Week 29 to 37 – 24/02/10 Argentina

Week 29 to 37 – 24/02/10 Argentina

Bus from Chile - it took a while

Mendoza

Arriving in Mendoza we had booked a hostel but after walking 10 minutes from the bus station, we decided that it was too far from town so ditched it for somewhere a little closer. Immediately went out in search of food and ended up having a giant pizza and pop, not the healthiest of meals but anything to raise the sugar levels. Mendoza is a very low rise spread out city, with small neighbourhoods all interlinked. In the centre of town, there are grand plazas for people watching. Later in the day we came across a fantastic veggie restaurant by chance since the Lonely Planet book was of no help whatsoever.

Our second day in Mendoza took us to the vineyards for a cycle trip along a pleasant country road. It was our anniversary so we treated ourselves to a wonderful lunch at a little restaurant. The food and wine was absolutely divine and we are still searching to find the same wine again. The Malbec grape is most definitely the best in the world, but I am sure the French may beg to differ. After 2 vineyards and a chocolate factory we were ready to head back and sober up. After what seemed like a long bus journey back to the city, we headed out for dinner then straight home. It was an amazing day tasting the best wine ever, highly recommended.

Our last day in Mendoza was spent sight-seeing and relaxing in various cafes. The day seemed to fly by but we were excited by the fact that we would be heading to Buenos Aires very shortly. We collected our bags late afternoon and headed for the bus station, grabbed a few snacks and jumped aboard to start our 20 hour bus journey.

Buenos Aires

We felt completely ill prepared for BA since we planned to stay for a month yet we had not yet confirmed any accommodation. Only an hour before we left the bus we realised that there was wi-fi on board, so we quickly sent a few emails to arrange a viewing of a room in a shared apartment.

Arriving in Buenos Aires is an eye opener. The urban sprawl is huge and the buildings in the centre are reaching for the sky. It is a grid city so pretty easy to navigate, divided by a huge, and I mean huge Avenue 9 De Julio which has 9 lanes of traffic both sides. We made our way to Avenue Corrientes which is in mid town. The apartment appeared ok, but the room had bunk beds which we asked to change. It had a central location which was great for shopping, restaurants, gym and Spanish school.

For the next 4 weeks we studied intense Spanish which Mariana found quite easy since she had previously studied in Barcelona a few years back. I found it quite difficult since I am not the best when it comes to languages, but pressed on and completed the first two basic levels. Now I can order a beer and get change which is most important.

Buenos Aires never sleeps unlike London. The place has a buzz about it which is hard to explain. There are so many great neighbourhoods to go out for the evening, definitely a place worth considering to live if the chance ever arises. We did however, come a little unstuck when we went to Boca for a Sunday afternoon stroll. We tried to follow the guidelines but ended up outside the tourist zone and we approached by a gang of juveniles requesting deniro.. Even the taxis in the street turned around when they saw what was developing. Luckily a polite but firm no from me with no eye contact whatsoever bought us enough time to make a quick exit. Boca area developed in the 18th century by a few gipsy families from Genoa, and the colours of the neighbour are vivid red, violet and blues, with tango dancing a common theme all over. It is a beautiful place for two or three blocks, but outside this is a death zone. I didn’t chance going to see a Boca Juniors match since I wanted to stay alive for the rest of the trip.

For the last two weeks of our stay in BA, we volunteered at an animal shelter similar to Battersea dogs home. I was popping anti-histermines like they were going out of fashion but managed to get through ok. The shelter is called Protectoras Sarmiento and is situated in the heart of the city. It cares for around 50 dogs that all need walking each day. It was really great fun to take out the dogs for walks since they get so excited, especially Pluto with the floppy leg. On our last day volunteering I was bitten by one of the less friendly dogs and Mariana was convinced that I had contracted rabbies. The vet assured us that all the dogs were clean and I carried on with the walking. It was a real shame to leave that place since all of the people there volunteer in their free time and there was a complete love of animals, so nice to meet such people.

Met some lovely people in our Spanish school as well, our teachers were great and our class mates (Ana Nik Jasper and Sandra) were really nice and all had similar travel plans which was a bit weird. It seemed like we all had the same idea of learning some Spanish before exploring the rest of South America. It was sad to say goodbye since we had been chatting constantly for the past month but all promised to stay in touch, which we have to some degree.

Also met a lovely couple from Mendoza who introduced us to a wonderful guy, Paulo. Paulo took us everywhere in Buenos Aires as he enjoyed meeting people from different countries and was a truly wonderful host. He took us to Tigre for the day as well as many wonderful cafes such as Tortini which is the last of the traditional Argentinean coffee houses left from the 19th century.

Puerto Iguazu

We took a 20 hour bus trip from BA to Puerto Iguazu which was quite a bit of luxury with full cama beds and even vegetarian meals, can you believe it in a meat eating country. First impressions of the town were not good, a street full of tourist restaurants, a bus station and some hotels from the 70’s. Luckily we were staying out of town in an Oasis called Rio Tropic. Took a taxi and after driving through a strange area (immigrant avenue) we arrived at our hotel. The hotel was bliss, lush green plant filled gardens, pool, delightful cabins and wi-fi in our room, could really ask for more.

In the morning we caught the big yellow bus from the highway which took us to the Iguazu national park. Really expensive to get in the place almost £20 each but well worth it. Took a train to the Devil’s Throat first, a very impressive giant waterfall and I got soaked from the mist. Mariana and the camera were saved by a bright yellow poncho. After we visited the smaller, but equally impressive waterfalls and had a really amazing time.

The following day we ventured into town for lunch and coffee before chilling in the pool for the afternoon. A much needed rest before the next marathon bus journey.

Salta

After a mere 21 hours on an average bus, we arrived in Salta. Strangely after 7 months travelling we now never book our accommodation in advance since most hostels / hotels in the guide books normally have inflated prices and are not very good. The best way seems to be to stroll around town and follow your nose. Ended up in a small hostel (which was in lonely planet) but it was ok and had wi-fi, always a bonus.

We did intend to take El tren de la Nubes (train to the clouds) whilst in Salta, but it is so expensive now due to the mass tourism which the town attracts. Lots of overweight people in stars ‘n’ stripe tracksuits etc etc…

Salta is a traditional Argentine town with a main plaza, cathedral, church, cafes and restaurants. The restaurants are typically poor due to the number of tourists, but we did find some tranquillity in the town of Rosita just 30 minutes away by bus. Apart from the odd few others, we were the only non-argentines there which was a nice change. Great scenery up in the mountains, streams, treks, horse riding etc. Had a lazy afternoon sipping coffee watching the world go by.

We did go up to Cerro San Bernado on a cable gondola, which to start with was a good idea until Mariana remembered that she is terrified of heights. IT climbs up to 1454m, and the cable cars to tend to swing a bit in the wind. Coming down was a lot better than going up. The views were good apart from the slight smog, which is typical in most South American cities.

Humahuaca & Tilcara

Humahuaca is in the northen province of Argentina, and wow what a difference. The town has a population of about 12,000 and is really small. Set in a canyon with mountains on both sides, it is jaw dropping. We stayed here for 3 days, but in reality could of stayed for a week. Our hostel was more like a boutique hotel, rustic rooms surrounding a small courtyard, and the owner was such a lovely lady. So funny, she could stop talking. The restaurants in this town were great, wine was flowing even though we were at attitude and needed to take it easy.

We visited Tilcara for the day, just 90 minutes on a bus that did turn up eventually. I ate about 4 or 5 empanadas whilst waiting, too tempting to pass up. Tilcara is smaller than Humahuaca, just 5,600 locals but lots of history and sites to visit such as the Pucara Fort which has great views over the Rio Grande valley and beyond.

In all we spent 3 nights in the towns before heading further north to the border crossing with Bolivia.

La Quiaca

We were once again completely misled by Lonely Planet since it advised us to stay in La Quiaca rather than crossing the border into the Bolivian town of Villazon. What a mistake. All La Quiaca has to offer is an internet café, three maybe four restaurants, a shop and a bus station. It is a ghost town and believe it or not, they don’t really cater for vegetarian food, surprise surprise!!! We spent one night in a hell hole of a hostel before making our escape.