New York to Canada – Thursday 31 Aug
Penn Station was airy and efficient, the Amtrak train sweeping us away from the Big Apple, for 4 ½ hours to Boston. A full days sightseeing took us past Boston Commons, America’s oldest public park founded in in 1634 where there were painted cows and a public purple flowers memorial to drug overdoses. Fanueil Hall from 1794 a place for communal meetings and fomenting revolution; ..
Today was College moving in day so hundreds of moving vans in the streets, students with mom and dad standing on brownstone steps or in excited groups on orientation. There are 270,000 students of Harvard, Boston, MIT and other colleges in the region. Lovely brownstones on Beacon Hill and Back Bay area. We drove by Fenwick Park, home of the Red Sox, and James Brown is playing there tonight. Boston appears to have kept the original facades of brownstone, sandstone and balustrades so it looks gracious as well as modern.
Fri 1st September
Labor Day long weekend – expecting chaos at the airport but its fine. Long day Boston to Toronto transit to Calgary. US Border Force take photos of us. Tired arrival at 11pm

BANFF
How many Aussie workers does it take to run Banff? They are everywhere. Banff is a very touristy town, with beautiful mountains surrounding the town, blue and grey receding into the distance. Gondola up Sulphur Mountain gave us a view of pine clad ranges on one side, serrated bare cliffs on the other.
Lakes and mountains tour took us to Lake Louise, the blue- waters “deep, cold and beautiful – profonde, froid and magnifique “ in French! Emerald Lake, waterfalls – lovely beauty of nature, I’m satiated. Takkataw waterfall – also “magnificent” in Cree language.

TO JASPER
First change of weather today – clouds, rain, fog and in the afternoon, smoke from the forest fires. On our first flight to Vancouver, the pilot called us to applaud four Aussie firefighters who were on board to help fight the fires.
Today we saw incredible glaciers including walking on Athabasca Glacier and driving on the Icefield Parkway, which was originally built in 1930s for Depression employment. We didn’t get the best view of this spectacular drive but it is an accumulation of stunning views, mountains, 5 glaciers, pine, fir and aspen forest.

Arrival Sat 26th August: The pain of the 25-hour marathon of flights Melb- Sydney- Vancouver- New York has been left behind in the wake of our blitz of New York. Starting with the Frank Sinatra fan driver who collected us at Newark, took off at high speed towards the city before suddenly veering in a U-turn into oncoming traffic, to slip into a tunnel and take us a circuitous route, while telling us he was born in Hoboken, same area as Frank Sinatra, while playing on FM Siriously Frank Sinatra.

Rooftop drinks on top of Ink48 Hotel celebrated Denise’s birthday, city lights in the background and the setting sun over the Hudson River behind. New York, here we come!

Sunday 27th – Start the challenge of a new city

Jetlag night but out at 8am. The hotel is in Hells’ Kitchen area and we walk down the theatre district past the brownstones and fire escapes, the dogwalkers and the doormen. See Times Square in blue sunshine, walk to Central Park. Lovely big apartment buildings face the park, and a group of very old men and women were gathered to gossip on the edge of the park, maybe elegant residents of the apartments. Lunch at Fraunces Tavern, built in 1719, from where George Washinton farewelled his officers in 1783. Getting the hang of the subway with mad dashes in and out across town, best not to stay too long, hot and dirty.

Sunday night was open mike night at “Don’t Tell Mama”, a tiny club on the edge of the Theatre district. It was for amateur performers, difficult to describe if you weren’t there. The theme was the many sides of Leonard Bernstein so the songs were original by the performers, but in his style, musical, romantic, operatic, West Side story. Denise and I were hustled to the very front small table, practically under the spotlights, to witness the courage, vulnerability and sometimes complete hutzpah, of performers having a go. Old, very old, young, women, men, locals mostly – everyone’s a performer waiting for the big break, or reliving past glories, supporting each other’s turn. Denise and I felt like gate-crashers to the theatre world and fun to witness an intimate performance.

Monday 28th Subways up and down town

All over town today, starting at Observation Tower of One World Trade centre and the 911 memorial, very moving looking at the twin reflecting pools with 3000+ names on it.

The districts are all so different in architecture and styles, We popped up at Chelsea Village at one stage with its faded apartments, walked past iconic Chelsea Hotel, and sat outside a booth sipping smoothies, people watching old ladies with trolleys heading to Chelsea Market, young hip dogwalkers, then walked the High Line. It’s a reclaimed rail line planted with native grasses above the city.

At night we cruised on a cute small wooden boat on the Hudson River to view the Statue of Liberty, glowing green in the spotlight, so tall & striking up close, then the sprakling lights of Manhattan behind us.

Tues 29th Museums

Denise had to visit Zabars, an Upper west side deli institution, what an array of every delicatessen item you can imagine, hundreds of cheeses, salamis, knishes, bagels. We visited the Museum of Natural History and an immersive earth video experience, which however, had heaps of very squealing children running around chasing the illuminations, so we removed ourselves to the more adult MOMA, to see Van Gogh, Picassos, Diega and Frida, impressionists.

Then we holed up in the Bourbon and Branch bar by Penn Station before going to the concert by Billy Joel. An amazing experience, Madison Square Gardens seats 12000 and it was sold out, very enthusiastic crowd who loved him. Although we were in the highest seats, view was good and he still has got it.

tbc

Looking back on my journal I see how poetic the names of the landscape in Patagonia are: I visited Torres del Paine – Towers of Pain!; Provincia de Tierra Del Fuego – Land of Fires; Provincia de Magellanes – the Magellan Strait, and Provincia Ultima Esperanza – Last Hope Sound!   Here is my most majestic Pic – the Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres Del Paine National Parque

and my below pic – having walked between these mountains to the base of Torres del Paine (the two sharp peaks in the middle) 8 hours.

 

and one more of the Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina side

A few long bus journeys have been undertaken: one leaving the slightly scary Santiago station overnight where we drove 10pm to 8 am to town of Pucon, arriving to see the snow-capped smoking volcano. I swam in the lake, cold but fresh.  We went to the beautiful thermal baths of Spa Indomito  very like Peninsula spa Mornington. We also had an Asado  bbq, at the home of local guide Padro. Next day caught local bus out of Chile through massive green pine forests, to cross the border into Argentina where the landscape changed dramatically to windswept steppes and high mountains in the distance. A long day 10 hours on two buses, we stopped to change to a private van and continued through the Seven Lakes District. The next day our beautiful ride from a gaucho station  accompanied by the gauchos and their dogs, we rode through a valley then up through pines onto the top of the steppes. Land stretches forever,  pampas grass, saltbush, Andes mountains glimpsed. Weather was perfect.  My horse was slow and steady. Now we’re leaving Bariloche a ski town for Buenos Aires.

While I’ve got good wi-fi I’ll add one more post. Reyer you would have loved the winery in Casablanca Valle, called Vin Casas Del Bosque. Lovely grounds, rose gardens,  established by Italians. I’ll track the wine down in Aus and we’ll have a Chilean/ Sri Lankan dinner. I’ve had several empanadas (pastries)   pescara blanco (white fish with couscous and vegs), ravioli with burnt butter sauce and tonight an Asado Chilean bbq with plenty of meat. And the pastries and bread were baked in the fire in  the Mapuche village. And a terrible pic of me drinking Mate, no not hallucinogenic,  a herbal tea.t

Some impressions of Santiago. A city of 7 million, too big and noisy for me and given the many earthquakes and development,  the buildings are constantly being replaced so there’s not lot of architectural style. Went to the Museum of Human Rights and Memory   main exhibition on the Allende socialist 3 years then overthrown by a military coup led by General Pinochet and originally supported by the West because military tortured and disappeared the communists.  One evening while I’ d been strolling through Parque Forestsal (statue attached) there was a huge protest on the corner about the Venezuela government I think so I retreated to the rooftop bar with a cuppa tea! I met up with the G Adventures group Thursday night   there are 14, mainly English,  3 Aus, I have shared room with young aboriginal circus performer girl Ali. The main character is Richard I’ll call Richard the Inquisitor as he questions every guide about everything.  Our local guide is chilean Stevie accompanying us. He got us all on the night bus in slightly scary Santiago bus station, arriving next morning to cold country town like Marysville.  When the clouds cleared there was revealed an active smoking snow-capped volcano! This is an activity town with everything canyoning, hiking  , white water rafting, but I went for beautiful spa.

Hi all have been finding my way round this incredibly busy city of 7 million. Bit too noisy for me. So its important to retreat to cathedrals or museums for some quiet. Have seen Museum de Belle Arts neo-classical front and two storey galleries of sculpture. Museo of Visual Arts with the black and white illustrations.  Pre Colombian art from indigenous cultures. I’ve joined the G Adventures group, 13 3 Australians, quite a few British, will describe in more detail as we go! Off to Museum of Human Rights this morning! Then  lunchtime drink of terremoto, earthquake  wine and pineapple! Wifi weak today so wont post photo.

Well, I had to attempt some trekking/walking tho not the 5, 9 or more days others do from campsite to campsite.  I took an organised trip with mostly Chileans except for one French couple and myself, and bi-lingual guides Francisa and I think Vincenz.  A 2-3 hour bumpy ride into the Torres del Paine national park, along sometimes unsealed roads through plains.  While stopping at a wild west roaside stop, I purchased a beautiful alpaca scarf.

The trekking is very well organised, a huge ranger station at Las Torres with hundreds of walkers/trekkers. Our bus driver even took photos of us all so as not to lose anyone.

The walk started deceptively pleasant of course, a stroll on wide flat path lined with daisies and white painted stones. Gradually started up steep incline on gravel orange slope incline along the side of the mountain. The aim was to walk along below the mountain up into the base of the Torres (Towers).  Vincenz became my personal guide, endlessly encouraging, slowly, slowly, along the rubbly path, over a windy pass with descent to rushing glacial streams below.

About 2 1/2 hours arrived at Chileno camp and refugio. Tiny tents were on wooden stands to protet from pumas! We lunched at tables, and he convinced me to continue, this time into a completely different landscape along the streams, through a forest of leafy green trees, crossing bridges over rushing water, down, up.

After 4 hours total walk I gave up as knew it was another hour or 90min to base and I still had to get back, so happy to have gone that far, then turn back and continue down, up another 4 hours back to base, walked from 10 am to 6.15pm. Beautiful views of towering peaks above us, the three Towers black and tall in the middle, I think they were used in Lord of the Rings film.

Finally left the park at 8 pm as another woman was slower coming back, and got home at 10pm with sun setting.  Rest day today, Santiago flight tomorrow.  Will try agin to load some pics. Hope all well.

Adios.

Greetings. For the Irish among us I thought you might like the above title. Yesterday I was in the Bernardo OHiggins national park. Bernardo was a Chilean independence leader (1778-1842) who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy land-owner of Spanish and Irish ancestry.  So the potatoes go well with the incredible amounts of meat they eat here.

6.30 am start walk to Agunsa tour office, then we drove to Esperanza fjiord and boarded a boat to go down the Serrano Rio (river). Black and white swans and sea-birds, green peaks on one side and bare mountains on the other.  We  had to don life jackets to stand out the back and view the mountains looming closer and the green water churning. We docked below Serrano Glacier and walked half an hour through lovely bush track with red flowers and daisies galore, as it´s summer there is lots of flowering. The glacier was tall and narrow receding back up the cliffs, unfortunately quite a lot in 40 years. Perfect weather, blue sky, wisps of cloud, actually warm walking to the glacier on bush track tho I put all my clothes on.  Chunks of ice are to be seen floating in the placid green lago.

Quite a stunning wild landscape though I´m currently seeing it in comfort, including on the boat return, a glass of Pisco sours with glacial ice !! Whoops, is that just unethical touris behaviour? I´m contributing to climate change (note to Tony Abbott – the glaciers aren´t melting, it´s the tourists drinking them!]

We went to Estacion Eberhardt (for Monte Gang it was an Agriturismo!) where we had a bbq. I can´t express how much meat they eat (Geordie would be horrified). I sat with a young Chilean journalism student from Santiago who was very nice.

Now I´m about to shoulder pack and head for Vinnhaus Hostel, and do my own thing for 4 days. Boc is leaving Bolivia for Buenos Aires today so we won´t meet. Can´t load photos as I´m on hotel computer but will put some later from phone. Adios