Miika´s birthday on the 16th was fun, occupied to the shopping district of bara to the new york shopping centre we were greeted by good old lady liberty herself, after browsing through shops and record stores (have you ever seen a 70+ man headbanging to greenday) it was off for a viewing of topic thunder (strange but gurd) and when we thought it was off back home, the prospect of a free movie in the screen next door was worth a shot. Mamma mia actually wasnt all that bad, even if the brazillian couple insisted on dueting throughout. Home for gone 11pm Miika was in for a shock when we whipped out a huge chocolte cake and chourous´s of happy birthday!
Morning up, the terrible trio plus Faye (birmingham) and the yanks Buck(P-man) and Adam departed for Santa theresa, an area filled with colonial mansions and a rather riaque little tram ride... hanging over an aquaduct has never been so much fun! The night saw quicks trips and drinks around centro nd an encounter with a rather eager street side lady of the night...
Accompanied by Owen (from wales) and two random aussie women on holiday, a yage to Cristo Redento (The giant jesus you see in lots of rio reated business) was undertaken. Blue sky breaking through, it seemed we had finally pleased someone up there. Pictures taken it was a race ginst Miika nd Cherry to the bottom. Another night aroud centro ensued (welcome to the fold Becks and Anna (london) and Carolina (Equdor). A peacful nights sleep was not to follow, not only for miiak and becks´combined poke me till im out of bed teamwork, but also for Unwelcomed disturbnces from a certain person who had drunk just a tad too much that night...
After a 6am wake up call we eventually hit the beaches of rio, Ipanema was the destination, lots of sun, white sand and wavey waters welcome us all, the joys of the first sun in a week had drawn crowds of people, everyone at the hostel descended en mas to the sandy shores for some welcomed sun. Awsome day, challenging wves to games of chicken and burying Becks to head hight in the sand went down a treat.
Waaving bye to Anna and Becks, as well as two of our spanish roomies tody was little weird, waving them off as theyre journeys unfolded whilst our story has come unto its end...
Only one thing to do on our last night of our journey across america sur guess....
PARTY!!!!
Saturday, September 20
Thursday, September 18
What happened to the sun...
Well were still in Rio, and still waiting for sight of the sun, its been non existant since the day we arrived here... looks like im coming home a fantastic shade of white after all...
Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!
Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!
Monday, September 15
Welcome To the River Of January...
Or as its more commonly known, Rio de Janeiro!
Well, since were now in the final throw of our winter exploits, yes winter, believe it or not the last three and a bit months have actually been the South Americna winter, but anyway back to the blog... Finally managing to make it into paraguay for the day on the 10th, we managed to get through the brazillian border without getting stamped in and with a quick hop of the bus arrived in Punta este, the Paraguiayan border town that existed solely for cheap electronics, socks and pirated goods... Spending a few hours, and a couple of thousand Guarana (the local currency) we we struggled to actually get a bus back to argentina to stop for us, so rather than stand around like a bunch of lost gringos, walked to thge brazillian border point in hopes of catching a bus back to iguazu in Argentina... No such luck, and even un-luckyer still was being clocked by the border police. After only a minor ticking off we stamped in and out of Brazil and hopped a bus through the border point to the brazilian bus station. Alot of walking later and we finally made it to the Argentine border and the home stretch, Argentina, Iguazu and a rather raunchy Brazilian themed night of entertainment awaited our return to the hostal.
Checking out the next morning a 25 and a 1/2 hour bus ride awaited us, destination Rio De Janerio... well it did await until i had realised my ticket was burried mid way down my immensley rammed backpack, so, unwilling to repack after a 2hour solid effort the night before the only option i had for avoiding paying full wack for a new one was simple... My ticket was stolen the day before. My story rehersed, the company was willing to provide a free replacement... But only with a copy of the accompanying police report... Damn! What followed was a 20minuite dash across town to the police station, faining theft, and a mad run back to the office with only minuites to go before the 2pm bus... Moral of the story, dont pack your bus ticket half way down your pack!
Anyway, after stoppingg off briefly the next morning at a bus cafe for breakfast (they have the weirdest payment methods in Brazil, youve got to get a ticket from one person, served your goods by another, and then pay for it all at a third, tis very confusing and a tad confusing). Come 3:45 on the 12, we finally arrived in our final destination, Rio, and the first thing you noticed was the heat, it was like being back in cuba, so humid and in escapeable!
Dumping the machillas at our hostal in Lapa, when we finally arrived we set out for food and not alot else, it really wasnt going to be long before i got my first taste of the Brazilian party scene as me and about 8 other people from our hostal descended onto the street party literally just around the corner... Dancing to the sound of the samba beat, sipping the overwhelmingly strong Caipariskas (sorry cant spell them) the night passed in a musical blur before i finally got my head down onto my pillow by 5am. A definate night to remember!
After merely a cup of tea for breakfast, i opted to avoid the beach for the day, and instead opted to explore the local area with Rafa (Madrid), a chap also from the hostal who had spent the last year working in Bolivia. So within the day managed to explore a massivley huge comne shaped cathedral with the most amazin stained glass, explore the local historical sights, barter my way through the local markets (yes i was even shopping for prezzies) and even fit in time for a trip to botafogo and explore the immensely green region and its Jardin Botanical (botanical garden). Not bad for one day with only two hours sleep the night before.
Next day was a little less thrilling, travelling to the markets of Ipanima to pick up some goods proved to be a tad depressing, everyhitng at the infamous hippy market was drasticaly overpriced, only able to afford a cob of corn, i headed off with Rafa once more to see the areas surrounding the beach, truly amazing, its justa pitty that it was all very cloudy. With little else other than a game of footvolei to hold passing crowds attention along the beach (think volleyball but played with any part of your body except your hands) we made our way back to the hostal for a jumper, well not before being scared to death by a skateboarder wearing nothing but y-fronts zipping around the place. Heading out for beer and pizza, and even a visit to the flicks to watch hellboy (Awsome film), it was eventually time for bed.
Again as with yesterday today (15th) has been nothing special, wandering the centre, shopping for odss and a trip to the oldest coffe joint in rio has been just about it really... Oh did i mention its been raining all day??? I thought this was supposed to be Rio...
Lol, well anyway, im off, got some birthday planning to do... Miikas 22nd tomorrow... wonder whats going to happen...
Ciao pr Ahora amigos!
Well, since were now in the final throw of our winter exploits, yes winter, believe it or not the last three and a bit months have actually been the South Americna winter, but anyway back to the blog... Finally managing to make it into paraguay for the day on the 10th, we managed to get through the brazillian border without getting stamped in and with a quick hop of the bus arrived in Punta este, the Paraguiayan border town that existed solely for cheap electronics, socks and pirated goods... Spending a few hours, and a couple of thousand Guarana (the local currency) we we struggled to actually get a bus back to argentina to stop for us, so rather than stand around like a bunch of lost gringos, walked to thge brazillian border point in hopes of catching a bus back to iguazu in Argentina... No such luck, and even un-luckyer still was being clocked by the border police. After only a minor ticking off we stamped in and out of Brazil and hopped a bus through the border point to the brazilian bus station. Alot of walking later and we finally made it to the Argentine border and the home stretch, Argentina, Iguazu and a rather raunchy Brazilian themed night of entertainment awaited our return to the hostal.
Checking out the next morning a 25 and a 1/2 hour bus ride awaited us, destination Rio De Janerio... well it did await until i had realised my ticket was burried mid way down my immensley rammed backpack, so, unwilling to repack after a 2hour solid effort the night before the only option i had for avoiding paying full wack for a new one was simple... My ticket was stolen the day before. My story rehersed, the company was willing to provide a free replacement... But only with a copy of the accompanying police report... Damn! What followed was a 20minuite dash across town to the police station, faining theft, and a mad run back to the office with only minuites to go before the 2pm bus... Moral of the story, dont pack your bus ticket half way down your pack!
Anyway, after stoppingg off briefly the next morning at a bus cafe for breakfast (they have the weirdest payment methods in Brazil, youve got to get a ticket from one person, served your goods by another, and then pay for it all at a third, tis very confusing and a tad confusing). Come 3:45 on the 12, we finally arrived in our final destination, Rio, and the first thing you noticed was the heat, it was like being back in cuba, so humid and in escapeable!
Dumping the machillas at our hostal in Lapa, when we finally arrived we set out for food and not alot else, it really wasnt going to be long before i got my first taste of the Brazilian party scene as me and about 8 other people from our hostal descended onto the street party literally just around the corner... Dancing to the sound of the samba beat, sipping the overwhelmingly strong Caipariskas (sorry cant spell them) the night passed in a musical blur before i finally got my head down onto my pillow by 5am. A definate night to remember!
After merely a cup of tea for breakfast, i opted to avoid the beach for the day, and instead opted to explore the local area with Rafa (Madrid), a chap also from the hostal who had spent the last year working in Bolivia. So within the day managed to explore a massivley huge comne shaped cathedral with the most amazin stained glass, explore the local historical sights, barter my way through the local markets (yes i was even shopping for prezzies) and even fit in time for a trip to botafogo and explore the immensely green region and its Jardin Botanical (botanical garden). Not bad for one day with only two hours sleep the night before.
Next day was a little less thrilling, travelling to the markets of Ipanima to pick up some goods proved to be a tad depressing, everyhitng at the infamous hippy market was drasticaly overpriced, only able to afford a cob of corn, i headed off with Rafa once more to see the areas surrounding the beach, truly amazing, its justa pitty that it was all very cloudy. With little else other than a game of footvolei to hold passing crowds attention along the beach (think volleyball but played with any part of your body except your hands) we made our way back to the hostal for a jumper, well not before being scared to death by a skateboarder wearing nothing but y-fronts zipping around the place. Heading out for beer and pizza, and even a visit to the flicks to watch hellboy (Awsome film), it was eventually time for bed.
Again as with yesterday today (15th) has been nothing special, wandering the centre, shopping for odss and a trip to the oldest coffe joint in rio has been just about it really... Oh did i mention its been raining all day??? I thought this was supposed to be Rio...
Lol, well anyway, im off, got some birthday planning to do... Miikas 22nd tomorrow... wonder whats going to happen...
Ciao pr Ahora amigos!
Tuesday, September 9
and where are we now...
Actually were back in Argentina once more, we just cant seem to get enough of this country!
Whose been visiting... Suddenly the number of visitors have shot up?
Since leaving you last in Montevideo on the 3rd, we moved on further through Uruguay onto yet another small town, this time Mercedes, yet again another fantasticly small little place filled with people more than eager to get to know that little bit about you, and just for the sake of being friendly. Spending the night at a youth sports centre, and after catching yet another amazing sunset we went to bed in a room with about 30million beds, and all for just the three of us, while Miika and Cherry updated their diaries (something i still need to do) down in the main foyer i was challenged to a hybrid game of pool, a sort of cross between that and skittles played on a tabel without any pockets, with only three balls and five miniature skittles... Heading into the land of nod to the sounds eminating from the basketball court joined onto the other side of our wall late into the night, we again awoke to the sounds of a basketball match mid game in the morning... Had these people not slept?
Initially intending to return into Argentina, are plans were scuppered as when we arrived in the land of Fray Bentos we found the bridge between uruguay and Argentina was out of action, so heading further north after whiling away our time waiting for an evening bus to salto we arrived at about 10pm, too late to make the border point to Argentina. Spending the night at the 1star hotel Danilay we set off the next morning for our return to Argentina.
Spending some time floating round the Argentinian town of Concordia killing time we caught our first overnight CAMA bus to Iguazu... Now for the benifit of you guys back home where ever that may be almost all of the bussed wed travelled overnight on since arriving in south america have been semi-cama that only partially recline and with some amount of padding to make the journey more bareable (and if you were really lucky you got food to), this journey being in Cama is the bus equivilent of flying first class, and being in cama meant we were in for a treat, Massivley comfy leather bucket seats, pillows, blankets, a huuuuuge hot meal, and not only did we get drinks served we even had the option for a bit of the old Vino to all you had to decide was if it was tinto or blanco. The best bit, just when you think it couldnt get any better and before you head to bed, the loverly stewardess tending to our needs appears and serves us a rather enjoyable glass of champaigne... GET IN!!!!
Back to the main feature anywho, arriving in the town of Puerto Iguazu, we hopped on a little yellow bus that swiftly whisked us off to the Hostal inn iguazu (yup thats also the name), dumping the bags and grabbing a quick round of breakfast and showers we soon found ourselves wandering round iguazus main call as a tourist stop off, the Iguazu Falls. Viewable from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay we opted to explore the Argentinian side, and what a sight it was, wandering over meandering rusted walkways we couldnt help but be amazed at the sheer sight of the falls. Spending the day walking the many routes and experiencing the falls from as many vantage points as possible, the day eventually drew to a close (after finally catching the Coaties raiding the organic trash) and we headed back to Iguazu town for foodstuffs. Served by the Argentinian equivilent of Amy Winehhouse, and only managing half of my mamoth mango and pineapple pizza we departed back to the hostal via a rather interesting bus that took a rather drawn out route through all the local litttle residences.
Yesterday (sept 8th) saw a quick trip through the Argentinian border into Brasil, The first thing we noticed after getting thorugh immigration without either a visa or passport stamp (were we illegal immigrants, who knew) was the already drastic rise in temperature, it was HOT! Eventually finding a cash machine, the reality sank in of how little ooney we have left to sustain our last two weeks in South America, and after following a helpful Brazillian lass clad in purple to a shopping centre it was time for a rethink of plans... Looks like a return visit to Bolivia was no longer an option... Amigo, no mas mixto por tu!!!
Dining at Giraffes, on what quite possibly could have been giraffe (sorry Gerry) we set back off for argentina to book tickets direct ro Rio De Janerio and the on to our hostal and the bbq that awaited us. It seemed the whole hostal had jumped on the bbq bandwagon and as the food began to flow first from the salad bar, stomaches began to fill... then came the arrival of the mean feature, the bbq`d meat. Now, in Argentina they dont really have a nacional dish, for them an Asado (or to you and me a BBQ) is how they prefer to cook when theyre not feasting on steak, and tonight was no exception, mound after mound, wave after wave of cooked to perfection Chorizo (sausages) Bife (steak) and even Pollo (chicken but said like poh-jo) was shared out amongst the residents... No matter how much you ate, more was soon to follow. A carnevours paradise! "This is the best sausage ive ever had" (Cherry). Needless to say the Huge bucket loads of free alcholic Comparinas (?) kept the mood on a constant high, and yet there was still more to come.
After most were saturated with more meat than could possibly be imagined a tango show performed by two couples (one of whom looked like a proffesional pirate) legs and bodies flying everywhere faster than could be followed, it truly was quite a performance, but still there was more, being privelaged to dance floor seats, Miika was the first to be plucked form his seat by one of the short Tangoing ladies for a lesson, needless to say it was quite funny for us to watch, a rather intoxicated Miika trying to concentrate on the steps being tought to him, he did however do well considering his inhebriated state. Chuckling away at his return, it was then my turn on the floor as the short tangoing Argentinian then plucked me from my perch and began teaching me thje Argentinian art of the tango, and what a pair we made... Legs flying everywhere to the beat, stepping in time and even managing to throw a few twirls in, she was more than impressed with my ability to keep up. Not bad for someone who has never dance before, let alone danced the tango. Bowing out with dignity, it wasnt long before Cherry was plundered by the tango dancing pirate for her lesson.
Tango dancing frivolity over, we managed to claim a right to the ping pong table for slightly drunken ping pong before eventually realising that we were far to weary to keep up the fast paced miniature tabel tennis action.
Feeling nice and rosy after a once more large breakfast (cereal, fruit, tea and lots of dulce de leche smothered bread) were just having a bit of a chilled out day at the hostal, ping pong, diary writing and even sipping mate along the poolside are all activities that are on the agenda today.
Hey the weathers nice enough, why not!
feel free to comment.
(¨p)
Whose been visiting... Suddenly the number of visitors have shot up?
Since leaving you last in Montevideo on the 3rd, we moved on further through Uruguay onto yet another small town, this time Mercedes, yet again another fantasticly small little place filled with people more than eager to get to know that little bit about you, and just for the sake of being friendly. Spending the night at a youth sports centre, and after catching yet another amazing sunset we went to bed in a room with about 30million beds, and all for just the three of us, while Miika and Cherry updated their diaries (something i still need to do) down in the main foyer i was challenged to a hybrid game of pool, a sort of cross between that and skittles played on a tabel without any pockets, with only three balls and five miniature skittles... Heading into the land of nod to the sounds eminating from the basketball court joined onto the other side of our wall late into the night, we again awoke to the sounds of a basketball match mid game in the morning... Had these people not slept?
Initially intending to return into Argentina, are plans were scuppered as when we arrived in the land of Fray Bentos we found the bridge between uruguay and Argentina was out of action, so heading further north after whiling away our time waiting for an evening bus to salto we arrived at about 10pm, too late to make the border point to Argentina. Spending the night at the 1star hotel Danilay we set off the next morning for our return to Argentina.
Spending some time floating round the Argentinian town of Concordia killing time we caught our first overnight CAMA bus to Iguazu... Now for the benifit of you guys back home where ever that may be almost all of the bussed wed travelled overnight on since arriving in south america have been semi-cama that only partially recline and with some amount of padding to make the journey more bareable (and if you were really lucky you got food to), this journey being in Cama is the bus equivilent of flying first class, and being in cama meant we were in for a treat, Massivley comfy leather bucket seats, pillows, blankets, a huuuuuge hot meal, and not only did we get drinks served we even had the option for a bit of the old Vino to all you had to decide was if it was tinto or blanco. The best bit, just when you think it couldnt get any better and before you head to bed, the loverly stewardess tending to our needs appears and serves us a rather enjoyable glass of champaigne... GET IN!!!!
Back to the main feature anywho, arriving in the town of Puerto Iguazu, we hopped on a little yellow bus that swiftly whisked us off to the Hostal inn iguazu (yup thats also the name), dumping the bags and grabbing a quick round of breakfast and showers we soon found ourselves wandering round iguazus main call as a tourist stop off, the Iguazu Falls. Viewable from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay we opted to explore the Argentinian side, and what a sight it was, wandering over meandering rusted walkways we couldnt help but be amazed at the sheer sight of the falls. Spending the day walking the many routes and experiencing the falls from as many vantage points as possible, the day eventually drew to a close (after finally catching the Coaties raiding the organic trash) and we headed back to Iguazu town for foodstuffs. Served by the Argentinian equivilent of Amy Winehhouse, and only managing half of my mamoth mango and pineapple pizza we departed back to the hostal via a rather interesting bus that took a rather drawn out route through all the local litttle residences.
Yesterday (sept 8th) saw a quick trip through the Argentinian border into Brasil, The first thing we noticed after getting thorugh immigration without either a visa or passport stamp (were we illegal immigrants, who knew) was the already drastic rise in temperature, it was HOT! Eventually finding a cash machine, the reality sank in of how little ooney we have left to sustain our last two weeks in South America, and after following a helpful Brazillian lass clad in purple to a shopping centre it was time for a rethink of plans... Looks like a return visit to Bolivia was no longer an option... Amigo, no mas mixto por tu!!!
Dining at Giraffes, on what quite possibly could have been giraffe (sorry Gerry) we set back off for argentina to book tickets direct ro Rio De Janerio and the on to our hostal and the bbq that awaited us. It seemed the whole hostal had jumped on the bbq bandwagon and as the food began to flow first from the salad bar, stomaches began to fill... then came the arrival of the mean feature, the bbq`d meat. Now, in Argentina they dont really have a nacional dish, for them an Asado (or to you and me a BBQ) is how they prefer to cook when theyre not feasting on steak, and tonight was no exception, mound after mound, wave after wave of cooked to perfection Chorizo (sausages) Bife (steak) and even Pollo (chicken but said like poh-jo) was shared out amongst the residents... No matter how much you ate, more was soon to follow. A carnevours paradise! "This is the best sausage ive ever had" (Cherry). Needless to say the Huge bucket loads of free alcholic Comparinas (?) kept the mood on a constant high, and yet there was still more to come.
After most were saturated with more meat than could possibly be imagined a tango show performed by two couples (one of whom looked like a proffesional pirate) legs and bodies flying everywhere faster than could be followed, it truly was quite a performance, but still there was more, being privelaged to dance floor seats, Miika was the first to be plucked form his seat by one of the short Tangoing ladies for a lesson, needless to say it was quite funny for us to watch, a rather intoxicated Miika trying to concentrate on the steps being tought to him, he did however do well considering his inhebriated state. Chuckling away at his return, it was then my turn on the floor as the short tangoing Argentinian then plucked me from my perch and began teaching me thje Argentinian art of the tango, and what a pair we made... Legs flying everywhere to the beat, stepping in time and even managing to throw a few twirls in, she was more than impressed with my ability to keep up. Not bad for someone who has never dance before, let alone danced the tango. Bowing out with dignity, it wasnt long before Cherry was plundered by the tango dancing pirate for her lesson.
Tango dancing frivolity over, we managed to claim a right to the ping pong table for slightly drunken ping pong before eventually realising that we were far to weary to keep up the fast paced miniature tabel tennis action.
Feeling nice and rosy after a once more large breakfast (cereal, fruit, tea and lots of dulce de leche smothered bread) were just having a bit of a chilled out day at the hostal, ping pong, diary writing and even sipping mate along the poolside are all activities that are on the agenda today.
Hey the weathers nice enough, why not!
feel free to comment.
(¨p)
Wednesday, September 3
Uruguay...no really, its a country!!!
Buenos Aires, a citythat never sleeps, and an interesting one at that. Our last night in the city was spent dining in a chinese resteraut for Mio´s leaving meal and escaing the blaring musiof the hostel pre pyjama party, twhich when we did return a rather scary man from recption was prancing round in his tightie whities, others in nighties, and one particular individual who had somehow managed to wind up sporting a toilet seat around his head???
Fondly leaving the joys, memories and and unfortuneatly Mio (he was flying home) all back in Buenos Aires we departed via a three hour ferry to the more relaxed and even more mate obsessed country of Uruguay, setting up home for the night and exploring the old smugglers port town of Colonia.
Morning up, it was off to our next stop Montevido, another ocean side city, noticeably bigger than Colonia, but still nothing to big. There really is not much to the city, some fairly grand buidings but not much more than that to be truthful.
Being honest, there isnt alot going on here in Uruguay, its a bit like wales in essence, filled with nothing (and without the sheep), but it is so laid back, and im not suprised really... Uruguay only really became known to the world about 6 or 7 years ago, theres really no tourists here at all that can dilute the feeling here.
Fondly leaving the joys, memories and and unfortuneatly Mio (he was flying home) all back in Buenos Aires we departed via a three hour ferry to the more relaxed and even more mate obsessed country of Uruguay, setting up home for the night and exploring the old smugglers port town of Colonia.
It truly did feel like all that was mising was the odd pirate or two roaming the town. After wathing one of the most unbelieveable sunsets ever miika and Cherry departed for a fourth aniversary meal whilst to my horror, i discovered first hand that in the people of Uruguay really are nothing like the Argentine people... At 9pm i discoveredthat almost every bar in town was closed... ths definatley isnt BA!
Morning up, it was off to our next stop Montevido, another ocean side city, noticeably bigger than Colonia, but still nothing to big. There really is not much to the city, some fairly grand buidings but not much more than that to be truthful.Being honest, there isnt alot going on here in Uruguay, its a bit like wales in essence, filled with nothing (and without the sheep), but it is so laid back, and im not suprised really... Uruguay only really became known to the world about 6 or 7 years ago, theres really no tourists here at all that can dilute the feeling here.
Sunday, August 31
Vivir la vida loca en Argentina
Well the last time i attempted to try and write this blog im guessing maybe the extremeness of my loation and the mass of snow had an affect on causing a lack of internet connectivity, but fear not, i have returned to finnish what was started!
Life in the southernmost city of the world provided lots of fun, from skiing (im pretty sure i now hold the record for he worlds most southern pong wiffy) and sledging down perilous slopes (ok maybe not that bad), to the oppertunity to create from scratch our own two story castle of snow that was temporarily called home, to learning that in Argentine, a night out doesnt begin till at lest 2am, and can last straight through to ridiculously early hours of the morning... Ushuaia could offer it all and more, not bad for a town that initially consisted of a population solely of convicts.
Ushuaia had it all, and we even began to explore the joys of homecooking in our hostels kitchen ranging from stir fry like dishes to making several pizzas all from scratch, not to mention explore the bars, but not before 2am at the earliest, and talk about the english artists whom are kown so well for theyre musical inputs into the country, the journey home proved to be the most entertaining (Otra posta!!!!). The joys of singing karaoke to a bunch of people who no not wht you sing, or at least attempt to are also not to be missed, but interesting still are the results of gathering an englishman with the french Maire-Lou, and Wendy (from hong kong)... Perculiar indeed!
Leaving the land of Ushuaia after calling it home for four days we spent a lovely 12 hours plus bussing back up north, not a simple matter as to leave Ushuia we hd to go back into Chile and its customs, only to then have to go back across a ferry boat and through Argentinian customs once more to return to Argentine... no easy matter that was for sure. Heading into Punto Madryn, a town famous for its whale population, and noticeably hotter climates we made home for the night at our hostal and decided that the morning to follow we would set out to explore on bikes.
Morning broken, and a group of four weary travellers later with bikes under foot we set off for a 24km round trip to punta loma to find a seal reserve and a rather interesting journey...within the space of five minutes not only had we spotted our first whale, but also a rather large flock of flamingos sunbathing along the beach... well i guess even they need a holiday from time to time. The reserve was not quite what we hoped for, the entrance fee had risen drastically, so when we decided to covertly sneak into the area on foot, a ranger with a raher oversized pair of binoculers spotted us fairly early on... Needless to say our plot and despite great character acting our pretending to be armadillos was not quite up to scratch for this people spotter.
Back in Madryn it was back with the bikes and off to the harbour for a good few solid hours of whale watching, it was pretty unbelievable really we had been lucky enough to witness the odd whale fling itslef from the waters only to come crashing back down whilst we had been cycling, but it seemed that now we were within an arms reach the whales just wernt up for frolicing around. Theyre pretty amazing to watch, and quite a surprise when they sneak up on you when your not ssuspectng and attempt to spout you with water, but who can truly blame them when they somewhat had a face onloy a mother could love.
Before the watching ran dry we were treated to a rather payful whale whom had taken to swimming about upside down, a sea lion who was lucky there were no orcas about, and a rather strange little penguin who seemed to be able to scare off the mamoth whales... What more wildlife could you ask for in a day?
Bussing it to Esquel with the use of yet another overnight bus we arrived the next morning, Miika and Mio setting off on a steam train journey whilst in the mean time Cherrelle and i set of to the little welsh settlement village of Trevlin in search of a welsh tea-house. Arriving and finding what we sought, it wasnt long before the tea and cakes began to flow, from rum laced fruitcake to pink strangeberry cake, to dulce de leche and chocolate... a cake for every occasion.
Back in Esquel we caught a bus to Bariloche, famous for its amssivley immense ski slopes and resorts, arriving in the pouring rain (the third shower wed had since being in ecuador) we found accomidation and settled down for some much craved sleep.
The slopes proved to be a challenge, not least for the fresh mounds of snow that laced every run, but also for the fact that when you hit a slope that suddenly becomes flat, snowboards suddenly become alot of work. The day however was truly fun, continuing from what i had learnt in Chillian my confidence on a snowboard soon increased and sooner than i knew it i was blasting down the snowy slopes faster than greased li9ghtning!!!
A side note to potential snowboarders, the security strap is very handy for when you want to use your board as a sledge... It stops your board from running away and taking a bath in freezing cold rivers, you have been warned!
Two days passed in Bariloche before a 20hour bus ride came to call destined to take us to the capital and party town of Argentina, Buenos Aires. The bus ride for some reason passed in a blur of amazing scenery ranging from odd mountainsides to lush green fields lined with cows (well Argentina is known for its love of Beef and its leather produce, if not just its Tango).
Arriving in BA for about 2pm we dumped bags and hit the movies for a showing of Se Busca (wanted) before heading to bed... ¨But Danny its a friday, you should go out¨It took just these words fro Miika, and a hot shower to convince me that gettig out of bed would be a good idea, It was a friday and im in BA, the party hadnt started yet so i had plenty of time to rummage through my wetaherd clothes crammed into my backpack and find a decent t-shirt for the night. Follwing the crowds of trendy teens and early twenty somethings i eventually stumbled into a club eminating electreo and house music, and somehow entered a time warp for it wasnt until the music ended that i realised it had almost reached 8am!!!!! It really does seem like in Argentina once you start a night on the town, your in for the long haul!
With 2 hours kip, it was up and out again switching hostels and eventually moving out to explore BA, Plans intercepted however by a group of three Aussie girls From Sydney i soon found myself wrapped up into conversations over coffe ranging from travel, to film and ontoto one of their friends puppy stories... Followed up by exploring a hippies market surrounded by people performing all manner of circus skills from juggling, tightrope walking and even dangling from a tree on cloth. Before heading off to some shops and eventually home, it was a chance encounter with a mime that proved to be the highlight of the day.
I can assure you being immitated by someone who looks like they should be locked up is quite odd, but also entertaining not to mention entertaining and yet still disturbing for all those with the fortune of witnessing the specticle, but the real joy comes from outsmarting the mime and causing him to leap over a fence whilst your stil on the other side Danny 1, Mime Nil! The night that followed was rounded off with a trip to a salsa club with many enthusiastic young dancers eager to strt there stuff to the sounds of shakira and other latin beats.
Onto today and its been a slow yet eventful day, sleeping until the cleaner came nocking at the room it was off and out to explore BA, Running into David an argentinian from Mendoza it was off for a now to be informative tour of the city, miniture spansh lessons (Finnaly sussed you out Cherry, hah) an talks about dear old Maggie Thatcher and the likes of Evita.
As of yet what the night holds is to be seen, with an invite out to some local discoteca, i could be in for a long night, we shall see!
Life in the southernmost city of the world provided lots of fun, from skiing (im pretty sure i now hold the record for he worlds most southern pong wiffy) and sledging down perilous slopes (ok maybe not that bad), to the oppertunity to create from scratch our own two story castle of snow that was temporarily called home, to learning that in Argentine, a night out doesnt begin till at lest 2am, and can last straight through to ridiculously early hours of the morning... Ushuaia could offer it all and more, not bad for a town that initially consisted of a population solely of convicts.
Ushuaia had it all, and we even began to explore the joys of homecooking in our hostels kitchen ranging from stir fry like dishes to making several pizzas all from scratch, not to mention explore the bars, but not before 2am at the earliest, and talk about the english artists whom are kown so well for theyre musical inputs into the country, the journey home proved to be the most entertaining (Otra posta!!!!). The joys of singing karaoke to a bunch of people who no not wht you sing, or at least attempt to are also not to be missed, but interesting still are the results of gathering an englishman with the french Maire-Lou, and Wendy (from hong kong)... Perculiar indeed!
Leaving the land of Ushuaia after calling it home for four days we spent a lovely 12 hours plus bussing back up north, not a simple matter as to leave Ushuia we hd to go back into Chile and its customs, only to then have to go back across a ferry boat and through Argentinian customs once more to return to Argentine... no easy matter that was for sure. Heading into Punto Madryn, a town famous for its whale population, and noticeably hotter climates we made home for the night at our hostal and decided that the morning to follow we would set out to explore on bikes.
Morning broken, and a group of four weary travellers later with bikes under foot we set off for a 24km round trip to punta loma to find a seal reserve and a rather interesting journey...within the space of five minutes not only had we spotted our first whale, but also a rather large flock of flamingos sunbathing along the beach... well i guess even they need a holiday from time to time. The reserve was not quite what we hoped for, the entrance fee had risen drastically, so when we decided to covertly sneak into the area on foot, a ranger with a raher oversized pair of binoculers spotted us fairly early on... Needless to say our plot and despite great character acting our pretending to be armadillos was not quite up to scratch for this people spotter.
Back in Madryn it was back with the bikes and off to the harbour for a good few solid hours of whale watching, it was pretty unbelievable really we had been lucky enough to witness the odd whale fling itslef from the waters only to come crashing back down whilst we had been cycling, but it seemed that now we were within an arms reach the whales just wernt up for frolicing around. Theyre pretty amazing to watch, and quite a surprise when they sneak up on you when your not ssuspectng and attempt to spout you with water, but who can truly blame them when they somewhat had a face onloy a mother could love.
Before the watching ran dry we were treated to a rather payful whale whom had taken to swimming about upside down, a sea lion who was lucky there were no orcas about, and a rather strange little penguin who seemed to be able to scare off the mamoth whales... What more wildlife could you ask for in a day?
Bussing it to Esquel with the use of yet another overnight bus we arrived the next morning, Miika and Mio setting off on a steam train journey whilst in the mean time Cherrelle and i set of to the little welsh settlement village of Trevlin in search of a welsh tea-house. Arriving and finding what we sought, it wasnt long before the tea and cakes began to flow, from rum laced fruitcake to pink strangeberry cake, to dulce de leche and chocolate... a cake for every occasion.
Back in Esquel we caught a bus to Bariloche, famous for its amssivley immense ski slopes and resorts, arriving in the pouring rain (the third shower wed had since being in ecuador) we found accomidation and settled down for some much craved sleep.
The slopes proved to be a challenge, not least for the fresh mounds of snow that laced every run, but also for the fact that when you hit a slope that suddenly becomes flat, snowboards suddenly become alot of work. The day however was truly fun, continuing from what i had learnt in Chillian my confidence on a snowboard soon increased and sooner than i knew it i was blasting down the snowy slopes faster than greased li9ghtning!!!
A side note to potential snowboarders, the security strap is very handy for when you want to use your board as a sledge... It stops your board from running away and taking a bath in freezing cold rivers, you have been warned!
Two days passed in Bariloche before a 20hour bus ride came to call destined to take us to the capital and party town of Argentina, Buenos Aires. The bus ride for some reason passed in a blur of amazing scenery ranging from odd mountainsides to lush green fields lined with cows (well Argentina is known for its love of Beef and its leather produce, if not just its Tango).
Arriving in BA for about 2pm we dumped bags and hit the movies for a showing of Se Busca (wanted) before heading to bed... ¨But Danny its a friday, you should go out¨It took just these words fro Miika, and a hot shower to convince me that gettig out of bed would be a good idea, It was a friday and im in BA, the party hadnt started yet so i had plenty of time to rummage through my wetaherd clothes crammed into my backpack and find a decent t-shirt for the night. Follwing the crowds of trendy teens and early twenty somethings i eventually stumbled into a club eminating electreo and house music, and somehow entered a time warp for it wasnt until the music ended that i realised it had almost reached 8am!!!!! It really does seem like in Argentina once you start a night on the town, your in for the long haul!
With 2 hours kip, it was up and out again switching hostels and eventually moving out to explore BA, Plans intercepted however by a group of three Aussie girls From Sydney i soon found myself wrapped up into conversations over coffe ranging from travel, to film and ontoto one of their friends puppy stories... Followed up by exploring a hippies market surrounded by people performing all manner of circus skills from juggling, tightrope walking and even dangling from a tree on cloth. Before heading off to some shops and eventually home, it was a chance encounter with a mime that proved to be the highlight of the day.
I can assure you being immitated by someone who looks like they should be locked up is quite odd, but also entertaining not to mention entertaining and yet still disturbing for all those with the fortune of witnessing the specticle, but the real joy comes from outsmarting the mime and causing him to leap over a fence whilst your stil on the other side Danny 1, Mime Nil! The night that followed was rounded off with a trip to a salsa club with many enthusiastic young dancers eager to strt there stuff to the sounds of shakira and other latin beats.
Onto today and its been a slow yet eventful day, sleeping until the cleaner came nocking at the room it was off and out to explore BA, Running into David an argentinian from Mendoza it was off for a now to be informative tour of the city, miniture spansh lessons (Finnaly sussed you out Cherry, hah) an talks about dear old Maggie Thatcher and the likes of Evita.
As of yet what the night holds is to be seen, with an invite out to some local discoteca, i could be in for a long night, we shall see!
Friday, August 22
Vamos El Fin Del Mundo! (To the End of The World)
So, now the possibly somewhat potentialy lacking in sanity group of travellers that we are have now arrived at the worlds most southern town, Ushuaia, and what can i tell you about this exotic and far flung destination, well i can safely tell you that there are plentiful amounts of snow, nestled a mere 600 miles from the land of Antartica, i guess its hardly suprising!
Hell hound at the hostal... Balacon!!!
Antartica, Thada way!!!
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