Mi Buenos Aires Querido (again… / otra vez…)

Desplácese hacia abajo para una mala traducción al español (gracias a Google Translate)

Museo del Traje (and typical Buenos Aires signage called Fileteado Porteno)

So why did I go back to Buenos Aires rather than stay longer in India or go somewhere else?  A few reasons… 1) just because I could… 2) the rest of India was too hot and I’d pretty much done all I wanted to in Dharamsala… 3) I only had a single entry visa for India so couldn’t go to Nepal and come back again… 4) I thought it would be a good transition place between India and London and give me a chance to acclimatize to a big city and colder weather… 5) I thought it would be fun to hang out after introspective time in India.

So not much to report from Buenos Aires this time round, apart from I had a fantastic time visiting exhibitions, hanging out, eating yummy food etc.

I saw some really amazing exhibitions this time round, which really re-ignited my enthusiasm for exhibitions, museums and galleries again (just as well seeing as I have to go back to work).  MALBA had an excellent exhibition of American art  called Bye Bye American Pie, I finally made it to Museo del Traje (Fashion Museum) and Faena Arts Centre (amazing new gallery and they had a Los Carpinteros installation).  I also saw an amazing exhibition of Peruvian Amazon paintings at Palais de Glace which made me want to go back to the Amazon jungle and paint/make pictures of nature with amazing colours.  Maybe this trip did turn me into a hippy after all??!!

La Bomba del Tiempo

As well as seeing inspiring art I also met Paco’s sister (Isa) and we went to la Bomba del Tiempo, which is a weekly drumming show at Konex.  You can see a video here.  Although not the sort of music I listen to very much, the atmosphere was great and the drummers amazing.  Lots of people recommended this show to me and now I know why.  Fortunately, the place was full of foreigners who also couldn’t dance like the Latinos can, so I didn’t feel too ashamed of my poor attempts at dancing!  I’m still waiting for someone to teach me…

As with the rest of my trip, food was an important part of my visit (again).  This time I discovered Ugi’s Pizza (probably the cheapest and most edible vegetarian food in Buenos Aires) where they sell a whole pizza for 18 pesos or half for 9 pesos.  La Fabrica de la Pizza is cheaper but they don’t have so many convenient locations like Ugi’s.

Taquenos

Cristina and Carlos also took me to Caracas Bar for typical Venezuelan food, which was super yummy.  Of course I took photos of everything!  I have to say though, the arepa was not as good as the ones Cristina made at home.

To say thank you to all my Venezuelan friends for their wonderful hospitality I took 4kgs of Harina PAN (a Venezuelan staple food) so they could make proper arepas.  For some ridiculous reason they don’t sell Harina PAN in Argentina and it costs the same in London as in Venezuela, even though its imported.  Loco!!

Rather than cook something with the Harina PAN, I offered to make a momo party and Adriana kindly offered up hers and Mario’s house at the venue.  This involved a pre-trip to China town to buy a bamboo steamer and sweet chili sauce.  It took ages to make the momos as I’d had no practice since India.  Everyone seemed to like them (and I taught Loquillo how to make them) but the funniest thing was that everyone went CRAZY for the sweet chili sauce.  They’d never tried it before!  If sales of sweet chili sauce boom in Buenos Aires, I deserve a cut of the profits!

Making momos (and a mess) in Adriana’s and Mario’s kitchen

On my last day, and even though I’d made a right mess in her kitchen the night before, Adriana cooked bollitos on my last day during the Venezuela/Uruguay football match and before I headed off to the airport.  Again, super yummy and now I know how to make them.

So I finished my 9 month round the world trip with a belly full of delicious Venezuelan food and a big smile on my face thanks to the wonderful hospitality of such lovely people!

So, if you think this is the end of my blog, then you might be disappointed!  I think I’m going to do a review of bits and pieces from my trip (not quite sure what yet) and also do some recipe pages considering how much amazing food I ate and learned to cook.  I might also do a little post about my trip up north to see the Dalai Lama.  Watch this space…

Traditional tango music in Bar de Roberto

¿Entonces por qué me vuelvo a Buenos Aires en lugar de permanecer más tiempo en la India o ir a algún otro sitio? Algunas razones … 1) sólo porque yo podría … 2) el resto de la India estaba demasiado caliente y me hace más o menos todo lo que quería en Dharamsala … 3) Yo sólo tenía una visa de entrada única para la India por lo que no podía ir a Nepal y volver de nuevo … 4) Yo pensé que sería un lugar buena transición entre la India y Londres y me dan la oportunidad de aclimatarse a una gran ciudad y un clima más frío … 5) pensé que sería divertido para pasar el rato con mis amigos después del tiempo de introspección en la India.

Así que no hay mucho que informar de Buenos Aires en esta ocasión, además de que tenía un tiempo fantástico visitar exposiciones, salir con mis amigos, comer una deliciosa comida, etc

He visto algunas exposiciones realmente sorprendentes en esta ocasión, lo que realmente volvió a encender mi entusiasmo por las exposiciones, museos y galerías de nuevo (del mismo modo que ya tengo que volver a trabajar). MALBA tenido una excelente exposición de arte americano llamado Bye Bye American Pie, que finalmente pudo llegar a Museo del Traje (Museo de la Moda) y Faena Arts Centre (nueva galería increíble y que tenía una instalación de Los Carpinteros). También vi una exhibición impresionante de pinturas peruanas del Amazonas en el Palais de Glace, que me dieron ganas de volver a la selva amazónica y pintar / tomar imágenes de la naturaleza con colores sorprendentes. Tal vez este viaje me convirtió en un hippie, después de todo?!

El Ateneo (a book shop in an old Theatre)

Además de ver el arte inspirador también conocí a la hermana de Paco (Isa) y nos fuimos a la Bomba del Tiempo, que es un programa semanal de tambores en el Konex. Puedes ver un video aquí. Aunque no es el tipo de música que escucho mucho, el ambiente era genial y sorprendente de los tambores. Mucha gente recomienda este programa para mí y ahora sé por qué. Afortunadamente, el lugar estaba lleno de extranjeros que también no podía bailar como los latinos pueden, por lo que no me sentía demasiado avergonzada de mis intentos de pobres en el baile! Todavía estoy esperando a que alguien me enseñe …

Al igual que con el resto de mi viaje, la comida era una parte importante de mi visita (de nuevo). Esta vez descubrí pizzerías Ugi (probablemente la comida más barata y comestible más vegetariano en Buenos Aires) donde venden una pizza entera por 18 pesos o la mitad de 9 pesos. La Fabrica de la pizza es más barato, pero no tienen lugares convenientes, como tantos de Ugi.

Arepas made by Cristina – yum!

Cristina y Carlos también me llevó a Caracas para la barra de comida típica venezolana, que era súper delicioso. Por supuesto que me tomó fotos de todo! Tengo que decir que, sin embargo, la arepa no era tan buena como las que Cristina hechas en casa.

Para dar las gracias a todos mis amigos venezolanos por su maravillosa hospitalidad tomé 4kgs de Harina PAN (un alimento básico de Venezuela) para que pudieran hacer las arepas adecuados. Por alguna razón ridícula que no se venden Harina PAN en la Argentina y cuesta lo mismo en Londres como en Venezuela, a pesar de su importación. Loco!

En vez de cocinar algo con el PAN Harina, me ofrecí a hacer una fiesta de Momo y Adriana se ofreció amablemente a ella y la casa de Mario en el lugar. Se trataba de un pre-viaje a la ciudad de China para comprar una vaporera de bambú y salsa de chile dulce. Le tomó años para que los momos como yo no tenía la práctica desde la India. Todo el mundo parecía que les gusta (y me enseñó a Loquillo cómo hacerlas), pero lo más gracioso fue que todo el mundo se volvió loco por la salsa de chile dulce. Ellos nunca lo había intentado antes! Si las ventas de auge de la salsa de chile dulce en Buenos Aires, me merezco un recorte de los beneficios!

Venzuelan bollitos with tomato sauce

En mi último día, y aunque yo había hecho un verdadero desastre en la cocina la noche anterior, bollitos Adriana cocidos en mi último día durante el partido Venezuela / Uruguay de fútbol y antes de que me dirigí al aeropuerto. Una vez más, súper delicioso y ahora sé cómo hacerlas.

Así que terminé mi hijo de 9 meses todo el viaje por el mundo con la barriga llena de comida deliciosa venezolana y una gran sonrisa en mi cara, gracias a la maravillosa hospitalidad de gente tan encantadora!

Por lo tanto, si usted piensa que este es el final de mi blog, entonces usted podría ser decepcionado! Creo que voy a hacer una revisión de partes y piezas de mi viaje (no muy seguro de lo que aún) y también hacer algunas páginas de recetas teniendo en cuenta la cantidad de comida increíble comí y aprendí a cocinar. También podría hacer un pequeño post sobre mi viaje al norte para ver al Dalai Lama. Mire este espacio …

Pabellon

The drumming dancing parade in San Telmo

Anyone want to buy vegetarian empanadas in San Telmo market from Juan Pablo?

San Telmo graffitti

Evita’s tomb in Recoleta cemetery

Evita… again (and the biggest road I’ve ever seen)

Claudia and Stalin have a hairdressers in Buenos Aires (a different option…)

Bin street art

Mi Buenos Aires Querido (second time)

Taking photos of the zoo through the fence

After my adventures with nature it was back to the big city of Buenos Aires.  Adriana was once again my excellent host (Mario was working in Mexico) and Mariale (Mario’s sister) was back from Venezuela.

I also met up with David (from London) and his girlfriend Adriana (from Buenos Aires).  We went to the botanical gardens, where they had a joint exhibition project with Buenos Aires and Maracaibo about green spaces (even though I’ve never really seen a green space in Maracaibo) and walked around the city.  We also went to see the amazing exhibition by Carlos Cruz-Diez (the most well-known Venezuelan visual artist, think Latin Bridget Riley and you get the idea) at MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano).  I managed to get in free with my ICOM card and I loved the museum.  Their permanent collection and temporary exhibitions programme are amazing, and its all housed in a beautiful contemporary building.

Roof top pool party in the rain

Hanging out in the plaza (Luiza, Wil and the French guys)

I tried to go to about four other museums but they were all closed for the holidays and re-opening in February so the only other place I made it to was the National Museum of Decorative Arts, which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would, especially their temporary exhibition of little Buddhas from South East Asia.

Someone in the hostel in Salta had joked with me that to have a good time in Buenos Aires all I needed to do was make friends with someone with a roof-top pool.  At the time I laughed hard about this but I laughed even harder when I went to a party with Mariale and her friends in an apartment with a roof top pool!!  Luiza (from Brazil and a friend of Mariale’s) was having a birthday party and it was super international with hardly anyone from.  Eventually the party got too loud so we all had to leave and we went to a club (that looked like an art/punk squat) where there was random karaoke.  To help celebrate Luiza’s birthday we belted out a few numbers before the club closed in the morning and then we went to the nearby plaza to hang out some more.  Seemed like everyone in Buenos Aires had the same idea as we met a couple of French travellers and a couple of punk guys from Uruguay. 

By chance I was still in Buenos Aires for Chinese New Year so me and Adriana went to check out the action in China town.  We had super yummy Chinese food (I was over the moon to get tofu) and Adriana bought a Chinese hat for Mario (not quite sure why he wanted one, or when he’ll wear it, but I’d like to see the photos!).  China town was packed with people watching street performances and dragon parades and there was a really fun atmosphere.

I was so sad to South America but at the same time I was super excited about seeing all of my great friends in Sydney and Melbourne again!

Karaoke time!

I got a lolipop with this face on it. I think he is an Argentine politician?

Yummy food to celebrate Chinese New Year

Mercedes and Iberos del Ibera (Argentina)

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) this shop in Mercedes selling my favourite Latin American chocolate was closed

On the way into Mercedes we passed the shrine to Gauchito Gil who is a bit of an Argentine Robin Hood and there are red road-side shrines to him all over Argentina.  The one near Mercedes is at the place where he died though.  He now is some kind of patron saint to transport so I bought a couple of red ribbons to tie on my bicycle and give to friends for their bicycles.

I stayed at a lovely little old guest house, and I was the only guest.  The owner was away so I was looked after by her friend, who was also my guide for the trip to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini and the Esteros del Ibera.

Crossing the rickety bridge to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

The lake in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

After enjoying a lovely breakfast surrounded by antiques in the shop attached to the guest house, we set off in the four by four, picking up a couple of teenagers along the way who were going to help with some work at the guest house that the owner had in the Pellegrini.  It was a long and bumpy ride but we all had a lot of fun sharing the mate and talking along the way.  Although I was a tourist I didn’t feel like I was on a tour as it was all quite casual and I got to chat to everyone on the way.

A boat trip to see wildlife is the main draw at the Esteros.  Unfortunately we arrived late morning and the boats tend to go out very early morning or late afternoon.  As I’d decided just to do a day trip it was looking like I might not get to go on a boat ride after all.  But this is South America and anything is possible!  After driving around the small town and asking a few of his friends when a boat might be going out again, my guide eventually found a boat going that I could join – result!

Considering it wasn’t the best time of day for spotting wildlife we saw loads of caiman, capybara, two wild deer, and lots of beautiful birds.  The scenery was spectacular and so tranquil.  After the boat ride I had my lunch at the picnic benches at the campsite where there was the most beautiful view over the Esteros.  I made my way back to the little guest house, in the scorching heat, for a siesta.  I’m terrible with siestas because left to my own devices I would sleep for four hours, or more!  This time I managed a couple of hours and later found out that the boys and my guide had been down to the river for a swim as they didn’t want to come into the house while I was sleeping.  I felt even worse when I got to chill out on the porch for a few more hours while the boys did more work cutting the grass.  We all shared some ice-cold mate (and prepared some for the journey) before setting off for Mercedes again.

On the way we stopped to look around the visitor center and walk along the howler monkey walk (we didn’t see any…) and then headed along the rough and bumpy road back to Mercedes.

Can you see the wild deer?

One of many beautiful birds

Once again the scenery along the way was spectacular and sharing cold mate was the icing on the cake.  We even saw gauchos (cowboys) moving their herds and when the boys spotted an armadillo at the side of the road we stopped to have a look.  I wasn’t quite expecting that they would jump out of the jeep to go and catch the armadillo!

Unfortunately, I can’t remember all the details, nor find info in English on the internet, about the American guy that owns large parts of the Esteros de Ibera, which has been quite controversial.   He would say it is to protect the landscape but local people feel the land is being kept from them and for profit.  Obviously its way more complicated than this (I wish my memory didn’t fail me so much) but my guide did also explain that pregnant women from Pellegrini are taken to Mercedes to have their babies so that they are no born in Pellegrini and therefore have land rights.  In less than 20 years there will probably be no more ‘native’ people from Pellegrini and the government could take the land and do with it as it pleases, forcing residents out to make way for developing tourism.

We got back to Mercedes in the evening so I could catch the overnight bus to Buenos Aires.  Finally, on my last bus trip in South America, I took a bus that provided a pillow and blanket and had a steward on board who brought me dinner when I got on the bus and breakfast before I got off.  Now I knew what I’d been missing (but also what the price tag was)!

Caiman 

What a view whilst eating lunch

Protest bannar in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini (translation: we're never going to forget that eco-tourism and a yankie pirate can perform their business in the Ibera, the inhabitants of Pellegrini we suffer the violent development of the lake and loose our right of access)

Protest banner in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

The guest house in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

Teenage boy with an armadillo

Gaucho with his herd

Capybara with a bird on its back

Corrientes (Argentina)

Architecture in Corrientes

I still didn’t feel like doing a massive long bus journey of more than 20 hours so I decided to stop off in Corrientes.  It sounded like a nice town and is known for its regional handicrafts.

When I got on the bus in San Vicente I realised that I had left my bit of guide-book and map of Corrientes at the cafe where I had dinner – doh!  I got a town map at the bus station then managed to find a taxi to take me to the square where I knew the hostel was but then I couldn’t find the actual door because I didn’t know the number – doh again!  So I took me and my rucksack off to the tourist information and they were super helpful.  They rang the hostel for me to check the lady was there to let me in and explained which street number (and door) it was.  They also gave me loads of useful information about Corrientes and how to visit the natural reserve of Esteros del Ibera.

I stayed one night in a lovely little hostel (and the only hostel in Corrientes with a dorm room) where I shared a room with a woman from Buenos Aires who was visiting her family.  Why she wasn’t staying with them, I never really found out, and we seemed to keep different hours so I never really saw her.  The lady that ran the hostel was lovely – she thought it was great that I spoke Spanish but thought I was completely mad for travelling on my own.

Woodcarver in Corrientes

Funny little car I saw in Corrientes

Corrientes has some lovely turn of the 20th century colonial architecture as well as a promenade along the river (popular for an evening stroll eating ice-cream) and a modern city centre.  I started off at the Museo de Artesanias Tradicionales Folcloricas, where once again there was an enthusiastic guide wanting to have a good old chat and make friends with a gringa.  I politely declined the offer of a tour of the town on his motorbike (I really just wasn’t in the mood for random enthusiasm after the night bus, and the guy was also a little bit strange).  The museum was small but had an interesting selection of handicrafts on loan from a museum in Buenos Aires.  As a museum employee from London I was introduced to the director of the museum (who was also enthusiastic but not weird) and she told me about the museum, explained some of the objects and introduced me to some of the master craftspeople who have studios in the courtyard of the museum.  Unfortunately it was still the holiday period so there was not many craftspeople working, only one wood carving student and her master teacher.  I bought a couple of souvenirs from the shop and headed off to find some lunch.

Delicious empanadas in Corrientes

Finding vegetarian food in Argentina outside of the bigger cities is a nightmare with the only options being not very good pizza and pasta, which I was already sick of.  Fortunately I came across an empanada place that had a great selection of vegetarian empanadas (baked or fried) and although not the healthiest meal it was nice to have something sort of resembling local food.

I also had some life admin to do in Corrientes, such as getting my washing done and sending stuff home (because I knew I couldn’t take .  Getting my clothes washed was easy but sending a parcel home was something of a challenge.  I went to the post office with my bag of bits to post home and there the challenge began.  In Argentina to send a box abroad that weighs more than 2kg you have to take it to a separate customs office for inspection (on the other side of town that is only open in the mornings Mon – Fri).  I decided to split the stuff into two boxes until I found out the cost!  And then I tried to pay with a card and the post office only accepts cash, so off I went to the cash machine (and to get some newspaper to pad out the box) before returning to post the actual box of stuff.  Oh, and did I mention that the staff in the post office were generally rude and unhelpful?!  All that said, the box did arrive at my mum and dad’s house in less than two weeks, so I shouldn’t complain.

Beautiful sunset in Corrientes

People on the beach next to an industrial plant in Corrientes

After a siesta I went and got ice-cream from Grido (can you see the recurring theme here?) and headed down to the promenade to take a stroll and watch the sun go down.  The sunset was really beautiful, brilliantly red and orange, and it was a good spot for people watching.

The next morning I was up early to get a bus to Mercedes to visit Esteros del Ibera.

Misiones (Argentina)

View from El Soberbio (Argentina) to Brazil on the other side of the river

Between Iguazu and going back to Buenos Aires is a little bit of a blur because I had to pick up the travelling pace somewhat and get a bit of a move on.  My flight from Buenos Aires to Sydney was booked for the 24 January and I didn’t want to change it again because I needed a deadline.  It would have been so easy to stay longer in Argentina, and especially Buenos Aires, but I knew if I stayed longer I’d have to cut short my stay in Australia and my travels in South East Asia and India.

Mocona Falls (difficult to photograph because they are so long and we were so close my camera would've got soaked)

Part of Mocona Falls

View as we were driving through the national park

After Iguazu Falls were so amazing, and after spending most of my time in Argentina in the cities, I decided that I needed more nature and waterfalls.  I’d read an article in the Guardian at Xmas about places to visit around Iguazu and I decided that I’d like to visit Mocona Falls in Misiones Province and do another short stay in the jungle/rainforest.  There also wasn’t much information about this part of Argentina in my guide-book, so I liked the idea of getting off the travellers trail for a few days.

I’d arranged to stay at Don Enrique Eco-Lodge for three nights but to save money I opted to travel there by public transport as far as possible.  I got a bus from Puerto Iguazu to San Vicente and then I was collected by car for the drive to Don Enrique via Mocona Falls.  It was a real treat to travel by car and the guy who collected me had his own tourist agency in El Soberbio and knew a lot about the area.

First stop was Mocona Falls on the Uruguay River because once you are at Don Enrique it’s too remote to leave unless you really need to.  I joined a group of Argentinian girls and a couple of Brazilian tourists for the boat ride to see the falls.  The boat ride was amazing and we got really close to the falls.  The river has a submerged canyon beneath the water but this only becomes visible at Mocona Falls where the water runs over the rim of the canyon.  Mocona Falls are the opposite of Iguzau Falls in that they are long and thin and only a few metres high.  If it rains too much then the water level rises enough that you can’t see the falls.  Given the amount of rain I’d experienced in the past few days, I felt lucky to be able to visit them.

I then went on a self-guided jungle walk in the Parque Nacional Mocona.  I didn’t see any animals but I had the place to myself to enjoy the scenery and nature.  After driving back through the National Park, drinking mate on the way, swapping the car for a 4×4 jeep and stopping to take photos on the way, we headed down the dirt road to Don Enrique and I understood why we needed the 4×4 and why it wasn’t possible to reach the lodge by public transport.  I’ve never been on such a rough and bumpy road, especially in the pitch black dark.  I was very glad to eventually reach the lodge and be shown to the most beautiful wooden cabin I will probably ever have the opportunity to stay in.  I hadn’t realised quite how luxurious the lodge would be (though the price should have been an indicator) so I made the most of the next few days relaxing, reading, walking, swimming and taking pictures of the beautiful surroundings.  There are only three cabins at Don Enrique – I was staying on one and then two Argentine families from Buenos Aires in the others.  Luckily I spoke enough Spanish to keep up with the conversations and everyone was lovely in explaining things and including me in the meal time discussions.  A nice touch at Don Enrique is that they serve amazing food around a communal table each meal time, so you get to spend time with the other guests.  For me it was fascinating to spend time with two Argentine families, who each had two children (one teenage and one younger) to find out more about typical life in Argentina.  As always, I think they thought I was a bit mad to be travelling on my own.

View as we were driving through the national park

My walking guide and my cabin

The walks were guided by locals and fairly strenuous because of the heat and all the hills.  My efforts were rewarded though with spectacular views, lush green forests and beautiful waterfalls.  I’ve also never seen so many butterflies in my whole life, and there were always birds singing in the trees.  In between walks I lounged on the deck of my cabin next to the river or went for a swim.

During my stay I also had the opportunity to visit a Guarani community.  Many of these local indigenous communities are closed to visitors but some have opened up to visitors as a way to earn some income and sell their traditional crafts directly to visitors.  I am always in two minds about these types of visits as they can feel very voyeuristic and intrusive (and you often wonder who is benefitting) but after talking to the owners of Don Enrique (who work closely with the local communities) and reading a copy of a letter that the Guarani communities wrote to the government about their situation, I felt that I could learn more about the Guarani people and their current situation by making a visit.  The letter I read was one of the most sincere and heartfelt letters I have read and in it the Guarani communities asked that they be able to lead their traditional life and for their land and the forest to be protected because it meant everything to them and their way of life.

After another ride on bumpy roads through amazing scenery in the 4×4 we arrived at the Guarani community.  I was met by the cacique (head of the community) who totally looked like a South American crusty punk (shaved hair around the top with a long bit at the bag tied into a pony tail, old trousers and t-shirt (minus the punk patches) and bare feet).  It was impossible to tell how old he was because he had a young face but there was something about him you could tell that he was older.  The community was made up of some simple mud brick houses with thatched roof, including one temple, and an open shelter area used as a kitchen/communal area.  There were several kids and woman about but they kept their distance.  I did feel slightly uncomfortable at this stage as it was clear that there wouldn’t be any opportunity to talk to/interact with the women and children, and it was very obvious that they lived a simple life as subsistence farmers.  Although I was told I could take photos during my visit, I didn’t feel comfortable about doing this, so only took pictures of the landscape.

One of many beautiful spots on the walks I did

A type of tree (sliced) at the Guarani community, though it's too fragile to use to make crafts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cacique took me on a tour and explained in Spanish (with Guarani translations for the plants and trees) about their way of life, the forest and how the plants and tress could be used for foods and medicines.  They also had some examples of traditional traps set up, with different ones designed to catch different types of animals – they looked very effective (if a little brutal).  I also got to see the different types of crops grown by the community (enough to live on but not to sell) including yuca, corn etc.  At the end I had the opportunity to buy some crafts made by the village and got myself a necklace and woven bowl.  It was nice to know that the money went straight to the community that made the crafts.

My private, natural swimming pool

 

Walking, walking, walking...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My not very healthy but vegetarian dinner in San Vicente

One of many amzing butterflies I saw

After three super relaxing nights of luxury at Don Enrique it was time to leave the forest again.  I decided to get a bus from San Vicente to Corrientes and stay the for a night before heading off to Mercedes to visit the natural reserve of Esteros del Ibera.  The road out of Don Enrique by day was spectacular with the red clay road contrasting against the lush green landscape.  I was dropped off in San Vicente and my guide wondered what on earth I was going to do until by bus left at 11pm.  His suggestion was to go to the Casino because it was air-conditioned and safe.  I opted to take a long time eating another 1/4 kilo of ice cream, sit in the park (well, grassy area at the side of the road) reading my book until it got dark when I went to a cafe to get some food.  There are not really any gringos in San Vicente let alone female ones sitting reading a book in the park, so I was somewhat of a curiosity.  Finding something to eat was a challenge because the pizza place wasn’t serving pizza (the owners who could operate the pizza oven were on holiday so they were only serving burgers) and when I asked if there was anywhere I might get vegetarian food they all scratched their heads and told me it wasn’t possible.  Eventually I found a cafe where I could get cheese empanadas and chips (not exactly a healthy meal but vegetarian) and the owner even called me a taxi to get the bus station.  This turned out to be a total rip-off but it was dark and I didn’t want to walk.

I got a bit obsessed with taking pictures of nature

The deck of my luxury cabin overlooking the river and forest

My not very healthy but vegetarian dinner in San Vicente

 

Iguazu Falls / Cataratas de Iguazu (Argentina and Brazil)

Not sure my words will actually do any justice to the amazing Iguazu Falls, so this might be more of a picture blog post…

Iguazu National Park (Arg) with the falls in the background

Iguazu Falls (Arg)

If you plan to visit Iguazu Falls, make sure you go and seem them from both the Argentinian side and the Brazilian side – they are very different.  To quote someone on Wikipedia “from the Brazilian side you see the falls, from the Argentinian side you live them”.  In other words, on the Brazilian side you get a panorama vista of all the falls, which makes you appreciate just how spectacular they are and on the Argentine side you can walk around the National Park and there are pathways to take you close up to all the parts of the falls themselves, so you really appreciate the size and power of the falls.  On both side there are a million photo opportunities, of course!

This is one of the smaller thermos flasks I saw...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iguazu Falls is now (quite rightly, in my opinion) considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world (how this is worked out and voted for, I’m not sure).  For that reason, and because I also visited during the Argentine holidays in January, the place was packed with tourists.  You could tell there were lots of Argentine tourists because they all carried giant thermos flasks for carrying hot/iced water to make mate or they were carrying giant cool boxes between people with all their cold drinks and picnic food inside.  The rest of us seemed content to fill up on free water from the water fountains and bring a packed lunch (supplemented by a purchased ice-cream, of course).

 

The cute but dangerous caoties

 

A monkey hanging out in a tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying to take pictures in the boat

The Devil's Throat, where you can always see a rainbow (it was really hard to take pictures here because you are so close, and the falls are so powerful, that there is a constant spray of water)

I stayed in Puerto Iguazu on the Argentine side and only travelled to Brazil for the day to visit the falls on that side.  Doing this practically filled two more pages of my passport with entry and exit stamps, so don’t believe the stories that you are just waved across the border if you are making a day trip.  Because Iguazu Falls is so tourist orientated you can visit both sides of the falls on public transport without any problem and for little cost (apart from the National Park entry fees).

On the Argentine side I spent literally the whole day walking around the falls and also exploring the National Park with its lush green vegetation, wild life and hidden, smaller waterfalls with rock pools where you can swim.  I say a flying toucan, caoties (furry creatures that look cute but attack you to steal your food), monkeys, butterflies, spiders, an armadillo, big fish and lots more birds that I don’t know the name of.  I also took a boat ride to go right under the falls themselves, which was amazing!  The noise and power of the water is almost overwhelming and of course we got absolutely soaked through to the skin.  Very helpfully the boat driver would tell us when to take photos and when to put our cameras in the dry bags, though this resulted in a million people trying to take photos at once, which was funny and totally chaotic as we’re bobbing around in front of a massive waterfall.

Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Brazilian side there is less to see unless you take an organised tour/activity so after a long day before walking around on the Argentine side I was happy just to enjoy the amazing spectacle of the falls and go back to Puerto Iguazu for a chilled out evening.

You can also read about Jackie’s visit to Iguazu Falls here.  There are also LOADS more photos of both side of Iguazu Falls on my Flickr page.

Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

Warning sign at the start of the Macuco walking track

Waterfall at the end of the Macuco walking track

A bird in the National Park

Some kind of eagle

 

Mi Buenos Aires Querido (first time)

Me and La Malfada in San Telmo

So after only seeing the bus terminal on my last visit to Buenos Aires, I was super excited to finally visit the city that everyone raves about!  Luckily for me I was on the same flight from Maracaibo to Caracas with Adriana and Mario (from Venezuela but living in Buenos Aires) and from Caracas we also travelled with Henry (from Venezuela but living in Toronto and visiting his sister in Buenos Aires).  Our flight from Caracas to Buenos Aires was delayed for four hours so we got a meal voucher (of an unspecified amount) to spend at the famous El Budare airport cafe on food. Of course, we all filled up on our favourite Venezuelan food which is not available in Argentina – arepas, cachapas, queso blanco, queso de mano, pabellon etc.  The arepa I bought came with about a kilo of queso de mano – increible!

My favourite cafe in San Telmo

My favourite cafe in San Telmo

Cafe con leche y media lunas in San Telmo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adriana and Mario were also my excellent hosts in Buenos Aires and I stayed with them in their lovely, colourful apartment in San Telmo, which is quite a traditional neighbourhood in terms of buildings, markets etc.  Mario recommended a lovely little cafe that I went to for breakfast most days – cafe con leche y tres media lunas (a typical Porteno breakfast of milky coffee and croissants).  It was on the corner of a typical little square and was nicely old-fashioned with graffiti scratched into the walls.  Ironically, it was opposite a Starbucks!

Adriana and Mario took me to see loads of great places in Buenos Aires, such as the cemetery in Recoletta.  It was a beautiful place with amazing architecture but we didn’t manage to find Evita’s grave.  We also ate amazing italian food down by the port and the best curry in South America in San Telmo (although for me it was weird to be asked if I wanted my curry spicy – of course, shouldn’t it always be??!!). We also visited a couple of exhibitions, la Casa Rosada and visited La Boca, El Caminito, La Bombonera (Boca Juniors stadium), the markets, the beach (in the park) and visited friends and drank nice beer.  With some help from Adriana and my little transport guide I was soon hopping around Buenos Aires on the public bus system (cheap and it pretty much goes everywhere you need it to, 24 hours a day) visiting the japanese gardens, galleries, more ice-cream shops and generally exploring the streets and neighbourhoods.

View back to the city from the japanese garden

La Casa Rosada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love a good football stadium tour so I went back to the Bombonera to visit the museum and take a tour of the stadium.  The museum explained the history of the club and included lots of memorabilia (and of course, a photo of Maradona at every available opportunity…).  The tour group was mainly Brazilian tourists and a couple of Argentinians on holiday, so the tour guide found it quite funny that a Liverpool supporting English woman was interested in the tour.  The stadium is nicknamed ‘ the chocolate box’ because of its compact shape with steep sides – even though it holds almost 50,000 fans when full.  We got to visit the various stands and behind the scenes while the guide made lots of Argentina versus Brazil jokes (mainly Maradona and Messi versus Pele jokes).  It was a lot of fun and I was disappointed that I’d arrived in Argentina later than planned and was here during the break in the football season.  I think the atmosphere at a Boca match must be amazing!

La Bombonera

El Diego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside La Bombonera

La Boca

As I mentioned before though, getting change for anything in Argentina is a nightmare and until fairly recently the colectivos (public buses) only accepted small coins.  There was even a black market for buying small coins where you would have to buy them for more than face value, just to be able to travel on the bus.  Fortunately, this silly system has been replaced with an Oyster style travel card called SUBE.  Seems like a great idea until you realise how difficult it is to get one of these cards and then you realise why so many people are still using coins.  The SUBE card itself is free but you can only get them from the post office.  Doesn’t seem like a problem until the post office tells you that their SUBE computer system isn’t working (and hasn’t been for the last 10 days and they don’t know when it will be working again) and can’t give you a card.  Doesn’t seem like a problem (again) until they tell you that the ONLY place you can get a card is from the post office.  Everything in Buenos Aires had been so easy that I almost forgot I was in South America, and this reminded me again where I was.  I remembered me and Adriana saw a bus/office issuing SUBE cards outside the Casa Rosada, so I went to investigate.  I was told that they wouldn’t issue cards to short stay visitors so a few little white lies, a false address and a false mobile number later I was the proud owner of a SUBE card and no longer had to worry about getting stranded in the middle of the night trying to get home without any change.

The colourful streets of La Boca

I have to say that originally I was sceptical as to whether I would like Buenos Aires.  I felt I’d had enough of big cities, I wasn’t that keen on Argentina in general at this stage, I hadn’t really had very nice food, and I didn’t get excited when everyone told me that Buenos Aires was very European (I can go to Europe on my doorstep for that).  Thanks to Adriana, Mario and all the other Maracuchos in Buenos Aires though, I had a great time and loved the city!  I couldn’t wait to return for a few more days at the end of my trip after going up to Iguazu and the north-east of Argentina.

La Boca

Window in La Boca

El Caminito

La playa (the beach) and the mechanical flower

Cemetery in Recoletta

International students night with Adriana and her friends

The old but new port in Buenos Aires

Colectivo

 

 

 

Cordoba and Alta Gracia (Argentina)

Yummy cubanitos (rolled tubes of wafer filled with dulce de leche)

Salta to Cordoba was a bloody long and expensive bus ride (and still none of this food and champagne on the buses that I’d heard about from fellow travellers – turns out I was picking the cheaper buses available…).  No eventful films, people, music to report on this leg of my journey.

Cordoba was a big city and the weather was super hot so I opted to take a taxi from the terminal to the hostel.  At this point I still hadn’t quite got the hang of the Argentinian accent so the poor taxi driver had to put up with me asking ‘what?’ after almost everything he said.  Still, we had a nice chat and he got me to the hotel on a busy commercial street in the centre of town without incident, so I was happy.

Xmas tree in Cordoba (in about 40 degree heat)

Cordoba (the second largest city in Argentina) has loads of museums, galleries, cinemas, music, young designers and other cultural stuff going on (it was Cultural Capital of the Americas in 2006) as well as being close to some interesting small towns that make nice day trips.  With 6 or 7 major university it’s a university town so there is a great buzz about the place.  It also has loads of branches of Grido, a chain of ice-cream shops in  Argentina (I think they started in Cordoba and have more than 50 branches across the city) so I kept up my healthy eating plan of 1/4 kilo of ice-cream or sorbet a day…

The Palacio Ferreyra (Museo Superior de Bellas Artes)

The Jesuit Block in the city is one of the main tourist attractions but it wasn’t really my thing so I opted for the art galleries and parks instead (there wasn’t anything that took my fancy at the lovely art cinema, unfortunately).  The Palacio Ferreyra (Museo Superior de Bellas Artes) didn’t disappoint with its amazing building and fantastic exhibition and art collection (where I also managed to get in free using my ICOM card for the first time on this trip).  The Museo de la Memoria (about Argentina’s past military dictatorship) was always closed when I managed to pass by, which was a shame as I really wanted to go there. The Museo Municipal de Bellas Dr Genaro Perezi also had a great exhibition and collection, and I was really inspired (again) to take up knitting and/or crocheting by an installation piece that wound its way through the building on the staircase bannister (unfortunately, no photos allowed).  I also had a lot of fun wandering around the city and hanging out with some cool people at the hostel.

Cordoba street art

Cordoba street art

There was a great weekend market on Calle Belgrano in a hip part of town called Guemes.  It’s mainly an artisans market that reminded me of Spitalfields Market in London plus a healthy dose of Argentinian hippies selling their wares but the street and side streets are full of little independent shops selling clothes, accessories and loads of other stuff by local artists and designers.  I managed to refrain from buying any amazing clothes and settled on replacing my fabric re-useable bag (that was lost/stolen in Cusco, Peru) and chatting to the shop owners about the lovely things they sold.

Che Guevara museum in Alta Gracia

Che Guevara's bicycle (apparently)

From Cordoba I did one day trip to Alta Gracia to visit the house that Che Guevara grew up in.  Alta Gracia was a lovely, if sleepy, little town with a lovely park with a pond (actually a viaduct, I think).  Che’s house was also a lovely little museum that told the story of his life (though not in any great detail) through mainly reproduction photos.  There was a bicycle and motorbike but I wasn’t convinced these were the actual original articles (though other people seemed to think so judging by the number of photos being taken) and there was a separate room dedicated to a visit to the museum by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, which I found amusing.

Che's motorbike (apparently)

The weather was so hot that instead of making another day trip on the Sunday I had free, I took myself to the main park (Parque Sarmiento) with a picnic and relaxed all day reading my book and listening to music.  I tried to go to another art museum but they were closed so I went and got (another) ice-cream instead.  Getting change of any kind in Argentina is a nightmare (it’s even worse with coins in Buenos Aires) so when I tried to pay for my 10 peso ice-cream with a 100 peso note (what all the cash machines give you) the woman in Grido prefered to put my ice-cream in the bin rather than give me 90 pesos in change.  I thought this was an outrageous waste of food but politely shrugged my shoulders and explained that I didn’t have any change and went to the next Grido shop where they would sell me an ice-cream and give me change (I did ask in advance this time though).

A map of Che Guevara's travels in South America (he did more miles than me...)

To commemorate a visit to the museum by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez

Some monument to the Americas in Alta Gracia

The park and pond (viaduct) in Alta Gracia

View from Paseo de Buen Pastor (Cordoba)

These geese kept me amused on my day in the park

My first decent vegetarian meal in Argentina

The first time I saw soap on a stick in the toilets

Salta and around

The church of Saint Frances in Salta

Argentina was a bit of a culture shock after Bolivia but I soon adapted.  Going to the supermarket in Salta felt really strange until I remembered that I hadn’t been to a western style supermarket in almost two months (the only western style supermarket I went to in Bolivia was in Cochabamba).  I noticed the harsh strip lighting, the regular fruit and vegetables (I soon learnt that crossing the border also meant no more exotic fruit), the selection of frozen foods and more.  The people also looked different, much less indigenous and more european.  It took me a while to get used to Argentina and I have to say, I didn’t really like it much at first.  That said, it was nice to be able to cook again (all the hostels have kitchens and it is much cheaper to cook than eat out) and I developed a serious addiction to ice-cream!

Street art in Salta (translation: cultivate your rights)

I liked Salta.  I stayed at a nice hostel (apart from the mosquitos) and met some really great people.  The city was not too big (you can go everywhere on foot pretty much) but there was a lot going on and some good museums.  One of the main attractions is the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana (High Mountain Archeology Museum) which displays objects found at the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano, including a mummified child ritually sacrificed by the Incas (the museum has three child mummies but they are displayed on rotation to preserve them).  You can read more about the museum and the mummies here.  The mummy on display was really well-preserved and the displays were well presented and interesting.

I also visited the Museum of Contemporary Art but the highlight for me was visiting Pajcha – Museo de Arte Etnico Americano (Museum of American Ethnographic Art) which was one of the best museums I visited in South America!  It was in an anonymous looking building and I had to ring the bell to get in, where I was greeted by the museum’s curator, Diego.  To say that Diego was a character and enthusiastic about his job and the museum would be an understatement, so imagine his delight when he found out I worked at the V&A!  Diego was so enthusiastic and knew so much about the collection that I decided to pay the extra cost for his tour, and it was well worth it.  Diego was also a bit of a character so he would say, for example, ‘dearest Dana, look at this object, what do you see?’ and after I looked a bit puzzled, or told him what I coud see, he would then launch into a big, dramatic spiel about the object and tell me a random (but usually interesting) story about it, talking in a highly animated way (with a strong accent in English) and waving his arms around.  So I had a wonderful few hours looking at amazing objects and being entertained (and learning from) Diego.

Looking around the museum was like a record of my trip in objects – I had been to many of the places in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina where traditional crafts are produced so I could tell that the examples on display in the museum were excellent quality.  Diego lost me a bit when he went into a lot of detail about angels with guns on churches (!!??)

When I went to the ‘shop’ at the end, I had to laugh – laid out on a couple of tables were, pretty much, examples of all the souvenirs I had bought on my trip in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina! In the end I bought the beautifully illustrated book about the museum collection.

You can read more colourful accounts about the museum and Diego here.

Lush green scenery on the way to Cachi (where a cow blocked our path crossing the bridge)

I also made a couple of day trips from Salta to Quebrada de Humahuaca, Cachi, Las Cordones National Park, Cafayate and la Quebrada de Cafayate in the surrounding areas.

Cachi is a beautiful little town with white buildings and cobbled streets, there (and on the roads along the way) you can buy tradition crafts, food and condiments from the region, such as paprika, sugar cane syrup, goats cheese etc.  A highlight for me was eating quinoa croquettes and an ice cream with a bano de chocolate (a chocolate bath, which means the ice-cream on top of the cone is dipped in melted chocolate and then put back in the freezer for a moment to set).

Me and a giant cactus

 

 

Parque Nacional de las Cordones was, as the name suggests, full of giant cactus (called cordones in this part of Argentina) some of which were hundreds of years old.  We also saw some amazing scenery on the way to and from the park as the landscape changed from the city, to the countryside full of tobacco plants, to lush green forests, to cactus, to dry desert.

Cafayete is a famous wine-producing region and we stopped in town for a couple of tastings.  I also went to a famous ice cream shop to try wine ice-cream – the red wasn’t too bad, a bit weird as it was like an alcoholic sorbet, and I tried the white but it was a bit too sweet.  The town had a lovely square and there were lots of shops selling crafts from the region.

 

 

The Quebrada de Cafayete was spectacular!  I’ve not been to the Grand Canyon but I imagine it to be similar with all the giant rock formations in spectacular shades of red, orange and brown.  We visited the Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s throat) and the Anfiteatro (the amphitheatre) which is meant to have acoustics that are 80% of the quality of the Teatro Colon (the famous opera house in Buenos Aires).  To test this theory there was a busking band, who our tour guide joined on guitar for a few songs, and the acoustics were impressive!

Me at Tres Cruces in the Quebrada de Cafayete

Piedra del Sapo (toad stone)

The Titanic (apparently)

La Garganta del Diablo

El Anfiteatro

I fed this llama and it nearly bit my hand off!

 

 

Red wine ice-cream - sort of yum...

The famous wine ice-cream shop (translation: they come from everywhere to try our esquisite wine ice-cream)

The church and square in Cachi

My ice-cream with bano de chocolate - yum!

Chapel of San Rafael by the famous windmill stone in the Valles (valleys) de Calchaquies

Inside the chapel

There should have been a spectacular view behind me but we couldn't see anything because of the clouds!

Lush green scenery on the way to Cachi (where a cow blocked our path crossing the bridge)

 

 

Last days in Bolivia and crossing the border from Bolivia to Argentina (Tupiza to Salta)

Bicycle shop in Tupiza

After finishing the tour to Salar de Uyuni and around, I spent one night in Uyuni before catching an early morning bus to Tupiza. It was a typical Bolivian mid-distance bus, lacking all the mod cons and full of a whole variety of people. I finally saw someone carrying an animal on a bus (everyone tells you when you go backpacking in South America or Asia that you’re going to be taking buses full of people with animals but I’ve generally not found that the case, so far). There was a traditionally dressed lady carrying a little baby lamb in her arms – so cute!

 

 

Atocha

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of gringos there was me, a Swiss girl, a couple of German guys and a couple of American missionaries in their typical black suits, white shirts, red ties, and name badge. For some reason I had a seat closer to the front of the bus and the rest of the gringos were sat together at the back.

 

Wall mural in Atocha

The bus stopped unexpectedly in Atocha for a few hours, so I got off the bus with all the Bolivians, leaving the rest of the gringos in their seats looking out of the window. Atocha was a bit grim but it had a little bustling market and after crossing over the rail tracks I eventually found a toilet with the typical bucket of water flushing system. When I got back to the bus some girls had set up a stall next to the bus selling banana shakes, so I had one of those, which immediately prompted a response from one of the American missionaries who said I was mad to eat or drink anything from the street! He was too scared to do so and had gotten sick from eating in restaurants (so maybe god wasn’t watching over him after all…). A few hours later, and some traditional Bolivian folk music to listen to on the bus, we arrived in Tupiza.

Some good advice... finish with the alcohol before the alcohol finishes with you...

Tupiza is a good place for horse riding but not much else. As I don’t like horse riding, my reason for stopping off was to do some last life admin stuff (washing, getting dollars, downloading photos etc) before crossing the border to Argentina. I managed to buy some amazingly cheesy Xmas cards with llamas and panpipes on them (which I posted from Argentina and never arrived) and some amazing bootleg mix CDs, each with about 150 songs on them.

Api and pasteles - my last Bolivian breakfast

 

 

 

 

I also enjoyed my last visit to a Bolivian comedor (dining hall) by having a nice typical breakfast of hot api with pasteles de queso (a hot drink made from white and purple corn and cheese empanadas). Then it dawned on my I was leaving Bolivia, my favourite country so far in South America, and I felt a little sad. I didn’t have time to dwell though as I had to plan my border crossing to Argentina.

There were various blockades and transport strikes happening around Uyuni and Tupiza so the bus station was closed. Although the buses were still leaving from outside the bus station I ended up getting a shared taxi to Villazon (the last town before crossing to La Quiaca in Argentina) which turned out to be quicker, more comfortable, only a fraction more expensive and with amazing scenery all the way. The taxi driver was super nice and instead of dropping me off in the square in Villazon, he drove me right down to the border crossing, for which I was very grateful.

Then I saw a massive queue snaking back from the immigration office all the way up the street! I’d advised to go straight to the office rather than joining the queue, which is for large groups (of Bolivians) travelling on buses. After a bit of faffing around, asking various border guards and people in different queues, I joined the short queue in front of the office and was quickly joined by three other women travellers from Australia, Greece, and Germany.  One of the border guards took an interest and asked us where we were all from.  Of course Australia prompted the usual response of kanguros (kangaroos) and Greece and England were not of much interest but we got a nazi salute in response to Germany!  We were all SO shocked and explained to the guard (in Spanish) was this wasn’t at all funny and hoped that he wouldn’t do it again. We eventually got our exit stamps without incident, walked across the bridge (the border) and joined the queue for Argentinian immigration.  We all got 90 days without any questions and then joined another queue for customs inspection of our bags.  The first person through had her passport checked and bag searched, second person had her passport checked and bag squeezed from the outside, and the last two of us were just waved through.  We obviously looked like sensible middle aged women because the young Italian hippy couple in front of us had to empty their rucksacks for a full inspection!

First thing I was when I crossed the border from Bolivia to Argentina

The first thing I saw when we crossed the border was a large sign saying Las Malvinas son Argentinas (the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina).  I was also glad that I’d changed all my Bolivianos into Pesos on the Bolivian side (or so I thought – I later found 500 at the bottom of my rucksack at Xmas – doh!!) because  there didn’t seem to be any cash machines between the border and La Quiaca on the Argentinian side

The taxi queue was too long so we walked into town and stopped to check out some concert in the square along the way.  After some music I left the rest of the women at the square and headed off to find the bus station as I still had more than a 7 hour bus journey to go and it was already past lunch time.  The bus station was less crazy than the ones in Bolivia and Peru – why wasn’t everyone shouting out the destinations so I knew who to buy a ticket from?!  Eventually someone spotted me and sold me a (slightly overpriced) ticket to Salta, which at least was leaving in 10 minutes.

After all the stories I’d heard about the amazing buses in Argentina, I was a bit disappointed to get on an old looking bus that stopped all the time to pick up people from the side of the road with loads of luggage.

A few hours in we stopped at a military check point and all had to get off with all of our luggage for inspection.  As the only gringo the guard asked to see my passport and then waved me through.  Only afterwards did I realise he probably did this because I had nothing of interest or worth for him.  Everyone else was carrying tons of goods (for Xmas and their businesses) and the guards went through each bag taking what they wanted whilst being really rude and disrespectful to everyone, especially the women.  For example, the guards would pull out three pairs of trainers (not expensive branded ones or anything) and throw two into ‘their’ pile and give one pair back. It broke my heart to see people treated this way and I found it hard to watch everyone on the bus be treated this way, yet what could I do?  When I later told this story to an Argentinian, they told me that I should write a letter to the Interior Security Minister to express my outrage.

I found this on the wall in Salta... I sleep a little, I dream a lot... (or I sleep very little sleep?)

12 hours after leaving Tupiza, Bolivia (and a ton of amazing scenery along the way) I arrived in Salta, Argentina.  Much to my delight there was an empanada place across the road from the hostel so half a dozen cheese empanadas later (and with a full belly) I gratefully went to sleep.