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South American Adventure
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

South American Adventure

This epic eight-month overlanding trip through South America has been a long time in the planning! We will be visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Exciting times! 😊 Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅
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  • South American Adventure

    Sunset over the salt flats

    23 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия β˜€οΈ 20 Β°C

    After seeing the cacti, we drove some considerable distance, back the way we had come, to watch the sunset.  We got there far too early and were offered wellies to wear to stand in the surface water and take photos to show off our reflections.  Most of us declined, choosing instead to spend the waiting time chatting and drinking the red wine provided!

    When it came, the sunset was beautiful!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Return to our hotel

    23 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия πŸŒ™ 15 Β°C

    After watching the sunset, we drove the forty minutes back to our hotel.  It had been a long day and we were tired.  We bought drinks from the bar and ate the leftover chicken from yesterday.  We then organised ourselves for 6 nights camping, had showers, sorted out Mark's exit and entry forms for the border, and went to bed, setting the alarm for 3.30am, less than 5 hours away!Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Crossing the border into Chile

    24 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия πŸŒ™ -1 Β°C

    We were all on the truck for 4am.  It was still pitch black, and we were all very cold and tired.  Others slept, but, as usual, we couldn't!  Ownce the sun had risen, we could see that we were driving through an incredibly beautiful rocky landscape with volcanoes all around.

    The hotel had given us a packed breakfast of a banana, a cheese and ham roll, a small piece of banana bread, and a carton of juice.  We had to make sure we had eaten or disposed of all of this before the border because we couldn't take fresh stuff into Chile. 

    We reached the Bolivian border at 7.45am, so we were in the queue for when it opened at 8.  While we waited, we stood in the sunshine to get warm and watched a smoking volcano!

    Exiting Bolivia was a quick and painless process, and we were soon driving to the Chilean immigration point.  There, we had to take all of our luggage off the truck to be checked.  This took some time, but we were all through and back on the road by 10.15am, the quickest border crossing so far.

    Once we were in Chile, we drove across flat, arid plains surrounded by volcanoes.  It was stunning!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Driving to San Pedro de Atacama

    24 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 26 Β°C

    The drive continued through the northern Chilean countryside.  We passed dried up rivers and lakes, and entered the Atacama Desert.  After a couple of toilet stops in the middle of nowhere, we stopped for fuel in the city of Calama.  Ritchie said it was a toilet stop, NOT a lunch stop, but it was 2.30pm, and we were all very hungry, so we all got coffee and sandwiches anyway!

    Back on the truck, as we neared San Pedro de Atacama, we drove through the Valley of the Moon.  It was a very surreal but beautiful landscape!

    After a quick stop at a supermarket in town to stock up on drinks and ice, we arrived at the Andes Nomads Desert Camp 10 kilometres outside San Pedro, our home for the next three nights, at around 6pm.  It was very dry and dusty as you would expect in the desert!  Our pitch was very small.  Once the truck was parked up, we were all pitching our tents almost on top of each other!

    As soon as we were set up, the usual suspects in the group continued the drinking they had started earlier and just got louder and rowdier as the evening went on!  Any of the other guests on the site who were hoping for a quiet Christmas were sadly mistaken!

    Nikki had organised pre-dinner fizz for everyone to wish us all a happy Christmas.  For dinner, we had spaghetti bolognaise with a sauce made for us by the owner of the hotel in Uyuni.  It was very good. 

    We supplied the port for everyone to have a nightcap after dinner. 

    When we had cleared away, some of the group, including us, went to bed.  It was 9.30pm and it had been a very long day!!  However, sleep was not going to come!  Nikki made the party people move from the side of the truck where we had eaten to the side where the tents were so as not to disturb the other guests.  The consequence was that it was those of us who were in our tents who were disturbed!  The noise continued long after the 11pm curfew.  In the early hours, having had no sleep whatsoever, I got up to tell the culprits to be quiet!  They still didn’t, so I had less than three hours sleep all night!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Christmas Day

    25 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 13 Β°C

    The group woke up to recriminations, apologies, and severe hangovers!  Somehow, we muddled through!  Nikki had prepared tinned chorizo, barbecue baked beans, and toast for breakfast which was very good.

    Afterwards, we knew we were in for a hot day, so we had hoped to spend it in and around the pool.  However, one look at the said pool put us off that idea!  It was filthy!  Instead, Mark and I found a shady spot to sit in and relax.  Lack of sleep meant we didn't have the energy to do much else!  We messaged everyone and loaned our Solis so that people could speak to their loved ones despite the dodgy campsite wifi!

    The camp was generally quiet during the morning, but then the drinking started again, and people got louder.  There were a lot of tears as emotions (and alcohol!) got the better of people. By the time the bus arrived at 2.30pm to take us into town for our Christmas meal, one of our number had decided not to come and others were wishing they didn’t have to!

    Our table was booked for 4pm.  We were very early to give people the chance to change money and have a look around San Pedro. 

    At the restaurant, we were joined by Mark, Chrissy, Britt, and Greg, who had left the truck in Uyuni and flown to San Pedro.  We ordered drinks, but they were a long time in taking our food order, so we did the Secret Santa before we ate.  I think most people had put a lot of thought into the gifts they bought.  I got a Bolivia T-shirt (green, of course!), and Mark got a llama mug for his coffee, so he doesn’t have to use a plastic one anymore!

    When we eventually got it, the food was good.  Mark and I shared a smoked salmon starter.  For mains, I had a strange combo of salmon, fries, caramelised onions, and fried eggs!  Mark ordered a ribeye steak.  It came with creamed corn and a stuffed chilli pepper. 

    The meal went on for too long, though!  I'm sure we weren't the only ones who were relieved when it got to 7pm and the bus came to take us back to the campsite!

    At the site, we sat chatting with some of the group, but we all turned it in by 9.30pm, and, I'm pleased to say, we all had a relatively peaceful night!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    The start of the 4-day drive to Santiago

    27 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 17 Β°C

    Yesterday, we spent a quiet day at the campsite. I got a few posts done, but I haven't really made a dent in my backlog!

    The cook group dinner last night was tacos. They were very tasty, but there wasn’t enough food to satisfy everyone!

    Later, many of the group went on a stargazing trip into the desert. We opted for a early night instead!

    This morning, we were up before 7am to take our tents down and get packed up before breakfast at 8. We made sandwiches for lunch and were on the road by 9 to begin our epic 1650-kilometre drive to Santiago. It was due to take us 3 days!

    We left San Pedro and drove through miles and miles of desert nothingness! We had a toilet stop in the middle of nowhere and a lunch stop at a bleak service station. We then drove on until 4.30pm when we had one of Ritchie's mystery stops at a sculpture by Mario Irarrázabal called the Hand of the Desert. It was created in the late 80s to remember all those who suffered under Pinochet's regime.

    After our stop, we drove on, supposedly looking for somewhere to bush camp. We passed several promising places but kept on driving. We pulled into a garage with 24/7 toilets and a piece of waste ground that we all thought would have been ideal, but we didn't stop! Eventually, out of desperation and with the light fading, we pulled off the road onto rocky ground. It was 7.30pm, and this is where we were camping! My biggest issue was that it was very open with zero cover for going to the toilet! The sunset was lovely, though.

    Anyway, we survived! We got our tents up and the cook group, led by Steph, produced a very tasty meal of spicy dahl, rice, and chicken. Unfortunately, at gone 9pm, it was rather too late for me to eat. After dinner, we admired the night sky for a few minutes and then went to bed.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Caleta Campground

    28 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 19 Β°C

    We hadn't been in the park very long when we got our first view of the Pacific Ocean. It felt good to be back at sea level after so many weeks at altitude! We shouldn't be at high altitude again for the rest of this trip!

    Soon, we arrived at our campsite on the beach. We were there by 11am! The idea had been to go on a boat trip to nearby islands where a colony of Humboldt penguins live, but it was too windy for the boats to put to sea. Instead, we put our tents up and then spent the afternoon in a local restaurant with some of the group. We skipped the truck lunch and had fish sandwiches with salad and chips instead.

    Other members of the group spent the time drinking and tattooing each other!

    The campground was very run down, but it was in a beautiful spot, and there was warm water in the showers which was a bonus! There was no phone or wifi signal so everyone was forced to unplug for a while.

    For dinner, the cook group made chilli and rice.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Day #3 on the road to Santiago

    29 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 14 Β°C

    We were up and packed away while it was still dark this morning. The sound of the waves crashing onto the beach had kept me awake for most of the night. We had breakfast and were back on the coast road heading south by 7am.

    We drove past some beautiful white sandy beaches and rocky coves within the national park before reaching the industrial port of Chanaral. It's bleak appearance was exaggerated by the dark, cloudy skies. Despite attempts to brighten the place up, and some meagre facilities, it didn’t look like a place you would want to come on holiday!

    Further along the coast, we drove past lots of ramshackle settlements with wooden shacks, many of them built on stilts, tents, and other temporary structures. It was difficult to tell whether these were holiday accommodation or permanent homes. Either way, there appears to be very little in the way of building regulations within the national park.

    Later, the sun came out and we were back to driving through stony, featureless desert.

    We diverted inland to stick to the main road. We stopped in the town of Vallenar to have a truck lunch made up of the leftovers from yesterday and the day before. I bought some delicious cherries from a nearby shop, and we both had an ice cream, seeing as my blood sugar has been on the lower side of normal for the past couple of days!

    We drove on through the afternoon.

    At the town of La Serena, we stopped at a supermarket for the cook group to buy ingredients for dinner, and for the rest of us to get whatever we needed. It was a huge, incredibly busy hypermarket, so Ritchie's instruction to 'be quick' was not that easy to comply with!

    After the stop, we drove for another hour to reach our campsite. El Oasis campground was in a lovely location just behind the beach. We didn’t get there until after 6.30pm, though, so we didn't have much time to do anything. We picked a pitch and got sorted out and then it wasn’t long before dinner was ready - chicken and vegetable pasta. Then it was bed - another early start tomorrow!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    A day to forget!

    31 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 30 Β°C

    I had hoped to do a day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar from Santiago, but we are only here for a couple of days, tomorrow is a public holiday, and I need to try to get my glasses fixed, so it doesn't seem possible. We are also pretty tired, and we have a lot more camping coming up, too! Another reason to come back to South America?!

    We didn't set an alarm this morning. We got up when we were ready and went for breakfast where we chatted with Rich and Dave and a couple of the newbies. At just after 11am, we went to pick up our laundry. On the way, we were approached by a woman who asked us if we spoke English. It turned out that Mel was Turkish (she grew up in Bakirkoy!), but lived in LA. Today was the last day of her trip around South America. She flies home tonight. She stopped us because she was badly shaken up. She had just been assaulted by a guy on a motorbike. He had mounted the pavement and tried to grab her phone. He failed because it was on a strap around her wrist. Instead, he snatched her sunglasses off her face!! She thought he had cut her cheek. He hadn't, but I'm sure she'll have a black eye tomorrow! We stayed with her until she calmed down and was able to continue her journey. We felt very sorry for what she had been through!

    Shortly afterwards, we bumped into Kim. She was out and about on her own, so we told her about Mel and warned her to be careful.

    We collected our laundry and then took it back to the hostel. We then set off to explore Santiago. We walked through the restaurant and bars district of Bella Vista to get to the funicular station. There, we bought a combined ticket for the cable car and scenic bus.

    We took the funicular up Cerro San Christobal to visit the church and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Mark wasn't feeling well enough to explore to the mountain top, so once we got there, I left him having a coffee and went for a walk by myself.

    San Cristóbal Hill rises 850 metres above sea level and about 300 metres above the rest of Santiago. It was named by the Spanish conquistadors for St Christopher, in recognition of its use as a landmark. Its original indigenous name is Tupahue. On its summit, there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 22-metre statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheatre, and a chapel. Within the pedestal of the statue, there is a small chapel in which Pope John Paul II prayed and blessed the city of Santiago on April 1, 1987.

    After our visit, we took the funicular back to ground level and hopped on the scenic bus. It turned out that this simply took us back to the top once again! What a waste of time!

    Back where we started, we set off to walk to the Central Market, taking photos as we went. The Central Market building was designed by Gustav Eiffel in 1872. It is famous for its seafood stalls and restaurants. We decided to have lunch. Mark still wasn't feeling great, but he thought he could manage a crab stew. I ordered fish and chips. Both were very good if a little pricey! I guess we were paying for the location!

    Outside, after lunch, I switched on my phone to check the route back to the hostel. Before I even knew what was happening, a guy ran at me from behind and snatched my phone. It was on a lanyard around my neck, so it took some force to get it off me. As soon as he had it, he sprinted away and disappeared into the afternoon crowds, leaving me feeling bruised and absolutely furious at the loss of my phone! Mark chased him, but people in the crowd stopped him - it was all just so upsetting!

    With nothing else to be done, we made our way back to the hostel. My mind was racing with the ramifications of not having my phone! It would take me several days to get my life back!!

    Everyone was very sympathetic when they heard the news. It was so weird, especially because of our meeting with Mel earlier in the day! During the course of the evening, I heard several stories of robberies in Santiago in a very short space of time. It certainly leaves a nasty taste in the mouth! Santiago is not somewhere I'll be rushing back to!

    At 8pm, we put in an appearance at the bar for Sam and Meghan's stag and hen party, but we didn't stay long. I couldn't get my mind off everything I still needed to sort out with my phone!

    Obviously, none of the photos I took today had been backed up to the cloud, so they are lost. I have downloaded some images from Pixabay to remind myself of where we went.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Happy New Year!

    1 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ β˜€οΈ 20 Β°C

    The first day of the new year was very frustrating! Because it was a Bank Holiday back in the UK, it was impossible to get through to anyone. I needed to change all my key passwords, but I was going round in circles because all the companies wanted to send me a verification code to my stolen phone!! I did little else all day except try to sort stuff out. At the end of the day, I still hadn't managed to secure my bank accounts or gain access to my Google account! At times like these, you realise how dependent we all are on the mighty Google!

    We have decided not to replace my phone at this stage. I am going to use Mark's.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Pucon

    2 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 10 Β°C

    We set the alarm for 5.15am ready for a 6am departure. However, we were amongst the last to get our bags down to the truck as I had missed a message last night about the truck being ready for 5.30am. Yet another consequence of losing my phone - I haven't yet managed to get my WhatsApp up and running!

    So, we didn't get our first choice of seat. In fact, I had to ask one of the newbies to move so that we could sit together! With 790 kilometres to go to our destination, we had an extremely crowded truck full of unhappy people! We were now 34 passengers on a 36-seater truck. With all of our bags on board, it felt very, very cramped!

    It was still dark as we left Santiago. We ate our packed breakfast and headed south. While we were still in the city environs, I tried to take advantage of a wifi signal to sort things out. However, it wasn't too successful and I was forced to give it up as a bad job!

    We drove along the Chilean wine route. It is summer here, so the vines were all full of ripening grapes. We missed any opportunity to do some wine tasting out of Santiago. Perhaps we'll get the chance in Argentina?

    We drove on through acres and acres of fruit orchards and passed lots of fruit processing (canning) plants. The brand Dole appeared on several factory signs. The entire area was lush and green.

    We had several toilet stops at service stations. Each time, Ritchie told us to be quick as we had such a long way to go!

    On the truck, we talked to Edward from Cambridge. At 82, he is the oldest of the newbies who have just joined us. He told us that he was robbed in Santiago, too!

    We had a lunch stop. Mark and I had sandwiches we had brought with us. We talked to a couple more of the newbies. I think there is only one I haven't spoken to now - a lady called Barbara.

    After lunch, we continued at speed along the highway. The landscape was very flat with lots of wheat fields. There was little to see. Each time we stopped, Ritchie apologised for the speed and the nature of the drive, but assured us it would be worth it as Pucon was one of the best stops on the entire trip!

    We finally arrived at Camping La Poza in Pucon at around 6pm. The space allocated to us for all our tents was really small. We had no option but to pitch our tents virtually on top of each other! We are here for three nights. There are no upgrades, so we just have to make the most of it!

    At 7pm, Nikki walked us all into town to show us where everything is. She took those who are interested to an activity centre to find out about what's available. Quite a few people are planning to climb Villarrica, the snow-capped volcano that dominates the town's skyline. We don't intend to do much apart from trying to get my online life back!

    I wasn't overly impressed with Pucon. It looks like an Alpine lake resort transplanted in South America - very bizarre!

    There aren't many photos to accompany this footprint as I haven't fathomed out how to use the camera on Mark's phone yet!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Exploring Pucon

    3 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 20 Β°C

    Pucón's location by a lake and volcano, along with its relatively stable climate, especially in summer, make it a popular tourist destination. It offers a variety of sports and activities, including water skiing, snow skiing, backpacking, whitewater rafting and kayaking, horse riding, natural hot springs, zip line rides, skydiving, and guided ascents of the Villarrica volcano.

    We got up and had breakfast before heading into town to have a look around. Our first impressions from last night were confirmed. It's a very European-feeling town with lots of expensive designer shops and bijou cafés and restaurants. We enjoyed a walk around, but it's not really our sort of place!

    We went to have a look at the public beach. It has black volcanic sand and wasn't somewhere we wanted to sit!

    I then went in search of an optician. We found one who did a great job of fixing both my pairs of glasses and didn't charge me a penny! We also bought a Chilean SIM card in the hope that I can use it to contact the bank.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Our walk continues

    3 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 22 Β°C

    We walked to the lake port. It is very touristy with trips around the lake available on a replica pirate ship! We won't bother!

    We then went back into town to find some brunch for Mark as he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast. My blood sugar was low this morning, so I had coffee and a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream!

    Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the campsite, buying some fresh raspberries and cherries from a roadside seller on the way. I spent the next few hours trying to sort things out. I used Susan's Skype account to contact the bank. They finally agreed to assign our new Chilean number to our account. It might not work when it comes to it, but at least I have kept my access to online banking. By the end of the afternoon, I had also successfully reclaimed my Google account and, hopefully, put measures in place to ensure that I don't get locked out again! So, just my social media accounts to sort out now!

    Nikki cooked a chicken dish for everyone for dinner tonight. We went to bed soon after eating.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Laid low!

    4 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 21 Β°C

    I started to feel unwell when I went to bed last night. I got so much worse during the early hours. I was violently sick. At one point, I collapsed to my knees on the way to the toilet block and could barely stand up again. I don't ever remember feeling quite so bad.

    This morning, I stayed in bed and missed breakfast entirely. I was leading a cook group today, though, and was determined not to let anyone down. By late morning, I convinced myself that I was OK to go to the supermarket to get the ingredients we needed for dinner, despite not being able to keep even a sip of water down! I was wrong! I managed to choose what we needed, but I threw up in the supermarket - not my finest hour!

    Back on site, I had no choice but to go back to bed. I stayed there all day. I couldn't eat or drink anything. I slept on and off between trips to the bathroom. The rest of my cook group produced my recipe (paprika pork and pepper stew) and fed everyone. I think it went down well, but I was too ill to really care!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Crossing into Argentina

    5 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 16 Β°C

    According to the itinerary, we should have been driving south through Chile today and tomorrow and catching ferries to cross fjords to arrive in Futaleufu on 7th January. Nikki had been trying to book the main ferry we should have been catching since November without success. Head office in the UK were telling her to just turn up and take our chances on being allowed on board. She and Ritchie had decided otherwise. Based on past experience, they were proposing that we cross the border and drive south through Argentina, spending two nights at a campsite they both know close to the Futaleufu border crossing back into Chile. We were disappointed not to be going on the ferry, but we agreed.

    I still felt terrible. I didn't eat or drink anything for breakfast. On the truck, I tried to concentrate on the scenery and on taking photos to keep my mind off how sick I still was.

    Once we'd crossed into Argentina, there were thousands of monkey puzzle trees - more than I've seen anywhere in the world! We then drove through mile after mile of pine forest.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    The drive continues

    5 января 2025 Π³., АргСнтина ☁️ 24 Β°C

    As we neared our destination, we drove past brilliant blue lakes backed by snow-capped mountains. The scenery was truly beautiful!

    It was late when we arrived at our campsite - Camping Petunia located on the banks of a lake. We pitched our tent and then went to the campsite cafe to get something to eat. We ordered a cheese and ham pizza at great expense (Argentina is SOOO expensive!!). I thought I would be OK to eat something. I managed two small slices, but I didn't keep it down! Before long, I was violently sick! This continued all night!Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    A hospital visit

    6 января 2025 Π³., АргСнтина ☁️ 18 Β°C

    This morning, after a really bad night, I still didn't feel like eating or drinking anything, but I thought a shower might make me feel better. Unfortunately, in my weakened state, I collapsed in the shower! A lovely Chilean lady found me - I was so embarrassed! Members of the group came to help, including Theresa, our resident truck doctor. She advised that I was severely dehydrated and should go to the local hospital. It wasn't a prospect I relished, but I understood that she was right!

    The campsite owner arranged a taxi to take me the 15 kilometres to hospital. Once there, I had to pay upfront for a consultation with a doctor. It was 180,000 Argentine pesos (about US$180). Having paid, we then had to wait for our number to be called. It was about two and a half hours before I saw a doctor, but when I did, she was very nice. We communicated using Google Translate and she prescribed 2 litres of a combination of serum and painkillers to be administered intravenously to rehydrate me. It took a couple of hours for the drip to go into me. I was so cold as it was in my arm! Afterwards, however, I did feel better. I still wasn't 100%, but I could sense that I was on the mend!

    We took an Uber back to the campsite where some of our group were having fun in the children's play area! I walked down to the lake to take a few photos, just to prove we were there!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Back to Chile

    7 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 8 Β°C

    We packed up and left site early this morning. We were crossing the border back into Chile and heading for the town of Futaleufu. It was a very quiet border crossing that we negotiated quickly.

    We arrived at Los Colihues campsite, our home for the next two nights, at around 6pm. It was a lovely spot right by a river. I still wasn't 100%, but I did eat some dinner and generally felt better than I have in several days.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    A day in Futaleufu

    8 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 14 Β°C

    We hadn't planned any activities for today. It was just going to be, hopefully, my final day of rest and recuperation.

    We didn't eat truck breakfast this morning. Instead, we walked up into the town of Futaleufu and had a toasted cheese and ham sandwich and a cup of coffee. I couldn't finish it, but it felt good to eat 'normal' food!

    Mark was on cook group today, so we were shopping for that. We had to go into every shop in town to get what he needed. There was very little fresh stuff to be had, so we were forced to improvise. He was cooking chicken fried rice. We could only get frozen chicken. We just had to go with it and get it defrosted back at the campsite. There was little to detain us in the town, so we headed back to site.

    Once there, Mark started his prep and I did some work on the laptop for the first time in over a week. I sat on the truck as it was too windy outside. I managed to get more apps installed on Mark's phone, and did some posts - I'm still a couple of weeks behind, though!

    As you would expect, Mark was doing really well on his own. Unfortunately, his cook group members returned from town drunk and deliberately sabotaged his dish! They added far too much soy sauce and turned the fried rice into an unrecognisable mess! Needless to say, he was upset! I just find it hard to believe that grown adults can behave like children and ruin things for the whole group just because they think it's funny!!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    A visit to the Hanging Glacier

    9 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 12 Β°C

    Today was a stunning drive!  The scenery was magnificent and the weather was glorious.

    We had a lunch stop in a town where nothing was open so our options were limited!  We ended up with some sweet biscuits and a soft drink - not ideal!  We also had to buy entrance tickets online if we wanted to visit the Hanging Glacier in Queulat National Park.

    After lunch, we headed for the park.  Those of us who wanted to hike and visit the glacier got dropped off.  Those who didn't were taken straight to the campsite on the banks of a lake.  I chose to walk while Mark stayed with the truck.

    Unfortunately, we reached the park 30 minutes too late to do the best hike to the main viewpoint to see the glacier.  Some members of the group were pretty annoyed about this!  It meant that we had a lot of time to kill before Ritchie came to pick us up three hours later!

    The walk that we could do was nice.  I got to use the big camera for the first time in a while which felt good.  The scenery was stunning and the glacier itself was spectacular!

    Established in 1983, Queulat National Park is one of the must-stops on the Carretera Austral.  The Hanging Glacier (Ventisquero Colgante in Spanish) is the main attraction in the park.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Los Toninos, our lakeside camp

    9 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 15 Β°C

    Ritchie picked us up at 5pm and drove us the short distance to our campsite. Mark had already put our tent up, so I had a paddle in the crystal clear waters of the lake while we waited for cook group to get our dinner ready. They prepared a really good spaghetti carbonara.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Coyhaique

    10 января 2025 Π³., Π§ΠΈΠ»ΠΈ ☁️ 7 Β°C

    It was absolutely freezing when we woke up this morning and the tents were all soaking wet with the amount of condensation and moisture in the air.  We had no choice but to pack them away wet.

    We started an hour later today than we had been used to, so it was tents down at 6.45, breakfast at 7.15, and departure at 8am.  Breakfast was fried egg sandwiches again, but there was some nice fresh melon and some bananas, too.  There was plenty of melon left over, so I filled one of our plastic boxes for later.

    With a last look at the lake, we were on our way, continuing our drive south on the Carretera Austral towards Coyhaique.  For the first part of the journey, we were still in Queulat National Park.  The scenery was stunning.  It's definitely an area that's geared up for camping.  It would be lovely to bring Bertha here and spend a lot more time exploring the region!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄