Pre-Carnaval Brazil update! (9/2/2002)

Well, after such a long wait you deserve it - here it is, the Brazil update!

We got to Rio at noon and discovered that it’s hot. And I mean hot!
You get the heat of Eilat and the humidity of Tel Aviv all mixed together.
Luckily for us we managed to rent a great roof apartment in Copacabana with an air conditioner that turned out to be a lifesaver for the following days as well.


The next shock Brazil gave us was the Brazilian logic. This is somewhat similar to army logic in that you can never really understand it or predict it. All we wanted to do was buy tickets to the Carnaval´s champions´ parade.
We looked in some travel agencies and all they gave us were tickets for the tourists’ sections (and not very cheap ones as well). We had a small tip that said that the bank sells the tickets. So, we went to the bank. Sounds easy enough but in reality there are over a dozen banks in Rio (UNIBANCO, BANC REAL, BANERJ, BANCO DO BRAZIL, etc.) each with many branches. We went to one bank and they sent us to another that sent us to yet another and so on.

This probably would have gone on forever if we had not been lucky enough to go to another travel agency which is owned by an Australian woman who explained the entire mechanism to us. Only one bank sells the tickets, only some of its branches sell the tickets and each branch sells tickets to a different sector. And so... we got our tickets!

Our next encounter with Brazilian logic was when we tried to call home. Sounds simple enough, but not so! There are many public phones (almost in every street corner) but only a small few of them allow you to use your calling card. These of course are not marked in any special way and you have to go over all the phones in a street before you can find one that works.

The next thing we did was go to see a soccer game in the world’s largest stadium - the Maracana. The game we saw was of two local teams (Botafogo and Fluminense) but even so the atmosphere was great. There were lots of people, all with shirts/flags/bandanas of their team and everyone was cheering and shouting. As if this wasn’t enough the stadium was also full of drummers who drove on the crowds and gave the whole place a great beat.

The following evening we were treated with one of Rio’s unexpected lightning storms. It started with a light drizzle, but within five minutes we were drenched and staring at the lightning strike all over Copacabana´s rooftops.
We also encountered one of Rio’s attractions - the buses. For some unknown reason the designers of the bus decided not to give it springs which makes the whole ride very... interesting (imagine being thrown all over the bus while trying to avoid falling over other innocent people).

We also went to a Blocco, which is where the people of a neighborhood get together and go on a parade in the streets of the neighborhood. We started talking with someone who turned out to be the organizer of the parade (and who also knew a little English). He explained things to us and showed us around and was very nice altogether. When the rain stopped (well, not completely) everyone got outside and the parade started. First went the dancers (three women which are the winners of some earlier event), then the drummers (lots and lots of drummers) and then a van with a sound system.

All around and in between there were people dancing and singing (us too!) and the beat of the drums was too great to resist. We bought shirts of the neighborhood and started dancing with them right there on the street.
When it was all over the rain started again and we went back to our apartment.

After being in Rio for about a week and a half we took a few days vacation in the small city of Buzios, which is located on a Peninsula three hours away from Rio.


The pace of the place was much different then that of Rio. Everything was slower, nicer and smaller (even the McDonald’s was smaller!) and the people were nicer. I felt completely safe there and we went to the beach and to the main street, which had a lot of restaurants, bars and clubs.


Now we’re back in Rio (just in time for Carnaval) getting used to the humidity and heat again (even though it’s raining at the moment). I’m feeling drained right now so I’ll cut my Brazilian update here and continue it after the carnaval (with some additions which I neglected to write in this email).

Until next time.. Adios!

Back from the Torres del Paine trek! (18/1/2002)

Well, we’re back from the trek that ended up taking 9 days. Through most of the trek we didn’t walk with each other (except for the first day, the day of the pass and the two easy days) so I suppose Oren will send you an email of his own.
We started on a very windy day and we had a lot of weight on us (we brought enough food for about 4 people). The first day was not too interesting, other than some endless fields of white flowers in which groups of Chileans were running about half naked, dancing and jumping.


The second day was harder and when I finally made it to the end of the day, the view was great: I had just finished a hard climb to the top of a hill from which I could see the grassy camping site where we were going to sleep, perched on the shore of a lake with a great glacier on the other side. In the center of the glade was a small hut where the rich(er) people can sleep. This was Refugio Dickson, near which we slept in our little tent.

Since the trek also entails going over a pass in the mountains the third day was shorter so we could rest for the final climb to the pass. I walked through forests which where somewhat similar to those I already told you about (Tolkien and everything) on my way to Campamento Los Perros. Just before reaching the campsite we had a great movie-like suspension bridge (Indiana Jones like). After the bridge there was a killer climb and at the end of that I was suddenly on the edge of a lake in which pieces of the Los Perros glacier were floating about. It was a great view and I went down to the shore to have a closer look.

I was a bit nervous on the fourth day since I knew we had to cross the pass and I was afraid we would have strong winds. The day started with a climb (as always) and soon the trail turned into a muddy mess which took us about two hours to overcome. At the end of those two hours we had to cross a gushing river, and after that started the climb to the pass. We set up in our storm suits, wrapped our bags and set out. When we were half way up it started snowing and it was really great, I enjoyed the entire climb immensely. When we got to the top of the pass (at about 1200m) we could se in front of us the huge Glaciar Grey (about 16km long) spread along the valley. We then continued to go down the other side of the pass. At the beginning the going was easy, but soon the climb down became very hard - the ground was slippery and the slopes were hard to handle. When we finally saw a tent we could barely contain our happiness. It turned out that no one really knew where the camping ground we were looking for was, but since everyone was so tired they just put up their tents where they could.

Through the whole of the fifth day I trekked with the two Americans we met in Bariloche (and later spent the Sylvester with).
We had great views of the Grey glacier (and that’s a name, not a color!) and some adventurous bits - climbing rope ladders, crossing rivers etc. When we finally got to Refugio Grey we put up our tents and then noticed that the sun had come out. We decided we would go to another lookout on the glacier. I started by going down to a little cove where bits of the glacier were floating. Surprisingly they made very gentle noises, like crystal wind chimes. I then went up to the cliffs overlooking the glacier and lake. It looked dangerous but was really very easy climbing and I spent a couple of hours just jumping around on the rocks and taking pictures.


The sixth day was a two-part walk. The first to Refugio Pehoe that is near an amazing lake, the likes of which I have never seen. I hope the pictures come out well because I can’t even begin to describe the great color the lake had (a very clear blue-turquoise). The second part of the day was getting to Campamento Italiano, which was a rather uneventful walk.


The seventh day started with a smile. This was the first day in which we didn’t have to carry all of our equipment with us. We left the tent and most of our equipment down in the camping ground and went up into what is called the French Valley, where we had great lookouts on another glacier, some snow capped mountains and forests.


The following day was supposed to be a very long day - we had to walk all the way back to the beginning of the course - about 7-8 hours of walking with all the equipment. Somewhere along the way my watch set itself back to 1/1/85, so I had no clear notion of the time (or day for that matter). After a couple of hours I got to a small hotel-like Refugio. After a week in the field, I did the natural thing and abused their toilets.

The last day finally came. Again we walked without our big packs and just took some basic things for the climb up to the Torres del Paine. The Torres themselves are three huge granite "towers" with a nice pinkish color. The climb took us a few hours but was great. We had a great day with no clouds (and this is rare in this park) and a lot of sun.


That’s about it. All in all, it was a great trek and if I didn’t include too many details it’s because it’s all still one big, long and dirty mess (well, we had no showers) in my mind.

Talk to you all soon,
Adios!

A small note before we go on this trek... (9/1/2002)

Hi everybody!
We are leaving on a long trek (10 or so days) in a few hours so don’t be offended if I completely ignore your messages – I’ll get to all of them as soon as we are back.
We are currently in Puerto Natales getting ready for the trek that is in the Torres del Paine national park. I’ll give you a full account of the way we froze to death as soon as we are back and defrosted.

I’m going to get ready now so adios!

After yet another trek in Chile! (29/12/2001)

Well, we have left Argentina (due to the internal problems they are having) after a great few days in Bariloche.
We went to a not-so-interesting city in Chile called Osorno, where we got ready for our next trek. This also happened to be the 24th of December. We went to buy food for the trek in the supermarket and found that the supermarket had turned to a practical war zone. There were hundreds of people there, all trying to do last minute shopping for Christmas. We tried to buy bread, but as soon as it was out people were all over it and it was gone in a second. We ended up waiting for the following morning to complete our shopping and then we took the bus to the park where we did the trek (Puyehue).
The main problem with the park (and a few others like it) is what the locals call “Tabanos”. These are a type of horse flies that bite you and suck your blood. They hover around you in clouds and can drive you crazy. When they sit on you and get ready to bite they change their usual buzzing to a sort of drilling noise. These lovely creatures traveled with us in the first and last day, and also a bit on the third day. Traveling with Tabanos is NOT RECOMMENDED! :)

The first day was all uphill (as they all appear to be). This time, however, there was a new twist to the climb (in addition to the Tabanos). Besides the ridiculous slopes we had to climb, we also had to deal with the unstable volcanic soil that kept sliding under our shoes. This made climbing very difficult and by the time we got to the top of the climb we were pretty tired. The good thing was that at the end of the climb we found a nice little hut where we could sleep (on wooden bunks!) and cook our food (on a stove!).


We spent the night there with another Israeli couple who got there later, while a few other people spent the night outside in their tents (though there was still plenty of room inside the Refugio).
The following morning we woke up to very cloudy weather and we couldn’t decide whether to go on or to stay another day in the Refugio (well, we had plenty of food). The Israeli couple left (they were in a hurry), but soon after a European couple came (a Swiss man and a French woman now living in the US). After they had rested we all went to climb the volcano (the inactive Volcan Puyehue).


It took us about two hours to climb it. I thought this would not be worth the climb as we had already climbed an active volcano (Villarica), but was surprised to find that it was great. The view was amazing (at 2240meters) and the entire crater of the volcano (which is huge) was covered with snow. We took some great pictures there (which we haven’t developed yet), had a small snack and finally made our way down. When we came back to the Refugio we found that it had filled up with people and we had a somewhat crowded night (the two of us, the Swiss, the French, an Australian and 6 Germans).


On the third day we got up early for a long walk. We decided to cross the park and to come back on the same day. Well, we started walking along the barren, snow covered plains of the park. We could see the trail twisting and turning in front of us. The whole place looks like some kind of desert until you recall that you are 1500 meters above sea level and that there is snow around you. We finally made it to Los Banos, which are a couple of hot springs, heated by the geothermal activity in the area. We then went on to see some geysers, and while they were nice we found them to be not so impressive (just some bubbling mud and a lot of steam). On the way to the geysers we had to cross a stream several times. The water was very very cold and I think the people in the Refugio could hear us screaming as our toes asked us “why?”.
After eating a small lunch at the geysers we made our way back to the Refugio.


The entire trip was at least 32km long (but was probably longer as there seems to be an error in the map). We were pretty tired when we got back and we could see from a distance that there were many tents near the Refugio. We of course though that the Refugio itself was filled with people, but found out that including us there were only five people inside. After all that walking we slept very very WELL.


On the final day we got up late and went down the way we came the first day. It was fun walking the same way, only this time downhill. We caught a lift and then a bus back to town and, as always, enjoyed our after-trek bath. We are now in Puerto Montt. From here we will fly south and start working our way back north. After meeting an American couple (whom we had already met in Bariloche) we are thinking of spending the Sylvester with them in Chonchi, which is a small town on the island of Chiloe (just off the coast of Chile).

56 Strikes Again, This Time Really Hard!

The credit for this post goes to Ofer, I just helped him to link it.
56 must mean something, so much people can't be wrong!

Click the picture for the movie, turn your speakers on!

Enjoy!

We’re back from the volcano (13/12/2001)

Well we finally made it and climbed up the Villarica volcano.


We got up early in the morning and started climbing (after putting on the clothing – pants, jacket, snow boots and ice picks). This time we had a fast group and we did the climb in only three hours, the first part took us an hour and a half and then we stopped for lunch. We then continued and our guide decided (but apparently neglected to tell us) not to stop until we reached the stop. The weather was great and the entire valley below us was covered with clouds that gave the whole trip a great atmosphere. When we got to the top we rested a little and later put on our gas masks to look into the crater but all we could wee was smoke (the lava was not visible). We nearly choked to death on the fumes and were blinded by sand blown into our eyes by the strong wind.
Then we started to go back down the mountain. We ran a little in the snow and then we started to ski down. We used the special equipment that god gave us, which the local guides refer to as ass-boarding. We slid down most of the mountain and it was great. I even slid face first once just for the fun. The last slide was the best. The guide slid down first and waited for us. We then slid down and when we got to him he told us to keep going (while still sliding) over the little ridge he was standing on. I kept going and suddenly the earth disappeared beneath me and I went down a very steep slide. It was like a roller coaster but better.
When we finally finished all our butts were frozen (Israeli, Canadian, Australian, Chilean and German butts united in cold!).


Anyway, now I am dry and clean and feeling great and I hope that things are good for you too and that you are having a good Chanukah.

P.s. there seems to be a problem with the scanners here so photos will come later, sorry.

Adios!

We are three now - 26/1/2002! (The day me and Ofer had our first baby ;-)

Hola mi amigos,

First of all - another friend of mine, called Itay, has joined our small group. The three of us are now in Buenos Aires flying to Rio in the 28 of January. We are still not sure what exactly we are going to do in Brazil - maybe it depends on you guys ... Please tell us where do you plan to be in the Carnaval, we will be glad toget recommendations for nice spots. Just make sure it is an Israeli-freespot ( I know it is impossible criteria, so places where Israelis are not the majority will also be accepted ).
And if we won't meet - Have fun, loose your head and ... PARTY TIME !

Oren

We’re back from the trek (12/12/2001)

Hello from Pucon again!

We just came back from a four-day trek in park Huerquehue (don’t even try to say it out loud!)
We wanted to make it a three-day trek but Oren didn’t get up in the morning so we took the bus to the park only at 16:00. We got there looked around a bit and set up camp on the shore of the lake. The following morning we got up, packed up our things and started climbing through the most amazing forest I have ever seen. The Araucaria trees were unusual (I’ll send a photo of them) and the entire forest was “glowing” with a soft green light.


Along the way there were several other lakes, lagoons and waterfalls. The entire day we went uphill – except for when we went to see the waterfalls. But after each waterfall we had to climb back up. It was the kind of forest you read about in “The Hobbit” or something like that. When we finally got to the top of the mountain we went down the other side into a small valley where we set up camp near a small river. The next day we started walking into another part of the forest that finally turned into grassy rolling hills with a few farms along the way. This too was like a scene from a book. The trail went through the farms and we got to meet the locals and the livestock.

We went back and slept at the same place (where we had left or tent and most of our equipment). We met a Chilean couple there that reminded us that it was the first day of Chanukah - it was quite a FADIHA. The fourth day was much less interesting – we went a very long way to get back to Pucon. We caught a couple of rides along the way including a final ride of about 20km to Pucon.

It really was an amazing trip.

Before the trek we tried to climb the Villarica volcano and got up about a third of the way before the guide decided it was too dangerous to continue due to the winds. So we went down. Going down from the volcano is done by sliding on your TOOCHES on the snow. It was great, but short. Now we are getting ready to climb the volcano again and later to leave towards the south of Chile.
Anyway, have a great week and I’ll get back to you soon.

Adios!

The reason all of this started

I'm sitting here in London doing some work and I think I've had enough. It came to me that this blog should contain some of our South American experiences so I've decided to upload them here. I haven't changed anything, just added some photos at some places.

So here goes!

MOP Yearbook

Here it is, to the audience's requests:

Administrator Permissions

Ok, all of you non-posting so called "blog members", listen up. As Oren pointed out (he took one step towards path of the right and actually posted something), you need the admin permissions in order to edit old posts, such as movie recommendations. So I granted those permissions to all the blog members.
Now you can enter the "Edit Posts" link (under "Posting" tab) and edit old posts. You can also do other stuff, but better leave all the administration to me. Especially don't mess with the template. It's rather complicated and took me a lot of time to get it right.
Now, are you going to post or what? :)

FISHTERIX #1

I know I've been bad lately ... so please accept it as my sincere apologies!







43 more years to go for the resurrection of the fish!
Oren

P.S.
I am totally confused with the counting ... did we burn our notebooks on the summer of 93 or 94?

New Section - The Renegades Recommend

I keep to establish new sections in this blog with a hope that they would encourage the other blog members to participate. Without much success up to now... But I'll keep trying.

Recently me and Ofer had this conversation about movies. He looked for a really funny movie for their movie-day at work. He didn't want it to be one of the "Monty Python" though, which made it really hard. So we started to recall different movies we saw. Of course "Top Secret" came first to our minds :) I don't know which one he chose at the end, but I thought that it would be nice to have a movie list - so that we'd have our favorite movies in front of our eyes, won't forget their names etc. For this purpose, and also for sharing recommendations about new movies, I'm starting this section.

Please cooperate this time !!!

The Renegades Recommend

The Renegades Recommend

I hope this page would help us to remember old movies we liked, to recommend each other new good movies and also would serve as a movie list for different occasions when we want to see something old and good or to recommend something to others.

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Movies
Recently Seen

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Lord of War
Makes-you-think movie, surprizingly not "american-like"


Coen brothers

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The Big Lebowski
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
No Country for Old Men
"Call it, friendo!"

Oldies But Goodies
Funny

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Top Secret
personally I think it's the funniest movie ever made (except Monty Python)
A Fish Called Wanda
Doesn't need introduction

"Rogue" movies
Movies about bunch of loosers, that try to pull something off, but at the end are really lucky to stay alive and not totally broke. (One of my favorite movie genres) Why all those movies are british?

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Go
Intermission
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch
An Everlasting Piece
Enjoy the Irish accent :) (this one doesn't really fit this category, but somehow it's close by its style)

Other Genres

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American Splendor
Really good and unusual movie
State and Main
Comedy/Drama - quite amusing

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TV Series
Lately there are a lot of quality TV series, and I feel like this genre was taken one step ahead

Lost
One of the best, mystery and suspence. Check out this unbelievable site, but beware of spoilers!
Prison Break
Very good thriller indeed
The 4400
Science Fiction, but not quite usual
Farscape
Science Fiction, my and Ofer's absolute favorite, but kind of "hardcore" Sci-Fi. We're trying to persuade Gal to watch it :)
Scrubs
Insanely funny! About doctors and hospital, but nothing like classic hospital movies/series.
Heroes
Like someone said - it's "X-men" for prime time. But it's really nice, and not too "hardcore" Sci-Fi. It has 9 episodes by now and I like it.

London Lo Mechaka Li

Ok bastardos. Renegades my ass. Why don’t you renegade a bit in the site, eh?

Anyway, I’ve been in London this week though I haven’t had much time to go out and about. It’s ok though; I’ve been in London before (and hopefully will be again).

This is the lobby of the hotel at which I’m staying:



It’s kind of a funky place – those blue lights change color from time to time, sometimes pink, sometime green, etc.

I have a green light for my vacation so I’ll be heading on to Ireland on Friday for a two week vacation.

So have a very kosher pessach over there :) and if I check this blog from some internet café and I see that there’s nothing new I’m gonna kick some ass…