TravelStream™ news feed for member mooretravel on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mooretravel en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:08:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/2/1239121980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/2/1239121980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/2/1239121980/tpod.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:08:26 -0400 Oaxaca 2009

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Oaxaca, Mexico

Had another full day yesterday. There is so much to see here.

We went for a walk from Tania and Kurt´s house to see some nearby ruins, San Jose El Mogote, some of the oldest in the valley. The settlement was at it peak 650 o 500 BC. There was a partially excavated pyramid with great views of the surrounding Etla valley. We wandered the ruins and then proceeded up and over the hill to the small town. Outside the church a few locals were gathered around a large vat mixing some sort of drink. Kurt talked to them and they offered us a couple glasses. It was Horchata mixed with fruit that has been prepared for some pilgrims they were expecting. It was delicious and hit the spot after the walk.

We checked out the small museum in an old hacienda. There were some really impressive artifacts from the ruins as well as displays talking about the local struggle for rights and land ownership from the hacienda. Everything was in Spanish, but Kurt translated.

After a few cervecas and some snacks on the way back, we headed up to the small town of San Augustin Etla, sitting up in the foothills above the valley. It was a really nice little town and was pleasingly cool. We toured around an old textile factory that had been converted to an arts center.


Later that evening we headed into Oaxaca for dinner at Casa Oaxaca, probably the fanciest restaurant in town. Itwas absolutely delicious. Very inventive and well made fusion cuisine with strong local influences. Had a nice long and relaxed meal and then headed home exhausted and very happy.

Heading back into Oaxaca today to explore the town.
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Oaxaca, Mexico

Having a great time and have done a lot for just one full day so far. Got in late (8:00) and headed downtown to meet Eric and Jen. Went out for snacks and a few drinks at a great little open air restaurant in the centro and had some great food, including a cheese wrapped in a leaf...sorry for the over technical description. Stayed up late with Kurt and Eric drinking mezcal in Kurt´s kitchen.

Next day got a late start, but still managed to make it to the following;

El Tule: Saw the worlds largest tree. Was really amazing, looked like something out of a fantasy standing under it looking up. Had ice cream. They had about 20 flavors all in their own containers surrounded by ice. I tried with Tuna )cactus fruit) and rose. The rose took some getting used to, but turned out to be my favorite.

Tlacolula: Visited a big market and just wandered around. Saw a lot of native dresses and had a great lunch of Estafado. Also tried the grasshoppers.

Milta: Got there after the ruins closed, but still got to look in at them. Intricate carved facades, very neat. Did get to walk through the church that was built with stones from the ruins and another less restored section.

Mezcal Distillery: Wet to a really small distillery and got a tour which Kurt translated. They were using a horse to turn the stone to crush the agave. Tried several and bout a few.

Then headed home, tired out. Tania cooked lasagna and I crashed out.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1224277440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1224277440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1224277440/tpod.html Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:16:17 -0400 Argentina 2008

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Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina

Enjoyed my two nights in Colonia. Is an amazingly picturesque old town, very small and walkable. It is a bit touristy feeling, but just comfortable. Lots of cobblestone streets, and low old colonial era buildings. It sits right on the river estuary, but it looks like an ocean it is so wide. Did not do much other than walk around, eat an awesome ricotta cake, have some steak, etc.

Headed by bus the next day to the little town of Carmelo, an hour west. It is not a tourist town at all, but I really liked it. People were cruising everywhere on little mopeds, sometimes three to a bike, there were horse carts riding down the street, and the double espressos where like 75 cents.

I spent about 4 hours just strolling the streets and sitting in a cafe and then caught a slow ferry to Tigre, a suburb of buenos aires. The ferry went through the river delta, a series of small channels with swampy land on each side. On the Uruguay side there were occasional shacks and small houses, with lots of fishing lines coming from canes sticking out of the bank. As you got closer the houses looked more like fancy vacation homes and the occasional resort building. Was a really neat ride.

Spent the night in a hostel in the Polermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires and had a real nice risotto dinner and called it an early night. Next day (today), I move back to my old hostel in the microcentro downtown area. Spent the day doing some shopping and just wandering. Tonight I signed up for a BBQ at the hostel so should be fun.

Trip is coming to an end, looking forward to seeing all my friends again. But, will miss the travel as well.
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Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Got into Buenos Aires around 3PM and made my way to the ferry terminal. I had decided to head to Colonia, Uruguay instead of the Capitol since it was closer, a cheaper ferry, and worked well for other transport. However, once again, it seemed I would have to wait since the next ferry was a 7:30. But, oh well, I was in Buenos Aires again and there is a lot to see. I walked over to the Puerto Madero area to check it out. It is a very upscale area on the river, which looks like an ocean it is so wide (widest in the world they say, at the point of Buenos Aires. Although, really more an estuary than a river) Was pretty modern and touristy, but interesting looking at the boats and the views back to the city. Was getting a little hungry so walked into the center to find a local looking cafe and had a very tasty apple crisp. Still had an hour to waste so was just walking around when I stumbled into this tiny little beer bar. They had a few belgian beers and a couple other, but mostly Argentinean micro beers. Maybe 12 brewers and 40 to 50 beers with 3 on tap. Had a draft stout and a really nice pale ale. They had just opened a couple months ago. Really nice guy tending bar, I think he was the part owner. Will have to stop by again when I get back to town, they even had some Argentinean barley wine. The place us called Cervelar at Viamont 336 in the Microcentro. ç

Grabbed the ferry and got to Colonia, Uruguay about 9PM, having lost an hour in time zone change. Walked around town and can not wait to explore more, this is an old town, founded in 1680 with cobble streets and a lot of old buildings and plazas. I think I am going to like it. Chatted with some people at the hostel and finally headed out to try to find dinner, in the mood for a steak since it has been several days. All the parillas seemed to be shutting down there grills so instead I hit a little food stand for a Uruguayan specialty, the Chivito Sandwich. This is an really awesome sandwich, very thin cut beef, bacon, ham, cheese, a fried egg, pickled peppers, lettuce, tomato, a spicy mayonnaise, and I am sure a few other things. When need Chivitos in Denver, these things could be the next big thing.

Going to try to add some pictures now.
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Mendoza, Cuyo, Argentina

Tried to upload pics, but does not work on the computer at this hostel. Also, as a heads up, I for some reason can not get into gmail, so am not checking email for now.

Had one last day in BA yesterday. Got checked out and headed to the bus station to find out how I was going to get to Mendoza. My plan was to take a night bus. Buying bus tickets here is an adventure. On the top floor of the station is a 2 sided row about 200 yards long of, I would guess, about 100 different stalls selling tickets. Some are the same bus company, just different destinations. So, you have to pick a company, choose a time, and then choose a class. Semi-cama, cama, then several others. You get an estimate, then wander to the next. Maybe 1 in 4 have some prices posted, so I checked several stalls, and talked to about 5 companies, before settling on a cama bus at 7PM, arriving at 9AM.

After getting my ticket, I walked over to Recoleta Cemetery. It is not real old, maybe 100 years I think, but really neat. Looks like the New Orleans Cemetery with little gothic looking building, but many of the tombs have basements, you can see from looking in the glass doors. The tombs are also right next to each other, so it is like walking through a small city with different roads. Some of the tombs are in pretty bad shape, so you look through the doors, with broken glass, and there are coffins in there, exposed and looking like they could just fall apart. Also had my first Argentinean ice cream, A Dulce de Leche with almonds...man the ice cream is REALLY good here! I will be having more. One more steak dinner, and I was off to my bus.

The buses here are luxurious. I got dinner, breakfastm wine, whiskey, a bad movie, luckily in english with spanish subtitles, and a seat that went almost horizontal (not in that order). I slept great and woke up with the Andes on the horizon, rolling by vineyards.

Spent the day in Mendoza and pretty mush saw everything in town. It is a really nice small town, pretty modern, but with some nice parks and a few old buildings. On a whim, went to the aquarium, it was tiny and a bit beat up, with signs printed out on regular paper and aquariums about as fancy as a pet store. They had one bug display though with alligators and turtles. The turtles where just sitting on the alligators, or is that crocodiles, I can never keep it straight. Was an odd mix.

For dinner tonight I decided to be adventurous, so I had the Achuras plate...that is organs. All on the parrilla, BBQ, it included chorizo, blood sausage, small intestine, and mollejas, which is described in my guide book as either the thymus or pancreas. Was not a big fan of the texture of the blood sausage, was not cooked firm like in England, but the rest was really tasty. Was served with chimichura sauce, a mix of herbs and other stuff and vinigar, need to try to make this at home.

The hostel I am staying in does seems a bit dead so really have not met anyone here. Going to stay one more night and rent a bike to see the vineyards, but then will probably move on. Maybe Chile.
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Rosario, Litoral, Argentina

Ended up deciding to head to Rosario on the advice of my hostel host. The hostel I stayed in in Cordoba was run by the nicest couple, felt like staying in a home (which it was!) The lady gave me some Spanish lessons and we chatted, I spent a decent amount of time in the evening just laying on the couch reading and relaxing. The other people at the hostel, the ones I went to the Oktoberfest with, came back later and we all just sat around eating delivered pizza and having some beer and wine with the hosts. Was a good time and enjoyed spending a night in.

Caught a bus to Rosario and got in in time to walk around a little before it got dark. This is a large and very nice town with some neat old Spanish looking architecture. Went and grabbed some pasta with a girl from France that was the only other person there at the time. Got back and just hung out with a few Portenos that had checked in (guys for Buenos Aires), and called it an early night.

Wanted to get a early start so got up at 8AM, about the earliest I have been up since I started since people rarely go to sleep until early morning here. Am at the bus stop now hanging out because the first bus to Buenos Aires that was not full is at 11. It is a 4 hour trip and then I plan to splurge on the fast but to Montevideo, Uruguay to be there by 5PM or so I hope. So, with any luck, next update will be from a different county, Hopefully I will not get a few miles away this time and turn around like I did with Chile, will never make 100 countries doing that all the time! This will be my last long travel day this trip (4 hours on a bus, 2.5 on a ferry). I do plan to take the slow boat back from Uruguay to Buenos Aires, but that will be site seeing not travel, since it goes through the river delta and is supposed to be a very pretty trip.

Having no luck finding a computer that will recognize my camera, so sorry, no pictures again for now.
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Cordoba, Central Argentina, Argentina

Is a rainy grey day today. Have just spent the day strolling around and seeing the sites. This town has a really great historic center with a lot of Jesuit ruins that are really neat. Also hit three different art museums and they were all pretty good with some excellent Argentinian painter and some pretty cool architecture. Really, that is about all for today, and I think I have seen everything in town now. Good to have a cultural day though. Was thinking of taking the night bus tomorrow to move on, but am sick of damn buses, and sleeping on them. So, think I will leave in the morning and head to a closer town to spend the night, then on the Buenos Aires the next day. My plan is to head up to Uruguay the same day. But, who knows.

Chow!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1223583360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1223583360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooretravel/1/1223583360/tpod.html Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:18:27 -0400 Argentina 2008

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Puente del Inca, Cuyo, Argentina

Decided that I really needed to get up into the Andes. So I headed down to the bus stop to see where I could get. I next bus went to to a town a couple miles away called Uspallata, so that is where I was off to. The guide book claimed that is where 7 Days in Tibet, with Brad Pitt was filmed, so, sounded neat.

The 2 hour bus ride was amazing. Went through desert mountains with cactus and the tall Andes in the background. I wish I could get pictures uploaded. As we pulled into Uspallata the valley opened up onto a wider plain with mountains on onside and some pretty cool red rock formations on the other. I got off at the crossroads of the pretty small town. There were a few hotels around the crossroads, and a couple restaurants, but the hostel was a good 5 km out of town. Decided a really did not want to walk that far, and really wanted to get further into the mountains, so bought a ticket for the next bus to Puente del Inca in a couple hours, and set down at a cafe for a couple Empanadas, a salad, and a beer.

The bus ride the rest of the way was even more amazing, another 2 hours of riding up into the Andes. The peaks just kept getting bigger and snow appeared on the side of the road. I was heading up to within maybe 10 miles of the Chile boarder and to pretty much the closest "town" to the highest peak in the Americas, Cerro Aconagua (6962m). I go to "town" about 7PM, as the sun was starting to set and headed straight to the hostel, hoping it was open and had room as it was the only one listed in the book. I did get a bunk in about the diviest hostel I have stayed in. Part of the divieness just added character, it was in the old train station and pretty neat. But, the draftiness, broken toilets and showers, and general dirtiness left a little to be desired. But, it worked. There were a couple small stores in town, one restaurant, and a hotel with a restaurant. Also turns out there was one other hostel and I met three guys from there and grabbed a light dinner in the hotel, where we were the only people. The town is named after a natural bridge over the small muddy stream behind town, was pretty neat and worth a couple pictures.

After looking around and dinner, I headed back to the hostel to find I was locked out. I waited about 30 minutes before starting to worry, as it was late and getting cold. Long story short, after finding a lady walking near her house, and being lead to 2 other people, we figured out the the young guy running the place had gone climbing, yes, at night. I just bundled up outside with a book and waited. Couple hours later he showed back up, around 11PM, and said he thought I had left town, even though I had paid him for the room, and my lock was still on my locker in there. I decided to just blow it off, as there was nothing to do at this point except climb into bed with my book and warm up.

The next day I had a couple hours so I went for a short walk. Just headed up the road for a little while and then cut off on a trail. Was nice to get away from roads and towns a little bit, even though it was a pretty short hike. Found a great view of Aconagua and just sat for a while taking it in.

That morning, I decided to make my way to Cordoba and to the Oktoberfest, so I am sitting in a Mendoza internet cafe, waiting for the 10PM night bus to Cordoba. Decided against Chile finally, even though I was so close. Everyone I have talked to has said Santiago is just ok, and I really do not have the time to get to the neat areas.

Going to go grab some dinner now.
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Villa General Belgrano, Central Argentina, Argentina

Got to Cordoba the morning of the 11th and started looking for a hostel, things were pretty booked up, but found one on my 4th try. Dropped of the bags and showered and hit the road by around 11 to head off to Oktoberfest in the town of Villa General Belgrano, about 2 hours away. Went with a group of 5 other people from the hostel. Decided to stop along the way at Alta Garcia, a town half way that has some 17'18th c Jesuit buildings. That turned out to be kinda a flop because everything was closed for siesta. Thought about heading to the Che Guevera meuseum, the town is where he grew up, but we all decided to just head to the beer fest.

Spent the rest of the day until midnight at the beerfest. The main street of town was blocked off for about 1/2 mile and was just packed full of people drinking beer. There were a couple microbrews in town, so tried both of those. The town has a disney world german look, with german restaurants and about every second store selling steins. Was pretty wild, met a lot of different people and had a good time. Nothing really was going on there other than just people drinking beer, but it was still a lot of fun. I did my best to fit in.
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Mendoza, Cuyo, Argentina

Waiting for a bus, so am going to go back and do some catch up.

On Wednesday I took a bus out to Maipu and rented a bike to tour the wineries. Road to several different wineries and did tastings and tours and had a generaly great time. Met several people along the way, and ended up touring most of the day with a couple from Switzerland. Ended the day back at the bike rental shop where Mr Hugo, the owner of Mr Hugo´s Bikes, brought us out several bottles of unlabled wine that we enjoyed in the shade of his yard along with a couple guys from England.

Back at the hostel played some pool with a couple guys on a weekend trip from Buenos Aires and went out for Tapas, then called it an early night at about midnight (that IS early here, I swear this country does not sleep).
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