Death Valley and Lone Pine

04/08/14 to 05/08/13

We drove for two hours or so through the Sierra Nevada in the direction of the Death Valley.  We could see the landscape changing dramatically. Little by little, lakes dried up, huge grey stones disappeared and green trees vanished to make way to a dry, dusty, orange desert.

We found a free campsite (with nobody else apart from one weird man staying there) and as it was around 5pm and still very warm, we decided to stay there for the night (rather than go deeper into the valley).  Usually at this time of year campsites in this area are closed as it is too warm, there is no shade and therefore dangerous.  The thermometer of our car indicated 110 degrees Fahrenheit almost all the time in the Death Valley (44° Celsius).  Luckily there was a tap and we wetted our T-shirts to cool down.  It actually worked for a couple of minutes and then by the third minute our T-shirts were dry again.  Some small birds flew around us, desperate for food and water.  Even if we tried to scare them, they came very close and one even landed on Flora’s finger (the other one just kept trying to attack Dave). We saw the sunset and the sand dunes, rocks and skies changing colour.  The warm wind started to blow stronger and stronger as the sun dropped.  Our tent (the cheapest one we could find) was too weak for this type of weather, so we decided to pack it up and to sleep in the car.  We made sure that all the doors of our car were locked because being in the Death Valley under a hammering heat with a potential serial killer next door felt like a credible and perfect scenario for a horror film.

During the night the temperature dropped a little bit but 100°F (38°C) was still uncomfortable for us especially in a car.

As you can imagine, we woke up at the crack of the dawn (before it got too hot again) and explored this amazing and vast landscape.  We started by seeing the Mesquite sand dunes, an old borax mining village (yes, Chinese workers used to live out here before the days of air-con) and Badwater Basin (the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 86 metres below sea level).  Then we turned around and drove through the one-way Artist’s Palette and made a quick stop at the Golden Canyon. 

This was a very outstanding drive but as soon as we walked out from the air-conditioned car, we felt the real conditions of being in a desert and the hottest place on earth (135°F or 57°C is the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded on earth and it was here at Furnace Creek in the Death Valley).   Even if we stopped for a short walk of just a few metres from the car, we made sure that we had a bottle of water with us.  You might think it impossible for the Death Valley to sustain life, but in the sand we saw some tracks of birds, lizards and snakes.  They usually come out at night when it’s cooler and there are other animals to hunt.

After exiting the Death Valley we entered Nevada and stopped for some gasoline and supplies (mainly water) at a small town called Lone Pine.  This had some old ‘wild west’ character and some fun buildings so we took a pit stop here before heading further east towards Las Vegas.

Yosemite National Park

30/07/13 to 04/08/13 - Yosemite, to pronounce this in American : Yo-sem-it-dee

We arrived at our first national park of our trip in the US. Because it was the weekend, all the campsites of the park were full. We asked a ranger where we could pitch our tent nearby and showed us in the map some quiet and close by spots to pitch our tent for free. The ranger also gave us a “fire certificate” for us to be able to use our stove outside of campground. This free certificate is a way for them to talk us through common sense do’s and don’ts when using a stove or making open fires if there weren't any restrictions.

We found a nice spot, very quiet (only 3 cars went passed in 10 hours) close to a road.  During the night we heard lots of different noises. We think it could have been squirrels, raccoons, deer or…. who knows, maybe a bear (Yosemite is in bear territory).



The next morning we went to the information centre of the park to get some maps, trail routes and see if there was some space available in any of the campsites in the park. We found one for 5 dollars per person right in the centre and did some small walks in the afternoon.

On day 2, we were ready for a big trek that one of the lady rangers suggested to us. So we started at 7.30am… and finished at 6pm. The trek was beautiful and covered half of the park almost, passing through viewpoints, waterfalls and forest. But during our walk we realised this ranger probably thought that we were really into hardcore trekking (or maybe she just wanted us to die). Our itinerary for the day started in our campsite (camp 4), crossed the river to join the steep “four mile trail”. Then from the Glacier point, we walked another 5 miles along the panorama trail where we had a very nice view of the valley and a mountain named Half Dome. We returned to the valley by the mist trail via the Nevada and Vernal falls (plus 4 miles). A total of 14 miles up and down (22,4 kilometres – half a marathon)… back to our campsite using the free shuttle bus, then we had a quick and simple dinner and were off to bed.






Day 3 and we hit the road again via the north of the park and the Route 120, which is supposed to be one of the most scenic drives in the west of the US and we weren’t disappointed.  We stopped at Tenaya Lake to cool off with a swim (and a wash, as our 5 dollars campsite didn’t have any shower*) .



(*And remember, the day before we did a 10 hours trek)

San Francisco

28/07/13 to 30/07/13 – Our first challenge in San Fran was to navigate our way by car around the city grid. Not so easy as you might expect due to an usual one way system and the steep hills. Luckily, the signage was excellent, and we found our way to into downtown quickly, even if a little by accident. All the hostels were full, but luckily we found a hotel which was actually cheaper anyway.

The next morning we queued in line to take the very popular cable car up to the top of Nob Hill. The ‘cable car’ is basically an old fashioned tram which takes people up the huge, steep hills, which would take hours to walk up. The cable car is mostly for tourists, but a few locals still use it too. The drivers are strict in making sure there are spaces so people further up the hill can jump on too, which increases the time you have to wait at the bottom. It was fun to ride up (hanging off the side) and the views of Alcatraz when we got to the top were pretty neat.

We took a stroll down the hill (you’re constantly going up and down in SF) to the marina. Famous for seafood, crab and clam chowder stalls and restaurants. We shared a bowl (made of bread) of clam chowder which was really good. From the marina we got a better view of Alcatraz, the view you get from the films. We eyed up the swim and reckon that Clint probably made it (to the shore, but not to Pebble Beach).

We spent the rest of the day walking around the heart of the city and Chinatown, which is the biggest Chinese community outside of China) and as usual it was full of shops selling kitsch ornaments of Buddhas and waving cats.

San Francisco is a fair bit pricier than the rest of California, and is definitely not cheap. However, it is known for being a foodie city, so we had to spend a few bucks to appreciate this side of it. We went to a sushi restaurant, and tried some new concoctions, different from the typical menus in UK, France or Japan. All very nice, and of course we had to try a California roll.

The following day we took the car to see more of the city districts outside of downtown. To begin with, we visited the hippy district of Haight, where we took a Breakfast Burrito (filled with egg, beans and cheese), pretty nice. This area was a bit like Camden Town, but with a less punky feel. We drove on to Alamo Square, where there were the ‘painted ladies’, a row of old wooden houses, painted different colours which apparently featured in a TV show called ‘Full House’ (we were informed by an overexcited American girl who described us the opening scene which featured these houses ).

Perhaps the most famous sight of SF is the Golden Gate Bridge. We ditched the car in a parking lot and took a walk along the shore near Seal Rock to appreciate the view through the fog. Then we went closer and parked near Fort Point for a closer peek.



After a quick stop at the picturesque Fine Arts Museum, with its tranquil lake, we took a drive down Lombard St, otherwise known as ‘Crooked St’, with its S-bends winding down one of the steepest streets of the city.



It’s not often that we eat Mexican twice in one day, but we had to try one thing which originated in SF, especially as Dave used to work for a Mexican food brand. The Burrito that most of us know in Europe is actually not Mexican at all, but comes from the Mission district of San Francisco, and is actually called the Mission Burrito. This is the version with meat, beans, lettuce, salsa and cheese. We stopped in Mission itself to try it at a Taqueria. It was good, but perhaps better was the Chocolate Mole Enchilada (chicken with a chilli chocolate sauce), which was so tasty, we’ll definitely try and make one at home. 

With our bellies full to bursting, we hit the freeway, and drove up to Mt Diablo to a campsite near the top. A racoon was trying to get into our car as we ate dinner at the camp, and we had to repeatedly chase him away, as he didn’t seem scared of us at all. We were the only ones in the campsite, and we heard constant russling, we think ‘Bert’ must have been trying all night to get at our food, but by morning he was nowhere to be seen.

LA to San Francisco

25/07/13 to 28/07/13 - Our flight from Bogota landed in Houston, Texas and we got a good view of the oil fields on the descent. After a 4 hour wait in the airport (and getting stuck into our first hamburger) we took off again and touched down early in the evening at L.A. International Airport. We went directly to our hotel where we would relax and try to learn another new language, American English. We woke up early in the morning to enjoy the heated pool of our hotel (where we met our first god-fearing nutter) and collected our rental car (you must say ‘rental car’ as if you say ‘car hire’ they give you a blank look). We had to wait for a long time before getting our ‘compact’ car. This was in fact a massive family saloon, very comfortable with a big boot and cruise control.

Next we needed some gear to camp with and went to Walmart (owners of Asda) who are known for some cheap deals on this sort of equipment. Them we were off driving along one of the most scenic roads of the USA, the route No.1, which goes from LA to San Francisco.

We passed through the iconic Malibu beach, which is where Baywatch was set. Dave soon imagined he was ‘the Hoff’ running on the beach in slow motion to help Pammy with a rescue. We found a nice campground on the beach and had to put up our new tent in the dark.



The day after, we drove past Santa Barbara and stopped at a visitor centre to learn what there was to do along the route to San Francisco. The old man there was nice even though he told us he didn’t know how to read a map upside down (surely the most important skill for this job). He asked if we had heard of the 17 Mile Drive and we said “No” (with a small smile). Then he asked if we knew about Pebble Beach and once again we said “No”(with a bigger smile). The guy seemed to think we were a bit thick and finally asked us: “Have you heard of a guy named Clint Eastwood?” At this time our faces suddenly creased up and it took us 3 seconds to realise that he wasn’t joking. As well as being one of the most famous people in the world, we also learned that Clint was joint owner of the Pebble Beach Company: a tiny resort and village/community of rich people, based near the sea and including the famous Pebble Beach golf club. This village was very nice with different points of interest, such as Cypress trees and lots of elephant seals very close to the shore on many of the beaches.

We later found a free yet good place to pitch our tent, once again near the sea, in the mountains on Nacimiento Road, above a sea of clouds which had rolled in off the Californian coast… just magical.



The whole journey was very scenic and reminded us a lot of the Great Ocean Road, not just because of the look and feel of the road, but also the weather. We had never imagined California could be so cold in the middle of summer, but it was cool and cloudy. Luckily there was no rain and it would give us a break from the heat before we went off into the desert in a few days time.

Summary of Colombia

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA

Distance travelled: 2,935 km (1,361 km overland, 1,574 km by air)

Snakes encountered: 1
Ancient statues encountered: hundreds
Gold encountered: a few kilos
Chess games lost (to keep the locals happy!): 3
Plantains and rice eaten: too much
Hammocks fully tested: 4

Modes of transport: bus (with permanent and temporary seating), trek, taxi, plane.

Favourite Places: San Agustin, Cali, Tayrona National Park, and Cartagena.

You don’t want to mess with: a woman on our bus to Cartagena, after a local man put his hand where he shouldn’t have… she gave him a good hiding.

But Colombia, isn’t it dangerous?: No. It’s a lovely, light-hearted place with really friendly people. We never once felt in any danger. There was one dodgy street in Santa Marta, but all the locals warned us not to go there because of pickpockets. The FARC rebels are now only active in very few remote areas of the jungle, and you’re unlikely to meet them as a tourist, unless you go looking for them.

Our Route:

Cartagena de Indias to Bogota

20/07/13 to 25/07/13 – We left Palomino by bus and at Santa Marta we switched to another bus headed for Cartagena de Indias. The bus ride was long and sweaty and we had to change bus twice, being dropped off by the side of the road. We arrived in Cartagena by taxi around tea-time. We celebrated what we hope was the last long bus journey of this trip… whoooo-hoooo! 

Cartagena is a lovely walled city, right on the coast. It was the first colonial city in South America and in its early years it was frequently looted by pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, who held the city to ransom in 1586. He caused so much damage that they decided to build the walls to defend the city. Spain spent a whopping 2 trillion US dollars in today’s money subsidising the walls (makes the RBS bailout look like a bargain). The walls were built of coral stone, and you can clearly see the coral in the walls today. 

One of the most famous guys around here is a one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged chap by the name of de Blas de Lezo. He helped defend Cartagena despite being greatly outnumbered when the British tried to invade Cartagena in 1741. There are several statues of him about the city. 

The old town is beautiful, and full of lovely old colourful buildings, many with nice wooden balconies and flowers growing up the walls. The streets are often narrow and have plenty of character. The centre has several green squares, with musicians and ice-cream sellers, and the residential neighbourhoods are buzzing with people sitting in the street chatting and caribbean music coming from inside. We think we probably saw the world’s narrowest baseball pitch just inside the city walls. 

In most of Columbia the food has been pretty average, with one exception being the fruit juices. Not only are they blessed with the sweetest pineapples, mangoes and passionfruits, but they also have some fruits that are unique to Colombia, such as Lulo and Mora. Lulo in particularlar makes a lovely refreshing juice. In Cartagena however, we did find some good food too, in the shape of fried/grilled fish with coconut milk and coconut rice. We made an easy mistake and over-ordered, thinking we were just having a main course, but quickly a hearty soup, a plate of salad and accompaniments turned up (we couldn’t believe how good a value it was). 

We wished we could spend more time here, but we were still able to explore most of the town and spend a couple of nights there. On our last night we sat for a quiet drink in a small square … in front of a church. As soon as the church doors closed it was party time. Quite a big group of people gathered in front of the church for a Zumba class, and everyone was getting involved (well, those who weren’t sucking on beers or playing football with improvised objects). Hamburguesa and Salchipapa stalls had gathered around the square to help people replace any calories they were supposed to be losing. There was also a few people sitting playing chess and Flora took on one of them at a game with 5 minutes on the timer… she lost narrowly but it turns out the guy was a chess teacher, so she didn’t do bad at all. 

We took the plane the next morning to Bogota, the capital city (and back up in the mountains at 2600m). Arriving at midday, we had time in the afternoon to visit the Museo de Botero, an artist who paints fat things. It was actually pretty good. 

The next morning we visited the famous Museo de Oro (Gold Museum). We visited a smaller one in Cartagena but this was much bigger. The museum showed how the ancients used to smelt, mould and hammer gold into various objects used for rituals, decorations and practical purposes. Ironically, there was probably more security at the Botero museum where alarms went off every time somebody stepped too close to the paintings. 

Even though we didn’t originally plan to come to Colombia when we started our trip, when we left we wished we had spent more time in Cartagena and the rest of Colombia as the people were very friendly, their culture was interesting and their landscape so beautiful. 

Entonces ahora esta adios Sudamerica y hasta lluego!