Leaving Bariloche

So after 4 nights in the little town by the lake, we're now headed to El Calafate, our last stop before we return to B.A.  for our flight back to NYC.

Bariloche has been more honeymoon-ish than our previous stops. It's probably the huddling together as we walk the streets in the chilly weather all bundled up in our woolies, the long leisurely breakfasts, the quiet scenic walks by the lake, the shared beers in the snow between skiing lessons and just simply spending time together doing nothing but enjoying each other's company. Quite a departure from our usual all-out adventure/hiking/climbing kind of holiday, especially since Patagonia is full of trekking opportunities. But rest is good. :)

We're headed for El Calafate next. Gateway to Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito  Moreno glacier. This holiday is coming to an end far too soon!!! *wails*

Accommodation Blues

Last week, we'd called Hosteria La Pastorella in Bariloche to reserve a room for 4 nights on the basis of LP's recommendation that it was an "excellent choice".

Alarm bells should have rung when we read "gives cozy a new meaning". It was away from the main artery through town, up a slope, in what seemed a quieter, more residential part of town.

When we arrived, our hearts sank. The excellent choice of a hosteria had a run-down wooden facade, with tacky cut out hearts in the window panes and little alpine heidi doll pictures at the entrance. Cute. But we found the rooms too "cozy" and a little too dimly "romantic". And their "married" bed was just right for huddling in a bundle.

Off we trudged into the darkness for OUR definition of "excellent choice", and within 10 minutes, we had found our dream room. Only it was kinda expensive and we'd have to move out after three nights. But after walking through most of the town centre in blistering winds, we found nothing else - the entire place was booked full with graduating students and Chilean retirees.

Back to Kenton Palace Hotel we went. a little pricey, yes, but truly excellent rooms and service. And the best ice cream in town was literally just round the corner. :)

Murphy is our best friend

As always, just when we're leaving a place, the skies are clear and blue and cloudless. It would have been a perfect day to view the falls - complete with a circular rainbow. But of course, we're leaving for Bariloche today and knowing our luck, it will probably rain. Bleah.

Nonetheless, am looking forward to my first ski lesson on the slopes of Cerro Catedral. Let's hope for some powder!

Wet & Wild

Yesterday's rain cleared and we had a relatively sunny day to explore the Argentinian side of the falls.

Highlight of the day was a 15 minute boatride that brought us under the falls and left us totally drenched. The suckers that we are... paid to get wet and cold, and took the whole touristy thing even further - we bought the video. Haha.

After a strenuous day of walking and clambering up and down the trails at the Park, we're all ready for a full Parilla meal. Yay!

Tomorrow we head to the Lake District / Patagonia, for snow, skiing and chocolate. :)

Racoon Attack!!

I had barely unwrapped my cheeseburger when I felt a snivelling presence next to me. Turned to find a racoon with it's snout in my food tray. Yikes!! I barely leapt away to safety before the sneaky thief grabbed my lunch, and was joined by his band of brothers. Kind man swung his rucksack at said thief with a loud thwack in a bid to save me, but instead sent the scurrying straight at me. Biangz!!

Earlier, on XJ & Elaine's Paraguaian Adventure...

Crossed into Paraguay from the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. Ciudad del Este is not the kind of town you want to be traipsing around in on your own. Best viewed from within the safety of a car. I almost wished the driver had installed maximum security steel bars on the windows. There were scruffy-looking people along the streets and some followed the car and knocked on the windows, shouting things. We drove through several similarly rough looking streets before turning into a dark and dodgy looking multi-storey carpark.

Crossed the street to a shopping centre resembling Sim Lim in it's older, more decrepit days. Fabio (our driver for the day) assured us that it was safe within. A quick look around set our hearts at semi-ease: there were armed security guards at every entrance and every floor. Nonetheless, we got down to buying the camera as quickly as possible and zipped out of the country in less than an hour. Forget about doing touristy stuff like sending postcards from Paraguay!

The Camera Mishap

A little accident left our LCD cracked in one corner and we were faced with the black screen of death. A real crisis.

Upon touching down in Puerto Iguazu, we frantically scoured the shops of this woodsy town for a replacement and got.... A "one-time use, 27 exposure, polaroid" camera. With flash, no less!!

But this morning, we managed to get a ride across the border to Ciudad del' Est in Paraguay and got ourselves a brand new Canon Powershot SD550, otherwise known as the Ixus 750 back home. So we're back to being our trigger happy selves. All in time to visit the Cataratas de Brasil (the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls).

Just one little problem - it's friggin' pouring! Argh....

From Salta to Iguazu

This has got to be the most disorganised trip we've ever gone on - we hadn't booked any accommodations other than for our first 2 nights in B.A. No travel adaptor, no plastic bags/ziplog bags, no spare batteries, toothpaste nor extra duffel for our shopping. I don't think I have enough clothes either. Sheesh...

Anyways, I digress.

We arrived in hot and dusty Salta after a rather harrowing flight in a rattly plane, squashed between two burly Argentinians. XJ was basically being a grouch cos the sweltering heat did not agree with him. Sure didn't help when we wound down the windows of the taxi and were greeted with a gust of hot air. So much for dressing warmly.

Salta was our base for exploring the Valles Calchaquis and Quebrada de Humahuaca. Our initial plan to take the Tren a la Nubes to San Antonio de los Cobres was scuppered cos the train has been out of service due to some technical fault which had left its last passengers stranded on bridge a few thousand metres above sea level for at least a day.

Someone has got to shoot the contributor for the section on the Andean Northwest of Lonely Planet. The so-called "most spectacular bus ride you are ever likely to undertake", from Salta to Cachi was a tortuous ramble through barren and arid landscapes, over bumpy roads, and each vehicle that whizzed by threw up enormous clouds of dust. My hair was stiff with grime by lunchtime. The highlight of the trip, for us at least, was not the "sweeping views of valley floors and peaks" nor the "breath of fresh air" that was the village of Cachi (more on that later). But the redeeming bbq lunch we had in Cachi. Our favourite meat of the mment is Cabrito - baby goat - notwithstanding the cute lil ones we saw frolicking by the side of the road. ;p

Cachi was no more than a sleepy settlement in the shadow of the towering Andes. The "charming" three-bell towered chapel was run down and well, just a chapel.

And to get back to Salta, we had to take the same windy bumpy dirt track of a road - all four hours of it. Pain.

Ok, boarding plane now. Will be back to report on our second excursion which was much much better.

Later!

Hola from Argentina

Checking in from Buenos Aires! We´re staying in this refurbished mansion in San Telmo - the tango district. We´ve got tango lessons lined up (woo hoo!!) and we can´t wait to feast on the bife. Yumz.

New York, New York!!

After flying 18 hours without moisturiser, face wash and our own stash of water, we finally arrived in rainy NYC. Putting up at Wilson´s and Serene´s lovely apartment - very near the Abercrombie store, much to XJ´s delight. Headed to Flushing to catch the US Open tomorrow (Marat Safin - yay!!.. *slurp*). More soon. Need sleep now.