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Published: August 18th 2006
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Buenos Noches!
Hope you are all well at home, just another travel blog update for you since Iguassu! - Argentina and Uruguay - and therefore Buenos Aires, Gualeguaychu, Montevideo and Colonia - ooh err!
As of yesterday we flew into Cuzco, Peru, but we had such a good time in both Argentina and Uruaguay, it was quite sad to leave. Having ventured from Puerto Iguassu to Buenos Aires by Plane, we spent what was initially a few very cold days in the city, with a side order of rain...which was great. Such a difference from the usual hot weather we have been used to, but none the less the sites of Buenos Aires compensated.
Staying in the area of San Telmo, famed for its love of Tango and all things antique, the city proved to be some sort of European mix of Spain, Italy and France, with gorgeous antiques shops and markets selling starnge knick knacks...I think Susie found it hard to pull me away from the San Telmo antigues fair, all those student days spent watching Bargain Hunt and Cash in the Attic werent going to be wasted, oh no! Picked up a few things for the
flat, but wish we could have fitted more in our rucksacks.
On the Sunday before last, we went to Michaelangelo Tango, which was a very posh evening of good food and wine in excellent surroundings, accompanied by traditional Tango; it was fantastic to watch, but quite frankly a Saturday night in my company you will find it hard to tell the difference. I chose not to show up the dancers with my funky moves, it just wouldnt be fair. The strangest part of the evening was bumping into Jenny Davies and Kate (something) at the Tango champagne reception, from the Grange!! Its a small world indeed. Even stranger though, was that we were not only in sister hostels in neighbouring neighbourhoods, but we still had been seated on the same table as eachother; it must have been fate. Anyway, it was good to hear some English voices again, and to exchange travel stories, they had been travelling for 10 months!!
We fitted in a visit to the very posh neighbourhood of Rocoleta, visiting the Cementerio de la Rocoleta, where Eva Peron (Evita) is buried. That was incredible, with very ostentacious tombs of the most affluent people in Argentina,
all coffins on show, something we had never come across before and unlikely to see again.
Shopping, food, accomodation is so cheap in Argentina, the steaks of awesome; what would cost 15 pounds min. back in the UK, we get the very best steak for 2.50, three times the normal size. Im in heaven!! So it was steak pretty much every night in Argentina (Im pretty sure Susie has already mentione the whole Two Steaks Spann thing, harumph). Argentina had really ben fantastic, and gone beyond expectations, such a lovely culture here.
After exploring BA, we took a couple of days out to Uruaguy, which was...different. If you can conjure images from simply the name "Uruguay", you probably are on the right track. The bus trip, and subsequent boat to Uruguay took a good nine hours, and our first stop was Colonia. An old smuggling port, its been declared a National Heritage site, and it is beautiful to say the least. Just a shame its was so cold for our first day! Lots of sites to see, we probably could have done it in a day though.
Onwards to Montevideo, capital of Uruaguay. Bit of a strange
La Boca
And my dream car! one this; the city is a mixture of th old and the new (and by new I mean the 1970s). Its like some wierd step back in time, and really reminded us of Poland and the Czech Republic!! Nice to visit, really wouldnt go back!! We did see their National Heros Central Monument and under ground tomb though - biggest monument Ive ever come across, and guarded by two armed guards at all times.
Which reminds me, we havent mentioned the strength of the armed tourist police in South America! (Susie ont be happy that Im mentioning this, but its fascinated me) In Brazil, they carried M13 sub machine guns. Which I though was fairly exteme. Until Uruguay. The police which guard the banks (plenty of political trouble stirring in both of Argentina and Uruguay with regards to the banks) carry sawn off shot guns. I dont know whether to feel safe or somewhat scared!!!
From Montevideo, all the way back to BA, which pretty much now acted as our base, we stayed one more night in our grotty damp little hostel
and then took a bus to the area of Gualeguaychu, which is the heartland of Gaucho
Susie and the Gaucho
And soon, a swarm of Mosquitoes which ruined my cool as the Lone Ranger country (Argentinian Cowboys). There we stayed at the gorgous Estancia "Santa Maria". We were treated like Royalty, being the only guests on the Ranch, we had four staff at our disposal, which really made you feel quite bad sometimes! Sylvia, our cook, cooked the most amazing meals, four a day, all three courses (fatty Spann, fatty Hanc) and a traditional Asado (BBQ). And Sergio, one of the Gauchos, took us horse riding for a couple of days. Now for any gentleman out there, I strongly advise against "trotting" on a horse. I picked up some tricks on riding from Sergio, however, when he decided that we should break into a canter occasionally, my horse decided it would be more fun to make my eyes water and instead trot. Susie of course was pretty good riding, I reckon I wasnt too bad! Very John Wayne! We were riding western style, without helmets of course (VERY unsettling), and on the second day Susie´s horse was a little unruly, desperate to gallop. The scenery was amazing, we were 45 minutes from the nearest towns, all open plains, with cattle, deer and all other kinds of wild life. Perfect silence, and unpolluted night skies,
which was excellent. We even got to accompany th Gauchos around the ranch, watching a few of their daily tasks. The owner, Migueul, filled us in with lots of info on the ranch, and the Criollo horses that thy bred as a hobby. The horses were effectively wild, and they had to round them up for us to ride, which left an unsettling feling that at any moment they could bolt! But they proved to be friendly once they had gained your trust! Anyway, it was pure luxury, and one of the absolute highlights of the trip.
From there back to Buenos Aires for one more night, and then voila! Were in Peru! With the pictures, weve run into a little problem. In Argentina I managed to break my LCD screen, so Im going old school and using the little viewer, which is harder than I remember. Im pretty sure a waiter did it in an all you can eat restaurant, but in hindsight, "all you can eat" makes for one very heavy Paul foot, and then "crunch". So photos may be at jaunty angles, but we will survive. Before some of you critics start laughing at the fact
we go to all you can eat, I best mention its a SA tradition, along with "per kilo" restaurants!
Anyway, off on the Inca Trail tomorrow, up at 4.45 am, so best be off! The altitude in Cusco is 3400 m, and we will be climbing to 4400 m. Were feeling a little groggy, and out of breath constantly, but were slowly aclimbatizing.
Hope all is well back home, missing you all.
Love to everyone.
Paul and Susie xxxx
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