Lucy
Argentina is gigantic. We had a bit of a problem getting into Argentina the first time as the border was closed because of the snow but once we got in I loved it. It was winter and when spring came Alisha and I picked lots of lovely flowers.
It was very, very, very windy in Patagonia. We went for lots of gigantic hikes for miles and miles up big mountains.
Now we are in a flat in Beunos Aires, the capital of Argentina and we like it here but its very busy. I've discovered that Argentina has the best ice creams. I've also found out Argentina has some great wines, Mummy and Daddy tried lots of them when we went to the wine places. Sometimes they use the grapes to make juice too, which we drank.
Here is a picture of me playing hide and seek with the dogs in the flower meadow at Christmas
Alisha
"Don't cry for me Argentina, the truth is I never left you!"
I will miss Argentina a lot, especially the mint-chocolate chip ice-cream.
I liked going to Patagonia, it was really windy. Sometimes we could feel the truck rocking back and forth in the night. Iguazu Falls were really good we got soaking wet, it looked liked we had gone for a swim in the falls but actually it was just the spray. El Chalten has beautiful mountains and we hiked 3 days in a row. 22 km the first day, 22km the second day and 19km on the last. My legs really ached after that.
I really liked Beunos Aires, we saw the Pink Palace where the Precident works. It is also the place where Evita sung from in the movie and we saw her grave. It was a lot smaller than I expected.
I would like to comeback to Argentina someday, it has lots to do....and maybe I can have some more of that delicious ice-cream.
Gilly
We have been in and out of Argentina over the course of the last 8 months. It's a diverse country with so many highlights. High mountains, deserts with amazing red rock formations, forests thick with trailing lichens, impossibly blue lakes, thick jungle with hidden ruins and who could ever forget the stark beauty of the Patagonian plains.
I like the people too, with a diverse bunch of immigrant backgrounds. They may not win any awards for productivity but they are interesting, internationally knowledgable and are very friendly. Family is very important and I loved seeing the multigenerational gatherings,
every Sunday wherever we were in the country, coming together to chat, sip mate and of course grill huge, huge quantities of meat.
As you drive into every town there is a sign saying "Las Malvinas es Argentinas", this refers to the Falkland Islands, a tiny spot on the map in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The Argentineans claim ownership of these even though the islands are part of the UK. They even went to war unsuccessfully with England over them over 30 years ago. In a referendum on the island in 2010, 98% of the 2000 people voted to stay British. Streets, neighbourhoods, even whole towns, are named Las Malvinas. Politicians spout rhetoric regularly on the subject, especially at the moment when they are desperately trying to distract voters from the country's economic woes they have caused. You would think this would cause problems for British people travelling through they country but absolutely not. We never encountered a single issue with anyone, even down in Patagonia where many of the soldiers came from. The Argentineans have been some of the most friendly and welcoming people in South America.
Even after so long here, I would be happy to explore for far longer. It has so diverse range of things to see and do here, I know we will come back one day.
The amazingly beautiful but hard Patagonian steppe:
Steve
I have thoroughly enjoyed Argentina. It's has been the country where we have spent the most time and we have travelled more than 14,000kms which means we have been lucky enough to pretty much see the length and breadth of the country. It's a beautiful country and the scenery is very diverse.
We have had to make a few adjustments though. The afternoon siesta when everything closes from 12.30 to at least 4pm takes some getting used to. Also it's a shame to see the economic problems in Argentina. While most of the countries in South America seem to be developing, Argentina is not. She is like the grand old actress, still very beautiful but fading at the edges. This is a shame as the people are fantastic and the country has so much to offer.
Food and drink are amazing and the country seems pretty self sufficient in these. But where it struggles is with imported goods so things like telecommunications are not that great in some parts of the country.
Overall though I have absolutely loved the country, the varied scenery, the fantastic meat and the great Malbec wines.
