Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, cruise to the glaciers - nice easy day, you'd think.... buzz, wrong answer. 7am pick-up (aaaaagh) trawl around various El Calafate hotels for more pick-ups, hour's drive to the port, hour or so hanging around before the Captain gets on the tannoy to tell us we have an option to leave for a refund... wonder why, we're about to depart?
Perhaps he said it in Spanish, but certainly not in English, but it was pretty choppy out there on the lake, so perhaps that's why he was hinting at whoever was not a Magellan-wannabe calling it a day. None of us did, and we survived without up-chucking, but it seems to have been a close-run thing.
The trip is not a bad one, really, given that the glaciers are spectacular to put it mildly and there's not a heck of a lot else to do in El Calafate anyway.
Tomorrow we put an end to the "if this is Wednesday it must be Iguazu" portion and head back to Buenos Aires (three hour flight, but civilised pick-up) for a day or so and then the long schlep back home.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Perhaps he said it in Spanish, but certainly not in English, but it was pretty choppy out there on the lake, so perhaps that's why he was hinting at whoever was not a Magellan-wannabe calling it a day. None of us did, and we survived without up-chucking, but it seems to have been a close-run thing.
The trip is not a bad one, really, given that the glaciers are spectacular to put it mildly and there's not a heck of a lot else to do in El Calafate anyway.
Tomorrow we put an end to the "if this is Wednesday it must be Iguazu" portion and head back to Buenos Aires (three hour flight, but civilised pick-up) for a day or so and then the long schlep back home.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
And we're back....
So, Monday was the last day of three in Ushuaia, and we took a short trip out into the bay to see the wildlife and lighthouse and that sort of touristy thing. Pix are on Flickr, you can find the address on another blog and just mess around.
Flight out at three, though Ushuaia International Airport was really, really busy. They had two flights at the same time. Which meant we were late out for the hour or so flight to El Calafate.
Got to the hotel eventually, not as good a place as the one in Ushuaia, but that was sublime, so unfair to judge them. DInner in town, at El Cocina. When one says "town" El Calafate is the epitome of a one-horse town that has grown up to be a largish, but still one-horse, town. It's expanded beyond its old airport, the runways of which form part of the road network (think Hal Far) and is not much to write home about.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, on the other hand, is something to write home about and then some. Early start (well, 8 am), long drive, boat trip across, trek to the base of the glacier, don crampons, trek over the glacier, trek back to lodge, boat ride back, long drive back to hotel.
Sounds like not much fun? If you're of my persuasion when it comes to exercise, you might think so, but in fact it is a fantastic day out.
Dinner in the hotel tonight, as earlier start tomorrow for glacier cruise - apparently, no walking involved, which I have to say is not such a bad thing.
Remember, pix on Flickr
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
So, Monday was the last day of three in Ushuaia, and we took a short trip out into the bay to see the wildlife and lighthouse and that sort of touristy thing. Pix are on Flickr, you can find the address on another blog and just mess around.
Flight out at three, though Ushuaia International Airport was really, really busy. They had two flights at the same time. Which meant we were late out for the hour or so flight to El Calafate.
Got to the hotel eventually, not as good a place as the one in Ushuaia, but that was sublime, so unfair to judge them. DInner in town, at El Cocina. When one says "town" El Calafate is the epitome of a one-horse town that has grown up to be a largish, but still one-horse, town. It's expanded beyond its old airport, the runways of which form part of the road network (think Hal Far) and is not much to write home about.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, on the other hand, is something to write home about and then some. Early start (well, 8 am), long drive, boat trip across, trek to the base of the glacier, don crampons, trek over the glacier, trek back to lodge, boat ride back, long drive back to hotel.
Sounds like not much fun? If you're of my persuasion when it comes to exercise, you might think so, but in fact it is a fantastic day out.
Dinner in the hotel tonight, as earlier start tomorrow for glacier cruise - apparently, no walking involved, which I have to say is not such a bad thing.
Remember, pix on Flickr
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Sunday, November 21, 2010
After our visit to Wanda Mine, we got our flight to Ushuaia on the southern-most tip of Argentina. It calls itself Fin del Mundo and you can see why. South of us are some islands owned by Chile, across the Beagle Channel, but no-one much lives on them - this is the city that's most far south in the world.
Dinner at our hotel, Los Cauquenes, which is a marvellous place, overlooking the channel - you can see the weather change from hour to hour, as the locals tell you. That applies to summer (it was snowing very lightly on Sunday and this is late spring) because in winter, it's only winter and iron-hard at that.
Saturday was our OffRoad adventure to the lakes, pictures on Flickr - and when they say offroad, they mean off land, because for a considerable amount of time we were driving with all four wheels in the lake. Lunch was a barbecue in a lodge (shack) by the lake and then a drive back. Excellent day out.
On Sunday - a free day (i.e. we hadn't booked anything in advance) we took a short tour to the National Park and the end of the Pan-American Highway. Again, pix on Flickr soon, though I'll post this as soon as I've finished it, so it might be some time before they show up. Sorry they can't be in the blog but for some reason no doubt connected to my own ineptitude, I keep getting a failure message.
Back to Ushuaia for lunch and a couple of museums, back at the hotel for chill and dinner. Tomorrow off to El Calafate.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Dinner at our hotel, Los Cauquenes, which is a marvellous place, overlooking the channel - you can see the weather change from hour to hour, as the locals tell you. That applies to summer (it was snowing very lightly on Sunday and this is late spring) because in winter, it's only winter and iron-hard at that.
Saturday was our OffRoad adventure to the lakes, pictures on Flickr - and when they say offroad, they mean off land, because for a considerable amount of time we were driving with all four wheels in the lake. Lunch was a barbecue in a lodge (shack) by the lake and then a drive back. Excellent day out.
On Sunday - a free day (i.e. we hadn't booked anything in advance) we took a short tour to the National Park and the end of the Pan-American Highway. Again, pix on Flickr soon, though I'll post this as soon as I've finished it, so it might be some time before they show up. Sorry they can't be in the blog but for some reason no doubt connected to my own ineptitude, I keep getting a failure message.
Back to Ushuaia for lunch and a couple of museums, back at the hotel for chill and dinner. Tomorrow off to El Calafate.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Friday, November 19, 2010
If it's Wednesday, it must be Wanda
I tried posting this with pix yesterday, but it didn't work - let's see if this will. It didn't.
Wednesday, 17th November - on our guide Lukas' suggestion, we drop by the Wanda Mine on the way to the airport. Interesting enough, with the opportunity, taken, to buy some semi-precious stones. It remains to be seen if the price was commercially viable, but it's a souvenir, anyway, like the toad that will inhabit the swamp that is my desk.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Wednesday, 17th November - on our guide Lukas' suggestion, we drop by the Wanda Mine on the way to the airport. Interesting enough, with the opportunity, taken, to buy some semi-precious stones. It remains to be seen if the price was commercially viable, but it's a souvenir, anyway, like the toad that will inhabit the swamp that is my desk.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Puerto Madryn
Didn't work with pix, so go to Flickr - this is what I originally wrote, so might as well put it up.
Landed Trelew on time after seamless change at BA. Trelew is not in Scotland.
Transferred to hotel in Puerto Madryn, taking the Ruta 3 which runs from BA to Ushuaia.
Hotel is on the coast, and you can see whales, which we did.
You can even hear them, unless it's Etienne blowing his nose.
Excellent dinner at Mariscos Atlantico.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Landed Trelew on time after seamless change at BA. Trelew is not in Scotland.
Transferred to hotel in Puerto Madryn, taking the Ruta 3 which runs from BA to Ushuaia.
Hotel is on the coast, and you can see whales, which we did.
You can even hear them, unless it's Etienne blowing his nose.
Excellent dinner at Mariscos Atlantico.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
All manner of beasts
Thursday and Friday saw us seeing and learning about all mannere of beasts. The trip to Peninsula Valdes accompanied by Sebastian gave us an insight into the ecology of the area, with living breathing examples of them animals all over the place. Llama-type animals, sort-of ostriches, whales by the dozen (and that's not an exagerration) penguins, birds of all description and seals (not sealions, as I referred to them yesterday)(and was told by the missus today that I'm a moron, not the first time this appellation has been applied to me) were the bill of fare on a ten-hour round trip.
The highlight was the whale watching from a RIB but the rest of the day was fine too, with the exception of lunch, which was mere fuel. Plenty of the drive is on gravel road, which is not tarmac. But who cares, when the scenery is what it is - and the weather couldn't have been better.
Dinner on Thursday was at Sebastian's only slip-up - a restaurant where the theory "location, location, location" is proved to hold good even in the Southern Hemisphere. The waitress was cute and nodded to everything, then proceeded to act mega-baffled when we had to charade the fact that three of our six starters had not appeared.
Oh well, my meal was complete, so such is life. Not brilliant food, but what the heck.
To sleep, waking to the sound of whales outside our window, apparently quite unique for this time of year.
Friday morning we took a trip to Punta Tomba to look at a mega-thousand strong penguin colony. Have I used the word "amazing" yet? It was. Drive back to Trelew Airport, through a Welsh (well, originally Welsh, anyway) to catch flight to Ushuaia, which we are now on and about to land. Will try to put pix in later, but if they don't show, go to Flickr - use the link from the previous post.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
The highlight was the whale watching from a RIB but the rest of the day was fine too, with the exception of lunch, which was mere fuel. Plenty of the drive is on gravel road, which is not tarmac. But who cares, when the scenery is what it is - and the weather couldn't have been better.
Dinner on Thursday was at Sebastian's only slip-up - a restaurant where the theory "location, location, location" is proved to hold good even in the Southern Hemisphere. The waitress was cute and nodded to everything, then proceeded to act mega-baffled when we had to charade the fact that three of our six starters had not appeared.
Oh well, my meal was complete, so such is life. Not brilliant food, but what the heck.
To sleep, waking to the sound of whales outside our window, apparently quite unique for this time of year.
Friday morning we took a trip to Punta Tomba to look at a mega-thousand strong penguin colony. Have I used the word "amazing" yet? It was. Drive back to Trelew Airport, through a Welsh (well, originally Welsh, anyway) to catch flight to Ushuaia, which we are now on and about to land. Will try to put pix in later, but if they don't show, go to Flickr - use the link from the previous post.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Since uploading pix thru' this is a bit of a hassle, I've put a few on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/imbocca/with/5187816037/
OK, now for the narrative - the day started at 0800, picked up by Sebastian. Collected some more tourists, a couple of Canucks, a Mick and an Argentine family - long drive to Peninsula Valdes, for whale watching from RIB, spotting various beasts from the van, sea-lion and penguin watching. Loooooooong day, but worth every minute of it. Impressive how passionate the guides are about the natural heritage and their depth of knowledge is equally impressive.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
OK, now for the narrative - the day started at 0800, picked up by Sebastian. Collected some more tourists, a couple of Canucks, a Mick and an Argentine family - long drive to Peninsula Valdes, for whale watching from RIB, spotting various beasts from the van, sea-lion and penguin watching. Loooooooong day, but worth every minute of it. Impressive how passionate the guides are about the natural heritage and their depth of knowledge is equally impressive.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
200 steps
After the wet bit, 200 (allegedly) steps get you to the truck, lunch and the train to Dragon's Throat.
Indescribable doesn't begin to describe it.
And so home, with slight detour to Capilla Istorica Bamberg, facing Paraguay.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Indescribable doesn't begin to describe it.
And so home, with slight detour to Capilla Istorica Bamberg, facing Paraguay.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Wet'n'wild
Then we headed down to water-level for a bit of the old wet'n'wild
Well, you get the idea...
Posted in the wild using my iPad
Leaving BA
A spot of retail time-killing before checking out, enlivened by a fire drill just as we got to the mall, passed our last morning of this leg in Buenos Aires pleasantly enough.
The next bit is live....
On plane waiting to depart to Iguazu, domestic flight from domestic airport. Driver appeared to think that Terminal C is a good as any other, so we got a stroll to A, but such is life, one supposes. We seem to be on time but I wouldn't bet on it. Chucking it down with rain at the moment, but A320 is reputed to be waterproof.
Arrived Iguazu on time with all bags and baggage, met by Lucas for 45 minute drive to Bemberg Hotel, in the middle of the rainforest in the middle of nowhere.
Excellent dinner, even though we're a captive market then to bed to rest up for the 7 click walk around the falls.
Tuesday, day five (I think) and we're picked up at 0800 for the day at Iguazu Falls.
The trip from the hotel (did I mention it's an amazing haven of a place?) takes about 45 minutes. Once you get there, you stroll along walkways, learning stuff about the ecology, and look at the falls. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, I'll do the lazy thing and let the pictures tell the story.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
The next bit is live....
On plane waiting to depart to Iguazu, domestic flight from domestic airport. Driver appeared to think that Terminal C is a good as any other, so we got a stroll to A, but such is life, one supposes. We seem to be on time but I wouldn't bet on it. Chucking it down with rain at the moment, but A320 is reputed to be waterproof.
Arrived Iguazu on time with all bags and baggage, met by Lucas for 45 minute drive to Bemberg Hotel, in the middle of the rainforest in the middle of nowhere.
Excellent dinner, even though we're a captive market then to bed to rest up for the 7 click walk around the falls.
Tuesday, day five (I think) and we're picked up at 0800 for the day at Iguazu Falls.
The trip from the hotel (did I mention it's an amazing haven of a place?) takes about 45 minutes. Once you get there, you stroll along walkways, learning stuff about the ecology, and look at the falls. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, I'll do the lazy thing and let the pictures tell the story.
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday 14th, Buenos Aires
Walk to Recoleta Cemetery, about 10 minutes from hotel, on a muggy morning, to visit the great and good (and deceased) of BA.
It's pretty full of tourists, as you'd expect, being one of the major attractions, though the moggies treat everyone with the disdain only they can muster.
I suppose the place was worth a few minutes, but the sound of the guide directing tourists to "the toilets on the left, the bus to the right, I will wait for you" while holding a placard with the words "tour will end at hospitality room at the aiport" sort of brings it home to you.
A walk down the hill throught the arts and crafts fair that occupies the area every Sunday (apparently) gets us to the Museo de las Bella Artes, which is supposed to be open, but isn't, due to Nights at the Museum having come off the previous evening. It opens at three (turns out to be three thirty) according to the lady sweeping the stairs.
So it's snag two taxis time to the Galleria Pacificio in Avenida Florida, which is a shopping mall, albeit a v. upmarket one, though not as upmarket as the one we had dinner at yesterday.
Lunch at a cafe', reading the paper over someone's shoulder, followed by another couple of taxis to the Museo. Incidentally, taxis are cheap, which is why the plutocratic use of them.
The Museo opened eventually, though the section with Argentine art was closed.
Back to the hotel for a Sunday afternoon laze, aiming at dinner in due course, though everywhere seems to be shut. Don't they know this is a big city that's never supposed to sleep?
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Walk to Recoleta Cemetery, about 10 minutes from hotel, on a muggy morning, to visit the great and good (and deceased) of BA.
It's pretty full of tourists, as you'd expect, being one of the major attractions, though the moggies treat everyone with the disdain only they can muster.
I suppose the place was worth a few minutes, but the sound of the guide directing tourists to "the toilets on the left, the bus to the right, I will wait for you" while holding a placard with the words "tour will end at hospitality room at the aiport" sort of brings it home to you.
A walk down the hill throught the arts and crafts fair that occupies the area every Sunday (apparently) gets us to the Museo de las Bella Artes, which is supposed to be open, but isn't, due to Nights at the Museum having come off the previous evening. It opens at three (turns out to be three thirty) according to the lady sweeping the stairs.
So it's snag two taxis time to the Galleria Pacificio in Avenida Florida, which is a shopping mall, albeit a v. upmarket one, though not as upmarket as the one we had dinner at yesterday.
Lunch at a cafe', reading the paper over someone's shoulder, followed by another couple of taxis to the Museo. Incidentally, taxis are cheap, which is why the plutocratic use of them.
The Museo opened eventually, though the section with Argentine art was closed.
Back to the hotel for a Sunday afternoon laze, aiming at dinner in due course, though everywhere seems to be shut. Don't they know this is a big city that's never supposed to sleep?
- Posted in the wild using my iPad
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Saturday morning, Buenos Aires
A taxi-ride down to the other end of Puerto Madero to book a tango show, hard luck mate, fully booked, so we book for the last weekend. Then a stroll back to Plaza de Mayo to pick up the Round BA hop-on hop-off bus which you can pick up from anywhere and pay on board, oh no you can't, go get tickets from Diagonal Florida.
We're not entirely sure whether the water-cannon is a museum piece from Madonna's time or strategically placed to cool-off tour bus (non-)patrons who have to queue up again.
Which we tried to do until we saw the sign that said the next available trip was at 330pm, this being just gone noon.
So we walked to San Telmo, through some streets of real Buenos Aires and given the glorious weather and the fact that it was Saturday morning was no hardship at all.
In San Telmo, there are markets and restaurants and book-shops and all manner of Saturday morning diversions which we enjoyed.
After lunch, we started to walk towards (sort of) La Boca. The restaurant owner, a sports nut, pointed vaguely in the direction and mumbled something about "venti minuti" but this seems to mean something else in Spanish, as forty minutes later we were still walking and a shop-keeper very kindly advised us not to leave our cameras showing. The consolation was that we came across a couple of interesting open-air places.
before grabbing two taxis and doing the sensible thing.
La Boca is also visually interesting, and since a) it's time for bed and b) pictures tell it better than I do, here you are.
(in the Museo de Belles Artes)
(from the top of the Museo)
(again in the Museo, duh)
and then a quiet evening, since everyone is still knackered and even mildly sunburnt.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
A taxi-ride down to the other end of Puerto Madero to book a tango show, hard luck mate, fully booked, so we book for the last weekend. Then a stroll back to Plaza de Mayo to pick up the Round BA hop-on hop-off bus which you can pick up from anywhere and pay on board, oh no you can't, go get tickets from Diagonal Florida.
We're not entirely sure whether the water-cannon is a museum piece from Madonna's time or strategically placed to cool-off tour bus (non-)patrons who have to queue up again.
Which we tried to do until we saw the sign that said the next available trip was at 330pm, this being just gone noon.
So we walked to San Telmo, through some streets of real Buenos Aires and given the glorious weather and the fact that it was Saturday morning was no hardship at all.
In San Telmo, there are markets and restaurants and book-shops and all manner of Saturday morning diversions which we enjoyed.
After lunch, we started to walk towards (sort of) La Boca. The restaurant owner, a sports nut, pointed vaguely in the direction and mumbled something about "venti minuti" but this seems to mean something else in Spanish, as forty minutes later we were still walking and a shop-keeper very kindly advised us not to leave our cameras showing. The consolation was that we came across a couple of interesting open-air places.
before grabbing two taxis and doing the sensible thing.
La Boca is also visually interesting, and since a) it's time for bed and b) pictures tell it better than I do, here you are.
(in the Museo de Belles Artes)
(from the top of the Museo)
(again in the Museo, duh)
and then a quiet evening, since everyone is still knackered and even mildly sunburnt.
Posted in the wild using my iPad
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