pre-inca ruins,, waterfalls and a jungle border crossing

how to start with the last week? there's been a couple more hikes, 2 night buses plus 3 days of day travel (so in total about 36 hours of bus travel), a fair few hours spent bumping my way along muddy roads in rickety cars, and days at a stretch without a shower, but at the same time I was rewarded with great conversations, visits to 3 pre-inca ruins, a variety of landscapes from tall mountains to the dry dusty desert to the muddy lusciously green jungle, the worlds third tallest waterfall, colonial tinged amazonas towns and finally, a border crossing to Ecuador.

A nice change of altitude - 600m now

The 'ranchero' bus truck to take me through the jungle. Sort of theme park no?

Bye bye Peru - their side of the crossing

I am now sitting out of the mud and with the bugs under a tin roof next to a gurgling river. I'll be here 3 hours waiting for a bus. Welcome to the border crossing, Las Balsas - Zumbo from Peru - Ecuador. I left the nearest town, San Ignacio around 6am, and 1.5 hours later I arrived to have a relaxing breakfast with the immigration officer in Las Balzas. It's now 9.30am, and I'm waiting for the 'Ranchero', a sort of truck with bench seats with a canopy where the flat back is, to take me 1.5 hours to the closest Ecuadorian town. From there it will be another 6 hours to Vilcabamba where I will meet our couchsurfing host from New Orleans who is traveling there too. Amazing how you can, for the most part, relax and let so many hours pass (and update one's blog!).

Dirt roads wind their way precariously alongside rivers

sometimes getting lost in the process

My moto-taxi getting a little stuck in the mud -by the way - the kid on the left is my 12y/o driver

The drive here reminded me how much I really respect (and I guess trust) the drivers here. The roads are muddy and slippery, and even with 6 passengers fogging up visibility they manage to navigate their way around landslides, rocks, a truck or so that's on its side after falling in a ditch, little 3 wheeler tuk tuks and narrow lanes with sheer drops to the side - all while whistling along to the inevitable LOUD strains of some local music. That is impressive actually - no matter how run down the car, it will always have a pretty new and awesome sound system.

I had to stop writing as a guy came over trying to reason with me that the police wanted me to buy him a coffee:) but then the Aduana (customs) guy also came over so his little attempt at a free coffee faltered. I really haven't experienced much bribery at all during my travels - literally it's been once on the Peruvian side of the Bolivia border crossing, and now this time here in Ecuador. And both attempts were not very hard played.

But back to the last week - the highlight were visits to 3 pre-inca ruins - the first still in the high mountains near Huaraz - the Chavin ruins, then in the dry sandy desert of Trujillo to see some ruins from the Moche culture, and then nearby here in the cloud forest jungle, the ruins from the Chachapoyas culture - Kuelap.

The site of Chavin de Huantar started being habitated from 3000BC but the construction dates back to 1200BC. It's one of the oldest sites I've visited, and although it's still being uncovered, there are some beautiful elements to it too. The highlights here were the many tunnels that ran underground the site.

The mark of the main deity in the Chavin culture

The artefacts from Huacas de la Luna y Sol (the temple of the moon and sun) of the Moche culture (100-700AD) were incredibly well preserved, and plentiful. Beautiful ceramics, wall paintings, and what was interesting that the Huaca de la Luna was actually a temple that was filled in and rebuilt 5 times. (once each century roughly)

VIew from Huaca de la Luna (religious) to Huaca del Sol (administrative) over the urban (living) area

Walking up alongside Huaca de la Luna to Cerro Blanco 

Beautiful painting/mouldings on the outisde of the 5th incarnation of the temple

The Kuelap ruins are quite different - think Machu Picchu on a less impressive scale, however somehow the siting of the ruins sitting abreast the ridge in the lush green valleys, and beautiful circular ruins of houses and the basic, more crude approach to building, oh and being one of 7 tourists visiting that day, made for a very impressive and tranquil experience. Construction started 6th century AD, and it was used mainly as a pilgrimage site as well as a city. It is much less refined that Machu Pichu - for instance, women and children carried the water from some 100m below at the river, and there is less fine detailing in for instance the roof / wall joints.

Chachapoyas was also a pretty town - a lot of wooden detailing and colonial finishes, and it was also just a nice place to relax. Sort of in the jungle, but high enough not to be too sweltering.

Finally, yesterday morning I left Peru for the last time this trip began said journey to the border. I am glad I got to see more of the North, and hopefully one day I can return to see more of the stunning mountains near Huaraz, but I'm sort of ready to move onto Ecuador - and as I have 1 month left of traveling here in South America - I better get on to it!

ps. I forgot the waterfall - here it is!

The long road south the the end of the world!

On Boxing Day I started the trip down to Ushuaia; in Tierra Del Fuego right at the very south of Argentina. 5 days, 2366kms, 60 hours on a bus, 2 very long border crossings, 9 episodes of how I met your mother (Miguel... I curse you for getting me into this show!), a stellar find of a nut shop in Rio Gallegos, alfajores on the bus, a ferry ride and miles and miles of open patagonian plains, The first thing I noticed after steppng off the bus after leaving BA was the wind. It really is windy, and getting windier as I head further South.

OK so I'm being lazy with the captions on the pics... but there's more pics on Picasaweb (http://picasaweb.google.com/FatMeercat/LaRutaParaUshuaia_261210311210), most with captions.

(this was written on 31^st Dec) Currently I'm about 2100km into the stretch, and stuck at the last border crossing back into Argentina. While our passports have gone off walkies for checks, I've taken advantage of a still bus to jot this entry down. I feel slightly sheepish that I've not done this earlier; it's not like I'm 'busy' or have no time, but time just seems to pass here and perhaps there's not too much to write about yet. But here goes..

I started the trip down with an overnighter in the bus to Viedma/Carmen de Patagones. Before I get stuck into regaling you of the not so exciting trip, can I just say this about Argentinean busses; everyone says they rock and they really do! I can't imagine spending 15 hours in a bus in Australia or England, but here the time just seems to go by, the seats recline to nearly a bed and you get fed:) Everyone always did say how comfortable they are, and all I have to say is that they really are and definitely an easy way to travel here.

So, after spending a day walking around a not so exicting Viedma and napping on the riverside, I caught the 2am connecting bus to Puerto Madryn. I jumped straight on another bus to take me to Puerto Piramides, a smaller, rather touristy town near Peninsula Valdes; a UNESCO world hreitage site wildlife reserve and breeding grounds of the Southern Right Whales, elephant seals, sea lions. And you ask did I see any whales... well the silly answer is that no, I didn't. I suppose maybe I should have made more of an effort, but I did have a lovely chilled out afternoon walking on the beach with my new friend Juliana, and we also went up to the Elephant Sea colony and even saw a recently born seal (complete with seagulls hanging around the placenta). I have since met other people who saw whales there, but it will just have to be saved up for next time I suppose.

It was the prefect break though from the city-ness of Bueons Aires, and I'm glad that I got to do some beach wandering and relaxing. Puerto Madryn sort of feels like the gold coast on spring break – loads of party tents set up on the beach, lots of teens going crazy and having a good time. Would have been a fun place to be with friends for NY on the beach, but no I decided to press on with another overnighter bus to Rio Gallegos.

Many people diss Rio Gallegos – right so it's a flat rather dreary town, but the odd thing about it is it's got a lot of money. Nice European cars, lots of health food/alternative shops, shops galore, expensive restaurants. It is a mining town, and it sort of had that feel of people with money to spend in a rather dreary place. The river for which it is named isn't that exciting, I forayed down there and it was windy, misty and pretty empty of life. But nonetheless I did sort of like it, it was relaxed, had everything and abounded with shops I can buy nuts in. I sort of got a little excited and spent about 5 pounds on a bag of macadamia nuts. Oops... but soooo good. It's pretty much half of what I paid for accomodation that night so have resolved to steer clear of the expensive items.

Ok, getting a bit hot and bored waiting at this border crossing. Having so many immigration/customs queues to line up in though does mean I get to practice my abysmal Spanish with fellow travellers. The type of traveller on this final leg is definitely more touristic and affluent, up till now it's mainly been people either visiting family, returning to work or mothers/children travelling to see the fathers. More hiking gear everywhere!. Oh and I've resolved to get a tent. A highly wind resistent one:)

Bus is moving again now and the rocky roads probably not condusive to my awesome little netbook on lap so going to sign of now:)

Oh I've just realised that it's 5pm here, so therefore already a happy new year in Australia!!! By the time I post this it will be about 10pm here, so happy ny to one and all:)