Dr. Itzam De Gortari Picture of Itzam de Gortari

Dr. Itzam De Gortari

Supervisors: Prof. Mike Payne
Room: 514 Mott Building, Cavendish Laboratory
Telephone: (01223) 337415
Fax: (01223) 337356
Email: id224@cam.ac.uk

Blog: Trip to South America

Description of my trip to South America, which started on Tuesday October the 3th, 2006. Send your comments to itzam009@gmail.com

Coming out from La 40, Argentina

La 40 is simply the most difficult art of my trip, 600 km of graved roads that I did in two journeys of 12 hrs in two days. At some point it was a night mare and I wanted to abandon Graciela and take a bus, fortunately or unfortunately there are no buses or truck a long this road, Just tourists in 4x4 jeeps that pass every 4 hrs. This road had lots of beauty though, I will post more pictures as soon as I start heading to Buenos Aires. By the way I am only 200 km away from Ushuaia, the end of the world and indeed the start of the end of my trip. I will post pictures more often.

Santiago, Chile

This nice gentleman is Sebas, my host at Santigao who offered me a comfortable bed and great company of his parents Jaime,Vero and his nice brother Martin. I shared part of my time in this nice city with Aurora, Luke and my nice cousin. Santiago houses the best places in the world to drink coffee and are not standard coffee shops, the best part of this places are the waitress using very suggestive small pieces of cloths. One of my cultural visits was to this place, where we cheered up for Catolica.

Curiosities along the road

Finding several kind of expression in Peru I started gathering curious images along the trip. One of this for example was a trailer full of this small wheel. I had to literally move out of the road. In the middle of the desert at 200 km from nowhere a huge sculptural hand comes out from a dune, it announces the end of a long journey in Peru and North Chile full of sand. Nearby a place that was formerly a very active mine region, and while chasing an abandoned town (ghost town) I simply found the most lively terrace of my trip. Further south, in a valley near Santiago I found the tap of happiness just by a glacier at 2200 m above sea level.

Heading South, Argentina, November the 17th

I am heading south to Ushuaia and stopping over in Puerto Montt to visit The Paine Towers. The road is more and more difficult and sometimes I don.t se any other car for 40 km. However the landscape is more impressive too and the effort is worthy. I will start and unpaved road soon and this will head all the way to one of the most impressive glacier in the world just 500 m. away from the road. I will post some pictures and tell you about my stay in Santiago and the last part in Chile as soon as I find one post with decent internet connection

Eyes wide open, Atacama, Chile

What shall I have in my mind when just desert lies upon me? Riding a bike is nothing but the road. The concentration monopolise your thoughts. From time to time I have fast images of what I want to do or where I want to be. But the road is more jealous than Graciela. Not a single distraction or you will be laying on the pavement in less than an eye stroke. After passing the long roads a long the see and feeling the inevitable solitude, roads change in a curve and a few km above see level. Still no more thoughts in 400 km. The concentration on the yellow lines and my feasts attached to the bar. Then one thinking, a curve and the desert appears, Atacama is the moon on earth. Then no more thoughts, no more me and no more road, just the landscape that swallows you. Just me with the eyes wide open.

Chile, finally

After getting back to Arequipa and visiting the Colca Canyon, the second deepest in the world, I got finally to Chile. I have to give special mention to Araceli, Concha, Luisa and Isabel, who made my gringo-tourist-style trip to the canyon very enjoyable. I was getting very impatient to jump on Graciela and start riding and was so glad to stop travelling on public transportation in Peru were I had to do as referee between a girls fight. After crossing the very efficient border control in Chile my first two stops were in Arica and Iquique. The last one was where I did my first flight in Paragliding. I thought I was scared of the high altitude but I was probably more concentrated not to vomit on the instructor that I forgot about my phobia. In any case I have managed to take a picture from Iquique.

Lake Titikaka

Puno and around, I paid a visit to the floating Islands that was very reenergizing, the way the Uros lived was like being in Wonderland. Beyond these Island and closer to the Bolivian part of the lake, there is a pretty isolated Island which has been only recently popular for tourists. Taquilenos were named the best netter in the world by the UNESCO. Any way the immensity of the lake is very shocking.

Machu Picchu and Cusco

After going to Machu Pichu I visited a kind of amphitheatre near Cusco that was basically an open glass house, Incas used these circles to domesticate different kind of plants, like maize and any other kind of plants. From these place they obtained like 10 different varieties of potatoes. In the picture you will see several co-centric circles and each of them had a different micro-climate. They knew exactly how to vary the temperature for a specific crop. On that same day I went to a salt filed, Salinas were a kind of Inca-shelf to obtain salt from a river full of mineral. Walking a around this area was like wandering around the gold mines in Brazil. Workers have to carry 20 kg bags from the bottom of the valley. Probably one of the toughest job in the planet.

Riding South Peru

I decided to get to Arequipa, give a rest to Graciela and get a bus to Cusco as the roads are not in very good conditions. The only reason to do this is to visit the famous MachuPicchu, lots of people come to South America just to visit the belived archeological capital of Latin America. They probably dont know or havent learnt about Palenque or Tajin. Anyway, on the way to southern lands I made a break in a true Oasis. I have never seen one of this but it is the best place to chill out. This small punt that you see in the picture is real and is surounded by only a few houses. Beyond the dunes the landscape is simply an endless field of dunes. In this \ place is where I dicided to try my abilities as snowboarder and tried the sandboarding. It is slower but more difficult to handle the board, to be honest I couldnt do a single slope with out falling and get my self full of sand. After resting in the Huacachinas oasis I continued my journey to Arequipa, not without stopping to have a look to the Nazca lines.The lines as you see from the picture are huge and are from pre-incas times. If one takes a light plane it is possible to spot different images, one of them and probbaly the most complex is the monkey. Not this one but the one in the previous pic. These lineas are part of different beliefs: from being part of a astronimical pattern, to extraterestrial creations to simple rural and agriculture rituals. The lattest is probably the best one, where they Nazca group started dancing from one point and following the line along the different shapes. Following the journey to Arequipa a big bird standing in the cliff along the coast made me stop. I happened to be a condor. These guys live in the highlands of Peru but sometimes they go to coast and is very rarely to spot them. Graciela and I stopped to take picure of it but it flied away and the only picture that I took was this one where Graciela looks very good looking. Please believe me it was impressive. Please wait for the description of Cusco, MachuPicchu, Lake Titikaka and around. Have a look to previous sections that I finally finished writting.

Trujillo to Lima, Peru

Before heading to Lima I had a quick look at the Huacas of the sun and moon near Trujillo, these were founded by the Moches and are like chopped pyramides, the paintings are amazingly well conserved but probably what I liked the most was the fauna around it. While in Mexico hairless dogs are considered as ultra fine here in Peru they wander around freely as homeless dogs. Going to Lima the journey was pretty much the same with the same landscape, impressive deserted beaches limited by an endless desert. Arriving to Lima was very pleasant as it was probably one\ of the longest journey. The first thing I did was to go and park La Graciela in La Plaza de Armas. My stay was nice, I focused mainly in visiting monasteries. This one specially was the place where San Martin de Porres was buried, he is the only black Saint in Latin America. While walking around the city I encountered a demostration by one of the unions, I couldnt avoid find the similarities with the Mexican policemen. Isnt it nice to see these gentlemen being incharged of our security? I would have a lot fof fun with one of those tiny water guns though. Being diverted by the demostration I ended up being in fron of San Martin the great Liberatador who got Argentina, Chile and Peru independent from Spaniars, unfortunately all heroes can be corrupted, he fleed to live in Paris after meeting with Bolivar. They probably arranged their way to be part of History. I finally went to visit he posh area of Miraflores and got few parts for Graciela, like spare oil filters. I wdont think I will be able to find any parts on my way to Chile. The south gets more and more isolated and poorer. The following day I started my riding to the south. I could wait to visit Cusco and around, the most visited place in Peru, Machu Picchu. Have to say that I had to sart jogging as keiping the same posture for long rides is getting my joints hard and the pain in the wirst and the leg some times is very anoying. I will have to keep fit for the rest of my trip, stop being lazy and run every morning will be part of the adventure.

The Border and beyond, Peru

October 17th and 18th, Crossing the border was probably the worst experience I had in my trip. The hassle was unbearable. Now I understand that it was not only the Peruvian Consul but it is general issue with the bureaucracy in Peru. Policemen have very bad reputation in this country and today I proved. I had to cross the border three times in a very dodgy area. As any other border city, the black market and the scoria of society invade the road. Everyone asked me how much I paid for the motorbike, probably to see how much they would get for it!. After unloading and loading Graciela several times to get the stamp in the Ecuadorian border, visit the costume officer in Peru and finally getting the stamp in the immigration office I decided not to attach the bag and the fuel plastic tank to the back seat and I carried everything on my back. I ridded like half an hour to find a safe place to reload. I tried to arrive to Trujillo that same day but it was far too long to get there and I stopped in Piura, a very provincial city with new-rich community. It was first the firs colonial city to be settled by the Spaniards but it was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. I started the journey to Trujillo on the 18th, La Graciela and I passed endless roads across the desert (check the picture), getting all dusty we finally got to our destination, not before getting pulled over twice by the police, one to ask, what the hell I was doing and the other to ask me where my fire-extintor, my first-aid box or my travel insurance was. We got into Trujillo just on time to visit the Chan Chan pre-Incas archeological site with the most impressive bud walls. At the end of the day we had a well deserved cool drink to see the sun set in Huanchaco. In this picture you can see fishing boats used by the locals where hey paddle to get the fishing nets and they surf back. Unfortunately it was too late to try it but i know you can give a go for few dollars.

From Banos to Cuenca, Ecuador

October 15th and 16th, After having a relaxing bath in thermal waters at 7 am with local people by a nice fall (Pic1) We headed towards Cuneca, an impressive colonial city. The ride was very tough, we had to pass very high mountains and it was impossible to see in the fog, at some point I could see my own shadow in the very dense mist. Arriving to Cuenca was very relieving. However I really enjoyed the road, landscapes changed from a Tuscany-like to a Himalayan one. Cuenca is definitely one of the highlights of Ecuador, it has very relaxing atmosphere and the Patios in the big mansions by the Cathedral makes even more pleasant a good cup of coffee. (Pic2).

From Quito to Banos, Ecuador

October 14th, Today I finally left Quito, Even if I hadn't completely arranged all the paper work of the motorbike, I have left otherwise I would stay the next two months there. On Monday I will receive the bike.s registration in Cuenca, the most impressive colonial city in Ecuador. Theses papers should allow me to pass all the line borders during my trip. Anyway, the important thing is that, La Graciela and I left this afternoon to start our adventure together. Riding the motor bike is just an adventure it self, concentration and care is a must every second. I reached a maximum speed of 110 km per hour in a mostly flat road. I haven.t still figured out how many gears this motorbike has, but I feel confident when overtaking trucks, this is particularly tricky as winds tilt the bike. However `La Graciela` runs quit softly and solid along the road. Unfortunately I left Quito around and I couldn.t spot the Chimborazo Volcano, the night won the race and got us one hour before Banos. I had to race at 40 km per hour due to the very dark and snaky road. I will gain more confident in the process of riding south but there is no point of driving in night anymore. Rain was constant and demands a higher level of concentration. I have to give special acknowledgement to Martina, Nico, Carmen and Mario who hosted me in their house and provided me with water- proof equipment. Mario is an experienced motorbike rider who won the 125 cc Latin American cup in 1989 and taught me a lot about riding a bike. He and his family is one of those important gems that one collects a long the trip.

Galapagos, Ecuador

Galapagos Islands were simply amazing. I sailed around the southern islands of Espaola and Floreana. Here I dived with all sort of great creatures including sharks, turtles, marine Iguanas, Eagle rays and Sea Lions. At some point of one dive the current was pushing us towards 10 white-tip sharks resting around the reef. I got really scared. Galapagos Islands is one of the places in the world were sharks are harmless because they have plenty of food. Any way I didtttt try to prove it. Diving was not the only fun though; we disembark every day in a different island and walk around spotting Iguanas and birds which are endemic species of these places. The most entertaining part was to play with Sea Lions. Coming back from Galapagos Island I was ready to start my trip to Peru , however as any other Latin American countries, bureaucracy works very slow.

Quito, Ecuador

Finally, after 3 days of stay in Quito, Ecuador, here is the well expected first description of my trip. Have to say that arriving to Quito is spectacular, the top of the volcanoes and mountains cut the clouds. Looks like a white rug with black spots, I would say that mountains can not wait to welcome you. The city is pretty much like I was expected, a busy, polluted and chaotic Latin American city, (Mexico included in those ones). Its high altitude feels as soon as you land and the pseudo-headache bothers along with the breathless and cottonmouth. However the best remedy I found for it, was a very testy-welcoming tree-tomato shake. So far, food hasn't been so exciting apart of the fish soup with popcorn and bananas, yes popcorn!!! It suppose to mix all together, I ate the soup first and then the popcorns, though Now here comes the most important part of my first few days of my trip, I have got a motor bike, a nice 650cc Super Drag Yamaha. (bit expensive though, twice the price of what I was willing to spend), I haven.t baptised it, I would like to hear some recommendations. This was one of he reasons I hadn.t wrote before, apart of fighting with the Peruvian consul in Quito trying to get a visa, I spent almost everyday looking for the most important par of my trip, transportation!!!. But today I finally did it. I am really happy and thrilled. Tomorrow I will have my very first ride to the middle of the world. Wait for the pictures. I, more or less, wasted the first three days of my trip in preparations. I have to say that trying to convince the Peruvian consulate that I was not intending to stay in Peru, even if I didtttt have any ticket to get in and out of the country. They couldn.t understand that I was going to travel in a motorbike. I am sure they have never heart about (El che (. At the end they told me that they were going to give me one visa for only 15 days, which is quite rare, and that I was going to do was very "sui generis" . Tomorrow at least I will have time to visit the historic centre of the town before flying on Sunday to Galapagos Islands, I can.t wait to dive with turtles.