Argentina - San Martin De Los Andes

Our landmark in San Martin de los Andes!

Does the wind always blow in San Martin de los Andes? The dust swirls in all directions, battering one's face with tiny, stinging bits and making one's hair feel like straw. And the wind chill!

This town is located on Lake Lacar and is well laid out. It appears that there are strict town planning laws which have certainly helped to keep this town looking charming with its many interesting buildings.

We wandered around enjoying the crisp air and the gorgeous trees all decked out in pink.

There are many shops selling/renting ski equipment as the well known Chapelco Ski Resort is about 19 km away.

The nearby Parque National Lanin offers numerous opportunities for hiking and for the very fit there is the 3 day trek to the crater of Volcan Lanin. At 3776 m this is the highest peak in the park.

In our wanderings we spotted a menu in English! Yeah! La Casona is a family run restaurant with a friendly ambience. It's off the main drag and very tastefully decorated. My chicken with mushroom sauce was served with tons of potato croquettes but no vegetables! I am missing the Cape Town restaurant scene and will even welcome the spinach and butternut a La Spur!!!

We were seated at a window and gazing up at us with pleading eyes, was the cutest dog. He just kept looking at us and if eyes could talk...oh my word. As my chicken piece was huge I cut some into bite sized chunks and sneaked out the door to feed him. Well he gobbled this up and then vanished without even a thank you!!!

After lunch we headed back to the Plaza to find our car. Well yes - that was the plan. How does one lose a car in a grid - lined town? It seems easily! At this stage the town was also very quiet as the World Cup Rugby match between Argentina and New Zealand was being broadcast. So nobody to even ask for directions!

The clouds were getting thicker, the swirling dust relentless and the temperature was starting to plummet.

We had visions of walking in circles around these grid-lined streets until we dropped from sheer exhaustion!

Eventually, after about our 5th circuit we spotted the Red Bus parked at the Plaza and there on the opposite corner was our trusty vehicle, quietly awaiting our return.

James just about hugged the car - I don't think he has ever hopped in the drivers seat so fast.

The entire town is covered in this beautiful pink - truly stunning.

We headed back down the 7 Lakes Drive still marvelling at the beauty despite the heavy, dull cloud cover which showed no sign of lifting.

The roads were very quiet this Sunday, maybe because most locals stayed home to watch the WC Rugby 2015? Unfortunately, the Pumas lost to the All Blacks with final score being 26-16.
So there are some sad faces around.....!

© Judelle Drake

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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Argentina - 7 Lakes Drive

7 Lakes Drive Argentina

Stunning scenery - just magnificent. Sometimes words are just not good enough to describe this drive between Villa La Angostura and San Martin De Los Andes.

We have done the drive twice already in both directions so actually 4 times and we are still not tired of the landscapes.

This morning the lakes were like glass with incredibly breathtaking reflections of the snow covered peaks.

There are many stopping places in order to take photos and soak up the beauty all around.

Lago Correntoso, Lago Espejo Chico, Lago Falkner are my favourites but there are many more!

Take a picnic - there are many "camping" spots along the way - most have braai places but ablutions are rather basic if available!

The road is pretty good even though you may spot the odd cow munching away right next to the road or some horses that come right up to the car to see if there is some food on offer! The wild horses shy away and look rather neglected. Sheep can also be sighted so do take care.

If you wish to support a St Bernard called Hector, stop at the 2nd viewpoint out of Villa Angostura! A guy with a Kodak sign on his van sits there all day waiting to take photos of you with his dog.

A 2 km detour takes one to Lago Espejo Chico. This is a peaceful spot with great views. The locals really enjoy sitting on their deck chairs even when the weather is very chilly!

Lago Correntoso has views from both the long road bridge and lower down from the small beach areas. The water is crystal clear and has many different hues.

Another great stop is at Rio Ruca Malen where one can turn off the main road and  get down to the river. The old bridge is very photogenic and the water? Oh my word - it is so clear, deep and mysterious!  Incredible!

All in all, a place of great beauty and natural charm.

The Argentinians are preserving their landscapes as most are declared as National Parks.

It truly is a beautiful country!

© Judelle Drake

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

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Argentina - Hike to Lago Espejo

Rio Correntoso

We headed off towards Rio Correntoso to take some photos of the bridge, river and lake.

At the parking spot we saw a sign that said Lago Espejo 5 km. So a hike - that sounded like a great idea as we have done a number of long drives and both felt the need for some exercise.

So off we set uphill. The houses here are set in amongst the trees - some look as if they never get any sun at all. That would depress me totally. A lake view - yes thanks! I am amazed that there are so many people who really live out in nature - no street lights and really in the middle of nowhere. They have to contend with muddy roads and just imagine during winter when snowfalls are also an issue?

I do love the architecture though and the fact that wood is the preferred medium for most of the buildings.

This road is so quiet with only a handful of cars passing us. As we headed further and further there was the load music of the builders working on a new house and even further on a few large dogs! That's the sum total of noise or human interaction  - it's just so quiet and peaceful. In fact, the only person we saw was a guy on a bicycle and he was perhaps heading to the construction site.

The houses must be rather expensive here, I assume, as they are well looked after and look pretty expensive.

However, I am not too sure if I would like to be so cut off from the world? The peace and tranquillity are a given with spaces between homes and quite far from Villa La Angostura.

There are not many places left in the world where one can walk such a distance and be totally safe!

The forest is amazing - very tall trees heading up towards the sunlight although some had such exposed roots that they look as if they will fall over at the slightest puff if wind. As we headed more into the forest, still following the signs, we wondered if a giant had measured out the so - called 5 km distance? By now we were just about at eye level with the snow capped mountains as we had gone up and up! The forest walk was glorious but hey, where is this lake?

Going higher and higher with no sign of  Lake Espejo anywhere close by, we eventually gave up and decided to head back down.

Unfinished home with this amazing view!

We did pass a half completed house with a gorgeous lake view (not Lake Espejo!) - it is for sale if anybody is interested in burying themselves in the country? Really deep in the country!

 



By now my nose, hands and mouth were feeling so frozen that I had visions of losing all feeling and ending up a frozen statue somewhere in the forest!

Luckily, I spotted a very sturdy bamboo stick on the ground and this helped to transverse the muddy and snowy bits on the long way down again.

After a long 3.5 hr walk with no rest we were very pleased to spy our parked car waiting at the Rio Correntoso bridge!

A hike to a mythical lake but perhaps it really was just around another few corners? Surrounded by tall trees and an ongoing upward spiral we both had our doubts!

Anyway, some great exercise in air so fresh it should be bottled!

© Judelle Drake

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

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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Argentina - llao llao Peninsula, Bariloche

Driving into Bariloche, Argentina

Our drive begins in Villa La Angostura where we are staying. The route to Bariloche is stunningly beautiful, first with the lake and glorious, snowy mountain peaks. Later on, the landscape becomes quite dry and desert like with the odd sighting of some horses and sheep. As one nears Bariloche the lake comes back into view. Today it was very choppy with little white waves.

There are many Police check points in Argentina - to date we have never been stopped but today we were stopped at 3 different points before reaching Bariloche!  As usual nobody speaks English and they all insist on jabbering away even when we say we do not understand! It is a requirement to drive with lights on at all times her

With much sign language and the odd Spanish word, James understood to produce his driving licence, passport and car hire papers. At least he knew what to show on the next 2 occasions!  The cops all smile and wave you on so it appears to be a licence check only.

Nearing Bariloche there were a number of traffic lights - what is interesting for us is the time countdown displayed next to light. 40 secs on both red and green.

Protesters at Llao Llao Hotel

Our focus drive was the Chico circuit on the Llao Llao Peninsula. 

Our first bit of action was at the well-known Llao Llao Hotel where there was a very noisy demonstration taking place. With drums, whistles and a lorry hooter blasting away it was extremely noisy and could be heard way down below in the road. The cops were standing back quietly, just monitoring the situation. It appears that the workers are demanding their increase now rather than in May 2016. It seems the complaint is that they earn 20% less in the hotels in Bariloche compared to equivalent 4 or 5 Star hotels in Buenos Aires.

This hotel is very impressive and has beautiful views over the water. Unfortunately too pricey for us mere mortals!

The road then starts winding through thick forest. Suddenly we saw a huge bird flying above the car. Just around the bend there was a parking spot with pictures of this bird. It turns out that we were extremely lucky to see a Andean Condor, a member of the vulture family. They feed on dead animals. The males weigh from 11 to 15 ks and the females from 8 to 11 ks. The Andean Condor is 2nd only to the Wandering Albatross in wing span. These magnificent birds mate for life and will only look for a new partner if partner dies. A great and exciting sighting! This magnificent birds are endangered.

The views continue to be mind-blowing with many photo stop opportunities. A couple from Chile very kindly offered to take a photo of us both at one of our stops.

Our next detour was via a very weird wooden bridge as we headed to the Swiss Colony about 3 km off the main road. This very cute village, in the middle if nowhere, even has a school! This village was established in the late 19th century when Felix and Maria Goye settled there.

It's an ideal spot to spend a night or two as there are hikes and also Canopy tours close by. The original Swiss culture is evident.

We chose to have a light lunch in one of the restaurants, El Portal. This village brews their own artesanal beer and we were offered Diuka in either white, black or red! That was Greek to us so we relied on the recommendation and chose the Red. It was pretty good. This restaurant charges a Cover Charge so the 2 tiny pizzas and 2 beers came to 300 pesos!
What on earth the cover charge us for I have no clue and did not feel like asking for an explanation in Spanish!

Behind another restaurant there were the cutest rabbits, huge sheep, some fowls and a notice asking the public not to disturb the "dikkops"  We had these birds at Villa Piren as well so I must find out the Spanish name.

We carried on this Circuit Chico to another stunning view point where there is a glassed in restaurant. Overlooking the lake and mountains this is just so beautiful. One can see the back of the Llao Llao Hotel from this vantage point.

Unfortunately we did not get to go up the chairlift at the base of Mt. Campanario as this must offer panoramic views from 1050 metres.

All in all a great drive and highly recommended.

© Judelle Drake

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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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 - 100 Curves Drive and Cordoba

100 Curves Drive Argentina

A chilly morning at 8 degrees! Our first outing of the day was to do the 100 Curves route around the lake. The houses here are much more palatial with glorious views. At one of the view spots, littered with rubbish, I spotted a pink bra hanging from the tree. The mind boggles as to why this was left there! Further brought us to Dique San Roque Dam. 

Dique San Roque Dam
 Argentina

100 Curves Drive - Argentina!

The huge drain hole at the dam is very scary, so much so that there is a friendly guard on duty! The sidewalk stalls were open and the smell of braaing meat made us think of home.

From this point we took the scenic route to Cordoba - this meanders along a river where we spotted a number of black comorants, each sitting on their own rock.

And what did I spot on the way into the city? A huge Makro store!

Cordoba was founded in 1573 and is the 2nd largest city in Argentina. With a population predominately of Italian descent, it has some interesting colonial architecture which includes the Jesuit Block.

Traffic into Cordoba was via a 4 lane highway, going in only. I suddenly saw the sign that said trams, busses and taxi in the 2 right hand lanes only. As this was where James was driving, he had to switch to the car lanes quickly!

We spotted a car park so decided that was the best option at 18 pesos per hour.
Everybody reverse parks - no idea why.

Our first sighting was an "Oscar" look alike. He moved at a fast pace on his prosthetic legs so we could not get a glimpse of his face.

On foot we headed towards the centre of the city and suddenly came upon a lady wearing a South African sweatshirt. She very kindly pointed us in the right direction and also said to take care with 

my camera.

We found Plaza San Martin and the monument to Jose San Martin, the liberation hero. This part of the city is pedestrian with stalls and cafes set amidst some beautiful old buildings. 

Street Music - Cordoba Argentina

 Pedestrian traffic is heavy; I always wonder where people are coming from and going to. Cell phones are very visible with the ladies texting and talking, mothers with babies, school children, university students and even a lone black busker.

We stopped at El Ruedo for an interesting salad. The ham here is delicious. Beers are served with peanuts - yum! 

 

The waiter also told me to put my camera away. To be honest we did not feel threatened in any way as there are no beggars about - maybe the criminals are well dressed?

Students selling their wares Cordoba Argentina

Everywhere we have been there are thousands of shops. I am convinced that every local family must own a shop somewhere. Shops are just EVERYWHERE! But the supermarkets still remain elusive. 

And the buildings remain rather drab and ugly to my jaundiced view.

The Tourist Information was very helpful and some of them speak English!

Many trucks here run on gas - the very large gas cylinders are fixed in the back.

Finding our way back to the car park?  Yes!!! We asked again at the tourist office for the road that has the trams and taxis. Apparently there are 2 of those but we did narrow it down to Av Colon. Off we headed and thankfully found the car park!

On the way home we stopped at a Shell Service Station.  The petrol attendant was most interested that we were from South Africa and mentioned Nelson Mandela and the Springbok Rugby team! This young man collects foreign money but unfortunately we had no South African coins or notes on us.

We passed a number of horse and carts on the way out of the city. ...However the highway got us back to Villa Piren in about an hour.

A long but fun day!

Graffiti in Cordoba Argentina

© Judelle Drake

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                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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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 - Lake San Roque and Cosquin

Villa Piren, near Carlos Paz, Argentina

A slight noise on the tin roof in the middle of the night disturbed my slumbers. Next came thunder and lightning that lit up the night sky. Torrential rain followed, drumming on the roof like a pounding headache! However, we awoke to clear, sunny skies so set off to find Lake San Roque and Cosquin.

Travelling in a foreign country where none of the road signs are in English, and the tourist information from the resort reads like a puzzle badly translated from Google, I am amazed that we actually ever find anything! 

The area around the lake is picturesque and makes up for the very dry and boring road yesterday. We stopped at a braai spot where there were a number of fishermen trying their luck as the picnic tables were already laid out!

Whilst I always imagined Cuba to have really old cars and trucks, there are countless of these relics on the roads here. How they are held together is a mystery and all I can say is that there must be mastermind mechanics looking after these ancient vehicles. And they still go as fast as their modern counterparts!

We passed an impressive place called the Federal Plaza where all the Argentina provinces are represented. Unfortunately, the many water features are not operational and the few vendors looked as if they knew there would be no business for them today.

The villages are very higgledy-piggly and no town planning seems to exist. Shops sell all sorts of weird merchandise yet the plain old supermarket is hard to spot. Schools appear very basic although we did spot one with AstroTurf where the kids were playing hockey.

Cosquin is a more modern looking town although it is one of the oldest settlements in the region. It is famous for its folklore festival held annually in January.

Our aim was to take the chairlift to the summit of El Pan de Azurcar which rises to 1260m. We eventually found the gravel road which wound up the mountain for approx 4km of twists and turns. Only to find? Everything shut up and locked for "maintenance"  At least we were not the only fools up there! There was no sign of any maintenance crew so perhaps it's just an excuse for an extended holiday? The chairlifts were swaying tantalisingly high up above us. 

So down we went to find something to eat. An old man handed us some menus that we could not understand so we opted for a pizza instead of a sandwich. Ham and cheese seems to be a staple diet here! A small beer asked for ended up being a litre! Thankfully, he had not yet opened it so it could be changed.

Perhaps we should learn better sign language?

I had been warned about the loos but had been feeling safe as all were "normal" so far. Alas, this restaurant had the "open bin" policy for ones toilet paper and no flush handle in sight! Shades of Greece and very yuck!!! 

Anyway, enough adventure for one day so we headed back to Carlos Paz in heavy siesta traffic! Seems they shut their shops and then all take to the roads...

 

© Judelle Drake

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

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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Argentina - Villa General Belgrano

Such old crocks! Villa Paz Argentina

But there is beauty to be found in Argentina

Our local town Carlos Paz appears to be so ugly that we decided to venture further afield today. This particular part of Cordoba is just a conglomeration of awful buildings, pavement special dogs, ancient cars ( not even museum material!) and traffic! Even the countryside is uninteresting being dry with no redeeming features.

Villa General Belgrano is an interesting town. Founded in the 19 30 ' s a percentage of the population are descended from the surviving crew of the Admiral Graf  Spee. This German  battleship was scuttled off the Uruguayan coast in 1939.

The town has better architecture than the rest that we have seen and makes for an entertaining walk browsing the shops and many restaurants. 

The annual October Bier fest must be extremely lively and fun! Preparations are already ongoing in early September.

There are many beer mugs, delicious looking chocolates and other interesting souvenirs for sale.

We ventured up one of the side streets and found a local restaurant close to a supermarket. Great - lunch and then our supplies. Well the lunch was good but when we crossed the road to the supermarket ours was the only car still parked there! Closed until 16.30! Siesta time is still obviously well observed here.

Our drive back to Villa Piren was uneventful and we managed to find the supermarket in Carlos Paz - called Disco!

The play parks are so depressing - hard earth with some kiddies things. Soccer fields have not a blade of grass. Houses are totally lacking in any form of architectural style.

It's quite a depressing place for us so used to the beauty of South Africa.

However, we will do some more exploring tomorrow.....and hope to fund some beauty.

© Judelle Drake

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

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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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

Argentina - Getting there!

A shrill alarm at 04.00 hrs awakened us to the start of our long awaited trip to Argentina.  A quick cup of tea, some final packing and there we were, ready to roll at 04.50. The non-arrival of our local shuttle was the first of a number of hiccups set to plague us during the day.

The Cape Town to Johannesburg leg was late taking off which naturally has a snowball effect. We dashed from Domestic to International only to find very few people at the designated gate. Suddenly, the PA system came over loud and clear that boarding had moved from A9 to A4. Now one would think these would be very close together?  Not so! Another hurried dash past all the shops and back to the A4 area. Whew! That certainly got the circulation going!

A rarity on flights these days is a plane that is not full so we're were overjoyed to realise that we had the 4 middle seats to ourselves. My legs sang a happy song!

Our next panic attack happened when we realised that our flight to Sao Paolo was landing over 30 mins late so we would only have 30 mins to find the boarding gate for Buenos Aires. Full marks must go to the SAA steward who collected us about 30 mins prior to landing and moved us to Business Class so that we were at the gate!

So for those precious moments we sat in Business Class Seats and could think how wonderful the entire flight would have been if only we were rich? Can't have it all!

This resulted in another hectic dash in Sao Paulo airport for our Buenos Aires flight and we made boarding by the skin of our teeth. This flight was jam packed and our bodies were protesting by this time - just too many hours in the air!

The miracle was that our suitcases were intact after all that and the shuttle guy was waiting to collect us. Traffic in Buenos Aires appears to be quite sane but time will tell.

Our hotel, the Palo Santo is great - a design and green hotel, it is modern with friendly staff who are most accommodating. This is the first green urban hotel in South America according  their room blurb. Unfortunately, we are only here for a few hours until up again at 04.30 for our flight to Cordoba. What I really love about travel, besides the sights, sounds and smells, is meeting the locals.

Our Reception chap was extremely interesting as he travelled Europe by train for 3 months. Sadly, he was unable to find a travel companion so braved the trip by himself. His English is perfect and he told us that he made the strict selection on Emirates airline staff selection only to be disqualified due to the tattoo on his arm! He will indeed rue the day he made that decision!

It's been a long and tiring day but, as everything really worked out well in the end, we cannot complain!

Cheers to the rest of our Argentinian adventure.....

We have now flown with SAA (South African Airways) Tam (Brazil) and then LAN for Argentina. TAM and LAN are joining forces in 2016 to start the first Latin American airline to be known as Latam. Airports the world over look the same - it's just the shops that are more extravagant. As we had no time to shop this just meant miles more of walking!

Travelling distances requires fitness! Up and down stairs, dashing between terminals,  rushing to check in, up and down escalators, and those, sometimes rickety stairs, to the plane, all take their toll!

We bypassed Cordoba city to get to our Timeshare. The area is very dry and hot and appears, at first glance, to have no redeeming features. The architecture leaves absolutely nothing to rave about, dogs wander freely and the current road works put a very heavy spanner in the works. But hey, we are in Argentina and amongst the people who live here so we will explore and enjoy.

There is not much English spoken in this region so sign language and Google Translate work well. The receptionist prattled away in Spanish but heaven only knows what she was saying!  However, even with the language barrier her sense of humour shown through.

The challenge now is to find  supermarket...!

To be continued....

The traquil view from our apartment at Villa Piren, near Carlos Paz, Argentina

And the pines near the apartments at Villa Piren, Argentina

© Judelle Drake

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

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

Cape Town - Kommetjie, Cape Town

Slangkop Lighthouse, Kommetjie

Kommetjie - this village appears so far removed from the hustle and bustle of the suburbs closer to the city of Cape Town, that it feels as if one has entered into another world of laid-back seaside living. With it's rocky shores, beautiful Slangkop Lighthouse,  the Kom Cat Walk and village pubs that offer live music , it makes for an interesting outing.,  

Bird Life is prolific along the rocky shores and a variety of species can be seen - ideal for keen bird watchers to while away a lazy morning or afternoon while inhaling the fresh sea air. Sometimes, the tables are turned and the birds watch the photographers!

 Drive down Gladioli Way and park in Benning Drive - this gives you a walk to the left, all along the shore. The Boardwalk is at the end of this walk where you meet up with the Slangkop Lighthouse. This lighthouse was commissioned in 1919 and became fully automated in 1979. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is not open to the public over week-ends so if you wish to enjoy the steep climb to the top, you need to visit Monday to Friday 10.00 to 15.00 hrs (closed 12.00 - 12.30) 

Kommetjie is synonymous with surfing as this village just happens to be the first landfall on the African continent for swells generated in the stormy 4000 km stretch known as the "Roaring Forties" The result? Waves in all shapes and sizes, all year long. Whilst there were only a handful of surfers out today, the beach becomes very crowded at times as the surfers flock to get their adrenalin fix!

Long Beach is a particular favourite with all surfers and the village has produced National Champions. With great surf on your doorstep, kids must learn to love the sea and those waves from an early age! What's more, they all appear to be very polite in greeting strangers to their turf.

The views are stunningly beautiful across to the mountains towards Hout Bay and especially so on a sunny day. Even with moody, grey skies, their is is a feeling of calm and peace here. 

For those wishing to really get back to nature and enjoy more than a few hours here, there is an interesting tented camp called Slangkop Tented Camp very close to the boardwalk. Ideal for watching sunsets while nestled between the Milkwood trees.

There are, of course, many other B&B's around but this one has something unique in it's location which struck a chord with me!

Further inland we chanced upon the Skilpadsvlei Conservation area. This wetland was drained and filled in during the 1940's - thankfully, it has now been restored and is a breeding ground for the endangered Western Leopard Toad. A local resident very kindly offered us some information on this area and said that the residents have to rescue these toads during mating season when they are often found on the roads nearby! There are 2 log seats close to the vlei - sit quietly and listen for the toads. We did not hear them - perhaps, a very busy night had left them a little tired or they were prepping up for another night of raucous mating!    

By now we were thirsty and hungry, so following local advice we headed to Fisherman's for a cold beer and something to eat. It turned out to be a good choice as the musician was entertaining the patrons with some amusing lyrics, sung to well-know tunes. Besides singing and playing his guitar, he also gave us a wonderful rendition of Baker Street, played on his saxophone..

All in all, a great afternoon out!

  © Judelle Drake

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

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

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