Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador

Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador
"Free Stylers" is the theme of this trip, after spending days searching for a trip to the Galapagos both Mark and I were completely sick of tour offices so with the idea of hiking Cotopaxi Volcano we set off to the bus station with 60 bucks a piece and a back pack full of warm clothes.




A bus is easy to catch leaving at all times of the day and is even easier to on the way back by flagging down a bus,all roads lead to Quito. In the bus station the Chicken soup offered only the finest parts of the chicken and hopping a chickens foot may bring the same luck as a rabbits foot I decided to take it along with us.


We made it to the park gates just before they closed at 3pm and with another 3 hours to hike to accommodation we set off in hopes to make it before sun set, fortunately a entrepreneurial Ecuadorian mountaineer offer to drive us for 5 dollars.




Accommodation was a simple A-frame building that we had to ourselves so we stationed ourselves by the window overlooking the mountains and lite a candle (with some one else this could have been quite romantic!)


The next morning we quickly eat and set off on the long road to base camp being passed by a few jeeps with out the money making spirit of the guide eariler. No worries we were happy to enjoy the environment.



At the foot of Cotopaxi we caught a ride from a mountaineer that spoke excellent English apparently the clouds hadn't cleared for weeks and if we hurried we could hike the mountain before it clouded over. So 5 dollars more and we were at the parking lot about a km from base camp. The hike to base camp was exceedingly slow Mark did a lot better than having a 2500 KM acclimatisation in Quito, unfortunately Arica and Buenos Aries had sufficiently drained and extra blood cells that I had built up traveling in Peru.





After a quick rest at the base camp lodge we hiked up several KM more up the glacier 5oo meters higher and out of breath we turned back, and made record time since sliding down the snow takes very little effort.



In order to hike to the crater you need to start the hike at 1am and use ice crampons to ascend the hardened glacier. It take 5 hours and 2-3 down. Unfortunately we needed to push on so we headed back to Quito hoping that we would find a ride for part of the way to the main road

Quito, Ecuador

met up with a friend I had meet in Cambodia Marc. He is living in Quito studying to reach English. We headed up the equator and Solar museum to get the obligatory picture straddling the equator. The Solar museum although a bit campy had some interesting displays of the corollas effect on water and balancing a raw egg on the tip of a nail.
It started raining on the way back to town but we were able to check out the plaza which were nice but much nicer with out the rain which seems to percipatate half the day and half the night.

Buenos Aires week 2

kay I had wanted to do two weeks of Spanish classes but at the end of week one my brain was so full of information that I decided not to and try to arrange a flight later the next week to Quito as to have more time in Colombia. Turns out a flight from BA to Quito is 700 USD ochh. but to take a bus was out of the question. So after checking around I happend on a student center that was able to give me a flight for 400USD but not until the following monday. Perfect i set out to get a flight to iguazu falls which are one of the natural wonders of the world. Only problem is a flight centre wouldn´t give me a locals price and to fly would be as much as my flight to quito, the busses are inexpensive but are 20 hours each way. So I had to write of that trip.

Urban art
Might recognize this guy Garry Baseman. Just happened to be at the site while he gave a presentation. He´s gone far in his career starting as an illustrator and moving to fine artist / uraban artist with a strong presence in the viynl toy industry. I like his editorial work but not the most recent ¨fine art¨.












Bocca jrs fubol game

buenos Aires sites

Down by the Bocca Stadium








Sunday Fair in San Telmo
Dragon Ball Z is officaly an antique according to this vendor in San Telmo or at the very least is a collectors item. What a fair just wondering the streets you see the best and worst wares for sale.



I bought a photograph that I wish I would have taken in La Paz Bolivia and a few poster type items. But the best thing by far were porcilian figurines. Which isn't a lost art in Buenos Aires just look a Captain Janeway from the Voyager sci-fi series.






This antique wood working table was by far the most alluring item save the size and cost it would be to ship to Canada, but if I had bought it I would most certainly use it as a kitchen Island.

buenos aires spanish class

Here with my spanish Class.

Barry, Nick, Eliiegn, Kristie and

Week 1 in Buenos Aires

My first week in Buenos Aires was a blast. I can´t believe how cheap I could get a half kilo of bree and 300 grams of pershutio ham for $10 it lasted me for so many meals that I actually had a Homer Simpson moment when he found a hoogie sandwich behind the radiator and decided to keep eating it. Luckily I only ate a little before throwing it out.

I took a week long Spanish class and lived with a family which thankfully spoke English as I was struggling. Palmero is the area I stayed a short train ride to tthe center. I settled in to to comfortable routine of 4hours of Spanish class in the morning then eating out after followed by touring the sites in the afternoon. I would get home for 9pm for dinner prepared by Gabriela and then settle in to home work and emails.


The most notable site are the Ricoletta cemetery which the average tome looks like a small cathedral. The statues are amazing and make any person with a camera feel like a professional photographer. There was one grave and coffin that was broken and you could see the bones of the corpse. Ewwwww. joked with a school mate that the cats that are as plentiful and the tomes had consumed the flesh of the corpse. I haven´t seen the movie or play Elita but I did visit here grave site and she is still very much a celebrity in Argentina.



The museum of Modern Art (MALBA) was another interesting place to visit if one is into art. I saw a Beltoro painting which reminded me of the feature exhibition in Quebec City I saw last year Beltoro creates these surreal images by shrinking the facial features and hands and feet of his subjects, one of the main attractions was a 6 foot tall bronze sculpture by 10 feet long.

One of my favorite moments was sitting a park outside of the botanic gardens while doing my homework I watched 6 tables of men engaged in a some card game that seemed as much of a ritual as eating dinner. The dogs in the park frolicked with other dogs while waiting for their owners to pick them up after work. What a great idea the dogs had their very own social life outside of home. The people here definitely have a nice life style.

50 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires

50 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires.