Tucumán & Salta, Argentina: Día de Independencia - Independence Day

I arrived in Tucumán at 8am in the morning after a bus ride through the night. I found myself WiFi and got the address of a hostel. I was indecisive about whether to walk 40 mins or spend $3 on a cab ride following the warnings I received about Tucumán being the most dangerous place in Argentina. I decided to chance it and walk... I made it!

After settling into the hostel and taking a nap I met up with Patricia, an Argentinean girl from Couchsurfing, for a tour. Patricia took me to all of the main sites within the centre always with a big smile on her face. Tucumán is the 5th largest city in Argentina and is very crowded in the centre. It is also where the declaration of Independence was signed making Tucumán a very important city in Argentina and South America... as it turned out I arrived 5 days before Independence day. Tucumán is also the capital of the smallest province in Argentina also called Tucumán (the capitals of most Argentinean provinces share the same name as the province itself).

After returning I quickly got prepared for my second CS meetup to experience the night life of Tucumán. I met Julieta in front of a bar that was closed... good choice. We had dinner and snacks at a bar that was open followed by dancing the night away in a club. The security at the nightclub performed a rub down and used a metal detector before entry. Once we were through there was a table full of free lollies, I returned to this table many times. Upon returning to the hostel I handed over 100 pesos (about 10 bucks) for another night and passed out for most of the day.

Once I was up I was ready again. This time to experience my first full on house party in Argentina along with Julieta and her friends. The night involved 2 house parties, experiencing coca leaves for my first time and finally making it home at 10:30am which was 30 mins before checkout. I handed over another 100 pesos and had a short nap before watching the final of Wimbledon (which no one cared about) and seeing Argentina win another match in the world cup (which everybody cared about)... I slept well that night.

The next morning I decided to leave Tucumán 2 days before Independence Day, it was a tough decision but after experiencing how crazy Revolution  Day was in Buenos Aires it was probably a wise decision. I met Patricia, my tour guide, for a quick coffee at the bus station before taking off to Salta.

Saying Goodbye to the Hostel Staff

Salta is a large city in the very north of Argentina and the capital of the province of Salta. The people in the city appear very mixed in their heritage of both natives and European. The province surrounds the next province to the north (Jujuy) while also bordering Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes, nature and wineries in the province of Salta but my trip was beginning to be constrained by time so I decided to stick to city.

I spent my days exploring, walking up an inner city mountain (Cerro San Bernardo), followed by running up the same mountain the following day (while also running into my Frenchy Friends from Valle Fertil), using the free outdoor gym equipment on top of the mountain while listening to the awesome music they had pumping (other cities take note!)... And watching Argentina beat The Netherlands in the semi-final of the world cup on Argentinean Independence Day.

Salta from on top of Cerro San Bernardo

A waterfall on the top of Cerro San Bernardo

Standard Argentinean Home Security

The celebration of Argentina defeating The Netherlands was possibly the most crazy celebration I've seen in my life. I watched the first half of the game in the main square but it was too crowded and squishy so I returned to my hostel to watch the second half with a big group of Argentineans. Every time Argentina won the citizens of every city would march to the main square for post match celebrations. I left the hostel with a group of Argies to the sight of people pouring out of every building (I thought the square was packed before). So many people were driving around in cars beeping their horns and shooting fireworks out of their windows. There must have been close to 1 million people filling the main square and the surrounding streets, going against the crowd was not a possibility.

After 3 nights in Salta it was time to head to my last province in Argentina, Jujuy, this time avoiding the cities and going straight to a little town very close to the border of Bolivia surrounded by ridiculous nature.

Next Stop Tilcara!

Lessons Learnt:
I can't escape the French.
Running up a mountain after 2 months of drinking and limited fitness is not a good idea.
Argentina knows how to celebrate.
Vegetarian Asian restaurants exist in the South American steak capital of the world (AKA Argentina).
The Inka tradition of chewing coca leaves gives you a nice buzz.

Mendoza, Argentina: Vacinations, Vineyards & Horseriding

My overnight bus ride from Córdoba to Mendoza was full of a rowdy women's volleyball team. I found them good fun but I don't think everyone else enjoyed their company.

Mendoza is the 4th biggest city in Argentina (after Rosario, Córdoba & Buenos Aires). It is very famous for its global award winning wines, especially the Malbec. Mendoza is a very touristic city due to its wine, being the crossing point to Santiago de Chile and its proximity to the Andes (including Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America and tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas, measuring 6,950m above sea level).

As soon as I hopped off the bus I was straight off to a clinic with all of my bags strapped to me. On Thursday mornings in Mendoza the government clinic gives out free Yellow Fever shots. I was supposed to have it before visiting Iguazú but better late than never.

After checking into my hostel, grabbing breakfast and signing up to a Pizza Party I was collected from my hostel from Yani, a girl from Couchsurfing. She gave me a quick tour of part of the city before taking me to the massive park (the site of where the Kiwi from Australia was shot and killed a couple of months earlier). After touring the lake we shared some bikkies and drinks.

Plaza de Independencia

After the returning to my hostel I was off to another hostel for a Pizza Party with all you can eat pizza. Once the eating part was done all the tables were stacked to the side and the hostel became a mini nightclub with 70 people from 4 different hostels. Whenever I went to the bar they would pour straight spirits down my throat for free... I only paid for one drink and got hammered.

The next day I went for a hike up a little mountain Cerro Gloria. It was a bit of a trek to the start of the mountain. I had to walk passed the big park and past a zoo. The scenery was nice. The top of the mountain is a tribute to General San Martin, the man responsible for winning the wars of independence from Spain in most South American countries beginning with Argentina. Ironically he was fighting in Spain against Napoleon before returning to South America and winning independence (Napoleon installing an illegitimate Spanish King, his cousin, might have been the turning point).

I caught the last 10 minutes and the only goal of Argentina vs Iran. A 12 year old kid tried to pickpocket me while I was watching. They have another trick as well where they hold flyers above wallets or phones on tables pretending to hand them out while the other kid quickly grabs your wallet or phone while out of view under the flyers. Afterwards I returned to the hostel for an all you can eat asado followed by another night of getting free spirits poured down my throat.

Don't swim in this!

Probably the best part of the zoo and it was outside

The next day Yani picked me up from my hostel in her car. She took a course in Wine Tourism where her teacher was a boss at one of Argentina's most famous and awarded wineries, Trapiche (it has even won awards in France). Yani hooked me up with a free tour.

I arrived in trekking pants and shoes, everyone else on this tour was very well dressed (it turned out to be the higher end tour). The tour taught me about the history of the local wine history, the process and much more. The wines we sampled at the end were amazing. The guide even let Yani and I stay behind to finish the bottles on the balcony while she escorted everyone else out... I love Couchsurfing!

These tracks used to go to Buenos Aires and Valparaiso in Chile

Wine is very cheap in Argentina but these will set you back about $40 each.

A great way to spend a Sunday

The Louvre?

The next day I explored the city I explored the city solo.

The meaning of this is in Buenos Aires Part 1... I take this photo in every city

The next day the Aussies I met at my hostel in Còrdoba (Tom, Shaun and Steve) ended up in my dorm room in Mendoza. We all went horse riding that afternoon. My first time on a horse in my life! It really hurts your testicles when they run fast... Apparently there is a technique.

Kung Fu & I

After the horse riding we had another asado with the staff and other riders before getting our driver to drop all of us off at a bar. It was 3 Aussies, 2 Colombians and 1 Venezuelan...We played drunken pool where I might of photo bombed a Venezuelan and a Colombian when they thought they were having a normal photo... They didn't find it as funny as everyone else.

They didn't know until after they looked at the photo.

My final day involved watching Argentina beat Nigeria, celebrating afterwards and going to another hostel Pizza Party. The next morning I was finally off after 1 week in Mendoza.

Next Stop San Juan!

Lessons Learnt:
Couchsurfing is Awesome!
Only guys find that type of photo bombing funny.
Riding horses is better for girls.
Argentina is my world cup team.

Melipeuco, Chile: Becoming a Master Brewer in the Mapuche Countryside

After getting off my first South American overnight bus ride I was in the town of Temuco. The buses in Chile are so much more comfortable than France and Spain while also being ridiculously cheap. I watched a movie in English and received a snack pack for breakfast. Although, there were no WiFi or power points... I slept without problem.

I was only in Temuco for just over an hour before jumping on another bus to the very small town of Melipeuco, about 1,000km south of Santiago and 40km west of Argentina. The heart of Mepuche land. My host, Christián, picked me up in his car and also had a French girl with him that was also Couchsurfing at his place. We arrived at his very rural place 15km outside of Melipeuco, the nearest town.

The House

Christián's father greeted us with lunch, a real homemade lamb cazuela. His father didn't speak English and Chileans are the Irish/Scottish of the Spanish speaking world, other Spanish speakers don't even understand them. So conversation was very limited with my level of Spanish but words aren't always necessary.

The rest of the afternoon involved visiting neighbours, by car, and receiving vegetables for dinner that we picked ourselves from their veggie gardens. This was followed by the 3 of us going for an afternoon run through the countryside. After dinner the Frenchie was off to Santiago.

Christián normally works in a university lab in Temuco, however, when he is on the farm he brews craft beer to sell. On the morning of my second day I was helping him bottle a batch that was ready and squirting 6.25 mls of sugar water into each bottle first, this gives it the bubbles after the sugar reacts with the yeast in the brew.

After bottling 120 beers it was time for Christián to show me the local area. The most famous landmark being Volcán LLaima, the most active volcano in Chile based on number of eruptions in the last century. Volcán LLaima stands at 3000m above sea level. We also visited a cool non touristy waterfall and ate some bush food.

Part of the lava field with the peak of the volcano behind the mountain in the background.

The lava field

Volcán LLaima

Christián leading the way

The berries were lunch!

That night we grounded malt by hand for a new batch to be brewed the next day then we sat around drinking "mate" (pronounced mah-teh, a tea found throughout Argentina, Uruguay and the south of Chile). It's something I first tried in Madrid with 2 girls from Argentina. Mate is drunk a special and social way but I will save the details for when I write about Argentina. While drinking mate we attached labels to all the bottles.

The next morning it was time for boiling and washing the malt, an 8 hour process. I spent a lot of the waiting time exploring the nearby nature. We also went for a quick trip to Melipeuco. In the supermarkets in this town the shop assistent walks around with the customer and grabs everything that is asked for and calculates the total before going to the front counter to pay. Upon paying fresh homemade sweets are received.... customer service! But it would be very difficult without knowing Spanish.

Boiling the malt and water to wash the malt

Melipeuco with Volcán LLaima

With lunch I tried Chicha, a Chilean cider. Here you take the apples to a place and return a week later to collect your chicha. It is a very strong apple cider.

That night, after putting the brew in a vat, Cristián and I were on a 3 hour bus ride back to Temuco to his mother's place. His mum was very welcoming and provided me with another Chilean speciality, Humita, mashed corn that is cooked wrapped in its leaves.

Humita

The next morning I was off to Pucón.

The beer, Trakura, is a craft beer made predominantly with pilsner malt and some caremel malt. It was really good!

Lessons Learnt:
Chilean families are extremely friendly and make sure you are fed.
I love the countryside.
Becoming a master brewer.
Cazuela, Humita, Chicha and Terremoto (a cocktail, translates to Earthquake) are four amazing traditional Chilean things.
Craft beer tastes awesome but it's a lot of work.