Machu Picchu!

Onwards to Cusco for a trip we had been planning for since last July - Machu Picchu (Picasa link). Machu Picchu was one of the destinations Awanti had wanted to visit for years and frankly, by this point, I was really excited too. The right way to approach Machu Picchu is on foot via a four day hike on the ancient Inca Trail, which is regulated by the Peruvian Government to just 200 hikers a day. In order to ensure our spots on the trail, we booked the hike over five months ago, and even then we were only offered our second choice of dates! Asmiti and Samit, Awanti's siblings, were to join us for the hike - so it promised to be an interesting family trip.

Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu was built by the Incas between the 12th and 14th centuries and while its exact purpose is a mystery, it is hypothesized that it functioned as a religious center as well as agricultural laboratory. When the Spaniards arrived in 1532 AD and grabbed control of the Inca empire, the ease and speed with which they accomplished it, resulted in utter confusion and panic throughout. However, the one smart thing that the Incas did do, was to destroy the initial section of the trail leading to Machu Picchu. As a result, the city, in spite of being less than 2000 mts away from the primary route used by the Spaniards to explore and conquer the Inca empire, was never discovered and has survived the centuries relatively unscathed. It was only in 1911 AD when an American historian by the name of Hiram Bingham happened to stumble upon the ruins, was Machu Picchu rediscovered. Ever since then there has been a stream of tourists - 3000 per day - paying homage to the Inca's stunning skills and we were next in line.

Post lunch climb in the distance

The trek, which covers 45 kms over 4 days, is not too hard in itself - its the altitude that's the kicker. Ranging from 10,000 ft to almost 14,000 ft, packing an extra set of lungs is definitely recommended. Failing that, you just huff and puff your way past the multitude of ruins and passes enroute. This being a regulated trail, you are required to go with a tour company and we had forked over a large chunk of our travel budget to one of the supposedly more reputed agencies. Well, who said you have to rough it out on a hike - imagine hot water wash basins upon entering camp, morning wake up calls with hot coca tea, two four course meals a day, tables and chairs - and you just about begin to get an idea of the hardships we had to endure. We got an idea of what lay ahead when we showed up at the trailhead and the eleven of us hikers were vastly outnumbered by the seventeen porters - and that did not include the guide, assistant guide or the cook!

Day One was fairly relaxed with a couple of stunning ruins on the way and a moderately strenuous climb to camp. We got to camp by 4PM and since it got dark around 6PM, we ate an early dinner and settled in for the night. Day Two was the big day, and in preparation we were woken up at 5AM. After a hearty breakfast, we started off on the trail by 6AM. Right out of camp was a 3000 foot climb to the aptly named Dead Woman's Pass, though in all fairness they should make it gender neutral. The climb took too long to recount, but the views from the top just about made it worthwhile.

Sayacmarca

From the pass we plunged down to the valley below and after a largish lunch headed out for the second pass of the day. This one was a bit lower, and a couple of stops along the way to check out some more ruins and an alpine lake made the going a bit easier. From the pass we made our way down to yet another ruin - the Incas apparently loved building mini-cities, checkpoints, towers etc. - which deserves special mention. The ruin is called Sayacmarca (The Inaccessible Place) and its location atop a mountain itself ensured that it made my list of all-time best ruins. Its orientation, however, is what sets it apart from all else in my mind. On-site was an oval shaped room that seemed out of sync with the rest of the site. Turns out, on the day of the summer solstice, the first sun ray appears exactly through a notch in the afore-mentioned pass and lights up the center of the room. Just thinking of the accuracy that must have gone into constructing a structure in so difficult a place, with only your hands, and in-line with an event that occurs only once a year, in my mind displays the mastery the Incas had achieved over the solar calendar and their environment. Having explored the ruins a bit more we finally got to camp and after another extensive dinner, gratefully crawled into our sleeping bags. Day Three was a relative walk in the park, as by this point we were well acclimatized and the walking was relatively flat. We got to camp by lunch time and spent the afternoon visiting another impressive ruin, lazing around and building up anticipation for the big day.

Hiking at dawn

Day Four was the day we finally made it to Machu Picchu and given that it was only a two hour walk to the ruins from camp, you'd think we'd have it easy. But no. Turns out the rangers open the trail at 5.30AM and in order to not be stuck behind the other 189 hikers on the trail, we were up at 3.30AM and at the ranger station at 4.30AM, waiting in the bitter cold for the rangers to show up. Once they did, and we started hiking though, we were treated to one of the most amazing dawns I have seen. I say dawn, as there was no sign of the sun as yet, but the early morning hues of blue were out of this world. Two short hours later we were at the Sun Gate and were treated to our first views of Machu Picchu - and what stunning views they were. The city is built atop a hill that falls off steeply in all directions. It contains of a number of farming terraces surrounding the administrative and religious buildings, that are in great condition considering that they were built over 700 years ago. We spent the rest of the day getting a short guided tour, climbing the neighboring mountain of Wayna Picchu for some more great views and just aimlessly wandering through the ruins, taking in its magnificence. Finally, as afternoon rolled around, we caught a bus down the mountain and after four peaceful and stunning days entered the world of gift shops, internet, and mechanized transportation.

To sum it up, we had a fabulous time on the hike and the ruins are definitely worth any amount of time and money that it might take to get there. So quit making excuses, and make the trip.

- Ashish

Traveling High!

Getting back to mainland, we spent a few days relaxing and checking out the sights in Lima. We had booked the Inca Trail hike to Machu Pichu, but that was still two weeks away and we were still figuring out our next course of action, when Awanti suggested we head to Bolivia (Picasa link). Bolivia wasn't really on our S.American itinerary, but seeing that they issued visas on arrival, we booked a flight to La Paz for the next morning (literally).

Love the hats

La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at 13,000 ft, and stepping off the plane it certainly felt that way. The approach to the airport is over the Cordillera Real range - a snow-topped set of peaks that top out at over 20,000 feet. The sight of the mountains and the city takes your breath away, a feeling that continues once you disembark and attempt to breathe in the rarefied atmosphere. The setting of the city is quite spectacular - the airport and the new city is located on the altiplano, or high plain, while the old city and the nicer neighborhoods are located in the valley below, a vertical span of almost 4000ft! We spent a day and half exploring the sights and attempting to ward off any signs of altitude sickness. Given our time restriction, we decided to focus on two popular areas of Bolivia beyond the capital city - the Uyuni Salt Flats and Lake Titicaca.

Nap time

First up were the Salt Flats and the surrounding volcano and lagoon spotted desert. After an overnight bus we arrived in Uyuni, a dust bowl of a town that evokes memories of old Western towns, only a lot dustier and grimier. The town does serve as a base for all trips into the desert and we signed up for a three day tour, glad to be getting out of there. The tour consists of piling oneself, along with a couple other travelers, into a 4x4 and then driving across the salt flats and the volcanic landscape. The driver, who also doubles or rather triples up as the chef and guide, provides commentary (in Spanish) and sustenance along the way. Each night you stop in some remote hamlet where rustic living takes on a new meaning. The weather's very cold, the food basic, and the lodging spartan - but the views more than make up for everything else. We were lucky to be clubbed with a tour group from Intrepid though, and thus were treated to an English speaking guide and I assume better food. We piled into the car and headed to the train graveyard, which as the name suggests, contained of a number of ancient trains rusting in the desert, one of which was supposedly robbed by none other than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. From there we headed to the Salt Flats, which at 10,000 sq km, are the biggest in the world. Its hard to describe the sensation of standing on an enormous white plain, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. From there it was onto the first of the aforementioned lodgings. The one consolation was the stunning night sky. The desert is part of the great altiplano and lies at over 13,000 feet. The total lack of artificial lighting for hundreds of miles meant that there is no light pollution and you are treated to a stunning display of stars and the Milky Way each night.

Sweet reflections

After spending a cold cold night in the desert, with temparatures dropping down to -15 C, we headed out the next day to catch some of the other sights the desert had to offer. These included in no particular order a valley filled with twisted rock formations, a black colored lake (courtesy the algae in that lake), a couple more differently coloured lakes, and my personal favorite, a red colored lake filled with flamingos called Lago Colorado. The lake derives its color from the various mineral deposits in it and the flamingos derive theirs from eating the bacteria that live in the lake. Another freezing night later we trooped out at 5AM to catch views of geysers at sunrise, climbing up to more than 15,000 ft. The desert contains a number of volcanoes and the area contains geysers, fumaroles and hot springs, which did look stunning at sunrise. Having almost frozen to death in the early morning cold, we then headed to one of the best hot springs I have ever been to. Smack in the middle of the desert, with water at a warm 40 C, and views of snow capped volcanoes in the distance - its hard to ask for more, and we spent a fair amount of time soaking in the thermal bath. From there it was back to Uyuni and then to La Paz via an overnight bus from hell. For a reason I cannot begin to fathom, the buses out here refuse to turn on the heat, or close all the windows, and when you are traveling overnight at over 13,000 feet on dirt roads, it gets very cold and very dusty indeed. They do provide the token blanket, which is a pitiful defense against the cold, and we arrived in La Paz with our extremities ready to fall off.

Hiking across Isla del Sol

Last up on our Bolivia trip was a visit to Lake Titicaca, one of the highest navigable lakes in the world at 13,000 feet - and yes, every damn place in this country likes to situate itself at an altitude that encourages pulmonary edema. One of the highlights of the lake is Isla del Sol - or Island of the Sun. The island is the legendary Inca creation site and the birthplace of the sun in the Inca mythology. Rather than take the boat directly to the island from Copacabana - the base town for exploring the lake - we decided on doing a long walk to a small village just across from the island, and then take a rowboat across. The walk was beautiful and wound its way through the countryside dotted by small villages perched on picturesque bays, and the occasional rabid village guard dog. We made it just in time to convince a villager to row us across, and after climbing the famous Inca staircase, found a hotel to spend the night in. The island has no roads and consequently no cars or bikes - or even bicycles! It is dotted with walking trails, and we spent the next day walking from one end of the island to the other, exploring the Inca ruins enroute. Having seen all the ruins on offer, we caught one of the slowest motor-boats ever for the two hour ride back to Copacabana. If the water wasn't so damn cold, I had half a mind of giving the boat a run for its money. We arrived back in time to have a grilled trout dinner on the lake-front and settle into our splurge for Bolivia - La Cupola - which they say is one of the best hotels in the country.

Peru and the famous Inca ruins of Machu Pichu are next.

- Ashish

Easter Island

Cluster!

Right ho...onto the most exotic destination of the year - Easter Island (Picasa link). Courtsey of British Airways, we were in possession of a ticket from Lima to Miami that allowed us to stop in Easter Island, Lima, and Guayaquil before catching the final flight home. All this spread out over three months, and for next to nothing - gotta love mileage programs!

The flight from Lima to Easter Island was almost six hours long - all over the Pacific - which served to heighten the remoteness of the location. Unbeknownst to us, our co-passenger was the First Lady of Chile, and were lucky to catch a beautiful Rapa Nui dance performance on the tarmac upon landing. After checking into our guesthouse, we headed out for a walk along the water and our first sightings of the stone statues that have made Easter Island so famous - the Moai. The history of the settlement and subsequent decline of the island make for fascinating reading, especially Jared Diamond's piece on the island history and its subsequent decline.

Looks like something out of 'Lost'

The next morning we took it easy and after a big breakfast, walked past the airport, and began climbing the volcano called Hanga Roa. The summit held special importance in the local culture as a religious site and is the location of a well restored village, Orongo, occupied by a select few. Well, the shamans certainly chose well - imagine a couple of houses perched above 300 foot cliffs that drop straight to the ocean below. On the other side, steep crater walls that drop to the crater lake! You'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better location. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the volcano and then headed back to town. The next day we picked up a motor-bike and headed out for a tour around the island. After catching a few fallen Moai, we reached the highlight of the island - Rano Raraku. This was a volcano that also functioned as the quarry from which all the Moai were quarried. Both, the inner crater (along with the requisite stunning crater lake) and the outer slopes are dotted with over 400 Moai, in various stages of completion. The setting is spectacular and we spent a good chunk of time weaving our way through the various statues. From there it was onto the one and only beach on the island. At the end of the day, there's only so many statues you can look at and we were on a Pacific island. The sand was fine, the water warm, and we enjoyed a well deserved break from the ruins.

That's a big head - not mine!

Our last and final day on the island involved walking along the shore and catching the remaining Moai that had eluded us until then. Our flight to Lima was delayed by two hours and I mention it just to give you an idea of the pace of life here. Upon enquiring as to the cause of the delay, we were told that the flight from Tahiti was delayed by two hours and there were a couple of passenger on that flight who were connecting onto our flight. If we didn't wait for them, they'd be stuck on the island for two more days, for that's when the next flight to Lima was!

- Ashish

A Slice of Switzerland

Landing in the Lake District (Picasa link) one could be excused for thinking they were in Switzerland. Clear alpine lakes, snow-capped peaks, green rolling meadows, and fat cows complete the picture. Throw in the German architecture and chocolate and cake shops and its easy to see the cause for confusion. The Lake District forms a part of northern Patagonia, stretching across a section of the Andes in both Chile and Argentina, and we had decided to spend some time exploring both sides.

Oliver's pad

First off was Puerto Varas. We headed over to Oliver's place, which was a 150 year old wooden house of German design set among 50 acres of rolling farmland, a couple of feet from Lago (lake) Llanhiquin and with a stunning view of Volcan Osorno. The history of German settlements in this part of the world makes for an interesting read. Early in the 19th century, the Chilean government realized that the best way to establish a permanent claim on the land, which was then in dispute with Argentina, was to settle it. Finding no Chileans willing, they threw open the doors and invited people from all over. The policy caught the eye of an enterprising German businessman in Santiago, who promptly sold this idea to a few of his gullible countrymen, and convinced them to make the trip across the Atlantic and then the Andes. Initially, the going was tough, but before long the Germans established numerous villages dotting the lakes in this region. One such typical German town that we visited was Frutillar. Other than the architecture and cows, they did keep another German tradition going - küchen or cakes. The Lake District on the Chilean side especially, has some of the best cakes we've had on our trip so far and we plowed our way through many a cake, putting back on all the pounds we'd lost in the southern Patagonias.

Spot the Refugio!

From Puerto Varas we took a bus over the Andes to Bariloche in Argentina. Encountering bad weather there, we promptly decamped to El Bolson - Argentina's answer to all the hippies in South America. The town has a mellow vibe and at every turn you run into a dread-lock sporting, robe wearing hippie. They also have a famous market every alternate day, selling organic and healthy food. El Bolson is really small - just a couple of paved roads, and is surrounded by craggy mountain ranges on all sides. Always excited by mountains, we went for a really nice two day hike, staying at a refugio on the first night. The weather in Bariloche was showing promise by this point, and so we made our way back there. Bariloche is called Argentina's version of Switzerland and they waste no time in trading off that reputation. Every second shop sells artisinal chocolate, and later, having eaten all the chocolate you can put away, you can have your picture taken with a St. Bernard in the main square. Leaving behind the sweets, we again headed into the mountains of the Nahuel Huapi Nacional Parque. This time the target was Cerro Cathedral, a jagged peak not too far from Bariloche. The hike was stunning and the Refugio could not have been better placed - on an alpine lake right in the shadow of the peak. The next day we tackled a couple of passes, and one of the scariest descents ever, to make it back to civilization.

Paso Cardoba

It was onto our last few days in the Lake District and we picked up a car to do the Seven Lakes Loop, a dirt road drive that allows you to experience the best of the Lake District while still being a lazy tourist. We spread the drive across two days and spent the intermediary night at San Martin de los Andes - a long name for a small town. The setting however is hard to beat - San Martin is set on the shore of Lago Lacar at the end of a long valley and framed by high mountains. The next day we drove back via a different road which allowed us to experience a very different side of the Lake District. In place of verdant forests and snow peaks, we got to see crazy rock formations in an almost desert like setting. Having thoroughly enjoyed our drive, we returned our car and bid adieu to the Lake District.


Santiago is up next, and having not been in a big city in over a month, I am going to appear a country-bumpkin!

- Ashish

Patagonias!

Finally, we were getting down to the business end of things. I had been looking forward to the Patagonias (Picasa link) ever since the start of our trip, and after 9 months we got our first taste of it. Coming in to land at Ushuaia, you get a sense of the isolation and remoteness of the town. Miles and miles of islands, fjords and high Andean peaks finally give way to a small bay, a town nestled in between the Beagle Channel and the mountains, and a strip of land flat enough to land on.

Really far from everywhere else

Ushuaia is all about three things; promoting itself as the southernmost city in the world, great hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park, and the launchpad for all Antartic cruises. Its hard to stay in Ushuaia and not be tempted by all the last-minute cruise deals, but we held firm (or rather our wallets did), and went hiking. One day was spent hiking to a beautiful alpine lake, while the next was spent walking along lake shore trails in the National Park. The next hike was a two day hike to a beautiful alpine lake where camping was permitted, followed by a climb to a pass and down into town. The lady awoke not feeling too great, so I decided to make a go at it myself. The first day was gorgeous - a light shower once in a while but temperatures high enough to feel my extremities. The lake was stunning and I setup camp on its shore and tucked in. Sleep was rudely interrupted around 4AM by a feeling of extreme cold and claustrophobia. Peeking out I saw a wall of white and the realization that the ground was now covered in four inches of snow. The park authorities don't place too much importance in trail markers, which meant I had no idea how to get up and over the pass. So I slept in until I heard a group who was with a guide break camp, and then promptly followed them up the pass. Once over the pass the weather cleared and going was easy, albeit a bit slushy. Back in town, hot food helped warm the innards and we started planning our next hike.

The Towers of Paine

First up though was a 15 hr bus ride to Puerto Natales in Chile. The landscape was bleak and yet stunning - miles and miles of scrub land dotted by the occasional farmhouse, all below the watchful eyes of the Andes. We were headed to Puerto Natales to do the 'W', a five day hike in the Torres del Paine that makes the 'best hikes in the world' etc. lists. Since this was the tail-end of the season, and we didn't have the right equipment, we decided on spending the nights in refugios - mountain lodges built in the park and conveniently placed so that you could do the hike while still living in relative comfort. The setting of the park deserves a special mention. You are driving along the afore-mentioned scrub land when suddenly, you are faced with a set of mountains, rearing straight up from the ground. Given that the surrounding elevation is around 500 feet and the peaks rise to over 10,000 feet, it makes for a dramatic effect. Add to that a couple of glaciers, alpine lakes and you start to see why the hike is so highly rated. We got pretty lucky with the weather, and the next five days were spent hiking up and down valleys, fording mountain streams, and taking a ton of photographs. One phenomenon we could not escape though was the incredible wind. It blows and blows and on two days it was gusting upto 70 kmph. Still, given that the highest recorded for the year was 120 kmph, we got off easy. Having eaten rice and soup for five straight days, we both went all-out and downed pizzas and tiramisus upon our return to Puerto Natales.

That's a big hunk of ice!

The next day it was onto the legendary Fitz Roy mountains in El Chalten, Argentina. These mountains are so hard to climb, that while Everest may see upto a hundred successful attempts on a single day, Fitz Roy might just see one in the entire season. While we aren't into any kind of mountaineering, the park does have beautiful trails that allow you to get right upto the base of the mountains. Fall colors were out in force, and we spent the next couple of days hiking upto glacier fed lakes and enjoying picnic lunches in the shadow of these awe inspiring mountains. Last up in this part of the Patagonias was El Calafate, specifically the Perito Moreno Glacier. As Lonely Planet says, the glacier is tailor made for tourism and the town of El Calafate subsists entirely on this hunk of ice. The glacier is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world (so much for global warming), flows for over 30 kms, and stops only a few feet short of a hill on which a series of walk-ways have been built, allowing one to get up and close to the glacier. We spent the better part of the day staring at this enormous wall of ice, getting excited every time a large piece of ice calved off the face and into the water.


Its getting cold, and having spent a fair chunk of time in the Southern Patagonias, we are headed north. Next up is the lake district, which as you can imagine, consists of a lot of lakes, smoking volcanoes, and even more hiking!

- Ashish

More or Less

Streets of Salvador

'More or less', is the standard refrain we hear every time we ask someone in Brazil or Argentina (Picasa link) if they know English. More OF less, is how I would put it personally, given the time even simple conversations take. Guess I shouldn't be complaining though, given that I know even less of Portuguese or Spanish. Having successfully navigated the Carnival in Rio, wallets and organs accounted for, we next headed on to Salvador for some peace and quiet - or so we thought. We checked in at our hostel just in time to see the start of a huge street concert. Figuring if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em, we headed down and spent the next few hours listening to surprisingly good music and downing delicious Caipirinhas, Brazil's national cocktail. The next day, after sleeping in a bit, we headed out to explore Salvador. Salvador is the capital of Bahia, Brazil's 'black' state. Descendents of slaves bought over from Africa over three centuries ago, now constitute a majority of the population and has led to a town unlike any other in Brazil. The historic town center is all cobble-stones, cute houses, and churches - everything a bit run-down though, which I felt added to the charm.

Water-slide!

After spending two days wandering around the steets of Salvador, we headed to Chapada Diamantina, a national park set in the interiors of Brazil. The plan was to hike in the national park for the next couple of days, a plan that was immediately nixed after we heard what they charge to guide you into the park. A complete lack of any kind of infrastructure meant that you are beholden to these guiding agencies and they ensure things stay this way by refusing to signpost any trails or even allow the publication of even the most basic of maps. Thumbing our nose at them, we decided on doing some simple walks around town and hanging about town drinking gallons of fruit juices. One thing that astounded us as first-time visitors to Brazil, is the sheer number of fruit juice shops. There's one on every corner, sometime one on each corner of a single intersection, as if to prove that I'm not exaggerating. These range from simple mom-pop operations, to chains that operate throughout the country. What they do have in common, is the multitude of fruits stacked behind the counter and the variety of juice mixes they offer. Brazil grows a stunning variety of fruits and at the fruit juice shops each and every one makes it through the blender.

Foz de Iguazu

From Diamantina, it was back to Salvador to catch our flight to Iguazu falls. We failed to account for the Continental and United merger taking place that day, which obviously meant our tickets had been inexplicably canceled and we were only informed so at check-in. A frantic hour later, most of which was spent on Skype threatening United customer reps., we missed our flight, were finally issued new tickets on the next flight and got to Iguazu Falls at 2AM. Frankly, I was a bit skeptical about the hulla (what's the term? Hype?) surrounding the Falls, but since even 5-day Brazil itineraries included it, we thought we should too. Now don't get me wrong, I like a nice roaring waterfall just like anyone else and will even hike a couple of miles out of my way to check one out. But to fly half-way across a country for one seemed a bit excessive to me. How wrong was I! The Falls stretch across and can be viewed from both sides, Brazil and Argentina, and the next morning we headed to the park on the Brazilian side. My first view of the Falls and I knew we were dealing with something special. Its hard to describe just how big and intimidating the Falls are, but suffice to say, the trip was worth it. The next day we headed over into Argentina and checked out the Falls from the other side. The Argentinians have built a walk-way, aptly named Devil's Throat, at the end of which you are pretty much standing over the throat of the Falls and watching the river pour over the edge below you. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

Tango in BA!

From Iguazu it was onto Buenos Aires. We'd decided to take a bus for this leg of the journey and got to experience Argentinian bus travel for the first time. The Argentinians have elevated bus travel to a luxury experience and our seats were the equivalent of business class seats on a flight. Think stewardess, hot dinner, wine, semi-flat seats, and you begin to start seeing the picture. Thoroughly rested, we reached Buenos Aires 17 hours later (did I mention that distances here are insane?!). The next six days were spent exploring Buenos Aires (BA). BA is an extremely likable city and the feel is quite European, just a lot cheaper. BAers, or Portenos, as they are called, love their cafes and bakeries, and there's one to be found every time you feel the hankering for a cuppa and cake. Spending an inordinate amount of time at a cafe soon became part of our routine too. The city lacks any major sights, but more than makes up for it in interesting neighborhoods, their love for tango and the aforementioned cafes. Our daily routine consisted of picking a neighborhood or two, walking the length of it, looking and immediately spotting a cute cafe, consuming cake and coffee, and then walking home. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable, if slightly fattening stay.





Ushuaia's next, and for those of you who can barely pronounce it, its the southern-most city in the world. World-class hiking awaits!

- Ashish

CARNAVAL!

Rio!

When we started our year-long trip, one of our big objectives was to make it to the Rio Carnaval (Picasa link). We never really got around to planning for it, and it was finally in December, while we were sitting with our feet up in India, that we decided to look into the Carnaval. Well, tickets we selling out fast and we barely managed to get tickets to it. And so, two months later, on a warm Miami night we took off for Brazil. About 24 hours later, weary from an overnight flight and then a 8 hr. bus ride from Sao Paulo, we finally got to Rio. We were staying with Roberto, a fellow traveler we had met in Turkey, and it was with considerable relief we entered his house and crashed. The next morning we woke up to views of Corcovado and Pao de Acucar - two of Rio's most iconic sights. You see, Roberto lives on the 21st floor of a high-rise right between the two peaks and is ideally placed to enjoy them both.

Bloco madness!

First things first though - it was the official start of the Carnaval and Roberto insisted we make our way over to a 'bloco'. Blocos are parties that decades ago started off with just a couple of friends and their drums and drinks, making their way around the neighborhood. They quickly out-grew that phase and are now serious affairs that can easily include over 10,000 participants. For those from Pune, think Ganapati visarjan from each of the 'peths'. For those from the US, think wild University Halloween parties, but on a scale that's unimaginable. There are over 100 such blocos taking place all around Rio over the course of a week. We headed to one of the older ones, the Santa Teresa bloco, which wound its way through the old, historic and beautiful neighborhood of Santa Teresa. We spent the next couple of hours following the band around, dancing for a bit and trying to not get trampled apon, before the heat and crazy crowds got too much.

Realizing that we probably needed some peace and quiet, Roberto then took us to the best place possible - the Parque de Tijuca. The park, formed in the latter part of the 19th century, is the largest urban forest in the world and its location means that you can escape to it within 10 minutes from almost anywhere in Rio. We spent the next two hours checking out stunning vistas of the city and doing a short walk to a waterfall. After a spot of lunch at a typical Brazilian 'kilo restaurant', we then retired to the fabulous Ipanema beach for sunset - and unintentionally got caught up in another bloco. Thus ended a packed day in Rio.

Need's no introduction

Another day, another bloco. This time it was in Centro and the parade culminated into a gigantic open air samba concert. After extricating ourselves, we took the funicular up Corcovado, to do as all tourists do - to see the famous statue of 'Christ the Redeemer', the symbol of Rio. We managed to time it well enough that we caught the last of the daylight, and then enjoyed stunning views of the city lit up at night.


Finally, dawned the big day. We were heading to the big Carnaval that night and in preparation, spent the afternoon in the peaceful environs of the botanical garden. After getting home and packing some sandwiches we headed to the Sambadrome. A few lines on the how the Rio Carnival works. There are 12 schools that strut their stuff over two days (six on each). Each school makes its way down the Sambadrome - think six football fields lined up end to end - and each school gets an hour to do that. The schools are judged on a number of criterion, including, theme, costume, dance, singing, crowd appeal, and timing. The last two teams from each year are relegated to the second division for the next while the top two from the second division make it to the first. There's big money and prestige in being one of the top twelve, and as a result the competition is intense. We got there in just in time to watch the first school, Sao Clemente, make their way down the Sambadrome.

CARNAVAL!!

The next eight hours were an assault on the senses and we enjoyed every minute of it. At 4.30AM as things were finally winding down, we escaped the madness, and caught the subway home. A deep slumber ensued and we woke up to post-Carnaval blues to try and figure out how we were going to spend the rest of our days in Rio.

It was bloody hot in Rio and so, on one of the days we decamped to the hills, specifically Petropolis. Petropolis was built in the 19th century and served as the summer residence for the Emperor and later the government - and its not too hard to see why. Only an hour from Rio, its a beautiful town high in the mountains. Stepping off the bus, one would think you've stepped into small-town Europe. As it was built for the Emperor, it has all the trappings of a quaint European town. Think Cathedral, canals and the obligatory palace, and we spent a happy and cool day exploring the town.

The rest of our days in Rio were occupied by walking around the neighborhoods and of course, laying on the beaches. The juxtaposition of high granite peaks and beaches is something that is unique to Rio and is what makes it such a stunning city. For example, on our last day in Rio, we hiked up a peak with a naval fort at the top, called Forte de Leme, to enjoy some views of the harbor and the city. Feeling the heat we made our way down and walked right onto Copacabana, for a refreshing dip in the Atlantic. There's just so much to see in the city, that even 10 days proved quite inadequate and its with a heavy heart that we took its leave.

Next up is Salvador and the Bahian culture. From what I understand, its even hotter up there.

- Ashish

Right ho! After spending a fair chunk of time at home in India, it was time to hit the road again. But we weren't quite ready as yet..so we decided on spending a few days at our home away from home - Nirupa & Steve's (Aunt & Uncle) place in Miami. My cousins Peter and his wife, Kristin, along with Kristin's family, joined us in Miami for the weekend too, and we had a great time together. Some of the highlights were - Nirupa Atya's cooking, Uncle Steve's made-fresh-daily-home-made bread, attending Puccini's opera, 'La Rondine', and a picnic at the open air concert of the New World Symphony. Taking advantage of the awesome weather, we decided on heading to the Everglades for some canoeing. We proceeded to canoe through Nine Mile pond and were just admiring the perfect weather, when we were dumped on by a short but intense shower. Thus passed by 5 idyllic days in Miami.

Hiking up Pacaya

From Miami it was onto Guatemala (Picasa link) and having heard not too good things about the capital city, we promptly hightailed it to Antigua. Antigua was the capital city for the past five centuries and was where the Spaniards setup base when they made their way over in the 16th century. The result is a city choc-a-bloc with historic buildings and churches, built over the centuries by Spanish rulers and missionaries. Antigua in the 17th and 18th centuries suffered the indignities of multiple earthquakes that left most of the churches in a state of ruin and you certainly seem to run into one really frequently. However, and this is why the city will always be a firm favorite, it is surrounded by five volcanoes that lie in various states ranging from dormant to active, and each and every one of them is climbable. Upon reaching Antigua in the evening we dumped our bags at our hosts' place and made plans for climbing Pacaya - one of the dormant ones. The next day saw us waking up at the crack of dawn and making our way up the volcano. Steam vents are to be found on the higher reaches and our guide made a big show of toasting bread and roasting marshmallows up there. We then spent a very agreeable afternoon wandering around town, exploring the various ruins and checking out the few buildings that were still upright.

Told you there were no roofs!

We next made our way over to Lago de Atitlan. In keeping with the volcanic theme, the lake is ringed by no fewer than seven volcanoes, though we stuck to the lake shore this time round. The lake has really nice small towns, that, in a few cases, are only accessible by water and we spent the next couple of days here. One of the days we decided to hike from San Marcos, where we'd spent the night, to Santa Cruz, a town a couple of miles along the coast. The path was high above the water-line and we enjoyed stunning views of the lake framed by volcanoes throughout the hike. After gorging on avocado and pineapple smoothies and nachos at Santa Cruz we then caught the launch back to San Marcos. Heading out from the lake the next day, we were still undecided on our next destination, so we headed back to Antigua to figure out our course of action.

After a bit of research, we finally settled on the Mayan ruins of Copan in Honduras. As is with these things, the actual ruins are called Copan while the town outside the ruins is called Copan Ruinas, which is where we headed to the next day. The ruins made for a fabulous morning of walking around and the on-site museum could not have been put together any better. Hats off to the Hondurans for putting together a really informative and interesting site. From Copan, it was back to Guatemala, specifically Livingston. Livingston's history bears special mention. The town is populated by the descendents of slaves that were bought over from the Caribbeans by the Europeans in the 17th century.

Casa Rosada

Livingston, being semi-isolated from the mainland, resulted in the development of an independent populace and culture, called Garifuna. The people look different, speak a different language and the food's different too. The plan was to spend a day or two here before moving on, but then came Casa Rosada. We had no bookings when we got to Livingston, and based off some online reviews, walked over to a hotel by the name of Casa Rosada to inquire about their availability and prices. It was love at first sight. The place consists of a main house and 10 small shacks - all on the water-front. They have a jetty running into the water with a small open hut at the end, in which are slung a couple of hammocks. Our day and half stay quickly turned into four. At only one point did we even attempt something more strenuous than lowering ourselves into a hammock - a long walk along the beach to a series of seven pools called, predictably, Siete Altares. The rest of our stay was occupied reading, surfing the net, and figuring out where we were having dinner. On day five we finally roused ourselves and made our way up the Rio Dulce to Finca Tatin - a basic hotel in the jungle. So basic, in fact, that they didn't even have electricity. Still, we had a good time there and met quite a few interesting travelers, who we sat swapping travel stories with well into the night.

Ole King Jaguar's Temple

Onto our final destination in Guatemala, the ancient city of Tikal. Tikal is regarded by many to be one of the most important Mayan ruins around and we decided to honor that opinion. We managed to get ourselves talked into an early morning tour and found ourselves at 4.30AM the next day, piling into a van heading to the ruins. I did say it was early! Tikals' heydays were from the 7th to the 14th century, and man, did they go on a building spree. Similar to Angkor Wat, each ruler felt the need to immortalize himself, and the ruins are filled with pyramid shaped temples, each bigger than the previous one. After the civilization collapsed in the 14th century, the jungle took over and covered all traces of a city, that at one point housed over 200,000 people. The ruins were only discovered in the 19th century and its only in the last 70 years that formal archeological work has been carried out at the site. The entire site is still under heavy vegetation and it makes for a pleasant surprise to round the corner and come face to face with a 200 foot temple. We spent a few hours tagging along with our guide and then the next few wandering around the site on our own. After having shot a boatload of picture we made our way back to Flores (the base town for Tikal). From there we caught the overnight bus to Guatemala city and then the flight back to Miami. Another two days of R&R with the family and then its onto the last big leg of our journey - four months in S.America!

- Ashish

Home!

HOME...oh how we are going to miss thee. Sitting in the new Swiss Lounge at the Zurich airport - which by the way is the swankiest lounge we've been in over the past few years - its time to look back over our trip to Laos and then an awesome five weeks spent at home in India (Picasa link).

Sunset in Luang Prabang

Getting to the mid-point of our travels, the wife and I were running out of patience for long bus rides. So when we heard that the bus from Hanoi to Luang Prabang would take 30 hrs on a good day and upto two days on a bad one, I knew there wasn't much point in arguing. We ended up plopping down some serious cash for an hour long flight and landed in Luang Prabang on a cool November evening. Laos is the country that hid in the bushes while the 'Asian Tiger' roared, and the airport was testament to that fact. Imagine a single runway off which sat a single room containing customs, immigration, baggage check, a tuk-tuk stand, a tourist information stand and a cafe, and you have the entirety of the airport. Having run through the formalities we got a shared ride into town and began hunting for a hotel room. After a bit of walking and a lot of haggling, we settled for a fairly nice hotel on the Mekong. Laos was colonized by the French towards the end of the 19th century and their influence was evident everywhere - from the architecture to the profusion of 'French' cafes. UNESCO promptly declared the town as World Heritage Site and as a result the town is a pleasure to walk through, albeit a bit touristy. The old town consists primarily of guesthouses and cafes, interspersed by some great Wats (Buddhist Temples). We picked up a bike on one of the days and went of a nice ride through the country-side to a waterfall. There's a bear sanctuary at the base of the waterfall where Asiatic and Sun bears rescued from the streets are kept and we spent quite some time watching their antics.

Show me the money!

From Luang Prabang it was onto the capital Vientiane, which though only 250 kms away on their one and only highway, took us over 12 hours to get to! We decided to keep going onto the village of Konglor, which has absolutely nothing going for it, except the fact that it lies next to one of the longest subterranean tunnels in the world. Unlike other rivers that, when they run up against a mountain flow around it, the Hinboun river decided to flow straight through it. The result is a stunning 7.5 kms long tunnel carved through a limestone mountain. We got to Konglor late enough to ensure that all the rooms at the three guesthouses in the village were taken and spent the night at a homestay. The homestay concept is something that is fairly popular in South East Asia, but one that we experienced for the first time on this trip. It basically involves calling out to one of the houses in the village and asking if you can spend the night on their balcony/porch/verandah. If you are lucky, you might even be fed. We entered one such home and after a light dinner hit the sack. The next morning we walked to the cave and hired a canoe. After a stunning ride through the cave that included stopping to check out some stalagmites, stalactites, and other weird formations we exited from absolute darkness into the bright sun. Rather than hurry back to Vientiane we decided to stay in Konglor and do absolutely nothing. There being nothing else to do, it wasn't too hard a decision to make and the evening was spent in a nice long run (me) and yoga (her).

Arch de Triomphe...or something like that

Heading out from Konglor the next day, we took a bus back to Vientiane. We got to Vientiane in time for me to realize that something was seriously wrong with the ole' tummy. For the past six months I had been eating all sorts of food from all possible locations. Some of the not so wise decisions included lamb kababs at a road-side stall in Morocco, fruits cut by not so clean hands in Cambodia, and water and ice of all colors and consistency. I guess it had to catch-up with me someday, but what I didnt figure, was that it would happen four days before we were scheduled to fly home. Things got serious enough that I considered actually visiting a doc - only to find out that such a thing didn't exist. I kid you not. In Vientiane - which just happens to be the capital city of Laos - travelers are advised to make their way as fast as they can, over to Thailand for anything more serious than cuts and burns. The only thing masquerading as a hospital is a travel clinic at the Australian Embassy and even their advice is, 'run to Thailand'. Thankfully, popping a few antibiotics did the trick and after two days of sitting in the hotel, I was able to venture out and explore the city. We first headed to Pha That Luang - their version of the Ashoka Chakra. The Wat's image is on everything that matters - from currency notes to stamps and is dazzling to look at. Other than the Wat there's not much else to report on barring a monstrous edifice built in the middle of the city. In the fifties, the US Govt. in their ever desperate war against the VC, gave the Laotians cement to build a new airport and runway. The rulers, in their infinite wisdom, promptly decided that an airport could wait, but a monument celebrating a past victory could obviously not. The result is something that looks like it was airlifted from Paris and then dressed up to fit in with SE Asian sensibilities. They ran out of money well before completion and resorted to opening an entire floor of the monument to trinket shops in an attempt to earn a bit of revenue. Again, given that this is one of their most important monuments in the capital city, it's not too hard to imagine the state of the rest of the country.

It's a long way to the bottom..

The next day we caught a flight to Bangkok and from there to India. Man, did it feel good to be back home. We were at home for five weeks and other than a couple of day trips we did absolutely no traveling. The days were spent in going for runs (me), doing hours of yoga (her), hanging out with the family, meeting up with friends, and eating loads of food. Alice and Camille, our friends from Paris, came visiting and we took them for a hike to Harishchandragad. The fort is one of the biggest there is, but is better known for the 'Konkan Kada'. The forts sits on the edge of the Konkan plateau and is well defended by the sheer 1800 foot drop to the Konkan coastal plain. The picture gives some idea of the drop! Alas, all good things have to come to an end, and we found ourselves stuffing our possessions back into the backpacks and catching our flight to Miami. The plan is for a nice family weekend in Miami before we head onto Guatemala. New cuisines, new people and a new culture...can't wait for it!

- Ashish