Nits, Surfing Dogs and Bureaucracy

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Apart from a real and deep friendliness the most obvious character trait we´ve noticed abut the Argentines is their abiding love of bureaucracy; a 5 day stay at a campsite with swimming pool use and fridge rental took 4 visits to ADMINISTRATION to fill in the required forms and then separate trips to the payment desk to give money to the very important lady. At the post office we were told it was only possiblre to send a parcel to England between 9.30 and 11.00 on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays. To use the public swimming pool in Buenos Aires it was compulsory to visit the doctor to be checked for nits and fungal infections between the toes - just like schooldays!! Little surprise that unemployment has plummeted from 25% to 10%.

Since our last blog entry, we've come a long way (man!). Fantastic overnight bus travel has meant we've been to various coastal towns. Monte Hermoso; a quietish beach resort with absolutely NO foreign tourists - we were quite a novelty and everyone got to know our names, Puerto Madryn; a bustling port and gateway to the protected nature reserve of Peninsula Valdes. After watching surfing dogs on the tops of cars speeding round town, we hired a car and spent 2 magical days in the flat and arid park, staying at sleepy ex-salt mining port. Stayed in delighful beach cabin and spent the days with bellowing male sealions, very cute penguinos, humongous elephant seals, incredibly friendly armadillo. Guanaco, rhea, giant petrels with 2m+ wingspan, elegant crested tinamous and turkey vultures. Cor blimey - in´t nature brilliant. And snorkelling was a first for Nadine !!!!!!! It was fantastic.

Met a gorgeous Argentinian couple on holiday from BA. Had a great night out together talking about taboos such as the Falklands, Chile/Pinochet, and Carlos Menem the corrupt ex-President. We continue to remain overwhelmed by the hospitality and genuine friendliness of the Argentinian people.

Today, spending day on beach before catching bus southwards to Puerto San Julian and then El Calafate for mountains, glaciers and forests.

Thanks for all your comments - it's great having a life-line to back home and hearing about everything you're upto. Keep them coming!

Hope you're all settling into 2007 and aren't suffering too much from the post-Xmas blues.

Hasta luego mes amigos.

Nadine and Rob x

P.S. There's a map of our route attached, but we´re not sure exactly how to add labels to it. Anyway it gives a rough idea of where we are and where we're going next.

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Photos

Green sludge aka Mate
EVERYONE drinks this herb stuff! It's disgusting.

Sunny Times
The sun always shines on Puerto Piramides

Cheeky Armadillo
Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside!

Basking Sea Lion
Just like on the telly!

P..p..p..pick up a....
Magellanic cuteness

Bureaucratic Barminess
Nadine applying online to use the toilet - a separate application is required to flush!

Comments

[Sandie]

Marrakech madness
Ola! Sounds amazing in every sense - love map and photos and stories of encounters with people - inspirational, cheers. Have discovered a way to beat post-Xmas blues/start of January - if you can't make it to South America, go to Marrakech!! Had a fabulous break - blue skies, sunshine, pink buildings, mad taxi journies with friendly and helpful drivers, horn beeping to each other in harmony (a sense of order clearly operates beneath the chaos, rather than any road rage) whisky berber (peppermint tea) in the Atlas mountains with a Berber family and tagine. Great night out at a riad, amazing selection of food, fig aperitif, belly dancer (with a very, very small belly!!) and a birthday cake for one of our party which we decided was a giant crunchy nut cornflake. Look forward to next installment. Sx

[Ruth Buxton]

Hola
Happy New Year and all that! Great to hear how you're doing - brightens up an otherwise dull day at the office planning Professor Fluffy sessions!!! Is your Spanish improving? No doubt you know a few more words for animals and wildlife but perhaps a few swear words to deal with the bureaucracy would be more appropriate! Looking forward to the next installment. Until then, have fun and keep smiling! And just remember when you're filling in another form... you could be working!! Bye for now

[Jo, Rob, Milly n Penny]

Lovin it!
Love your blogs Sounds fab still jealous!! Take care xxx

[Stuie and the Formidable Mrs H]

Good Armadillo
I notice you do not comment on the results of your nit and fungal tests! Add us to you blog list, babes Have fun S n C

[Nadine and Rob]

Nit test negative!
¡Buenos Dias Hunts! Great to hear from you. We didn´t have yer email - can you send it to us and we´ll include you in all our instalments. Nadine and Roberto x

[Andy Marsh]

Happy Birthday
Hi Rob Have a great birthday. I wonder how long you can stretch it out for this year. Andy xx

[Chris W]

Chilly in Chile????
It's not even chilly in Kendal and we've had a few hours without rain. Your pics are fantastic, what a birthday view Rob. You certainly seem to be making the most of your days in the south. JUNK went ahead with "actors" reading their lines and Matt and Howard painting til the last second! They are now in a Key Skills test...........enough! Have seen all Nigels' Antarctic shots but have x hours of moving footage to wade through, literally and when you haven't been there but instead listened to daughter wondering whether to break off engagement or not, suddenly I could have shouted (and loudly Rob!!) no more penguins, I'm off..................I look forward to hearing your next episode!! Chris ps I think I'm feeling a tad sorry for myself.................Have fun.

[Becca]

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that my parcel arrived today. Thanks very much! Very exciting to get a parcel from South America. The bracelet is so unusual, i love it! Have fun, lots of love, Becca xxxxx