Sunday 12 June 2011

Don't Cry for Me Argentina...



June 2nd, we took a bus from Santiago to Mendoza but we only stayed there for 2 nights, our aim was to hit as many winery in a day as possible.  We hit managed to hit four which wasn't bad, considering we woke up late and didn't start until 1pm!  We visited the Carinae, Di Tommaso, Vina el Cerno and another new one which I can't remember the name.

As most of you know, I don't drink, so the highlight of the day was when a lovely girl we met during our wine tour got so hammered, she fell off her bike and the police had to escort her back to the bike store.  It was seriously hilarious!  The funniest thing I have seen in a while.  It was priceless!

My hubby had a great time and I did too, to see the winery and learn about wine making.  You haven't been to Mendoza if you haven't done a wine tour.

On June 4th, we headed off to Buenos Aires via a pimp bus with 180° seats and individual entertainment system, which made the 13-hour bus journey much more enjoyable.

We were in BA for 5 nights and I tell you, this city NEVER SLEEPS.  We went to a restaurant at 7:30pm and were told we were too early and that we should return after 8pm!  Our restaurant started filling up at 11pm.  Argentines party HARD.  They drink at 8pm, dine at 10pm, then hit the clubs at 2am!!!

We felt like complete douche bags and were ready to rot in an old folks home! However, we did manage to kill the meat there BIG TIME.  The amount of food we had had was simply offensive.  By the last day, I couldn't eat anything the following morning because we had eaten so much.

The meat there was outstanding, the night life was crazy, the cities were pretty and although on the surface, the people in BA seemed rather stuck up, once you get to chat with them, you would learn that they are really friendly and helpful!

Apart from the food, the Recoleta Cemetery was the highlight of my trip in Argentina.  It's like a mini town inside the thick walls which surround the cemetery.  The stonework, the marble, the statues were absolutely fascinating.  It's for the elite of Argentina such as doctors, judges, politicians and of course, Evita. I loved it so much I had to go back and visit it again before we left BA.

Is it wrong to say that I have fallen in love with a cemetery? But seriously, if you ever go to BA, you will know what I mean, the Recoleta Cemetery is really unique and I have never ever seen anything like it before.

Apart from that, we did the usual touristy stuff and visited all the places like City Center, Recoleta, Palermo etc...the second highlight was the Zoo in BA.  Within such small area, you could find white lions and tiger, hippos, monkeys, elephants, lions, polar bear, bears, rhino and so on.  We planned to roam around it but ended up staying there for about 3 hours!!!

During our stay in BA, we took a day trip to Colonia in Uruguay.  I am not sure why anyone would say that you should stay there for a week, I mean it was a lovely little town (the historical town anyways) but half a day was enough for us!  The town was peaceful, colonial and very pretty but I would recommend doing a day trip only.

June 10th came and we were really excited about flying off to Iguazu until we were told by our hotel that the BA airport had closed because of the ash cloud from the Chile volcano eruption and most flights were cancelled.  We were gutted because we have already booked the hostals and the following flights to and within Brazil which we couldn't change, everything was back to back.

If you have experienced the London ash cloud incident a year ago, you would know how we felt.

Anyhow, we were still told to go to the airport and there, we wait, wait and wait. 11am came and we were told to wait another hour.  12pm came and we were told to continue to wait until I went up and told the staff we had to make other arrangements and we couldn't wait any longer.  I know no one can predict the weather but seriously, go or no go, you are talking about a plane taking off, of course people knew.

Long story short, we were finally told our flight was canceled, so we took a taxi to the bus station and hopped onto the next available bus to Iguazu.  So an hour and a half flight journey turned out to be an 18-hour bus ride.  By the time we got to Iguazu, it was 8am and luckily, our hostal was willing to change the booking dates and our room was ready!!! By the time we crossed the Brazilian boarder and finally arrived to see the falls, it was a good 24 hour from when the time we arrived at the BA airport!

Having said that, the Iguazu Falls were magnificent.  The roaring of the water, the wind in your face and the grandness of the view, the experience was nothing but majestic.  No wonder why it's one of the 50 places you should see before you die.

We have really enjoyed our trip in Argentina, with double our belly volume and many fantastic memories, we will be heading off to Brazil tomorrow and I can't wait to kill the beaches while my hubby takes down the Brazilian barbecues!

Sunday 5 June 2011

BREAKING NEWS: There is no egg or bunny on Easter Island, Chile


REPORTING (not exactly live but maybe a week later..) BREAKING NEWS that there is no egg or bunny on Easter Island!!!

Yes, you heard me.

However, there are fascinating myths, legends, archaeological sites, friendly locals, surf and dive sites and most importantly, the man-like statues known as Moai.

You can probably visit all the sites on Easter Island in two days by car, in which you don't have to rush from one place to another.  However, to make the most out of our 5-hour plane journey from Chile, we decided to stay for 5 days which was totally worth it.

The main sites are as follows: Ahu Akivi (7 Moai), Ahu Tongariki (15 Moai), Ahu Hanga Kio'e (1 Moai), Ahu Vai Uri (4 Moai), Ahu Tahai (1 Moai), Ahu Ko Te Riku (1 Moai with a hat), Ahu Nau Nau (at Anakena Beach, the most well preserved Moai on the island, all with hats), Orongo Village, Rano Kau Crater and Rano Raraku (the nusery of Moai, where all Moai are made).

We got a gentleman named Paul, to tour us and he is an archaeologist and hotel owner on Easter Island, he probably knows more about anything and everything of Easter Island than the locals do.

Anyhow, the mystery of Easter Island has always been about the Moai:
- Who built them?
- What are they?
- Why are they all knocked over?
- Why do they stop making them...etc?

Well, they were built by the locals according to the reflection of the local men. They believed the souls of the dead would come back and stay in the Moai and would protect the village or field the Moai looked upon.

In the 18th Century, most of the Moai were standing but by mid 19th Century, not one was standing.

Legend has it that a man went to Tongariki and wanted chicken heads, he didn't get any and he tapped his feet against the stone foundation and all statues fell.  Another famous one is about an old woman who was a cook and could move the huge stone statues with super power!  One day, she came back and found that the workers had eaten a lobster and didn't leave any for her.  She was so angry that she told all the statues to fall down and all subsequent production halted.

However, there are more reasonable and modern explanations for the fall and desertion of work - tribal warfare, earthquake, the ocean washing them away and even the modern day requirements for the stones from the statues!

The statues are STUNNING, some sites have one or two, while another is a massive nusery. Like the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu, pictures and words do not do it justice, you have to see it with your own eyes.

They are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G...they are M.A.R.V.E.L.L.O.U.S!!!

You could be walking along the coast and suddenly, there is this massive stone statue shaped like a human right in front of you.  There is so much history behind them and it's heart-breaking to see so many of them with their faces down, broken, damaged or even 1,000ft below the water. Recently, a tourist tried to cut off an earlope of one of the statues just so he could bring it home!!!

When we were at Rano Raraku (the nusery), we could not believe our eyes, there were just statue heads everywhere, taller than us, staring at different directions, like they were posing for photos. 

With beautiful blue sky, crispy air and the mystery of the Moai, Easter Island was truly worth visiting. 

We missed the star-gazing in San Pedro but let me tell you this, NO WHERE can you see more stars and clearly than on Easter Island.  If the desert is nowhere in Chile, then Easter Island is in the middle of nowhere on earth!!!

Although I am not a kid, I must admit I was still slightly disappointed when I learnt that there was no chocolate egg or a single bunny on Easter Island.  The name came from the day it was discovered, an Easter Sunday.

If you have a list of 50-Places-To-Go-Before-You-Die, Easter Island should definitely be on your list.