followkatie: March 2004

Happy Birthday Dad.

Iguazu

It's great when I go to the cashpoint, and the ATM says, "welcome, Katherine Ward". Very advanced. It even lets me take money out you know, not like Birmingham, where it always used to say "in your dreams pauper". Got off 19 hour bus at 2pm...it's boiling here, but the bus was a little over-enthusiastically air conditioned so have been freezing all night. Am now at Puerto Iguazu at a hostel called Correos Camino (?) where they offer a choice of non air conditioned rooms, or for 5 pesos more, you can have a ceiling fan. Guess what I went for. Got out of the shower before, and 5 minutes later, without the aid of electrical implements, my hair was dry. That is how hot it is here.

Blog playing up.. It does that when I try to post more than one thing in any one sitting. No fair.

Buenos Aires

Packed a lot into my precisely 1.5 days in Buenos Aires...have been to the Recoleta Cemetery, the Natural History Museum (which has seriously upped my quota of dead things sightings), been shopping and then today have sorted lots of tickety travely issues and had a tour of the Opera House (Teatro Colon). Getting on the bus to Iguazu in an hour....another 18 hour bus. Our bus from Mendoza was lush.....looked a bit like an 80s bachelor pad....all red and black and padded earphones, with decent dinner....which oddly enough included a kind of cheese and ham roly poly, but hey. Back to Buenos Aires next week to do the going out lots thing.

food.....

So much food last night...Argentinian barbecues are great. Unfortunately checkout was at 10am, I repeat 10am. Bus isn't till 8 tonight so been hanging around all day, watching rugby and eating again. I should give up food for the next 2 weeks the amount I have eaten of late.

Weekend.....

Just killing some time waiting for a barbecue to happen, have spent today at the thermal pools, well, some more thermal than others!!! And a disappointing lack of waterslides!!! I like waterslides. Mendoza is pretty nice, their wine is mmm mmm mmm. I've had some already actually which means the quality of my post may not be up to its usual standard. Either that or I may let all my secrets slip. I think it's always the people that make a place..so whether a hostel is a complete hole or really nice doesn't really matter....have been entertained thoroughly by a hyperactive Scot all day, but then we were all a captive audience for him as the bus left us at the pools 38km away for a good five hours. Fair enough I guess, but it wasn't that warm today, for which my very white legs thank me. Showed the English lads just how bad I am at pool last night, but I almost won a game of table football, thus not showing myself up too badly hey. Am hoping when I get back to the hostel now the food will be on the way out, as am starving. x

Try Argentinian wine

Hard life this really...go out, eat great food, have some drinks, go wine tasting, visit some thermal pools......Haven't actually set foot in a museum since the coca museum in La Paz, but at least this limits the amount of dead things I see. Staying in Damajuana in Mendoza...gorgeous and has a swimming pool and strangely rock hard pillows.

26 hours on a bus

well, I guess that's a lie...5 of those were spent broken down at a service station. To think I was looking forward to Arg buses as they're supposed to be 100% more enjoyable than Bolivin ones! Finally arrived in Mendoza at 1.30am.....and now am not tired because there was nothing else to do but sleep on my bus. Very very dull...with not a single person I could communicate with properly.

can't think of a title

Have not even been noticing who's been moving in and out of my room! I come in sometimes just as they're leaving for a bus at 8am. There is a hilarious guy from the Netherlands who woke up this morning and announced straightaway, eyes bulging, that he was still drunk,. Also just met someone who is attempting to get from here to Bolivia and Peru, and back to Buenos Aires for his flight in 3 weeks! I think he is sadly deluded...Bolivian transport is not renowned for its reliability! Finally bought a ticket out...going to Mendoza on Tuesday night on some kind of luxury bus...can't wait! Am joining C there as I am going on a quick trip first. Really looking forward to Iguazu as well, then we can have a bit of a beach holiday in Brazil, party in Buenos Aires then fly over to Santiago to stay with Tavis from our Salt Plains tour. That makes things cheap and he has an extensive music collection. Just realised I haven't written much of late....the last lot of details was re the horseriding and my general body ache afterwards. Have really enjoyed being in Salta...haven't done much in the way of cultural things or sightseeing really...spent quite a lot of time going up the hill on the cable car...there's a whole bunch of manmade waterfalls up there reminiscent of M C Escher. Really beautiful. I have some great pics of the waterfalls with views of the city behind them. Dave left today...having been here just a bit longer than us and doing just as much in the way of culture. Table football and tabletennis rule the day...but Karima has left, taking her uno cards with her which leaves us with one less activity. I have to be up for 7am tomorrow morning....this is dodgy as I have been going to bed later than this most days. Daylight sleep doesn't seem as good for you as night time sleep. Leaned this from some of the Outback nights last Summer, but with my current lack of responsibilities it seems rude not to stay awake till dawn. Last night the Salta men surpassed themselves.....in terms of cheesiness I have not experienced anything like it ever!! And they don't know when to give up! One of their best chat up lines involves the word "mermaid".....is this flattering? Not in my book. Or "Why you alone?" when you're innocently sitting having a drink...my reply "because my husband has gone to the bar". The fact that I may be lying very well about being married doesn't wash. Bring back good old British men who just offer you a drink! It has a much higher success quotient. ;) Oh, and we got kicked out by the police...the entire club, not just me! A great line of them suddenly formed at the back of the club...the music stopped abruptly and that was that. It was only 6am...but apparently if they don't get the police in the hoardes never leave, and the poor barmen must have wanted to go home to bed. Anyways, I am off to the North tomorrow, so be a couple of days before I'm internet contactable again. ciao amigos (see....my Spanish rocks)

Spectre - Salta

Seen Big Fish??? We're now calling this town Spectre as no-one seems to have sorted themselves out to leave yet. And we're all getting very lazy...my meals come from the hot dog stand next door!!!!

In case you were wondering.....

my Birthday is on April the 4th. And I will probably spend it sitting on a bus! I did think by the time I was 25 I would be all groomed and grown-up looking, wearing suits to work and all that. Not only do I not have a job...I spend most of time looking a like a scruffbag, and no matter how many times I was my clothes they still look dirty, which all adds to that great grown-up look. I should take lessons Caroline!

Still in Salta...I don't think I want to leave.....

I am now sharing my very small dorm wih a French bloke, a Finnish bloke and an unknown nationality bloke, the quiet Belgian having left this morning just as I was going to bed. They have been dead to the world practically all day, and my room smells of alcohol and boy. It's not pleasant.

Enrique's

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I spent about 7 hours on a horse. Today I hurt all over. Well, just thighs really, but ow! Me and my horse, yes again I got the slow one, were at the back most of the time, I even got given a cane thing to slap it on the ass with to make it go faster.....which I didn't do much cos I felt bad. Quite a bit group of us went, and we rode through tobacco fields, chili pepper fields, went for a gallop (scary!) had a lot of wine with lunch and the got back on the horses and went to a tobacco factory and stood in the ovens where they humidify the leaves after they have been dried and turned yellow. The cool bit was when we left all 13 horses tied up in the main square of small village, and went for a beer outside a bar. Getting back on caused me some major pain though and on the way back in the dark I thought I was just going to pass out and slide off the horse. Been bitten by a few mozzies again, but nowhere near the level of last time's mosquito hell.
Monday I had a day on my own and went up the hill on the cable car...should have walked up really but was lazy and decided to walk down it instead. Stunning views over the city...Salta is gorgeous, all white and shiny with red roofs, and laid out in squares. It feels very European, specially with the long siestas so nothing ever opens till 5pm. Onwards to Mendoza pretty soon. Hope to be able to post some photos soon. x

I love Argentina!

Have decided to become nocturnal.....everything's open so late here! Joined large group from the hostel in going to a bar / club called Zeppelins. There are the usual hazards of going out, plus some new ones.....the possibility of nasty vodka, horrendous toilets with no locks and a trek across the back yard to get to them, and the occasional bloke called Manuel who wants to see you every day till you leave the city. Hilariously, chatting someone up in another language seems to consist of firing all the questions you ever learnt in English class at the unsuspecting target. They're always asking me how old I am! Think I'd get away with saying 17, as the majority of IOM bouncers seem to think.....as I am usually holed up in the Outback they just don't seem often enough to believe that I am 24. My highlight of the night was the Elastica song they played!!!!! Have changed my flight from Buenos Aires to spend more time in Argentina and Brazil......just can't handle too much time in Chile, and don't think I can afford it either!!

Salta....out of San Pedro!

Got bus yesterday...a 12 hour extravaganza including a 3 hour border crossing! There's some kind of foot and mouth worry going on, we got disinfected crossing the border from Bolivia into Chile, but apparently Argentina and Chile have a higher opinion of each other than they do of Bolivia. We like Salta so far......staying in Terra Oculta, which is pretty lively, and I have had to put ALL of my clothes in the wash.

Lost property

This may come as no surprise, but I have lost some stuff. I have been pretty good up to now and lost some fairly minor things. Usually I astound myself with my capacity to pick things up, put them down and then instantly lose them, and I spend a staggering amount of time looking for lost stuff, when I could be doing something much more productive. However, up till a few days ago I had only lost a sponge, a packet of tissues and a razor. These didn't bother me as I know where I left them. It's when things go inexplicably missing that it drives me mental and I spend unnecessary hours searching for the missing item, be it a hairclip or my passport, everything gets the same amount of attention, as I think it's the not knowing that bothers me. So even with the extra effort to keep an eye on my things, kind of a New Me Resolution, I have lost something important...the keys to the padlock which is currently locking part of my bag closed! One minute they were there......then they completely vanished in the time it took me to put the padlock on. I know their general location....San Pedro!!!! Yes that hellhole. Unfortunately I had 10 minutes to look for them before we had to leave to get the bus and they were nowhere to be found. I am very upset. Dad can you bring a saw with you to Auckland??

Leaving San Pedro tomorrow

Now that I am on my feet again, people in the street keep asking how my stomach is. Yup this town is that small!

Thursday morning, in a grand effort to avoid wasting away through boredom, we went horseriding to the caves and mines just out of town. The horse and I got on great, although its shorter legs meant that we were always quite far behind. This is when I discovered the horse's superior brain, she was constantly on the lookout for shortcuts! And we went for a bit of a gallop as well.

Little bit bored

Any suggestions of things to do will be gratefully received, jokes, gossip, celeb bashing, eastenders storylines, Manx Murders, quotes from BBC2 English telly..........
entertain me and I'll buy you a present. The bus isn't till Friday.

San Pedro de Atacama

this place is dull.

ps I did sleep on the bumpy bus from hell. very well.

Salt Plains

Am feeling too weak to write about the whole of last week...so this is Charlotte's email home re the whole bunch of fun and games of the Salt Plains....... I'm off to try and force another bread roll down, and drink some tasty (!) rehydration salts.

Sorted out a bus to Uyuni which is the nearest town to the salt plains. The bus was a 70´s style brown plastic tube, but was full of tourists rather than the usual mountain people who are none too fragrant. Once again the road to Uyuni was not the best but it differed slightly in that there were no cliffs, but still plenty of bumps. There was spare room at the back of the bus so I went up there to lie out on the back seat with some Aussie guy that we met called Tavers (age 28) who is making his way to Santiago to work. Worst plan ever, you may recall that there is no suspension in the back. At first it was like a really inhumane massage chair, but over the rougher terrain which was not actually a road, I was tossed like a pancake for 14 hours, which was fun until your bladder was full and the size of a football. I did not sleep for the whole night.

We got to Uyuni, and booked into a hostel with Tavers and another Canadian guy called Bill (age 30), who had been travelling for 11 years, and is currently making a film on people he meets (Don´t worry I am not "coming soon to a cinema near you" - apparently me and K are not local enough, interesting enough or smelly enough to make the final cut).

Me and K then made our way to the local market and set about picking up the ingrediants for lunch. We made the hottest chilli sauce ever (Ben you would be proud) and put it over rice and veggies. There was a bit of a problem when K touched her eye with a chilli finger and was partially sighted for a few hours. I thought of bottling it up and using it as a mace spray when we get to Rio.

The next morning was the salt plain tour. Our group was the best ever, let me introduce you.... Firstly you have already been told of Tavers and Bill, there was also an American couple Chad (26) an enviromental worker and Jessie (25) a music therapist who were travelling all around SA before returning home , and last but not least there was Charlie (23) who was from Woking, and had been travelling for almost a year through Asia, NZ and then South America.

The first day we made our way to the salt plain and had some bonding sessions in the car. The driver did not speak a word of english and hardly any of us spoke any spanish . Once again communication fell to sign language and Charlies ingenious way of spanishising Engish words by adding an "io" on the end. Put the heating on became "putio the heatio onio" which kind of worked although the heating was a blow back of monoxide rich fumes directly from the engine.

Luckily Charlie and Tavers had a cd and minidisk player that we could plug into the car, and various cd´s to while away the hours (Tavers provided the classics and Charlie "contributed" Power Ballads). The Salt Plains was one of the best things I have seen yet, it is white salt as far as you can see, and as it had previously rained the clouds in the sky reflected on the ground and you could not see where the ground stopped and the sky began - it was like driving through Care Bear central. I will have to show you the photos, for you to beleive it.

We drove for a long time and Charlie told us about the route he had taken in Argentina and Brazil. We decided that we will need to change our flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago from 26th March to past 10th April if we want to fit everything in. The itinerary is now to go to San Pedro in Chile after the salt plains, then down to Salta in Argentina, then to Mendoza for a wine tasting day(but also because we have been told that the bus from Mendoza to BA is luxury for a cheap price-you get food, a waiter, films, chairbed - we are treating it as a necessary part of our trip), across to Buenos Aires , up through Uraguay and a cool beach, up to Iguazu falls, up to Florianopolis, and then to Rio. We are going to fly back down to BA and stay there for a while cos it is partytown on the cheap, and maybe have a look at a nearby trip before flying to Santiago and onto NZ.

The first night of the tour we stayed in a hotel made of salt. We had bought some bottles of Bacardi from Uyuni and shared it round. Then there was the smoking of the Coca T-bags, mainly because the cigarettes that we had L&M, were awful, but also cos some people thought that it could be possible to get a high out of it. Hardly, they were T-Bags for gods sake, but it did raise a few smiles from the tourists and a few eyebrows from the staff.

Next day we were mainly in the jeep, so to keep amused we played games including, who am I, name game, country game, and capital city game. A group name was thought up "Team Woodchip" after a John Williamson song that was playing the whole time. There are even team dance moves which the mute driver also tried his best to get down with.

Saw loads of Flamingoes but after a while we were having a better time in the car, and were most put out when we stopped and were forced to take in yet another breathtaking view. In fact we were at a crucial point when the car stopped and Charlie said "Oh Cr·p, we have to get out and look at that f··king rock now" - Not your typical tourists, but what do you expect when everything is Same, Same, but different (popular saying in Thailand - there is a T-shirt).

We arrived at the second hotel for the night which was pretty dire. The room was a dorm room for Team Woodchip with no electricity and was really cold.

The shower was a real highlight as not only was there no shower curtain, there was also no door to the bathroom, and to top it off there was a huge window in the corridor outside. As Charlie put it "this shower is all about privacy ", before trying to convince all the girls that they stunk. Laughed til I cried.

We had dinner and had also purchased more alcohol. Poor Charlie´s drink was topped up every few minutes and it was not long before he was "Battered" (Charlie gets battered alot). Chad was the devil and would introduce dice games so that people (especially Charlie) would drink more.

Another tour group arrived, mainly of English Guys. They were the most obnoxious people I have ever met,beer guzzling, pulling moonies, loud, morons! I did wonder to myself what on earth they were doing travelling as they would have been much more at home on an 18-30 holiday that they had paid for with their dole money. Everybody with a brain was just amazed that these people even existed so I tried to do my best to explain that it is not an English thing, and not to think of them as ambassadors of the country. I could not say too often that I was in fact Manx as a way of distancing myself from the "Gorillas in our Midst". Seduced by the fact that they were fellow English lads, Charlie made his way to the end of the table to join Team Ass··le. Lots of shouting and camaradarie ensued and it seemed that Charlie was lost forever.

Most of Team Woodchip had had enough by then, and could not bear the morons scream that the Americans are "Septic Tanks" (Yanks) and be generally ignorant and offensive. Jess, Chad, Katie, and I went to bed to escape.

I was awoken a couple of hours later to the startling sound of Charlie Dry Heaving. This swiftly turned to wet heaving and Chad jumped out of bed to see if he could help him. I buried my head and waited for the first wave of vomit smell to hit. Charlie cheerfully and semi-conciously informed us that he was fine and went back to sleep. It turned out that the door was also wide open, which explained my nose to toes were numb - I would have helped Charlie but I was unable to move.

An hour later Bill and Tavers waddled through the door, and I felt that I should give them fair warning that their beds may be vomit coated. The whole room woke up, including Charlie. We told him what had happened and waited him to peel his face of his encrusted pillow. Strangest thing, there was no sick to be found. Charlie looked everywhere, in bed, on floor, on bags, in shoes, but the puke was not there. I really do not know who was more confused Charlie or us. He thought that we were winding him up but we really weren´t, as me Jess and K had heard him and Chad had even seen him. The only explanation was that because he was drinking Bacardi and Lemonade the puke was clear and dried almost instantly.

We were up at 4.30 the next morning (well some of us) but it was still dark so we were unable to perform a proper search for the invisible sick. Still do not know what happened with that as Charlie´s clothes did not even smell (yes thats right I braved the smell test). I am thinking of kidnapping him and selling him to medical science.

In the cold light of day it also became apparent that we had not lost Charlie to Team Ass··le when he described that the majority of his night had been spent drinking and smoking too much and talking to a complete bunch of C··ks! Phew, we thought that he had been enjoying himself and that the mothership was calling ET home.

Team Woodchip continued on toward the thermal springs and Geysers, that smelt of sulphur - not good for the team hangovers or my craving for fried eggs for breakfast.

Soon after we had to split up as Me, K, Jess and Chad were going across the Chilean border and the rest were going back to Uyuni. It was actually most distressing, and I welled up when it was parting time, and K said she felt emotional too. But as Charlie says "if you love someone let them go " - Funny lad. We have all been on tours before, but we all agreed that we had the most fun on this one and felt like we had known each other forever.

Actually Charlie knows a guy back in the IOM and has been over to see him before. He has promised to come over and visit when I get back and we can go out on the piss. (don´t worry mum I have told him he cannot stay at my house, so there will be no invisible puke to clean up).

By Charlotte Johns! 8/3/2004

gory details

Think I'm going to have to be selective with the details, otherwise I'll be here forever. Not that it matters too much as I am trapped in Northern Chile, San Pedro de Atacama, until Friday!! Friday! We got here last Saturday, hoping to be out of here on the Sunday bus, it was full so we booked tickets for the Tuesday, then I got poisoned so we changed them to Friday. I feel a whole lot better now, not 100% but not dying either, shouldn't be I am on that much medication, starting with a shot in the arse yesterday morning no less! My belief that shots are always in the arm no matter who tries to scare you by saying that they are in the left cheek is now well and truly shattered! However, again the bus is full, so we have to stay till Friday. I have tried desperately searching the Lonely Planet for things to do around here, but it's not to be. We've done them all already and don't want to venture too far afield in case we miss the Friday bus as well. So I am just hoping San Pedro doesn't poison me again before Friday morning....then we can at last go to Argentina. Onward to a land where I can drink the water and find a room that's less than $11!!! So my entertainment is to be found feeding stray dogs, and waiting for Charlotte to finish the book so I can read it. Oh hurrah.

gory details

Think I'm going to have to be selective with the details, otherwise I'll be here forever. Not that it matters too much as I am trapped in Northern Chile, San Pedro de Atacama, until Friday!! Friday! We got here last Saturday, hoping to be out of here on the Sunday bus, it was full so we booked tickets for the Tuesday, then I got poisoned so we changed them to Friday. I feel a whole lot better now, not 100% but not dying either, shouldn't be I am on that much medication, starting with a shot in the arse yesterday morning no less! My belief that shots are always in the arm no matter who tries to scare you by saying that they are in the left cheek is now well and truly shattered! However, again the bus is full, so we have to stay till Friday. I have tried desperately searching the Lonely Planet for things to do around here, but it's not to be. We've done them all already and don't want to venture too far afield in case we miss the Friday bus as well. So I am just hoping San Pedro doesn't poison me again before Friday morning....then we can at last go to Argentina. Onward to a land where I can drink the water and find a room that's less than $11!!! So my entertainment is to be found feeding stray dogs, and waiting for Charlotte to finish the book so I can read it. Oh hurrah.

reasons for lack of posts of late

1. Long and bumpy bus ride from La Paz to Uyuni. 3 day Salt Plains tour (more after).
2. Puking my guts up due to a very nice looking and expensive restaurant poisoning me!!

Waiting till 5pm for 14 hour bus to Salar de Uyuni....arrive 7am tomorrow morning, and will probably be out of internet contact....small places seem to be stupidly expensive, and will be on 3 day tour to the Salt Plains, and if all goes well there will be no more exciting news!!

happy

Generations of mozzie bites have now disappeared from my body....my lost /stolen travellers cheques have been replaced and I am happy. NKOTB is playing in internet cafe....."tonight". Hmmmm, brings back memories! Getting long distance bus again tomorrow...and with my experience of Bolivian buses I am looking forward to Brazil! Went to the dullest musum ever yesterday morning..I am just not into religious art & slightly pornographic depictions of iconic "virgins".

followkatie

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Happy Birthday Dad.

Iguazu

Monday, March 29, 2004

Buenos Aires

Saturday, March 27, 2004

food.....

Weekend.....

Friday, March 26, 2004

Try Argentinian wine

Thursday, March 25, 2004

26 hours on a bus

Monday, March 22, 2004

can't think of a title

Sunday, March 21, 2004

Spectre - Salta

Thursday, March 18, 2004

In case you were wondering.....

Still in Salta...I don't think I want to leave.....

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Enrique's

Monday, March 15, 2004

I love Argentina!

Saturday, March 13, 2004

Salta....out of San Pedro!

Lost property

Thursday, March 11, 2004

Leaving San Pedro tomorrow

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Little bit bored

San Pedro de Atacama

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Salt Plains

gory details

gory details

reasons for lack of posts of late

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Monday, March 01, 2004

happy

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