Magic bus

Forget what you know about long distance bus travel. Unless of course you've traveled in South America - Suite style.


Because the rail system has a tragic history, they have made bus travel the way to go if you can't afford the plane. You have the choice of the regular bus; semi-cama (half bed) where it reclines to 160 degrees; or the full cama suite - 180 degrees...oh yeah, baby! Not only do you get to recline all the way, no, no, you also get your own screen with a choice of movies, music, or tv shows. AND it doesn't end there -They SERVE you dinner on the bus! HOW AWESOME IS THAT??!



Now, as taking the bus is a step down from taking the plane, so too, bus food is a step down from plane food - and that's saying a lot. I really wish now that I had taken a picture of my dinner so that I could share with you...but alas, after the trials of the day, what with the foot and the ATM card...well, I didn't have the presence of mind to do it. I shall endeavour, however, to convey to you this culinary delight.

Initially, the waiter brought us all a tray with 1 slice of ham, 1 green olive, 1 small roll, 1 "jam" roll (hint: wasn't jam), and 1 brownie. Shortly afterwards he came with the piece de resistance...Saffron rice with peas and carrots (I use the term saffron very broadly, the rice was yellowish in colour); a disk of some sort of meat (still unknown) swimming in a gelatious white "sauce". It was remarkably bland but filling. Oh, and that "jam" roll...I'm going to have to say that I think it was rolled with pate. Yes, the doughy part was sweet. It was a bit weird. The brownie was delicious though!

You wish you could look this good after spending the night on a bus...


Breakfast anyone? It was handy too, that they had a coffee/tea station so you could help your self when you had a hankering...but have you ever tried to carry a hot beverage the length of a moving bus - trying really hard not to spill scalding liquids on other passengers? Not easy, let me tell you!


 

For lunch we stopped in a small village and had a hot meal...I had the ravioli con carne...

Overall, gotta say that it was a rather enjoyable trip! I think I´ll sign up for another one Puno to Cusco.

And bad mistakes, I've made a few.

Hey remember that last post about the foot...well, that wasn't the end of the day for me - not by far.
After I got back to Nina's place and took a shower, I thought it would be a good idea to check on the ol' bank account while I was still in a safe environment. Went to my secret hiding spot to get my card...no card. Ok, don't panic...it's got to be somewhere else right? Nope. I tore my bag apart - no card. The last time I used it was at the airport when I first arrived - I don't remember seeing it again after that. No idea where it is. The big problem is that I now no longer have any access to my bank account aka cash. You see, I never remember the PIN on my credit card so that I´m never tempted to take cash out of my credit card. Smart, right? So now what do I do?

I quickly called the bank to see if there had been any other transactions on my account - there were none. K that's one good thing. I cancel the card and then call Loic - hoping he's not off gallivanting. I have a Visa card that's also linked to my bank account so technically I can use that to access the account, but I never remembered the PIN 'coz it's a Visa card. This is where my filing skills are put to the test. I have to guide a teenager through the nightmare that is my paper collection...and it's 8 in the morning for him, and I´m pretty sure he'd just gotten to bed.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post for the result of the search of the lost PIN.

AWWW no, I won't do that.

My dear, sweet boy, looked and looked. Then looked again and he managed to find it. I think I´ll bring him back a nice poncho.

Crisis averted. THANKS LOIC!!!!

Ahhh I have just enough time to catch a cab to the station so that I can catch that bus to Salta...mmmm 20 hours on a bus, this could be interesting.

I think I broke my foot...

Yesterday was my last day in Buenos Aires so I got up (relatively) early to get my bus ticket to Salta. I knew I had to go to Retiro station to get it and since I passed by it on my first day, I knew where it was - or so I thought. When I got there, well, it was a weekday at morning rush hour...utter chaos...there was a line up 1/2 a block long just to get into the subway!! I kid you not. 
So, I push my way into the station...no buses, no ticket kiosks...hmmm I ask someone, she looks at me a bit strangely (probably my awesome Spanish) and then proceeds to tell me where I was supposed to go for bus tickets...I understood one word: Left. OK go left.

I was dragged out of the station by the river of people going to work and pushed my way to the left. Now, not only is there the rush hour crowd, but there is the regular contingent of people who are selling dodgy things, as well as the contingent of dodgy people. I weave my way through all this to the next station...of course: first the train station then the bus station...duh! I go in. Still no buses. I get out and go left again....another train station, but I begin to see the massive buses - I must be on the right track (no pun intended). Then, lo, a break in the crowd - there, a ray of hope, a beacon of light...the bus station!!


Retiro...one of them

What I failed to mention was that my foot was hurting after walking only 2 blocks - by now it's completely throbbing (I've been walking for an hour by this point).
The plan was to go to a book store that Nina suggested and then to meet up with her for lunch...my foot hurt so much that I didn't think I could walk that far. So after buying my bus ticket I decided to go over the the area where Nina works, Puerto Madero. This used to be a very industrial area that has now been converted into a very luxurious place to live and work. There are some nice parks there so I thought I´d go and rest my foot until lunch.


I'm ashamed to say that I went into a Starbucks and grabbed an Earl Grey tea...muy grande, and continued my walk to the park...barefoot by now, it wasn't as bad without my shoes. Puerto Madero is a lovely, peaceful place - especially after the madness of rush hour traffic.

Now, my question to you is: Who in their right mind gets a tea, muy grande, without thinking of the consequences? By the time I hobbled to the park and sat for about 10 min...it hit me. Uh-oh. There were no public toilets in sight. damn. I shuffled back to the Starbucks with my muy grande in hand and I sneaked in the side door to use their facilities. By this point I figured, these people had charged me $4 (yes Aus) for hot water and tea bag, so I loitered on their couch for an hour and a half. The Christmas music was annoying, but it was air conditioned and I could put my foot up....and there was a toilet there if I needed it again.

Nina and I had a lovely lunch together by the river and she gave me some advice as to what to see while in Salta. Hopefully, when I go back to Buenos Aires before going home, we can meet up again and see some Tango!
After lunch my foot was a little better, so what did I do? I walked for another 2 hours. sigh. I think I broke my foot. Luckily, the bus ride tomorrow is 20 hours long - I can rest it then.

San Telmo Markets and the Recoleta cemetery

This morning - after sleeping like the dead - Nina (my couch surfing buddy) and I went to the San Telmo markets on the bus.

Originally these markets were for antiques, but have become an anything goes kind of market. So I saw everything from very expensive antique crystal chandeliers to plastic gadgets that thread needles for you...yes, I did contemplate getting one (the needle thingy, not the chandelier) but I managed to resist all of the temptations today
...apart from the choripan...YUM! Basically a hotdog-like creature but made with, you guessed it, chorizo. I bought it from this outdoor vendor who had 3 massive BBQs going...it was delicious, no wonder there was a line up.

 

 

Yesterday, I wandered over to the Recoleta Cemetery (it´s really close to where I´m staying).

It has been compared to the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris and it´s full of magnificent crypts---4700 all up. This is the final resting place of the wealthy and influential - it is where Eva Peron is buried. It's the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires.


The families buried here continue to pay for the crypts and the space they take up. As another family member dies they are placed in the upper layer of the crypt and the previous deceased goes down to the lower level. As that space gets filled the bones are collected and placed into a smaller containers.

Eva Peron's grave - it was full of people...both inside and out
- some more lively than others

Dinner anyone?

Hola todos,
Just had my first meal in an Argentinian restaurant!

It looks like my diabolical plan to dye my hair dark in order to "blend" worked...kind of. I got to a restaurant that looked good, but not too good (and it was mentioned in the French Routard Guide that my Couch Surfing buddy lent me).
They sat me down and handed me a menu. In Spanish. Ok...
I tried to understand it, but alas there were too many gaps in my limited vocabulary. When waiter came by and asked if I was ready to order, I must have had a confused look on my face because he then asked if I wanted the English menu....si, por favor.

 

He was very kind and patient when I finally placed my order in poor Spanish, and took the time to repeat everything slowly, no doubt to show me how badly I was butchering his language - lucky I got there early while it was still quiet. It was 9pm.
By the time my meal came out the place was packed. They live life on a different schedule than Canberra, that´s for sure!

I´ll tell you about my encounter today with Eva Peron tomorrow along with my journey to the San Telmo markets...stay tuned

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that I broke 2 travel rules already...I used tap water to brush my teeth and that dinner I just told you about, it was salad. We'll see how that goes over...

At the airport

It's the final countdown!
Steve was gracious enough to drive me to Sydney and I'm sure he regrets it as it was a white knuckle drive the whole way fraught with torrents of rain. Thanks Steve for being so awesome...I'll see if I can bring you back that llama.
I'm at the airport - gone through customs (my carry on was 0.7 over but the kind lady let me go through)
Boarding is in 30 min so I thought I would jump on to this lovely free internet service provided by Optus.

I only slept 2 hours last night and have had less than my 7 hours every night this week - I'm completely knackered. Hopefully, I'll be asleep as soon as I hit the seat.
See you all on the other side!

Packin' it in

Lately, people have been asking me, "So, what are you bringing?"
I'm visiting both equatorial jungles (hot and humid) and some very high altitude mountains (can be quite cold especially at night) - so I picked through my wardrobe carefully, and chose clothes based on very scientific, well defined and researched criteria...making the range quite impressive.

Anyhoo, I have two bags which I could use:
Exhibit A: a backpack I bought when I went to France 25 years ago. Can't tell you its capacity, it looks deceptively small, but it holds more than ...





Exhibit B: The pack I bought before coming to Australia. This is a specially designed pack for women with a notch at the back for your head and straps that adjust to the nth degree. It's got about 70 l capacity.








Each has pros and cons...which I shan't go into 'cause, well, I'm sure you all don't really care, you just want to know what I'm bringing - SO, back to my scientifically researched...

...oh who am I kidding? I made a big pile on my bed of all the stuff I thought I might "need" under various circumstances. It was a monolith of clothes - and I hadn't added the shoes yet. Or accessories, or electronic gadgets, or books, or any other sundry items that I may or may not use. I tried to envision myself trudging along with all this stuff...at altitude -where your legs weigh a ton, let alone anything you might be carrying....
That was when I thought that perhaps less is more, or at least, lighter.

....so what if I only brought a carry on sized bag?

Enter my new bag: a 38L pack that (allegedly) meets the carry-on specifications.

Now, to pare down the colossus...

I'm down to:
2 pairs of pants; 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 t-shirt, 2 tanks, 1 dress, 1 sweater, 4 pairs of socks and undies, 2 bras, 1 pair of sandals, 1 travel towel, and my hiking boots, which I will have to wear whenever I travel from place to place because they take up 50% of my bag space if I pack them.
In the accessories/gadget department, I'm bringing my travel diary, a Sudoku puzzle book, my camera, my iPod (it has iSpeak Spanish on it - with handy Spanish phrases), and possibly my eReader (the jury is still out on that one).

It's funny, seeing it all listed like that. It looks like both too much and too little. Maybe that means it's just right. Or do you reckon I've missed something vital?

6 more sleeps...