Animal Magic

We spent quite a few days in and around Puerto Madryn, on the east coast of Argentina in Patagonia.  It´s an amazing place for having such a high degree of animal watching opportunities in proximity.  For this reason, it definitely gets a Silver Llama award.  The town itself was also really nice.

Here we are all dressed up about to go on a whale watching trip, to see Southern Right Whales.  Which indeed we did, as illustrated below.

We actually saw quiet a few whales, including a mother and baby, but they were quite hard to capture properly on camera, and this is about as good as it gets.  But it was a most enjoyable trip.






I think one of my favourite animals of all was the Armadillo, which I´ve never seen before.  They scurry around in a rather charming manner before burying themselves away in a network of tunnels.  I was really quite fascinated by them.

On the same trip we also went to see Elephant Seals -if you look closely on this photo on the left, you can see them in the background.  They spend hours just lying on the beach, looking very much as if they are dead.  A trip the next day enabled us to see them at much closer quarters, we were walking on the beach right by them.  They did mostly still appear comotose, but occasionally there was some activity, as captured in the photo on the right.  It was amazing being so close to them, the grown males are absolutely ginormous.

The final trip we went on was to Punto Tombo,to see the penguins.  I absolutely loved this, there were penguins everywhere, nesting, and waddling to and from the sea on their five-day fishing trips to feed their mates.  The males and females take it in turns to sit on the eggs and go fishing, very equitable.

Cordoba and around

After Mendoza, we had a brief stop in Cordoba, a lovely University city with an old colonial centre.  There were some great bars and restaurants and we had a most splendid time.  There was also a really cool market in the student district, which Lonely Planet describes as the best in Argentina.  Not sure about that, but even Chris liked it, so it has to be good. (But I think he liked the bar overlooking the market even more, he´s actually smiling in the photo below).

 

We also popped briefly to a little place called Mina Clavaro, a few hours away from Cordoba, and it was a bit of an unexpected gem.  It´s at the confluence of two rivers, and has never-ending amounts of swimming holes and places to chill out on the river banks, as well as some lovely walking.  We decided Mina Clavaro deserved a silver llama award, but it´s getting harder to award them, and Chris thinks the whole system needs a review.  I´d hate to have to downgrade anywhere, and I suspect some disagreements are looming.

 

Comida y Bebida

This post was originally just going to be about Mendoza, after it was suggested I detail a gourmet food experience in a specially dedicated post.  However, there´s been so much good food and drink on this trip, I thought I´d go for a thematic post, on what is after all, one of my favourite subjects, especially when on holiday.

So Mendoza was our next stop after the waterfalls, and one of our days out was to Maipu, which Lonely Planet indeed describes as a "gourmet experience".  Here you can see Christopher tucking into a selection of olive oil, balsamic vinegars, olives, marmalade and such delights as olive pate with garlic.  There was also a fine selection of liquors and chocolates. 

Our method of transport around the various establishments was bicycle, and as Chris pointed out, by noon I had already consumed 4 liquors and 2 glasses of wine! Luckily no incidents occured and we both wobbled around Maipu for the rest of the day, sampling various vinyards and also a micro brewery for lunch (where we also had tasty empanadas, not just a variety of beers.....). 

I may have mentioned elsewhere that empanadas have featured quite highly on this trip - rather tasty, filling and bargainous even in the most expensive of restaurants, they have become an absolute staple of our diet, but contribute little to that (even more elusive than when at home) 5-a-day!

So, to get back on track, Mendoza is the most famous wine region in Argentina, and Malbec is the most famous of all the wines.  However, there are many others produced in Mendoza, and we thought it our duty to sample a good selection, from a variety of different vinyards.  A firm favourite of the vinyards, which has dominated our supermarket choice ever since, is anything from Trapiche, which I am lead to believe is available in England, so will be looking out for that on return.  And as for grapes, being a white wine drinker, Torrontes (as previously sampled in Cafayate), remains my top choice.

Also whilst in Mendoza, we went on a trip to some natural thermal baths, which were really cool and provided a most enjoyable way to spend the day.  Best of all though was the extremely extensive buffet lunch, which was so big, I couldn´t fit it all on one photo, so only a fraction is featured here.  As with tradition for a lunch in Argentina, it was a big asado (barbecue) with a very largeselection of meats, accompanied by a delightful spread of salads and other accompaniments. 

Other culinary highlights have been a really cool fish restaurant in Puerto Madryn (a wildlife related post is forthcoming from this delightful coastal town) where I had the most delicious scallops au gratin.  I tucked in with rather greedy gusto initially, so this photo is half way through

 

and just last night we sampled a rather large proportion of a lamb, cooked Patagonia style.  This photo is of course primarily for the benefit of Mr and Mrs Norton, as the restaurant seemed to particularly favour a wine named after said husband and wife, but it does also feature the lamb being cooked over an open fire. It was utterly delicious, and if I knew lamb could always taste like this I might tuck into it a bit more often at home.

A post about food and drink in Argentina wouldn´t be complete without a mention of ice cream.  I´ve taken it upon myself to sample a thorough selection throughout the trip so far.  Although many pleasing scoops and flavours have been had, a real treat ocurred only just today in Bariloche, from a parlour called Jauja (just in case anyone plans on a visit to Patagonia, be sure not to miss it).  Lonely Planet suggests it is often claimed to be the best in Argenina.  I don´t think my sampling, no matter how thorough, has yet been sufficient to back up that claim, but it was indeed most tasty, and I suspect Heather and Simone would have found it particularly pleasing.

Still to come, hopefully, is one particular treat I am most looking forward to, and that is in Puerto Montt in Chile, which is supposed to have very good crab.  I know not everyone shares my love of this delicacy, but Rach, I will be sure to report back in a few days time!

Waterfall-tastic

I had quite high expectations of Igaucu falls, as everyone I know who has seen them has rated them so highly.  Luckily they lived up to expectations and beyond.  They are not really on the way to anywhere, certainly not in Argentina, but they are totally worth all the effort of getting there.  Without hesitation they have been awarded a golden llama award.  We spent two different days at the falls, on both sides of the border (Argentina and Brazil that is).  Both sides are spectacular, and quite different to each other.  Both involved getting soaking wet due to the phenomenal amount of spray, and in Argentina we went on a couple of boat trips, one getting v. close up to the falls.

It´s quite hard to describe in words what they are really like.  The main point is that Iguacu is not "just a waterfall".  It is a series of a large number of waterfalls, covering a vast area, and such a huge force of water, it´s quite hard to comprehend.  The photos don´t really do it justice.  But here´s a few anyway to give a taster.

We also saw quite a bit of wildlife which was a bonus, including monkeys, turtles, coaties (racoon-like critters) and giant lizards (well quite big anyway).

This is the view of part of the falls from Brazil - I found it quite cool popping to Brazil for the day!

 

And we also stayed in a rather excellent youth hostel  - since when did they have swimming pools?  So all in all a very pleasing part of the trip.

And, now I´ve finally got access to computers where I can upload photos, the previous couple of posts are illustrated, if anyone would care to take a look.

Back in Argentina

With memories lingering of my last overnight train journey in Latin America, when the scheduled 12 hours became 36, and with rather less than pleasant travelling companions, both of the human and non-human variety, my expectations of an overnight journey from Uyuni to the border with Argentina were not high.  However, instead of cockroaches, we had pillows, blankets and proper reclining seats, we were awoken to an invitation to breakfast in the dining car, and we rolled into Villazon bang on time.

An absolute highlight of northern Argentina was Tilcara, which was essentially just a stopping off point to break the journey on the way to Salta.  But it turned out to be a real favourite location, and if anyone is ever in the vicinity, be sure to stop off.  Tilcara has the most amazing setting (I´m sure I´ve written that a few times now, but superlatives are appropriate, if only I could download the photos to back up my assertions), surrounded by mountains, in a gorge -the Quebrada de Huamauaca- with the most amazing rock patterns. 

We also stayed in our favourite accommodation yet.  We had a cabana to ourselves, which was more like a log cabin, tastefully decorated, and loads of space, and outside on our patio there were deckchairs and hammocks, and more of the same on a terrace up above with amazing views over the mountains and over the extensive gardens.  It was a real paradise, my only regret that we didn´t stay for longer.   It was actually a Hostelling International hostel, proving once more that hostels really have gone upmarket since I started backpacking rather a large number of years ago.

So to begin with the "hostel" was going to be in receipt of a llama award, but then we liked Tilcara the town so much, that we concluded the award had to go to Tilcara as a whole  for a combo of amazing setting, fantastic accommodation, perfecto restaurants and a great walk which we did the next morning.  So great was it that we decided it had to be a golden llama!

Next stop was Salta, where a considerable amount of eating and drinking took place, including sampling Torrentes wine, in Bodegas in nearby Cafayate.  Another gorge added to the amazing scenery we have seen on this trip so far. 





The best bit though, was a stay on an estancia - a ranch type farm.  Most people go for the horseriding, but memories from 1986 of Miss Clucas failing to stop my horse galloping away uncontrallaby, with me gripping the saddle in terror, reigns long gone,  remained too strong, and we were both content to just chill out and enjoy the estancia´s relaxing surroundings. This was helped by the most enormous amount of food, including possibly the best steak ever, and never-ending amounts of red wine.  A bronze llama to the estancia.

Lakes and volcanos

So we had no plans to go to the Salar de Uyuni, mostly because Chris had already been there.  But inevitably, with it being a highlight of Bolivia, everyone we met was talking about it, and couldn´t believe we weren´t going, which made me wish that we were.  So before I knew it, our plans had changed and we were off to the land of lakes and volcanos, on a three day trip.

"Salar de Uyuni" is a bit of a misnoma, the salt flats are an amazing sight, especially when you are standing on an island covered in catcus, but surrounded as far as you can see in all directions by the salt plain, which looks more like ice than salt. 

But there´s so many other things to see on a trip from Uyuni.  Most of it is close to the border with Chile, and as you drive along  you are surrounded by never ending amounts of volcanos and mineral rich lakes of amazing colours.  My absolute top 3 highlights were the flamingo lake, which was an incredible lake anyway, with huge amounts of flamingos flapping around, and snow-topped volcanoes in the background;

 

 then the natural hot springs

and finally the red lake, which really was blood red, with pink flamingos. 

Deciding on the llama awards for this trip was rather tricky.  Overall, we decided the 3 day trip warranted a silver llama.  Even though everything we saw was so amazing, it couldn´t quite get gold due to the freezing cold and rather skanky accommodation on the 2nd night, the fact I could barely breathe due to the altitude and the presence of Luis who snored so loudly not a wink of sleep could be had.  I´ve told Christopher that if he ever starts snoring like that, wherever we are living, he will be housed in an annex, far away from me, and he didn´t disagree.  However, in addition, we decided that the flamingo lake was so tip-top that it deserves a special award in a category all of it´s own, that is an honoury golden flamingo award.

There were lots of other cool things too, much too numerous to list her, but por ejemplo:  the fact on the first night we stayed in a hotel made entirely of salt - the floor, the brics, the tables and chairs, all made of salt.

And all the volcanic and geyser stuff.  I particularly like this photo, taken at the crack of dawn.

Condors and Coca

So we´ve been in Bolivia for a week now and what a splendid time we are having.  A highlight has been the absolutely fabulous pueblo of Samaipata.  We liked it so much it´s been awarded a Golden Llama award.  The exact critria for Llama awards has not yet been identified, but it has to be somewhere we find to be pretty special.  The town itself is set in a valley at mid altitude, surrounded by lush green mountains.  We stayed in a hostel on the edge of town, with a lovely garden and a balcony outside our room looking over the mountains. 

One of the best things about Samaipata is that we went on quite a few trips in the surrounding area, but also had lots of time to chill out and relax.  We visited some nearby Inca ruins, which Lonely Planet claims rival Machi Pichu, and although I suspect that is something of an exaggeration, they were very interesting to see and in a spectacular setting. 

The mountains surrounding Samaipata are supposed to be one of the best places to see Condors in the whole of South America, but the hike sounded far too hard core for me, and after a forecast of rain, Chris also decided to give it a miss.  Instead we went on a fantastic trip to "la laguna de volcan", which isn´t really a volcano at all, but the scenery was absolutely awesome.  And we saw condors anyway, along with toucans, hummingbirds and much other wildlife.  As we set off, we were warned about some of the dangers, which included micro jumping spiders, which although don´t kill you do give you very itchy and painful bites, poisonous snakes that would kill you and skunks.  Luckily it was only the spiders we encountered, along with being attacked by a pair of cormarants, who coninuously divebombed us in a really vicious way, as unbeknown to us we were right by their nest. 

We also went on a trip to the cloud forest, which was cool but involved far too much clambouring up and down cliff edges for my liking.  But at the end there were a couple of amazing miradors, with specatular views, which included monkeys swinging through the trees below, and another condor, this time viewed from above.

Sucre was also pleasing, officially still the nation´s capital, it´s a colonial town filled with whitewashed buildings containing lovely courtyards to chill out in.  Although the town itself didn´t actually merit a llama award, we found a favourite spot that did.  It was a mirador bar overlooking the town, with deckchairs sitting facing the afternoon sun, and an amazing selection of milkshakes and juices.  It was visited more than once, and has been given a provisional silver award (which may be amended when we have more to compare it with).

We had a really good day trip out from Sucre, going mountainbiking.  I was only a little bit scared of tumbling over the cliff edge.  The scenery was great, and the best bit about it was that it was nearly all downhill or flat.  The big hill was too much for me anyway and I walked, whilst my bike went on the back of the truck.  When we couldn´t go any further by bike, we hiked down into a canyon, where Chris and the others went in an inflatable dinghy up the canyon whilst I swam. 

All in all Bolivia has been extremely enjoyable so far.

I have loads of fantastic photos to accompany this text, which would be far more interesting to look at, but a variety of technical hitches are conspiring against me and I can´t post them at the moment, but will try to do so later.