February 2012
17 posts
11 tags
Swimming in Empanadas
-Day 24-
Mora Hostel’s pastries were scrumdiddlyumptious. Under the bow of Ian’s raised eyebrow, I demolished five in quick succession, fuelling up for a day of relaxation at the Cacheuta natural spring spa. Then realised I’d peaked too early, when they brought out the duche de leche crepes, oops.
Our exuberant and rather toothless bus driver gave what we assumed was an...
9 tags
The Importance of Being Idle
- Day 23 -
It’s amazing how although you’ve not done something for years, you can miss it. These were my idle thoughts as we lazily stretched out on terrace overlooking the regatta lake in General San Martin park, sipping a shandy in the hot afternoon sunshine, catching up on our blogs and watching crews warm up in their boats. It’s fair to say that our last few weeks have not...
12 tags
The Grapes of Wrath
-Day 22-
Hellooo, after many years of a long distance love affair, I am so pleased to finally meet you Mendoza. We have at last arrived at holy grail of the bottle. Ian and I, and several girlfriends back home (you know who you are!) should be proud to hear we are largely responsible for keeping Argentina as the 5th largest wine producer in the world.
Not that you’d have known I was...
11 tags
A Tale of Bags & Buses
- Day 21 -
One of the pleasures of spending 3 or 4 days in a city is that you get to backtrack and reexamine the areas you’re already covered and ticked off the “Must See” list. Having hit San Telmo on our first day for the market, I thought as it was our last day and our Hostel’s neighbourhood, we should have a mooch and check out the streets we missed due to the crowds,...
12 tags
Don't rain for me, Argentina
- Day 20 -
There’s nothing like powering up on boiled eggs for a day at the cemetery.
Graves are weird things. On the one hand they are objects which allow the deceased to retain a physical presence in the living world and provide a focal point for loved ones to visit and grieve. But on the other hand, graves are equally temporal as life. They too will crumble and return to dust, and...
13 tags
A Taste for Buenos Aires
- Day 19 -
As you may have noticed, Cass and I have not been maintaining the rigorous backpacker moneysaving discipline of cooking our own pasta in the hostel, before venturing out. In fact we freely admit we are what some call flashpackers. Many of our best travel experiences have been enjoyed over a great meal, and thankfully Buenos Aires has plenty of restaurants on offer.
On a blisteringly...
15 tags
Supersize me (in Buenos Aires)
-Day 18-
Nobody told us that we were meant to get a Uruguayan “entry stamp” in our passports. Nobody told us that we would incur a fat fine for not having said stamp, or where one might acquire one of these illusive stamps. Even Lonely Planet failed to mention this mildly crucial point. And we weren’t the only ones. A special queue of other ignorant English speakers stacked up...
9 tags
Colonia's Ironman and Double Cheese
- Day 17 -
After a trendy psychedelic private bedroom in Montevideo, the conversion to a shared mixed dorm of 5 in Colonia didn’t initially endear the town to Cass. However we were won over by the charm, even if somewhat contrived nature, of the port.
The day had started with our usual hasty planning for the next 4 days, sorting out our accommodation and transport. Taking a local bus we...
14 tags
Meat market in Montevideo
-Day 16-
Goodbye chi-chi Punta, hello Montevideo! For a short two hour bus journey costing about £4 each, we were overly chuffed to discover that the bus had free WIFI! Back home, a few hours in an internet cafe would cost the same as the bus journey itself!
After some to-ing and fro-ing, a local bus and a lot of help, we found our hostel El Viajero at the top of some very, very steep stairs....
7 tags
Este de Eden
- Day 15 -
Those we had met in Punta del Diablo had warned us off Punta del Este; “it’s overly developed, expensive and far too commercial”. Cass and I have always enjoyed contrast though, mixing London’s city refinements with weekend country simplicities; both offering their attractions and giving balance.
Our 5:30am taxi from the hostel to the bus shack to make our...
9 tags
Gaucho del Diablo
-Day 14-
The powers above must be having a laugh, as we opened our eyes to a second day of grey skies and drizzle. Perhaps this was a cursory little reminder of home (or why we left in the first place!) Or, perhaps this is why they call it Punta del DIABLO? Though that could be more to do with the fact dead turtles, fish and chickens continually wash up on shore? Very odd, either way.
So when...
9 tags
Devilish Delights
- Day 13 -
After criss-crossing the avenue that marks the border of Chui/Chuy between Brazil and Uruguay in order to withdraw Reals and then exchange them for Pesoes, we jumped out of one frying pan into another’s eponymous fire – Punta Del Diablo. The sleepy Uruguayan fishing town had been recommended for it’s surf, and so after another hour bus ride through completely flat grass land, tended by...
14 tags
Bordering on strange
-Day 12-
After a decidedly well prepared first week, travel pre-arranged and hotel stays generously given to us for Christmas by our parents (thank you!) there still seem to be Brazil shaped holes appearing in our pockets?
While we’re not being lavish (we are after all continually pilfering ham & cheese sarnies), there are ‘standards’ to which ‘one’ has become...
12 tags
Prawn Surprise
-Day 11-
The biggest learning curve of this trip so far for me, has been adapting to playing things by ear. Or at least, attempting to do so a little more graciously.
As those of you who know me well will agree, if I had a fifth middle name, it would probably be “The Organiser”. I just can’t help myself (although I won’t take all the credit, it is a quality mirrored in Mr...
9 tags
Florence-opolis
-Day 10-
Florianopolis (or Floripa to the locals) and the attached island of Santa Catarina delivered another wealth of experiences. Famed for its stretches of untouched beaches and consistent surf breaks, Cass and I were a little surprised at how built up the island is. As we sped along the main highway in a taxi close to midnight after a killer 14 hour bus ride, we navigated the driver to our...
11 tags
Brazilian graphic design crime
-Day 9-
I spent some time absorbing and admiring sharp design and clever billboard advertising in both Rio and Sao Paulo, including a particularly good billboard on Ipanema beach that sprayed sunscreen when you walked by. It just goes to show that exceptional creative ideas really shine through when they’re able to communicate to just about anyone (though any copywriting prowess was totally...
8 tags
A Long Day in Sampa
-Day 8-
The grey overcast morning light and torrential rain was an unwelcome eye opener in South America’s largest metropolis; at 4:30 am, few bus terminals in the world would claim to entreat you to explore their city. However, after soaking up the tropical heat and lush natural surroundings of Ilha Grande and Paraty, Sao Paulo’s urban sprawl, combined with a groggy head, felt like a...
