does a circle have an end?

Hi family and friends

Our South American circle tour is coming to an end. As per the diagram above, we have been so very lucky to have experienced many sights from Beunos Aires in Argentina, Rio in Brazil, The Amazon, Machu Pichu, LIma and Cusco in Peru, La Paz in Bolivia, Santiago and Bariloche in Chile and all surrounding areas.

We've seen many birds, waterways, caught paranna, tasted local flavours, strolled through markets, sighted kombi vans, smiled at little children and babies, greeted, acknowledged and tipped waiters, avoided 'code yellow' street merchants, paced many footpaths, climbed staircases of stony steps and hopped across puddles. We have gazed at the events of time and absorbed the ambiance of historical churches.

We've drunk aqua con gas and aqua sin gas (water with and without bubbles), made friends with 8 tour guides and other fellow travellers, packed and unpacked our suitcases which are beginning to bulge in places, purchased trinkets and momentos for loved ones back home and most of all, been absorbed with the many cultures, customs and way of life for people in these countries where borders are over the fence or a line across the pathway.

Best of all, we have spent time with each other where the golden rule is no sulking, being brave, happy and ready for the next adventure for each day's activities.

Thank you Peregrine for a great adventure. Now we head to Antarctic for scientific lectures, landings in zodiac boats to capture the wonderful world of ice and great southern oceans.

a really bad photo of a photo but can you feel our excitement

Hi guys

the original photo is great but the quality of this one isnt the best. Its 1am in the morning and I'm a tad tired but I thought I would share this photo of Ross and I going up a chairlift in Bariloche earlier today (or yesterday).

Gee you're all going to be bored at our slide night.

Good night for now.xxxxx

a sample of pics

Bariloche, Argentina - the Patagonia Area

Hello again followers

We have spent the last day and a half in this beautiful part of the world where the Andes protect the valleys, welcome the Condor birds in search of a good home, and allow tranquil lakes to reside in the valleys.

Yesterday we spent the day travelling from Peurto Varras to Bariloche and the only way to be transported was by: Bus to Boat, Boat to Bus, Bus to Boat, Boat to Bus which was very well arranged and organised but it took all day on three different boats and included one four wheel drive bus as we motored up and over a mountain.

Our destination brought us to the town of Bariloche which looked like a place out of The Sound of Music. Very much a german theme with alpine homes, timberwork and fresh green gardens.

In winter, the district becomes a hive of activity with skiers. In summer, more tranquil activiites like trout fishing, golfing and chocolate making.

Our stay is a short one, where we bed down the night in a comfortable hotel and today we had the "Last Supper" lunch with our companions as our South America circle tour draws to a close. We return tonight to Beunos Aires to re-pack our bags for our Antarctic Adventure.

Southern Chile = a place like home

Hello to all

We have arrived and visited Peurto Montt and are staying in a nearby town named Peurto Varras which resides by a beautiful lake. The small city with its homes and gardens reminds me of home with hydrangeas, lupins, daisies and ferns. The location is about 42 degrees south, aligning with Hobart and the weather patterns.

In the distance, we see rising from the horizon hills and jagged pointed mountains. Some of which are active and some, nonactive...volcanos. We decide in the afternoon to visit one and take the chairlift to part way up the mountain where the snow greets up (and also craters!).

We feel game and come down the mountain by a steel wire flying fox, individually tied by harnesses and carabiners. I am a tad scared to start with after getting the gear on and chicken out at the last minute. I tell my South American guide, I need to walk down or catch the chairlift. Behind me, my husband gives me some orders, do it for Soft Rock, go Jenno. With that in mind, I tell myself I can do it and I overcome the sense of fear and go with it. One hand on the ropes, and one hand on the manual brake. I go flying through the air about 10 foot above the ground. And, guess what, I start enjoying the experience.

This, I believe, is one of the first times in my life that I have broken the fear barrier. Ross was great support to help me realise this.

Pisco Sour is the drink in Chile

Hi people

We have had a brief taste (and drink) of Santiago, Chile with a city tour on a glorious 28 degrees day with not a cloud in the sky, only a little haze of polution. We are shown the monumental sites, a beautiful church, residence of the President etc and head in the afternoon to a vineyard: Castella del Diablo.

The evening before we enjoy the company of our two Queensland friends and dine at an alfresco restaurant and are entertained by street musicians, who at the end of their song, pass around to collect the tips of diners.

We end up (the girls) dancing in the street to celebrate Australia Day back home. The pisco sours (national drink) make us feel young again.

Money is interesting - dinner cost the four of us $74,000 pesos which is the equivalent to $144.00 US.

Must go and catch a plane to Peurto Montt.

For now........

Happy Australian Day Australia

We are thinking of all Aussies as they celebrate Australia Day tomorrow. Here in Bolivia there will be celebrations for those who show their Australian Passport the day after tomorrow. Alas, we will be leaving in the morning for a plane ride to Santiago, Chile but we will be thinking of how proud we are to be Aussies and still call Australia home. Now, wouldn't that make a great song title!

Travel is sometimes a paradoxical experience

On arriving in La Paz which has a population of 1 million people, we are awestruck by the sight we see when we travel through the outskirts of the city and then arrive at a mountain top which overlooks the concentrated city below. It is pure magic and our heads become light headed from both the altitude and the view.

However, when we reach our hotel and check in with cyber world we receive news of a loved one back home who is not well and has been taken to hospital. We are grateful to our wonderful family who are going the extra mile to provide love and support whilst we are so very far away.

Travel is great to experience. The sights, sounds and cultures are always so great. But sometimes it is only when you are away, that you truly value family and friends and the stretch of land and sea that divide us from hugs, kisses and reassuring words and deeds bring home the importance of letting people know you love and care for them

Good night to our loved ones and special thoughts and best wishes to you all - and Jean for a speedy recovery.xx

As Monty Python sings " Always look on the bright side of life, de dum, de dum"

We say goodbye to Peru and approach the border where Lake Titikaka joins the shores of Bolivia. We survive a bus rise of approx 2 hours - we felt like we were in India. Why you ask? The road was pretty rough in places, with pot holes and mud on the road and our bus driver who loves weaving in and out of cars coming the other way, dodging pot holes as he went.

Along the way we saw farm villages and an extraordinary sight of a mini bus carrying about 15 people with what looked like half a dozen live sheep tied down on the top of the roof.

The best was yet to come though. As we said farewell to our bus driver, our administrative tour guide ushered us to a line which would be as long as the Tasman Bridge. We quickly found that a sense of humour was the best medicine or the alternative was to bribe a few authorities to jump the queue. As many of my family and friends know, this option was certainly out of ethical bounds for us, so the four of us, in pouring rain and intermittent sunshine, made the best of a bad situation with our passports ready.

When you know there's nothing much you can do, you just bear it. And, yes Poppy Ted and lil Chockie had to wait in line as well. In fact, Poppy Ted poked his head amongst some fellow travellers while they were sheltering under a plastic poncho and gave them a bit of a scare before they realised he wasn't going to harm them.

We shared stories in the line, watched beggars in the streets, took in the cooking smells - food which we couldn't possibly eat safety and as traditional aussies, got to laugh about our circumstances. Then we sobered our frivolity up when we considered we were the lucky ones to be where we were, travelling and experiencing things and also thought about the poor victims of Haiti and the utter trauma and loss of life they were experiencing.

All in all, it took about 3 hours in line until we got to the office where our passport had to be stamped and our Peruvian paperwork passed by the authorities. Then it was off to meet our tour guide who would host his city La Paz and what a sight we were in for.

Peruvian dancing - ooh la la

On our last night in Puno, Peru we go out to dinner with our group and are entertained by beautiful dancers - both male and female.

On the menu is alpaca, steaks, pastas and chicken dishes cooked in South American style and each dish heats up by the swirl of dresses, the beat of drums and the magical music of the pan pipe and intricate strumming of guitars.

Puictures of the life on Lake Titikaka

Hi to our faithful followers

Have arrived in La Paz, which is the capital of Bolivia after leaving Puno in Peru. We are in a hotel which has good wi fi in the hotel rooms, so are able to display a few shots of our time on the beautiful Lake Titikaka which is 12500 feet above sea level and the highest lake of its size in the world. It covers 8300 sq kms and lies between Peru and Bolivia.

On the outskirt sections of the lake, villages build of reeds by the local people, float on top with ties for stabilisation. On each island, homes have been built out of reeds and straw and the people's daily lives consists of fishing, farming and weaving, as well as providing tourists with a taste of their way of life.

We will show more shots when we get home, like to shot of me holding a gorgeous little bambino and Ross and I taking a ride on a reed boat.

Overlooking the township of Puno

With compliments of Google Images

A sample google image pic

Unable to upload any of our pictures at present but here´s a sample of the images we are experiencing.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round

Its 4am in the morning Saturday and with altitude sickness trying its hardest to capture my spirit, I find myself at the computer catching up with online communications to loved ones back home.

Today we leave Puno in Peru which is the city that is home to Lake Titikaka - the highest altitude lake in the world I believe.

We have been in Puno, Peru for two days, travelling from Cusco by bus on a 9 hour journey. At first our companions questioned how they would last the distance but we all found with at least 4 - 5 stops to marvel at ruins or 1300 ad churches, the time soon passed. Not to mention, the forty winks cat naps we had which were induced by the hum of the engine and the gentle rocking of the bus.

Along the way we viewed shepherds tending their small flocks of cows, alpaca, lamas or sheep. A lonely figure in the vast green plains with surrounding mountain peaks casting shadows, catching clouds or watching over the lands below.

We saw little old ladies with their jet black hair in plats with their cheery faces beneath a black or brown bowler hat greeting us with wide smiles and souvenirs. We also saw the same aged women with colourful fabrics on their backs laden with firewood, shopping, young children or their souvenir shop yet to be unpacked.

The churches and museums we visited on our stops are absolutely amazing with their history and workmanship of times gone by. In one museum of the inka tribe, it had dsiplayed some human skulls which had evidence of brain surgery operations. Put All Saints to shame I think.

We arrived in Puna around 5.30 p.m., checked into our hotel and started to explore the streets and main square.... but that´s another story. Till then.

Photos of the community - Peru Challenge Project

Our last day in Cusco - Peru

Hi faithful followers

It is our last day in this beautiful city and today we visit a non-government organisation named Peru Challenge iworking in a rural village where a project to build a school, teach school aged children to grade 6, support mothers in afternoon sessions of craft making and health education, support the local community to become sustainable through development of their own skills, knowledge and abilities.

Before we take the 30 minute drive we are taken to a local produce market where we can purchase non perishables to donate to the village we are travelling to. An amazing picture of local and colourful spices, corns and legumes, meats, vegetables, a food court for locals (consisting of huge aluminium pots with home made soups) beautiful breads and the never ending supply of decoratively arranged t shirts and souvenirs.

We purchase rice, oil, pastas, toilet paper, soaps etc which we are guided by our tour guide to buy and at one stall a young boy no older than 12 serves us with the professional retail skill of an adult. His sister (we presume) is unpacking carrots and other vegetables at a nearby table. I smile and say Hola to her. In return I receive a nod and a smile which has a semi disengaged face of a young girl who is slightly retarded, yet her work ethic would put a so called 'normal' child to shame in some cases.

The organisation where we are visiting one project site started in approx 2003 by a 24 year old Australian woman (that's right - pretty awesome) and a local person in Peru. We have been told today that they married last year and have given birth to a baby girl two weeks ago.

Social issues in some low economic areas are linked to government policies and the demon things we have at home - lack of education in some instances, alcohol and domestic violence in some cases and a govt which shut down over 600 rural schools because the children didnt want to attend. We were told of a near by village where the only teacher of the local school was a drunk. That situation has now been rectified.

Some great work has been done by this one organisation and our guide for the morning was the manager of this particular village project who started out as a volunteer whilst back packing around the globe with his girlfriend. They originate from Adelaide, Australia.

We were given a tour of a nearly completed set of classrooms, a chook pen, the sanitary health area where kids learn to wash their hands properly and wash their faces, then apply cream to help protect their skin from the cold winds and altitude related issues. We were also shown the kitchen where a placid smiling lady sat on an upturned bucket peeling a large drum of potatoes with a knife - a meal being prepared for tomorrow.

At present, all children are on school holidays, but the centre provides a holiday program where the children get to sing and dance, use computers (yes, there is a computer lab) and have a meal. We were pleased to wave to the gorgeous children through the glass of their rooms.

The concept of the program is to involve the whole community and learn about sustainable practices - dads, mums and all the family are involved in how everything is done and help through their own commitment to build a better life for their community.
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We purchased some crafts made by the women's program where a proportion of the proceeds go to: the person who made the craft, the centre and the kitty for ad hoc expenses.

I also donated some US dollars to the centre to buy pens and paper for the children and teachers - one less shopping spree for me at Officeworks when I get home.

Peregrine, our travel company also sponsor the organisation directly and indirectly by allocating half day tours which we experienced today.

Safety vests but not much safety

Of course, Jen's on the lookout for safety and spotted construction men working by a rapid stream, breaking large boulders up by pick and moving stones by human chain. There are lots of manual handling issues here. But perhaps because of the proud ancestory of the Inka Tribes and their manful skill of building Machu Pichu and other monumental mountain sites, this activity for these Peruvian men is trivial.

Poppy Ted and Lil Chocki at Machu Pichu

We just couldn't leave Poppy Ted and Chocki out of the journey so they came snuggled in our backpacks until a photo opportunity. Trouble was, as soon as they saw how awesome the view was, the teds didnt want to go back in their dry warm little place. So, as strange Aussie tourists we are, their little faces looked around at international tourists and waved their little arms to say hello to a few people.

They received mixed reactions - smiles, waves but also some strange worried faces to the humans who were carrying them. We didn't care cos they represented our beautiful kids and grandchild who weren't with us.

Machu Pichu was a very spiritual place. Ross and I sat on a rock and contemplated life after our tour guide left us with the explanations of the works of the Inka tribes - the people who had painstakingly put this monumental site together. We didn't feel cheated by the weather as most of the photos we had seen provided a shot of perfect blue sky. On the contrary, we thought we were lucky to have been there when a shroud of cloud flew over giving a white protective coat of the view, then magically evaporate to boldly display the treasures of the Inka's engineering skills.

Machu Pichu

One of the highlights of our trip was to travel from Cusco city by train for 3 hours to the place on the Inka tribes most spectacular engineering feat - Machu Pichu. You can always open a travel book or an edition of a travel page in the Sunday papers and pretty much find a picture of this amazing place.

We weren't sure what to expect about the climb to Machu. We had visited several Inka ruins close to the city of Cusco with a fair hike of about 300 steps in places. We thought this was our training for the big event. However, we were taken by mini bus from the small township where we were staying for a 15 minute bus ride to the top of the mountain to explore the spiritual place where thousands of years ago approx 300 people lived on a hillside, built with stone including water distribution systems and strategically placed buildings.

It was cloud covered and raining when we arrived, so with our wet weather gear and rain ponchos over the top(which make you look the side of a house, if you are a size larger than the average three bedroom home like I am, we braved the weather to commence the trek of walking over, around, up and down to explore with our guide the interpretations of modern archeologists' viewpoints.

Cusco City in Peru

Hi family and friends back home

We are a few weeks into our adventure and after saying goodbye to the Amazon River, the villages and our peaceful Lodge we fly from Lima to Cusco which is about 3500 metres or 10,000 feet above sea level. Travellers sometimes have trouble with altitude sickness when they arrive which might come in the form of dizziness, vomitting, tiredness, headaches etc.

We made sure our itinerary didnt help the risk of us getting sick by having a rest period when we first got here. However, as soon as we got off the plane at the airport and walked up the ramp to get our bags, we both felt very strange. Our legs wanted to go faster than our lungs would allow and we had to keep having little rests to catch our breath.

Perhaps our breath was taken away by the awesome town we had landed in. 1500 century cathedrals, stone houses and narrow stone village roads made by the Inka tribes many years ago. South America certainly has some rich history that our beautiful land down under cannot boast with its 200 year young age.

We have visited many cathedrals which are spectacular with their silver and gold statues, saints and arches. There is a strong catholic following here and we have been truly amazed at the size and design of buildings - both their external and internal features.

The Amazon .... continued

Hello from the Amazing Amazon Region of Peru

Hola and greetings from a beautiful part of the world which needs to remain beautiful. We have spent two and a half days in the Amazon flying from Brazil to Peru and staying briefly in Lima before flying to Iquitos.

Taking a small boat ride and changing transport in several parts of the river, we have lunch at a Lodge in the jungle before travelling deeper into the jungle area and coming to our own private (the four of us in our tour) jungle lodge. A mixture of Nichols Rivulet, Petcheys Bay and the sounds of owls, crickets, 500 varieties of birds to complement the natural scenery.

It's all too much to try to convey here in this blog what we experienced - natural beauty and I must add a deep disappointment on our travels at the amount of discarded rubbish which local families and some unethical tourists seem to be guilty of.

We have early starts and are greeted in a large dome airy community hut of chairs and tables, wooden surroundings, thatched roof and a long table which demands our tummy's attention to stock up on scrambled egg, fresh bread, jams made from local fruits, cheese and thinly sliced ham complemented by fresh juice and coffee.

We are indeed honoured to be some of the lucky few who are able to visit these parts and make friends with knowledgeable tour guides who provide us with information to stimulate our minds on the local habitat including birds, trees, snakes and the daily life of villagers who reside downstream.

We partake in a jungle walk through both day and night. At night (the first jungle walk) we take torches, wear long trousers and long sleeves and gumboots (which are supplied by our tour company). These, we find come in very handy to push away the mud and ward off any little bites, including the two anaconda snakes our leader finds and points out to us.

Up two stately white trees we are asked to take a closer look - and we come across a spider the size of a giant's hand - yes a big black hairy triantular x 2 (if that's how it's spelt, I'm not sure).

Yep, both Rossco and I are really enjoying pretending to be brave but we have every faith in our 30 year old tour guide names Juan or John who has a lot of knowledge and skill of the area.

Christ the Redeemer - a famous landmark of Rio de Janeiro

Hello again

Our tour day started with a mountain ride to Corcovado Hill to witness the statue which overlooks and takes care of the city below. 360 degree views at the top, a crowd of snapping cameras yet, a still tranquility and aura which makes you feel quite close to heaven. There is a small chapel at the base of the statue of Christ where people can leave a donation after saying a prayer or taking a photo from the door.

Outside, the sun was hot, even at 8.30in the morning where the temperature was reaching 31 already. If you went on tippy toes, you could touch the clouds and thank heavens we had a small bit of cloud cover to keep the sun burning down on our heads.

After we left the mountain we headed for the nearby townships nested into the valleys with cobblestone streets, concrete walls and decorated windows with wrought iron spanish flavoured villa fronts.

It was nice to travel down through the streets and capture some photos.

We drove through the Centro area which is the home of museums, council chambers, monuments and an awesome cathedral which looks like a concrete honeycomb outside, but inside a cool, spacious, stain glassed cocoon for worshiping.

We also visited the other famous landmark, The Sugarloaf where a cable car actually took us to what felt like being in heaven. As we travelled up through the car the clouds met us, came wafting through the open window and touched our cheeks when we stepped out into the open air. So much to tell, so little time to type here.

When my baby.. when my baby smiles at me I go to RIO

Hi family and friends

Obligardo from Rio where the people speak Portuguese, the women wear thongs and not on your feet and the men are ooh la la with their European styled bather shorts.

Ross and I have (and Poppy Ted and Lil Chockie) have enjoyed spending the last two days in Rio. After arriving at the airport from Iguazu and being met by our tour guide Claudio we checked into the hotel and received our tour induction for what the next day would bring.

I must add, apart from the beautiful rock formation scenes, blue skies and sparkling waters, I am in Kombi heaven. Yes, that's right, Rio seems to be the home of the kombi from touchdown at the airport, a lot of the maintenance vehicles, are you guessed it, kombis. So, can you imaging me sitting in the taxi bus with my eyes wide open when we travel to our destination that there were a million kombi vans passing by. I started taking photos and tapping Ross's arm but found I had to quickly calm down. The kombi sight would last the whole time we were here.

We had an early start the next morning to beat the heat and the bus loads of tourists. It's quite advantageous to be in a group of four plus your guide. Less standing and queueing. I'll be back, just want to post these photos

An eighth wonder of the world - Iguazu Falls

Hi family and friends

We certainly have some breathtaking sights as we visited the Iguazu Falls which lies between both borders of Argentina and Brazil.

Our flight from Beunos Aires to Iguazi was delayed by several hours so we more or less had a day sitting chatting at the airport with our new friends who are part of our group (there are 4 of us) Carmen and George from Brisbane. After receiving a food voucher as part of the customer service strategy we settled down watching fellow tourists and sharing funny stories. There was an option of hiring a car and taking a ten hour jaunt like a Thelma and Louise journey with two extra blokes but we decided to sit it out and wait for the plane to overcome its maintenance problems. Better to be safe than sorry don't you think?

We eventually flew out and into the 'jungle' area surrounded by pristine jungle greens, red dirt like the North West Coast of Tasmania and guest what.... a few kombi vans along the way.

We were to visit part of the falls this day but because we landed late, our tour guide , a gorgeous Brazillian aged 25 named Thiago, who was studying his second degree, advised we would start out early the next day and cram 1.5 days into 1.

We were more than happy to have an early night . Funny how sitting in airports makes you a little tired.

Anyway, a 7am start the next morning after breakfast and we were on our way in our Mercedes transit bus - the five of us heading for a 1.5 hour walk to a little cane train then a further walk onto the most spectacular site I have seen in my life.

Iquazu Falls (ill spare the formal details) is huge, larger than Niagra Falls which we all learn about at school. The power of the water was amazing, we became wet with spray which was inviting on the 35 degree day. Just to watch the tremendous volume of water flowing from a lazy slow moving river to a cliff site which then transformed into a tyrant of danger was unbelievable, awesome... all the words you could think of.

We'd really like to share lots of pics on the blog but uploading them seems to take quite a while so watch out for the slide show in the lounge when we get back. Champers supplied.




We began watching at the top of the falls on the Argentinian side, walked down steps to the base of the falls (one section I might add)