South America - Argentina & Chile, April 2010

 

¡Hola!

 

¿Cómo estás? OK, that´s pretty much the extent of my Spanish knowledge so far! I survived my 20 hour beginner crash course in Buenos Aires, which was very scary at times but super useful for ‘the basics’. But as soon as someone speaks to me in Spanish - mind blank! No entiendo!! Argentina has been easy to travel around and many people speak English. Once I hit Bolivia, Peru and Columbia, I´ll be forced to improvise or learn the lingo! I´ll just wing it in Brazil (Portuguese) during my final fortnight!

  

Everything has gone smoothly so far, which means I don´t have any crazy stories of near death experiences, thefts, muggings, etc! I was a little stranded one day and had to hitch-hike a couple of times across the border into Chile - no bother! Argentina is pretty safe, but the next few months will be more challenging in terms of scams and pitfalls for the ‘gringo’.

 

Some highlights…

Iguazu Falls - probably the best waterfalls in the world - incredible!

Torres del Paine National Park - stunning and full of surprises (wasn´t expecting massive icebergs!)

Ushuaia - couldn´t resist a minor detour to the southernmost city in the world, also known as ‘The End of the World’. 

Puerto Moreno Glacier - massive, and a cool experience watching huge pieces falling off and crashing down into the water.

El Chalten - enjoyed a day´s hiking in a winter wonderland.

Bariloche - wins the battle for favorite place in Argentina! I had 5 clear blue sky days to explore the gorgeous lakes and mountains by foot, bicycle and chairlift (only once, down the way; I´m not getting lazy on my holidays yet). Pudu Hostel was excellent for cheap home brewed beer, friendly Irish owners and dog, and fresh scones every morning; can´t beat the taste of home! 

 

I´m in Mendoza now, Argentina´s number 1 wine region. Tomorrow I will do Mr Hugo´s self guided cycle tour of the vineyards, followed by free wine back at Mr Hugo´s place! Lots of gringos have been raving about it, and it should be a laugh. On Wednesday I´ll catch a 26 hour bus to the Bolivian border, so if all goes well I´ll be sleeping in Tupiza, Bolivia on Thursday night!