Montevideo, Uruguay

New city means new walking tour! Headed to Cafe Brasilio (est 1877) for scrambled eggs and coffee. Good eggs, again poor coffee…. Walking tour started in Plaza Independencia, where Palacio Salvo is located and the presidential palace. The Palacio Salvo is the twin building of the Palacio Barolo we visited in Buenos Aires, looks similar but we have been told the interior is not as interesting. Valentino was our guide, the other guy was ‘Uruguayan sick’ so he took the English and Spanish tour together, this was amazing as he would complete a single sentence and then repeat in Spanish almost seamlessly. He was very entertaining with a good joke at his people whilst being patriotic. Facts I learnt: Uruguayan consume 60kg of beef a year There are 3.3million people and 18million cows Uruguay has no natives as they were slaughtered, so they are a country built on immigrants. They currently have open immigration to become a resident. Extremely laid back country who are passionate about football and mate (herbal drink) The president works in a huge glass building on Independencia plaza, little security threat apparently. There is also a large statue of Artigas on horseback. He fought for independence for Uruguay but they exciled him over English demand to. As the dictatorship of the 1970/80s took hold they presented him as a hero and had his ashes returned to be honoured. The weird tomb was just steps under the statute, under guard but a very strange location for the shrine (and accessible). The tour led us through several Plazas, past lovely buildings and we learnt about the economy and customs. It ended in the mercado de Puerto to salvia over the parillos. We grabbed a couple of empanadas for lunch and strolled around the old city for the afternoon. I had read about great sunsets in Montevideo and apparently the best view was from a beach about an hours walk, Playa Ramirez. The beach had beautiful white sand, surprisingly as a ‘city’ beach. We watched people strolling or playing volleyball as the sun performed a lovely orange sunset. Spotted a craft beer place, Montevideo Brewing House for a quick beer and then had steak with too much wine at La Orta steakhouse.

Montevideo, Uruguay

Today is a travel day as we head to Uruguay, specifically Montevideo. Time to say goodbye to our little apartment with a lovely scrambled eggs breakfast. We catch a Uber to the port and enter the Buquebus terminal. Immigration is completed on this side, you are stamped out of Argentina and they then slide your passport across the desk to the Uruguay person to stamp us in – all very friendly. Our ticket includes a ferry across to Colonia and then a bus to Montevideo. Disappointingly the ferry didn’t have an outside deck so had to settle for a seat facing the fast food kiosk. 1hr ferry followed by 2 hour bus and we’re in Montevideo, caught a taxi down to the Holiday Inn (free stay with Justin’s points!). I had been trying to secure a apartment in BA for a month to take Spanish classes and on connecting to wifi received an email saying it had gone -damn it! Took some time on airbnb to find another, more expensive but everything is starting to fill for Easter so I have booked it and can now relax on that front. Stroll to dinner at Dueto I have a really nice grilled fish which makes a change from steak.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today is a perfect Sunday, nice and sunny but a a slight breeze which is perfect for mooching around the famous San Telmo market. Held on Sundays the Plaza Dorrego hosts a antique market. It wasn’t too crowded as we arrived mid morning and I enjoyed watching the people haggling. A couple doing the Tango in one corner for tips was drawing a decent crowd of locals and tourists alike. The streets off the plaza clearly know the draw of the original market so there are craft/souvenir stalls for quite a few blocks each way. Great just wandering up and down checking each stall, some really talented people such a shame I have zero rucksack space! After a couple of hours we decided to head down to the La Boca district. It is more working class but reasonable safe in daylight these days. I wanted to visit Caminito street which contains vibrantly painted houses courtesy of the artist Benito Quinquela Martín. The walk down was hot and the area is a bit rundown, there is La Boca Juniors stadium on route which are a big team (apparently). The Caminito street was a bit touristy but still fun and a lovely vibe to people milling around- amazing barbecue smell in the air. Headed back up to San Telmo as Justin had a hankering for a Chorzipan from Los Infernales which we had found on the first day. The Chorzipan was not as good but the beer was better. We then trekked 45mins out of our way to go back to Cadore ice cream, worth it for dark chocolate, cafe and orange with ginger. Tonight it was time to tango…Sarah had recommended a more traditional experience in a tango club. Maldita Milongas club opened at 10.30pm so we ate pasta at home and went out later. The club had a amazing band with piano, strings and 3 accordions. They were amazingly talented, and the singer had a real deep passionate voice that was really expressive. People could tango on the dance floor which was quite fun, watching them at various levels and changing pairs each song. Great night!

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today was supposed to be a leisurely stroll through the more leafy suburbs of BA. Wake up feeling like I have not had the best sleep may be the body just worked too hard digesting all that meat. We both really want to see inside the Palicio Barolo so head over there after a simple breakfast. It appears closed when we arrive so we stroll to Cafe Tortoni. This is a institution in the city as it was established in 1884. We drink coffee with a huge dollop of cream whilst admiring the wooden panels and stain glass ceiling panels, the bar even has an original cash register. Back at the Palicio Barolo we find it open but the next tour is full, so book on a late afternoon slot. We head north to the Botanical gardens, which has areas for different continents and a cute butterfly garden. Strolling back south we investigate Palermo, a district with wide leafy streets and uber cool shops. We enjoy people watching at a plaza over pizza before heading back to the subway for our Palicio Borolo tour. The Palicio Barolo reads as quite a eclectic building designed by Italian architect Mario Palanti who was commissioned to design the building by the empresario Luis Barolo, an Italian immigrant who had arrived in Argentina in 1890 and had made a fortune in knitted fabrics. The fear at the time was that Italy would not survive and so he wanted a part of Italy preserved in BA. The building has a twin the Palacio Salvo in Montevideo, Uruguay. The Palacio Barolo was designed in accordance with the cosmology of Dante’s Divine Comedy. There are 22 floors, divided into three “sections”. The basement and ground floor represent hell, floors 1-14 are the purgatory, and 15-22 represent heaven. The building is 100 meters (330 feet) tall, one meter for each canto of the Divine Comedy. The lighthouse at the top of the building can be seen all the way in Montevideo, Uruguay. They were conceived to join the cities via lighthouses a bridge of light but this never worked as the Palacio Salvo was not tall enough. When completed in 1923 it was the tallest building in South America. The tour took us all the way up to the lighthouse where you could perch tentatively sat on glass surveying the city. Tonight is our Fureza bruta show, I wasn’t sure what to expect- modern dance? Tickets do say prepare to get wet! Post a couple of beers we are herded into a dark room, about 100 people all standing and looking around expectantly. It starts with a roar of 5 drummers on big drums singing, works its way through an ariel fight between 2 girls tumbling round a curtain framing the audience, a running man who is shot, into swimming girls that are in a pool that has a clear bottom and is lowered onto the audience. We then had a polystyrene fight and a suspended wind tunnel walk before finishing with drumming and a water fight. If it sounds bonkers, it was but a total assault on the senses and great fun.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

We woke to a glorious day and decided to head out for the free walking Tour( the guides make money through tips). After leaving the flat a little later than planned we had a brisk walk to Teatro Colon (the opera house) where the walk started from. Fernando was our guide for the day and we joined him and about 50 other people for the walk. We moved across the road to Plaza Lavalle and sat under a beautiful rubber tree while Fernando talked a little about the history of Buenos Aires and its people. The city is largely a result of migration from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the U.K. This means that all kinds of architecture are represented along with cuisines and the way people look. Neighbourhoods were traditionally ethnic (e.g., Recoleta was French) but that is not the case today. We stayed in the park for a while before moving to Plaza Libertad and then crossing Avenida 9 de Julio which is claimed to be the widest avenue in the world (it’s not true apparently). We headed to Plaza San Martin where we were told about the liberator of Argentina (and a lot of South America) – General San Martin. There are streets, plazas, buildings, schools and so forth all over Argentina. From here we moved to the Falklands memorial which is in the same park. Fernando told us the story of Argentina’s centenary in 1917 when countries from all over the world sent gifts which are usually housed in parks of the countries name (e.g., a traditional totem pole from Canada is in Canada park). The one exception to this is a traditional British clock tower visible from Plaza San Martin. The park it is in was named after the English until the early eighties, but is now known as Air Force park as a result of the war. I am sure Fernando was trying to be objective, but you could tell he passionately believed the islands belonged to Argentina (although he thought the war was a mistake). We stopped for a break and had a yummy empanada before moving onto the Recoleta neighbourhood which is just beautiful. It is modelled on buildings from Paris and it still an area where the wealthy live. We eventually finished in the Recoleta cemetery which, like the one in Santiago, is full of mausoleums from wealthy families. We walked around, found Eva Peron’s grave as part of the Duarte family and then left for cake and coffee at a nearby cafe. La Brigado was our dinner destination, home of the steak & sides with lots of football paraphernalia across the walls due to owners’ obsession. We had two cuts of beef, ‘special steak’ and fillet tail, sharing these and fries. The waiter was lovely helping us to select the perfect bottle of Malbec and cutting the steaks for us so we could share….with a spoon! They really were that tender, my mouth is watering again just writing this. Much amusement in the table next to us, where the lady ordered a T bone and it was huge, so funny watching her face! Ice cream on the way home just to fill the stomach right up.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Wake up ready to explore this city and walk up to the Plaza del mayo. This is the main area that has a awful pink building, Casa Rosada, as the presidential palace on one end. It is all barricaded off but as this area is known for protests it is probably always like this. Apparently the Argentinian mothers started protests in the 70’s against the regime for their lost sons and this tradition continues although these days it could easily be about fuel prices as the Argentinians love a protest. We keep walking across avenue 9th July (the widest avenue in the world?) and 4 separate crossings, onto Plaza Congress which is much grander. Big European style buildings frame the plaza which has statues, gold painted ornate lamppost and pretty blue flowering trees. We walked up the main shopping street to Galleria Pacifico which is a restored shopping mall with painted ceiling, not exactly Caesar’s palace. The food court was a little busy so faithful TripAdvisor recommended Santos Manjares for a cheap eat nearby. Nice little restaurant which clearly did steaks, so I went for a ribeye washed down with Malbec. It was fabulous and under £15 each. Fully stuffed we set off to buy ferry tickets to Uruguay for Monday and then up to Recoleta for tickets to a show called Fuerta Bruta (brut force) which Amy M had recommended from her travels. We went for Saturday show so we could catch a tango on Sunday in San Telmo. Our route home took in El Tetro book store, previously a theatre it now is a fabulous space. After steak for lunch we opt for a healthier roast veggie salad for dinner, buying groceries and heading home a mere 21,000 steps later.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Early start this morning as we fly to Buenos Aires. Pick up is at 06:15 and I am grateful for the breakfast and coffee already at the hostel before we leave. Despite the heavy rain the flight leaves on time and 3 hours later touch down in the slightly warmer BA. We wait in line for a taxi to take us down to San Telmo district where our Airbnb apartment is located, near Independencia. Much amusement trying to get in, as the cleaner doesn’t speak any English and I can’t get hold of the guy. The lovely lady eventually lets us in on good faith and we dump our bags, planning to stretch our legs in the area. Marcelo picks up my message and about 30mins later we are back at our flat getting steak and ice cream recommendations from a well portioned jolly fellow so I take them seriously! We had discovered today that one of the girls from B&Q who I had been in contact with was also in BA today so we meet at Los Infernales for a chorzipan. Scrumptious food and great to see Sarah and compare travel adventures. Whilst she was off to a tango show we were pretty knackered so we enjoyed the novelty of grocery shopping and cooked a nice chicken stir fry. We also managed to find a great ice cream shop where we bought half a kilo to eat as dessert… passion fruit, marscapone & berries and pistachio (Justin’s favourite).

El Calafate, Argentina

After yesterday, today is going to need to be a bit slower paced. My joints feel better than I was expecting but no appetite for the cycle around the lake I had previously suggested. Fortunately Justin was in a similar mind (although his previous life as a mountain goat ensured his muscles were recovering more effectively) so whilst we caught the 8am bus to El Calafate, I slept most of the way and on arrival we ignored the bike hire flyers. We spent the afternoon strolling around the town, lunch was a avocado waffle sandwich (better than bread!) and several coffees. After the shock of postage charges we bit the bullet and bought stamps for our Antarctica postcards. Each card needed £3.75 worth of stamps, and I had 9!!! Such a crime, even the locals in the queue were shocked. After that episode we elected to cook tonight, finishing some of our food supplies in tuna pasta and enjoying the remaining wine from the end of the world. Squeezed in a ice cream, under the guise of trying out the local Calafate berry (nice – bit like blueberry but tarter) then spent the evening playing cards and reading. I am getting quite excited about Buenos Aires tomorrow, although Justin isn’t appreciating my singing from ‘Evita’.

El Chalten, Argentina

It is a clear morning and great conditions for seeing Mount Fitzroy. We set off on the Laguna de Los Tres, which is a walk to the closest you can get to Mount Fitzroy. This was explained as 4 hours each way with the final hour being a steep ascent to viewing point. This hour was about 1km in length but rose up 400m, gulp! I decided I could make the decision at that point and thus we set off with a tummy full of sweet breakfast. We picked up sandwiches and water, I was slightly distracted by cakes. Having decided we would need a reward for all this exercise, I bought 3…..2 for me and 1 for Justin. I felt I would need more motivation so I crammed the tray of cakes into the rucksack along with my more essential items. We hit the start and ascended up to walk along a ridge above the Rio Fitzroy. The path opened out to a panoramic view of the valley which was stunning, we pushed on strolling along with these great views. The landscape kept changing along with tree types and heights but included plenty of whispy litchen which I love. Couple of hours in you see Mount Fitzroy at a view point, looks like a painted backdrop with the crisp blue sky. The walking at this point isn’t challenging as it is mainly same level and undulating a little El Desnivelso plenty of time to soak up this stunning place. We bumped into Gabriel from the Antarctic boat and James from a previous hostel, such a small world. We hit Rio Blanco on time, and whilst Justin joked on the approach that people were walking up the hill in front….they were! I am not one to dramatise but this was more a cliff than a hill rising for the last past almost vertical. This was steeper than I had envisaged, but I figured that everyone said the view was worth it and it wasn’t going to be a race, I could just put one foot in front of the other and suck it up. I told Justin to go ahead as watching him skip up like a billy goat to then wait for me is frustrating and I needed my breaks. There were points in this cliff when you were just stepping up huge boulders, like giant’s walkway steps as you headed vertically. There is even a point where you think you are at the top to find you have to go further….but I made it. Loads of people at the top and legs were shaky by the time I found Justin. I earnt that cake! Absolutely phenomenal view of the Fitzroy massif, just stunning. Headed back down for the 10km return hike, we were pretty speedy and took the loop via Laguna Capri for a different view. My knees were killing me by the end and I had to take the small descent at the end really slowly. We both decided that if we went back to shower we may not make it out again, so we stopped en route at B&Bs. This burger joint had beer happy hour on as well, all tasted splendid as I inhaled it in my shattered state. Legs were now seizing up when I stopped so we went back for hot showers and my last cake!

El Chalten, Argentina

Today we have a 6 hour walk in mind, I have read that a clear day is best for the hike to base of Mount Fitzroy and we think tomorrow will be clearer. The hike today has a little ascent but then follows a river to Laguna Torre. We still get some amazing views of Cerro solo and Torre mountain, the rock structures are big layers with the occasional waterfall from the glacier I assume. The end point is Laguna Torre with views of Glacier Grande which is huge. The walk is 22km and we manage over 35,000 steps. The rain came in for part of the return but I still really enjoyed the route. I had spotted a nice restaurant for dinner, La Tapena so we headed out early to get a table and sit down to river trout followed by chocolate fondant!!!!! Delicious, can hear Polly in my ear telling me I am not a real backpacker, but it’s chocolate fondant!!!! Who cares!!!!