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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 15, 2010 07:00 PM Buenos Aires per pedes...
If you are pressed by the time local bus company offers a day ride on the tourist doubledecker bus... It goes to the most interesting places of Buenos making 13 stops to get-on and get-off. One day ticket costs 25 pesos... I prefere to go by myself to the well known, but worth to see again after 20 years places - just walking, stoping where I want, taking pictures... I spent almost full day wondering around the city.
Recoleta church located out of the noisy streets is one of my favourite places in Buenos. Nearby there is the cemetary with a grave of famous Evita - Eva Peron. I was there to recognize that (like years ago) it is still probably the only grave with a fresh flowers on it. Then there was a long walk along central Avenida 9 de Julio. They say it is the wides street in the world, and probably it is - with a high needle of ´´Obelisco´ in the middle.
Do you remember ´Caminito´ song? You have to go to La Boca quater to find the cobled streets full of colors. They say that this song was born there. Today there are street bars, souvenir shops and you can see free tango shows or even try to dance with those charming young ladies performing tango on the stage... Oh, la la! Unforgettable!
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Feb 14, 2010 07:00 PM Tengo Tango...
I have a tango (in my blood)- said one of my friends years ago...
Evening in Buenos Aires. Some people say it is noisy and polluted but I still think that in the old part of the city like San Telmo it has a charm of the Paris of South America. Thousands of little cafes, bars, restaurants... People - the Portenios sit there in the evenings (it is pleasantly warm) chatting, drinking, enjoying the life...
It is my third time in Buenos. Each time it is more expensive. Now the city bus cost 1.25 pesos and you have to put it into machine at the entry. Take care - here is coin shortage, so collect them earlier if you have opportunity. Good news is that the hostel business is growing fast: it is enough to jump on the bus 17 or 45 going down Chacabuco St and get off at Chile street corner. You will find here more then a dozen hostels. Typical price is 40-50 pesos per dorm bed, 90 per single shared bath and more then 100 per room with bath. The best idea of course is to share the room. Continental breakfast is always included and slow internet is free. There are many tango schools and tango shows. For the backpacker I recommend a free, open-air show on the nearby Plaza Dorrego. Let´s go, let´s dance! I like the tango!
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Feb 13, 2010 07:00 PM Tucuman -Argentina
Sunday, but it will be laundry day because I became sweaty and my jeans stink a little bit already. I am almost off of my pesos. The hostel does not accept payment in dollars or by credit card. I expect exchange problem (Bolivia is much easier and sweeter for the traveller!)
In the hostel for the included in the price ¨desayuno¨- breakfast they serve two pieces of bread, some jam and a coffee - how can I carry my 18 kilos in the heat on such a diet!
The city of Tucuman has some nice churches to see, there is Casa Independencia, where they declared independence from Spain and Sugar Cane industry museum (there are sugar cane plantations around) - just enough for 4-hours walk. Tomorrow I am heading to Buenos Aires.
Happy St Valentine´s day to all of you who are in love!!!
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Feb 12, 2010 07:00 PM Argentina Norte -Quebrada Cafayate
It is one more wonder of the nature. For those who travel on really tight budget it will be enough to see quebrada from the window of the scheduled bus Salta -Cafayate. Flecha bus does this route in 4 hours and the cost is 38 pesos. After the little settlement of Alemania you will see many ladnscapes like from the Wild West; interesting rock formations in colors...
In Cafayate (many wineries around in the valley) I recommend ¨Ël Balcon¨Hostel - 40 pesos per dorm bed. Great terrace to seat in the evening...
They offer 5-hours tour to quebrada (40 pesos pp) - I took it in the morning. It is worth the price but let you know that all places they visit (Garganta del Diablo, Amphitheatre etc) are along the main road Salta-Cafayate and you can reach them by hitchhiking - I did not know about that.
In the hot afternoon I took a bust from Cafayate to Tucuman - 5 hours and hefty 55 pesos. There were also nice views of the mountains from the window but the landscape is completly different - not comparable to full of colors quebrada. So hot! It is hard to carry backpack in extreme humidity and some 35 deg Celsius!
I reached Tucuman Hostel in the evening to get a dorm bed for 35 pesos. It is different culture here: they normally go to sleep at 1 am so the sleeping was not so good
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Feb 11, 2010 07:00 PM Walking through the border to Argentina...
Yesterday in The afternoon I was walking with my pack from Villazon/Bolivia to La Quiaca in Argentina. On the Bolivian side immigration check is surprisely quick. Then, an the other side of the bridge... Long story... The sergeants (two of them and one officer too) searched every page in my passport (oh, yes - there are a lot ov visas!). I had impression that they were waiting for something... But on the immigration window there is written twice that the control is FREE of charge. 20 minutes or more... I got my passport... Customs were a bit faster, but they announced that on the Argentinian side tere is no chance to change my dollars! So I went back to Bolivia to change money (very smart process there: they pay 3,90 pesos for USD - more then in Salta) , and back to Argentina...
There is 5 long blocks walk from the border to the bus terminal. Remember to push your watch by one hour. The bus to Salta via Jujuy was just departing. I paid 38 pesos for the ticket and get on... What a pleasure to travel here! No dust inside, paved road with no bumps and great views of Quebrada Humahuaca (from UNESCO list) around... It was 2 am when I reached Hostel in Salta (32 pesos for the dorm bed).
Today I visit Salta. They have great historical buildings around Plaza, San Francisco Church and San Bernardo Convent. But the highlight is to take the cableway to the Cerro (only 20 pesos RT) and enjoy the view of the city and the mountains.
I am dissappointed: do not think that you will find here on the streets such a folklore, like in Bolivia! (I expected to see Indios in the north of Argentina...)
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Feb 10, 2010 07:00 PM Wara - Wara express...
I like so much those double, exotic names... Do you remember Langa-Langa on Solomon Islands, or Puka-Puka on Tuamotu, or lapu-Lapu?. Also well known Bora Bora...
There are only two trains going twice per week to the border of Argentina. I decided to take Wara-Wara express. It is not easy to buy the tickets. I went to Tupiza railway station already on arrival. Nobody speaks English. But with some effort I understood their Spanish: please come tomorrow! When I came again they said: please come tomorrow - half an hour before the departure. OK, I am patient - we will see...
The Wara-wara arrive with only 30 minutes delay. I bought the ticket for 38 bolivianos and we started the rail journey in the great landscapes soon. Around 11 am train stoped in the middle of nowhere and staff reported that the wheel of the bar carriage is out of the rail.
They started to try to improove situation - one meter ahead and one meter back. And again! Fortunately they do carry emergency 1m of the rail - it helped and after an hour we started the journey again. Argentina is close!
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Feb 09, 2010 07:00 PM Canyons, valleys, all in bright colors...
Tupiza, Bolivia. The city in the deep valley has very interesting surroundings. You will find Great landscapes like from the Wild West. Locat tourist agencies offer day tours on the horse, jeep etc... If you want to be a cowboy for a day or two rent a horse with a guide - it cost 350 bolivianos per day. Poor horses! I saw them taking the 90 kilos of the body of the tourist in 35 deg Celsius heat. Sorry, not for me...
I found a charming companion (Thank you Carla!) and we rented a jeep with a driver for a full day. It took us to the main attraction of the local landscape. The rental including a lunch cost 28 USD. We had a great day in the sun walking also up the narrow Inca Canyon and The Valley of Machos. Tamales with a lama meat for the lunch - why not? Now I am in the internet cafe - the connection is cheap here - only 3 bolivianos per hour. But it is veeeery slow. I am waiting few minutes to open one window... I am very far from the big cities...
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Feb 08, 2010 07:00 PM Tupiza - Rocks in Red...
It is still like 150 kms to the border of Argentina. Bolivian Tupiza has very nice location in the valley surrounded by the red rocky hills. I found accommodation in the Valle Hermoso Hostel, close to the railway station. They charge 40 bolivianos for the single room with shared bath. Breakfast costs another 20 bolivianos but I prefere to buy 10 rolls in the market for 4 bolivianos and to cook my own coffee... Just let you know that some Bolivian hostels and hotels belong now to the Hostelling International - and this gives you 10% discount with your YHA card (after initial bargaining of course :))
Good news: there is Polish catholic priest in Tupiza - father Casimiro. I met him in the evening. Very nice person. He works in Bolivia since 12 years. Before he was pending months visiting one by one villages in the high mountains. Now - bit older he is proud to develope catholic TV channel and radio programme. His church i Tupiza is big and clean, but he himself is very poor person. I have great respect to such a people - deviting their lives to help the others and to make their lifes better...
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Feb 07, 2010 07:00 PM Bolivia. Fake police in fake uniforms...
On the city map of Potosi I got in the hostel it is written in few languages: ...there is fake police in fake uniforms, do not let them take your passport or your money... Funny, isn´t it? This was the first reason why I decide to travel in the day only. The second is that daylight gives you a chance to enjoy the landscape.
The bus company I choosed to go to Tupiza is called Boqueron. I bought the ticket a day in advance. When I came to the new Potosi terminal I was surprised because there was nobody waiting at their check-in desk. After some investigations I found the representative and she said that their bus is cancelled and they put me on the other bus. On the other bus it was written ¨Villa Imperial¨. It was a junk bus. We departed soon but after some 1 km of ride we stoped in the street. The bus is broken!
You need to be very patient... After some 40 minutes Villa Imperial sent another junk bus and we boarded again.
It took us 7 hours in the dust and smells to reach Tupiza. Just after police post on the outskirts of the town they announced a tyre problem. It took us another half an hour to solve it. But thanks God I am in Tupiza and the landscapes on the route were really great! Tonight I will sleep on the level 2950 m - sounds better!
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Feb 06, 2010 07:00 PM Two capitals of Bolivia
Bolivia have two capitals: government works in La Paz. Constitutional capital is Sucre.
Today I visited Sucre - it is like 170 kms one way from Potosi.
Bus ticket costs 17 bolivianos. When they say that the bus will go 2 to 3 hours, think better it will take 3 to 4...
Four hours of the nice landscapes (take the seat on the left side of the bus going to Sucre). This was not a/c bus and they do not serve any refrshment on the route. They even do not stop to use WC... This is Bolivia - the poorest and last developed of Andean countries. But at the same time I must say that it stil has some folklore (Ecuador will be the second similar place and Peru - next one).
Sucre is more neat then Potosi. It has nice churches, museums and convents - but remember that all of them are closed between 12.01 pm and 3 pm - unfortunately this was a time when I was wondering narrow, atmospheric streets of the Bolivian´s second capital.
Tomorrow I am going down - heading to the Argentinian border - it will be another 10 hours or so on the unpaved road... New people, new places, new lanscapes, new adventure. That´s what I like!
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