In the beginning Silver fever Parana Iguazu Buenos Aries Andes 4,200 Metres Humahuaca Rio De Janeiro Samba Uruguay Montevideo Chile Valpraso Santiago Different views Curanipe Curanipe village Chile beachs Trupane Volcano Antuco Los Angeles Belgrano

Well folks here we are sitting back in the lounge listening to some blues, in fact Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis and the first track is “Lets talk about us”. So here we go with what we have been up to.

Yeah, we just had a whirlwind holiday in South America in fact when we got home suffering from Jet Lag. We had to take a couple of days to get our heads together. Then think about the things we had done. So it was sort out the jobs that needed doing such as fix the dishwasher, waste disposal unit and get the thermostat in the fridge fixed and cut the lawns, and go for a ride to make sure the bikes went and then think and think about this holiday. WOW, what a great time we had!

Firstly, so many people who helped us in so many ways. It would never have been the holiday it was without the efforts of so many people and as we go over in our minds thinking of those who contributed, we smile because it was so good. The fun we had in seeing and enjoying the company of old friends and meeting new friends, we tap out our memoirs of our adventures in South America and hope you enjoy them.

The opportunity arouse for this trip when we received an invitation from Raimund and Antonio who were previously our neighbours here in Wellington and had transferred to Buenos Aires. So it was off to join our friends for some adventures and fun together. For us the trip was not only about seeing wondrous things but also being involved with people in other lands and getting a small insight into how others live.

While doing research into this trip we sort advice from Varinia who is from Chile living here in Wellington. Through these discussions Varinia suggested that she could arrange accommodation with her family, a guide and transport in Santiago and that her father operated a Bed and Breakfast further south in Chile. So with this arranged and our Lonely Plant guide. Thanks Gail and Logan we were off.

Sunday 3/10/2004 we are off to the Airport and on checking in we found our Internet ticket with Qantas to Auckland was not booked due to a misunderstanding. This is another story but we were very cool with the Qantas Call Centre. So a delay of a couple of hours for the next flight available.

After the ups and downs at Wellington airport we met friends in Auckland while waiting for our flight to Buenos Aires.

The Aerolineas Argentinas flight took off and hour late and was a mark of things to come with this airline. We arrive at Buenos Aires and hour late to find Raimund and Antonio waiting for us.

Heres a view of our neighbourhood in Buenos Aires

Gee, bit of a culture shock as we drove from the airport we could see the shantytowns and slums of the poor, Raimund said they called them misery villages, bit of a shock to a couple of Kiwis. Anyway we continued along the motorway gobsmacked by the wide range of vehicles and to our orderly minds deranged drivers bent on chaos. It was impossible to comprehend the size of the City of 13 million people and we felt a little overwhelmed by it all.

Here's another view from the kitchen window. Big city for us.

Raimund and Antonio's 23rd floor apartment, what a fabulous place huge, 200 square meters, a whole floor and we had a sizeable part of it all for ourselves. We have a view over the River Plata and a short walk to all services. We were living in the lap of luxury and if they were not careful we could have stayed forever!!! So plans were made as to what to do and Antonio would be our guide.

Heres Rhondda and the guy’s are about to have coffee in the lounge.

Monday we were invited to the German Embassy for the National day so we rubbed shoulders with diplomats and the Argentine dignitaries etc. It was a great day in the park like grounds of the German Embassy.

German Embassy grounds Buenos Aires.

They invited Mick Jagger and the boys along!

Tuesday off to town via the metro and saw the town centre, Military Museum, shoe shine men, Florida street with people all around us touting for leather and clothing shops, dog walkers (15 to 20 dogs at a time) walking the dogs for the rich owners who live in apartments in multi-story buildings. Returned home on the train passed the slums and also magnificent homes, a country of contrasts.

Wednesday Metro at 8am and took a tour bus of the City Centre and saw the sights. Amazing place we had to walk across one road of 14 lanes. It was hair raising.

Rhondda contemplating crossing the road of 14 lanes of mayhem and Antonio checking out the map.

Thursday we went to the Recoleta Cemetery and saw Evita Perons tomb and marvelled at the others. The dead are treated better than many of the living. Its hard to get your head around these incredibly ornate tombs of marble and gold while most of the population live in poverty and squaller. Then we checked out the street hawker’s stalls directly outside the cemetery.

The tomb of Eva Peron.

That night we caught the Metro into town on the way to a dinner and Tango show. We had to walk through a square out side Government house and there was a protest march in support of some guy in prison, which was pretty fascinating. Democracy is here, the Police were very well restrained and there were no clashes and it left us with a feeling of optimism for this country. But we still have the feeling that this is a country of people of lost dreams who cant quite work out why they are in the position they are in. You can deal with these people on a daily basis and are treated with kindness everywhere you go no matter their circumstances.

Police leading the protesters. Motorcycles are Motor Guzzi’s and Kawasaki’s. Note the sensible people clear out fast

Picketeros (Protesters)

Whats next!

I think these guys are trying to make a point!!

It appears that the Tango is claimed by a number of countries and areas but the best information is that it started in working class areas called San Telmo and La Boca neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. The port area where Italian migrants arrived between 1860 to 1910. When they mixed with the local criollos they became an explosive mix of creative people with artistic flare and out of that amongst many things the Tango was born. It was fantastic, the music and dancers were unbelievable. One of the best known Tango songs was the “Caminito song”.

The place chosen by Raimund and Antonio was an absolutely fascinating cabaret on Balcare street called Almancen .We did the “dine and show” for less than $50 NZ dollars including wine per person.

This show was fantastic.

Friday we went shopping at the French Carriefour shopping Centre, the same as in Europe and Antonio drove us around the local park.