Buenos Aires

Its actually been awhile since Buenos Aires. And we set up camp for about 10 days there, which was nice after all the travelling around. My friend Manny messaged me to say that he was arriving the next day in BA for the week so it turned out perfect!

Here is a list of things we saw and did during our visit in BA. I know its not the best post but Im so behind (I´m writing this from our 3rd stop in Brazil).

Recoleta Cemetery - This Cemetery is unbelievable. First it is in Recoleta, a very rich and expensive neighbourhood and it occupies a fair amount of land. It has only mausoleums and houses famous people of Argentina including Eva Peron (Evita). It is impossible to get space there now and if you could have the space I doubt you could afford it. The mausoleums each out do one after the other. I guess they have to prove their wealth and importance.

Plaza de Mayo - This is where the main plaza is and almost all the roads lead here. The Casa Rosada is the Pink House. (For federal government) There are pedestrian streets galore all around this Plaza for shopping, cafes etc.

Avenida de Mayo leads to the Plaza and it also crosses 9 de julio. The street with 16 lanes of traffic! It is insanity. This is also where the Obelisk is.

Teatre Colon is also here on 9 de julio. Unfortunately it is so rundown that they have closed it to completely restore it so we could not see much of it.

Our neighbourhood where we stayed in is called San Telmo. It is very cute and artisty. Lots of antique shopping and individual stores and tons of cute cafes and restaurants. Very much like the plateau area of Montreal.

Palermo is another neighbourhood with gorgeous parks and also a richer area. It is also the party area with all the all-night clubs clustered around there.

One thing we have learned in Argentina, is that time is all shifted forward. A typical day starts with breakfast, then a large lunch followed by 2 hours of siesta or so. And dinner doesnt begin until 10, 11 or even midnight! And then you go to the bar for a couple of hours and head to the clubs around 2 or 3 am! Kates and I had gotten used to eating late in Argentina. We also did the late night partying several nights coming in at 6am! Running around the city at 6am is really fun. Oh yeah, and apparently there are after hour clubs that people enter at 8 or 9am! Not sure how these people do it!

We were in BA for the night of the museums. It was a big outdoor party down near the water and I believe the museums were free for everyone (similar to Nuit Blanche in Montreal).

Another really nice thing we did on our first day in BA was visit a small town outside of BA called San Antonio de Areco. This is a typical gaucho (Argentinan cowboys) town. They still live as gauchos with ranches etc. The day we went was Tradition Day where they celebrate the gaucho culture. Gauchos from all over Argentina come for this week long celebration with competitions and parades etc. I think it is similar to stampede. We went for the final day and got to watch the gauchos herd their horses, rodeo, lasso-ing etc. It was a great day outside of the city and to see some real gauchos.

Manny had a friend in BA whom we met for a drink and he is one of the nicest portenos (person from BA) we met. He gave us ideas of places to visit and what to see and do.

I think I´ve covered most of BA. I loved the city and will definately post pictures up. It is definately a city I could live in. The culture and food is just amazing. Kates gorged on $10cdn steaks and I ate my fill of empanadas.

New photos on facebook....Argentina

Argentina so far:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2266686&l=23735&id=13603844

Penguins in Puerto Madryn!

Dont cry for me Argentina (minus Buenos Aires)

Our trip through Argentina is nearing the big city and I haven´t written anything about this beautiful country yet so here goes. (Again sorry for it being so long...I´ve been quite lazy...)

Our first top in Argentina was Salta. Salta is actually a lot bigger of a city than we expected. The city itself is pretty but after following some local´s advice to visit San Lorenzo and the artisans mercado (market) which were nothing too exciting we decided to head to Cafayate. This town and the road there is in a valley in the Andes and known for their white wines - torrontes. This was actually a beautiful tiny town and we did some wine tours and went to see some natural rock formations. There we saw "Devils throat", a naturally made ampitheatre - whose acoustics rivals one of the opera houses in Buenos Aires apparently, "Titanic" etc. These were naturally made through erosion of the wind and quite amazing to see.

On our second day there we decided to climb Rio Colorado which would eventually lead to a gorgeous waterfall. We decided to do it on our own but quickly realized that the "path" is not really a path. Luckily enough, there was a local who happened to be climbing up the river and mountain picking up litter and he showed us the way. He was super nice even though our Spanish is horrible. He kept asking us if we wanted to go the "easy" way or "aventura". I wanted to go the adventurous way. So we ended up rock climbing to this waterfall. And even scaling the length of the waterfall on a rock wall down. The scariest part for me was at one point when I had to "jump" from one flat side to another. Luckily we made it down alive. The waterfall was absolutely stunning and we actually arrived from behind it and was looking down on it rather than just looking up. We thought we could go swimming after the 2 hour hike. Turns out the water is glacier water and freezing cold! Eventually we did suck it up and get one or two photos under one of the falls and swimming pools but it was very chilly.

That evening we headed to Mendoza on a 24 hour bus ride. Mendoza is the main wine region in Argentina, well known for their reds - Malbec and Cab Sauvs. and also great skiing. Unfortunately we missed the ski season by thismuch. Mendoza is a beautiful city. It has gorgeous super tall tree-lined streets. And the main plaza is beautiful. It has a massive fountain that puts on a great water fountain show! We spent an afternoon sitting by the fountain reading on the grass.

Right next to the city is a massive park. We spent a cloudy day at the zoo...

The main thing we wanted to do in Mendoza was the wine tours. So we headed to Maipu and hoped on our bikes and off we went. We had a great time biking around the vineyards and stopped at an artisan liquor store. This family made over 50 different kinds of liquers. Ones flavoured like dulce de leche (the national obsession - its like nutella but caramelly and they put it on EVERYTHING), every fruit liquer possible, chocolate, cafe etc.

We actually learned quite a bit about wines, especially the aging process and what the year on the bottle really means.

After a day and evening of drinking way too much wine, we headed down south to Puerto Madryn in Patagonia (mind you the northern most part of Patagonia). This was definately one of my favourite stops so far. The town is adorable, set on the Atlantic ocean. This is where you come to see Southern right whales (which we could see from our hostel), penguins, dolphins, Elephant seals and sea lions. We took a boat trip to see the whales and we got to see one jump about 5 or 6 times (apparently it is pretty rare to actually see them jump). It was a mother showing her calf how to jump. We also saw another mom and calf duo and they came thisclose to the boat. It was amazing. The waters were a bit rough and people were actually puking from seasickness. (rather gross). Katie and I had a blast though. I also went to the largest penguin colony. I have never seen so many penguins before. There is a main path that tourists can use but you are not allowed to veer off of it. And the penguins are just walking around, crossing the path, going about their business. In about a week or two, you can see the eggs hatch. (missed it by a couple of weeks). There was also a lookout over two beaches, to watch them swim and play in the water. Honestly it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I have videos but Im not sure I can figure out how to post that online.

Also, high tide and low tide is what dictates the way of life here. For all the tours and to view the different animals it is all based on where the tide lies. One thing I learned about the penguins, the males have to build the nest and this is how the win over the females. The females are all coy and choose the one with the best nest. But they would never fight another female for a male. Instead the males will fight with one another for their better nests. So even though the females choose, in the end the males will fight over each other for a girl.

We also spent a day biking to a lookout point 15km outside of town on gravel road in the heat. But we were rewarded with a huge colony of fur seals. It is mating season here so these males were I guess in heat and roaring and fighting with other males for the females. These seals have over 17 females to one male. Arent they lucky?

After Puerto Madryn, away we went up the coast to Mar del Plata. A beach resort town for the portenos (what people from Buenos Aires are called). We spent a couple of days there, lounging on the beach. It is a quiet town right now because summer hasn´t full hit. Some shops and restaurants hadn´t even opened for the season yet. But the weather is very hot and the water cool enough to go in. (About 18 degrees - yeah definately still cold but really nice when its over 30degrees...)
We did go to the port to check out the seals and a ship graveyard. The seals were massive up close. And this colony was not protected or guarded so we got thisclose to them. But they are quite scary when they roar and they do actually have huge fans. Not sure I would want to mess with an angry male in heat right now.

And finally on our way to Buenos Aires. I promise to put up some photos soon to go with the long boring stories.

Photos on Facebook and Argentina...

I´ve been in Argentina for awhile and haven´t written but I will update very soon. A quick recap of the stops in Argentina :

Salta
Cafayate
Mendoza
Puerto Madryn

Just heading off on another bus ride to a small beach town called Mar del Plata before heading to Buenos Aires.

I put up some photos on facebook. I believe you can view the photos from this link for those without facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260772&l=eb199&id=13603844

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

**First sorry for the extremely long and detailed post, I will add pictures soon for those who cant read ;)**

We arrived in San Pedro de Atacama after almost 24 hours of travelling. Unfortunately along the way, Katie had her iPod and camera stolen. But we will not linger on that because our time in Chile produced some great memories. San Pedro de Atacama is the driest desert in the world. This tiny town is mostly made up of tourists but it is absolutely stunning. This deserts' landscapes vary so greatly from one area to the next. (As I hopefully try to describe).

Day 1 Laguna Cejar

The first day, we spend the morning looking for a tour to do in the afternoon and ended up at the Laguna Cejar and Salt flats. This is a salty laguna with crystal blue water. It is also salty enough that you will float. Also they told us that the top layer of the water is chilly and then underneath it is warm. It took awhile for Katie and I to finally hop in (there are warm spots underneath the cool top but it really wasnt that warm). We did come out of the water with a clear white film all over our bodies..aka the salt. Afterwards, we watched the sunset in the desert which is absolutely stunning (this would be the first time of two). The pinks and orange reflect off the mountains and we were luckily enough to be in the area during the full moon and so the moon on top of the mountains with the pinks, purples and aquas were beautiful.

Day 2 Rest

We found out that the Space stargazing excursion was closed due to the full moon and that the bus that leaves for Salta (our next destination) only leaves S.P.A. on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. So in order to do the Space excursion, which gives you the opportunity to see the night sky in the desert through intense telescopes, would be to stay until Friday (after the full moon). Because the sky is almost always cloud free you can see every single star. It was recommended to me by a friend from Chile as well as travellers along the way. Kates and I were both looking forward to it so staying the full week was ok with us.

Day 3 Sandboarding and Valle de la Luna (Full Moon)

On our 24hr journey to S.P.A. we had made friends with a guy and girl from Brazil. Super chill. I went sandboarding with Alberto in the morning before they had to leave for Santiago. Sandboarding took place in Valle de la Muerte aka Valley of the Dead, how ironic! On a massive sanddune. Sandboarding is difficult and I definately ate A LOT of sand. But it was also so much fun. We were lucky enough to have the hill to ourselves plus one other tourist (our instructor was saying normally there are 10 people per group with about 2 or 3 groups). Also Alberto and I were a bit hungover and the heat was intense. So we took it easy. There is obviously no chair lift so you have to climb back up the hill hence taking it easy. If snowboarding/skiing required climbing back up the hill after each run I dont think as many people would enjoy it as much. Oh yeah, and the fact that I have a tiny bit of experience snowboarding doesn´t help sandboarding!

That afternoon/evening, Katie and I went on a tour to Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte. Our guide was amazing, he spoke French (no English) so I was able to translate. He took us to a beautiful look out over Valle de la Luna and then a quick tour around this massive valley. This area looks like what I imagine the surface of the moon looking like (hence the name). It is absolutely stunning. We hurried to the main sand dune where everyone goes to watch another spectacular sunset. This sand dune is huge and you are actually quite high up. (It probably took about 15 mins to climb). The colours and the reflection were absolutely gorgeous. We had a crystal clear view of Licancabur volcano and we managed to capture some great photos of the full moon right on top of the volcano. (At various times and colours of the sunset). We also tried to do the creative pictures of us holding the moon and such...we werent very good at it. Our French friends managed to get some really good ones.

Day 4 Rest - Lazy-ing around our hostel in hammocks, tanning, reading, playing cribbage, a little siesta. Yeah life is hard.

Our evenings usually consisted of making dinner than going out for drinks. There is one street in this town and it is restricted from cars. There is one bar and the rest are restaurants. The restaurants are mostly open air ones with fireplaces in the center to keep everyone warm at night. Its pretty sweet. There is a strict law that alcohol can not be served after midnight and so there are "private parties" for afterwards. Also by the fourth day because the town is so small, Kates and I were pretty well known around town. Most tourists only stay for 3 or 4 days max. We got to be in the know after awhile which was pretty fun.

Day 5 Geyser el Tatio and Hot Springs

Because of the extra day we had we decided to do one last trip. This trip was to the El Tatio geyser Field at over 4,200m in altitude and is a field with over 80 geysers. This turned out to be one of our favourite trips. We had the same tour guide as the Valle de la Luna and he was so great again. This tour required us to be ready at 4am and we were told it gets down to -20 degrees in the morning.

When we got to the field, we were cautioned not to get too close to the geysers which is boiling hot water spewing out of the ground because the ground around the geysers can break and you can actually fall in. This has happened to previous tourists which resulted in death and burns. Some of these geysers are massive and others are tiny bubbles in the ground just waiting to grow bigger. We saw the biggest one of them all and it erupts for 10/15mins then stops and will start again in another 10/15 mins. It was one of the coolest things we got to see. Afterwards, the tour continues onto the hot springs. Our guide asked us if we wanted to go to a real hot spring and not the standard over run one and we all agreed yes. He took us to an area where we climbed down, wondering if there was even water at the bottom. There was a thin river between two mountains (kind of like in a canyon) and the river was of hot water (about 35-40 degrees), from the geysers. At first we were hesitant to go in but when we did it was absolutely amazing and a lot better then the overrun pool. About 6 of us went in from our tour and we had the whole place to ourselves. This was exactly how I imagined hot springs to be like, secluded and naturally hot. There are spots where bubbles come up and you can almost burn yourself they are so hot. Afterwards we climbed back up and I was in my flip flops, and there was a stream of water flowing down to the river and I stepped in it and I think the water was very close to boiling, maybe 75degrees. (definately the water from the geysers).

Day 6

I had made some Chilean friends who offered to take me on a day trip to see some ruins and the valleys and since we had nothing planned until the stargazing that evening, I decided to join them. We had a picnic in valle de la luna, had some amazingly fresh ceviche, which was absolutely delicious with white wine. And just wandered around.
I got back in time for our Space Observatory Night Sky. Bad news bears. We got to the office only to find out the one trip we had been waiting for all week was cancelled due to the clouds in the sky. For the entire week, it had been crystal clear blue skies and nights. We could not believe our luck! They offered us the trip for Friday night except that we had planned to leave for Salta the very next morning. And so unfortunately we were not able to go stargazing and we will just have to come back for this opportunity (and plan not to go during the full moon!) That evening, as a consolation prize, my new found friends took me into the Valle de la Luna at night time. It was one of the coolest experiences ever. Its dead quiet and the moon was still very bright that you could see the shadows of the clouds on the valley. It is quite eerie in there but a really amazing experience.

Day 7
We finally leave for Salta, Argentina. Im sad to leave since it has been our home for so long but we have to keep going. We say goodbye to our friends and race to catch the bus. Which we had missed but it was luckily sitting at the border of town because it is also the Chilean border. (about 15 mins walk/run with our packs on). A random Chilean helped "direct" us to the bus and even took my day pack and ran with us for a little bit before handing it back to me and saying that he had to go. So nice. Because everyone has to go through customs, the bus was still there, otherwise we would never have caught it.

Next post. From Argentina.

Pics

The mountains that line the canyon Sangalle Oasis

Somewhere on the way down to the oasis

On the way down Colca canyon

Our raft for lake rafting and calmness of the lake

Canopy zipping - I loved it!

Canopy zipping pre-photo

Another brightly coloured butterfly

Sun rise - Taking the motorboat to see the parakeets, parrots, macaws.

White water rafting on Rio Madre de Dios

Children of the bakery in the jungle - very happy when I gave them stickers. Started to stick them all over the youngest boy.

Cock of the Rock - Perus National Bird

One of many brightly coloured butterflies

Lizard