Travel Epilogue by JG

 

Travelling is a funny thing - you have the feeling of freedom that you can go wherever you want whenever you want - if you like somewhere, you stay, if not, you move on. With a trip that lasts for a year, the inevitable 'end of holiday' blues are mostly irrelevant and it is impossible not to feel slightly smug that you are having so much fun. I imagine perhaps it is hard to settle when you return to regulated life from a trip of this length due to the nature of constant movement and the novelty of different surroundings. The mind seems to condition itself to adapt to constant change during a trip like this because it knows that you are in ‘travel mode.’ It is similar to the strange concept of somebody feeling ready to go home, whatever the length of their travels, be it a weekend, two week holiday or one year trip, it seems the mind cleverly adapts and prepares itself to think in a positive way. We met a couple in Laos, when we were only 2 months into our trip, who had travelled the world like us for a year, and were going home in a week - the look of devastation on my face for them must have been scary, but they were really happy about it saying they were ready to go home and 'crack on with new projects.' Mark and I still talk about them thinking they were bonkers and betting that if we said something like that to ease the pain of finishing the travels, we would blatantly be telling huge porkies.

If I am truthful, every time I have been on holiday, without fail, a few days before I am meant to go home, my mind sneakily puts aside the thoughts that I would far rather stay on the beach for another week/ski that run again, etc, and starts thinking of the 'fun dinner next Tue with Joe Blog,' how great it will be to continue to learn salsa, and wow, how I actually feel enthusiastic about getting stuck into the new project at work, etc, etc. As well as the obvious point that after a holiday you are usually well rested and should have more energy, the brain has an innate ability to provide a cushioning preparatory layer of positivity, arguably tricking you into happily returning to whatever you left behind. I am truly happy that this occurs and could compare it to how the brain eventually looks back at most experiences, even less than perfect ones with a softening, positive light – why do you think women have more than one child?

There is also the softening factor of home comforts, familiarity and routine, things which can be both cherished and dreaded at the same time, depending on who you are. Personally, I find that when returning from an amazing experience where perhaps you were moving from place to place, suddenly the mind looks forward to permanently clean sheets, a bubble bath, knowing the way to the station, seeing the familiar face at the market stall, having all of your things easily accessible in one place, etc. Of course, this is a complete contradiction to the sensation of freedom and novelty at breaking your routine when you first commence a trip. I remember hearing from a friend who went home after 6 months of travelling and a week prior to going back he said, quote “I am actually looking forward to wearing a suit again.” Now that is a little extreme in my eyes, but he was starting to prepare himself for the inevitable return to being a professional again, rather than running around in board shorts and flip flops the whole time.

I am just trying to rationalise the concept of returning to and adapting to normal life - a popular discussion amongst long term travellers. The experience you get from travelling really depends on the time of life at which you go - having travelled around Asia for 2 months in my university holidays at age 20, my objectives were obviously very different to now - still very much about the carefree fun and pushing oneself to have new experiences but now, much more about evaluating what you have done so far in life and really thinking about what sort of life you want to lead in the future. While I had a very happy and fun life in London, living in a nice flat which I owned with a best friend, having a good job which allowed me to travel the globe, socialising with my lovely circle of friends, earning enough money to do fun things, etc, taking a step away from that life has helped me to realise a) how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to have all those things but b) that I would be even more motivated if I had more freedom to be creative in the workplace. Meeting inspiring people while travelling also gives one the confidence to break away from a typical work routine, which is quite a brave thing to do in terms of financial security and also in personally overcoming what one is brainwashed into thinking one 'should' do with one's career.

It is funny as I am sure when I get back, I will meet up with people who will say how amazing it is that I have taken the jump and 'lived the dream' for a year, and am now trying to do something different, but who secretly are thinking, 'it looked like fun, but I am glad that I am not unemployed/broke/one year behind in my career ladder, etc, etc.' And there will be those who are perhaps inspired to do it themselves and will do - everyone is different and that is what makes the world an interesting place. The additional appeal of being self employed will be the eventual ability to take longer holidays and enjoy a better work life balance, something which is very underrated. I think there is also a fine balance between people who travel long term to have new experiences and people who perhaps run away from life with the excuse of travelling. I believe I have met these two types of people on this trip and have made a mental note to be the former.

Meeting someone as inspiring as Mark made the decision to set up my own business very easy. It will be a huge learning curve and I am sure we will have much fun along the way. I feel that the sense of achievement that will come will be bigger than anything ever experienced in a previous job, which is very exhilarating.

In summary, when faced with the prospect of going home and getting on that flight in Rio, my philosophical mind has magically evolved from ‘how will I cope with not wearing flip flops all the time’ into the following stream of consciousness:

• I always thought that it was not possible to beat certain times in my life - ski season in France at 18 years old, university life at Durham, travelling with friends, but this year has surpassed them all into being the best year of my life so far – I do not think I could have had more fun if I tried – a year like many to come I am sure.
• I am so excited about seeing my family for Christmas again and friends after the New Year, who I have missed so much.
• Mark and I have put a lot of research into our business plan so it will be really exciting to put it into action at full pelt when we are back. We both have so much energy, enthusiasm and desire to make it a success.
• While money is by no means a priority, it does make life easier, and it does allow you to do fun things like skiing and travelling. Therefore, this year has inspired both of us to work as hard as possible to enable this kind of thing to be possible on a regular basis.
• And most importantly, I have found someone that I love deeply and can have heaps of fun with – the memories of travelling together for a year are absolutely priceless and something I will keep forever.

Travel summary by JG

 

The year of International Woman of Mystery is drawing to a close, so I thought I would write a few departing thoughts. Most people will ask with fascination, as they have done so far, where was your favourite place? It is quite an impossible question to answer a) as there have been so many for different reasons and b) because sometimes factors affect your experience at a certain place to make it memorable, for example, you could be standing outside the Taj Mahal and someone could throw their sticky drink over you before you are attacked by a swarm of bees, or you could be sitting in Hyde Park like you do every week, and you could see a rare moon eclipse, making it more of a memorable place – you get the picture! I will try to summarise my highlights as best I can:

Asia – having travelled extensively to this wonderful continent, both personally and many times in a professional capacity, it did not have the quite the same level of intrigue for me as perhaps the unknown Central America, however, being a real ‘Asiaphile’ it is always a pleasure to go, and it is one of those places where you always see something different and mind opening. Laos still has the rare quality of genuinely smiling local people with a complete lack of greed that you cannot see in rapidly commercialized countries such as Vietnam. It is also beautifully rugged, simplistic and relatively unspoiled – go now! Borneo was just amazing in terms of diving, the people we met, jungle activities and of course, that delicious Malaysian food. In terms of amazing sights, the Great Wall of China was absolutely breathtaking and walking along its towering & deserted length at 7am on a cold Beijing morning with the mist rising over the mountains will be something I never forget.

Australia and New Zealand – Hiring a camper van in both of these countries made the experience exceptionally fun. Having the freedom to go wherever you want & also to cook for yourself under the stars each night is very special. In Australia, the vast beauty of the outback was spectacular, and in NZ, well the scenery was mind blowing – the advantage of having the van being that we could stop at any point and walk in it, rather than stare longingly from a stuffy bus window. Fishing for six metre jumping, man-eating Salties has to be one of the most adrenaline pumping memories which contrasts nicely to the more civilized affair of first time sampling of some of the finest wines in the continent in the Hunter and Marlborough regions.

USA – Hawaii was most memorable for surfing in ‘small’ summer waves and swimming with the giant turtles that seemed to follow you gracefully around. The highlight of California was of course my mummy coming to visit for a wonderful 10 day trip. I will also never forget turning 27 in Vegas – it will be a hard act to follow!

Central America – Mexico has one of the richest and most individual cultures I have ever seen. I loved everything about the country – food, dancing, friendliness, difference in landscape and most of all, my correction of image about Mexico City – it is clean, green, safe & very civilised. Seeing hot molten lava flow down a volcano in Guatemala was absolutely incredible and certainly unlike anything I have ever been privileged enough to witness. Costa Rica was like a holiday within our travels – fun activities, amazing wildlife, interesting people and of course, our lovely anniversary in the romantic Tortuguero Lodge. The San Blas Islands in Panama were the most idyllic & unspoilt of the trip.

South America – Chile stands as my favourite country, with the decision being highly influenced by a week staying on the farm in Pucon, Northern Patagonia. With the most idyllic and rugged setting, dogs on the porch, the fire burning, the steak grilling, the Malbec breathing, the boyfriend laughing and the knowledge that you are off for a two day horse trek into the Andes the following day, it is hard to imagine a more perfect situation, or place. JG

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 19th - 22nd

 

We left the beautiful island in style…by speedboat in the horizontal rain, which was pretty fun. Then a bus to Rio, where we got dropped at our hotel, the Bandeirantes. Located just 2 blocks from Copacabana Beach, we had to get our togs on and go for a swim. The beach is crazy…full of people sunning, preening, flaunting, playing volleyball, avoiding bikini removing waves and just generally having a good time. Copacabana has a great vibe, and seems a little more rough and ready than Ipanema, but Mark and I actually found we liked it better as it had more character and of course, the people watching opportunities were fantastic. No thong, unsubscribe.

Visiting the Christ was absolutely amazing. It is perched on one of the highest rocks in the city, and you can pretty much see it from everywhere. We took a local bus to the train, which winds up through the rainforest to the summit. It is a great ride and the view from the top is spectacular, although we did spend most of the time in a cloud, but when it cleared, it was fab. The city is so beautiful, with loads of little hidden beaches, coves, rocky outcrops and big towering hills all around covered in lush tropical vegetation. We visited Santa Teresa, which is based on top of a hill, and is full of impressive colonial style mansions with views to die for. It is quite a bohemian area now and definitely has a buzz to it.

Going up the cable car to the top of the Sugar Loaf while whistling the Bond theme tune, in homage to the Bond god, was really fun, and the view even better than from the Christ. In fact you can see it from a distance, which looks really cool just perched on top on the city.

On our last night, we went to a gorgeous little restaurant, where we drank pink bubbles, ate exquisite food and really toasted our last day in style. Wow, what a year. JG

Ilha Grande (Granje) Dec 13-19

 

With the massive trip behind us, we found ourselves with the last leg of the trip from Mantagatiba to Ilha Grande, aboard a ferry in the sunshine. As this is the tropics we soon found ourselves on a ferry in the tropics in the pissing rain and arrived in the pissing rain. The whole area was filled with waiting super tankers which are quite amazing to see from a tiny ferry, huge tubs sat in the water..

The walk around town in the rain was very pleasant, refreshing really. Finding our hostel that we had booked proved to be more challenging and frankly, in the rain, a little more than boring. So we opted for another hostel called Overnativa or Green hostel which was terrific. The lady that ran it cooked meals every evening and we ate well, and I think quite traditionally and locally. I would even advise visiting her hostel just for the food. We had a lovely little double room overlooking the entrance and the mountainside. The island is a huge hill like many of the others so typical in the area, surrounded by lush rainforest and beaches, some required a good hike to get to. We didn’t do too much for the first day, it rained quite constantly, but on the second it was my 31st and we did a little exploring and chilling. The island boasts lots of great little restaurants and bars on the beach which we then visited in the late afternoon. The capirinhas and the cachca mixed with fresh Passionfruit juice made the evening amusing and we got chatting to some material oil engineers who engaged in laying pipes and the welding of them… sounds fascinating I know... but when they lay them 2km deep and 40 km long then it becomes quite a feat in my books. The restaurant we were at also served great BBQ, where I had a great King Mackerel and King Prawns as my dinner. For my first birthday out of London since 18 I was enjoying myself quite a bit in the most relaxing style. We then met another English couple who had Norfolk in common and we carried on chatting and celebrating my birthday till the bar shut. Jen had actually fallen asleep in a corner by then. The next day the lovely hostel staff gave me a birthday cake which Jen had organized with them.. the cake was incredible, chocolate with dulce de leche and coconut crème filling, we ate it over the next few days sharing with the our new friends.

The next days we spent exploring the island, walking through the rainforest to beaches, swimming and playing cards. It was a very tough life and we really hated every minute of it. One small problem did present itself… there are no cash points on the islands, but thankfully there are lots of places take cards, even the kayak rental place. I thoroughly enjoyed our days there and the motorboat trip back to the mainland and bus ride to Rio took only 2 hours, the trip though the outer areas of Rio, the extensive Favelas was eye opening. Obvious gang tags abundant [marking buildings and blocks then being replaced by other ones], more barbed wire than they used in the first world war and well, very obvious abject poverty. The change between the outskirts and the central parts of Rio were amazing. With the country getting richer, I hope some of the wealth trickles down sooner than later.

Iguazu to Ilha Grande…the journey

 

What a ride. It took us 48 hours almost… and it really isnt that far. We looked for routes and blogs about getting from Iguazu to Ilha Grande and there didn’t seem to be that much information which was very clear. That is mainly because there is no direct routing as Ilha Grande in Brazil is not really a main city or on a main artery. We chose the cheapest route from Iguazu area which involves travelling from Argentina through Brazil to Paraguay, this knocked off a good hundred pesos.

So… incase you are wondering and looking for how to get from Iguazu in Argentina to Ilha Grande in Brazil then follow these steps. Go to the bus station and ask at the Crucero del Norte bus station for a Cama seat unless you don’t want to sleep. Getting a Cama seat does not mean you will get great service like you get elsewhere in Argentina, in fact using Crucero Del Norte is only advised as they have a service that is cheaper than the Brazilian buses. We asked for a cheaper option and were presented with a trip from Paraguay which involves getting a bus from Iguazu through to Paraguay bus station which is a local bus and does not always leave you time to get your passport stamps. We took this option but without the bus, getting a drop off at the Brazilian/Argentian border. We didn’t wait for the bus, so we walked for around five kms and it was good exercise. When we got to the next border post, the actual brazilian one we stamped in, and waited for a bus. A few came through and they were all full so we had to get a cab which a border guard called for us. It was not too cheap, but it took us to the Paraguay/Argentina border which is very busy, and the total cost was still less than getting a bus from Brazil or Argentina for us both. We stamped in, which you must do to get an exit stamp… We witnessed a fair bit of corrupt behaviour with the border guards on the way out, so get the stamps coming in, and have your consultate number handy… It doesn’t matter what the locals say or the border guards say, get the stamp for entering the country as otherwise they will find excuses to make cash demands.
Our onward trip was usual for latin american countries, chaos rulling the duty free area around the border, so we haggled with a taxi who wanted ten dollars for a four km cab ride. We refused point blank and eventually he agreed to a five dollar charge, I think our skills picked up in Asia were well remembered…

The bus station was a total dump as was the city, and with two hours to kill and intense humidity, we stayed put and ate some homecooked gnocchi with chicken, very nice. Eventually, the bus arrival time and departure time came and went and a huge thunderstorm turned the carpark into rivers and lakes, with the wind whipping the rain off the bus tops. The reason for the delay with the bus were known to us, the only border crossing with Brazil which we had walked across earlier moved at less than walking pace. When we did finally get on the bus we found our seats being used as a platform for the cleaner who was packaging the rubbish and I wasn’t too impressed. We watched him use his shoe to shove the rice on the floor under our seats and I asked him to clean it up properly in my poor spanish. He ignored me and told me to put my bag up rather than under the seat… I was not impressed as he pushed past with the rubbish. After that I headed downstairs to complain and got a lot of bemused looks from the drivers who and other staff who basically all had no intention of cleaning up. As the cleaner came back and signed off the “cleaning” record I interjected and asked him to clean up properly. The bus then reversed out and I lost my rag completely. At this point one of the drivers finally agreed to come up and have a look at the situation. He didn’t want to clean it up either but we then had some help from a fellow traveller who in pretty stern tone told him it was entirely unacceptable and he should clean it up. I can only say, with Crucero Del Norte firms that they run a decent network, but our experiences with them in Buenos Aires and here left a piss poor impression. Avoid them if you can.

The bus journey was delayed by 3 hours at the border so our time onboard increased by three hours to 20 hours of travel. Joy. After a freezing night on the bus to Sao Paulo we arrived at one of the largest bus terminals in South America, pretty impressive with around one hundred bus stops it is a pretty busy place. Above the bus station we found the ticket offices and got ourselves sorted out with some breakfast and onwards tickets. The next bus was expensive.. but it was a lovely bus and was scheduled to take a mere seven hours. The roads and infrastructure in Brazil are good, but the winding roads around the incredible scenery is timeconsuming, but with the mix of films, stops every two hours and very comfortable seats we managed well. Our bus tickets were for Angra which is where we were to get a ferry from. Arriving in Angra, we spoke to a Chilean girl who had been travelling from Chile to come to Ilha Grande, and she heard that we could get a late night ferry from down the road, so we hopped back onto the bus and an hour later arrived, jumped into an old VW transporter and got ferried to the port. Then we found out the ten pm boat was a myth… 30 hours on the road… There isnt much in the way of accommodation… so we had to make do with a pretty horrible little place for a little too much money.

The next morning the first ferry left at nine and took an hour, at fourteen Reais it was fairly reasonable we thought, the weather changed as we left and the rain pissed down and the wind lashed us. Out the window were absolutely huge oil tankers waiting for access to the filling station and the boat went pretty close so we got to inspect them a little better. They are amazing, huge tubs with rounded fronts so they look like massive bathtubs. We learned later from a french engineer that some of the platforms in the area have two kilometer deep pipes to the filling stations which is pretty amazing too.

The island was a site for literally sore eyes. The picturesque town and the beaches with the mountains in the backround, even in the rain was the end of the epic travel we had… I’d like to say endured, but it wasn’t tough at all. Just a lot of sitting down and very annoying idiots/high prices to contend with. After our luxurious and very relaxing travel around Argentina and Chile, this was a rude awakening and shock to the system, yes we found ourselves back to shit services for too much money where everyone seems to think their job is beneath them. MT

Iguazu Falls – 8th – 10th December

 

Situated on three borders, the Iguazu Falls are pushing to become one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and with good reason…they are absolutely mind blowing. We stayed at a great hostel on the Argentine side, called La Guembe, which is a very relaxed and quiet little place with the best Caipirinas in town & very friendly staff. It’s a small little town, totally geared around the Falls and the subsequent tourism. We got a lift to the Waterfalls with the hostel owner as we bought one of his boat trips, which I would highly recommend. You go on a unimog through the jungle and although you cannot see much wildlife, it’s a fun trip. Then you board a speed boat, which takes you up the river for about 20 mins and then gets close to the falls, making sure you get an absolute drenching. It is really spectacular to get so close to them and feel the power of the water as it comes crashing down on your head!

The park itself is very well set out – there are lots of footpaths through the jungle for you to follow and the various viewing platforms for the waterfalls are located at spectacular points, for example, right at the top of the falls so you can look over the edge and at the side so you can almost touch the water! There are many falls, with the most spectacular undoubtedly being the Devil’s Throat, which is incredible. There is also a train which you can ride on, taking you further around the park. If you like birds and butterflies, you will be spoilt here – sometimes we saw so many that it looked like leaves fluttering around in the wind – absolutely beautiful. For 60 pesos (about 10 pounds) you get entry into the Falls, which is great value considering how much there is to do. If you want to return the next day, it’s only 30 pesos, so great if you just fancy doing more walking or having a picnic in some very spectacular surroundings. Although it’s a long bus ride from Buenos Aires, I would highly recommend the falls, as it really is a once in a lifetime sight and definitely deserves being a new natural world wonder! JG

Colonia, Uruguay – Dec 2nd – 7th

 

Colonia is just a mere 1 hour’s boat ride across the river from Buenos Aires. It is a very popular place for day trippers from Buenos Aires and well as for those in search of nice beaches and a bit of relaxation. This was just the ticket for the CELTA weary crowd, therefore a few of us headed over to chill out for a few days. The old town is lovely – much of the original wall & buildings remain, and with cobbled streets & very old fashioned cars parked everywhere, it certainly has a nostalgic feel about it. We stayed at the Hostel Espanol, which is a very relaxed place. It was a great few days, spending time at the beach, playing cards and cooking big hearty meals in our group at the hostel – very relaxing and sociable. We decided not to head further up the coast, as the main appeal was beaches & we have Isla Grande coming up in Brazil, so thought we would head back to BA and go up to Iguazu instead, as it worked out to be the cheaper option. Uruguay is also a lot more expensive than Argentina so that also factored in our decision to leave early. It was sad saying goodbye to my little CELTA family, but they are all going off to do exciting things around the world, as am I, so it will be great to keep up with their adventures. JG

Buenos Aires, 28th Oct – 2nd Dec

 

The Thompson’s

Arriving in Buenos Aires, it was a real treat to be picked up at Retiro station by Uncle David, who kindly came to get us in his car. We went back to his house in Temperley to be greeted by May and a lovely spread of medialunas and to Mark’s delight, real tea! It was great for me to see David again, as it had been about 10 years since I last saw him, and the first time for me to meet my aunty May and my cousin, Martin. We stayed with David for 4 days, going into the city and looking around, seeing both of his schools and even helping with a kid’s Halloween party, which was cute! On the Saturday we went bird watching in the Pampa, and every night were treated to May’s delicious cooking as well as lovely nibbles and an asado on David’s very cool outside BBQ. Once I had started my CELTA course, I went back to David’s a couple of times at the weekend for lunch, which was a lovely escape from the city and good to have a bit of ‘home life’ which always included rummy! It was really nice that Teresa and Andrew were there one weekend as well. Big thank you’s to the Thompsons for their wonderful hospitality!

The course

It was great that I met everyone from the course on the Saturday night before as it meant that we all knew each other beforehand. It is unusual to have a group of 12 people where everyone gets on, so we felt very lucky, as everyone was genuinely lovely, really making it feel like a support group during the month. The course was very intensive, involving a 9 – 5 day, with an average of 5 hours work a night, plus most of us got up about 6am to make final adjustments to our lessons. The weekends were not so relaxing either, as we normally had a lesson plus an assignment to plan. However, because the course was so intensive, the learning curve is huge & it really is very rewarding. Most of us managed to go out for a couple of malbecs on a Friday night and usually managed to get at least one day off at the weekend. Everyone passed, which is great news, and most of us went to Uruguay afterwards to celebrate having so much free time again!

The City

Buenos Aires is a beautiful City which is full of character. Some people may disagree with that statement, claiming that it does not have its own identity as it’s such a mixture of different European cultures, but I think that makes it unique in itself. My highlights of Buenos Aires are as follows:
• The dog walkers in Belgrano, sometimes holding up to 20 dogs (although the dog shit is not such a good thing).
• Tango in the street
• Polo – we got to watch a match on our last day – the semi final & it was so exciting. The best thing was you could get so close to the players and the horses…we saw the best player in the world Adolfo, which was exciting.
• The food and drink: I am not sure how Argentines stay so thin. The pastries are to die for & far more delicious than anything I have eaten in France. Then there are the Parillas, where you can get the most succulent meat imaginable for very little money. And of course, the red wine. A two pound bottle of wine is very quaffable and if you spend, gasp, 5 pounds, you have a very luxurious bottle. Heaven.
• Bars – the nightlife in BA is fantastic with some really funky bars and restaurants. We went out mainly in Palermo, & of course, to the polo after party in Recoleta.
• Cemetery – based in the centre of the city on prime real estate, this amazing place is full of the deceased rich and famous, housed above the ground in luxurious crypts. The place is fairly eerie, reminiscent of ‘interview with the vampire’ and certainly not the sort of place you would want to get lost in at night. We even saw in one of the older coffins, an arm falling out, which was a bit gruesome. However, there is also something serene about the place, with lots of trees and flowers. It is also the burial site of Eva Peron, as well as many other famous people.
• Palermo Park – this huge expanse of green space is beautiful and full of beautiful gardens, like the Japanese & rose ones, as well as lakes and fountains.
• Puerto Madero – this rejuvenated dock area is similar to Canary Wharf and full of up market bars, restaurants & cafes – it’s really pretty just for stroll up and down.
• The ice cream – Volta & Persicco are the best – I had the best ice cream of the whole trip and Persicco: raspberry and lemon pie, which had real pieces of meringue and fruit in it. Yum.

In summary, Buenos Aires is a great city and definitely somewhere I would like to return to spend more time. There is something familiar about it, yet still exotic and exciting, which is a wonderful balance. JG

Mendoza, 24th – 28th October

 

After a bonus night in a posh hotel, plus another 3 course lunch (there is such a thing as a free lunch) in Buenos Aires courtesy of LAN, we spent the afternoon wandering around Buenos Aires in the San Telmo district, famous for being bohemian & having lots of street tango. We had a lovely time sitting in a sunny piazza, sipping beer and watching the very impressive & feisty tango dancers strut their stuff. Being forever the observant one, Mark caught a glimpse of a cheeky dancer who had decided to leave her knickers at home & was doing a dance which involved lots of high leg kicks. After this, it was impossible for both of us not to look at that, just to check of course, which became quite hilarious. Maybe we were wrong…she could have bought black hairy knickers.

We got on the bus in the evening & were very pleasantly surprised at the level of ‘suite class’ which we had treated ourselves to for the 12 hour overnight trip to Mendoza. Being greeted with hot empanadas and a glass of sherry, as well as having totally flat beds was more reminiscent of first class plane travel rather than an overnight bus trip. The waiter was lovely and obviously very used to having excited people on the way to Mendoza, being very generous with the red wine he dished out our 3 course dinner. A glass of whisky, a film and being tucked into bed resulted in a lovely long sleep and waking up to a medialuna 30 minutes before arrival. Now that is what I call civilized travel – and only an extra 10 pounds to upgrade – my advice, do it!

Not having booked any accommodation, we found a lady at the bus station, or rather she found us, and told us about an apartment she had for rent. Having watched other backpackers brush her off as a sleazy salesperson, we decided to listen & found that she was offering a brilliant one bedroom apartment with a big outside space right in the centre of town for only 120 pesos a night. We bargained her down to 100 and we had a deal (this is less than two dormitory beds). She was so sweet in explaining how things worked, speaking really slow Spanish for us and covering everything. Brilliant! During the first afternoon we pottered around the pretty town, then went to a tango show in the evening, which was celebrating ‘vino y tango.’ It was quite touristy, but I love watching tango, so it didn’t matter at all and was a lovely night.

The next day, we did what you have to do in Mendoza…went wine tasting! We hired bikes and went off with our bottles of water, picnic lunch and map. First we went to a wine museum, which is free and based in the San Felipe Estate. It is a fantastic museum, packed full of old fashioned tools and methods of wine making. You get a free tour which is definitely worth doing, as it is really interesting and gives a lot of information about how wine production has evolved over the years. Next, onto xxx, where we sat on their beautiful terrace in the sunshine with a great view of the snow capped Andes and sampled some of their recommended wines. Then, onto xxx which involved more wine tasting, and the smell of their BBQ meant that we had to stop and eat our gourmet picnic of Serrano Ham, blue cheese, olives, tomatoes, etc, in the grass, which was lovely! Next stop, xxx, where we got another free tour and sampled some more wines. We actually bought three bottles of Don Angelo, a 2004 limited production Malbec, which has been entered into a competition in France, which if it does well, will substantially increase the value. Makes a change to share trading as well!

Our final stop was xx, a lovely French style vineyard with excellent Malbecs. Having bumped into a few people along the route, we got chatting to a lovely Dutch and French couple & invited them to our apartment for an impromptu dinner party. While waiting for the bus at the bike ranch, the owner plied everyone with free wine, ensuring that the word was passed on…I actually cannot remember, so obviously not a great sales tactic, fun though! We had a lovely dinner party & enjoyed swapping travel stories!

On our last day, we walked around Mendoza and found the beautiful park, which is absolutely huge & has a lovely lake with rowing boats. I would highly recommend Mendoza for a visit, and of course, in winter, you can go skiing very nearby…
JG

El Calafate

 

Leaving Ushuaia by plane was terrific. The taxi journey to the airport on the spit of land in front of the town, promised a bumpy take off as the car was buffeted by extremely strong winds. We arrived in the airport with twenty minutes to take off and wandered through the check in and up to the lounge. All very relaxed, the good passengers were all there early so we had no queues to contend with. The plane landed and ten minutes later it was fully fueled and we were onboard. The plane taxied down the runway, then turned around and took off into the wind, making for a very smooth take off, not a single bump. The scenery was breath taking and we could not have wanted more, having travelled the full length of the Chileanean and Argentinean Mountains we saw them from above. The snow covered peaks for as far as the eye could see. Once we were over the clouds and away from the mountains, we were flying over the Pampa of Patagonia. The wild rivers, the terraced steppe landscape was all fascinating, especially as we had spent such a long time driving over it.

Landing in El Calafate was interesting, the area seemed to be much drier from the air than we had previously experienced, and there was a beautiful azure lake with ice bergs floating? Glacier land, we had arrived. The mountains receive a vast quantity of snow each year resulting in glacier growth of a huge range of mountains. The perspective of which gives an idea of how earth might have looked 10000 years ago during the last ice age. We got to see the glacier a few days later…

We took a cab to a hostel which was based in the newer part of the town, dusty roads and an old airfield formed this part and it was a little surprising to see. There is are laws here to prohibit the dispersal of plastic bags from shops, but there are still a huge number of bags flying around which have been set free of both the bins they were in and the rubbish, not by humans, but by scavenging dogs apparently. One would think, the next step would be to keep the dog population under control. The town itself is a tourism town which we found to be very “nice” with main road and a few shops and bars. When we arrived the staff sat us down and explained the offers for tours, all provided by the same company, and sadly, waaaay to expensive for us. A day trip with some walking on the glacier was billed at over 600 Argentinian Pesos… which I around 100 GBP. What? A walk on a glacier with crampons and ice picks for what? Frankly the pricing is a joke and not as many people do it as there is space for, a real shame and a very short sighted attitude by the tour organizers. Apparently, a lot of the land in the area is being bought by the Presidential family, the Kirchners, one could speculate as to their power on pricing? We spent some time taking in the scenery and with our friends from Rio Gallegos decided to hire a car check out the glacier and then day trip to El Chalten the next day, only 200km north.

We headed out early the next day with the car and found the glacier, which is amazing, an amazing blue chunk of ice heading into the lake and of course took a number of photos of it from different angles. We saw and heard a number of ice chunks calving into the lake, but sadly the efforts to photograph it were in vain. The glacier advances each year which makes it the only one!

On the way home we headed out for a different route, turning off onto a dirt road. We drove past some enormous birds who apparently were juvenile Condors and also a lake with flamingos in it. We had to stop and I tried to get closer. These birds keep an eye out though and moved through the shallow lake as we moved around the outside. It was extremely amusing to be greated by two bleating lambs who were perhaps no more than a week old, fluffy floppy eared and slightly stupid, happily bounding through the sheep carcasses which are very common. Apparently the cost of sheep is so low that they are pretty much feral and left to get on with it, allowing the Condors and Eagles and I presume Jaguars and dogs to kill at will…

We saw a number of Condor families and we took some amazing photos of these gigantic birds flying through the mountains. We stopped to try and take a picture of one feasting on a bit of meat in the middle of the road to show how big they stand off the ground but didn’t quite manage as it flew off while I frantically tried to change my camera battery.
El Chalten was our target the next day. We started out our day with a great drive through a cold desert as we skirted the lakes created by the melting glacial ice and snow from the mountains. Two hours later arrived in a tiny village which called itself El Chalten, the old El Chalten was covered by ash from a volcano a couple years ago. It is known as the hiking capital in Argentina, and we expected perhaps a little more, but we were there in the off season, so we weren’t spoilt for choice when looking for a café. The wind was brutal, so we headed out for a wander, and found the tourist office, which gave us some options for some day hikes. They turned out to be straight into the wind which was driving snow into our faces so we decided a short walk would really be the only option. We would have liked to go for a longer one, given the lack of proper gear and the biting cold it wasn’t really an option. The area outside of the villages and towns in Patagonia are pure wilderness, without a compass and a good map getting lost is all too easy apparently. So we shall return I hope and do some hiking to the peaks in the future. The drive away from the area saw us photographing the clearing view through the mirrors and stopping frequently to get more photos of this incredible landscape.

Our final day loomed and we enjoyed great dinners and chats with the Irish and dutch we had met enroute. We packed our bags and got ready to go to the airport and said goodbyes the next morning. On trying to leave the hostel informed us or flight was delayed and would not be taking off till ten that night, so we called LAN to get confirmation. No, the flight was normal, so we booked a cab and headed to the airport much to the bemusement of the hostel guys. We got there and waited in line for a little while thinking that there weren’t too many people on the flight! When we got to the desk we found out that a bird had flown into the engine in Ushuaia and our plane was going to be 12 hours delayed. As we had not been contacted they would provide us lunch and a place to take it easy that day. Lovely. We then pointed out that our bus booked (not really) that night was our accommodation for the night and we would need them to organize something else for us. They did without fuss. BA etc learn how it is done . We then boarded a bus and got taken to a lovely hotel at the other end of the town and some.. overlooking the lake and with a view of the town. It was a tough day. Free three course lunch of steak and more followed by relaxing in a lovely hotel room. Then being chauffeured back to the airport for our flight. We eventually left an hour late as further technical checks were carried out, better safe and delayed eh!

Bye bye Patagonia as we flew into the darkness.

MT