The second half of our stay in Sucre was much better. The rain stopped and the sun came out. We were even able to wear shorts and sandals occasionally! Our day out to Jurassic Park was interesting. The hostal owner told us to take "Micro A" to the end of the line which was the entry gates to the park. That would have been the case but our driver went home for lunch, or at least that's how it seemed, and we were left with a 20 minute walk past the smell cement works. Then we had to climb a muddy slope to the gates as the road up isn't quite built yet, in fact they are still excavating it!! Once inside we were treated to half an hour of the BBC's Dinosaur documentary (royalties presumably ... read more

After 2 years in Argentina we said our final goodbyes and left for new adventures! The bus from Salta to La Quiaca was uneventful and the border crossing into Bolivia was surprisingly swift and efficient. The Bolivian official was even friendly and chatty, which makes a bizarre change! That’s not quite going to be the case for any American citizens from now on though. Bolivia have introduced restrictions and, according to both the information poster and the border official, Americans will now need to buy a visa (US$100), produce a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, have a major credit card, and also have a hotel reservation. Good luck guys!!! We changed our pesos for bolivianos, bought some Oreos (!) and walked up to the bus station in Villazon. With just under an hour until our departure to ... read more

When we arrived in Salta one of our concerns was that it could be a bit of a cultural desert! After Buenos Aires with is huge choice of theatres and cinemas, it was obviously going to be a bit different, but we haven’t been disappointed. Indeed, before we even moved into the house we had made our first visit to the theatre. The Teatro Huerto lacks the atmosphere of, say, the Colon in BA, but it is a nice little provincial theatre. We went there to see Angel Mahler’s musical Dracula which we had just missed in BA. It was a great show but, in true Salta style, it began very late and finished at a ridiculous time, something like 1.30am! In contrast, we were very lucky to see Argentina’s ballet star Julio Bocca on his ... read more

School’s out for the summer! To celebrate the end of the teaching year we decided to go on a trip up to Cafayate, then continue on to Tafi del Valle. Unfortunately the beginning of December also heralds the beginning of the rainy season, and we were pleased to have our raincoats and umbrella with us! Cafayate is located on the infamous Ruta 40 which runs almost 5000 km from La Quiaca in the North to Rio Gallegos in the South. As this was the last we were going to see of this road which has dominated so many of our travels, we decided to stay in the Hostel Ruta 40. It proved a good choice and we met fellow travellers from Denmark (who told us that Finland is not considered part of Scandanavia! We are ALWAYS ... read more

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men, as they say! Our plan for the weekend was to go to Rosario de la Frontera and relax in the thermal pools of the posh hotel there. On arrival at the bus station we were told the bus was full, despite assurances earlier in the week that there was no need to buy in advance! That'll teach us for believing what we are told. We've been here long enough after all!!! Instead we took the local collectivo bus from outside the Central Market on Av. San Martin to Campo Quijano. It cost just 1.75 pesos to get there, and curiously 1.25 to get back! Not sure how that happened. The ride is about 40 minutes through the Southern limits of the city of Salta, past the airport ... read more