Apr 2007

Again, all the pictures are on the link below

http://manchester.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113907&l=4c4ae&id=61407689

http://manchester.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2117663&l=609c5&id=61407689

Well, my passport says I spent 14 days in Argentina but can´t seem to recall most of them. Got to Buenas Aires from Colonia and checked into the Millhouse, bad idea. The Millhouse is a quality place but ure gona see shit all of BA if you stay there. All you do is drink and party there, my mate Finn managed to go for 37 hours straight there. The earliest I got out of the hostel was 11.54 am, and that was pushing it.
Did manage to see a bit of the city though, its a really cool city. Managed to restock on all the stuff I´d managed to destroy or lose, crap its cheap there.
BA itself is an amazing place, its quite a European city, and thanks to currency crash in 2001 its absolutely dirt cheap. Could pretty much go to any restaurant, bar or shop and could quite easily get whatever.
Ended up spending 8 days there which really should have been enough had I been able to drag my ass out of bed before noon. However what I did see was quality. The port area was really nice, sort of like Salford Quays and the Albert Docks, only nicer. It was really good alking down there at night with all the high risers lit up. Also managed a bit of culture, yes dad culture, went to National Art Gallery, was pretty cool, though they had some strange stuff. Apparently a model of a KISS concert qualifys to be National Gallery along with the Monet and Van Goughs (I think I spelt that right). Also checked out the Falklands memorials and exhibts. One the end of the main shopping street theres a collection of pictures taken during the battle, however its a tad one sided. Seems to present them as a liberating force and completely omits the bit about them getting them losing the whole thing. However every map in Argentina has it down as theres, someones abviously needs to have a word with the boys down and printing place. However not to worry as it seemed like every English guy was willing to correct it on any map they saw.
So after 8 days decided I needed to see some of Argentina so headed off with a few people in my dorm to Rossario. Its a town or city, not too sure, which is North West of BA on the river. Also the claim to fame is that its where that Che guy was born, Castros mate. However the main reason people guy is due to what everyone says of the women, that they´re stunning, and yes.... I can confirm tha rumour as being true. I have never in my entire life been in a club with so many stunning looking people. Crap.
So anyway after the delights of Rossario we headed to Mendoz, the area where they make all the wine. On one day we hired some bies and cycled round this massive park, now until then I hadnt been on a bike in around about 10 years. Luckly you dont forget. So did that for an afternoon. Was quality. Then the next day we headed to the vinyards and did a cycle tour on a couple of high quality bikes, my back brake didnt work, neither did the gears and the chain kept slipping. However was still mazing, got to cycle all around the different wine places and try all the red wine. So now after a few tasting sessions I can now class myself as a wine expert and will no doubt actually know what Im doing when I order the stuff in a restaurant.
However all good things have to come to an end and so I headed off the following day to Chile where I am due to fly out of all the way to New Zealand.

Most the pics for Uruguay are on facebook so just use the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2114573&l=555a5&id=61407689

So headed to Uruguay from Ascuncion, Paraguay, but instead of going to Montevideo me and Finn got off in Salto which is right in the North. So the bus rocked up at 0600 there in the morning on the edge of town, where by the bus driver told us to walk in the wrong direction. Anyway finally rocked up in this town tired to buggery.
The only reason to check out Salto is for all the thermal springs which surrond the area. However we decided to spend the saturday in the town and sunday in the springs. From what I can remember the town was pretty quiet, but I think we were just too tired to notice where it was happening. So the next day ended up in the springs, was kind of cool. Ended up spending the day at the water park place. It was quite strange as the water was warm. While the next day we were due to head down to Fray Bentos to see the meat packing factory, yes there is a place called Fray Bentos and it was where the meat pies used to be made. However I was too lazy to get up at 0500 so Finn buggered off there and I went straight to Montevideo.
The first few days I spent in Red Hostel, pretty nice place. Had a wonder around, is actually a really cool place. However from Wednesday till I left for Colonia next week I stayed with a family that my parents knew. They were so kind I couldn´t do it justice here. Went to all the best places around the city and sampled all the local food, man its soooo good. Unlike back home they eat all the cow, and I mean ALL the cow. Crap turns out we´ve been wasting some of the best bits. Have discovered a liking for the salva glands, man they´re good, hopefully will be able to pick some up in the local butchers. When you go the restaurants we ordered a slection of all the different bits of meat then had an even bigger piece of meat for mains. It was the nicest beef I have ever tasted (and that also is including Argentina).
When the weekend came, Gus, their youngest son, took me down to Punta del Esta for the weekend as it was Easter weekend and Monty was going to be pretty quiet.
Punta del Esta is an absolute quality place, even though it was the off season it was still pretty busy. This is a really famous hotel there, wasn´t so much built as desgined by a really famous artist. On the saturday hit one of the local clubs, but did it local style. Had a bit of a snooze till midnight then went out. Apparently the cooler you are the later you turn up, so we hit the club like 2ish. A few other english people joined us, Matt, Mauranka, Paula and Marc. Went to a club called Soho which was a really good club. We haven´t got anything back home like the clubs out here. Everyone in there was stunning, so we fit in pretty well.
As an illustration on how much money there is in this place we were driving down the front when a red Ferrari F430 with Brazilian plates bombed it by us. Decided to try and catch them up, only they were´nt trying much, pulled by them only to find to girls who couldnt have been older than 30 behind the wheel. We guessed rich husband or dad. Headed back the following day but still had a good look round the place, is def. a place I´d like to go back too, however when its in season December-March.
Spent a couple more days looking around Monty before said goodbye to the family who´d been so nice and wouldnt take anything in return. Ended up in Colonia on Wednesday lunchtime and was due to catch the ferry across to BA on Thursday evening. Colonia was a pretty nice place, not much to do there though.
It was nice in the evening with the sunset, was quite strange at night time as across the estuary the sky was lit up from all the light pollution from Buenas Aires. It was almost like the sun was starting to rise. Would only give it a day, though some people were spending upto 4 days there, strange people. Hostel wasn´t too bad but there was a right cock in the room, won´t go into it but man he was a cock. So got the ferry into BA, another county, 5 countries down and only 2 more to go.