…OK I did manage to catch enough food for a couple of days. 2nd kidney in tact!The lake district was awesome. We learned from our “ugly & bad” experience and tried to avoid large cities & towns. The smaller villages have far more heart & soul – seems like the real Argentina (whether that’s true or not I don’t know, we just prefer it!)
We booked our travel to Junin de los Andes for this reason. A really small town in the northern most part of Patagonia. It was shit. So much for our theory. We stayed for one night and moved onto San Martin de los Andes first thing in the morning. The only redeeming feature of Junin was a steak “completo” sandwhich which stood about 4 inches tall & had beef (as you´d expect) tomato, avocado, lettuce, 2 eggs and Christ knows what else. That, was good…
Junin was further soured on the bus journey to San Martin. A couple of youths (from the same group of friends by the way) decided to have a fight. Well, one punched the other on his way off the bus - whilst the other was asleep - then ran off… cheap shot.Anyway San Martin was fantastic, if not a tad surreal. It´s a skiing town, and is based on European resorts. You have to pinch yourself walking around as you could be in Switzerland. Was very cool though. Lots of log cabins and chalets everywhere. This is summer and sunny, is nestled on the side of a clear blue lake, complete with a beach. In short it was very difficult to feel anything but comfortable here.
This is serious fishing country (advertising itself as the best trout fishing in the world). For fly fishing. I don’t fly fish. But, after some heated haggling, managed to get someone to take us spinning on a lake. It was the most beautiful place I have ever fished. A 7 kilometer mirror lake surrounded on three sides by hills / mountains and the other by a grassy plane with wild horses grazing. This poor chap rowed us around this lake all day long. Think Magali´s beginners luck truly ran out. She caught nothing in a lake that had more fish than water. Saying that, I only caught 2 of the slippery little buggers. In my defense one was a giant brown trout! It did feel wrong killing him, gutting him and filleting him at the side of the lake. Until I ate him. He tasted gooooooood. Easily the best trout I´ve ever tasted. Made fresh fried trout fillets with him the first day, then soup / bisque with his head and the rest on his dismembered body the next. The hostel owner (a chef previously) was even impressed - the rest of the travelers ate pot noodles and tuna sandwiches.
The furthest south we made it was El Bolson. A hippy town at the southern end of the lake district. A sleepy little town, with not much happening. Ended up staying far longer than anticipated. Not quite sure why. Guess was just really comfortable. Met two couples from California who were really cool. (If anyone wants to go white water rafting in southern America you can go for free!). Highlights were a free BBQ (parilla) on the second night, a 30 km hike (got lost in the forest, flipped a coin & took a wrong turn) and bike ride to Lake Peugo.We would have liked to have made it down to the very south of Argentina; more of Patagonia & the glaciers, but time was against us. For the first time we are thinking its running out for us. F&ck it, at least we are here!
We grabbed a bus to Buenos Aires, where we are now. Busses are great here. Provided you don´t sit next to a snorer. Amofa, all is forgiven. Have to say first impressions were not good, but it’s a grower. You´ve got to get to know it. We´ve been here 9 days now. The first 5 in a region called Palermo and 4 in San Telmo.
Palermo is a newer part of town, one that has seen regeneration and is not an up & coming area, but more up & come. It´s safe and fun with lots of bars & restaurants. San Telmo is more the real Beunos Aires. As such more interesting. The architecture is a real mix of Italian, Spanish & French. The result is an identity all to itself, but it works. You can walk down a road and see all three style next to each other – presumably where rich settlers from the three European countries had designed their houses and lived next to one another. Next to San Telmo is La Boca (the working class area) and is truly bonkers. It´s where Boca Junior play. Is rough as nuts but really vibrant, arty and passionate. The team play in blue & yellow - as the founder of the club decided to choose the team colours by the next ship to sail into the harbour. It happened to be Swedish.
The highlights of Beunos Aires are food & football. I have been a pig in poo. The beef is the best in Argentina & possibly the world (sorry France, you have a rival). It´s truly something else – you have to try it yourself. Bife de Chorizo is the most popular cut – I am not sure which part of the animal it is. Think the rump. Size matters! Usually comes anywhere 8-10 inches long and 2 – 4 inches thick. (Sorry ladies, still talking about the meat!) We haven´t eaten anything else since we´ve been here. Magali is a fed up of it now. I however am going to buy a farm when I get back…
Caught a live football match – River Plate vs Banfield. All the guide books say its really rough and not to take anything with you. Ergo didn´t take a camara. Idiot! It was the bet match I´ve been to. A carnival atmosphere. The whole stadium were River Plate supporters. The top tier was the “fanaticals”. They have what appears to be a full blown brass band. They lead the singing & jumping. Once they start, two seconds later the whole stadium follows. Quite a sight, 50,000 singing & jumping in unison. The songs aren´t angry or aggressive, seemed much more upbeat. Not that I had a clue what they were saying. They all fling their arms about as well. The motion is this: bend your arm at the elbow and nearly touch your neck. Then extend your arm out fully and at the last minute fling your wrist & fingers forward, as though trying to flick something sticky off your hand. Now imagine everyone you can see around you doing this repeatedly with both hands singing at the top of their lungs and you are somewhere near where I was. If it wasn´t for the fact they were smiling (or River Pate were winning) I may have assumed I was in a mental institute…
Apologies if this has been a long entry. It’s the last night in B.A. Have watched England loose by a point to Ireland in the 6 nations (coincidentally introduced 2 Mexicans and 2 Peruvians to their first rugby match), been to our last parilla for a meal and am currently polishing off my 6th beer. Life is tough.
Have a change of plan for the remainder of our travels. Are now visiting Uruguay. Then following the coast up to Rio. Basically beach hopping in the vain attempt to remove our perma T-Shirt tans before we land back home… Hope it works as, to be honest, I look ridiculous naked at the moment.
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