At
the far southern tip of South America, surrounded
by some of the world's roughest seas, lies the island
of Tierra del Fuego. It's three days into the new
Millennium, and Ian is about to set off on the journey
of a lifetime.
After
finally tearing himself away from the delights of
Buenos Aires he journeys down through the wild and
spectacular landscape of Patagonia. The journey
should have been simple and direct, but turned out
to be neither. Discover, after miles of hostile
landscape, the wonders that lie at the end of this
continent: spectacular mountain scenery and a thriving
community of friendly people in the southernmost
city in the world. Then travel back through the
diversity of the long, thin country of Chile where
he: goes to painful lengths to hike the mountains
and touch a glacier, gets stranded in the desert,
takes an ill-fated journey across the Andes before
ending up on Lake Titicaca where, on an island that
belongs more at the turn of the last Millennium,
he gains a fascinating insight into the life of
some Titicaca Indians. Finally end it all off with
an illegal tour of San Pedro prison in La Paz, led
by one of the inmates, Fernando, a drug dealer.
This
is the fascinating story of Ian's experiences as
a lone backpacker on a not so lonely journey across
South America. There are tales of the opulent cultures
Ian encounters as he makes his way along the East
Coast from Buenos Aires to the southernmost tip
of South America and the inestimable experience
of actually being at Tierra del Fuego, the end of
the world. The geographer will enjoy the stories
of how Ian experienced and handled the exotic climates
of South America and sometimes found that he was
not dressed for the weather. The historically-minded
will relish Ian's deep insight into the culture
and customs of the Titicaca Indians. Hikers will
dig the stories of how Ian tackled the desolate
and sometimes perilous landscape as he moved in
to get the closest possible shot of the breathtaking
scenery.
One
of Ian's adventures concerned a planned peaceful
hike through the Chilean mountains. As February
constitutes the equivalent of their summer, it was
felt by Ian that a hike in the mountains could be
a pleasant experience. Even the light snow that
flitted about did not deter Ian and his travelling
companions as they started up. Upon taking a break
after a couple of hours climbing, Ian noticed to
his dismay that the tent pegs and ropes had vanished
from his backpack. There was no way to anchor the
tent without them. Ian had to split from his companions
and go back. After about five minutes, the light
snow transformed into a Siberian-style blizzard.
What to so next? Ian's waterproof trousers were
in his backpack, which he had hidden by leaving
a marker at the point from which he turned back.
With the weather closing in on him and barely able
to make out the trail, Ian's options were running
out. Find out how this damp story concluded.
Learn
about a four-day tour across the Bolivian Altiplano
in a jeep that kept breaking down! Even given unreliable
transport, a trip to the end of the salar near the
Isla de Pescadores was hard to resist. The reward
was a view of the most amazing sunset in the world.
The price to be paid was a 76-kilometre drive in
a jeep that was about as reliable as a Virgin train.
Ian tried to convince his companions that they could
make it. But as the sun set, the jeep spluttered
to a stop, not for the first time. Ian and his companions
were still miles from the edge of the salar as darkness
was setting in. The jeep was also starting to hit
water. The driver struggled to make out the tyre
tracks. Did they make it or not?
Special
e-book edition now available with 140 full colour
photographs from the author's journey across South
America
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