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Hi everyone,
Continuing on from Rich´s last update from Barriloche ...............
On our last day in Bariloche we did a 6 hr hike to Mount Catedral which was a great hike due to the fantastic views which included lake views on one side of the mountain then Snow capped peaks on the other side. Although by 11pm we were both truly exhausted from our climb we got our game faces on as Rich would say and headed out into town to an Irish bar. There was a great band and umm, that's about all i can remember from the night, so it was definitely a good one!
The next day we were sad to be leaving Bariloche as we had had such a great time there and our hostel was the most chilled out place ever. We avoided a 2 day bus ride to El Calafate by catching an 1 hr and 20 minute flight instead. El Calafate´s main attractions are the amazing glaciers here so the following day we set of on a tour to Glacier Moreno which really is incredible. The surface area is a little smaller than Israel, now i know Israel is a small country but it puts into perspective the size of this thing. We went on a boat up close to the glacier and then spent the rest of the day walking around the area getting some great pics and listening to huge chunks of ice fall of the glacier, great sound.
In the morning we moved hostels to a much cooler one with a great kitchen and lots of communal areas as we wanted to spend Christmas with a big group of people to help us get in the Xmas spirit as Argentina is really not big on Xmas trees and decorations etc and Rich was in desperate need of someone with ipod speakers so he could play his Xmas songs to get the Xmas atmosphere going . Our new hostel was great and our Xmas eve celebrations consisted of lots of drinking with some Aussies, Americans, Israelis, a Dutch guy and another Brit.
We decided to boy cot the very expensive Xmas lunch menu´s restaurants offered on Xmas day and cook our own feast, and although it didn´t consist of turkey we did enjoy some huge steak baguettes and red wine. We chilled out on Xmas day with the Aussies and Dutchy and a very very annoying Israeli and then headed out in the evening for a super posh 3 course dinner for about $7. Our lovely dinner was coming to an end when we had all just finished dessert and Rich decided to release a little gas (trying desperately not too of course!!!) which I'm sure the whole restaurant would have heard and it was hilarious. Our table was in hysterics for a good while after and it made for some banta for the rest of the evening.
Boxing day was another very relaxed day as other than the glacier there isn´t much else to do in El Calafate so thank goodness for books and vino. On the 27th we flew to Buenos Aires to avoid yet another humongous flight but typically had a delayed flight and a horrible Argentinean women scream at us for 5 minutes when she thought we were queue jumping.
We had some time to kill in the lovely Buenos Aires before catching the night bus to Posadas so we spent the day relaxing in Palermo (an area with some lovely parks and statues). We also paid a visit to Evita's museum which was really interesting.
On our first day in Posadas we thought we would nip across the border to get some extra stamps in our passports, ohh and too see some Jesuit ruins as well!! Unfortunately after having already spent 12 hours on a night bus the journey to Paraguay was not quite a `nip` and involved a total of 9 buses and a horrendous queue at passport control. Neva mind, the ruins were pretty cool and it was cool to enter a new country (for about 4 hrs). In the evening we enjoyed a couple of cold bevies as it was about 28 degrees still and then headed to an all you can eat parilla (grilled meat).
The following day we went to the river where they have created a little beach and beach bar. Here We caught some rays and people watched for a good while as i have never seen so many beautiful people in all my life. Rich and i were very impressed with the perfectly shaped bottoms (pics to follow soon).
The next day saw us travel to Puerto Iguassu as we were finally going to see the Iguassu falls, something Rich and i have been looking forward to since we decided we would travel South America. Our hostel was perfect, very friendly, lots of other backpackers too chill with, a kitchen and best of all a swimming pool. It was a strange feeling spending new years eve in the swimming pool, beasts England huh! New Years Eve was a great laugh, we enjoyed some drinks with some crazy people and ended the night in a sweaty club with some Argentinians and Norwegians.
After finally hitting the sack at 6am on New Years day, we made our way to the waterfalls. They were absolutely incredible. We were both taken aback by them and we spent 6 hours walking along the different trails looking at the falls from different angles and each time they look completely different. They really are magnificent. We returned to our hostel , cooled off in the pool then went out for dinner.
The following day we crossed the Argentian border into Brazil and went to see The falls again but from the Brazilian side as you get totally different views. We had an equally fantastic day and were ´wowed´ again. We spent the evening on a night bus to Curitiba and in the morning caught the scenic train to Paranagua. Unfortunately the views were not as great as we had hoped as they were obstructed by a lot of cloud fog. We are now in Paranagua where we shall spend the night before catching the boat to Ilha do Mel tomorrow where we shall relax for a good couple of days. I can´t wait.
We hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year
Lots of Love
Beth and Rich
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