In sad echoes of how long time GT member Martin Wright met his untimely & tragic death in mid 2007, renowned round the world cyclist Ian Hibell perished in awful circumstance. I understand how accidents happen but how does any driver not see a fully laden cyclist and then drive off when something does go wrong !! It beggars beliefÂ…

The following article was printed in the Daily Mail newspaper on 4 September 2008

The Ant

A British ‘Marco Polo’ who travelled the world on his bicycle for 40 years has been killed in a hit-and-run road crash in Greece. Ian Hibell, 74, was dubbed a “cyclist extraordinaire” in the long-distance touring world and rode across every continent and some of the most remote parts of the planet. He undertook countless expeditions over 40 years that were classed as ‘world firsts’ including an overland Trans-Americas expedition from Cape Horn to Alaska, between 1971 and 1973. During his 250,000 miles of cycling across deserts and glaciers he was shot at by bandits, nearly eaten alive by tropical ants, stuck in mangrove swamps, chased by rogue elephants and once faced down a hungry lion. He enjoyed the hospitality of an Eskimo princess, a Dyak headman in Borneo, African chiefs and missionaries and once asked for a two-year sabbatical from work – only to return ten years later.

Ian used over 800 cycle repair kits during his travels and refused to use standard pannier racks for carrying items – insisting instead that custom-made racks be welded onto his Argos bike frames. Ian, of Brixham, Devon, wrote numerous books about cycling and was also a regular on television shows such as BBC’s Blue Peter where he regaled generations of children with his tales from the saddle. He once estimated that he cycled an average 6,000 miles a year for 40 years – the equivalent of cycling to the moon.

But he died while cycling on the Athens-Salonika highway on August 23 after he was in collision with a car which was racing another vehicle. The driver fled the scene but eyewitnesses took its registration and he was arrested two hours later and is facing charges of causing death by dangerous driving. Friend Nicola Henderson said: “He died after he was involved in a hit and run incident whilst cycling in Greece. “ At the time he was doing what was his life-long passion of cycle-touring. He had been touring the world more or less continuously for over 40 years.

Ian began his journeys in 1963 when he asked for a two-year break from his job at Standard Telephones and Cables in Paignton, Devon. But he went on to the circle the globe for ten years and returned in 1973 with a “murmured apology” for his bosses. His journeys included the only non-motorised crossing of Colombia’s Atrato swamp and Panama’s notoriously marsh ridden Darien Gap. He once rode from Antarctica to the Amazon and from Alaska to Indonesia and in 1984 wrote a book about his voyages called ‘In Remote Places’. But despite his travels Ian often complained the most dangerous stretch of road in the world was between ‘Windy Corner’ and the ‘old Nortel site’ in Brixham.

Friend Nicola described him as a “world famous” rugged terrain cyclist, adventurer, photojournalist and lecturer who inspired bikers around the world. She said: “He gained a taste for travelling during his RAF service in the 1950s. He has pushed, dragged or carried his bike from the fringes of the Antarctica to the jungles of the Amazon, from the Arctic to the remoter islands of Indonesia.”

Ian, a bachelor, died at the scene of the crash and arrangements are underway for his body to be flown back to the UK for a family funeral in South Gloucestershire.

Speaking about his passion in 2005, Ian said: “Every so often a bird gets up and flies some place that it’s drawn to “I don’t suppose it could tell you why, but it does it anyway.” Tributes were today being paid to him on various websites. One – from his nephew – said: “He was a cycle tourist extraordinaire. I grew up hearing the tales from his latest trips to countries I had never heard of. “I always looked forward to seeing him so I could hear his latest adventures from escaping from armies of soldier ants as they ate his tent, to encounters with exotic tribes that had never seen a white man before, much less one on a bicycle. “He was an extraordinary man, and will be sadly missed by us, as I am sure he will by others in the cycling fraternity.”

Ian was honoured by the League of American Wheelmen and by the UK’s Cyclists Touring Club for his ‘trail-blazing’ tenacity. In the 1990s he was also invited to address Yale University and subsequently lectured on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hi Ant,

Whatever happened to your planned Antarctica trip? If I’d had a choice, I, too, would’ve chosen Brazil. Sounds like a great trip!

My passion is exploring the backwaters of other cultures, places where nobody goes. I’m planning a trip now for early ’09 to the canyons of northern Mexico. Though I plan to go alone, I would be willing to take others along with me. I’ve explored several of the canyons of that area, and lived at the bottom of one of them for several months. My home there was in Batopilas, Chihuahua, which is on the river, 6000 feet below the canyon rim. The town then was a ten-hour drive from the nearest paved road in Creel, Chihuahua, a major stop on the Copper Canyon Railroad. Today it’s only half that far from pavement, with buses three times a week. Yet back in 1970 there was no road at all. It was a 3-day mule ride to the closest dirt road! The town has about 1000 inhabitants now, but once was the largest city in northern Mexico. Silver was discovered there in 1590. The mines are shut down now, but hundreds of miles of old tunnels remain to explore. Some are safe, others not. A friend of mine lives in a house built in 1630, the oldest in town. So Batopilas will be my first stop, to relax a few days and catch up on the local news.

Then off to the unknown. Don’t know where, but my heart draws me to three places:-

1) Topia, Durango, an ex-mining town much like Batopilas, yet with far fewer visitors. As a passionate photographer, I would expect it to be exceptionally photogenic, both the town and the mining ruins.

2) The lower canyon of the Rio Basaseachi, starting about 10 miles below the famous falls and walking downstream for a month or two, until I come to a road where the canyon ends, not far from the ocean. I’m 70 and have mild arthritis, so will likely do only about 5 or 10 miles a day. If the hip acts up too much, I would consider renting a horse, or more likely a burro to carry my pack. Ill be in no hurry, so might stop and hang out with the people wherever I feel welcome, maybe staying a month or more in one place, or shorter spells in several. Most of the way there’ll be no roads at all, though some 4WD tracks penetrate the canyon. So I’d expect the people to be living on isolated ranches and completely self-sufficient, a throwback to a century or two back. My goal is to meet new friends, capture some photos of a vanishing culture and outstanding scenery, and write another book. Yet nothing is a must. I’ll just do what I feel like at the time. No deadlines or itinerary.

3) The town of Lluvia de Oro, once a thriving mining village, now deserted. It’s the scene of part of the best-selling book, “Lluvia de Oro, (Rain of Gold),” by my friend Victor Villasenor. The town site is about a 10- or 20-mile hike from a road, and likely only worth a couple of days. But I’ve long wanted to go there.

Which of these would I actually do? Who knows? I’ll decide when I get there. The weather will be ideal in midwinter for hiking the lower canyons. Very little rain and not too hot. Up on the canyon rims, there’ll be snow–not my idea of fun. So I’ll take my camping gear, camera, and notebook, but keep my pack light.

So if anyone wants to take on a leisurely walk through lightly-populated areas where it never gets cold, let me know. Since my timing and actual destination haven’t yet been finalized, I would be somewhat flexible. I’ll leave no earlier than Jan. 1, 09 and return no later than April 15, 09 (the date when the bugs begin to become bothersome in the lower canyons.) At this time I’m only thinking of the deep canyons of northern Mexico, specifically in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and possibly Sonora.

If anyone is interested, email me at heyyouhd@yahoo.com I’ll get back to you within a week. If our goals don’t mesh, I could still direct you to some great places to explore on your own, anywhere in Mexico, since I’ve been to all of the 31 states and lived in several of them. And I know some fabulous canyons in the States, as well. The best are in Arizona and Utah, accessed thru Vegas. Some require rock climbing skills, while others are an easy two-hour ramble. I find it thrilling to be in a canyon that’s 4000′ deep and only 50′ wide–no place to walk except the river itself. I can go nuts with my camera.

Next year, the Colca Canyon of Peru, the world’s deepest at 16,000 feet..I’ve been there once, but want to hike to the bottom at the deepest spot. Then climb the 21K mountain on the rim. That peak might be beyond my abilities, but I can give it a try. Slowly.

Chow–

Harold Dunn

San Diego, California

Back in January 2006 The Beetle posted a story in a previous edition about her experiences of Australian customs office and since then other travellers have related to the pain Beetle went through…see “The Beetle Struggles with Australian Customs”. This time its FridgeyÂ…maybe someone can offer an explanation as to why, or is it that we just have to put up with this s**t ?

The Ant

Hi Beetle, I am an Australian who was coming back from Fiji and was stopped in Brisbane International Airport and subjected to the rudest treatment I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. It took them about 45 minutes to search 1 bag with my clothes in it, a computer bag and bag with cables and computer accessories. This Customs officer was smirking at me at all times trying to upset me which he succeeded. From the outset he was advised I am a diabetic and diagnosed as clinically depressed. He proceeded to lie to me and told me he had to search me because the x-ray machine showed I had organic materials right throughout my luggage which was a bald faced lie. He proceeded to read each and every document in my possession, read each and every business card I had on me (as if they were looking for something to change in identical business cards). After being subjected to all this crap they called the police and had me charged with obstruction of a public officer and I did nothing of the sortÂ…so now they have changed the charges to intimidation of a public official. The story goes on because I am now facing criminal charges because of this idiot and his mates who helped him to annoy me. At the end of the day they did not find anything illegal on me whatsoever despite what they said their x-ray machine said was in my luggage. These people have way too much power and they love to abuse their powers.

The following is about a trip I undertook with my friend Dom across the Southern Hemisphere during the winter of 1999. Rereading my journal about our amateur explorations makes me smile and remember things that had started to fade…anyway read on !

7 December 1998 and we began the walking odyssey we had initially set our sights on ! The Rhebuck Trail is a loop of 30 km round some of the most dramatic scenery that can be found in the Golden Gate National Park of South Africa, allowing hopeful spotters a number of chances to catch a range of wildlife – so we imagined anyway. Setting off from our base camp at the park entrance, our route followed outcrops and peaks with harsh sounding Dutch names – Die Brandwag and Bosklof stick in my memory. DomÂ’s measured pace seemed to be easy enough to cope with, despite the ever increasing sun light and a large pack set upon my back…

A yummy (!) chicken noodle lunch, eaten al-fresco on a hot little outcrop looking down out of our valley, gave us a view of where we were heading. We could see the Wilgenhof (youth hostel) and the Klein Caledon Rivier (Little Caledon for those non Dutch speakers), which we were unsure on how to cross. Recent flooding in the past months had swept debris and our trail downstream – lack of choice forced us to ford this river near to the main valley route of the R712. The final 3 kms up a side valley towards our overnight hut was uneventful enough to leave me feeling surprisingly fresh from what should have been a tiring day. A 30 minute foot dip in the nearby Ribbok Spruit felt almost as good as the oft desired long, cold lager ! Ominously my earlier bravado was weakening, as the earlier sunshine began to extract its own revenge upon my exposed flesh

Alone we sat in the darkening eve waiting for the impressive looking braal to fire our food, when the heavens opened with a wild thunder storm, hurling lightning and rain at all below it. Our valley was lit continually and our BBQ soaked thoroughly !! Along with trails of rain escaping ants, we sat in the hut munching on a gas heated gourmet alternative of tinned sausages and baked beans – Dom’s foresight again proving invaluable.

The next day was physically one of the longest dayÂ’s my life ! It began with us leaving the hut at 7.00 am and ploughing through the harsh undergrowth surrounding the Ribbok Spruit. My water cooled legs & feet failed to counter the stinging running across my upper torso and the mere thought of more sunburn forced drastic measures – a long sleeved top, a baseball cap and a somewhat smelly, old white t-shirt wrapped around my neck. Dom led me onwards through 4 sore kms and somehow away from the main trail – vegetation and flooding doing their worst once again. A tortuous alternative took us up and down the hills that surrounded the Generaalskop – a 2732 metre high and very cloud free mountain that sat looking contemptuously down upon us. We did spot Black Wildebeest and Eland as they scampered before our weary trudging but at this point I wasnÂ’t interested in making any sort of David Attenborough documentary ! With his experience of hiking, Dom suggested we move up the GeneralÂ’s flanks to find our elusive trail but a sullen 30 minutes on my part almost had me insisting that we took a more appealing trail that seemed to hug the contours of the lower flanks. Eventually this trail, probably created by a Rhebuck, reunited us with the trail proper and all my thoughts of doom & gloom fled ! Dom thought that we had sped our way through the remaining 3 kms back to base camp at Glen Reenen 90 minutes. I was on autopilot and ignored even the chance of a swim in the lower reaches of the Buffelspruit. Never did hut no. 1 look so appealing ! Would I undertake such a journey again ? Once I had rid myself of my various aches and as long as I was better prepared physically, I reasoned that the masochistic streak within me would argue yes ! The rest of me would just roll my eyes heavenward or rather Ribbokkop wards !!

For more information about national parks in South Africa see – http://www.sanparks.org/

This edition has been delayed by about 2 weeks due a combination of travel and technical issues, hopefully these are now fixed. ~ Paul, GT Webmaster.

Hello all,

I think that this is going to be a bumper edition, as not only have I got to catch up with not managing to produce a July eNewsletter, IÂ’ve also got plenty of good material to get through !! So what happened to JulyÂ’s edition you might ask ? Well I ran out of timeÂ…the twin calls of work and then spending three weeks with Tony Annis, undertaking an adventure of life time in Brasil, squashed everything into too short a space ! I will tell you more about Brasil but now I need to move on and let you know about the following:-

July was a notable month for the Globetrotters Club, particularly for the London Branch, on two fronts:-

· Dick Curtis has retired as London Branch organiser and all round good guy ! As you can see from the picture below, courtesy of Dan Bachmann, Dick was completely surprised by the presentation of a signed card and an engraved glass globe ! In fact I think he was speechless for a few seconds whilst he registered what Jacqui and the Committee had organised in commemorationÂ… Many of you can recollect Dick being a constant, as the club changed most of its regular attendees, meeting venues and advanced through its own 60^th birthday. How many of you also noted DickÂ’s passions for Wasps rugby union club, strong English beers and slightly eccentric travel trips to London, the Basque country and beyond. I think for me Dick epitomises what drew me to the club and has kept me coming back for more, in one shape or another. IÂ’m sure we havenÂ’t heard the last of Dick and weÂ’ll get to catch up with him in slightly less busy moments, enjoying the club and its members Â… All the best and thank you for all your efforts Dick – regards from us all!!!

· The new programme of events for September 2008 was announced and as you can see it lists a whole host of interesting and well accomplished travellers – http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon09it1.html. Not only do we have Legacy 2007 winner & club member Katie Fahrland speaking about her once in a lifetime trip to Bamako, we also welcome back regulars Justin Marozzi, Jonny Bealby (GT heartthrob !!), Amar Grover & John Gimlette all before the end of 2008 ! A very strong line up indeed as we head towards the winter months and the start of 2009Â…

ThatÂ’s all for nowÂ…,

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

The July meeting was the popular Members Slides, though nowadays digital is beginning to take over and in the first session:-

Liz Cooper took us first to Belize showing us the “Blue hole”, which you reach by a combination of scrambling and swimming, she also showed us examples of the abundant bird life and the native Margay cats.

Rene Richards showed us her trip to Peru , including bodies preserved by the dry atmosphere at high altitude, Rene visited the reed islands on Lake Titicaca, worrying that she would sink through these bouncy constructions, and the spectacular Valley of the Condors.

We headed next to Asia as Sue Baker showed us her 2 month’s working in a school in Darham, Mongolia . As well as helping teach the children and taking them into the hills, Sue also got to experience living in a Ger which can be erected in just an hour (not IKEA then!) and trekking around salt lakes.

Next to the Middle East as David Shamash showed us some old pictures of Jerusalem.

Last up before the interval was Jacqui Trotter, who showed us that Spain is not just for the summer, Jacqui visited Madrid and Sevilla, taking in the Moorish architecture, Sevilla cathedral and photographing some of the ornate doorways and peaking behind them. She also showed us Cordoba cathedral, with its wonderful forest of nearly a 1000 columns from its days as a mosque.

After the break we returned to the following varied set of short journeys:-

Tracey Murray took us down under to the Oodnadatta Track, taking in the delights of Coober Pedy, Lake Eyre and the wonderfully named “Plane Henge” where 2 old aircraft are tethered noses upwards. At Maree Tracey showed us a camel made out of railway sleepers, a monument to the Ghan railway.

Eric Hayman then took us to Lesotho where he worked during the 1970’s helping to build dams on the Orange river, this also involved building an airstrip with some very rudimentary equipment, he must have done a reasonable job as its still there and you can book a flight to it on Expedia, its designation code is PEL!

Jeanie Copland, showed us the trip she did earlier this year with Matt Doughty, walking in Big Bend National Park in Texas, Matt is obviously fitter than he looks 🙂 as some of the walks were quite hard, but worth it for the views.

Dan Bachmann made quite an entrance dressed in his Tunisian headscarf to show us his trip into the dessert, where he camped under the stars and his guide baked their breakfast bread under the ashes of the camp fire. Dan was amazed to find plants growing in a dessert that hasnÂ’t seen rain in decades.

Dick Curtis fittingly brought the meeting to its close, showing us Lyon airport, which is an architectural delight, but completely devoid of any passengers due to its not very well thought out location.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, September 2008 through to July 2009 – http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon09it1.html.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Ontario meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

It’s the time of year again when I drop a line to Globies about the BBC-Royal Geographical Society “Journey of a Lifetime” award, which is always of great interest to Globies. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with this since it started eight years ago. Last year’s winner Emily Ainsworth made a cracking programme about touring with a Mexican circus, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday 29 August at 11.00 am.

If this isn’t too late for your eNewsletter, please could you give the programme a mention? And most importantly, please could you tell Globies how to apply for the 2009 award, for which the deadline is Friday 26 September.

In a nutshell, up to £4,000 is on offer for an original and inspiring journey anywhere in the world. The winner will receive training in radio broadcasting from the BBC and will record their experiences for a BBC Radio 4 documentary. What they want is to inspire an interest in the world and its people and at the same time discover new radio broadcasting talent.

Full details are at: http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Grants/Journey+of+a+Lifetime.htm

Info about previous programmes (with “Listen Again” links) are at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/journeyofalifetime.shtml

Background

Your Journey of a Lifetime – it’s the territory of imagination and dreams, the lure of the distant horizon and the tug of the unknown. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), in partnership with BBC Radio 4, offer you the chance to make that journey and to tell the world about it in a memorable piece of radio documentary-making. Each year the RGS-IBG and the BBC support the best idea for an original, exciting, and exceptional journey. It’s important that the project takes you somewhere fresh, different and original. Therefore it’s a good idea to bear in mind where previous winners have been (such as Mexico in 2008, Kenya in 2007 and Egypt in 2006).

Your journey needs really to matter to you: we need to feel your passion and enthusiasm and Radio 4 listeners need to be fascinated. The BBC already broadcasts a lot of documentaries about faraway places. When developing your idea, make sure it’s the sort of thing journalists rarely have the time to cover. Most reporters can only afford the time and money to make short visits to meet important people and don’t get immersed in the local society.

The programme you’ll be making needs to tell your story – and that of the journey and the place you’ll be visiting – in a graphic and attractive way. Think of all the audio potential in the idea – not just indigenous music and sounds, but how you are going to find interesting sounds within the substance of the journey (by keeping an audio-diary, for example). Radio is very good on atmospherics and imaginative pictures, but you need to think about what your journey and your destination offer to create those pictures.

Eligibility guidelines

* You’ll be travelling between January and July 2009.

* Applicants must be aged 18 or over.

* BBC and RGS-IBG staff and their close relatives are not eligible to apply for grants.

* The BBC will retain editorial control over any programme it may make. It can’t guarantee that any programme it may make will be broadcast.

* Interviews will be held in November 2008 in London. You must be able to attend these interviews in person.

* Applications from small teams rather than solo travellers are accepted, but please make it clear in your application if this is the case.

* The award is for independent travel. We will NOT consider any journey joining a commercial expedition or pre-paid tour, including organised charity fundraising tours.

How to apply

Applications may be submitted by email (in MS Word format) or by post or fax, to arrive by Friday 26 September 2008.

Initial proposal – applying for the Journey of a Lifetime award is easy. We’re only looking for the ‘pitch’ of your idea at this stage – the core idea that makes this your Journey of a Lifetime. Your pitch should be no longer than 550 words and should provide:-

A two-line summary – A very brief description of your planned journey. Think of this as what would appear as your headline in the Radio Times.

A 250-300 word description of the journey in more detail. You don’t have to include everything listed here, but it may help you to consider:

* Why is this a journey of a lifetime?

* Why will it make a good radio broadcast?

* Why is it of interest to the audience?

* How will you achieve the journey?

* What will you get out of it?

* What will the audience get out of it?

* Why you and not somebody else?

Please remember to keep this brief. At this stage we’re not looking for detailed route plans or budgets.

Send your initial proposal by email, post or fax to the RGS-IBG grants officer at the address below to arrive by Friday 26 September 2008. From the initial proposals, up to ten projects will be shortlisted by a panel of judges. Those selected will be asked to prepare a more detailed proposal.

Note: Digital photographs should be in JPEG or TIFF format, A5 size, with a resolution of at least 300dpi.

Enquiries and applications

Grants Officer Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR T: 020 7591 3073 F: 020 7591 3031 E: grants@rgs.org W: http://www.rgs.org/grants

This trip of ours to Brasil was brought to life by two men and their visions of what the Amazon Forest means to its indigenous peoples & what it could mean to the wider world, if experienced responsibly. Benki Piyako, respected member of the Ashaninka people, is at 35 years old a possible future of the indigenous peoples interactions with the modern states of South America, he is articulate, educated & has a sense of how his cultural identity can play a positive role. Meanwhile Tony Annis a long time Globetrotter member and established photographer, was raised in Brasil during his school years and has over the years has grown more passionate about what makes Brasil tick and how it should be enjoyed.

We six tourists first met up with Benki & a number of the Ashaninka at Marechal Thaumaturgo’s airstrip (in Brasil’s western most state – Acre), perfectly timed for a step into the unknown. On departure day, four flat, metal hulled motor boats were loaded with our packs, food, umbrellas & guns and iced drinks and after what became the regularly fluid morning chats about what might happen for the day, the word was given and we’re off ! Turn right after the town and up Rio Amonia we went !!

Those umbrellas were vital in this supposed dry season  continuous rain for the first few hours could have easily sapped our keenness before we reached our first stop at Apiwxta (pronounced aputure). Bizarrely it was water that probably got us into enjoying this adventure‚…the boat with John, Trish & I in hit an unseen & very underwater log and our world was instantly turned upside down. Despite the best efforts of Chico our driver, all of our goods were dunked into the brown, muddy & very fast flowing river frantically we grabbed the most precious items – our cameras – and let the following boats rescue everything, including ourselves. Tony was most disappointed that he had not been around to get any pictures of the upset. Adaptable is a byword for getting the most out of their surroundings – everything was stripped down, dried and within an hour or so we were on our way again. I had images of us being marooned over night, but no the Ashaninka soon had us underway.

Apiwxta is so, so different from most places I have ever experienced before. It epitomises the symbiotic relationship the Ashaninka have with the forests buildings, food, clothes and even socialising are derived from materials found within their surroundings. Only functional, hardwearing objects such as machetes, outboard motors and cooking ports come from our outside world. These people only take what they need for their communities at this point and further up river there is little evidence of the destructive practices of forestry that have many up in arms. In fact the rapidly rising & sinking levels of the river have wreaked more damage, as its course varies with the seasonal downpours. We evening’d over a meal of freshly caught fish, manioc, paste & cold, cold beers. This, including the beer, became our staple diet for most of the whole trip along the river though it was sometimes varied by what ever could be hunted by bows & arrows or very ancient rifles sometimes even Benki failed to bring back anything extra ! We also got to experience herbal medicines, as I’d bounced Francesca off a wooden balcony and she had the resulting bloody wound patched up with just honey & plant extracts despite having to wear a large bandage, just in case, she didn’t swear at me once and was most intrigued on what had been applied to her head.

Days two & three had us heading further up towards the Peruvian border  each day was spent bouncing along, dodging fallen trees and attempting to avoid numb bums & sun burn. Each night we slept on a river beach, underneath palm tree lean shelters with our hammocks swung into place & the much needed mosquito nets added ! Swimming in the muddied swirls of the Amonia became the best way to exfoliate the day away. But those damned flies & mosquitoes nearly rubbished all this serene pleasure for us, we had to use industrial quantities of deet, soothing creams & sun protection in an unequal battle to fend off bite after bite even back in Rio de Janeiro week’s later people still remarked on my pock marked legs !

The fourth day found us crossing the border into Peru and up into the village of Sawawo to support our Ashaninka in a football tournament organised to commemorate the country’s independence. Through the heat & mixed of indigenous/state communities we cheered on Benki & his rock of a player brother Bebito, as they defeated all comers to seal the title. The evening’s celebrations descended into a cacophony of Peruvian disco, shuffling dancing and a boatful of fermented manioc & sweet potatoes and Don in particular paid the price for over indulging as we began our return in a haze the next day.

Picture courtesy of The Ant: Tome boat at SawawoÂ…the morning after!!!

Our final leg was particularly poignant, I sat up front on the lead boat on the last day, getting splashed and dodging so many hanging branches, as we left behind the more traditional Ashaninka way of life and navigated our way down past the small homesteads and onto Marechal’s blurred junction of Rios Amonia & Juru. A sense of departure & change pervaded my thoughts, we were heading eastwards towards Brasil and ultimately home, the joy of sharing our unknown was almost over all too quickly.

Want to know more about the Ashaninka and their lives ?

• their cosmology and more –
• about their community at Apiwxta –
• BenkiÂ’s role in environmental & indigenous issues for the Ashaninka and the Brasilians – http://www.ashoka.org/node/3954

We were in El Chalten (there are good campsites and also plenty of hotels around to stay in although February is high season so book pretty early) and we did part of the Fitz Roy circuit that I think takes anything from 4-7 days. We went to El Lago de los tres (which takes you right to the base of the Fitzroy Glacier and is just past the base camp for climbers) and also started the walk into Cerro Torre but the weather was bad. Both the Fitzroy and Cerro Torre circuits are accessible from El Chalten. If I remember I had the Bradt guide to Argentina and Chile and that had some really useful information in it about the circuits and where to get maps etc. In terms of kit etc you can either hire it or buy it in El Chalten, but a word of warning the prices are pretty expensive (even more so now as all the prices have gone up).

While youÂ’re in Patagonia and that far south itÂ’s definitely worth going to the glacier ‘Perito MorenoÂ’ as itÂ’s spectacular. The nearest town to that is El Calafate. Also, if you have time itÂ’s also possible to go to ‘Las Torres del PaineÂ’ in Chile where you can do various circuits of trekking (for example, the ‘wÂ’ route – thereÂ’s more info in Bradt) and is also amazing.

Further up in northern Patagonia there is also Volcan Lanin that is a 2 day trek/climb with crampons. It is in Parque Nacional de Lanin and the nearest place is Junin de los Andes. You need all the kit to be checked by the park rangers (guardaparque) and also to hire a radio to take up with you (you can do this in Junin de los Andes). Again thereÂ’s more info in Bradt and although people will try to sell you a group climb with guides if you have some knowledge of mountains they will let you go alone – however you will need to provide a first aid kit etc to take with you. If you decide to do this itÂ’s worth keeping a few days (4-5) to spare to allow for weather, booking a place in one of the refuges for the 1st night and also to get the kit together.

In terms of transport (assuming youÂ’re flying into Buenos Aires) from Buenos Aires you can get a ‘cochecamaÂ’ – a bus with seats that recline to become a bed (well nearly) to El Chalten, El Calafate, Bariloche and I think Junin de los Andes. If not to Junin de los Andes you can definitely go via Bariloche. Most buses go from Retiro bus station but itÂ’s worth checking. I think the main company that sells tickets is ‘FlechabusÂ’.