Geoffrey Thompson ! !

Occasionally in life you are dealt a bad blow, and this is mine. I've paid good money to come on an expedition around South America for seven months and I get landed with an Aussie !!

The reason for this additional blog is I've been made aware that the blog now has a wider audience, in Australia, particularly Blaxland, New South Wales. So thought I'd better start including Geoff a bit more in my reports and let the wider audience know what additional hardships I'm having to endure.

Geoff, larger than life normally greets you with a " lovely day " in his booming Aussie accent. Indeed this has become the greeting of choice amongst the overlanders. Much humour is associated with the fact that we're sharing a tent, thereby relinquishing the pain anyone else would suffer. I suppose I've taken a hit for the team, bloody big hit ! Evenings in bush camp follow a similar pattern with Geoff and I retiring normally about 1030 pm getting settled to watch an episode of Mrs Browns Boys which is hilarious. Trouble with Geoff is that once in the tent he thinks no one can hear us and the farting, swearing and toilet humour runs riot, we laugh for hours. We have noticed other tents moving closer to listen to the hilarity last thing at night and as soon as we wake, normally about 0530 much to everyone's disgust. All joking aside Geoff is a thoroughly decent bloke and we've had six weeks of a mixture of mind blowing scenery, adrenaline fuelled activities, hard endurance treks mixed with humour and a growing friendship. He's sixty years old, very fit, think Star Wars, Geoff reckons Han Solo, i reckon more like Ja Ja Blinks, ha ha he's gonna go mad when he spots this :)))

While I'm about it a big thank you to Hannah, Geoffs daughter, for making payment to Geoffs i-pad account, we now have series two of Mrs Browns Boys to watch, excellent.

Anyway a few photographs of Geoff, despite what people say he is a top bloke.

1. Geoff or is it Shrek !
2. Blue steel
3. Geoff stoking the Potjie, Christmas dinner. ( South African cook pot )
4. Conquering Volcano Villerica
5. Both chilling off at Salto del Laga
6. Geoff doing it tough on the W trek
7. Geoff advertising a local tour company.

Seven weeks in, so much has happened, whatever next !

Adios

Tony x

Santiago, Chile

As we drive through beautiful countryside heading towards Santiago we gaze at the thousands of acres of farmed land. Big difference between Argentina and Chile is that in Chile the infrastructure is far superior, the fruit and veg in abundance and it is evident there is a lot more wealth around. The city slowly engages us and before we know it we are engulfed in tall buildings, a slight hazy smog and the graffiti once again is apparent. Traffic heavy we snail our way to a hotel, yes a hotel, in fact Hotel Espana which in its day would have been amazing. Now however it needs a little bit of TLC but is still nice and clean. As per usual I'm sharing with Geoff. Our room is on the top floor of four, has four single beds and an en suite ( although our tent has an en suite right at the back of it !! :) ) Straight in for a shower with T shirt and shreddies on as they need a wash, you would not believe the dirt that comes out of them and me. It's wonderful and really makes you appreciate what you take for granted back home. Totally freshened up we head out for a walk around the city, a busy city with plenty going on. Being coffee fanatics, one of the main attractions here is " coffee with legs ". A lot of the coffee houses are stand up bar affairs with scantily clad ladies waiting on, either in very short dresses or bikini's. Geoff and I are only interested in a good quality coffee ! Well after several cups we move on to another coffee house purely to check out the quality of the beans you understand. Three or four hours of this, eyes unable to close due to the amount of caffeine consumed we meet up with some of the gang and enjoy an excellent meal of King crab, salmon, langoustines, washed down with an ice cold Chablis. "Anyone fancy a coffee ?"

A few pictures from around town depicting scenery shots, graffiti, Geoff, Terry,Leslie and Grahame and a couple of night shots. One day here is enough and looking forward to moving on.

Adios

Tony x

Salto del Laja, Chile

Just off the Pan-American Highway, Salto del Laja, is a horshoe shaped waterfall surrounded by tacky touristic type stalls, a bit run down but nevertheless a beautiful place. We stop and take in the views before heading a couple of kilometres further up the Rio Laja to a lovely little campsite right next to its own waterfall which was lovely, quiet and needed exploring.

Tents pitched with your own table and outdoor powerpoint, well indoor socket outdoors. No one seems to mind here 240 v wiring strung for metres amongst the trees, wrapped around branches before being nailed to a post. However it works fine in charging my I pad ready for the next blog. It's a lovely sunny day, a good opportunity to do some washing and get it dried. Having washed the tilleys, which are holding up well, we head off through a side gate into the woods and out onto the top of the waterfall. It is a series of cracks, pools and mini waterfalls. We find a likely spot right next to the edge and decide to go for a swim. Pretty cold but really refreshing we sit under a small waterfall before it enters a pool before racing over the main section and thundering about one hundred feet to the small valley below. This seems to be the norm now, find freezing cold water and get in it. A lovely afternoon spent relaxing, this is such hard work !!

1. Salto del Laga
2. Concho at the falls
3. Various scenes of the structure of the falls
4. Ditto
5. Yours truly in a natural pool right at the fall edge
6. Getting in is tough but once there very refreshing
7. Me n Geoff
8. Another attempt
9. Towards the campsite
10. From the campsite.

After this relaxing camp we head to Santiago via two vineyards for wine tasting, for those who wanted. I am waiting until Mendoza for a full day of tasting. Until Santiago
Adios

Tony x

Bariloche, The Seven Lakes, Argentina

Suddenly realised I had missed posting some photos of this beautiful area as we headed towards the Chilean border. Progress was slow as we made regular stops for photo opportunities. The light wasn't fantastic but still made for wonderful colours in these very picturesque surroundings. Also included a couple of the truck as we made steady miles.

Onwards and upwards,

Adios

Tony x

Volcano Vilerrica, Pucon, Chile

30.12.12
Travelled through the Argentian Lake District, a beautiful affluent area, consisting of seven lakes each a different colour and all very beautiful. We crossed into Chile for our final time and head to Pucon. We set camp up at La Poza Campsite where we are staying for the New Year.

31.12.12 New Years Eve
Happy Birthday to Rebecca, have a lovely day x

It's New Years Eve and we are collected and driven to the base of Volcano Villerrica having collected our equipment which consists of a rucksack containing,gators, helmet, ice pick, over trousers, jacket and mittens. This all looks a bit serious but what else is there to do. The volcano is 2847 m high, is active and general pushes out black smoke, sulphur and occasionally a few odd bits of lava.

It is a very murky morning, drizzling rain and total cloud cover, we're not sure if the trek will be on. Equipment checked we start the climb which usually lasts for about 4 to 5 hours, but could terminate at any time. Our first bit of good news is that the lower section chair lift is working so we can save about 45 mins, but the weather is not looking good, they haven't been up for the last two days. Geoff and I get the chairlift and are whisked away into the murkiness. Ten minutes later we are at the foot of Villerrica. Crampons and mittens donned we start the slow steady ascent. We get into a nice rhythm, seems endless but we make good progress. All of a sudden after a couple of hours we pop out above the clouds into clear blue sky's and bright sunshine, amazing. We dig snow seats, rucksacks in and sit on them ready for a drink and a sandwich. We are half way, the scenery fantastic but starting to get cold and eager to move on. It is very beautiful but eerily so, deathly quiet with the occasional ice cold wind coming at you from all angles. We plod on, one behind the other specks on the volcano side. The steps are getting smaller, breaks more frequent but the knowledgeable guides are urging you on. A fair percentage of the trekkers drop out along the way. We hit the final section which is particularly steep and the snow has an ice cover making it harder to keep your footing. The wind gets up again, you dig in every step but now we are within 45 mins of the summit. The pace increases and I get a second wind immediately behind the guide. As we approach we get a whiff of sulphur as the volcano belches out some smoky steam. We arrive at the lip of the crater, we've made it. The view is utterly astonishing as the clouds play hide and seek with the forests and lakes below. It is quite an emotional moment for us all achieving this goal. Back packs off we get as close as we dare to the craters edge. A particular large dust cloud fires out to whoops of laughter........What's funny!

Twenty minutes later, photographs taken, we kit up and head back down. This first section is tough going as the top layer of ice has turned rock solid. We approach a steep section and are called to a halt, instructed to take off the crampons and remove a round plastic seat with handle, and a set of nylon over pants from the rucksack. We received instruction how to use the ice pick as a brake. There are faint runnels resembling a toboggan course and what followed over the next two hours was a combination of exhilaration, sheer fear and total madness as we careered down the volcano at breakneck speeds, cheering, shouting, singing, laughing and generally acting like plonkers, it was brilliant. It was incredible. There were spectacular crashes, head over heels acrobatics, mid air collisions, high speed.....how no one got injured I'll never know. We ended a thoroughly brilliant day with an ice cold beer :)

Back at camp I was part of the cook group for that evening. We had an amazing meal of half a lamb, whole beef fillet and pork fillet, piles of potatoes and vegetables washed down with a lovely Malbec. Midnight arrived, local fireworks, we wished each other Happy New Year and on that note I wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the very best for 2013. Certainly here in Chile it's got off to a fantastic start.

Adios

Tony x x x

1. A photo of Volcano Vilerrica from the lake near the campsite.
2. Vilerrica from Pucon, weather very hot.
3. Starting the climb
4. A welcome site, the chair lift is working, saving us about 45 mins
5. Geoff and I safely aboard.
6. Disappearing into the mist
7. Geared up ready to go
8. Eerie place
9. Sun starting to make a breakthrough
10. We pop out above the clouds
11. Just about see the forests below
12. Handsome devil, blooming cold
13. Onwards, no time for stopping now
14. Celebration on reaching the summit, another volcano in the background
15. Concho by the lip of the volcano
16. Volcano suddenly gives off steamy sulphur