Arvey go… a uruguay!
Although we have been here little more than 2 full months, tomorrow we are making the obligatory pilgrimage across the Rio de la Plata into Uruguay. Those of us who choose to remain in Argentina long-term must do one of three things within a three-month period in which our tourist visa is applicable: continue to stay in the country illegally (although a popular and very easy option, staying will pose a problem when we try to get visas to Brazil), pay a fee to extend the visa, or exit the country—most popularly to Uruguay.
We had planned to cross over into Colonia when cam’s family comes to visit, but after talking to a friend here, we were informed that nearly all of the buquebus (ferry) rides were booked solid through December (Uruguay is a major summer destination for Argentines as well). Upon inspection, we found it impossible to book a buquebus ticket for 5 people, and we spontaneously decided on Thursday that we should book passages for this weekend.*
We decided to travel with Preston and Zach (now recurring characters… you should recognize them from past posts) and just one day after our decision to go, we booked our tickets and hostel. And it’s lucky we chose this weekend—there are so few spaces on the buque in the coming weeks, and next week starts the high season in the hostels (with prices double what they are now).
We are leaving early tomorrow morning, crossing into Montevideo, and we will spend the day there before taking a two-hour (and $4) bus into Punta del Este, the elite (and rather snobby) beach destination in South America. We’ll stay there three nights until we take a five-hour bus ride into Colonia, walk around the city, and head back to BA—just in time to make one day of class for the week!
We’ll try to update while we’re gone… but if we can’t, just imagine us lounging on a beach (possibly the one pictured above in Punta del Este), ideally with drinks in hand and perhaps a few rounds of beach volleyball.
*Another option to cross is by bus, but because of the political climate between Argentina and Uruguay at the moment, there have been constant blockades of the bridges. It would be too unreliable to attempt to book bus and hostel tickets, and then be turned away when trying to cross.
San Antonio De Areco
Last weekend we went on our second day trip (after tigre). We were ready to get out of the city and explore Argentina outside of greater Buenos Aires. We didn’t want to travel far (aka a long bus ride) so we decided to visit San Antonio De Areco. It is only a two-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires, and costs about 20 pesos each way, which isn’t too bad. San Antonio De Areco is a small town known for its gaucho population and historic pride.
We left the city around 8 in the morning, (which I still can’t believe we made, as I hardly ever make my 9 o’clock class) and arrived in San Antonio around 11. Cameron’s classmates-turned-friends Preston and Marian accompanied us. As we got off the bus we had no clue where to go… since I knew we were in a small town I decided to use my good old tactic of following strangers who look like they might be going the same way I want to go… lo and behold it worked perfectly and we found the “city” center. As we were walking towards the central plaza/park we noticed many bikers and decided that we had better rent some bikes (Cam and I were missing our bikes from home). The four of us rented bikes for the day and upon recommendation headed towards an asado in the country, (unfortunately we were hungry early, and the parilla was not fired up to grill meta when we got there). The restaurant was very cute and although most of their menu was not available due to the time of day, we all had excellent meals accompanied with a refreshing bottle of white wine, which started off our day with a relaxing buzz. After lunch, we strolled about ten feet away from our table to sun chairs and sunbathed/digested for a little over an hour. I began to get antsy as I noticed our bikes resting against the tree, and forced the whole group to end the tanning session early so we could explore the town a bit more… also Marian and I had decided we were going to go horse back riding and since it has always been a dream of mine… I was very excited.
We crossed the town river, and were able to find a place where we could ride horses for 10 pesos! So cheap. Anyhow Marian, Preston and I mounted our horses, and Cameron decided to get a bit more sun instead,,, she has a dislike for large animals…but she does love sheep! I must say although it was exciting, the instructor only took us along a dirt road, and in a crowd of about 15, the main view I had was of the horse’s behind in front of me. My horse was the smallest of the bunch. Also, my horse was extremely hungry, and I had no knowledge of how to “steer” the horse, it continually went off the path to munch on nearby greens. It was a bit stressful. Coupled with the bike riding, we were all pretty sore after we dismounted the horses.
After the horse riding, we returned to the bikes, and continued exploring the town. As we biked through the town we stopped at various stores to look at local gaucho goods, I purchased a pair of shoes that I had been eyeing for weeks down here in Argentina, and a key chain with a horseshoe,,, I need all the luck I can get with my keys, as I always seem to loose them! Cam bought a few things as well… but they cannot be mentioned in such a public place, as they are Christmas gifts for her family. (George and Jody… you had better be excited).
After a long long long bike ride, where we were able to see some of the local housing, a creepy fair like place with rides, sheep… and many more things. Around 7 we returned the bikes and sat down for a VERY early dinner. We ate some semi-cold asado and ensalada. Once again our timing was off for the meal, and we had to catch the bus at 8, so we had no other choice. The meat was good, but unfortunately was mostly fat, so we were not able to get much meat. Oh well.. maybe next time.
The ride home went quickly as we slept the whole way.
we created an album for anyone who is interested…
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| San Antonio De Areco |
EDITORS NOTE—Emma thinks that Cam should write about one of her spastic adventures of the trip, so here goes: while our bikes were great for getting around, they were not necessarily in pristine condition. (in other words, we should be thankful that San Antonio had no hills, little traffic, and no major intersections). Cam’s breaks were particularly poor, and often she had to use her foot to stop. As we were riding down one particularly quaint little street, Preston decided to stop to take a photo. However, Cam did not notice until too late, and, as she attempted to grab at the limp breaks, she ran full head on to Preston and his bike. Needless to say, no one was hurt, but everyone gave Cam plenty of space to navigate after this point.
Success in China Town
We decided to bus over to Buenos Aires’ China town… which is about three blocks long, if that. We were on the search for hot chilies. After we arrived we stopped by a few small grocery stores but were miserably unsuccessful. As we were beginning to loose hope we asked a man who owned a herbal remedy store, if there was a place we could find hot chilies. He pointed about half a block down the street to a bright red grocery store called Casa China. He also warned us that if we buy hot chilies, we shouldn’t touch our eyes after cooking with them, so thoughtful. We wandered down a bit and found the store; at first we were skeptical until we found the lush supply of fresh chilies and rather sparse supply of dried chilies (but… better than nothing). Along with chilies we also were able to find hot sauce; we were in HEAVEN. I was able to snap a few photos before being reprimanded by the store security guard… oops. Anyhow, we want to thank all those who made our spicy tortilla soup possible, with a special thanks to China Town. We will definitely be back!
Also, the Soup was a success. Cameron made Enchiladas for the first time and they were amazing. Almost as good as JP’s. We have been eating Mexican food now for the past four days, but we are NOT complaining. Our dinner guests have also requested a repeat in a few months. Maybe next time we will get our timing down a bit better, as most of the food was hardly done by the time our guests arrived, and the kitchen was a mess!
The food tasted even better the next day, and the next, and the next. Tonight we will finish the last of it, before we leave Argentina for Uruguay.
NOTE: this is a lie. We **still** have leftovers. We plan to take it on the ferry to Uruguay and have salsa, chicken, and rice for breakfast tomorrow. mmm…
