Blogs from Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW.... So we arrived in BA feeling less then perfect... it took us about an hour to get off the bus, get cash and find a taxi. We were both pretty unwell! We arrived at Pax hostel where the Pablo, the receptionist offered us some tea which went down well. We got straight into bed after that (this was at about 12pm) and slept till 8pm. That day was a write off so will move on to day 2! On day 2 we were feeling a bit better, we were still eating small amounts so decided to stay local. We went for a walk to the Plaza de Mayo, the main square near our district San Telmo. We had some lunch (a word of warning- things take aaaaages when you´re eating out). Then we ... read more

Buenos Aires reminded us alot of London and ended up staying our first night in not the nicest hostel but in a very posh district in which we could afford nothing. But did get transport straight from the airport, so cant complain about door to door service. We moved the next day to another district more toward the centre of BA which was decorated with alot of art and grafitti as it was known as the Art Factory. After dumping our stuff we headed out for dinner, but seeing as the language was now portuguese it was rather challenging being able to order something we actually liked, but saying beef and cow bought us a steak which we were more than happy with. After, we went to go and find a market but got lost but ... read more

Well, believe it or not I overnight in Beijing for the first night. I arrived yesterday at 9.30 pm and after a long long walk in their impressive and big airport I found the way out of it. The problem was that during the night there are not many taxis. There was a line longer that 2 or 3 blocks to get a 1 hour ride to downtown in Beijing. So the nice information and guest lady told me that the best way to get out there was taking a bus for 16Y and then a taxi for 20Y. It seemed it will be a super simple things. But get was, it was not. Why because the bus live you in the middle of a street, that at that time was already 11.00 pm, and you ... read more

Sunday 6th May - Cordoba to Buenos Aires A mere 10 hour bus ride journey and we were in the capital. Argentine buses have turned out to be rather frustrating as they continuously pull off the main roads and will take 10 minute detours into town centres to the bus stations to pick up one man and his dog, especially when you're paying $50 for bus rides that were costing only $10 in Bolivia. Anyway our first sight of Buenos Aires wasn't a great one as we arrived at the Retiro Bus Station which is seeping with scallys and trash but bus stations are generally not a good advert for cities and we were later to find out that BA is one of the great cities of the world, full of energy and character. The arrival ... read more

We woke to the bus joggling us along. I was still quite snoozy after a late night blogging. As breakfast was served on the bus, we pulled back the blinds and enjoyed the ride towards Mar del Plata. Around 10am we pulled into the bus terminal which was a great relief. I was looking forward to, and more than ready for our arrival. This meant I did not have to use the bus toilet which was shorter than me and not much wider than me. Definitely more relaxed after my “pit stop” at the bus terminal, it was time to purchase a local bus pass, the equivalent of a Wellington “Snapper card”, which cost 20 pesos (NZ$6) for six trips. I suggested to Eileen that we walk to our accommodation rather than the usual taxi since ... read more

After a great weekend in Florianopolis we took our last ever bus to iguazu to see the falls. We spent our first day exploring the town and wierdly managed to get a local bus to another country.. Paraguay! It was a crazy place full of market stalls selling all sorts of junk.. unfortunately it rained all day long and we drowned in the process of finding our hostel on the way home..it only took us 3 buses to get back. luckily for us though the weather was on our side the next day, perfect to see the brazilian side of the falls which were amazing! we walked along the trail stopping at different platforms along the way each showing the waterfalls from a different angle. we saw a panoramic view of the falls and as the ... read more

Arrivant du Brésil à Buenos-Aires, j’ai l’impression de changer de continent ! je me rends compte que la population est presque uniquement d’origine europèenne. Des bruns, des blonds, mais pas de noirs ou de métisses ! On se croirait en France ou en Italie, d’autant que le code vestimentaire s’est encore approché de celui de l’Europe. Au Brésil, il est difficile de trouver des ancêtres incontestés à qui que ce soit, car le métissage a fait son œuvre depuis des siècles. ..A Bahia notamment, région qui a reçu le plus d’esclaves en Amérique, on voit toutes les nuances de la négritude, du plus clair au plus foncé. Cela se dilue à mesure que l’on descent vers le Sud. A Buenos Aires, on passe à l’Européen, avec un métissage souvent moindre que celui que l’on trouve dans ... read more