Buenos Aiaiai!res

To try to cover all I've done this past week:

- Hanging out at Millhouse with my friends who have been partying every night, while I call it a night. Just don't find it worth the money.. I sightsaw a Lot in the days, so I have been equally tired as them. There is just always something to discover in this beautiful city.
The parks in Palermo made me realize how live-able it is here, and the free medical university is tempting. I dragged my australian friend named Shaun, out to see the parks.
- We went to the japanese garden, which costs 8 pesos for the entrance and is tiny, but the food is however delicious. Then we went to the bigger parks next to it and goofed around in a four seat bicycle. I love that park for its youthful life: there are, especially on weekends, always people jogging, bicycling, roller-scating, landhockeying, playing football, longboarding, sunbathing by the lake, and at one point: also doing an aerobic-latin dance class in the middle of the street. These things happen here in BA. There has been a spinning class in the middle of the massive 9 de Julio avenue, for instance.
- I try to see as many streets as I can, but it really is nice to walk along that enormous avenue with a 250gr bucket of Freddo gourmet ice cream for 27kr. Life does feel pretty awesome! I love that ice cream so much that I yesterday bought one, finished it and went: daamnit, where's the nearest Freddo? I convinced a girl in Millhouse to come with me on a bus to go get more. - Worth it!

































The first few days, I was indulging in Buenos Aires´ nightlife culture, staying out far too late in one club and another house party. The weather switched from hot and sunny to grey and chilly... bew..
One by one, we got “kicked out” of the nice America del Sur, as you need to ask the day before if you can stay another day. The staff is wonderful, though. The best I`ve encountered. They allowed us to hang out there and use the facilities as much as we wanted. They just didn`t have enough beds in the hotel look-alike hostel. We`ve kept it as a meeting point, before they'd move to Millhouse, and I'd move to the cheap Tango, before couchsurfing.

- I have been couchsurfing twice now: first with a female photographer in Palermo, then with a local in San Telmo. I am his first couchsurfer and he has been too nice.
- Yesterday, after going to my first polo match, (50pesos) which happened to be between the best teams in the world at the final: Argentina vs England(was impressed and enjoyed it, as well as the burger outside), he took me outside to the providencial suburb, San Isidro, for a family dinner. It was lovely! They were so nice and welcoming.


- Played in the friday football tournament, which is arranged by the hostels in BA, every friday at 5, in Parque las Heras for 30pesos(per person). You play three 14min games. I arrived late, and we were already two too many on the team, so I joined another team and ended up playing against my friends. - Such a traitor! I was the only girl, as usual, so there was a great applause when the traitor scored...

Other sports events:

- La Boca - Tigre!
I decided to go scouting outside of the stadium for tickets, with a german guy called David. After seeing the colourful and touristy La Boca, where the restaurants have free tango shows on the street, we met up with a local girl who had gotten David a ticket, and found a guy selling. Or he found us. But we had already asked the guards how to tell a fake from a real ticket(scratch it and its black, not white), compared it to the real ones, and asked the seller to be in a photo with me, just in case. So I got a ticket for a 100 pesos, in the popular section, where the atmosphere is Crazy and wonderful, while my friends paid 300 for standing below the spitting Tigre fans.
The whole deal has a reputation for being dangerous, but it is overrated. Perhaps if It was a Boca - River game, one should be more careful. People were just happy, singing, dancing, and smoking weed.

-Tried that line-balance thing between trees, in the park. I got to know some nice argentinians that way, by asking if I could try. What else... well,
- I went with Shaun and a dutch friend called Edje to see Recoleta: a very nice area.
We explored the student environment by checking out the xollege and eating some scrumptious media lunas(crossaints) in the cafeteria. Me and Edje are hopefully going to Tigre this weekend for a couchsurfing-camping event. All the locals go away from BA this easter weekend, while foreigners take over. Its just that he's feeling a bit sick, so we'll see later when he comes over.

- One of the nights when we were hanging out in the hostel, they had a jam session where one girl had been singing all night. Then a random girl asked if she could sing a song, did, and I was pretty much pressured into singing "fever". I think I need to learn that song properly. The real singer had to direct me through it, but it was great fun.

- I have also been checking out gyms. One gym called Well club gave me a free spinning class and the use of their sauna, and said that I could try others if I wanted. I don't know if that would be for everyone or if it was just because the receptionist also asked me out. Genesis is a gym that you get a day for 30 pesos.
- I have read a little bit in the beautiful library, Ateneo, which is ranked as one of the ten most beautiful libraries in the world. It is a converted theatre, playing jazz and classical music.



- Also just watched the Semana Santa(easter) parade outside: nice music, lots of people and lights.

Welcome to Argentina

Sucre - Argentina! - Humahuaca - Tilcara - Salta

I left the bike with a great mechanic, contact: Nicki Stumwoll: 76110039, Av. Bevito Moxos number 99. Sucre.
After a few more updates and analysis, the problem became clear: the fuel cap, which was a simple matter.

Humahuaca to Tilcara

I met a girl from the hostel at the busterminal, who turned out to be norwegian and have the seat next to me. She was continuing on a later bus, the 50hours to BA, so I had to find other border buddies: A canadian guy and a girl from Holland joined me to Huamahuaca and Tilcara. They had had to break out of their hostels that morning, as they didnt open the gates in time. They had even climbed fences. We got a cheap taxi to the bus terminal, where we had to pay 28 pesos to get to Huamahuaca. There isnt that much to do in that village, so we had lunch and walked around a little bit, before we took the bus on to Tilcara, which was a much more likeable village. I wanted to camp, but the others couldnt find tents for renting and no one was in the camping area. The first one we checked out, lonely planet recommended and all, had a drunk receptionist, so that didnt really happen..In the end, I joined them in the lovely, lovely hostel Los Molles, where I paid 30 pesos incl breakfast, internet, a great view and people. Gorgeous! As it is Argentina(eat after 11pm), we had a very good bbq buffet of chicken, with some wine, beneath the stars.

Tilcara to Pucaramana, to Salta

The next morning, we went on the 8.30 bus to Pucaramana, where the mountain with seven colours, was located. - nice. We went back, had great ravioli in the restaurant by the park where you enter Tilcara, and then to Salta, the same day. Salta was bigger than I had imagined. Very modern. Its so good to be in this different environment, now. I feel a stronger culture shock coming back to technology and wealth, than leaving it. The air is oxygen-rich, its green and sometimes I can smell wet asfalt, just like home. The city rains too much, unfortunatly.
Me and Sam checked into El Andaluz, for 30 pesos w breakfast. Right around the corner, they have amazing empanadas!, especially the capresse. We went out for steak that night, and I ate too much again, so I stayed up on the computer until 4am, applying for jobs, etc.
The next morning, we went to look for a motorcycle rental:
The guy had worked in Bergen for 12 years, so he even spoke norwegian. Really nice guy who let me testdrive a Yamaha 250, which is so quick and smooth to drive, its like a toy. In the shop, we met a french couple that we decided to lend a car with, instead. Normally, as I've said, I don't care for french people, but these guys are great! Its so much cheaper to rent your own car and go, instead of doing a tour, and you can stop whenever you feel like.

We had some great Napolitana for lunch: beef with cheese, ham, salad and rice, at the market for 9 pr person.
The first place we drove to was San Antonio de Cobre, where they normally super-overcharge you for a tour or a train ride. The roads are not always great, so it takes time. Got back late and caught up with sleep, before the next morning, where we went to the wineland, Cafayate.
The roads straight there are wonderful, which made me envious of every biker going that way. We took a turn left to drive along a lake called Cabra Corral. We passed by a bridge where they do bungee jumping. You could jump just fine without the bungee....
There are some really spectacular caves on the way, as well. - All red coloured and shaped by the wind. We had been in awe the whole day. Cafayate is pretty overpriced. We found one good hostel for 40, called Route 40(an HI hostel), with breakfast, and cooked pasta with steak, there. Just really nice to cook for people a bit.

The second trip went to Catchi. Hardly any cars, and no buses, pass by this road. Its bad, but wouldnt stand out in Bolivia. The scenery was not as spectacular as the day before, but still very impressive. The last part was what I imagined Argentina to be like: green fields with lots of horses and cows, rivers, trees and mountainous frames. We were all becoming good friends at this point, and had great fun.
In Catchi, we checked into hostel del Inkanan, for 40 pesos. We then went out for dinner. The police was continuasly checking that the restaurants stopped serving wine at 11, as there was an election the next morning. Thats some restraint, if you ask me.

We were told that the nicest route was between Catchi and Salta, but it was a plain lie. We made one stop to photograph the view of a landscape, thickly covered in white clouds. Salta was rainy again, so after lunch, we've just hung out in the hostel, reading, using the web. Everything is closed because of the election and it being a sunday. At night, I couldn`t sit down anymore, and went for a nice run.
We wanted to rent that Yamaha the next day, but it was raining until late. We then took the cable cart to the mirador, and ran back down again, before stocking up on supplies for the 18-20hr bus ride to Buenos Aires. We went with the cheapest company: 400 pesos. In the Lonely Planet, argentinian prices have almost doubled, everywhere, so don`t believe what they say.
We got front seats, terrible food and movies. But it was fine. We ate a lot of cookies... A lot! I couldn`t believe this was my last bus ride in SA. My last stop...

Last ride - a finale with a bang

There were two argentinians in my hotel, unfortunately not going to the same place. One of them had the same bike as me. I must have woken them up quite a bit, as I couldn`t sleep longer than 4 am. I don`t have a watch, so I had no idea, when I got up, got dressed, had breakfast and loaded the bike. I had to turn on the tv to fall asleep again, until 5.30am. Its good to be at the border early, as there are no people. It opens around 6-6.30. The argentinian closes at 00.00 while the bolivian one closes at 21.00. Good to know, and I do know that border!

I was disappointed by how much dirt road detours there were due to maintenance. I can`t say how happy I am to drive on pavement instead. The scenery to there isn`t something spectacular. Didn`t even take out my camera. In the end, we had reached such high altitudes that the motor kept turning itself off again, but I learned after many kilometres of patience that if I drove slower than 40kms pr hour, it would keep going. I checked into The Koala den again, sang a bit with some music playing argentinians(its typical), met a couple that I have run into in every country I`ve been to, in SA. – For the first time in Salento, in september. I also met some italians who gave me authentical, home made risotto, wine and dessert, made by the mom of a guy travelling South America, even down to Ushuaia, on a Vespa! He had met the canadian family down in Ushuaia, too.

I couldn`t sleep longer than six am, so I got up and watched the first 1,5hour of the pianist. I`d have to finish that great movie, later. I had to get going to Sucre. Met a nice belgian guy in the hostel who tried to persuade me to wait for him, one day. I was too keen on moving, but I didn`t move too quickly. The carbureator had gotten too dirty for the bike to function right, so what should`ve been a 2,5hr ride, became a 5,5hr long one. When I finally decided to get a car to pull me to where I`d be going downhill, the guys asked me if I was driving solo. I replied as usual that they were behind. The funny thing was that the belgian guy appeared exactly in that moment.
He stuck with me for the rest of the trip and we checked into the cozy El Colon, in the white city of Sucre.

But something more interesting happened. Something I could`ve been without...
Being pulled made me nervous, as the car didn`t have break lights and I would always roll faster then the car and needed to use the back breaks to try to keep the ropes tight, so that I wouldn`t drive on them. The belgian guy said that I was doing a good job. However, for one second, I can`t have been doing a great job because as my front wheel rolled onto both of them, something happened that made the bike tip in 65kms pr hour, and we went down in a crazy crash.

I try to remember what happened, if my instincts had made me use the front brakes, which would explain why everything went wrong. It happened so fast, and while falling, also after, I was just yelling to them if Tornado was fine. I could see him almost beneath the car, wrapped up in the ropes. They kind of assumed that I wasn`t hurt, after that. My body was more startled than my head, as I felt like I had a fever. One of the guys drove my bike for a bit, instead.

I don`t like to write these things that I`m sure worry my family, but at least that was my last ride. How unfortunate that it should have such an ending, but at least there was some nice riding and company. In the end, after going far down and the bike still turning itself off, I decided to put it onto a truck, which costs just 30krs and takes 5 minutes, anyway. I`m just glad the bike can take so many punches. Myself, I got a few scratches and a bruised thumb, which really hurts to drive with, but otherwise is fine.
Tomorrow I have a lot of stuff to do before my 6pm bus to Villazon, where I`ll be crossing over to Argentina, finally! and meeting Sam, my chinese friend, in Tilcara.