Travels in Latin America - Part 2

As promised, here are the continuing details of my trips to Latin America. I should point out that I might have commented negatively on my time in Russia in 2005 and 2006, but I can assure you that apart from a few mishaps that happened along the way, I had an extremely fun and enjoyable time there. It's a fascinating country and you get extremes wherever you are. I can't really describe what I mean by that. Take my word for it, and go and pay Russia a visit. Russia is somewhere I would love to return to, sadly, it isn't so easy to just turn up and visit like it is in Latin America.

I returned to Latin America in 2006, and did a bit of a tour of Argentina. I really do like Argentina. The people are friendly, the weather is mostly nice and sunny, and the many pretty towns have a laid back and relaxed feel to them. The people are unhurried and the pace of life is slow. OK, Buenos Aires isn't like this, but then again I m not a big fan of Buenos Aires, well I am, but for different reasons. Highlights of this particular trip were the visits to Bariloche, San Martin de Los Andes, Salta and Rosario.

Lets start with Bariloche. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Argentina. Bariloche is located in the Rio Negro province of Argentina, next to the Nahuel Huapi lake and in the foothills of the Andes. It's a tourist centre, but that shouldn't put you off visiting. I remember it being a bit of a walk from the bus station to the centre of the city, but it was worth it because it bears a striking resemblance to an alpine town, with lots of wood and grey stone used in the construction of buildings. 



I got checked into a hostel when I arrived (not the one in the pic), and as luck would have it, it was awful. I m one of those unfortunate people who seem to always choose the worst place possible to stay. If I had moved I would have ended up somewhere even worse, and so I decided to stay for my short visit. I think the main problem with the hostel wasn't just the lack of people, but also the lack of any sort of heating. I think there was construction going on as well, because there was a hole in the roof. Luckily, I did have the 8 bedroom dorm to myself, as there were no other visitors. 

Anyways, I ignored this fact, and set off to explore the place. I thought the best way to do this would be to hire a bike, and so that's exactly what I did. It was fairly cheap, and they provide a map and everything. I intended to tackle the 65km Circuito Chico (small circuit). It was a tough ride, but really, really worth it. First stop was the chairlift at Cerro Campanario. The views from the top are spectacular. I had a good look out over the lakes and Andes. The next stop was the Hotel Llao-Llao it's a posh old place that looks as if it has definitely been implanted straight from Switzerland. Not somewhere that I could afford to stay, but a place that I could most certainly dream about staying in.

On the way back, I had another stop and a wander up this small mountain path. It didn't lead anywhere in particular, and so headed down again. I think it was some sort of animal graveyard, and so I didn't want to hang about. Also, on the way back I had a lovely experience. Remember before, I said I had spent a lot of time in Russia, where, to be honest the people aren't overly friendly, well in Argentina people are. This chap sat by the side of the road called me over, and I remember thinking 'oh great, I m going to get mugged or something' but he wanted someone to chat with, and someone to share a glass of his wine and some empanadas. My Spanish isn't 100% fluent but I managed a bit of a conversation, and following on I continued on my way. I was 10000% tired when I got back to the centre, but the ride was worth it.

I spent another few days in Bariloche chilling out and just taking in the lovely clean air and chocolate box like surroundings. Following this I headed onto San martin de Los Andes, where my friend Juan lived. So, next is San Martin de Los Andes.

San Martin de Los Andes (SMA) is similar in a way to Bariloche, but a lot, lot smaller. It’s still a popular place to visit for skiing, kayaking, trekking and mountain biking. I checked into a nicer hostel this time, mainly because it was Juan who organised it. I wasn’t staying at his place, because he lived a small way outside the city and it would have been harder to travel around. Anyways, again, we decided to hire a couple of bikes and head out to explore the local area. Juan knew of this bike trail that ran up the side of a mountain so off we went to have a look. It was a lovely ride, and we got great views of the local lake. Unfortunately, my biking skills weren’t great today and I ended up falling off the bike hurting my foot, and damaging my knee a bit. I was OK to continue but it hurt. I needed a rest by the lake before I could go on. I stayed another day or so and then continued my travels. It was great to see Juan and I got the chance to meet some genuinely nice characters in the hostel. One chap called Martin was great. He was Chilean, and I couldn’t understand a word of his Spanish. His accent was a bit odd. Even so, we managed to go for a shop and cook a meal for some other people in the hostel. That sums up my time in SMA. Thank you to Juan for showing me around.

The third and final place that stands out is Rosario. This beautiful city is the third largest city in Argentina, and is situated about 300kms from Buenos Aires. It's a major railroad and shipping terminal and is at the heart of Argentina's industrial corridor. One of the most amazing things about Rosario is the 'National Flag Monument' it was built on June 20th 1957 and honours Manuel Belgrano, the creator of the Argentina flag. The monument is about 10,000 square metres and was created primarily from stone brought down from the Andes. I thought it was magnificent, and looked even better in the sunny weather.

I had best stop rambling on there, I have no idea if anyone even reads this, but I shall post more about my adventures in the future. I hope you enjoy the read.

Travels in Latin America - Part 1

It's been a while since I last updated my blog, so I thought I would put a post up now.

You'll notice the title of this post is 'Travels in Latin America', and seen as people have been asking me about where I have been, and because I have just put in a job application for a sales position in Peru, I thought I would write a bit about where I have been and what I have done.

I guess my story began all the way back in 2000, when I went on a Raleigh Expedition to Chile. It was a fantastic adventure, and helped me learn a great deal about myself, and how to work with other people better. I also got the chance to experience some fabulous places. I got to visit Tortel. This was a lovely little village in the south of Chile. I was involved in a project to build boardwalks here. That may not seem like much, but when you understand that Tortel had no roads, no cars, and no pavements and everyone got around on boardwalks, it has a bit more significance to it. I also got the chance to teach in a local school, and build some climbing frames for the town down on the beach.

Once Tortel finished I was involved in sea kayaking around the coast of Chile. This was quite simply the most amazing thing I have ever done. I had never used a kayak before, and being out on the sea everyday was fabulous. The final phase involved an environmental survey in the Jeinemeni National Park. It involved a lot of trekking, and a visit to the San Rafael glacier.

Following the expedition, I was determined to return to Latin America as soon as possible, my next opportunity came in 2003, when I embarked on some English Language Teaching in Buenos Aires. I got to learn more about the birthplace of tango, improve my Spanish and get more familiar with the Portenos way of life. The teaching was interesting, but the day to day experiences made the overall trip 100% worthwhile. Once again, I knew that I would have to return to Latin America. Unfortunately, circumstances meant that I spent a number of years in Russia, before I would have the opportunity of visiting again, but I managed to make it again in 2006, 2009 and more recently 2011. These experiences will be detailed in  part 2.

LatoAsia

Ugly Buildings Round the World Part 7

 

Above, here, is the incredibly ugly site of the 'Kaden' Building.

According to Wikipedia, this monstrosity is a 15-story office building in suburban Louisville, Kentucky. The building opened in 1966 and was originally named Lincoln Tower. The building is notable for its cantilevered structure and its suspended lacework facade.

I think it looks like a standard office block, with unfinished scaffolding bolted on. The scaffolding looks as if it's about to fall off. It's truly hideous!

I aim to put another one up soon, so enjoy!

Ugly Buildings Round the World Part 6

I have decided to include the Shard in my latest posting because it is, in my opinion, not very nice to look at.
According to Wikipedia it's 309.6 metres tall and has the title of tallest building in Europe. and is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the UK. It's in London.

It looks a bit like an unfinished, tall greenhouse. It doesn't even look as if it's closed at the top.Good luck to anyone living in it. They'll definitely need to buy some thick curtains!

A quick post

Just had a good listen to my buddy Matt singing in his new(ish) band 'The Outlines'. They are a good group, and if you want to listen to some of the music they have come up with then check out the following link:

http://theoutlines.bandcamp.com/

I had a listen to 'Let's Work Together' and 'She Belongs To Me'. They are both great tunes. I understand that 'The Outlines' are available to hire for parties etc etc, so feel free to look at their website and check them out.

Another friend of mine (Paul) is also in a group. I haven't listed them here because he's actually in about 5 bands and that seems to change every 5 minutes so I can't list them here. If Paul wants to send me a link to his latest group I will certainly add the link(s) here.

LAtoAsia.blogspot.com

It's been a while since my last post but....

I understand it's been a bit of a break since my last post, but lots and lots has been happening since then. Firstly, I have been out on a jetski and that was a pretty terrifying experience I can tell you. It was fun, but they are extremely fast and obviously, being a kind of boat, they have no brakes, which means that it's either power 'on' or power 'not on'. they go quite a speed as well. I went with my new (ish) colleague Julian. He took to his jetski like a duck to water.

Also, I have been to Dubai and I had a great time there. I finally got the chance to go up the world's tallest man made structure, the Burj Khalifa as it's known. It takes a good minute or 2 to get to the 'top'. It's a bit unfair really saying that you go to the top, you don't you go to a point about 430 odd metres in the air.it's high, but it isn't near the top. It goes up for another 300 odd metres above you at that point.

Later that day I went and saw the fountains that are in the lake at the base of the tower. In the evening they put on a light and music show and it's quite spectacular. I might well be in Dubai over the next few weeks as well. I managed to find this cheap place (relatively) to stay in, so I'd use the place again if I decide to go back.

Other than the above things are still ticking along teaching wise and I m not sure what will happen early next year once my contract finishes. I'll have to wait and see what happens.

LAtoAsia.blogspot.com