Our first Whirlwind days in Buenos Aires..... The city that starts at 2am

They say in South America, if you turned off the music, the cities would just stop. That couldn't be more true in Buenos Aires. You can feel the rhythmic beats in every conversation you have, every sound in the street and sight you see. That beat constantly changes and evolves like an epic kitchen jam, but there is always a powerful rhythm that's ingrained in the BA fabric.. you just feel it in your bones... (it starts with a dance like extra step in your walk and ends in a full on body groove)

That rhythm and beats are exactly what we felt when we pulled into BA. Its a different kind of energy at first. We thought it was because we were back in a big city again, but really it was just the pure hustle of BA. You feel it in every hood you cruise through. 

• The laid back vibes of Palermo (which become not so laid back at night :))
• The colourful and passionate vibes in La Boca - a low class neighbourhood that help set the stage for BA and home of the Boca Juniors
• A high-class kind of shuffle you feel when roaming the streets in Recoletta
• The middle class, rock n roll feel in San Telmo
• The cultural togetherness you feel when you dance your face off at La Bamba

Its there in every moment in BA... And that really is the beauty. Its a feeling you don't have to search for like you would in some other cities... it, in fact, seeks you out.


Some of you may be wondering why we have gone silent on the blogging for the last week or so and to answer that question I only have two words...... BUENOS AIRES! We arrived here just over a week ago and we have been going non stop to see, do and experience all the incredible things that Buenos Aires has to offer and let me tell you, it lives up to the hype. There is so much to share and write down about Buenos Aires that it would take a novel to share it all and it would take you about 3 hours to read it all if we tried to put in all in 1 blog (plus we would need to sit inside for a day just to write it all lol) so we will try and break it up in a few instalments


We arrived in B.A via overnight bus from Mendoza on Wednesday afternoon (Feb 7th). It was an uneventful bus ride but not quite as luxurious as our ride from Salta - only feed us cookies and pop instead of hot meals, but I will take it! Immediately when we arrived we dove right into finding our way around the city and hopped on the subway, or called the Subte here, to try and get to our hostel. After wandering around the street for a bit looking for any form or subway sign we finally asked a cop how to get there and after a few minutes of trying to describe what we meant by subway we finally got in and directed us to the spot after warning us to be extremely careful with all of big bags while we are on the Subte. It was only a few short stops before we got off and after crossing a few wrong streets finally got to our hostel, the Milhouse (highly recommended to us and known for being the best party hostel in town)...... or so we thought. Turns out there is 2 Milhouse hostel locations and we were booked at the other one. Uggggh so we put our massive packs back on and headed back out in the 35+ degree heat - Luckily it was only about a 5 min walk away.


Around 430 - After getting all checked in, settled into our 8 bed dorm and grabbing some food at a typical Argentinian cafe/pizzeria  (Side note - there is so much to share about Argentinian food that we are going to have to include a whole other blog on just that so this update will be light on the drool worthy food description.....but rest assured the food in amazing!), Jonny and I decided we were going to take a walk over to the Neighbourhood of San Telmo. Kait and J.J headed to another part of town, where they were hoping to find an Apple store so J.J could fix some issue with his Iphone - I have no idea what he would do with himself should it break haha!


San Telmo is an super cute neighborhood with a very Boho vibe. The streets are all made of cobblestone, high trees, amazing Juliet style balconies and funky antique shops with some of the most obscure stuff that you have ever seen. Its really common also to see impromptu Tango dancing on the streets. We spent a very relaxing few hours wandering through streets and shops, enjoying a beer on a patio and people watching, including this little kid who was trying to beg for money by juggling with only 2 balls and he kept dropping them both. It was a great chill day and way to start getting our bearings in B.A. Sundays are really the day to hit San Telmo since all the streets are closed to cars and there is a massive outdoor market set up outside - more on that later. 

The tree lined streets of San Telmo

Strolling through the antiques market

The interesting finds in the Market

Enjoying a sunny afternoon on the patio in San Telmo

After San Telmo we headed back to the hostel to take a bit of a siesta - which unfortunately for us is not really part of the culture in Buenos Aires. We are starting to miss those.  We knew we needed a quick nap for the day since we were going to attempt to go out Buenos Aires style at night. Which means you pre-party to go out until 2am and then head to the clubs around 230am when they open until 5am or 6am. So we napped, grabbed a quick bite and then put on our only outfits that might be considered "going out" and headed down to our hostel bar party around 1130pm for the party. Somehow in the time that we had been napping our hostel had been completely turned into a club and it was filled with people much, much, much younger than us. So we tried to fit in and grabbed some vodka redbulls, which are the promotional drink so real cheap, then we watched all the single guy and girl travellers try and work their game, which lead to many many dance floor make-outs - so hilarious to watch. After a couple vodka's we were feeling pretty good and somehow we got the idea that we needed PANCHOS before we were going to head out to the bar (for those who have not seen the earlier post - Panchos are Spanish for hotdogs). So we headed down the street for to the place we saw earlier in the day and grabbed a few. After this we really felt we needed french fries so we stopped in at a restaurant across the street (there was no where fast food around and the hot dog guy didn't have any). I think it may have been the vodka's talking but when we sat down J.J decided that we also wanted a steak to go with his french fries, and he did. By the point we had all eaten and gotten back to the hostel party the buzz had worn off and we were beat and it was almost 2am so we did not make it past the hostel party on night one. 


The long overnight bus and the attempt at going out caught up to us by day 2 so we took it easy in the morning and then just decided to go check out a few different barrios (neighborhoods). We wandered through Plaza de Mayo, where there are alot of government buildings with stunning architecture, including the famous Casa Rosada where Evita Peron used to wave to all the people. 

Out from of Casa Rosado

After walking through the square we headed to Puerto Madera, a very trendy new 'hood down by the harbour. It is filled with little cafes, interesting looking buildings, condo's etc. While strolling along the board walks Jonny and I were approached but a cute little Spanish girl who had a T.V crew with her. She informed us that she was trying to win a trip to Bariloche, Argentina and in order to win she needed to get boys to sing love songs to girls on T.V. so Jonny serenaded me with some old school boys to men. 

Views in Puerto Madero

Crossing over the Bridge in Puerto Madero

Jonny overlooking the Bridge

Following Puerto Madero we wandered back to the hostel via some of the shopping streets, where Kait and I exercised our credit cards a little.  We decided to stop and pick up food to make our our dinner so that we would pace ourselves a little better this time as we were determined to make it out to an Argentinian night club this time.  After partying until 2am at the hostel bar, we bought our tickets for Club 69 - which is supposed to be the hottest spot in town on a Thursday hit the town. This is not the kind of spot that we would normally be caught dead at in Toronto, more of a Cancun on Spring break type club, but it offer great entertainment and the perfect intro to B.A. partying. Think transvestites, break dancers, half-naked girls dancing in crazy costumes all going on around you. We partied there until around 430am before making our way back to the Milhouse, making a pancho stop again of course. 


The next day definitely ended up being a recovery day, we didn't end up getting going about 1pm, which actually seems to be pretty standard here in Buenos Aires. We spend the day wandering around the high-class area of Recolletta, checking out the sights including one crazy cemetery that has hundreds of crazy mausoleums, including the one where Evita Peron is buried. 

Beautiful Church in Recolleta

Another View of the church 

Picturesque streets in Recolleta 

Jonny towering under a Mausoleum

Mausoleum in Recolleta

The amazingly large tree in Recolleta

It is quite the tourist attraction and I must say that some of the mausoleums are incredible beautiful, others just really interesting to look at but we both started to find the whole thing kind creepy after a while so we headed home to get ready for our real culture experience for the day - Argentina Soccer game!! La Boca home opener to be exact.


Jonny wanted to be the one to share our soccer game experience so he has detailed our experience below:



I have never loved soccer. In some instances, unless its at a pub or sometimes FC game, accompanied by enough gentle pints for the whole game, I might even go so far to say as I dislike soccer. Not as a sport. These guys are amazing athletes. Perhaps just as a means of entertainment. I'd rather read... and if Im reading, its because there is nothing else to do (or travelling :) My mom would be so proud. I just finished a 1,000 page book and didnt even skip a chapter).


I can say that BA has changed my opinion. IUts been wiped of all cold FC games and replaced with the intense passion and non-stop entertainment of the Boca Juniors. Every lonley planet and travel book similar will tell you a Boca Juniors match is part of the BA experience... They arent always right (i.e. there is an ATM in Copacabana, Bolivia), but this time... they have never been MORE right. Maybe its because their abbreviated team name is the same as our beloved Blue Jays (sick new logo :) Super different).
Boca is considered a dangerous hood. Even in the day time if you wonder off the gringo streets and especially at night, no matter where you are. Opening day, as a foreigner, even more so. That fear that hostels drill into you leading up to the game quickly disappears and is replaced with a differerent sensation. One of passion, pride and living for the moment.

Getting ready to head to security

After passing through 3 security pat-down checks (starting 5 blocks away from the stadium), after a lovely evening stroll down the low class streets of Boca, foreigner mocking chants quickly change for Boca merch for sale chants, Litre Quillmes for sale chants (basically a Boca merch it self), high fives and BBQ'd parilla (chorizo was our meat of choice that night).



After the last pat-down you're at the gates to the stadium and its lit up likea menorah.. Just raging like the shamash (middle candle on the menorah) on night 8. You hear the chants from the ground floor, and soon, your one of the voiceless bodies in a crowd of mayhem. You get to your seats (the only ones available for gringos) and quickly get over the fact that you and the other 10,000 people will be standing for the next 3 hours. Standing becomes swaying with the cheering and what seem like rehearsed songs which at one point even becomes coordinated songs with DANCE (you can imagine my excitement... Conny: it wasnt the same with out a back to swim on bro... get tight).
Boca Juniors are welcomed with sonds that sound great but cant be made out by most gringos (especially us). So we pretended via humming along like Mitch Ritter to most hip hops songs blaring in his 92 Toyota Tercell (this statement is false if you consider Mitch's knowledge of Rosa Parks and most outkast songs).

Starting our first match!

Our Gringo seats across from the Hooligans

Close up for the Hooligans sections

The game starts slow and the Quillmes are wearing off (Boca Junior games are dry... What is this.. the new queens homecoming post 2005 when a car was flipped and set on fire and cops beaten up?) and I start to think, "well the moment has passed... which team is the FC?" as memories of cold, rainy April home games come back to me.
Then Boca scores. This wsa an eruption unike anything I have seen at a live sporting event.. NFL, NHL, March Madness are put to sham eby this crowd of 60k+.
Gol - gol - gol gol gol (but it sounds like yol, which is both amusing and sounds better) is raged by the sold out crowd and surrounding streets. We could join that one... that one was SICK!
Boca won and the addrenaline fueled us for the night (much more happened during the game, but this blog is getting too long and you get the idea I think.. If not, go to a game your damn self). If you ask me, it this to comes back to the music of BA. Its unique Boca sound shakes the cement bleachers uniting the stadium with their team, neighbourhood and epic city.
Futbol doesnt suck... its epic. I just needed a change of scenery to figure that out. That and never go to an FC game again (I would say watch to, but I don't even think they get aired.. .if they do.. stop it.. its gross). Maybe they could use the stadium exclusively for Ti-cats vs. Argos games.. OSKI WEE WEE! So from now on, when the footy show hits The Score on Sunday AM's, you can find me at the futbol factory on Bathurst and Queen, drowning myself in gentles. Anyone have plans in November?

Check out the link to our Boca Juniors Experience Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viAYnMUKu7o

Buenos Aires

Welcome to Buenos Aires.. The city with a beat.. 24/7

Click above to keep following...

We made it

Month 1 Travel Report!

It's wierd, I don't quite know how it happened but somehow we have already been on the road for exactly 1 month! I can remember back to our first week in Peru when we kept looking around to each other and saying with excitement "I can't believe its only been 1 week - we have so much time left!" 


It took us a while to find our travelling groove and we fumbled a bit a first. Things like how best to lock up our things, keep you stuff organized when you are packing and unpacking literally daily, how to quickly learn how to navigate a city, to know how early to be for the bus were foreign to us, but somehow along the way we have found our system. We can now have those bags organized, zipped and slung on our backs in seconds flat! 


So far this trip has lived up to everything I imagined when I first started to dream up this trip way back in high school. We have met some incredible people, learned things about cultures that you would never read in a book and marveled at scenery like you have never seen... plus not having to work everyday helps!  It's only been 1 month so its hard to say what the future will hold but I can only imagine that this is only the tip of the iceburg of this crazy adventure. 


In honor of our first month on the road we though we would do a bit of a 1 month travel report:


Countries visited: 3
Cities visited: 8
Major fights: Happy to report this is still zero!
Items lost of forgetten: 3 - Soap, Sunscreen and face cream  - well almost 4 when Jonny left his oakleys on a tour bus, luckily we went back the next day and the company had them 
Items Stolen: 1 - Our digital SLR camera and all the gear with it........... I hate you whoever did this! 


We also did a little survey of each other


Jonny
My most worn item (other than underwear): V neck tee and j-crew shorts
most un used item in my backpack: Pack pillow
My favorite food so far: Parilla in Salta
My favorite Hostel so far was: Hotel Mitru in Tupiza for the pool
One thing I wish I had with me is: My Sperrys!
One of my favorite moments so far was: 1) ariving in Buenos Aires and getting the feeling of being in a city again 2) walking into an airplane hanger looking for my plane on a military base
At this moment in time I am most excited for next: Tonight - because its not yesterday or tomorrow....... real answer is bronze following carnival
One thing I have been suprised about on this trip so far is: The size of Mendoza


Talia
My most worn item (other than underwear): Jean shorts
Most un used item in my backpack: My pack rain cover (knock on wood)
My favorite food so far: Empanadas in Argentina!!
My favorite Hostel so far was: Aldean Inca in Titicaca lake for the hammocks
One thing I wish I had with me is: More shorts....... its very hot 
One of my favorite moments so far was: Dinner with new friends and locals in Mendoza at Luna Mexican
At this moment in time I am most excited for next: CARNIVALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL - 7 days!
One thing I have been suprised about on this trip so far is: We haven't partied as much as expected but that is all chaning so as we are going to the biggest party in the world! 

Final report from Mendoza

After Jonny and I's Sunday Funday we had booked a day at the Thermal Spas, complete with various temperature pools, Jacuzzis, Sauna's, etc,  just outside of Mendoza. We figured it was our reward for me being sick and recovering and for him putting up with my sickness and recovery.  

As we were doing on research we discovered there are actually 2 spas that you can go to 1 - is the Termas Cacheuta, that is the one most people end up going to and all the tour companies will try and sell you deals to. These spas are actually a bit more of a water park and completely PACKED. Especially since this is their summer the place is overrun with families with kids, which was not exactly the relaxing spa day that we were looking for. Spa number 2 - Thermal spa is just a few kilometers up the road and tucked away within a really remote luxury hotel up in the Andean mountains. We choose to spend the extra dough and head to Spa number 2 for the day. Only a few tour companies in the city seemed to offer packages to this spa but lucky for us the one in our hostel did so we didn't get suckered into the kiddie water park "spa". Now alot of people get sticker shock when they hear how much the luxury spa day goes for, 300 Pesos each, but this includes your pick-up and drop-off from your hotel, 8 hours at the spa, a massive lunch, lockers, etc, etc. and really 300 Peso's still works out to be less that 70 CDN dollars and trust me this places was WORTH IT!

The van picked us up around 9am and we were relaxing in hot pool number 1 by 10am. We spend a few hours bouncing around between the various thermal pools, foot spas, cold springs and bubble beds before we started to prune up a bit so we relaxed in our land chairs and read our books/napped. Totally heaven and it wasn't even lunch time yet! At 1pm the lunch buffet opens and it was the most amazing spread we had ever seen. Argentinian BBQ of course, with about 25 other side dishes, a massive salad bar, bread bar and fresh fruit bar for dessert. 

View of Spa surrounding area

Lunch Spread

After indulging in the lunch buffet we walked around the hotel for a little while to take in the amazing mountain vistas all around us before hoping back in the pools for round 2. The afternoon was spent much like the morning, bouncing between pool to pool at our whim, but in the afternoon we also decided to get into the mud spas. Jonny had a great time lathering himself and me up in mud. After letting the mud hardened for a bit so that is could do whatever it is that mud is supposed to do for your skin we got into the showers to rinse off, but these were not just any showers, they shoot water at your from every possible direction and various pressures - again heaven.  After 8 hours at the spa it was time to head back into Mendoza, relaxed and refreshed. What a great day. 

Jonny the mud monster

Digging in for some more mud

Cedric also came to the spa

Once we got back we took our siesta (we really like those lol) and then the night was not over. Jonny and I had already decided that we were going to check out Bachi's, one of the gentlemen we had meet on the patio on our sunday funday the previous day, restaurant called Luna Mexicana. Kait and J.J. were also up for Mexican so they can with as well as Jena and Daniel, and super nice couple we had met in our hostel earlier in the week who happen to also be from Toronto! Such a small world. So the 6 of us head off the restaurant and who do we run into on the patio but Bachi and Jeff - mine and Jonny's friends from the day before. We set up at a big table in the picturesque back patio complete with Mexican style table clothes and Christmas lights strung through the rod iron staircase. We started just with some drinks and nachos, which were amazing- the food at this place was the best Mexican that I have had in a very long time. They make all kinds of different salsas and they grow and then pick their peppers fresh daily to use in the salsas. 

Enjoying some Mexican and Luna Mexicana

For our first round of drinks we were all going to start with a ice cold corona, however they only had 4 left so J.J and Daniel decide they would go with the Toc-Toc - and unknown drink on the cocktails menu just to see what it was. Turns out a Toc-Toc is a tequila shot, so when they arrived we decided to all get one and really start this night off right. And the rest of the evening seemed to progress in the same way. Jeff and Bachi, along with Bachi's  daughter joined us on the patio and before we knew it there was about 2 or 3 litre beers and 6 bottles of red wine empty on the table and it was 3:30am.  So far best night of Mendoza by far! We all stumbled home to get some sleep. At which point I felt really had for our new hostel roommate since the 4 of us stumbled in, lights came on, we attempted to fix the AC which for some reason had shut off and then fumble around to find PJs ....could not have been good for her sleep. 

Jonny getting into the bottle of Tinto

The crew at Luna Mexicana

The next morning we had to check out since we had were leaving to head to Buenos Aires that night - none of us were moving very quick (it may have been all the wine from the previous night). Finally we all got going to shower and pack up. Jonny was the first one ready so he headed downstairs to grab a bite and read his book and wait for the rest of us. About 30 mins later I came down asked about where we can store our bags for the day and then joined him in at the table. Jonny's bags were about 10-15 ft away from him in full view. He got up to go get something from his bag and then he turned to me and said "Babe, did you take the SLR camera out of my bag?" to which I replied "No, why" to which he replied "really?? Are you sure" and I can hear by the tone in his voice that he was serious and was not trying to pull my leg. In the time that he has been sitting there someone had opened his day bag and dug under his change of clothes and was able to get out the SLR bag (which also had both lenses and the memory card with the last few days of mendoza picks) and steal our camera! The zippers on his bigger pack had also been opened but nothing taken out. Immediately we went into recovery mode and started asking everyone around if the had seen anything. 

The craziest thing about the whole incident is that first off, its a really small hostel and very secure, there is no way for people to come in off the street because they keep the front door locked and only the receptionist can let people in which means that it had to be someone that was still in the hostel somewhere or one of the 3-4 people that had checked out and left in the 30mins Jonny was sitting there. Secondly, there were people around while it happened so whoever did this had some major balls to go into the bag. 

Both the receptionist and the hostel manager who were there at the time were extremely helpful and felt terrible about the incident although there was not much that they could do.  they called the police who were there within minutes and looked around the hostel. They even searched one guys bag and locker at the urging of the hostel manager who had felt that is was quite sketchy and had seen him wandering around awkwardly during the time it happended, but they didn't find anything on him. At this point we had pretty much given up hope of finding the camera, we still headed back with the police to file a report in case there is anything we can do from an insurance perspective but all hope of getting it back is gone. I am heartbroken over losing it - I mean we knew that at some point something would likely get stolen but I didn't think it was going to be this early and not that! It is especially  infuriating that it was another traveller, I mean if I was going to have something stolen it would be easier to stomach if it was someone living in poverty who really needed it more that we did. We are usually very diligent about locking our bags with little pad locks we bought but Jonny  hadn't put his on yet since we was still just a few feet away and it was so quiet. So one lesson - never let your guard down unfortunately 

After finished our police report, doing one final walk around the city and another siesta we still had about 1.5 hours to kill before we had to leave for our overnight bus to Buenos Aires so we decided to go to a tasting room, Vines of Mendoza, to try a few more local wines before heading out. After a few Torrontes and Malbecs we realized we only had about 20 mins to get back to our hostel, grab bags and cab to the terminal so we booked it and made it onto our bus just in the nick of time!

Enjoying one last glass before leaving Mendoza

Go here! Great wines and atmosphere

So that is our final report from our week in Mendoza - filled with highs, and couple lows, but overall and great stop on our tour.  And once we get off this bus we will see what Buenos Aires has to offer! 

OOO_Talia and Jonny

A poncho is a hot dog.. and that is awesome

Hola from Mendoza.


What you are about to read may shock you based on what you have heard from friends who have travelled South America. To be honest, I wanted to give it a fair chance before I published any official personal opinions about the food in SA.


Food in South American (particularly Peru, Bolivia and Argentina) is average........ surprising.. I know.
You do get the odd epic meal but for the most part the food will range from OK to average and can sometimes even be shit.


Before your mind takes to assume this is the YUK of the week. Please stop it. It is not the YUK of the week. My opinion about SA food lead to something amazing.


A few days ago, in Mendoza, Argentina; a place that demands the need to eat bbq meet and wine, I opted for a Poncho. Not just any poncho... a SUPER poncho.


At first, I wondered how the word poncho could ever mean hot dog... But then I started to say the word more. Poncho is a fun word to say.. try saying it 10x. You can also add epic adjectives to it... like.. SUPER poncho or EPIC poncho, etc.....


Those that know me well know I love hot dogs... My favourite is a nice, heavily BBQ'd street meat.. That said, a hot dog is only as good as the toppings available. For this reason NYC hot dogs are trash while Toronto (in my experience) leads the way for street meat.


I can officially tell you that Argentinian ponchos are UNREAL... its not even BBQd.. its steamed... which is a major hot dog faux pas for me (until now).


Talia, Cedric and myself spent a few hours on a patio, smashing footlong super ponchos topped with spicy mustard, home-made salsa, hot sauce, pickled vegetables and.................................................... the super poncho staple.... crunched up chips....

So... to summarize... The food in SA has been OK. We have had great meals... we have had shit meals and have had a lot of average meals.... As such, I have developed the SA equation for successful eating. 


When your desire for local dining has lead you to the wrong places (typically ending with the Banos), for 3 consecutive meals... Ditch the local flare and go with your gut... SUPER PONCHOS!!!!!!!!!!


Peace, Love and ponchos..
OOO_Jonny

On the Mend in Mendoza (Finally!)

Plaza Independencia Park Entrance - Mendoza

Just before leaving Salta for Mendoza and I had this pain that started in my throat that was totally unbearable, like I was swallowing broken glass (when I could swallow) and along with it came some fever, body aches, chills the whole nine yards. In my true style I tried to ignore it,¨just a cold, it will be gone tomorrow ¨. After a terribly  uncomfortable overnight bus ride and 3 more days of unbearable pain and finally my throat just closing up I finally caved and went to see a doctor here in Mendoza (only cost be 20 buck!) and he confirmed what I pretty much knew - I had a big time case of Strep throat. He gave me some free Antibiotics told me to have some Tylenol, lots of water and only little alcohol (his words not mine lol) and then I would be good as new in a few days. Wellllllllllllllllllllll....... he was right!! By day two of my AntiB´s I was starting to feel like myself again - so I am finally on the Mend in Mendoza!


Since I had to spend the first few days of Mendoza trying to get better it was finally time to get to the good stuff.......WINE TASTING. Which we did - lots of! We decided to head out to the town of Maipu (pronounced my-poo) with our Kiwi friends that we met back in Bolivia to do a full day of wine touring. To get out to Maipu we took the city bus. After about 45 mins the bus driver pulls over and just says ¨Mr. Hugo´s¨ which worked out perfectly for us since that is exactly where we are going! Mr. Hugo´s is a bike & wine touring place in Maipu. There are many others also located in Maipu but we had be told by many that this was the place to go! Hugo is a old party dude and he greets you on the way in and the way out with a glass of his own home brew so we knew we would like this guy. Incidentally he also pays of the bus drivers to drop the tourists right off in front of his place so even if you ask the bus driver to drop you off at another tour company you will still end up in front of Mr.Hugo´s.

Mr Hugo's Entrance way 

Whole crew upon arrival at Mr. Hugo's

After indulging in some of Hugo´s home brew for a while the 6 of us got our bikes, red massive beach cruiser types and all us ladies got the ones with the little baskets on the front and then we headed out, map in had, to start of wine touring. We started out small with a brief tour through the Museo del Vine, pretty interesting to see the old wine making gear, plus they offer free museum wine to taste. After the museum we headed to the Olive oil making place ¨Entre Olivos¨ - their oils, spreads, etc were all AMAZING...but the homemade mustard was unreal. I wish I had bought a jar - rookie mistake. This place also made their own liquors so we each got two shots of our own choosing. I had a shot of the Dulce de Leche liquor and their mulled wine and then we hopped back on our bikes to head to Trapiche before it closed at 2pm. Still riding pretty straight by this point but it all changed after Trapiche.

Definitely don't go the wrong way!

Old barrels at the Museum

The tasting at Trapiche actually included a legit tour of the facilities - which were beautiful. Trapiche is a very large commercial winery that exports around the world. You can pick up their Malbec´s in the LCBO for about 10$. The place were the tour and tasting is however is where they actually make the premium Trapiche wines - jackpot! After about a 30min tour they finally brought us in for the main event and we sampled about 4 or 5 of their more premium wines before hoping on our bike again..... a bit more wobbly by this point. We headed back to the main gates to leave only to find them locked. In our wine haze none of us could figure out of we were to get out so Jonny and Kiwi Pete figure you must have to toss your bike over and jump over the rod iron fence (which they did). Then J.J called out from about 20m back..... ¨Hey guys the exit is this way¨...... ooops. Then back on our way.

Inside at Trapiche 

Entrance way

We decided to make out next spot the bodega (vineyard) where we had a discount for lunch - Familia Di Tomaso, which according to the map looked like it was only about 5 blocks away. Unfortunately the map was not to scale so we ended up with about a 6km bike ride ahead of us in the crazy heat. Luckily the ride included some amazing scenery and picturesque streets. First we dinned on some great Italian food and I tried one of their wines, a Torrontes, which is a type of grape native to Argentina and fabulous! After lunch we again indulged in a tasting which included four varietal from their Bodega. At this point the combination of wine and AntiB's put me in a very, very good....but loopy place. Perfect timing to hop back on the bikes! We rounded out the afternoon with tastings at Vina el Cerno and Mevi before heading back to Mr.Hugo's for some more home brew. Our bike ride home even included a police escort home. Apparently there have been some incidents in the area (bag slashing, hold up for cameras, etc) so in the evenings the tourist police give the stray tourists and escort back to Mr. Hugo's.

The beautiful streets on the ride

Jonny liked it I swear

Drunken biking and pic taking.... you can see the police escort in the back! 

After our day of wine tasting we headed back for a much needed siesta before heading out to dinner again with our Kiwi friends. We siesta'd until about 11pm - determined to get onto this Argentinian dinner thing -  before meeting up with Pete and Rachel. We grabbed some dinner and drinks in the very busy bar district with plans to get even more drinks later but by the time we finished dinner around 230am we are all beat so we grabbed gelato and headed home. 


The next day was Sunday, where most things were closed and we were hung over and tired, so Jonny and I planned just to get some food and coffees on a patio and really take it easy. We found a nice little place called to Aldea back in the bar district and it started out as a pretty casual coffee and patio but it turned into Sunday Funday for us. We met these two beauty older guys on the patio, one American. Jeff from Wyoming (he owns a few bars and restaurants in Jackson Hole so if you find yourself there check out the Mangy Moose) and Bachi, a local Mendozian who owns a Mexican joint here. They bought us some wine and we chatted with them for a few hours before Bachi gave us a ride back to our hostel. Plan is to go try out Bachi's Place tomorrow after mine and Jonny's spa day (update to come on that). 


OOO_Talia 

Salta Argentina for a few days..... What should you do??

In case you should one day find yourself in Salta, Argentina one day (and you definitely should if the opportunity should arise) here is a brief "What to do with 3 days in Salta" guide

After a rough day at the Bolivian border (see adventures in travelling Bolivia Post) and a gruelling late night bus ride with a 3:30 am arrival time, we were looking for a nice place to just chill - And Salta provided just that.


Stay:
The Hostel Coloria, which just opened its doors about 3 months ago offers a great place to rest your head while in Salta. It's a pretty basic hostel but is excellently located just a few blocks from the main square (Plaza 9 de Julio) has great common area, small-med door rooms so you don't find yourself listen to 12 other strangers snoring at night and even comes equiped with a pool (although it was not working while we were there). The funky art-deco decor and buckets of Dulce de Leche spread waiting for you at breakfast with fresh bun certainly adds to the stay as well 

Entrance to Hostel Coloria

Eat & Drink:
1) When in Salta - drink the Salta! Salta Beer that is, both the dark and light Salta beers are excellent local brews that you should try while staying in the area. You can find in corner stores and restaurants alike, but for a relaxing beer and patio combination head to a little cafe right in the Plaza 9 de Julio called Monaco. The waiters there are fantastic and they serve their Salta with complementary homemade chips and peanuts.


2) Embrace the empanadas - According to some Salta is the birthplace of the empanada. I don't know if this is fact, but either way the empanadas in Salta were the best we have had in our travels so far so I suggest that you try some. This are also easily found anywhere, however they have great ones for a great price at Monaco so while enjoying your Salta, order some empanadas.

Enjoying a Salta and Empanada @ Monaco's

3) Grab a meal (or two or three) at Necochea and Balcare. Stroll along this very happening block in around dinner time (which here is Argentina doesnt start until at least 10pm) and take your pick from the bevy of amazing places to choose from along this block. Most of these places also include some live local music and traditional Gaucho dancing during dinner so BONUS - dinner and a show. Most of the menu's have a pretty wide selection so finding what you are looking for should be no object but if you are looking for Parilla (Argentinian BBQ) then stop by Patio Balcare, just south of Necochea and you wont be disappointed.

4) Drink the local wine! Salta is conveniently located in close proximity to Cafayate and Cachi, two amazing wine regions in northern Argentina and it would be a shame to miss out on so where ever you decide to grab a bit, head straight to the local wine on the menu as the perfect way to wash down your meal.

Do:

There are so many things to do in Salta, but just getting lost wandering around the streets is probably the best advice I can give. If you are looking to add a bit more "direction" to your wandering around the streets here are a few great things to check out in the city:

1) Walk along San Martin street all the way to and through gorgeous Parque San Martin. If you find yourself there on a Sunday (as we did|) this is a great thing to do not only because most things are closed anyway, but it also offers some great people watching as all walks of life seem to spend Sunday afternoons relaxing in the park. And at the far end of the there is also a pretty decent market that sells all your typical market stuff

2) Take the teleferico (Gondola) up the Cerro San Bernardo for amazing vista's of the city. Once you hit the end of the parque San Martin you have reached the gondola to the top of San Bernardo hill where there is a little market, some amazing lookouts over the city, and I kid you not and Outdoor gym. Now this gym has some of the oldest equipment I have ever seen but just to see this is worth the approx $10 CDN ride to the top

3) Wander the streets to check out the Architecture and Monuments. Salta very much as a small European city vibe and like its across the Atlantic neighbour it seems that every time you turn a corner you are confronted with a beautiful building or a striking monument. Just starting wandering along the streets on the outside perimeter of the Plaza 9 de Julio and you will definitely stumble upon a few

Gral Guemes Monument

Iglesia San Francisco

 4) Shop along the pedestrian streets of Alberdi and Florida. If you are looking to do a little walking and shopping definitely hit Alberdi and Florida for and abundance of shoe stores, sports stores and clothing liquidation stores (sounds strange I know but the close are kind cute). You will also find a few accessory stores, electronics, etc - pretty much whatever you might be looking for. Its also filled with snack shops and gelato places in case you need a little extra fuel to keep you going. Just beware.... there is still a big time siesta culture in Salta so all stores pretty much close from 1:30pm to 5pm for siesta (that is the life) and then re-open until about 8 or 9 so plan accordingly.


Enjoy Salta!!


OOO_Talia

Mission for Meat in Salta, Argentina

Ever since we arrived in Argentina we have been on a mission to find meat. Not just any meat but a restaurant that serves some of those epic massive meat platters that they serve to your table still on the grill - Parilla's as they are called in Argentina - the meat cooked over a large charcoal or wood fired grill. 
As we were walking around on our first day in Salta we ran into a Kiwi couple that we had met back in Uyuni and we decided to make plans with them for dinner, also expressing to them our desire for meat. So around 8 we all headed out to this a very happening area in town filled with bars and restaurants at the corner of Mitre and Necochea. Salta has so many beautiful streets and squares it can be difficult to decide where to go but this area is supposed to be the night time pub and bar spot. Once we arrived there we realized that even at 830pm we were really early for dinner based on Argentinian standards so we had a few cerveza's (beers) at one bar and then decided to move on for dinner around 930pm - 10ish... a much more respectable hour for dinner in Argentina. We walked around for a while, not really sure what we were looking for because at the time we didn't know to look for the word Parilla, and then settled on 1 restaurant that had a great patio. We had a great evening, We all feasted on a fantastic meal and got into the wine (3 bottles to be exact) and for a mere $20 CDN each.......but although we all has some meat with our dinner, it was THE meat we were looking for. 


The next night we decided that we were going to try again to find a restaurant that had the Parilla's again that we were looking for. We haven't had the opportunity to do much cooking for ourselves yet on the trip so during they day we decided to go to the grocery store and buy some healthy snacks and some stuff to make a salad to have a  regular Canadian dinner time and then we would go out around 10:30 (Argentinian) dinner time and find a place for Parilla's and Penas (Penas is kinda like a live folklore music show). Unfortunately the produce selection at the store was pretty disappointing (NO CUCUMBERS!!!) but we were able to collect a bunch of stuff to make a salad, which we did after our daily siesta. 
Finally around 10:30pm we headed back to the area of town we were in the previous night but this time we knew we had to head south 1 street onto Balcarce instead of east to find the meat..... and find it we did! We stopped to check out the menu at the first place but we didn't even need to look - they had their grill front and centre at the entrance to the restaurant so we quickly decided that this is where we would dine. We order 1 Parilla grill that says it was for 2 people but it really fed all of us with zero problem at all and we ordered some papas fritas (french fries) on the side. 

The MEAT ... before we dug in

We washed all that down with a great bottle of local red wine from the Cafayate region. Shortly after we ordered the show started and we got to watch 2 male and 2 female dancers perform a great traditional Gaucho dance show. The culture in this region is much different than the Andean mountain culture we had experience over the last few weeks.

The delicious wine to accompany our meat

the two men in the Gaucho show

About half way through the show a couple out of the dance show approached Kait and J.J to head on stage and participate, J.J put up a bit of a fight but eventually caved in but Kait was having done of it it! (chicken!!!!) Even after a bit of teasing we couldn't convince her to go so I went up in her place to take part in the show for about 2 mins. 

J.J and in Participating in the show

Dance 2 of our participation

After we were sufficiently full we moved on to another place down the block a little to watch some more of another show and indulge in another Salta and then we headed to this little bar down the road that had about 10 people in it (including us) but they had Pitbull blaring so we decided to go in ....even at 1230pm it was still quite early to be in a bar by Argentinian standards. We had a few shots at vodka's there, danced a little, watched this French dude that we had met at the previous place drop his pants on the dance floor to another Pitbull song, and then called it a night and walked back to our hostel to get some sleep.


Meat mission accomplished........ (I am sure we will go round 2) 


OOO_Talia 

The adventures of travelling Bolivia (paved road count = 2)

Our time in Bolivia has recently ended and we are now chilling-out-max in Argentina enjoying the Sun, Steak and Wine but before moving bragging about our time in Argentina I thought I would share just a bit more on Bolivia....specifically the adventures of travel in Bolivia since we had the chance to experience it by boat, bus and plane. 

How Bolivia ended up on the itinerary was a bit arbitrary. Neither Jonny or I had really talked about it in the initially planning phase when we were making our "wishlist" of places to visit but when we sat down and actually started to map it out we realized Peru and Argentina were on the list and you kinda go need to go through Bolivia to get from one to the other (unless you just fly right over of course) so we decided why not! Plus we got some good tips from the handful of friends that we knew who had been and so we decided to add it to the trail - And I am so glad that we did! It is a country like no other that I have been to. Compared to most of the other South American countries it is quite under-developed (for example many of the main highways connecting the country are still dirt/gravel/very dangerous roads, and according to our Uyuni tour guide Gonzoles they only mandated that all children have the right to go to school in the early 2000's) but none the less the landscape is amazing, the people were lovely for the most part.....and the fact that it is still dirt cheap doesn't hurt either 

While travelling through Bolivia we had the distinct pleasure of travelling by Boat (once on purpose once by accident), Bus and Plane and each time it was an adventure in its own right.  Our Bolivian travel adventures started just a few short hours after we left the Inca trail when we hopped a bus to Titicaca Lake to chill out. You start out with a few hours on the bus to Puno, Peru where we needed to switch buses to get on a Bolivian bus company bus to cross the border. We had paid a bit extra for the bus so that we could get the full recliner seats (or Semi Cama in case you find yourself in S.America) so that we could get some sleep during this overnight right. Unfortunately for us we were sharing this bus with what I can only deem a half-man/half-bear like creature who had the LOUDEST snore that I have ever hear in my life. Lucky for him he had taken a sleeping pill or something that kept him out for the whole bus right.... unlucky for us I don't even think an animal tranquillizer would have help us sleep because of this dude's snoring. We were hoping that he  would not get on the next bus with us to the border.....again no such luck. This guys stayed just a few seats behind us all the way to Titicaca lake. Even after one more bus switch. 

During this bus right we also had our first taste of the Bolivian border. VERY different then the border crossings we are used to. First off you get off the bus and walk into this tiny little dilapidated building where there is one dude standing at a desk who you give a paper to and then he stamps your passport.....he literally did not even LOOK at the picture page. YES - we made it through!.... After you get your stamp you need to actually walk across the border


After 3 bus changes and a walk across the border we finally arrived in Titicaca lake for some serious chill time. On our second day in Titicaca Jonny and I decided we would take a boat over to Isla Del Sol for the day. Isla Del Sol is a beautiful little island in the middle of the Titicaca Lake, it is also accordingly to old Inca Legend the birthplace of the Sun......so Jonny definitely needed to go there. We pull up to the boat and they didn't look so bad.....kinda like a ratty old fishing boat but it looked like it could float so no big deal.  As we were getting ready to board the boat was when we realized that the term "Max Capacity" doesn't exist in Bolivia, as they were loading people not just in the boat, but also on top of the boat......for a 3 hour ride! Jonny and I choose seats inside the boat.

Our Boat for the Day

Loading the Boat to Isla Del Sol

This was not our only experience travelling by boat in Bolivia, although it was our only attempt on purpose. After a few days relaxing in Titicaca we decided it was time to move onto La Paz but bus. It is only a short ride to La Paz, about 3 hours, although given that the number of paved roads in Bolivia has got to be somewhere in the single digits it feels a little like a 3 hour roller coaster ride. At one point the bus stopped and the driver said a bunch of things in Spanish (which none of us understood of course given our near lack of any Spanish words) but given that we had stopped near a little food stand and some washrooms we assumed he was saying we were taking a 15 min break for food and Banos (Spanish for bathroom). So as all the other passengers got off the bus we decided to stay on as we had already loaded up on snacks. Then about 5 mins later we all kinda looked around to each other and said "Are we Floating??" .....The driver then came back to the passenger part of the bus and this time with a bit of an angry face yelled a few more things in Spanish. At this point we realized we were supposed to get off the bus and take a quick passenger boat over the lake while the bus road over on a ferry. And I use the term ferry loosely as the bus (with us on it) was sitting on a tiny barge that looked like it had be haphazardly nailed together with scrap 2x4's.  Opps. We made it across, still afloat and then continued on to La Paz

This is our barge passing another barge

From La Paz we had originally planned to bus to Uyuni, which is supposed to be about a 12 hour ride. As we began to ask around we found out it was actually going to be closer to a 16 hour ride because some of the roads are flooded and so bad they had to take back roads (I am not even sure what back roads would look like given that sight of the actual roads) so we decided to ask about flights as well. Turns out we could get a "direct" flight to Uyuni for under 90$ CDN each so we decided to take it and safe ourselves the day long trip. So first thing in the morning we head out of our hostel to the airport - the night before we actually realized we were leaving from the Military airport.... no wonder it was so cheap it was actually a TAM military flight. After arguing with our cab driver for a little while who was trying to scam a little extra money out of us (we had already pre-paid for the cab at our hostel who told us we DO NOT need to give him more money) we finally got rid of him and we attempted to get into the airport.......although it was not open. We had arrived about 1.5 hours early just to be safe, but apparently when they tell you that you only need to be there 1 hour before they mean it. Finally around 50mins before our flight, still without any  other passengers arrived, the check in desk lady arrived and we checked in for the flight. About 10 mins before the flight they asked everyone to leave the waiting room so that we could come back in 1 at a time to clear security. Airport security consisted of 1 guy at a desk who would look in some of the bags (but not all), no scanners, no metal detectors, nothing. I have been through tougher security going to a Blue Jays game. Finally we boarded our flight, after climbing over all the checked baggage and we took off. No flight attendants, no security announcements or anything - the plane just took off. 
About an hour later the plane touched down so logically we start to get off, until someone who had been standing near us in the airport says to us... "this is not Uyuni, this is Sucre". Slightly confused we sit back down, apparently a "direct flight" still makes a few pit stops to pick up passengers in other towns lol.  Another hour in the air and we finally land in Uyuni. We get off the airplane, onto the tarmac of course, and start to look around. NOTHING, Nothing is all we see around us. It looks like we have stepped off the tarmac into what looks like the beginning of a "the world has just ended and we are the only survivors movie". Now there is a terminal at this airport but it there is nothing in it. IT is basically just 4 walls that you walk-through. There is not even a bathroom in the terminal. After waiting around for a while trying to figure out how we are going to get into the town a cab pulls up (maybe a cab, or maybe just a guy willing to drive us into town for 20 Bolivianos each) and we head to town. That is our experience with the plane.

Getting on the Plane in Uyuni

View from the Tarmac in Uyuni

Where are we??

After our time in Uyuni was up we knew we wanted to head to Tupiza, a town a bit south of Uyuni close to the Argentinian boarder to hang out for a few days before we headed to Argentina, so we booked an overnight bus. When we arrived at the bus stop and our bus pulled up, it was certainly not the bus they sold us in the brochure but we hopped on anyways. When you travel by bus in Bolivia (so far all of S. America actually) you get assigned seats on the bus, however on this bus the driver decided he would make a little extra cash on the side so he would take a little money from the locals who would stand in the asiles the entire 7 hour, overnight ride. In this situation we all slept with one eye open because the bus was so overcrowded that it was an easy situation to easily "lose" some of your stuff. On top of that is is difficult to sleep straight up on a roller coaster ride for 7 hours when there are people literally standing over you. In the end however we made it safe and sound to Tupiza at 3:30 am where we proceeded to sleep on the couches of our hostel until check in time at 11am.


After tupiza we had one last travel adventure in Bolivia before moving on the country # 3 - a quick bus ride to the border and then cross over to Argentina. We thought this would be a pretty quick process since coming into Bolivia was pretty quick...but we were sorely mistaken. The bus ride was rather uneventful - the driver drops you off about 1km from the border then you walk over and as we pulled around the corner to the immigration building we realized that there was a bit of a line.......not just a bit but a MASSSSSSIVE line. It was a 6 hour line up to be exact, and that is even after played dumb tourists and jump in front of about 60 people in the line. It was a coming together of many events that made this line so ridiculous 1) it was Saturday, so always a bit busier on the weekend 2) There was a strike happening in another town not to far away that had shut down the other border crossing near but so everyone was coming to this building and 3) the Bolivian border still consists of a guy in a tiny room sitting at a desk with 1 stamp for all the people entering and exiting Bolivian. When we finally got the the front (again after 6 hours in line in the blistering heat) they didn't even want us all to go in. 1 person could go in and get all 4 passports stamped......they don't even need to see you!!  So that is what we did, then we all cheered for freedom and headed over to the Argentinian border to enter Argentina. After a much more civilized wait of 30mins we were official in Argentina!!
Now don't get me wrong, all these events did not turn me off Bolivia, I would still recommend it for a visit to anyone who asked. After all it all just adds to the Adventure!


OOO_Talia

We're in Salta... BITCH

Follow us here