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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 26, 2010 07:00 PM 32 deg Celsius! South America.
My friends from Poland write me that there is minus 20 deg Celsius. It is hard to believe but I had today plus 32 deg in Santiago de Chile. My laundry was dry after just a few hours!!
Well... I want to escape from the heat to the mountains...
Chili is more then 4000 kms long north to south. Distances are huge...
Let you know that domestic flights are very expensive. LAN looks like to be a monopolist. For the flight from the capital to Calama they want 360 USD. I decided to go there by bus - it will be 23-hours ride for some 100 USD.
There is a choice of bus companies. Tour-bus and Pullman Bus have the best reputation. On the long distances they offer standard service but also sleeping versions:
semi-cama is like comfortable airplane chair /37000 pesos/
cama - with more space and your legs are on the chair /54000/
cama premium is like a chairr converrted for the night into couchette /64000p/
I bought the cama -class ticket for tomorrow. - even farther then Calama, because Tour-bus (as the only carrier) has direct service via Calama to San Pedro de Atacama. I hope to send you my next message from the Andes. Lets take a shower now! It makes me a bit cooler...
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Jan 25, 2010 07:00 PM Back in the hot Santiago the Chile
They wanted me to come to the pier on Robinson Crusoe Is at 8.30 am. It was windy but clear morning. Soon we started to sail by the little fishing boat around the island to the airstrip... From the eastern side the sea was OK. We passed one more time Puerto Ingles where the cave of the Robinson vel Selkirk is visible. Then on the western side we got a lot of high waves, spays and so on. It took us 1,5 hour to get to the Bahia del Padre where about a hundered fur seals were greeting us again... I had still almost an hour to hike the hill from the airstrip for the great view of the only sandy beach on the island - Arenal Beach. The picture with the little Santa Clara Island in the background will be nice!...
Little aircraft from Santiago landed at 11.30 bringing only 4 passengers and soon we started the return way. Sorry - this is not sightseeing flight so the beautiful island soon dissappeared. Two hours later I saw again foggy and smoggy Santiago. City bus 403 (400 pesos) took me to the hostel. It is time to make the laundry and to prepare for the next stage of the trip - that´s backpackers´ life! But what a island was it!
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Jan 24, 2010 07:00 PM Stormy Robinson Crusoe
Stormy weather, but the sun is shining over the island and the highest peak El Yunque - 915 m is easy visible. I plan for the afternoon the last possible trek - to the bottom of El Yunque (there are 4 trails from the settlement - not so well mantained by the National Park, I did three of them so far).
Tomorrow, if weather permits little plane will come from Santiago and I will fly back to the continent. Keep you finger crossed, please!
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Jan 22, 2010 07:00 PM Hiking Sendero Chile
I am still on Robinson Crusoe Island. The island is 22 kms long but they have only 400 m of paved road - in the settlement. To go aroung the island they use their little boats.
There is a famous trail Sendero Chile going from the airstrip to the settlement via the pass of Mirador Selkirk. I took it today. To get back to the airstrip I took a little open boat transporting lobsters. Weather was windy and I was spayed many times by the waves. We landed late - it was 1.30 pm when I started my solo walk. First part look me through arid and sandy areas of Tierras Blancas, great views and strong wind! At 5 pm steep climb to the pass. And great view to the both sides of the island from the Mirador Selkirk, They say that from this point Robinson vel Selkirk was wathing the ocean for ships passing by... After 6 hours non-stop walk I reached San Juan Bautista at 7.30 pm
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Jan 20, 2010 07:00 PM Climbing the cliffs...
My third day on Robinson Crusoe Island. I am surprised: only 600 people live here - all of them iin the only settlement of San Juan Fernandez. Ther cats the lobsters and fish - these are the main sources of income. Tourism seems to be the other one but so far I saw only four tourists on the island - I am the fifth one! Almost all surface is the National Park and recognized Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. There are trails goin up to the mountains - The highest peak has 915 m above the sea level. I was climbing Cerro Salsipuedes overlooking the bay where San Juan Bautista lies. It took me 1.5 sweaty hours each way but he views from the ridge and the cliff on the other side were fantastic. I plane next excursion for tomorrow... The only problem is that is is hard to predict the weather - it is very changeable: it was raining in the evening and I saw the rainbow over the bay before sunset.
In the tiny city library there are two computers and you are free to put your name on the list and browse the internet. Unfortunately computers are very slow and connection brokes are very often...
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Jan 19, 2010 07:00 PM Robinson Island - info for future travelers
Trying to arrange my travel to the distant Robinson Crusoe Island I was sending e-mails few month ahead to Armada de Chile and Lassa Airlines. No response. Then I made several phone calls from Poland to Chile. The people on the other side of the line did not speak any English. It was very hard way to comunícate regarding my poor Spanish… Now, staying on the island I know all I needed. And here I completed for you gold-worth, updated information about how to get to the island.
1. Last expensive way: Chilean Navy three times a year send from Valparaiso to the island navy supply ship. Capacity for the passengers is 150 or 70 if they send smaller one. February, June, December – but the dates changes. One-way price for the foreigners was 27000 pesos. Takes 27 hours to RC. Local people have priority to board.
2. Little private freighter *Antonio* sails once per month with food, construction material etc from Valparaiso to RC island. Now officially Antonio cannot take passengers for security reasons, but I have good news - they are just adopting few cabins to be used for 10 pax. They will be ready in April 2010 –they say – this could be a great chance for you since *Antonio* stays like 5 days on the island so you can visit RCI and come back. Contact: www.transmarko.cl
3. Lassa airline (desperated, I took their expensive flight) has no competitors. They send their 7-seater usually on Tue and Fri 9 am. You can try also ATA airline – less frequent – they carry local people on the govt subsidized flights – good luck: www.aerolinasATA.cl
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Jan 18, 2010 07:00 PM Landed on Robinson Crusoe Island!
When I was a boy I was reading the book about the adventures of Robinson. I saw this island in my dreams. Did you also? This island exists! And some 50 years later the dream came true...
After 2.5 hours from the start in Santiago our little 32-years old plane landed on the isolated airstrip in the southern tip of the island. It is arid area – nobody lives there. Only twoo dozens of fur seals and little open boat was waiting in the bay. The boat takes all passengers to the other side of the island, where the only settlement on the island – San Juan Bautista is located. If the weather is not too hard – this is exciting tour in the bottom of high cliffs. The boat trip is included in the price of the air ticket.
In the settlement I found accommodation in the Hosteria Martinez-Green – just in front of the jetty. They charged 10000 pesos per room with bath (but you have to bargain). I have great view from the window..
I must say –Sorry to the patriots of Easter Island, but Isla Robinson Crusoe has much nicer landscape then Isla de Pascua (but of course does not have those exciting moais).
People here are nice and helpful – they greet even strangers: OLA! , but the only person in the administration of the island who can speak some English is Calos Sato Varas, his phone /32/ 275 10 45 or 275 10 01. e-mail rrpp/at/comunajuanfernandez.cl
Big fish for the dinner today, lets have a good rest before tomorrow,s adventures!
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Jan 17, 2010 07:00 PM Santiago de Chile - how to get to Robinson Island?
It was minus 10 when I started from Gdansk, then 28 deg Celsius in Buenos Aires and 30 in Santiago.
In Santiago Airport there in no tourist information but the crowd of taxi drivers is hunting for you... Gracias, gracias... Yo soy mochilero (the backpacker). Un mochilero viejo!
The last expensive solution if you want to get to the city is Centropuerto bus going from the airport to Heroes traffic hub in the downtown. Do not change money in the airport - they will give you the worst rate in the city (473 pesos per USD)
At the Centropuerto desk in the arrival hall they accept payment in dollars ( 3 USD one way or 1400 pesos). Once in Heroes you can take subway to your place.
I stay in House Santiago Hostel booked via hostelworld.com - it is little and silent family hostel located just 200 m from Manuel Montt subway station. The best rate for the dollar I found in the casas de cambio in Augustinas Street - 491 pesos...
Bad news: the next ship of Armada de Chile to the Robinson Crusoe Island will sail in March. Tomorrow there is a little 7-seater plane flying to the island (very expensive solution, but what should I do?) - I will try to get a seat...
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Jan 14, 2010 07:00 PM New voyage, new challenge...
I am just setting off for a new, long voyage. Few years ago I was invited to attend "Award of the traveler of the year" ceremony. I met there Mr Jaroslaw Kret - well known Polish traveler an TV presenter. Talking about my numerous solo round- the- world voyages I said that it is harder and harder to set up a new, original and interesting route. Mr Jaroslaw said that instead going east-west direction I should travel south-north around the globe. It was a joke... But... Two years later I started to work on such an option. I found two scheduled flights over the poles. Then combine them with an inexpensive RTW tariff. And... an idea was born -just see the map.
It is just not only about flying above both geo poles... During this voyage I want to visit still unknown to me spots of the world. Robinson Crusoe Island, pueblos around Salta, some new, picturesque areas in New Zealand... I want to cross Australia by train and then Japan end-to-end. The challenge will be to get Russian permit for visiting Chukotka and to cross Bering Straits. I do not know if I will manage to execute all this crazy ideas - please keep the fingers crossed for me!...
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Dec 22, 2009 07:00 PM Merry Christmas, dear Friends. Happy traveling!
It is very special time - days in Poland are dark and short. But it is also the time of hope...
To all my known and unknown Friends scattered around the world I am sending my best wishes: have a Merry Christmas time and a Happy New Year 2010!
Happy traveling to the most distant countries!
I am working hard planing my next big voyage and collectinng money to buy air tickets. I hope to start soon my 2010 expedition. I wish to have a chance to visit some of you en route...
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