Friday, November 20, 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Budget Accommodation in Argentina



The home of Tango, steak and delicious red wine, Argentina is one of South America’s most fascinating countries to visit. With a dramatic landscape of snow-capped mountains and the desolate plains of Patagonia, Argentina’s cities are packed with colonial culture, and really liven up once night falls.

The country’s current economic climate makes Argentina ideal for budget travelers, but to really make your money go further, stay in one of the hundreds of
Argentina hostels on offer. Ranging from backpacker dorms and youth hostels to more upmarket private rooms, here are some of the best across the country.



Sabatico Travelers Hostel

This hostel in Buenos Aires is located in the traditional neighbourhood of San Telmo, in an elegant old guesthouse that has been thoroughly modernised. The hostel has a cool, laid back vibe - there’s a Rooftop Area with a BBQ for chilling out, bar and hammocks dotted around the hostel, and guitars and instruments for impromptu ‘jam sessions’. There’s a delicious free breakfast and kitchen for preparing meals, and discounts and free tickets to some of the city’s best clubs. You can even pay extra for Spanish and Tango lessons, for a real taste of ‘porteno’ life.



Le Grand Hostel

In the heart of Argentina, Cordoba is a beautiful city packed with colonial architecture, and has a lively student population. Le Grand Hostel is the biggest hostel in the city, in the main student area of bars and nightclubs. There are plenty of places to meet other travelers, with a living room with a flat screen TV, a library, outdoor patio with a BBQ and a roof terrace for sunbathing. The rooms range from double to six-person dorms, and despite the grand exterior, the interior boasts funky decor.


Hostel Lao

The city of Mendoza is surrounded by Argentina’s wine country and Aconcagua – the highest mountain in the Americas. With the opportunity to hike, horse-ride or go white-water rafting nearby, Mendoza is ideal for activity travel. Hostel Lao is a friendly and laid-back hostel in the city center, and the perfect place to chill out after experiencing the great outdoors. The communal garden has tropical trees, a pool, hammock, sun beds and a BBQ, and in the winter you can warm up with free wine in the hostel lounge.



Los Troncos Iguazú Hotel

If you want to be bowled over by the Iguazu Falls, then stay in a hostel in Puerto Iguazu. The Los Troncos is a comfortable and eco-friendly lodge, a cluster of private huts by the Misiones Forest. The rooms have balconies with views of the surrounding forest, and are air-conditioned with cable TV and a private bathrooms. There’s a pool for cooling off in the day, and an outdoor terrace where drinks and snacks are served in the evening.


Check out more Hostels on Argentina Travel.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Getting to Ezeiza airport on the cheap

Taking a cab ($90), remis ($80) or even the Manuel Tienda Leon bus ($40) to Ezeiza International Airport can really add up. However, if you have more time than money you can easily take the bus to Ezeiza. I think the quickest travel combination may be to take the train + bus #86.

How to do it:

1. Train from Once (Linea Sarmiento) it´s the line that goes Once-Moreno. You can also get on the train in Caballito, Flores or Floresta if that is closer for you. Get off at the Liniers stop.

2. When exiting train station at Liniers take the #86 on Rivadavia and get off at the Airport (last stop).

Total Cost: $3 pesos maximum!

Another option is to take the #86 for the whole journey. The 86 goes from La Boca all the way to Ezeiza. You can get on at Avenida de Mayo and Peru, the 86 then follows Av. Rivadavia until leaving Capital Federal in Liniers.

Obviously, it is highly recommended to travel with a Guia T when traveling outside the city on public transportation. The large Guia T of the province is really nice to have too. Also, make sure you allow enough time for this journey -- I would guess at least 1.5 hours to get from the Centro to Ezeiza on public transportation.

Suerte!

Read more tips on travelling cheap on budgetba.blogspot

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Valles Calchaquíes. Go visit the North of the country!!!


This immense extension of land including the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán, and Salta offers a marvelous landscape, winding roads, and coloured hillsides. In each of the small villages lying in the valleys, our ancestors seem to have left their traces engraved on the rocks.

Santa María, “Capital of the Calchaquíes Valleys”, was one of the main settlements of the millenary Yocavile Indian tribe, and many remains of this culture can be found today in this picturesque town.

Tucumán’s strikingly beautiful jungle is part of the valleys’ amazing landscape. Rivers, waterfalls, and rapids run through Tafi del Valle, located at 1,976 meters above sea level. This region was inhabited thousands of years ago, and its valleys are rich in archaeological remains. El Mollar, a summertime villa, is lined with lush, green valleys. Amaicha del Valle, surrounded by bright reddish hills, is typically known for its religious ceremonies.

In Cafayate, San Carlos, Angastaco, Molinos y Cachi, Spanish traditions and customs are still kept, specially in relation to art, architecture, as well as religious imagery.

Visit the Secretariat of Tourism.

Monday, November 16, 2009

2nd Semester of Spanish, Spanish Love Song starring Erik Estrada



This is hilarious!! Check it out one more time on Youtube.

Maradona by Kusturica (movie)

This is Maradona as the two-time Palme Dor winner Emir Kusturica sees him: the revolutionary, the footballer, the man, the God, the family man, the drug-addict, the legend. Acclaimed filmmaker Emir Kusturica traces the remarkable story of soccer legend Diego Maradona in this documentary featuring music by composer Manu Chao and Sex Pistols. Maradona has a reputation as the people's champion, an athlete who rose from humble beginnings to achieve worldwide fame, and who has overcome incredible adversity to become a living legend. As the director and his subject grow increasingly intimate, Maradona reveals details about his life that have never come to light in the public eye. A tour of the places that mean the most to Maradona offer a unique look at the way the soccer star was shaped by his surroundings, and conversations with the people closest to him offer a unique glimpse into his colorful personality. A conversation with Cuban leader Fidel Castro highlights how even the most powerful personalities become awestruck while speaking with Maradona. This is Kusturica's most expressive in form and the most radical in content since at least Black Cat, White Cat where Kusturica values Maradona not only as a virtuoso player but as man with a political view.

Read more on IMDb.

The Ends of the Earth

Take a Bargain Trip to Tierra del Fuego

The image of a land beyond which there is none, of Tierra del Fuego, has fascinated me ever since my schoolboy geography days. Finally I went, driving for four months from Ecuador and arriving in time for Christmas and New Years.

The Island of Tierra del Fuego is the size of Ireland, the last outpost of civilization before arrival in Antarctica. To the east rages the wild Atlantic, to the west and north the comparatively tranquil Straits of Magellan, and to the south the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn, where the most outrageous storms in the world collide. The island is easily divided in simple fourths: the west Chile and the east Argentina, the north—windswept with dots of oil derricks, bogs, and sheep—in both Chile and Argentina, the south crammed with jagged snow-capped mountains, glaciers, a fabulous national park, and the world’s southernmost city of Ushuaia. The southeast quadrant in Argentina reputedly offers the best trout fishing on the planet around Tierra del Fuego’s largest city, Rio Grande, plus a very special bakery in the little town of Tolhuin.

The history of the fiery land is heartbreak and violent death. The four original indigenous groups were purposefully slaughtered by Europeans to add to their empires. Less than ten indigenous people survive from the Selk’nam tribe or any tribe. I bought two pounds of king crab from a weather-beaten and stoic Selk’nam survivor, when the ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales anchored for an hour at Puerto Eden.

Read more at Transitions Abroad.