Iguassu Falls, Argentina

Amazing!! Coatis, Toucans and lots and water!!

San Ignacio Mini, Argentina

We have been heading north towards the Brazilian border. This area is where lots of Jesuit missions were set up from 1609 to introduce Catholcsm into the local Gurana indian culture and to prevent from European exploitation within the slave market. We visited 2 missions, Santa Ana and San Ignacio Mini and had a guided tour around the latter. It was really interesting to hear what they were all about. At any one time San Ignacio Mini could have up to 4000 Gurana and 2 priests living on the site. They also had schools, cemeteries, veggie gardens and workshops. Next stop Iguassu Falls!!

Ibera Nature Reserve, Argentina

From Mendoza we spent a few nights heading towards Ibera Nature Reserve. This area of wetland is great for wildlife viewing on the huge lakes. Some of the group decided to do the full whack and go on 2 boat trips and a night walk. I decided that a day just sitting by the lake followed by the evening boat trip would be sufficient. The nature reserve is great for bird life, capybara (the worlds biggest rodent) and caymen (a mini croc). The boat trip was great and we saw lots but sadly I just don't have the camera for taking photos of small birds so I'm lacking in photos. I have to admit though the highlight was getting within a metre of a capybara near the park gates and a caymen just on the lake shore. Resident wildlife catcher Mikkel came back to camp holding a snake and also a massive toad. It's been a great detour and everyone had a good time in the reserve.

Mendoza, Argentina

We had an amazing drive over the Andes from Santiago, into Argentina again to stop in Mendoza for 3 nights. The road coming up to the border had 20 odd switch backs in it which was pretty spectacular but with all traffic headed to the border it was a long wait to get into Chile.

We rolled into Mendoza late at about 9pm and with the campsite mucking Kirsten's booking around we split ourselves between 2 hotels which was actually a nice break as its got very hot so a bit of air con has been great. Mendoza is a very dry city, it hasn't rained in 5 months here. We had a day exploring the cities parks and squares and an afternoon tasting Mendoza's wine. 70% of Argentinan wine is produced in Mendoza and 70% of all Arg wine is exported. It was a lovely afternoon that most of the group took part in. We also visited a place that made olive oil. They bought in the olives and made the oil on site. It was very interesting was a nice addition to the day. Another thing that we did in Mendoza is eat at local times. We went for a few drinks first and headed to dinner at gone 11 and were still eating into the next morning getting to bed as late as if you'd been out partying for the night.

From Mendoza we have changed our route so that instead of heading further north we are headed east, stopping on the way to Ibera Nature Reserve for a spot more relaxation and wildlife watching. On the way we passed through the town of Mercedes which, on the 8th of January had a celebration of Gaucito Gil. This guy is the Robin Hood of Argentina. He deserted the army and was sentenced to execution for his crimes. Upon the day of his execution he told his executioner that his son was ill and that he should be spared death in order to help heal him. His throat was cut anyway and he is remembered today through shrines at the side of the roads flying red flags representing the blood soaked cloth around his neck. It's said that tooting the horn when passing through the town gives safe passage through South America so that's what we did.

Santiago, Chile

04/01/13

So our last day in Chile is spent in the capital Santiago. There is nothing really special about the city so we are just staying the 1 night. We arrived this morning after camping about 3 hours south of the city in a town called San Fernando. Everyone has been looking forward to the night here as it's our first chance to sleep in a bed for a while. Myself and Lisa spend a few hours walking around the streets, admiring the old buildings, visiting the central market, the river which looks like chocolate milkshake, climbed up a fort type thing in the centre to get a view of the city and also eating a couple of ice creams. There was nothing to rave about but it has given us a little bit of luxury i.e. a bath for the night.

Salta del Laja, Chile

02/01/13

We left Pucon with a trip to the hospital for Pete as he threw a plastic box into the wood rack and it bounced back and hit his face leaving a nasty cut which needed stitches. Thankfully all his teeth are ok and the doctor did a great job of patching his lip up. Whilst waiting for Pete I decided that it was a great idea to cut the bottom of my big toe open tripping over a huge bit of concrete. All ok- it's still attached, if a bit sore. We spent the day in beautiful weather. We think that it must have hit 30 degrees yesterday. Our stop for the evening was Salta del Laja which is a series of waterfalls. Some if us had a dip in a pool on the edge of the top of the waterfall which was fantastic, if a little scary for those watching from camp. Thoroughly enjoyable day! Thanks to Steve and Karen for the photographic evidence of my adventure.

Pucon, Chile

We had a long day of driving to get to Pucon in Chile. We left at 6am so that we could have photo stops along the way as we drove past lakes and volcanoes and further time was added to the journey after having our longest border crossing yet at nearly 3 hours thanks to long queues to get stamped out of Argentina and lengthy customs checks in Chile. We were keen to arrive in Pucon in good time as Pete was expecting lots of overland trucks to be headed here for new year as they head to Rio for carnival. We got a good camp spot but 2 Tucan trucks that arrived about 30 minutes after us are squished in next to the road.

Pucon is also an adventure sports town sitting on the edge of a lake and a few kilometres from the active volcano Mount Villarrica which is over 2800m high. Most of the group decided that climbing it was an excellent idea despite the fact that none of us had actually seen it due to it being covered in cloud!! We had another early start as we were picked up in a minibus and taken to an office to collect our gear. Crampons, ice axe, gaiters, trousers, jacket, a plastic sledge and what can only be described as a giant nappy. We got a chair lift up part way of the mountain and were faced with a pretty cloudy view above but the weather is so changeable that we decided to plod on. To get to the top we would have to climb another 1000m and it was expected to take about 4 hours. All the walking was on ice so the crampons and ice axe were necessary and it was all up hill. Most made it to the summit which was fantastic. The views over towards the town were great despite the fact it was all thick cloud with a couple of volcanoes poking through the top. Coming back down was the best bit. We slid on our bums down “toboggan” runs pretty much the entire way to the bottom which was great fun if a little scary! All in all everyone had a great day, the ones who didn't climb the volcano went zip lining or to relax in hot springs and after a siesta everyone was in camp to welcome in the new year

The road to Pucon

Bariloche, Argentina

We had a longer than expected drive to Bariloche in the lake district region of Argentina. Here are adventure sports galore. Some of the group have been white water rafting, horse riding, paragliding and on boat trips and hiking around the lake. I've had a couple of chill out days, deciding that I would do my rafting further north on the trip when the rivers are a bit more challenging to raft and the water is a lot warmer. The town is touristy but quite pretty and its been great to have WIFI- I've spent a lot of time in McDonalds!! We have had mild weather, which has been very welcome for lots of sitting around. As we have been camping lots recently we have been making meals using the truck kitchen and a few were missing the local Parilla's (basically a meat restaurant). Whilst in Bariloche we took advantage of the huge number of restaurants and went out for a group meal. It's amazing what you can get here, the steaks are huge. 400 grams is counted as small and most meals need to be shared. Some of the group decided that they would get meat platters which were about 4 times the meat you would need for a regular meal. As not really a steak eater I have been opting for sausage and chips which has been huge but a more manageable size. It's a wonder all the Argentinians don't die from heart attacks!! Next stop Pucon in Chile for New Year.

Feliz Navidad!! Los Alerces NP. Argentina

Los Alerces NP is our camping stop for 3 days over Christmas. We are located next to a lake and it's been very nice to chill out for a few days and I feel that everyone has appreciated doing not a lot. Christmas Day was great. We've been suitably fed and watered and I have to admit that it's amazing how much food you can cook over a fire. It was the first Christmas dinner I'd had with no roasties but my plate certainly wasn't lacking food and the crew and the cook group did a great job. The secret santas were unveiled as Pete dressed up as Papa Noel, Kirsten as a reindeer and Graham as an elf! Karen liked the gift I got for her and I was delighted with my present from Jeanne- a first 1000 Spanish word book and some lip balms. Boxing day presented us with some sun so we had washing lines everywhere and most just sitting around camp enjoying doing nothing. Myself, Francois and Tony had a quick dip in the clear lake waters. Cold but not as cold as some of the showers on the 'W'.