La Vida Errabunda

I shook Ashley awake at 8:00 am. "Get up, we are going hiking." I heard noise. I poked my head out onto our room's porch. Rain by the b uckets. "Never mind, go back to bed."  We slept on our bunks until the ripe old time of 10:30. Hiking was out of the picture, do to the lightening and downpour. So we decided to switch days around and head to Villa General Belgrano. As we waited for our two hour bus ride (it was supposed to be 1.5) Ashley made a friend. When she went back into the bus building, he sprinted after her. Look  at his loyalty! The bus ascended into the Sierras, and we found ourselves next to a mountain lake. If it was sunny, we would have skipped the town and gone swimming. It was absolutely beautiful, with a lot of people house boating. We then got into the adorable German town. The architecture, food, and music was typical German themed, and quite funny in the middle of Argentina. We noshed on some typical fare, walked arou...

I love city life: la energia, las luces, los ruidos, y la personalidad en los edificios energy, the lights, the noises, and the personality in the buildings. But I grew-up on five acres. I climbed trees and rolled in the grass. So Cordoba was an absolutely necessary trip. A nine hour bus ride from Buenos Aires, the second biggest city is nestled into the Sierra Mountains. From the city, it's an easy trip to hiking, skydiving, mountain biking, and more. We arrived at Baluch Backpackers Hostel early, after our bus got in an hour early. We got some rest and then decided to figure out our three days. We decided on going to Alta Gracia Saturday, going trekking in the Condoritos National Park Sunday, and then going to Villa General Belgrano/La Cumbrecita Monday for some German town time and waterfalls. We grabbed some breakfast, and managed to see some fellow hostelers in their boxer briefs...Ashley and I have mastered the eye darting quite well. After that awkward moment, we...

It's not often the word idílico idyllic is used in it's true sense. With Greek roots, the word is often used to described the Greek Isles.  Piriapolis in Uruguay is obviously a Greek name for this little beach town, and for good reason - it was idílico . We simply wanted to lay and soak in the sun. Busy, but not crowded, we manged to find a perfect spot on the beach.  We watched the white caps on the ocean, and admired the very Greek-like hill and houses in the distance. The water was warm, the waves were strong, and the smell of salt was all too inviting.  Piriapolis is a place to retire, and I honestly say I could.

We had reached the time when Buenos Aires was getting to us. We were annoyed, tired, and just needed a break from the bustle. What perfect timing, because we had booked a trip to celebrate Carnaval. Little did we know we were going to the Hippie Land of South America. We left for Montevideo, Uruguay Wednesday night via bus. Overnight bus rides mean a bed that leans back and somewhat edible dinner. Only in Argentina would they serve cold gristle...I mean steak. We went through customs at 3:00 am to get into Uruguay. It was easier than getting into Canada- stamp, typing, stamp, typing, done. What a delight! At 7:30 we roll into Montevideo, Uruguay. After wolfing down massive amounts of food and checking into our hostel, we ventured into Ciudad Vieja. Plaza Independencia Highlights -Seeing the beautiful old buildings in a city that is a Latin American and slightly European Palacio Salvo was the tallest building in Latin America when it was built in 1920 ...