Puerto Madryn, Patagonia

Top Tips for Puerto Madryn

• If your in search for whales, bare in mind whale season is only between September and December. Check before you go, we were left dissapointed.
• The best thing about this town is the chance to see Sea Lions in the wild and swim with them. It cost a whopping £100.00 pp but I would say its worth every penny.
• Visit Punta Tumbo where you can see penquins in the wild. Tours are available but we rented a car which worked out around the same price.
• Apart from the wildlife, Puerto Madryn does not have much to offer. See the wildlife and leave, pronto!

In truth it was quite nice to leave the hustle and bustle of BA. We took a bus from the Retiro, BAs bus station. We had a slight complication when it arrived to departure time and we still didnt see the bus, we then asked the woman and we reliased we were at gate 25 rather than 35. Michael had thought the seat number from the gate number. Its all in Spanish so we have to guess half the time. Luckily it was no problem, we got on the bus and we were off. The buses here are the main transport so they are made for long travel, the National Express is not a touch on these bad boys. We booked a semi cama which is like a really big sofa which goes back like a bed, its actually really comfortable. They also serve you food and drinks along the way, so save your money on buying sandwiches as you will be fed. The 20 hours went by suprisingly with not much trouble at all, we were there before you know it.

So here we are at Puerto Madryn, a small seaside town which attracts tourist with its promise of seeing diverse wildlife such as Penquins, Whales and Sea Lions etc. We walked from the main terminal to our hostel, its quite a small place so it only took 5 minutes. Our hostel is called `La Tosca` and we are greeted by the man on reception who looks a bit like Antonio Banderas. To be honest they all look like Antonio around here.

After checking in we dumped our bags and head to the main strip to hire a car. We ended up getting a banged up corsa for $500 pesos for 400km. Its so expensive in Argentina, the Lonely Planet prices are actually tripple what they have qouted. Speaking to the locals it seems that the current precident is responsible for this soaring inflation which has left many traveller flabergasted, everyone we have spoken to have found it so expensive. Its actually as expensive as England price wise, one place was charging $6.00 dollars for a coffee, crazy. It seems that the locals pay a normal cheap price and the foriegners get charged a price quadruple that!

So we drive away with this doggy corsa, my side has a massive crack along the windscreen.The door squeeks when you open it like its about to fall off, but we make do.Michael has to remember to drive on the right side of the road, very strange. We drive to Punta Tumbo which is a nature reserve that has one of Argentinas biggest penquin colony. We drive down a long cobbled track and get there about 2 hours before closing time. The entrance fee is $60.00 pesos each so that like 6 pounds a person which is England prices basically. It is well worth the money though, theres literally penguins everywhere. I have never seen penquins in the wild before, its like being in March of the Penquins, its so cool. There you can see them walking around in that funny toddle they do.We were told not to stop them in their tracks as they can get confused and end up in the wrong nest and the penguins start fighting each other. Its was interesting to see them in their natural habitat, observing their relationships with one another which can be strangely very human.

The next day we went swimming with Sea Lions. This has been without a doubt the best thing we have done in our travels so far. We booked this with a diving company and we were told to get there at 8am. We got into our wet suits and got taken out in the boat with 3 guides. It took about 20 minutes to get to the Sea Lion colony on a speed boat on a very choppy sea. I think I nearly took off when we went over some of the biggest waves. Just like the paragliding we had little to no safety guide, which is great, lets just crack on. Our guide Carlo said two things before we got in, 1) dont hug the sea lions as they will bite you, light petting only, 2) stay close to me. Off we went, now am not a great swimmer so took we a while to adjust and were given flippers which helped. Before you know it we were surrounded by five inquisitve Sea Lions, they were swimming close to you, ducking and diving. I am convinced one even winked at me. Brave old Michael even stroked one and was diving down playing with them. I on the other hand didnt take the chance of touching, I saw one open its mouth and saw two great sharps fangs and though better of it, arrgh! It would have been okay I bet, they were really friendly and playful. They were as curious of us as we were of them. You swim with them for about half an hour but it was long enough and truly spectacular, I would recommend this to anyone. Unfortunately, we were out of season for the whales which is a shame! The diving school showed us videos of the whales that come to Puerto Madryn and it was just amazing!

Apart from the wildlife Puerto Madryn is just a typical seaside town so we got out of there after 3 nights. The plan is to head to Ushuaia which is a 30 hours bus ride, wish us luck!

Captured with the Go Pro

Michael and I, swimming around

Its all OK

Surrounded by Sea Lions

                   

At the Penquin reserve

Human behaviour

Up close and personal

Sea Lion Colony 

Coming from the waters in hoards

Comfy Cama

Beautiful Animal

Nesting

Drive to Punto Tumbo

Puerto Madryn beach in the morning

All wet-suited up and ready to go

Natural habitat

La Boca, Cerrado Puertos and Paragliding

It is now Friday and we decide to explore the neighbourhood of La Boca. The lady at the hostel had drawn on the map a certain area to visit and sternly advised that we kept to this area as the rest of La Boca is not safe.The story is here that the inhabitants of Boca were forced there by wealthy immigrants wanting to live in their area, Boca was a shipping yard and this is the only place the poor could live. Having no money to paint their houses they took whatever paint was left at the local yard used to paint the ships, ending up in multicoloured houses which is what Boca is famous for now.

We were advised to only go to one street. However, Jo and I decided to walk there as it wasn't too far, we ended up at the local football stadium, which was huge and then ended up getting lost on the way to the main tourist area. Let´s just say it was quite scary, all shops had bars on them, lot´s of people hanging around! After a very pacy walk by chance we made it to the safe street, where all the tourists are.There is one safe street which houses all the tourists, surprisingly it is also the most coloured!It was full of tango bars, tacky shops and impersonators! But all round still a good experience! 

In the evening I had booked a meal for us at Casa Felix, which is one of the five ´Puerto Cerrado´ restaurants in BA.  ´Puerto Cerrado´ means closed door in Spanish, its basically a restaurant hosted at someones house. I had read of it on the Internet and thought it would be a nice unique experience. So we jump in a taxi after finally getting the address, they only give it last minute to ensure complete exclusivity. The concept here is that a host will cook food for around 8 people in their home. Unfamiliar with this concept, I wasn't expecting much.

Well my expectations were left behind as soon as we walked into the home. WOW, what a place, decorated in stylish french furniture and elegant paintings on the wall with some classical Argentinian music playing in the back ground! I wish I had made more of an effort with my clothes, but to be honest I had my best clothes on that I have with me so I could not have done any better! We walk through the house and into a small terrace lined with intimate tables lit with candles, out the back is a small garden with all sorts of plants, flowers and vegetables growing! I was definitely looking forward to the food now!

Our host, Diego (he is the one with me and Jo), a local Argentinian was our chaperon, cook and guide, very nice chap who was very passionate about the night. We met a few nice people from New York, Paris, Sweden and a couple of local Argentinians who all spoke good English. The food was great, all local produce, all handpicked by Diego and cooked by him . Very fresh, mixed flavours that I have never really tasted before. He definitely knew what he was doing and not just some wanna be! 

On the Saturday we went Paragliding which was wicked! Marcos, the chap who Jo arranged the day with picked us up in a battered Peugeot 407, which wouldn't have looked out of place on a scrap yard! We take an hour drive out of BA  to Escobar, where Marcos owns a farm who he rents out to Gauchos (cattle farmers). Flat land as far as the eye can see and cows all over. We had to wait a couple of hours as there were a lot of people there having their turn. Strapped on a trailer was a trailer with an engine hooked up to a home made winch, now I knew how we would get in the air. 

Having seen people go up I was a little disappointed, they get winched up and then fly round and land, max 5 minutes  It came to my turn, luckily my instructor who I was strapped in front of could speak English, I´m given my stringent health and safety spiel, instructions and ex claimers and waivers, actually I´m lying here, that is how it would have happened in England! He could speak English, but all he said to me was, first you run, then when we fly you lift you´re legs and then we are good! That was it and all that was needed. We start to climb quite quickly as the winch winds in, I can see the trailer about half a mile in front of us, and the nearer we get to it the higher we go. POP goes the rope attached and we are free, expecting to come down straight away just like the others I hear the guide say lets go higher, so we did. It´s amazing how you can go higher without an engine, it has to do with hot air rising from the heated ground. So we fly around for 10 minutes and then it is time to land which we do smoothly. Strange how relaxing the whole thing was, I didn't feel scared at any point! 

Jo´s turn now and she gets strapped on and off they go, I can see Jo is trying to run but they topple over on the ground with Jo sliding on her bum for a couple of yards! I was pissing myself laughing whilst everyone around me had there hands to their faces! Jo gets up straight away and says to the guy "was that my fault" (she is laughing too now) and the guy says no I am sorry it was mine. Second time round and up up and away they go. Well maybe it was because Jo was light, or the guy fancied her, probably the latter, they went up higher and higher, around and around and only after about 20 minutes did they come down! "flight of the day" said one of the other Argentinian instructors, it certainly was! I think they would have stayed up there all day, had it not been for Jo saying no to when she was asked whether she wanted go higher! 

Today we have an 18 hour bus ride to Puerto Madryn on the coast, we have a hostel booked there for 2 days. We can go whale watching, see the penguins and go hiking near by. A complete change from BA and we are really looking forward to it! 

Overall BA experience?

Well, you cannot argue that it is a truly beautiful city. Its a far cry from being an impoverish country, its European influences are very prominent in the culture and architecture. Much like the buildings, the residents of BA are beautiful, classy and colourful. You walk down the street and your jaw drops at how good looking these people are, long blond hair, lightly tanned complications. The men and woman a like are just stunning!

You will also notice that they love their dogs, in the morning you will see many dog walkers walking 20 dogs at one time. They don't even bother walking the dogs themselves! You will find that most people do not speak English, they are very proud of their culture and I get the feeling that they don't feel they need to comply with speaking English, they speak Spanish and you need to speak it too. Don't get me wrong, we have met locals wishing to speak English with us along the way but the majority will look at you blankly so you better learn the language fast. 

Although beautiful, there is no denying that this city is polluted, on the way to paragliding we past by the sea the local we met, Patricia said there is the sea but its very polluted. The sea colour was brown! The streets are lined with rubbish, as you walk pass the streets you will gets whiff of rubbish smell which pongs. We walked to the shops this morning and the streets where actually clean, perhaps they clean it once a week?

You will also find a great contrast between rich and poor, when we have walked around in the evening in both Palermo and San Telmo you see families routing through the bins collecting cardboard. They must get money in exchange for these materials. With this I have mixed feelings about BA, its certainly not as amazing as everyone seems to think in Europe. Maybe its gone downhill since their visit  but I certainly hope it can find itself back on its feet sometime soon.

San Telmo and down town BA

After checking out of Palermo we headed to our next hostel based in San Telmo, this is when the real travelling starts with our shared 8 man dorm. We checked in and headed to Plaza de Mayo which is the main city square. Here the Casa Rosada stands proudly, over looking the busy plaza. Casa Rosada is better known for the building of which Evita and Peron would stand on the balcony, overlooking a sea of cheering crowds. It was said that Madonna filmed Evita using this very same balcony. I read in the Evita museum that locals where not happy that Madonna had been casted to play such an important character such as Eva Peron. The Casa Rosada was actually smaller than I had imagine but still grand, painted in a pink hence the name.

The Plaza was littered with banners in Spanish  words like ´Justica´ sprayed in bold blue. Every day at 3pm there is a march around the Plaza, this march is in protest against in the ´Dirty War´. They believe that a great injustice was done from 1976 when the President at the time Isabel Person was exiled by the military. “What followed was a seven-year period of unprecedented human rights abuses.” Here is the following crimes generally accepted as true:

• Over 30,000 people were disappeared, most of whom were never seen again.
• Some 500 young children and babies born to mothers who were kept alive long enough to give birth were appropriated and given to the families of high ranking military officers and their accomplices, thus robbing those children of their true identities and families.
• There were approximately 350 detention centers and concentration camps, some large and some small, spread throughout the entire country.
• Over 1,000 military personnel were involved in the abduction, physical and psychological torture and murder of the disappeared. These activities were sanctioned and planned by the military.

Even as a tourist you can see great political unrest around this beautiful city. There is a lot of graffiti in and around the city and most are done as a political stance. I spoke to a local yesterday Patricia and when she asked on her views of their current president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and she had muttered she did not like her, but hurried to say she did not want to say this out loud. This shocked me, imagine someone keeping quite about their views on Cameron.

Buenos Aires city center is very westernised and busy, streets like Florida are filled with Mcdonalds and Burger King etc. We walked around there for a bit then headed to Puerto Madero which is the business district. Posh restaurants line the docking area, its a bit like Canary Wharf in London. We then went to back to San Telmo, San Telmo is a beautiful neighbourhood. It is full of antique shops and San Telmo market is amazing, I wish I could have shipped all those vintage bags back to England. We settled for a drink on the local square called, Plaza Dorrego and watched a Tango Dance. This is a running theme in BA, for tourist purposes you will fine a couple who will dance the tango and pass a hat round for money at the end. Not truly authentic but nice none the while.

After another day walking 5 hours or so we went back to our hostel, back to our nice comfy bunk beds. I haven't slept in a bunk bed in years! We got acquainted to our ´Bunk Buddy´ Jason from Florida, USA. He was a plump man in his late 30s I would say, we later learnt that Jason from Florida also liked to snore, fart and belch in his sleep, lovely!

Later that evening we went to eat on a road called Chile, it was advised in Lonely Planet that there are nice restaurants here. We ate at ´Las cosas como son´ and ordered the Argentinian grill for 2, which included intestines, which is mushy and chewy, safe to say it wasn't very nice. At that point were still yet to have a nice nice meal. We paid the bill and intended to walk to Florida area where its said to have more of a party feel.
On the way down, we walked down Defensa. The streets are dimly lit and there are a few people walking past but no much going on, it was Thursday night. We suddenly heard a sound of good beats, we walked past and looked up and we could see what looked like a projector on the roof, there was definitely a party up there. Me and Michael where like, we gotta get in this party. We walked to the entrance where a man was holding a guest list, trendy Argentinians were giving their names and going up. We hung around to see how we could go in, every 2 minutes more and more trendy looking people were getting out of taxis and getting in. Finally we had a window and spoke to the man who thankfully spoke English. We asked what was going on, he said it was a secret terrace party and you have to email this guy to be invited. We were like, but its our last night and we would really like to go in. Luckily he said go on up, result!

We got in the lift and headed to the top where there was a pool party going on, we were the only tourist or English for that matter. This was party that the locals went to. We got our and drinks and met two locals Miguel and Hostel who we hung out with most of the night. The music was pumping and the Argentinians know how to party. They could also give the English a run for their money on the fashion front, everyone was just as or more trendy then the people you get back at home. I think Michael and I looked pitiful in our slacks but hey we didn't know we would end up at some fashionista pool party haha! Anyway, we danced the night away then went back to our less glamorous dorm, back with Jason from Florida and his many farts.

Recoleta

Today we headed out to explore Recoleta, the next neighbourhood to Palermo. We took to our maps and followed the train tracks to Avenue Sante Fe. This lead us to a busy main road where Palermo Subway station can be found. Its our second day and we are still getting use to the manic traffic, scampering over roads frightened of getting run over. I´m not quite sure I trust when the, in this case white man shows as cars still seem to be going for it. Anyway, Michael worked out if the locals go we follow, this seems to work fine so far.

Palermo is bustling and the heat of the sun is beating down on us. We try walk where there is shade stopping of at a new agents to buy water every 10 minutes, I think most our budget for Buenos Aires will definately be taken up by water consumption.

We carry on walking until we reach the Evita Musuem. Evita is my favourite musical, sadly I even know all the words by heart so I was really looking forward to having a look round. The entrance fee was 15 pesos each, it works out around 10 pesos to a pound so it wasnt too bad. We also got a free Evita postcard each. I wont bore you with the details of Evita life, as you have probably come across the film or musical at some point. The musuem was nice, well presented and easy to follow. Its seems that in this modern day Evita is still revered in Buenos Aires, there are many areas in the city commemorated in her name.

Once we finished with the musuem we headed further into Recoleta. Recoleta is the well to do area in the BA where the elite live. The high society of Buenos Aires migrated to this area in the 1800´s when there was a yellow fever epidemic in San Telmo. Recoleta has become BAs prime tourist attraction primiraliy due to the local cemetary. Now this isnt what you think a cemetary should look like, this my friends is a mini village for the dead. The tomb stones are grander than our own Regency Palace. These grand designs line the streets of this ghost town which goes on for miles. The tour guide explained that you either have to be very rich or be somebody to claim a place in this VIP plot for the dead.

The tour guide actually told a harrowing story of a girl that was buried in this cemetary. I think her name from Sarina (not entirely sure on that) she was 19 years old and was heading to the opera with her mother when she fainted. The doctors confirmed she was dead and she was buried in one of the grand tombs. A few weeks later her grandmother who could not believe she had died so young visited her tomb to pay respect to find scratch marks on the coffin. Sarina had been buried alive, it turns out she had an illness that slows your pulse to give the illustion you are dead. The doctors back then did not know this and persumed she was dead. Since then is is tradition to leave the casket opened for 48hours to allow the corpse to rise from the dead before the actual burial.

There was actually a funeral on when we were there, we just saw people despersing from one of the tombs dressed in black. Until that point you almost forgot you were not only at a tourist attraction but also cemetary that is still used to this day. We left the cemetary and headed down ´Bellas Artes´ and ´Malba´, the arty part of the city. Boasting museums and more grand buildings. At this point that sun was taking its toll so we headed back to the hotel. We took our first bus ride in the city, we just flagged a bus that said Palermo and jumped on. We tried to give money to the bus man but he just ignored us, so we ended up getting off without paying. We only later read that most locals have a sube card, like an oyster card. Otherwise you pay via coins at a coin depenser as you enter the bus. You wouldnt really know unless you were told, its not very clear for tourist.

Happy with our free bus ride we arrived at our hotel, we had planned to have a nap then head to Almagro in the evening, another BA neighbourhood where the locals dance on the local square until 5am most evenings we were told. Unfortunately, we ended up missing a night completely as we both woke up 12 hours later!!!!!!! I think that sun and all that walking really tired us out. Oh well, were hoping to visit Almagro on Friday instead.

Buenos Aires- Palermo

Top Travel Tips for Buenos Aires

• Argentina's current economical situation means that withdrawing cash from the ATM is very costly. Bring lots of dollars instead and exchange them at the ´Cambios´ on the street. We hadn't realised this, making the first leg of our trip in Argentina very, very expensive.
• Use the local colectivo to get around the city as Taxis are very expensive. Find out what numbers you need by asking locals on the street and hop on. Bare in mind they don't except notes so bring plenty of change!
• Visit ´La Cabrera´ steak house in Palermo before 7pm to avoid the que and get a cheaper deal. 
• For a unique dining experience, eat at a closed-door restaurant (in spanish it is called Puertas Cerradas). I would recommend Colectivo Felix, the chef Diego is a fantastic cook. Make a reservation with them by emailing them at info@colectivofelix.com, you wont regret it!
• Read this blog for more information on the areas to visit while in Buenos Aires.

From the airport we jump into a taxi, windows wide open as there is not a cloud in sight and its HOOTTT! Jo is already laughing at me with the sweating am doing. The taxi took about an hour, one hour of crazy driving. Horn beeping, cars swerving and cutting each other up without a signal in sight, eeek! So we could see the roads in Buenos Aires are mental, there are lanes but no one uses them. Almost just a free for all, if you can get through, just go for it. The long ride did have its advantages as it was nice to see the surrounding neighbourhoods to Palermo Hollywood where we were staying.

Jo had actually surprised me on the plane to inform me that we were not staying at our hostel just yet, she had booked us in a chic boutique hotel called ´Rendezvous´ for 2 nights with its own Jacuzzi terrace. Sweet! I said that is amazing! No mixed dorm sharing for 2 more days, GREAT!

We were told we could not check in till 3pm so we had 3 hours to kill, which we didn't mind as surprisingly we were not tired. We walked around Palermo, heading to Plaza Cortarzar, lovely streets lined with huge trees giving shade that is vital to not dying! We stopped of at a trendy bar where locals are sipping on beers (Cerveza). We decide to have a beer too, our first in BA, cheers we say - here´s to many more!

We take in the sights, stop off at the local parks and have a go on the swings, its nice to actually go to a park without gangs of chavs hanging around. Already, I can feel my arms burning. Its so hot! Jo already fits in with the locals as shes tanning already. Ill fit in once I get passed the lobster stage. 

Were starting to get hungry now, the beers we had earlier are staring to have a bit of an effect. We stop off at a bustling stall/food place selling tacos. We try to order in Spanish with success (It was called Chez Juanitos) The food was very nice, quick and cheap, around 20 pesos a taco and 20 pesos for a coke. Coke actually cost as much as the food!

Back at the hotel we are ready to check in, but run into our first complications ( minus the system on the plane.) They booked us into the wrong room, a standard room without a terrace jacuzzi. I went down to reception and after much pleading they apologised for the double booking and allowed us into the room after all. Once in the room we then found out there was not hot water to run the jacuzzi bath, this was enough to send us into a frenzy. I then when down to reception and announced we were leaving, they had not delivered as planned. The lady then said, it should be working now. We headed back up stairs and it was starting to work, so we though heck, whatever  its working lets stay. We didn't fancy trailing around BA looking for a place to stay. 

So we settled in, had a nap and decided to head out in the evening to a place recommended to us by a friend who has also travelled to BA recently. The place was called ´La Cabrera´, an Argentina steak house. We were warned about the wait so we arrived around 9 pm and but still had to put out name down to wait. The lady said 30 minutes, at that point we had realised that in BA if they say a time, double and that usual when it will actually happen. So 1 hour later we were shown to our seats. This placed in packed and had a lovely atmosphere, quite posh. The decor was eclectic, it was like sitting in an antique jumble shop with plates and strange ornaments all over the walls and ceiling, they even had mobile with air planes spinning around the fans.

As soon as we sat down we both felt tired, I think we under estimated how tired we actually were due to the excitement but now it was really hitting us. We ordered a sirloin steak each with chips to share, our waiter was called Ariel, very camp and with drawn on eyebrows which arched as Michael said, "can we have the wine please, the cheapest bottle." haha. We waited so long for our food to arrive, even the family behind us who sat down after us were tucking in. Michael even convinced himself that the man on the table next to us was the actor out of Scarface, no Michael I really don't think that's him...wheres the food!!!!

When the food finally came, my god! We where literally full just looking at it, we could have just shared one steak. Michael was starting already, "you better eat this Jo!" We gave it a good go, but by the time it had came we were both tired and pass eating. I had a couple of mouth fulls and was not impressed, the meat was really chunky and my god it was chewy, not tender at all. We felt bad as we could hardly eat all this meat, Michael suggested I put some in my bag. I discreetly started chopping up this meat and casually wrapping it up in tissue and putting in my bag, By the time I was finished it looked like we had eaten at least half of it. We asked for the bill and hurried out of there. We left sadly, unimpressed, the cheap taco tasted better!

We headed back to the hotel, BA is planned out in a grid system, like America they have blocks. It made it easy to follow a map earlier in the day, we had worked out that Palermo Hollywood where we were was divided by train tracks. Once we found the train tracks we knew exactly where we were. So we crossed these tracks, and as we pass by a side streets we hear these drums. Street drums, banging loud and constant. We follow the beat and found locals having a mini party dancing in the streets, kids doing dance routines and the men on the drums. It was great to watch, we stood watching for a long time. It was a shame we couldn't speak good enough Spanish to ask what was going. We watched for a while then moved on, it was great to see and really lifted us up from our disastrous restaurant experience. Also, I soon remembered I had meat in my bag, that's why the stray dogs were following me. I quickly ditched the meat in the bin haha. Back at the hotel it was lights out, me and Michael passed out before you could say, buenos noches!

Revendouz Boutique

Across the lines- Palermo

Burnt out car in Palermo- not as classy as they say

Walking the groovy streets of Palermo

Hopping on and off the collectivo

Love for Evita still prominent

Locals dance on the streets preparing for Carnival