Our Top 10 Cities of South America

As promised, here is the second of our South America summary style posts. Apologies for the delay - it turns out job applications / interviews etc take up quite a lot of time!

For us, South America was mostly about the outdoors - the real highlights, as you may have noticed in the last post, were the hiking, the scenery and the wealth of opportunities for outdoor and adventure activities. However, given that we definitely spent more time overall in towns and cities than elsewhere, it would be unfair not to give them a mention. So this time I've opted to write about our favourite cities of the continent. It seems an appropriate time to post this as the Olympic games are about to start in Rio - which definitely makes our list, as you will see. I've also looked back on our stats to provide you with some info about how long we stayed in each of these cities, and some hopefully helpful hints for you if you were to visit. So, ordered by preference this time, here are our top 10.

10. Córdoba, Argentina (6 nights)

Córdoba was never actually on our list of places to visit. It didn't really fit into our planned route, and Lonely Planet focused mainly on the city's reputation for partying and nightlife. However, near the end of the trip we found ourselves in central Argentina with some unexpected time to spare.We made a quick decision and got on a nightbus from Mendoza. Córdoba turned out to be very pleasant - a beautiful colonial city, with several universities so a great atmosphere, with lots of students around but not many tourists. Córdoba is also ideally located for visits to the surrounding hill ranges, the Sierras Chicas and Sierras Grandes, and the Quebrada del Condorito national park - one of the best condor viewing opportunities in all of South America.

The striking Capuchin church in Córdoba

Hints: You only need a day or two in the city itself to appreciate the sights, although it is a nice place just to chill out for a while. The UNESCO-listed Jesuit church is a must-see. There are several options nearby for hiking - try Capilla del Monte, Mina Clavero or La Cumbrecita (all of these would be best spending a night or two there rather than going from Córdoba for the day). Don't miss the Quebrada del Condorito, which is doable as a day trip from Córdoba.

9. Valparaiso, Chile (5 nights)

Most people fall in love with picturesque Valparaiso, and we were no exceptions. The city sits on the coast of Chile, only an hour or two by bus from Santiago and just south of Viña del Mar, one of Chile's most popular beach resorts. Valparaiso is famous for its hills, of which there are over 40. The colourful houses are squeezed up the sides of the hills, often built on such steep sections that you wonder how the floor could be horizontal! Some of the hills have little funicular railways to take you up - great fun. The city is also known for its street art: practically every available house and wall is covered in striking designs and patterns. You could spend hours looking at them! It was well worth doing the free walking tour, which took us to see some of the highlights.

Street art in Valparaiso

Hints: 2 or 3 days is fine - Valpo is more about absorbing the atmosphere and wandering the streets than any specific sights. We found an amazing place to stay  here - Costa Azul, a little B&B run by a Slovenian couple with wonderful sea views.

8. Buenos Aires, Argentina (9 nights)

It has to be said that we weren't massively enamoured with Buenos Aires on our first visit. It was our first destination of the whole trip, and it was quite underwhelming! On this occasion, we stayed in the very centre of the city. It was great to be within walking distance of some of the main attractions, e.g. the main square and the Casa Rosada (office of the president). But we didn't feel that the place had much of an atmosphere. It was hard to find restaurants in the centre that were open for dinner, and we didn't feel all that safe walking some of the streets at night. And on Sunday the place was completely dead!

The Casa Rosada, Buenos Aires

However, on our return to Buenos Aires at the very end of our trip, we had quite a different experience. We stayed this time in Palermo, a fairly upmarket, almost hipster-ish area a few stops on the Subte (metro) out of the centre. Perhaps it helped that we had a friend living here this time - plus a much better grasp of Spanish and more of an idea of what to expect from a South American city in general - but we enjoyed the city a lot more. Palermo was lovely - really buzzing, with busy cafes and restaurants lining the streets, little boutique type shops and even a few craft beer bars! There were lots of young people around and a culture of sitting at the tables outside the cafes for a coffee and a chat despite the cold weather at this time of year. We didn't really do anything specific, just strolled around the streets and the pleasant parks nearby, absorbing the vibes. By the time we left, we'd quite changed our opinion of Buenos Aires. In fact, we decided that if we were to live in any of the South American capital cities, it would be this one.

In the Japanese garden, Buenos Aires

Hints: We'd recommend devoting about 4-5 days to Buenos Aires. Stay in Palermo or Recoleta rather than the centre - or spend two nights in the centre (not at a weekend!) and then another two or three in a different district.

7. Cuenca, Ecuador (8 nights)

Cuenca is the kind of place you intend to stay two days and end up staying a week. First of all, it's a really pretty city, with a UNESCO listed historic centre. There are also some Inca ruins within the city itself, outside the Pumapungo museum. Secondly, we found it was one of Ecuador's best cities for restaurants - we ended up eating out nearly every night, and had some amazing food. Our favourite, Salvia, which has sadly now closed, was actually run by an English couple! For my birthday Kev treated me to a meal at Tiesto's - a seafood specialist restaurant renowned throughout the country. It was superb.Thirdly, Cuenca is close to the spectacular Las Cajas national park. And finally, it has an amazing zoo! Not your average zoo, more like a hike that takes you up past the (large) animal enclosures.

The impressively domed New Cathedral in Cuenca

Hints: Cuenca's definitely worth spending more time than you think...

6. Cartagena, Colombia (9 nights)

Cartagena is right on the Caribbean coast and probably Colombia's most popular destination for foreign and Colombian tourists alike. The city is one of the best examples of colonial architecture you will find. Meandering through the pretty streets, you find yourself taking a photo every other step. It also has a real Caribbean feel to it, from the cuisine to the music to the ethnicity of the people. The impressive San Felipe fortress was nice to wander around and had some cool underground passages to explore. We also went up to the La Popa convent, which has amazing views of the city and out to sea. Cartagena has a fantastic atmosphere too - in the balmy evenings people sit outside in the squares socialising and drinking, often with live music.

One of Cartagena's many picturesque little streets

Hints: Avoid Cartagena during peak season (Christmas and January) - prices skyrocket and everywhere is booked up! The major sights of the city only take a day or two, but it's such a nice place we'd advise allowing plenty of time just for relaxing, exploring and photographing.

5. Punta Arenas, Chile (10 nights)

Punta Arenas is one of the contenders for the southernmost city in the world - and it probably takes that title, being substantially larger than Argentina's Ushuaia further south. What can I say about Punta Arenas? Just that we liked it, really! The city had quite an orderly, English feel to it, and a pleasant seafront to stroll along. There were several museums, all worth a visit but surprisingly difficult to ascertain if / when they were open. Punta Arenas seems to have quite a local feel, despite being a common starting point for Antarctic cruises, and we much preferred it to the crowds of package tourists in Ushuaia. There's a cemetery that we really liked - nicer than the famous La Recoleta in Buenos Aires we thought. It's also a good base for various activities nearby, especially the striking, volcanic Pali Aike national park.

Seabirds on an abandoned pier in Punta Arenas

To be fair, when we returned to the city at the very start of spring on the way to meet my family in southern Argentina, we were less enthused by the prospect of living there. Our plane landed in the strongest winds either of us had ever experienced - over 150 kph - and we were then stranded at the airport for hours as there were no taxis!

Hints: As with all of Patagonia, we'd recommend visiting during shoulder season to avoid peak season but also avoid the worst of the winter. March / April and October / November are good times. Don't bother visiting Fort Bulnes.

4. Cusco, Perú (7 nights)

As the capital of the former Inca empire and the obvious base for trips to Macchu Picchu, Cusco is deservedly popular. Up at nearly 3400 m above sea level, it can take a while to adjust to the altitude if you're not accustomed to it. The city is simply stunning. There is still a great deal of the original Inca architecture - you can admire the Incas' amazing craftsmanship as you wander past walls built out of gigantic stone blocks, with no mortar necessary to join them together. The whole area around Cusco is also rich in Inca heritage, with several other very impressive sites to visit (not least Macchu Picchu of course).

Inca walls in Cusco

Hints: Be wary of the altitude! We had no problems as we'd been up above 2500m for several weeks already, but we did hear some horror stories of people who'd flown straight in from Europe and felt pretty awful. We'd suggest going to somewhere like Arequipa (2400m ish) first to acclimatise.
Due to the number of tourists that flock here, Cusco is home to some great restaurants, bars and accommodation. Prices are substantially higher than elsewhere in Perú however. We'd recommend spending plenty of time in and around the city - 5 days to a week (not including Macchu Picchu!).

Inca terraces at Moray, near Cusco

3. Sucre, Bolivia (10 nights)

Sucre was by far our favourite city in Bolivia. It's the constitutional capital and is known as the 'White City', with tons of attractive colonial buildings mostly painted, as you might guess, white. It's also a great place to study Spanish - there are several Spanish schools, all with the cheapest prices you'll find anywhere in South America. We'd recommend Me Gusta. Just outside Sucre you can visit a wall covered in genuine dinosaur footprints, millions of years old - pretty cool! And the surrounding Cordillera de los Frailes is spectacular. We did a 4 day hike here with Condor Trekkers and had an amazing time, sleeping in tiny villages and walking through stunning, colourful landscapes. The local bus back to Sucre was quite insane though!

The San Felipe Neri convent in Sucre

Hints: do a Spanish course, do a trek, don't miss the great cafes around the main square.

2. Arequipa, Perú (5 nights)

Arequipa is in some respects quite similar to Sucre - for one, it is Perú's 'White City', with ornate buildings built mainly from sillar, a white volcanic stone. The vividly painted 16th century Santa Catalina Convent was a real highlight. We loved the city not just for the architecture but the wealth of fantastic restaurants (Zingaro was our favourite), chocolate shops, cafes and bars. Arequipa is also well situated for adventure activities - we did some whitewater rafting / kayaking nearby, as well as a three day trek through the spectacular Colca Canyon.

Inside the Santa Catalina convent, Arequipa

Hints: don't stay in Dreams Boutique Hotel (very disappointing!), do go to the Arequipa Beer Club (handily situated right near the convent, has an amazing selection of beer). Go to the Colca Canyon for a 2-4 day trek - no need to go on a tour, it's far better to do it yourself.

The Colca Canyon - the scenery was jaw-dropping

1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (8 nights)

Of all the South American cities we visited, there is really no competition for the top place in this list. Rio was just incredible. Basically, it has everything! Absolutely stunning, picture perfect beaches; rainforest areas with many species of monkeys, marmosets, butterflies and much more; hills / mountains - most obviously the celebrated Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) and Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer); great music (most famously Samba); tasty food (mmm, feijoada); amazing colonial architecture; museums galore; and a fascinating history. It is surely one of the most visually spectacular, beautiful cities in the world - and so much to see and do too.  We spent 8 nights and could easily have stayed a lot longer.

Sugarloaf Mountain, taken from Fort Duque de Caxias

It seems a shame to me that Rio is getting a bit of a bad press at  the moment with the media scaremongering and claiming that the Olympics will be a fiasco, etc. Yes, there is a political crisis. No, the water is not drinkable (along with many other countries in the world, some of which have doubtless also hosted big sports events). Yes, there is a zika outbreak (I had what was almost certainly zika: it's like a mild flu! There's no risk unless you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant). It's interesting that the media is more focused on zika than, say, dengue, which is also widespread in Brazil.

Beautiful late sunset view over Botofago, from the Morro da Urca
(hill on the way up to the Sugarloaf)

Hints: Allow a lot of time - we'd advise a week at least. Bear in mind that during the summer months (December - March) it is so hot that you will struggle to do much during the heat of the day. We stayed in the bohemian Santa Teresa district, near the city centre, which was lovely. Lots of tourists also head for Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Don't miss sunset from Sugarloaf mountain and from Ipanema beach; hike up (or down) Corcovado rather than getting the train; try the national dish (feijoada) and drink (caipirinha); also try pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) and the açai berry slush puppies that are sold everywhere; and make sure you visit the excellent National History Museum.We heard the nearby city of Petrópolis is worth a visit too, though we ran out of time!

How could I write about Rio without putting a photo of Christ the Redeemer?

A few other honorourable mentions that didn't quite make the cut for top 10: Valdivia, Chile; Santiago, Chile; La Paz, Bolivia; Quito, Ecuador; Medellín, Colombia; Bogotá, Colombia; Salta, Argentina; Mendoza, Argentina.

Hope you've enjoyed this post. As ever, if you or anyone you know is heading to South America soon, feel free to get in touch and hit us with any questions you might have. We're keen to help (and travel vicariously through others, haha)! You can also check out my tripadvisor profile if you're interested - I've reviewed most places we've stayed, restaurants we've been to and attractions.

More to follow in the next few weeks!

Our Highlights of South America

We have now been back in the UK for two or three weeks, and are gradually adjusting to quite a different kind of lifestyle from the last 16 months! Having spent a few days with families, we are now in London, staying with some friends while we attempt to get ourselves sorted (looking for jobs, houses etc.).

As Kev mentioned in his final post about Uruguay a couple of weeks ago, we have been planning for a while to do a few summary style blog posts. These might include some of our highlights from the entire trip, favourite cities, best places we stayed / restaurants we ate in etc, as well as some general tips for travelling South America.  I've finally got round to writing the first of these posts, on our top highlights  - enjoy, and please feel free to share among anyone you think might be interested.

All of the Lonely Planet guidebooks have a few pages at the start devoted to a selection of photos and short descriptions of the top places to visit - the absolute must sees. Lonely Planet's 'South America on a Shoestring' guidebook, which covers the whole continent, is no exception. Some of the standouts are obvious, and also on our own list - Macchu Picchu, the Galápagos Islands, Torres del Paine National Park... However, we think that Lonely Planet has also made some significant omissions. So, in chronological order, here is our very own 'South America Top 30'.

1. Punta Tombo, Southern Argentina
Colony of over half a million Magellanic penguins. They were everywhere!

2. Cueva de las Manos,  Southern Argentina
9,000 - 13,000 year old cave paintings, in an absolutely stunning setting. The famous handprints in the paintings are actually silhouettes, created by blowing paint using pipes made out of bone. Pretty amazing!

3. Hiking around El Chaltén, Southern Argentina
This tiny, colourful village is known as Argentina's capital of trekking, and rightfully so. We spent a week here near the start of our trek, and came back 6 months later when my family was visiting. Some spectacular day hikes, all free to do and easily accessible - you just walk out of your hostel!

4. Perito Moreno Glacier, near El Calafate, Southern Argentina
Where else can you stand within a few metres of a 60 m high monster of ice, listen to it constantly shifting, creaking and cracking, and watch chunks the size of a house fall off? We visited Perito Moreno twice, and would love to go again.

5. Driving south through Tierra del Fuego towards Ushuaia, in the Far South of Argentina
We didn't think much of Ushuaia itself, which is a very touristy and expensive town most famous for being the 'most southerly town in the world' (this is not in fact true; there's a town further south in Chile!). However, the long bus ride down through the island of Tierra del Fuego was an unforgettable experience. We gazed out of the window at mist clad lakes, forests and mountains that really felt untouched by humanity. It was magical.

6. Hiking around Puerto Williams and Isla Navarino, in the Far South of Chile
We took the last boat of the season across the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia, to get to the Chilean town of Puerto Williams. This really felt like the end of the world, unlike Ushuaia. Kev was still on crutches at this point, but we still managed to climb Cerro Bandera, which has to be one of the most spectacular day hikes of all time. The views of the Beagle Channel in one direction, and the stunning Dientes de Navarino mountain range in the other, would be hard to beat.

7. Seeing Calbuco Volcano Erupt, from Chiloé, Chile
We were out for a walk on the beautiful island of Chiloé, and saw an unusual cloud in the sky at sunset. It was so strange-looking that we took a photo of it (luckily). A few minutes later, we arrived back at our homestay to find the main story on the TV was the eruption of Calbuco Volcano, on the mainland!

8. Conguillío National Park, Southern Chile
Possibly our favourite national park in Chile. It has everything - beautiful lakes, perfectly conical volcanoes, monkey puzzle trees ... and virtually no tourists.

9. El Enladrillado, Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay, Middle Chile
Epic day hike up to an unbelievably flat volcanic plateau. We walked across to the other side, and were greeted with a stupendous view down into the valley and across to the opposite mountain range.

10. Wine Tasting in the Colchagua Valley, Middle Chile
Colchagua is Chile's most famous wine region, and deservedly so. This was our favourite of the three sets of wine tasting we did in Chile. Incredibly friendly, helpful and well informed people at the wineries, and world class wines. Colchagua is geared up more to luxury / package tourists than backpackers, but with some research we still managed it on a reasonable budget.

11. Stargazing in the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile
We were not fans of the extremely touristy town of San Pedro de Atacama, and found places in northern Argentina with equally impressive scenery. For us, the real highlight of the Atacama Desert was the stargazing, We saw Saturn through a telescope, other galaxies with the naked eye, and we even learnt how to take a decent photo of the night sky (and yes, it was freezing cold!).

12. The Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
This one is obvious - the Bolivian Salt Flats were just as amazing as we'd hoped! We did the standard three day jeep tour, beginning in San Pedro de Atacama and finishing in Uyuni in Bolivia. We went up to nearly 5000m so it was very cold at night - our first experience of sleeping in temperatures of -15°C...

13. The Amazon Jungle and the Pampas, near Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
We opted to visit the Amazon from Bolivia, as it was a lot cheaper than anywhere else we'd read about. Our 6 day trip with Mashaquipe Ecotours was pretty special, despite Kev getting horribly ill for two days of it. We spent 3 days in the jungle, followed by 3 days in the Pampas (a wetland savannah area). The highlight was swimming with pink dolphins!

14. Trekking to Macchu Picchu via Choquequirao, Perú
We wanted to hike to Macchu Picchu. We also wanted to see the Choquequirao Inca site. And we did not want to be in a group of 20 plus tourists. The solution? A 9 day trek. The hardest either of us had ever done, but also the most rewarding. The scenery was unbelievable, we saw several less-visited Inca ruins, several condors, and no other people apart from the others in our (small) group for days. For us, this was so much preferable to hiking the Inca trail with 500 others!

15. Macchu Picchu, Perú
Oh, and Macchu Picchu was incredible, of course. We stayed later than most tourists, who all seemed to leave around lunchtime. At 7 am, we were there with 2000 other people - by 3 pm, we had the place nearly to ourselves.

16. Flying over the Nazca Lines, Perú
I had read various horror stories about the tiny aircraft that take tourists on short flights over the Nazca Lines. But this is really the only way to get a panoramic view of the area. In the end, we felt perfectly safe, and we were in complete awe of these mysterious, centuries old lines and figures drawn in the desert.

17. The Huacas del Sol and de la Luna (Temples of the Sun and Moon), near Trujillo, Perú
Perú is full of wonderful examples of pre-Inca architecture. These pyramid temples, built by the Moche culture (around 100 - 800 AD) were some of our favourites. 1500 year old colourful murals, incredibly detailed and still in fantastic condition.

18. Trekking near Huaraz, Perú
The mountain town of Huaraz, in central Perú, has a wealth of nearby opportunities for trekking, We opted for the 4 day Santa Cruz trek, which took us to the highest I'd ever hiked to (a pass at 4750m) and the highest I'd ever camped (4250m). The views were stupendous throughout the trek - it reminded us of Patagonia.

19. Torres del Paine National Park, Southern Chile
Talking of Patagonia ... we missed this national park when we were first in the south of Chile, due to Kev's injured leg. 6 months later, we returned at the start of the trekking season (October) to undertake the 5 day 'W' trek. WOW. Like El Chaltén, but even better - and not too busy at this time of year.

20. The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Our 8 day cruise around the Galápagos was by far the biggest splash out of our trip. It was worth it! These volcanic islands support such a bewildering array of life, a lot of it found nowhere else on the planet. Blue footed boobies, frigate birds, iguanas, giant tortoises ... not to mention the great diversity of the underwater environment.

21. Pailon del Diablo Waterfall, Baños, Ecuador
One of our favourite waterfalls (although we'd not been to Iguazú at this point!). The sheer power and noise of the water crashing down right next to us was overwhelming. Baños is also a very good place for adventure sports - we had our first go at canyoning here and loved it.

22. Learning to Dive in Taganga, Colombia
Taganga is a nice enough place to chill out - a beachy, backpacker place with lovely sunsets - but what it is really known for is diving. It's one of the cheapest places in the world to learn, which I duly did. We had a great time hanging out with fellow divers and ended up staying a lot longer than intended (and getting 3 PADI dive certifications between us)!

23. The Gold Museum, Bogotá, Colombia
One of the best museums in South America - a fascinating insight into the history and symbolism of gold in indigenous and colonial times.

24. Kaieteur Falls, Guyana
We flew deep into the jungle in Guyana (the flight itself was amazing) to see this waterfall. What made it most special was how remote it was - an hour plane ride or a 5 day hike from the capital, Georgetown. The only people there were us and the other 10 people from our (tiny) plane. It's the highest single drop waterfall in the world, and we felt privileged to have seen it.

25. Watching Sea Turtles Laying their Eggs, Suriname
On the border between Suriname and French Guyana are some beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. We saw all stages of the process - turtles coming out of the water, clearing an area, digging a hole, laying their eggs, and eventually dragging themselves back out to sea. An amazing opportunity to see nature in action.

26. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
One of our favourite cities in South America, and it has to be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Rio has it all - beaches, mountains, nightlife, colonial buildings, great museums... and Christ the Redeemer of course.

27. The Iguazú Falls, Brazil / Argentina
You've probably already seen our photos - there's not much more to add! Iguazú made every other waterfall we've ever seen look pretty insignificant. One of the absolutely unmissable sights of the continent.

28. The Hornocal and Other Coloured Mountains, Northern Argentina
We hired a car for a week or two in northern Argentina, to drive around the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The whole area is full of mountains and rock formations in unbelievable shapes and colours. Best of all was the Hornocal, the 'mountain of 14 colours' - which doesn't even make it into the Lonely Planet book!

29. Condors in Quebrada del Condorito National Park, Argentina
We'd seen a few condors in Patagonia and when hiking in Perú, but only a long way in the distance. Here however, we saw some a lot closer up and could really appreciate their colossal size.

30. Wine tasting in Carmelo, Uruguay
We didn't have any great expectations for Uruguayan wine, so were pleasantly surprised when we did some tasting at a tiny boutique winery in Carmelo. Some of the best red wine either of us had ever had, and such a lovely family place. We bought some to take home, and can report that it is still excellent!

Last Days in South America

We are now back in the UK, having travelled from Uruguay back into Argentina, flown to Belgium via Spain, attended a wedding in the Netherlands and returned home via Belgium (again) and France. Therefore, this will be our last blog post about new places, although we do have some summaries lined up.

Tree-lined avenue in Colonia del Sacramento

I'll pick the story up in Uruguay, where we had just arrived in Colonia del Sacramento. This is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay, originally founded by the Portuguese in 1680, but changed hands between them and the Spanish continuously (much like the country itself) until Uruguay's independence in 1830. Some of the cobbled streets are from the original Portuguese settlement and the historic centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. The tree-lined avenues and old buildings are very beautiful, especially when illuminated by colourful sunsets.

Lighthouse, built inside an old monastery in Colonia del Sacramento

Although Colonia is just over the Rio de la Plata river from Buenos Aires, and there is a rapid ferry connecting the two cities, we wanted to visit Carmelo before making the crossing. This town is famous in Uruguay, but unfortunately not the world, for its wine - especially the tannat variety. We visited a small, family-run bodega, which was superb. It was started by the current owner's grandfather and his brother, but they then had to sell a lot of the land in an economic crisis. It's now been bought back and they've started producing wine again, hence the name 'El Legado' - 'The Legacy'. Not only were the family very friendly and excited about their wine, but we got to enjoy several refills and even drew a glass from a barrel using a large pipette.

Pipetting wine from the barrel

From Carmelo, we returned to Buenos Aires via a short ferry ride across to the northern suburb of Tigre. This time, we stayed in the upmarket area of Palermo to get a different feel for the city to the more touristy San Telmo. The area is a lot greener, with lots of big parks, and also with many cafes and bars. We met up with a friend from home who has been living there for nearly a year, so it was good to get a more local perspective of the rewards and the challenges of living in Argentina.

The Floralis Generica sculpture in Buenos Aires - opening and closing with sunrise and sunset

This was our last stop in South America, after spending nearly 16 months on the continent. We flew back to Brussels via Madrid and spent a night in Bruges. This was a good stop before crossing into the Netherlands for the wonderful wedding of one of my best friends, before taking the ferry from Dunkirk back to Dover. For all of these stories, you'll just have to meet up and speak to us.

The Only Meat Factory With UNESCO Status

When Kev last posted, we were just about to leave Córdoba (Argentina's second city) to head towards Uruguay. The simplest way to do this would probably have been an overnight bus to Buenos Aires, then a boat across the river to the Uruguayan town of Colonia de Sacramento, which lies directly opposite Buenos Aires. However, we decided to take a less simple route. Firstly because we tend not to be people who do things the easy way, and secondly because we wanted to visit a town further north in Uruguay, Fray Bentos, before heading down to Colonia.

Electricity generator in the old Fray Bentos factory

Our route to Fray Bentos took us two and a half days from Córdoba. We began with a 6 hour bus to the city of Paraná, where we spent a night. The next day we proceeded for another 4 hours to Gualeguaychú, which is right on the river that marks the border with Uruguay. We had hoped to get a bus straight over to Fray Bentos, only 50km from here, so as soon as we arrived in Gualeguaychú we went to ask in the tourist information office about bus times. Weirdly, the lady there looked at us like we were mad, and told us to ask in the comedor (restaurant), as if that were the obvious thing to do! The man there also looked at us like we were mad, and told us to go to the Flechabus office. We finally got the information we required, which was that there was only ONE bus a day to Fray Bentos, at 1pm, and we were too late for today's.  Great. So off we went to check into one of Gualeguaychú's plentiful yet somewhat uninspiring hotels for the night. The city is a popular resort for Argentinians in the summer, and also famous for its carnival. But in this season it was very cold, and completely dead. It was slightly surreal sitting in a large restaurant on the touristic riverfront, totally devoid of other customers.

View across the rusting rooftops of the old Fray Bentos factory

The following day, we duly got on the 1pm bus, which only took an hour or so, and finally made it into Uruguay! Fray Bentos, on first impressions, looked like any other nondescript Argentinian town - the only way you'd know you were in a new country were the Uruguayan flags flying. So why, might you ask, had we made all this effort to come to this town in particular? UNESCO, of course. Yep, Fray Bentos is home to one of Uruguay's two World Heritage sites.  You may have heard the name before - it's best known in the UK in relation to a line of meat products (Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pie, for example). The UNESCO status was awarded due to the remains of the famous meat factory that operated here during the 19th and 20th centuries, and all the cultural heritage that went with it.

Machinery in the old Fray Bentos factory

I have to say, I had not expected an old meat factory to be the most interesting place to visit, but I was proved completely wrong, and we were very glad we made the effort to come here. Since it was low season, we got a (free) private tour around the old industrial buildings, many still with rusting machinery etc. It was fascinating. We learnt that the company began in the 1860s, the project of a German chemist called Liebig. He had invented a way to 'condense' meat so that the nutrition provided from 33 cows could be concentrated into a single lump of a molasses-like essence, dissolvable in water to form a broth. It was basically the first ever stock cube! Liebig industrialised this process, building his factory in Fray Bentos and exporting his meat extract all over the world. It was particularly successful during war times. when soldiers relied on Liebig's Extract of Meat for nutrition. In the late 19th century the factory started making other meat products, including tinned corned beef, sold under the Fray Bentos label (still produced today). It also began a line called OXO cubes - sound familiar?

Dials on machinery - note that this was made in Bradford, England!

After WWI, the factory was bought by the English and renamed Anglo. It still produced the meat essence, but also diversified, with a huge refrigeration building being constructed capable of storing up to 1800 tons of meat. More than 60 different tinned products were sold under the Anglo label, including canned vegetables as well as meat in every form you can imagine. The factory went into decline during the 1960s and finally closed in the 1979, but the Fray Bentos brand lives on, now owned by the Scottish company Baxters. Our included visits to the machinery / engine room, the refrigeration building, the admin area, and even the slaughterhouse (not for the fainthearted... but also very impressive in its efficiency - they had invented the basis of a production line here before motor companies had laid claim to this idea!).  All of the buildings are extremely run-down and dilapidated, with falling down ceilings and asbestos covered pipes. They hope to restore things gradually, but our guide told us UNESCO status hasn't quite brought the millions they need for this yet. It's quite an experience as it is though - very ghostlike and a bit creepy a little like the ghost salt mining towns we went to in Chile.

More Fray Bentos factory buildings

From Fray Bentos, we discovered there isn't a great selection of buses to elsewhere in Uruguay. We had planned to go down to Colonia del Sacramento, but instead ended up opting to head straight to Montevideo, the capital, since there was nothing to Colonia until 7.45pm! There isn't a great deal to do in the capital, but it's a pleasant enough city. It was extremely cold when we were there - we were told unseasonably so, even for winter here. This must be true as we have found that in general Uruguay is not at all geared up for cold weather! Hardly anywhere has heating of any kind. Montevideo's 22km long Rambla (coastal promenade) must be pleasant in the summer but we were glad after a freezing 10km walk to get out of the wind and into a café.

Montevideo's seafront, which it has to be said isn't the most attractive!

We did manage to visit four museums in the capital. In the national museum, we learnt something of Uruguay's interesting history. During colonial times this area was originally part of a region called the Banda Oriental (the east bank of the River Uruguay). Both the Portuguese and the Spanish made claims to the region - the Portuguese founded the city of Colonia in 1680, and the Spanish then responded by founding Montevideo further south along the river in 1726. Later, ongoing Spanish pressure meant Colonia was eventually ceded to Spain in the 1770s. During the time of the wars of independence, Portugal once again invaded and occupied the Banda Oriental region several times, fearing that republicanism spreading here from Buenos Aires would stir similar sentiment in Brazil. Even after Brazil became independent from Portugal, Banda Oriental remained a part of the Empire of Brazil. It only became an independent state in 1828, after a war between Brazil and revolutionaries who wanted it to become part of the Rio de la Plata provinces (Argentina).  Brazil and Argentina finally agreed in an 1828 treaty to allow the region to be an independent territory, a sort of buffer zone between the two countries. Hence Uruguay was born.

Uruguay's national football stadium, in Montevideo

One of the other museums we went to was on football! This was attached to the Montevideo stadium, so we got to have a quick look inside, as well as seeing a ton of football trophies and memorabilia. Uruguay has quite a proud footballing history - it was the first country ever to win the World Cup (1930) and won it again in 1950; it also has won the Copa América more times than any other country (Argentina is only one behind on the latter count though, and the 2016 competition is currently taking place!).  We also visited the gaucho museum - gauchos (cowboys) are a fundamental part of Uruguay's culture, as in Argentina. On our last night in Montevideo we treated ourselves to a posh meal out at a restaurant. The chef had trained in France and Asia, and so a lot of the food had some Asian styles and flavours. It was quite a revolution for our taste buds after the past few months!

The 1930 World Cup trophy, in the football museum in Montevideo

We have now left Montevideo and arrived at last in the aforementioned Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay's other UNESCO site. More on that (and Uruguayan wine tasting!) in our next blog.

The Biggest Bird You'll Ever See?

We'd seen several condors before on our trip, most notably during our trek towards Machu Picchu and several around El Chaltén, but never close enough to really appreciate their size. This time, while walking early in the morning, all alone in the Quebrada del Condorito national park, we saw two figures on a nearby hill. At first, we thought they were two more people, detracting from our uniqueness, but then they spread their wings and took off! They were enormous. They can have a wingspan of up to 3.3m and weigh up to 15kg.

Condor flying overhead at Quebrada del Condorito

This wasn't our last encounter with condors for the day. When we reached the quebrada (canyon), we saw several more circling overhead and some landing on the opposite cliff. Then, a group of about 15-20 decided to pass right above us before flying into the distance. It was an incredible experience to see them swoop over us one by one before disappearing behind the mountain.

The Quebrada del Condorito

The national park was our highlight of our time in and around Córdoba, Argentina's second city. We liked the city itself - it's an old colonial city and is home to our final World Heritage Site for Argentina. Of course, it was another Jesuit mission. We did a short tour around the church, and discovered that the surrounding buildings are home to the country's oldest university. As a major university city, it was home to many of the 'Disappeared' - those who were killed by the military dictatorship during the '70s and '80s.

The entrance to the Jesuit church

After a lot of time sitting in cars and wine tasting, we wanted to do some hiking, and handily there are several small mountain ranges just outside Córdoba - the Sierras. We visited the small town of Capilla del Monte in the Sierras Chicas (Small Sierras), home to Uritorco Hill. This was perfect for our needs - a day long hike with pleasant views over the town and the nearby reservoir. Before we arrived, we hadn't done much more research than that, and we soon found that the town is full of UFO spotters, 'magical' rocks and plastic pyramids full of 'mysteries'. In 1986, a scorched patch of ground was found and this was subsequently blamed on aliens. You can now watch some incredibly unrealistic videos online, or buy plenty of little green man dolls.

A 'mystical' pyramid in Capilla del Monte

After Córdoba, we set off for our final country on this continent - Uruguay. We'll stop in a couple of places on the way to break up the journey, but not spend much time there, before crossing the border to Fray Bentos.