Argentina

Other traveller reviews on Argentina

2010-02-08T14:51:00Z

Read Argentina travel reviews by other travellers from our friends at bugbitten.

Snowboarding in the Andes

2009-10-23T14:11:00Z

Tell someone you’re going snowboarding in South America, and their first reaction is usually one of surprise. Blame the bikini babes of Rio, or the jungles of the Amazon, but few people seem to equate South America with snow – which is silly, really. The Andes is the world’s second highest mountain range, which means it offers plenty of places to play come winter in the southern hemisphere.

With a vertical drop of 1230m in the lift-serviced areas alone, you only have to chat to some of the expats doing a season in Las Leñas to realise it attracts serious snow fanatics.

Take Yannick, for example, a former professional half-piper from France, who’s spending Europe’s off-season here. Such esteemed company can be intimidating for beginners like us. Seeing Yannick’s range of stylish, sponsored ski threads every day compared to our borrowed fluoro Michelin-man numbers is bad enough. Watching him board is far more humbling. Thankfully, there are plenty of Argentinian novices too, ensuring we aren’t the only ones wincing as we gingerly ease ourselves on to bar stools at night.

Suffice to say learning to snowboard is an up and down experience. You get up, then fall down. Repeatedly. Finally, you get the hang of standing up. Then it’s time to try moving. There’s a day or two of bruises to endure, but it’s amazing how quickly the pain fades when you start linking turns and feeling like a pro.

While Las Leñas offers green runs and beginners’ classes in English, there’s no doubt the resort appeals primarily to experienced skiers and boarders. Our Aussie host, Jason, has snowboarded in Europe, Canada, the US, the Himalayas, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. He rates Las Leñas up there with the best of them. This, he says, is due to the steep advanced runs serviced direct off the chair, plus the snow arrives after being pushed over the Andes, so it dries and falls as light powder.

But while the conditions can be stunning, Jason says it’s the lack of crowds, low living expenses and laid-back lifestyle that convinced him to buy a unit in the Argentinian resort.

“It’s comparable to places such as Chamonix, but with nobody on the mountain,” he says. “There’s dozens of people rather than thousands as in North America or Europe. It makes the whole experience a lot more low-key. There’s no ‘powder panic’ – you can take your time and enjoy things, rather than having to rush for a line first thing in the morning.

“Plus, there’s not too many ski towns in the world where as a ski bum you can drink beer and wine and eat steak every night on a budget. Other places you live a more two-minute noodle-heavy diet.”

Argentina's other slopes

The Lake District
Situated lower than Las Leñas, and with less powder, the appeal of the Lake District is the jaw-dropping views and Alpine-style village lifestyle rather than the quality of the runs. Perhaps the most picturesque of its myriad towns is Bariloche, with the resort of Cerro Catedral. If you prefer your slopes quieter, try San Martin de los Andes (Cerro Chapelco), Caviahue or Centro de Ski Cerro Bayo.

Los Penitentes
The closest quality ski fields to Argentina’s red wine capital, Mendoza, is Los Penitentes, not far from the Chilean border in the shadow of the monstrous Aconagua (6962m). While it still has a vertical drop of 700m, the slopes lack the variety of Las Leñas.

La Hoya
With fewer thrills than its northern neighbours, La Hoya is the ideal place if you want to explore the wonderland of Patagonia. The powder here is respectable.

Tierra Del Fuego
Boasting the world’s southernmost ski fields, Tierra del Fuego has a windswept novelty value. The largest resort is Cerro Castor; if you’re after something near the larger town of Ushuaia, there’s Altos del Valle or Centro de Deportes Invernales Glaciar Martial.

Top 5 things to do in Buenos Aires

Watch the soccer
La Bombonera stadium, where Maradona once plied his trade with Boca Juniors, is a relatively small stadium by English standards, but still has a 50,000 capacity. If you’re going to a game, be prepared to stand for 90 minutes in cramped quarters, with flares going off around you. The atmosphere is electric, though. Stadium tours are available midweek, while the gift shop has everything from Boca-branded cigars to women’s G-strings.

Do the tango
As a tourist, you don’t have to go looking for tango – it is sure to find you. Night-time shows and classes abound. The decision is between stylised or traditional. For the real deal, head to the craft markets in Recoleta on a weekend when local dancers put on shows
for free – well, donations are expected. As a bonus you can join the quest to find Evita’s grave in the cemetery next door.

Cafe culture
Buenos Aires boasts a burgeoning café culture, with caffeine shots served with sickly sweet pastries. While tourists queue outside the grand old Café Tortoni, the price of two of their hot chocolates could buy you a meal at an authentic parilla (steak restaurant). Still, if you treat the mark-up as an entry fee to a museum/art gallery – and Tortoni is effectively both – it’s not so bad.

Join in the nightlife
Or should we say morning life? One thing you don’t have to worry about in Buenos Aires is jet lag. In fact, you’re likely to arrive perfectly in tune with the Latino circadian rhythm. Bars are empty before midnight, and don’t even think about hitting a club before 2am. Many of the city’s watering holes are agonisingly hip, such as Milion, a stunning former terrace mansion where the people inside are no less beautiful.

Works of art
Buenos Aires has plenty to offer art lovers. The national gallery takes you on a journey from the religious art of the 16th century to the squiggles of Jackson Pollock, via names such as Van Gogh, Monet and Picasso. If you want a more local experience, head to Malba, which features Argentinian and Latin American artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Pleased to meat you

Sophisticated it ain’t, but Argentinian cuisine is delicious, and will particularly appeal to red meat aficionados. We’re talking thick steaks, the size of half a dinner plate, lightly seasoned and cooked to perfection on the grill.
Other meat favourites include choripan (chorizo sausage on bread), lomitos (the mother of all steak sandwiches), empanadas (the Argentinian equivalent of a meat pie) and the ubiquitous mixed grill – be warned, this has more organs on display than your average Gunther von Hagens exhibit.

For vegetarians, good luck – but the country’s strong Italian heritage means there’s tasty pizza and pasta to be had, not to mention helado (ice cream) that rivals Rome’s gelati.

Unless you plan on eating alone, it’s best to dine late – it’s not uncommon to find restaurants filled with families at midnight on a Tuesday.

Dakar Rally 2010

2009-08-21T19:04:11Z

The Dakar Rally is coming to Argentina!!

It was a huge event in 2009 and 2010 is shaping to be even bigger. The original Paris-Dakar race was moved due to a direct terrorist threat on the Rally itself.

The Rally runs from Buenas Aires (Arg) to Santaigo (Chile) and back to BA. It kicks off on the 1 Jan to 18 Jan 2010. Follows some 9000kms of desert and Andean Alp routes. One of the toughest races on earth.

I am looking to follow the race in my 4x4. If you are interested in tagging along, drop me a line on

jeduhrle@hotmail.com

Or you need information on crossing borders or sights to see in Salta, Argentina. Where I am living now. Send me an e-mail.

Ok chow for now. J

Tango Festival

2009-01-29T15:45:00Z

What: Tango Festival

Where: Buenos Aires, Argentina

When: February 28-March 8

Get some dirty dancing action at this annual event devoted to this most intense and sexy of dances.

The tango is pretty much a way of life in Buenos Aires, and this festival includes not just concerts and exhibitions with some of the world’s best tango dancers, but also classes and a range of events you can sink your teeth into.

See www.festivaldetango.gov.ar

Eating and drinking in Argentina

2008-11-28T15:52:00Z

Food

Steak

If there's one thing Argentina is famous for, it's steaks of epic proportions. And rightly so. Be sure to order yours muy jugoso (very juicy) to ensure you get it as it was intended: bloody good.

Tenedor Libre (literally free fork)

You'll recognise these buffet barbecue restaurants by the fire pit in the window and the acres of beef lamb and sausage roasting over it. A set price usually gets you as much as you can eat. Be sure top it all with Argentina's favourite salsa - chimichurri - a blend of chilli, tomato, olive oil and herbs.

Empanadas

Little parcels of joy, empanadas are mini pies sold on street corners in the north of the country. Traditionally filled with spiced mince, half a boiled egg and an olive (watch out for the stone!)

Dulce de Leche

Sickly sweet caramel made from condensed milk, dulce de leche is the breakfast spread of choice in Argentina. Beware the mid-morning dulce sugar spike.

Medialunas

Argentinian croissants - these are smaller than their french cousins, and ordered by the handful. Try the savoury variety - made with lard instead of butter, sounds awful, tastes sublime...

Drink

Coffee

European-style pavement cafes are an institution here, and the coffee is best enjoyed cortado - espresso topped with a little steamed milk, served with a shot of icy sparkling water.

Maté

To the visitor, it seems that every Argentinian has a little pot – often carved from a gourd – which they fill with this bitter green tea and top up with hot water. Insert a metal straw with a built in filter and you have a drink that’s made for sharing.

Wine

Argentinian wine has been on the up for years. The reds are especially good. Try a local Malbec. Perfect with red meat.

Argentina Itineraries

2008-11-28T15:49:00Z

Argentina In 2-3 days

Stick with Buenos Aries, which offers an ideal citybreak. Browse the antiques market at San Telmo, explore la Recoleta cemetery – Eva Peron’s final resting place, and watch live tango in the streets in the colourful working class neighbourhood of La Boca.

If you have an extra day, take a day trip across the Rio Plate to La Colonia in Uruguay, a neat colonial town of cobbled streets and graceful colonial buildings.

In 7-9 days

Spend a day or two in Buenos Aries, taking in the best of the capital, then hop on a flight to Tierra del Fuego.

You’ll land at Ushuaia, the town at the bottom of the world, where the streets are lined with cafes and shops selling tractor spares. If the weather’s good, take a trip out into the Beagle channel to spot seals, seabirds and, if you lucky, whales. If you’d prefer to stay on land, head for the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park.

Next take a bus up to Perito Moreno glacier. This vast river of ice carves its way between two mountains before crashing into a deep blue glacial lake.

The viewpoint on a tongue of land brings you tantalysingly close to the face of the glacier, wait long enough and you’re bound to se it calving – shedding chunks of ice the size of skyscrapers into the blue-green water, sending waves across the surface of the lake.

End your trip at another of Argentina’s natural wonders – Iguazu falls. Right on the border with Brazil the Iguazu river crashes into a gorge in the jungle. The sheer volume of water on the move is humbling. The Argentinians have taken it up a level by building a 1 mile walkway out over the river, to a viewpoint poised over “the Devlis Throat” massive funnel that ends in a seething mass of whitewater. Take a raincoat.

Two weeks +

In addition to Buenos Aires, Tierra del Fuego, the Moreno Glacier and Iguazu Falls, head for Bariloche, a picturesque town in the Andes, home to Argentina’s skiing and chocolate industry – that’s two good reasons right there. Bariloche makes a great walking base in the summer months.

Spend some time in wine country, either around Mendoza, or further north, near Salta, where verdant valleys are interspersed with semi-desert landscapes of eerie rock formations and old colonial mission towns.

Wildlife buffs should head for Puerto Madryn on the Atlantic coast, a Unesco world heritage site that protects colonies of seals, penguins and migratory seabirds. Killer whales are often seen here.

For the genuine Argentinian country experience, a stay on an estancia might offer horse-trekking barbecues and red wine beneath the stars.

Misiones province is reachable by daytrip from Iguazu, but a longer stay will give you a chance to explore some of the remarkable ruined Jesuit monasteries in this area. Abandoned in the 17th century, these carved red sandstone cities have been partly reclaimed by the forests and are now strangely peaceful places.

Getting Around Argentina

2008-11-28T15:43:00Z

Getting There

As a continental hub, getting to Argentina is fairly easy. Buenos Aires is served by direct flights from Europe and the US, with many more flights connecting through Sao Paulo and Santiago.

Getting Around

Argentina’s internal transport network is well developed and offers a variety of ways to explore the country.

FLY

If you’re looking to do a whistle-stop tour you’ll probably end up flying. Local airlines like LAN often offer multi-flight deals, taking in the major tourist destinations of Ushuaia, Iguazu, Bariloche and Mendoza.

Bus

If you have a tighter budget and more time on your hands, Argentina’s bus network is one of the best on the continent, with a variety of bus companies connecting all major cities and towns. Alongside standard buses are first class services offering seats that recline horizontal and onboard meals – perfect for those 24 hour bus marathons.

Drive

Driving is possible, and offers a good way of exploring around major centres. Roads are generally good, though local driving can leave a lot to be desired. Driving within Buenos Aires for the brave or foolhardy only! Better to catch one of the city’s licensed cabs.

Public Transport

Large cities like Buenos Aries have tram and bus networks. They can be confusing, so check with local tourist information services.

Cycling

Cycling is a popular way of seeing the countryside, though distances are vast, and headwinds in Patagonia can be fierce.

Highlights of Argentina

2008-11-28T15:36:00Z

Buenos Aires

One of the World’s great cities, the scale of Buenos Aires can initially be daunting. but hit its streets and you’ll be transported into a series of barrios or quarters, ranging from elegant European boulevards to colourful working class docklands.

Perito Moreno Glacier

A vast glacier that, until recently, was one of the last advancing glaciers on earth. With a face that’s over 5km long, and the height of a 20 storey building, the scale of it is truly humbling. For a better sense of scale, take a boat tour on the lake that it calves into, or a walking tour onto the glacier itself.

Patagonia

Inspiration for writers and scientists over the centuries, Patagonia covers a vast area of mostly flat semi-desert country, rising up to the Andes.

Tierra de Fuego

The legendary “Land of Fire” at the bottom of the continent has claimed the lives of many sailors since Magellan first rounded Cape Horn. It’s a beautiful landscape of mountains, glaciers and islands, with a spirit all of its own.

Sport

Whether its football, rugby or polo, Argentinians are sports mad, and a trip to a local game is a wonderful insight into the national psyche. Passions can run high so go with a local if you can.

Bariloche

Perfectly situated on a lake in the Andes, Bariloche is almost too pretty for its own good. The ideal base for outdoor activities like trekking, skiing or rafting, Bariloche is also famous for its chocolates – ample reason not to leave town at all.

Iguazu

The sheer scale of Iguazu defies words. Comprising 275 falls along almost 3km, and pouring thousands of tonnes of chocolate brown water over a drop of up to 80 metres, Iguazu is a tropical vision of both paradise and destruction that will have you struggling for superlatives.

Misiones

The lost Jesuit Missions in the North of Argentina offer great cathedrals carved from red sandstone lying ruined amid the forests. Deeply evocative, they point to a bloody history in this less-explored area of the country.

Estancias

The true spirit of Argentina is encapsulated in the gaucho – these cowboys of the south muster huge herds of cattle to feed the nation’s hunger for red meat. A stay on an estancia offers a vision of a simpler way of life – with the promise of food and drink aplenty.

Tango

Perhaps Argentina’s most famous export. Tango sums up the character of the nation in a dance – fiery, melancholic, nostalgic and laced with machismo and femininity.

Expect to see tango dancers busking in town squares, and tango radio stations blaring from car stereos. A tango dinner show is a highly recommended.

Argentinean Hospitality

2008-09-10T13:20:09Z

Travel Writing Awards Entry

By Simon R Bunn

Argentinean Hospitality
Ring Ring: “Alright Diego?”
“Where are you man?”
“I’m in a place called Laguna Largo”
“Ah man what have you done… my mum’s threatening to throw me out?”
Many travellers idly utter the sentence “if ever you visit my Country you’re welcome to stay with me,” but the polite commonness of such a gesture is usually nonchalantly tossed aside like a Hostel rule book. However, when South American lips deliver that farewell comment it would seem they truthfully mean it, and possess the tolerance to match their kindness.
My Argentinean Amigo, aptly named Diego, epitomised this philosophy scarcely a month after meeting him. Following a cluster of emails, surprisingly comfortable coach seats, and a personal escort from Cordoba’s main bus station we were at the Alonso household. For a country of economic malady, middle class Argentineans live well… bloody well! We were welcomed to directives of “our house is your house”, and the first inhabitant we met was the maid. Diego told us that his mum always endeavoured to employ “ugly” maids to limit the temptations of her hormonally growing sons. Before we’d had chance to sit down “ugly” had a hearty breakfast in front of our still acclimatising eyes, and then we became briefly acquainted with Mrs Alonso and Diego’s older brother. Despite the English language being confined to its natives and Diego’s impressive grasp, the smiles, translations and hand gesticulations were warm enough to mark us with third degree burns. The invitation included our own separate bedrooms, free internet access, a drum kit and all the food in the building at our disposal… and it seemed clear it would be more uncouth not to indulge in the tangible homely luxuries a traveller is usually starved of.
            By the second night of our stay we’d eaten a whole herd of BBQ’d cow with differing circles of Diego’s friends, and were sat in a stylish apartment with another group of mates keen to make us feel at home by playing “Manchester music” through westernised computers. Our mouths barely rested with attendees keen to chat with their “new friends” and discover “how do you like Argentina?” We didn’t enter the student populated City centre or the narcissistically named ‘Dorian Gray’ club until 4am, and that’s when an anticipated sexual conquest led to a new family.
At 9am, with the previous five hours A.W.O.L, I found myself on a Coach with local female Cecillia, leaving Argentina’s second city for Laguna Largos, one hour away. The household I found myself in was familiarly more humble than the Alonso’s but equally as hospitable. With seemingly no questions asked the mother had placed breakfast in my hands before we were excused to sleep in the door less bedroom she shared with her brother. On awaking I made this tale’s opening telephone conversation and discovered I’d done the one thing Diego had told me not to do: “Don’t bring any girls back.” Apparently I’d knocked on his door ridiculously drunk embracing Cecillia, only to be turned away forgetfully by an irate Mrs Alonso. Diego had faced the whirlwind of her anger for most of the day, before I suddenly felt that whirlwind transform into immeasurable guilt. How could I have disrespected the family that had been so kind to me and welcomed me into their home? What a way to pay them back.
            I spent the remainder of the day exploring the invisible attractions of Cecillia’s tiny cowboy like town. Meeting her friends and surroundings, I felt comfortable in the knowledge that I was the only “Gringo” in town, fascinating just by sight alone. Like everyone else I’d met thus far in Argentina everyone was so affable, and dedicated to the question “how do you like Argentina?” Peer pressure is a powerful implement, and after clearing it with Diego, and putting reconciliation tactics for his mother in place, I conceded to their pleas and stayed in dusty Laguna Largo another night. We ended up going to Cecillia’s friends Uncles bar. None of them would let me spend a Peso, regardless of my imploring. In exchange for Europe’s ‘big fish, little fish, cardboard box’ dance they kept me whet with Fernet, introductions to intrigued locals, and created a song of acceptance called “Simon we love you”.
Breakfast was accompanied by photo albums suggesting I may soon be son in law, before time interrupted and I swapped families once more. Cecillia translated her parents persistent asking of “when are you going to come back,” as well as pleading “just one more hour” herself. I gave in once, but then left with the gift of a jumper, her address and the promise to write. I barely knew them but that didn’t quash the pain of knowing I’d never see them again.
            I arrived back at Diego’s mid swing of his Farwell BBQ, armed with a box of chocolates and an apology Cecillia had helped me write in Spanish. It was packed full of friends and family and the warmth of the house I’d felt prior to my dishonouring of rules catapulted me into action. Heading straight for Mrs Alonso, and breaking the shield of her relatives, I handed her the note and chocolates. She made me read it aloud in front of everyone. My monotone Spanish was by no means expert, but she appreciated the effort and bombarded me with hugs and kisses amongst a chorus of merciful “Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr’s.” I’d been forgiven, and paradoxically my bond with Diego’s mum, family and friends had never been stronger.
               That evening I left the Alonso’s with the message that I was “welcome back at anytime,” and with a greater understanding and insight into the culture and family values of a proud nation. One that will go out of their way to ensure that it’s visitors enjoy, and take only positive experiences, away with them. “How do I like Argentina?” Simple, with the exception of locations blessed with extreme natural aesthetics, the beauty of a place lies undeniably in its people.

Café Buenos Aires

2008-09-10T09:24:46Z

Travel Writing Awards Entry

By Andrew Blair

In my mind, I’m sitting in Café Finanzas, on the corner of Lavalle and San Martin. Here, all porteño life passes before you. As in any other café in the city, sooner or later you see every type, every encounter, every crisis that together make up the daily social round of Buenos Aires.

Anything important, and quite a lot which clearly isn’t, happens in the café. This may be true of other cities, but the porteños have perfected these exchanges to an Olympic standard. Not to mention the coffee. The single word produces pure caffeinated pleasure. No messing around with ridiculous menus and variations on a tiresome theme (as in New York, Sydney or London) – but the single command: ‘café’, and out comes the ideal, short and strong black liquid, a little longer than an espresso, with a glass of water and a few biscuits, if you’re lucky. Options range from the typical café con leche, through the cortado, down to the rare but exquisite lagrima, with a mere white, milky teardrop for company.

A peso or two buys the complete experience, and the right to stay there all day. No hassle, no bother – use this place as your office, marriage guidance centre, study or TV lounge – it’s all the same to us. They say Buenos Aires has more psychoanalysts per head than New York; I live in Palermo district, part of which is known as ‘Villa Freud’. There is a great little Italian place near the zoo with signs in the window saying ‘Freud never ate here’ and ‘Hemingway never drank here’; though I did both. Going to your analista is as commonplace as going to the gym. Some choose to save their money, and use the café instead. English lessons, Spanish lessons, romance, recriminations, first dates, last rites – its all going on if you care to look up from your cup and your copy of today’s Clarin or La Nacion.

On the TV, high in the corner, the news tells of elections, corruption, strikes, road deaths and, most of all, the coming River-Boca football clash: el superclassico. This divides the city like nothing else. I follow River Plate, partly because the Monumental stadium is close to where I live (TV memories of tickertape world cup fiestas from 1978); partly because Boca Juniors was the team of Diego ‘la mano del Dios’ Maradona. The main reason, though, is that the friend who picked me up from the airport, on a hot and humid March Sunday morning, said: ‘it’s River Plate or you walk’, which seemed fair enough at the time. It’s the white and red of River for me, rather than the Lego-toned blue and yellow of Boca, whose fans are charmingly referred to as ‘bosteros’, which roughly translates as ‘cowpats’, or so I was told.

Here, in Café Finanzas, you are only a ten-minute walk from just about everything in the city centre. From the President’s Casa Rosada in the Plaza de Mayo (where the mothers of the disappeared have walked anti-clockwise round a statue every Thursday for almost thirty years, as if trying to rewind time) to the refurbished docks of Puerto Madero, the shops of Calle Florida’s pedestrian squeeze or the relative sanctity of Plaza San Martin, with its huge jacaranda trees shedding purple confetti each spring October.

Alternatively, take a colectivo, the jockey-coloured buses madly ploughing their way through the city, an essential Buenos Aires experience. You can travel almost anywhere in the Capital Federal, with a free workout thrown in, as you are flung around each bend, corner and traffic light, regardless of its colour. The buses all come adorned with football pendants, elaborate mirrors and a picture of Our Lady of Lujan, the saint of travellers, who is there to protect us on our way. Drivers of all types seem to feel that this offers greater security than, for example, a seat belt. Certainly, even the colectivo is safe compared to driving a car, in the city or the province. My lack of faith is never more evident than in the front passenger seat of a BA taxi. No amount of casual banter, directional advice, silence or screaming appears to dent the confidence of an Argentinean behind the wheel. Our Lady must move in mysterious ways, unknown to the unbeliever.

A friend here says: ‘for us, one hundred kilometres is nothing, but one hundred years is everything’, as if that explains it all. In many ways, it does. People think nothing of driving several hours to an asado (barbecue), and certain historical events, proud or tragic, seem like only last week. The Argentinean asado is an event of great endurance, sociability and ritual; fantastic beef (and other, both edible and more questionable parts of the cow’s anatomy, excluding the pats, I trust) but salad and dips generally make only a fleeting appearance. Maradona help you if you’re vegetarian.

The best way to recover from a colectivo ride, or the stress of crossing the wide racetrack expanse of Avenida 9 de Julio, with its skyscraping obelisk to mark the centre of the known universe, is to repair to the nearest café. Say the magic, single word, catch the news and your breath. Any café will do. Maybe Café Finanzas, on Lavalle and San Martin. In my mind, I’m sitting there still.

Foreign language lessons in Argentina

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

The best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in the culture. VICKY BAKER takes a four-day spanish course in Buenos Aires.

Anyone fancy learning Spanish in Buenos Aires? Sí? Good choice. The Argentinian capital is one of the most happening cities in the world right now, with its cutting-edge clothes stores, über-hip restaurants and nightlife that never stops before dawn. Plus, thanks to the ridiculously favourable exchange rate, joining a language school here can cost the price of a few CDs and a course book in the UK.

But the question is - do you really want to fly halfway round the world to sit inside and recite verb tables? Twenty-six-year-old Paula Capodistrias wasn't convinced this is what visitors to her city really wanted, and so she founded Español Andando. Translating as 'Spanish on the move', it does exactly what it says on the tin.

The basic premise of the four-day course is to get down to some more practical language usage. Why act out faltering roleplays with fellow students if you can get out there and ask directions from one of the three million Spanish speakers outside? It seems like such glaringly obvious common sense to do a four-day course at just £35.

I meet Paula's business partner, Julieta, on a street corner in San Telmo, a district famous for its sprawling Sunday antiques market. Within a few minutes, we're joined by a mixed bag of students: middle-aged Americans, a gay Irish couple and two Londoners keen to make an effort for their Chilean daughter-in-law.

So, time to get down to business, and what better venue than one of the area's bric-a-brac-style bars? After working our way through some introductory phrases, Julieta moves on to basic verbs - a recap for some members of the group, and a crash course for others. Then, armed with a picture of the Argentinian football team we learn prepositions. "Where is Gonzalez?" she asks. "Gonzalez is near Crespo and next to Heinze," we recite.

By the time we've finished our drinks, we've covered all the vocabulary we need to understand directions. Then, with a cry of "Vamos!", Julieta leads us out on to the cobbled pavement outside to introduce task number one: asking for the nearest bus stop. One of the Irish contingency steps up.

"If you don't understand a word, say 'Más despacio, por favor'. It means 'more slowly'," Julieta encourages. "Or, you could do what I do," adds American George, "and nod in all the right places, say 'gracias', then ask someone else as soon as they're out of sight."
But it seems our bar room briefing has paid off. Bus stop mission is accomplished without a hitch and now all we have to do is catch the bus itself. The other great advantage of this course is it gets you on the city's inside track in more ways than one. None of the group had yet taken a city bus and all welcomed Julieta's guidance: "You need 80 centavos [13p] in change and you put it in the funnel-like machine next to the driver".

Our destination is Retiro bus terminal, which is a rather intimidating place. (Think of the amount of lines Maradona's done in a lifetime and convert them to bus companies: they're countless, in row after row after row.) Fortunately, by now we've all got into the spirit of things and we're happy to be set loose on a quest to find the best ticket prices.

Again we find ourselves not just learning the language but also how to get by in a new country. "Whoa, I didn't know long-distance buses were so good here," says Brian as we jot down a bargain fare (about £20 to get right across the country, including seats like a first-class airline and a hot meal). "If I had done this course first, I wouldn't have pre-booked internal flights."

Day one ends with an introduction to the Subte, the city's underground system, and a debrief in a funky Cuban bar, where we drink happy-hour mojitos until we're convinced we're fluent.

Sadly, it's not tripping off the tongue quite so easily the next day. With directions and transport covered (or a least to a workable level), day two tackles shopping in the trendier-than-thou Palermo district. This is followed on day three by a trip to the theatre district, with Julieta slipping in a bit of reading practice using the local papers.

For the final session, there's an evening start time and we base ourselves in Acabar, a hugely popular restaurant known for its kitsch decor and huge collection of board games. Too cool for a regular menu, Acabar prefers to offer diners a batch of coloured flashcards with one dish written on each. They're such perfect props for a language lesson that everyone presumes Julieta made them herself.

"Qué rico!" How delicious! I exclaim, digging into my gnocchi. I confess I don't actually mean it (Acabar's more about atmosphere than the quality of the food), but I'm keen to practice my new vocab. Everyone agrees the course has been a great confidence builder and we all want to keep it up. "I've tried learning before from books, but I never remember it when I'm out and about," says Sue from Twickenham. "This has been far more beneficial." And, as we *** glasses, with a chorus of "salud!", we all wish school language lessons could have been half as much fun. •

• Classes cost £35 for three afternoons and one evening. See www.espanol-andando.com.ar or call Julieta on +54 911-6539-8866 (or 15-6539-8866 if calling from Buenos Aires).

• Vicky Baker travelled to Buenos Aires with Global Village 񡷍-347 0265; www.globalvillage-travel.com). Return flights start from £533.

Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier so enchanted DAMIAN HALL he went back to see it again, though his travel companion was more reluctant.

What's the difference between a glacier and an iceberg, then?" asked my girlfriend, doing her best to remain thoroughly unexcited about our visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Argentine Patagonia's Los Glaciares National Park.

"Well, it was an iceberg that sank the Titanic. And a glacier doesn't float, as such ... it's sort of like a frozen river."
"Great. So can we ice skate on it then?" Never go back, they say. But having been completely seduced by the glacier four years ago while travelling alone through Argentina, I had to. Solo travelling, with all its indulgences and whimsical decisions, has its drawbacks. When you see something truly amazing you instinctively want to share it with someone you know. You need someone to accredit your sense of appreciation.

I was in love with a mind-bogglingly glorious piece of geology. But, as I found out, going a hell of a long way just to see a big lump of ice doesn't appeal to everyone.

El Calafate has changed almost unrecognisably. The town is solely reliant on glacier tourism, and yet it's booming. A population of 2000 has swelled to around 10,000 and the streets are a mess of building sites, albeit with the tantalising backdrop of the Andes 30km away. A 90-minute bus journey takes us into Los Glaciares National Park, which supports the largest icecap outside Antarctica.

A glacier is probably best understood as a more or less permanent body of ice and compacted snow that has become large and heavy enough to move under its own weight. They aren't actually frozen rivers - they never flowed - but colossal tongues of ice, magnificent remnants of various ice ages. Due to gravity, they tend to move like a river in extreme slow-motion.

The Moreno Glacier is unique in many ways. Notably, it's one of very few in the world still advancing - at an estimated rate of two metres a day. The shifting ice kingdom has reached out of Lago Argentino 12 times in the past 100 years. As it struggles to invade the land the water sweeps its legs away, leaving a remarkable bridge effect. This last happened in March 2004, making headline news around the world when it finally crumbled.

"

Moreno also talks, or at least grumbles and groans. House-sized bits break off it all day long giving a startlingly loud crack, like a rifle shot, as the glacier winces and breaks under the pressure of the push from behind. Then there's a roar as it punches the water.

Everyone turns to try to pinpoint the escaping piece but usually you'll only see a large wave starting out across the lake. If you hear it," says our guide, "you've already missed it." People sit staring at the glacial face for hours, hopelessly enchanted, waiting for bits to drop off.

A second visit is as rewarding as the first. We catch a boat (on which you can buy a whisky iced with fragments of the glacier) for a closer look. At 265 km_ in all, the glacier is similar in size to Buenos Aires. The glacial face is around 5km long, an intimidating 60m high, with another 100m underwater.

You don't really appreciate the staggering grandeur until you're up close. There you can also gawp at the beauty in all its intricacies; the sensual curves and crevices, the chemical blue glow. The texture looks a little like a Flake chocolate bar, ready to crumble off and be replaced by equally handsome shards from behind.

Put simply, the glacier is irresistibly mesmerising in its beauty and charisma. It's an entirely new vision, like seeing a newborn baby, or perhaps alien life forms. While my camera begs for a rest, my formerly cynical girlfriend suggests that Moreno looks something like a huge army of drunken druids, returning from some sort of druidy piss-up. She, too, is irredeemably smitten.

Glaciers and global warming

Why is the Perito Moreno Glacier advancing while so many of its friends are retreating?
No clear explanation is yet agreed upon by glaciologists. What is beyond dispute is that since 1980, and even more markedly since 1995, glacial retreat has become increasingly rapid and widespread. Many glaciers have melted completely and others are seriously threatened. It is estimated that the total surface area of glaciers worldwide has decreased by 50% since the end of the 19th century (not including the polar icecaps)

The ramifications
Increased melting would cause greater flow for several decades. After that, many high population areas are likely to run out of water. The loss of glaciers directly causes landslides, flash floods, glacial lake overflow and similar side effects. South America and Central Asia, where many depend on glacial melt for irrigating crops and drinking water, would both suffer badly. In Norway, the Alps, and the Pacific Northwest of North America, glacier runoff is vital for hydropower. Also, countless plants and animals are dependent on glacier-fed waters."

Drinking wine in Argentina

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

Family-run Viña el Cerno is one of a growing breed of small wineries, or 'boutique bodegas', that are becoming regular tourist stops in western Argentina.

The country's wine industry may have been slow off the mark against neighbouring Chile, but is fast gaining momentum. In less than five years, Argentina's wine exports have more than doubled in volume and tripled in value, with Malbec its most famous grape.

"I'm getting coffee and hints of tobacco," I find myself musing as I sniff a glass of Viña el Cerno's Malbec. I would feel quite proud of my connoisseur's evaluation, if I hadn't been prompted by an idiot-proof wall display, which clearly marries the type of wine with pictures of their associated tastes and smells. Cherries and blackberries in Tempranillo; roasted coffee and tobacco in Malbec; grapefruit and honey in Sauvignon Blanc; Oreo cookies and conkers in Cabernet.

Ok, I may have got that last one wrong. That picture wasn't so clear. But I leave Viña el Cerno content and determined to memorise all the wallchart characteristics to impress my friends at home.

Wine tours aren't always such a success. While there's no limit to the amount you can learn about wine, there's a definite limit to the number of times you can feign awe at the bottling machines.

On most winery tours, too much time is spent on the process and not enough on the important part: the tasting.

Large wineries are particularly guilty of offering sterile tours, herding visitors round in mass groups, before handing them a thimble of wine and pushing them towards the gift shop.

That's where the boutique bodegas can have the edge. You'll often find a far more personal approach in the smaller wineries, and if your timing's right, you might even be their only visitor.

Also, knowing Argentinian hospitality, you'll almost certainly be treated like an old friend, with much arm grabbing, cheek kissing and friendly banter.

There is certainly no shortage of boutique options around Mendoza. The most popular approaches are either to take
an escorted half-day tour with a group, or hire a bike and make your own way around the vines. The advantage of the former is it often includes a picada lunch (the Argentine equivalent of tapas), with plenty of cold meats, local cheeses and, of course, lots of wine to wash it all down.

The city of Mendoza, the capital of the province of the same name, is the heart of Argentina's wine industry. Nestled at the foot of the snow-capped Andes, close to the Chilean border, it is known for its wide, tree-lined avenues and a laid-back pace of life that can come as a shock to those coming from traffic-clogged Buenos Aires (1000km, or an overnight bus journey, to the east).

After the country's capital and Iguazu Falls, Mendoza is one of Argentina's most popular stop-offs for backpackers.

Recent years have seen a rash of high-standard hostels opening up - many with swimming pools and in-house bars, and all offering countless opportunities for excursions and adventure sports. For many, Mendoza becomes one of those backpacking black spots, where a planned couple of days can easily turn into a couple of weeks.

However, wine enthusiasts shouldn't stick solely to Mendoza's well-worn tracks. Neighbouring San Rafael is another major wine-growing centre yet, despite being an increasingly popular holiday spot for Argentinians, the average backpacker still passes it by.

San Rafael may not have the whistles-and-bells hostels of Mendoza, but there is a fair supply of affordable hotels and holiday villas for those wanting to make further inroads into Argentina's wine trail.

Unfortunately, my own choice of accommodation doesn't quite live up to the superlative-laden guidebook description.

In place of the 'lively atmosphere', I find I'm the sole off-season visitor under 50 and my only companion is a dog who takes a friendly pat on the head as a green card to hump my leg at any opportunity.

But, dog-on-heat aside, I'm taken with San Rafael. It is somewhat sleepy, with a rather ordinary town centre, yet that's its charm.

For once, having no major sights to tick off can feel refreshing. You can put the guidebook away and mooch around town, doing your best to masquerade as a local.

Until, that is, it's time to get back to the tastings. San Rafael is home to an impressive diversity of wineries. From the stunning Champañera Bianchi, with its grand fountains, elaborate gates and showpiece cellars, to Jean Rivier, a modest and functional boutique bodega of Swiss origin, all seem keen to share tales of booming business.

However, my guide at Jean Rivier does admit their main obstacle still involves overcoming 'industry snobbery", making it clear the key culprits are firmly entrenched in the so-called Old World.

But times are changing and the reputation of Argentinian wine is growing at an astounding rate.

Here in the UK, the Gaucho Grill (an expanding chain of Argentinian restaurants) is case in point. When it opened its first premise in Piccadilly in 1994, the idea of putting Argentine wine on the menu seemed laughable and they opted, instead, for a menu that paired its steaks with beer. Fourteen years on, not only do they have a lengthy wine list, it's also entirely native, with the most expensive Malbec blend priced at £190 a bottle. "Actually, it's those with the least knowledge about wine that are the hardest to win over now, because they arrive with so many preconceptions," Gaucho Grill's head sommelier Jessica Closs says.

Nonetheless, the Argentines are now attaining snobbery of their own, with the Gaucho Grill vowing to take the country's most famous label, Norton, off its menu this year after the brand secured a deal with Tesco.

It seems wine is best served with an open mind and an ability to understand your own taste.

Sitting in a gastro pub back home, staring at a lengthy wine list with a surprising number of Mendozan exports, I find Christian's football analogies left a lasting impression. "It's having a variety of players that makes the game interesting," he said. When it comes to wine, the Argentinian game is one to watch.

Walking with dinosaurs

If you're doing the Buenos Aires/San Rafael/ Mendoza triangle, consider splitting the trip with an unusual stop. The canyons of Sierra de las Quijadas are one of Argentina's little-known highlights. Only recognised as a national park in 1995, they offer fantastic hiking trails and the chance to walk among dinosaur footprints and 120 million-year-old fossils.

Those wanting to take the palaeontologist's dream to the next level should continue south. In recent years, the biggest-ever dinosaur remains have been found in Patagonia. First came the discovery of a 100-tonne giant now known as Argentinosaurus; then, last year, this was usurped by the discovery of a beast thought to have measured four storeys high, with a neck 10 times longer than a giraffe's.

Oddly, for a country so obsessed by red meat, these creatures are thought to be history's biggest vegetarians.

To arrange a trip to Sierra de las Quijadas, see www.sanluisturismo.com.ar (Spanish only) or contact San Luis Hostel. For a chance to aid the experts on a dig, join a dinosaur camp at Centro Paleontológico Lago Barreales in Neuquén, Patagonia. For details see www.interpatagonia.com.