More bus time

So much to do, so little time and no real clue. Having admired Iguazu we pondered what next do and came to a group decison to head to NW Argentina and slowly up to Bolivia. We broke our journey into two trip and spent another night on the road to Resistencia. This time there was no VIP bed luxury just a freezing, uncomfortable 14 hour bus journey. At 5 in the morning we were dropped by a random petrol station still half asleep and not even knowing if we were in the right place. With no buses for a day we were to stay in Resistencia. Since it was as hot as the sun in the city and there were no swimming pools we decided to head to Isla del Cerrito which we had been promised had beaches alongside the river.

Isla del Cerrito turned out to be a small island with a subtropcial climate running along the Rio Parana. The island which was an old leper colony and now has a small hotel, some holiday apartments and housing for local people. Apart from the leprosy it is famous for its annual Dorado Fishing Championship. Stepping out from the taxi the island appeared to be a tranquil paradise. The river, chirping birds, the odd fish jumping out of the water. Unknown to us, although it now seems obvious, so much water brings mosquitos. We were eaten alive in seconds and with the beaches washed away by the high tide we had nowhere to go. Desperate measures were needed and we blagged our way into the only hotel, which to our luck had a swimming pool. We spent ther remaining hours drinking beer, pretending to be guests and taking the odd dip in the pool. We were driven home in a mini bus by a slightly mad driver. Upon overtaking, which he seemed to think was a good idea with so much dust that he we could not see more than two metres and on a blind corner he would kiss the cross on his necklace and touch the sticker of Jesus on the car window. It was all a little surreal which helped to deal with his dangerous driving.

The rest of the time spent in Resistencia was nice. Nothing much to the city but I enjoyed seeing people go about there daily lives. Young couples kissing in the park at night, a parade of cowboys through the town square and stalls cleaning push bikes.

Another overnight bus journey and we arrived in Tucuman. Again, not wishing to hang aroung we caught a bus to Tafi Del Valle. The journey was beautfil, weaving through steep lush green valleys, waterfalls aplenty and slowly climbing to 3500m. We shared the journey with a nice group of young guys who were on their way to play footbal in Tafi. I have no idea how they manage at this altitude as I found it difficult even to walk at a good pace. We spent a day in Tafi walking the hills and admiring the beautiful countryside. With hills up to 4500m we at last felt as if we were on our way to the mountains. During our time here the first signs that three was a crowd appeared. I begun to feal uncomfrotable travelling with Luis which would eventually lead to us parting ways.

With Luis and Angel eager to move on we caught a bus to Cafayate and then to Salta. I would have been keen to stay more time in Tafi but I also believe in a democracy and I was outvoted. Even though we spent more time in a bus the scenery was fantastic. We left Tafi and travelled through the high antiplano eventually dropping down into dry, barn valleys. We picked up workers and schoolchildren on the way and it became very much more noticable the appearance of people with indigenous roots. The schools that we passed were so isolated they had solar electric panels- a thought for future work maybe.

Our trip continued to Salta through amazing Quebrada scenery. As I´m feeling a little lazy I´ll let the photos do the talking. We arrived in Salta where we would be for five days and we would go on the Tren de los Nubes (Train into the Clouds).

When I get a little more time I´ll write it all up. Thanks to everybody who has written. Lots of love

Alexis

Up, up and Iguazu

For photos http://picasaweb.google.com/alexisviaje

Right then, let me just check that map again. Oh yes, Argentina is immense. After a 16 hour trip from Buenos Aires we arrived in Puerto Iguazu where we wanted to visit the Iguazu Falls: UNESCO site, all out amazing natural wonder. I had always wondered if the hype surrounding such famous places well founded and was thankful to find out that they place was as beautiful and amazing as I had been told.

Iguazu sits on the banks of the Parana and Iguazu rivers. From the outskirts of the village we could see where the two rivers joined and from our Argentinian side we could see Paraguay and Brazil, both had steep banks covered in dense green vegetation. Before arriving there had been a weeks rain and the rivers were rising. By the end of our three days there the river would have risen 15m and washed away one of the riverside bars where we had had a couple of beers ealier that day.

Considering the town sits right next to a world famous attraction it retained a relaxed feel. Our little hostel had a pool which was very welcome. We visited both the Argentinian side and the Brazilian. Words really would have trouble doing justice to the place and even the photos cannot convey the beauty and the power of the water. In some senses we were lucky and unlucky. Due to the rain big parts of the Argentinian walkway were underwater and we couldnt get to the most exciting Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat). On the plus side it was the biggest flood in 20 years and the water coming down the waterfalls was unbelievable. The chocolate milkshake like water crashed down under its own weight exploding and leaving a mist for tens of metres around the falls. We were left thinking what it must be like to go down one of the falls........It could only be like surfing and wiping out at Jaws, or possibly even worse.

The Brazilian side was more like a theme park than a Nacional Park. Taxis and buses bringing people in, restaurants and other things to spend your money on. We splashed out and went on a tour of the sub-tropical forest and then on a speedboat which took us close to the falls. Going upstream against a 60m wide rushing, bubbling, gurgling river was quite something. The skipper was obvioulsy a man of experince and guided us up safely with a bit of fun thrown in. As for the falls, they were equally as spectacular from the water. On three ocassions we moved close to one of the falls and were blinded by the spray. I don´t know why but I just giggled and laughed for the whole time.

Ripped off by the scam men
Even writing this a few days after it happening, the scam still hurts me, makes me feel naive and also angry. On one of our days in Iguazu we visited Cuidad del Este in Paraguay. The city lies on the border of Brazil and Paraguay and is a tax free haven with plentiful cheap electronic goods. As I had forgot my camera in Wales I thought I could pick something up. On entering the city we knew we were in a different world. Big 20 storey high buildings, taxi drivers srambling for passengers, street venders selling a range of cakes, empanadas, dodgy looking money exchangers and security guards with shot guns on shop doorsteps. Road rules were flouted and at one point our bus driver reversed 30 metres into a four way junction blocking of all the lanes. I could only laugh.

Our idea was to look at bus journeys crossing Paraguay to the capital Asuncion. We knew little of the country and thought that I would be nice to visit somewhere off the beaten track. After checking out the bus times we caught a local bus back into the centre. The bus was beautiful: the front and back door were left open, wooden floor, blaring music and small Paraguyan coloured curtains covering the interior. Travelling through the city we saw scrubs of land with makeshift homes of wood and plastic which looked like they wouldn´t withstand the next rainfall. Whole families of natives appeard to live in the single three by three metre structres and in one of the fields there must have been at least 50 families.

In the second shop that I visited I began to barter with the salesman. We arrived at an agreement for the camera and a memory card. As I went to pay at the desk I saw in the corner of my eye the saleman pick up the camera and put it behind the desk. Immediately my stomach turned and my heart skipped a beat. I knew something was up. The salesman started trying to convincve me that the camera was not that fantastic and that I should change it for another. Suddenly another salesman tried to take the camera box away. The fucking bastards, it was a scam. I continued trying to talk with the salesman but to no avail, I thought that I would leave the shop without a camera or at worst nothing in the wallet. Suddenly Angel ripped the camera out of the salesman´s hands, Luis grabbed the box and we legged it out of the shop hastily weaving through the busy streets. We left with the camera but no memory card.

So lessons learnt:

Before handing over any money, make sure the products are in your hand (OK, this is a little paranoid)

Go with gut instincts. The first shop appeared genuine and just gave me the price without attempting to haggle.


After our little experience we decided not to travel through Pa.raguay the next day. Looking back it felt like the right thing to do but am sure we missed out on some wonderful experiences in Paraguay.

Fotos- http://picasaweb.google.com/alexisviaje

Bit of a struggle getting the fotos on this site so check out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/alexisviaje

Buenos Aires - not two but three

Stepping off a plane into a new country after almost a day travelling is a strange sensation. Especially when its 20 degrees warmer and people are speaking a different language. From the plane and from inside the bus it became obvious that Buenos Aires was as hectic as it was immense. There were no lane markings on the road and what appeared to fit two vehicles, fitted four. Dangerous overtaking was the norm which took some getting used to in streets that are 12 lanes wide.I met Angel in La Plaza de Mayo. To my suprise his friend Luis was there as well. It turned out that Luis heard about our journey a day before and bought a ticket that same day. So now we are three.



The city had a Friday afternoon buzz that is common almost everywhere. Even though I was tired we had to go out and see the city. We headed to San Telmo, a funky little area with some nice bars and a little Plaza with people drinking in the streets. The Porteños (BA locals) have the custom of sharing and drinking litre bottles of Quilmes larger. Not really having a clue where to go we just walked arouns asking people and going into bars that looked fun.

Saturday, with a slight hangover we wondered around La Recoleta, a barrio which is famous for its cemetary where Eva Peron is buried. It also has a great artesan market, a massive metal moving flower: Floralis Generica, which opens and closes and a great buzz about the place. A common site that day was of groups of people sitting in cirlces, listening to the busker whilst

sharing mate tea. Infact, the Argentines like the tea so

Luis and I at the Floralis Generica much they carry around flasks of warm water and top up whilst walking around the city.

On Sunday we headed to Boca, the dockside neirbourghood known for its colourful main street, being the home of Boca Juniors football team and Maradona´s home. Walking down the street we admired the beautifully coloured houses made of wood with tin roofs. Being Sunday the street was jammed with tango shows, Maradona impersonators, dogs dressed in football kits and market stalls selling football shirts, artesan products and photos with tango dancers. By luck we found a little courtyard on a side street, where some locals had big lumps of meet cooking on the barbie. We hung and chatted with them, drinking beers and feeling that our money was well spent here, rather than on the tourist places. Before leaving we walked out of the tourist area and down towards the Boca staduim. Wild dogs, burnt out cars and tough looking locals re-asserted the view that this was a tough neigborhood. We were lucky enough to see Boca fans queing up three hours before the game started. For such a small group of 50 there was plenty of noise and atmosphere. It was a shame not to have been able to get to the game, which would

have been a great if slightly imtimidatying experience.

Tango show in El Caminato Hanging in La Boca

That night we caught the super cama bus North to Iguza Falls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. Our two days on Buenos Aires had flown by and I left with thinking how well everybody had treated us (apart from the odd person who charged us foreiners prices-I´ll try and get used to it.)