South America is For The Dogs... Literally

So we said good bye to Uruguay today and I'm a little sad to move on, well to move on from Montevideo, but so much Salto. Salto was pretty lame. We arrived last night in Salto at 10:30ish and I hadn't really planned what would happen next. So I wondered around the bus station trying to find out where there was a cheap hotel or hostel, or at the very least an outlet so I could try to figure something out using the computer. Finally I found an outlet, but sadly my computer wouldn't connect to the Internet. Felling very frustrated and somewhat overwhelmed, I sat on the floor thinking of my options. I could call mom and have her look up info but it was 5pm in the states meaning she would be on her way home from work and not near a computer, plus I didn't have a phone card needed to use the bus station phone. Then I thought I could text message Adel with the name of a Hostel I knew and she if she could find an address but texting is expensive and I had no cell reception. Then as if by magic by computer connected, it still said it was not connected but I was opening webpages left and right. I found the address and we grabbed a cab and off we went. We got to the hostel which was set up more like a hotel, they had a room with 2 beds and the room even had a TV in it!!! It's pretty crazy that a private room for two people with AC and TV was 600 Uruguayan Pesos which is about 24 dollars US. Anyways we got some sleep and then the next morning we explored Salto, which lasted for about an hour. Salto is very small and not to exciting. We opted not to go to the hot springs but instead took the ferry and headed for Concordia, Argentina, working our way to the Argentine wetlands. When we first got to Concordia my spirits dropped, the town seemed to be such a dumb and I had no idea where we were going and where anything was for that matter. The streets where dirt roads, and other than a few stray dogs we were the only living things around. Finally after walking for several blocks in the heat with all of our bags we found a hotel. I went in side and was trying to asking for any information that could be helpful, when I noticed the WiFi zona sign. I asked the woman if I could use the WiFi and she showed me to a nice cool sitting area and off I went. The lovely woman was soo helpful, she even called the bus station for me and found out what bus company was going to where we need to go to next and the different times that were available. The best bus for us to take was the one that leaves at 2am... this way we arrive in Mercedes at 7 am rather than the other option with would put us there at 1:30am (much scarier to be in a foreign place at 1:30am than 7am) So I figured out a plan of action for getting to the wetlands, and then Jim and I decided to get a room at the fancy hotel so at least we'd have a home base until we left. The hotel staff is amazing, the woman set up a wake up call for us and will call us a cab so we don't have to walk 17 blocks to the bus station at night.

After all that was settled I decided to take a walk minus the gear and go to the bus station early to buy our tickets. The uber planning junky hasn't fully relaxed yet. So I walked the 17 blocks to the bus station and realized that the town of Concordia is actually rather lovely. The streets were clean and well groomed and the people were rather friendly. I greatly enjoyed the walk. When I got to the bus station I had no problem getting the tickets and even found a telephone cabinet and called mom and dad. I then wondered back and stopped again at the little bakery I had stopped at before and bought 5 pesos (less than 2 dollars) worth of little palm cookies, they are soo tasty. And well kids that brings us right about up to the present where I'm sitting on the hotel couch writing this blog.

So I'll finish up with a few little notes. One Argentina and Uruguay is literally for the dogs, we see stray dogs all over the place in every town we've been to, but all of them are mild mannered and don't bother people at all. They're actually kind of a nice addition, although you do have to watch for poop while out walking.

Also in Uruguay I discovered Caipirinha!!! Which is my new favorite cocktail. It's Brazilian liquor (similar to rum but better) mixed with fresh lime or lemon juice, lime or lemon pieces and sugar, served over crushed ice. It is very refreshing and just the right balance of sweet and tangy.

Well I guess this entry is long enough. So when we get to the wetland I won't have any access to phones, banks, or Internet. So unless I log on in Mercedes I'll talk to you all after the wetlands. Much love and miss ya'll lots.

Argentine Adventure Ferries Over To Montevideo, Uruguay

Hello from Montevideo, Uruguay!
So Jim, Neal and I arrived in Montevideo yesterday late afternoon. We took the Buquebus which is a large very comfortable Ferry that runs from Buenos Aires to Montevideo (as well as other places.) So it's a little cooler here and I have actually needed to wear my sweatshirt, which makes me happy because I was starting to think I had packed the thing for nothing. So we get off the ferry and decide it would probably be best to grab a cab to the Red Hostel (where we think we might stay) but we soon realized that none of us had any Uruguay pesos. We did find an ATM, yet it didn't take visa cards so me and Jim couldn't take any money out. Luckily we had Neal with us and he had MasterCard and was able to take out funds, so we could cab it over to the Hostel. When we got to the Hostel I fell in love. The building is lovely, I love the roof top terrace and the bar, my favorite part is the hammocks on the terrace. Also we're staying in dorm rooms, which I actually prefer because you meet more people that way. The best part about our dorm is that there is a balcony! I love being able to walk out onto the little balcony and look down at the busy street. This morning I was standing out on the balcony and a man riding a horse came strolling down the street. For some reason I think this is a lovely way to start the day. Also last night Neal, Jim, me, and our new German friend, Matty all went to dinner. Dinner was lovely, Neal and Jim got some really nice steaks (cooked to the right temp. we've gotten a lot of well done steaks here :( ) and Matty got some yummy pasta and I got an omelette. I hadn't had eggs in South America so it just sounded really good. So some interesting bits about Uruguay: First off there pesos is about 25 to 1 US dollar. So like for four people to have dinner last night the bill was 863.00 Uruguay pesos, this sounds like a ton but in actuality it's only about 37 Us dollars, which for four people, two of which had steaks is very inexpensive. I still haven't gotten any Uruguayan pesos but it's on my to do list.
We are also considering going to the beach today but I'm not sure yet, the weather is mild and there is a little chill in the air so I'm not sure if today is the best day for the beach. But we'll just have to wait and see. Even though I have not yet seen a lot of Uruguay, so far I'm really enjoying it here.
Well I'll write more later after I'm seen a bit more but for now, Ciao!

Leaving Buenos Aires Today

So this is just a short update. We're leaving Buenos Aires today and will be taking the Ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay later today. Everything is going well, but I miss all my friends. I'll write more when we get to Montevideo. Love ya

Argentine Adventure Day Who Knows? Scheduled Time Here is Very Popular

So yesterday we arrived in Buenos Aires and for a big city I rather liked it. It's got a nice feel about it. The hostel I'm not overly crazy about but there's nothing really wrong with it. It's just not my favorite place. After a 14 hour bus ride from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, Jim and I arrived and took off to explore the city. you can tell that there is more money in this area, things are not as dirty and run down (not as being the operative term). One this that was great was that we found telephone cabinets, so I was able to call a few people, I was so nice talking to friends and family for home because I get a little homesick here. It's just hard being in a country that doesn't speak the same langauge, but it's okay, we're getting by. For those of you who I wasn't able to call, know I very much love and miss you, but it could get very expensive to call all the people I love from back home. Something exciting I can receive text messages for free to my cell but I can't send them for free, so you're welcome to send my messages, just understand that unless it is life or death I won't respond via text, but I will email you when I'm back around the computer.
So last night Jim and I met back up with Neal, our Irish friend from Mendoza. The three of us went out to a lovely dinner and then wondered the streets for a bit. Then we all ended up at Neal's hostel, which if I were to merely call it a party hostel, it would be a great understatement. I discovered that Neal is a rather good dancer, which only makes me think he is cooler. We got home very late or early depending on how you look at it, but we had a hell of a good time. Today I have been a bit lazy, but I will shortly be getting dressed and ready to adventure once more into Buenos Aires. Oh yeah and I have completely lost track of how long I have been here, the days stretch out here and tend to sollow you whole, leaving consistantly (yes I ment consistantly not constantly) asking what day is it?
Well that is all for now my friends, but I miss you all and hope you're all well. Love

Argentine Adventure Day 7: Yahoo President Obama!!

So Argentina is a strange place. The hot weather makes the Argentine time clock all screwy. People usually get up between 8 and 9am, and then around 1pm everything closes down for siesta. In school we were always taught that siestas were like short little breaks, well that's not totally true. Siesta usually last from anywhere between 12pm and 7 or 8 or 9pm. Restaurants don't open for dinner until 8 or 9pm and it's not considered strange at all to go out to eat dinner around 11ish. Yeah it's kind of weird, right now it's Cali time 10:15pm which means Argentina time 3:15am. I've been a little sleep deprived lately, but I'm starting to get the hang of the siesta.

So last night we discovered a little of the Mendoza night life. Our Irish friend, Neal, Jim, and I met up with Robin (another Irish tourist, who is a friend of Neal's). We met in this park and there was an acrobat show going on so that was pretty cool, even though none us speak good enough Spanish to know what the performers were saying. We found a microbrewery (which I didn't even think about when I thought about Argentina). It was really fun, the bartender spoke some English so we actually got to interact with the locals a bit. So after a few pintas at the brewery we headed off to see what else Mendoza night life had to offer. We can a cross a resto-bar called Moon, which had white sofas in their outdoor seating area so we figured we had to have a drink there. We sat down and what luck we had another server who spoke a little English. While we were seating there a man walked over with wooden board holding 4 slices of American style pizza. He informed us his name was Dario and he was the Pizza Chef for the resto-bar and he was bringing a complimentary sample for us. The pizza was amazing. Def in the top food of Mendoza category. Oh and I forgot to mention that Dario was born in Argentina but is really a Southern Cali kid, he lived in Laguna Beach for a lot of years, and he spoke perfect English.

As for today we got up somewhat early and headed for a wine tasting room called Vines of Mendoza, accept when we got there we learned that they didn't open until 3pm (it was only like 10:45am). So we walked back to a little cafe that was at the end of the block. We ordered three coffees (Neal was nice enough to join us) and four different types of Empanadas, and they were amazing! They were so good that after sharing the first four we ordered another seven and ate them all. After our delicious meal we stroked through town and eventually ended up at the bus station, so that Jim and I could buy our bus tickets for Buenos Aires, thank goodness we had Neal (for an Irish guy, he speaks damn good Spanish, and way better than mine). After the bus station we all headed back to the Hostel for siesta. When we awoke from siesta, it was time for Neal to go (he left for Buenos Aires today). I have to admit I was sad to see him go, he a great travelin' buddy (but we might meet up in Buenos Aires). After we said our good byes to Neal, me and Jim took off to go to Vine of Mendoza and taste some wine. We got there and it was wonderful. we shared a flight of five Malbecs and they were lovely wines. we had a lovely young woman named "Paula" (ironic I know). She was very knowledgeable and made the experience absolutely wonderful. We then went in search for dinner, but it was way too soon via Argentina standards so we went back to the hostel for a bit and then headed back into town once again. We ended up back at Moon Resto-Bar for some more delicious pizza.

Well that about catches you all up to our adventures so far. Stay turned kids I'll be writing again soon. I miss you all and I hope this finds you all well.

Xo

Argentine Adventure Day 6: Monday Madness in Mendoza

So It is day 6 in our Argentine Adventure. Today we had to get up very early (after being out very late or early depending on how you look at it) in order to go get the vaccine for Fiebre Amarillo (Yellow Fever).

So while I was sitting here writing this blog, we all heard the very loud and recognizable sound of a car accident. Since we have been here I have been shocked by the way that the locals drive. We all ran out of the house to see what had happened. In the middle of one of the main road ways, there had been a very serious accident. For those reading this who are weak of stomach, I'm warning you the story gets a bit grim, I will do my best to portray the story without being to graphic. It seems that car A mostly likely ran a red light and was T-bone by car B. The man in the passenger seat of car A wasn't wearing a seat belt, and the impact happened with such a force that the passenger door of car A opened, then man was then ejected from car A. I do not know what happened to the driver of car A or anyone in car B. The craziest part about the incident was that while two car are smashed up very badly and a man is lying in the street, with many other people gathered around, other cars continued to fly by, blowing their horns. Seeing the man lying on the ground like that was one of the worst things I have ever witnessed, and it seemed very likely that the man was quit possibly dead. Seeing the accidente reassured me that Jim and I made the right decision to not rent a car and try to drive in this crazy place.

On a much lighter note, yesterday Jim, Myself, our friends from the hostel, Hope (a 60-something year old woman from Boston, who spoke perfect Spanish) and Neal (a comical Irish man in his late 20's) all caught a bus to the near by town of Maipu (pronounced My Pooh). Miapu is one of the wine and olive oil areas in Mendoza and we were hoping to do a bit of wine tasting. Sadly we didn't not realize that it was Sunday and that many of the Bodegas (wineries) were closed on Sundays. But we did tour a wine museum and get to try at least a little wine and olive oil. In our wondering around Maipu, we discovered this hut, (I kid you not, it had a thatched roof and only a few walls). In this hut they were grilling chickens and lots of them. We bought one whole chicken and a large loaf of bread, which fed all four of us, for 23 pesos, which is about 7 dollars Us. I haven't really been impressed with the food in Argentina, but the chicken was amazing, the sauce on it was delicious and it was by far the best I've eaten in Argentina. We spent the rest of our time in Maipu wondering the streets and hanging out in the local park, all the while cracking jokes about the name of the town. "Maipu has some great wine" "I love the chicken in Maipu" I realize how childish this sounds, but the cheap thrills are what matter in life.

So we have until Thursday morning in this hostel and then I think we will head off to Buenos Aires. I would really like to go to Buenos Aires and then cross the border and see Uruguay, then go back into Argentina to see Iguazu Falls. If we have enough time and money, I'd also like to go up to Bolivia, stopping Paraguay on the way. I have heard from many of my fellow travelers that Bolivia is a must see. But we're kind of playing things by ear right now so we'll just have to wait and see. Anyways I miss everyone and write soon.
Oh yeah and I totally petted a goose last night, Soo weird.

Argentine Adventure Day 3: Now Walk It Out

So today we walked! There were a few things that I forgot to pack, mainly an adapter so I could charge and use my computer, (PS I have realized just how addicted I am to technology). So we went into the city and it was very interesting, I only got us lost once. One of the cool parts is that very few people speak English here, so I'm getting a lot of practice with my Spanish. I'm still pretty bad and I have a hard time understanding people but I'm at least understandable. So some fun facts about Argentina. First off style of dress is very different here. I have seen more men with Mullets than I have since the 1980's also matching your clothing is not required nor does it seem to be encouraged. People wear the strangest things, but I kind of like it because it means I don't have to worry about what I wear. The money conversion is another interesting thing. Even though the Argentine peso is 3 to 1 things cost about the same when you convert the money. Things might be slightly cheaper but not by much, but it's okay. It does look strange when you see a T Shirt costing 68 pesos.

The Picture above is me and Jim and the Ariel, the owner of the Hostel that we are currently staying at. And the picture above that is Ariel, Gustavo, me , and Sabrina (another Hostel guest). So far Ariel has treated us very fairly and is a very warm and friendly fellow. Anyways I'll be back on to write again most likely later tonight, but from now haste.

Argentine Adventure Day 2: Arrived In Argentina

Okay so it is rather late and Jim and I have been travelling for 30 hours and then have hung out and socialized at the Hostel and I'm pretty sleepy, but I just wanted to let people know we made it safely and even though the layover in Santiago, Chile was less than thrilling the arrival in Mendoza turned out nicely. I have had a chance to use my Spanish and at several times had to because the other person didn't speak English. So one thing that I found kind of entertaining is the it seems that the fanny pack has yet to go out of style in Chile. In fact I saw many young men and women in Chile sporting the ugly accessory. Aside from that we have been having a nice time. The people at the hostel seem very nice all though it is really too soon to tell. We drank a fair bit of good red wine and ate a yummy Argentine BBQ. All in all the trip is off to a good start. Well kids that it for now I am in need of sleep. Buenos Noche.

Argentine Adventure Day 1

Well Hello from Dallas,
So it's day one of Jim's and my Argentine Adventure and so far so good. Although the adventure so far has consisted of touring two airports we're still having a good time. Currently we are in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas airport waiting to board our third plane to Santiago, Chile. We will actually be arriving in Chile tomorrow, yeah for sleeping on planes. Eh, it's will all be good. Well kids at this point there's not a whole lot to report, I'm mainly writing in order to get a this blog thingy up and running. I may or may not have a new post everyday but I'll def keep all the viewers at home posted on the really fun and exciting stuff. Miss you all already.
Xo
Chris