Well I've arrived in Buenos Aires via a fairy knackering flight at 7 in the morning from Santiago. The last two weeks in Santiago were pretty interesting but proved that Santiago whilst briefly interesting is not the best place to be for a long period of time unless your working.
After an epic birthday of a friend of my brother's, in which I consumed my bodyweight in vodka and apparently demanded dance offs with anybody willing to listen, I headed to Pucon.
Pucon, which was an overnight bus trip south. Pucon became famous for its hot springs and clearly a town sprung up in the valleys of the Andes. It reminded me a lot of Rotorua in New Zealand. Whilst not the most visually attractive town, the natural wonders were stunning and numerous. I stayed at a very small hostel called l'ecole, which although vegetarian and slightly draughty was very nice. Although I had the misfortune to be stuck in a dorm with three middle -aged blokes who snored like howitzers. The real problem was not going with a group of friends, which slightly restricted the activities I could do during the winter off-season. But I still managed a hotel spa and an interesting and amusing horse-riding expedition in the lower Andes with a family and the guide who was a proper gaucho and phenomenal horseman. My only shame was losing a fight to a mammoth steak, which was the size of my head and two inches thick. I hang my head.
My last few days in Santiago were not that interesting, but I relaxed mainly because I was pretty sure that Argentina and the upcoming job was going to be pretty exhausting. I sampled some of the restaurants in Santiago including several sushi houses, with varying degrees of success.
And now I have spent my first day in Buenos Aires and am already enjoying it. My friend Luz is being unbelievably helpful in showing me round BA, it's a bustling city with no specific centre, which makes travelling and getting one's bearings a bit difficult, but its fun. The shopping from what I can see is pretty staggering with a massive leaning towards leather boots and jackets, which is not surprising. I'm really looking forward to my job working on a ranch although I am reliably informed that it's going to be tough, tiring work. The good news is I may well be able to play some rugby, which will certainly take the edge off of everything. I am debating the merits of taking on salsa lessons, which could end disastrously but should be a laugh. Hopefully the next entry will be slightly more prompt than this one.