26 & 27 March, Colonia de Sacramento & Montevideo, Uruguay

I have been two days in Uruguay. Yesterday morning I took a ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia de Sacramento. Colonia is a nice city, very tiny but the old city has plenty of character. Lovely streets with nice houses, and nice city to walk around.
The weather wasnt very good, but didnt rain and was hot. Yesterday afternoon I took a Bus to Montevideo.
I arrived at 7 pm and after so many days going out and walking around in Buenos Aires I was so tired I only had energy to go out for quick dinner and bed.
Today I woke up early to go and visit the city. The weather was awful! grey and rainy, typical London day. I waked for 2 or 3 hours under the rain without seeing anything especially nice until I gave up. I went for lunch and because the rain stopped I decided to give another chance and well, I think there is not a lot to see here.. so now waiting for the ferry back to Buenos Aires.

21 to 25 March, BUENOS AIRES

I LOVE BUENOS AIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really like Buenos Aires, everything of it. The city, the people, the atmosphere, the parks....
People here are gorgeous. The most beautiful men and women I have ever seen, and they are so friendly! No attitude and always trying to be nice and helpful.
When I just arrived I contacted a friend of my friend Jesus, his name is Eduardo. He is actually not argentinian, but a bolivian studying here. From the first time we met he took care of me and he showed me all the city, he took me for dinner, we went out partying... Well, he is great!! And he has been the only one inviting me for "mate", the national drink. I must admit I didnt like it, hahaha
We have been partying every single day. Nightlife is great and fun. During the day I havent stoped any moment. I have seen almost everything:
The Plaza de Mayo with the Madres de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada. The beautiful and grand Recoleta, with it's great parks, the beautiful cemetry with Eva Peron´s tomb, the multiple craft makets around the city, The lovely Palermo Viejo withs it's trendy shops and bars, San Telmo, with the antiques, much better than Portobello market in London! The bit scary but touristic Boca, with the lovely colourful facades and Puerto Madero, with the conversion warehouses to luxury flats and bars.... well, havent done any museum or gallery, but still have a day left next wednesday.
I had so much fun and I have met such nice poeple here that I would love to stay a bit longer and I know it is not going to be easy to leave this city and my first days will be a bit sad.
Maybe is a good excuse to come back? For sure!

19 - 21 Mazo, Rosario

Rosario was great.
I enjoyed it a lot, and loved the atmosphere of the city. Student city, with plenty of people on the streets, and god, its so hot here!
First day I saw the monument to the argentinian flag and walked near the river Parana. Very nice and thinking I was in the middle of the Amazonas, as the colour of the river and the vegetation probably are similar. Plenty of mosquitos! I hate them! They just bite my arms so much is very itchy now!
I went to MACRO the Contemporary Art Museum of Rosario. A bit disspointing...
And on the afternoon got lost walking on the streets.
yesterday i walked up eraly and I went to the other side of the city to see the only Alvaro Siza (architect) building in South America. It remind me I'm still an architect, hehe
After that i grabed a towel and I layed in the sun for 3 hours. On the river parana there are some beaches, and because is not high season I was almost alone there. The sun was too much and even I put sun protection I got burned! I had the courage of swimming on the river that had a rotten smell, but oh well, once i was there I had to try it. I walked back to town, and that was the reason i got sun burne as There was nos hadows on the way...
When i arrived to the hostel there were preparing a dinner with all the guests and there I met an english couple and a brazilian guy, and we were drinking until late.
this morning i catched the first bus and now I´m in Buenos Aires...

14 - 19 Marzo, Santiago de Chile a Rosario, Argentina

Its 7 am and I just arrived to Rosario after 11 hours of bus. This time I travelled in a comfy bus with dinner, breakfast and bed! That was a luxury. Before that?
From Chiloé I travelled 17 hours to Santiago de Chile (in not such a comfy bus...). In there I met my friends again and I sdtayed at their place. I stayed two days in Santiago. As I almost saw everything lasat time these two days I was very relaxed trying to organize my trip, going to see the Pablo Neruda house in Santiago, and having few drinks in the city. This time I had time to meet my university friend Laura. She took me to a great bar in the city where I got a bit drunk of Pisco sour (typical chilean drink). We also eat some Machas a la Parmesana, seafood with cheese! Mmmmmmmmmm!!!!
That was nice. Eva's uncle and auntie arrived to Santiago, and the five of us we took on friday the car and we head to Mendoza, Argentina. We also took Tintin the dog, the new member of the family. For all those who know about my friend Javi, you will already guessed the weekend in Mendoza was Javi torturing the dog! :-)
The car trip to Mendoza took us almost 9 hours! we stopped for a lovely lunch, but then we got few trafic jams and we had some problems on the border! So many papers we had to take that one was missing and almost we have to go back to Santiago after 5 hours of car drive! The road to the border was lovely, going through the Andes, that at that point is purely rock, so you see these amazing mountains of rock and you feel very little. I guess the road after the border is as impressive but it took us so long to solve the paper work that we did it on the dark and we missed all the landscape. Probably they saw it on they way back, but I missed it as I´m not going back to Chile now.
Mendoza is a nice city. Is not for the impressive architecture but is charming and lively with lots of terraces for having a drink outside. We stayed in a nice hotel. We had a house for ourselves, and the breakfast was impressive!
In Mendoza we ate so much I think I will go back with 5 more kilos! The meat is just excellent and we couldnt believe how cheap is everything. Wine is very good aswell and Javi and Eva bought 12 bottles to take back to Santiago. If I wasnt a backpacker I would have also bought some.
I probably should mention our saturday night (or Eva will kill me). After a lovely dinner and a few drinks we went back to the hotel and we decided to do a "trivial pursuit" contest. We divided in two teams and of course Our team won (Eva's uncle Javier, Eva and myself).
Yesterday we had another meat feast at lunchtime with some lovely wine and after that they left to go back to Chile and I stayed the whole afternoon in Mendoza waiting for my bus.
I travelled the whole night and I justa rrived, but too early to go to the hostel... thats why I'm here! I heard Rosario is lovely, I will let you know.

11-13 Marzo, de Puerto Montt a Chiloé, Chile

From Ushuaia I flew to Puerto Montt, Chile. Puerto Montt is basically a Port and a quite ugly city, but I dont know why but I liked it. Is the first time on the trip I found a dangerous city, lot of drunks, drugs and prostitutes. The center is awful, but the part behind the bus station (the dangerous part) is nice, there are all these colourful old houses, falling down but with charm. My Hostel was somewhere there, and well, I was lucky and I had no problems. This area reminded me a bit to Valparaiaso but bit poorer.
I stayed in Puerto Montt two nights. I went to Angelmo, the port, where you can eat fresh fish. Quite nice but I found it a bit expensive for what it was. I ate the typical dish: "Locos". Was ok, not amazing. On the afternoon I was bored and I decided to go to the cinema. That was like feeling at home!
Yesterday I took the first bus in the morning and I crossed to the island of Chiloé, and went straight to the capital, Castro. The city is nice but small, and after 2 hours I already saw everything. The "palafitos", houses over the river, the cathedral all in wood... I ate here "Curantos" typical dish from Chiloé: sea food and meat! The plate was huge and was really worth it. Never seen musles so big!
Chiloé is nice, and as Jose already told me, reminds me a bit to Galicia, in Spain. Same kind of landscape, I suppose because the weather is similar and here rains a lot too.
I just realized that the trip I wanted to do the following 10 days is not worth it. Only if you have a car and you can stop wherever you want and when you want. Doing it alone by bus is not as nice and then I get stuck in small villages for a whole day, so I have decided to change my programme, and I'm heading to Santiago sooner than expected. So then I will join Javi, Eva and her uncles for a weekend to Mendoza, Argentina.
Before that I wanted to see pinguins so I have arrived to Ancud, in Chiloé where there are some pinguin colonies. I have a tour in an hour and after that I will take a 17 hour bus to Santiago.... boring....
Chiloé has surprised me as I have seen some contemporary architecture. Not very good but interesting. Now that I´m here I regret a bit for not compiling some information referent to Mathias Klotz, a good chilean architect that has some amazing houses over here. maybe is something to explore on my extra days in Santiago....

2 a 10 Marzo, de El Calafate a Ushuaia, Argentina

Hi again.
I´m back from my week trip around Patagonia. I have seen so many nice places and such beautiful things that I really have no words to describe all these.
I will try to resume my experiences since the last blog. I´m afraid I cant upload any pictures, I will try tomorrow from Puerto Montt, Chile.
I started my tour with a welcome dinner in El Calafate with some of the members of the same trip. We were only three, myself and a really nice brazilian couple, Aleixandre & Daniela. They are from Salavador Bahia, so probably I will meet them there in April. The day after I met the rest of the people. Sascha, a londoner that used to live in Barcelona so spoke spanish perfectly and she was my best friend for the next 10 days. And I also met Glen & Karen, a mature american couple. I dont know how to describe them and dont sound rude, but well, they were the typical conservative-Bush-american couple... quite annoying. The tour already began 4 days before me, starting in El Chalten (I did it myself) and by the time I started the tour in el Calafate Sascha already couldnt stand the americans. The guide Nico, was very nice and the rest of guides that we met on our trips were really nice too, so I´m very happy of having done this package tour.
3rd March they took us by bus to Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile, so we had to cross the border again. In there we spent 3 days doing only trekking and sleeping on tents on a camping site. First day we tried to do the Torres route, but we were not very lucky with the weather, was raining a lot and was very foggy and cloudy, so at half our way we decided to return as it was not worth finishing without being able to see the Torres. That was a shame as was the best way to see the Torres del Paine, but well, we had to forget about it.
On the following day we did an 8 hour hike to see the Grey Glacier. Was fantastic. From that day, the clouds dissapeareed and we had the most wonderful weather ever. Sunny and no clouds but it became really cold. Grey glacier was amazing, and the whole route too. The day after we did the French glacier route, again a 6 hour trekking trip. I never ever have walked so much, but I quite enjoyed it. The shame was doing it in group as we had to wait for the rest all the time.
There are no words to describe this National Park beauty. The mountains are so nice, and the lakes are a perfect blue, turquoise, that seems completley unreal or that have been worked out by Photoshop!!! Sascha told me that english has not so many words to describe nice or amazing things so she started to number the "amazing" views, being the top a "Fucking amazing" view. And really, everything was Fucking amazing!!!!
Sleeping on tents was fun until we woke one day at -8 C. You have no idea the pain to put your clothes on on that temperature! So cold! Since then I have a small cold that I'm trying to avoid taking medicine all time.
After spending those 3 days in Torres del Paine, we spend almost one day on the bus again. We crossed first the argentinian border and we head to Tierra del Fuego. We crossed the "Estrecho de Magallanes" by ferry, and we arrived to Tierra del fuego, the southern province in Argentina.
The landscape started to change, and we end up in one of the typical Argentinian Estancia. That was so nice! they were waiting us for dinner and gave us such a wonderful lamb! that was a good dinner after 4 days in a camping site. We ordered wine and we had a very nice meal. Almost at mid night they gave us some champagne. I was very touched as I thought it was because the day after was my birthday, but the truth is that they were celebrating the "International working women's day"!!! hahahaa
The 8th of March was my birthday. In the morning they showed us how to take the wool from the sheep in La Estancia. that was very intresting and after that we took again the minibus and they took us to a really nice lodge were we left the bags before doing a small trekking of 3 hours in Tierra de Fuego area. It was a very nice walk and after that we had another walk to see all the beavers (castores) in the area. That was very intresting too, and funny to see a beaver just crossing in front of you being in the wild. Tierra del fuego has a big problem with beavers as they were introduced here by the coloners and they are changing all the landscape in the area.
That night we celebrate my birthday with very good argentinian wine. That was very nice and different from all my other birthdays!
Yesterday, 9th March, we arrived finally to Usuhaia, the southern most city in the world, at the end of the world. We had again the most wonderful day, sunny, warm and no wind. The "Estrecho de Beagle" was very calm and the surface of the water was flat as a mirror. During the morning we did another hike to the Tierra de Fuego National Park. That was very easy and relaxed walk, and on the afternoon we took a small boat and we did a small tour through the Estrecho de Beagle. That was so fucking amazing again! I think the weather was so perfect! the water was so flat, and just reflexed all the landcsape around us. Unbelieveable! We saw Sea lions, pinguins and cormorans. 4 hours in that boat was sooooo worth it! I have taken so many pictures! but really, I think you need to experience it to realize how nice is everything.
On the evening I went for dinner with Nico and Sascha. Was our last night, today everybody is heading in differents ways. After dinner we went for a drink with the brazilians. I´m sure I will see Aleixandre and Daniela in Salvador Bahia and Sascha when I'm back in London. And no, I dont thing I will ever go to washington State to see Glenn & Karen!! LOL
This afternoon I'm flying to Puerto Montt, Chile and I'm intending to see the Chilean Patagonian on the next days. I will see on my way as maybe I decide to arrive before to Santiago Chile again and spend few days with my friends there.
Thanks for all the e-mails for my birthday, being on the other side of the world and knowing people stills remember you is very touching!

2 Marzo - Glaciar Perito Moreno, El Calafate, Argentina

Yesterday Patrizia cooked us an italian dinner as a goodbye after 5 days. The dinner was lovely and Ryu played the guitar for us. You cant believe how good a japanese can sing brasilian BossaNova. Was a great night and a very nice way to say good bye to all these people that we have been together for the last 5 days. I will probably see Laura, and maybe Lisa, in Buenos Aires.

This morning I woke up early and a tour took us to the Perito moreno glazier. My god! that was so nice! I just arrived to El Calafate and decided to post some pictures for you to see these amazing glazier. And now yes, from tomorrow starts my 9 day trip.. no internet.
The glazier was great and there were pieces of ice falling all the time into the water with an enormous noise. Amazing!
The bad thing? To be organized I already booked this tour and the 9 day trip from London, and obviously i found out that I have payed 2 times more than if I have done it from here.. Oh well, life!

Cronica de viaje - 25 Feb a 1 Marzo - El Calafate, Argentina

I took the Bus on the 25th at 6 am direction El Chalten. We went through the famous route 40. Its famous for being the worst road in Argentina. The first tram was lovely with views of lakes, but as being so early in the morning I felt asleep and missed it. After that, the view was from the typical Argentinian Pampa, nice but always the same so after few hours get boring. Was nice to go through kilometres and kilometres without seeing any town, house, people... only we could see Guanacos (similar to llamas but smaller and different colour) and we also saw condors, and an animal similar to an ostrich. from time to time we were stoping and suddenly there was a house that sold exquisite cakes... weird!

The second day of bus we stopped on some caves with really old drawings from indians 3.400 years BC. Was very nice, the landscape there and the paintings! very interesting.
I met a lot of poeple on the Bus and we became friends. Yuki, from Osaka, Ryu, from Tokyio, Laura and Lisa, italian, and Patrizia from Trieste, Italy. I also met a couple living in Geneva.
After two days we finally arrived to El Chalten. El Chalten is the trekking capital of Argentina.
In there I stayed one day and a half. First day I went with the swiss couple and we did a 8 hour hike to Laguna Cerro, where there is an amazing glacier. Its a shame the connections here are so bad so I cant upload some pictures. That hike was really nice.

The day after I did a tougher hike. I started with the swiss couple but as I didnt have as much time as them (I had to be at 6 in El Chalten to take my bus) I had to go faster and soon I started to walk alone. It was intended to be a 4.5 hour hike one way, and I did it in 3 hours! I was so exhausted! But, was soooo worth it! I think the views at the end was one of the nicer things I´ve seen in my life. I saw the Fitz Roy mountain in front of me, with a few glaciers and two amazing lakes with cristaline waters! Wow! soooo nice! I did like 100 pictures. There was snow up to my knees and me on trainers! I´m not well prepared at all!

After this hike that left me almost dead I returned to El Chalten and we took the bus to El Calafate where I am now. From here I will see the spectacular Perito Moreno glacier tomorrow and then I will start my 9 day trekking trip... so probably I will not be able to post anything for 10 days.
Patagonia is amazing but they live from tourism so here everything is bloody expensive.. And well.... they say about spanish.. but here there are tricking us all time, selling us things that are not completely true! But anyway, I'm really enjoying it!