Last stop, Buenos Aires

When we did manage to get a bus back to BA we checked into our rented apartment. Yep that’s right, our very own little pied-a-terre here in Buenos Aires. It’s only a studio flat but after six months of hostel rooms and campervans it feels like a mansion! It’s lovely to be able to cook without worrying if the last person washed stuff up properly or if there will be enough plates to eat off. A massive thanks to Cazza and Pete, JB and Tanya, Sarah and Will, Scott and Chloe, Chi and Anita and Elgan and Fi for Wedding Gift no.23

Our week here has flown by, we leave tomorrow!
We’ve really enjoyed BA, mooching around the various ‘barrios’ (areas). We visited the amazing Recoleta cemetery where Evita is buried and it is a like a mini city- I said to Ed it’s like the next stage up from a retirement village. It’s laid out in little streets and each is like a teeny tiny house, madness.

Main Plaza
Gorgeous Rose in the Rose garden



Me getting a little spooked at the cemetery

We’ve taken in art at the Latin American Museum, whiled away an hour in a beautiful rose garden, scoped out antiques in the San Telmo Sunday market and seen the city go from autumn to winter over night! Seriously we spent one day in short sleeves, too hot in jeans wandering around a pretty park and the next day we have all our layers on and its freezing! Winter is definitely here in BA now.

Sunday night saw us go to a football game, River Plate vs San Lorenzo. It was a wicked night out, the atmosphere was electric, these Argentines get rather passionate about the game and we were in the civilised section of the crowd! There was a young boy next to me saying words no one should know at his age and he was screaming them at the top of his voice right next to his dad! Who was doing exactly the same thing in a lower voice, and you should have seen the crotch grabbing! Anyhow, it was a giggle to be there, so far removed from the gentlemanly rugby games i’ve been to in the past!

footy fans

Last night, thanks to Wedding Gift no. 22 and Hazel, Jenny, Matt and Rose we spent the evening in a beautiful art deco theatre watching a Tango show. Amazing dancing. We’ve seen street performers dancing here but to see the show was spectacular, a very fun night out and now I want to take up dancing again!


Amazing stage setting

Water, water everywhere

The very beige-ness of overnight bus food.

Another eight hour coach ride took us back to Argentina and this time to the very popular site of Iguazu Falls, in the northeast of Argy. We were both very excited to visit. After an hour drama over a lost credit card (some lovely Argentine had handed it into the bank-we need to give some good karma back!) We spent the day wandering around the walkways, playing with the butterflies and trying to avoid the starving Coatimundis! Thanks to Kate, Jonnie and Wilf for the wonderful Wedding Gift no. 20. The falls were absolutely spectacular, we took a boat ride to get super close – and completely drenched! We spent all day there just soaking up (mind the pun) the atmosphere and views, it had rained heavily the previous day and so the falls were very full, we saw Coatimundis (a bit like big racoons), Toucans, a tortoise and parrots and butterflies galore. It was a fabulous and very special day.

Me taking snaps of a Coatimundi!!


Before the boat trip....

The boat trip

After the boat trip, drenched

Our last ever overnight bus took us back south (26hours!!) to a wonderful Estancia thanks to the lovely in-laws, Penny and Ian and Wedding Gift no. 21. It was a part of the trip we were most looking forward to and it did not disappoint. We spent three days riding our horses, playing with the dogs and eating far too well – breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and huge dinner all with a vast amount of Malbec. It was bliss, a real chance to savour our honeymoon and enjoy the last moments of it. On our last night the owner, David, joined us for dinner and we found out our bus to BA was fully booked so ‘oh no, what a shame’, we had to stay an additional night, so we milked cows, rode horses, played with dogs and ate even more-what a pity ; )

Our gorgeous fire in our bedroom at the Estancia

End of Patagonia

Easter Monday saw us head off for the day to Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park thanks to Wedding Gift number 18 and Auntie Peggy, Jean and Derek. Unfortunately the weather was awful, the wind was so strong it literally pushed me over twice. It was amazing! We went to a handful of viewpoints but there really wasn’t a great deal to see. But it was great to really experience the Patagonian wilderness. Right at the end when we were leaving the sky suddenly opened up and we were lucky enough to finally see some mountain peaks. So it was all lovely in the end.

Wrapped up against the elements!

We then took a four hour bus ride to nearby El Chalten where we spent a couple of days doing day long hikes-they told us they were well sign posted so we braved it after our El Bolson drama! The area was beautiful we saw some of the best Autumnal trees I have ever seen. And as was the case with Torres Del Paine, the clouds lifted just as we were leaving (literally while we were waiting for the bus back to El Calafate) and we got to see the beautiful Fitz Roy mountain peak-Argentina’s version of the Matterhorn!

Gorgeous Autumn leaves

Ed the Gaucho

Yesterday we had another brilliant day out this time pretending to be Gauchos thanks to Wedding Gift Number 17 and the lovely Auntie Jean.

We were picked up by Luciano a local who owns an estancia here in southern Patagonia. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side. We arrived to have traditional Mate tea, which I felt tastes like a really really strong green tea, I loved it. It also has a special type of Caffeine that really gives you a kick. Argentines drink Mate all the time, maybe that’s how they can go out for dinner at 11pm and manage to get up for work the next day? Traditionally it is served in a small bowl like cup and drank through a straw as inside is a load of mate leaves and a small amount of water.

Enjoying my Mate

After this we saddled up the horses, I asked for the calmest one, Pluma (Feather) as I am by no means confident on or near horses and away we went with Ed on Rubio (Ruby). I had five layers of clothes on but it was freezing and then the rain came. It was bitter cold and it was a shame that the view wasn’t very visible due to the rain and mist but in the distance you could just about make out the snow capped mountains. We had a giggle, the horses were amazing and views that we could see were spectacular but the weather got the better of us and the walk was cut short, which just allowed more time to eat steak in Luciano’s small horse shed. It was absolutely delicious and a good way to get warm again!

Getting soaked but happy!

It’s Easter Sunday today and we are having a lazy catch up day-hence the writing. Off out for a walk and hopefully some nice food then tomorrow we head off on a very long day trip back to Chile to viist Torres Del Paine National Park. We have everything crossed it will be good enough weather to get some good views.....

Happy Easter from Mr and Mrs Ross x

Cold and Colder

Another long over night bus journey took us to our most southern (and coldest) destination of El Calafate. After a fairly lazy week or so we packed up our week here with tours.
So on Easter Friday when you were all enjoying balmy weather and munching on Easter Eggs Ed and I went off to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. After loving Franz Josef in New Zealand we were both really excited to see this glacier. We decided to save our money and just view the glacier this time rather than climb on it (which having spoken to unhappy others that have paid the extortionate fee to walk on the ice was the right thing to do). So a massive thank you to Moochie for wedding gift number 16!
We took a bus to the entrance to the national park and then jumped on a boat, the weather was freezing, not helped with the rain and drizzle but the view was spectactular. The boat got up really close to the glacier and we stayed out for as long as our frozen bodies would let us. After the boat trip we took a walk around the ‘balconies’ which give amazing viewpoints out to different sides of the glacier. It’s such a wonderful time to be travelling in Argentina as it is Autumn here and the trees are turning their beautiful shades of yellow and reds, it looked so special against the icy blues of the glacier. It really was spectacular, Perito Moreno moves at 2 metres a day so as the afternoon comes round and the sun warms the ice pieces break off, we were lucky enough to catch a couple of chunks fall off and the noises from the breaking and cracking is superb. It really was a wonderful day. The weather literally changed every fifteen minutes, from cloudy and sleety, to beautiful bright blue skies, to mist and fog but it all added to the mystery and awe of the place.

Mr and Mrs on the top of the boat, glacier behind us

Amazing sight and sounds

Hablar Gallese?

Next up was the Welsh towns. In the mid 1800s Welsh settlers came to Patagonia on the promise of good farmland, i’m not sure the dry arid conditions of Patagonia are quite what they anticipated but they came in their thousands. Trevelin was our first visit just south of El Bolson followed by Gaiman and Trelew on the east coast. Each of the towns are rather small and we may have overestimated how much time we would need in each but they had wonderful regional museums with lots of artefacts and relics from the original settlers, Trevelin was cold like Bolson and Bariloche but it was lovely to go east to Trelew and Gaiman were we could wear t-shirts again and soak up some sun.
The most fun experience of these towns was going to a traditional Welsh Tea House, lost at home now but a key part of the Welsh towns here. The problem was on arrival for our lunch, they really only do traditional tea, so I had to explain to the waiter that we only wanted one serving as Ed doesn’t drink tea and I cannot eat cake. So I enjoyed the best cup of tea I have had in four months and Ed enjoyed a gigantic platter of cakes, scone and bread and jam! It was strange to be surrounded by signs in Welsh and Welsh flags everywhere, so far away from home.

Ed in his Trevelin Tshirt from Wales, in Trevelin in Patagonia!

The absolute most amazing thing I have ever seen in a museum,

a tea cup with a protector for your moustache,

I need to find me one of these for my Cava Cup hire business!!

Buses, Views and Policia!

Next up was an epic 19 hour bus journey south to Bariloche. I was hesitantly optimistic as the bus to Mendoza had been brilliant but knew 19hours would be a trial. We set off packed up with rice cakes and cheese and sandwiches for Ed and do you know, it was a really very comfortable journey. Two films both in English helped the journey go quickly, we’d paid to get the best seats on the bus which were comfy 140degree recliners, the toilet was functioning and relatively bearable, all in all it was a fab experience.
Just I was thinking how wonderful the experience was the bus pulled up at a Police check point. A nice police lady jumped on and checked everyone’s passports, all was fine and the next thing we knew Ed and I were being told to gather all our things and come with them.... no one explained what was going on and they pretended not to understand or be able to reply in Spanish. My thoughts were that maybe someone at the bus terminal had put something in our bags and Ed was panicking that it was a chance to bribe the Brits, worried about how to bargain in Spanish and just how much they were going to ask us for.
We got escorted to their office where they proceeded to unroll and nose around in every single pocket and part of our rucksacks. I tell you, I’m not travelling with dirty laundry again! After going through every part of our bags, getting excited at a packet of plasters-trying to explain those in pidgin Spanish was fun-they realised we had nothing of interest and let us go. Very strange I asked again what they were looking for and this time they bothered to respond and said it was a routine check, the bus conductor said maybe the sniffer dogs had found something. We put it down to Ed’s ratty bag, remember the rat in Thailand that chewed Ed’s bag to get to his hidden dairy milk buttons? Maybe our bags looked a bit tatty and they thought we were hiding something.

Anyway, off we went again and we arrived to a very chilly Bariloche. It was really exciting to head to Patagonia, this is where Ed’s dad spent much of his youth and we were excited to see his homeland. This is also where the weather we had anticipated kicked in so it was on with the jumpers, hats, gloves and scarves all while you folks are twittering on about the hot weather you were having!

Me doing some postcard writing in the main Plaza of Bariloche.

Bariloche is a really beautiful town, set right on a lake with snow dusted mountains in the distance. It is Argentina’s lake district and the area is dotted with gorgeous blue lakes. We spent the first couple of days sleeping, eating and mooching around town, but I soon got itchy feet and we stepped up the visit a notch or two with a visit to the local museum and a couple of hikes. The best walk took us on a ski-chair lift to an amazing viewpoint. We said it was the most amazing view we’ve had all trip. Overlooking snowcapped mountains, lakes, beautiful autumn trees, two young eagles were swooping and playing and we are pretty sure we saw Condors over in the distance.

Fabulous views from the top of a mountain over Argentina's Lake District


Hopefully by now you are understanding the miniscule portions and massive variety that Argentine food offers?

South America, the last leg of the trip

An eleven hour flight took us to Santiago de Chile. We hadn’t read up much so didn’t know what to expect but we’d booked into a hostel in a nice area of town for two nights. Only problem was I’d managed to forget that Chile is behind NZ by about a day so while we may have left on the evening of the 31st, this did not mean that we would arrive on the 1st of course it meant we arrived on the 31st! Unfortunately I only realised this on the plane so there wasn’t a lot I could do about it and unfortunately for Ed it wasn’t an April Fools.
Luckily for us the hostel had a space so they changed the rooms around and we were all sorted. No one speaks English here so we are getting by on my pidgin Spanish. Having not slept at all on the flight - can anyone sleep in economy?? We grabbed a couple of hours to feel more human and then just went to a local restaurant for a local dinner – Mexican-local ish??

Day two we explored the city centre and a couple of their museums. The weather here is really lovely, we had anticipated cold and were prepped with jumpers and rain jackets but in Santiago I mostly wore dresses and Ed shorts, it was a nice surprise to be basking in some sunshine.
Santiago is a pretty nice city, very nice in comparison to many South American capitals. We discovered a super cool area stuffed with bars and restaurants that night and had a fun time trying out the national cocktail ‘Pisco Sour’ and local beef.

Steak, Chile style

After another chilled out day in Santiago we grabbed our first bus of this leg to Argentina. Buses in Argie are SO much better than Thai buses, comfy seats, food and drink included and most importantly, films! A very twisty windy route took us up and around the Andes that separate Chile from Argentina and we crossed the border into the Fatherland. On arrival into Mendoza-the wine capital of South America-we strolled to our hostel with our bags on our back, problem was we arrived at a very swanky looking hotel. Turns out there is a Hostel International (where we booked into) and a Hotel International (where we currently stood) we wandered in just in case we hadn’t made a mistake but on the Concierge’s demands of a voucher and a slight grimace at our rucksacked selves we realised we were in the wrong spot. Half an hour more of walking in the warm midday sun led us to our hostel, the correct one. It’s never a good sign, we have decided, if your hostel is painted a ridiculous bright colour. This Orange monstrosity was clean enough but full of really young ‘travellers’ that don’t seem to travel the world just travel the worlds hostels, hanging out in the communal areas all the time and playing on Facebook!

Anyhow, Mendoza is a really nice city and was a great introduction to Argentina, we scoped out town and booked ourselves into a wine tour. There were budget ones we could do on a bike but we chose a more expensive one that took you to further away vineyards in a comfortable bus. The guys on our tour were lovely, a couple of grandparents from America, a young swiss couple, us and a gal from San Francisco. We had a really good day and an excellent long 5 course lunch with matching wines thanks to Wedding gift number 15 thanks to the gorgeous bridesmaids and also Nathan, Mari and Isabel. It was great to try some delicious Malbecs and the speciality here of Torrontes- a really beautiful white wine. At one of the vineyards we were lucky enough to see them working with the grapes as it is harvest time, handpicking out the bad grapes and bugs before it all goes into a machine to get rid of the stems. Having got somewhat squiffy at the New Zealand tour I tried to pace myself a little more in Mendoza and it worked, I just loved all the wines ; ) We have researched how many bottles you can bring back to the UK so if we are staying with you while homeless in the UK you may be lucky enough to try some. Assuming I don’t quaff it all!

Yey, arrival into Argentina!


Ed does some beer tasting in Mendoza!

Don't worry they were 'taster' size glasses!

Steak, Argie style- it must have been at least 2 inches thick.

Needless to say I couldn't manage it all

Wine tour with snow covered Andes just behind us. Big thanks to Meli, Zoe, Hannah, Nathan, Mari and Isabel xx