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Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon

a travel blog by The Happy Couple

Michael's view on the trip. This blog is really mostly for me, so that I'll have a clearer memory of the trip when it's done, like a journal, so please forgive me my obsessions like sampling and photographing all the local food and the booze. It's just my thing!

Also please forgive all typos, spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes. I'm usually doing this in a rush, and most of the time it's on such a slow PC that it would take even longer to check for mistakes and correct them.

The blog is usually 2 to 3 weeks behind, but I try to keep next few locations on the map up-to-date. You can see the schedule dates associated with the map if you go to http://blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?TripID=4517 and click "Show Newest First" or, if the maps are causing problems try http://blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=4517&slow=1
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More Jesuit Ruins

La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná, Paraguay

In total contrast with the staff at Hotel Tirol, the taxi driver who picked us up there, was very keen to talk to us, was able to speak more slowly and slowly when he realised how useless I am at Spanish, and tolerated my many mistakes and apparently understood everything I said; he was even able to rephrase things so that I would understand when I didn't know a word. Why is it so hard with some people and so much easier with others? Even with the easier to communicate with people, though, I have had to take a linguistic step quite alien to me, just so that I have anything to say at all: I've started not worrying very much about grammar and just pressed on regardless. In South America, I started out trying to remember the gender of every noun and make sure I had the correct verb ending, but I wasn't getting anywhere at all, though I'm sure the very few sentences I produced were perfect. After a few high-pressure situations where I had to respond quickly, I have now taken to guessing where I am not sure, and most of the time people do seem to understand, although I like to have my dictionary in my hand as a prop at all times of communication, to excuse the massacre of the language I assume I am inflicting. By the end of this drive, I really felt like I could actually speak Spanish, so I gave the driver quite a generous tip “for understanding my horrible Spanish”, I meant to say. He smiled and accepted the money then, as I was walking away, I realised I had said “for I understand my horrible Spanish”. That's the kind of thing I'm sure is slipping out all the time, without me even realising, especially when people are trying to engage me in a proper conversation with no time to prepare each sentence.

The ruins were much less developed than the ones in Argentina: no museum, no rebuilding going on, no buttons to press for a description in your language. Joanne thought it was even less impressive than the Argentinian ruins and, to be fair, they were very similar, though this one was a bit smaller. However, it was in a nice hilltop location, whereas the Argentinian one had felt rather claustrophobic, and I preferred the untouched, falling-apart-on-its-own appearance. Parts of it seemed to be in better condition without the construction and it just seemed like a lovely place to hang about. Hanging about wasn't in our itinerary, though, and we needed to get back to Encarnacion, unsure of the bus timetable as we were. Having seen what I understand are two of the best examples, I wouldn't have bothered with Jesuit ruins. They're just not that interesting. But I didn't know, and at least I do now.

We hiked the half-kilometre or so back to the main road and did our best to shelter for the sun as we waited for the bus.

permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 12, 2009 from La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná, Paraguay
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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A Bit Rich

Encarnacion, Paraguay

After waiting only about ten minutes outside the entrance to La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná a bus came along. The taxi driver had wanted to charge us 90000 guaranies just to take us back to Hotel Tirol, whereas the bus cost us only 5000 each. Getting the local bus really confirmed to us that Paraguay is a third world country. In Chile and Argentina it certainly hadn't felt like we were in the third world, but here on this shaky old bus, we were back in it again.

That evening, back at Hotel Germano, I asked the receptionist for somewhere mas tipico de Paraguay, not sure (or caring) if the Spanish is correct, and she directed us to somewhere that she admitted was not tipico tipico but they had a few dishes apparently. At the restaurant, which seemed to be an Italian restaurant, I asked the waiter for something tipico and he told me they didn't have anything. So I just ordered a steak done in the house style, which turned out to be stuffed with ham and cheese, and garnished with some more of the same as well as some mushroom sauce. Just a little bit rich!


Extreme steak

In the morning we went shopping in the bajo part of town, which is due to be flooded as part of a dam project, but for the moment, where all the market stalls are to be found. There wasn't as much there as we'd been hoping, nor was it as cheap, but my trouser situation was really out of hand since my “best” pair of long trousers' fly had gone and was only held together by safety pins. Under pressure, I bought two pairs of shorts I didn't really like for more money than they should surely have cost in that country.


Market in Bajo Encarnacion

This will all be flooded soon


Seems they've already started the flooding

Mission accomplished, we loaded onto the bus back to Argentina. Since we had some time, we thought it best to stamp out of Paraguay, which of course meant getting off the bus and waiting for the next one, which stopped and waited at the Argentinian side for everyone to get their stamp. This time, though, there were already people waiting and, by the time we got through border control, our bus was full and pulling off. Joanne ran after it for a bit shouting at the driver, but there was no point: it was full. So it was another wait for the next bus, which we made sure we got on, again leaving lots of people behind. Only a few hundred metres past the border, the bus stopped and the driver indicated everyone should get off, though I didn't catch why. I went up and asked him aren't we going to the terminal and again, I didn't quite get his answer, so we just got off too, at which point we saw why: the bus had a flat tyre. Considering the bus had been so full that not everyone waiting at the border had been able to get on, and there had been people waiting from the previous bus when we arrived at the border, we didn't fancy our chances with the next bus, but the driver just told us to wait. The next bus actually had enough space for everyone, so maybe the previous two were during rush hour.


Rickety old local bus

We had left lots of time to spare before the bus we had to catch in Posadas, but now it was starting to get a bit tight. Luckily it wasn't much further to the terminal and we were soon checked in for the bus. When we got on the bus, I was very disappointed; we had paid extra for cama rather than the semi-cama we had taken before, but it turned out, for me, to be less comfortable than the cheaper option because, in an effort to make everything seem more solid and luxurious I think, there is no space under the chair in front, where you have to jam your feet to be comfortable if you are not short. Instead everything is built to look like a solid unit right down to the floor. The journey just got worse: cama is downstairs on most buses, but so is the toilet, which meant that we were kept awake by people banging the door, then by all manor of hideous odours. As if that wasn't bad enough, the military stopped the bus three times during the night to get on, check people's passports, and on two occasions, removed bags from the boot and demanded to know who the owner was. Thankfully it was never us.

permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 13, 2009 from Encarnacion, Paraguay
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Salta, Argentina



permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 14, 2009 from Salta, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Unlimited Meat and Red Wine

Salta, Argentina

When our bus arrived in Salta, we obediently tipped the bag handler and reclaimed our bags, but I watched some people just after us refusing to tip him; I think they were saying that they had no money. He simply shrugged his shoulders, put the bags to one side, and continued with the next bag to come out of the boot. I assume they did get their bags after everyone else and he wasn't actually keeping them hostage, but what a horrible person! I wasn't very pleased to be back in Argentina.


Salta
The information online for our hostel,

Salta
rather than giving directions from the bus station like most of them do, simply said that you should jump in a taxi and they'll pay for it. So we got a taxi in front of the bus station and told the driver we were going to Hostal del Centro. When he heard that, he stopped the car, turned around and asked who would be paying, me or the hostel, so I told him the hostel would be paying. At that, he shook his head, got out of the car, and opened the boot to take our bags out. I shouted to him that it was OK, I would pay. On the way, still hoping to get the hostel to pay, I asked him if he would give me a receipt. No he replied. Horrible grumpy man!

At the hostel, I was struggling a little with the Spanish when checking in, but the owner realised I was an English speaker and switched from perfect Spanish to English with and English accent. I told him what had happened with the taxi driver and he said that it was no problem to take it off the bill, though he was rather surprised by the story. On Easter Island, Colette had recommended this hostel, telling us that they did the best barbecues if you are there on the correct day. A sign above the desk confirmed we had got it right: Eat and drink all you can BBQ! Wednesdays and Saturdays. We didn't have much time in Salta but Joanne wanted to go horse riding while we were there, so we signed up for the barbecue and, bearing that well in mind, signed up for the afternoon horse riding the next day.


Salta

Salta is meant to be a pretty town, so we had a bit of a wander about, but we were quite tired after the bus journey, and we were still a bit sick of Argentinian towns. It was also very windy and dusty when we first set foot outside, but we did see some of city.


Salta


It's windy when we arrive

Salta


Quilmes negro
Back at the hostel, the barbecue was starting and we discovered that Lucy and Zdenek, the couple from Iguazu Falls who had begun their trip with a two-week stomach flu delay, were at the same hostel. Needless to say, we both overdid the unlimited meat and wine, but I like to think that I easily outshone Joanne, by putting that extra special effort in. Just before falling into bed, I remembered about my recent purchase of two pairs of shorts, which surely meant I could finally throw out the pair of trousers whose fly was now held together only by safety pins; I bought them the first time I visited Thailand, five years previously, so they had done their duty. In the bin they went.


The barbecue

Everyone


My meat


Stephen

Lucy and Zdenek


Ricarda, Lucy, Zdenek, and Joanne

Stephen and Ricarda




permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 14, 2009 from Salta, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Horses and Hangovers

Salta, Argentina


Salta


Urban industrial art in progress

Salta

The morning after unlimited meat and wine we had the inevitable hangovers and I only managed a short walk into town to draw money, passing some unusual urban art under construction, before we were picked up to go horse riding. The barbecue had taken its toll, too, on Stephen, who was also staying at the hostel, and he had slept in and missed the tour he had signed up for; so as not to waste the day, he had decided to join us horse riding.


The gaucho shows us how it's done

I don't quite manage it

When we arrived at the ranch, the gaucho who had picked us up at the hotel showed us how to throw a lasso; the aim was to capture a cow skull on a tree stump. When I stepped up to have a go, he told me three chances and then you run. I tried three times and I got close, but failed. OK, now you run, he told me; so I did. I thought I might escape by zig-zagging, but he was too good for me and I was caught!


I get my just desert


Stephen does it first time!

Joanne nearly does it

Then it was time to set off on the horses. I was pretty nervous, not having been on a horse since I was about seven, on a tame pony in Ireland. These horses were also quite placid, so it wasn't as difficult as I feared. After getting over the initial nerves, though, I started to find it a bit boring, just trotting along, but after a little longer I relaxed even more and found it quite a pleasant journey through the country, but it was still frustrating how slowly we were going. Finally, our gaucho said to us do you want to gallop? and slapped our horses behinds' while geeing them on. At last some real fun! To my surprise the gallop was actually more comfortable than trotting or cantering, because there is only one “bounce” every cycle of the hooves, so there isn't as much bouncing. It didn't last long though, and the horses soon slowed back to a trot without ever galloping very fast. Afterwards the gaucho explained that the horses do this because they are not stupid, and they can tell that the people on their backs don't know what they are doing.

All the way through, Joanne's horse, Caramelo ("Sweetie"), was very badly behaved: Caramelo was determined that it should always be in front, and any time my horse or Stephen's started overtaking, Caramelo turned its head to the side and bit the other poor horse. Poor Stephen's horse, which was really quite small, was clearly bottom of the pile, and by the end of it did not dare pass either my horse or the evil Caramelo.


Me on my horse

Joanne on the trail


Joanne on her horse

Through the undergrowth


At the top of the trail

Authentic gaucho

When our trek was finished and we dismounted back at the ranch, I discovered that my only remaining pair of long trousers had ripped a huge hole right at the crotch! Now I had no long trousers at all.


All on our horses


My horse

Return path


Fighting through thicket

Caramelo on the rampage

Back in town, Stephen, Zdenek, and Lucy came out with us for dinner in a restaurant across the road from the hostel. I decided that I'd had enough of steak and had a traditional stew, but regretted it as soon as Zdenek's thirty peso steak arrived: after all the great steaks we had seen in Argentina, this was the best one – and huge. Meanwhile Joanne decided to give the meat a miss altogether and go for the lentil stew; when it arrived it did have lentils in it, but it also had beef, chorizo, and bacon in it! We were going to have to get up early the next morning so when I saw coca tea on the menu, I decided it was probably just what I needed to help me pack before bed. It tasted pleasant enough, a bit like green tea, and I think it probably did help with the packing.


Spanglish on the menu!

Next morning we got another grumpy taxi driver, who even ignored my buenas dias! then at the bus, the bag handler was refusing to give people their luggage receipts until they tipped him. Not long after we left town, the bus was held up for an hour by yet another demonstration. We only had one more night in Argentina and I was becoming very pleased about that.

permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 15, 2009 from Salta, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Tilcara, Argentina



permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 16, 2009 from Tilcara, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Pucará in Tilcara

Tilcara, Argentina

Our plan had been to stay at Tilcara and visit the pre-Incan pucará before heading into Bolivia the next day, however Joanne had seen something about more ruins a bit closer to the border at Humahuaca, and Enrique, the Argentinian manager of the hostel in Salta, had advised us that Humahuaca was nicer and cheaper to stay than Tilcara, and he was also able to recommend us a hostel there; so our new ambitious schedule was to stop off at Tilcara, see the ruins there, get on another bus to Humauaca, see the ruins there and stay the night.

By the time we arrived at Tilcara we were a couple of hours behind schedule, even though the bus was only supposed to take a couple of hours; the demonstration on the way and the fact that they were clearly lying about the time in the first place had made our original plan look very unlikely. We had a quick lunch and set off, deciding just to make it up as we went along; maybe the ruins in Tilcara wouldn't take too long.


Nice stripey mountains


Nobbly formations

The town was very dry, but surrounded by fantastic rock formations and hills with lots of different coloured layers. The town itself was quite cute, with lots of shops selling llama wool clothing and various other tourist tat, but we didn't have time to hang around, so set off on the road to the pucará. Once there we discovered that it was a national park, the ticket also covering a small zoo and some gardens. Apart from taking a couple of photos of llamas we just ignored these and headed straight to the ruins.


Dusty road, pucará in the background

Llamas! Rrrrrrr!


Stripey!

I suppose I should have read a bit more about the ruins in advance, but these were hardly Machu Picchu. Most of it had been completely reconstructed and the parts that hadn't were so ruined there wasn't really anything to see. It was interesting enough to imagine people living there even before the Incas, but it was really the landscape and the giant cacti that made the visit for me. On the way back along the road to town, we bumped into Ricarda, the German girl from the barbecue in Salta two nights previously. Funny how the same people keep popping up again and again.


Lots of cacti

Reconstructed dwellings


I'm sure Esther Rantzen would like this

Those cacti are pretty big


Could be the Wild West


Pretty


Grave

Not sacred enough to leave the remains apparently


Graves

Then it was on another bus and off to Humahuaca. It looked liked we might just have enough time to see the ruins, depending on where they were; otherwise we would get up early in the morning to see them before heading for Bolivia.


permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 16, 2009 from Tilcara, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Humahuaca, Argentina



permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 16, 2009 from Humahuaca, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Humitos in Humahuaca

Humahuaca, Argentina

We arrived in Humahuaca and found our hostel. It was a bit disappointing: the beds were terrible, it was quite expensive, there was no internet, no other guests, and the owners were so old and doddery that I would have had difficulty communicating with them in English, but the didn't speak any. I soon worked out from the lady owner that there were no ruins near to Humahuaca at all. Joanne isn't sure where she got the idea, but it at least meant we weren't so short of time, since there weren't any to see. I think the confusion may have arisen because Tilcara is in Humahuaca province, or something like that. To make matter worse, when we ventured out to find that there was almost no internet in town, the place we found had no USB facilities, which meant I couldn't upload the blog! We were starting to leave civilisation...


Humahuaca


The hostel


Humahuaca

Humahuaca

The town was very different from Tilcara, which was an underdeveloped dusty and simple place: Humahuaca is a colonial town, so it has all the usual colonial developments: central plaza, grand town hall, and a grand church; a much bigger place, but much more like lots of places we had already been.


Humahuaca

Humahuaca


We had already climbed quite high to get to Humahuaca so the temperature had dropped considerably, which reminded us that we really needed to get some warmer clothes before arriving in Bolivia. And I needed some trousers now that both of my long pairs of trousers had been binned, having ripped open the crotch of the second pair while horse riding (see http://blogabond.com/94912 ). So we went shopping, but there was very little choice and we only bought a fleece for Joanne.

The town seemed to attract a slightly richer tourist than us, so we took advantage of the fact there were to by several nice restaurants and went out for a nice dinner. Never one to miss an opportunity to eat a new species, I ordered llama ham as my starter, which was very nice, and Joanne ordered some tasty humitos.


Llama ham


Humito unopened

Humito unwrapped



permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 16, 2009 from Humahuaca, Argentina
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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Villazon, Bolivia



permalink written by  The Happy Couple on October 17, 2009 from Villazon, Bolivia
from the travel blog: Michael's Round-the-World honeymoon
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