Border crossing

By the way, my visa expires next week, little holiday coming around the corner. Plans are to go to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

Big?

Received some pictures from a Canadian tourist I've been touring around with for a week, this shows how big we are:
sorry, don't work...

anyway, she might send me a ticket to go over there, Colona, British Columbia. Who knows.

Here nothing changes, working nearly everyday from early till late, but the future is growing.

still alive

Just to reassure that i am still alive, and trying to save some money. working too much but account mounting ...

Potosí

I told you my sandals are mountaingear. Last week, after breakfast I got the luminous idea to get to the top of the Cerro Rico in Potosí. Now I know that there are trails you can follow, as people are excavating the entire inside of this mountain of silver since 1543, but it is nicer to take the straight line, feels more adventurous. When after a couple of hours, I believe, still haven't got a watch, I reached the top at round about 5.138m, I sat myself down and smoked a cigaret. For these five minutes this mountain was mine!!!!


I know it's a lousy picture, but as I said, it was one of these impulsive ideas straight after a cup of api, without camera or sunscreen. This picture has been taken the day after when I was trying to capture the side effects of mining. The next picture probably doesn't show you very much of what it is irl, but gives you an idea of where to stay with your leftovers after getting the silver out.


I climbed up this "mountain" as well, to see the better of the colours, but was disappointed by the fact that the view from close up was a lot uglier than this one from above. In the next picture you might be able to find a white Jesus, this is from where I've taken both previous pics. I've taken a sample from the waste water as well - you see the little grey canal? - still contains a high percentage of metallic dust.


Last comment on the colours: it appears I better switch back to using agfa or fujicolor film, as the konica-minolta is too blue.

Coming to get you

Take into account that I don't have macro equipment anymore - means size of the animal hasn't been inflated - and as well a slight problem with the curtain of my camara - means picture slightly altered. Several people in the hostal were scared to death (according to the srceams) after discovering this beautiful creature, with legs about the size of my hand. Presume is linked to the palmtrees standing in the parque San Martin across the road.

Foto van mijn ex

Why Argentina is a 3rd world country

I should write this in spanish, as it are mainly the people from argentina that really believe today's title. At the same time i have a good reference being in bolivia right now. Please feel free to add more reasons ...

1. It's in south america
2. the free national health service is worse than the private healthcare
3. there is corruption in the country
4. too many of it's exports are raw materials
5. average wages are lower than in europe
6. people don't panic nor go rioting when there is a powercut
7. the most important person in our country is a retired soccer player
8. look at the cars that drive around

Live's but a dream

You now what a dust storm is? You know what it's like like to drive through one? Add some salt to it, and you know what it must be like to drive across the great salt flats (salinas grandes)on a windy winter's day in Salta/Jujuy. The dust didn't help my little Kangoo keeping engine temperatures down either. When trying to clean the windshield back down in San Salvador I first noticed the amount of salt that must have been up in the air, next time maybe abandon the tour even if no stones are flying around along with the sand. NR40 up for asphaltation? Don't think so.
Tomorow again to San Antonio de los Cobres, anyone knows La Polvorilla, highest bridge of the train to the clouds, at 4.220 mts of altitude?



Not the best picture, but gives you an idea.

breath

af en toe toch leuk om met een grote pick-up rond te crossen

hebben jullie ooit van argentijnse wijn gehoord? verschillende van de bodegas die ik in cafayate met de grootste regelmaat bezoek blijken naar belgie te exporteren, de twee belangrijkste zijn Vasija Secreta en Etchart. deze laatste is jammer genoeg wel in handen van dranken gigant Pernod-Ricard.

busy busy hier nu, vanavond wel tijd om met cristina te gaan dansen ... wvv

I wish

It's all or nothing here, that means that I've been through a spell of all and finally relaxing, no, enjoying my free time, I could do with some more hours of sleep.
Just to appologise to you , as I haven't posted anything over the last couple of months, I suppose everybody has given up checking this thingy anyway so I can say whatever I want.
Being a vegetarian in Argentina is a crime, proof: yesterday night's asadito.
4 people, 2kg of tapa de asado - for none argentines, this is perfect meat for the bbq priced at 11.5pesos per kg here in Salta capital - , 1kg tomatoes, 1.5kg potatoes some carrots, bread, cerveza Salta, wine from Cafayate, ... all regional products here you either can't get or afford in europe.

Let's spill it all out.

I am getting old, aren't I?

Don't know whether 't is a getting close to my birthday blues or not but something is telling me that if I ever want to have children, I should start looking for a mother, shan't I?
Cristina is her name, just a pity she paints (I do know I should say dyes) her hair, in some far away future I might even have a picture of her here.
Dangerous game, but I'm feeling very rich wiht my 800 pesos - please note that this is more than 200 euros - in my pocket. Result of nearly 4 weeks nearly nonstop working.

If at all I do have some ambition, it is to study plans to achieve the independence of the republic of salta, why should salta remain argentine if it is only to enrich bsas? They hardly know what's going on here many people don't know we already have television here. They all forget that we have cupper, silver, borax, petrol, ... .
Maybe I'm just a stupid foreigner, but I'll find a listening ear.

After spending more than 4 hours at the chilean border, paso de sico, 4200m of altitude and complete desert, I've come down with a red hot sunburned face and a cold but some days rest should cure it all. If no tour tomorow I'll go dancing at Salon VIP with Cristina tonight ... maybe time to take a bit of a siesta. Anyway, it seems almost as if the winter cold has passed, 25-30 degrees since several days now.

Probably my longest post ever, and some time later I'll write some more. No more promises.

Beso a todos

Not yet, but nearly

I am nearly a year in Argentina now, somewhere this week, should check mi passport.

Boca are champions, worldcup is nearing, is there anything else going on around the globe? Probably ...

Saturday Jimy leaves, back to DC

Maybe at the end of the month I can replace my mobile. Need new trousers too though. Capaz que medio mayo tendre tambien mas horas en el instituto NOA idiomas.

Round and round

Hermosa

What's new?

Nothing new here. The news from our northern neighbours seems to go down very quietly. On the sports front, River stunted very nicely by bringing Corinthians to their first ever home defeat to a foreign team in the Copa Libertadores. Argentina still has 3 teams in the last 8.
Nothing new either in my personal life, still floating as usual.
I am going to try though to consolidate a bit more my worksituation. It get's confusing working for 4 different "companies". As well as checking european tour operators that need local guides, as I just met a girl here, she is being paid in Belgium for spending 9 months here on location guiding round belgian tourists. I could do that! Any ideas which tour operators I could contact?

Here we go again

Why Karina?

Français

1. Lost my mobile
2. Got new job
3. Please comment on pics






First two pictures are Ford Falcons, next ones Renault Torino.

Saving money to buy a new phone, as my work conditions actually make it a necessaty.

Started working in new language institute as of today, teaching 2x4 hours paralel french. Help, never taught french b4 but first class this morning went well. Promise that if students happy more hours will follow in bith french and english.

Chauchau

Por que te vas

First week in the terminal earned me $82.

If you live in a hostal you meet many people, but you also have to say goodby to as many of them. Working again tonight as encargado.

Nothing spectacular from the newsfront except that it is cold, very cold. The sun is about a month late ...

Terminal

Since the agency I work for still doesn't manage to get me any work as a tourguide, I have accepted the offer to work for the hostel in the bus station. Returning to this job, I represented another hostel last year, pays me my hostel and comission, resulting in the fact that things are smoothening out again.
Since yesterday water levels of the Rio Seco near Tartagal have come down sufficiently to allow normal cars to cross again, but the region is still suffering.

Another topic that might have been mentioned in the margins by some international media is the ever growing conflict between Argentina and Uruguay in regards to the latter's building of two enormous woodpulp factories on the countries' border near the province of Ente Rios. From a regional conflict, the dispute has escalated to first Mercosur level with Argentina now challenging the neighbours in the international court of The Hague. In the area the connection between the two countries, a bridge across the Rio de la Plata, is blocked by the Argentine people.




And to reply, Peter, indeed, there are a lot of Argentines playing soccer/futbol abroad. TV-stations here run shows about "exported goals" scored by them. How many of the selection going to Germany will effectively play in Argentina with world-class teams such as Boca Juniors or River Plate?

Hey, Argentina is doing good, so good that workers across the nation are striking to demand wage increases averaging around 25%. Maybe need to comment that last month's inflation was a hefty 1.2%, about standard rate here.

Teaching

I am working more and more with the little ones, getting every week more hours anyway, and they have accepted me totally now. I have introduced speaking spanish to explain things and keep conversation going as well as they are doing extra efforts to talk as much as possible in english. It's nice now, no more hard labour.
My private project is not yet running smoothly but my first little group is wotçrking through my course. I had to admit that I was writing a bit ambitious and have slowed down the pace of the course, in the end they mainly want to learn how to speak english, so I've shifted more towards vocabulary indicating basic grammar to support building conversation just to get things going.

By the way, Alan, if you're reading this, how about our bet? I don't doubt that the Saints are going to stay up, but I am afraid I can tell you with the same certainty that I've won ...

In the news

Start again with some of the original plans for this blog.
How often is Argentina in the news around the world. Knowing that I write mainly for myself and maybe once in a while somebody else, this is never going to change the smallest littlebit ...

Is there somebody outside Argentina that knows what is going on in and around Tartagal, province of Salta?





This year has brought more rain than the previous ones, unfortunatly a lot more than that. Good to refil the reserves that had come to an allarming low level, but some regions can't take it anymore. Especially the Tartagal region has been hit with the Rio Seco - what's in a name - as shown in the picture above not any longer crossing national road 34, no, it has eaten it's way trough. Rain is espected to fall untill at least September 12th, where normally the raining season ends mid to late March.
As NR 34 is the only asphalted road to Tartagal, the only reliable connection right now is an airbridge towards a zone that anyway receives a lot of food and other state aids for the people to survive.

Many houses have been eaten away by the river, as it deepens and widens it's way at a constant pace. Many more will go with people braking down whatever shack they have in the hope they can rebuild it somewhere else.

Down and Out in Salta

It's not all going according to plan right here, right now, but that doesn't mean life is mean to me. I either get myself a loan fixed somewhere for about 10k euros, buy a business or concentrate on my teaching. It's just that utopia is easier to reach probably than securing a loan if you don't have a fixed income not even a recognised status in your country of residence. Which one is that in my case anyway? Oficially suppose it is Ireland, I am registered at the embassy over there. But hey, who cares, we're still there aren't we?
Tonight chicken wings and potatoes with rosemary in the oven and guacamole at the side.

Crash or no crash?

When a plane overruns the runway, but to no real damage and no injuries, do we consider this a crash or not?

Another short update

Well, I have started running again. No long distances, but just running up the San Bernardo hill, a nearly 300m climb over round about 5km seems to be a nice start. I've done it several times now, fastest time 50min, and my knees appear to hold. Let's see if I can keep it going and expand to larger distances again.
If you hear a heavy diesel pounding up the slope of the cerro San Bernardo, well, it will probably be me.

Niets nieuws

Nothing has changed, apart from the fact that my "plans" to maybe move to tiera del fuego have been wiped from my agenda. I am again a happy single tourguide.
I'll see what I can do posting some more pictures.

To be or not to be, it is the answer

Ik ben voorlopig nog geen getrouwd man, gisteren werd gesproken over 2009, de verre, verre toekomst dus. Moet ze eerst nog het leger in?
Als ik er aan denk zal ik nog wat fotootjes plakken in de nabije toekomst.