Hola guys. Due to the fact that South America has its fair share of steamcats and crust queens, we feel that we should use our paparazzi skills to show you some of these members in all all there glory....
Watch out for new pics, there will be a lot on the way......Davey Perks, this one is for you seal boy!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Raining black cats and dogs!
Buenos Aires is a fantastic city when the weather is hot and sunny but when it is raining cats and dogs it is a completely different situation. On Friday morning we left our crust cave in the Microsentro and moved to the other side of town to the place that Steve and Christie were staying. It was truly a mission on the subte with bags that were weighed down with lead, getting hopelessly lost and wet in the rain. Our objective for the day was to plan our weekend trip to Rosario, Argentina´s third largest city situated some 4 hours to the north west. With return tickets bought for us and accommodation secured for the next few days all we had to do now was relax. We cooked s delicious dinner from ingredients sourced around the neighbourhood. The melanzane cooked with ripe tomatoes and brinjals was washed down with some great, yet very cheap (R20) red wines. One bottle worth mentioning was called "Gato Negro" (The Black Cat) which duly sideswiped us, and is widely known as a sign of badluck. This devil cat was the reason why almost missed our bus to Rosario, as three gringos and one gringette had to hustle for their lices to catch the 9 15 El Pulqui bus to Rosario.
Our seats were reserved right in the back of the bus which we thought was pretty cool, but alas, a huge rookie error because the rattling of the air con resembled that of an industrial diesel generator. This didnt dampen our mood, and a great deal of entertainment was to unfold as the trip wore on. Just a few examples of thid were ridiculous thimble size cups of coffee, three different snack platters, STEAMY Argentinian music videos as well as awkward lunging and groping from a dodgy couple in front of us.
We arrived in Rosario at Hostel Point which didnt exactly resemble the photos we had seen, it was pretty crusty and frequented by some dodgy folk. However, there was an awesome braai area on the roof were we were keen yo test our skills at a traditional Argentinian Parilla (braai). Our room had two bunkbeds in it however there was not that much room for activities........
More from our relaxed vibes in Rosario over the next few days.....
Peace
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Our dinner with a bottle of Bejamin Temprenello |
Our seats were reserved right in the back of the bus which we thought was pretty cool, but alas, a huge rookie error because the rattling of the air con resembled that of an industrial diesel generator. This didnt dampen our mood, and a great deal of entertainment was to unfold as the trip wore on. Just a few examples of thid were ridiculous thimble size cups of coffee, three different snack platters, STEAMY Argentinian music videos as well as awkward lunging and groping from a dodgy couple in front of us.
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| Rat sized cups of coffee |
We arrived in Rosario at Hostel Point which didnt exactly resemble the photos we had seen, it was pretty crusty and frequented by some dodgy folk. However, there was an awesome braai area on the roof were we were keen yo test our skills at a traditional Argentinian Parilla (braai). Our room had two bunkbeds in it however there was not that much room for activities........
More from our relaxed vibes in Rosario over the next few days.....
Peace
Friday, February 18, 2011
Buenos Dias Buenos Aires
Getting up at 4am is not always the best way to start your day but I guess when you are flying halfway across the world its not actually that bad, especially when its your birthday. And as it was Chunky's birthday why not have a beer at 9 in the morning at OR Tambo business class lounge. After a long 10 hour flight in which two bottles of Moet & Chandon were elegantly consumed, we set foot on land on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. We were greeted by an absolute angel at the tourism office as well as the blazing heat of a Buenos Aires afternoon.
After a bus ride into town we found that the hostel we intended on staying in was booked up so needed to walk next door with our backpacks and see what was on offer. The place is called Sudamerika Hostel & Suites, and we managed to get a room there. It was nothing to write home about, although I seem to be doing this right now, but it had beds that didnt seem to be infested with bedbugs and general crust, so all was fine. It was 7pm now and we had been awake for 16 hours so we were rather exhausted. Needing to go and see what the city was about we got hold of Steve van der Heijden and Christie Smith who came and met us at the hostel. Around the corner was one of BA's trademark sidewalk cafes where the city's people come to wine and dine till late in the evening. They had gotten there a few days earlier so they were divulging tips of the trade when it came to sightseeing and how to get there. We had a great dinner and the beers, delicious litre bottles of Quilmes (Keel-mes) Cristal were flowing and an end eventually came to possibly the world's longest birthday ever. (30 hours with the added time difference). A well deserved rest on a marshmallow like bed was a real treat after a long day of travelling.
The next morning which happened to be my birthday, started off with a lavish buffet breakfast that consisted of stale bagette and grape jam. Delicious....naat! Anyway we started early on our day of sightseeing using the Subte (Underground) which is so convenient and also so ridiculously cheap (R2 per trip). We started off at Plaza de Mayo which has a whole host of amazing buildings, went through town for the whole morning and then saw the upmarket suburb of Recoleta, with its monuments and museums. A detailed account of these sights is to follow this post......
We walked and we walked and we walked! And all of this was done in sweltering heat which led us to sweat as much as King Shaka after the Battle of Isandlwana! To make it even better I did not choose the wisest underwear for the day so thus was walking around like a gaucho (cowboy) after a four day horse ride! We headed back to our side of town and relaxed under the oak trees on the side of Avenida de Mayo at a local hangout sipping a few beers. A great end to a birthday spent seeing the sights of beautiful Buenos Aires.....
After a bus ride into town we found that the hostel we intended on staying in was booked up so needed to walk next door with our backpacks and see what was on offer. The place is called Sudamerika Hostel & Suites, and we managed to get a room there. It was nothing to write home about, although I seem to be doing this right now, but it had beds that didnt seem to be infested with bedbugs and general crust, so all was fine. It was 7pm now and we had been awake for 16 hours so we were rather exhausted. Needing to go and see what the city was about we got hold of Steve van der Heijden and Christie Smith who came and met us at the hostel. Around the corner was one of BA's trademark sidewalk cafes where the city's people come to wine and dine till late in the evening. They had gotten there a few days earlier so they were divulging tips of the trade when it came to sightseeing and how to get there. We had a great dinner and the beers, delicious litre bottles of Quilmes (Keel-mes) Cristal were flowing and an end eventually came to possibly the world's longest birthday ever. (30 hours with the added time difference). A well deserved rest on a marshmallow like bed was a real treat after a long day of travelling.
The next morning which happened to be my birthday, started off with a lavish buffet breakfast that consisted of stale bagette and grape jam. Delicious....naat! Anyway we started early on our day of sightseeing using the Subte (Underground) which is so convenient and also so ridiculously cheap (R2 per trip). We started off at Plaza de Mayo which has a whole host of amazing buildings, went through town for the whole morning and then saw the upmarket suburb of Recoleta, with its monuments and museums. A detailed account of these sights is to follow this post......
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| Birthday Beers at the BC Lounge |
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| Plaza de Mayo, the dude who invented the Argentinian flag |
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| Taking a breather from the scorching heat |
We walked and we walked and we walked! And all of this was done in sweltering heat which led us to sweat as much as King Shaka after the Battle of Isandlwana! To make it even better I did not choose the wisest underwear for the day so thus was walking around like a gaucho (cowboy) after a four day horse ride! We headed back to our side of town and relaxed under the oak trees on the side of Avenida de Mayo at a local hangout sipping a few beers. A great end to a birthday spent seeing the sights of beautiful Buenos Aires.....
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Hola Gringoes and Gringettes!!
Buenos Dias, Bocadillas
pronounced Boo-weh-ness (not aweh-ness) dee-us, Boca-deeryas
Is a message given to any traveller who embarked on his/her own journey into the unknown. A journey to find peace, prosperity and the odd buckwild jol. This term has been used by the Incas of the Andes for hundreds of years but scholars maintain that this translation was lost years ago. It can be loosely translated as "Good morning, sandwiches" but lets rather go for the more poetic one.
Our South American journey begins on a solemn note with the passing of a truly great gringo. Muchos prayers and thoughts go out the Hunt family! Here we are on the eve of the birthday of the Spaniard himself, Chunky Rule, ready packed up for a two month adventure to the real land of the gringoes and the gauchos. We depart for Buenos Aires, Argentina in the morning and will be setting foot in a land of fine wine, fine ladies (margs, thats just what I've heard) and fine steak (apparently the rump is deeeelicious). Pity the only words of Spanish we know are "si" and "bocadillos". So yes, Chunks is going to have some serious game with the senoritas......"Yes, Sandwiches" will have them weak at the knees! This could prove to be an interesting first evening in the city they call the Paris of South America.
A great deal of our trip is planned and a map will show you how myself and Chunky plan to traverse the continent in the vein of 15th century Spanish Conquistadors (minus the raping and pillaging). Apart from places we are going, we will also be galloping the streets of Rio Carnival with a Horse and be collaborating on stage with the Backstreet Boys on their world tour.
More from us soon as we actually get stuck into our very own Gringo Trail!
Peace hombres
pronounced Boo-weh-ness (not aweh-ness) dee-us, Boca-deeryas
Is a message given to any traveller who embarked on his/her own journey into the unknown. A journey to find peace, prosperity and the odd buckwild jol. This term has been used by the Incas of the Andes for hundreds of years but scholars maintain that this translation was lost years ago. It can be loosely translated as "Good morning, sandwiches" but lets rather go for the more poetic one.
Our South American journey begins on a solemn note with the passing of a truly great gringo. Muchos prayers and thoughts go out the Hunt family! Here we are on the eve of the birthday of the Spaniard himself, Chunky Rule, ready packed up for a two month adventure to the real land of the gringoes and the gauchos. We depart for Buenos Aires, Argentina in the morning and will be setting foot in a land of fine wine, fine ladies (margs, thats just what I've heard) and fine steak (apparently the rump is deeeelicious). Pity the only words of Spanish we know are "si" and "bocadillos". So yes, Chunks is going to have some serious game with the senoritas......"Yes, Sandwiches" will have them weak at the knees! This could prove to be an interesting first evening in the city they call the Paris of South America.
A great deal of our trip is planned and a map will show you how myself and Chunky plan to traverse the continent in the vein of 15th century Spanish Conquistadors (minus the raping and pillaging). Apart from places we are going, we will also be galloping the streets of Rio Carnival with a Horse and be collaborating on stage with the Backstreet Boys on their world tour.
More from us soon as we actually get stuck into our very own Gringo Trail!
Peace hombres
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