sf-bay-area

Our Apartment
Home Sweet Home!

San Francisco Paramedic Association
| An abuse of dummies takes place. A shocking experience described.

Golden Gate Park: Japanese Tea Gardens
| Gardens of the World -A Walk in the Park with LensBaby

NIMBY Workshop in Oakland
| A Fund raiser for a Tree House - Fireballs in Oakland

Our Garage in Hayward
| We rent our garage space from Mike Andrade in Hayward

The Man
| Burning man out in the Nevada Desert attracts an interesting slice of humanity.

Camp Pani Puri
| At Camp Pani Puri we battled storms, had candle lit dinners, and danced with abandon.

Akimbo Systems
| Akimbo Systems, home of the lovely shrubbery.

Ganesh celebrations
| Ganesh festivities celebrated with great exuberance at the Hunter-Gault residence.

City College of San Francisco, Evans Campus
Automotive Classes
| The process of getting an education in Automotive Technology is described. The personalities and travails thereof. A discussion of why the class is endangered.

ganesh

Ganesh celebrations 2007
| Ganesh festivities were here in 2007!

Ganesh celebrations 2009
| Ganesh festivities were here in 2009!

trail-runs

4x4 Campsite

Bear Valley General Store
| From L to R: Rusty - Stock Black Cherry, Our Titanium, Ray - With the Demello Bumper, Cedric - Totally tricked out Sun Fusion, Steve - Voodoo Blue.

Corral Hollow: Trail Start

Smelly Meadows
| A silent meadow.

Corral Hollow: Trail End
| Good cheer during lunch on the trail.

Summit of Mount Reba
| Its an FJ Summit!

Slickrock: Trail Start
| The Slickrock Trail was a challenge. We were certainly our of our comfort zone!

trail-runs-tracks

Campsite Approach

Corral Hollow

Mount Reba

machu-picchu-trek

| A hot and dusty hike winds past ancient ruins. Camp setup next to horse poo.

Tarayo
Lunch stop for the first day, close to a babbling brook.

Waillabamba
What is that SMELL? Could it be, perhaps, horse poo?

Llulluchapampa
| Travelling regally in the footsteps of the Inkas.

Dead Woman Pass
| A vigorous walk leads them to the dead woman pass, where the real Inka Trail begins. The camp is very rustic with glacier-cold showers.

Paqaymayu
The campsite for the second day was actually worse than the horse poo camp.

Runkurakay
| The circular ruins at Runkurakay most likely do not exist as it is impossible for man to create such a stunningly beautiful site.

Sayaqmarka
This fortified jungle settlement was an Inka frontier town.

Winay Wayna
Beautiful ruins, ugly bar.

Machu Picchu
| Earth has not anything to show more fair; Dull would he be of soul who could pass by; A sight so touching in its majesty.

Perimeter: 26.06 km

proposed-route

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Approximate Date: Jan, 2009
Buenos Aires - The city of Tango, Evita and Borges.

Cordoba, Argentina
Approximate Date: Jan, 2009

Peninsula Valdez, Argentina
Approximate Date: Jan, 2009

Los Galciares, Argentina

El Calafate, Argentina

Cruise to Antarctica
Approximate Date: Dec, 2008

Puerto Toro, Chile
Approximate Date: Dec, 2008

Chiloe, Chile
Approximate Date: Nov, 2008

Valparaiso, Chile
Approximate Date: Nov, 2008

Atacama, Chile
Approximate Date: Oct, 2008

Salta, Argentina
Approximate Date: Oct, 2008

Foz du Iguazu, Brazil
Approximate Date: Sep, 2008

San Paolo, Brazil
Approximate Date: Sep, 2008

Rio de Janeiro
Approximate Date: Sep, 2008

Salvador, Brazil

Olinda, Brazil

Sao Luis, Brazil

Belem, Brazil

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Boa Vista, Roraima
Approximate Date: Sep 2008

Teatro Amazonas, Brazil
Approximate Date: Aug/Sep, 2008

Porto Velho, Brazil
Approximate Date: Aug/Sep, 2008

Porto Joffre, Brazil
Approximate Date: Aug, 2008

Barrinha, Brazil
Approximate Date: Aug, 2008

Cuiaba, Brazil
Approximate Date: Aug, 2008

Pocone, Brazil

Curitiba, Brazil

Asuncion, Paraguay

Sucre, Bolivia
Approximate Date: Jul, 2008

Mount Illimani, Bolivia
Approximate Date: Jul, 2008

La Paz, Bolivia
Approximate Date: Jul, 2008

Puno, Peru
Approximate Date: Jun/Jul, 2008

Arequipa, Peru
Approximate Date: Jun/Jul, 2008

Manu, Peru
Approximate Date: Jun, 2008

Peruvian Amazon
Approximate Date: Jun, 2008

Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Approximate Date: May, 2008

Galapagos, Ecuador
Approximate Date: May, 2008

Guyaquil, Ecuador
Approximate Date: May, 2008

Chiriqui Highlands, Panama

Corcovado, Costa Rica
Approximate Date: Apr, 2008

Managua, Nicaragua
Approximate Date: Apr, 2008

Copan, Honduras
Approximate Date: Mar/Apr, 2008

Tikal, Guatemala
Approximate Date Mar, 2008

Palenque, Mexico
Approximate Date Feb, 2008

Oaxaca, Mexico
Arrive 3rd week January.
One month spanish class

Mexico City, Mexico

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Tecate, Mexico

San Francisco, CA
Approximate Date:Dec-30, 2007
Leaving Jackson on the 27th.
Drive 3 days to SF for New Year with friends.

Jackson, WY
Arrival Date: Dec-15, 2007.
Skiing from Dec 15th to 27h

Kelly, WY
Arrival Date: Nov-16, 2007.
Class: Nov-19 -- Dec-14.
Departure Date:Dec-27, 2007.
Leaving Glacier NP 15th AM, either drive one long day or two short days to Kelly
Arrive on the 15th or the 16th.

Glacier National Park, MT
Approximate Date: Nov-13, 2007.
Leaving Whitehorse 10th am, drive four days to Glacier.
Arrive 13th evening.
Spend 14th in Glacier, leave 15th AM.

Whitehorse (2), YT
Approximate Date: Nov-09, 2007,
Leave Seward 7th AM.
Drive 3 days to Whitehorse, arriving on the evening of the 9th

Seward, AK
Approximate Date: Nov-05, 2007.
Leave Anchorage 5th AM, arrive Seward 5th.
See Kenai Fords 6th, leave 7th am.

Anchorage, AK
Approximate Date: Nov-04, 2007.
Leave Denali 4th AM. Spend 4th night in Anchorage.

Denali National Park, AK
Leave Fairbanks 2nd AM, spend 2nd & 3rd in park.

Fairbanks, AK
Approximate Date: Nov-01, 2007
Leave Inuvik 29th. Three days on the Dempster, one day from Dawson City.
Arrive evening 1st.

Inuvik, NT
Approximate Date: Oct-26, 2007.
Departure Date: Oct-29, 2007

Fort McPherson, YT
Approximate Date: Oct-25, 2007

Eagle Plains, YT
Approximate Date: Oct-24, 2007

Dawson, YT
Approximate Date: Oct-23, 2007

Whitehorse (1), YT

Muncho Lake, BC

Dawson Creek, BC

Cache Creek, BC

Seattle, WA
Approximate Date: Oct-17, 2007.
Departure Date: Oct-18,2007

Portland, Oregon

Medford, Oregon

Our Home
D-Day: October 15th, 2007
With views like this, home sweet home is a pretty nice place!

Perimeter: 45,529.60 km

a-long-drive-north-america

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
October 20th, 2007
Day 1, 0.0 miles driven
San Francisco, CA
The Long Drive started on October 21st, 2007, at 10:30pm from the Golden Gate Bridge.

Kosnar Home, Mill Valley, CA
October 20th, 2007
Day 1, 7.2 miles driven
Mill Valley, CA
Barbara Kosnar kindly offered her place as a rest-stop for the first night

Johnson Country Inn, Chico, CA
October 21st, 2007
Day 2, 194.0 miles driven
Chico, CA
At the Johnsons we heard wonderful tales of travel and adventure from our hosts

Steelhead Run B&B, Glide, OR
October 22nd, 2007
Glide, OR
Perched high on the banks of the Umpqua River the Steelhead Run B&B smelled like a fresh forest.

Bonnin Home, Portland, OR
October 23rd, 2007
Portland, OR
Ken was a wonderful host and setup a small dinner party for us where we met his friend Katherine.

Wen Home, Seattle, WA
October 24th, 2007
Seattle, WA
Ya hosted us for two days in lovely Seattle. The infamous weather was dramatic and beautiful and the company was terrific, making this a place of peace and repose.

Bonaparte Motel, Cache Creek, BC
October 26th, 2007 Day 7, 1213.9 miles driven
Cache Creek, BC
I loved the Pink color scheme of the Bona Motel!

Ramada Inn, Dawson Creek, BC
Dawson Creek, BC
A long drive over snowy roads brought us to Dawson Creek where we celebrated Neenas 41st birthday.

Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake, BC
Muncho Lake, BC
The scenery and wildlife on the way to Muncho Lake was tremendous.

Town and Mountain Hotel, Whitehorse, YT
Whitehorse, YT
Many in Whitehorse tried to give us sage advice on how to drive the Dempster. Some said it was no problem, others were quite skeptical about our chances.

Bombay Peggy, Dawson City, YT
Day 011, 2931 miles driven
Dawson City, YT
Frontier towns have varied character. Dawson City is a colorful gold rush town.

Eagle Plains Hotel, Eagle Plains, YT
November 1st, 2007
Day 013, 3181 miles driven
Eagle Plains, YT
The Eagle Plains Hotel is the only place to stay for hundreds of miles around. All Dempester travellers HAVE to stop here, no choice.

Arctic Circle
November 2nd, 2007
Day 014, 3294 miles driven
The Dempster Highway crosses the Arctic Circle here.

Peel River Ice Crossing
November 2nd, 2007
Day 014
Driving on an ice road had an uncomfortable spongy feel. We were not close to the 3500kg load limit, though.

Inuvik Airport
November 2nd
The only polar bear we saw was at Inuvik airport!

Arctic Chalet
November 4th, 2007
Given how cold it was outside, we were happy to get a warm welcome inside the Igloo Church.

Inn of the North
November 4th
Really nice people, really expensive inn.

Hurricane Alley
November 5th, 2007
Day 017
Hurricane Alley was very gentle to us both trips through, but it was always a bit spooky!

Eagle Plains Hotel (Return)
November 5th, 2007
Eagle Plains, YT
The Eagle Plains Hotel is the only place to stay for hundreds of miles around. All Dempester travellers HAVE to stop here, no choice.

Dempster Highway Start
November 6th
Day 018
A unique driving experience, the Dempster Highway begins here.

Bombay Peggy, Dawson City, YT (Return)
Dawson City, YT
Frontier towns have varied character. Dawson City is a colorful gold rush town.

Midnight Sun Bed and Breakfast, Whitehorse, YT
November 7th
The Midnight Sun was run by a Bahai man and his Indian wife. They had won lots of awards, including top honors from an RV association in Texas.

Cassiar Highway Start
The Cassiar Highway is billed as one of the most scenic in Canada, a country of scenic highways.

Arctic Divide Inn, Dease Lake, BC
The owner of the Arctic Divide Inn built it as a winter project. It took way longer than expected and I would guess cost more than expected so he didn't seem happy. (Picture taken en-route)

Ripley Creek Inn, Stewart, BC
Stewart was still reeling from the effects of thirty seven feet of snow last year. We stayed at the Ripley Creek Inn a sprawling and eclectic collection of buildings with one-of-a-kind rooms. The owner loves to collect toasters, buying them from eBay and collecting them in Hyder Alaska.

Northern Country Inn, Vanderhoof, BC
The Northern Country Inn was nothing special but the attached log restaurant served good German food and had Warsteiner on tap. Pictured are the first range of mountains in Banff NP, a few hours outside Vanderhoof.

Lake Louise Inn, Lake Louise, AB
Finding a reasonably priced place to stay in Lake Louise, THE tourist spot in Canada was quite tough. Luckily the Lake Louise Inn had nice rooms for a good price... Pictured on the left are Tangle Falls, between Jasper and Lake Louise

Circle R Motel, East Glacier, MT
Welcome to the United States! But watch out for the exploding trees... The Circle R was a simple shelter from arobreal missiles.

Glacier Mountain Shadows Resort, Columbia Falls, MT
After all the wind we had a brief rest at Columbia Falls. The garrulous owner was from the South who had moved here to take care of her in-laws.

Lehrkind Mansion, Bozeman, MT
November 14-15th
Day 026-027, 6229 miles driven
The Lehrkind Mansion is a gorgeous victorian in Bozeman and is more a museum than residence; THAT is how well the house is decorated and kept up. We helped the hosts with their wireless and they were SOOO grateful!

Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone, WY
The hot springs of Yellowstone become fire and ice in the winter, not unlike the Inferno.

Bentwood Inn, Jackson, WY
November 16-17th
Day 028-029, 6610.9 miles driven
The "Last Homely Home" - Beautiful Bentwood Inn was our last stop before the gruelling WEMT course.

Crystal Creek Cabin, Kelly, WY
Nov. 18th - Dec. 13th
Days 030-055, 6624.6 miles driven
At the Kelly Campus of the Teton Science School the NOLS W-EMT course was an exquisitely designed torture session, but the setting could not have been more beautiful.

Elk Attack, Jackson, WY
On the way to our ER rotations we almost ended up in the ER as patients due to this monstrous bull elk. Minutes later someone came by and took the head.

Blue Spruce Inn, Lander, WY
Dec. 14th - 17th
Days 056 - 059
We had many interesting conversations over delicious breakfasts at the Blue Spruce, where we were studying for our National Registry of EMTs exam.

Paintbrush Motel, Riverton, WY
Dec. 1st & 18th
Day 043 & 060
The Paintbrush Motel was a last resort as everything in Riverton was booked. A funky place, it turned out to be more interesting than any Holiday Inn.

Christy Ball Home, Jackson, WY
Dec. 19th - Jan 4th
Days 061-077, 6837.8 miles driven
This comfortable cottage in the woods was evocative of a Russian Dacha, leading to marathon sessions of Tchaikovsky.

Best Western, Wendover UT
Jan 5th
On the way to Wendover we passed the SaltAir resort, currently in the process of restoration. The rather plain motel was managed by a Punjabi man for his friend.

Hardman House, Carson City, NV
Jan 6th
A small adventure before getting to San Francisco was driving the loneliest road. At the end of the lonely travels the comfortable Hardmann House provided a welcome rest spot.

Fred and Ada Home, San Francisco, CA
Jan 7th - 14th
Days 080-087, 7791.5 miles driven
Our dear friends Fred Gault and Ada Hunter hosted us for eight hectic days where rapidly made changes to the FJ to get it ready for the Southern section.

Gosby House Inn, Pacific Grove, CA
Jan 15th
My parents join us for the trip down Baja. The Gosby House does not turn out as nice as expected but it is close to an amazing seafood restaurant. My dad loses his credit card.

Best Western, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Jan 16th - 17th
Days 089-090, 8857 miles driven
We have done the drive down Hwy One many times but never have we seen so many elephant seals. By staying an extra day in Capistrano we finished up some leftover car work and had the windshield fixed.

Las Rosas Hotel and Spa, Ensenada, Baja
Our night at the Hotel Rosas did not come cheap. The clerk never gave back credit card and then proceeded to charge up many thousands in fraudelent charges that took forever to straighten out.

Desert Inn, Catavina, Baja
I wish we could have stayed longer at Catavina because the scenery was really pretty and good desert hiking abundant. Our map was inaccurate for this area and we thought we would run out of daylight before arriving.

Hotel Serinidad, Mulege, Baja
Mulege was bit of a disappointment after all the raves we had heard about it. It is a dusty little Baja town with expensive and substandard hotels.

Las Conchas, La Paz, Baja
La Paz was the nicest Baja town we encountered. With beautiful views of the Sea of Cortez from eveywhere and the pretty Malecon it was a joy after most of Americanized Baja.

Encanto Inn, San Jose del Cabo, Baja
Jan 22nd - Jan 23rd
Days 095-096, 10096 miles driven
The parking lot at the Encanto Inn was less than secure from the palm trees...

Fiesta Inn, La Paz, Baja
Returning back to La Paz we stayed at the luxurious Fiesta Inn thanks to a 50 percent AAA discount Cut out of pink stone and set into the sea of Cortez this property was deluxe.

Hotel Plaza, Compostela, Nayarit
Compostela was a small town on the way with a cute church. On Saturday all the fancy cars in town were out promenading.

Hotel Tenisol, Manzanillo, Colima
We were planning to camp at Manzanillo but all the sites were dumps, so we stayed at this weird little hotel where every thing was hexagonal, including the patterns on the doors.

Palapa, Calla de Campos, Michoacan
Michoacan is a beautiful state with very little development - one gets a sense of how nice the coast used to be before American money invaded and ruined it.

Campiamento Tortuguero, Guerrero
After the excellent camping experience of the day before we took this beckoning sign. This time we did not get so lucky - having to flush the toilet by dipping a hand ino the moss covered tank and listening to the monologues of a drunk fisherman.

Hotel Real Venus, Guerrero
On the way to the Real Venus we had the best tacos in Mexico. Barbacoa de Chivo, or roast goat with consomme was a tremendous roadside treat. Our luck in the evening was not so good - tacos at a fly infested crossroads.

Hotel del Carmen, Juquila, Oaxaca
Jan 31st
Driving to Juquila was a mini-adventure. Reaching this strange little town in the Sierra Madres is one of the rewards of exploring Mexico.

Hotel Francia, Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Vignettes of Oaxaca

Bornheim, Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Feb 2nd - Mar 2nd
Oaxaca has been the highlight of the trip so far. Interesting history, great food and nice people. From the ruins of Monte Alban to the buzzing Mercado de Abastos it is a non-stop feast for the mind and palette.

Hotel Donaji, Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
Mar 3rd
Enroute to Tehuantepec we passed Maguey farms and mountain scenery. The town itself was crowded, humid, and noisy.

Hotel de Los Angeles,Chiapas de Corzo, Chiapas
March 4th
The town of Chiapas de orzo has a beautifully ornate fountain and is the gateway town for tours into Canon de Sumidero.

Rincon de Arco, San Cristobal, Chiapas
March 5th - 9th
San Christobal is a melange of Mexican and expat communities. Although not as bad as Baja California it does seem like every other person here is from abroad.

Margarita and Ed
Mar. 10th-13th
Palenque was the first Ancient Maya site we visited and what a spectacular introduction. It rises out of a sea of green with amazing views, howls of howler monkeys, and shrill cries of eagles.

Escudo Jaguar, Chiapas
Mar. 14th - 16th
The Escudo Jaguar is a Ecotourism site run by the Lacondon Maya to provide an income from the forest so as to preserve it.

Yaxchilan, Chiapas
Mar. 15th
Yaxchilan was a large Maya center during the latter part of the classic period. It is reachable only by boat and contains many fine examples of Maya sculpture.

Bonampak, Chiapas
Mar. 16th
A strong ally of Yaxchilan, Bonampak flourished during the reign of Chan Muan II circa 790 A.D. Today it is significant for the detailed murals of elite Maya life.

Weilib-Ha, Chiapas
Photo: Weilib-Ha Waterfall
Mar. 17th
On the way to Villahermosa we stopped at an idyllic waterfall called Weiba-Ha that was surprisingly devoid of the clutter that tends to collect around waterfalls.

Hotel Independencia, Villahermosa
Photo: Olmec Heads, Parqur La Venta
Mar. 17th & 18th
Days 150-151, 12711 miles driven
In the 1950s petroleum workers in La Venta discovered large Olmec sculptures, that were moved to Villahermosa for safe keeping.

Hotel Lopez, Campeche, Campeche
Photo: Cathedral at Night, Plaza Central
Mar. 19th-21st
This walled city is a world heritage site and is maintained in spick and span condition with its pastel colored buildings.

Edzna
Photo: Five Stepped Pyramid
Mar. 22nd
Edzna is a mixture of Maya architecture styles. During the civil war in Guatemala, thousands of Guatemalan refugees helped clear reconstruct the site.

Los Arcos, Hopelchen
Photo: Lizard, Structure 1, Hochob
Mar. 22nd
The Los Arcos hotel was the worst place we had stayed on this trip. It was such a dump that I would prefer sharing space with the Iguana at Structure One.

Hochob
Photo: Structure One
Mar. 23rd
The site at Hochob is small but the main building is quite ornately decorated. We arrived early and had the place to ourselves.

Dzibilnocac
Photo: Rio Bec style pyramid
Mar. 23rd
The staffers at Dzibilnocac were very kind and friendly. They opened one of the rooms with ancient paintings for us to see.

Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
Photo: Flycatcher Inn, near Uxmal
Mar. 23rd
Destiny is fickle. While the day before we were punished with a real dump, today we found a real sweet Bed and Breakfast close to Uxmal.

Uxmal, Yucatan
Photo: Pyramid Adivino, Uxmal
Considered the most asthetic pyramid in the Maya world, it fits in well at Uxmal where all structures are well proportioned in the Puuc style.

Sayil, Yucatan
Photo: Gran Palacio, Sayil
Located on the Ruta Puuc, Sayil was home to as many at 17,000 people. Most of the site remains unexcavacated.

Labna
Photo: Maya Arch, Labna
At the end of the Sachbe, or sacred path, is the Labna arch. Built in Puuc style, Labna is better excavated than Sayil, even though it was a much smaller Maya town.

Grutas de Loltun
The caves of Loltun have evidence of human habitation dating back to 12,000 B.C.

Auto de Fe, Mani, Yucatan
Auto de Fe

Kabah, Yucatan
Photo: Chac Pattern, Kabah
In the parched Yucatan rain is very precious as stored rainwater and cenotes have to sustain the population between rainy seasons. The designers at Kabah hoped to please the rain God Chac by duplicating his image myriad times.

Luz en Yucatan, Merida, Yucatan
Photo: The Gladys Room
Mar. 26th - 29th
Luz en Yucatan was a fun funky place to stay while we worked on a raft of bureaucratic tasks.

Izamal
The golden town of Izamal.

Hotel Zaci, Valladolid
Photo: The Convento at Valladolid
Mar. 30th - Apr. 1st
The Hotel Zaci was a great budget hotel with a nice pool for swimming practice, even though it was over clorinated.

Chichen Itza, Yucatan
Photo: Feathered serpent, Chichén Itzá
Mar. 31st
The awe-inspiring and intimidating Chichén Itzá.

Ek Balam, Yucatan
Photo: Gaping Monster Mouth at Ek-Balam
Apr. 1st
Days 165, 13530 miles driven
The ruins at Ek-Balam are extremely well preserved and hardly any tourists are around to interfere with ones enjoyment.

Toyota Dealer, Cancun, Q. Roo

Hotel Alux, Playa del Carmen
Photo: Hotel Alux
Apr. 2nd - 5th
Playa del Carmen was overrun with rich Americans and Europeans so finding a nice hotel at a good price that had parking was quite a task. We almost moved on until we decided to try the place we just happened to park in front of.

Cenote Escondido, Tulum, Q. Roo
Photo: Cenote Escondido
Apr. 4th
Some of the lesser known cenotes were hidden gems with no tour operators and hardly any people. We were the only ones here.

Tacombi, Playa del Carmen
Photo: Tacombi restaurant
Apr. 5th
Food was good but expensive in Playa del Carmen. This hip taco truck was one of the cheaper places.

CESIAK
Photo: CESIAK
Apr. 6th
Days 170, 13896 miles driven
A bit on the expensive side, the basic tents at Cesiak were spectacularly located on the narrow strip of land between the Caribbean Sea and mangrove lagoons.

Cenote Sian Kaan
Photo: Cenote in Si'an Ka'an biosphere reserve
Days 171, 13952 miles driven
Another less crowded cenote, this one was in the Si'an Ka'an Reserve, among mangroves.

Maya Lodge, Tulum, Q. Roo
Photo: Mayan cabañas
Apr. 8th-9th
This was a bargain at 350 pesos (35 USD) a night. Food was wonderful.

Yaxche, Calakmul, Campeche
Photo: Yaxche campgrounds
Apr. 10th-11th
Visiting Calakmul called for rustic services. However, the people were really nice and the food was great!

Calakmul
Photo: Structure 1, Great Plaza, Calakmul
Calakmul rises out of a sea of green.

Balamku
Photo: Frieze at Balamku
Balamku is known for the well preserved frieze showing the king being sucked into the underworld. Jaguars, frogs, serpents - all are represented vividly

Xpuhil
Photo: Xpuhil
The Rio Bec style of Maya architecture is typified by steep, unclimbable towers.

Guadalupe del Carmen, Chetumal, Q. Roo

Belize Airport
Photo: Boot on car at Belize airport
Days 177, 14773.2 miles driven
The Belize airport keeps track of cars parked overnight using the boot.

Tropical Paradise, Caye Caulker
Photo: Tropical Paradise Hotel, Caye Caulker, Belize
Apr. 13th-14th
Caye Caulker added a Caribbean flavor to our vacation.

Midas Resort, San Ignacio
Photo: Midas resorts, San Ignacio
Days 179, 14843.7 miles driven
San Ignacio was quite a nice border town with a peaceful hotel and wonderful food at Hanna's.

Tikal, Peten
Photo: Tikal
Granted, the sunrise at Tikal is spectacular, but the amazing wildlife trumps the ruins.

Hotel La Posada, Coban, Verapaz
Photo: La Posada, Coban
A peaceful retreat at the coffee town of Coban

El Retiro, Lanquin
Photo: El Retiro Resort
Apr. 21st
A great stop to see Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey
Photo: Natural Swimming Pools
Apr. 21st
A refreshing swim in the beautiful pools of Semuc Champey

El Rancito de Quetzal
Photo: Forest behind El Ranchito
Apr. 22nd
El Ranchito, close to the Biotopo de Quetzal, is a better place to find the brilliantly colored bird in the months of May-June or Nov-Dec

Villa Nebaj, Nebaj, Quiche
Photo: Interspecies Harmony
Apr. 23rd
The village of Nebaj was a bit disappointing

Posada Schumann, San Marcos, Solola
Photo: Lake Atitlan
On the shores of Lake Atitlan

Posada La Merced, Antigua
Photo: Posada La Merced
Posada La Merced was "family oriented". This meant that it had a full size kitchen and rooms looking onto a lovely courtyard that allowed us to become friends with two families adopting Guatemalan kids.

Volcan Pacaya, Escuintla
Photo: Volcan Pacaya
May. 2nd
Climbing Pacaya at night was an amazing experience, a result of listening to a gentleman in the hotel who was trying to give away the walking stick that he himself had climbed Pacaya with.

Lava Flow
Photo: 30 ft from the lava flow
May 1st
After dinner and a box of wine, we visited the lava flow at night to roast marshmallows.

Volcano Camp
Photo: Our campsite
May 1st
Our tent is illuminated by the violent eruptions of the volcano and the slow moving lava flow.

Hotel Santa Monica, Los Amates
Photo: Hotel Santa Monica, Quirigua
May 4th
Hotel Santa Monica was an American motel type place with a pool. Food was surprisingly good here.

Quirigua Ruins
Photo: Zoomorph, Quirigua
May 5th
Welcome rain at Quirigua made the site one of the most verdant and beautiful of the Maya sites. It is famous for its zoomorphs and huge stelae.

Cafe B and B, Copan Honduras
Photo: At the Butterfly Gardens
May 6th - May 9th
The town of Copan Ruinas was a lovely place to stay, after the tension in Guatemala. Visited the Mayan Ruins at Copan and got a chance at some Macrophotography.

Copan Ruins
Photo: Copán, Honduras
May 7th
The site of Copán had an interesting combination of stelae, chenes style monster mouth architecture and the Rosalia temple, completely preserved under a pyramid constructed later. It was also our last Maya site.

Dans Hotel, La Ceiba

Hotel Kayla, Jewel Cay
Photo: Hotel Kayla
May 14th-15th
The Hotel Kayla looks much nicer than it was - just as the Greeks tumbled out of the Trojan horse the hotel Kayla assaulted us with stinky bathrooms and bad bedding.

Jade Seahorse, Utila
Photo: Jade Seahorse
May 12th, 13th, 16th
Utila puts a lie to the fact that all backpacker destinations are enjoyable and entertaining. The stifling heat and the biting insects are the high cost of cheap diving.

Hotel America Inc., Comayagua
Photo: Cathedral, Comayagua
Comayagua was just an overnight stop on the way to Nicaragua. Shreesh started to have his stomach trouble here. Dirk and Sevda, a Dutch couple that we met in Utila, were with us.

Hotel Alvarado, Matagalpa
Photo: Bus station at Matagalpa
Matagalpa was a nice introduction to Nicaragua - a cool hillside town surrounded by hills. We dropped off Dirk and Sevda at the bus station.

Posada del Doctor, Leon
Photo: Sandinista mural
May 21st
There wasn't much to do in Leon, but it was a nice place to rest. We stayed at Posada del Doctor, a slightly overpriced but comfortable hotel.

Pan American Turn-off

Don Alfredo, Granada
Photo: Pedestrian Zone, Granada
May 23rd, 24th
Granada is a beautiful colonial city with pastel buildings and is one of the oldest cities Spanish cities in Central America. Unfortunately the open gutters infuse the entire town with the smell of used soap and urine.

San Jorge Dock
Photo: FJ on ferry to Ometepe
Poor FJ got cow poop all over the window on the ferry to Omepete island. Shreesh swears that this is what caused the window problem we had later - or at least brought it into prominence.

Moyogalpa Dock
Photo: Volcán Concepción, Ometepe
Isla Ometepe was beautiful with two volcanoes, Concepción and Madera. Concepción is still active. We didn't climb either as Shreesh was still feeling under the weather.

Finca Magdelena, Ometepe
Photo: Processing coffee at Finca Magdalena, Ometepe
Day 219-220, 16787 miles driven
We stayed at the rustic but peaceful Finca Magdalena which had lots of petroglyphs on its property. The finca also produces organic coffee which is exported to the US.

Casa Blanca, Liberia
Photo: Cathedral, Liberia
"Pura vida" in Costa Rica. We had one of the best meals on the trip in Liberia at Flor de Lyz restaurant.

Hotel Belvedere, Samara

Tempisque Bridge
Photo: Tespisque Bridge, Costa Rica
"Puente de Amistad", a gift from Taiwan for recognizing them as the genuine leaders of China.

Raging River
Photo: One of the many raging rivers on the way to San Jose
This river was fascinating to watch turbulent waters tore down trees and swallowed them whole...

Hotel Quijote, San Jose
Photo: Hotel Quijote, Escazu, San Jose
Day 223-224, 17105 miles driven
The Hotel Quijote was a welcoming hotel in the upmarket suburb of Escazu, San Jose. A bit expensive, but with friendly staff catering to your every need. It felt as if we were taying at a (well to do) friend's house.

Oracle

Siempreverde Lodge, Alajuela
Photo: Siempreverde Lodge, Costa Rica
This beautiful lodge set among coffee plantations was a great base for our trips to San Jose. The illusion was spoilt when the owner (manager?) tried to charge us five star rates for doing our laundry (a service that they hadn't standardized and had no rate sheets for). We didn't pay.

CIMA Hospital

Butterfly Farm
Photo: Monarch Butterfly, Butterfly Farm
June 1st
Butterfly farms are a great way to practice our macro skills and spend a pleasant day.

Toyota Dealer, Uruca

Cabanas Alice, Jaco
Photo: Jaco beach, Costa Rica
June 3rd
Jaco was an unexpected stop when we got diverted from the still closed Pan American. The development is out of control here, with tall skyscrapers overlooking the pleasant beach.

Luna Lodge, Carate
Photo: Luna Lodge, Carate
June 4th
A serene spot close to the Corcovado National Park, set amid the rainforest. You could spot birds galore from the lodge itself and lived close to nature as grasshoppers and spiders shared your room, and in some cases, your bed..

Puesto La Leona, Corcovado

Hotel Andrea, Ciudad Neilly

Border Crossing at Sereno

Los Quetzales Lodge, Guadaloupe
Photo: Finca Dracula, Guadalupe
June 8th
The orchid farm in Guadelupe specializes in the dracula orchid and has more than 2,500 orchids.

Pensione Topas, Boquete

La Hacienda, Santiago

Canopy Tower, Parque Soberania
Photo: Canopy Tower
June 14th
A former US radar installation, the Canopy Tower now serves as the perfect place for birdwatching. Beautiful vistas of ships sailing by the Canal are to be had from the roof, along with monkeys, sloth and colorful birds.

The Ammo Dump
Photo: Collared Aracari
As expected, the ammo dump was close to a military site, but you can see jacanas playing around in the marshy ground right outside.

Pipeline Road
Photo: Three toed sloth
The three toed sloth is a deligt to watch; like a slow motion video.

Hotel California
Photo:Oneiva, receptionist at Hotel California
Hotel California had AC, cable TV and internet at $35 a night. More importantly, they had really nice people working there. Interesting clients too - the Russian who was fighting a lawsuit and the trumped up 60 yr old woman; I would have liked to know what their stories were.

Aduana

Super Service Panama
Photo: At SuperService, Panama City
SuperService was recommended to us overwhelmingly by various Panama City residents. The FJ had its differential oils changed here.

Miraflores Locks
Photo: Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal
June 21st
The Miraflores locks are the first set of locks that you encounter on the way to the Atlantic ocean. From here the ships enter the Pedro Miguel locks to reach the Culebra Cut.

Pedro Miguel Locks
Photo: Going through the Culebra cut
June 21st
The Culebra cut is the deepest part of the Panama Canal. It presented the biggest technical challenge to the engineers.

Gatun Locks
Photo: Panamax vessel in Gatun locks
The gigantic Panamax vessel takes up most of the locks, leaving only two feet on either side.

Puerto San Christobal, Colon
Photo: San Cristobal port
It took us a full day at the San Cristobal docks in the city of Colon to load or "stuff" the FJ in a 40 ft container along with another car.

Hostal Baluarte, Cartagena
Photo: El Centro, Cartagena
We spent many hot and humid days in the lovely city of Cartagena, in the process of freeing our car from Customs.

Seaboard Marine, Cartagena
Photo: With Evelyn Batista of Seaboard Marine
July 2nd
Evelyn Batista of Seaboard Marine was a saint and helped us tremedously with the complicated shipping process.

Hostal Dona Manuela, Mompós
Photo: Filigree craftsman, Mompós
July 7th
Mompós is famous for its filigree work. It was an important city in its time with elaborate mansions of merchants lining the river. Now it is a small, remote town, connected to the main road by ferries crossing the Magdalena river.

Hotel Casagrande, Bucaramanga

Hotel Corata, Barichara
Photo: Earth Construction, Barichara
July 10th-11th
The houses in Barichara are very beautifully constructed of earth materials. The temperate weather, great hiking, and adventure sports are additional draws.

Guane
Photo: In the village of Guane
July 11th
The villagers were friendly, curious and remarkably free of shyness; as with this girl who posed patiently while we took her picture.

Hostal del Sol, Villa de Leyva
Photo: Central Plaza, Villa de Leyva
July 12th
Since there was little to do in Villa de Leyva, we celebrated with cheap Chilean box wine, arepas and tablecloth right in the center of the main plaza. This photo was taken by a German bar owner who came out to join us.

Ximena Home, Bogotá
The famous Salt Cathedral near Bogotá

Platypus, Bogotá
Photo: Simon Bolivar plaza, Bogotá.
The Simon Bolivar Plaza is the seat of government in Bogotá. The beautiful yellow sandstone used for the justice hall, president's palace and other buildings reminded me of Jaisalmer, India.

Hotel Casa Pablo, Neiva

Estrecho
Photo: At a constriction of the River Magdalena.
The River Magdalena is a constant companion on the drive through San Augustin and Tierradentro. The Estrecho is a narrow constriction in the river close to its source where the waters flow fast and furiously.

Resort Yalconia, San Augustin
Photo: Hotel Yalconia, San Augustin.
Inspite of being built as a resort like place with buildings in the Swiss, American, native Indian and Spanish colonial styles, the Hotel Yalconia was actually quite pleasant and comfortable.

Isnos
Photo: At the site of San Augustin.
San Augustin and Isnos gave us an opportunity to visit ruins of a lost civilization. After the Maya, this was a special treat for us.

Hostal Pisimbala, Tierradentro
Photo: An underground tomb in Segovia, Tierradentro.
July 21st
Tierradentro has some amazing underground tombs. The ability to descend down steps built so long ago was quite thrilling.

Hotel Virrey, Popayan
Photo: One of the many churches of Popayán.
July 22nd
Popayán ia called "Ciudad Blanca" or the "White City" and is the capital of Cauca. It still retains its colonial character and is quite pretty.

Hotel Fernando, Pasto
Photo: View from our hotel window in Pasto.
July 23rd
In Pasto, the capital of Nariño, we just took the time to chill in our hotel rooms. And with a view like this, why go out?

Mayasquer, Ipiales

Las Lajas
Photo: Santuario de Las Lajas, near Ipiales.
The Santuario de Las lajas is definitely worth a visit, its gothic structure spectacularly spanning a deep canyon.

Dona Ester, Otavalo
Photo: The animal market of Otavalo.
Otavalo is a big market town. The animal market is the more interesting of the many markets that set up every Saturday, including a large artisan market.

Posada Colonial, Quito
Photo: View of Quito from the top of the basilica.
The Old City of Quito is beautiful. The views from one of the Gothic towers of the basilica are especially rewarding.

Cotopaxi Refugio
Photo: José Ribas refugio at 15,840ft.
August 5th
Volcan Cotopaxi, at 19,460ft, was out of the question to consider climbing. The hike to the refuge at almost 16,000ft was hard enough.

Sir Francis Drake
Photo: Giant tortoise, Santa Cruz island.
August 5th
Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz is a real eyesore, with mediocre hotels, like Sir Francis Drake. However, the rest of the island is beautiful. Trips to other islands leave from here.

Cormorant Beach House
Photo: Marine Iguanas chilling out on the beach.
August 11th - 14th
The Cormorant Beach House was located on the beach on Isabela island. A breeze blew often and rendered the climate very pleasant. Our only regret was not spending enough time here, doing nothing...

Los Tunneles
Photo: Lava tunnels.
August 14th
Los Tunneles was a magical area where we snorkeled among lava tunnels. White tipped reef sharks come to rest here and marine turtles can be seen majestically gliding around.

Hotel Gardner
Photo: Black Finch, Santa Cruz island.
August 15th-16th
A day or two in another mediocre hotel in Puerto Ayora. This hotel had a water leak in the ceiling and the room felt forever humid.

Wittmer House
Photo: Marine Iguana, Floreana island.
Floreana island has the most history of the islands in the Galapagos. The Wittmer House is the only hotel on the island, however, lack of transport makes it difficult to stay there.

Isla Champions
Photo: Marine turtle.
The currents were a bit strong for me at Champions island, so I missed seeing sharks there. However, we saw sea-lions, marine turtles and a stonefish while snorkeling there.

Casablanca
Photo: Hotel Casablanca, San Cristobal.
Hotel Casablanca was the nicest hotel we stayed at in the Galapagos. The owner is an artist, each room is simple but pretty.

Leon Dormido
Photo: Leon Dormido rock.
Leon Dormido is a really cool rock near San Cristobal island. You can snorkel through the narrow channel seen in the photo. We saw schools of Galapagos sharks and spotted eagle rays while snorkeling there.

Santa Fe
Photo: Sea lion.
August 21st
Sea lions were everywhere, including the beach on Santa Fe. We couldn't land on Santa Fe, as we took a day trip there.

Genovesa
Photo: Frigate bird.
August 23rd
Frigate birds nest on few islands, Genovesa is one of them.

Tagus Cove
Photo: Tagus Cove, Isabela.
Tagus cove can only be reached by cruiseship. On this part of the island, a series of steps led us to a salt water lake that many have mistaken in the past for a fresh water source.

Equator Cross

Santiago
Photo: On Santiago island.
The black sands and lava cliffs of Santiago were an amazing backdrop to our snokeling.

Baltra

Posada Ingapirca, Ingapirca
Photo: Posada Ingapirca.
Posada Colonial was a great find to see Ingapirca. It had a good restaurant and was 500mts from the Inca site of Ingapirca.

Ingapirca
Photo: Ingapirca.
The Inca site of Ingapirca was a small but lovely site with typical Inca framework.

Hostal Macondo, Cuenca
Photo: Hostal Macondo.
A beautiful and amazingly cheap hotel in a lovely colonial house. It had a full service kitchen that made me wish that we had a chance of staying there longer.

Hotel La Siesta, Sullana
Day 316, 20635.0 miles driven.
We gave a ride to a policeman at the border who was nice enough to see us safely into a good hotel in tough Sullana.

Hostal Colonial, Trujillo
Photo: Hostal Colonial
Aug. 31-Sep. 1st
We first passed up the Colonial because it had no parking but we came back to it after finding nothing better.

Huaca De Luna

Los Pinos, Caraz
Photo: Rayamondi Plant
Luis at the Los Pinos Lodge was extremely helpful in organizing our Santa Cruz trek and other activities around Caraz. He was also our guide for the trek!

Ruinas Caraz
Photo: On the way to Caraz
September 3rd
We love ruins. Even small ones like those outside Caraz contain items of fascination - inca walls and burial chambers.

Cebolla Pampa
Photo: Neena at Cebollapampa
September 5th
Our acclimitization hike started at Cebollapampa. We just made it back in time to setup the tent before the rain started and confined us to our tent.

Refugio Peru
Photo: Regufio Peru, 4765m
September 6th
Refugio Peru was built by an Italian priest as a way to help the poor of the Andes. We later learned that there were all kinds of intrigue behind this, as in the money goes to a community far from the refugio as opposed to the one nearby.

High Point, Cord. Hike
Photo: Shreesh with Pisco glacier
September 7th
This was the toughest and the most beautiful hike in the Cordilliera Blanca. Rising to almost 5,000 meters, we walked through glacial moraines and overlooks upon stunning lakes. No pain no gain!

Lago 69
Photo: Lago 69
Chacaraju towers above the impossibly blue Lago 69. This was the toughest and the most beautiful hike in the Cordilliera Blanca. Rising to almost 5,000 meters, we walked through glacial moraines and overlooks upon stunning lakes. No pain no gain!

Llama Corral
Photo: Llama Corral camp.
Our first campsite on the Santa Cruz hile at 12,400ft was in a beautiful valley formed by the Santa Cruz river.

Taullipampa
Photo: Taullipampa camp
Taullipampa,at 14,025ft, was surrounded by peaks like Taulliraju and Alpamayo. This was the second campsite on the Santa Cruz hike.

Punta Union
Photo: Punta Union Pass
Punta Union, at 15,675ft, is the hightest point on the Santa Cruz hike.

Huaripampa
Photo: Huaripampa camp
Huaripampa was the last campsite on the Santa Cruz trail. It was a long slog to get there!

Vaqueria
Photo: Trail's end
Trail's end a little before the town of Vaqueria. The donkeys are resting, getting ready for the long trek back.

Hostal Jefferson, Barranca

Hostal Dona Manuelita, Pisco
Photo: Candelabra, Pisco
Pisco had been devastated by an earthquake last year. We were still able to see the Candelabra as well as visit the Islas Ballestas, the "Galapagos" of Peru. And of course, we enjoyed Pisco Sours there!

Hostal Zegerro, Chalhunaca

Hostal Amaru, Cuzco
Photo: Hostal Amaru, Cuzco
Cuzco is always magical. We returned to Cuzco this year to explore the rainforest of Manu.

Paucartambo
Photo: Central Plaza, Paucartambo
Paucartambo was a breakfast stop on the way into Manu. This is where our bus broke down on the way back and we had to wait four hours for a replacement transport. We didn't find the local people very friendly and we couldn't find a working bathroom in the entire village.

San Pedro Lodge, Manu
Photo: Cock-of-the-rock.
San Pedro lodge in the cloud forest was our first stop. This is where we saw the beautiful cock of the rock birds.

Pilcopata

Atayala
Photo: Manu transport
Manu is so remote that we were traveling 5-6 hours a day in this boat to get into the Reserve zone.

Gina Lodge, Manu
Photo: Gina Lodge, Manu Cultural Zone
Gina Lodge was our first stp in the rainforest and the start of cold water showers.

Camp Salvador, Manu
Photo: Lake Salvador, Manu
September 21st
Lake Salvador is an oxbow lake in the Manu reserved zone where amazing birds like the hoatzin can be seen.

Boca Manu
Photo: Boca Manu
September 23rd
Boca Manu is a tiny town at the confluence of Alto Madre de Dios and Manu rivers. We stopped here to refuel several times.

Lago Blanco
Photo: Macaws at Lago Blanco
September 23rd
Lago Blanco is another oxbow lake in the Manu cultural zone. We saw macaws up close here for the first time.

Tambo Blanquilllo, Manu

Blanquillo Clay Lick
Photo: Blanquillo clay lick
Red and green macaws descend to eat clay at the Blanquillo clay lick.

Pantiacolla Lodge, Manu
Photo: Pantiacolla Lodge, Manu Cultural Zone
Pantiacolla Lodge was the most luxurious of our lodges, with wonderful trails at the base of the Pantiacolla mountains.

Posada del Inca, Puno
Photo: Boat with totoro reed, Lake Titicaca
October 1st
The floating islands on Lake Titicaca were very beautiful, inspite of their touristy reputation.

Casa Arequipa, Arequipa
Photo: Casa Arequipa, Arequipa
October 2nd
Casa Arequipa was a really nice place - old world hospitality in a lovely colonial town.

Kuntur Wassi, Cabanaconde
Photo: Terraces in the Colca valley
October 6th
Cabanaconde is a good place to spot the condor - it is a much quieter village than Chivay and closer to Cruz del Condor.

Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon
Photo: The Andean Condor
October 9th
It is hard work to see the Andean condor up close - it took us three tries before we got a satisfactory display.

Pozo del Cielo, Chivay
Photo: Posada Pozo de Cielo
October 8th
The village of Chivay is nice in itself, with some nice pre-inca ruins nearby.

El Meson, Tacna

Frontera con Chile

Inti llanka, Iquique
Photo: In the power house, Humberstone
The northern part of Chile is littered with ghost towns from the defunct nitrate industry.

Hosteria Calama, Calama
Photo: Huge trucks employed in the Chuquicamata copper mine
The Chuquicamata copper mine in Calama is the world's biggest copper mine.

Chacabuco
Photo: Employee housing, Chacabuco
Another ghost town in Northern Chile, this one was used as a concentration camp during the Pinochet regime.

Bugui, Chacabuco
Photo: The truck stop of Bugui
The restaurant and truck stop of Bugui where we had good food, good sleep and great company.

Chiu Chiu
Photo: Church in Chiu Chiu
The village of Chiu Chiu had a beautiful church with doors and beams made out of cactus.

Chez Cecilia, Caspana
Photo: Señora Cecilia, Caspana
The best places to stay in Northern Chile were at the smaller hospedajes, like the one at Señora Cecilia's. Very hospitable, she took us to her family's terraces to pick fresh cilantro, mint and spring onions for us to cook with at night.

El Tatio
Photo: Geyser at El Tatio
We had to get up at 4am in the morning to see this spectacle of the geysers high up in the Andes.

Hostal Takha-Takha, SP Atacama

Valle de la Luna
Photo: Valle de Luna, near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
The Valle de Luna is famous for its lunar landscape. After seeing the canyons near Salta, I felt that the beauty of Valle de Luna is over-rated.

Hostal Borgona, Salta
Photo: Quebrada de Purmamarca, on the way to Salta.
We passed stupendous scenery on the way to Salta in Argentina. The Quebrada de Purmamarca is said to have seven different colors.

Llaqta Mawka, Cachi
Photo: Cemetery, Cachi, Argentina.
Cachi was a lovely little town. We stayed there just one day, but there are lots of nice hikes around for longer stays.

Colome Winery
Photo: Colomé winery, near Salta, Argentina.
The Colomé winery is owmed by the Hess Group of California. Their Torrontes and the Cabernet-Malbec blend was particularly pleasing.

Vaca Tranquilla, San Carlos
Photo: Outside the Vaca Tranquilla farmhouse, near Salta.
The Vaca Tranquilla farmhouse in San Carlos was the perfect place to explore the wineries in Cafayate.

Residencial Ruta 16, P.Guanaco

Hotel San Ignacio, San Ignacio
Photo: San Ignacio, Argentina
The Jesuit missions of San Ignacio were nice, but a bit of a let down after the fabulous ruins of the ghost towns of Chile.

Los Troncos, Puerto Iguazu
Photo: Los Troncos hotel, Puerto Iguazu
October 31st
The Los Troncos hotel had everything we needed to monitor the historic 2008 US election results.

Foz do Iguacu
Photo: Foz du Iguazu, Argentina
November 1st
The Iguazu Falls takes a few days to explore, it is worth seeing them from both the Brazilian as well as the Argentinian sides.

Salto Ramirez
Photo: Salto Ramirez waterfall, Iguazu Falls
November 3rd
The waterfalls are so numerous that it is hard to distinguish one from the other.

Salto Mbigua
Photo: Salto Mbigua viewpoint, Iguazu Falls
November 3rd
The Upper circuit of the Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian side provides impressive viewpoints.

Garganta del Diablo
Photo: Garganta del Diablo, Argentina
November 3rd
The awesome Devil's throat or Garganta del Diablo has so much water flowing ferociously that it is sometimes totally obscured.

Hotel DeVille, Guaira
Photo: Hotel Deville, Guaira, Brazil
Our first day in Brazil was at this expensive hotel, making us concerned that Brazil was going to be expensive. It was also reassuring, however, to find nice hotels right off the highway.

Hotel Advanced, Campo Grande

Park Hotel, Sonora
Photo: Hotel Cerro Oeste, Sonora, Brazil
The hotel in Sonora was a short stop on the way to Cuiabá in the Pantanal, Brazil.

Hotel Mato Grosso, Cuiaba

Araras Lodge, Pantanal
Photo: Araras Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil
Araras Lodge was our first stop in the Pantanal, from here you can be in the Pantanal in relative comfort.

Jaguar Lodge, Pantanal
Photo: Bridge on the Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil
The Transpantaneira is a gravel road through the Pantanal swamp, it becomes impassable during the wet season. It consists of 126 such bridges on 147 kms of road.

Rio Clarinho, Pantanal
Photo: Rio Clarinho Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil
Most of the Pantanal is farmland and lodges are actually working farms. Rio Clarinho, a basic but beautifully situated lodge in an old colonial house is on a peninsula on the Clarinho river. As it is so close to the river, you can go on serene canoe rides during sunrise and sunset.

Hits Pantanal, V.Grande
Photo: View out of the window, Hits Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil
The Hits Pantanal was a bit expensive but quite a nice hotel on the outskirts of Cuiabá.

Pousada Real, Sinop
Photo: Pousada Real, Sinop, Brazil
November 22nd
One of the many stops on the way to the Amazon.

Sedna Palace, Guranta do Norte
Photo: Sedna Palace, Guranta do Norte, Brazil
One of the saddest days on the trip; we had to abort our expedition into the Amazon as we were unsure of the effects of the high percentage of alcohol in Brazilian gas on our car.

Hotel Alvarado, Santa Helena

Hotel Los Panchos, San Pedro

Refugio Mocona
Photo: Unknown fly, Refugio Mocona, Argentina
The rainforest is always a great opportunity for practicing some more macro photography.

Salto Mocona
Photo: Salto Mocona, Argentina
The Uruguay river had risen higher when we visited the falls, hence reducing their height from 30 ft to about 6ft.

Hotel Condado, Santo Tome

Dalva Riberio Home
Photo: Tiago’s farwell party, Panambi Brazil
We visited our friend Dalva in Panambi.

Palacio Quitandinha, Petrópolis
Photo: Palacio Quitandinha, Petrópolis, Brazil
December 8th
Palacio Quitandinha was built as a grand casino. However, the Brazilian government outlawed gambling, causing it to be one of the grandest hotel-cum-condominium complexes that I have seen.

Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro
Photo: The famous Jesus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
December 11th
We visited on a gloomy day, but the views were still spectacular.

Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro
Photo: Favela da Rocinha Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
December 11th
This favela is still run by the infamous ADA drug gang, it is a “middle-class” favela and is considered quite well-off.

Casa da Carmen e Fernando, Rio de Janeiro
Photo: Casa da Carmen e Fernando
Carmen and Fernando have converted a cookie factory in the Santa Teresa district of Rio, creating a B&B with fabulous views of the Guanabara Bay.

Pao de Azucar, Rio de Janeiro
Photo: Sugarlof, Rio de Janeiro
The famous Sugarloaf mountain as seen from Corcovado peak, where the famous Christ the Redemptor statue is located.

Posada Chico Rey, Ouro Preto
Photo: Pousada Chico Rey
This old Portuguese house in the colonial town of Ouro Preto had housed a lot of famous Brazilian poets and writers. The owner's grandmother had restored the 200 year old house and was quite famous during her time.

Cathedral, Mariana
Photo: Church, Mariana, Brazil
Mariana was a small colonial town close to the famous one of Ouro Preto. On Fridays and Sundays, they have an organ concert in their cathedral, performed on an old German organ. This was installed there when Mariana was the capital of the state of Minas Gerais.

Hotel Las Vegas, Paso Los Libres

Corrupt Police

Hotel Plaza Real, Rosario

Hotel Las Vegas, Rio Cuarto

Hotel Nutibara, Mendoza
Photo: Hotel Nutibara, Mendoza, Argentina
January 2nd
We stayed at Nutibara, a bittersweet reminder of the days when we climbed Aconcagua.

Hotel Ayelen, Parque Aconcagua
Photo: Cerro Aconcagua, Argentina
January 3rd
In 2001 we had been in the same area that we were crossing now; Parque National Aconcagua. We had been there to climb the mountain, which Shreesh succeeded but Neena didn't.

Portillo Ski Resort

Hotel Brighton, Valparaiso
Photo: Ascensor on Cerro Artilleria, Valparaiso, Chile
January 9th
We spent a few days in Valparaiso, full of good food and wine.

Hotel Rancagua, Rancagua
Photo: Hotel Rancagua, Rancagua,Chile
January 9th
This was the second time in Chile we almost lost money and credit cards. Neena dropped Shreesh's wallet this time, luckily a good samaritan brought the wallet back.

Hostal del Puente, Talca
Photo: Hostal del Puente, Talca,Chile
January 10th
A beautiful hostal with a small garden. We couldn't visit the wine country around Talca because it was a Sunday. We met some Argentine motorcyclists here from the pampa. The owner was an economist, a Pinochet supporter to boot!

Don Eduardo, Temuco
Photo: Hotel Don Eduardo,Temuco,Chile
Temuco is at the edge of the Chilean lake country. The room in Hotel Don Eduardo was a big suite and quite nice.

Camp. Trafanpulli
Photo: Camp Trafanpulli,Lake Colico,Chile
The most expensive campsite in the world? Camp Trafanpulli has big campsites by the lake, private bathrooms, electric outlets, shady kitchen and dining area.

Camp. Olga
Photo: Camp Olga,Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
A beautiful, private campsite on Lake Tinquilco. This was Parque Nacional Huerquehue. We took the beautiful Tres Lagos hike here.

Caseta de Guardia
Photo: National Park sign, Chile
This is the guard station, 45 mins into the hike. The Tres Lagos hike winds through some beautiful lakes fringed by araucaria trees.

Cascada Nido
Photo: Cascada Nido, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
The first waterfall on the Tres Lagos hike.

Cascada Triunfo
Photo: Cascada Triunfo, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
The second waterfall on the Tres Lagos hike.

Mirador 2
Photo: Lake Tinquilco, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
The viewpoint close to the top. You can see Lake Tinquilco from way up.

Lago Chico
Photo: Lake Chico, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
The first lake we came across on the Tres Lagos hike.

Lago Toro
Photo: Lake Toro, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
A beautiful lunch spot...black sand beaches and fascinating insects.

Laguna Verde
Photo: Lake Verde, Parque Nacional Huerquehue,Chile
This lake was full of backpackers having lunch.

Mirador 1
Photo: Lake Tinquilco, Parque Nacional Huerquehue, Chile
The first viewpoint on the Tres Lagos.

Casona 32, Frutillar
Photo: Hotel del Casona, Frutillar, Chile
Frutillar is possibly the prettiest little town in South America. On the shores of Lake Llanquihue, Volcán Osorno is framed by Volcán Puntiagudo and Tronador. We attended the classical music festival here, staying for a few days in this lovely old hotel.

Hostal del Pacifico, Puerto Montt
Photo: At Hotel Pacifico, Puerto Montt, Chile
In the port town of Puerto Montt, we waited eagerly for friend Vinay to join us. Puerto Montt is a no-nonsense port town, the residents of Chiloé most come here to shop as tons of supermarkets, hardware shops, appliance shops, barbers etc... line the streets.

Puerto Varas

Salto de Petrohue
Photo: Salto de Petrohue, Petrohue, Chile
The entry to this National Park was closed when we got there but the exit was still open for a couple more hours. Both Shreesh and I got badly bitten here.

Arena Gruesa, Ancud
Photo: Hotel Arena Gruesa, Ancud, Chile
I will always remember Arena Gruesa, where I took a part of the carport off when I drove under it with the jerry cans still strapped to the top.

Penguins
Photo: Magellan & Humboldt penguins, Chiloé, Chile
Magellanic and Humboldt can be seen here, on one of the beaches close to Ancud.

Unicornio Azul, Castro
Photo: Hotel Unicornio Azul, Castro, Chile
The Unicornio Azul must be some sort of joke. They also own the yellow colored Galeon Azul in Ancud. We received a 50% discount here due to the heating being broken.

Iglesia de Dalcahue
Photo: Church, Dalcahue, Chile
January 21st
Wooden churches are famous in Chiloé. With Vinay in the central plaza.

Iglesia de Achao
Photo: Church, Achao, Chile
January 21st
This is the oldest church in Chiloé. The Virgin Mary in the church is said to be even older.

Iglesia de Rillán
Photo: Church, Rillán, Chile
January 21st
The church in Rillán was locked. We had to hunt around for the caretaker. Turns out it hadn't been locked after all, just appeared to be.

Iglesia de Chonchi
Photo: Church, Chonchi, Chile
This beautiful church apparently burnt down. They have redone it and it is quite pleasing. We ran into the author for Moon books for Chile/Argentina here and had quite an interesting conversation about life in Argentina.

Hostal Chela, Cucao
Photo: Hostal Chela, Cucao, Chile
January 22nd
Oh my God! It is the Bates motel”! This was Vinay's first reaction on seeing this pensione, which took us a while to find as there was no sign.

Parque Nat. Chiloe
Photo: Viewpoint at Parque Nacional Cucao, Cucao, Chile
January 22nd
A relaxing walk through the native forest of dense tepual. The beach had sandunes of black sand and seemed quite desolate.

Hostal Torreon
Photo: Hostal Torreón, Valdivia, Chile
We met Don José Retamales in Hostal Torreón. He had had a hard life, when Pinochet supporters took over his land and left him with nothing.

Brigit Farm
Photo: Dairy farm near Frutillar, Chile
One of the owners of Casona del 32 treated us to a delightful brunch on her dairy farm.

Puerto Octay
Photo: Bicycle race, Puerto Octay, Chile
The day we visited Puerto Octay, a bicycle race around Lake Llanquihue was going on, and the first few bicyclists were coming in. This guy came in second place.

Quetalmahue
Photo: Restaurant Quetalmahue, Chiloé, Chile
February 2nd
The best curanto on the island, Quetalmahue, near the town of Ancud in Chiloé.

Navimag Terminal

Brisas del Mar, Chaiten
Photo: The Brisas del Mar Hotel, Chaiten
February 3rd
The town of Chaiten was severely damaged by the eruption of the Chaiten volcano. Only time will tell whether the village will be rebuilt or relocated.

Camp. Yelcho Patagonia
Photo: Lago Yelcho, Carretera Austral, Chile
February 4th
We camped on the shores of Lago Yelcho but were not able to visit the glacier as it rained incessantly. However, we had a good pisco with some Chilean students here.

Hosteria Aleman, Puyuhuapi
Photo: Puyuhuapi, Carretera Austral, Chile
February 5th
Puyuhuapi was supposed to be the prettiest place on the Carretera Austral, but we did not like it much. The hotel owners of German descent were very rude to us and the food abominable.

Parque National Quelat
Photo: On the way to see the hanging glacier, Parque National Quelat, Chile
February 8th
A nice two hour hike leads you to a fantastic viewpoint of the hanging glacier.

Colgante mirador 1
Photo: The first viewpoint, Mirador 1, Parque National Quelat, Chile
Our first view of the hanging glacier.

Colgante Mirador 2
Photo: The second viewpoint, Mirador 2, Parque National Quelat, Chile
The view at the end of the trek to the second viewpoint.

Hotel Mirador, Coyhaique
Photo: Windmills, Coyhaique, Chile
The area around Coyhaique is beautiful. Coyhaique is the biggest city on the Carretera Austral and has its own airport.

Hostal Villarica, Cerro Castillo
Photo: Cerro Castillo, Villa Cerro Castillo, Chile
Cerro Castillo looms like a peak out of J.R.R.Tolkien's Mordor.

Los Manos
Photo: Los Manos monument, Villa Cerro Castillo, Chile
Handprints from thousands of years ago can be seen in the Los Manos monument near Villa Cerro Castillo on the Carretera Austral.

Lago Central
Photo: Lago Central, Villa Cerro Castillo, Chile
A wonderful picnic at the beautiful Lago central near Villa Cerro Castillo.

El Puesto, Puerto Tranquillo
Photo: El Puesto, Puerto Tranquillo, Chile
An expensive hotel with impersonal service, El Puesto was not to our liking. The town of Puerto Tranquillo is famous for its sculpted marble caves but does not have sufficient tourist infrastructure to handle it.

Capilla del Marmol
Photo: Capilla de marmol, Puerto Tranquillo, Chile
The famous sculpted structure of marble in the lake near Puerto Tranquillo.

Hotel Austral, Chile Chico
Photo: Outside Chile Chico, Carretera Austral, Chile
The Patagonian winds blow hard and strong outside the frontier town of Chile Chico in Chile.

Blowout
Photo: Shredded tire, Ruta 40, Argentina
After driving more than 33,000 miles, it was Ruta 40 in Argentina between Baja Caracoles and Tres Lagos that finally destroyed our tire.

Estancia Angostura
Photo: Estancia Angostura, Ruta 40, Argentina
We had to camp in Estancia Angostura after having been delayed by the disastrous shredded tire on Ruta 40.

Hosteria El Paraiso, El Chalten
Photo: View from Hosteria El Paraiso, El Chalten, Argentina
Fitzroy was hard to see, as it rained almost everyday we were in El Chalten. We didn't even know that we could see Fitzroy from our window until one fine day it cleared up.

Sendero Laguna Torre

Sendero Fitz Roy
Photo: Start of Sendero Fitzroy, El Chalten, Argentina
After two days of rain, we were finally able to get in a good hike in Parque Nacional El Chalten. This is one of the famous day hikes that everyone takes.

Mirador del Rio
Photo: Mirador Rio, Parque Nacional El Chalten, Argentina
The first beautiful mirador on the Sendero Fitzroy gives an extensive view of the valley.

Mirador Fitz Roy
Photo: Mirador Fitzroy, Parque Nacional El Chalten, Argentina
We waited in vain for an hour at this viewpoint for the clouds to clear up for a view of Fitzroy.

Sendero Madre y Hija
Photo: Sendero Madre y Hija, Parque Nacional El Chalten, Argentina
We were finally able to see Fitzroy from this viewpoint, although only through the clouds continuously surrounding it.

MiraNadaDor
Photo: Mirador Cerro Torre, Parque Nacional El Chalten, Argentina
This is the view from Mirador Cerro Torre on the Laguna Torre trail even on a beautiful clear summer day. We never were able to successfully see Cerro Torre in the four days we were in El Chalten.

Glacier Huemul
Photo: Glaciar Huemul, Parque Nacional El Chalten, Argentina
This beautiful viewpoint of the Huemul glacier is not worth the $5.00 per person charged by the privateer who owns the lands where the trail begins.

Casa Del Grillo, Calafate
Photo: Casa de Grillos, Calafate, Argentina
A lovely B&B run by ex-schoolteachers made us feel very welcome in Calafate.

Big Trekking Start
Photo: Perito Moreno Glaciar, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina
February 22nd
We went for a long day hike on the Perito Moreno glacier.

Crampons On/Off
Photo: Choosing crampons, Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
February 22nd
We needed to put on crampons for the big walk on the glacier.

Blue Glacial Lake
Photo: Glacial lake, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina
The walk on the glacier was a great way to see formations like moraines, crevasses and glacial lakes.

Condor del Plata
Photo: Hotel Condor de la Plata, Punta Arenas, Chile
In Punta Arenas we were met with extremely kind hospitality, from owners of the Hotel Condor de la Plata as well as from the Nandwanis, the most prominent Indian family settled there.

Estrecho Magallanes
Photo: Ferry across the Straits of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
March 2nd
The ferry across the Straits of Magellan. Sometimes the winds are very rough here.

Posada Los Sauces
Photo: Posada Los Sauces, Rio Grande, Argentina
March 2nd
We stayed at the expensive Posada Los Sauces, where we were amply recompensated by the interesting conversation we had with the oil drilling consultant from Canada.

Tolhuin
Photo: Panaderia La Union, Tolhuin, Argentina
March 3rd
Tolhuin is relatively famous for its bakery, La Union, quite a sophisticated operation for a such a small town.

Hospedaje Rio Ona
Photo: Town entrance, Ushuaia, Argentina
March 3rd, March 19th
Finally, the end of the journey, Ushuaia, the southernmost major town in South America.

Mirador Isla Redonda
Photo: Mirador Isla Redonda, PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
March 8th
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego is a small park, but worth visiting.

Hito Trail Start

Bahia Lapatia
Photo: The end of the Hito Trail, PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
March 8th
The Hito Trail was beautiful, around a huge lake. We walked till we reached a pebbly beach on the border with Chile.

Puerto Ushuaia
Photo: Port, Ushuaia, Argentina
March 9th, March 18th
Many big cruise ships dock at Ushuaia. Ships to Antarctica also leave from here.

Anchor Night 3

Aitcho Islands
Photo: Giant petrel chick, Aitcho Islands, South Shetland Islands
Aitcho Islands in the South Shetland Islands were our first stop on the way to Antarctica. You could still see green and some said reminded them of Northern Ireland.

Half Moon Island
Photo: Elephant seal, Half Moon Island
Half Moon Island is famous for its colony of chinstrap penguins. Here we also saw the sole elephant seal during the trip.

Cuverville Island
Photo: Baby Gentoo penguin, Cuverville Island
The largest colony of Gentoo penguins is to be found here. By the time we arrived, the parents had already gone out to open sea, leaving the juveniles to fend for themselves among the dangerous leopard seals.

Waterboat Point
Photo: Chilean base, Waterboat Point, Antarctica
At last on Antarctica. On the Chilean navy-air force base. A lone king penguin had lost its way and was standing forlonly among the other penguins.

Petermann Island
Photo: On Petermann Island, Antarctic
Petermann Island was the only place where we saw Adelie Penguins. The day was a little dreary but the Adelies provided enough entertainment to brighten it.

Melchior Island

Deception Island
Photo: Hotsprings, Deception Island
The promised hot springs were more like a mud wallow, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Hosteria Kaiken
Photo: Hostal Kaiken, Tolhuin, Argentina
March 21st
Days 519-520 35185.4 miles driven
We stayed at Kaiken specially to take the Material World picture, which was a picture of everything that we have with us.

Material World Photograph
Photo: All our stuff, Tolhuin, Argentina
March 22nd
Day 520 35185.4 miles driven
All our stuff and the car was arranged on a wind blown hillside overlooking Lago Fagnano.

Hotel Croatia, Rio Gallegos

Caleta Olivia

Hotel Pirren, Puerto Madryn
Photo: Cruiseship, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Days 523-526 36235 miles driven
The view from the window of our hotel was beautiful. We received good discounts here due to the low season.

Punta Norte
Photo: Orcas at Punta Norte, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
In March-April, orcas attack baby sea lions venturing out to test the waters at Peninsula Valdes in Argentina.

Pinguinera
Photo: Magellanic penguins, Peninula Valdes, Argentina
Day 525 36476 miles driven
Magellanic penguins in Peninsula Valdes. Only a few penguins are remaining, waiting to moult.

Punta Cantor
Photo: Las Restingas formation, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
Day 525 36476 miles driven
This unique formation called Las Restingas can be seen at low tide in Peninsula Valdes.

Las Restingas, Pto. Piramides
Photo: Hotel Las Restingas, Puerto Piramides, Argentina
Days 527-529 36627 miles driven
Lovely beach right outside our hotel in Puerto Piramides. Puerto Piramides is the closest town to Peninsula Valdes.

Hotel Percaz, Carmen de Patagones
Photo: A mural, Carmen de Patagones, Argentina
April 1st
Day 530 nnn miles driven
A pretty little town on the way to Buenos Aires from Peninsula Valdez. Here we learnt of Raul Alfonsin's death.

Bed and Breakfast, Tandil
Photo: Judy and her sister, Tandil, Argentina
April 1st
Day 531 nnn miles driven
We stayed with the unforgettable Judy in an unmarked B&B in Tandil. Tandil was proud as we arrived just as a local tennis player, Juan Martin del Potro, had become world number 5 in tennis.

La Posada, Chascomus
Photo: At La Posada, Chascomus, Argentina
April 3rd
Days 532-533 nnn miles driven
The birthplace of Raul Alfonsin, the democrat who liberated Argentina from the dictatorship. We stayed at a lovely cabana overlooking the lake.

Pasco 261, Ramos Mejia
Photo: I Ching by Xul Solar
April 5th
Day 534 nnn miles driven
Due to a mapping error, we ended up in this location of Ramos Mejia. It was in this suburb that the existence of Uqbar was discovered.

Pasco 261, Buenos Aires

The Library of Babel
Photo: The Library of Babel, Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 15th
The Library of Babel was the first Borges story I read. From there I was hooked on the quirky style of the Argentine author. Borges worked here from 1937 to 1946, during one of his most productive periods.

La Recoleta
Photo: The cemetery of La Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 21st
La Recoleta was quiet and peaceful in the morning, belying the turbulent times of Argentinian history.

Palacio Barolo
Photo: Inferno in Palacio Barolo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 26th
We took a tour of this ornate fantasy of a rich Argentinian from the tentieth century. This is the only way you can get a view from the top of what once was the tallest building in South America.

Maipu Apartment

Tucuman 840

Viamonte 430