The Earth + Nat

Just after I wrote the last post about how lovely Buenos Aires is, the city bit me back. I was feeling like it was time to head out, so on Monday morning I booked a bus to Puerto Madryn to leave at 9pm. I wasn't feeling very good that day, I was all scatterbrained and antsy, so I thought that getting some fresh air and seeing some sights would be a good idea. I headed to the Plaza de Mayo, home of the city's cathedral and high court and some gorgeous early 20th century buildings.  When I got there, I sat down in a grassy patch and an older bloke came by and asked if the grass was dry. He caught my accent and started talking to me in English. He said his name was Stephan. He told me he was a tour guide that did fly-fishing trips for rich Europeans and Americans in Chilean Patagonia. He said his wife was Australian which was how he learned to speak my language. I told him my travel plans (vague and thoroughly under-researched) which he told me to chuck out; instead he gave...

I have been in Buenos Aires for 5 days now, and I am slowly but surely falling in love with the city as so many have before me. In front of the Obelisk in the City Centre There are many reasons I could give: the scruffy but charming buildings, the weight of past and present upon the city, the village-like  barrios  of the inner city, or the fact that fresh orange juice is available everywhere for a couple of dollars. I love all of these things, but most of all I love the people. Porteños , as they call themselves, have so much passion and dignity, but at the same time most of them are so willing to lend a hand to a gringo who needs directions. They always have time to chat, and as a result my Spanish is rapidly losing its rust. I am rapidly adopting the local slang, the vos  and the elaborate way of speaking. Contrary to popular opinion they are not constantly dancing the Tango, but it is not hard to find somewhere to watch the more experienced strut their stuf...

I have made it to the Paris of the South, Buenos Aires! I am currently sitting in the America del Sur hostel in San Telmo district trying to eat breakfast. I say trying because the spread is just sugar on top of sugar. Froot loops, toast with dulce de leche (kind of like flavoured condensed milk), sweet drinking yoghurt, and even chocolate cake! Even the coffee out of the pot is sweetened. I made a German friend who laughed at me when I could barely make it through one plate while she was on her third trip to the breakfast bar. What a great country to be a dentist. As for the trip over, my travels got off to a rushing start before I even left the airport. As I was trying to check in, the Qantas desk people said I couldn't get on the plane without a return flight due to Argentinian visa regulations...and I had 20 minutes to come up with one before check-in closed. Luckily I had my Chromebook and a good data connection to book a cheeky flight back across the Pacific, or my plans ...

Hi everyone! This blog is to keep in touch with people and show off some photos while I am out travelling in the Americas. I am hoping to update this pretty regularly with updates about where I'm at and what I'm up to. Right now it is Monday March 20th, two days before I am supposed to fly out on this huge adventure. As of this point, I am still not packed. This is not exactly where I had hoped to be at this point, but hey, life's full of little hold ups. Tonight I am hoping to get everything I will take with me stuffed into my backpack and daybag, but it is a big job. The biggest problem is what to do with the stuff I am not taking - I hate the environmental implications of just throwing a bunch of stuff in the bin, but I also can't afford to be a hoarder. I hope I can opshop the greater part of it so that some good will come of my clothes. That said, packing is also one of my favourite parts of travel because you get to see just how little you can live off. Throwi...