The Weather

Christmas scene
Originally uploaded by Johnnie Shannon.

Wasn't going to post anything today, but then I saw this and thought of everyone back in the UK. Ha ha!

Seriously, after the alarums and excursions in the group a couple of weeks ago, everything is back on an even keel, helped by the approaching end of the trip, and also the arrival of another tour group, that has given everyone someone else to talk to and make friend with.

Off to Rio tomorrow for new year. Hope that you all have a cracker.

Happy Mid Season Festival Y`all

Iguacu Falls
Originally uploaded by Johnnie Shannon.

And for your delight and delectation, there`s about twenty gazillion pics of Iguacu Falls at Flickr. Why not take these as my personal Christmas present to you? Face it, you may as well, you won`t be getting anything else from me.

I`d love to tell you that I`m sunning myself on a beach at the moment, but, obviously, I`m in an internet cafe typing this, and also it is pouring with rain, as we seem to be in a middle of a humungous thunderstorm. And I think I left my tent door open. Bugger.

Hope everyone and anyone reading this is all well and in the pink. If you like, you can send me a personal new years greeting to my email. That`s only if you like mind. I`m not that desperate for contact from the UK.

Enjoy your turkeys (or Linda Macartney substitute if you`re a veggie) - I know I will.

Disintigration

Well, it had to happen sometime. Travelling in a confined space with a few other people, you´re bound to get on each others nerves now and again. As I said a while ago, I was pretty suprised it hadn´t happened sooner.

But now, gaps are growing between some factions in the group, although to be fair, everyone is still talking to one another (hasn´t always been the case recently), and there´s a friendly veneer still extant. I think the nearness of the end of the trip is making people think ´oh well, it´s nearly over, may as well keep friendly for now`.

Not sure who I´ve been annoying, but I´m sure it´s someone.

Anyhow, it´s certainly not all gloom and doom. We´re in a place called Iguacu, where there are some tremendous waterfalls. Went on a helicopter ride over them yesterday, then trekked up to them, and tomorrow we´re off on a boat trip up the river to see under them.

It is stinking hot here! It was 40°C when we arrived, with humidity to match. A huge storm last night cleared the air a bit, but it´s still around 30-35°C. Sheesh, the things I have to put up with eh?

All of your christmas presents are in the post, but, what with the nature of the Brazillian post office, I´m afraid I can´t guarentee arrival times.

Boca Juniors 2 - Independiente 0

As they say, the scoreline just doesn´t reflect what actually happened at the match.

I persuaded seven other guys on our tour that it would be a great idea to go to the Bombonera Stadium to see Boca (third in the table) play Independiente (second) in the second last match of the season. We got tickets through a guy we met in a hostal, and he, us, and about 15 others went by bus out to the match.

We got there about two hours before kick off. The terraces at both ends were already pretty full, the fans not quite in full song, but still pretty boisterous. I glanced aroud the stadium to see where the away fans were, but all that greeted me was a sea of blue and yellow. Until I looked up above us. And there they were.

I guess someone, somewhere, thought it would be a great idea to situate the away fans right above the hardcore Boca supporters. It isn´t. While it does give them a great view of the match, it also allows them to pour water, water bombs, spit, urine (occasionally) and other stuff right onto our heads. However, the Boca fans didn´t seem to mind, so I thought why should I?

The stadium was packed at kick off, and wow, what an atmosphere. The chants from Boca were tuneful, with a kicking beat, easy to pick up, and the whole stadium reverberated to them. Maradonna was there to cheer his old club on, and so the match began.

The footy was a bit crap really; just about English Championship level (that´s Division 2 for old skool types). Not much happened in the first half, though Boca just about shaded it. Half time came around, and then the Independiente fans got a bit more imaginative and started chucking glass and bits of tile down on us. We all quickly got inside to a safe bit, and the police swiftly and firmly went in to arrest the trouble makers. Oh no, actually they didn´t. They looked on with what looked like paternalistic approval, which was a bit wierd. Finally they did close off the area where the stuff was being chucked from, but fair to say the Boca fans were not best pleased with the cops.

Second half pretty much followed the pattern of the first; a few good moments but mostly poor defence and ping pong midfield action. Then somehow Boca managed to fluke a goal after a goalmouth scramble. And the stadium went mad. The whole of it. Including the corporate boxes.

The rest of the match saw a sustained level of enthusiasm from the crowd, topped with a last minute goal to Boca. The photo above was taken about half an hour after the final whistle, and there was about another half hour of singing as well after that.

Memorable, definitely. Never, ever, experienced an atmosphere like it, and although it sounds a bit dodgy, I never really felt in danger. Bit different to AFC I can tell you.

Leaving Buenos Aires tonight to head north to a wetland nature reserve, with caymen and loads of mossies I hear. Should be good.

More Pics on Flickr

Torres del Paine
Originally uploaded by Johnnie Shannon.

And you´ll be glad to know, I´ve just selected highlights of the past few weeks so you don´t have to trawl through all the dross. Just hand picked specially selected dross. Woo! Yay!

The da Vinci Code

Chapter 1.
World traveller, remote sensing expert and ex-geologist John Shannon slowly turned to his right and placed the dog eared orange covered copy of the da Vinci Code by Dan Brown on the seat next to him. He peered solomnly out of the rain spattered windows of the South American Safaris truck that was transporting him to Buenos Aires. On his mind was one of the great mysteries of modern times, one that had stumped all the major experts in the field, one that could prove explosive if mere mortals managed to acquire the secret.

Chapter 2.
Brendon Arthur, driver and guide of the South American Safaris truck that was taking renowned remote sensing expert John Shannon to Buenos Aires, climbed up the stairs of the truck after he had stopped for a lunch break.
"Ah, I see you have finished The da Vinci Code, the book by Dan Brown that I lent you for the first time not five hours ago. As I explained to you earlier, I did not finish the book myself, but only reached page 381"
"Yes, I can see why you only managed to get that far" replied John Shannon. "It really is a crass piece of story telling, with appalling grammar and use of the English language; one dimensional characters; a twist that was telegraphed from the minute the stereotypical Englishman entered the, what passes for at least, plot; dreadfully poorly researched and darn right inaccurate "facts"; and a resolution that would shame a five year old writing a 'what I did on my holidays' story at school"
"So you didn´t like it then" said Brendon Arthur.
"No. Not at all. However, it did give me cause to wonder about a terrible mystery that relates directly to that book, The da Vinci Code. That is, how can so many intelligent, and even not so intelligent, and come to think of it, even darn right stupid people manage to read the thing and enjoy it? And then tell their friends to buy it?
"Yes, that truly is a great mystery".

END.

If you have read The da Vinci Code: why? If not, please don´t. Just so you know, the girl is a descendent of Jesus and Mary Magdeline, the English geezer (Sir Leigh Teabing or som´t) is "The Teacher", and the Holy Grail is underneath the Louvre, and not released by the order of Psion or whatever. There, that´s all you need to know. Now walk away from the book.

Bored

Top Ten things to do on the truck when you´re travelling 2,000Km over flat, boring ground in two days:

1. Read - just finished War and Peace. What a top read; 1442 pages of rip roaring entertainment
2. Listen to music - An mp3 player is an essential for trips like this
3. Look out of the window - and watch more acres of boring flat countryside pass by
4. Imagine shapes in the clouds - bit hippy this one
5. Talk - tricky given the noise in the truck and also, we´ve got to save up conversation given that we´ve exhausted a fair few topics between us over the past two months or so
6. Balance a 1 litre Coke bottle on your nose - just one for Chris this
7. Sleep
8. Avoid being chucked off the seats while performing 7 (above)
9. Daydream - should be top of the list for me really
10. Think of things to do for my next blog entry

Fin del Mundo

Is where I am at the mo. Specifically, Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

Just taken a voyage on the Beagle Channel. After having a good lunch of beef sandwich, beer, wine. And a bit more wine on the boat. Rather choppy out there, but good to say I wasn´t one of the ones being sick off the back of the boat.

Could be getting boring saying it´s rather beautiful around here, but, in fact, it is. Rather cold though, even though it is the first day of summer today.

It´s staying light until around 11pm here now. Hope you´re all enjoying the long winter evenings ...

I Hate Mondays

They´re dreadful. Especially when you have to get up at an unearthly hour, have a coffee and cornflakes, and maybe a couple of cheese and ham toasties before setting out on a walk in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Torres del Paine (for that is the place), is in the south of Chile, and features some spectacular granite pillars that tower (hence the name) over some gorgeous lesser mountains and deep blue lakes. We set of south from the campsite, winding down a road on the side of one of these glacial lakes. We had the wind behind us, which we didn´t notice too much, until we turned around to the north and headed straight into it.

Patagonia is windy. OK; Patagonia is windy in the same way that George W is a bit of an eejit. So, that would be increadibly windy then. And we were walking right into it. Have to say, that bit of the walk was not that enjoyable. Still, atl least it didn´t rain. Much of the time.

Anyhow, after six hours, including a brief snack stop, we hit the Catermaran pick up point. And then we decided to go on to see the glacier, which was a bit further north. By the time we got back at around 5, we really needed the wine and pringles that the ministore at the hostel provided.

Having taken the Cat back to camp, we had to force down some more wine, and a roast turkey, roast potatoes, spicy turnip mix and carrots.

As I say, Monday´s suck.