Red Red Wine ... stay close to me

Instead of heading back into Chile from Bariloche (we couldn't face another border crossing and/or another long bus journey) we headed back into wine country to Mendoza.

On the first day we checked into an HI hostel which wasn't very nice (Mike's choice) so spent the rest of the day getting to know the city pretty well as we looked for alternative accommodation. In the end we settled for dorms in Damajuana, by far the nicest hostel in what can only be described as the 'Notting Hill' area of Mendoza.

Our first night was spent in the grotty hotel so we made the most of it by joining in a pizza party and drinking lots of beer.

Bariloche

After Calafate we headed up to the land of lakes, Bariloche.

Also known for it's beautiful surroundings (becoming a bit of a theme in Patagonia) and the major ski resort in South America, the city followed the theme of Calafate and Ushuaia - chocolate shops galore, tourist driven and lots of restaurants and bars.

We planned to be there for three days before heading up to Mendoza.

El Calafate

Moving on from Chile, we headed back into Argentina for some much needed ´r n r´and headed to the ski resort town of El Calafate.

Obviously during the winter ski-ing is the main attraction and the town is set up to give the perfect apres ski effect.

It works well in the summer too. Calafate marks the entrance to Parque nacional de los glaciares. A haven for hiking but of course most people come here to see the glaciers, namely Perito Moreno Glaciar which is one of only two in the world that is growing.

Fin del Mundo

After Puerto Madryn we headed onto Ushuaia, the city at the end of the world. Most people come here to travel to Antarctica and although we were sorely tempted at US $4000 per person (last minute price) we had to be sensible and forgo the experience this time..

There was lots else to do though in and around the city. The centre itself is a tourist haven set up to cater to the influx of foreigners it receives every summer when the boats start going out as well as those that come in the Winter to enjoy the ski season. As such it has a very Swiss feel about it. It is also tax free so very good for shopping! We spent a morning just wandering around.

Who needs a puppy?

When we last left you we had just arrived in Puerto Madryn, a welsh settlement on the east coast of Argentina, in the north part of Patagonia. It is famed for whale watching as well as other abundant wildlife that live or migrate to the Peninsula Valdes.

Once again we arrived too late to see whales (what is it with us - we missed them by a few weeks, same thing happened in South Africa on our honeymoon - determined to see them in NZ or Oz!)

We heart Buenos Aires

Ok where to start...

12 days in BA, Christmas and New Year included. In summary lots of steak, lots of wine, lots of people equals lots of fun.

No stranger to being away from home at Christmas (this was our third time) we had decided some time ago to hire an apartment with friends in the trendy part of BA, Palermo, rather than stay in a hostel. We had planned to share the apartment with Neil but ended up picking a lot more people along the way including Kat and Kate from Cafayate, Anne from Colca Canyon and one of Neil's friend's Shaz.

Iguazu Falls

After muchos wine drinking in Cafayate we headed up to Iguazu via a short stopover in Tucaman.

We had wanted to see the falls since we planned our trip as we hold such good memories of our visit to Victoria Falls in Zambia during our honeymoon. We weren´t disappointed.

Unfortunately the journey there was far from relaxing. What we expected would be an 18 hour bus journey - standard - turned into 27 hours as our bus broke down and kicked us to the curb (literally) for three hours.

When we arrived at our hostel, in sweltering heat, we did what any normal human being would do and jumped straight in the pool.

Wine wine glorious wine

Ok so we arrived safe in Cafayate, wine country, known for its Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon and white blend Torrontes.

On our first night we met up with two girls, Kate from the UK and Kat from Germany for dinner (they had been on our bus and we got chatting) and then proceeded to spend most of the next few days with them (and a whole host of waifs and stray animals) checking out the numerous bodegas and wineries in the area.

Salta

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.