Well, I guess I should apologise to all you avid readers of this blog. The apology is, of course, for leaving you in suspense for so long regarding where I am and what I've been up to! Other than my very brief update last week (posted merely to placate an angry reader) it's been pretty much a month since I wrote. So... here goes!
I've been in New Zealand for just over 4 weeks now, after leaving the rather pleasant Rancho Urbano in Buenos Aires on the 28th of February and touching down in Auckland just before midnight on the 1st of March. The flight was so, so uncomfortable that it made me feel nostalgic for those awesome Argentine buses. Still, it passed reasonably quickly and before I knew it I was back in New Zealand. Unfortunately, my backpack didn't make it. Well, not straight away, anyway. It arrived a couple of days later after enjoying a brief stay in Sydney.
I was in Auckland for a little under a week, and I did very, very little indeed. Mornings were spent sat in Albert Park reading, drinking coffee and eating muffins. In the afternoons, I initially spent some time trying to find a nice guitar to buy, then, once purchased, sat and played it in the park.
Whilst walking around the city centre trying to find a music shop, I happened across a large Glengarry off-license sporting a "massive selection of single malt whiskies". Intrigued about the possibility of a delightful NZ dram, I went in to investigate. Alas, it seems there was only one single malt distilled over here, and they don't make it any more. Plenty of bottles are still available to buy, but I haven't tried it yet... Curse being on a budget!
Anyways, whilst in the store, I found out there was a tasting that very evening. A rep from Bruichladdich was in the country for Dramfest (a whisky festival down in Christchurch that finished, predictably, just as I arrived in the country) and was coming to the store to do a tasting of 6 different whiskies from their distillery. Being a huge whisky fan and having been to a few tastings in the UK*, I was pretty stoked to come across one in New Zealand. The whiskies were all provided by Glengarry, whilst the rep from Bruichladdich told us all about the distillery - its whiskies, processes, history and future. The highlight for me was getting a taste of their Octomore - the most heavily peated whisky ever made, and a pretty limited release. There were only 6000 bottles in this batch, only 40 of which were exported to New Zealand! I've always been into the peaty Islays, so tasting this was a real treat - and it really is damn good. Surprisingly drinkable for a whisky something like 3 times more peated than Laphroaig!
The following Sunday I met up with my friends from home, Mark and Nicole, and with them drove north for 4 hours to Paihia. During my 3 weeks there, I went canoeing in Maori waka around the bay, went sailing, took a bus trip up to Cape Reinga, went to see Tane Mahuta (the largest Kaori tree in New Zealand) and visited the sleepy town (and oldest European settlement in the country), Russell. I'm trying to make it sound like I did loads, but the truth is that those 5 activities were almost lost in amongst all the sunbathing and general bumming around :)
The trip to the Cape on the AwesomeNZ bus was definitely a highlight. Spike, the driver (and Mark's sister's boyfriend), has seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm and provides an entertaining and genuinely interesting commentary at appropriate points throughout the journey. Along the way, we took in a walk through native bush (complete with towering kauri trees), driving up 90 Mile Beach and stopping for fresh shellfish en route (not for me, though), driving up a river (in a bus, for God's sake!), sandboarding down the 150m Te Paki sand dunes, swimming at a beach the name of which I can't remember (but which was utterly beautiful... white sands, crystal clear water, etc. etc.), plenty of time at Cape Reinga itself, a stop at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom (incredibly expensive, but where else can you get furniture made from 45,000 year-old wood?) and finally, good old fish n'chips. Bloody brilliant day out!
Ok, my brain has just stopped working. Going to stop writing and start sleeping instead :)
* With Eddie from the Whisky Lounge - highly recommended too! He does 'em all over England, so have a lookie :)
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Friday 27 March 2009
Mini-update!
Hello folks,
For those of you wondering what the hell has happened to my bloggage, I'd like to reassure you that I ain't dead. I'm in Paihia (New Zealand) taking it very easy indeed, working on the tan and not doing a reet lot else. In light of this, I didn't really think it was worth writing a new post! In addition to the relative lack of activity, I've been mostly without an internet connection - another reason why blogging isn't so easy...
Ok, that's all for now. I'll write something more interesting when I can get off the beach for long enough to do so ;)
For those of you wondering what the hell has happened to my bloggage, I'd like to reassure you that I ain't dead. I'm in Paihia (New Zealand) taking it very easy indeed, working on the tan and not doing a reet lot else. In light of this, I didn't really think it was worth writing a new post! In addition to the relative lack of activity, I've been mostly without an internet connection - another reason why blogging isn't so easy...
Ok, that's all for now. I'll write something more interesting when I can get off the beach for long enough to do so ;)
Thursday 26 February 2009
Final update from Argentina
After nearly 6 weeks of travel around Argentina, my visit to this rather splendid country is drawing to an end. In two days, I'll be heading off to New Zealand!
The last 2 weeks have seen us heading back north as we made our way from San Martin de los Andes to Buenos Aires. En route, we made a couple of stops - first, at the beautiful, laid-back, wine-lover's paradise that is Mendoza and second at the vibrant, fun-filled city of Córdoba.
Mendoza is a reasonably large city lying in the rain shadow of the Andes. It's a laid-back place - the broad, tree-lined streets make even the centre feel spacious and calm. Add to that the beautiful, lush plazas dotted liberally throughout and (in my opinion, at least) you're onto a winner. In short, I love Mendoza. It's one of the places I'd happily come back to time and time again, if for nothing else than to chill out in the brightly tiled Plaza España with an ice cream and a book.
Mendoza's real claim to fame is the outstanding quality of the wines produced in the region. We took a day trip out to Maipú (a short bus ride away) where there are a multitude of companies renting bikes out to sunburnt tourists to idly - and increasingly drunkenly - pedal between the numerous bodegas. Our all-too-brief tour took us to La Rural (where, along with the excellent wine, they have a fascinating museum with a superb free guided tour), Viña al Cerno (a tiny, back-to-basics bodega with superb chardonnays) and Tempus Alba (an incredibly friendly welcome, and very generous servings of all sorts of delicious reds). All were excellent, and I'd very happily have spent a few more days investigating the other bodegas too... Alas, for we ran out of time.
Back in the city, and there's plenty of wine bars to carry on with the tasting. Although we didn't try any wine there, the Vines of Mendoza looked like an excellent place to go - and the service from the experts at their wine shop (round the corner in the Hyatt hotel) was outstanding. Pablo, who served us, was exceptionally knowledgable about all the local wine, and even gave us a decent account of a bottle Keira had bought from another shop - including all the details of the bodega and chief wine-chap who created it.
We stayed 3 nights in Mendoza (not nearly long enough) before heading off on the overnight bus to Córdoba. Now, you may have noticed how earlier I described Córdoba as "fun-filled", and if you've read my other posting on 'fun' you'll know that I don't necessarily see this as a good thing. Perhaps I just arrived in the wrong frame of mind, or something, because I really didn't take to the place. After Mendoza, it felt cramped, dirty and busy. I'll leave it at that, because I don't think its fair for me to cast judgement just yet - if I come back to Argentina I'll give Córdoba another chance, then decide what I think of it.
So now we're back in Buenos Aires again. It's one of those cliché moments where I say how I can't believe just how fast the last 6 weeks have gone. I remember the day I arrived feeling apprehensive at the prospect of being away from home, friends and family for so long... and now I find that I'm off to the second leg of my journey already!
Next update will be from somewhere in New Zealand... Not sure where yet :)
The last 2 weeks have seen us heading back north as we made our way from San Martin de los Andes to Buenos Aires. En route, we made a couple of stops - first, at the beautiful, laid-back, wine-lover's paradise that is Mendoza and second at the vibrant, fun-filled city of Córdoba.
Mendoza is a reasonably large city lying in the rain shadow of the Andes. It's a laid-back place - the broad, tree-lined streets make even the centre feel spacious and calm. Add to that the beautiful, lush plazas dotted liberally throughout and (in my opinion, at least) you're onto a winner. In short, I love Mendoza. It's one of the places I'd happily come back to time and time again, if for nothing else than to chill out in the brightly tiled Plaza España with an ice cream and a book.
Mendoza's real claim to fame is the outstanding quality of the wines produced in the region. We took a day trip out to Maipú (a short bus ride away) where there are a multitude of companies renting bikes out to sunburnt tourists to idly - and increasingly drunkenly - pedal between the numerous bodegas. Our all-too-brief tour took us to La Rural (where, along with the excellent wine, they have a fascinating museum with a superb free guided tour), Viña al Cerno (a tiny, back-to-basics bodega with superb chardonnays) and Tempus Alba (an incredibly friendly welcome, and very generous servings of all sorts of delicious reds). All were excellent, and I'd very happily have spent a few more days investigating the other bodegas too... Alas, for we ran out of time.
Back in the city, and there's plenty of wine bars to carry on with the tasting. Although we didn't try any wine there, the Vines of Mendoza looked like an excellent place to go - and the service from the experts at their wine shop (round the corner in the Hyatt hotel) was outstanding. Pablo, who served us, was exceptionally knowledgable about all the local wine, and even gave us a decent account of a bottle Keira had bought from another shop - including all the details of the bodega and chief wine-chap who created it.
We stayed 3 nights in Mendoza (not nearly long enough) before heading off on the overnight bus to Córdoba. Now, you may have noticed how earlier I described Córdoba as "fun-filled", and if you've read my other posting on 'fun' you'll know that I don't necessarily see this as a good thing. Perhaps I just arrived in the wrong frame of mind, or something, because I really didn't take to the place. After Mendoza, it felt cramped, dirty and busy. I'll leave it at that, because I don't think its fair for me to cast judgement just yet - if I come back to Argentina I'll give Córdoba another chance, then decide what I think of it.
So now we're back in Buenos Aires again. It's one of those cliché moments where I say how I can't believe just how fast the last 6 weeks have gone. I remember the day I arrived feeling apprehensive at the prospect of being away from home, friends and family for so long... and now I find that I'm off to the second leg of my journey already!
Next update will be from somewhere in New Zealand... Not sure where yet :)
Friday 13 February 2009
'Fun'
A couple of days ago, we arrived in Bariloche after a 30-hour bus ride from El Calafate. It was late when we arrived at the bus terminal, and we were understandably tired. In our somewhat befuddled state, we mistakenly opted to stay somewhere 'fun' - indeed, the name should have given it away: Fun Patagonia Hostel. I'll stop right there before I start sounding too much like the grumpy old fart that I am ;)
When last I wrote just over a week ago, we were in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Since then we've been to El Calafate (ideally situated for going to see the Perito Moreno Glacier), Bariloche (really great fun) and now San Martin de los Andes (genuinely quite splendid).
In Ushuaia, we found a really great cafe/restaurant (Ramos Generales)... In fact I think we spent the best part of 2 days in there - the food was great, the coffee was superb and the decor really rather tasteful. However, after our first day of indulgence there, we felt it necessary to get out and see some of the local scenery. A few hours walking (and 15 minutes on a ski lift) took us to the Martial Glacier. We were accompanied by a German girl from the hostel and joined later by one of the country's ubiquitous stray dogs, who stayed with us for a good couple of miles. Anyways, 'twas a treat of a walk and needless to say the views were great. The glacier itself is pretty titchy, but it was reet grand to get out and about, and its diminuitive size served to increase the impact of the incredible Perito Moreno Glacier we'd see a few days later.
The trip from Ushuaia to El Calafate was another 20ish hour beast (leaving at 5am, arriving 1am the next morning), but for some reason seemed to pass fairly swiftly. Off to Hostel de las Manos (highly recommended - particularly welcome was the free pick-up from the bus terminal) for a couple of nights. El Calafate allowed more opportunities for lounging around in cafes, but more importantly it is the base for most of the excursions to the Perito Moreno Glacier. We chose the MiniTrekking deal, whereby you get a couple of hours strolling the viewing platforms at the face of the glacier, then a short boat ride followed by an hour and a half on the ice itself. Total cost including the entrance fee for the national park is AR$460 (just a little less than £100) and it is definitely worth it. There's a load of photos at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/gibboniser/PeritoMorenoGlacier - I won't try and describe how amazing it was, but hopefully the photos give you some idea!
Next up we had another monstrous bus journey... this time, 30 hours to Bariloche. There are actually a couple of different routes between El Calafate and Bariloche - one via the shorter, but unsurfaced, RN40 (about 40 hours) and the one we took which goes much, much further via Rio Gallegos and up the RN3... Check it out on a map - the difference in distance is quite incredible. Anyway, on particular journey we were treated to a genuinely plush bus, some awesome 90s party music and a number of films from the half-decent (The Departed) to the painfully, terrible (Little Man). Lessons learnt: drinking wine on long bus journeys is a very good idea.
Bariloche, as I already mentioned, is tremendous fun. We generally managed to avoid too much of that, thankfully, instead choosing to bum around in cafes again. The city itself is renowned as for its chocolate - we probably didn't eat as much of it as we should have!
A short (4 hour) bus ride down the 7 Lakes route brought us to San Martin de los Andes, from where I write this bloggage now. I'm actually planning on getting out and seeing some scenery soon, but otherwise I'll be taking it pretty easy. Of course ;)
When last I wrote just over a week ago, we were in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Since then we've been to El Calafate (ideally situated for going to see the Perito Moreno Glacier), Bariloche (really great fun) and now San Martin de los Andes (genuinely quite splendid).
In Ushuaia, we found a really great cafe/restaurant (Ramos Generales)... In fact I think we spent the best part of 2 days in there - the food was great, the coffee was superb and the decor really rather tasteful. However, after our first day of indulgence there, we felt it necessary to get out and see some of the local scenery. A few hours walking (and 15 minutes on a ski lift) took us to the Martial Glacier. We were accompanied by a German girl from the hostel and joined later by one of the country's ubiquitous stray dogs, who stayed with us for a good couple of miles. Anyways, 'twas a treat of a walk and needless to say the views were great. The glacier itself is pretty titchy, but it was reet grand to get out and about, and its diminuitive size served to increase the impact of the incredible Perito Moreno Glacier we'd see a few days later.
The trip from Ushuaia to El Calafate was another 20ish hour beast (leaving at 5am, arriving 1am the next morning), but for some reason seemed to pass fairly swiftly. Off to Hostel de las Manos (highly recommended - particularly welcome was the free pick-up from the bus terminal) for a couple of nights. El Calafate allowed more opportunities for lounging around in cafes, but more importantly it is the base for most of the excursions to the Perito Moreno Glacier. We chose the MiniTrekking deal, whereby you get a couple of hours strolling the viewing platforms at the face of the glacier, then a short boat ride followed by an hour and a half on the ice itself. Total cost including the entrance fee for the national park is AR$460 (just a little less than £100) and it is definitely worth it. There's a load of photos at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/gibboniser/PeritoMorenoGlacier - I won't try and describe how amazing it was, but hopefully the photos give you some idea!
Next up we had another monstrous bus journey... this time, 30 hours to Bariloche. There are actually a couple of different routes between El Calafate and Bariloche - one via the shorter, but unsurfaced, RN40 (about 40 hours) and the one we took which goes much, much further via Rio Gallegos and up the RN3... Check it out on a map - the difference in distance is quite incredible. Anyway, on particular journey we were treated to a genuinely plush bus, some awesome 90s party music and a number of films from the half-decent (The Departed) to the painfully, terrible (Little Man). Lessons learnt: drinking wine on long bus journeys is a very good idea.
Bariloche, as I already mentioned, is tremendous fun. We generally managed to avoid too much of that, thankfully, instead choosing to bum around in cafes again. The city itself is renowned as for its chocolate - we probably didn't eat as much of it as we should have!
A short (4 hour) bus ride down the 7 Lakes route brought us to San Martin de los Andes, from where I write this bloggage now. I'm actually planning on getting out and seeing some scenery soon, but otherwise I'll be taking it pretty easy. Of course ;)
Tuesday 3 February 2009
As far south as I've ever been...
Firstly, commiserations to all those of you who are reading this in the UK, where I understand there is rather a lot of snow and some pretty low temperatures. I bet you're expecting me to rub salt in the wound a bit by telling you just how hot and sunny it is over here, but guess what... It's actually pretty cold! When we finally arrived in Ushuaia (after 20+ hours of bus travel) it was 4 degrees. 4! That's about 30 less than it was back in Sierra de la Ventana! And it was kinda raining too! There, I bet you all feel a bit better to know that I share your suffering :)
I think I last wrote from Puerto Madryn. After that, we went to Gaiman - a small place of Welsh heritage (it really plays on this) where we had hoped to gorge on cake and tea. However, the town was in reality a bit of a let-down. I don't mean to offend all the Gaimanonians who subscribe to my blog - it's a perfectly nice place. Just not really very Welsh - I felt a bit deceived. Oh, I also had the cheesiest pizza I've ever had the misfortune to order, but I guess I can blame that on being a veggie in a country world-renowned for its meat. I got a picture of the pizza anyway... I'll upload it along with some other more interesting shots to the regular place later.
Gaiman is a small place; usually a day trip from the nearby Trelew (pronounced tre-ley-ooh, apparently). We'd chosen to stay there 'cos of the campsite, which was absolutely brilliant - set up and run by the local volunteer firemen, I'd recommend it to anyone :) Anyway, I started this paragraph intending to talk about Trelew, and already I've got distracted. Back to the subject. In Trelew, we went to the dinosaur museum (it has a fancy name, but I forget it). Really very, very good - the highlight being the (albeit partial) argentinosaurus skeleton. Photo uploaded to demonstrate just how outragously big this chap was.
After Gaiman, we took the overnight bus about 12 hours south to Puerto San Julian, which turned out to be a splendid place. Another quiet, lazy town, but big enough to support a few more activities. From here, we took a 2 hour excursion to see a magellenic penguin colony - usually occupied by something like 120,000 birds, although there didn't seem to be quite so many as that. On the same trip, we saw cormorants and dolphins. I had actually thought that this was the first time I'd seen dolphins, but in fact I seem to remember them playing in the wake of our ferry between Picton and Wellington when I was in New Zealand. Well, either way, this time it was much closer up, and a different species too - the Commerson's dolphin. Awww, they're well cute. Google it if you don't believe me, 'cos I didn't really get any photos good enough to prove it.
The other thing well worth me mentioning regarding Puerto San Julian was the best - and most unassuming - restaurant I've been to in Argentina. Don Vittorio is a little pasta place we happened across entirely by accident. It isn't mentioned in the guide books, but is sooooo good. Honestly, if you ever find yourself in this town, don't miss it. Not that I can remember where it actually is, or anything useful like that, but seriously. Ask someone, or something. They only do pasta, and they do it soooo well, and with exceptionally friendly service. I'm missing it already, and I was there only 2 days ago!
We actually left Pto San Julian slightly earlier than expected, just 'cos it was rather difficult to get seats on the bus for the next leg of our journey. After just one night at the municiple campsite (actually quite nice - great sea views) we got a 1.30am bus (which actually left at about 2.30) to Rio Gallegos. From there, we boarded a slightly less plush bus to make the journey to Tierra del Fuego. Whilst it wasn't the most comfortable trip, the 20ish hours seemed to fly by. Some of the views along the way were incredible too, although by the time we reached the mountains the sun was setting. In some ways, this made waking up in the next morning a real treat, as of course it was dark when we arrived in Ushuaia. I had no idea when I went to sleep in the hostel how incredible the view would be when I woke up... it really is a beautiful setting.
Now I'm sitting in a fab little cafe/restaurant drinking the best beer I've had in Argentina - Cape Horn - and getting slightly tiddly as I try and write bloggage and upload photos. I have no idea if what I've just written makes sense as I don't proof-read this blog. If it doesn't, get over it ;)
I think I last wrote from Puerto Madryn. After that, we went to Gaiman - a small place of Welsh heritage (it really plays on this) where we had hoped to gorge on cake and tea. However, the town was in reality a bit of a let-down. I don't mean to offend all the Gaimanonians who subscribe to my blog - it's a perfectly nice place. Just not really very Welsh - I felt a bit deceived. Oh, I also had the cheesiest pizza I've ever had the misfortune to order, but I guess I can blame that on being a veggie in a country world-renowned for its meat. I got a picture of the pizza anyway... I'll upload it along with some other more interesting shots to the regular place later.
Gaiman is a small place; usually a day trip from the nearby Trelew (pronounced tre-ley-ooh, apparently). We'd chosen to stay there 'cos of the campsite, which was absolutely brilliant - set up and run by the local volunteer firemen, I'd recommend it to anyone :) Anyway, I started this paragraph intending to talk about Trelew, and already I've got distracted. Back to the subject. In Trelew, we went to the dinosaur museum (it has a fancy name, but I forget it). Really very, very good - the highlight being the (albeit partial) argentinosaurus skeleton. Photo uploaded to demonstrate just how outragously big this chap was.
After Gaiman, we took the overnight bus about 12 hours south to Puerto San Julian, which turned out to be a splendid place. Another quiet, lazy town, but big enough to support a few more activities. From here, we took a 2 hour excursion to see a magellenic penguin colony - usually occupied by something like 120,000 birds, although there didn't seem to be quite so many as that. On the same trip, we saw cormorants and dolphins. I had actually thought that this was the first time I'd seen dolphins, but in fact I seem to remember them playing in the wake of our ferry between Picton and Wellington when I was in New Zealand. Well, either way, this time it was much closer up, and a different species too - the Commerson's dolphin. Awww, they're well cute. Google it if you don't believe me, 'cos I didn't really get any photos good enough to prove it.
The other thing well worth me mentioning regarding Puerto San Julian was the best - and most unassuming - restaurant I've been to in Argentina. Don Vittorio is a little pasta place we happened across entirely by accident. It isn't mentioned in the guide books, but is sooooo good. Honestly, if you ever find yourself in this town, don't miss it. Not that I can remember where it actually is, or anything useful like that, but seriously. Ask someone, or something. They only do pasta, and they do it soooo well, and with exceptionally friendly service. I'm missing it already, and I was there only 2 days ago!
We actually left Pto San Julian slightly earlier than expected, just 'cos it was rather difficult to get seats on the bus for the next leg of our journey. After just one night at the municiple campsite (actually quite nice - great sea views) we got a 1.30am bus (which actually left at about 2.30) to Rio Gallegos. From there, we boarded a slightly less plush bus to make the journey to Tierra del Fuego. Whilst it wasn't the most comfortable trip, the 20ish hours seemed to fly by. Some of the views along the way were incredible too, although by the time we reached the mountains the sun was setting. In some ways, this made waking up in the next morning a real treat, as of course it was dark when we arrived in Ushuaia. I had no idea when I went to sleep in the hostel how incredible the view would be when I woke up... it really is a beautiful setting.
Now I'm sitting in a fab little cafe/restaurant drinking the best beer I've had in Argentina - Cape Horn - and getting slightly tiddly as I try and write bloggage and upload photos. I have no idea if what I've just written makes sense as I don't proof-read this blog. If it doesn't, get over it ;)
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Puerto Madryn and around...
Ok, I just uploaded a load of new photos. There's a bunch from the last couple of places we stayed - Sierra de la Ventana, Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdes. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/gibboniser should do the trick...
So anyway, after my bragging last time about having not seen any clouds for ages, you'll be relieved to hear that the very next day it pissed it down in righteous fashion. The downpour was accompanied by some of the most impressive lighteninig I've ever seen too. Thankfully, we were all packed up and on the bus to our next destination, Puerto Madryn, from where I write now.
Puerto Madryn (which, for some inexplicable reason takes me 4 or 5 attempts to type every time) is a reasonably pretty town some 1400km from Buenos Aires. We've been staying in the ACA campsite around half an hour's walk from the centre. The campsite has been... um... well, the best word for it is noisy. But hell, it's ok - I can't really complain given I'm on a 4-5 month holiday :P
We've managed to do more here than in our last stop at Sierra de la Ventana, due to the fact that the temperature is much more agreeable, being in the mid-20s. Well, I say we've managed to do more... in fact, all that we've done (other than a trip to Peninsula Valdes yesterday) is eat ice cream. If there's one thing that the Argentines know how to do well (other than beef - about which I know nothing what-so-ever) it's ice cream, and we've been eating loads of it. Somehow I've not got any photos yet, but when you see 'em, you'll know what I mean.
So yeah, Peninsula Valdes - our one excursion from the Puerto Madryn. I'm not gonna say too much (mostly 'cos I've been on the computer too long sorting out photos, hence I need a break) but this place was great. If we'd been here a couple of months earlier, we'd have stood a very good chance of seeing southern right whales - they breed in the gulfs to the north and south of the peninsula. But we didn't. Nor did we see orcas, which also inhabit the waters round here. Not quite on the same scale, but we did see penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and rheas, all of which were pretty damn cool. Penguins, in particular, I've wanted to see in the wild since I was a wee lad :D
Oh, no tea nor cake yet, but our next destination surely must deliver on this front - Gaiman, a small welsh settlement in the Chubut valley.
I've also failed to mention the delight I experience daily regarding the quality of the mullets here - they are everywhere!
So anyway, after my bragging last time about having not seen any clouds for ages, you'll be relieved to hear that the very next day it pissed it down in righteous fashion. The downpour was accompanied by some of the most impressive lighteninig I've ever seen too. Thankfully, we were all packed up and on the bus to our next destination, Puerto Madryn, from where I write now.
Puerto Madryn (which, for some inexplicable reason takes me 4 or 5 attempts to type every time) is a reasonably pretty town some 1400km from Buenos Aires. We've been staying in the ACA campsite around half an hour's walk from the centre. The campsite has been... um... well, the best word for it is noisy. But hell, it's ok - I can't really complain given I'm on a 4-5 month holiday :P
We've managed to do more here than in our last stop at Sierra de la Ventana, due to the fact that the temperature is much more agreeable, being in the mid-20s. Well, I say we've managed to do more... in fact, all that we've done (other than a trip to Peninsula Valdes yesterday) is eat ice cream. If there's one thing that the Argentines know how to do well (other than beef - about which I know nothing what-so-ever) it's ice cream, and we've been eating loads of it. Somehow I've not got any photos yet, but when you see 'em, you'll know what I mean.
So yeah, Peninsula Valdes - our one excursion from the Puerto Madryn. I'm not gonna say too much (mostly 'cos I've been on the computer too long sorting out photos, hence I need a break) but this place was great. If we'd been here a couple of months earlier, we'd have stood a very good chance of seeing southern right whales - they breed in the gulfs to the north and south of the peninsula. But we didn't. Nor did we see orcas, which also inhabit the waters round here. Not quite on the same scale, but we did see penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and rheas, all of which were pretty damn cool. Penguins, in particular, I've wanted to see in the wild since I was a wee lad :D
Oh, no tea nor cake yet, but our next destination surely must deliver on this front - Gaiman, a small welsh settlement in the Chubut valley.
I've also failed to mention the delight I experience daily regarding the quality of the mullets here - they are everywhere!
Friday 23 January 2009
Sierra de la Ventana
I was just wondering when the last time I actually saw a cloud was... Having left the UK a week ago today, my holiday-addled brain figured it must have been as I flew out of Heathrow. Then I remembered it pissed it down the first day I was in Buenos Aires. Still, it's nearly a week since then - not bad going if you ask me.
We've been in Sierra de la Ventana for 2 days. It's a small place - the guide books say the population is about 2000. Quite a change from the 10 million inhabitants of the city we left 2 days ago. The activities here are all physical. The Sierra is made up of a number of smallish mountains of around 1000m. I seem to remember reading they're the oldest in the country, but I might be imagining that. Either way, they provide a pretty backdrop when you're sat supping a cold Quilmes in the bar. Yep - that's as much as we've managed to do. The high temperatures (in the 30s at the moment) and inconveniently-timed buses mean getting out to the mountains ain't gonna happen. Still, it's been a nice opportunity to relax a bit. Even bumming around in this weather can be surprisingly tiring!
So tomorrow we're moving on again - taking the overnight bus to Puerto Madryn. This area promises to keep us pretty occupied for quite a few days - the nearby national park (Peninsula Valdes) has loads of interesting wildlife to see, although we've missed the season for whales, apparently. We'll also head to Trelew, which has a great dinosaur museum and lots of local Welsh-based history. Tea and cake is, I hope, well and truly on the cards.
Oh yeah, there's some photos online now too... lemme find the url. It's just some from Buenos Aires, none from round here yet. Oh, here it is: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/gibboniser/FirstFewDaysInBuenosAires
Adios for now, prolly be some more in the next week or so!
We've been in Sierra de la Ventana for 2 days. It's a small place - the guide books say the population is about 2000. Quite a change from the 10 million inhabitants of the city we left 2 days ago. The activities here are all physical. The Sierra is made up of a number of smallish mountains of around 1000m. I seem to remember reading they're the oldest in the country, but I might be imagining that. Either way, they provide a pretty backdrop when you're sat supping a cold Quilmes in the bar. Yep - that's as much as we've managed to do. The high temperatures (in the 30s at the moment) and inconveniently-timed buses mean getting out to the mountains ain't gonna happen. Still, it's been a nice opportunity to relax a bit. Even bumming around in this weather can be surprisingly tiring!
So tomorrow we're moving on again - taking the overnight bus to Puerto Madryn. This area promises to keep us pretty occupied for quite a few days - the nearby national park (Peninsula Valdes) has loads of interesting wildlife to see, although we've missed the season for whales, apparently. We'll also head to Trelew, which has a great dinosaur museum and lots of local Welsh-based history. Tea and cake is, I hope, well and truly on the cards.
Oh yeah, there's some photos online now too... lemme find the url. It's just some from Buenos Aires, none from round here yet. Oh, here it is: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/gibboniser/FirstFewDaysInBuenosAires
Adios for now, prolly be some more in the next week or so!
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