Cordillera Chilena: Cerro Canoitas

Finally made it back up a cerro after a long work induced pause. This time I went with a group of about 20 people up Cerro Canoitas, located about 15KM up Camino Farellones, just a few minutes past the start of the zona de curvas that leads up to the ski resorts. The hike was pretty easy, starting at around 1800 meters up to 2600 meters. Not much of a trail though, more of a web of rabbit trails, some of which blazed by this guy below. (I must add that he was freed, not eaten nor sold for his fur). Add to that about three false summits and a very loose shale that made the decent a bit more difficult and painful. The summit was great though, with a view of El Plomo and of the city below. I would only recommend it for those who have an idea where to find the trail head (somewhere there are some GPS coordinates on the internet) and don't mind scrambling towards the peak and back down again.

Photos from 09 I should've published: La Plaza de Bogotá

In October of last year I traveled to Bogotá for work. During the trip I took a short tour of the main wholesale fruit market of the capital. It's full of all sort of tropical and imported fruit. I entered along with a receiver of the exporter where I work. It has its dirtiness and chaos, as does any fruit market in Latin America (in the north the are still crazy but a bit cleaner), but it is now a safe place. My guide for the day, who has worked in the market, or as it is referred to there, La Plaza, for more than 10 years, says today it is a safe and relatively good place to be working. Not the case 10 years ago when it was run by competing cartels.

Today it is the principal reception market for imported fruit that arrives to the port of Buenaventura.

In the photo above a worker is packaging plantains, that large banana looking fruit that is so delicious when fried. Ever tried one? They go great with pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw.

Photos of 09

So here are a few of the many photos I've been wanting to put up for a while.

 

I'll start off with a shot from just outside of La Grita, Venezuela. La Grita is a prime farming region that supplies a great deal of the rest of the coutry with vegetables. The crops are planted literally into the side of the mountain, some of them extremely steep! Small (1-2 hectare) plots with  carrots, brocoli lettuce, strawberries and onion, among others are nestled into every growable nichesand corner. Above is from a little pond in some of the higher fields.