Australia is a country located in the Southern Pacific Ocean, it is a large island and also the smallest continent. Most Australians live along its coasts and much of the interior consists of flat arid and uninhabitable lands. The island is famous for its wines,beaches, food, impressive harbors and surfing. 

Sydney

Located in New South Wales, it is the most populous city in Australia.

The Sydney Opera house with its impressive sails is a skyline gem. It was designated a world heritage site in 2007. Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, it’s construction was fraught with delays and costs overrun.

Despite this, the structure has become so iconic and is a source of great pride for Sidney and Australia. We attended a modern interpretation performance of Mozart’s Magic Flute and we were speechless inside the opera house. Like the outside, the impressively high beams and interior architecture was a continuous surprise and joy to us. 

Royal Botanical Gardens : is located in the heart of Sydney. Botanical gardens are a main attraction for us whenever we are in a city, and we enjoyed immensely exploring the one in Sydney. It is located near the water with several views of the opera house, the Harbor Bridge, and the surrounding harbor and is well worth a visit.

Beaches are a mainstay in and around Sydney. We took time to visit the famous Bondi Beach and took a ferry to Manly beach. These two are huge beaches, with boutique shops, restaurants, and cafes. You can easily sit back and enjoy the energy of this eclectic city or don your bathing suit for a dip in the water. Be aware that the surf on both beaches can be strong and unpredictable. Stay vigilant and mindful of guidance from the lifeguards and sound systems broadcasts and warnings!

Fish Market: we walked from our hotel along the sea walk, the maritime museum and across Darling harbor to the Sydney fish market. I would say it is not only for buying seafood but also a cultural landmark in this city. The market has two main sections—-one for seafood and another for fruits and vegetables. In the former, we witnessed the heart and soul of the fishing industry. There was every imaginable type of fresh seafoods from the popular stone crabs to lobsters, mussels, oysters, scallops and much more. We were allowed to chose our meal, get photos holding it and wait about 45mins for it to be cooked. We sat in the lovely summer sun on the patio of the market to enjoy our meal as the birds fed on the scraps and leftovers from diners.

Melbourne

 Located in Victoria and the second largest city in Australia, on the banks of the Yarra River and popular for its architecture, finance, fashion and culture.

Wine tour: we rented a car and set out on a wine tour in the famous Yarra Valley. We had lunch and a tasting at Yering Station winery then drove another 10 minutes to a small family winery. We saw two rolling clouds that brought rain and lightning.

Our city tour of Melbourne was brief but we enjoyed the Thai food we had along the Yarra river walk. We mostly indulged in the towering structures of bridges and buildings with the unusual and interesting architecture. One thing that made a huge impression on us were the vertical plaques across one of the bridges that gave a good introduction to the various immigrants that came to Australia and how they brough their unique skills to build upon what they encountered. I encourage you to visit this place as it highlights the variety of peoples who make up Australia and emphasize that they all brought skills and talent that contributes to the building of the current society.

After the delightful days in Caviahue, it was time to get back on the road. We had a good drive ahead to San Martin de Los Andes, and then to Bariloche.

Leaving Caviahue, we backtracked all the way back to Route 40, then headed south. The drive to San Martin de Los Andes was uneventful, the road in good conditions. It was cloudy and we could not see Volcan Lanin, what a shame!

We arrived in San Martin de Los Andes, found our accommodations, got some food ( thanks PedidosYa!), and rested. Then we noticed snow blowing and the skies darkening. It was a storm that lasted for 2 days, delaying our departure to Bariloche. Road conditions in the spring change rapidly, and it is best to stay safe.

San Martín de Los Andes is a town in Neuquen, by the shores of Lake Lacar. Nearby there is a sky resort (Chapelco). The town is quite beautiful, lively and with plenty of shopping and food opportunities. It is the gateway to the ‘Ruta de los 7 Lagos’ and the Nahuel Huapi national park.

The ‘7 Lagos ( 7 lakes)’ is a scenic road that starts in San Martin de Los Andes. There are lookout points everywhere, plenty of traffic and sometimes animals on the road. Caution is advised.

The first town we reached is Villa La Angostura, which sits at the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. This lake is huge, an Bariloche also sits by the same lake. Massive bodies of water.

La Angostura is a charming town, great for a pit stop and gift shopping. The road was excellent, so we continued to our destination, Bariloche.

Bariloche for many is the gateway to Patagonia, well served by flights from Buenos Aires. It is a town that has grown significantly due to the tourism industry. The town spreads along the slopes by the lake, so it is quite hilly. During our time in Bariloche it was quite windy, so we stayed in town and did not get a chance to partake on some of the wonderful hikes around.

Tips:

1. Monitor the weather forecast and road conditions. Snow and wind combined can make for hazardous road conditions.
2. Visit the Rapa Nui store in Bariloche. It has great chocolate, ice cream and even an indoor skating rink! The hot chocolate is superb.
3. Be prepared for changing weather, and have fun.

Walk good,

Alex

We awoke early and excited for the trip to the volcano. We had a choice, hike sixteen kilometers or go by dog sleds. We chose the latter and were not disappointed. We had eight mushers pulling our sled. Porter the lead was great. He had earlier introduced himself boldly on the drive up from the town. Periodically our guide Javier had to roll down the windows because porter was releasing himself of accumulated gas from prior day’s meat meal.

We crossed two frozen lakes, passed a hydrothermal installation for steam and electricity as we headed for the peak of the volcano. We arrived at the Chilean border and our destination. A place that is the embodiment of peace, beauty and majestic views.

On our way back to town, we stopped at an old military compound literally on the edge of volcano Copahue. We were treated with the most exhilarating mud lake bath ever. In a pool of hot mud and boiling water we soaked, swam and scrubbed. You actually felt the soft, hot mud from below slipping under your feet with every step. We spent nearly an hour in this glorious and natural spa alone, breathing sulfurous steam and soaking in the views. We emerged when another small party and their guide appeared. We felt refreshed, energetic and ready to continue exploring Route 40.

TIPS

1. Summer is hiking season. You can hike to the Volcano and all the way to the border with Chile.

2. Copahue is the town with many hot springs. It is open December 1 to May 1.

3. For the wild mud lake, you need permission in Las Máquinas.

Until next time,

Walk good

We enjoyed an exhilarating hike into volcano Malacara in Malargue. This volcano had rivers of lava that solidified as magma erupted in water over 450 thousand years ago.

We continued the drive south and stopped for a short hike in Manqui Malal to see the angel hair waterfall and hunt for Amnonites (fossils) by the river. It was a fun and educational activity. We were rewarded with several fossils finds.

We continued over 80km on mostly “unpaved highway” then crossed the river Barancas into Neuquén province and drove to the beautiful town of Chos Malal. A Patagonia frontera town Chos Malal lies between the Curri Levue and Neuquén rivers. The town has amazingly beautiful landscapes and an abundance of roses of almost every color and huge blooms. After a peaceful rest in the hotel Terra Malal, and a gem of beauty and tranquility we continued south.

A short detour took us to Caviahue. The home of fresh trout, located by  lake Caviahue and the foothills of volcano Copahue. We will stay here a few days.

Until next post, walk good.

We left Copacabana and after about two hours by bus we arrived in Puno Peru. Puno, like Copacabana in Bolivia sits on the Peruvian shores of Lake Titicaca. Its economy is primarily agricultural and livestock (llamas and alpacas) based. The town is famous for its access to the floating man-made islands on lake Titicaca. We spend only a short time in Puno and soon headed on our road trip to Arequipa.

Arequipa City-After several hours of driving in the dark we arrived in Arequipa. We got off the bus into a taxi and headed directly to our Airbnb for a well needed rest. The next morning when we awoke and looked outside, we observed this giant mountain that appeared to loom immensely over the city scape, It felt so close to us. We did not expect this, so we inquired and were told that is Misti. Misti stands at 5,822 meters or 19,101ft above sea-level and forms part of a series of volcanoes in that region of Peru. The entire city scape and concurrent culture of the city is dominated by the presence of this mountain.

The city has a Spanish colonial era layout. The main historical center consists of a central plaza, surrounded by the Basilica Cathedral, shopping, restaurants, museums set off by lovely palm tress and other ornamentals. This is where you will find the locals gather to listen to music, sale their wares and air their grievances by protesting. The Santa Catalina Monastery is a major attraction in Arequipa. small city within the city.

This very popular monastery is a small self contained city that was founded in the late 16th century. It consists of many cramped but charming streets lined with tiny colorful, houses. These houses we learned, were inhabited by the nuns that lived in the monastery centuries ago. As we wondered around streets, we realized we were exploring a very old but well designed city of plazas, fountains, and cottages. The internal spaces in many of the cottages were creatively designed for the outside light to filter inside. As we prepared to complete our tour, we wondered into a lovely garden, it was like stepping back in time. A space which appeared intentionally designed for serenity and tranquility. It had seating, and planted with flowers and several types of fruit trees.

Over the ensuing two weeks, we immersed ourselves in the food, music, and the culture of the city by walking and hiking around the city. We found Tipika restaurant to be a welcoming and friendly place were you could have tasty meals for a resonable price. We absolutely enjoyed the chicharron de chancho Arequipa. we were impressed by the variety of fruits, meats, food and vegetables for sale in the market. The market was like no other we had encountered. Two memorable moments for us in this beautiful market were having our heads measured for customed felt hats at Elyca Sombrereia and drinking fresh juice from the juice bars.

Visiting Colca Canyon

Driving away from El Salto was difficult. Its that place in the Andes, where families come out in droves on a beautiful spring day, they gather some river stones to protect the fire for the asado as they serve red wines from the backs of their pickups. When the sun sets and darkness rolls in they drink their mate and watch the stars shine brightly and the many satellites stream across the night sky.

We are driving down route 40, and the southern spines of the Andes. Big sky country, four and a half hours to Malargüe, a touristic town known for its historic dinosaur finds. The road is endless and with wide open views of the snow-capped Andes mountains. The range seems to end, yet every turn on the road , new mountains appear. We passed huge fields of garlic, grazing cows and sheep and arrived at our hotel with a front yard filled with sheep.

After spending a memorable time in high altitude La Paz, we embarked on a road trip to visit the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. The experience was unimaginable to us. The drive was filled with excitement and anticipation while also exhilarating and uncomfortable at times. Mostly, we were in awe of the places we visited; the alluring warmth, the charm and the friendliness of the people we met along the way.

After a long taxi drive in the unpredictable La Paz traffic, we arrived at the bus station for the start of our bus trip to Copacabana. The bus trip was mostly uneventful and we slept. I was awakened by the driver telling everyone we must all disembark from the bus with only small personal belongings to catch a boat to cross the lake.

Although I was told this would happen before, somehow, it didn’t quite register in my consciousness. Nevertheless, we climbed down from the bus and were shown a small Kiosk where we were instructed to purchase a boat ticket to the other side of the channel. It felt surreal as we climbed into the small boat and were whisked across the lake to the other side in about 10 minutes. We disembarked and wondered around the small lakeshore port of Tiquina. Some passengers went off to browse the stalls while others took pictures.

After about 20 minutes our attention was drawn to the lake and the approaching barge. To our surprise, our bus was perched precariously on top of the barge. It was a strange sight, so we gathered around to capture this incredible photo of our bus crossing the lake on the barge.

The trip continued, until we eventually reached Copacabana. This lakeshore town is located on the south shores of Lake Titicaca. It is from here that many scheduled trips on boats sail out to the sacred islands of Isla del Sol and Isla del La Luna. The town has several restaurants, coffee shops and tourist shops and stalls. We proceeded to the kiosk to purchase our tickets to Isla del Sol.

The boat took about two hours to get to Isla del Sol. As we approached, we saw a steep rocky island in the middle of the lake with several ruins and agricultural terraces climbing up the slope from the port. When we disembarked, we were met by our transport, a donkey and its lady driver and our Airbnb host. There are no motor vehicles or paved roads on the island and so you must walk everywhere. Our suitcases went with the donkey and we proceeded to climb up the many steps leading up from the port.

We arrived at our cabin, and were rewarded with one the most spectacular views you could ever imagine. The varied blue colors of the lake against even bluer skies and the snow-capped Andes mountains was absolutely divine. We retired to bed early after our tasteful and well deserved meal of local lake trout. Over the next three days we basked in the untamed beauty and serenity of the island. We enjoyed absolutely amazing sunrises, sunsets and views of the impressive Lake Titicaca and snow-caped Andes from our bedroom. Because of the altitude, we avoided any intense hiking but took time to explore a bit of the island. We were well cared for by Teodora, who made sure someone brought us breakfast on the days she was travelling to Santa Cruz for a wedding. Teodora even provided us with fresh muña muña from here garden to help us alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness (Isla del Sol is located at 13,045ft above sea level). Sadly, due to mounting symptoms of altitude sickness, we curtailed our stay and headed out earlier than planned to Puno and then onwards to Arequipa, Peru.

Isla Del Sol has a rich history, we share these few pictures to give only a miniscule view of the island .

Tips for travelling by bus to Isla Del sol

1. Bus and boat trips are not the most comfortable, there are plenty of bumps and jerks so travel with medicine if you get sick easily.
2. There are not many options for housing, we highly recommend Teodora’s place (Cabanas Ecologicas Santo Campo) in Aribnb. Book your overnight accommodations early or before arrival on the the island.
3. Internet and Wi-Fi connections are spotty or limited so be prepare you might be disconnect during your stay. Local Telecom provider Entel has service in the island.
4. You must pay for entry to the island, about US10.
5. The locals do not like to be photographed so be aware of this, they will let you take a picture with a llama for a fee.
6. There are no roads and your accommodations might be a steep climb from the port if your accommodation is further up the island. I recommend that you travel light to Isla del Sol.