The buses in Argentina are in a league of their own. Brazil has great fleets – better than any other bus I have ever come across – Argentina companies are literally unbelievable. The journey from Iguazu falls to Buenos Aires was about 20 hours and easily the best trip I have ever experienced. The hardest thing was choosing which company.
I took a middle of the range bus option and it was insanely good. There is a foot rest at the left of this picture which folded down over my bag against the chair and laid back an enormous amount. They left precisely on time at 4pm and waiting on our seats were sealed blankets and pillows – the seats reclined back so far it was practically a bed with the foot rest down (but the top of the range buses are actually beds!!!). They showed 2 movies, one in Spanish, one in English, then offered us whisky on the rocks before dinner.
Dinner was served on a tray at our seats which consisted of a large serving of spinach and ricotta pie with steamed chicken and salsa and a variety of cold things (crackers, ham, cheese, olives, bread, cake..) Then they offered sparkling wine and ‘good night’ biscuits. The lights went out and I slept soundly until 7am when, once again, I admired the beautiful scenery. It was a double decker bus and I had the very front seat upstairs – perfect unspoilt outlook! We had a cold breakfast, crackers, jam, quiche, muffin, biscuit and coffee and of course, arrived on time. Most definitely better than any flight or other form of transport I have ever been on. It was like business class in a plane. I am excited to catch another. :-)
I stayed in San Telmo, the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires (BA). I found BA to be a really colourful, vibrant city with impressive artwork (graffiti) on many of the streets. They really pride themselves on being a cultured art city – especially de fence street where all the artists get together on a Sunday morning and ‘design’.
On Saturday a small group of us caught the train to Tigre, a cool coastal town North of BA. On the way up, the sweetest old man joined the train and played his accordion and gave a lovely short speech on life and love – basically do what makes you happy or life will pass you by (in English and Spanish!!). No doubt speaking from experience. The local guy we were with said it was a pretty rare thing which made it that bit more special. To top of the day in Tigre, we stumbled across Ronald MacDonald doing fancy tricks and entertaining the crowd in Spanish – really funny to watch.
The deeper I travel in South America, the more I am confronted with hardship and a big part of why I am in this continent. After spending so much time in bus terminals and regularly getting approached by beggars, I now take with me bunches of bananas or whatever fruit I can find to hand out. Most are grateful but others still want money.
After spending a few great days in Buenos Aires, I decided to take a trip to Uruguay.
URUGUAY
I generally like to spend a minimum of 2 or 3 weeks in each country to get a feel for their culture, so I debated for some time whether to make the boat trip for a quick visit over to Uruguay from Argentina. After hearing so many wonderful reports, I decided to go and really pleased I did.
Colonia de Sacramento is a quaint little town with a real colonial style as the name suggests. It is such a peaceful, quiet place that had a really wonderful feel about it. Just like a country town or little fishing village, locals were friendly and respectful, even though the place they call home is constantly swarming with strangers. Every street was cobble stone paved, with lazy looking but well-kept cars and old men gossiping with cigarettes burning to their fingers. I loved it so much I even caught myself walking around with a smile without even meaning too – I only noticed because everyone was smiling at me and saying hello – it is contagious. It is such a safe, quiet town I wish I had more time here.
The ferry ride over from Buenos Aires was extremely comfortable and steady. My stomach does not fare well in rough seas so I was grateful. I took the slow ferry (3 hrs) and we had the same boat for both journeys. It was 4 storeys high with a spacious outdoor deck, large café and duty free. It was an early morning trip and although a busy time, there were enough spare seats for travellers to fold up the arms and stretch out over 4 chairs if they wanted.
There are many beaches spotted all the way up the coast – and apparently quite nice closer to the capital but after travelling through Brazil, I didn’t find the ones in this town very impressive.
Uruguay had won a soccer game the day I arrived so they had a colourful street parade.
I have decided to cut my Argentina and Chile part of the trip short so I can get back to Lima and spend a very simple Christmas with the kids. I can’t wait!!!!
I am starting to get a taste for their unusual coffees and like Italy, they insist on serving water with their coffee, or in some places (especially Argentina) instead choose to serve orange cordial. Interesting combination.
One morning while making some enquiries on local charity organisations, I got talking to a Columbian man who was also staying at the hostel. He introduced himself as Andres and after chatting for some time I mentioned my desire to travel to Columbia to check out the need for assistance in local communities. It turns out that his mum works with a struggling community through a local NGO. Even though the charity closes down over the time I am hoping to visit, we exchanged information in the hope we are still able to meet in January. I can’t believe the number of like-minded people and contacts I have made travelling through SA. I’m excited!!
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