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Author: Sarah

Watching the World Cup in Argentina

Watching the World Cup in Argentina

Is that James…? Or Lionel Messi?? James and I are not really football people. However, we couldn’t help but get into the spirit when spending the whole of the Brazilian World Cup in 2014 in neighbouring football mad Argentina. Living in England, I thought I knew what a football mad nation looked like. How wrong could I be? Even the dogs got ready for every Argentina game! When the national team were playing in Argentina, everything stopped! I spoke to a mother…

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The Three Frontiers

The Three Frontiers

The Iguazú falls are in the border of Argentina and Brazil. Paraguay is also nearby – just over the bridge from Foz do Iguaçu – the nearest town to the falls from the Brazilian side. From Puerto Iguazú in Argentina, where we were stayed while visiting the falls, you can walk down to a viewpoint that overlooks the two rivers that form the borders for the 3 countries. The picture above is taken from Argentina. The landmass on the left…

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Chasing Rainbows at the Iguazú Falls

Chasing Rainbows at the Iguazú Falls

Drawing a rainbow in the sky In the weeks leading up to our visit to the Iguazú falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, I was worried. There had been massive flooding in the area and the falls had been closed to visitors. When we mentioned our plan to go to the falls to an Argentinian I was speaking to a couple of weeks before we were on our way, he shook his head and said that it was…

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A quick guide to the quirky towns of Las Sierras de Córdoba

A quick guide to the quirky towns of Las Sierras de Córdoba

The best way to see the towns and the countryside around Córdoba is to hire a car and go exploring! But where to go? Here is our quick guide to the towns and villages in the Sierras.  The open road The towns are listed in the order we visited them. We hired a car for 4 days (3 nights). We spent most of the first day in Alta Gracia and the night in Belgrano. The following day we were in La Cumbrecita for the…

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Las Sierras de Córdoba – Part 2: Little Germany, pretty views and some wine!

Las Sierras de Córdoba – Part 2: Little Germany, pretty views and some wine!

Chairlift up the Sugar Loaf Mountain near Cosquin While in Córdoba – Argentina’s second city, we hired a car to explore the surrounding countryside, which is dotted with interesting villages as well as beautiful landscapes. We spent most of our first day in Alta Gracia, exploring the Jesuit Estancia and at the Che Guevara museum. To read more about our time in Alta Gracia see this post. Leaving Alta Gracia, we headed to Villa General Belgrano, stopping on the way to take…

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Las Sierras de Córdoba – Part 1: Che Guevara

Las Sierras de Córdoba – Part 1: Che Guevara

James hanging out with Che We’d heard that the countryside surrounding Cordoba was worth a visit, both for the beautiful landscapes as well as the quirky and interesting villages. We hired a car and headed into the hills. After successfully navigating our way out of Córdoba (which is full of one way streets and bus lanes), our first stop was Alta Gracia, where Che Guevara spent his adolescence. Beautiful walkway inside the Jesuit Estancia We started our day in Alta…

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Learning about the dictatorship in Córdoba

Learning about the dictatorship in Córdoba

Like many (all?) countries in South America, Argentina has a pretty brutal history. Although we’d had some idea of the events of the late 1970s and early 1980s during the time of the military dictatorship, the guide on our walking tour in Buenos Aires really brought home the brutality of the regime, when he highlighted that from 1976 to 1983 up to 30,000 people were ‘disappeared’ by the military.   We were particularly struck by the stories of the estimated 500 children who…

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Where we stayed – Bolivia

Where we stayed – Bolivia

Overview:  Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America. Depending on your budget you can find cheaper places to stay than those listed here. Alternatively, you can splash out a little bit and stay in some very nice places. Our choices were largely above complete budget, but were, on the whole, great value for money. Copacabana – Fresh off the bus from Puno, Peru, we headed to La Cúpula to see if they had any rooms, as the hostel had been recommended…

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Skiing in Las Leñas

Skiing in Las Leñas

A central error in our destination choices for this trip has been that we are following winter around! We left the UK in early March, at the beginning of Spring and travelled further south in South America as their winter approached. We return to the UK in September, just in time for autumn! We decided to take advantage of this all too obvious schoolboy error and organized a week’s skiing in Las Leñas – reportedly the best ski resort in South America. We…

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A day trip to Tigre

A day trip to Tigre

Pretty walkway in Tres Bocas An hour’s train ride north out of Buenos Aires and you find yourself in a completely different world.  Wooden walkway The town of Tigre and the surrounding Parana Delta is a popular getaway for Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) and tourists alike.  Waterway, Tres Bocas The area is a web of inter-connecting waterways that take you to small islands lined with wooden walkways that pass pretty houses and guest houses on stilts, restaurants, rowing clubs and even boat…

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