El Monumental, River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires

I love going to soccer games around the world. Whether its Guatemala, Scotland, Brazil or Argentina, I always enjoy the chance to catch a game. So when I happened to be wandering by the River Plate stadium on a Sunday afternoon with two friends, I jumped at the chance to go.

Outside of the stadium, we soaked up the pre-game atmosphere; males dressed in red and white drinking bottles of cheap beer by the liter, the smell of choripan roasting on the parrilla and the crackling sound of gunfire thanks to the nearby shooting range. Ahhh, Argentine fútbol. We began our search for tickets. There are basically two types of seats, popular and platea. The former is where the hard core fans sit, nicknamed 'Los Borrachos del Tablon’ (roughly translated – Drunkards of the Stands). After haggling with a man sporting double denim and an Argentine mullet, we splurged for platea, 100 pesos, ticket price 70 pesos.

There are no assigned seats but we carefully select seats away from the visiting team fans in order to avoid being hit by projectiles. For everyone's protection, the visiting team is surrounded by a high fence and security, but they can still manage to huck trash on the fans below.

Soon enough it’s game time and the festivities begin. The stadium begins to thunder with fans yelling, jumping and singing in an elaborate show of flags, songs and drumming. Handmade flags and banners are an essential part of expressing one's never-ending loyalty to the team and the stadium is covered in red and white banners with neighborhood names and fan love.

About 35 minutes into the game, River Plate scores on a penalty kick and the stadium erupts in song and fireworks. GOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!

But the visiting team quickly fires back in the second half, and their fans rattle their chain link enclosure like little kids playing Where the Wild Things Are. In the end, River lost 2 -1. But no sooner was the game over did the River fans begin to sing about their devotion... aunque ganes aunque pierdas, te llevo en el corazon!

Parque Nacional Iguazú, Argentina

Parque Nacional de Iguazú is a tropical paradise. Stunning waterfalls slide down cliffs while butterflies land on your shoulder and monkeys crash through the trees. The waterfalls are not only huge but there are a lot them, and they all seem to miraculously line up, begging you to take a picture (I now have a zillion). A great place to take Mom during her brief visit to Argentina!

We started at the uppermost part of the falls, la Garganta del Diablo or the Devil’s Throat. The water crashes down far below and everything is white. Here you realize just how much water is flowing through the falls as it thunders and spews a mist that drenches you. The sound is deafening but the mist feels great in the tropical heat. And when I say mist, I don’t mean like a light fog, I mean more like a sporadic rainstorm.

If you want to get even closer, take a boat ride. For $110 pesos ($28 USD), you can get a view of the waterfalls from the river and they actually take you into the base of the falls. You get absolutely soaked. All you can hear is roar of the waterfalls and the screams of the tourists (my Mom “Oh my god they are really taking us into the waterfall!! Ahhhhhh! Eeeeeek!”).

Understandably, the park is wildly popular and expect crowds of tourists, especially in the morning. The entrance fee is 100 pesos (about $25 USD) but if you can get a half-price ticket if you return for a second day. The park is big enough that you can find some spots to walk alone and listen to the jungle. While the waterfalls are the main attraction, you can see Black Capuchin monkeys roaming the trees,

Toucans

and Coatis, lovely creatures who patrol the snack bars like tropical raccoons. This one ripped a can of seltzer water from a German tourist’s hand while her husband took photos and laughed. I probably shouldn't be too judgemental, because I did the exact same thing.

It was an amazing experience and I would recommend visiting Iguazú to anyone vacationing in Argentina. The town of Iguazú is rather mediocre and feels more like Brazil than Argentina with the red dirt, plethora of motorbikes and large buffet breakfasts. We stayed at a great hotel, La Sorgente, (thanks mom!) with a very relaxing pool area. Try their wicked caipirinhas for 15 pesos.

Volcan Villarica, Chile

The main attraction of Pucon is Vulcan Villarica, one of Chile’s most active volcanoes. Roughly translated, it’s name means rich village or place of wealth, and the local adventure travel companies would agree. An active snow-covered volcano is not my idea of a walk in the park but for 35,000 pesos (about $70 USD), anyone can summit the volcano. Seems like a good idea, right?

We leave at 4:30 am, packing into a collectivo with a Swiss couple and eight Israelis. It is 2800 meters to the summit, and there is no guarantee that we will get to the top, as the climb is highly weather dependent. Dressed in our ghetto neon yellow mountain gear, we begin our climb in the dark. I stumble through the hike for the first hour or so, barely awake and trying not to trip over volcanic rocks. And then the sun began to rise.

We start our climb on snow and receive instructions on how to use our ice axes and to kick our toes into the snow to keep our footing. We climb in a line like little gortex ducks, carefully following the steps made by our group leader.

The weather up to this point has been relatively cloudy, but suddenly the wind picks up, causing the clouds to shift dramatically. We then began to hear the sound of wind rocketing ice pellets on the ridge above us and our guides instantly get on their radios, checking the weather conditions and discussing the best plan of attack. Soon enough, the wind hits us and we are forced hunker down. I am unable to move as the wind tosses my helmet and flying snow stings my eyes. And this about the time I started thinking those deep thoughts. You know, like the time I read Into Thin Air and realized that people who climb mountain are slightly crazy. And how we were told there would be four guides but only then only two showed up. But most importantly, how amazing it is to travel and all the stuff you can do outside of the US, like climb active volcanoes. Stuff like that.

Anyways, we make it through the rough patch and then kick our toes into high gear. Villarica regularly spews toxic, smelly gases and the strong winds blow these fumes directly into our faces. Good thing I’m not a scientist, because what you don’t know, can’t hurt you. (Right?) Our guide informs us that he will be spending 3 minutes at the top and then he will be going down. We can stay longer, but he will be leaving regardless. Um, gee, thanks? We cover our noses, take two pictures and then proceeded to head down.

After 5 hours of hiking, the only thing we want to do is slide down on our butts. And that’s exactly what we get to do, literally (Ricky Gervais accent).

They gave us an extra covering for our bums, some instructions on how to use our ice axe to steer and then we go down one by one, giggling hysterically while all the other groups of hiker are still making their way up.

Moral of the story, all’s well that ends well, and it was an amazing experience.

Traveler’s tip: I would not recommend the company we went with, Backpacker’s Pucon, the equipment was not in good condition and they forgot to give me gloves. Maybe spend a little more and make sure to check out the equipment first!

Cajón del Azul

A relatively easy and enjoyable hike over the river and through the woods…and then next a strikingly blue river. The pictures just don´t do it justice.

The water was so beautiful and the sun was so hot, I was shocked by the fact that most hikers were not diving in and somehow content to sit on the boiling white rocks. Believing that the average person is a fool, I decided that I would not follow the crowd and jump in. Turns out the water is so freakin´ cold it feels like it will freeze your heart and the air in your lungs instantly. I made it about three seconds before doggy paddling back to shore, slipping on rocks as I raced to get the hell out of the river.

Refugio Cajon del Azul is where the cool kids hang out and listen to tape cassettes.

El Bolsón

Founded by vegetarian hippies in the 70s, El Bolsón is a chill spot 2 hrs south of Bariloche.

We stayed La Casa de Viajeros, a lovely place to relax (I know, completely differently from what we have been doing). Owned by the Porro family, this get away comes with two dogs and a roost of chickens who are let out in the afternoons to roam the yard, pick at stuff, squawk and look at you funny. 60 pesos per person (about $15 US).

The main attractions of El Bolsón are:

Artesian beer, a rarity in Argentina (they´re more into the wine)

La Feria del Bolsón, a food and crafts market that is held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

And of course, hiking! See next post for our hike of Cajón del Azul.

Refugio Cerro Lopez, Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche is full of great hikes and refugios where you can spend the night or cook a meal. After gathering information with the local Club Andino (http://www.clubandino.org/CARTELERA) we decided to hike up Cerro Lopez . We started our hike at noon, because it´s difficult for us to do anything before that hour. With the full force of the summer sun upon us, the hike was hot, dusty and we were constantly pestered by tabanos, basically giant biting horse flies. First viewpoint was La Roca Negra, a mirador overlooking the lakes below and a resting point for school children and Roberto.

We continued up to Cerro Lopez, stopping briefly to play in a snow patch, refill our water bottles in glacial stream and of course, take photos.

The views from the refugio were well worth the trek and we were grateful for a cold beverage and place to sit in the shade.

The hike took us 4 hours and we luckily snagged a seat on a packed public bus and made it back into town in time for happy hour at the local microbrewery, Astral.

All in all, it was a very good day.

Bariloche

Bariloche, a city nestled along a windy lake with mountains and amazing sunsets as its backdrop.

(Photo taken by Roberto)

Staying at a family friends´ house, we were treated to lake views and excellent hosts, Tim and Jody.

The house was amazing and was not only inhabited by friendly folks from the Northwest, but also five cats (!). The property is beautiful. Sitting next to the lake, you can see mountains views from every window in the house and the garden is meticously well kept, with a small stream providing the perfect soundtrack for an easy way of life. Here we continued to eat well, lay out in the sun and pass the days.

And I even managed to do some yoga.

New Years in Miramar

Since January is excruciatingly hot in the Buenos Aires, most portenos get the hell out of the city. A popular summer destination, the beach of course. Many head to Mar de Plata (below), where you can hit the beach with thousands of other people. Because apparently some people like to do that.

However, I am not one of those people. Instead we headed to Miramar, a family friendly beach 500 km from Buenos Aires, perhaps most famously known as the place where Che began his motorcycle trip around South America.

I stayed with Roberto and his family at their summer home, "The Highlands". Roberto´s family fed me amazing dinners, asked me questions about the US, ("How do you eat dinner so early? What do you do for the rest of the evening?") and patiently listened to me and my mediocre spanish.

All I did here was eat, drink, go to the beach, ride bikes around town and hang out in the backyard. Not very interesting for my travel blog, but very enjoyable.

Travelers Tip: Always bring gifts. It´s like bribing people to like you and encouraging them to forgive and forget any future faux pas you are likely to commit while in their presence. Food is always a good choice. I brought Northwest smoked salmon and Ghirardelli chocolates, both were well received.

Cause I´m leaving on a jet plane

Don´t know when I´ll be back again...

Actually, I´ve already left. I´m sort of a procrastinator you see.

But today I started my travel blog. Yup, I am really doing it. It was harder than I thought.

For those of you who don´t already know, I´m taking time off work to travel and live in Argentina with my boyfriend Roberto. With this blog, I am hoping to keep my friends and family up to date about my travels in Argentina, highlight interesting aspects of Argentine culture and maybe even inspire others to keep up travel blogs of their own (Alia! Cole & Whit!).

All my bags are packed, and I´m ready to go!