February 27th Bariloche Argentina

So today we booked a ride out to El Tronador. A Volcano 2 hours from town that has a glacier on top. The hike was pretty challenging. About 3 hours up and about half that down. The views were spectacular. And we grabbed some wine for the trip back to town. Then spent the evening at the casino playing some blackjack and then off for a nice cut of Argentine beef before bed.

February 25th and 26th Mendoza to Bariloche Argentina

Today, we hit some of the plazas in town and ran around the park. Then we packed our bags and caught the night bus to Bariloche. 17 hours, but we got front row top, so the view was excellent. Unfortunately, the view is even better than the one the driver has down below, so we were able to tell when he should and shouldn´t pass other cars with much more accuracy than he.

But we made it safely, so no harm, no foul.

We arrived in Bariloche in the afternoon and checked into a very cool hostel. It has a great view of the lake and eggs and coffeee for breakfast. Awesome.

We spent the afternoon checking out the town and hitting a church that has amazing stained glass.

February 24th Mendoza Argentina

We caught a bus this morning to the base of Aconcagua. The tallest mountain in the southern hemisphere and the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas. 22,850 ft.

We had more steak and more wine and met some trekkers that just finished the climb. It took them 10 days to climb it and 4 to get back down. So we decided to pass.

The ride up the canyon was gorgeous and relaxing, at least until Sally opened a 2 liter soda that had been rolling around under our feet. Have you seen those mentos videos? It was kindof like that.

After returning to Mendoza we called it an early night.

February 23rd Mendoza Argentina

We caught the night bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and arrived early in the morning of the 23rd. The bus was great. A boutique service called Cata with flat folding seats and dinner and drinks served on the bus. Also a couple of movies in English. Sweet.

After dropping our bags at the hostel at about 8 30 am, we found that we could sign up for the bikes and wine tour that day, since pickup was 10 am. So we took a quick shower and by 11 am, we were pedaling through the wine country.

The tour was great. We hit 4 Bodegas (wineries) and a really great wine museum where they take you through the history of wine production in South America and show you how it is made today.

We rolled back into town late that night and went out to grab a Parilla dinner. Chorizo, steak, intestines (not good), etc. And of course, more wine.

February 18th-22nd Buenos Aires

I arrived in Buenos Aires on Wednesday morning and headed toward the hostel. It's actually a very nice hotel in the San Telmo neighborhood. Very clean and new. Just opened in November and had great ratings on Hostelworld.

It's kindof a simple Scandanavian design. And the coffee was good. Which is a first in South America.

So for the first two days, I explored around a bit and got a couple of runs in at the nature preserve which is only about a mile from the hotel and borders the coast. Very nice running area.

On Thursday night I was out way too late, and then had to get up early to hit the airport to pick up Sally. A rough morning for sure. This town parties way too late. Typical is dinner at 11 or 12 o'clock. And the clubs finally get jumping about 3 or 4 in the morning. Most mornings we see the revelers rolling in while we are having breakfast at 8am.

So Friday we took it easy. I was hungover and Sally was jetlagged and tired from all her Dell work she had to complete prior to leaving.

But Saturday was beautiful. Cool breeze, party sunny, terrific. We spent the day exploring the parks and famous cemetary in the Recoleta district.

That night we celebrated my birthday with a great Asado (Argentine BBQ) and some birthday flan for desert. And of course, way too much wine. Which is redicuously cheap here.

So today, we will tour around a bit more and then we are catching the night bus to Mendoza to hit the wine country for a couple of days.

February 15th-17th Iguazu Falls

Caught a bus (24 hours) from Salta to Iguazu Falls on the Argentine, Brazil, Paraguay Border. Theres a spot where you can stand in Argentina and see both Brazil and Paraguay.

The falls or Cataratas as they are called, are billed as the largest falls in the world. I have to admit, they were pretty spectacular.

On the 17th, I´ll head to Buenos Aires and then Sally will arrive on the 20th. So we´ll celebrate my birthday on the 22nd in BA.

Also, so many great shots of the Falls, so if you want to see more, go to my facebook page and look at the Iguazu folder.

February 13th-Cafayate, Argentina-Wine Country

Hit 2 bodegas in Cafayate today. A very nice trip and a good group. And the scenery on the way out was stunning.

We also had some time to explore the town after lunch, so I rented a bicycle for an hour and toured around the area a bit.

February 12th-Jujuy, Argentina

So I booked a trip for today and tomorrow from Salta. Today I head to Jujuy, pronounced hooey-hooey. It´s the province north and had some very interesting towns and scenery. Similar to Utah and New Mexico but with bigger mountains.

Tomorrow is Bodega tour in the southern wine country.

February 11th-Salta-Finding a Hostel

So I booked myself into a hostel that came recommended on Hostelworld.com, a great site. I was not dissapointed. A very nice, affordable place with friendly staff and a swimming pool. Sweet.

Spent the day relaxing by the pool, with one excursion out to ride the tram to the top of the hill and get a view of the city.

Then I returned to find we were having an Asado, or a BBQ. Which turned out to be a great party. Fantastic beef, pork, and Llama (Sorry Dolly). And a very fun group. We ate by the pool and spent the night drinking wine, playing pool, and listening to music.

February 9th and 10th- Recovery Days in Salta, Argentina

So I spent 2 days taking antibiotics, eating soup, and rehydrating. Fortunately my room has TV, and I was able to find some English movies to watch. Ghostbusters was a favorite.

Feeling better little by little. Looking forward to striking out into town soon, and looking for a hostel so I can meet some people and start socializing again.

February 7th and 8th- Potosi Bolivia to Salta Argentina

I caught the night bus from Potosi Bolivia toward the Argentine border. I managed to make it to the border by Sunday afternoon and crossed with relative ease.

The next trick was to find a bus that would take me to Salta that day. Which was important since the small border town of Aguas Blancas, had no hotels, so if i couldn´t find a bus i would have to cross back into Bolivia to find a place to stay. Which also sucks because I only get 3 entries into Bolivia per year on my visa.

Well, I managed to find a bus that would take me out that evening, so I decided to celebrate with a piece of pizza that a girl was selling by the bus. This is where the story gets interesting.

I hopped on the bus, one of those nice double decker jobs, and within a hour I could tell that my stomach wasn´t happy. I´ve had that many times before while traveling, but this was feeling more ominous.

Warning*** This next part is pretty graphic, but I don´t know how else to tell it, so read at your own risk.

So I was on the top deck and feeling pretty ill. Fortunately the bus had a bathroom, so I grabbed my lexan bottle and headed downstairs to hit the bathroom. I figured the bottle might save me if I didn´t make it.

So I got to the bathroom and the door was locked. I could hear someone washing up. Before they finished I hurled into the bottle and discovered that the contents of my stomach were about 3 times the capacity of the bottle. So I created a fountain of puke which soaked all my clothes and pretty much the entire entry area of the bus.

Normally, throwing up doesn´t really bother me all that much, but this time I had the added complication of having torn the muscles in my side in my fall last week in Bolivia. So every heave was met with the tearing of muscle tissue and a sort of battle between my stomach which wanted everything out and my muscles which were convulsing and ordering the stomach to stop.

So by the time the person came out of the bathroom. I was in the fetal position in about 2 inches of puke in the entryway of the bus. But heah.....only 5 hours to go.

So the bus driver, who very much wanted to just drop me off somewhere....anywhere....in Bolivia, stopped at the next gas station to get me some supplies to clean up the mess.

So for the next 5 hours it was pretty much the same. Running to the bathroom every hour to purge.

So I finally made it to Salta and after walking around in the night and the rain for an hour (can I catch a break here?), I finally found a hostel, bought some gatorade and water, and started on my meds.

February 13th- is anyone reading this

I wanted to get a quick fix on whether anyone is following along on the blog. i´ve been posting pics to facebook as well but without the text.

So if you enjoy the verbage and this way of following along, comment to this post or send me an email, so i can decide whether to keep posting or just send pics to fb.

Thanks,

Scott

February 5th and 6th-Potosi, Bolivia

I spent yesterday wandering around town and getting my blog updated. Also grabbed a seat on the night bus to Tarija for tonight. Full recline sleeper for $11. 12 hour bus ride.

Tarija is the last major city before I hit the Argentine border.

I had planned to head north to Sucre, but I´m really enjoying Potosi. Potosi is the highest city of it´s size in the world. The elevation is over 4000m or 13,000 feet.

It used to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world a hundred years or so ago when the silver mine was still producing silver. So it has very ornate buildings that are crumbling.

So you can look back in time and imagine the prosperity and culture that once existed. But now it has slipped backwards toward the poverty that is typical in other Bolivian cities.

An example is my $3 per night hotel which has terra cotta roofing which has deteriorated and is now being gradually replaced by tin. See pic on Feb 3rd post.

February 4th- Potosi, Bolivia

Hit the mine tour this morning, then off to the tour of the Bolivian mint. Back in the days when Bolivia was minting money. Sorry no pics. Actually only one for which I was promptly scolded.

Starting to like this town. Maybe one or two more days, then catching the night bus south toward the Argentine border.

February 3rd- Uyuni to Potosi

Got back to Uyuni last night and went out for a nice dinner. Steak, fries, and vegetables for $2.25. 2 beers ran the tab up another $1.25.

Then grabbed the 9am bus to Pitosi, which is a mining town 6 hours east.

Found a hostel (private room) for $2.75 per night. A new record. The good news is that despite the recent stock market slump, you´re still rich in Bolivia.

Met a couple from Switzerland and set up our tour of the silver mine for tomorrow.

Check out the pics of my room and the courtyard at the hotel. A little banged up but quite a bit of character.

Also, the lady in the first pic was on our bus with the baby slung behind.

February 2nd- last day in Desert

Headed out at 5 am this morning to see some geisers and catch the sun rise over the hot spring lake. Also, had a chance to take a dip in the hot spring prior to breakfast. Pancakes....mmmm

Then dropped two of our passengers off at the Chilean border and headed back to Uyuni

February 1st- More desert

We left our guest house today and rolled out across the desert for more spectacular views. Had a nice party tonight at the lodge where we played cards and had a battle of wine vs. beer pyramid. I think team wine won based on height.

Keep in mind that in order to complete the pyramid, I had to run out into the desert to the "store" to grab another. While doing this, I busted my ass and bruised my hip. Ahhh the taste of victory.

January 31st- Into the Uyuni Desert

Woke up early to grab some grub, water, and snacks for our jeep trip into the desert.

I´ll let the pictures tell the story from here.

Oh, almost forgot, be sure to check out the "where is scott" link at the top of the blog for a real time link to my location on google earth. Also, I´m posting additional pics to my facebook page.

January 30th La Paz to Uyuni

Ouch. Spent a last celebratory night with my roomates in La Paz prior to my departure. So feeling a bit rough for my trip to the bus terminal for a 4 hour bus ride followed by a 7 hour train ride to Uyuni, where I will head into the Bolivian desert.

January 28th- La Paz Bolivia

OK, this is a repost of my San Pedro Prison tour. Mainly because my initial entry contained a bit too much information. For the dirty details, you can ask me over beers when I get back. For now, lets just say this:

The tour was a riot. And it is not technically legal. So I was essentially paying off the guards and hiring a private security detail to ensure our groups safety in the prison.

Note the pics of me with my body guards, lifting weights, and standing in the food line with the prisoners.

Ha. Crazy.