The lake with the funny name, and more...

I figured I'd share a couple of the pictures I was able to take of La Paz and Lake Titicaca while the savages weren't having their way with me.

First, La Paz.  I think it has to be one of the cooler cities I've been to on this adventure (I've found that most of them are more or less the same, so it takes a lot to get a mention).  Ranks up there next to Cape Town and Sydney for beauty.  And, sitting about about 12,000 ft above sea level, it is the world's highest (de facto) capital city.  It is rich in history and fantastic views.  We only had a little bit of time there, but it was worth it for sure.

As you know, I made my way to Lake Titicaca after La Paz.  Unfortunately, it was done while under the weather, so I don't have much to show for it.  But, it being the world's highest navigable lake (lots of qualifiers in this post) means that I can check it off the bucket list. I will say that it felt like being at the ocean.  Which is isn't a feeling I've ever had at a lake before.  So there's that too.

And, I did get to see the full moon on my 6th continent while there.

Say "Hola, Peru!"

The Port at Copacabana, Bolivia

Some Ass...

That's all for now.  I couldn't let a visit to Lake Titicaca go unacknowledged, even if it was less spectacular than I'd hoped for.  At least I'm back at full strength for my friends Jon and Jill arrival tomorrow in Buenos Aires.  Don't worry, Uncle Rick, we'll make sure Jill doesn't get herself into too much trouble.

Parker vs. the Volcano

There is actually a Volcano in this story.  But it's been awhile so you'll have to wait to get to that part.  Nothing is terribly exciting, but I figure you all miss me and I have some pretty pictures to share.

First off, I again have access to my (dwindling) fortune.  A HUGE debt of gratitude to Miss Amy Bell for helping me out and for the incredible hospitality while in Santiago!

Next, the adventure of speaking Spanish is off to an amusing start.  I've quickly learned that there is very little that is as humbling as learning a language.  Last week, I took a "Super Intensive Class" in Santiago and we had a great time with our respective struggles.

The language is coming a long.  I understand it pretty well and when I speak I'm getting by.  Though, "getting by" might be stretching it, for instance, when I don't know how to say what I need to, I generally try to patch the words I know together to approximate.  This behavior is more or less encouraged/suffered, I think, because of the absurdities that could follow.  I've called a sleeping bag a "bolsa de sueños' (bag of dreams), remembered the word for butter - but not the words to direct a taxi. etc. etc.  I'm told I have a good vocabulary, and I'm trying.  But, after 3 weeks, I have to say that I'm confident at this point I'll be much better at the end of my tour in South America, but likely still not very good.  We'll see.  Maybe if I really do get a bag of dreams, it will help...

Anyway, as another week comes closer to closing I'll catch you up on the adventure since I left Santiago.  After a long overnight bus last Friday night I arrived on the lovely islands of Chiloé.  It was ridiculously cold and quite rainy for my time there, but I made a go of it.

The city of Ancud, a sleepy little fishing town with an old Spanish Fort. 

Certainly one of the most colorful churches I've ever seen and it was quite a surprise walking inside to a completely wooden interior with only woodgrain as the color. 

Los Palafitos

After Chiloé, I headed up in the lakes region of Chile.  The region is also a part of the Pacific Fire Belt, and the base of Volcano exploration is Pucón.

The Villarrica Volcano

The beginning of the ascent.  It looks so much closer than it was.  We didn't make it to the crater, due to high winds and ice, but it was still a magnificent view and a good, strenuous day on the mountain.

There are two other Volcanoes in the region and we got a good view of them above the clouds!  The close one is Lanín and the far one is Quetrupillán.  By some weird boundary marking, Lanin is in Argentina. 

One of the many lakes we could see from the mountain as well. 

The walk up is long, done with crampons, and at 50-60 degree slope.  The way down was much more fun.  Sliding down on the ol' keister!

In other news, I leave this evening for Santiago and to meet up with Megan, who is coming back for her second tour of duty here at Just 'Cuz It's Round.   A quick refresher on who Megan is courtesy of our friends at iPhoto:

Not sure what iPhoto is trying to say, but we'll be heading out to Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar and then up to the Atacama Desert and Bolivian Salt Flats over the next week or so.  Should be some weird and wild stuff coming to this venue soon.   

The Great Ocean Road

Welcome to the Great Ocean Road, Southern Victoria, Australia. 

The road is officially the world's largest war memorial and was built in between 1919 and 1932 as a tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in World War One. 

I think that Australia has to have the most helpful road signage in the world.  First, there are heaps of them.  You can't go a klick without seeing one of some sort.  Second, their information ranges from which side of the road to drive on, to telling you to take a power nap if you're tired, to getting your smoke detectors checked, to various wildlife that may be seen crossing the road in the vicinity (despite the warnings, I saw none.).

The drive winds around the coast of Australia south of Melbourne for about 300K.  So, needless to say there is a lot of water and beaches along the way. 

There are heaps of Lighthouses on the coast, but it hasn't stopped it from getting the nickname "Shipwreck Coast" on account of the more than 638 known wrecks that have occurred here. 

If there had been internet, I was going to send this to you all as a "Happy Monday" post with a wish for luck.  Now all I can do is wish you luck!

A place called Parker's Inlet.  Nothing fabulous about it other than its name, of course. 

The London Arch

The most celebrated stop is the Twelve Apostles (though really there are only 8 left due to the constant erosion):

It's odd that it is the second version of the Twelve Apostles that I've seen and neither has actually had twelve (the one in Cape Town has 17 or something like that).   I wonder how many more of these there are in the world?  New bucket list item!

Anyway, I took a load of pictures, so I could keep posting for days.  I think you get the idea though.

I think the Garden Route in South Africa was better as a drive.  But they didn't have Koalas and Kangaroos.   So, maybe it is a same-same, but different thing.  Either way, I still really enjoyed it.

With a Buzz in our Ears, We Zip Endlessly...

The Jungle - Bokeo Province - Northern Laos

A zipping video to really give a flavor for the experience - WATCH IT!

Sadly, it is the dry season and all the farmers are doing the yearly slash and burn of the fields, so the atmosphere in Northern Thailand and Laos has been quite gray/hazy vs. what I had imagined it would look like.

Undeterred, I've just spent the last two days trekking and zipping through the jungles of Northern Laos.   And, despite the heat, it was incredible.    Massive trees, groves of bamboo, little critters running around all over the place and no sounds other than those of the wind and the jungle.  Oh, and ziplines.  Everywhere...

I was on the "Gibbon Experience".  And, even though we didn't see anything other than squirrels (*yawn*), lizards and spiders the size of a salad plate, it was pretty amazing.

You trek into the jungle for a few hours, eventually hitting a network of ziplines that will take you to your treehouse.  

This is where you sleep and eat your meals, while zipping around the jungle in your spare time.  The best part about the treehouse though was the outdoor shower.

View from the Shower

The lines are anywhere from 100 - 700ms long and from 25m to 150ms above the ground.

I've got to say popping out of the jungle on a wire suspended 500 feet in the air is quite the experience.

It wasn't all fun and games (ok, it mainly was).  The program is a conservation effort, so all proceeds go to the cause of protecting the jungle and the Gibbons.  But, we also had an conversational English lesson with our Lao (by the way, it is pronounced La-ow - not La-owse) guides and then they taught us some Lao in return.  

One of our guides just started speaking English less than a year ago and I was quite impressed how far he had come.  I guess if the tables were turned, and speaking Lao meant I got a better job than lugging wood/food/etc into the jungle several hours, then I'd learn Lao pretty darn quick too!

Our Trekking Crew! 

Pageviews are down due to my lack of posting the last couple of weeks, but hopefully this brings you back (Sorry for the lack of Gibbons!) and I can post more as I travel down the Mekong.

This is as close to a Gibbon as I can get.  Peter Gibbons, in a meeting with "the Bobs".

Right now, I'm writing from a guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong and I can see Thailand from here.

Say "HI" to Thailand (even with the gloomy sky)!

Tomorrow, I'll take the "slow boat" towards Luang Prabang and check in again from there.  Hopefully...