The Sunshine Coast – 11 July

April’s aunt and uncle live close to Halfmoon bay, north of Vancouver on the Sechelt Peninsula. This area is also called the Sunshine Coast. We went for a two day visit along with April’s grandmother. There are no direct roads to Halfmoon bay from Vancouver so ferries are the used to ferry people, bicycles, cars and trucks across. I was shocked to see the prices that the ferry charges. As this is most people’s main or only method of transport to the mainland, I though it might be subsidised. It might be, but still expensive.

We arrived at April’s uncle & aunt’s place after a beautiful drive in between trees or along the water. Their house is mostly made out of wood. I loved it. Using that much wood in South Africa would cost you a small fortune, but this is close to lumber areas. April’s uncle used to build houses and it showed in the construction. What was very amusing is his business’ name. Their surname is Badley, so he called his company “Badley built corp.” What a sense of humour :)

Shortly after arriving the cat decided that it wanted to “play” with a little bird. This incident was spotted before the bird became a meal. Cat locked away, April showed off her birding skills she learned while doing bird banding. See the proper technique demonstrated below. There wasn’t much visible damage, but once set down the bird didn’t make a run for it. We suspect that the cat had played just a little too hard.

The Badley's quite enjoy sailing…and they had a trimaran :) I asked if we could go for a sail, which was well received. So we went down to the boat the next day to check it out. She has nice lines, but the weirdest/most interesting thing was that the mast doesn't have stays…and rotates! Pretty cool, but I would’ve wanted to see it in action. There was NO wind :( So we went for a hike instead.

April had to do a tour in Ireland to find out about one of the best standing waves in Canada, just around the corner from the Badleys. The spot is called “Skookumchuck” Narrows (meaning “Strong water”) at Sechelt inlet. We timed our hike through the forest perfectly catching the rising tide at its peak. Needless to say that we, by that I mean me, went crazy with photos and videos. The guys were doing some sick moves. Since this wave is not dependant on weather conditions, but tidal variation, it is very dependable. So there are quite a couple of people that come down with organised tours. You can’t be a novice :) Since it was my birthday, we went for drinks on the water with a great view just as the sun was setting. And on arrival back home, I was surprised with a piece of birthday cake. Very nice :)

 
View from the ferry – An artist with a sense of humour – April showing off her bird handling skills

The Badley residence – Proof of the company name :) – Their trimaran

Map of Skookumchuck narrows – A tea house on the way…in the middle of nowhere – The path – Great views along the trail

Surfs up – Kayakers waiting their turn – Chilling at our vantage point

Small marina where we had drinks on my birthday – Me with my birthday cake

Salkantay, the path to Machu Picchu, and the citadel – 9 June

From what we could find, there are 4 ways to get to the Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu).
The well known “Inca trail.” Ironically all the paths made by the Inca to travel along are called Inca Trails. This is just the commercial one.
Take the train. Yes there is a train that runs from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.
”Inca Jungle.” Start off with a downhill bike ride (along paved road), walk through the jungle through two towns (sometimes along the road with traffic) to the hydroelectric power plant and Aguas Calientes.
Hike 3day past Salkantay mountain, called the Salkantay hike. End up at the hydro electric power plant. This is the one I was hooked on :)

I have developed a serious dislike for organised tours on my trip. So I really wanted to do Salkantay without a group & carry my own stuff. Almost like the Fish river canyon hike in Namibia, just add a tent. This hike goes up to 4600m where you have a view of the Salkantay mountain. Then down into a valley and various routs to Aguas Calientes. Carolina needed some supplies as she packed in a haste and had brought the bare minimum…literally (I didn’t mention this before, but it gave me lots of hope to see how lightly she packed). All rented and packed, we grabbed a collectivo to Mollapata. This is where the hike starts.

We caught a bus up with another couple (on a tour) to where there was just a trail. A bit of cheating, but I didn’t fancy walking next to a single lane dirt road for a day. That’s how long it would’ve taken us. I took it easy to start off, but Carolina was struggling. For some reason the altitude just caught her. A couple of rests and she was doing better than me. Just before you get to the summit of the hike, at 4600m, the path goes up a steep slope so lots of switchbacks. The air is so thin, breathing is quite laboured.

Paul had advised us not to sleep at the first camp site as the wind coming form Salkantay passes over the snow, ice & glaciers which make it freezing at night. Another while, think 1-2hours, we got to the campsite…in the dark :| Got ourselves sorted and met a South African couple living in Dubai. Very nice, just a pity we didn’t bump into them again. It was their first time hiking.

The second day was difficult. I bought a new pair of shoes in Santiago which were hurting the bridge of my feet by this time. We spent the day walking down into a valley with a “tropical” climate. There were many houses along the way. Usually the only thing to connect them was the mountain path that we were walking on. When we were getting close to the camp site, there were some locals carrying firewood. I just had to help out. Made my forget about my feet.
By the time we arrived at the camp site, I was finished. The next day we had two options. Flat walk to the town & collectivo to the hydro electric power plant, or walk 3hours up to Llactapata (a lookout of Machu Picchu) then 2 hours down switchbacks. Carolina’s knee was acting up. I wasn’t up for the Llactapata. Wilson, a guide of anther group, was very friendly and inspiring. When he heard that we were going to take the easy option, he urged me to hike to Llactapata. “In 15years from now, you will look back and kick yourself for not hiking up,” he said. How could I not do it? Carolina was a real trooper. “I’m not going to take the collectivo and you hike. I’m coming along.”
So we went and I’m glad I did. A view of Machu Picchu and the hike wasn’t that bad. There is a train from the hydro electric plant that runs to Aguas Calientes, but we would have to wait 2 hours. People were telling us it would take 1-1.5hours to hike, next to the tracks. So we did. Only problem was that “halfway” my feet were killing me and to make it worse the hike took us about 3hours. 20min out form the station, the train came past! That was depressing! The pain in my feet was all-consuming by this stage. Made it to town and sat down at the first bench, while Carolina found us a hostel.

One of the reasons I didn’t want to go on an organised tour was because I like to be on my own time. So, instead of racing to Machu Picchu the next day while we were tired, we took a day off. Slept late, good food and a visit to the hot springs (hence where Aguas Calientes gets its name). We did some info hunt too to find out the ins-and-outs. You can take a bus that leaves at 5:30am or walk up at 5am. Gamble we shall and walked up. As they only allow 400 people into Huayna Picchu, first come first served, it is quite crucial to get there early.

Machu Picchu…What a sight! We started just strolling around the citadel until we could enter the Hyana Picchu gates at 7am. We got some people together and hired a guide. Fortunately all the guides that work here ARE screened and have IDs to prove that they are certified. I stared asking Ruben, our guide, the “tester questions to check whether he knew something. He did. It then we told him about our shocking guide at Sacsayhuaman and it turns out that Ruben and Lucho (the best guide in the world) studied and worked together! Small world :) Ruben also took us around the citadel of Machu Picchu. I am very glad that we spent so much time around the other ruins first, as this gave us a good understanding of the building styles and history of the Inca. Making Machu Picchu more than just a couple of interesting old buildings. Of course I did my usual thing and asked LOTS of questions :)

This place has such a calming feeling about it, I could sit there for hours and just stare at down at the citadel and the surrounding mountains. And this isn’t even mentioning the amazing buildings that these people build. There are rocks that have been made in to seasonal markers that indicate when you should plant and when harvest should start. There were not stupid people!

Once again, instead of rushing back to Cusco that afternoon, we stayed another night and took the early train. Besides the painful feet, this trip was more than I had imagined.

Collectivo to Mollapata – A “street” in Mollapata – Start of the hike (Salkantay snow capped in the background)

Two happy campers (right at the beginning) – Another organised group’s camp @ 11:00. Eish – Salkantay

The summit of our hike @ 4600m. Salkantay’s peak is above 6000m! – Our decent into the valley – A moment to reflect on the beauty

Me helping a local carry fuel – Half way up to Llactapata – At Llactapata looking at Machu Picchu.

Bridge before the hydroelectric power plant – On the way to Aguas Callientes along the tracks – The view of our room in Aguas Callientes

Waiting for the bottom gate to open (we’re about last) – At the main Machu Picchu gate. See all the people we passed :) – Just entered. On our way to Waynapicchu – Ruben our guide

Looking down from Waynapicchu – In the “centre” of Machu Picchu (Waynapicchu in the background) – The Llamas are VERY tame

The El’s (El Calafate & El Chalten)

As with Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, El Calafate is the main town closest to the town of El Chalten (which is inside the national park). In Argentina though. The main attraction at El Calafate is glacier Perito Moreno. Its the most accessible and most active glacier in the region. A nice daytrip. Since everyone from Team Fantastico were heading the same way, we would go visit it together. After El Calafate we would all head for El Chalten to go see Fitz Roy, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Calafate is a fruit found in Patagonia and the town is named after it. Quite a nice town, but expensive.
We got a cab to the glacier as it was cheaper and we could decided when to leave. The whole trip is expensive. About AR$170 for a 2hour return taxi ride and entrance to the park (AR$100). But when you arrive you can possibly comprehend why the entrance is so expensive. After all, we are rich tourists.
There are walkways in front of the glacier with various viewpoints. So you can get quite close to the glacier. And we were treated to some action while we were there. 2 or 3 large chunks fell off while we were there. Spectacularly loud.

Outside an outdoor shop – The main street of El Calafate

A long shot of Perito Moreno – The pro’s at work – Team Fantastico

Getting close to the glacier – 2 pics through my newly acquired sunglasses

 

Having seen the glacier, there wasn’t much more to do or see here. So we headed for El Chalten. We were able to book a cabin for the 5 of us, well when we got there we took what looked like two trailers with a great feel! It was like being in trailer park heaven :)
”Chalten” means “Mountain of Fire” in the native language and is named such because Fitz Roy looks like its burning…pretty much constantly. There is a mist that comes off the top of the peak making the sight of the whole peak very rare. But we were lucky…for a moment :)
After hiking up to the mirador through the snow (this time with my tekkies) we thought we saw the Fitz Roy. It was only when we got down that the weather cleared and the base stuck out. So we waited for the peak to clear. It was actually fun, with the strangest taunts being used.

Unfortunately this would be the last adventure for Team Fantastico…for now. Gary, Sallie and Orlagh headed for El Bolson, while Alex and I were heading to the Carretera Austral, Chile. Hopefully to hitchhike all the way.

 
Life in the trailer park: Supper & out front yard – The Fitz Roy river

 
View of the town (take through my sunglasses) – The river heading to town – Some of the many obstacles on the way to Fitz Roy peak

 
Jip, that's me hiking in the snow to the Fitz Roy mirador…in my tekkies :) – The view (not Fitz Roy as we thought) – Looking back at town

Waiting for Fitz Roy to clear – Fitz Roy (now you understand “Chalten”) – Sunset over the valley

Some random sign asking you not to put fire to the crotches of trees :D

 

Sorry, I almost forgot the maps for perspective:
Puerto Natales to El Calafate
and
El Calafate to El Chalten