A couple pics. The first is of Perito Moreno Glacier; the second is Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Salta, Argentina
We're off to the border town of La Quiaca this morning, and then into Bolivia. We may go straight on the four day Uyuni tour. Not sure when we'll have Internet access again; it may be after the tour.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Salta, Argentina
We split up the 9+ hour bus ride from La Rioja to Salta, stopping in Tucumán for a night. There's no real tourist attractions in Tucumán, and we didn't see any other tourists.
I was at the tail end of my cold, and Heather was just getting into hers, so we didn't do much sightseeing. We did have dinner at a nice little mom-and-pop place, with excellent empanadas.
Walking about Tucumán at night at this time of year is a bit nerve-wracking, there are a million cicadas flying about. I didn't like it one little bit; the locals seemed unperturbed.
Took the bus today to Salta. We've actually been watching (and enjoying!) some of the movies shown on the bus rides, including to my surprise Norbit (the Eddie Murphy movie).
Because Argentina wasn't part of our original plans, we didn't bring a guide book for Argentina. However thanks to the Internet and iPhones, I bought a digital copy of the Argentina Lonely Planet (they sell them as PDFs, which I've saved to Stanza), which we've been using for the last week or so. It took a couple days to adjust, and I now find it far more convenient. Lots of locals use smart phones, so if we're looking at a map on the iPhone we don't stand out as tourists. Plus it's no additional weight.
So far the only downside is that there was one page that was corrupted (or at least won't open on the iPhone). It is the map of Salta. So we arrived today without a map. We wanted a hotel near the main plaza, so took a taxi to the main square, and then looked at hotels. We decided on Hotel Salta, on a corner of Plaza 9 de Julio, splurging an extra $10 per night to get a huge terrace balcony. We asked and received a significant discount for staying three nights and paying cash.
Salta's a beautiful colonial town with a few pedestrian-only streets around the centro. We walked around a bit this afternoon, to stretch our legs after two days of bus rides. We're here for a couple days, with plenty of churches, museums and artesanal markets to visit.
I was at the tail end of my cold, and Heather was just getting into hers, so we didn't do much sightseeing. We did have dinner at a nice little mom-and-pop place, with excellent empanadas.
Walking about Tucumán at night at this time of year is a bit nerve-wracking, there are a million cicadas flying about. I didn't like it one little bit; the locals seemed unperturbed.
Took the bus today to Salta. We've actually been watching (and enjoying!) some of the movies shown on the bus rides, including to my surprise Norbit (the Eddie Murphy movie).
Because Argentina wasn't part of our original plans, we didn't bring a guide book for Argentina. However thanks to the Internet and iPhones, I bought a digital copy of the Argentina Lonely Planet (they sell them as PDFs, which I've saved to Stanza), which we've been using for the last week or so. It took a couple days to adjust, and I now find it far more convenient. Lots of locals use smart phones, so if we're looking at a map on the iPhone we don't stand out as tourists. Plus it's no additional weight.
So far the only downside is that there was one page that was corrupted (or at least won't open on the iPhone). It is the map of Salta. So we arrived today without a map. We wanted a hotel near the main plaza, so took a taxi to the main square, and then looked at hotels. We decided on Hotel Salta, on a corner of Plaza 9 de Julio, splurging an extra $10 per night to get a huge terrace balcony. We asked and received a significant discount for staying three nights and paying cash.
Salta's a beautiful colonial town with a few pedestrian-only streets around the centro. We walked around a bit this afternoon, to stretch our legs after two days of bus rides. We're here for a couple days, with plenty of churches, museums and artesanal markets to visit.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
La Rioja, Argentina
We've been enjoying the lively little city of La Rioja. We're staying at the Hotel Plaza, with a balcony overlooking the busy Plaza 25 de Mayo. Sierra de Velasco (a mountain range) overlooks the town and would be a pretty background, if we hadn't been here on the only two cloudy days of the year.
La Rioja is a nine-hour bus ride north from Mendoza. The bus stopped for 30 minutes for lunch in Vallecito, where we stumbled across the Difunta Correa Shrine. There's hundreds of scale model houses, license plates, and other offerings. If we hadn't gone for a short walk from the bus to stretch our legs we would have missed it.
We ate at the two best restaurants on the two nights we were here, at least according to the Lonely Planet. First night we had dinner at La Viejo Casona. We got there just before 8pm and walked in the staff entrance, not realizing they didn't open till 8pm. I tried chivito (grilled goat), a local specialty, which was excellent, although hard work to get each mouthful.
The next night we ate at Stanzza. Not wanting to repeat our faux pas and show up before the restaurant opened, we went out for dinner at 8:45pm. Unfortunately Stanzza doesn't open until 9pm. So we wandered down to a nearby plaza and watched the local life for 20 minutes. Stanzza has great Italian food, I really liked their lemon sole.
At both restaurants people continued to stream in at all hours, including families with little kids and babies. We felt uncool going home to bed at 11pm when two-year-olds were just sitting down to dinner.
I managed to pick up a cold or the flu somewhere along the way, and sniffled most of the time in La Rioja. Heather now has it but hopefully it looks like she's getting better.
La Rioja is a nine-hour bus ride north from Mendoza. The bus stopped for 30 minutes for lunch in Vallecito, where we stumbled across the Difunta Correa Shrine. There's hundreds of scale model houses, license plates, and other offerings. If we hadn't gone for a short walk from the bus to stretch our legs we would have missed it.
We ate at the two best restaurants on the two nights we were here, at least according to the Lonely Planet. First night we had dinner at La Viejo Casona. We got there just before 8pm and walked in the staff entrance, not realizing they didn't open till 8pm. I tried chivito (grilled goat), a local specialty, which was excellent, although hard work to get each mouthful.
The next night we ate at Stanzza. Not wanting to repeat our faux pas and show up before the restaurant opened, we went out for dinner at 8:45pm. Unfortunately Stanzza doesn't open until 9pm. So we wandered down to a nearby plaza and watched the local life for 20 minutes. Stanzza has great Italian food, I really liked their lemon sole.
At both restaurants people continued to stream in at all hours, including families with little kids and babies. We felt uncool going home to bed at 11pm when two-year-olds were just sitting down to dinner.
I managed to pick up a cold or the flu somewhere along the way, and sniffled most of the time in La Rioja. Heather now has it but hopefully it looks like she's getting better.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Mendoza, Argentina
We've covered a bit of ground since I last posted. Right now we're relaxing on our balcony overlooking Plaza Indepencia, the centre square in Mendoza. It was a beautiful sunny day, 24C, for walking around, seeing the town, having a beer in the pedestrian street while figuring out our next few steps.
After seeing Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, we took the bus back to Puerto Natales, and then caught another bus to Punta Arenas. The crossing into Chile was much more labourious than going to Argentina. Everyone had to get their luggage from the bus, have it scanned (for prohibited items such as fruit and meat). We had a couple hard boiled eggs for a snack on the long bus ride, which they cracked to make sure they were in fact cooked.
We stayed at Hotel Ilaia in Punta Arenas, which is run by a very nice family. It also had the one of the best breakfasts so far, including home made chapatis, and steeped tea! And a rainhead shower.
We took a day trip to Isla Magdalena to see a penguin colony. We saw thousands of Magellanic penguins, although not as a big group, but rather dotted all across the island in their burrows. We took a two-hour ferry to the island through the Strait of Magellan (which was quite comfortable), then had an hour on the island before returning back to Punta Arenas. There is a roped qalking path from the docking area to a lighthouse at the centre of the island. Penguins are all around you as you walk. It was extremely windy, and we were concerned about being blown off our feet into a penguin burrow. Fortunately no penguins were killed by our walk!
It's a long way back from Punta Arenas to Santiago (almost 48 hours by bus), so we flew with Sky Airlines, $150 one-way, about half the price of LAN Chile. It was a mill run, stopping down in a couple cities along the way.
Stayed overnight in Santiago at Casa Bonita (same place as our first night), then took a bus through the Andes to Mendoza. We had the front seats on the upper level of a double decker semi-cama bus (semi-cama means 'half-bed' in spanish, and refers to the fact that the seats fold back to 140*, almost flat). This is the way to take this trip. The views of the Andes and the road, especially near the top of the Chilean side where there's about 30 switchbacks, is amazing. Near the top it tunnels through the peak, reaching an altitude of 3195m.
Unfortunately it takes forever to get through customs. We waited 2.5 hours at the crossing. Definitely not as efficient as the crossing to El Calafate. There was an excellent stall selling sandwiches which helped.
We arrived in Mendoza and checked into Hotel San Martin. We had emailed them earlier but they said they were full, but they seem to have plenty of rooms available.
We had lunch in the market this afternoon which was great, much better than the overbooked steak we had on the touristy Av Sarmiento. Tonight we are looking for a restaurant on the trendy Aristides Villanueva.
After seeing Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, we took the bus back to Puerto Natales, and then caught another bus to Punta Arenas. The crossing into Chile was much more labourious than going to Argentina. Everyone had to get their luggage from the bus, have it scanned (for prohibited items such as fruit and meat). We had a couple hard boiled eggs for a snack on the long bus ride, which they cracked to make sure they were in fact cooked.
We stayed at Hotel Ilaia in Punta Arenas, which is run by a very nice family. It also had the one of the best breakfasts so far, including home made chapatis, and steeped tea! And a rainhead shower.
We took a day trip to Isla Magdalena to see a penguin colony. We saw thousands of Magellanic penguins, although not as a big group, but rather dotted all across the island in their burrows. We took a two-hour ferry to the island through the Strait of Magellan (which was quite comfortable), then had an hour on the island before returning back to Punta Arenas. There is a roped qalking path from the docking area to a lighthouse at the centre of the island. Penguins are all around you as you walk. It was extremely windy, and we were concerned about being blown off our feet into a penguin burrow. Fortunately no penguins were killed by our walk!
It's a long way back from Punta Arenas to Santiago (almost 48 hours by bus), so we flew with Sky Airlines, $150 one-way, about half the price of LAN Chile. It was a mill run, stopping down in a couple cities along the way.
Stayed overnight in Santiago at Casa Bonita (same place as our first night), then took a bus through the Andes to Mendoza. We had the front seats on the upper level of a double decker semi-cama bus (semi-cama means 'half-bed' in spanish, and refers to the fact that the seats fold back to 140*, almost flat). This is the way to take this trip. The views of the Andes and the road, especially near the top of the Chilean side where there's about 30 switchbacks, is amazing. Near the top it tunnels through the peak, reaching an altitude of 3195m.
Unfortunately it takes forever to get through customs. We waited 2.5 hours at the crossing. Definitely not as efficient as the crossing to El Calafate. There was an excellent stall selling sandwiches which helped.
We arrived in Mendoza and checked into Hotel San Martin. We had emailed them earlier but they said they were full, but they seem to have plenty of rooms available.
We had lunch in the market this afternoon which was great, much better than the overbooked steak we had on the touristy Av Sarmiento. Tonight we are looking for a restaurant on the trendy Aristides Villanueva.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
El Calafate, Argentina
We saw Perito Moreno Glacier yesterday! It was just as impressive as the first time I saw it ten years ago.
We booked a day trip through Hielo Adventuras ($125), which included a boat trip to the front of the glacier, and walking on the glacier.
Perito Moreno is 90 minutes west of El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 9am, and then we were off.
At Perito Moreno, we first had a couple hours to wander around the observation walkways. The glacier is always calving (pieces of ice breaking off), and we were lucky to see an entire face (about 50 ft tall) calve right in front of us. I didn't get it on video but have some cool pictures with the mini tidal waves.
Next we took the boat ride near the front of the glacier. It looks more impressive looking up from water level than from the viewing platforms where you're mostly looking down.
On the other side of the lake we met our guide for the glacier trek. First we put on crampons, a 10-second lesson on use (walk with your feet apart, and with your feet flat, not on your toes or heels, and how to walk up and down inclines), and then we were walking on the glacier!
We spent almost two hours walking around. It took a few minutes to trust the crampons, which were heavy on our feet. Plus with the added height, our boots didn't get wet.
It was a very warm day (about 15C), and walking on the glacier is no colder than walking on land. We wore gloves to protect out hands in case we fell, because the surface is covered with sharp ice pebbles (sort of like crushed ice). It is deceptive in some areas, where it looks like your foot will sink into slush, but it's all ice underneath and you can walk on what looks like slush.
It is dangerous to wander off the path of the guides. The glacier melts at this time of year (although the snow build up at the top keeps the glacier size in balance), and so in places you could fall through to water flowing down inside the glacier.
Towards the end of the glacier walk, the novelty had worn off, and we were getting tired and just wanted to get back to town for dinner.
El Calafate has grown up since I was last here, taking advantage of the tourist draw of Perito Moreno. It's becoming a nice resort town, with nice restaurants and patios for a coffee.
We just wanted something simple for dinner so stopped in at a pizza place. Somehow I always forget that pizza (and most Italian food) is hit-and-miss when travelling, actually almost all misses. The beer, however, was excellent. There's only one beer in Argentina, Quilmes, and it ranks up there in my opinion as one of the best beers in the world, only behind Beerlao in Lao.
We forgot that it's Carnaval, and Monday and Tuesday are holidays in Argentina. There were more local tourists, and also the ATMs ran out of cash! Fortunately the ATMs were refilled, but there was were still line ups to get cash.
We weren't sure at the border crossing if we would be charges reciprocity fees of $70 to enter Argentina (this is what Canada charges Argentinians to enter Canada). The Lonely Planet said we would, but we weren't. I think for land crossings we'll be okay.
In El Calafate we stayed at an actual IHYF Youth Hostel. This one had part morphed into a hotel, with some double rooms with private bath. It had the best showers on the trip so far. The main reason we selected the hotel is because they have self-serve laundry facilities. After the W Trek, we needed to wash our dry-fit clothing, but didn't trust the special washing instructions (half the detergent, no dryer) to other people. So we now have packs full of clean clothes again.
Today we're on a couple buses to get us to Punta Arenas (about eight hours on buses, plus the border crossings). We plan to relax there for at least a couple days (we've been on the go since the start of the trip), and hopefully a day trip to see a penguin colony.
We booked a day trip through Hielo Adventuras ($125), which included a boat trip to the front of the glacier, and walking on the glacier.
Perito Moreno is 90 minutes west of El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 9am, and then we were off.
At Perito Moreno, we first had a couple hours to wander around the observation walkways. The glacier is always calving (pieces of ice breaking off), and we were lucky to see an entire face (about 50 ft tall) calve right in front of us. I didn't get it on video but have some cool pictures with the mini tidal waves.
Next we took the boat ride near the front of the glacier. It looks more impressive looking up from water level than from the viewing platforms where you're mostly looking down.
On the other side of the lake we met our guide for the glacier trek. First we put on crampons, a 10-second lesson on use (walk with your feet apart, and with your feet flat, not on your toes or heels, and how to walk up and down inclines), and then we were walking on the glacier!
We spent almost two hours walking around. It took a few minutes to trust the crampons, which were heavy on our feet. Plus with the added height, our boots didn't get wet.
It was a very warm day (about 15C), and walking on the glacier is no colder than walking on land. We wore gloves to protect out hands in case we fell, because the surface is covered with sharp ice pebbles (sort of like crushed ice). It is deceptive in some areas, where it looks like your foot will sink into slush, but it's all ice underneath and you can walk on what looks like slush.
It is dangerous to wander off the path of the guides. The glacier melts at this time of year (although the snow build up at the top keeps the glacier size in balance), and so in places you could fall through to water flowing down inside the glacier.
Towards the end of the glacier walk, the novelty had worn off, and we were getting tired and just wanted to get back to town for dinner.
El Calafate has grown up since I was last here, taking advantage of the tourist draw of Perito Moreno. It's becoming a nice resort town, with nice restaurants and patios for a coffee.
We just wanted something simple for dinner so stopped in at a pizza place. Somehow I always forget that pizza (and most Italian food) is hit-and-miss when travelling, actually almost all misses. The beer, however, was excellent. There's only one beer in Argentina, Quilmes, and it ranks up there in my opinion as one of the best beers in the world, only behind Beerlao in Lao.
We forgot that it's Carnaval, and Monday and Tuesday are holidays in Argentina. There were more local tourists, and also the ATMs ran out of cash! Fortunately the ATMs were refilled, but there was were still line ups to get cash.
We weren't sure at the border crossing if we would be charges reciprocity fees of $70 to enter Argentina (this is what Canada charges Argentinians to enter Canada). The Lonely Planet said we would, but we weren't. I think for land crossings we'll be okay.
In El Calafate we stayed at an actual IHYF Youth Hostel. This one had part morphed into a hotel, with some double rooms with private bath. It had the best showers on the trip so far. The main reason we selected the hotel is because they have self-serve laundry facilities. After the W Trek, we needed to wash our dry-fit clothing, but didn't trust the special washing instructions (half the detergent, no dryer) to other people. So we now have packs full of clean clothes again.
Today we're on a couple buses to get us to Punta Arenas (about eight hours on buses, plus the border crossings). We plan to relax there for at least a couple days (we've been on the go since the start of the trip), and hopefully a day trip to see a penguin colony.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
W Trek - Day 5 - 11km - 5.5 hours
Woke up at 7am and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This boded well to get good pictures. Earlier in the morning we heard the trekkers leaving at 4am to be at the lookout for sunrise.
From the refugio we watched Los Torres turn red with the sunrise. We quickly ate our breakfast, and started our ascent to the lookout shortly after 8am. I was worried that clouds would roll in at any moment, and with just a day pack, we had a very fast pace.
It was a strenuous climb, ascending from 400m to 800m, but not very technically difficult. The last few hundred metres was over rocks, but well-marked. We must have had a big adrenaline kick because the map said it should take 2:15 hours but we reached the lookout in 1:25!
Los Torres is simply amazing. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky (we had prepared ourselves to wait for a couple hours to get a glimpse, based on blogs we read beforehand). Also, the sunrise people had descended, and we were the first post-breakfast people to arrive, so we had Los Torres to ourselves for almost an hour! We sat on a big boulder the size of a minivan and took in the views for almost 90 minutes.
We went slower on the descent, to take it easy on out knees, and also because there was no rush any more. Most people take the bus back to Puerto Natales the same day, but we had chosen to stay at Las Torres Hotel, our splurge for the trip. It's a very nice place, we were glad it was at the end of the trek and not that start (some people go east-west; I think west-east is better because you finish with the highlight (Las Torres), and there's great views of Los Cuernos along the bottom part of the W.
The weather forecast posted in the hotel showed a high of 23C for today! -- we had packed clothing for 5C :)
Over the five days we trekked 70km, almost all ups-and-downs, over uneven rocks. We had no rain on four days, and just a sprinkling on the other. As well we didn't get the high winds that we'd read about. Our gear held up pretty well, and so did our bodies. We were very impressed by both the quality and quantity of food, although with all the walking with packs we both lost weight (at least, out clothes are fitting much looser).
From the refugio we watched Los Torres turn red with the sunrise. We quickly ate our breakfast, and started our ascent to the lookout shortly after 8am. I was worried that clouds would roll in at any moment, and with just a day pack, we had a very fast pace.
It was a strenuous climb, ascending from 400m to 800m, but not very technically difficult. The last few hundred metres was over rocks, but well-marked. We must have had a big adrenaline kick because the map said it should take 2:15 hours but we reached the lookout in 1:25!
Los Torres is simply amazing. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky (we had prepared ourselves to wait for a couple hours to get a glimpse, based on blogs we read beforehand). Also, the sunrise people had descended, and we were the first post-breakfast people to arrive, so we had Los Torres to ourselves for almost an hour! We sat on a big boulder the size of a minivan and took in the views for almost 90 minutes.
We went slower on the descent, to take it easy on out knees, and also because there was no rush any more. Most people take the bus back to Puerto Natales the same day, but we had chosen to stay at Las Torres Hotel, our splurge for the trip. It's a very nice place, we were glad it was at the end of the trek and not that start (some people go east-west; I think west-east is better because you finish with the highlight (Las Torres), and there's great views of Los Cuernos along the bottom part of the W.
The weather forecast posted in the hotel showed a high of 23C for today! -- we had packed clothing for 5C :)
Over the five days we trekked 70km, almost all ups-and-downs, over uneven rocks. We had no rain on four days, and just a sprinkling on the other. As well we didn't get the high winds that we'd read about. Our gear held up pretty well, and so did our bodies. We were very impressed by both the quality and quantity of food, although with all the walking with packs we both lost weight (at least, out clothes are fitting much looser).
Friday, March 04, 2011
W Trek - Day 4 - 16km - 5 hours
I woke with a start at 7am and ran outside in my pajamas to see how Los Cuernos looked in the dawn light. The sun was yet to rise over the foothills opposite so I had time to wash up and get my camera.
Breakfast was really good, cereal with milk, scrambled eggs and homemade bread. (The box lunch included homemade granola bars!) We were off by 8:30am, walking alongside the glacial green Lago Nordenskjöld, with beautiful views of Los Cuernos. The weather was looking to be another gorgeous day.
About three hours in we forked left for the shortcut to Refugio Chileno. The map showed a visual cue with the fork being just before a lagoon, but not to worry as there was a sign clearly marking "Shortcut to Chileno". We didn't see the lagoon for another 10 minutes so it's a good thing there was a sign.
The next hour was the hardest on the trek so far. We were under the hot sun, with no wind. It was stinking hot. About 30 minutes in we took shade under a lone tree, to eat our oranges, reapply sunscreen and cool down. When we got going again, we realized everyone else on the path had the same idea, as every few minutes we passed another tree with someone under it.
We were also running low on water. Horses use the same path, and we weren't sure of water quality (the streams flowed through more grasslands than on Day 1 and 2). Later we found out most other people ran out of water on this same stretch. It was unusual to have such a warm day!
Finally we crested the ridge, into the Windy Pass. It was windy as its name suggests, which helped to keep us cool. Plus we could see Refugio Chileno in the distance, which gave us a boost.
Refugio Chileno is yet another refugio in a perfect location. From the common room there are views of Las Torres. They rent towels ($3) (so far only Paine Grande included towels, and we hadn't packed any to save on weight) so I jumped in the shower. It wasn't hot but I didn't care.
The sun was still strong at 3pm so we sat inside for a beer while everyone else was sitting outside. Some other trekkers decided to climb to the lookout that afternoon because of the lack of clouds. The sun's in a better position for pictures in the morning so we decided to wait until tomorrow as planned.
Breakfast was really good, cereal with milk, scrambled eggs and homemade bread. (The box lunch included homemade granola bars!) We were off by 8:30am, walking alongside the glacial green Lago Nordenskjöld, with beautiful views of Los Cuernos. The weather was looking to be another gorgeous day.
About three hours in we forked left for the shortcut to Refugio Chileno. The map showed a visual cue with the fork being just before a lagoon, but not to worry as there was a sign clearly marking "Shortcut to Chileno". We didn't see the lagoon for another 10 minutes so it's a good thing there was a sign.
The next hour was the hardest on the trek so far. We were under the hot sun, with no wind. It was stinking hot. About 30 minutes in we took shade under a lone tree, to eat our oranges, reapply sunscreen and cool down. When we got going again, we realized everyone else on the path had the same idea, as every few minutes we passed another tree with someone under it.
We were also running low on water. Horses use the same path, and we weren't sure of water quality (the streams flowed through more grasslands than on Day 1 and 2). Later we found out most other people ran out of water on this same stretch. It was unusual to have such a warm day!
Finally we crested the ridge, into the Windy Pass. It was windy as its name suggests, which helped to keep us cool. Plus we could see Refugio Chileno in the distance, which gave us a boost.
Refugio Chileno is yet another refugio in a perfect location. From the common room there are views of Las Torres. They rent towels ($3) (so far only Paine Grande included towels, and we hadn't packed any to save on weight) so I jumped in the shower. It wasn't hot but I didn't care.
The sun was still strong at 3pm so we sat inside for a beer while everyone else was sitting outside. Some other trekkers decided to climb to the lookout that afternoon because of the lack of clouds. The sun's in a better position for pictures in the morning so we decided to wait until tomorrow as planned.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
W Trek - Day 3 - 13km - 4.5 hours
(I typed and lost this entry twice, and so here´s a much shorter version)
Trekked from Paine Grande, a short break at Campo Italiano, and then onto Refugio Cuernos. Great views of Los Cuernos, along the trek and from the refugio. Great food. Rained on us for the first time, but too hot under our windbreakers so just in our capilene base layers, but it wasn´t raining very hard and our clothes never really got wet. Debated going to Valley of Frances as a side trek from Campo Italiano (the middle part of the W) but decided against it because we didn´t want to push it.
Trekked from Paine Grande, a short break at Campo Italiano, and then onto Refugio Cuernos. Great views of Los Cuernos, along the trek and from the refugio. Great food. Rained on us for the first time, but too hot under our windbreakers so just in our capilene base layers, but it wasn´t raining very hard and our clothes never really got wet. Debated going to Valley of Frances as a side trek from Campo Italiano (the middle part of the W) but decided against it because we didn´t want to push it.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
W Trek - Day 2 - 19km - 6.5 hours
We slept deeply until 6am when the sky started to lighten and woke us up. We wanted to get an early start, to get a side trip closer up to glacier (with just a day pack) before heading back down to Paine Grande.
It took us an hour to reach Los Guardas campsite. There was supposed to be a lookout point 30 minutes beyond the camp, but we only saw signs to a lookout about 5 minutes away. This lookout point was almost on top of the glaciers and was amazing. (Later we talked to other trekkers who found the more distant lookout, oh well).
We went back to the refugio to get our packs, and a box lunch we had ordered. The lunch was huge! I was thinking about how much it weighed :) in my pack.
The trek back to Paine Grande was enjoyable. The views in the distance were amazing, but so was the path (which we didn't notice the first day). If you paid someone to create a rock garden and landscaping it wouldn't look half has good.
We arrived at Paine Grande lodge at 4:15pm. This was more hotel-like, although still with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. We were able to get a room for just the two of us. We showered and stretched, and the headed to the bar for a celebration beer ($4) (we also had one after day 1).
Dinner was a buffet, lots of food which was good, but not as tasty as Refugio Grey.
So far we've been lucky with the weather. The wind hasn't been too strong (gusts up to 40km?) and no rain yet. We've been wearing our capilene base layer with a wind breaker, and by zipping and unzipping and taking gloves on and off we've been comfortable in the changing weather conditions.
It took us an hour to reach Los Guardas campsite. There was supposed to be a lookout point 30 minutes beyond the camp, but we only saw signs to a lookout about 5 minutes away. This lookout point was almost on top of the glaciers and was amazing. (Later we talked to other trekkers who found the more distant lookout, oh well).
We went back to the refugio to get our packs, and a box lunch we had ordered. The lunch was huge! I was thinking about how much it weighed :) in my pack.
The trek back to Paine Grande was enjoyable. The views in the distance were amazing, but so was the path (which we didn't notice the first day). If you paid someone to create a rock garden and landscaping it wouldn't look half has good.
We arrived at Paine Grande lodge at 4:15pm. This was more hotel-like, although still with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. We were able to get a room for just the two of us. We showered and stretched, and the headed to the bar for a celebration beer ($4) (we also had one after day 1).
Dinner was a buffet, lots of food which was good, but not as tasty as Refugio Grey.
So far we've been lucky with the weather. The wind hasn't been too strong (gusts up to 40km?) and no rain yet. We've been wearing our capilene base layer with a wind breaker, and by zipping and unzipping and taking gloves on and off we've been comfortable in the changing weather conditions.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
W Trek - Day 1 - 11km - 4.5 hours
We were up early yet again, this time to catch the 7:30 shuttle for the two hour drive to Torres National Park. Paid our entry fee ($30 each), and then waited for the catamaran that took us to our starting point of the trek at Paine Grane lodge on Lake Pehoe.
At the airport check in, put packs weighed 15.7kg and 13.7kg. We left non-trekking stuff at our hotel in Puerto Natales, so we had about 15kg in total between the two of us for the trek.
We started walking at 1pm. The map said the 11km should take 3.5 hours. We started with a slow ascent to just under 500m above lake level, then ups and downs, in some places over fairly difficult rock formations. The path itself was very easy to follow, with false forks marked off. After 90 minutes or so, we had our first view of Glacier Grey, around 10km on the distance, but still very impressive. As we got closer, the views improved. The challenge was to keep our eyes on the rocky path and not on the amazing views!
After 3.5 hours we were getting tired, with no refugio in sight. It took us a very long extra hour to finally get there. We were surprised, because we are usually faster than suggested walking times.
The refugio was basic, jammed with bunk beds in dorm rooms. However it was very clean and the staff were amazing. The food servings were huge and delicious, contrary to what we has read in blogs prior to the trip.
Heather and I were in bed by 10pm, the first day of the trek completed.
At the airport check in, put packs weighed 15.7kg and 13.7kg. We left non-trekking stuff at our hotel in Puerto Natales, so we had about 15kg in total between the two of us for the trek.
We started walking at 1pm. The map said the 11km should take 3.5 hours. We started with a slow ascent to just under 500m above lake level, then ups and downs, in some places over fairly difficult rock formations. The path itself was very easy to follow, with false forks marked off. After 90 minutes or so, we had our first view of Glacier Grey, around 10km on the distance, but still very impressive. As we got closer, the views improved. The challenge was to keep our eyes on the rocky path and not on the amazing views!
After 3.5 hours we were getting tired, with no refugio in sight. It took us a very long extra hour to finally get there. We were surprised, because we are usually faster than suggested walking times.
The refugio was basic, jammed with bunk beds in dorm rooms. However it was very clean and the staff were amazing. The food servings were huge and delicious, contrary to what we has read in blogs prior to the trip.
Heather and I were in bed by 10pm, the first day of the trek completed.
Puerto Natales, Chile
We're just about off for our little trek. The bus picks us up at 7am, a two-hour drive to Las Torres national park, and then a ferry to our starting point.
Yesterday was another full travel day. We spent most of the day on airplanes and in airports getting from Santiago to Puerto Natales. My biggest concern prior to the trip was that the plane schedules were rather tight, so any delay from Toronto onwards would have messed up our reservations for lodges on the W trek. JFK had been closed about once a week this winter but we made it through. Also our luggage made it all the way too!
We arrived in Puerto Natales around 5pm. A nice couple runs a shuttle to town (from one of the smallest airports I've ever flown into) for about $4 per person, dropping us at our hotel, Hotel Amerindia.
We scurried about town on errands, renting walking poles ($3 per pair per day), buying dried fruit and nuts, getting cash. Then we had to reduce our packs for the trek, leaving behind at the hotel about half our stuff. The packs are now about 8kg each.
Finally got to dinner around 9pm. Had another big steak and lamb, grilled to perfection, along with a bottle of Carmenère. There's nothing added to the meat, just a little salt and that's it. But it tastes amazing.
Puerto Natales is a jumping off spot for most tourists, and everyone is wearing their new Patagonia gear (just like us). Not too much Lululemon though :)
I don't think there will be internet access on the trek, so we'll next update on Sunday.
Yesterday was another full travel day. We spent most of the day on airplanes and in airports getting from Santiago to Puerto Natales. My biggest concern prior to the trip was that the plane schedules were rather tight, so any delay from Toronto onwards would have messed up our reservations for lodges on the W trek. JFK had been closed about once a week this winter but we made it through. Also our luggage made it all the way too!
We arrived in Puerto Natales around 5pm. A nice couple runs a shuttle to town (from one of the smallest airports I've ever flown into) for about $4 per person, dropping us at our hotel, Hotel Amerindia.
We scurried about town on errands, renting walking poles ($3 per pair per day), buying dried fruit and nuts, getting cash. Then we had to reduce our packs for the trek, leaving behind at the hotel about half our stuff. The packs are now about 8kg each.
Finally got to dinner around 9pm. Had another big steak and lamb, grilled to perfection, along with a bottle of Carmenère. There's nothing added to the meat, just a little salt and that's it. But it tastes amazing.
Puerto Natales is a jumping off spot for most tourists, and everyone is wearing their new Patagonia gear (just like us). Not too much Lululemon though :)
I don't think there will be internet access on the trek, so we'll next update on Sunday.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Santiago, Chile
We arrived safely in Santiago around 8am this morning, a little tired from the overnight flight. It was strange watching the plane's route on the in-flight map, because it's pretty much 10 hours straight south from New York.
We took a local bus ($2.80) to get downtown, and then a few minutes walk to Casa Bonita, our hotel in the Barrio Brasil neighbourhood.
We stretched and freshened up, and then headed to Las Vacas Gordas, a big steak house, for lunch. I had a big Australian wagyu steak, grilled perfectly. Heather had brochettes which were good too. It was too much food but it was really tasty so I couldn't stop eating.
Walked around Plaza de Armas. We were looking for a patio to have a beer but the 30C heat was getting to us (a 35 degree difference from Toronto), so we just went back to the hotel. Napped for a bit.
There weren't too many options for dinner on a Sunday night (lunch is the big meal). Found a cosy Peruvian restaurant opposite Ocean Pacific's (the touristy place we were originally looking for). It was excellent. We split a ceviche for two. It was a mix of shellfish and fish cooked in lime juice, very refreshing.
Tomorrow we're back to the airport to fly another five hours south to Puerto Natales, from where we start our trek on Tuesday.
We took a local bus ($2.80) to get downtown, and then a few minutes walk to Casa Bonita, our hotel in the Barrio Brasil neighbourhood.
We stretched and freshened up, and then headed to Las Vacas Gordas, a big steak house, for lunch. I had a big Australian wagyu steak, grilled perfectly. Heather had brochettes which were good too. It was too much food but it was really tasty so I couldn't stop eating.
Walked around Plaza de Armas. We were looking for a patio to have a beer but the 30C heat was getting to us (a 35 degree difference from Toronto), so we just went back to the hotel. Napped for a bit.
There weren't too many options for dinner on a Sunday night (lunch is the big meal). Found a cosy Peruvian restaurant opposite Ocean Pacific's (the touristy place we were originally looking for). It was excellent. We split a ceviche for two. It was a mix of shellfish and fish cooked in lime juice, very refreshing.
Tomorrow we're back to the airport to fly another five hours south to Puerto Natales, from where we start our trek on Tuesday.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Toronto, Canada
Portugal was a very photogenic country. Here's our favourites from the trip:
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| 2010 Portugal - favourites |
Friday, May 28, 2010
Lisbon, Portugal
The trip from Sagres to Lisbon was pretty straightforward. Took a bus to Lagos, then walked five minutes to the very modern-looking train station. There were quite a few other travellers doing the same trip back. Transferred trains at Tunes (I had pictured scurrying around in the eight minutes we had to transfer, trying to figure out the platform and going up and down stairs to get there, but it was just a three-platform station, and we just had to walk across to the other side of the platform).
Got off the train at Entrecampos (one of the four stations in Lisbon) a very clearly-marked station. We found our way to the Metro, purchased our tickets and were on the metro as fast as if we used it every day.
We checked into the Eurostar Das Letras. Heather asked for a balcony view, which was no extra charge, and so we're in a very nice room on the 7th floor with a beautiful view of Lisbon.
Armed with our 72-hour Lisboa Card (€35 for unlimited transit and free or reduced entrance fees to museums etc), spent yesterday and today touristing. For reference, we saw the following sights (listed in the order from the Lonely Planet):
Elevador de Santa Justa (an outdoor elevator to get up to Alto Barrio, looks somewhat similar to the Eiffel Tower); Rossio (just a big plaza); Convento do Carmo (an old cathedral destroyed by an earthquake, only the frame remains, you have to pay to enter the museum which is inside the cathedral, I really liked it); Museu do Chiado (we liked this museum); Castelo de São Jorge (this castle overlooking Lisbon was a highlight, and the camera obscura is really cool to see); Museu do Teatro Romano (free to enter, we both liked it); Igreja de São Vicente de Fora (we've seen too many churches to appreciate it, but there were cool views from outside); three miradouras (lookout points) Santa Luzia, Graça and Senhora do Monte (our favourite); Panteão Nacional (originally intended as a church, you can access the upper levels for really cool vantage points -- one of our favourite, and not many tourists); Sé (another cathedral); Ponte 25 de Abril (a twin of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, built by the same company); Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (we were impressed by this monastery despite having seen a lot of churches -- almost missed the doorway to the upper choir, which is a great angle for pictures); Padrão dos Descobrimentos (a 52m high limestone structure dedicated to explorers such as Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama, there's an elevator to the top for great views of the Mosteiro); Torre de Belém (an old fortress on the river, overrun by tour bus tourists).
In between we rode tram 28, as all tourists do. The trams are great subjects in pictures. Because we have the Lisboa Card, Heather took a tram for one stop so she could hang out the window while I chased her taking pictures.
Yesterday we had dinner in Barrio Alto, where there's a lot of bars and restaurants. The restaurant (called 580) had really interesting appetizers, so we just ordered six and called them tapas. The kitchen was great and actually plated each appetizer on two plates. We weren't sure if we were getting two of each until we got the bill!
We saw a lot of planes in the sky today, which bodes well that the Lisbon airport is open. We haven't seen any recent news about the volcano affecting flights (just BA strikes are on the news, which we're not on).
The weather has been great since we arrived in Lisbon. We froze up north at the start of the trip, with rain the first couple days and highs of 12C. The middle part of the trip was too hot with highs over 30C. The last couple days have been perfect, around 23C.
Now to figure out where we're going for dinner...
Got off the train at Entrecampos (one of the four stations in Lisbon) a very clearly-marked station. We found our way to the Metro, purchased our tickets and were on the metro as fast as if we used it every day.
We checked into the Eurostar Das Letras. Heather asked for a balcony view, which was no extra charge, and so we're in a very nice room on the 7th floor with a beautiful view of Lisbon.
Armed with our 72-hour Lisboa Card (€35 for unlimited transit and free or reduced entrance fees to museums etc), spent yesterday and today touristing. For reference, we saw the following sights (listed in the order from the Lonely Planet):
Elevador de Santa Justa (an outdoor elevator to get up to Alto Barrio, looks somewhat similar to the Eiffel Tower); Rossio (just a big plaza); Convento do Carmo (an old cathedral destroyed by an earthquake, only the frame remains, you have to pay to enter the museum which is inside the cathedral, I really liked it); Museu do Chiado (we liked this museum); Castelo de São Jorge (this castle overlooking Lisbon was a highlight, and the camera obscura is really cool to see); Museu do Teatro Romano (free to enter, we both liked it); Igreja de São Vicente de Fora (we've seen too many churches to appreciate it, but there were cool views from outside); three miradouras (lookout points) Santa Luzia, Graça and Senhora do Monte (our favourite); Panteão Nacional (originally intended as a church, you can access the upper levels for really cool vantage points -- one of our favourite, and not many tourists); Sé (another cathedral); Ponte 25 de Abril (a twin of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, built by the same company); Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (we were impressed by this monastery despite having seen a lot of churches -- almost missed the doorway to the upper choir, which is a great angle for pictures); Padrão dos Descobrimentos (a 52m high limestone structure dedicated to explorers such as Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama, there's an elevator to the top for great views of the Mosteiro); Torre de Belém (an old fortress on the river, overrun by tour bus tourists).
In between we rode tram 28, as all tourists do. The trams are great subjects in pictures. Because we have the Lisboa Card, Heather took a tram for one stop so she could hang out the window while I chased her taking pictures.
Yesterday we had dinner in Barrio Alto, where there's a lot of bars and restaurants. The restaurant (called 580) had really interesting appetizers, so we just ordered six and called them tapas. The kitchen was great and actually plated each appetizer on two plates. We weren't sure if we were getting two of each until we got the bill!
We saw a lot of planes in the sky today, which bodes well that the Lisbon airport is open. We haven't seen any recent news about the volcano affecting flights (just BA strikes are on the news, which we're not on).
The weather has been great since we arrived in Lisbon. We froze up north at the start of the trip, with rain the first couple days and highs of 12C. The middle part of the trip was too hot with highs over 30C. The last couple days have been perfect, around 23C.
Now to figure out where we're going for dinner...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Lisbon, Portugal
We spent most of Sunday getting from Tomar to Évora. The tracks to Évora are under a long repair job, and so there are no trains in or out of Évora right now.
From Tomar we caught the train to Oriente station in Lisbon. This itself was a bit of an adventure as the tracks were out for a couple stations near Santarém, and so everyone got off the train, onto a bus for about 40 minutes, and then back on another train.
We had a couple hours to kill in Lisbon, so checked out around Oriente station. It's the former site of Expo ??, with all the architecture you'd associate with a world fair.
The bus to Evorá went over the 17.2km Ponte Vasco da Gama, a bridge over the Rio Tejo. That was a pretty cool bonus for taking the bus.
Most restaurants are closed on Sunday so we asked our hotel in Évora for recommendations for dinner, rather than just walking around town to pick one.
The recommended restaurant had clams on the menu, which Heather had been looking forward to eating. They were great, served in a corrriander and garlic broth. Mmm good. We'd never thought to pair clams with corriander.
On Monday toured around Évora. Saw the roman ruins, the sé (cathedral), nice cobblestone streets etc etc. It's a very pretty town to wander around. Found some cool souvenirs -- cork is grown in the surrounding area, and we bought a trivet that's a cross section of a branch; and a bread basket from a knob (?) of a tree.
We had dinner at Tasquinha d'Oliveira, our restaurant splurge for the trip. The owner worked at O Fialho for 15 years, a legendary restaurant here, before opening up his own about 10 years ago.
The door was locked when we arrived (on a Monday night!). The owner only lets in people who he wants -- I guess we passed his test because he let us in. While eating, we saw him turn away a number of would-be diners, so we were lucky.
Appetizers were stuffed crab, and mushrooms with mint, garlic and a vinagrette. Very good.
For dinner, Heather ordered clams in the corriander broth (same as yesterday), and I tried the blackened pork with clams. Both were amazing. The secret I suppose is in the broths.
We had some wine remaining, and the owner brought us some extremely soft goat cheese, with a pumpkin & almond compote on the side. This was amazing, and matched the wine perfectly. I could have just eaten that all night.
We finished with a sampling of the desserts, and 20-year old tawny.
Overall it was the best meal we've had this trip, although the best course is still the duck Heather had in Guimarães.
Tuesday was another day of travel, finally getting to the Algarve for beaches and relaxing.
Took a three-hour bus south from Évora to Albufeira; another bus to Lagos, and finally a third bus to Sagres. The whole journey took about eight hours.
Our hotel (Mareta Beach) was a five minute walk to the beach of the same name. They had messed up our reservations and so we didn't get the beach view and balcony that we'd been looking forward to (had an ocean view though).
Sagres (and most of the Algarve that we passed through) turned out to be not our scene -- we found ourselves pining for cobblestone streets and medieval old towns. The beach was nice, but PEI has better.
So we packed up our stuff this morning and headed for Lisbon. We'll have four nights and three days to see it.
From Tomar we caught the train to Oriente station in Lisbon. This itself was a bit of an adventure as the tracks were out for a couple stations near Santarém, and so everyone got off the train, onto a bus for about 40 minutes, and then back on another train.
We had a couple hours to kill in Lisbon, so checked out around Oriente station. It's the former site of Expo ??, with all the architecture you'd associate with a world fair.
The bus to Evorá went over the 17.2km Ponte Vasco da Gama, a bridge over the Rio Tejo. That was a pretty cool bonus for taking the bus.
Most restaurants are closed on Sunday so we asked our hotel in Évora for recommendations for dinner, rather than just walking around town to pick one.
The recommended restaurant had clams on the menu, which Heather had been looking forward to eating. They were great, served in a corrriander and garlic broth. Mmm good. We'd never thought to pair clams with corriander.
On Monday toured around Évora. Saw the roman ruins, the sé (cathedral), nice cobblestone streets etc etc. It's a very pretty town to wander around. Found some cool souvenirs -- cork is grown in the surrounding area, and we bought a trivet that's a cross section of a branch; and a bread basket from a knob (?) of a tree.
We had dinner at Tasquinha d'Oliveira, our restaurant splurge for the trip. The owner worked at O Fialho for 15 years, a legendary restaurant here, before opening up his own about 10 years ago.
The door was locked when we arrived (on a Monday night!). The owner only lets in people who he wants -- I guess we passed his test because he let us in. While eating, we saw him turn away a number of would-be diners, so we were lucky.
Appetizers were stuffed crab, and mushrooms with mint, garlic and a vinagrette. Very good.
For dinner, Heather ordered clams in the corriander broth (same as yesterday), and I tried the blackened pork with clams. Both were amazing. The secret I suppose is in the broths.
We had some wine remaining, and the owner brought us some extremely soft goat cheese, with a pumpkin & almond compote on the side. This was amazing, and matched the wine perfectly. I could have just eaten that all night.
We finished with a sampling of the desserts, and 20-year old tawny.
Overall it was the best meal we've had this trip, although the best course is still the duck Heather had in Guimarães.
Tuesday was another day of travel, finally getting to the Algarve for beaches and relaxing.
Took a three-hour bus south from Évora to Albufeira; another bus to Lagos, and finally a third bus to Sagres. The whole journey took about eight hours.
Our hotel (Mareta Beach) was a five minute walk to the beach of the same name. They had messed up our reservations and so we didn't get the beach view and balcony that we'd been looking forward to (had an ocean view though).
Sagres (and most of the Algarve that we passed through) turned out to be not our scene -- we found ourselves pining for cobblestone streets and medieval old towns. The beach was nice, but PEI has better.
So we packed up our stuff this morning and headed for Lisbon. We'll have four nights and three days to see it.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tomar, Portugal
We had a little day trip to Mata Nacional do Buçaco, a national park near Coimbra, to get a break from perfect medieval towns and cobblestone streets.
At the suggestion of the lady at our hotel, we bought picnic stuff for lunch at the local supermarket, Pingo Doce. Bread, cheese, cured meats and a bottle of wine from the Dão (we splurged on the wine, most of the bottles were under €2, we spent €3).
The bus took us right into the park, dropping us off at the castle (now a luxury hotel). The trails weren't as well marked as we would have liked, but we did manage to find a nice location for lunch.
Wandered through the park, under giant ferns and wild callalillies. Waited for the bus to take us back, which was a bit late (there was only one scheduled at 6:30pm so we didn't have much choice).
Between all the hills in the park and our hotel at the top of the hill in the old part of town, our leg muscles were tired out. Back down to the lower part of town for dinner, and then back up for bed. We were exhausted.
The next morning walked back down to the train station, for the train to Tomar. Checked into Residencial Cavaleiros Crystal.
Had lunch and then had a couple hours to see the sights. First checked out the matchbook museum. We thought it would be an in-and-out-quick sort of place, but it was actually quite interesting and larger than we imagined with over 40,000 matchbooks.
That left us an hour to see Convento do Cristo, the old Knights Templar headquarters. We thought that would be enough, until we started touring it. The place is amazing, the size, the age (12th century), and the access allowed to tourists. We wandered all around, up turrets, into cloisters, everywhere. The place was also relatively tourist-free, likely because it was an hour before closing time, so all the tour groups had come and gone.
If you are going to Portugal and can see only one place, I would recommend the Convento do Cristo. It's one of the top sites I've seen in the world. After, that got me thinking about what I would rate the top sites, so I created a list. Convento do Cristo comes in at 13:
Eric D'Souza's Top Sites
1 Machu Picchu (Cuzco, Peru)
2 Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
3 Tikal (Flores, Guatemala)
4 Moai (Easter Island, Chile)
5 Perito Moreno Glacier (El Calafate, Argentina)
6 Great Wall (Simatai, China)
7 Plains of the Serengeti (Tanzania)
8 Foz do Iguaçu (Brasil & Argentina)
9 Palenque (Mexico)
10 La Paz, Bolivia (from altiplano)
11 Mountain Gorillas (Ruhengeri, Rwanda)
12 Great Mosque (Djenné, Mali)
13 Convento de Cristo (Tomar, Portugal)
14 Swayambunath at dawn (Kathmandu, Nepal)
15 Angel Falls (Venezuela)
16 Prambanan Temples (Indonesia)
17 Lago Verde (Bolivia)
18 Drepung Monastery (Lhasa, China)
19 Nazca lines (Nazca, Peru)
20 Friendship Highway (Tibet to Nepal)
21 Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg, Russia)
22 Stonehenge (Amesbury, England)
23 Tanneries (Fez, Morocco)
24 Lake Louise (Jasper, Canada)
25 Borobudur (Indonesia).
26 Khongoryn Els sand dunes (Gobi Desert, Mongolia).
27 Kremlin (Moscow, Russia)
28 Great Pyramid (Giza, Egypt)
29 Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
(Keep in mind it's only places I've been to (for example, I've never seen Rome) and it's based on my personal preferences, and as you can probably determine from the top three, I like ruins).
...
Today we had another day trip, this one to see a castle on a island (Castelo de Almoural). It was a bit difficult to get to -- we caught a short train to Entroncamento, then a taxi to Almoural, and finally a two minute boat ride to the castle. Overall, probably not worth the effort, but it was something different. Plus after Convento do Cristo anything was likely to be a let down.
We were back in Tomar by 1:30, and so spent the rest of the day reading in a park near the hotel. We had lunch at an excellent restaurant (they bake their own bread, have the best olives we've had, and the cod was perfectly done), so we're going there for dinner too.
At the suggestion of the lady at our hotel, we bought picnic stuff for lunch at the local supermarket, Pingo Doce. Bread, cheese, cured meats and a bottle of wine from the Dão (we splurged on the wine, most of the bottles were under €2, we spent €3).
The bus took us right into the park, dropping us off at the castle (now a luxury hotel). The trails weren't as well marked as we would have liked, but we did manage to find a nice location for lunch.
Wandered through the park, under giant ferns and wild callalillies. Waited for the bus to take us back, which was a bit late (there was only one scheduled at 6:30pm so we didn't have much choice).
Between all the hills in the park and our hotel at the top of the hill in the old part of town, our leg muscles were tired out. Back down to the lower part of town for dinner, and then back up for bed. We were exhausted.
The next morning walked back down to the train station, for the train to Tomar. Checked into Residencial Cavaleiros Crystal.
Had lunch and then had a couple hours to see the sights. First checked out the matchbook museum. We thought it would be an in-and-out-quick sort of place, but it was actually quite interesting and larger than we imagined with over 40,000 matchbooks.
That left us an hour to see Convento do Cristo, the old Knights Templar headquarters. We thought that would be enough, until we started touring it. The place is amazing, the size, the age (12th century), and the access allowed to tourists. We wandered all around, up turrets, into cloisters, everywhere. The place was also relatively tourist-free, likely because it was an hour before closing time, so all the tour groups had come and gone.
If you are going to Portugal and can see only one place, I would recommend the Convento do Cristo. It's one of the top sites I've seen in the world. After, that got me thinking about what I would rate the top sites, so I created a list. Convento do Cristo comes in at 13:
Eric D'Souza's Top Sites
1 Machu Picchu (Cuzco, Peru)
2 Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
3 Tikal (Flores, Guatemala)
4 Moai (Easter Island, Chile)
5 Perito Moreno Glacier (El Calafate, Argentina)
6 Great Wall (Simatai, China)
7 Plains of the Serengeti (Tanzania)
8 Foz do Iguaçu (Brasil & Argentina)
9 Palenque (Mexico)
10 La Paz, Bolivia (from altiplano)
11 Mountain Gorillas (Ruhengeri, Rwanda)
12 Great Mosque (Djenné, Mali)
13 Convento de Cristo (Tomar, Portugal)
14 Swayambunath at dawn (Kathmandu, Nepal)
15 Angel Falls (Venezuela)
16 Prambanan Temples (Indonesia)
17 Lago Verde (Bolivia)
18 Drepung Monastery (Lhasa, China)
19 Nazca lines (Nazca, Peru)
20 Friendship Highway (Tibet to Nepal)
21 Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg, Russia)
22 Stonehenge (Amesbury, England)
23 Tanneries (Fez, Morocco)
24 Lake Louise (Jasper, Canada)
25 Borobudur (Indonesia).
26 Khongoryn Els sand dunes (Gobi Desert, Mongolia).
27 Kremlin (Moscow, Russia)
28 Great Pyramid (Giza, Egypt)
29 Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
(Keep in mind it's only places I've been to (for example, I've never seen Rome) and it's based on my personal preferences, and as you can probably determine from the top three, I like ruins).
...
Today we had another day trip, this one to see a castle on a island (Castelo de Almoural). It was a bit difficult to get to -- we caught a short train to Entroncamento, then a taxi to Almoural, and finally a two minute boat ride to the castle. Overall, probably not worth the effort, but it was something different. Plus after Convento do Cristo anything was likely to be a let down.
We were back in Tomar by 1:30, and so spent the rest of the day reading in a park near the hotel. We had lunch at an excellent restaurant (they bake their own bread, have the best olives we've had, and the cod was perfectly done), so we're going there for dinner too.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Coimbra, Portugal
Caught the bus from Régua to Lamego. It was a very scenic drive, through tiny little streets barely able to fit the bus. At Lamego we changed buses for Viseu, which turned put to be the same bus (except we couldn't buy the ticket to Viseu in Régua).
There was an hour wait in Lamego, which gave me enough time to go into town and take a picture of the 600+ steps up to Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios.
We arrived in Viseu with just enough time to get to our hotel (Pensão Rossio Parque) and catch lunch at 2pm. We got the prime room, with a balcony overlooking the plaza.
We walked arond Viseu after lunch. It was pretty hot (30C), plus we were getting tired of nice medieval old towns and cobblestone street, so didn't spend too much time touristing.
My backpack had the stitching come undone at the straps, and we had seen a repair shop, so I unpacked all my stuff and took it over. It cost €4 and they had it ready for the next morning.
Heather was feeling a bit off so we found a simple little place for dinner. They did have a couple things I was looking to try: pig's ear appetizers (pickled, tasted okay but the texture was an acquired taste), and roasted kid (a bit of an effort to eat, sort of like rabbit, except goat taste). The house red was fr the Dão, and was excellent.
The next morning picked up my repaired backpack, and took an express bus to Coimbra. It's a pretty big city (just over 100K). We stayed at Casa Pombal Guesthouse. We were lucky to get in -- it's been fully booked this month, no doubt because it's the place of choice in both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. This is the first time this trip we've found a fully booked hotel. Our room is in the attic, with a beautiful view in three directions. Unfornately it's books tomorrow so we have to move to a room with two single beds. The hotel is in th old city, which meant a lot of walking up to get to it.
Walked a bit around the old city this afternoon. It was really hot again, so stayed to inside things -- the old library (Biblioteca Joanina, which was well worth the €5 admission), the old cathedral (Sé Velha), and Igreja de Santa Cruz. We've noticed a lot more bus tour people here than in other places. Cooled down with a beer in Largo da Portagem.
Tomorrow we're planning a day trip to Mata Nacional do Buçaco, a national forest. Well we're off for dinner now.
There was an hour wait in Lamego, which gave me enough time to go into town and take a picture of the 600+ steps up to Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios.
We arrived in Viseu with just enough time to get to our hotel (Pensão Rossio Parque) and catch lunch at 2pm. We got the prime room, with a balcony overlooking the plaza.
We walked arond Viseu after lunch. It was pretty hot (30C), plus we were getting tired of nice medieval old towns and cobblestone street, so didn't spend too much time touristing.
My backpack had the stitching come undone at the straps, and we had seen a repair shop, so I unpacked all my stuff and took it over. It cost €4 and they had it ready for the next morning.
Heather was feeling a bit off so we found a simple little place for dinner. They did have a couple things I was looking to try: pig's ear appetizers (pickled, tasted okay but the texture was an acquired taste), and roasted kid (a bit of an effort to eat, sort of like rabbit, except goat taste). The house red was fr the Dão, and was excellent.
The next morning picked up my repaired backpack, and took an express bus to Coimbra. It's a pretty big city (just over 100K). We stayed at Casa Pombal Guesthouse. We were lucky to get in -- it's been fully booked this month, no doubt because it's the place of choice in both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. This is the first time this trip we've found a fully booked hotel. Our room is in the attic, with a beautiful view in three directions. Unfornately it's books tomorrow so we have to move to a room with two single beds. The hotel is in th old city, which meant a lot of walking up to get to it.
Walked a bit around the old city this afternoon. It was really hot again, so stayed to inside things -- the old library (Biblioteca Joanina, which was well worth the €5 admission), the old cathedral (Sé Velha), and Igreja de Santa Cruz. We've noticed a lot more bus tour people here than in other places. Cooled down with a beer in Largo da Portagem.
Tomorrow we're planning a day trip to Mata Nacional do Buçaco, a national forest. Well we're off for dinner now.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Viseu, Portugal
We had a nice breakfast overlooking the river and bridge before catching the bus from Amarante to Régua. There were five of us trying to figure out from where the bus actually departed. The bus driver must be used to people waiting on random corners because he was looking out for passengers.
It was a beautiful drive down the valley to Régua. We had thought about renting a car for this trip, but we're glad we didn't because I wouldn't be able to enjoy the view if I was driving.
Decided to stay in Régua instead of carrying on to Pinhão as most tourists do, because our next leg was easier from Régua. Régua used to be an important port town, before losing the title to the prettier Pinhão.
We booked into the Hotel Douro Régua, a 4-star hotel frequented by the bus tours (only €77 for a river-view room).
We had lunch in a churrasqueira (grill house), which was packed with locals. It was great. We've finally figured out to always order the house wine, because it's far cheaper and is always a good match for the food.
We tried to walk around town, but it was too hot in the sun. Relaxed at the hotel, with the balcony sliding door wide open to the river view. (It was perfect weather out of the sun, about 24C). The previous towns were slightly chilly, so it was great to finally have tshirt weather.
Had dinner at a cool-looking place that served tapas. Unfortunately it was just trendy and average food. After the great meals the past few days it was a bit of a letdown.
We were up early the next morning for our day trip up the Rio Douro. Took the train round trip to Pocinho and back. The best views were between Pinhão and Pocinho. I took over 100 pics. The day trip had been recommended by a couple locals in Porto, and it was well worth it.
We arrived back in Régua around 2:40, a little late for lunch (most places close at 2pm). A tourist restaurant was open, we had the set menu (another lesson we've learned -- this is far cheaper and better than ordering àbla carte). We had soup, grilled beef with rice and salad, 75cl house wine, espressos and dessert, for €16 between the two of us.
Relaxed back at the hotel again, then headed out for dinner. Found a little local restaurant in a side street (Restaurant Jéréré) which was amazing. Had appetizers of octopus, and grilled sausage. I had suckling pig for my main which was my favourite meal so far this trip. Heather had beef medallions in a cream sauce which was also delicious.
Finished with a dessert and port. The owner wouldn't let us order our first choice for dessert (non!) because it didn't go with port.
Walked down the boardwalk after dinner to help digest. There were lots of people doing the same -- it was very safe.
It was a beautiful drive down the valley to Régua. We had thought about renting a car for this trip, but we're glad we didn't because I wouldn't be able to enjoy the view if I was driving.
Decided to stay in Régua instead of carrying on to Pinhão as most tourists do, because our next leg was easier from Régua. Régua used to be an important port town, before losing the title to the prettier Pinhão.
We booked into the Hotel Douro Régua, a 4-star hotel frequented by the bus tours (only €77 for a river-view room).
We had lunch in a churrasqueira (grill house), which was packed with locals. It was great. We've finally figured out to always order the house wine, because it's far cheaper and is always a good match for the food.
We tried to walk around town, but it was too hot in the sun. Relaxed at the hotel, with the balcony sliding door wide open to the river view. (It was perfect weather out of the sun, about 24C). The previous towns were slightly chilly, so it was great to finally have tshirt weather.
Had dinner at a cool-looking place that served tapas. Unfortunately it was just trendy and average food. After the great meals the past few days it was a bit of a letdown.
We were up early the next morning for our day trip up the Rio Douro. Took the train round trip to Pocinho and back. The best views were between Pinhão and Pocinho. I took over 100 pics. The day trip had been recommended by a couple locals in Porto, and it was well worth it.
We arrived back in Régua around 2:40, a little late for lunch (most places close at 2pm). A tourist restaurant was open, we had the set menu (another lesson we've learned -- this is far cheaper and better than ordering àbla carte). We had soup, grilled beef with rice and salad, 75cl house wine, espressos and dessert, for €16 between the two of us.
Relaxed back at the hotel again, then headed out for dinner. Found a little local restaurant in a side street (Restaurant Jéréré) which was amazing. Had appetizers of octopus, and grilled sausage. I had suckling pig for my main which was my favourite meal so far this trip. Heather had beef medallions in a cream sauce which was also delicious.
Finished with a dessert and port. The owner wouldn't let us order our first choice for dessert (non!) because it didn't go with port.
Walked down the boardwalk after dinner to help digest. There were lots of people doing the same -- it was very safe.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Peso da Régua, Portugal
From Guimarães we took a 50 minute bus ride to Amarante. I wanted to go here because the town is known for its cheeses and cured meats.
We checked into Residencial Estoril, with a view of Ponte de São Gonçalo. The hotel's restaurant actually juts over the Rio Tâmega. Had a quick lunch, and then tried to find th train station for the next day. Unfortunately the narrow gauge train no longer runs (it was supposedly pretty scenic). The replacement transport wasn't clearly marked and we trekked back and forth through the town (there's only one major road in the old centre, which goes across the river, pedestrians and cars sharing the 12' wide bridge).
Found out there was a cake festival going on, so checked it out and had the free samples. Next visited the Museo de Souza-Cardoso, which was pretty impressive for a town of 11,000.
For an afternoon snack we went to a local adega, filled with old men having cheese and smoked meats and wine. It was exactly what I was looking for. The old men were very friendly, although we couldn't understand a word. With some difffliculty, ordered a couple different kinds of prosciutto, and a cured choriço (also some cheese, olives and great bread). For wine we had vino verde, a young white (!) wine which everyone was drinking. It was amazing.
We walked around town a bit more, stopping into the cafe right on the corner of the bridge for tea and sweets.
Later went for dinner in a little restaurant (we didn't want anything too fancy cause we were pretty full from the meat and cheese place). We though we were late (it was about 9pm and there was only one table of people). Turned out we were early! The restaurant filled up as the night went on.
After dinner, walked by the cathedral because we had seen posters that there was a symphony performance that night, open to the public. It was a great way to finish the night, listening to the orchestra in a beautiful cathedral.
We checked into Residencial Estoril, with a view of Ponte de São Gonçalo. The hotel's restaurant actually juts over the Rio Tâmega. Had a quick lunch, and then tried to find th train station for the next day. Unfortunately the narrow gauge train no longer runs (it was supposedly pretty scenic). The replacement transport wasn't clearly marked and we trekked back and forth through the town (there's only one major road in the old centre, which goes across the river, pedestrians and cars sharing the 12' wide bridge).
Found out there was a cake festival going on, so checked it out and had the free samples. Next visited the Museo de Souza-Cardoso, which was pretty impressive for a town of 11,000.
For an afternoon snack we went to a local adega, filled with old men having cheese and smoked meats and wine. It was exactly what I was looking for. The old men were very friendly, although we couldn't understand a word. With some difffliculty, ordered a couple different kinds of prosciutto, and a cured choriço (also some cheese, olives and great bread). For wine we had vino verde, a young white (!) wine which everyone was drinking. It was amazing.
We walked around town a bit more, stopping into the cafe right on the corner of the bridge for tea and sweets.
Later went for dinner in a little restaurant (we didn't want anything too fancy cause we were pretty full from the meat and cheese place). We though we were late (it was about 9pm and there was only one table of people). Turned out we were early! The restaurant filled up as the night went on.
After dinner, walked by the cathedral because we had seen posters that there was a symphony performance that night, open to the public. It was a great way to finish the night, listening to the orchestra in a beautiful cathedral.
Guimarães, Portugal
I think I just had one of the best meals ever! Tonight, Eric and I checked out a restaurant called "Cheers - Wine and Tapas"...and it was excellent. I ordered the leg of duck, with chestnuts and raisins - and it was divine. If someone had said "this will be your last meal, ever," I would have happily agreed :) Amazing.
(written by Heather)
(written by Heather)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Guimarães, Portugal
In Guimarães we stayed at Residencial das Trinas, located on a very narrow cobbled-stoned street in the old town. We got a room overlooking the street.
The weather wasn't too great, rainy and a bit chilly. We'd asked the hotel owner for restaurant recommendations, he thought for a bit and then circled some places on the map. We tried out a busy narrow place full of local business folk on lunch. We both had bife no pao, (steak on a bun). The steak was done perfectly, medium rare, and went really well with the glasses of wine.
After lunch, we wandered around the medieval centre of Guimarães. The rain kept most of my pictures tourist-free. Scouted out places for dinner. The sun poked through around evening, just as we went for dinner at Cheers (as the Lonely Planet says, don't judge a restaurant by its name).
It was one our favourite meals ever. Started with an appetizer of hoira (a Portuguese sausauge) on fried onions, followed by another of phyllo-wrapped sausage on with oyster mushrooms. Heather's main was duck breast with chestnuts. The duck was done perfectly, and was a surprisingly perfect match with the chestnuts. I had the cod, served with spinach and cornbread. We finished with chocate cake and port. Mmm good.
We walked back through a lively nightlife, with a number of bars and clubs open for Friday night. We were too full (plus we're no longer 20) so just went back to our hotel.
The weather wasn't too great, rainy and a bit chilly. We'd asked the hotel owner for restaurant recommendations, he thought for a bit and then circled some places on the map. We tried out a busy narrow place full of local business folk on lunch. We both had bife no pao, (steak on a bun). The steak was done perfectly, medium rare, and went really well with the glasses of wine.
After lunch, we wandered around the medieval centre of Guimarães. The rain kept most of my pictures tourist-free. Scouted out places for dinner. The sun poked through around evening, just as we went for dinner at Cheers (as the Lonely Planet says, don't judge a restaurant by its name).
It was one our favourite meals ever. Started with an appetizer of hoira (a Portuguese sausauge) on fried onions, followed by another of phyllo-wrapped sausage on with oyster mushrooms. Heather's main was duck breast with chestnuts. The duck was done perfectly, and was a surprisingly perfect match with the chestnuts. I had the cod, served with spinach and cornbread. We finished with chocate cake and port. Mmm good.
We walked back through a lively nightlife, with a number of bars and clubs open for Friday night. We were too full (plus we're no longer 20) so just went back to our hotel.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Braga, Portugal
We caught the one-hour train from Porto to Braga this morning, which cost €2.10 each (less than a ride on the TTC). It's on the suburban run (similar to a GO ride) from Porto. The scenery was okay, we both napped a bit. Every spare bit of land seems to have grape vines growing.
We checked into the Albergaria da Sé, a conveniently located hotel in the centro (and the Rough Guide's author's pick). Braga has a bustling old town, with pedestrian-only streets. (We both wish Toronto had the same.) Visited the Sé, (cathedral), which is also the reason I figured out how to type accented letters on the iPhone. The Sé in Braga is the oldest in Portugal (circa 1100s). The interior is impressive, most so the elaborately decorated pipe organ.
Had a beer at a café watching the street scene, but it was getting colder (the sun was hiding behind clouds, and the wind was picking up), so we went back to the hotel to relax before dinner.
We had dinner at Feliz Taberna, which is our favourite place so far. Split an appetizer of baked oyster mushrooms with garlic, sel de fleur and parsley. For mains I had the breaded sardines, an Heather had the grilled bass. Heather's had fish every day so far, and it's always been cooked perfectly. Mmm good.
Tomorrow we're heading to Guimarães.
We checked into the Albergaria da Sé, a conveniently located hotel in the centro (and the Rough Guide's author's pick). Braga has a bustling old town, with pedestrian-only streets. (We both wish Toronto had the same.) Visited the Sé, (cathedral), which is also the reason I figured out how to type accented letters on the iPhone. The Sé in Braga is the oldest in Portugal (circa 1100s). The interior is impressive, most so the elaborately decorated pipe organ.
Had a beer at a café watching the street scene, but it was getting colder (the sun was hiding behind clouds, and the wind was picking up), so we went back to the hotel to relax before dinner.
We had dinner at Feliz Taberna, which is our favourite place so far. Split an appetizer of baked oyster mushrooms with garlic, sel de fleur and parsley. For mains I had the breaded sardines, an Heather had the grilled bass. Heather's had fish every day so far, and it's always been cooked perfectly. Mmm good.
Tomorrow we're heading to Guimarães.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Porto, Portugal
I forgot to mention the best part of the trip so far -- a 1L carafe of house wine is about €5 in restaurants! Yesterday we had dinner in a cozy little place near the main plaza. The mains were okay (and a little small, even for the half portions we've been ordering). But we had smoked meat and cheese as appetizers which were amazing. The smoked meat was homemade, and likely the cheese as well. We made the mistake of declining bread at the start. You get charged for all appetizers such as bread, or butter, and the mains typically come with rice and potatoes so we found we didn't really need bread as well. However the waiter took it as an affront that we didn't want bread, and we think that's why we got poor service after. So it'll be yes to pao (bread) from now on.
Today we toured a little west from the centre. First we walked by the Casa da Musica, a cool looking building by Rem Koolhaus (I've added a pic to the album on Picasa). Next we dropped into the Museu de Arte Contemporanes. The exhibits were okay, but the gardens were really nice to walk through.
We took the trolley along the riverside back to the centro, had a beer overlooking the river, bridges and the port houses across the river.
Our legs are getting a good workout from the hilly streets. We saw a restaurant with an interesting menu (including liver, and tongue as mains) that we're going check out tonight. Tomorrow we'll catch the train to Braga, about an hour north of Porto by train.
Today we toured a little west from the centre. First we walked by the Casa da Musica, a cool looking building by Rem Koolhaus (I've added a pic to the album on Picasa). Next we dropped into the Museu de Arte Contemporanes. The exhibits were okay, but the gardens were really nice to walk through.
We took the trolley along the riverside back to the centro, had a beer overlooking the river, bridges and the port houses across the river.
Our legs are getting a good workout from the hilly streets. We saw a restaurant with an interesting menu (including liver, and tongue as mains) that we're going check out tonight. Tomorrow we'll catch the train to Braga, about an hour north of Porto by train.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Porto, Portugal
Porto is a wonderful town to spend a few days relaxing. The centre is filled with narrow cobblestone streets, picturesque old buildings and cool little cafes and restaurants. We both loved the train station -- it's my favourite out of all the ones I've seen.
Yesterday we walked around before dinner and couldn't stop taking pictures. You can't take a bad photo here. (The Pope is coming to town on Friday and it's the talk of the town.)
Today we were up at a decent hour to catch the included breakfast at the hotel. The day looked to be sunny, but clouds rolled in just as we were ready to head out for the day. We touristed around in our waterproof jackets for the first hour, and then the rain stopped. Again I couldn't believe how everything you look at is a photo waiting to be taken.
We walked through town to the riverside, stopping in at Igreja de Sao Francisco for a look at the gilded Gothic interior, and the catacombs below (€4). Then we crossed the double decker bridge, Ponte Dom Luis I, (it's in all the pictures of Porto) to Gaia, where all the port houses are located.
We stopped in at three houses: Croft; Wiese & Crown; and Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman. All three included free tastings after the tours. As the guide book says, it's a good way to learn the difference between tawny and ruby ports (the tawny are moved to smaller barrels where they get more exposure to the oak). We spent a few euros and had a vertical tasting at Taylor's. In between had lunch at a riverside cafe, a tasty sandwich of prosciutto, cheese, tomato and fried egg (!?) which hit the spot.
It's a good workout walking about Porto with all the hills and valleys. Right now we're relaxing at the hotel bar (Heather's reading up on where we want to head next). We'll be heading out for dinner shortly.
Yesterday we walked around before dinner and couldn't stop taking pictures. You can't take a bad photo here. (The Pope is coming to town on Friday and it's the talk of the town.)
Today we were up at a decent hour to catch the included breakfast at the hotel. The day looked to be sunny, but clouds rolled in just as we were ready to head out for the day. We touristed around in our waterproof jackets for the first hour, and then the rain stopped. Again I couldn't believe how everything you look at is a photo waiting to be taken.
We walked through town to the riverside, stopping in at Igreja de Sao Francisco for a look at the gilded Gothic interior, and the catacombs below (€4). Then we crossed the double decker bridge, Ponte Dom Luis I, (it's in all the pictures of Porto) to Gaia, where all the port houses are located.
We stopped in at three houses: Croft; Wiese & Crown; and Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman. All three included free tastings after the tours. As the guide book says, it's a good way to learn the difference between tawny and ruby ports (the tawny are moved to smaller barrels where they get more exposure to the oak). We spent a few euros and had a vertical tasting at Taylor's. In between had lunch at a riverside cafe, a tasty sandwich of prosciutto, cheese, tomato and fried egg (!?) which hit the spot.
It's a good workout walking about Porto with all the hills and valleys. Right now we're relaxing at the hotel bar (Heather's reading up on where we want to head next). We'll be heading out for dinner shortly.
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Monday, May 10, 2010
Porto, Portugal
We made it to Porto, with an extra hour of flight time to get around Iceland. We had paid $25 extra to get the rows with just two seats (which were wider and had more legroom) so we were pretty comfortable for Air Transat. The meal was surprisingly not too bad, and came with a complimentary wine.
I slept about four hours, using one of those inflatable neck cushions. I have to admit, although they look dorky, they do work. Heather slept a bit too, but she had to get up to stretch every hour or so (doctor's order) so it wasn't as deeply.
We arrived in Porto around 2pm. It took almost an hour for our luggage to appear. Heather I think was fearing the worst given her track record with lost luggage.
Normally I take a taxi to the hotel on the first day of a trip, but I was mostly awake and we gave the public transportation a go. Caught the 602 bus at the airport. The other passengers bemusedly watched me trying to track our progress in the Rough Guide map. We didn't do too badly, ending up with a five minute walk to our hotel, Eurostars Das Artes. (They have free wifi so I'm typing while Heather's doing more stretches).
We just had lunch and an espresso which should keep us going through the jetlag. It's been rainy and about 15C so far today.
I slept about four hours, using one of those inflatable neck cushions. I have to admit, although they look dorky, they do work. Heather slept a bit too, but she had to get up to stretch every hour or so (doctor's order) so it wasn't as deeply.
We arrived in Porto around 2pm. It took almost an hour for our luggage to appear. Heather I think was fearing the worst given her track record with lost luggage.
Normally I take a taxi to the hotel on the first day of a trip, but I was mostly awake and we gave the public transportation a go. Caught the 602 bus at the airport. The other passengers bemusedly watched me trying to track our progress in the Rough Guide map. We didn't do too badly, ending up with a five minute walk to our hotel, Eurostars Das Artes. (They have free wifi so I'm typing while Heather's doing more stretches).
We just had lunch and an espresso which should keep us going through the jetlag. It's been rainy and about 15C so far today.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Toronto, Canada
The volcanic ash watch starts.
The Aeroportos de Portugal site is showing all flights into Porto originating from Europe as cancelled. The Lisbon airport has lots of flight statuses as chegou (arrived), which is a good sign. The only recent transatlantic flight to Porto was on SATA, and it was diverted to Lisbon this morning.
Our flight is scheduled to continue on to Faro (in the south of Portugal). Currently the Faro airport is showing flights arriving with slight delays. My guess is we'll be diverted to Faro directly.
The Aeroportos de Portugal site is showing all flights into Porto originating from Europe as cancelled. The Lisbon airport has lots of flight statuses as chegou (arrived), which is a good sign. The only recent transatlantic flight to Porto was on SATA, and it was diverted to Lisbon this morning.
Our flight is scheduled to continue on to Faro (in the south of Portugal). Currently the Faro airport is showing flights arriving with slight delays. My guess is we'll be diverted to Faro directly.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Toronto, Canada
Heather and I spent the day running errands, getting ready for our trip to Portugal. It's much more relaxing leaving on the weekend, although the trade-off is one less day in Portugal.
On each of my previous trips, there was a major highlight to check off the list, such as a famous ruin or waterfall. There's no must-see on this trip -- it's going to be all about the food and wine and relaxing. We're flying into Porto, and have 20 days to end up in Lisbon.
Also for the first time, I'm not relying on the Lonely Planet. I got hooked on traveling when I took my three weeks vacation in '94 at P&G and went to Israel and Egypt. My friend Kirk gave me the Middle East LP as a gift (it still sits on our bookshelves). Back then, the LP "assumed you knew how to get your luggage off the carousel", as they proudly stated on the back cover. At some point they dropped that reference, and the writing and coverage has become less interesting every year. We're taking both the LP and Rough Guide to Portugal; and will likely switch to the Rough Guide for future trips.
And on the technological change front, instead of carrying paperbacks and trying to find english book stores when I'm done, I downloaded a bunch of ebooks on Stanza on my iPhone. I also installed the BlogPress app so that I can blog on the go, and upload posts when I find a wifi hotspot.
See you soon from Portugal!
On each of my previous trips, there was a major highlight to check off the list, such as a famous ruin or waterfall. There's no must-see on this trip -- it's going to be all about the food and wine and relaxing. We're flying into Porto, and have 20 days to end up in Lisbon.
Also for the first time, I'm not relying on the Lonely Planet. I got hooked on traveling when I took my three weeks vacation in '94 at P&G and went to Israel and Egypt. My friend Kirk gave me the Middle East LP as a gift (it still sits on our bookshelves). Back then, the LP "assumed you knew how to get your luggage off the carousel", as they proudly stated on the back cover. At some point they dropped that reference, and the writing and coverage has become less interesting every year. We're taking both the LP and Rough Guide to Portugal; and will likely switch to the Rough Guide for future trips.
And on the technological change front, instead of carrying paperbacks and trying to find english book stores when I'm done, I downloaded a bunch of ebooks on Stanza on my iPhone. I also installed the BlogPress app so that I can blog on the go, and upload posts when I find a wifi hotspot.
See you soon from Portugal!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Toronto, Canada
We've been back home now for almost a week. I thought I was over the jetlag, but we were both up at 4am this morning.
Here's the best pics from the trip. My favourite is the woman sifting rice.
I was able to get the pics from one of the damaged SD cards, simply by plugging it into my Mac. The other one is still corrupted -- however, I did previously offload the best pics, so I'm not too concerned. There seems to be plenty of freeware that may fix the problem, I just haven't had a chance to try yet.
All of our souvenirs made it back in one piece, with no overweight charges. The staff at Cathay Pacific were great -- they gave us packaging for the rolled-up paintings, stuck a "Fragile" sticker on it, and then actually treated it as fragile.
The flights back were uneventful. Thank goodness for video-on-demand in airplanes -- it helps the hours go by.
The highlights of the trip included the hike to see the turquoise waters of Kawah Ijen, and relaxing on Nusa Lembongan for a couple days. Borobudur was cool to see, but not in the same league as Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu.
This trip was a bit different in that we rarely used public transportation. It was about the same cost (and much more convenient and comfortable) to get private transportation for the two of us.
As well, (and strangely for 4th most populated country in the world), we didn't spend a lot of time in large urban centres. We passed through Jakarta because our flight took us there; and we spent a couple jetlagged days in Yogyakarta, but that was it. I didn't realize I missed cities until we were waiting to fly home, looking out from our hotel room balcony at the downtown skyline of Jakarta.
Next trip is most likely to Peru (to see Machu Picchu) and Argentina (through the wine region around Mendoza). Machu Picchu is the most impressive site I've seen in the world. Heather's never been and I'd like to see it again (I did the Inca Trail in 1994).
Here's the best pics from the trip. My favourite is the woman sifting rice.
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I was able to get the pics from one of the damaged SD cards, simply by plugging it into my Mac. The other one is still corrupted -- however, I did previously offload the best pics, so I'm not too concerned. There seems to be plenty of freeware that may fix the problem, I just haven't had a chance to try yet.
All of our souvenirs made it back in one piece, with no overweight charges. The staff at Cathay Pacific were great -- they gave us packaging for the rolled-up paintings, stuck a "Fragile" sticker on it, and then actually treated it as fragile.
The flights back were uneventful. Thank goodness for video-on-demand in airplanes -- it helps the hours go by.
The highlights of the trip included the hike to see the turquoise waters of Kawah Ijen, and relaxing on Nusa Lembongan for a couple days. Borobudur was cool to see, but not in the same league as Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu.
This trip was a bit different in that we rarely used public transportation. It was about the same cost (and much more convenient and comfortable) to get private transportation for the two of us.
As well, (and strangely for 4th most populated country in the world), we didn't spend a lot of time in large urban centres. We passed through Jakarta because our flight took us there; and we spent a couple jetlagged days in Yogyakarta, but that was it. I didn't realize I missed cities until we were waiting to fly home, looking out from our hotel room balcony at the downtown skyline of Jakarta.
Next trip is most likely to Peru (to see Machu Picchu) and Argentina (through the wine region around Mendoza). Machu Picchu is the most impressive site I've seen in the world. Heather's never been and I'd like to see it again (I did the Inca Trail in 1994).
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Jakarta, Indonesia
We're back in Jakarta at the end of our little trip. We've been watching BBC News in the hotel rooms, with all the stuff going on in Mumbai and Bangkok. Fortunately we're not flying through those countries on our way home. (Although I read that the Indian Presdient is currently in Bali and flies to Jakarta on Sunday, but we'll have departed for Hong Kong by then).
The fish market in Jimbaran was very romantic. There's rows of restaurants along the beach, all with candle-lit tables set up on the sand, stretching hundreds of metres. We pointed out the fishies we wanted (in our case, crab and squid), which is then cooked as requested and served on the beach. The food was good, but it's more the ambience that's the draw. We were lucky that it was a rain-free evening, one of the few we've had.
The next day we had a day-trip to Kuta, about a 25 minute taxi ride to the west side of the peninsula. Kuta is the party town which was bombed in 2002. It's much more touristy than Sanur. We walked along the wide beach, and then stopped in at a restaurant for some Bintangs. We were feeling a bit grubby to stay for dinner so headed back to our hotel.
We had a morning flight back to Jakarta which went very smoothly. We were fortunate to see Gunung Bromo on the flight -- we were both napping on the almost two hour flight, and I happened to wake up and look out the window just as we flew over. I took a few pictures. (I don't want to risk another USB card so I'll just upload the rest of my pics when I'm back in Toronto).
We checked into the same hotel in Jakarta that we stayed on at the start of our trip. Last night we ate at a fancy restaurant (Lara Djonggrang) near the hotel. We had made reservations earlier in the afternoon, and when we came for dinner, a cute little "Erick - Mr." sign written on a leaf held our table for us. I didn't have my camera with me so we took the leaf back to take a pic. We ordered something different -- I tried the eel, and Heather soft-shell crab. They were both heavily breaded and not so much to our liking. But the food was really well presented in large sea shells and the restaurant was like an art gallery or museum, with large art pieces all around.
Today we walked to the main square. Jakarta (and most of Java and Bali for that matter) is not really pedestrian-focused. We were the only pedestrians on the sidewalks (where they existed). Dropped into the National Museum. Heather's back was feeling a bit sore so we just took a taxi back (what with the long flights tomorrow).
We bought a large suitcase in Bali to help fit all the souvenirs we've purchased. The bulkiest (and heaviest) is a life-sized stone Buddha head. It's about 20kg. Our two pieces of luggage total 51kg, and we have some large oil-on-canvas paintings rolled up. We were okay on the domestic flight (both with the weight, and taking the paintings as carry-on). I'm not sure we'll be as lucky on the international flights, but we'll see.
See you all soon!
The fish market in Jimbaran was very romantic. There's rows of restaurants along the beach, all with candle-lit tables set up on the sand, stretching hundreds of metres. We pointed out the fishies we wanted (in our case, crab and squid), which is then cooked as requested and served on the beach. The food was good, but it's more the ambience that's the draw. We were lucky that it was a rain-free evening, one of the few we've had.
The next day we had a day-trip to Kuta, about a 25 minute taxi ride to the west side of the peninsula. Kuta is the party town which was bombed in 2002. It's much more touristy than Sanur. We walked along the wide beach, and then stopped in at a restaurant for some Bintangs. We were feeling a bit grubby to stay for dinner so headed back to our hotel.
We had a morning flight back to Jakarta which went very smoothly. We were fortunate to see Gunung Bromo on the flight -- we were both napping on the almost two hour flight, and I happened to wake up and look out the window just as we flew over. I took a few pictures. (I don't want to risk another USB card so I'll just upload the rest of my pics when I'm back in Toronto).
We checked into the same hotel in Jakarta that we stayed on at the start of our trip. Last night we ate at a fancy restaurant (Lara Djonggrang) near the hotel. We had made reservations earlier in the afternoon, and when we came for dinner, a cute little "Erick - Mr." sign written on a leaf held our table for us. I didn't have my camera with me so we took the leaf back to take a pic. We ordered something different -- I tried the eel, and Heather soft-shell crab. They were both heavily breaded and not so much to our liking. But the food was really well presented in large sea shells and the restaurant was like an art gallery or museum, with large art pieces all around.
Today we walked to the main square. Jakarta (and most of Java and Bali for that matter) is not really pedestrian-focused. We were the only pedestrians on the sidewalks (where they existed). Dropped into the National Museum. Heather's back was feeling a bit sore so we just took a taxi back (what with the long flights tomorrow).
We bought a large suitcase in Bali to help fit all the souvenirs we've purchased. The bulkiest (and heaviest) is a life-sized stone Buddha head. It's about 20kg. Our two pieces of luggage total 51kg, and we have some large oil-on-canvas paintings rolled up. We were okay on the domestic flight (both with the weight, and taking the paintings as carry-on). I'm not sure we'll be as lucky on the international flights, but we'll see.
See you all soon!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sanur, Indonesia
We're back in Sanur after a couple nights on the island of Nusa Lembongan.
We stayed at Waka Nusa Resort which was our splurge on this trip. Our room was a round thatch-roofed bungalow, creatively decorated (and a full mosquito net). The grounds were impeccable, with all the beach sports available. (We played a short game of bocce ball (which was interrupted for complimentary tea and cakes - it was almost like cricket), and some pingpong).
The resort was on Mushroom Bay, which is a nice secluded little beach. It's small enough that there's only about eight hotels (each hotel having maybe ten rooms) lined end-to-end over the whole beach, but large enough that it had a couple restaurants (to provide variety from the resort). In busy season we were told that you need to book at least a month in advance! We booked the day before. There's nice views across the water of Bali (nicer in dry season :) ) & Gunung Agung (the tallest peak in Bali), a cool ocean breeze and not so many tourists.
Yesterday I went diving with Lembongan Dive, arranged through the hotel. It was pretty cheap (only $30 / tank!). Heather joined along and went snorkelling while I dived. I dived at a couple sites, SD and Lembongan Point. Both were fast drift dives, which I'm relatively inexperienced at (previously I've only done drift dives when I did my Advanced Open Water). It was pretty cool. My previous dive was three years ago, so it took me my first dive to get my feet wet (pun intended), and on the 2nd dive I was able to look around at the coral and fishies. The water was only 24C so we wore a full wet suit and boots. Didn't see any manta rays or sunfish.
In the afternoon Heather and I walked about 15 minutes from our hotel through the island to Dream Beach. It was like a beach in a movie scene. Most of the time we had the beach to ourselves (technically we were in the restaurant overlooking the beach). It reminded Heather of PEI, except for the colour of the sand. We had lunch and a couple Bintangs, and then walked back to our hotel.
We had dinner at Winda Sari Warung, right beside our hotel. We both had grilled squid, which was really good, and shared a banana crepe with palm syrup and cocoa shavings, the best dessert we've had so far. I've been having grilled squid at every occasion on ocean-side towns, trying to find a place as good as the place in Zanzibar. So far at places here it's been really good to great.
This morning we had plans to wake up at 6am to see the fisherman come in; but at 6am those plans didn't seem like a great idea. So we slept in till 8am. Had breakfast, read a bit, caught the ferry back to Sanur, checked back into Tamukami Hotel. Most likely we'll be staying here until Friday when we fly back to Jakarta, although if we get bored we may spend a night in Kuta. Tonight we're going to eat at the fish market in Jimbaran. There's rows of places serving fresh fish with garlic, lime and chili marinade, grilled over coconut husks. I'm hungry already just thinking about it. It's about 15km from Sanur on the west side of Bali, so if it wasn't rainy season we'd also get a nice sunset. We've arranged for a driver to take us there and back for about $10 -- not sure if that's the going rate but it seemed good to us.
We stayed at Waka Nusa Resort which was our splurge on this trip. Our room was a round thatch-roofed bungalow, creatively decorated (and a full mosquito net). The grounds were impeccable, with all the beach sports available. (We played a short game of bocce ball (which was interrupted for complimentary tea and cakes - it was almost like cricket), and some pingpong).
The resort was on Mushroom Bay, which is a nice secluded little beach. It's small enough that there's only about eight hotels (each hotel having maybe ten rooms) lined end-to-end over the whole beach, but large enough that it had a couple restaurants (to provide variety from the resort). In busy season we were told that you need to book at least a month in advance! We booked the day before. There's nice views across the water of Bali (nicer in dry season :) ) & Gunung Agung (the tallest peak in Bali), a cool ocean breeze and not so many tourists.
Yesterday I went diving with Lembongan Dive, arranged through the hotel. It was pretty cheap (only $30 / tank!). Heather joined along and went snorkelling while I dived. I dived at a couple sites, SD and Lembongan Point. Both were fast drift dives, which I'm relatively inexperienced at (previously I've only done drift dives when I did my Advanced Open Water). It was pretty cool. My previous dive was three years ago, so it took me my first dive to get my feet wet (pun intended), and on the 2nd dive I was able to look around at the coral and fishies. The water was only 24C so we wore a full wet suit and boots. Didn't see any manta rays or sunfish.
In the afternoon Heather and I walked about 15 minutes from our hotel through the island to Dream Beach. It was like a beach in a movie scene. Most of the time we had the beach to ourselves (technically we were in the restaurant overlooking the beach). It reminded Heather of PEI, except for the colour of the sand. We had lunch and a couple Bintangs, and then walked back to our hotel.
We had dinner at Winda Sari Warung, right beside our hotel. We both had grilled squid, which was really good, and shared a banana crepe with palm syrup and cocoa shavings, the best dessert we've had so far. I've been having grilled squid at every occasion on ocean-side towns, trying to find a place as good as the place in Zanzibar. So far at places here it's been really good to great.
This morning we had plans to wake up at 6am to see the fisherman come in; but at 6am those plans didn't seem like a great idea. So we slept in till 8am. Had breakfast, read a bit, caught the ferry back to Sanur, checked back into Tamukami Hotel. Most likely we'll be staying here until Friday when we fly back to Jakarta, although if we get bored we may spend a night in Kuta. Tonight we're going to eat at the fish market in Jimbaran. There's rows of places serving fresh fish with garlic, lime and chili marinade, grilled over coconut husks. I'm hungry already just thinking about it. It's about 15km from Sanur on the west side of Bali, so if it wasn't rainy season we'd also get a nice sunset. We've arranged for a driver to take us there and back for about $10 -- not sure if that's the going rate but it seemed good to us.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sanur, Indonesia
We're finally in a beach town in Bali, after five days in Ubud.
Yesterday we had a day trip through some of the sites north of Ubud. We hired a driver, and visited Tampaksiring, Penelokan and Sukowati. This is a very common thing to do, and the day was filled with tourist traps, although still worth it.
Tampaksiring contains both Tirta Empul (holy springs) and Gunung Kawi (10 rock-cut shrines). We only wanted to see Gunung Kawi, but our driver first dropped us at Tirta Empul. We spent about 10 minutes wandering around Tirta Empul, asking for Gunung Kawi, before we realized we were in the wrong spot.
Gunung Kawi is quite cool. We descended around 350 steps down from the parking lot to the river valley. The path at one point is cut through solid rock. At the bottom are 10 shrines, about 7m tall, also cut from solid rock. There were no other tourists there when we arrived, which was nice.
Next was Penelokan for a view of Lake Batur, between the two peaks of Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung. It was okay, not any more spectacular than any lake back home.
We skipped Pura Besakih, a very big tourist trap according the Lonely Planet, and instead went shopping around Sukawati.
There are a million shops around Sukawati, all selling rather high-quality crafts from wood and stone, and oil-on-canvas paintings. We bought five paintings, the largest 1m x 2m, plus some other crafts. It was a busy day of bargaining.
We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm and cleaned up, and then headed to our favourite restaurant (Sura's Warung) for dinner. (Oh yah, the duck last night was excellent, very tender and rich).
This morning we shopped for more souvenirs at the local market in Ubud; and then took a private transport to Sanur. We're staying at the Tamukami Hotel, another nice boutique hotel (it's not in the LP -- Heather found on the web). We've been waiting to get back ocean-side for some seafood; and found a place for lunch (Made's Pub) near the hotel that had very good grilled squid (mmm yummy).
Tomorrow we take a sailboat across the Selat Badung to stay for a couple nights on Nusa Lembongan (Nusa means island); the island is supposed to be relatively untouched but maybe by now they'll have internet access. I'm planning to go for a dive, and relax on Mushroom Bay beach with Heather.
I forgot to bring my SDcard-to-USB thingy so I'll upload some more pics next time. Unfortunately I had some more problems trying to eject my SD card the other day in Ubud (stupid Windows again wouldn't let go of it), so now I'm carrying around two corrupted SD cards. I'm hoping there's a place back home that will be able to restore the pics for me.
Yesterday we had a day trip through some of the sites north of Ubud. We hired a driver, and visited Tampaksiring, Penelokan and Sukowati. This is a very common thing to do, and the day was filled with tourist traps, although still worth it.
Tampaksiring contains both Tirta Empul (holy springs) and Gunung Kawi (10 rock-cut shrines). We only wanted to see Gunung Kawi, but our driver first dropped us at Tirta Empul. We spent about 10 minutes wandering around Tirta Empul, asking for Gunung Kawi, before we realized we were in the wrong spot.
Gunung Kawi is quite cool. We descended around 350 steps down from the parking lot to the river valley. The path at one point is cut through solid rock. At the bottom are 10 shrines, about 7m tall, also cut from solid rock. There were no other tourists there when we arrived, which was nice.
Next was Penelokan for a view of Lake Batur, between the two peaks of Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung. It was okay, not any more spectacular than any lake back home.
We skipped Pura Besakih, a very big tourist trap according the Lonely Planet, and instead went shopping around Sukawati.
There are a million shops around Sukawati, all selling rather high-quality crafts from wood and stone, and oil-on-canvas paintings. We bought five paintings, the largest 1m x 2m, plus some other crafts. It was a busy day of bargaining.
We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm and cleaned up, and then headed to our favourite restaurant (Sura's Warung) for dinner. (Oh yah, the duck last night was excellent, very tender and rich).
This morning we shopped for more souvenirs at the local market in Ubud; and then took a private transport to Sanur. We're staying at the Tamukami Hotel, another nice boutique hotel (it's not in the LP -- Heather found on the web). We've been waiting to get back ocean-side for some seafood; and found a place for lunch (Made's Pub) near the hotel that had very good grilled squid (mmm yummy).
Tomorrow we take a sailboat across the Selat Badung to stay for a couple nights on Nusa Lembongan (Nusa means island); the island is supposed to be relatively untouched but maybe by now they'll have internet access. I'm planning to go for a dive, and relax on Mushroom Bay beach with Heather.
I forgot to bring my SDcard-to-USB thingy so I'll upload some more pics next time. Unfortunately I had some more problems trying to eject my SD card the other day in Ubud (stupid Windows again wouldn't let go of it), so now I'm carrying around two corrupted SD cards. I'm hoping there's a place back home that will be able to restore the pics for me.
Sanur, Indonesia
Today we arrived in Sanur from Ubud. We spent the last 5 days or so in Ubud, so we were ready for a change of scenery. Our time in Ubud was very relaxing. I took in a few different treatments at the health spa down the street from our hotel (deep tissue massage, facial, and, just out of curiosity, an assessment with a elder spiritual healer from the community). The latter didn't really offer much insight to me, but the session was very interesting, nonetheless.
Ubud was a very tranquil town - once you managed to get away from the major tourist centre of Monkey Forest Rd, that is. Luckily, we were staying in a hotel off the main drag, so we were quite fortunate not to have to contend with the constant barrage (kind of a cross between Cavendish in the summer in PEI and the Beach in Toronto on the weekend). Our hotel was quite peaceful, and was very much Balinese in architecture and design. The room was basic, but the exterior was quite lovely, especially for breakfast. We found a neat little restaurant up the road (close to my spa), so spent a few days enjoying the food, street traffic, and surroundings that the restaurant had to offer.
Yesterday, Eric and I hired a driver for the day to take us to some of the surrounding areas around Ubud. We saw the highest peak on Bali (Gunung Agung (3142m)) and a couple of Hindu temples along the way. Eric was able to stop at a number of rice fields to take some pics - a few excellent ones, I might add, which I'm sure he'll soon post.
To finish the day, we stopped at a village called Sukowati to shop for artwork. There is a large, bustling bazaar in the centre of the town. We were on the hunt for abstract art, and our visit did not disappoint :) Ubud (and its surrounding environs) has a high concentration of very talented artists (painters, wood carvers, stone carvers, musicians, and so on). We were so impressed with what we were seeing in town that Eric and I decided we wanted to buy a few pieces at the market - if we could find, and, most importantly, agree on something to buy. In the end, we purchased 2 large pieces at the Sukowati market, and a couple of others back in the Ubud local market when we arrived home that evening. All were very reasonably priced, so we were very happy with the day's outcome!
Right now, we're in Sanur, a beachfront town in the south of Bali. We'll spend tonight here, and then we'll take a boat of some sort over to a small island off Bali called Nusa Lembongan for a bit of diving and snorkeling for a couple of days. It's supposedly very tranquil here, so it'll be nice to relax by the ocean.
Our hotel on this island is a bit of a 'splurge' hotel for the trip (comparatively speaking, compared to the relative affordability of the rest of Indonesia), so it'll be nice to be close to the water again for a few days. After this jaunt, we'll return to Sanur for a couple of days, and then fly out to Jakarta.
Now that we're on the coast again, we're really looking forward to indulging in seafood!!! We're been holding off ordering it on the menu when we've been more inland on the trip...but, now that we're on the water, we can enjoy!
Overall, we're having a great time. Bali has been very relaxing, and we're looking forward to checking out more of the island.
Ubud was a very tranquil town - once you managed to get away from the major tourist centre of Monkey Forest Rd, that is. Luckily, we were staying in a hotel off the main drag, so we were quite fortunate not to have to contend with the constant barrage (kind of a cross between Cavendish in the summer in PEI and the Beach in Toronto on the weekend). Our hotel was quite peaceful, and was very much Balinese in architecture and design. The room was basic, but the exterior was quite lovely, especially for breakfast. We found a neat little restaurant up the road (close to my spa), so spent a few days enjoying the food, street traffic, and surroundings that the restaurant had to offer.
Yesterday, Eric and I hired a driver for the day to take us to some of the surrounding areas around Ubud. We saw the highest peak on Bali (Gunung Agung (3142m)) and a couple of Hindu temples along the way. Eric was able to stop at a number of rice fields to take some pics - a few excellent ones, I might add, which I'm sure he'll soon post.
To finish the day, we stopped at a village called Sukowati to shop for artwork. There is a large, bustling bazaar in the centre of the town. We were on the hunt for abstract art, and our visit did not disappoint :) Ubud (and its surrounding environs) has a high concentration of very talented artists (painters, wood carvers, stone carvers, musicians, and so on). We were so impressed with what we were seeing in town that Eric and I decided we wanted to buy a few pieces at the market - if we could find, and, most importantly, agree on something to buy. In the end, we purchased 2 large pieces at the Sukowati market, and a couple of others back in the Ubud local market when we arrived home that evening. All were very reasonably priced, so we were very happy with the day's outcome!
Right now, we're in Sanur, a beachfront town in the south of Bali. We'll spend tonight here, and then we'll take a boat of some sort over to a small island off Bali called Nusa Lembongan for a bit of diving and snorkeling for a couple of days. It's supposedly very tranquil here, so it'll be nice to relax by the ocean.
Our hotel on this island is a bit of a 'splurge' hotel for the trip (comparatively speaking, compared to the relative affordability of the rest of Indonesia), so it'll be nice to be close to the water again for a few days. After this jaunt, we'll return to Sanur for a couple of days, and then fly out to Jakarta.
Now that we're on the coast again, we're really looking forward to indulging in seafood!!! We're been holding off ordering it on the menu when we've been more inland on the trip...but, now that we're on the water, we can enjoy!
Overall, we're having a great time. Bali has been very relaxing, and we're looking forward to checking out more of the island.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Ubud, Indonesia
We've spent the past few days relaxing in Ubud. Despite all the tourists, the town has maintained its authenticity once you get off the main streets. There's a very nice spa at the end of our street at which we've had almost daily appointments. When you get a massage, there's sounds of a bumbling stream, gentle raindrops in leaves, birds chirping... Except it's not a CD playing -- these are real sounds you hear in the massage rooms which are open on one side to the natural surroundings.
Yesterday we went for a walk along a ridge between two rivers, with views of rice terraces cut into the hillsides. Back in town, we had lunch in a small little cafe on our street. It started raining after we ate, so we decided to have a beer and wait out the rain. Fortunately it's rainy season and the rain continued for a few hours. "A beer" turned into many. There was a break in the rain later in the afternoon, which gave us enough time to get to another little cafe and have a beer. Later we had dinner at Cafe Lotus, a restaurant on the grounds of Pura Taman Saraswati, one of the major temples in Ubud.
This morning I took a Balinese cooking class at Casa Luna. It was more of a cooking show; but still worth the time. Unlike cooking classes I've taken in other countries, the instructor did most of the cooking while we watched. I did get to grind spices into a paste, and chop up some eggplant, but that was it. I also got a nice souvenir apron, and a recipe book. The recipe book gives good descriptions of the ingredients used in Balinese cooking, as well as suggesting alternatives.
Tonight we're having bebek betutu. It's a balinese specialty of duck stuffed with spices, wrapped in banana leaves and coconut husks and cooked in embers all day. You have to order 24 hours in advance -- yesterday's lunch was really tasty so we booked it at that same restaurant.
Tomorrow we've arranged for a driver to take us to some of the sights in northern and eastern Ubud. The last stop is the craft market at Sukawati, where we'll load up on souvenirs.
Yesterday we went for a walk along a ridge between two rivers, with views of rice terraces cut into the hillsides. Back in town, we had lunch in a small little cafe on our street. It started raining after we ate, so we decided to have a beer and wait out the rain. Fortunately it's rainy season and the rain continued for a few hours. "A beer" turned into many. There was a break in the rain later in the afternoon, which gave us enough time to get to another little cafe and have a beer. Later we had dinner at Cafe Lotus, a restaurant on the grounds of Pura Taman Saraswati, one of the major temples in Ubud.
This morning I took a Balinese cooking class at Casa Luna. It was more of a cooking show; but still worth the time. Unlike cooking classes I've taken in other countries, the instructor did most of the cooking while we watched. I did get to grind spices into a paste, and chop up some eggplant, but that was it. I also got a nice souvenir apron, and a recipe book. The recipe book gives good descriptions of the ingredients used in Balinese cooking, as well as suggesting alternatives.
Tonight we're having bebek betutu. It's a balinese specialty of duck stuffed with spices, wrapped in banana leaves and coconut husks and cooked in embers all day. You have to order 24 hours in advance -- yesterday's lunch was really tasty so we booked it at that same restaurant.
Tomorrow we've arranged for a driver to take us to some of the sights in northern and eastern Ubud. The last stop is the craft market at Sukawati, where we'll load up on souvenirs.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ubud, Indonesia
We're now in Bali, after seeing some beautiful natural wonders in east Java.
We ended up keeping our driver for three days, seeing Gunung Bromo, staying on a coffee plantation, doing the Kawah Ijen hike, and finally getting dropped off in Ubud, Bali. There were quite a few other couples who we bumped into along the trip that were doing similar itineraries, also with a hired car and driver.
First was a long eleven hour drive from Yogyakarta to Cemoro Lawang, a town on the edge of the ancient Tengger caldera. Inside the 10km crater are three volcanoes, including Gunung Bromo (2392m).
We woke up at 3:15am to get to a viewpoint well above Tengger. We arrived just before the break of dawn, and found maybe 300 other tourists (half Indonesian, half foreigners) also at the viewpoint. It was a cloudy morning, and we waited for an hour to see if the clouds would break. We jostled with the other tourists for photo ops. There were occasional great views of Gunung Semeru (3676m) in the background, which spewed up dark clouds of smoke every few minutes. We did manage to get a big picture view through the clouds, but nothing picture-worthy.
Next we drove down a very steep (45*) "road" to the foot of Bromo. The enterprising locals have set up a fence about 500m from the base; and offer horse rides across the short distance. We chose to walk :)
Due to the altitude, it was a tiring climb up 253 stairs to get to the rim of Bromo. The smell of sulphur didn't help. About half way up, we sat down on some rocks to rest. We were soon surrounded by teenage kids wanting to take my picture. I felt I had to uphold the reputation of my doppelganger, the Bollywood star, so posed for a few pics, signed an autograph etc. We resumed our climb after a few minutes. Once at the top, there were great views into the crater, with smoke billowing out. Very smelly, though.
Back at the hotel we had breakfast (it was only 7:30am!) and then settled in for the drive to the Ijen Plateau. About six hours later we arrived at Catimore Homestay on the Balawan coffee plantation. It was a great setting, in a big old Dutch house. We relaxed, had some tea by the garden, and read a bit. Later in the evening we had dinner and a couple beers, and then went to bed around 9pm.
We were up early yet again to visit the coffee factory at 6am. There was a noisy room where dozens of women graded the coffee beans, tossing them into the air with large trays. We also saw a large heated warehouse where the beans are dried. It was pretty cool. I had no idea what a coffee plant even looked like before this trip.
I had to have coffee with breakfast on the plantation (I'm more of a tea drinker). It was excellent. If there was coffee like this in Toronto, I may even become a coffee drinker.
It was a short 30-minute drive from the plantation to Kawah Ijen, which is a beautiful turquoise lake. Sulphur is collected inside the crater by workers who carry 80kg loads along a difficult trek. It was tiring for us and we weren't carrying anything. The path is 3km up the crater, pretty steep for parts; and the smell of sulphur was overpowering towards the crater rim. We stepped aside every few minutes to allow the sulphur collectors to pass going downhill with their loads. Along the path were loads of sulphur waiting to be carried; the yellow sulphur made a nice subject for pics.
We finally reached the lookout point on the rim of the crater. The smoke from the crater obscured views of the turquoise lake and so we waited, breathing through our clothing, hoping for the wind to shift the smoke and give us a view. After about 20 minutes, we were rewarded with a partial view. We started trekking back, and just before we left the rim, the smoke cleared completely! Another 10 seconds and we would been downhill and missed the view. It was gorgeous and well worth the journey. It's off the beaten path, and the lack of tourists was nice compared to Bromo.
We trekked back to our vehicle, and were off to Bali. It was a short one hour drive to the ferry, about an hour across to Bali, and then a four hour drive to Ubud, in the middle of Bali. We said goodbye to Eko (sp?), who had been our excellent driver and guide over the last four days, and checked into the Pradha Guesthouse.
The Pradha Guesthouse is in a beautiful Balinese setting. There grounds are enormous, with intricate carved pillars and roofs, ponds, lots of seating, and a view into the Pura Desa Ubud temple next door. Last night we were pretty tired from the past couple days of travel; and we also had a bit of culture shock with so many tourists (it's like in the movie The Beach when they come back to the partying on the mainland). However, our guesthouse is a bit off the main drag, and there's many walks through rice paddy fields that start from our front door. We'll be relaxing here in Ubud for the next few days, doing walks, maybe hiring a driver for a day trip to surrounding sights, buying souvenirs, (and getting back to a civilized sleep schedule!)
We ended up keeping our driver for three days, seeing Gunung Bromo, staying on a coffee plantation, doing the Kawah Ijen hike, and finally getting dropped off in Ubud, Bali. There were quite a few other couples who we bumped into along the trip that were doing similar itineraries, also with a hired car and driver.
First was a long eleven hour drive from Yogyakarta to Cemoro Lawang, a town on the edge of the ancient Tengger caldera. Inside the 10km crater are three volcanoes, including Gunung Bromo (2392m).
We woke up at 3:15am to get to a viewpoint well above Tengger. We arrived just before the break of dawn, and found maybe 300 other tourists (half Indonesian, half foreigners) also at the viewpoint. It was a cloudy morning, and we waited for an hour to see if the clouds would break. We jostled with the other tourists for photo ops. There were occasional great views of Gunung Semeru (3676m) in the background, which spewed up dark clouds of smoke every few minutes. We did manage to get a big picture view through the clouds, but nothing picture-worthy.
Next we drove down a very steep (45*) "road" to the foot of Bromo. The enterprising locals have set up a fence about 500m from the base; and offer horse rides across the short distance. We chose to walk :)
Due to the altitude, it was a tiring climb up 253 stairs to get to the rim of Bromo. The smell of sulphur didn't help. About half way up, we sat down on some rocks to rest. We were soon surrounded by teenage kids wanting to take my picture. I felt I had to uphold the reputation of my doppelganger, the Bollywood star, so posed for a few pics, signed an autograph etc. We resumed our climb after a few minutes. Once at the top, there were great views into the crater, with smoke billowing out. Very smelly, though.
Back at the hotel we had breakfast (it was only 7:30am!) and then settled in for the drive to the Ijen Plateau. About six hours later we arrived at Catimore Homestay on the Balawan coffee plantation. It was a great setting, in a big old Dutch house. We relaxed, had some tea by the garden, and read a bit. Later in the evening we had dinner and a couple beers, and then went to bed around 9pm.
We were up early yet again to visit the coffee factory at 6am. There was a noisy room where dozens of women graded the coffee beans, tossing them into the air with large trays. We also saw a large heated warehouse where the beans are dried. It was pretty cool. I had no idea what a coffee plant even looked like before this trip.
I had to have coffee with breakfast on the plantation (I'm more of a tea drinker). It was excellent. If there was coffee like this in Toronto, I may even become a coffee drinker.
It was a short 30-minute drive from the plantation to Kawah Ijen, which is a beautiful turquoise lake. Sulphur is collected inside the crater by workers who carry 80kg loads along a difficult trek. It was tiring for us and we weren't carrying anything. The path is 3km up the crater, pretty steep for parts; and the smell of sulphur was overpowering towards the crater rim. We stepped aside every few minutes to allow the sulphur collectors to pass going downhill with their loads. Along the path were loads of sulphur waiting to be carried; the yellow sulphur made a nice subject for pics.
We finally reached the lookout point on the rim of the crater. The smoke from the crater obscured views of the turquoise lake and so we waited, breathing through our clothing, hoping for the wind to shift the smoke and give us a view. After about 20 minutes, we were rewarded with a partial view. We started trekking back, and just before we left the rim, the smoke cleared completely! Another 10 seconds and we would been downhill and missed the view. It was gorgeous and well worth the journey. It's off the beaten path, and the lack of tourists was nice compared to Bromo.
We trekked back to our vehicle, and were off to Bali. It was a short one hour drive to the ferry, about an hour across to Bali, and then a four hour drive to Ubud, in the middle of Bali. We said goodbye to Eko (sp?), who had been our excellent driver and guide over the last four days, and checked into the Pradha Guesthouse.
The Pradha Guesthouse is in a beautiful Balinese setting. There grounds are enormous, with intricate carved pillars and roofs, ponds, lots of seating, and a view into the Pura Desa Ubud temple next door. Last night we were pretty tired from the past couple days of travel; and we also had a bit of culture shock with so many tourists (it's like in the movie The Beach when they come back to the partying on the mainland). However, our guesthouse is a bit off the main drag, and there's many walks through rice paddy fields that start from our front door. We'll be relaxing here in Ubud for the next few days, doing walks, maybe hiring a driver for a day trip to surrounding sights, buying souvenirs, (and getting back to a civilized sleep schedule!)
Ubud, Indonesia
After a few exhausting days, we finally arrived on the island of Bali late yesterday afternoon (with a 1-hr time change from Java - so, now it's a 13-hr time difference for us...not that it really makes much of a difference at this point :))
(Eric and I are both typing our posts at the same time, so there may be a slight bit of overlap).
Over the past few days, we've been in a very mountainous region of Java province (north/central). We hired the same driver (Eko) to take us to the last few spots: Mount Bromo, to see a couple of active volcanoes in the region; and, Kawah Ijen (Ijen Crater), to see a turquoise lake located inside a volcano. The latter was situated in a heavily forested area, so the roads were VERY rugged. Luckily, it wasn't raining, so we were able to drive up the mountain.
I really liked Bromo and Ijen. At Bromo, we woke up around 3.30am to get to a wonderful look-out point to catch a view of 3 rather large volcanoes. They are still active, so when the clouds cleared, and the sun rose, we were actually able to see the smoke and ash billowing out (no lava, though). From here, we drove to Mount Bromo (one of the mountains) to hike to the rim of the volcano. This was an interesting climb. Unfortunately, there were quite a few tourists here and at the lookout, but that was okay. We are traveling in the "low season" in Indonesia (and at the beginning of rainy season), so I can't imagine what "high season" numbers must be like!! Java is the most heavily populated island of Indonesia, with over 120 million people alone.
After Mount Bromo and region, we traveled to the Ijen Plateau area of Java (central/east). This was about a 6-hr drive from Bromo. Ijen is full of coffee plantations, and the hotel we stayed actually bordered on one. We had the chance to tour the plantation yesterday morning, which was very cool. So, needless to say, the coffee for our breakfast that morning was awesome! The accomodations were a bit rough (I kind of felt like we were sleeping outdoors with the animals and insects rather than indoors!), but it was worth it given the scenery and proximity to the Ijen Crater and Bromo. Next time, we're packing a mosquito net (we're in a part of Indonesia where malaria isn't a real threat, so we didn't bring one with us).
Once we left our hotel, we headed for the Kawah Ijen. It was about a 1.5 hr trek up the mountain (probably about 5-6 kms in total). It was incredible! Luckily, the clouds broke a few times at the peak (around the crater rim) so we could view the surreal turquoise lake and sulfur mine. The fumes from the sulfur pit were, at times, overwhelming, tho. At this altitude, breathing was a bit difficult with the fumes. Eric will likely post some pics of the sulfur and the miners. It was well worth the journey!
After Ijen, we headed for Bali. We'll likely spend the next few days in the town of Ubud (according to the Lonely Planet, it's the cultural apex of Bali). The rice fields surrounding the town look amazing! Our hotel is close to the centre of town, so it's convenient for doing walking tours around the town. The hotel is very Balinese in architecture and in furnishings. It'll be relaxing to hang out here for a few days. So far, our trip has been quite active, so both Eric and I feel that we haven't had a chance to get caught up on our rest or relaxation yet (as a lot of mornings have been 3am or 4am starts). Today, we'll likely do a bit of reading by the pool, maybe walk down to a local market and buy some fruit, and rest my back...it's a little tired after all the mountain hiking!
(Eric and I are both typing our posts at the same time, so there may be a slight bit of overlap).
Over the past few days, we've been in a very mountainous region of Java province (north/central). We hired the same driver (Eko) to take us to the last few spots: Mount Bromo, to see a couple of active volcanoes in the region; and, Kawah Ijen (Ijen Crater), to see a turquoise lake located inside a volcano. The latter was situated in a heavily forested area, so the roads were VERY rugged. Luckily, it wasn't raining, so we were able to drive up the mountain.
I really liked Bromo and Ijen. At Bromo, we woke up around 3.30am to get to a wonderful look-out point to catch a view of 3 rather large volcanoes. They are still active, so when the clouds cleared, and the sun rose, we were actually able to see the smoke and ash billowing out (no lava, though). From here, we drove to Mount Bromo (one of the mountains) to hike to the rim of the volcano. This was an interesting climb. Unfortunately, there were quite a few tourists here and at the lookout, but that was okay. We are traveling in the "low season" in Indonesia (and at the beginning of rainy season), so I can't imagine what "high season" numbers must be like!! Java is the most heavily populated island of Indonesia, with over 120 million people alone.
After Mount Bromo and region, we traveled to the Ijen Plateau area of Java (central/east). This was about a 6-hr drive from Bromo. Ijen is full of coffee plantations, and the hotel we stayed actually bordered on one. We had the chance to tour the plantation yesterday morning, which was very cool. So, needless to say, the coffee for our breakfast that morning was awesome! The accomodations were a bit rough (I kind of felt like we were sleeping outdoors with the animals and insects rather than indoors!), but it was worth it given the scenery and proximity to the Ijen Crater and Bromo. Next time, we're packing a mosquito net (we're in a part of Indonesia where malaria isn't a real threat, so we didn't bring one with us).
Once we left our hotel, we headed for the Kawah Ijen. It was about a 1.5 hr trek up the mountain (probably about 5-6 kms in total). It was incredible! Luckily, the clouds broke a few times at the peak (around the crater rim) so we could view the surreal turquoise lake and sulfur mine. The fumes from the sulfur pit were, at times, overwhelming, tho. At this altitude, breathing was a bit difficult with the fumes. Eric will likely post some pics of the sulfur and the miners. It was well worth the journey!
After Ijen, we headed for Bali. We'll likely spend the next few days in the town of Ubud (according to the Lonely Planet, it's the cultural apex of Bali). The rice fields surrounding the town look amazing! Our hotel is close to the centre of town, so it's convenient for doing walking tours around the town. The hotel is very Balinese in architecture and in furnishings. It'll be relaxing to hang out here for a few days. So far, our trip has been quite active, so both Eric and I feel that we haven't had a chance to get caught up on our rest or relaxation yet (as a lot of mornings have been 3am or 4am starts). Today, we'll likely do a bit of reading by the pool, maybe walk down to a local market and buy some fruit, and rest my back...it's a little tired after all the mountain hiking!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Today we saw the Hindu temples around the Prambanan plain. We had hired a private car and driver for the day to get to all the ruins, and it was well worth the $22.
We were up at 5am, our internal clocks still a bit messed up. Breakfast at the Ministry of Coffee didn't start until 8am, but we couldn't fall back asleep so just stayed up. Breakfast was great, the best on the trip so far (although still short of breakfasts we had in Morocco). Our driver arrived at 9am and we started our day.
First we stopped at Candi Sambisari (Candi translates as temple), about 10km outside of town. This is a ruin 6m below ground level that was discovered by a farmer. It now sits fully uncovered, surrounded by farms in the village. We didn't even see until we were right upon it. I went to take a pic and realized that my memory card was corrupted, most likely when I uploaded pics yesterday (stupid Windows). So we were now on a SD card hunt as well as ruins.
Next we saw Candi Kalasan and Candi Sari. These are also in the middle of farms and villages, which continue on with life as if nothing's extraordinary about a temple sitting next to your house. There were no other tourists at any of these ruins.
Before getting to the Prambanan complex we headed to a market and found a camera store, and picked up a 1GB card for $12. Yippee!
Just east of the main complex is the Plaosan group of temples. This was our favourite site, (maybe even better than Borobudur). Again, it's set surrounded by farmer's fields. Most of the site is an archaeological work in progress, with big mounds of rocks waiting to be arranged into temples and shrines and stupas. Two of the main temples are restored; the rest just a jumble. It was quite beautiful and peaceful.
Finally we headed to the Prambanan complex. Most of the temples (the highest reaching 47m) were damaged by the earthquake in 2006; and so access is very restricted. However they're still amazing to see.
We had a quick stop at Kraton Ratu Boko, primarily to see Prambanan from a lookout spot in the hills surrounding the plain. You need a pretty good zoom to get a decent pic -- my five-year-old camera with a 3x zoom just didn't cut it. Boko also has some basic ruins to see, which we glanced at.
...
A couple days ago while I was about town, I was stopped by a few groups of girls so they could take their picture with me. Heather and I figure I must look like some Bollywood star or the other.
...
We're now finished with ruins for the trip. Next up are a couple of natural wonders: Gunung Bromo volcano and Kawah Ijen (a turquoise sulphur lake). We've booked the same driver to take us for the next two days. The driver was great, and the car has good lower lumbar support (it's a couple of long days in the car for Heather's back). After that we're off to Bali for the remainder of the trip.
We were up at 5am, our internal clocks still a bit messed up. Breakfast at the Ministry of Coffee didn't start until 8am, but we couldn't fall back asleep so just stayed up. Breakfast was great, the best on the trip so far (although still short of breakfasts we had in Morocco). Our driver arrived at 9am and we started our day.
First we stopped at Candi Sambisari (Candi translates as temple), about 10km outside of town. This is a ruin 6m below ground level that was discovered by a farmer. It now sits fully uncovered, surrounded by farms in the village. We didn't even see until we were right upon it. I went to take a pic and realized that my memory card was corrupted, most likely when I uploaded pics yesterday (stupid Windows). So we were now on a SD card hunt as well as ruins.
Next we saw Candi Kalasan and Candi Sari. These are also in the middle of farms and villages, which continue on with life as if nothing's extraordinary about a temple sitting next to your house. There were no other tourists at any of these ruins.
Before getting to the Prambanan complex we headed to a market and found a camera store, and picked up a 1GB card for $12. Yippee!
Just east of the main complex is the Plaosan group of temples. This was our favourite site, (maybe even better than Borobudur). Again, it's set surrounded by farmer's fields. Most of the site is an archaeological work in progress, with big mounds of rocks waiting to be arranged into temples and shrines and stupas. Two of the main temples are restored; the rest just a jumble. It was quite beautiful and peaceful.
Finally we headed to the Prambanan complex. Most of the temples (the highest reaching 47m) were damaged by the earthquake in 2006; and so access is very restricted. However they're still amazing to see.
We had a quick stop at Kraton Ratu Boko, primarily to see Prambanan from a lookout spot in the hills surrounding the plain. You need a pretty good zoom to get a decent pic -- my five-year-old camera with a 3x zoom just didn't cut it. Boko also has some basic ruins to see, which we glanced at.
...
A couple days ago while I was about town, I was stopped by a few groups of girls so they could take their picture with me. Heather and I figure I must look like some Bollywood star or the other.
...
We're now finished with ruins for the trip. Next up are a couple of natural wonders: Gunung Bromo volcano and Kawah Ijen (a turquoise sulphur lake). We've booked the same driver to take us for the next two days. The driver was great, and the car has good lower lumbar support (it's a couple of long days in the car for Heather's back). After that we're off to Bali for the remainder of the trip.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
So we saw Borobudur today! It is a very impressive ruin; it's amongst my top-five favourite ruins in the world. First on my list is Machu Picchu; followed by Angkor Wat and Tikal; and then Palenque and Borobudur.
We left yesterday around noon from our hotel in Yogyakarta. We took a private car & driver to the ruins, ($20 for the 90 minute drive). I had reserved a room at the only hotel on the grounds, Hotel Manohara. The service was excellent -- when we arrived, we were served javanese tea and a snack, and then showed to our room. Hotel guests get unlimited access to Borobudur; so we headed over (about a five minute walk). We walked around the ruin(clockwise, as is the Bhuddist custom), and then up to the top. It was later in the day but still pretty hot (30C+), so we didn't stay long.
Back at the hotel, we figured on a nice dinner at the outdoor hotel restaurant which overlooks the ruins. We ordered a large beer to share and settled in for dusk. Unfortunately we forgot that open air + rainy season + dusk = mosquitoes and bugs. (We didn't actually forget, as we had brought bug spray, but didn't think about it when we were thinking of a nice dinner). Being city folk we didn't much care for the bugs, so quickly ate and retired to our room for the night.
We had to be up at 4:00am to catch the sunrise from the top of Borobudur. Our internal clocks are still messed up, so getting up early wasn't a problem (we had fallen asleep at 7pm). Sunrise access is only available to hotel guests (the main reason I wanted to stay at Manohara) (for an extra $11). The "Sunrise Tour" ticket is a nice souvenir; we also received complementary flashlights :)
There were less than 15 of us on the sunrise tour, which was nice as the ruins are more mysterious when there aren't hundreds of other tourists. We all settled in at various vantage points at the top to watch the sunrise. It's hazy this time of year, so we didn't get the colours of a sunrise, but it was beautiful with the mist and haze. The mist was slowly burnt away by the sun, finally exposing the countryside. Busloads of tourist arrived shortly after 6am which broke the spell. I spent a couple hours taking pictures, and then Heather and I headed back to the hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, we went back to our room and took an unplanned two-hour nap. Woke up and went to see a video in the "audio-visual room". The video was filmed in the 70s, but did a great job of explaining some of the bas-reliefs that surround the first few layers of Borobudur.
Around noon we took a private car back to Yogyakarta, and checked into the Ministry of Coffee (I had reserved the room prior to going to Borobudur). It's one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at while traveling.
We had lunch at our favourite restaurant (Deja Vu), then ran some errands (dropped off laundry, booked the trip to Prambanan for tomorrow, picked up our plane tickets from Denpasar to Jakarta, bought some water).
Tomorrow we're off to see Prambanan, which is a complex of Hindu temples (Borobudur is Bhuddist) (both built around 1200 years ago). We've once again booked a private car & driver ($25 for five hours).
We left yesterday around noon from our hotel in Yogyakarta. We took a private car & driver to the ruins, ($20 for the 90 minute drive). I had reserved a room at the only hotel on the grounds, Hotel Manohara. The service was excellent -- when we arrived, we were served javanese tea and a snack, and then showed to our room. Hotel guests get unlimited access to Borobudur; so we headed over (about a five minute walk). We walked around the ruin(clockwise, as is the Bhuddist custom), and then up to the top. It was later in the day but still pretty hot (30C+), so we didn't stay long.
Back at the hotel, we figured on a nice dinner at the outdoor hotel restaurant which overlooks the ruins. We ordered a large beer to share and settled in for dusk. Unfortunately we forgot that open air + rainy season + dusk = mosquitoes and bugs. (We didn't actually forget, as we had brought bug spray, but didn't think about it when we were thinking of a nice dinner). Being city folk we didn't much care for the bugs, so quickly ate and retired to our room for the night.
We had to be up at 4:00am to catch the sunrise from the top of Borobudur. Our internal clocks are still messed up, so getting up early wasn't a problem (we had fallen asleep at 7pm). Sunrise access is only available to hotel guests (the main reason I wanted to stay at Manohara) (for an extra $11). The "Sunrise Tour" ticket is a nice souvenir; we also received complementary flashlights :)
There were less than 15 of us on the sunrise tour, which was nice as the ruins are more mysterious when there aren't hundreds of other tourists. We all settled in at various vantage points at the top to watch the sunrise. It's hazy this time of year, so we didn't get the colours of a sunrise, but it was beautiful with the mist and haze. The mist was slowly burnt away by the sun, finally exposing the countryside. Busloads of tourist arrived shortly after 6am which broke the spell. I spent a couple hours taking pictures, and then Heather and I headed back to the hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, we went back to our room and took an unplanned two-hour nap. Woke up and went to see a video in the "audio-visual room". The video was filmed in the 70s, but did a great job of explaining some of the bas-reliefs that surround the first few layers of Borobudur.
Around noon we took a private car back to Yogyakarta, and checked into the Ministry of Coffee (I had reserved the room prior to going to Borobudur). It's one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at while traveling.
We had lunch at our favourite restaurant (Deja Vu), then ran some errands (dropped off laundry, booked the trip to Prambanan for tomorrow, picked up our plane tickets from Denpasar to Jakarta, bought some water).
Tomorrow we're off to see Prambanan, which is a complex of Hindu temples (Borobudur is Bhuddist) (both built around 1200 years ago). We've once again booked a private car & driver ($25 for five hours).
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Just a quick post, as Eric has run out to the local market to see what he can pick up to aid in the recovery of my lower back spasm from yesterday. I think the hot, humid heat of Java is the best medicine. It's already morning, and I'm very mobile compared to previous times my back has "gone out" on me. I actually just finished a series of stretches by the pool, and am able to do almost all of the "normal" exercises assigned by my chiropractor and physiotherapist -- so I'm overjoyed, to say the least :) (usually it takes 2-3 days to get this point). I've been so impressed with how the locals have accommodated my back problem...they've really, really gone out of their way to help me.
As Eric mentioned, today we're heading to Borobudur (one of the major reasons why we picked Indonesia for our trip). Eric's a huge ancient ruin fanatic, so I'm sure it will be an impressive sight! Then, we'll likely head back to Yogya (as the city here is commonly known) and plan a day trip to see another ancient ruin (a large Hindu temple about 30 mins from here called Prambanan (sp?)).
As Eric mentioned, today we're heading to Borobudur (one of the major reasons why we picked Indonesia for our trip). Eric's a huge ancient ruin fanatic, so I'm sure it will be an impressive sight! Then, we'll likely head back to Yogya (as the city here is commonly known) and plan a day trip to see another ancient ruin (a large Hindu temple about 30 mins from here called Prambanan (sp?)).
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
We've been in Indonesia for a little over two days, but it seems much longer with the jetlag.
Heather's back survived the 24 hours from Toronto to Djakarta, and then the eight hour train ride to Yogjakarta. Heather's chiropractor had given her stretches for her back and hip, and so every couple hours she got up and stretched on the plane and train. Every time she did so, it prompted a number of older asian folks to get up and start doing their own stretches.
Yesterday was our first real day of travel, and after being cooped up in trains and planes and becaks, we set out to see Yogyakarta. (Becaks is the local term for a three-wheeled pedal-powered transport. The driver sits on a raised seat at the back, and you're in the front zipping and cutting through motorbikes, scooters, bikes and cars.) I think we both let our guard down about Heather's back (figuring the flight was the hardest part), and overdid it on Tuesday morning.
We spent the rest of the day in the hotel, allowing her back to recover. Heather wasn't too mobile, so I asked the restaurant next door for take out (we ate there on Monday night). Instead, they delivered the food right to our room in the hotel! I took back the plates after we ate.
Heather's feeling much better today. We have a reservation at the only hotel in Borobudur for tonight, which we'll be heading to later this afternoon. Tomorrow hopefully we'll be seeing Borobudur!
Heather's back survived the 24 hours from Toronto to Djakarta, and then the eight hour train ride to Yogjakarta. Heather's chiropractor had given her stretches for her back and hip, and so every couple hours she got up and stretched on the plane and train. Every time she did so, it prompted a number of older asian folks to get up and start doing their own stretches.
Yesterday was our first real day of travel, and after being cooped up in trains and planes and becaks, we set out to see Yogyakarta. (Becaks is the local term for a three-wheeled pedal-powered transport. The driver sits on a raised seat at the back, and you're in the front zipping and cutting through motorbikes, scooters, bikes and cars.) I think we both let our guard down about Heather's back (figuring the flight was the hardest part), and overdid it on Tuesday morning.
We spent the rest of the day in the hotel, allowing her back to recover. Heather wasn't too mobile, so I asked the restaurant next door for take out (we ate there on Monday night). Instead, they delivered the food right to our room in the hotel! I took back the plates after we ate.
Heather's feeling much better today. We have a reservation at the only hotel in Borobudur for tonight, which we'll be heading to later this afternoon. Tomorrow hopefully we'll be seeing Borobudur!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Just a quick post to say we arrived here in one piece. The flights went by surprisingly quick. The food on the 2nd flight (the Cathay Pacific one) was really good.
We arrived in Djakarta around 8pm. It was straightforward to get through immigration and customs. The visa is really nice-looking -- a full page sticker. Took a taxi to the Marco Polo hotel, which I had reserved earlier from home. We had a bite to eat, and then fell fast asleep.
Five hours later we were wide awake (it's a 12 hour time difference from Toronto), so we decided to get the train to Yogyakarta today. There's not much to see in Djakarta, and we'll have a day to sightsee on the way home.
It was very easy to purchase a ticket for the executive class train to Yogyakarta (about $23 each for the eight hour trip). We tried to book into the Lonely Planet recommended "Ministy of Coffee". It was full, but they suggested a nice boutique hotel (Duta Guest House) just down the street which we are now staying at for a couple nights.
Tomorrow we'll tourist around (there's plenty to see here). It's the start of rainy season, but it looks like it just rains before sunset for an hour or so.
I haven't taken any pictures yet (we're still getting situated after the journey). Anyways were off to have some large Bintang beers (and dinner later on).
We arrived in Djakarta around 8pm. It was straightforward to get through immigration and customs. The visa is really nice-looking -- a full page sticker. Took a taxi to the Marco Polo hotel, which I had reserved earlier from home. We had a bite to eat, and then fell fast asleep.
Five hours later we were wide awake (it's a 12 hour time difference from Toronto), so we decided to get the train to Yogyakarta today. There's not much to see in Djakarta, and we'll have a day to sightsee on the way home.
It was very easy to purchase a ticket for the executive class train to Yogyakarta (about $23 each for the eight hour trip). We tried to book into the Lonely Planet recommended "Ministy of Coffee". It was full, but they suggested a nice boutique hotel (Duta Guest House) just down the street which we are now staying at for a couple nights.
Tomorrow we'll tourist around (there's plenty to see here). It's the start of rainy season, but it looks like it just rains before sunset for an hour or so.
I haven't taken any pictures yet (we're still getting situated after the journey). Anyways were off to have some large Bintang beers (and dinner later on).
Friday, November 07, 2008
Toronto, Canada
Eric has signed me on as a blog contributor, so I'll be posting here periodically on the trip (...I think he was getting a little tired of me saying, "Eric, don't forget to post this, that, and the other thing")
We're really looking forward to our trip to Indonesia. The trip was kind of "up in the air" with my lower back trouble over the past couple of months, but I'm officially on the mend - haven't had a lower back spasm in over 2 weeks and have been feeling great!
We arrive in Jakarta late Sunday night, so we'll likely post again early next week.
We're really looking forward to our trip to Indonesia. The trip was kind of "up in the air" with my lower back trouble over the past couple of months, but I'm officially on the mend - haven't had a lower back spasm in over 2 weeks and have been feeling great!
We arrive in Jakarta late Sunday night, so we'll likely post again early next week.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Toronto, Canada
We're getting excited about the trip! We leave Saturday morning -- fifteen hours to Hong Kong, a two hour layover, and then five hours to Jakarta. We're flying Cathay Pacific, which I've heard good things about.
The Indonesian government has said they'll be executing the Bali bombers around the middle of November, unfortunately also in the middle of our trip. It's a big story in the local media. We'll be careful as usual, but don't think it's any more risk than Leslieville lately. See comments on the Lonely Planet travel forum.
In our three weeks we're planning to see Borobudur (the last major ruins on my list), dive in Bali, and maybe see the Komodo dragons and Kelimutu. For those keeping count (Gerry), Indonesia will be country number 61 in my lifelong quest to travel to 100 countries.
The Indonesian government has said they'll be executing the Bali bombers around the middle of November, unfortunately also in the middle of our trip. It's a big story in the local media. We'll be careful as usual, but don't think it's any more risk than Leslieville lately. See comments on the Lonely Planet travel forum.
In our three weeks we're planning to see Borobudur (the last major ruins on my list), dive in Bali, and maybe see the Komodo dragons and Kelimutu. For those keeping count (Gerry), Indonesia will be country number 61 in my lifelong quest to travel to 100 countries.
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