The trip to Carmelo, Uruguay - La casa del Sol - Nueva Palmira

Ending this series, If you decide to come this way anytime and your looking for a place to stay in Nueva Palmira, May I suggest, "La casa del Sol" Hostel, located on 25 de Mayo facing the river (bring bug repellent). It has space for bikes and cars and the Lady that owns the place is most charming.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Villa La angostura

Villa La Angostura in the Neuquen province sits an hour and a half from Bariloche that is the biggest city in the area. Very popular in winter for its sky slopes it is also the southern entry point to the " Ruta de los 7 Lagos" which is why most people stop here in the summer time.

Villa la Angostura is basically a small town with all the shopping amenities for your excursion with some very nice restos pubs and hotels .

Northern Argentina - Salta - El mercado municipal

If you prefer to buy your goods at the local Market or fair, instead of the omnipresent supermarket, I have the Place for you in Salta.
Located at Av. San Martin 780, a few blocks from the central area, you can go there to get your bulk coca leaves (instead of being ripped off at the tourist spots) or any type of fresh produce or meats.

Trinkets,colourful blankets or just to look around.

There are also a couple of food joints that serve very good empanads and humitas, and do pick up a pound or two of Andean potatoes, if you have´nt tried them you wo´nt regret it.

An for that matter anything you would buy for a higher price anywhere else in the city.

Feria Masticar 2017 edition

Its time again for the "Feria Masticar" in Buenos Aires, same venue as last year and unfortunatelly same old.

Same food trucks, same food stands, same lame cooking lessons. Nevertheless I`m not rejecting the event entirely, just saying that there`s nothing new under the sun, here (besides it was raining on opening day)

It still is a good place to get some organic foods that you normally ca`nt buy otherwise, and indulge in Food truck junk food, but do`nt expect anything new.

At the "Buenos Aires celebra Mexico"

Made it last Sunday to the Mexican  edition of the "Buenos Aires celebra" held on Avenida de Mayo, smack downtown.

Unfortunately they got "Rained out" but they still had plenty of colours and flavours to go around.

From the guy with the "El Santo " mask to the taco stands, I think it represented well the "Mexico Lindo"

The trip to Carmelo, Uruguay - Nueva Palmira

Nueva Palmira is a small city located NW of Carmelo, heading opposite to Colonia which is where everybody generally goes.

Its located facing the Parana River and its main activity is its port where they load mostly grains for export.

I said it was a city cuz you can find most of the amenities like restaurants and lodging of different price ranges.

This is a tranquil spot where you can spend one or two days in a very calm and relaxed ambiance, with friendly folks. We spend the night here and biked back to Carmelo to catch the evening boat.

The city can be accessed by road and there are regular bus services which take you to Carmelo and Colonia.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - The Bariloche Cathedral

The Roman catholic Cathedral in Bariloche is one of the places worth while visiting in a city surrounded by so many natural wonders.

Named after "Nuestra Señora de Nahuel huapi", the Church is built in a Neo Gothic style.

Built in 1942 its interior is a mix of splendour and austerity and it s located right smack downtown.

Salta - Colonial architecture

As far as Colonial Architecture is concerned, Salta is one of Argentina's jewels, along with Cordoba and Tucuman. All this is due to Salta being one of Argentina's oldest city. Founded in 1582 by Fernando de Lerma just two years short of Buenos Aire´s second foundation in 1580.

As many other Spanish colonial Cities, Salta is generously decorated with balconies and colonial style street lamps, even in the areas that were built recently.

The trip to Carmelo, Uruguay - The Road to Nueva Palmira

We biked from carmelo to Nueva palmira, which is the nearest city heading North-East on Road 21. The ride is quite nice with a one lane two way road, in decent condition.

There are some uphills that are a bit steep, but can be handled if you´re in good shape, there are several place of interest along the way like beaches and wineries to stop and relax.

Exploring Patagonia - Ruta 40 - Bariloche: Chocolate gallore

Yes, Bariloche is Argentina´s chocolate wonderland with fierce competition between Swiss, German,Austrian and even Russian families that set up their chocolate stores.














One of the classic firms that has developed into a chain of stores is the "Chocolatería del Turista" which also carries Ice cream, for those occasional hot days during the summer.
I must say that I enjoyed very much the "Apfel strudel" flavour, that they produce.



Now for something local, try the "Chocolate en Rama" which is a branch like stick that collapses in your mouth as the chocolate melts. You will find this all over Bariloche, from home made versions to industrial ones, that are actually quite good.