Warning: Parameter 1 to polyglot_filter_array() expected to be a reference, value given in /www/htdocs/w007998b/www/alex-blog/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 166
My Journey Round The World

My Journey Round The World

279 days on the road…

Colonia Suiza, Curanto y Circuito Chico

2010-02-argentina-coloniasuissa-curanto

What a day: Sunday in a Swiss Colony in Argentina… Colonia Suissa was the first Swiss settlement in Patagonia. On Wednesday & Sunday there is an arts & crafts fair and restaurants prepare a traditional mapuche food called Curanto, in which they cook the food using a hole in the earth filled with hot rocks. I couldn’t miss that!

While waiting for the bus I had a chat with 3 Argentine womans – Cristina, Nancy and Maria Isabel – going there too. The cue was so long that they called another bus to bring everybody there.
When arriving we could see how they do prepare the food: a hole in the earth filled with hot rocks where they put first
nalca or maqui leaves, and add various vegetables and even fruits such as: carrots, onion, apple, pumpkin, of course potatoes… with different types of meat and and recover all that with ash to cook it for about 2 hours. It gives such a good taste to the food! It remind me of the great dish we had in Poland few years ago, cooked by Monika’s parents to make us discover a tradional food from her region! Monika, will you give me the name again?!

Portion are normally for 2 and at that time I was on my own as my 3 Argentine mate didn’t want to try. Finaly it wasn’t too much… I ate everything, I was happy to be alone… my trousers will hate me still… ;)

After such a good meal I bump into Alessandro – the Italian guy with whom I went to Salsa course the day before – Elisabeth – from Austria – and 2 Dutch girls who came by bike – maybe I should have join them in the morning…

While I was thinking to go back to Bariloche I came accross Cristina, Nancy and her Mum Maria Isabel with Gustavo. They offer me to join them and Gustavo – guide in the region! – drove us around the famous Circuito Chico to see the outskirts and the characteristic sites of the city with a nice break at the lovely tea-cofee shop Bellevue for a small dessert… :) Thank you so much for this time shared together! It was terrific!

2010-02-argentina-CIRCUITOCHICO


Bariloche y sus alrededores

2010-02-argentina-BaseCerroTronador-Cascada

When arriving in my dormitorio I met 2 friendly German guy: Frank & Christoph with whom I spent the next 2 days, hiking around Bariloche – where I encounter another wooden bridge… Ariane, Gregoire does it remain you something? :)

On the next day German multiply by 2 ;)I was glad to hear German again but I have to say that it was pretty hard to speak… Mixing Spanish and German… – Florian & Viviane (she is from Aachen! ;) join us and we rented a car to go to visit el Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi and see waterfalls and the strange black glacier!

2010-02-ARGENTINA-BARILOCHE


Bariloche, I live again!

2010-02-ARGENTINA-TRAVEL-TO-BARILOCHE

Travel to Bariloche was amazing! Just after leaving Mendoza there were thunderstorm all around and during more than 3 hours we could see lightning far away, kind of thing you see in movies, wondering if this can be real… Yes, this can be real and it was absolutely amazing!!! Its pretty hard to describe and of course pictures waren’t possible, however this was spectacular to be sitting confortably and beeing just in front of the show! Following my 15 hours bus trip in a confortable Andesmar bus where they even offer you to play bingo! – Ok I didn’t win but it was fun! – I finally arrived to Bariloche!!! What a relief! I’ve lost more than 20 degrees but I could breathe again! And the view from the Hostel Inn – C/ Salta 308 www.hostel-inn.com – is awesome: lake who seems to be a sea and mountains all around… Thank you so much Maxi to convince me to come here rather than going to the north!

And guess what guys… Bariloche is full of chocolate shops! ;) Ok Gregoire, I’m sure you’ll have something to say about it but still I taste some of them from Mamushka’s or Abuela Goye’s chocolate shops – as Maxi recommended – and the 70% is pretty good ;)


Mendoza

2010-02-06-ARGENTINA-MENDOZA

Such a hot weather again!!! Really too much for me… Even with the small swimming pool at Itaka Hostel – www.itakahostel.com.ar which was a bit expensive, I guess the one next door from Hostelling International would have been cheaper but ok staff is friendly at least! – So I decided straight away to leave the next day to Bariloche!!! After buying my bus ticket for the next evening – 15 hours bus and I couldn’t managed to get a Super-cama or first Class seat, where you can lie down like in your bed! or I would have to wait 3 more days – NO WAY! Anyway, Andesmar is really confortable – I went to the main plaza where a friendly little men start to speak to me and offered me a poemin Spanish and English – before desappearing as it came :) The big Parque General San Martin which seems to be really popular for jogging, biking, rollerblading… reminded me a bit of the Stanley Park in Vancouver, crossed with roads! On my way back to the hotel I came upon a road accident – Luckily I never seen any before, sometimes I’m wondering how!?! – driver had his helmet but security around the place scared me bit! I guess in Europe it could be the same?…

Poem from Carlos L贸pez: You are pretty

Without more words
Without less words
You are pretty

Looking at you
Is to invent the brightness
In the morning

You are pretty

When you smile
In your smile
The poem is born bright

When you walk
You are like a flower
That decorates the eye views

Without more words
Without less words
You are pretty


Alta Gracia – Che Guevara

2010-01-30-ARGENTINA-cheguevara

Alta Gracia is a lovely town 36 km from C贸rdoba, easily accessible by bus. I found here a real peaceful atmosphere. Is it because of its illustrious former residents ?!? Such as Jesuit pionners, Viceroy Santiago Liniers – a French officer in the Spanish military service – born in Niort! – and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the R铆o de la Plata, so now open your history book! :) - Spanish composer Manuel de Falla and famous revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. I made my way to Villa Beatriz converted into the Museo Casa Ernest “Che” Guevara which mainly focuses on the legend’s early life. I was happy to find out who is the person – Alberto D铆az Guti茅rrez better known under the name Alberto Korda, Cuban photograph - who gave such a hard portrait of the Che which seems to be, regarding all other pictures I’ve seen there – Nicholas you were right! :)a really smiling person! This famous picture, which turn him into a revolutionary symbol, was taken on the 5 of March 1960 during the official ceremony for 136 Cubans who disappear after an attack of the CIA on the French boat “La Coubre”. Guillaume, I’m sure you would love the museum, I have plenty of pictures for you.

When coming back to C贸rdoba, Maxi kindly came to pick me up with is motorbike – who will beleive that one day I’ll do motorbike in tee-shirt and short with a too big helmet – but a helmet nevertheless?!? We are in Latine America here, they don’t have the same way of seeing things! But, it’s not less dangerous! Anyway, I survived :)and we went for a traditional argentinian and more especialy c贸rdoban food: Lomito in a lovely place. Lekker :)


C贸rdoba – Argentina Identity

C贸rdoba is the Capital of FernetDaddy you won’t believe that! – for being the city of the world that most drinks it! This particular drink is more than an alcoholic drink made of herbs. It is ” THE DRINK” – el trago – combined with cola, a symbol of friends gathering, it is the myth here. I had a chance to taste it during the Festival in Cosqu铆n, sharing this pretty bitter drink – even with coke! – with Eze, Flor and the others.

C贸rdoba with its is 1 200 000 people is the second city of Argentina but even with that it doesn’t avoid big technical problem! When I was there they cut electricity in different part of the city, including shops, twice a day – at Eze’s place from 2 to 5pm and then from 8 to 10pm? – to try to fix it! – Tanguy, what do you think about that! :) – Better to plan to go out or come back to your flat when you leave at the 11th floor as Eze! But I think the worst was being without air-conditioning under more than 30 degrees… It seems that generators companies run out of products after more than 2 weeks of this issue!


ZAMBA PARA OLVIDAR

2010-01-30-ARGENTINA-ZAMBA

Ezequiel is not only a great host, making you feel at home, giving you advices – even shopping advice! ;) – but he is also an artist during his spare time: playing guitar and singing! Luckily for them they had another couch surfer planned for the weekend as I could have stay there for ages! :)

He sang me this song after a long chat we had about life experiences…

“Zamba para Olvidar”聽 – Samba to forget – see the Spanish side for Spanish original version

I don’t know why you came back,
If I was starting to forget.
I don’t know if you know by now,
I cried when you left.
I don’t know why you came back,
Remembering is for me so bad.

The afternoon has become sad,
And I rather be silent.
Why should we talk
Of things which are no longer?
I don’t know why you came back,
Do you see now that it is better not to talk?

It makes me sad to know that in the end,
Of that love nothing is left.
Only a poor song,
Is turning around my guitar.
And it has for a while now missed you,
My “Zamba para Olvidar” (Samba to forget)

My zamba lived with me,
As part of my solitude.
I don’t know if you know by now…
My life left with you.
Remembering is for me so bad.

My hands are already dust,
From squeezing the pain so hard.
And now that the sun is missing,
I don’t know what you came here to find.
Crying my love crying,
Forget me yourself.

It makes me sad to know that in the end,
Of that love nothing is left.
Only a poor song,
Is turning around my guitar.
And it has for a while now missed you,
My “Zamba para Olvidar” (Samba to forget)


C贸rdoba – Festival de Cosqu铆n

2010-01-30-ARGENTINA-CORDOBA

When arriving at 6am in C贸rdoba, I could see people already in tee-shirt…聽 People said to me that heat is more bearable than in Buenos Aires as its more dry. Well…聽 I don’t find it more comfortable! It was so hot and I was pretty tired after 10 hours bus ride, that I spent nearly all day at my coach surfing place Ezequiel, chatting and resting before going for a nice city tour when his girlfriend Florencia came back from work and the sun was down. We then enjoyed a really nice diner at La nieta ‘e la Pancha.

On the next evening, they brought me to Cosqu铆n at the Festival Nacional del Folklore. What a great time! We met 3 others friends - 2 french :) – and spent the all night there, hanging around the streets watching folk dances. So amazing to see people from the public joining the dancers after they achieve their聽 performance and dancing all together! We ended up in Los Copla pe帽a to listen to several folk groups and watching people dancing all night! I finally found the Latin spirit party I so much heard of in Europe! Having fun, enjoying time and music all night… We made our way back to Cordoba at 5am and went to bed after a media luna – small croissant – breakfast around 7am! What a great night! Seeing people smiling and enjoying themselves in such a nice atmosphere! I loved it! Thanks a lot Eze and Flor for this!

festival 1

festival 2

2010-01-30-ARGENTINA-COSQUIN


Mar del Plata

2010-01-26-ARGENTINA-mardelplata

Mar del Plata… Le Touquet power 100! Mardelas it’s commonly known here - founded in 1874 is a enormous Le Touquet or La Grande Motte resort in France, filled with skyscrapers built in the middle of pretty houses! This is the most popular of Argentine beach destinations, 400 km south of Buenos Aires. On summer – which is now! – the beach gets really, comically crowded such as people standing shoulder to shoulder! When visiting the casino I felt back in Las Vegas! So huge and crowded! Nightlife is incredible – but it seems to be the case in all Argentina! - even at 1am you can hardly walk on the pavement as it’s full of people聽shopping or going for a drink, diner聽or parties!聽The port offers viewing of nice boats and sea lion colony and when I was there it was the Fiesta Nacional de los Pescados :) I was really upset to be alone as I couldn’t taste聽all the聽things… :(

I stayed in a nice hostel with really friendly聽staff聽 always willing to help聽- found thanks to Pablo help’s! - 6 blocks from the beach and the city centre: Hostel Namaste: www.hostelnamaste.com.ar and 7 blocks from Alejandra home. I would never go聽to Mar del Plata聽if I didn’t had a contact there… But it was worth meeting Alejandra and her sons :) -聽thank you Sabine! ;)I enjoyed a lot meeting聽and chatting with her! She聽drives me around her city, showing me the place of interest, the really nice and cheap Mercado de Artesanias, tasting the traditional Argentine biscuit聽AlfajorThank you so much Alejandra! I really had great time, knowing that I don’t really like the beach in summer – yes, yes… Plus here the temperature was more bearable! - and I now understand even better why people living close to the sea cannot live without the sea… :)


Buenos Aires suburb: Boulogne-sur-Mer

2010-01-22-argentina-buenos-aires-boulogne-sur-mer

Well, I already knew I didn’t want to live in Paris suburb and now I definitely know that I absolutely don’t want to live in a suburb at all! You always need to plan your journey, wait for train, metro or bus, most of the time be stuck – and here with the heat it’s even more unpleasant! – between people, encounter bus driver that always want to be faster than necessary, it even seems that people have the same unhappy face everywhere in the world!… This is also聽maybe because I’m used to live in a smaller city where I can take my car whenever I need it! Anyway, I’ll rather pay more than leaving in a suburb… Ok, I better start earning money then, I’m not really on the right way here… :)

Pablo show me around the best area – yes indeed some are really nice such as Belgrano, close to Palermo :) 聽Tigre, along the Rio where you can have a boat trip or even a swim! And where people are usually coming for the weekend. But a bit more out of Buenos Aires & expensive! – trying to convince me that suburb life is good…聽Maybe yes, when you’re used to it… But I think not for me… Anyway we had great time enjoying hamburger (!) and one of the best ice cream :)

On our way back – by car… – to his place we pass… Boulogne-sur-Mer!!! Boulogne-sur-Mer, not really the best suburb and without the sea but聽in January and with 30 degree… :)

Now direction Mar del Plata – seems to be the local Le Touquet… Hope to have a bit聽more air from the sea!