Blogs from Río Negro, Argentina, South America

There are some rare occasions in life where you can only look on in wonderment, doff your cap, bow, kowtow, salute and pay homage. A Christmas-eve amble along the shoreline of Ushuaia, popularly known as 'the end the world'. Arrive at the iconic but cliched money-shot spot, and chance upon half-a-dozen champagne-swigging revellers and a smallish, taught, rugged, ruddy man standing next to the 'you have arrived sign' and his loaded, long-distance bicycle. Intrigued, linger quietly aside, and try to unobtrusively capture the occasion with a photo or two. It is cool, in the late afternoon, and the tourist spot is unusually empty. One of the party approaches, and hesitantly at first in broken Spanish, then reasonable, thick-accented English, asks if I know who the cyclist is. "Not a clue." "He is very famous in ... read more

Ohhhh, we’ve been eating well in Argentina, we have. Patagonia is a haven for carnivores and we’ve had our fill of the beef, lamb and pork available in the many good restaurants of Bariloche and El Bolson. Parillla y asadors are very popular here. Parilla means ‘grill’ and asador means ‘roast’. Some restaurants have whole roast lamb on display in the window. They cook over hot coals for half a day before they are put on a plate at dinner time. Menu’s are quite simple. There are only about 6 different meat dishes and perhaps only three sides to choose from. We’ve learnt that we don’t need to order one each. Servings are huge and can easily be shared. As well as dinners, we’ve enjoyed the many chocolate shops in the area. I’m not sure why ... read more

Today we are driving the Circuito Chico; a popular 60 km scenic lakeside loop. We start by taking a chairlift 1000 metres up Cerro Campanario, where a series of platforms provide 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. We take the chairlift back down. A dozen ahead of us is a lady in a wheelchair. The lift is stopped while she is helped into her seat. This means that when she reaches the bottom and the lift is stopped again, we are dangling at the highest point. Being left dangling in a chair hanging on a wire halfway up a mountain is not my idea of a good time. Luckily we get moving again while I am still contemplating some sort of escape bid. We continue to pretty little San Eduardo Chapel, made of ... read more

Die ochtend krijgen we een heerlijk en uitgebreid ontbijt in het pension en zetten we vervolgens koers richting de Argentijnse grens. De wind is gaan liggen en de zon schijnt weer, dus prima weer. Bij de grens staan tientallen vrachtwagens te wachten de andere kant op, maar aan onze kant is niemand. We krijgen weer een hoop stempels op allerlei formulieren, in Argentinië hebben ze nog geen paspoortscanners, dus alle gegevens moeten met de hand worden ingevoerd. Ze zijn niet geïnteresseerd in onze bagage, dus na vijf minuten kunnen we weer verder rijden. Ook hier is het landschap erg vlak, wel zijn er veel vulkaankegels zo ver als je kunt kijken. In Rio Gallegos, de grootste stad van Zuid-Argentinië willen we tanken, maar de diesel is op. Gelukkig is er een paar minuten verderop nog een ... read more

Unseasonably hot and humid today I sit at the family dining table accompanied by the gentle tapping of a Danish keyboard. Beside me Ellen is studiously learning Spanish verb conjugations in silence; a prospect I can only dream of. From the sixth floor flat we have a splendid view of the mountains across the lake. Last night we ventured into town after dinner to have a social drink and perhaps some music if we were lucky. Five minutes later we entered a section of closed roads and passed the first of four packed pubs with bands playing, all within 100 metres. More than a thousand people of all ages were out there. There was much happiness in the air. People danced unselfconciously with hips that twisted beyond typical British restrain. Babies wobbled on parent’s knees, soaking ... read more