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Published: November 17th 2006
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Let's tango!
Mark and Sue tango in the Camineta, La Boca Hola Amigos,
Well, the past 5 weeks of our travels have taken us to the wonders of Argentina and Chile, including the region of Patagonia which is in the south of both countries. After the cultural delights of Peru, we really did not think things could get much better ... but we are pleased to say that they just did!
Our first week in Argenitina was spent in lively and cosmopilitan Buenos Aires. Here we got to eat lots and lots of red meat (the Arggies just love their meat), drink lots and lots of red wine, experience some of the famous BA nightlife (we managed to found ourselves at Pacha at 6 o'clock in the morning trying to dance to Trance music!) and enjoy the colourful vibrancy of lunch time tango dancing in the Camineta, La Boca. The highly rated "bife de chorizo" or sirloin steak is the best we have ever tasted and the red wine, particularly the Malbec which is Argentina's speciality, has to be one of South America's best kept secrets. We also got to see one of the biggest club football matches on the planet - River Plate v Boca Juniors. As the videoclip
Iguazu
An unbelieveable sight - truly a Wonder of the World! shows, the atmosphere was electric, although we have absolutely no idea what they were all singing about!
One of the highlights of the trip so far has to be the majestic waterfalls of Iguazu. These had received a massive billing from other travellers as we made our way down through South America and they did not disappoint. The view from the Brazilian side gave us breathtaking panoramic views while the views from the Argentinian side enabled us to feel like we were practically in the falls! The videoclip shows our reporter Susan Howard reporting live from the falls!
In the beatiful and extremely hot wine region of Mendoza - where 70% of Argentina's wine is produced - we took a bikes and wine tour on a tandem bike. This was really great fun, if not a little dangerous as the day unfolded and we become more and more drunk! Mark attempting to do "no handed" also turned out to be a very silly idea, although nobody got hurt we are pleased to say! It was in Mendoza that we also had another go at white water rafting. This turned out to be far better than we expected with
On the seven lakes route
Lake number two - although we cannot be sure! rapid after rapid ensuring everyone got soaked and one mad Italian man went overboard - he said afterwards that he was just trying to get his money's worth! We both managed to stay in the boat despite a couple of very close calls for the extremely clumsey Mark Vivian Howler.
Then it was on to the pretty mountain and lake district resort of Barlioche. It was from here that we hired a car for 2 days and drove the 7 lakes route (the same taken by Che Guevara in his motorcycle diaries) to San Martin de los Andes. The snow capped mountain scenery was beautiful and we found ourselves continuously stopping to take what we thought was an amazing photo, only to drive for a further 15 minutes and fine an even better view - thank goodness for digital cameras!
Then it was time to fly south to Chilean Patagonia for a 3 day camping and treking trip in Torres Del Paine national park - the camping bit took some persusion on Mark's part it has to be said! At times it was bitterly cold and we even experienced snow, but the vast and stunning scenery of Patagonia
Moreno glacier
This picture shows the sheer size of the glacier is yet another massive highlight of our trip. And with condors and eagles regularly flying overhead, there was always something to take our minds of our aching feet and nasty blisters! The treking was extremely hard at times and the first night in our tent absolutely freezing, but completing our route left us with a strong sense of achievement. Sue literally tip toed across the finishing line and later finally disposed of her 7 year old walking boots - in days gone by these had been like wearing a pair of slippers: by the end of this trip they were like wearing a pair of razor blades!
Finally, you might say that we left the best until last - National Park Los Glaciers. Here we got to see the famous Moreno glacier, one of the only glaciers on the planet which is currently advancing. We were able to take a boat trip up to the terminal face and watch huge chunks of ice break off with an enormous thunder clap and crash into the milky blue waters of Lago Argentina. The boat trip to the Upsala glacier was also superb as we passed enormous icebergs of all different shapes,
Tahiti
OK .. not your typical hostel view, we grant you !! sizes and colours on the way - not something you get to see from the window of your commuter train of a morning!
To break up the journey to Perth, we opted for a 2 night stop over in Tahiti ... we know, we really are the poshest backpackers on the circuit! 5 star luxury, the room actually had two toilets! It certainly was a very nice change from some of the more "economical" hostels we have been frequenting of late. See the view of the pool and the sea.
We could go on and on about our three months in South America, it has been absolutely fantastic, and we've even managed to learn a bit of Spanish. We know that we will miss the place and the people in many ways, but with the delights of Western Australia now beckoning - not to mention an Ashes series to win - I am sure we will get over it!
Until next time ...
All the best, Mark and Sue xxx
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James G
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Absolutely fabulous places and really glad to see yours smiles reflect the fun you're having, but I just hope you two didn't disagree on which direction you were going on that tandem! ;-)