Argentina

It seems that wherever I go on this continent, I simply cannot get rid of the guy. When I walked into The Clan this morning, who should I meet yet again, but my old travel buddy Chris! Nah, actually I was really happy to see him — it's been a while since we parted, back in Lima, and plenty has happened in between. Chris will be in town for a few days, before he heads off to explore various other places in Argentina. Today was also a day of reunion with Oly, who I last saw not that long ago in Quito, and who's going to be down here in BA for the next few months, trying to get some freelance web design work. Plus, I bumped into various other people that I haven't seen for a while — such as one guy that I met back in La Paz, and another that I met in Cusco. Seems like all the '07 PEB veterans have come down to Argentina — time for a big reunion party!

My mate Patrick recommended Clan to me, back in Ecuador. It's one of the several big party hostels here in Buenos Aires (a city that is one big party, all night every night), and although the building is a bit of a dump, it's very friendly and it has a lot of character. The upstairs bar is the place to hang out every night, and it also has a ping-pong table and a TV, for keeping yourself entertained during the day. The hostel has free bikes, that you can borrow for riding around the city at any time. They arrange weekly games of fútbol ("soccer"), as well as twice- or thrice-weekly trips to see teams such as the Boca Juniors playing at the big fútbol stadium. They do all-you-can-eat BBQs a few nights a week. And they'll even hire buses to take you to the big discos in town, on Friday and Saturday nights. Just don't expect to get any sleep here, before about 4am each morning.

If you're going to travel by bus in Argentina, and you're going to travel long distances (and in Argentina, all distances are long distances), then do it in style. Last night, I took the super-cama (lit: "super-bed") express bus, with Via Bariloche, from Bariloche to Buenos Aires. And by G-d, it was by far the nicest and most luxurious bus ride I've ever had in my life. A seat that reclines back 180°, and that totally pwns most hostel beds. Movies on flat-screen suspended plasma-screen TVs. Roast beef and custard for dinner. Red wine and champagne served in-trip. Hot medialunas (croissants, lit: "half-moons") for breakfast. Pillows, blankets, you name it. This bus trip may have been a bit pricey, but it was still nothing compared to a (very small and crappy economy-class) plane ticket. Furthermore, a trip like this is more than just a means of transportation — it's an attraction of Argentina in and of itself.

After nine nights at this place, I finally checked out and said goodbye to Patanuk today. I'm very sad to be leaving: it's the cosiest hostel I've ever stayed at, and I feel like the staff and guests that I've been with over the past week have become my family. It's also sad, because quite a few people are leaving today or tomorrow: Sarah and Jordan, along with Simon and Anna, are heading off west to Chile (yeah, I know — why? :P); and Ed is following my tracks to Buenos Aires pretty soon. So Patanuk is going to be a house with all the children gone. Ah well, I'm sure they'll have a whole new family of guests by next week. Chao, Patanuk: it's been great!

Tonight was, sadly, my last night in Bariloche, and my last night at the amazing hostel of Patanuk. But tonight was also time to celebrate: and we did so with an enormous dinner of roast beef. One of the Spanish-speaking new guests in the hostel cooked this sumptuous banquet, which almost all of us feasted on with delight. Juicy meat, crunchy roast veggies, and mountains of salad got polished to the bone. I sure ain't leaving this town hungry.

Before I came here to Argentina, I'd honestly never even heard of mate (pronounced MA-te, with "ma" as in "muster", and "te" as in "test"), let alone been aware that it's the country's most-prided national beverage. But now that I'm here, I've quickly become educated about it; and to visit Argentina without trying the famous drink would be nothing less than sacrilege. So, when I was offered a cupful today, I gladly accepted. It is quite a bitter tea — but it's not that bad, and I think that LP's description of mate-drinking as being akin to "ingesting horse $hit" is a bit harsh. However, I can see that, to put it mildly, mate is an acquired taste.

It's been a big and exhausting week of snowboarding, the past seven days. Today, I had a well-deserved day of rest. Reading, blogging, eating burgers, drinking hot tea. And realising how seriously, utterly bruised I am! I didn't really feel it until today: but now that it's hit me, I've realised that pretty much every part of my body is aching in the aftermath of repeatedly being knocked and whacked about on the mountain. Could be a little while before I'm fully back into shape. Ah, well: haven't got anything too hectic planned for the next few weeks, apart from more steak-eating and wine-drinking; so shouldn't be too much of a problem.

After six years of skiing, and after one week of snowboarding, I can now say with confidence that I've experienced both of these alpine sports, and that I'm able to talk about them a bit and to compare them. So here's a few reflective points in favour of snowboarding, and a few more in favour of skiing. I'm not making any decisive call here on which one I think is the better — just spelling out my views on the advantages and the disadvantages of each. The verdict, I leave in your hands.

Tonight was Saturday night. I'm in Bariloche. And I've just finished doing seven days of intense snowboarding. I don't know what you would have done like at a time like this — but for me, the appropriate course of action seemed obvious enough. Party! Thus it was that, after dinner tonight, I went with the Patanuk crew down to Wilkenny's, an Irish pub and club in the middle of town, and one of the most popular places to rev up the night in Bariloche. Packed with overpriced imported beer, with all the usual music (well above full volume), and with many a fellow latin-dance-challenged gringo, it made for one hell of a night. ¡Viva Bariloche!

Home-made chocolates are a famous regional speciality of Bariloche. Although Argentina in general is not known for having great chocolate, this part of the country is an exception. This afternoon, I treated myself to two boxes of the stuff from Mamuschka, one of the finest chocolate boutiques in town. I managed to preserve one box, but the other one was devoured by the Patanuk crew for dessert this evening.