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Happy LOCO 2004...
...wherever you were, whatever you did, we hope you had a spanking time of it over
the holiday season.
We start our first edition of 2004 with a big hola from 'The End of The World!' I say that because
it`s what they affectionately call the city where we are right now - 'Ushuaia' in deepest, farthest Argentina, the
southern most city in the world on the wildly windy Tierra Del Fuego.
Aptly it feels like it too. Ushuaia is the jumping off point for Antarctica and lies in a widely tranquil
bay where a harbour shelters huge cruise liners and Antarctic explorer ice breakers before they embark on their rollercoaster
journeys through the all-natural, boat-crushing wave machine of the southern Cape. It has plenty of charm though and
of course plenty of fun loco locals too, but remoteness, penguins (with whom we have fallen in love!), icey cold winds and
shipwrecks off the southern Cape Horn are its most distinguishing features.
Have to say we`ve salvated mucho down on the quay at the possible prospect of an Antarctic trip for ourselves, but
at around US$2500 upwards for 10 days it`s a tad out of our wallet range this time round. Stowing away has been considered
too but ending up on a polar bear's dinner plate after being busted aboard dosen`t seem that enticing. We will return!
It seems hard for us to reflect in words on such a wonderful month of Patagonian discovery, as it`s been one big beautiful
blur... by bus, by boat, by car, by air, by horse, by icepick, by crampons and by foot. We`ve hiked through
snow, ice, mud and rain, through 'Lord of the Rings' esque forests and woods. We've rolled in alpine meadows
of wildflowers and daisies; clambered up, over and down mountain trails and up a snowcovered volcano which we then skidded
back down on our bums! ...Consumed red vino as we soaked in oudoor thermal springs; we´ve marvelled at glaciares
muy grandes up close (Ruth even icepicked her way across the top of one!); we´ve chipped ice from icebergs for our
drinks and generally lapped up as much as possible of this dusty, windy and often bleak, but mysteriously enchanting
part of the world.
We enjoyed an uncoventional christmas by spending 4 days on the Chilean ship, 'Magallanes', cruising south through
the uninhabited faraway Patagonian channels. WôW! - with friendly sea lions, penguins and seals dancing on the bow of
the boat a regular sighting, and with the ultimate coming on christmas eve when we were joined by no, not santa, but by a
pod of dolphins that played with the ship for an hour or so whilst we drank Chilean red wine looking on in awe... just magical.
Bad dancing to terrible latino pop and Pisco Sours followed, coupled with amusing ourselves by the many out
of control drunk Germans on board.
We followed this with a 7 day hike in the spectacular 'Torres Del Paine' National Park in Chile. Quite possibly the most
amazing hiking either of us have ever done with an out-of-this-world Kinder Suprise vista around every corner or climb. Seven
grungy days of carrying the heavy whole bit -food, tent, kitchen sink and all was rewarded by spending new
year's eve and day along side one damn creakin´ big glacier -'Glacier Grey'. Camping on the black sand beach of the grey coloured
glacial lake, complete with natural iceberg sculptures all around.. party ice was not required! We both loved every second
of it.. even the bad mozzie bites we suffered were bearable for the overall sheer beauty of the place. Not to be forgotten
on the other side of the world, we soberly toasted all our Aussie compadres with chocolate and glacial water looking
out over the ice field at about 11am our time (picturing a rather less sober scene back home!).
So now we leave for the fashionable bright lights, fine food, tango-ing loco heat and humidity of Buenos Aires
by plane on Thursday. We`re both looking forward to it as it`ll be a refreshing and welcome change from the nature
sensory overload we`ve just experienced in the last month. Time for a change of view through the lenses. Summer
in Buenos Aires, should be fun. We`ll let you know how we go.
So it`s chau for now and as always, hope to hear from you with your new year news soon.
un abrazo fuerte y un beso.
matty&struthxx
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Bolivian Highs...
Tupiza, southern
Bolivia: the deep terracotta-coloured caverns and high-reaching pink peaks were sinking slowly into the desert sunset. Small
round weather-worn faces looked on in wonder as the two strange-looking new comers, perched proudly on horseback, rode
into town: was this the return of the long-gone Butch Cassidy and his little Sundance Kid?? Surely not... hadn`t
it been years since they.....?
OF COURSE NOT YOU FOOLS! - Butch is long
gone from these crazy, meandering, harsh reds and blues of the Tupizan landscape! Did you not hear that the Horse
Legend Mateos and his little Ruthdance Kid were in town??
So yessiree folks- that`s where this tale of a journey-well-had
begins: in the southern parts of the deep Crimson Bolivia. It has been a whirlwind of red mountains, sandy deserts
and stark-white salk lakes... the madness of strikes and riot police for breakfast in La Paz... the greens of low jungle
overhead canopies and pinks of river dolphins... the probing of poverty-stricken street dwellers and the
kindness of sweet innocent smiles... All of this in a matter of a month?? We thought Salvador, Brazil, where we last
left you was crazy but this has been random, illogical non-stop madness!
After saying tchau to the beats of Brazil, and then hardcore
bussing-it through the amazing desert and friendly towns of Northern Argentina (allowing time for a long-awaited vino
or two of course..) we arived into new horizons and the magic of the Andean peoples.
Boliva gave us a warm welcome with the sweet, timid people and
amazing horses in Tupiza (yes- where Butch Cassidy enjoyed his last years of hiding out). We were introduced
to the popular Bolivian past-time of karaoke: perhaps not so surprising when you realise that heavy, I mean HEAVY
drinking is also high in the list of daily priorities. Escaping the drunken singing, with saddle-sore butts, we
loaded up with six other gringo adventure-seekers and gave our butts another four-day caning by means of a jeep
tour.
At heights of 4500m though, our bodies were far too frozen to feel
the pain down below! Bouncing and bumping our way through the `Dali`esque´ landscapes of the Altiplano and
then across the Salar de Uyuni (the world`s largest salt lake) was not short of amazing: the ever-changing
harsh landscapes were awe-inspiringly beautiful and at the same time humbling, as we realised with what kind of hardships some people
live... and we wondered - why the hell would anyone live here?!
The jeep-full of smelly, cold and butt-tired gringos were all happy
to get back to a bit of luxury and for us that meant a few days with heating in the World Heritage site of Potosi, and then
onto the world´s highest capital city: La Paz. In both towns we had trouble sleeping due to waking up in the midst of gasping
for air: lack of oxygen is a problem at 4070m and 3500 respectively... However, in La Paz, despite it`s ironic name
(meaning Peace) we also had trouble sleeping due to the early morning risers out for their daily protest march or strike or
road block or throwing of stones or... Yes, each morning as we would munch our cold toast, we could watch the lines of decked-out
riot police whilst jumping ourselves at the constant fire crackers going off in the streets.
Bolivia really is in a state of disseray- politically and socially.
As all walks of life continue to protest and the politicians seemingly turn blind eyes, La Paz, with all of its chaos,
had a colourful sense of friendliness to it: the locals seemed to be truly intrinsically peaceful people, however
angry they are at the government...
One thing the government may want to consider is the `World`s
Most Deadly Road´: a dirt road, descending from 4700m to 1700 in about 65 km(!), that enjoys all kinds of daily traffic
and, not surprisingly takes and kills, on average, one vehicle or 30 pax per month. Of course, Matty and I jumped at
the chance to race down on mountain bikes at full speed! I guess the madness of La Paz had started to infiltrate our minds...
We then escaped though to find our Peace by getting to the
Amazonian jungle near the mid-northern village of Rurrenabaque. We had a fantastically amazing five-day adventure learning
about the wild medicinal qualities of jungle plants, playing with cheeky monkeys, hunting Jaguar tracks and spotting alligator
eyes gleaming red in the dark, freaking at tarantulas the size of a man`s hand!, stroking baby anacondas, some unsuccessful
pirhana fishing, and, swimming with pink dolphins (in that same anaconda, alligator, pirhana infested water...). It was
so mind-blowing, I, Ruth the sundance kid, even came out with bright purple hair....the wonderful qualities of those plants!
Hmmm.
Next came the majestic Lake Titicaca: the highest navigable lake
in the world. Again- not much luck sleeping but the energies of the centuries of nature-inspired indigenous peoples of the
area kept us going for days. We energetically (gasping for oxygen) hiked the length of the surreally mediterranean Isla del
Sol, which, as one legend has it, was the birth place of the first Inca- the son of the Sun. After crossing the border
into Peru, we were delighted by the ``floating people´´, living simple lives on the reed islands of Uros. I truly felt
such a sense of peace in those floating villages that Matty nearly lost me to the powers of Titcaca forever!
And now, having enjoyed but one day of the Inca-stoned walls
in the spiritually awesome Inca capital, Cuzco, we are itching to get out there and soak up the endless ruins, mountains
and adventure. Alas, that shall be the next adventure to-be-told... until then amigos, keep your own life adventures on the edge and soak it all up `coz it is what you make it! And remember
- we love to hear your stories too so please keep in touch!
Big andean besos from the locos.
matty&ruth xx
> Written 31/05/04 by lil Struth in a smoke filled cyber cafe in Cuzco...
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The Locos take on Brazil...
...The year is in full swing. Mid March aleady! Hope you are giving it your best effort!
Here´s a little update of what we´ve been up to since we last left you... NJOY!
It has been an entire two mind-blowing months since we sat down
and attempted to put our incredible experiences into words. Hard as it is to do justice to the beauty and energy of our trails,
it is time once again to share our joy with all of you much thought of peoples around the globe.
Sitting here in Salvador, while the
scent of a Bahian African Mama´s cooking delights come wafting in to tickle my nose and the sounds of Afro-Brazilian
drumming keep my feet tapping, it is truly hard to think back as far as where we left you last: The End of the World: Ushuaia,
Argentina. From there it was a delightful airplane ride (as opposed to a 40 hr bus trip) to the big city lights and
high-heeled, long-legged women of Buenos Aires. We had the pleasure
of Matty´s mum who flew in from the UK to help us soak up the atmosphere for a few weeks - and that we did: there were cafes
and antique markets to be enjoyed; there was the Teatro Colon to be marveled at; many an ice-cream to be lapped up; colourful
streets to be wandered and, most importantly there were oh so many tango shows to be awed at and tango lessons (-yes lessons!) in which to laugh at ourselves!
The three of us also escaped the 40 degree scorchers to the
ever-crowded Miramar - a beach town on the Atlantic where we were able to measure the space needed to put
up a beach umbrella, only to realise that there was no room left between the small bikinis and herbal tea-drinking
Portenos. Rather than get a tan, we had an education on how Argentinians ´relax`:by
talking 100 miles an hour, full volume, 24 hours a day... not quite the cafe del mar but funny all the same!
So after sadly kissing our Senora Leedham chau, Matty and
I were off in the general direction of Brazil to realise the enormity and the power of Mother Nature: Iguazu
Falls, one of the well-deserving natural wonders of the world. It was
huge, it was wet, it was hot. (oh stop that... trust your dirty mind! it´s a water fall!)
After spending three sweaty days with our mate Wyman on the
Argentinian side of the falls, we will never forget the energy from being drowned in that beauty. We were nearly also drowned
by the water: we got ourselves onto a mad man´s power boat which threw us into the guts of one of the sections (!YEAHHH!)
and also managed to find a private little fall to play under, shoes and all. No showers were needed that day.
Over the border with a Chau to Argentina and a big Oi to
Brazil where we took a week out of life on a pristine island known as `Florianopolis´ (seriously). With 42 idyllic beaches to choose from we happily had a week of sun, surf, beach runs and yoga. This
RnR was well planned due to the next stop being...
RIO: CARNAVAL: The Biggest Party Of
our Lives...
And
oh it was. The colour, the music, the energy, the smiles. The songs, the drums,
costumes and floats. The bums, the boobs and the beautiful people. Oh meu deus
- Rio is truly the City of God. The rain poured down but did not dampen anyone´s spirits as we all joined
in song and danced until daylight, for 5 days straight. It really was incredibly
fantabulously amazing. After having been there through it all: the sambadrome
parades and the street parties which lined the city, I still cannot imagine in my wildest fantasies anything so elaborate
and full of crazy energy.
Of course we also managed to enjoy Rio´s
all-year-round wonders: a day up at Corcovado with o Cristo; lots of sun and sand and music and dancing at the Copa-
Copacabaaana, along with hanging out with the gals from Ipanema, and going to a crazy football final at the world famous
´Maracana´stadium. We also had a special day up at the Sugar Loaf celebrating my (Ruth´s) big numero 27. (We also
slept through a 5hr machine gun battle between drug trafficking gangs just down the road which was also held in
honour of my special day...)
It seems hard to think that we could now possibly top the
Rio Samba Party but we are both very optimistic. We have moved on now to the Afro-Brazilian homeland in the north: Salvador
de Bahia. After having a birembau (an Afro-Brazilian traditional instrument) lesson in the plaza this evening and
then inspiring and taking part in an impulsive capoeira game (a traditional Afro-Brazilian martial art), we are full of positive
energies and know that good things are still to come. So we´re dropping the packs here for now and are throwing ourselves
into learning more capoeira, african drumming and percussion, more of the beautiful birembau and making friends in our
improving Portugese for a few weeks.
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Oh Salvador!
Salvador, the capital city and port of Bahia on the hot 'n' humid palm-lined Atlantic Coast, and Brazil's
third-largest city with a sprawling population of just over 3 million. A bum-numbing 28 hours or so by bus north from Rio and, as the home of Afro-Brazilian culture, the claimed most African city in the
western hemisphere.
The African influences are all too obvious to see as the vast majority of the
city's population have black African roots and the city noisily reverberates 24 hours a day with a maddening, frantic energy
and a stifling heat that leaves your head spinning and your body aching. The city was the centre of the slave trade for over
three centuries and in some ways still carries the heavy vibes and memories of sadder times. Men and women casually swagger
along with huge loads balanced on their heads and people snooze in the most obscure of places at any time of the day, as for
most here, time is not an issue. There are 'Bahianas' - huge charcoal coloured women decked out in traditional flowing white
cotton dresses from the 18th century, selling the heady fragranced palm oil-fried African food on every street corner. People
shout and tout - selling anything and everything at all hours, speakers blast out ear splitting music in the streets, dogs
bark, kids scream, firecrackers bang and buses screechingly compete with each other on the roads for the fastest time back
to the depot. (Forget flight simulators - these buses are what every flight attendant should train on!).
Salvador
is mad and it's been one big mama-sized full-on time of it here for us pocolocos. 7 weeks of wide eye openers; of
tropical craziness; of huge teethy smiles; of soul enriching music and, of observations of a very 'different' society. We
dropped our packs here with specific goals to crack and in order to soak up all that Afro-Brazilian culture could offer us:
drumming & percussion, Capoeira, Candomble, music and rhythm - Salvador is
the home for all this and much more. Portuguese too, was a goal our little language guru'ess wanted to achieve to add to her
growing list of foreign tongues. No better place for all we reckoned.
So we started with renting an apartment, which proved to be a smart
move for our ears, away from the virtual insanity, in more of a 'lower volume' area and near the beach where we had a base
in which to 'relax' (although no such word really exists in Salvador!). We then began by throwing ourselves into daily Brazilian
drumming and percussion classes with an inspirational teacher called 'Macambira' - the human drum we called him. We could
be found tapping out rhythms on drums of all different sizes and sounds, as well as obscure percussion instruments as our
man with the toothy smile would play along laughing incessantly and we would be joined often by many 'interesting' characters.
Ruth found her own Wonder
Woman and very cool Portuguese teacher in 'Sheila' (bloody good Aussie name that one), who offered intensive one-on-one teaching
at a bargain price and proved to be invaluable to 'lil struth's rapid acceleration of the lingin lingo. You won't be surprised
to hear that our little pocket translator is now speaking like a native... thankfully she doesn't have the big afro though..
yet!
...And so then there
was 'Capoeira'. Capoeria is an Afro-Brazilian type of 'martial art' that was developed by the African slaves as a disguise
for contact fighting, for which they were severley punished. If you've seen Capoeira before you'll know that it is an incredibly
powerful, rhythmical, acrobatic and beautiful sport or 'game' to watch and, a way of life that today positively brings together
people and music from all races and walks of life around the world. We were lucky enough to find a fantastic teacher (and
guardian angel on many occasions) in Professor Marcos. So with "mr rubber limbs' " tuition, we kicked out nightly at the very
physically tough sessions as well as watching and even 'playing' (competing) in some of the many spectacular 'rodas' (the
name given to the gatherings) held around the city. A wonderful experience and a great foundation for continuing on with when
we return home to Brisvegas.
Then there's the tunes! We've been lucky enough
to see and hear so many fantastic live Brazilian acts... rhythm is everywhere and O Salvador has its own soundtrack that it
grooves along to harmoniously 24/7. Every Tuesday night there is a huge free outdoor party in the old historic city of Pelourinho,
offering 2 stages playing live samba. There are drumming bands in the streets on every corner, as well as our own favourites
- 'Geronimo and the band San Moritz', an impromptu weekly 'get together' of out-of-this-world latin musicians at the foot
of a 17th century church. Collectively, 15 or so odd musicians play (with a lot of love I might add) salsa, jazz, bossa nova,
funk, and afro rhythms that never failed to leave ruth and I speechless. People would arrive in taxis, get out and simply
join in, playing their instruments amazingly or singing in melodically beautiful
tones. All of this we just sat back on the steps and took in every week- sights we will never forget, whilst eating
our freshly bbq'd cheese on skewers and drinking ice cold lager... musical bliss.
Other memories of Salvador will undoubtedly be a bizarre
24 hour(!) Candomble religious ceremony (a form of Voodoo), involving 'spirits' (not totally alcoholic), a goat, spirit raising
drummers and a combi van that left us in limbo... not to mention a hammock lazing, sun filled week over on the roadless island
at 'Morro De Sao Paolo', and an 86 year-old, very able Capoeira mestre still playing (competing) as if he were a teenager
and giving them a run for their money in the process.... All incredible.
So now it's time to leave this crazy, colourful place and leave Brazil altogether,
and it's at this stage that we'd like to mention a couple of things, because for all its wonder and greatness and our ever
'happy' stories, Salvador is not a city for the faint hearted. We've experienced much daily hassle during our time here and
felt the ever-heavy burden of being 'gringos', as the many gringo hunters here have often been, at best - frustrating. But
hassle is something that when you travel- especially to poorer parts of the world, you just have to swallow: it is the uglier
but reality flip-side of the well-travelled coin.
There's no escaping the fact that we are foreigners (my bald white head definately
won't hide that one!) and to some, we are walking wallets ready to be emptied: a fact that can leave you feeling extremely
empty in more ways than one if you're not totally on the ball. We've swallowed the lot however - live and learn we say, and
as always we will only take away the positives... such is the true wonder of travelling and experiencing this amazing world
we live in.
Next up we journey back through Argentina
briefly, and then up, up, up into the extreme high altitudes and freezing cold climes of Bolivia
and Peru, where the paths of the Incas and yet more gringo
hunters lay in wait. We're excited to be on the road again for another chapter in the adventure, and have turned the corner
now for the homeward stretch... another warm and fuzzy thought in our minds right now...
So, until next time folks, we´ll say chau for now
and are sending you, you and you the biggest love as always. It´s always nice to get an email when you´re so far away,
so if you have the time, drop us a line with your news hey.
Lots of South American lovin to you all. matty&ruthxx
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