Torres Del Paines, Route 40, Bariloche

Hello,

In the last week I have spent a lot of time in the bus getting from Patagonia to (moderately) warmer places! I can't believe I got sunburnt in Ushuaia and also left my shoes in the hostel there (and yes, I did check my feet).

My last Patagonian adventure was in Puerto Natales, Chile and the Torres Del Paine national park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_del_Paine_National_Park). I met a German and Dutch girl and went camping for 3 days. It was pretty awesome despite the really cold weather and camping in tents whilst it was snowing outside. The glaciers and glacial lakes were spectacular. The colour of the lakes was impressive with their vibrant aqua glow. The girls were OK (it sounds like a dream come true eh) but after three days of camping they really did my head in! They were just particularly particular about the particularities and I'm a bit more laid back plus they were insistent that girls were better than boys at everything whilst I don't really give a shit! However, there were some funny conversations such as stick insects and what their lives entail. Put simply, they spent their whole life pretending to be a stick and occasionally eat leaves. And if you turn the 'Marlboro' logo upside down you get 'horrible jew', trust the German to point that out.



Next was 'route 40' from El Calafate to Bariloche. Dubbed South Americas' 'route 66', I expected it to be quite a cool journey. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down. The bus driver provided highlights, well 'lights' including chasing an armadillo down, grabbing it by the tale to show all us tourists and cutting off a foxtail which was in my terminology "roadkill". The place we stopped at overnight, Perito Moreno was in the middle of nowhere and the bartender (perhaps 50yo and circa 4 teeth) proposed a threesome between myself, him and an English girl I met on the bus.


Then, here I am in Bariloche where I was robbed this morning. Yes robbery number 1. Though not how I expected it! The English girl and I went to a 2 bed room in a hotel because it was late and the hostel was booked out. We went to sleep at about 2am and woke up at 9am. When we were leaving, the English girl couldn't find her wallet and I realised all my cash was gone. We didn't lock the door to the hotel room, someone must've come in while we were sleeping and pinched said items. Which is a little scary I suppose. We went down and told the reception desk and another guy had the same issue. The reception girl then went back up to the floor with the English girl and instantly found her wallet minus cash stuffed underneath a common area couch. Pretty dodge. Fortunately my card was in my wallet and not taken and my camera which was lying next to my wallet remained untouched which baffles considering it was worth more than the 300 pesos (80AUD) nicked. My insurance won't recover it coz its a $100 excess so it would cost me $20 to claim it! Anyway today I went kayaking, lovely, definately better than staring at a computer all day! Bariloche is really nice and I was just starting to really like Argentina...


At this stage I don't where I will be spending Chrissy or NYE; it's fodder for consumption. And I do miss a couple of things. Most notably singing in my car. Ciao

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Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia

Hey Kids

Havin a great time now. Puerto Madryn was cool, went on a tour and saw heaps of cool animals like armadillos, whales, sea lions and penguins. This is also the place where orcas (killer whales)come out and play tennis with the baby seals(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEhQ5nauXgY).

Whale Vid (1.2Mb):

Then down to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. It's really nice they have the bay right next to the snowy mountains. The vistas here are spectacular. This is the place where most antarctic cruises leave from. It's pretty cold even for spring here like 10 degrees max and it doesn't get dark til 1030 at night. I climbed up one of the glaciers with a few people from the hostel, snow fights and tobogganing down the hill gt's.

Also check out my new blogs: whatisappsreallydoing, whoisappsdoing, whatisappssmuggling.

Boca y Mar Del Plata

Yo
What's up?

The good news is I'm still alive and haven't been robbed, kidnapped, stabbed or run over yet, and to my knowledge both my kidneys remain inside of me. The bad news is that those who placed bets or 'multi-bets' on any one or more of those situations occurring, you will have to wait to collect!

Finishing up Buenos Aires, I went to Boca Juniors game aka soccer. Boca is a working class neighbourhood in BA and their fans are freaking nuts. My head is still ringing from all the drums and chanting! Boca is also the team Maradona played for and is also the most popular team in the league. I was really fortunate that my hostel had 'connections' to get me a ticket. There were also a few rules that I had to follow to ensure my survival, one being "you must support Boca - it's a matter of life and death". The game itself was how should i put it, was nil nil, so not the most exciting one but the fans still go crazy, jumping up and down, climbing over the fences and also teasing the opposition fans from Colon, although Colon were designated the tier above so I believe they had the last laugh when they sent a few drinks amongst other things. I got this advice from the British - Don't sit beneath the above balcony! So after the game finishes you have to sit in the stands for 30 mins whilst the opposition fans are allowed to leave and to prevent rioting etc.

Now, the last couple of days I've been in Mar Del Plata which is a beach resort town 5 hours south of BA. I got there by bus which was pretty good service, they actually gave everyone a food pack for the trip comprising of a sandwich and muesli bar. And, the entertainment was not bad either, a bootleg version of Marley and Me, and thankfully not dubbed, subtitled, good times! The bus did seem rather slow and we did pass a police barricade where the cop came onto the bus but apart from that pretty damn good! The ride itself wasn't too interesting but it did show the devestation eminating from corrupt politicians and economic instability. Some of the shanties people live in and the continual scene of boarded up abandoned buildings and businesses.

Mar Del Plata is really nice and awesome. It's probably one of the more affluent areas in Argentina and there exists a semblance of normality. People are going about their daily tasks and are much more patient, helpful and interested. It's really nice to just be able to explore without needing to be constantly 'en guarde'. The only thing I have to watch now is traffic; I think my 10 second dash time is improving! But they again have some really nice buildings and 20kms of beaches. It's just the beginning of the tourist season here so it's not too busy at the moment (there weren't too many girls to perve on at the beach). The women here are really hit and miss, they are either stunners or 'no me gustos'. Quite a number need to watch their waistline, which is odd for such a poor country, this I put down to the mysteriously large number of choclate and ice cream outlets. Whoever is running the chocolate and ice cream racquet in Argentina must be doing a fine job! My time here has been good, it's unfortunate that I have gotten a small hostel here, so I haven't met anyone to hang with here which is a pity, but that's the way it goes sometimes. The most frustrating aspects of that is eating where it's a bit weird and daunting to go and eat at a cafe on your own and activities where you have that extra motivation to do things because you can share the experience. So there's been plenty of panchos, hamburguesas, pizzas and McDonalds. Although I have a rule that I can only eat at the same McDonalds once! But I will move on to the next place, Puerto Madryn tomorrow after a 17hr bus trip.

Speed is also readily availabe here. In fact it comes in can for only 5 pesos or $1.30AUD!

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Buenos Aires Continuar.....

Buenas tardes,

Just finishing up Buenos Aires at the moment, leaving for Mar de Plata in the south and then aim to get to the very bottom. Apparently there's some nice scenery, glaciers etc to be seen. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonia to see what I mean. BA has been OK for me, despite rave reviews from fellow travellers and tourist guides. I've been out a few times and had a decent look around. One of the best things I did was the free walking tour from the hostel with the local who could explain some of the history etc. Stuff that you hear about but don't really take notice til you get there, like all the military dictatorships and Eva Peron aka Evita. I've found that to be the most interesting part especially when you juxtapose it with Australia's history over a similar timeline.

As for my feeling for the rest of the place, getting over jetlag has been a nuisance with a 13 hour difference in timezones, having a bout of 'Fidel Castro' and so far struggling with my Spanish. Although when I say struggling, it is improving quite quickly but not quick enough arg! Food is the hardest bit, I think ordering in restaurants is quite difficult, in part due to the language barrier, in part due to the lack of interest in service and in part to the lack of said items on menu. I was quite happy with my steak and chips but others were not so impressed with every pasta dish cancelled for the night and my mates hamberguesa completa complete with only bread and beef! In any case panchos or hot dogs are very plentiful here and only 3 pesos (AUD $0.75) and are always good and very easy to order!

I whinge here because I feel compelled to dispell every tourist guide I have ever read stating BA for best place in the world. It is not. It does have some great things but equally it has terrible things that cannot allow it be said place. Any trip after dark will result in a scenic route through garbage, a plethora of hookers and pesky street kids running circles around you. There is a shortage of coins here thus resulting in a shortage of change and stories of counterfeit notes even from banks. Even during the day as you walk around listening to the latest Bangles and Buggles, people hand you numbers for hookers, yesterday the subway was on strike and nobody smiles! OK they are poor but I walk around wondering if they are poor because they are unhappy or if they are unhappy because they are poor. They rely on tourism over here so every sucker is trying to get your pesos.

Anyway perhaps my hopes were a little bit high and/or narrow minded. But in comparison to Mexico City which is traveller untouched, this place is the opposite, over run by tourists and over run by potential vendors. Which I guess can be expected but they could at least learn a few lines of English, then maybe I might give them a second look rather than throw their flyer straight back at them! I know I sound like an ignorant American but I've learnt this is the most hassle free tactic. As for the locals, they act like stuck up Europeans on a poverty line budget, they'd only steal bread to feed their families if it was Helga's. This has been my biggest stick up (especially with the guides), the locals totally suck, I am really hoping for some better hospitality and better times in some of the smaller places.

The buildings here are amazing although derelict and BA if it had some capital injection and smart government decisions could make this place pretty special, almost New York special. Walking around all the different areas is just cool, there are so many cool little alcoves and some of these buildings I'm sure have amazing stories. The night life is good too, party all night, cheap cabs and cheap drinks. The cigarettes are cheaper than duty free in Australia!

I mean if you want to party this place is top notch! I'm off to the football tomorrow to see Boca Juniors so can't wait!

Buenos Aires Photos