I am off to Volunteer my time at this years Woodford Folk Festival in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.... so maybe I won't write until a few days into the new year.
Have a good one!
Saturday 25 December 2010
Christmas Giving
I've kind of skipped out on the Christmas gift giving this year. I have given only little 'token' gifts (with the exception of my 4 year old niece), as I really believe that those close to me have all that they need and want, and if they don't they will probably go ahead and buy it anyway. I myself have more than enough stuff and kind of feel delight with each item that wears out.
Instead I have given a sum of money to charity. I have two charities that I considered giving to, and there are no doubt others in a similar vein of work that I would also like. The two are Marie Stopes International Australia and Wings Guatemala. In previous years I have given to Wings, but this year Marie Stopes won for its Australian ties. Both charities assist in family planning.
Family planning assistance enables people to better choose how many and how often to have children, and this allows them to take better care of the children they have. To me it seems an extremely affective method of helping the world.
Add to this the information on the Wings website that for every $7 spent on family planning CO2 is reduced by 1 tonne, compared to $32 spent on conventional methods... I am really happy.
If you'd like to know more about these charities the websites are:
www.wingsguate.org
https://mariestopes2-px.rtrk.com.au/
Merry Christmas to all my readers!
Instead I have given a sum of money to charity. I have two charities that I considered giving to, and there are no doubt others in a similar vein of work that I would also like. The two are Marie Stopes International Australia and Wings Guatemala. In previous years I have given to Wings, but this year Marie Stopes won for its Australian ties. Both charities assist in family planning.
Family planning assistance enables people to better choose how many and how often to have children, and this allows them to take better care of the children they have. To me it seems an extremely affective method of helping the world.
Add to this the information on the Wings website that for every $7 spent on family planning CO2 is reduced by 1 tonne, compared to $32 spent on conventional methods... I am really happy.
If you'd like to know more about these charities the websites are:
www.wingsguate.org
https://mariestopes2-px.rtrk.com.au/
Merry Christmas to all my readers!
Thursday 23 December 2010
What was the best of South America?
People keep asking me questions, relating to this year of travel, like "What was my best experience?", "What was my favourite place?", "Where would I go back to?" and "Where, of the places I visited, would I most like to live?". These are difficult questions to answer, but here is an answer to these questions. Oh, and there is also not so difficult questions, like "Was Colombia really scary and dangerous?".
Firstly, my best experience. Can I have three bests? I think my best experience of the year was the Galapagos Islands. It was simply marvellous. Firstly, because without being a naturalist, I felt that I could see what Charles Darwin saw - the evolution of the species was clearly different from island to island. Secondly for the beauty of it, check out my photo's from my pages relating to the Galapagos Islands and you will see the vibrancy of the colours, and I am not a brilliant photographer and nor do I have an expensive camera. And lastly, for the animals lack of care that we were there and the young sea lions jumping in to actually swim with us each and every time we went snorkelling. For more, see
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Misc photos
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Iguanas
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Landscape photos
As Ali sees it: Tortoises in the Galapagos Islands
As Ali sees it: Sea Lions in the Galapagos Islands
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands! - this one was my most exciting experience of the year!
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Island notes
Another 'best experience' was definitely the Carnival in Oruro Bolivia. It's massive! 50,000 dancer, 6000 musicians ..... wow! What a show! Get yourself organised a few months in advance to go and check this out.
As Ali sees it: Fighting for Life in Oruro's Carnival in Bolivia
And another, was catching a river boat, 3 nights, up the Amazon River from the Colombian border town of Leticia to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon. Lazing in a hammock whilst taking in the magnitude of the river, and observing the local communities on the way up... Wow!
As Ali sees it: Rain on the Amazon River (continued)
As Ali sees it: Amazon River Life
My favourite place. Oh this is a tough question. Favourite for what? Well, perhaps it might be Samaipata in Bolivia. I loved the Guided treks into Amboro National Park, I loved the little town, the Dutch run gardens and cafe "La Vispera" just outside of town, and I also had great company there with Kris from Belgium and Zoe from Holland. Samaipata isn't large on the tourist circuit, but other tourists I have met who also ventured also gave it a special mention.
As Ali sees it: When she leaves the church, the town has a party!
As Ali sees it: A bit longer than expected in Samaipata.
Where would I like to go back to? Well I would definitely go back to the Galapagos, there are still more parts to be explored there, but it already had a mention. So my vote on this one goes to Estancia Panagea (Estancia = Ranch = Station) in Uruguay. I really loved my 5 days there. After so much horse riding I could barely walk, but I loved it anyway. In fact, if I could just find me a Uruguayan rancher, that could be my happily ever after.
As Ali sees it: Childhood memories come alive in Uruguay´s Panagea...
Where, of the places I visited, would I most like to live? Ok, so the Ranch in Uruguay did get a mention, but more than that, I really liked the chilled vibe of Rurrenbaque in the Bolivian Amazon Jungle. I reckon there's opportunity there, so maybe I could move back there one day and take up that opportunity.
As Ali sees it: Animals in the know! Madidi Travel tour, Rurrenbaq...
Ok, so was Colombia dangerous and scary? NO! Colombia was, in fact, on of the easiest countries I did all year. There was that route I shouldn't have taken, but if I had of followed guide book advice I would have gone the other way and I would have one less interesting story to tell. Do not be scared to go to Colombia!
Of course, I haven't finished with South America yet, if I look at the map it seems I have barely scratched the surface. Maybe what I will find in Brazil and Southern Argentina and Southern Chile will surpass all of these experiences.
Firstly, my best experience. Can I have three bests? I think my best experience of the year was the Galapagos Islands. It was simply marvellous. Firstly, because without being a naturalist, I felt that I could see what Charles Darwin saw - the evolution of the species was clearly different from island to island. Secondly for the beauty of it, check out my photo's from my pages relating to the Galapagos Islands and you will see the vibrancy of the colours, and I am not a brilliant photographer and nor do I have an expensive camera. And lastly, for the animals lack of care that we were there and the young sea lions jumping in to actually swim with us each and every time we went snorkelling. For more, see
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Misc photos
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Iguanas
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands Landscape photos
As Ali sees it: Tortoises in the Galapagos Islands
As Ali sees it: Sea Lions in the Galapagos Islands
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Islands! - this one was my most exciting experience of the year!
As Ali sees it: Galapagos Island notes
Another 'best experience' was definitely the Carnival in Oruro Bolivia. It's massive! 50,000 dancer, 6000 musicians ..... wow! What a show! Get yourself organised a few months in advance to go and check this out.
As Ali sees it: Fighting for Life in Oruro's Carnival in Bolivia
And another, was catching a river boat, 3 nights, up the Amazon River from the Colombian border town of Leticia to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon. Lazing in a hammock whilst taking in the magnitude of the river, and observing the local communities on the way up... Wow!
As Ali sees it: Rain on the Amazon River (continued)
As Ali sees it: Amazon River Life
My favourite place. Oh this is a tough question. Favourite for what? Well, perhaps it might be Samaipata in Bolivia. I loved the Guided treks into Amboro National Park, I loved the little town, the Dutch run gardens and cafe "La Vispera" just outside of town, and I also had great company there with Kris from Belgium and Zoe from Holland. Samaipata isn't large on the tourist circuit, but other tourists I have met who also ventured also gave it a special mention.
As Ali sees it: When she leaves the church, the town has a party!
As Ali sees it: A bit longer than expected in Samaipata.
Where would I like to go back to? Well I would definitely go back to the Galapagos, there are still more parts to be explored there, but it already had a mention. So my vote on this one goes to Estancia Panagea (Estancia = Ranch = Station) in Uruguay. I really loved my 5 days there. After so much horse riding I could barely walk, but I loved it anyway. In fact, if I could just find me a Uruguayan rancher, that could be my happily ever after.
As Ali sees it: Childhood memories come alive in Uruguay´s Panagea...
Where, of the places I visited, would I most like to live? Ok, so the Ranch in Uruguay did get a mention, but more than that, I really liked the chilled vibe of Rurrenbaque in the Bolivian Amazon Jungle. I reckon there's opportunity there, so maybe I could move back there one day and take up that opportunity.
As Ali sees it: Animals in the know! Madidi Travel tour, Rurrenbaq...
Ok, so was Colombia dangerous and scary? NO! Colombia was, in fact, on of the easiest countries I did all year. There was that route I shouldn't have taken, but if I had of followed guide book advice I would have gone the other way and I would have one less interesting story to tell. Do not be scared to go to Colombia!
Of course, I haven't finished with South America yet, if I look at the map it seems I have barely scratched the surface. Maybe what I will find in Brazil and Southern Argentina and Southern Chile will surpass all of these experiences.
Saturday 18 December 2010
What did I miss?
Travelling long term people ask me "Don't you miss home?" "What do you miss?" or "Are you longing for a vegemite sandwich?". Usually I tell them I miss the dog (my Mum's). They always look horrified by this (clearly I should miss a person or people), but I tend to find that phone and internet keeps me enough in touch with the people, but the spotted dog has never mastered the technology.
But what else? No, not vegemite sandwiches! I don't mind a bit of vegemite (the famous Australian spread we put on bread), but mostly I do like to travel with a tube (of it) purely for the point of subjecting foreign hosts to a bit of our culture. Rarely can I find a foreigner who can claim to like it, and it is fun to see the expressions on the faces of my new 'experiments'.
On the food front, sorry Mum, but I missed Asian food. Australia is so multicultural and we have such a strong Asian influence. I really like Thai dishes, I used to live a block from an absolutely fabulous Indian restaurant, and I missed getting some quick sushi rolls for lunch. Towards the end I longed for a well supplied kitchen in which I could cook a meal.
The one and only time during the whole trip that I really missed home was when I went to dance Salsa in Colombia. At that point I missed dancing salsa with Wil and Seamus, Merengue with Yann, Reggaeton with Baba, and seeing my mate Sandy's beautiful and welcoming smile whenever we saw each other at the Latin Dancing in Brisbane Square. I also missed dancing around in the privacy of my own space.
In general there were other things I missed too... Wine and walks with Susan, dropping in on neighbours Shandell and Tulin, eating Asian food with Adele, and spilling the beans with Mel. Danny's sense of humour was still there for me on my facebook account. And I did miss getting on a motorbike - whether by myself or behind someone else.
Of course, coming home, there are things in South America I will miss too. South America has less regulation, I really enjoyed that. And I kind of like it that people are expected to be smart enough to realise that there is a hole in the road or a step up or some hindrance and that they should avoid that hindrance without the responsible entity needing to spell out the obvious for us.
I will not miss South American bathrooms - Those without toilet seats. Those that don't flush. Those that obligate you to find a coin and buy the loo paper before you go in. And then those that don't obligate you to buy the paper but have no paper and then you realise too late! The ones that haven't flushed in ages when you're in desperate need. The Argentine ones that have you carefully negotiating 5mm between the loo itself and the swing of the door (making it really hard to get in, especially with a backpack!). and the hostel bathrooms with an inch of water on the floor from the last person who had a shower. I will not miss those bathrooms.
I do miss the South American culture and friendliness of it's people, particularly Argentina. Australians are friendly too... just in a very different way. Perhaps our friendliness could be described as more reserved.
Sleeping in a dorm or sharing a bathroom never really bothered me and it felt like I could go on doing it forever (this feeling might change as I get older). I did wish I had private transport to get from A to B... but for that I would want a travel companion, and for the most part I haven't had one.
In summary, in travelling I feel very much 'at home'. It's not that I don't like home. I love Australia! I think I come from the best state of a fanastic country. But there is still so much of the world to see, and I love being out there and seeing it.... I'm definitely not settling down yet!
But what else? No, not vegemite sandwiches! I don't mind a bit of vegemite (the famous Australian spread we put on bread), but mostly I do like to travel with a tube (of it) purely for the point of subjecting foreign hosts to a bit of our culture. Rarely can I find a foreigner who can claim to like it, and it is fun to see the expressions on the faces of my new 'experiments'.
On the food front, sorry Mum, but I missed Asian food. Australia is so multicultural and we have such a strong Asian influence. I really like Thai dishes, I used to live a block from an absolutely fabulous Indian restaurant, and I missed getting some quick sushi rolls for lunch. Towards the end I longed for a well supplied kitchen in which I could cook a meal.
The one and only time during the whole trip that I really missed home was when I went to dance Salsa in Colombia. At that point I missed dancing salsa with Wil and Seamus, Merengue with Yann, Reggaeton with Baba, and seeing my mate Sandy's beautiful and welcoming smile whenever we saw each other at the Latin Dancing in Brisbane Square. I also missed dancing around in the privacy of my own space.
In general there were other things I missed too... Wine and walks with Susan, dropping in on neighbours Shandell and Tulin, eating Asian food with Adele, and spilling the beans with Mel. Danny's sense of humour was still there for me on my facebook account. And I did miss getting on a motorbike - whether by myself or behind someone else.
Of course, coming home, there are things in South America I will miss too. South America has less regulation, I really enjoyed that. And I kind of like it that people are expected to be smart enough to realise that there is a hole in the road or a step up or some hindrance and that they should avoid that hindrance without the responsible entity needing to spell out the obvious for us.
I will not miss South American bathrooms - Those without toilet seats. Those that don't flush. Those that obligate you to find a coin and buy the loo paper before you go in. And then those that don't obligate you to buy the paper but have no paper and then you realise too late! The ones that haven't flushed in ages when you're in desperate need. The Argentine ones that have you carefully negotiating 5mm between the loo itself and the swing of the door (making it really hard to get in, especially with a backpack!). and the hostel bathrooms with an inch of water on the floor from the last person who had a shower. I will not miss those bathrooms.
I do miss the South American culture and friendliness of it's people, particularly Argentina. Australians are friendly too... just in a very different way. Perhaps our friendliness could be described as more reserved.
Sleeping in a dorm or sharing a bathroom never really bothered me and it felt like I could go on doing it forever (this feeling might change as I get older). I did wish I had private transport to get from A to B... but for that I would want a travel companion, and for the most part I haven't had one.
In summary, in travelling I feel very much 'at home'. It's not that I don't like home. I love Australia! I think I come from the best state of a fanastic country. But there is still so much of the world to see, and I love being out there and seeing it.... I'm definitely not settling down yet!
Thursday 9 December 2010
Finishing up, on the coast of Chile
Viña del Mar, Chile
28 - 30 November 2010
I spent my last few days of my year-and-two-days-of-travel on the coast of Chile at Viña del Mar. My flight was from Santiago, but I didn't think much of Santiago the first time I was there, so Viña seemed like a better option.
I wish someone had told me that there was a cold wind blowing along the coast there, I might have stayed longer in Argentina. It was not an exciting couple of days.
I did, however catch up with other travellers I had met in Mendoza, and managed to have a nice final dinner in South America.... well, it was supposed to be the final dinner but my flight was delayed the next night and so my real final dinner was at the airport, courtesy of LAN.
My flight home had a 5 hour delay, then I missed my connection in Aukland (because of this delay) and had to wait almost 7 hours there. Finally, I got home.
Please note! This is not the end of my blogging! I have many more things I plan to write about, nor is this the end of my travels. Keep checking in once a week!
28 - 30 November 2010
I spent my last few days of my year-and-two-days-of-travel on the coast of Chile at Viña del Mar. My flight was from Santiago, but I didn't think much of Santiago the first time I was there, so Viña seemed like a better option.
I wish someone had told me that there was a cold wind blowing along the coast there, I might have stayed longer in Argentina. It was not an exciting couple of days.
I did, however catch up with other travellers I had met in Mendoza, and managed to have a nice final dinner in South America.... well, it was supposed to be the final dinner but my flight was delayed the next night and so my real final dinner was at the airport, courtesy of LAN.
My flight home had a 5 hour delay, then I missed my connection in Aukland (because of this delay) and had to wait almost 7 hours there. Finally, I got home.
Please note! This is not the end of my blogging! I have many more things I plan to write about, nor is this the end of my travels. Keep checking in once a week!
Viña del Mar is right beside Valparaiso, Viña is nicer, Valparaiso is famous for the colourful hillside homes I visited at the start of my trip.
Saturday 4 December 2010
Alco Tourism in Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
21 - 27 November 2010
When I finally pried myself away from hanging out with friend in Tucuman I went to Mendoza. It is one of the definite tourist stops of Argentina, famous for it's wines and being on the crossing from Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires.
I had followed Karolin (my German travel companion for most of my travels in Argentina) there and so went to a hostel she had chosen. It was almost the most expensive one I had stayed in (in all of South America) , and attracted a lot of a type of tourist I had been fortunate enough not to have met too many of during my travels. This is the type of tourist my new friend (Canadian hostel owner Levi Urman) calls "Alco-tourist".
Forget sightseeing! These tourists seem to have travelled to the other side of the world to get drunk nightly and sleep the better part of the day. of course I have seen this before, but these (predominantly Irish and Australian) backpackers were taking it to a new level. Leader in the field was an Irishman fresh from graduating from studying Law at University. Each morning when I arose he would be sleeping on the couch. The movements of the cleaning staff would stir him to go to bed at about 9am, whereupon he would sleep until mid afternoon, go to the supermarket for more alcohol (stopping at hotdog cafe on the way), return, drink at hostel until late, go out to bars until wee hours of morning, return and repeat procedure for the following day. Two weeks and he still hadn't been out to visit a winery!
The hostel itself was a nice place to hang out (it had a clean pool!), and I did so for a week. It was too long for Mendoza, but I prefer Argentina to Chile and I wanted to chill someplace before going home.
Notes:
Hostel Damajuana. If you are going to stay at this one push for a considerable discount... they are available. Cheaper, apparently, if you book online via either www.hostelworld.com or www.hostelbookers.com . I paid $AR55 per night at the front desk.
Bike rental... easy the bus driver will see you are a gringo and drop you off in a place to be hassled by the various companies, they are probably all much the same. We used Mr Hugo bikes.
21 - 27 November 2010
When I finally pried myself away from hanging out with friend in Tucuman I went to Mendoza. It is one of the definite tourist stops of Argentina, famous for it's wines and being on the crossing from Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires.
I had followed Karolin (my German travel companion for most of my travels in Argentina) there and so went to a hostel she had chosen. It was almost the most expensive one I had stayed in (in all of South America) , and attracted a lot of a type of tourist I had been fortunate enough not to have met too many of during my travels. This is the type of tourist my new friend (Canadian hostel owner Levi Urman) calls "Alco-tourist".
Forget sightseeing! These tourists seem to have travelled to the other side of the world to get drunk nightly and sleep the better part of the day. of course I have seen this before, but these (predominantly Irish and Australian) backpackers were taking it to a new level. Leader in the field was an Irishman fresh from graduating from studying Law at University. Each morning when I arose he would be sleeping on the couch. The movements of the cleaning staff would stir him to go to bed at about 9am, whereupon he would sleep until mid afternoon, go to the supermarket for more alcohol (stopping at hotdog cafe on the way), return, drink at hostel until late, go out to bars until wee hours of morning, return and repeat procedure for the following day. Two weeks and he still hadn't been out to visit a winery!
The hostel itself was a nice place to hang out (it had a clean pool!), and I did so for a week. It was too long for Mendoza, but I prefer Argentina to Chile and I wanted to chill someplace before going home.
Celine (Holland), me, and Manuel (Mexico)... Celine and I had agreed the night before to go out to cycle around the wineries with a bunch of people from the hostel, meeting in the lounge at 9.30am. But Celine and I were the only ones to show up as the rest had gotten too drunk to care. Manuel had just arrived by overnight bus and was quick to suggest he'd come along too. The wine is served in classy plastic cups at the bicycle hire place and is free and plentiful... imagine the quality, we paid $US5 to hire the bikes for the day and the bikes were pretty good. (Mr Hugo bikes)
The 3 of us had a great day.... but we really lucked out and missed wine tours due to ill advised timing. Our final stop for liquors and tapenade tastings was good, but then on leaving the chain fell off Manuels bike and so he sat on his bike with Celine and I holding him on each side and pushing him whilst cycling. He loved that!
Notes:
Hostel Damajuana. If you are going to stay at this one push for a considerable discount... they are available. Cheaper, apparently, if you book online via either www.hostelworld.com or www.hostelbookers.com . I paid $AR55 per night at the front desk.
Bike rental... easy the bus driver will see you are a gringo and drop you off in a place to be hassled by the various companies, they are probably all much the same. We used Mr Hugo bikes.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Time to go home
Viña del Mar, Chile
30 November 2010
As I am writing this I am waiting for an appropriate hour to go to the airport to catch my flight back to Australia. My flight is a little after 11pm tonight and I am about 2.5 hours from the airport at the moment... so no need to rush.
I am neither excited or disappointed to be going home, and if I hadn't made promises to go home at this point I would probably keep traveling.
It has been a brilliant year. By the time I get back home I will have been gone 1 year and 2 days. I have explored Northern Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Northern Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
My favorite of these is hard to pick... it might be Bolivia, or maybe Uruguay. Uruguay seemed the easiest to live in, though I don't seem ready to live anywhere. Bolivia seemed the most interesting and challenging.
It seems that I have a million ideas for things I want to do when I get home ... but will I want to stay long enough to do any of them? I guess time will tell.
30 November 2010
As I am writing this I am waiting for an appropriate hour to go to the airport to catch my flight back to Australia. My flight is a little after 11pm tonight and I am about 2.5 hours from the airport at the moment... so no need to rush.
I am neither excited or disappointed to be going home, and if I hadn't made promises to go home at this point I would probably keep traveling.
It has been a brilliant year. By the time I get back home I will have been gone 1 year and 2 days. I have explored Northern Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Northern Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
My favorite of these is hard to pick... it might be Bolivia, or maybe Uruguay. Uruguay seemed the easiest to live in, though I don't seem ready to live anywhere. Bolivia seemed the most interesting and challenging.
It seems that I have a million ideas for things I want to do when I get home ... but will I want to stay long enough to do any of them? I guess time will tell.
Saturday 27 November 2010
Argentine Friends and Argentine Tango
Tucuman, Argentina
12-21 November 2010
I love Tucuman! Not that it is a great place place touristically speaking... but the people are warm and friendly.
I went to Tucuman primarily to visit some guys I had met in Bolivia, and they (particularly Pablo) showed me around town and begged me to stay and stay.
After a weekend there and a Monday-Tuesday trip to Tafi del Valle and Amaicha del Valle, I thought it was time to move on to Cordoba to take some Tango classes, but they talked me into staying and doing the Tango there. This was a good choice, as the classes were cheaper, good and more accessible than in the big and touristy cities. Then when Pablo had to leave town (for a wedding) and could no longer devote his almost undivided attention on me, another local invited me to a birthday party he was attending!
In Tucuman itself I didn´t do a lot of touristy things. Pablo, Carlos and another friend took me hiking at the funicular (disused ruins) of San Javier. And I went to peoples houses and to a disco.
The Monday-Tuesday excursion with Karo and Wayne went to Tafi del Valle and Amaicha del Valle by bus with an overnight in a hostel in Amaicha and a tour to the El Remate ruins with local tour guide Sebastian. The whole excursion was very good, and is described a bit more with the photos below.
I finished my time in Tucuman with 4 days of Tango classes. I pushed it a bit hard and my back has only just recovered, as I found 2 Tango teachers and decided to have private tango classes with them both. In 4 days I did about 10 hours of Tango classes! My teachers were Martin and Julio. Both were good, Martin is clearly the better dancer, but it is good to learn to dance with different guys and in private classes you don´t get to switch partners. Tango lessons in Tucuman were half the price of what I had paid and had been invited to pay elsewhere.
I loved Tucuman and didn´t want to leave... but the hostel was booked out for a conference and so I decided it was time to go. I attended the birthday party on the Saturday night and went straight from it to a 4.20am, 15 hour, bus to Mendoza. At least the bus ride kept me off my feet for a day!
Notes:
Hostel Tucuman. I like this hostel, though it isn´t kept the cleanest (yep a guy cleans everyday, but he just seems to slop water around). They have a deal I would do if I was going North to Salta from Tucuman and it takes you by open bus tickets through Tafi and Amaicha and Cafayate. I paid $AR38 per night.
Tour in Amaicha: Sebastian Pastrana (Spanish only). This hottie does a great tour, and is clearly passionate about his home turf. The company is called Sumajpacha. web: www.sumajpacha.com . ph 54 (03892) 421433 / 0381 154436805.
Tango Classes: Both Martin and Julio charge $AR50 per class. I enjoyed my classes more with Martin, his school is run by his partner Paola and himself and is called La Vitrina. Ph 154476675 / 154064835 (I think you need 038 first), email la-vitrina@aol.com. Studio is at Cordoba 732 (1st floor); Julio doesn´t have a studio but teaches, by appointment, at Sociedad Francesa. Ph. 03815112437
12-21 November 2010
I love Tucuman! Not that it is a great place place touristically speaking... but the people are warm and friendly.
I went to Tucuman primarily to visit some guys I had met in Bolivia, and they (particularly Pablo) showed me around town and begged me to stay and stay.
After a weekend there and a Monday-Tuesday trip to Tafi del Valle and Amaicha del Valle, I thought it was time to move on to Cordoba to take some Tango classes, but they talked me into staying and doing the Tango there. This was a good choice, as the classes were cheaper, good and more accessible than in the big and touristy cities. Then when Pablo had to leave town (for a wedding) and could no longer devote his almost undivided attention on me, another local invited me to a birthday party he was attending!
In Tucuman itself I didn´t do a lot of touristy things. Pablo, Carlos and another friend took me hiking at the funicular (disused ruins) of San Javier. And I went to peoples houses and to a disco.
The Monday-Tuesday excursion with Karo and Wayne went to Tafi del Valle and Amaicha del Valle by bus with an overnight in a hostel in Amaicha and a tour to the El Remate ruins with local tour guide Sebastian. The whole excursion was very good, and is described a bit more with the photos below.
I finished my time in Tucuman with 4 days of Tango classes. I pushed it a bit hard and my back has only just recovered, as I found 2 Tango teachers and decided to have private tango classes with them both. In 4 days I did about 10 hours of Tango classes! My teachers were Martin and Julio. Both were good, Martin is clearly the better dancer, but it is good to learn to dance with different guys and in private classes you don´t get to switch partners. Tango lessons in Tucuman were half the price of what I had paid and had been invited to pay elsewhere.
I loved Tucuman and didn´t want to leave... but the hostel was booked out for a conference and so I decided it was time to go. I attended the birthday party on the Saturday night and went straight from it to a 4.20am, 15 hour, bus to Mendoza. At least the bus ride kept me off my feet for a day!
Me, Augusto, Carlos and Pablo on our hike.
Bromeliad on one of the bridges.
The guys sitting in the middle of the long bridge, 2 voting to turn back, 1 insisting that the bridges are easy and that we should keep going. I squibbed at the point I took the photo from, I was ok going forward, but I didn´t want to continue if we were turning around, as going back was downhill and a whole lot scarier.
Don´t cross the bridges! That´s roughly what the sign says.
Tafi del Valle is a small country town famous for good climate and cheese. We wandered the town and walked out of town to an estancia to buy cheese.
Mother and child in Tafi del Valle.
When we found a hostel in Amaicha del Valle, the caretaker told us about 6 times they had hot water. He was clearly proud of it and we weren´t enthusiastic enough. But we did think the hot water system had character.
Having bought cheese in Tafi, dinner for Karo, Wayne and I was Cheese, fruits, bread, beer and wine.It was good!
If you are ever looking for the tour guy, Sebastian, in Amaicha del Valle, this is what his place looks like, the signage isn´t good, and is obscured from view.
It was a tough decision, but Wayne decided to leave his banana for Pachamama. He wanted the banana for himself and preferred to leave his orange, but he thought that leaving something he wanted more would give him better returns.
Some of the indigenous people believed that when a person dies a new cactus starts to grow and is that ancester looking out over the land. Funny thing is the day before I was told this I was looking out the bus window at the cacti and thinking they had some almost human element to them.
View between Tafi and Amaicha.
Notes:
Hostel Tucuman. I like this hostel, though it isn´t kept the cleanest (yep a guy cleans everyday, but he just seems to slop water around). They have a deal I would do if I was going North to Salta from Tucuman and it takes you by open bus tickets through Tafi and Amaicha and Cafayate. I paid $AR38 per night.
Tour in Amaicha: Sebastian Pastrana (Spanish only). This hottie does a great tour, and is clearly passionate about his home turf. The company is called Sumajpacha. web: www.sumajpacha.com . ph 54 (03892) 421433 / 0381 154436805.
Tango Classes: Both Martin and Julio charge $AR50 per class. I enjoyed my classes more with Martin, his school is run by his partner Paola and himself and is called La Vitrina. Ph 154476675 / 154064835 (I think you need 038 first), email la-vitrina@aol.com. Studio is at Cordoba 732 (1st floor); Julio doesn´t have a studio but teaches, by appointment, at Sociedad Francesa. Ph. 03815112437
Friday 26 November 2010
Communicating with the locals
Latinos are very different to Australians when it comes to communication. Latinos are affectionate. Every meeting starts and finishes with a kiss on the right cheek.... Man to woman, woman to man, woman to woman, and, yep, man to man. And even phone conversations, email messages, and text messages are finished with kisses.
I am never sure what the protocol is, so I just try and play along as best I can. When I worked as a volunteer in Iquitos (peruvian amazon) I found it tiring to have to kiss everybody in welcome and goodbye, and especially having to kiss the one guy I didn't really like. Even friends of friends require a kiss on the cheek.
In Tucuman I learnt something interesting. Here my local friend would finish a text message with bss or mil bss, these being short for kisses and 1000 kisses respectively. Of course, in English speaking culture, we put x to signify kiss, multiple x's for multiple kisses and o for hugs.
So one day I send a message to him ending in xxx, which my iPhone converted to XXX. He told me later that this means porn. I had never in my life heard this before.
I posed the question on facebook of what xxx and XXX mean, and I got varying responses about kisses, porn, poison in cartoons, not quite a Qld beer, and 80's rock band. A Bolivian male friend who had arranged to meet with me in Buenos Aires (we happened to be there the same time) also popped on line, and gave some explaination as to why he ended up ignoring my messages in Buenos Aires and not meeting me.... had I accidentally made him and offer I hadn't meant?
I am never sure what the protocol is, so I just try and play along as best I can. When I worked as a volunteer in Iquitos (peruvian amazon) I found it tiring to have to kiss everybody in welcome and goodbye, and especially having to kiss the one guy I didn't really like. Even friends of friends require a kiss on the cheek.
In Tucuman I learnt something interesting. Here my local friend would finish a text message with bss or mil bss, these being short for kisses and 1000 kisses respectively. Of course, in English speaking culture, we put x to signify kiss, multiple x's for multiple kisses and o for hugs.
So one day I send a message to him ending in xxx, which my iPhone converted to XXX. He told me later that this means porn. I had never in my life heard this before.
I posed the question on facebook of what xxx and XXX mean, and I got varying responses about kisses, porn, poison in cartoons, not quite a Qld beer, and 80's rock band. A Bolivian male friend who had arranged to meet with me in Buenos Aires (we happened to be there the same time) also popped on line, and gave some explaination as to why he ended up ignoring my messages in Buenos Aires and not meeting me.... had I accidentally made him and offer I hadn't meant?
Saturday 20 November 2010
Salta and day trips in its surrounds
6 - 12 November 2010
Salta, Argentina
I really enjoyed my time in Salta. Karo and I arrived on a Saturday and booked ourselves tours for Sunday (Cafayate), Tuesday (Humahuaca) and Thursday (Tren de los Nubes). The city is pleasant enough, and the surrounding countryside is dramatically beautiful.
The tours to the wine producing region of Cafayate and to the coloured hills going towards Humahauca were good value and I recommend them. The Tren de los Nubes (Train to the cloubs) was good, but a long expensive day. We knew it was expensive and would be long, but made the decision to do it because we might never be back this way again.
In town I foolishly walked to the top of the hill instead of taking the cable car and, more foolishly walked back down the road, which took me to outside of town. The next day I could barely walk!
I will let the pictures do the talking:
Cafayate Tour:
Salta:
Humahauca Tour:
Salta, Argentina
I really enjoyed my time in Salta. Karo and I arrived on a Saturday and booked ourselves tours for Sunday (Cafayate), Tuesday (Humahuaca) and Thursday (Tren de los Nubes). The city is pleasant enough, and the surrounding countryside is dramatically beautiful.
The tours to the wine producing region of Cafayate and to the coloured hills going towards Humahauca were good value and I recommend them. The Tren de los Nubes (Train to the cloubs) was good, but a long expensive day. We knew it was expensive and would be long, but made the decision to do it because we might never be back this way again.
In town I foolishly walked to the top of the hill instead of taking the cable car and, more foolishly walked back down the road, which took me to outside of town. The next day I could barely walk!
I will let the pictures do the talking:
Cafayate Tour:
Salta:
Shrine to Gaucho Bill. Some kind of Robin Hood Gaucho
who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. It´s still thieving peoples!
Check the size of that steak... at the hostel Parrilla /Asado.
Humahauca Tour:
Shrine to the (name on sign I can´t read) but she died of thirst
and was found with her baby alive on her breast.
People leave water and other useful things, like fan belts.
Tren de los nubes:
Man on bicycle in the middle of nowhere!
Town at the top!
Notes:
All tours (Cafayate, Humahauca, and Tren) were booked with Salta Connection. Total Paid approx $210. Guides spoke English well on the tours but the English on the Train was difficult to understand, the Spanish was easier for me.
Hostel: Exxes Hostel 30 pesos per night, incl basic breakfast. OK, but the staff and everybody else smoke everywhere. Easy meeting place.
Saturday 13 November 2010
Paraguay shortcut
Paraguay isn't on most peoples list of countries to visit. I would
say that it doesn't have much of an international reputation for
anything at all and Lonely Planet South America makes it sound pretty
dull. But I decided to go anyway.
For one, I wanted to get from Puerto Iguazu to the other northern
part of Argentina and it looked like a handy shortcut. And secondly,
when I told the Uruguayan estancia owner (Panagea) that I one day want
to own a small farm he told me I should take a look at Paraguay as he
thought it had a lot of unacknowledged potential. (In reality, I would
be quite happy to have the farm in Australia as I still firmly believe
I come from a very fortunate part of our planet.)
So I headed to the Paraguayan Consulate in Puertu Iguazu to get a
visa (Australians need a visa for Paraguay but aren't difficult about
it like Brazil). Unfortunately I was to discover that the consulate in
Puerto Iguazu doesn't issue visas and I would have to return to
Posadas to apply for the visa.
This very much ruined my shortcut, but I decided to still get my
visa and go across Paraguay. So I headed to Posadas.
Posadas isn't a bad place to have to go to get a visa. It is a
pleasant city with a nice riverwalk.
Crossing the bridge from Argentina to Paraguay the girl on the
Argentina side of immigration processes our passports but forgot to
stamp them. So on arrival at the Paraguay immigration, across the
bridge, we were told to go back. We eventually got it sorted and were
allowed into Paraguay.
We spent one night in Encarnation and one night in Asuncion
(capital of Paraguay) and then left. We visited the Jesuit ruins and
walked the capital, but Paraguay didn't seem to have much reason to
stay longer. Although, had I crossed from Puerto Iguazu I would have
liked to seen the big dam (2nd in the world).
Then, to further ruin my shortcut, we couldn't find any buses
across the top of Argentina to Salta and we had to go south to
Resistencia where we arrived to find the buses to Salta sold out for
the next day.
I am actually not disappointed that I went through Paraguay, but I
am disappointed that I missed seeing any of the Pampas scenery of
Northern Argentina. The bus we ended up being able to get was a night
bus, I really hate night buses.
All in all, Puerto Iguazu to Salta was a disappointment. But at
least I did get to admire the Paraguayan farming land... I thought
Uruguay was better.
say that it doesn't have much of an international reputation for
anything at all and Lonely Planet South America makes it sound pretty
dull. But I decided to go anyway.
For one, I wanted to get from Puerto Iguazu to the other northern
part of Argentina and it looked like a handy shortcut. And secondly,
when I told the Uruguayan estancia owner (Panagea) that I one day want
to own a small farm he told me I should take a look at Paraguay as he
thought it had a lot of unacknowledged potential. (In reality, I would
be quite happy to have the farm in Australia as I still firmly believe
I come from a very fortunate part of our planet.)
So I headed to the Paraguayan Consulate in Puertu Iguazu to get a
visa (Australians need a visa for Paraguay but aren't difficult about
it like Brazil). Unfortunately I was to discover that the consulate in
Puerto Iguazu doesn't issue visas and I would have to return to
Posadas to apply for the visa.
This very much ruined my shortcut, but I decided to still get my
visa and go across Paraguay. So I headed to Posadas.
Posadas isn't a bad place to have to go to get a visa. It is a
pleasant city with a nice riverwalk.
Crossing the bridge from Argentina to Paraguay the girl on the
Argentina side of immigration processes our passports but forgot to
stamp them. So on arrival at the Paraguay immigration, across the
bridge, we were told to go back. We eventually got it sorted and were
allowed into Paraguay.
We spent one night in Encarnation and one night in Asuncion
(capital of Paraguay) and then left. We visited the Jesuit ruins and
walked the capital, but Paraguay didn't seem to have much reason to
stay longer. Although, had I crossed from Puerto Iguazu I would have
liked to seen the big dam (2nd in the world).
Then, to further ruin my shortcut, we couldn't find any buses
across the top of Argentina to Salta and we had to go south to
Resistencia where we arrived to find the buses to Salta sold out for
the next day.
I am actually not disappointed that I went through Paraguay, but I
am disappointed that I missed seeing any of the Pampas scenery of
Northern Argentina. The bus we ended up being able to get was a night
bus, I really hate night buses.
All in all, Puerto Iguazu to Salta was a disappointment. But at
least I did get to admire the Paraguayan farming land... I thought
Uruguay was better.
If I understand correctly, the river is flooded due to the building of a dam.
I guess they left some buildings in the way. This is in Posadas (Argentina).
Argentinians and Uruguayan wander around with a thermos under the arm
and a mate cup in the hand. Paraguayans have their own cold version
with a highly decorated cooler flask with the cup holder on its side.
The Jesuit ruins near Encarnation are pretty, but come with no information.
Farming country in Paraguay.
Beware of the streets in Asuncion.
Locals laughed at me taking photos of their streets.
Squatters live in a central Asuncion Plaza, whereas in most cities they remove them.
Looking towards the river in Asuncion,
you can see it suffers quite a bit from poverty.
Notes
Accomodation: Encarnation, Hotel Germano... opposite the bus terminal, really clean, freindly owner and convenient. If you want to see the Jesuit Ruins, stay here and head out... you only need the afternoon.
Asuncion: Hotel Maria. Good location, clean, I would stay there again.
Paraguay to Argentina border crossing- horrible!
I wouldn't recommend crossing the border from Asuncion (Paraguay) to Colinda (Argentina) if you are considering another option. It is the 9th land border crossing I have made in South America this year, and it, by far, is the worse one.
The Paraguay exit people are right beside the Argentine entry people, so this seems convenient, but while you are waiting for your stamps other people grab your luggage from the bus. They then direct you to come with them so your luggage can be put through an x-Ray machine, from which they grab your luggage and have you follow them past everyone else where they give you your lugguge and demand a tip. I looked confused, so advise was offered "One hundred dollars". I laughed. And handed over 2 pesos (about 50c), which I figure is plenty in this economy. The guy said it wasn't enough and gave it back, I told him that as it wasn't a service I had wanted he wasn't getting anything more. My travel companion opened her wallet and had 50 and 2 pesos and the guy said she should give him the 50, we both laughed. She gave him the 2, and he turned to me again and I pulled the 2 back out of my pocket and relunctantly gave it back to him.
I hate tipping no matter where I am and I particularly hate it in these situations where the only guidance is from a person trying to take advantage of the situation. I also believe that tipping leads to corruption as there gets to be a fine line between tips and bribes. So I hate it.
Given a choice I would have preferred to have gotten my own lugguge off the bus and carried it through every point myself. I have managed to get it this far, and I like to be in control of it.
The other horrible part of that border is that you lose posession of your passport. The Argentine immigration doesn't give it back to you and you get to return to your bus without your passport and wait for the bus host(?) to give it back to you. Scary!
The Paraguay exit people are right beside the Argentine entry people, so this seems convenient, but while you are waiting for your stamps other people grab your luggage from the bus. They then direct you to come with them so your luggage can be put through an x-Ray machine, from which they grab your luggage and have you follow them past everyone else where they give you your lugguge and demand a tip. I looked confused, so advise was offered "One hundred dollars". I laughed. And handed over 2 pesos (about 50c), which I figure is plenty in this economy. The guy said it wasn't enough and gave it back, I told him that as it wasn't a service I had wanted he wasn't getting anything more. My travel companion opened her wallet and had 50 and 2 pesos and the guy said she should give him the 50, we both laughed. She gave him the 2, and he turned to me again and I pulled the 2 back out of my pocket and relunctantly gave it back to him.
I hate tipping no matter where I am and I particularly hate it in these situations where the only guidance is from a person trying to take advantage of the situation. I also believe that tipping leads to corruption as there gets to be a fine line between tips and bribes. So I hate it.
Given a choice I would have preferred to have gotten my own lugguge off the bus and carried it through every point myself. I have managed to get it this far, and I like to be in control of it.
The other horrible part of that border is that you lose posession of your passport. The Argentine immigration doesn't give it back to you and you get to return to your bus without your passport and wait for the bus host(?) to give it back to you. Scary!
Thursday 11 November 2010
Iguazu Falls without Brazil Visa... Argentina side is awesome!
31 October 2010
Iguazy Falls, Argentina
Iguazu Falls is just amazing! Travel mate Karolyn (from Germany) and I got there on one of the first buses of the day, and spent an entire day there. We were very impressed by it. We also loved the Jungle Boat ride into it.
I only explored the Argentine side and I think that with the boat ride view it was enough. I also took the attitude that Brazil can get stuffed.
The problem for me with going to the Brazilian side was that as an Australian I need a visa, and Brazil are being (in my opinion) completely silly about it. This isn´t about the money, it is about needless regulation. As I understand it, Brazil requires us to have a visa because we (Australia) require Brazilians to have a visa. But unlike Argentina and Chile who simply require us to pay a reciprical fee to fly in, Brazil, in most cases requires paperwork and time.
When I wanted to get the visa in Colombia I was told in Bogota I would have to wait 5 days to get the visa. I didn´t have 5 days to spare, so I flew to the border town of Leticia (I was going there regardless), but there I was told I would have to wait 3 days more (I had already waited the long weekend for the consulate to reopen). This blew my plans to continue travelling with a Dutch friend as she couldn´t wait and so I decided to go back to Peru, instead of passing the next 3 months traveling in Brazil.
In Montevideo I decided to try again, because I had heard how in Puerto Iguazu they would issue the visa in 30 minutes, no questions asked (just pay the money, but, like I said, the money part doesn´t bother me), and so I thought that perhaps the rules would be more relaxed in Montevideo too. They weren´t. I still needed to wait 3 days and provide proof of ticket into and out of Brazil. At this point Brazil would have been a good way to get to Iguazu Falls.
The fact they can do it in Puerto Iguazu (30 days visa, extensions issued inside the country) so easily, but make such a job of it elsewhere says to me that it is just stupid and senseless regulation, and I think that for that they deserve to loose some tourist dollars.
Brazil, of course, is completely entitled to make their senseless rules, just a I am entitled to say they are silly and decide not to go there. And, if Brazil really thinks that it is wrong of us to ask their citizens for visas (I believe Australia asks for visas for legitimate reaons) then perhaps they need to learn what I was taught as a child... that 2 wrongs do not make a right. Tit for Tat is, afterall, considered childish.
Iguazu Falls was fantastic! And I am not sad that I didn´t see it from the Brazil side.
Iguazy Falls, Argentina
Iguazu Falls is just amazing! Travel mate Karolyn (from Germany) and I got there on one of the first buses of the day, and spent an entire day there. We were very impressed by it. We also loved the Jungle Boat ride into it.
I only explored the Argentine side and I think that with the boat ride view it was enough. I also took the attitude that Brazil can get stuffed.
The problem for me with going to the Brazilian side was that as an Australian I need a visa, and Brazil are being (in my opinion) completely silly about it. This isn´t about the money, it is about needless regulation. As I understand it, Brazil requires us to have a visa because we (Australia) require Brazilians to have a visa. But unlike Argentina and Chile who simply require us to pay a reciprical fee to fly in, Brazil, in most cases requires paperwork and time.
When I wanted to get the visa in Colombia I was told in Bogota I would have to wait 5 days to get the visa. I didn´t have 5 days to spare, so I flew to the border town of Leticia (I was going there regardless), but there I was told I would have to wait 3 days more (I had already waited the long weekend for the consulate to reopen). This blew my plans to continue travelling with a Dutch friend as she couldn´t wait and so I decided to go back to Peru, instead of passing the next 3 months traveling in Brazil.
In Montevideo I decided to try again, because I had heard how in Puerto Iguazu they would issue the visa in 30 minutes, no questions asked (just pay the money, but, like I said, the money part doesn´t bother me), and so I thought that perhaps the rules would be more relaxed in Montevideo too. They weren´t. I still needed to wait 3 days and provide proof of ticket into and out of Brazil. At this point Brazil would have been a good way to get to Iguazu Falls.
The fact they can do it in Puerto Iguazu (30 days visa, extensions issued inside the country) so easily, but make such a job of it elsewhere says to me that it is just stupid and senseless regulation, and I think that for that they deserve to loose some tourist dollars.
Brazil, of course, is completely entitled to make their senseless rules, just a I am entitled to say they are silly and decide not to go there. And, if Brazil really thinks that it is wrong of us to ask their citizens for visas (I believe Australia asks for visas for legitimate reaons) then perhaps they need to learn what I was taught as a child... that 2 wrongs do not make a right. Tit for Tat is, afterall, considered childish.
Iguazu Falls was fantastic! And I am not sad that I didn´t see it from the Brazil side.
Feel the excitement! Karo and I getting ready to ride a boat up some rapids and under some mighty powerful falls. I had a poncho on.... but it had a hole in it (of course, where my neck goes) and I got soaked under it anyway.
Last chance to snap a photo before getting drenched.
There is a boat like the one I was on. It seems like they are powerful boats that head full power into the falls, but get forced back by it´s power! I was shreaking with the fun the whole time!
As soon as I unwrapped my sandwich this coati climbed the umbrella pole
and onto my table, but I refused to share.
Then it headed to another table where a tourist was too busy filming him
and didn´t realise that he was about to swiftly steal his lunch!
Niagara doesn´t have anything on Iguazu Falls! They are wow!
Me, somewhere under the rainbow where dreams come true.
Wow!
Notes
Accomodation, Hostel Iguazu Falls. Comfy and just a block and a half from the bus terminal. I recommend it!
Bus and Entry to the Falls is about $US25
Boat trip through the rapids and into the falls about $US55. Recommended for the fun, though if your budget is tight you could do the half price option which doesn´t include the rapids.
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