Snow play

My latest adventures are joined together with a common theme that seems to have surfaced lately, all having been concentrated in somewhat colder circumstances than those in the deserts of the North. Dropping from 15· to 40· south does make something of a difference to the temperature! Difference enough in fact for some snow to fall and provide some great opportunities for fun and adventure!

First up: Skiing (Valle Nervado, Santiago)

I'd pretty much given up on being able to make the ski season while I was in South America this time around, so when I got to Santiago and found posters all around the hostel advertising that the season had been extended due to new snowfalls I jumped at the chance to go: half a day, half the runs open, half the price, all gear and transport included, and still cheaper than a lift ticket alone costs at home!!

So into a car with 2 Americans, a German, a Pom (fiercely denying he was practically Aussie after spending most his life there), a real Aussie from just around the corner from me in Melbourne and 2 Brazilian cricketers from the national team who'd never seen snow (and who new Brazil had a cricket team PS?? Funnier still was that they all had to learn English to play the game and on field they all talk in English rather than their native Portuguese-even to slag the opposition!).

The drive to the mountain was a little scary (as I have come to expect in SA) on a windy road, the quality of which left something to be desired considering it was the only major route to Santiago's premier skiing destination! The cause was not helped by the driver informing us that a woman and her child had died in recent mudslides/rockfalls over the road, and the numerous enormous boulders that still could be seen from these falls along the way. But the drive was very picturesque, and somewhat surreal what with snow capped peaks looming above as cactus continued to dot the mountain right up to the snow line.

Now for the end of the season, I was expecting a bit of snow, patchy cover, and maybe an ok run or two avoiding bare patches and rocks. I could hardly believe it when we arrived and there was nothing but white on all the runs, and the whole place was ghostly free of people. I thought that it was probably more snow at their season's end than I'd seen any of the times I'd been skiing in Australia and couldn't understand where all the people were and why we couldn't use the whole mountain!! My only thought could be that they are so spoilt during the season anything less than several meters isn't worth the trouble! I can't imagine how amazing it must be at peak season, but my first experience skiing in the Andes was enough to make me want to go back and see. Above the tree line, wide open runs and wonderful views to the valleys and mountains around, the fact that the sun was shining made it all the more beautiful.

Second: Climbing Villarica Volcano (Pucon, Chile)

I hadn't intended going into the Chilean South, but word from several people about the beauty of the place easily convinced me to check it out. One of the magnets of the Lakes District is Pucon, where it is possible to do pretty much any adventure activity you want. Top on most people's list is to climb up Villarica Volcano, one of the most active in Chile, about 2800m above sea level,, covered in snow and picture perfect (it also has a ski centre on it but again, closed despite the generous snow cover still present!).

Hiking in snow was much more difficult than I'd expected at first, and my feet felt like they had lead weights on them with the boots we'd been given. But it became clear that the road to the mountain was the hardest bit as it was so churned up and icy. Thankfully the lift to jump you up a few km had reopened for the first time in 2 weeks, so with a little head start we began our criss-crossing march to the top, a 3 hour journey not nearly as difficult as the first half hour had suggested! We had to use an ice pick for balance and stop every half hr or so for breaks, but the sun was out and I can't tell you how beautiful it was to look out over white snow to cloud covered valleys, enormous blue lakes, and several other snow-capped volcanoes and mountains in the distance. At the top you can hear the sound of water trickling over rocks as it melts into the deep crater (sometimes lava is visible), which puffs out consistant clouds of smoke that smells absolutely foul if you happen to get a whiff as the wind changes. It was probably one of the best views I've ever had over lunch!

But the fun wasn't over there. You may think that walking down a snow-covered mountain would be mighty difficult for fear of falling and sliding down...but actually, that's exactly the way to do it! Sit on your butt, use your ice-pick as a rudder and your feet for brakes and away you go!! You can even go in pairs or threes like a bobsled team, the front ones holding the feet of those behind. Three hours up and 20 minutes down, it was probably the funnest thing I've done so far and we were all giggling like kids in a candy store the whole way. Absolutely brilliant.

Three: Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche is a well-known Argentinian ski destination, with one of South America's biggest ski centres located at nearby Cerro Cathedral. But this time of year, the weather is supposed to be much nicer in the low 20's, allowing some beautiful hikes around the surrounding landscape. Arriving in Bariloche was via a most stunning drive. The road between the Chilean and Argentinan border posts took us through ancient looking forests of Patagonian Cypress covered in wind whipped lichens, crystal clear rivers flowing into dazzlingly blue lakes, and of course the ever-present Andes standing over it all with their elegant dusting of white snow. Following this drive, I had high hopes of seeing the beauty of this region close-up with some walks around the renowned Nahual Huapi National Park.

So I checked into what turned out to be one of my favourite hostels so far: "1004". I had wondered about the strange name of the place until I arrived and found it was actually the address. Not the street address though, 100f actually stood for apartment 4, level 10. That's right, the penthouse! It has been turned into one of the friendliest, cosiest, homeliest hostels run by absolutely lovely staff, and has absolutely stunning views across Bariloche and the lake.

However, I actually only saw this view on the day I arrived, because the next morning I woke to a complete white-out to find that a snow storm had arrived, the weather was literally freezing, and a light dusting of powder had settled on the lovely alpine buildings characteristic of the town. It felt like christmas (or how I'd expect white christmas to be anyway!), and I didn't mind too much an excuse to sit indoors in the warm with a book and watch the snow flakes swirl in the wind past the window, and every now and then catch a glimpse of the icy churning lake, so charming and serene looking in the sunshine!

Reports were that the weather was to hang around a while, and I couldn't bring myself to head further south to Glaciar-land where it would no doubt be Antarctic. So vowing to return to the Lakes District to see it properly another time (or maybe even in true winter to hit the slopes!), I left on my last long-distance bus ride back to Buenos Aires.

And that is where I am now, sadly in my last week away but happily in much warmer weather! I've skimmed a few things in the blog which I might have time to backtrack and fill you in on. It's been so much fun writing for you all and your emails and comments have been fabulous to get and I'm stoked that so many of you have been reading- but more importantly enjoying reading- this blog. Thanks so much!! More photos will be coming up so look out for them soon.

Chau for now!

El tren a los nubes photos

Llama on the menu

In the provinces of Salta and Jujuy where I have spent the last week or so, the regional specialty is llama. A little disconcerting at first since they´re so iconic to South America, but I suppose it´s a bit like us Aussies eating kangaroos. Anyway, we figured that we should try some llama meat, and we got it in a few forms...

First, we took a shot at a pretty delicious sounding dish of llama steaks cooked in peach sauce accompanied by potatoes, parsley and goat´s cheese, as well as a bottle of the local viño tinto (red wine). Well, don´t know what happened to the sauce, parsley and goat´s cheese (maybe the truck went awol off one of those crazy roads...), but the potatoes were good and the llama actually was really nice! A little tougher than other meats, but tasty nonetheless.

Another variation was that of the regional specialty locro, a type of soup with pretty much anything I think such as beans, corn, pulses, vegies, and meat (yes, including llama). It´s really nice, and makes a change from the usual meat-and-salad combination! Plus, it´s a bit more warming on those cold, high-altitude nights.

Thirdly, I don´t think I´ve mentioned Empanadas before, but these are another Argentinian obsession. They´re pretty much pastries filled with carne (meat), pollo (chicken), verduras (vegetables), queso (cheese) or yep, you guessed it, llama! If nothing else, you can always be guaranteed to find empanadas on the menu at any eatery in the country! Not sure I could tell the difference between llama empanades and the normal carne, but maybe the blocked nose got in the way!

Speaking of, I´ve been sick for over a week now with a cold, hopefully not Swine Flu (which resulted in a month of holidays here in Salta and there are signs EVERYWHERE in Argentina about being hygenic etc). It was funny going to the Doc here, who thankfully did speak English. This is the first time I´ve been prescribed oxygen 3 times a day and Ivy leaf extract as part of my treatment! Anyway, I´m spending a few extra days in Salta to recuperate fully before returning to self-inflicted sickness at altitude. A good opportunity though to take some Spanish lessons and catch up on the blog and photos!!

Have finally managed to get the photos into photobucket, and have added the links in the sidebar on the right if you´re keen and want to check them all out! Otherwise, I´ll post them as slideshows over the next few days so they aren´t all in one chunk (many many photos!!).

Hasta la proxima!

¨...Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!¨

Ok, so the road trip continues...

To the rest of the world, it must seem a little strange that Britain and its derivitaves such as Australia drive on the left-hand side of the road. But we all know we´re the normal ones! So my first experience driving on the wrong side of the road certainly took some getting used to. For starters, my left hand had to learn to hold the wheel straight on its own, something which it´s apparently unaccustomed to doing - but, once I´d worked out that the door handle didn´t help to change gears and that windscreen wipers weren´t particularly good indicators, I think I got the hang of it pretty quickly (with a few reminders from the backseat on unlined roads and intersections!!).

I think we´ve travelled the equivalent of Melbourne to Sydney and back in the last few days, about 1600km anyway. But unlike the lovely, smooth, well-signed Hume Highway with its possum bridges, we´ve instead had to slow down for llama crossings and attempt to negotiate the unpredictable and often frustratingly illogical Argentinian road system, which is in dire need of some signage and repair. We´ve driven on anything from straight and loooong two lane paved roads, to corrugated gravel tracks, salt pans, and windy mountainous passes better suited to bike-widths than cars (or trucks for that matter...).

Particularly difficult to understand is what makes a stretch of road worthy of being sealed. I´m not sure how these decisions are made, but it makes no sense to me that you can be for example, driving along a seemingly main road between places that switches any number of times between gravel and sealed (if you can call it that when there are HUGE potholes to be avoided! But it has been nice to be in a car again on the open road, driving through fields of cacti backed by rugged mountain ranges, and being able to stop at leasure to take in the silence and stillness and snap photos of everything from the ever-changing landscapes to donkeys, llamas, goats, horses, cowboys and shephards.

Particularly nice was the stretch through the National Park de los Cardones. Though it didn´t feel like we were climbing that high, by the time we reached the highest point on the drive we were about 4000m above sea level. At the top there was a small church, and the most spectacular view across the sunshine drenched valley below. Breathtaking (literally)!

The way down took us back towards Salta, where there is a traintrack built unashamedly for touristic purposes that winds its way ¨a las nubes (to the clouds)¨ of the Andean plateau through the Quebrada del Toro, a spectacular journey and popular attraction. If only it were actually running once in a while! It has been closed for a few years, and in recent times has been sporadic at best but thankfully there is a road following close to the same route allowing you to experience the same spectacular scenery en route to the seen-better-days desert town of San Antonio de Los Cobres, 3700m above sea level. If you´re lucky like we were, you might even pass a film crew on the road with a poor girl wrapped in a towel in the freezing wind waiting for her cowboy to come along!

The piece de resistance of the train track is a bridge that extends between two mountains which seems incredibly high and narrow. If I hadn´t been flattened by altitude sickness, I could have appreciated this engineering masterpiece a little better, but as it where I could only manage to step out of the car for about 3 minutes to take a photo and go ¨wow¨. Altitude sickness sucks, let me tell you, and is not helped by having a cold at the same time! The headache is splitting, the nausea debilitating, and loss of appetite unhelpful. Thank goodness it is easily fixed by descent!

Now lastly today, a little request to everyone reading to make yourself known to me by leading the pack and becoming a follower! It´s been great getting all your messages and I´m so glad to hear everyone´s enjoying the blog so much, so it´d be great to have you following so I can keep track of who´s reading! Signing up is really easy, under followers click ´follow´ and ´create a google account´, type in your current email and password, and that´s it! This will also allow you to leave comments on the blog, or otherwise please continue to email/facebook me directly because it´s great to hear from everyone!

Once again I´ve well and truly filled a post, so llamas will have to wait for next time, as will the final part(s) of the drive and my latest experience with the Argentinian healthcare system.

Chau amigos!

The desert wilds

Hola amigos!

Feel like I haven´t written in a while, but I guess sometimes you need time to have the adventures before you can write about them!! And over the last week, there have been plenty of adventures! From getting kidnapped at the bus station by some crazy Europeans to suffering the effects of dizzying altitudes in the Argentinian highlands, the last few days have taken me through some of the most captivating scenery I´ve ever seen. I only hope I can do it justice in both describing and showing you (again, photos waiting on a computer capable of uploading them!)!!

It all started after a 24 hour bus ride from Iguazu (which will be a whole nother story in itself!), and me arriving somewhat dazed at the bus station in Salta, approached within minutes by some dude claiming to be my transfer to the hostel which I hadn´t arranged. As I was trying to work out whether he was trying to scam me for all I have (100 pesos and some dirty laundry at that stage!), I bumped into my friends from the football match in BA who were on their way to rent a car for the week and drive around some of the towns in the area. Sounded like a pretty good idea to me, as there is lots to see and tours are expensive, so cancelled my hostel and jumped straight in the car with them (hadn´t had enough driving for the day apparently!).

We were headed south to the town of Cafayate, along route 69 which snakes its way through the Quebrada de Cafayate, and some absolutely spectacular scenery. I´m a bit of a fan of arid landscapes, and this was definitely a dry place to be, but the changing colours, shapes and textures seemed to create a new picture-postcard opportunity at every turn. I think this would be a geologists paradise, but as I´m no expert on the subject my best description is that it looked like someone had taken to the place with a giant jackhammer. All the rock strata were poking out at strange angles and I´m sure all those colours etc tell of some interesting geological story as to how the place came to be, but that might be a job for google at another time.

Cafayate itself is quite bizarre, as having come through a seemingly dry and hostile landscape, you pop up in this small little town of adobe houses surrounded by vineyards in what is apparently one of Argentina´s best wine producing regions. We thankfully had a lovely hostel to stay in, with a Señora who was so friendly and motherly (and concerned we had hot water!) giving us kisses and god-bless-yous goodbye it made me want to stay more than just one night!

But alas, much more to see, and from Cafayate we went to Quilmes, some Inca ruins further south. I couldn´t get used to the contrast of the imposing, barren mountains as a backdrop for lush vineyards, but apparently it works! The ruins themselves were impressive, all stone walls reminiscent of Yorkshire fields that extended right up the mountain like an ampitheatre. Unfortunately the English translation in the booklets was absolutely impossible to understand so don´t really have any idea what it was about. As in any foreign country translations (or lost in translations) are quite hilarious here sometimes. The combination of words tends to make absolutely no sense, presumably plucked straight from the internet by someone with zero English. If I can find the brochure, I´ll put some extracts up for a laugh!

The drive on took us through more mountains and little villages (sometimes consisting only of a signpost. Or a donkey!). Unlike BA, the people here are much darker, and culturally they are worlds apart. This is apparently one of Argentina´s poorest regions, but even in mudbrick houses the small farming communities seem to work. The towns are pretty, clean and quite quaint, with immaculate plazas that suggest to me a level of pride amongst the very friendly people (that thankfully speak a little slower up here!) despite their lack of financial wealth. And, the adobe houses make for lovely photos in the setting sun!

So that is the first half of this week´s adventures I won´t push your reading limits. I will save the altitude stories and llama cuisine for next time.

Adios amigos!

Iguazu falls

I think there is something slightly magical about waterfalls, and the Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian and Brazilian border are absolutely no exception. People leave the place grinning like cheshire cats, and even the most tourist-attraction cynical traveller couldn´t help but be enchanted by Iguazu. I was a bit in this category and had very high expectations of these waterfalls, given that everytime they were mentioned you´d just see this glazed look come over people´s faces accompanied by a big sigh and something along the lines of ¨ooooooh Iguazu...¨, followed by glowing praise for how amazing it was.

I hadn´t actually planned on going there so soon, but figured it would actually probably work out better if I did. So, one 17 hr bus ride later (more on that later) I made it to Puerto Iguazu, and into what must be the most amazing hostel I´ve been in a while...if not ever. This place was fantastic, complete with swimming pool, Tango show and the best BBQ buffet and free caparainha cocktails!! And of course lots of nice people!

But back to the main attraction. Well I can definitely see how people end up raving about Iguazu, because it is absolutely an amazing spectacle. No point gushing about it here really, but what really struck me was the power of the water, in both volume and force. First we took a speedboat up the rapids and went under some of the falls (getting completely soaked of course, but it was a stunningly sunny day!). All up the river were eddies, whirlpools and currents and sometimes the boat was fighting to make it (or so it felt like). A little nerve wracking but I figured these guys do hundreds of these trips so must be experienced (unless I had the Learner...??!). What I noticed from here though was how loud it was!

Then from above, where you can walk right out and literally stand on the edge of the falls, you really can get a grasp on just how little chance you´d have if you got caught on the edge (a few kamikaze butterflies found this fate). It really puts the strength of nature into perspective when you can see millions of litres of water crashing down around you, with the spray reaching up into the sky to pretty much join the clouds. But standing there looking at it it really is mesmerizing, and as one of the girls I was with said it ¨puts you in your happy place¨.

So after a big day walking around and avoiding Kuwati attacks (¨no los toches!¨), back at the hostel that night we had a nice chillout by the pool and some more fantastic Argentinian BBQ. And I now know why the meat tastes so damn good. Driving across country I noticed paddocks full of steaks - I mean - cows, happily going about their business in lush, green, waterlogged pastures. No wonder their meet is so juicy tender!

Hasta pronto amigos! (and I will try and find a computer that uploads photos I´m sorry to be getting behind!!)

x Felicity

¨Don´t cry for me...

...Ar-gen-teeeeeee-na¨

Evita. Eva Peron. Wife of former president Juan Peron and an infamous Argentinian much loved by her country for her charity work and her support of women's rights. Even in death, Evita still has something of a celebrity status, and to find out a bit more about this interesting figure I went to a museum that is entirely devoted to her life and times. It even had english translations!, a timeline of her life, and displays of a few of her outfits. I guess she is to Argentina what Princess Di was to Britain.

What most people see of Evita here though, is her gravesite at the Recoletta cemetary, final resting place of the rich, famous and Argentinian elite. And it shows. Some of the "graves" here are more like miniature chapels, some even come close to small houses. A place up for sale will cost you a few hundred thousand dollars at least, depending on location location location (near the entrance is more expensive, near Evita they are having trouble selling)!

So I jumped on an English tour around the cemetary with a fantastically charismatic guide Francesca, who was not only very informative but also gave in insight into Argentinians themselves, such as how they believe that "god made a mistake and instead of putting Argentina in Europe he dropped us in the southern hemisphere accidentally".

The woman could talk, and for 2 and a half hours she took us around and told us a few of the fascinating stories behind some of the tombs, including the one of a young girl who was wrongly pronounced dead after an epileptic fit and buried alive. The family realised when her coffin was found on the floor of the tomb thing 3 days later as she'd obviously tried to get out.....

In comparison to some of the huge graves, Evita's was quite nondescript, in fact pretty understated considering her celebrity. Francesca told us the dirt on Evita and Peron though, so it seems that not all in Argentina "belong to the Evita fan club" as she says. Evita's body was actually missing for 25 years after her death, hidden in a cemetary in Milan. Franscesca said that "only in Argentina could this happen", and I can believe it!

Last fun in BA was the San Telmo market on Sunday. Went with a bunch of people from the hostel and wandered around. They were selling everything there you can imagine, you´ll see in the photos pocket watches, records, jewellery, soda bottles, nick nacks, collectables, cutlery and even gramaphones!! My personal favourite was the Spanish version of Help by ¨Los Beatles¨!

So that's it for now. Next up is the Iguaçu falls , let´s see how they measure up to Niagra!

A culinary tale

From one national obsession to another, let me tell you a bit about Argentinians and their eating habits, which can appear a little bizarre.

First of all, the timing for dining in Argentina is so late. Most restaurants are empty until at least 9 o´clock, and even at 11 you´ll see queues at the door to some places waiting to get a feed. Somehow though, this seems to work ok, and I seem to have adjusted to eating quite late relatively easily... although midnight after the soccer was potentially pushing my limits (I think my stomach was about to eat itself actually!).

One thing about this place is that wherever you go there seems to be the smell of Barbecue, so as an Aussie craving summer it makes me feel quite at home. But this is an important clue to another big part of Argentinian culture:

Meat.

Sorry veggos, but here? Don´t think they even know the meaning of the word. I was ordering pasta, asked if it was vegetarian and he said ¨Si, Si¨. Then explained to me that the ravioles have spinach and cheekin. Cheekin...cheekin...¨you mean chicken? Pollo?¨ (I was pleased that I had to confirm in Spanish!) It was delicious, but not quite vegetarian!

So it´s all about the meat, and in particular, the beef. It´s not uncommon to see women and men alike, sit down to a plate of steak for lunch (with maybe a lettuce leaf on the side if that). These people must have the best iron counts in the world! I saw a woman at the supermarket tonight, buying at least 15 trays of steak, accounting for at least 80% of her basket!

My two encounters with the good stuff have been quite as delicious as the smells would suggest. In La Boca, we had an amazing barbecue and my choice was a simple skewer. WELL! Turns out it was a supersized skewer. Three hunks of melt-in-your-mouth meet with capsicum and onion and delish relishy stuff which I can't pronounce. It was so enticing and I was so starving I didn't even get a photo, so you'll have to believe me!

And when I thought that was good, along came La Cabrera, or what must be the best restaurant in BsAs. This restaurant is in a lovely little neighbourhood called Palermo, which is full of quirky designer stores and lovely oldstyle houses. Had a great day wandering around and looking at all the great shops (a little Brunswick st- ish), and making notes of where to come back to!!

Anyway, the restaurant. I ordered the half portion steak but I´m not sure it made much difference because I swear they served up half a cow! It was so nicely presented on a big wooden board, with about a dozen little dishes of antipastos to accompany it, from pumpkin and mash to mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and whole garlic cloves.

It. Was. Amazing!

I could only get through half though there was so much food. Check out the photos-and the size of the steak knife!! Now having recieved what must be my yearly iron quota, all I need now is a good plate of veggies!

x Felicity

PS A note on photos. I have a link on the side to all the albums in my photobucket. If you go there you can see the pics not in slide show, and hopefully also see the comments under some. But will also keep posting the slideshows on the blog, so you have the choice how you want to view them!!