Monday 30 December 2013

The trip home

I arrived in Santiago at 10am, twenty-two hours after leaving Bariloche feeling a bit haggard. Only to discover that the bus dropped me off at a different terminal than the one I had expected. When I asked the taxi drivers at the terminal to take me to the Central Bus Terminal they looked at me blankly. I tried to explain as best as I could in Spanish that I wanted to go to the terminal where the airport buses leave from. The taxi drivers refused saying that it was just around the corner but that they could take me to the airport. I tried to explain that I wanted to go to the bus terminal as they had a place to store luggage as my flight home was not leaving until 11.20pm that night. But again they just looked at me blankly and refused to take me anywhere. This was a bit awkward as I had my bicycle box and backpack each weighing 23kg, plus two carry bags. I ended up dragging my bicycle box a couple of blocks down the street asking passers-by who kept saying the terminal was just a block away. I asked a couple more taxi drivers and they also refused to take me. I finally discovered that there was an airport bus stop several blocks away but not the bus terminal. Luckily I was rescued by the Lonely Planet Guide: South America on a Shoestring which I had on my Kindle. I discovered that there are in fact four bus terminals in Santiago. It took a while but I finally figured out the one I wanted to go to. This was a big help when I hailed down the next taxi driver who not only agreed to take me but managed to squeeze my bike box in the back seat which was not easy. Ten minutes later I was much relieved to find myself at the right bus terminal and was finally able to put my luggage into storage for the day

Miraculously I managed to meet up with my friend Maria Celia which involved a telephone conversation in Spanish which is no easy task when you are not fluent. I met Maria Celia when I first arrived in South America back in September when I had taken the bus to get to Bariloche. She had been very patient and spoke me even though my Spanish was very limited and even took me to her parents home in Osorno for breakfast during the five hour wait for my bus to get across the border to Argentina. Maria Celia wants to be a photographer and moved to Santiago earlier in the year to do a course. Although right now she is working ten hour days at one of the stalls at the Artesanal (traditional craft) Market. One thing you notice here is that people work very long hours for low pay. In Bolivia and Peru it was not uncommon to see a person sleeping at their stall in the market.

Maria Celia and me in Santiago. 

As Maria Celia was working I went and checked out the National History Museum but was exhausted after an hour not helped by the fact I had to read all the information in Spanish. It was also a stinking hot day and I was sweating profusely with no prospect of a shower until I got home to NZ. So after having a short nap in the park and saying goodbye to Maria Celia I headed off to the airport feeling ready to come home.

On reflection I would not describe my holiday as relaxing. In fact at times it was quite stressful and often tiring. It was however challenging, interesting and lots of fun. I met some really nice people along the way some of whom I hope will visit me in NZ. I also learned to speak a little more Spanish. Although my biggest disappointment is that I don't speak and understand Spanish better. But I would need at least another six months for that ……. if only!?

 - The End - 





Sunday 29 December 2013

Christmas in Bariloche

I spent Christmas here in Bariloche with my friends Carina and Mark and their family and friends. Celebrations here begin on the 24th. We started the day by getting up at 5am to hike up Cerro (Mt) Villegas which is a small mountain behind Mark and Carina´s house. Four adults and one eight year old made it to the top where we were lucky enough to see two condors flying around the mountain. We also had great views of Nauhel Huapi Lake. Bariloche and the surrounding mountains. The weather was perfect with no wind and we were back home in time for lunch.

On the summit of Cerro Villegas. From left to right; Me, Theo, Carina and Mark

There were eleven of us at the house on the 24th as Manuela also joined us in the evening to celebrate Christmas. In Argentina it is the norm to have dinner very late at around 9 or 10pm. Something I still find hard to get used to. On Christmas Eve we ate homemade pizzas at about 10.30pm and were ready to go to bed but we waited up to midnight to open the presents. My present was a Mate (pronounced mah-te) gourd and a metal straw which you use to drink Yerba Mate which is the national drink in Argentina.  It is traditionally drunk with family or friends. Instead of having a cup of coffee or tea you share a mate. The same gourd and straw is passed around everyone and after each person has had a drink it is refilled with hot water from a thermos. Argentinians are so passionate about this drink that you see them carrying around their thermos and mate gourds everywhere.

After having almost a month of very hot perfect weather Christmas day turned out to be very windy and with cooler temperatures. These were not ideal conditions for the traditional Argentine Parrilla (BBQ) Mark and Carina hosted. But undeterred they successfully cooked a whole lamb over a fire  which took about five hours. I was well catered for as I made vegetarian patties and also had BBQ eggplant and cheese - yum! There were sixteen of us at the BBQ and it was a good opportunity to practice my Spanish. Although I did have to take a two hour siesta in the afternoon to recover from the late night before. 

In Argentina Christmas celebrations begin on Christmas Eve. We opened the presents at midnight. From left to right; Manuela, Mark and Emily
 The perfect present to keep both adults and children entertained. This was Mark´s present from his sister.






Traditional Argentine Parilla (BBQ) on Christmas Day. 
Mark and Carina´s family and Mark´s sister´s family giving a performance of E Te Ariki to everyone at the BBQ. They had performed this song earlier in the day at church. Back Row (left to right); Emily, Melissa, Eric and Emma, Carina. Front Row; Mateo, Mark, Elisa, Theo. 

Me drinking Mate
 On December 27 I had to say goodbye and catch the bus back to Santiago to return home. I have really enjoyed my month in Bariloche. Carina and Mark have been amazing and it was fantastic to finally be able to visit them and experience life in Argentina. Mark´s sister´s family from NZ was also visiting at the same time and staying in the house so there were five adults and five children altogether. Yet it all seemed to work as everyone was busy just enjoying being on holiday except for Carina and Mark who still had to work. I was also lucky to meet Manuela who was an excellent companion at the Spanish school and to go hiking with.






Tuesday 24 December 2013

Me encanta Bariloche

I am spending my last month in South America in San Carlos de Bariloche. This small city (population just over 100,000) is located next to the Andes, and the city is actually built within Nahuel Huapi National Park. It promotes itself as an adventure capital with trekking, rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, fishing, mountain biking, ski-ing and much more on offer. It also has a lot of other not so healthy temptations like home-made chocolate and ice-creams, and bakery's with pastries to die for. Alongside meat -especially BBQ steak - Dulce de Leche (caramel milk) is part of the national diet in Argentina. I am staying here with my friends Carina and Mark and they buy it in 10kg containers! It is amazing that there are not more obese people in this country.

All the locals say this is the best chocolate shop in Bariloche so of course I had to try it out

Mark, Carina and their two children live in Dina Huapi which is a small suburb 15km out from Bariloche. Mark's sister, her husband and their three children are also visiting from New Zealand so there are 10 of us in the house. I am sleeping in Carina's workroom where she has her knitting and sewing machines. I have the dog and sometimes the cat for company at night time.


Carina, Me and Mark at a party to celebrate the two year anniversary of the opening of  Spanish school I attended for two weeks in Bariloche

I spent my first two weeks in Bariloche at Academia Bariloche to learn some more Spanish. Which I have to confess is still dismal. At the school there was only one other pupil in my class, Manuela from Switzerland. Luckily for me she is keen on tramping and mountaineering. She has also visited NZ twice. Every weekend the two of us have organised to go out tramping in the mountains that surround us here.

Me and my Spanish teacher Graziela


View from Cerro Campanario - The school organised a walk to this popular lookout. Our guide, Warren from NZ, claimed that National Geographic voted this view as one of the best in the world.

For our first tramp Manuela and I caught a local bus to the main ski-field near here called Caterdral. We walked to Refugio Frey (these are huts where you can sleep, and even buy meals and drinks) and over a pass with some snow still on it, to the next valley where we camped. Once we passed the Refugio we barely saw any other people in the hills. We slept in Manuela's tent which was so spacious it felt like a palace after my small Macpac one person microlight. The downside of having such spacious accommodation was that her is more than twice as heavy as mine to carry at 3.5 kilo's.

Me at Refugio Frey
Lake beside Refugio Frey

The next day we walked over another pass and managed to lose the track going down a steep scree slope. So we ended up having to do a bit of a bush bash to find it again which did not impress Manuela very much. On this trip we noticed there was a lot of bamboo growing in the valleys. Carina told me this is not native here but  seems to be taking over the forest in places. Last year the bamboo flowered which happens once every 70 years or so. This is very hazardous as the pollen is poisonous to humans. We also encountered  tábanos (horse flies) for the first time. They buzz around you while you are walking and every so often they bite you. Fortunately for me they seemed to prefer Manuela so I did not get quite so many bites. Putting on insect repellent does not seem to deter them.

Walking up to the pass

Protest action by nurses that I came across in Bariloche on my way to catch the bus to El Bolsón demanding higher wages.

For our second trip in the mountains we caught the bus to El Bolsón which is two hours south of here and did a three day hike to Heilo Azul (Blue Ice) Glacier and Cajon Azul (Blue Canyon). It was extremely hot and the  tábanos were out in force. During the tramp we had to cross some very interesting swing bridges with wooden slats that were either missing, loose or had big holes in them. When we crossed these bridges I was not fully confident we would make it to the other side they were so dodgy. The good news is new bridges are being built. They just weren't completed yet. I had wanted to climb one of the peaks in the park, Barda Negra, which overlooks the Heilo Azul Glaicer but there was too much snow and we did not have ice axes. So we had to content ourselves with only going as far as the glacial lake. We have discovered that Club Andino can not be relied on for giving out accurate information as they told us we did not need ice axes. 


Campsite at Hielo Azul. Manuela´s "palace" in the background


Glacier and lake at Hielo Azul. One hour walk up from campground

One of the swing bridges we had to cross in Hielo Azul

 The day after returning from El Bolsón I finally took my bike out of it's box and assembled it. I had left it at Carina and Mark's house during my earlier travels. At 2.30pm that afternoon I set off to bike the Siete Lagos (Seven Lakes). I planned to do an ambitious 270km in two and a half days with almost half the route on gravel roads. The problem was I thought I could just jump on my bike and do what I was doing three months ago. Plus I had also forgotten how sore my backside could get. Strange how only a few months can dull painful memories. During the trip I was walking my bike up hills I could have easily cycled a few months ago. As for the sore backside there was no cure for that! But even the downhills were hard work and I often had to pedal hard to keep moving forward instead of enjoying coasting down as you normally would do. The fact that my bike also desperately needs some new parts and a tune up, the gears kept slipping when I was riding, did not help things.

On my first day I biked 70km to Confluencia and up to Paso de Cordoba. As it was almost dark by this time I just set up my tent on the pass beside the lookout platform. Although I am sure I was not meant to be camping there. Although my camping spot was a little cramped and looked to be a popular toilet spot judging from the amount of toilet paper sticking out of the dirt, I did have great views of the sunrise the next morning. 

As I had no water supply on the pass and had run out of water I had to bike for an hour to find some before I could have my breakfast. The valley here is very pretty with lots of interesting rock formations including one called The Finger of God. While one side of the road borders Lanin National Park I was surprised to find that most of the land was private land even in the designated National Park area. I reached my first lake, Lago Meliquina, by lunchtime. There is a small village here so I bought myself a beer to have with lunch by the lakeside. It was very peaceful and deserted by the lake until a family drove up and plonked themselves down beside me despite the fact that the lake shore was extensive.  I was not impressed so I moved on and stopped further around the lake to have a swim as it was boiling hot by this time. Despite the temperature the water was freezing. By early afternoon I had reached the road which is the main tourist route for the Seven Lakes. Although even here some of the route is gravel. Although it is in the process of being upgraded to tarseal. When I finally did reach the new tarsealed section hours later it had lovely wide side margins for cyclists. 

I finally found a place to camp by a river just as it was getting dark having clocked up about 110km. The next day I biked to Valle de Angostura which is a quaint little town which lives off selling artesenal (hand crafted) souvenirs to tourists and overpriced food and drinks. The last 62km back to Dina Haupi was on a much busy road with lots of trucks and buses whizzing by and no nice tarsealed cycle lane only gravel on the road margins. Most of the vehicles were very considerate but a few trucks and buses came a little too close for comfort. I arrived back at Carina and Mark's place tired and dusty and relieved to have made it. 


Sunrise from my campsite at Cordoba Pass


Lago Meliquina

The day after I got back from my bike ride I headed off again to go tramping with Manuela. There is just so    much to do here and just not enough time so I have to make the most of every day. During the week while I had been out on my bike Manuela had faced a grilling from both Club Andino and the National Park office about our intentions when she went to get information about doing another tramp in the mountains here in Bariloche. She was told that the route we wanted to do was very steep and dangerous. The woman at the National Park Office told Mauela there was lots of snow and avalanches and that we should not go. We were surprised to hear this as we understood it was a tracked route and it has been so hot here the snow has been melting like crazy. Thankfully Manuela stood up to both Club Andino and the National Park Office and told them we were going anyway. We had to get "special" permission and sign a form absolving the national park of any responsibility if we had an accident etc. I hired ice axes for us and met Manuela midday on Friday to catch the bus to the start of the track. We walked up 800m to Refugio Lopez were we camped. From the Refugio we could see there was hardly any snow. When we talked to the hut warden about our intentions for the next day. He was very relaxed and said that not only was the route not difficult (in fact there was a well marked trail) it was also not necessary to carry ice axes as the snow had melted. He said that the woman in the national park office did not know what she was talking about.

The next day we woke up to another beautiful day and walked up to the pass. Since we had ice axes we used them to go up a steep snow slope but we could have easily avoided the snow and gone up the rocks. At the top we had fantastic views of Mt Tronador which at 3470 metres is by far the highest mountain in the area and lies right on the border between Argentina and Chile. Behind Mt Tronador we could see several volcanoes across the border in Chile. We had a steep descent down a scree slope to a basin and then up over another pass to Lago Negra where there is another Refugio. We camped here and walked out to Colonial Suiza which is a tiny village which was colonised by the Swiss in the early 1900's.

Refugio Lopez

Refugio Lopez and Lago Nauhel Haupi in the background. Bariloche and  Dina Huapi are situated on this shores of this lake


Me on top of the pass with Mt Tronador in the background
..
Manuela crossing another dodgy bridge

I love it here in Bariloche there is so much to do and see in the outdoors and it is all easily accessible. But it´s not all paradise. The dust here is unavoidable and it covers everything. It's impossible to even keep the houses dust free. This is not helped by the fact that all the roads in Dina Huapi are dirt roads and even in Bariloche once you get out of the city center it is the same. This is not uncommon in South America. Also the  tábanos which come out in summer are a menace and can spoil ones enjoyment when out hiking. The heat is intense at times but the weather has been amazing and hardly any wind. It really is an outdoor lovers paradise.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Patagonia

I arrived in El Chalten November 19. The next day I crossed the border into Chile to go tramping in Torres del Paine National Park.

Two months ago my thighs felt like steel after nine weeks on a bicycle. Well it does not take long to lose all that fitness. So I was a bit worried about how the body would hold up tramping in Patagonia. One would of course assume I would be sensible and break myself in gently. And for the first day I did only walk for about 5-6 hours! However to complete the circuit in the time I had available required 10 to 11 hour days. So you could almost call my first day a "rest day"? In fact I ended up taking an extra day and extending the trip to 6 days as my legs and feet were complaining so bitterly by the end. Normally people take 7-9 days to complete this tramp. But I have to say it was worth the effort.

Torres del Paine is a tourist trail which means there are lots of trampers here. Most people only do half the circuit around the mountain which they call the "W" because that is the shape of the track which consists of two side trips up the valleys. One of the side trips is to the lake at the base of Las Torres (The Towers) which have become the iconic symbol of the park. On the first day I met Lauri from the United States. She had just finished working in Jujuy (Northern Argentina) for eight months teaching English. She also speaks Spanish and let me practise my bad Spanish with her. As she was keen to get up early the next morning to see the sunrise over Las Torres I agreed to wake her up at 4am so we could walk up to the lake together. The next morning we arrived at the base of Las Torres at 5.30am along with many other keen trampers in time for the sunrise. But despite all our effort there was none to be seen as the clouds remained steadfast and blocked out all signs of the sun.


Me with the Las Torres in the background



Initially I planned to only do the W circuit as I did not think I had enough time or was fit enough to do the whole circuit around the mountain. As a result I did not take enough food for the full circuit. But when I got to the campground before the highest pass and saw there was a shop beside the Refugio (lodge) there I stocked up with more provisions at grossly inflated prices. As I realised I would not be content to only see part of the national park.

The next day I headed off to John Garner Pass and had  fantastic views of Lago Grey and Glacier Gray. As I got nearer the glacier the temperature plummeted and it was even snowing at times. The lake had ice bergs floating in it. Glacier Grey is massive. In fact it is not possible to see all of the glacier because it is so large. The trip over the pass was cold and windy. It was not a place to admire the view for too long. There was some snow on the pass but otherwise it was a very straightforward slog.

I was surprised at the amount of infrastructure on the tramp. A good chunk of the walk is actually through private land and the Refugios are privately owned. The supplies for the Refugios are brought in by horse or boat. You can even do the entire tramp without carrying a tent, sleeping bag or even food, except for your lunch, as the Refugios provide all this. But it does not come cheap. Some of the campsites are free if you have your own tent and others you have to pay for. You have to get a special permit to go off route climbing in the park. 

The scenery and forest reminded me a little of New Zealand although the mountains are more dramatic with the granite towers dominating the landscape. The forest is mostly Beach trees but they are not the same as the Beach trees back home. There are even shrubs that have flowers that look like Rata but they are different too.


Beech forest in Torres del Paine

View of Glacier Grey from John Garner Pass


I camped here at Dickson campground after going over the pass

I was extremely lucky with the weather. The area is famous for its strong winds. I even managed to avoid the rain which came the night I left the park when I was safely sleeping in a hostel in Puerto Natales. This is the town in Chile where you catch the bus to and from Torres del Paine National Park.

The next day I went to catch my bus back to Argentina only to find that it was delayed due to strike action. Public Service Workers across the country had been on strike for several days to demand higher wages. As a result, the airports and border crossing in Chile were all closed. These actions were not reported in the media and it was only the next day when I met a Chilean guide with a large group of German tourists that I was able to find out what was really happening. She explained that the workers were taking advantage of the fact that there are  upcoming elections here to put pressure on the government to accede to their demands.

After waiting several hours wait at the bus terminal we were told the border was opening so we all jumped on the bus only to be stopped at the border and turned back. As a result I spent another night in Puerto Natales. The next day the bus did pass through the border which was opened for only an hour during the day due to the ongoing strike action.

My next stop was El Chaltén to go tramping for two days in Los Glacaires National Park, Argentina. This is home  to Cerro (Mt) Fitz Roy which is the highest mountain in the area at 3359m. This place is a mecca for climbers as Fitz Roy is considered to be very technically challenging. Plus the wind and changeable weather add to its difficulties. As for me, I just went to admire the mountain from a distance. While I was here I saw a condor and some eagles.

Again I had fantastic weather with rain forecast for the day I left to take the bus to Bariloche to visit my friends Mark and Carina and go back to school to learn Spanish. The bus trip, which took 26 hours, takes you through the Pampas of southern Argentina and then back into the mountains that border Chile and Argentina as you get closer to Bariloche. There was virtually no traffic on the route as a lot of the trip is on gravel roads (Ruta 40). The route is in the process of being tarsealed but it looks like this project is going to take many years to complete. For most of the journey I had a travelling companion, Facundo. Despite the fact that Facundo does not speak English and I have limited Spanish we managed to converse for many hours in Spanish with the help of a dictionary. It was comical but good practise for me. Due to the state of the road the bus travelled so slowly that I was over two hours late, arriving at 8am in Bariloche. As I was due to start my Spanish classes at 9am that morning I had to go straight to school feeling a bit tired and very smelly!




(Mount) CerroFitz Roy - the highest mountain in Patagonia





Tuesday 3 December 2013

Northern Argentina and Iguazu Falls

After the disaster with my Mum´s flights home I convinced her to keep travelling and complete the trip. As long as we stayed at low altitudes we were told that she would improve. However it took another week before she really recovered.

We left Santa Cruz and caught the first bus south to the Argentinian border. We stopped overnight in Camiri which was notable only for its overpriced accommodation and bad food. This was surprising as we were now well and truly off the "tourist trail". The next day we crossed the border at Yacuba into Argentina.

As we were now behind schedule so we only had two days to explore the Quebrada de Humahuaca in Northern Argentina near the border with Bolivia. This area is famous for it´s desert landscapes, beautiful coloured rocks and salt flats. Sue who was still not feeling well and just wanted to sleep most of the time went on to Salta on the second day while I went to visit Pumamarca  to see the Cerro de Siete Colores (Rocks of Seven Colours). I dutifully gave Sue the name of some hostels to stay at in Salta and promised to meet her there that night. When I arrived in Salta I found Sue happily ensconced in a very posh hotel. When I questioned her about this she said that the hostels had either been full or did not exist. Over a beer later that night we were able to laugh about the fact that she had just spent the equivalent of at least five nights accommodation for the both of us using our precious US dollars. Despite this extravagance even I had to admit it was good to enjoy a bit of luxury. I spent half the night using the hotels guest computer and the next day ate as much as I could stuff myself with at the "free" breakfast and even enjoyed a swim in the pool.

Salta is not much larger than Christchurch yet it is a very lively and bustling city with lovely old Spanish buildings and church´s especially around the central square. Unfortunately we only had one day to explore the city before taking a 21 hour bus trip to Iguazu Falls.

The town of Pumamarca - Cerro de Siete Colores (rocks of seven colours) in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
Humahuaca in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. We spent a night in a town near here.


Iguazu Falls: I never thought if would be possible to spend two days looking at waterfalls but that is what we did. And they were amazing. The first day we took a bus over the border to get a view from the Brazilian side. This gives you the grand view of all the falls which are on the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraquay. The falls are divided by numerous small islands which span 2.7-kilometers (1.7 miles). The falls are as high as 82 meters in places (269 feet) and there can be as many as 300 waterfalls depending on the water level. The most spectacular waterfall is called the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo). About half the river´s flow goes through Devil´s Throat waterfall.

Iguazu Falls - View from the Brazilian side


We visited the Parque de Aves in Brazil where we got to see many amazing and colourful parrots and other birds including some that have been rescued from mistreatment. These Toucans are so friendly that they come up to you and act like they are asking you to take their photo.

On day two we visited the Argentinian side of the falls which gives you a closer view. I also took a boat ride on the river which mostly consisted of getting very wet under the waterfalls. It is very hot and humid here so it was nice to at least take a shower!

View of Iguazu Falls from the river

The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo)

Form Iguazu we took a 24 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires.We had been told lots of stories about people having their bags, wallets and cameras stolen. Apparently a common trick is to spray your trousers with something and then pretend to help you. Luckily we did not encounter any problems. We stayed at the not very posh Hotel Victoria where we meet Erik from Norway. Erik is mad on tango and has been coming to Buenos Aires for about 15 years to take dancing lessons. Erik very kindly offered to take us to a Sunday market - La Feria de Mataderos, in one of the outlying suburbs of Buenos Aires which not too many tourists know about. There we spent the day listening to music and watching locals who go there to dance the traditional dances. These were not performances but a place to go and participate. Although there were plenty of spectators too and it was fun to watch as many of the dancers were very good and were clearly enjoying themselves. That evening Erik took us to a club where we again watched locals dance tango.There were also several musical performances as well which included this crazy and very modern performance by three young women with violins and a piano which was excellent.

Erik (our Norwegian guide in Buenos Aires) eating lunch at our hotel in Buenos Aires

Locals dancing at the market day.

I have never seen ponies this small. Children can go for rides on them for a small fee. Usually they also have a horse race down the street but this day it was too hot to have the race.

As we only had two and a half days in Buenos Aires we decided to maximise our time by going on a Free Walking Tour. In fact it is not free as you are expected to tip the guide. Our guide pointed out that Buenos Aires used to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world in the late 1800´s which is when many of the historic buildings and mansions were built. The city is in fact an eclectic mix of many different architectural styles reflecting the diversity of immigration to the city - from different parts of Europe to Jewish synagogues mixed with the more modern buildings of today.

Our guide also showed us the monument built to commemorate those who died in the Malvinas War in 1982. This monument is built facing the clock tower that was donated by the British for Argentina´s centenary celebrations after winning independence from Spain. Young Argentinians, like our guide, say that while the Malvinas Islands are Argentinian not British it was not, and is not, worth going to war over. In the Malvinas war mostly teenager conscripts with little training, and poorly equiped were sent to the islands where they were forced to fight against the British army. 237 of them died. As a result of this military disaster there were large protests against the military dictatorship in Argentina which hastened its downfall.


An example of the different architectural styles in Buenos Aires

Modern Buenos Aires. This area used to be the original port which has been redeveloped. People who live in Buenos Aires are called Porteños (people of the port

Our last stop on the tour was at the Recoleta cemetery. I have never seen anything like it. It is huge with streets with buildings or small chapels to hold the coffins of the rich and famous here.

Sue at the Recoleta Cemetary

Our guide also confirmed what other Argentinians we met and know have told us about the two currency rates here. The government in a bid to defend its currency has set an official rate for the peso. Ít is not possible to buy US dollars and even for Argentinians they have made if very difficult to change peso´s into US dollars. Argentinians have to apply to a government department and give a reason why they need US dollars e.g you are travelling to the US. The government then decides how many dollars you can buy if they approve your application. As a result of these measures there is a thriving blackmarket here in US dollars which offers an exchange rate almost double the official rate. This is largely driven by wealthy Argentinians and businesses who do not trust the peso and so want to have dollars which they perceive as a more secure and stable currency. Argentinians here including our guide recommend publicly that everyone change their money on the blackmarket describing the government's actions as theft because they are artificially overvaluing the peso. As a result the blackmarket operates quite openly here.

Two days is not really enough to do Buenos Aires justice but we managed to get a little of the flavour of the place. Fortunately for Sue the travel agent was able to get her back on her original flights back home to New Zealand two days before she was due to leave. She left Buenos Aires on Novemeber 19 and I flew to El Calafate in Patagonia (Southern Argentina) the same day to go tramping in Torres del Paine and Fitzroy.