Escape from the heat

Leaving the burning hot Iguazu falls and the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires, we arrived at the picturesque, quiet and peaceful Patagonia, where snow capped mountains, glaciers and lakes await. It´s very refreshing to be here. Not having to look out for reckless drivers, pickpockets, dog poops in the city, mosquitos and the brutal sun in subtropical Iguazu makes walking around in this small town El Cafalate specially pleasant.

We made another excellent choice of the hostel (go hostelworld.com!). When the airport shuttle dropped us off, we were greeted by the super friendly staff, music was flowing in their high-ceiling ¨living room¨with huge windows, nice sofa and tables where a few people are chilling out, reading or just staring at the mountains outside the window. Above us is a loft area where there is couches with throwing pillows, ottomen, travel books, chess, card games and a guitar. I feel like I´ve just walked into a page in Traveller´s magazine. I already loved Patagonia.

Later we just spent the afternoon strolling in the town. Dainty little shops, bookstores, restaurants and travel agencies fills this not very big but really charming downtown. People are just strolling at an easy pace and enjoying the very gentle sun. As for me, not having to apply sun screen or smell like eucalyptus to repell mosquitos already make this the most enjoyable walk of the trip, not to mention the hot chocolate and calzone (italian stuffed pizza) we had at a corner bar. it was delicioso.

There´s just one thing. All the internet here is still via satellite. (they can definitely use some cisco equipment here!). I guess all the people around me at the internet cafe are competing for that very limited bandwidth at this very moment, so pictures will just have to wait.... but I promise some mind-blowing pictures of the glacier will come very soon...

the ¨living room of our hostel. this is where we hang out, read a book, or having simple meals.

HOT HOT HOT!

It has been really hot in Buenos Aires. It reminds me of those summer time in Taiwan. I haven't had this kind of weather for so long, almost forgot how it feels. The weather finally cools down a bit and our days in Buenos Aires also turned from sightseeing into a more relaxing pace. I started taking some spanish class. In BA, spanish classes are everywhere, and so affordable! An on-one-one class only cost you $33 pesos (that´sabout US$10!). I went with this institution that advertised ¨survival spanish crash course¨, exactly what I need! And I am really happy with my choice. The class is practical. Today I managed to make people understand when I asked ¨where is the bank?¨. I am a little bit proud! The instructor is so friendly, I was treated with mate during the class (she probably noticed my yawning ). Mateis a very popular tea-like hot drink in Argentina. In fact, it's more than a drink, it's also a ritual, a social practice, shared among family and friends. It's generally not available at restaurants or shops because of its complex process, and that's why an invitation to mate is not to be missed!

The drink mate is to be prepared in a gourd also called mate. Hot water (not boiling water) is poured into it. It's sipped through a silver straw called bambilla.

In San Telmo antique market, we came across this street vendor that sells all kinds of mate. The sight of tens of mates is really beautiful.


Besides that, i also want to share my personal survival guide in BA. Walking in the streets of BA is requires multi-tasking: the heat, the crowded and sometimes not evenly paved streets, the bustling roads, and the occasional land mine - dog shit, can wears you out easily.
so, here are the items that are on top of my list -
1. a pair of Havaiana flip-flop. it´s so soft, the cushion makes you feel like it´s part of your feet. You can walk in it for hours.
2. Shu uemura deep sea water spray, or my new discovery, available everywhere in BA pharmacy - La Roche-Rosay thermal water spray. I kept it in my purse everyday and spray it on whenever i feel like. it is very refreshing - but don't forget to reapply sun screen after that!
3. a 30+ sun screen that doesn´t clog your pore. I got this really good sun screen from a boutique in San Jose and it´s amazing. if you are interested, let me know. I will try to look it up or post a picture.
4. a hat, if you dare to wear one. why? because NO ONE in BA wears a hat. they love the sun!
5. if you stay in hostels, this link is your best friend. It´s an English website so you don´t have to flip through your so-and-so phrasebook to book a room. Don´t forget to take a gold card if you are a frequent traveller. It saves you $2 everytime you book.

ok. it´s time to go to bed.

Hola from Argentina

Hola! We´ve been in Buenos Aires a few days now and everything is going well. We are getting into the rhythm of traveling as backpackers. the best part of is is not having to rush to do anything, or visit any place. We can stay at a place as long, or as short as u want. Sometimes we simply just hang at an internet cafe and connect with your family and friends back home - like what I am doing right now.

Before diving into the detail of our trip...

I want to backtrace and tell you the days before our departure. We were seriously stressed out. As we were boxing things up and moving them to the storage, we realized we have SO much crap! When we first saw the 10x10 storage unit, we thought it was REALLY spacious. After moving everything in, it's now filled to the brink, after we threw away many things and made several trips to Good Will. Few hours before flying out, we had to call our friends Anne and Naim to rescue us with their truck(thank you Anne, Naim!)! with everything stacking up like this, I had no idea how on earth am i going to find that electronic scale in the bathroom, or the water boiler in the kitchen,, but at that point, i really did not care, all i wanted was to shove everything in and forgot about it. i never ever want to move again....

after weeks of whirlwhind, we finally arrived at the airport, waiting in line to check in.

the flight to Buenos Aires was really long. i almost kissed the ground when we finally got there. we checked in to the first hotel we could find and went straight to bed. when we woke up, we went to look for hostels, almost all the popular ones are full but we finally found a decent one and moved in the next day. never staying at a hostel, I must say i am quite impressed. some of the hostels even offer free tango & spanish lessons, cooking class, soccer match, and .. party! we are still learning in this whole new department but i can say we are getting better. we´ve booked ourselves some really nice hostels down the road with excellent ratings.

BA did not disappoint me as the capitol of tango. you can literally see people dancing on the street, that´s no exaggeration. and there are of course tons of shows and lessons you can choose from. we went to the classic cafe tortoni for our first tango show and it was really impressive. pascal took some nice shots of the dancer.

the dancers

inside the cafe, isn´t it really nice? it has that kinda of old world lavish feel to it.

another ärea worth mentioning is La Boca. this is what i imagine BA would be, colorful walls and windows, artsy sculptures, street fair, and tango dancer on the street. this place has it all! every corner, every building in this area is a good photographying material and i couldn´t stop snapping shots here. however, sadly this is also a poor neighborhood and we´ve been warned not to stroll outside the main touristic blocks. something to note if you have plans to travel to BA.

see any familiar face here?

our hostel. this is the common area where people can rest, upstairs is free internet, TV and an lounge area. our room is the first one to the left.