So two more sleeps then Im leaving this amazing continent on a jet plane to head back home. I cant believe the 3 months is up. Wow. A month ago I was freaking out at the idea of going back to Sydney, and facing reality. Travelling is the most self indulgent form of living. You do what you want, when you want (except when on a tour, then you just switch off the brain and be told what to do).
But now Im a little more prepared and excited to be coming home. Ch7 has freelance shifts for me in January, which will help boost the bank balance and give me time to find a permanent job.
Spending my last week in Buenos Aires has been good too. Plenty of time to get to know the city and relax, but also long enough that by the end of the week im thinking, ok, time for something new.
So here is a re-cap of my time here:
Highlights (in no particular order ... more chronological than anything)
Meeting Paul and Rena in Peru. Two awesome people who made me laugh 2 weeks straight.
Machu Picchu. Stunning.
Bolivian Salt Flats. Felt like I was on another planet.
The Pantanal wetlands in Brazil. Out of my comfort zone, but for my own good.
Snorkelling down a Bonito river. Crystal clear shallow waters.
Ilha Grande. Gorgeous island.
Jericoacoara. Remote Brazilian sandy street beach town. Favourite place.
Arrail DAjuda. Another excellent Brazilian beach town.
Rio with Mark. Great weather.
Buenos Aires. Awesome city to lose yourself walking around. And great nightlife and food.
Our Patagonia tour group.
Patagonia. Stunning scenery and great weather.
Lowlights, or things I cant wait to see the end of:
White bread. Its served every day for breakfast, no matter which country. Uggghhhhhh
Throwing toilet paper in the bin next to the toilet. Yucky. Someone remind me to stop doing this when I get home.
Buying water. Although I stopped doing that in Argentina, where the tap water is fine.
Actually thats about all I wont miss about South America.
The hardest part of travelling for me is saying goodbye to all the awesome people you meet along the way that you spend an hour, or a day or 2 weeks travelling with. But I guess its better to have met them than to have never met them at all.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The one where Lynne fends off prostitutes
Thought that headline might get your attention ... more on the prostitutes of Buenos Aires in a minute. (god im still writing like it´s a tv news script!!!)
If the last blog was all about trekking and mountain scenery, this one is all about the Argentian nightlife. After Puerto Natales we got a bus to Punta Arenas, in very southern Chile. Its a crap town, as Mark said .. i dont have good vibes about this place. He was right. Its the kind of place you stop when you need to travel long distances. We stayed in a b and b called Dinkas House, run by a crazy Croatian woman who has photos of herself all over the walls.
There were two gems in the town though. The restaurant we had dinner in was lovely, with great ambience and service. Two common themes in Argentina. And we found a bar with a jukebox so spent the night playing daggy songs.
The next day was a full day to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Its way below Tasmania and New Zealand. Its back in Argentina, so we had another border crossing.
We slept most of the 11 hour trip, because the tour had been pretty full on.
Ushuaia is a lovely town, and wasnt that cold. We were so blessed with the weather. We went on a boat on the Beagle Channel, seeing seals and birds.
It was Marks last night on the tour because he flew home a day early, so we went to an Irish pub (is there a town in the world without one???) then to a karoke bar. Only Martin the tour leader sang.
A little hungover the next day, and with minimal sleep, 6 of us went for our last hike, but it was an easy coastal 3 hour walk.
It was back to Buenos Aires the next morning. Our final night of the tour saw most of the group looking sick or tired. Only me and Amy from England and Martin showed any kind of stamina.
We went to a little bar in Palermo at midnight, and waited for 3 hours until anyone else turned up! Man they party late in this city. But when it got crowded it was really fun. Like being in an intimate house party.
I was sad to see the tour end. It was a great group. The next day I checked into the Milhouse hostel. Its a party hostel but I have my own gorgeous private room. One of the best Ive stayed in. And the rooms are away from the noisy bar area.
Its easy to meet people. I made friends with an Irish girl called Clare whod been living in Coogee. The hostel has a party on Monday night, where the common room eating area is transformed into a disco .. it reminded me of a Blue Light disco at one stage with everyone standing around the edges until the dancefloor got going.
We then headed to a club across the road, and when that closed at ridiculous oclock, 5 guys and I decided to see what else Buenos Aires had in store on a Tuesday morning. So we asked a cabbie and he dropped us off at a club. After I wrangled down the extortinate cover charge we went inside, and got our ´free drink´. But once we sat down we realised everyone else was either a dodgy old man, or a prostitute.
The prositutes swarmed on the new arrivals, and because I was the only one to speak any kind of Spanish, they targetted me, telling me how beautiful my friends were and could they have them for the day. I was keen to get the hell out of there, but I think the boys were enjoying the attention, because the women were quite attractive. The women even offered to find me a nice Argentinian guy .. who was probably the same one who followed one of the Aussies into the bathroom and offered him a lewd sex act.
We quickly left .. although only 3 of the 5 Australian guys returned home .. not sure where they went????
If the last blog was all about trekking and mountain scenery, this one is all about the Argentian nightlife. After Puerto Natales we got a bus to Punta Arenas, in very southern Chile. Its a crap town, as Mark said .. i dont have good vibes about this place. He was right. Its the kind of place you stop when you need to travel long distances. We stayed in a b and b called Dinkas House, run by a crazy Croatian woman who has photos of herself all over the walls.
There were two gems in the town though. The restaurant we had dinner in was lovely, with great ambience and service. Two common themes in Argentina. And we found a bar with a jukebox so spent the night playing daggy songs.
The next day was a full day to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Its way below Tasmania and New Zealand. Its back in Argentina, so we had another border crossing.
We slept most of the 11 hour trip, because the tour had been pretty full on.
Ushuaia is a lovely town, and wasnt that cold. We were so blessed with the weather. We went on a boat on the Beagle Channel, seeing seals and birds.
It was Marks last night on the tour because he flew home a day early, so we went to an Irish pub (is there a town in the world without one???) then to a karoke bar. Only Martin the tour leader sang.
A little hungover the next day, and with minimal sleep, 6 of us went for our last hike, but it was an easy coastal 3 hour walk.
It was back to Buenos Aires the next morning. Our final night of the tour saw most of the group looking sick or tired. Only me and Amy from England and Martin showed any kind of stamina.
We went to a little bar in Palermo at midnight, and waited for 3 hours until anyone else turned up! Man they party late in this city. But when it got crowded it was really fun. Like being in an intimate house party.
I was sad to see the tour end. It was a great group. The next day I checked into the Milhouse hostel. Its a party hostel but I have my own gorgeous private room. One of the best Ive stayed in. And the rooms are away from the noisy bar area.
Its easy to meet people. I made friends with an Irish girl called Clare whod been living in Coogee. The hostel has a party on Monday night, where the common room eating area is transformed into a disco .. it reminded me of a Blue Light disco at one stage with everyone standing around the edges until the dancefloor got going.
We then headed to a club across the road, and when that closed at ridiculous oclock, 5 guys and I decided to see what else Buenos Aires had in store on a Tuesday morning. So we asked a cabbie and he dropped us off at a club. After I wrangled down the extortinate cover charge we went inside, and got our ´free drink´. But once we sat down we realised everyone else was either a dodgy old man, or a prostitute.
The prositutes swarmed on the new arrivals, and because I was the only one to speak any kind of Spanish, they targetted me, telling me how beautiful my friends were and could they have them for the day. I was keen to get the hell out of there, but I think the boys were enjoying the attention, because the women were quite attractive. The women even offered to find me a nice Argentinian guy .. who was probably the same one who followed one of the Aussies into the bathroom and offered him a lewd sex act.
We quickly left .. although only 3 of the 5 Australian guys returned home .. not sure where they went????
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The one where we hit ice, ice baby
Its been over a week since my last blog, because Ive been trekking in Patagonia... and actually did ok!
Mark, a Sydney girl he met in Peru called Alex and I went to a football match in Buenos Aires the night before we joined the tour. We saw two local teams play. It wasnt as good as the Rio match because they put tourists in this protected area, which has a great view, but is completely separated from all the fans, and you feel a little detached from the action. The locals are in the stands above us, and were crazy. At one stage there was about 20,000 people just jumping up and down and chanting. Awesome to see.
The three of us went out in Palermo, a cool part of town, after the match. We had possibly the worst meal Ive had on the this trip. Argentinian food and wine has been unreal, except for this dodgy restaurant where I ate spaghetti with soy sauce, and dessert was cheese and a caramel sauce. mmm tasty, not.
Buenos Aires nightlife doesnt kick in till 3am, so we stayed out a while drinking at an outdoors table.
The next day Mark and I switched hotels and joined our Patagonia group. There are 8 of us, which is a nice small size. When they all started talking about marathons, iron mans and everest base camp treks I started freaking out thinking Id be unable to keep up with them. But you know what? I managed fine, and really surprised myself. Some of them got a lot more tired than I did.
Martin is our tour leader. Hes a 31 year old from Mendoza, the Argentinian wine region. And as luck would have it is a sommelier, so every night we have been tasting different wines. Man they are so good here. Hes a lot of fun. In fact our group is getting along so well its ridiculous. We are all having a great time together.
We flew from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, and on the first day we went to Perito Moreno Glacier. Wow. Its a huge glacier, several kilometres wide and about 80m high. We went on a boat to get up close and see huge chunks of ice fall into the water. Global warming right in front of us.
That night, like every night, we went to a great restaurant to sample local cuisine and wine.
The following day we got a bus to El Chalten, the Argentinian trekking capital in Patagonia. Its a little village where we based ourselves for 2 days to do treks to Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Huge shaggy mountains. The first day trek was 9 hours and 24 km long and one of the hardest. Man we were all so tired, but at least I keeped up and felt pretty good afterwards. Mark was more tired than me! The second trek was shorter, about 6 hours, and easier.
The only problem with all our treks has been the fact they arent a loop, so we get to the lookout, or top of the mountain, then have to come back the same way, which is a bit monotonous. Although we certainly couldnt complain about the weather. Patagonia is notorious for changing seasons in an hour, and the wind, but we had perfect sunny days every day.
From Chalten we went back to Calafate and then got a bus to Chile, where we camped in Torres Del Paine for 3 nights. Yes, Lynne camped. Shared a tent with her brother even. I cant believe we fit inside it! Talk about bonding with your brother. Its been fun, and we have got along well. Hardly any little tiffs, let alone arguments.
3 more day treks there. They were quite hard. Mark says its been a lot tougher than the Inca Trail. All between 4 and 9 hours long. Plenty of thinking time, and chatting time.
The group has a lot of funny stories. Mark has re-introduced Roxette to everyone, so weve been reminiscing about dodgy 80s bands, and spotting people who look like celebrities.
Martin brought along 12 bottles of wine for the camping, which we finished on the second night. Peter, from Colorado, got a little drunk and nearly fell into the camp fire while doing the crump (a dance). Hilarious, but only because he so spectacularly managed to avoid the flames.
The camping wasnt that tough. We had cooks make us 3 excellent meals a day. The chefs name was Carlos Santana. Seriously. I guess hes taking a break from his guitar.
So I feel really good about managing to trek almost 90 km in 5 days. Quite an accomplishment considering my preparation involved 2 months of being a backpacker bum, sitting on beaches and occasionally going for walks around towns. Its been greast scenery. Huge snow capped mountains, lagoons and lakes.
Lots of condors, which I just love. They are beautiful to watch in the sky.
We are now in Puerto Natales, which is still in Chile. We are heading south over the next few days.
Last night we went out for drinks and Martin, me and 2 other girls had a pretty big one. So Im a little dusty this morning.
Mark, a Sydney girl he met in Peru called Alex and I went to a football match in Buenos Aires the night before we joined the tour. We saw two local teams play. It wasnt as good as the Rio match because they put tourists in this protected area, which has a great view, but is completely separated from all the fans, and you feel a little detached from the action. The locals are in the stands above us, and were crazy. At one stage there was about 20,000 people just jumping up and down and chanting. Awesome to see.
The three of us went out in Palermo, a cool part of town, after the match. We had possibly the worst meal Ive had on the this trip. Argentinian food and wine has been unreal, except for this dodgy restaurant where I ate spaghetti with soy sauce, and dessert was cheese and a caramel sauce. mmm tasty, not.
Buenos Aires nightlife doesnt kick in till 3am, so we stayed out a while drinking at an outdoors table.
The next day Mark and I switched hotels and joined our Patagonia group. There are 8 of us, which is a nice small size. When they all started talking about marathons, iron mans and everest base camp treks I started freaking out thinking Id be unable to keep up with them. But you know what? I managed fine, and really surprised myself. Some of them got a lot more tired than I did.
Martin is our tour leader. Hes a 31 year old from Mendoza, the Argentinian wine region. And as luck would have it is a sommelier, so every night we have been tasting different wines. Man they are so good here. Hes a lot of fun. In fact our group is getting along so well its ridiculous. We are all having a great time together.
We flew from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, and on the first day we went to Perito Moreno Glacier. Wow. Its a huge glacier, several kilometres wide and about 80m high. We went on a boat to get up close and see huge chunks of ice fall into the water. Global warming right in front of us.
That night, like every night, we went to a great restaurant to sample local cuisine and wine.
The following day we got a bus to El Chalten, the Argentinian trekking capital in Patagonia. Its a little village where we based ourselves for 2 days to do treks to Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Huge shaggy mountains. The first day trek was 9 hours and 24 km long and one of the hardest. Man we were all so tired, but at least I keeped up and felt pretty good afterwards. Mark was more tired than me! The second trek was shorter, about 6 hours, and easier.
The only problem with all our treks has been the fact they arent a loop, so we get to the lookout, or top of the mountain, then have to come back the same way, which is a bit monotonous. Although we certainly couldnt complain about the weather. Patagonia is notorious for changing seasons in an hour, and the wind, but we had perfect sunny days every day.
From Chalten we went back to Calafate and then got a bus to Chile, where we camped in Torres Del Paine for 3 nights. Yes, Lynne camped. Shared a tent with her brother even. I cant believe we fit inside it! Talk about bonding with your brother. Its been fun, and we have got along well. Hardly any little tiffs, let alone arguments.
3 more day treks there. They were quite hard. Mark says its been a lot tougher than the Inca Trail. All between 4 and 9 hours long. Plenty of thinking time, and chatting time.
The group has a lot of funny stories. Mark has re-introduced Roxette to everyone, so weve been reminiscing about dodgy 80s bands, and spotting people who look like celebrities.
Martin brought along 12 bottles of wine for the camping, which we finished on the second night. Peter, from Colorado, got a little drunk and nearly fell into the camp fire while doing the crump (a dance). Hilarious, but only because he so spectacularly managed to avoid the flames.
The camping wasnt that tough. We had cooks make us 3 excellent meals a day. The chefs name was Carlos Santana. Seriously. I guess hes taking a break from his guitar.
So I feel really good about managing to trek almost 90 km in 5 days. Quite an accomplishment considering my preparation involved 2 months of being a backpacker bum, sitting on beaches and occasionally going for walks around towns. Its been greast scenery. Huge snow capped mountains, lagoons and lakes.
Lots of condors, which I just love. They are beautiful to watch in the sky.
We are now in Puerto Natales, which is still in Chile. We are heading south over the next few days.
Last night we went out for drinks and Martin, me and 2 other girls had a pretty big one. So Im a little dusty this morning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
