Tour in Peninsula Valdes

Today, Jed and I went on a full day tour to Peninsula Valdes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and crucial spot for marine mammals, about an hour and a half north of Puerto Madryn. Though we weren´t able to get nearly as close to the animals as we were yesterday at Punta Tumba, it provided a great geographical overview of the area as well as a little preview into each of the animals you can find in the area: elephant seals, sea lions, penguins, and in other months, the rare Southern White Whale and Orcas.

Photos from the day:

Practical information: See Info for previous Punta Tumba tour for car rental and tour information. Tours regardless cost around 180 pesos, not including the per person 70 peso entrance fee (Argentines need pay only 20 pesos). An option for the adventurous is to take the public bus to Puerto Piramides, and from there try hitchhiking. No promises on how that will turn out, but its a cheap option.

Penguins in Punta Tomba

Every year, over half a million Magellenic penguins migrate to the coasts of Argentina to breed, and the largest of these colonies (after Antartica) is located in Punta Tomba, about a 2-2.5 hour drive south from Puerto Madryn. Jed and I, along with three lovely Dutch girls, rented a car to drive to the park yesterday. The journey there, in and of itself, was pretty awesome.. completely flat landscape of sand and short, dry shrubbery - an expanse that looked as if it extended forever.

You are not allowed to eat, smoke, or drink mate within the park, so we had a picnic lunch in the parking lot before entering. The park is comprised of boardwalks and dirt paths where you are literally able to get within feet of the penguins. We took our fair share of penguin photos, beyond ecstatic at our close encounters, until you realize that they are everywhere... literally. A 360 spin will reveal hundreds of thousands of penguins in every direction - waddling across the paths, sleeping in dirt holes, bathing in the sun, swimming in the Atlantic, or huddling under the many bridges you walk across in the park.

Some shots from our day are included below.

Practical information: Renting a car from Puerto Madryn will run you about 350-480 pesos depending on whether it is for 4-5 people (this includes 400 km but if you book from Centaurio Rent a Car and mention Get South (a guide book) you can get an additional 100km free per day. Gas will cost 90-120 pesos roundtrip based on the size of the car and it is just about 400km roundrip, 450km if you plan to make a stop in Playa Union to try and see the dolphins. Entrance fee to the park is 35 pesos per person, unless you are an Argentine national. The park is open from 8am-8pm and takes about 2-2.5 hours to drive there from downtown Puerto Madryn. Other options to get there include: a tour from Puerto Madryn (150-180 pesos, not including park entrance fee.... to get the cheaper price, book directly from the tour agency, not a hostel) or taking the bus to Trelew (10 pesos) and renting a car from there.

Too many hours on buses

After 40+ hours (two overnight buses) and an exciting, yet excruciatingly embarassing winning of bingo on the bus, we are finally in Puerto Madryn. More info to come later. Below are photos from the bus trip. 

Iguazu Falls

A brief smattering of shots from Iguazu. Written update and more photos to come. 

                      

CHIPOTLE IN ARGENTINA

Ok, so maybe not Chipotle. But just about as close as you might get. Last week Jed and I went to California Burrito Company, an eatery offering stuffed burritos where you can go down the line picking your fillings like the Chipotle, Qdoba chains in the States. I was super excited to go so you can imagine my pure bliss when we  were handed cups on cold Corona with limes upon entering. Chips and salsa was readily available while you waited in line, and the burritos were big, delicious, and a small taste of back home which was super nice after close to two weeks of empanadas and meat. Needless to say we returned for our last lunch in BA, quality place and highly recommended. They have two locations one on Florida Ave in the Center near LaValle and the other in Palermo Viejo on Godoy Cruz. Center location is much better.

Budgeting your trip to Argentina

So it's about that time when you have the harsh realization that the money you thought would float you through the trip is just not going to cut it. I had trusted the authors of Lonely Planet when they wrote that a typical daily budget in Argentina is $35-$50 a day. Lies. Below, I'll give you a sample of some prices here so you might more realistically plan your spending here...(for my sake, all prices are in Argentinian pesos. The current exchange rate is 4 pesos to 1 dollar).

Night in a decent hostel $60 (15-17 us)
Most museums $10-15,though discounted with isic card (2.50-4 us)
Teatro Colon $60 (15 us)
Most tango shows $250-400 (60-100 us)
Boca Junior tickets - face value is $80 but you can't just buy them... Have to go with a group and guide. Most trips often include guide, transportation, entrance, a beer, and pizza or chorizo for $350-450 (82-110 us)
Subway ride $1.10 (30 cents)
Bus ride $1.25 (41 cents)
Club entrance $25-40 (6-10 us)
Beer from a supermarket for a liter $11 (3 us)
Beer from a bar for a liter $25-35 (6-8 us)
Mixed drink out $20-35 (5-8 us)
Empanada $3-4.50 (75 cents to $1.25)
Normal not nice lunch out $25-30 (6-7 us)
Normal not nice dinner $35-50 (8-12us)

If you plan on going to the south you'll need to budget a lot more. Plan for each long bus ride you plan on taking costing US$100-150 not to mention each excursion down there about US $50-100.

You can obviously cut costs by not drinking heavily, cooking most of your own meals, walking rather than pay for taxis or public transportation, and doing trips on your own as opposed to going through a hostel or third party agency. Bottom line: still definitely doable but probably not as cheap as you had originally imagined.

One Week Update

So I know an update is desperately necessary so I´ll just try to give some highlights:
1. Arrived at Tango Backpackers Hostel in the Palermo neighborhood Friday morning and almost immediately met Michael a 26-year old guy from New Zealand who did some IT stuff for the government there and in impressive fashion, quit his job to travel for 6 months. Also traveling alone, we hooked up and spent the four days together until he left Monday night (perfect for Jed to arrive Tuesday morning). Together we ate too many empanadas to count, explored the botanical gardens, Palermo neighborhood, toured La Boca neighborhood, went to the Recoleta, met some great Argentines, experienced some of the BA Nightlife with Fernando and Julian, two Spaniards from Mallorca, watched True Grit at a BA theater, and just hung out drinking on the rooftop.

2.) Since Jed´s arrival, we´ve slept in three different hostels and already been in two different countries. We did a day trip to Colonia, an adorable but sleepy colonial town in Uruguay about an hour boat ride away from BA, went back to La Boca neighborhood, walked around Puerto Madero, wandered some of the museums, and my personal favorite: last night we went to Villa Malcolm, a milonga (tango hall) place in the Palermo neighborhood. In a city where tango has become beyond touristy, it was a small, authentic place where we sat against the wall, admiring about 40-50 couples practicing their techniques on the dance floor. When we left at around 12:30am the place was just starting to get a line outside of couples to dance.

Our plan is to stay here through tomorrow and then take an overnight bus to Iguazu. On Wednesday we head from there to Puerto Madryn to see the breeding of Magellic penguins, sea lions and elephant seals. From there we´ll bus it to Calafate for hiking in Torres del Paine and to see one of the world´s last expanding glaciers at Glacier Park.Then, a bus to El Chaten, an absolutely gorgeous mountain town for horse trekking and hiking. And lastly, Bariloche - the Switzerland of the South, before heading to wine country in Mendoza.

I definitely can´t complain about life right now :)

Below are some photos from the past week:

 

Colorful houses of La Boca

Caminito

Recoleta Cemetary

Tango Dancers taking a Break

Old women talking in La Boca

Viva Futbol

Old tram

On Top of the Colonia Lighthouse

Street Tango Dancers

Argentines and their steaks

I had my first Argentinian meat today - at the Galeria Pacifico (a large shopping mall known for its gorgeous painted ceiling at the Florida Ave entrance) - and despite being in a food court and $9US for the whole meal combo (with a bottle of water and salad), it was absolutely delightful. And coming from someone who rarely ever eats red meat, that's truly saying something. :)

Lunch with Sara, a friend's sister-in-law was followed by walking along crowded Florida Avenue, admiring the artists and finally taking a break from the herds of people in Plaza Fuerza.From there, I headed off on my own, indulging in decadent ice cream on the corner of  Florida and Lavalle, before walking along Puerto Madero and the center.

Tomorrow, I leave Mau (my host's) apartment and will head to a nearby hostel for the weekend. After some research into Colonia, I've decided to stay here so that Jed and I might be able to go there together, and have plans to meet up with some other couchsurfers to explore the Recoleta market on Saturday and go to a live music show Monday.

Blistered Feet but Happy Mind

Decorative Art Museum

I have walked more in the past two days than I think I have at any other point in my life. Tuesday I walked to the Botanical Gardens again (this time in the sunshine) to explore the park, and then in the evening I met up with Lionel from Couchsurfing and he gave me a very informative albeit quick-paced 1 1/2 hour walking tour of the entire Palermo area, complete with empanadas. He's a chef/food writer for a blog/magazine in the area so he was great about point out which restaurants I absolutely had to visit (and those I had to absolutely avoid) while we we toured. We then met up at one of Palermo's plazas for the Couchsurfing picnic. There were a surprisingly large amount of people and I instantly felt at home talking to a woman from Barcelona and a couple from Paris.

But yesterday was the real killer. I walked from my host's house in Palermo Viejo down Sante Fe/Ave Libertador to the Retiro Bus Station, and later the microcenter to take photos of the Casa Rosada, Obelisk, Teatro, etc.

Parque de Francia

beautiful graffiti art in park

The Casa Rosada

On my walk home I stopped at El Ateneo, the most beautiful bookstore I've ever seen - an old theater converted into today's bookstore, though the circular frame, red curtains, and box seats still exist.

I made it about 2 metro stops away from mine and then had to give in, paying the AR$1.10 to take the subte back to Ortiz and walk the 10 blocks back to the apartment. After looking at the map (and the many detours I took), I seemed to have walked over 100 blocks today. Which explains my blistered feet.

Today, I'm heading to the US embassy to get new pages for my passport which they appear to be charging $82 for now. WHAT?! Who ever thought you'd wish you hadn't gotten so many stamps in there. After, I'll be heading to Puerto Madero to meet up with SiSi's sister-in-law for lunch, and then maybe check out the San Telmo neighborhood. I have to find a hostel for tomorrow and can't decide if I want to stay here til Jed arrives, or if I want to try heading to Colonia del Sacramento for the weekend in Uruguay. Either way, I'll let you know!

Never Alone with Couchsurfing

I remember signing up for couchsurfing the summer Daniel, Colin, and I were going to be backpacking Europe and not having too much luck with it. I realize now how difficult it is to host 3 people. As a single traveler, I've been much more fortunate. The place I'm staying in now is with a fellow couchsurfer who graciously offered to host me. And the conversations I had with many before leaving the States, left me with lots of names and numbers of people to contact if I wanted to meet up or needed anything at all during my stay. Later today I will be meeting up with Lionel, also a CSer, to walk around Palermo before going to a CS event in the area - a picnic in one of Palermo's many parks. I love the networking and I love the insight it allows you to another culture. But most of all, I love that there are so many people who want to share and compartir with foreigners - allowing people like me a much more comfortable and authentic stay and insight into the city.

Arrival In Buenos Aires

Arrived safely in Buenos Aires yesterday morning after a long two flights, paid an unexpected and whopping $145 for an Argentina tourist visa at immigration, picked up my luggage and went through customs with no problems. Mauricio, an Argetnine I met through couchsurfing, had told me he would arrange a REMI or car to be waiting to take me into the city when I arrived. Running a bit late, I rushed outside only to find that none of the REMIS companies had a reservation for a Samantha, nor a Mauricio. I had forgotten my list of contacts with his number and address and had a sudden panic of what to do. After about 10 minutes of making sure there was no reservation, I found out where I could go to pay for internet (no free wireless is available at the Buenos Aires Ezeria airport), determined to shoot him a quick email and then head to a hostel in the Lonely Planet guidebook. On my way out however I found Hector, a balding driver holding a large sign with SAMANTHA. Yessss. He waited for me while I took out money at the airport (they have a citibank!) and then drove me to Mauricios Apartment in Palermo Viejo. Mauricio was waiting for me, let me drop off my stuff and said I was more than welcome to stay until Thursday, which I will now be doing.

He is BEYOND friendly - leaving me towels to use, giving up his bed for me while he sleeps on an inflatable mattress (I begged to switch but he refuses), leaving a copy of the keys, trying to pay for everything (I've fortunately gotten us to at least a 50/50 split.. he won't budge more than that) and just being a great host and representative of the city. He works as a web developer so I have the aparment to myself. I spent yesterday catching up on sleep before heading out to explore the Palermo area with its gorgeous boutique shops and walked down to the botanical gardens not too far from here. When he got off work, we took a bus to the city center and went to Cafe Tortoni, a historical institution of a coffee house for Cortados (coffee with just a pinch of milk), Dulce Leche (a caramel like dip that's eaten on it's own), and Media Lunas (crossaints) before  walking around the federal center with the Casa Rosada (gorgeous/lit up during the evenings), picking up empanadas for dinner and coming back to the apartment to lounge, listen to some Brazilian acoustics, and sleep.

----- (All prices in $pesos unless otherwise noted)
$145 (US) - tourist visa, valid for 10 years
$1.25 - bus fare
$1.10 - subway fare, regardless of destination
$5 - empanada from Tomato restaurant in Palermo
$33 - cost of 2 Cortados, 1 Dulce Leche, and 3 media lunes at Cafe Tortoni
Free: Entry to Botanical Gardens

Avianca: My New Favorite Airline

At a time when other companies are cutting out frills to lower costs, my flight with Aviance really stands out. The one way ticket to Buenos Aires was far cheaper than other airlines, yet the service we received on the two flights (I had a layover in Columbia) was the best I've gotten in a while: pack with headphones, blanket and a pillow waiting on the seat, a personal TV with retractable remote - complete with free movies, tv shows, games, and music videos, in-flight meals and snacks regardless of the time, and free beverages, including wine and beer. One thing that really surprised me was the lack of English spoken. Both flights were full with a majority of South Americans and the attendants and personel at the airport spoke minimal English. So know that you might be a little out of your comfort zone if you fly with them knowing no Spanish.

Packing up your Life

"Start out by laying out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes, and double the money."

You would think at this point, after various trips, studying abroad for the semester, a year living abroad, a summer backpacking, etc that I would be better at packing. But I'm not. I always start off well - determined to only bring 2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, etc. But the 10 minutes before leaving always includes stuffing whatever left over room is in my bag with more clothes or toiletries - resulting in a disorganized, overweight bag. So this time I was determined to be different - refused to lug around a heavy bag for 6 months. So after careful organization into laundry baskets and examination of other suggested packing lists, I ended up with a 15kg pack (still not great but MUCH better than past trips) with about 1/5 of the space empty. I'll post my packing list on here later and when I finish, I'll post notes on what I think would have been helpful/cross off those things that were not needed.