Argentina - Cordoba to La Angostura

Cordoba Argentina

 Today we say goodbye to our stint in Cordoba Province. Facing the speed humps in Carlos Paz for one last time!
Goodbye dogs!

The drive to Cordoba airport turned out to be a nightmare due to roadworks. The GPS just does not cope to well under these conditions and it took us all over the place before getting us onto the airport road. And then to crown it all James misses the airport turnoff! Luckily there was a small portion of shoulder so he could back up. With cars turning onto the airport road at speed this was not good for my nerves!

Cordoba airport is modern, fairly large but very quiet. This was our first flight with the local Argentina Aerolinas. Despite the fact that the plane looked and sounded rather ancient, the flight was excellent. The stewardess greeted us in English and ended up giving us some tips on the best place to enjoy beer in Bariloche! Needless to say, no alcohol on this flight!

The landing was flawless so compliments to the pilot.

The queue to get out of arrivals once we had collected our luggage was LONG! The only have one X ray machine so it took forever. Thankfully, our Europcar guy was waiting for us so that we could still reach Baia Monzano before dark.

Stunning landscapes greeted us - lakes and snow capped mountains. Truly beautiful!

Reception at Bahía Manzano was very pleasant. All info is in Spanish - OMG - don't understand anything! So we headed back to ask for an English translation.

At the Welcome meeting we enjoyed a drink and some snacks and then the Manager came to call us. He took us into his office and explained most of the activities. This was most appreciated!

Our apartment has a wonderful view of Lake Huapi and has 3 floors! So lots of stairs up and down!

The restaurant is good - a varied menu to suit all tastes.

For now, a good night's rest required.

The view from our balcony at Baia Manzano

The morning dawned bright and sunny.

After breakfast we joined fellow guests on the lawns to await our guided walk. Now this is where one's lack of Spanish comes in - the guide was extremely vocal about heaven only knows what but we had no clue what he was saying except when he shouted "auto" - in other words get off the road, a car is approaching!

The walk around the peninsula near Baia Manzano Resort

It was a good walk nevertheless as we passed numerous private homes tucked in the forest and numerous hotels and cabanas. Those set right on the lake have amazing views over the water with the snowcapped mountains in the background. The area is obviously geared towards many tourists.

After our visit to a supermarket in Villa Angostura where there are no free bags, we headed back for lunch.

Our afternoon drive took us down to Puerto Bahia Bravo where there were many locals catching the sun on the deck chairs. This despite the rather chilly wind factor!

The views are very spectacular and we hope to do more scenic drives in the days to come.

Villa La Angostura

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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Argentina - Carlos Paz Lake walk

Carlos Paz Argentina

Today we decided to do the walk along the lake side of Carlos Paz. The walk goes on and on and took us about 3 hours. Ok I did not walk very fast but still, it's a long walk.

There are some better looking properties here but the whole area just lacks something. The lake is lovely and a large part of the road is for pedestrian traffic only which makes for a peaceful wander without car fumes. 

Lake Walk Carlos Paz Argentina

Today seems to be a holiday so there were people picnicking, a bus load of girls taking photos of each other, fisherman out catching fish (and they do!) and a lady doing her exercises.

Coming from South Africa we have found the style here rather depressing. There are no gardens to speak of and the playgrounds and sport fields are rather dry and dusty.

However,  everybody appears well dressed even if they drive beaten up cars.

Speed Humps (lamada) are so common as are rain water ditches. So its a slow way to anywhere given that the dogs are all over. The dogs all wag their tails and do not appear to be neglected. There are plenty of shops selling dog paraphernalia and vets are available.

Our funniest sighting today was a motorbike with 2 people trailing a horse behind them! Unfortunately, the camera was not at hand.

The other strange thing here is that there are very few stop signs. So if there is no robot it's any body's guess who goes first. In Cordoba there were large mirrors but that does not really assist the silly foreign tourist! 

Anywhere else - just take care!

As for the beer bottle deposit story - it's a total rip off. Say the beer costs 16 pesos, with the bottle it costs over 22 pesos. But you can never get your money back on the original bottles bought as you have to keep buying to get a discount. So we have lost quite a number of pesos to various shops! A great way for the shops to make extra bucks!

Lake Walk Carlos Paz

Villa Piren is a haven of peace - there is just total silence at our cabin with only bird song to break the silence. Despite the fact that it does lack certain Gold Crown standards it truly is restful.

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

Argentina - language barrier!

Everything is in Spanish - we are lost!! Argentina

Whilst it is fun exploring new places, our total lack of the Spanish language is a major stumbling block as there are very few locals in Cordoba Province who speak English.

We had a crazy 45 mins in the local Disco Supermarket this morning trying to get rid of 1 litre beer bottles. Bear in mind that we are charged for the bottle originally.

We walked in with the empties and were shown to go to the back of the shop to the "machine" We found the machine and it swallowed up the bottles at 8 Ars each.
Wow, we thought Spanish effeciency!

At the till it was THE most bizarre experience ever. We could not get any money back even though we were charged originally. No - we had to buy more beers and if we only bought one we would end up paying a ridiculous price!

Everybody prattled at speed and we were by now getting totally irritated. At least I was - James still managed to stay fairly calm! Eventually a call was made to somebody who could speak English.

It seems that there is no actual cash back like in most other countries worldwide - there is only a discount if you buy the same product.
A total rip - off I would say!

So we asked for our empties back! Rather leave them for the cleaners!!!!

And all this amongst the incredulous stares of locals buying FOOD!

Carlos Paz Argentina

The centre of Carlos Paz is quite vibey with a number of restaurants and many shops. Rather dusty though as there are road works and building alterations going on.

So we headed back to Cabalango which is a small village with a number of decent looking houses. Very quiet with the riverside restaurants all closed up. Even the dogs were absent here!

The funniest sight I have seen in ages was a guy who stopped on the causeway leading into the village. And guess what he was going to do? He hauled a bucket out of his car and proceeded to throw at least 10 buckets of river water over said car.

Why he wished to do this I have no clue as most of this village has untarred roads. People sure are strange!

Car Washing in Cabalanga Argentina

I still cannot get over the number of dogs in Carlos Paz - all shapes and sizes and all over the roads. We even saw 3 lying next to the cops at a roadblock today.

The cops appear at strange places stopping vehicles but thankfully we have not been stopped. Can you imagine trying to have that conversation!

At home I have a regular guest who speaks many languages, including Spanish, but unfortunately I could not high jack him as his priorities lie very high up in Rome.

Oh well, we will get by and try to have fun while doing so! All in a days travel!

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

Argentina - Pitfalls!

Lights on Vehicles are Compulsory in Argentina

Travel is fun but it can also be extremely challenging. More so when you trip and fall, smashing your knee onto solid concrete. At the time, I was more concerned re the fact that I dropped my Nikon D300! However, as the pain increased my concern for my precious camera took a back seat. And still Villa Piren Reception would not give us keys. I hobbled to our unit Number 10 - it was all locked up so cleaning was complete?

The patio table was broken - Gold Crown rated by RCI? I think not! At 14.30 the Reception Desk got somebody on duty who speaks English. Hurray for small mercies! Thankfully we eventually got access to our apartment. Our next hurdle was to drive into Carlos Paz for supplies. This proved to be another impossible task and with my pain now reaching excruciating levels, the walking was not helping. We managed to find a small cafe for some basics. By the time I got onto my bed I was shaking like a leaf and in continuous pain. Extra strength Voltaren had no effect!  

With my pain increasing, James requested that the English Receptionist accompany us to the nearest hospital.

The roads in this town are like a maze to the uninitiated! Giselle directed us to the closest hospital which was closed! It is housed in a modern building and is "private" Perhaps more like an upmarket clinic? The local government hospital was much further and I hobbled in to face a sea of faces waiting to be attended to. My first thought was " we will be here all night!"

However,  I have nothing but praise for this hospital even though they classed me as a "African" on the admission form! Giselle explained the situation and I was called in about 5 minutes. Hobbling along I was told to wait while they grabbed the nearest wheelchair! All my life I wanted this ride experience!! 

After being examined, the doctor told my interpreter that I needed an injection to "relax" me. This injection seemed to go on forever - I have no idea what was in that huge cocktail! Maybe best I didn't know.The X - rays were taken - no fracture damage thankfully. 

James actually had the most entertaining time in the waiting room. Dogs, yes dogs, people all staring at him, a mother breastfeeding what looked like a 3 year old, kids running riot etc.

Whilst this hospital looks as if it requires a huge cash injection, the staff and doctors were very efficient and pleasant.

My prescription? Some unknown tablets for pain and 5 days ( yes you read that correctly!) of bed rest. Me? While in a foreign country that is waiting to be explored?

Anyway, whatever was in that injection worked and the night brought blissful sleep. I am doing my best to stay put for 1 day - we will assess again tomorrow.

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com