Ok so I´ll admit it has been a long time since our last post. Shall I blame it on our ipad adaptor breaking and not being able to upload photos - partly; is it down to not staying in hostels over the last two weeks and therefore not having access to a computer - probably; or is it maybe because we have been lazy and enjoying ourselves a bit too much - definately.
So where to start on updating you all. First off happy new year - we hope you all had a great holiday period. We are now in Puerto Madryn, an area in Patagonia on the coast where, very weirdly, the Weslh settled way back when. There are lots of tours to Weslh named towns and villages where you can enjoy Welsh Tea (I have no idea what this is even after living in the country for three years) and Welsh Cakes. All very surreal.
But we will report on Puerto Madryn in a few days. We left you I think at Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Since then we have spent the last month in Argentina and I think it is fair to tell you we love this country.
After a 24 hour train and bus journey crossing Bolivia into Argentina (from Uyuni - Villazon - Salta) we decided to settle ourselves for a week in Salta, in North West Argentina. We needed a break after our fast-paced travel through Bolivia and Peru and also it was where we were to get Mike´s leg cast taken off - woo hoo!!
Salta is a city much like many we have seen to date but as our entry point to Argentina it was a place we really enjoyed. It has a charming colonial centre with Plaza and as it was the start of Decemeber all the Christmas decorations and lights were up. We have to be honest - we didn´t do that much there really other than relax, enjoy the heat (35 degrees) and make some new friends.
It does have, however, one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever been into. Now Mike, who is getting a bit sick of my penchant for going into almost every church and cathedral even conceded that this should be on my top five list, along with Sacre Coeur and many others so it must be good. The exterior is pale pink and the interior is opulent, gilded and dramatic. There is also a smaller church attached to a convent, which is equally as visually dramatic which we would recomend a visit to.
Don´t worry though I didn´t spend the whole time dragging Mike in and out of churches. First of all we met up with the Swedes, Martin and Niklas - yes from Colombia and Peru. We had bumped into them in Bolivia but not managed to meet up properly so in Salta we got together for dinner and a final farewell (as we were to part ways for good. We had such a great time with these two guys we were genuinely sad to say goodbye but promises of catching up in Sweden are definitely on the cards.
After the Swedes left we moved hostels and got to know the people that ran it, an Argentinian girl called Marianela and her cousin Diana as well as there American friend Sam who was visiting for a few weeks. They were great and Diana invited us to her home for a traditional, home-cooked asado with her family and friends.
As an introduction to Argentinian meat, namely steak and chorizo we were in heaven. We arrived at Diana´s home at 11pm and her boyfriend was charged with getting the BBQ on. This was no ordinary BBQ though - with a ton of meat which no-one could get through it was going to be a task to get all the meat cooked, and unsurprisingly the poor guy was still at it at 1am. Diana and her friends spent time preparing the salads until her Mum came in and took over in true ´Madre´ style.
Apart from that our time in Salta was uneventful and restful. Mike went to the hospital to get his cast off which was a slightly harrowing experience (as an angle grinder was taken to the cast). The good thing was it was free. All healthcare in Aregntina is free to locals and tourists alike so its a good place to take ill.
After the cast was off it was time to move on. Next stop Cafayate, a small wine town (less well-known then Mendoza) just a few hours south of Salta.
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