Sat 10th Nov: Well, two months on the road and time seems to be flying, with every day bringing a new experience. Yesterday I got the midday coach to Viedma after my usual breakfast at the local cafe and checked-out from the hotel. Before I left I phoned the tourist information centre in Viedma to get a list of further hotels as all the ones I phoned on Thursday were fully booked for the weekend.I eventually got a reservation but only for one night. Álso bought some warm clothes for down south. The coach was not as luxurious as I expected; [View Full Entry]

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Thurs 8th Nov: After a breakfast of coffee and facturas dolces yesterday morning at the local cafe, I visited the city museum; it is the original home of the railway guard. The guide spoke good English and gave a full history of the city. The Argentinian meat is really good, especially their steaks, ´had one with chips for lunch. ´Visited the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum for Arts) - a large modern building housing some of the finest collections of 2 & 3 D art works in Argentina - well worth the visit. ´Went back to the hotel where [View Full Entry]

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Wed 7th Nov: ´Had an uneventful coach journey on Monday night (not even fireworks!). Managed to get a couple of hours sleep and arrived in Neuquen just before 5:00 am, with a picturesque dawn breaking over the city. The coach station was massive and very new, but without a tourist information centre. ´Had a cup of coffee and a few "facturas dolces" (small sweet croissants) and phoned some hotels re accommodation; however they were all fully booked (first time since arriving in SA). Eventualy managed to get a room in a cheap hotel (Residential Ingles ... ironic!). ´Got a taxi to [View Full Entry]

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Mon 5th Nov: Checked out of the hotel, but left the rucksacks there for storage. ´Had a walkabout and did some domestic shopping. Also bought a magnetic omnibus card to get out to the coach station where I purchased an overnight ticket to Neuquen (West Argentina). I noticed with a bit of shopping around that different companies compete for the same routes, so prices varied. I leave at 10:00 pm and should arrive about 5:00 on Tuesday morning. At 2:00pm Raul picked me up from the hotel and we went to his school (Collegio de San Martin). It´s an inclusive school [View Full Entry]

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Sun 4th Nov: After a reasonable breakfast I went walkabouts to find an internet cafe - was unable to upload the photos yesterday as the PC had no spare USB port. The city was quiet and most shops closed but eventually found a place open. At 11.00 Raul, Patricia (his wife) and Austin (their nephew) arrived at the hotel and we went on a long drive towards the sierras. Austin spoke fluent English and translated the conversations. We soon left the flat landscape around Bahia for the rolling and beautiful countryside of the sierras. On the way I had my introduction [View Full Entry]

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Saturday 3rd Nov: yesterday was a fairly lazy day; apart from a stroll down 9th July Ave and buying a much needed Spanish/Eng dictionary in Florida Ave, I just read for most of the day (one of Michael Murpurgos books). I said my goodbyes at the hostel and got a taxi to the coach station - a mistake- as I could have walked just as quickly (because of traffic), and yet another argument with the taxi-driver who tried to overcharge me. It was chaotic at the coach station with more than 30 platforms and I was told that my coach would [View Full Entry]

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Fri 2nd Nov: Yesterday I went to see the San Telmo district, 'walked there and got lost; came across most of the sights by accident rather than design. When I did orientate myself I was exhausted from all the walking but found a lovely spot in the main plaza there to have some lunch and a rest. 'Visited a couple of museums on the way back to the hostel - the old Asylum/Prison was an interesting one. San Telmo is littered with antique shops and gallerias with antique stalls, selling everything from old watches and clocks to furniture. Although many of [View Full Entry]

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Thurs 1st Nov: It´s hard to believe that I´m over half way through my trip already. It´s easy to lose track of time, one day slips into the next. I thought I would be much further south by this time. However, as my only real time schedule is my return date, it doesn´t really matter.. Yesterday I had a guided tour around Monte Video. There were only three others in the group, two Irish ladies and a Canadian. ´Though informative, not a very inspiring tour. Mind you it fitted in with the Uruguayan psyche, the country has suffered a lot and [View Full Entry]

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Tues 29th Oct: Most of yesterday morning was spent investigating the best means of transport to Bahia Blanca (further south along the coast of Argentina); the most economic and comfortable way seems to be by coach. Just before lunch I packed the small rucksack to last me for a few days and left the large one in a locker in the hostel in BA; I checked out and walked to the port - only nine blocks from the hostel. I got the fast ferry (50 mins) across the estuary to Colonia in Uruguay - a picturesque little village with stone-cobbled streets [View Full Entry]

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Sun 28th Oct: A few from the dorm went out clubbing on Friday night... they didn´t leave intil 2:39 am and were back at 8:00. Apparently night life starts late in BA. They spent much of the next day sleepng. I was surprised to get a phone call from Jose in UK (Alicia´s husband) on Saturday morning. He hadn´t realised I changed my travel plans to be in BA earlier than anticipated, and wanted to know if I managed to meet up with Carmen. Carmen came round to the hostel soon after, but our conversation was limited as my Spanish was [View Full Entry]

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