puente del Inca is a natural stone bridge spanning the Rio Mendoza. Underneath it, rock walls and the ruins of an old spa are stained yellow by warm, sulfurous thermal springs. The sudden snowfall caused surprise. Fortunately the weather back in Uspallata was georgeous again.

For the return we took the "Camino del Año", a dirt road sneaks with 365 curves over the mountains. From the Mirador we enjoyed the awesome view to the 6962m (23,207 feet) high Cerro Aconcagua (see on picture; left). It is the Western Hemisphere's highest summit.

Soon we are catching a night bus to Cordoba, where we consider to take spanish classes for another month.

Puerto Natales - Temuco

2006-04-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Of course, it was raining when we brought our luggage to the Navimag Ferry. However the sun came out when we boarded the Navimag Ferry. Is this a good sign or not? The Ferry leaves Puerto Natales, bound for Puerto Montt through the Patagonien channels. We had a spectators of a wild landscape where the silence and the immensity of evergreen forest, glaciers and mountains with eternal snows combine with the exotic marine fauna, telling of the divinity of nature.

In our cabin where a more than 70 years old chilean couple and therefore we could sleep on the upper beds. This gave us the opportunity to look out the window. Here we could see the channels and animals, like horses, cows and sheep standing very close to each other. We were visiting places such as Puerto Edén, where the heritage of the aboriginal forefathers can still be recognised. To travel from Puerto Chacabuco to the northern zone of Patagonia, to be captivated by the beauty of the Los Lagos Region and the island of Chiloérsity. The first day was a little rainy but on the other hand it was mystic and the perfect weather for the chilen fjords.

It was almost dark when we passed a really small part of the fiords (Angosta Ingles) which was only 80 m (190 feets) wide. We stopped shortly in Puerto Eden. Which is a small village and its main activity is fishing. It is home to the last (Kawésqar) Indians. The next stop was at the "XII" glacier, which is one of the biggest in Patagonia. We spent some time in the cockpit, where people always were welcome.

In the second night we went out to the rough sea. We were happy, that we could sleep. We woke up next morning by beatiful blue sky. However we saw a lot of white faces around. A woman threw up from the upper deck and Geraldine and Nicolas, a swiss couple which we met on the ferry, where on the lower deck. They were lucky, that the women missed them. We spent a lot of time outside by beatuiful weather. The only time we were inside was when the plenty of food was served. This four days were absolutly great.

We, also Geraldine and Nicolas took a bus from Puerto Montt to Temuco in the nord and we spent a night there. Next day we rented a VW Fox. It was amazing how much stuff we could put in this car. 4 passangers; 4 big packpacker and 5 small packpacker, not bad.

In Pucon, where the 2847m (9490 feet) high activ vulcan Villarrica is located we organised our planned hiking trip up to its top. Actually Geraldine and Nicolas organised it. They gave the office a Swiss Mountaneer card and sad they are Swiss Mountain Guides. We argued a little bit and finally got the permit for the hike without expensive guides. Early in the morning we walked on steadly upwards through lava fields and later through snow to the top. We carried iceaxes, helmed and crampons with us. But we didn't have to use it, because of beautiful weather. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get to the top, the terrain was relativly easy. We think this tours with guides are only that they can rip of tourists. On the other hand we saw some tourists, which definately needed a guide. One ot them felt almost into the crater. The view was absolutely breathtaking. But from the active crater came some stinky and nippier smoke. We had a lot of fun sliding down on the snow. We were lucky we got up early. There were so many tourist on the way up it was amasing. In the evening we enjoyd a baths in the 35 to 40 degrees Celcius (95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) warm pools in the natural therms.

By sunny weather we drove through the beautiful Conguillio National Park with its activ Vulcan "Llaima" (3125m; 10041 feet). Here you can find the funny looking araucania trees, which are only growing in Chile. After a nice hiking trip (Sierra Nevada) we went further to La Suizandina (Hostel), because the camping places here were very expencive.

La Suizandina is a hostel which was founded from a swiss couple 8 years ago. Really amazing what they did in this few years. Great jop. (www.suizandina.com) We had a huge swiss breakfast with real bred. Afterwards we headed for our trip to the top of the Vulcano "Lonquimay" (2726m - 9086 feet). The ascent up to the top was exhausting because of the Lapilli (small loose vulcano stones). Our "Swiss Mountain Guide" Geraldine brought us to the top after 5 1/2 hours. We had a beautiul view up there, a 360 degrees round sight. We were told, that we had one of the best days. Next day, some people couldn't reach the top because of exhaustion and strong wind. In the evening we enjoyed a barbeque with good wine. Next day we ate some raclet (Swiss cheese dish). This weekend was a little more expensive then our budget tolerates, but it was it worth.

In Temuco we sad goodby to Geraldine und Nicolas at 22.00 o'clock. They went further with the train to Santiago. We had to wait at the busterminal till our bus arrived at 3 o'clock in the morning. But we are looking forward to Bariloche, Argentina, where good argentine wine and steakes are waiting for us.

Hasta luego.

Ushuaia - Puerto Natales

2006-03-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

On the 27.2.2006 we catched a bus and drove 11 hours northwards, only through the pampas. Only crossing Strait of Magellan by the ferry was exciting. There we had our first experience with the famous Patagonian winds. Punto Arenas was our first stop in Chile. It is the southern most town on the American Continent. It lies at the shore of Strait of Magellan. There we relaxed a few days before we headed further to Puerto Natales, a fishing port town.

Puerto Natales is close to the Torres del Paine National Park. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful Nationalparks of Chile. Torres del Paine NP seems to have it all: Glaciers, emerald colored lakes, lagoons, water cascades, the impressive Torres del Paine, forests, pampas and plenty of fauna where it's possible to find hue mules, pumas, condors, guanacos and foxes. It is the perfect hiker paradise, therefore we planed a trekking trip for 5 to 7 days. Unfortunately it already was raining when we started. After 3 days non stop heavy rain, we finally decided to quit and went back to Puerto Natales. Because of not seeing the Torres, beeing wet and paying a lot of money for the entrance we are calling the Torres del Paine now "Torres del Pain in the A.."

Our next stop was El Calafate in Argentina, where the Perito Moreno Glacier is located. Few Glaciers on earth (whole world; not only the states) can match the activity and excitment of the blue-hued Moreno Glacier. Its 60m (appr. 180 feet) jagged ice-peaks sheer off and crash-land with huge splashes and thunderous rifle-cracks, birthing small tidal waves and large bobbing icebergs. Luckely we could observe two huge cracks. It is a breathtaking spectacle of nature.

We were looking for a nother place to camp, hike and just hang out. Therfore we went to El Chaiten, which lies among of the most gorgeous mountain scenery. We had a beautiful view to the mountains when we approched by bus. We bought food for 3 days however we had to postpone our start because of heavy rain and strong winds. Although the next day we started by blue sky and sunshine. Soon later clouds covered the sky and it was getting darker and darker. During our walk through the beautiful valley the weather changed from sunshine to drizzle, which is typical Patagonian weather. We piched up our tent on a gorgeous spot in the woods near a river and close to a lagoon. Unfortunately it started raining. Peter went a little sick through the night and the weather forcast for the next day did not look much better. So we decided to return to the village. Another couple continued their trek and had to sleep the following night with snow on the tent and strong wind.

Back in Puerto Natales (Chile) we are waiting for the Ferry which takes us northwards to Puerto Montt. The departure is delayed for one day because of rough sea on their way to Puerto Natales. On Friday we are bording for the 4 day cruise through the Chilenian Fijords. Hopefully we will have good weather and calm sea. We are excited. (www.navimag.com)

Buenos Aires - Ushuaia

2006-02-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

At 10.2.06, after the Iguazu Falls we drove 18 hours with a very comfortable bus from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn. Nicole and Marcel (the Swisscouple which we met in Iguazu) were waiting for us. All together we rented a car and soon after that we drove to the Peninsula Valdes. The prices in Puerto Pyramides are higher than expected and almost no accomodation was available. Finally we found a 4 bedroom.

Next morning we went off to explorer the wildlife of Peninsula Valdes. Sea lions, elephant seals, armadillos and Orcas (only if season) can be seen. We saw some Orcas, but so far away it wasn't really worth to watch. Unfortunalely there are fences and we stayed almost 30 meters away from the sea lions.

Afterwards we went to Punto Tombo where a half-million Magellanic penguins breed. It's the largest penguin colony outside Antarctica. You can get very, very close to the birds. Pinguines everywhere. Unbelievable.

We really were fascinated.

We flew from Trelew to Ushuaia. All buses were booked for the next few days. Ushuaia is a pleasant destination and it nestles beside the frigid Beagle Channel while the spectacular 1500 m glacial peaks of the Fuegan Andes tower behind. We arrived by air and were treated to some breathtaking views. Ushuaia is perfect for hiking. The best hike we did was the 2 days hike to the Laguna Esmeralda. A green blueish glacier lake. We spent the night alone and had such a good time. We celebrated our 12 respectively our 4 anniversary with a good wine. At night it was pretty cold.

From Ushuaia you are able to hop on a Ferry to Antartica. Also lastminutes prices are exorbitant. We are looking forward hearing from our Swiss friends how it was. They went on a 18 days cruise.

The prices in the South of Argentina are much higher than we expected. We always thought, Argentina is a cheap country. But definately not the South. The national road 3 ends in the Nationalpark "Tierra del Fuego", which shows the end of the world (Fin del Mundo). From here our trip goes up north and hopfully we will make it to Alaska, only 17'818 km.

Iguazu Falls

2006-02-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

At the 7. February 2006, after our spanishcourse, which we enjoyed very much, we took off to the famous Iguazu Falls. Puerto Iguazu lies on the border to Brasil and Paraguay. Without the Waterfalls, we are sure, there wouln't be a town.

We flew right over the waterfalls, which was absolutely breathtaking. A memorable experience and a spectacle of nature they are considered a wonder of the world. With Stefan, who is from Switzerland and who we met at school, we found a nice appartment in the center of the town. At two o'clock in the morning, however we found out, that the towns disco is located right next to us. Music till sunrise.

However we managed to go to the Nationalpark early enough, before all tourist buses arrived. The biggest part of the waterfalls lies on the Argentinian side. This natural sanctuary is located in the far NE of the Republic of Argentina. With large amounts of precipitation, warm temperatures (15ºC on average in winter and 30ºC in summer) and the thick vegetation acting as a windscreen, it experiences extremely high levels of humidity.

Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades spread in a horsehoe shape over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazú Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left yet another large crack in the earth. During the rainy season of November - March, the rate of flow of water going over the falls may reach 450,000 cubic feet (12,750 cubic m) per second. With a speedboat we went under a waterfalls. It was absolutely fantastic.

In the eventing we spent some time with Stefan, Nicole and Marcel, which are also from Switzerland. We had a Parillada (grillplatter) and "some" wine. On the next day we went to the Brasilien side of the waterfalls. With a public bus and the first time we were really happy that we studied spanish a bit. Simone managed it to find the right place to catch another bus. The view from the Brazilian side is the most panoramic. Roosevelt sad once "poor Niagara" and we think, he was right.

If you like to know more, following you will find two websites.:
http://www.iguazuargentina.com/
http://www.cataratasdeliguazu.net/

Buenos Aires

2006-01-31T10:47:00.000-08:00

Our adventure had started with a very shaky flight. Finally on Sunday January, 15 we arrived safely but tired in Buenos Aires. Our host mother, a 76 years old women is very friendly and she is a real good cook. We are living in the quarter “Belgrano” , where a lot of Embassies are located. The 11 million city is very clean however there is no fresh air. (=buenos aires).

Monday was our first schoolday in the quarter “Recoleta”. Our american flatmate helped us to find the school. It isn’t easy to navigate in this big city, particularly in the first few days. Our school is small and is well organised. We attend a semi-privat course which helps us to improve our spanish but on the other hand it is also very excausting. After 4 hours studing spanish we have another 2-3 hours homework. Once Leila, our teacher brought Mate to class, the Argenine National drink; a tea like beverage made from the herb mate.

We are exploring this huge city in our spare time by sunshine and hot weather. Buenos Aires is definately the Paris from Southamerica. For us it seems we are somewhere in South Europe. The city has different quarters (Barrios). First we went to the poor part “la Boca”, which is famous for the colourful houses consisting of corrugated sheet iron, Maradona the soccer star and of course the tango.

With Justin, our flatmate from San Francisco, we went to a flea market in the quarter “San Telmo”. Once the elegantest neighbourhood, nowadays are a lot of antique shops and tangocafes located.

Recoleta, another quarter, looks like a french town. However this district is famous for its cemetery. The tomps are almost small houses. The most famous gravestone is the one from Evita Péron.

The main sights are located in the center. Casa Rosada is the presidental palace. To cross Avenue 9 de Julio is always challenging, with more than 14 lanes and 140 meters it is the widest street in the world.

The food hear is phenomenal. A delicious diner costs about 8-10 USD includig wine. The local speciality is a grill platter with beef and sausages prepared on the fire.

Buenos Aires is nice and exciting however we booked a flight to the Iguazu Falls. We are looking forward what life has prepared for us.

Hasta luego

Peter und Simone

A dream comes true

2006-01-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

PANAMERICANA -

A dream we have had for a long time finaly comes true. Our dream started with the flight from Washington DC to Buenos Aires in Argentina where we are attending a Spanish language course for three (3) weeks.

After inproving our spanish we are going to start our "real" trip. First of all we planed a weekend-trip to the waterfalls of Iguazu; at the border to Argentina, Paraguay and Brasil. Than we planed to travel south along the atlantic coast to the most southern town of the world, Ushuaia. In Peninsula Valdes we hopefully can observe their animal diversity.

After Ushuaia we basically travel north. We are going to use puplic transportation.

From Mexiko we will fly back to Washington to pick up our car and other stuff. From there we are going to continue our journey by car. we consider to by a trailer as well.

In Summer 2007 we probably will arrive in Alaska, which is our final destination. If we do not run out of money and time, we may drive thru Canada back to Washington DC, bevor we are going to fly back to Switzerland.

We are going to publish further blogs, where you can virtually attend our journey. Hopefully we can add some pictures as well.

We are looking forward to hear from all over the world.

Take care

Peter and Simone